MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

While at Quantico, the first female agents toured the campus to see the changes that have been made since they were students 50 years ago. One of the first two female special agents, Joanne Pierce (Misko), noted: “I am impressed with how much the FBI has grown over the last 50 years.” 

But beyond the growth in the Training Academy, she observed a more important change: “It is amazing to see so many female agents serving in leadership roles.” 

It is a big change from the days she and Susan Roley (Malone) were labeled “the experiment” after the FBI changed a long-standing policy that prohibited women from applying to be special agents. They entered the Training Academy on July 17, 1972. Today, more than 3,000 women serve as special agents.

Source: US FBI

“The United States continues to be in a heightened threat environment, and the FBI is fully engaged to detect and stop any potential threats to the American people. As we mark one year since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East calls for vigilance by the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and members of the public. 

It is essential to be watchful for threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions and to immediately contact law enforcement to report any suspicious activity. We continue to share intelligence with our law enforcement partners here and overseas and continue discussions with faith-based organizations, the private sector, and others about their concerns.

We must remember the hostages and the innocent lives lost throughout the Mideast over the last year. At the same time, the FBI remains focused on our mission to protect the American people and prevent acts of terrorism and hate.”

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Joseph E. Carrico as the special agent in charge of the newly reopened Nashville Field Office. He most recently served as the special agent in charge of the Knoxville Field Office.

Mr. Carrico joined the FBI as a special agent in 1999 and was assigned to the Dallas Field Office, where he investigated securities and bank fraud. He was also a member of the Evidence Response Team. In 2005, he was promoted to supervisory special agent and moved to the Human Resources Division at Headquarters.

In 2007, Mr. Carrico served as an assistant inspector in the Inspection Division. He returned to the Human Resources Division in 2008 as chief of the Special Agent Recruitment and Selection Unit.

In 2009, Mr. Carrico was selected as the supervisory senior resident agent in charge of the Covington Resident Agency in Kentucky, part of the Louisville Field Office. He returned to the Inspection Division in 2011 as special assistant to the assistant director.

In 2013, Mr. Carrico was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Administrative Branch of the Chicago Field Office. Three years later, he was promoted to chief of the Digital Forensics and Analysis Section of the Operational Technology Division. In 2018, Mr. Carrico was promoted to deputy assistant director in the division, overseeing digital and forensic analysis, computer network exploitation, and lawful electronic surveillance.

In 2019, Mr. Carrico was promoted to special agent in charge of the Knoxville Field Office, where he oversaw FBI work in eastern Tennessee. In 2024, Mr. Carrico was named the special agent in charge of the Nashville Field Office following the merger of the Knoxville and Memphis Field Offices, which will remain as resident agencies. 

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Carrico was a reserve deputy sheriff and a financial advisor in his hometown of Louisville. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kentucky.

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

Note: View the indictment here. 

Former Federal Aviation Administration contractor, Abouzar Rahmati, 42, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Great Falls, Virginia, was indicted for acting and conspiring to act as an agent of the Iranian government in the United States without prior notice to the Attorney General. He made his initial appearance in the District of Columbia today this afternoon.

According to the indictment, from at least December 2017 through June 2024, Rahmati conspired with Iranian government officials and intelligence operatives to act on their behalf in the United States, including by meeting with Iranian intelligence officers in Iran, communicating with coconspirators using a cover story to hide his conduct, obtaining employment with an FAA contractor with access to sensitive non-public information, and obtaining open-source and non-public materials about the U.S. solar energy industry and providing it to Iranian intelligence.  

“As alleged, the defendant conspired with Iranian officials and intelligence operatives, even lying to obtain employment as a U.S. government contractor only to then share sensitive government materials with Iran,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “When undisclosed agents of Iran or any other foreign government seek to infiltrate American companies or government agencies, the Justice Department will use every available tool to identify them and bring them to justice.”  

“This defendant is charged with infiltrating a U.S. agency with the intent of providing Iran with sensitive information vital to our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Thanks to the great work of the FBI and the FAA’s investigators, this defendant was stopped in his tracks and a known adversary’s plot was exposed.”

“This indictment describes the reprehensible actions of an individual who allegedly betrayed his country by transferring sensitive U.S. information to a foreign power. This alleged betrayal not only undermines our national security but also puts U.S. jobs and livelihoods at risk,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “We will not tolerate any actions that compromise U.S.-based sensitive information and are committed to ensuring that justice is served swiftly and decisively.”

According to the indictment, from June 2009 to May 2010, Rahmati served as a First Lieutenant in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — an Iranian military and counterintelligence organization under the authority of the Supreme Leader of Iran. After being discharged from the IRGC, Rahmati lied to the United States government regarding his military service with the IRGC in order to, among other things, gain employment as a U.S. government contractor.

In August 2017, Rahmati offered his services to the Iranian government through a senior Iranian government official who previously worked in Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and with whom Rahmati had previously attended university. Four months later, in December 2017, Rahmati traveled to Iran, where he met with Iranian intelligence operatives and government officials and agreed to obtain information about the U.S. solar energy industry, to provide that information to Iranian officials, and to conduct future communications under a cover story based on purported discussions about research with fellow academics.

After Rahmati returned to the United States in December 2017, he obtained various non-public and open-source materials related to the U.S. solar energy industry and provided them to an Iranian government official. Rahmati also applied for multiple positions with private companies and U.S. government entities that would provide him with access to sensitive information, eventually obtaining a position with U.S. Company 1 supporting the FAA on a contract related to the power and electrical architecture of the FAA’s National Airspace System (NAS). After Rahmati obtained the position, he informed an Iranian intelligence officer that he was “in the process of moving to and joining a new company” and that they could “work more effectively if it is finalized.”

In response to tasking from Iranian officials, and in furtherance of his agency relationship with the Government of Iran, Rahmati exploited his employment with U.S. Company 1 by downloading sensitive non-public U.S. Company 1 documents related to the FAA, storing them on removable media, and taking them to Iran, where he provided the documents to the Government of Iran in April 2022. These included documents related to the NAS that would give a person unfamiliar with NAS facility engineering a reasonable understanding of how the NAS power and electrical architecture is configured.

After he returned to the United States in April 2022, in response to tasking from Iranian government officials, Rahmati sent additional information relating to solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, U.S. airports, and U.S. air traffic control towers to his brother, a co-conspirator, so that he would provide those files to Iranian intelligence on behalf of Rahmati.

The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case. FAA’s Office of Counterintelligence and Technical Operations provided significant assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Kimberly Paschall for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Beau Barnes and Alexander Wharton of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia provided significant assistance. 

Source: US FBI

FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough issued the following statement regarding a cryptocurrency seizure that was announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on September 26:

“These types of schemes are devastating, and they’re impacting thousands of Americans every day,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI has seen victims lose millions of dollars, take second and third mortgages on their homes, all in the hopes of finding the next big investment opportunity. The seizure of millions of dollars is proof the FBI will stop at nothing to find these fraudsters who insist on taking advantage of the American public. It doesn’t matter where they are, we will leverage all of our resources and work with our partners domestically and internationally to stop them from stealing people’s hard-earned money.”

Source: US FBI

A federal jury in Bridgeport, Connecticut, convicted a former oil and gas trader today for his role in a nearly eight-year long scheme to bribe Brazilian government officials and to launder money to secure business for two Connecticut-based commodities trading companies.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Glenn Oztemel, 65, of Westport, Connecticut, paid bribes to officials of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), the Brazilian state-owned oil and gas company, to obtain lucrative contracts for Arcadia Fuels Ltd. (Arcadia) and Freepoint Commodities LLC (Freepoint).

“Glenn Oztemel paid and laundered more than $1 million in bribes to employees of Brazil’s state-owned oil and gas company to obtain lucrative contracts for his commodities-trading companies in Connecticut,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Bribing public officials to win business undermines the rule of law and creates unfair competition. Today’s verdict reaffirms the Criminal Division’s commitment to combatting foreign corruption that violates U.S. law.”

“Bribery and money laundering are well-established federal crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut. “This conviction serves as another warning to anyone involved in the financial industry who seeks to gain an unfair advantage and illegally profit, both here in the U.S. and abroad. This office and our law enforcement partners will continue to keep a watchful eye to ensure that representatives from U.S. businesses operating overseas comply with our nation’s laws.”

“Individuals and companies who collude to thwart free market competition through bribery ultimately erode public trust in the marketplace,” said Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s conviction demonstrates the commitment of the FBI and our partners to investigate anti-competitive behavior and hold accountable those who try to cheat the system for their own benefit and profit.”

The trial evidence showed that, between 2010 and 2018, Oztemel worked as a senior oil and gas trader — first at Arcadia and then at Freepoint. With the assistance of others, Oztemel paid and caused the payment of bribes to Petrobras officials for their assistance in helping Arcadia and Freepoint to obtain and retain fuel oil contracts with Petrobras and by providing Oztemel and others with confidential information regarding Petrobras’ fuel oil business. Oztemel and his co-conspirators caused Arcadia and Freepoint to make corrupt payments — disguised as purported consulting fees and commissions — to a third party intermediary and agent, Eduardo Innecco, 74, knowing that Innecco would pay a portion of those funds to Brazilian officials, including to Houston-based Petrobras trader Rodrigo Berkowitz.

To conceal the scheme, Oztemel, Innecco, and their co-conspirators used coded language like “breakfast” and “freight deviation” to refer to the bribes and communicated using personal email accounts, encrypted messaging applications, disposable phones, and fictitious names like “Spencer Kazisnaf” and “Nikita Maksimov.” In total, Oztemel paid more than $1,000,000 in bribes, which were split between Berkowitz and other Petrobras officials in Brazil. The bribe money moved from the trading companies to shell companies around the world controlled by Innecco, who then made payments to a bank account in Uruguay controlled by Berkowitz’s father.

The jury convicted Oztemel of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of violating the FCPA, and two counts of money laundering. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of the FCPA and conspiracy to violate the FCPA counts, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the money laundering and money laundering conspiracy counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Charges against Oztemel and Innecco were unsealed on Feb. 17, 2023. In a superseding indictment returned on Aug. 29, 2023, both were charged alongside Oztemel’s brother, Gary Oztemel. Gary Oztemel pleaded guilty to money laundering on June 24. In May 2023, Innecco was arrested in France and his extradition to the United States is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Innecco is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

In a related matter, in December 2023, Freepoint admitted to bribing officials in Brazil in violation of the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA. Freepoint entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. As a part of the resolution, Freepoint agreed to pay more than $98 million in criminal penalties and forfeiture.

The FBI Los Angeles Field Office’s International Corruption Squad investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and authorities in Brazil, Latvia, Switzerland, and Uruguay provided assistance with the investigation.

Trial Attorneys Allison McGuire and Clayton P. Solomon and Assistant Chief Jonathan P. Robell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McGarry for the District of Connecticut are prosecuting the case.

The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA and FEPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

Source: US FBI

Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, of Catonsville, Maryland, was sentenced today to 18 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland and a concurrent sentence of 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“Those who seek to attack our country’s critical infrastructure will face the full force of the U.S. Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Sarah Beth Clendaniel sought to ‘completely destroy’ the city of Baltimore by targeting five power substations as a means of furthering her violent white supremacist ideology. She will now spend the next 18 years in federal prison. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively counter, disrupt, and prosecute those who seek to launch these kinds of hate-fueled attacks that target our critical infrastructure, endanger entire cities, and threaten our national security.” 

“The defendant plotted to disable the power grid around the entire Baltimore region and cause harm to thousands of people in pursuit of a racially motivated violent extremist agenda,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Her plan failed thanks to the great work of the FBI and our law enforcement partners. Today’s sentencing should serve as a warning to others that you will be held accountable if you attempt to carry out violent attacks on our infrastructure or threaten the safety of those in our communities.”

“Such cowardice, designed to disrupt and endanger the lives of Maryland’s citizens, will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “My office remains committed to protecting the security and well-being of the community by prosecuting such conduct to the full extent of the law.”

According to her plea agreement and other court documents, in 2018, Clendaniel became acquainted with Brandon C. Russell, a Florida resident, who is currently charged with conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland and is awaiting trial. Clendaniel and Russell espouse a white supremacist ideology and advocate a concept known as “accelerationism.” To “accelerate” or to support “accelerationism” is based on a white supremacist belief that the current system is irreparable and without an apparent political solution, and therefore violent action is necessary to precipitate societal and government collapse.

According to court documents, from at least December 2022 through February 2023, Clendaniel conspired with Russell to damage energy facilities involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid. The intended monetary loss associated with the planned attacks would have exceeded $75 million.

As set forth in her plea agreement, Clendaniel admitted that she communicated and planned over encrypted communication applications (ECA) to carry out attacks against energy facilities. Russell and Clendaniel communicated their plans to commit an attack on the Baltimore region power grid to a confidential human source (CHS-1).

Their plans began to coalesce on Jan. 12, 2023, when CHS-1 and Russell discussed the planned substation attack in Maryland with a goal of working with Clendaniel to “maximize impact” and “to coordinate to get multiple [substations] at the same time.” Later that same day, Clendaniel, using the moniker “Nythra88,” sent a message to CHS-1 on ECA confirming her support of the attack.

In the ensuing conversation, which continued through Jan. 14, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she lived near Baltimore. She also stated that she was a felon, and had previously, but unsuccessfully, attempted to obtain a rifle. She asked CHS-1 to purchase a rifle for her, stating that she wanted to “accomplish something worthwhile” and that she wanted the rifle “within the next couple of weeks” to “accomplish as much as possible before June, at the latest.” On Jan. 18, 2023, on ECA, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she had identified a few potential locations to target in her attack. CHS-1 stated that CHS-1 would have to be the “driver” and Clendaniel would have to be the “shooter” in the attack. Clendaniel confirmed that she was “determined to do this” and stated she would have done something earlier on her own if she had not lost her rifle “a few months ago.” The conversation continued with CHS-1 and Clendaniel discussing the specifics of the desired rifle and agreeing that Clendaniel would send CHS-1 a “wish list,” which she did the following day.

At various times from Jan. 21, 2023, through Jan. 29, 2023, CHS-1 exchanged encrypted messages, separately with Clendaniel and with Russell, in which they discussed in detail the rifle and specific firearms accessories that Clendaniel wanted and potential targets for their attack.

On Jan. 29, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that the five substations she planned to target included “Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall.” Clendaniel described how there was a “ring” around Baltimore and if they hit a number of them all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city.” She added that they needed to “destroy those cores, not just leak the oil . . . ” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” Further, she stated that: “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.” When CHS-1 asked if it would accomplish a “cascading failure,” Clendaniel replied, “[y]es . . . probably” and that the attack targets are all “major ones.” Clendaniel also said that the most difficult target that they would have to do together has “fire walls on three sides.”

During that conversation, Clendaniel sent CHS-1 five links to the “Open Infrastructure Map” which showed the locations of five specific Baltimore, Gas and Electric (BGE) electrical substations in Maryland. BGE is an energy company that utilizes substations, like the five targeted sites, to produce, convert, transform, regulate and distribute energy. Three of the five substations were located near the towns of Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall. The remaining two substations were in the vicinity of Baltimore City. Each location is a BGE substation with significant infrastructure.

On or about Jan. 31, 2023, Russell discussed with CHS-1 the attack of the targeted substations on ECA, including how to “make sure it’s done right,” how “it has been studied,” and how to make it “cascading” so as to maximize damage. Russell and Clendaniel believed that attacking these five electrical substations in the greater Baltimore area would serve accelerationism.

On Feb. 3, 2023, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Clendaniel’s residence in Catonsville, Maryland. During the search, law enforcement agents recovered from Clendaniel’s bedroom various firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Federal law prohibits Clendaniel from possessing these items because she is a convicted felon, including convictions in Cecil County, Maryland, for robbery in 2006 and robbery and attempted robbery in 2016.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Michael Aubin for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is a partner in the Justice Department’s United Against Hate community outreach program. The United Against Hate initiative seeks to directly connect federal, state, and local law enforcement with traditionally marginalized communities in order to build trust and encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. Attorney General Garland announced the nationwide launch of the initiative and its expansion to all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

Source: US FBI

Note: View the indictment here.

A federal grand jury in Miami late this afternoon returned an indictment charging Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, with attempting to kill former President Donald J. Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.

“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop.”

“This alleged attempted assassination of the former President at his golf course was a direct attack on our democracy. Political violence has no place in this country — not then, not now, not ever,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The charges today reflect the Department’s continued resolve to deploy every available resource to ensure public officials remain safe and to hold accountable those who target public officials to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, which strikes at the very heart of our democratic system,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is continuing our investigation into this alleged plot and will use the full weight and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach. In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence.”

According to allegations in a complaint affidavit and a factual proffer filed with the court, former President Trump was golfing at Trump International on Sept. 15, and a Secret Service agent conducting a perimeter security sweep saw the partially obscured face of a man — later identified as Routh — in the brush along the fence line near the sixth hole. The agent observed the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him. As the agent began backing away, he saw the rifle barrel move, and the agent fired at Routh.

A witness saw Routh running across the road from the golf course and getting into a black Nissan Xterra. Based on information provided by the witness, Routh was later apprehended heading northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Court documents allege that in the area where Routh had been hiding in the tree line, FBI agents located an SKS semiautomatic rifle with a scope attached and an extended magazine. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated and unreadable. Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag that each contained a plate capable of stopping small arms fire.

According to the allegations filed with the court, FBI agents found documents that contained a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October and venues where the former President had appeared or was expected to be present. Cell records for two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra showed that on multiple days and times from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, Routh’s cell phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International and the former President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.

According to the factual proffer filed with the court, a civilian witness contacted law enforcement stating that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence several months ago. Included in the box was a handwritten letter from Routh addressed “Dear World,” which stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

Routh was charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer (a Secret Service Agent), felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. At a detention hearing on Sept. 23, Routh was ordered to remain in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, Routh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

According to court records, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010.

The FBI is investigating the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Secret Service.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

Following a nine-day trial, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as Shalamar, 47, of Lake Placid, Florida, on 13 charges for sex trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls. Session compelled some of his victims to commit commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, and he compelled other victims to commit commercial sex acts between February 2016 and February 2019.

“The defendant used despicable and horrific means to terrify and coerce nearly a dozen women and girls to engage in commercial sex,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting vulnerable victims from such cruel exploitation. This prosecution reflects that commitment. It is a testament to the courageous young women who cooperated with law enforcement to expose, prosecute and hold accountable this defendant for the years of misery he inflicted on scores of women.”

“Vindicating the rights of human trafficking victims and other vulnerable persons ranks among the highest priorities of our office,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Human trafficking is a crime of exploitation. We will not allow human traffickers to prey upon others for profit, as humans are not commodities but rather demand our united protection. Our office’s dedicated prosecutors, victim witness coordinators, and support personnel will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat human trafficking and bring offenders to justice.” 

“Today’s verdict is a step towards justice for the nearly dozen victims who were forced by Shannima Yuantrell Session into sex trafficking and endured his reign of horrendous and abusive control,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This verdict is a testament to the cooperation and commitment of several law enforcement agencies including the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. We will continue working with these and other partners to dismantle human trafficking networks that operate in the shadows and brutalize their victims.”

Evidence presented during the trial established that Session made promises of legitimate work and housing assistance to women and girls struggling with unstable living accommodations, substance abuse and neglect or who otherwise led unstable lives. Session’s promises were often false and empty, designed to provide him the opportunity to learn about a victim’s vulnerabilities while misrepresenting himself as caring and empathetic. Session then exploited the victims’ vulnerabilities to compel their commercial sex acts in squalid trailers housing migrant workers or in local orange groves.

At times, Session used food and housing to control and coerce the victims. For example, he would not permit one of his victims to eat if the victim did not follow his instructions. Often, Session required his victims to engage in sexual activity with him after they had spent a night having compelled sexual intercourse with up to 18 men.

Further, the evidence presented during the trial demonstrated that Session resorted to extreme physical violence to compel and intimidate certain victims. He violently punched some of the victims in the back of their heads in order not to leave marks on their bodies. Once, Session dragged a victim to a shower and beat her in the back of her head with a metal nutcracker until she fell limp to the floor. Session also choked another victim to the point that she lost consciousness, beat another victim with a baseball bat and brutalized yet another so badly that her nose ring fell out due to the force of the assault. In addition, Session took multiple victims to a nearby lake, where he held their heads underwater and threatened to drown them if they did not do as he ordered.

The evidence also showed that Session used a firearm to intimidate and control his victims. He consistently kept a firearm in his possession, and frequently displayed it to victims or referred to it when talking with them. Once, Session pointed a firearm at a victim while he was driving and threatened to “kill” her after she asked him how he would feel if someone treated his daughter the way he treated her. Fearing for her life when Session stopped the car and began walking to the passenger side door, the victim jumped out of the car and ran towards nearby woods. In response, Session fired a shot into the air while he called out the victim’s name.

Finally, the evidence indicated that Session manipulated and took advantage of some victims’ substance abuse problems to compel their commercial sex services. For example, Session provided victims with cocaine and methamphetamine to give them sufficient energy to engage in commercial sex acts with multiple migrant men at nearby trailers.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Session faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Miami Field Office, Ft. Pierce Resident Agency, investigated the case, with assistance from the Highlands County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Leah Branch and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.