Source: United States Navy
Vice Adm. Katsushi Omachi, commander Self Defense Fleet, hosted Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, commander U.S. 7th Fleet and Japan and U.S. maritime commanders during an annual bilateral meeting known as “KONDANKAI” at the Maritime Operation Center on Yokosuka Naval Base, Sept. 4, 2025.
Source: United States Navy
Ships from the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) conducted bilateral operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 4-5.
Source: United States Navy
Aligning with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Caudle’s priorities of keeping the Foundry, the Fleet, and the Fight, MCPON Perryman emphasized a vision rooted in a simple principle: Build Competence. Live Character. Be Confident. His key priorities center on Sailors and Families First, Technical Mastery, and Continuous Development and Talent Management.
Source: United States Navy
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle delivers remarks during an the 17th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy change of office, attended by over 200 Department of Defense (DoD) senior leaders, distinguished guests and families at the Washington Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Sep. 08.
Source: United States Airforce
The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center established its first-ever KC-46A Combined Test Force during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi sent a memo to FBI Director Kash Patel and all 93 U.S. Attorneys entitled Upholding Constitutional Rights and Parental Authority in America’s Education System.
As Attorney General Bondi notes in the memo, “recent years have seen a disturbing trend in which government officials and public education authorities have ignored, dismissed, or even retaliated against concerned parents” for daring to voice opposition to their children’s curriculum. Notably, the prior administration engaged in such weaponization by targeting concerned parents at school board meetings with a threat tag reserved for potential terrorists.
Under the leadership of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, parents’ First Amendment rights – and their “fundamental right to direct the moral and religious education of their children” – will be protected from unlawful attacks.
Per today’s memo, Attorney General Bondi has instructed U.S. Attorneys to “work with federal, state, and local partners to identify and respond to credible threats against parents or violations of their lawful rights.”
Please read the full memo HERE
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida filed a civil denaturalization complaint in the U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida, against a native of Argentina who illegally procured his U.S. citizenship by gaining permanent resident status through the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act based on a false claim that he was born in Cuba.
“The Justice Department is committed to preserving the integrity of United States citizenship and will aggressively pursue the denaturalization of fraudsters who lie to gain immigration benefits,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Civil denaturalization is an important tool in ensuring that only qualified individuals with good moral character earn U.S. citizenship. The civil complaint charges that Moio Bartolini exploited our immigration system and unlawfully secured the ultimate immigration benefit of naturalization. The filing of this case sends a clear message: if you do not tell the truth to immigration officials and break our immigration laws, we will prosecute you and denaturalize you.”
In 2013, Fernando Adrian Moio Bartolini, 50, a native of Argentina and resident of Windermere, Florida, was convicted in the Southern District of Florida of committing passport fraud. During criminal proceedings, he admitted that after he entered the United States on a visitor’s visa, purchased a fraudulent Cuban birth certificate, obtained a fraudulent Cuban passport, and applied for permanent resident status in the United States under the Cuban Adjustment Act, claiming that he was a native and citizen of Cuba.
After Bartolini illegally procured naturalization, he fraudulently obtained a U.S. passport, falsely stating on his passport application that he was born in Cuba. His fraud was uncovered when Moio Bartolini attempted to enter the United States at the Miami International Airport aboard a flight from Medellín, Colombia, and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer recognized his Argentinian accent. Moio Bartolini was arrested and charged with false statement in the application for and use of a passport. When he pleaded guilty, he admitted that he was born in Argentina and that he used the fraudulent Cuban documents to adjust status to permanent resident and, ultimately, to naturalize as a U.S. citizen.
The civil denaturalization complaint charges Moio Bartolini with illegal procurement of naturalization because he did not lawfully adjust to permanent resident status and because he provided false testimony in his naturalization interview. The complaint also charges that Moio Bartolini procured U.S. citizenship through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation. The Immigration and Nationality Act requires the U.S. District Court to revoke Moio Bartolini’s naturalization if it finds him liable on any of the charges.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security and will be litigated by the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation, General Litigation and Appeals Section.
The claims in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Religious Liberty Commission hosted President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, parents, and students to discuss religious liberty issues in public education. The hearing included several panels of students who shared stories of challenges to their religious liberty, and parents whose right to direct the religious upbringing of their children was challenged or abridged in the school system. The hearing’s objective was to understand the historic landscape of religious liberty in the public education setting, identify present threats to religious liberty in America’s public school systems, and identify opportunities to secure religious liberty in this context for the future.
“Under the Trump Administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God,” said President Donald J. Trump. “We are one nation under God, and we always will be.”
“Our Founders believed every individual has the right to worship freely—without fear, without censorship, and without hostility from their own government,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.” Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice has returned to its core purpose: defending the Constitution and protecting the God-given rights of every single American.”
“Today was a special moment in history as President Trump spoke at the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty,” said RLC Chair Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor of Texas. “No President since our nation’s foundation has put faith and freedom at the forefront of his entire agenda. President Trump’s emphasis on religious liberty will restore our nation, once again, to send a clear message to the world that we are a nation that was founded on the word of God. Thank you, Mr. President.”
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at the Religious Liberty Commission hearing.
Chairman Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor of Texas, Attorney General Bondi, President Donald J. Trump, and HUD Secretary Scott Turner at the Religious Liberty Commission hearing
The witnesses included:
Shea Encinas: Former Student at La Costa Heights Elementary School in Carlsbad, California
Shea was targeted and harassed by school administration and classmates after objecting to read a book glorifying transgenderism to a kindergarten student.
Lydia Booth: Simpson County School District student
Lydia was prohibited from wearing a “Jesus loves me” face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite nothing in the dress code banning religious clothing. Lydia’s family successfully sued allowing Lydia to once again wear her mask.
Justin Aguilar: High SchoolValedictorian from North Carolina
A school administrator struck through a number of instances of the word “God” and “Jesus Christ” in Justin’s valedictorian speech, despite the language being protected by the United States Constitution. Justin respectfully and successfully appealed to deliver the speech unchanged.
Valerie Cleveringa: Former student at West Ward Elementary School in Allegan, Michigan
Valerie was prohibited from singing a religious song, “That’s Who I Praise,” by popular Christian artist Brandon Lake, in the school talent show. After public outcry, the school reversed course and allowed Valerie to perform the song.
Hannah Allen: Honey Grove School District student
Hannah and a group of classmates decided to pray during lunch for a former classmate recently in a car accident. Their principal told the group “Y’all don’t do that again,” and said they could only pray on the stage behind the curtain, outside of the school building, in the gym with no one present. After being informed of the students’ constitutional rights, the school corrected the policy to allow students to pray publicly.
Jeremy Dys: Senior Counsel for First Liberty
Dys earned his law degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 2005. After law school, Dys clerked for the Hon. Russell M. Clawges, Jr., chief judge of the Circuit Court of Monongalia County in Morgantown, West Virginia. For six years prior to joining First Liberty Institute, Dys led a public policy organization where he led research and advocacy efforts on matters of life, marriage, and religious freedom.
Lana Roman: Maryland Parent fighting the Montgomery County Board of Education
Lana and other parents in Maryland are fighting back against the Montgomery County Board of Education for forcing pre-K and elementary-aged children to read controversial books promoting transgender and sexually-focused content. On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that parents have the right to opt their children out of books that push one-sided views on gender identity and sexuality that violate religious beliefs.
Jennifer Mead: Mother of child who was secretly transitioned
Dan and Jennifer Mead sued the Rockford Public School District in Michigan after district employees began treating the couple’s middle-school daughter as a boy without their knowledge or consent.
Jenny Encinas: Mother of Shea Encinas
Shea’s family is suing to bring accountability and seek a court order stating that the school district must notify parents in advance and allow opt-outs from teachings that violate religious and moral beliefs.
Sameerah Munshi: RLC Advisory Board Member
Sameerah has courageously spoken out against forcing children to learn radical gender ideology in schools. She testified before the Montgomery County School Board and has worked with the Coalition of Virtue and the Religious Freedom Institute.
Alyza Lewin: RLC Advisory Board Member
Alyza Lewin is the President of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. Lewin is also a co-founder and partner in Lewin & Lewin, LLP where she specializes in litigation, mediation and government relations. Her experience includes criminal defense, civil litigation and anti-discrimination matters. Lewin served as President of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists from 2012 – 2017.
David Cortman: Senior Counsel and Vice President of U.S. litigation for Alliance Defending Freedom
David A. Cortman serves as senior counsel and vice president of U.S. litigation with Alliance Defending Freedom. He has been practicing law for nearly 30 years and currently supervises attorneys and legal staff who specialize in constitutional law, focusing on religious freedom, free speech, and the sanctity of life.
Maggie DeJong: Former Graduate student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE)
Maggie was silenced with no-contact orders from SIUE after students complained that her speech, including social media posts, messages to students, and class discussions on an array of topics was considered “harmful.” Maggie sued, and SIUE officials revised policies and the student handbook to ensure students with varying ideological and religious views are welcome on campus.
Norvilia Etienne Cain: Pro-life advocate
As a student, Norvilia requested to create a Students for Life Group at Queens College in New York. The school denied the request without explanation. The students sued, and Queens College officially recognized the group, but it took almost one year to update its policy to protect other students from the same type of discrimination.
Chike Uzuegbunam: Former student at Georgia Gwinett College
While peacefully sharing his Christian views with students on campus, college officials stopped Chike on two occasions, stating he needed permission in advance to use certain “speech zones” that were small and not open regularly. Chike followed the school’s policy, and was still stopped from speaking. Chike challenged the school’s policy all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled in his favor.
Kimberlee Colby: Attorney, Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom
Kim Colby has worked for Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two cases heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. In 1984, she assisted in congressional passage of the Equal Access Act, 20 U.S.C. § 4071, et seq., which protects the right of secondary school students to meet for prayer and Bible study on campus. Ms. Colby has prepared several CLS publications addressing issues about religious expression in public schools, including released time programs, implementation of the Equal Access Act, and teachers’ religious expression.
Watch the hearing HERE
Attorney General Bondi delivers remarks at the Religious Liberty Commission hearing
Chairman Dan Patrick and Vice Chair Dr. Ben Carson at Religious Liberty Commission hearing.
The Religious Liberty Commission was established by President Trump under Executive Order 14291 and is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, increasing awareness of and celebrating America’s peaceful religious pluralism, highlighting current threats to religious liberty, and developing strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte today, charging Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., 34, with a federal crime in connection with the fatal attack of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s light rail system. Brown is charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder. We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
“The brutal attack on Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte Light Rail was a disgraceful act that should never happen in America,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI jumped to assist in this investigation immediately to ensure justice is served and the perpetrator is never released from jail to kill again. I want to thank Attorney General Bondi for her pursuit of today’s federal charges, which are the first step toward delivering justice for Iryna and her family – as well as the millions of Americans who deserve to live in our great American cities free from being targeted by violent criminals.”
According to allegations in the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint:
On August 22, 2025, at approximately 9:55 p.m., officers with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) responded to a call for service related to an assault that occurred on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte. Callers indicated that a woman had been stabbed by a male. Responding officers located the victim inside the rail car. The victim, subsequently identified as Iryna Zarutska, had sustained fatal stab wounds. A pocketknife and other items were collected from the scene.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that showed the victim entering the light rail car and sitting down in the row in front of Brown. Approximately four minutes later, Brown pulled a knife from his pocket and unfolded it before striking the victim three times from behind. Following the attack, Brown walked away from the victim. Responding officers located Brown on the light rail platform and he was arrested.
“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most—Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family. But crimes like this also affect everyone who relies on mass transportation to get to and from work and go about their daily lives, and federal charges are necessary to protect the public and ensure confidence in our transportation systems.”
If convicted, Brown faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison or death. Ultimately, his sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Odulio of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
The charges against Brown are allegations and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Defendant Used Ransomware to Attack Hundreds of Victims Worldwide; Proactive Law Enforcement Action Led to Prevention and Decryption
Earlier today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York unsealed a superseding indictment charging Volodymyr Viktorovich Tymoshchuk — also known as deadforz, Boba, msfv, and farnetwork — a Ukrainian national, with serving as an administrator in the LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Nefilim ransomware schemes.
“Volodymyr Tymoshchuk is charged for his role in ransomware schemes that extorted more than 250 companies across the United States and hundreds more around the world,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “In some instances, these attacks resulted in the complete disruption of business operations until encrypted data could be recovered or restored. This prosecution and today’s rewards announcement reflects our determination to protect businesses from digital sabotage and extortion and to relentlessly pursue the criminals responsible, no matter where they are located.”
“Tymoshchuk is a serial ransomware criminal who targeted blue-chip American companies, health care institutions, and large foreign industrial firms, and threatened to leak their sensitive data online if they refused to pay,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “For a time, the defendant stayed ahead of law enforcement by deploying new strains of malicious software when his old ones were decrypted. Today’s charges reflect international coordination to unmask and charge a dangerous and pervasive ransomware actor who can no longer remain anonymous.”
“Volodymyr Tymoshchuk repeatedly used ransomware attacks to target hundreds of companies in the United States and around the globe in attempts to extort victims,” said Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia of the FBI New York Field Office. “Today’s announcement should serve as warning, cyber criminals may believe they act with impunity while conducting harmful cyber intrusions, but law enforcement is onto you and will hold you accountable. The FBI along with our law enforcement partners will continue to scour the globe to bring to justice any individual attempting to use the anonymity of the internet to commit crime.”
“The criminals behind Nefilim ransomware may believe they can profit from extortion and data leaks, but they are wrong,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. S. Johnson of the FBI’s Springfield Field Office. “The FBI is actively pursuing them to disrupt their operations and bring them to justice. We urge all organizations to report these attacks immediately — because every report helps us dismantle these networks and ensure cybercriminals are held accountable.”
As alleged in the superseding indictment, between December 2018 and October 2021, Tymoshchuk used the LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Nefilim ransomware variants to encrypt computer networks in countries around the world, including in the Eastern District of New York, elsewhere in the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. These ransomware attacks caused millions of dollars of losses, including damage to victim computer systems, remediation costs, and ransomware payments to the perpetrators. In these attacks, the perpetrators typically customized the ransomware executable file (the ransomware file responsible for encryption) for each ransomware victim. The customization allowed the ransomware actors to create a decryption key that could only decrypt the network of the specific victim. If a victim paid the ransom demand, the perpetrators would send a decryption tool, which enabled the victim to decrypt the computer files locked by the ransomware program.
Between July 2019 and June 2020, Tymoshchuk and his co‑conspirators are alleged to have compromised the networks of more than 250 victim companies in the United States and hundreds of other companies around the world with LockerGoga and MegaCortex. However, many of these extortion attempts were unsuccessful because law enforcement often notified victims that their networks had been compromised before Tymoshchuk and his co-conspirators were able to deploy the ransomware. Subsequently, from July 2020 through October 2021, Tymoshchuk is alleged to have been one of the administrators of the Nefilim ransomware strain. Tymoshchuk and the other Nefilim administrators provided other Nefilim ransomware affiliates, including co‑defendant Artem Stryzhak, who was extradited from Spain and faces charges in the Eastern District of New York, with access to the Nefilim ransomware in exchange for 20 percent of the ransom proceeds extorted from Nefilim victims.
In September 2022, as part of an international coordinated effort against LockerGoga and MegaCortex ransomware, decryption keys associated with those ransomware variants were made available to the public via the “No More Ransomware Project,” an initiative to empower ransomware victims to decrypt encrypted computers without paying a ransom. These decryption keys enabled compromised victim companies and institutions to recover data previously encrypted with LockerGoga and MegaCortex ransomware.
Tymoshchuk is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, three counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer, and one count of transmitting a threat to disclose confidential information.
The FBI is investigating this case.
Trial Attorney Brian Z. Mund of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander F. Mindlin and Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance, as did the FBI’s Legal Attachés, authorities in France, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and Ukraine, and Europol and Eurojust via ICHIP The Hague.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
Concurrent with the unsealing of the superseding indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program is offering a rewards totaling up to $11 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction or location of Tymoshchuk or his conspirators.
Anyone with information on these malicious cyber actors, or associated individuals or entities, should contact the FBI via phone at +1-917-242-1407 or by email at TymoTips@fbi.gov. If you are in the United States, you can also contact your local FBI field office. If outside the United States, you can visit the nearest U.S. embassy. More information about the TOC reward offer is located on the State Department website.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.