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Defense News: Illinois Army National Guard trains with Polish Territorial Defence Force

Source: United States Army

U.S. Army Sgt. Joseline Sosa, a forward observer with 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, relays information to her Polish counterparts during training in remote observation techniques in Toruń, Poland, June 6, 2025. The Illinois National Guard and Poland are partners in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges. Servicemembers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are spending two weeks alongside their Polish counterparts training on sniper operations, the Javelin anti-tank weapon system, combat medical care, and remote observer techniques. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck) VIEW ORIGINAL

TORUŃ, Poland — Soldiers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard, recently spent two weeks in Torún, Poland, training alongside members of the Polish Territorial Defence Force.

Since 1993, the Illinois National Guard and Poland have been partners in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program — an initiative that pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for joint military training and subject matter expert exchanges.

The recent two-week training focused on sniper operations, combat medical care, the Javelin anti-tank weapon system and remote observer techniques.

For the sniper teams, the goal was to strengthen leadership skills in employing and overseeing sniper sections as well as developing advanced sniper expertise.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bruno Rios, a cavalry scout with C Troop, 2nd Battalion, 106th Cavalry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, confirms that the weapon of his Polish counterpart is clear of ammunition following the completion of a shooting drill at a range near Toruń, Poland, June 7, 2025. The Illinois National Guard and Poland are partners in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges. Servicemembers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are spending two weeks alongside their Polish counterparts training on sniper operations, the Javelin anti-tank weapon system, combat medical care, and remote observer techniques. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck) VIEW ORIGINAL

“Our goal as a training team is to ensure we are equipping the Polish snipers with the tools to employ themselves against drones and thermal environments,” said Sgt. 1st Class Hussein Mashal, an infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard. “By merging our techniques with theirs and the lessons learned from the Ukrainian war, we hope to strengthen their sniper employment capabilities and survivability.”

In the medical realm, Soldiers with the Illinois Army Guard’s C Company, 634th Brigade Support Battalion, shared casualty care treatment procedures — from the point of injury to the final point of care.

This iteration included complex training scenarios that allowed participants to triage and evaluate casualties in a realistic, stressful simulated combat environment.

“It’s always worth it working with the National Guard,” said Polish TDF 2nd Lt. Jakub Piotrowski, a medical team member and instructor. “We do the same things in different ways so it’s worthwhile to see how a different army is doing the same thing and then be able to cooperate with it.”

U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Rojas, a cavalry scout with C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, observes as a Polish Territorial Defence soldier engages targets on a range near Toruń, Poland, June 7, 2025. The Illinois National Guard and Poland are partners in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges. Servicemembers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are spending two weeks alongside their Polish counterparts training on sniper operations, the Javelin anti-tank weapon system, combat medical care, and remote observer techniques. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck) VIEW ORIGINAL

Javelin instructors echoed that sentiment.

“The Polish soldiers were extremely motivated and eager to learn,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Broden, a training noncommissioned officer with C Company, 1st Bn., 178th Inf. Regt. “They were always asking questions and were very hands on with the equipment.”

Previous training exchanges meant many of the Polish soldiers already had foundational knowledge of the Javelin systems. That allowed the training to advance quickly to more strategic and tactical discussions, said Broden.

For the forward observer teams — or remote observers — the focus was on establishing the fundamental skills for indirect fire coordination, a capability the TDF is actively strengthening as they expand artillery capabilities.

“We started off pretty basic with basic call for fire and then basic joint fires observer skills,” said U.S. Army Master Sgt. William Aitken, an operations NCO with the 33rd IBCT. “It’s kind of an abbreviated forward observer program for the TDF.”

U.S. Army Sgt. Joseline Sosa, a forward observer with 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, receives information from her Polish counterparts during training on remote observer techniques in Toruń, Poland, June 6, 2025. The Illinois National Guard and Poland are partners in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges. Servicemembers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are spending two weeks alongside their Polish counterparts training on sniper operations, the Javelin anti-tank weapon system, combat medical care, and remote observer techniques. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck) VIEW ORIGINAL

The training also included high tech capabilities — such as employing small drones – combined with improvised concealment techniques to help Polish soldiers observe from a distance while staying hidden. The team practiced setting up hasty observation posts, coordinating drone feeds with command elements, and minimizing visual and electronic signatures — skills directly influenced by lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.

Overall, the training helped strengthen and continue the 30-plus year partnership.

“Our partnership with Poland, which began in 1993 and included 19 years of co-deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, is the gold standard of deployments,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Lenny Williams, the Illinois National Guard’s assistant adjutant general for Army. “We learn, we teach and we develop new tactics and techniques together with each critical knowledge exchange event. Our capabilities have improved, we’ve expanded our capacity and our partnership has grown even stronger the past two weeks.”

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil

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California Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with Laundering Proceeds of $16M Hospice Fraud Scheme

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A California man pleaded guilty today to laundering more than $4.6 million in connection with a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies.

According to court documents, Mihran Panosyan, 46, of Winnetka, worked with others to launder the proceeds of a massive Medicare fraud scheme, transferring the fraudulently obtained funds between multiple accounts before spending them. The scheme comprised three parts. First, three of Panosyan’s co-defendants used the identities of foreign nationals no longer in the United States to operate several sham hospice companies. Panosyan and his co-defendants maintained fraudulent identification documents, bank accounts, checkbooks, and credit and debit cards in the names of purported foreign owners. Second, the co-defendants caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill and who never requested nor received hospice services. As a result, Medicare paid the sham hospices nearly $16 million. Third, Panosyan and his co-defendants laundered the proceeds of the scheme to conceal the source of the funds and their control over them. Panosyan transferred proceeds of the Medicare fraud between accounts in the names of the purported foreign owners, the sham hospices, and other shell corporations, laundering more than $4.6 million in fraudulently obtained funds that he used to purchase real estate, pay for private school for his minor child, and pay for other personal expenses.

Panosyan pleaded guilty to money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 8. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Panosyan’s co-defendant, Petros Fichidzhyan, previously pleaded guilty to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. Last month, Fichidzhyan was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Trial against the other three defendants in this case is scheduled to begin July 29.

The guilty plea today is the most recent conviction in the Justice Department’s ongoing effort to combat hospice fraud in the greater Los Angeles area. Last year, a doctor was convicted at trial for his role in a scheme to bill Medicare for hospice services patients did not need, and two other defendants were sentenced for their roles in a hospice fraud scheme.  

Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Michael Bacharach, Sarah E. Edwards, and Allison L. McGuire of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara B. Vavere of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is handling asset forfeiture.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

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

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Former Chairman and CEO of Publicly Traded Health Care Company Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Insider Trading

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Sentence is the First Insider Trading Prosecution Based Exclusively on Use of Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans

The former CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Ontrak Inc., a Miami-based publicly traded health care company, was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for engaging in an insider trading scheme using Rule 10b5-1 stock trading plans to avoid losses of more than $12.5 million.

Terren Scott Peizer, 65, a resident of Puerto Rico and Santa Monica, was sentenced by  U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who also ordered him to pay a fine of $5.25 million and forfeit more than $12.7 million in ill-gotten gains.

“Terren Peizer betrayed the trust of Ontrak’s investors, trading on inside information to offload company stock before a substantial price decline,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “Today’s just sentence reflects the Criminal Division’s hard work and commitment to prosecuting frauds that harm American investors. The Criminal Division will use the tools at its disposal to combat sophisticated frauds that exploit our securities markets.”

“Insiders must not be allowed to put their thumbs on the scales of the stock market,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “Individuals who impugn the integrity of our markets can and will face prison time for their crimes.”

In May 2021, Peizer entered into his first 10b5-1 trading plan shortly after learning that the relationship between Ontrak and its largest customer was deteriorating, and that the customer had expressed serious reservations about continuing its contract with Ontrak. Peizer later learned that the customer informed Ontrak of its intent to terminate the contract. In August 2021, Peizer entered into his second 10b5-1 trading plan minutes after Ontrak’s chief negotiator for the contract told Peizer that the contract likely would be terminated.

In establishing his 10b5-1 plans, Peizer refused to engage in any “cooling-off” period — the time between when he entered into the plan and when he sold stock — despite warnings from two brokers, a senior Ontrak executive, and attorneys. Instead, Peizer began selling shares of Ontrak on the next trading day after establishing each plan. On Aug. 19, 2021, just six days after Peizer adopted his 10b5-1 plan, Ontrak announced that the customer had terminated its contract and Ontrak’s stock price declined by more than 44%.

In June 2024, Peizer was found guilty after a 10 day jury trial of one count of securities fraud and two counts of insider trading. The case is part of a data-driven initiative led by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section to identify executive abuses of 10b5-1 trading plans. 

The FBI investigated the case. The Justice Department appreciates the substantial assistance of FINRA’s Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group.

Trial Attorney Matthew Reilly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Galatzan for the Central District of California assisted with the forfeiture proceedings.

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Florida Nonprofit Founder and Accountant Charged with Stealing Over $100M from Special Needs Victims

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

An indictment was unsealed today charging two Florida men in connection with a fraudulent scheme to steal over $100 million from a nonprofit organization that managed funds for people with special needs and disabilities.

“As alleged, for over 15 years, the defendants conspired to use the funds of special needs clients as a personal piggy bank, stealing $100 million dollars meant for the most vulnerable members of our society to enrich themselves,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s charges reflect the Criminal Division’s ongoing commitment to prosecuting sophisticated fraudsters who abuse the trust of their victims. Thanks to the relentless efforts of our multiagency partners, we will continue to aggressively pursue accountability for perpetrators who exploit Americans out of greed.”

“Protecting the most vulnerable members of our society is a priority of the U. S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “The fraud alleged in this nationwide scheme is unfathomable. Due to the diligence and interagency collaboration by our dedicated law enforcement partners, these crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The subjects charged are accused of creating a slush fund to divert millions of dollars away from a nonprofit organization helping people with special needs,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Not only were the organization’s resources drained, but the accused subjects betrayed the trust of the community and ultimately bankrupted a lifeline for vulnerable families. The FBI will not tolerate the exploitation of charitable missions for personal enrichment.”

“The scale and audacity of the alleged fraud in this case are deeply troubling,” said Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco of the IRS. “Stealing funds intended to protect and support people with special needs is as cruel as it is criminal. IRS-CI special agents are dedicated to uncovering complex financial schemes, especially those that prey on the most vulnerable in our society.”

“The defendant disrupted access to critical services for individuals with disabilities and defrauded federal health care programs with the sole purpose of financing a life of extravagance,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold those who’s illicit actions seek to assail enrollees and the nation’s federal health care programs fully accountable.”

According to court documents, Leo John Govoni, 67, of Clearwater, Florida, co-founded the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration (CSNT) in or around 2000 and John Leo Witeck, 60, of Tampa, Florida, worked at CSNT as an accountant. CSNT allegedly was a nonprofit that managed money for people with disabilities and other special needs, including those who received court awards, settlements, and other payments. CSNT grew to be one of the largest administrators of special needs trusts in the country, with beneficiaries located in almost every state. As of February 2024, the indictment alleges, CSNT managed over 2,100 special needs trusts containing approximately $200 million.

As alleged in the indictment, from June 2009 through May 2025, Govoni, Witeck, and their co-conspirators solicited, stole, and misappropriated CSNT client-beneficiary funds — which they treated as a slush fund to enrich themselves and others — and concealed their illegal activities through complex financial transactions and deceit, including sending fraudulent account statements with false balances to disabled victims. Govoni allegedly used stolen money to purchase real estate, travel via private jet, fund a brewery, make deposits into his personal bank accounts, and pay personal debts. In 2024, CSNT filed for bankruptcy and disclosed that more than $100 million in client-beneficiary funds were missing from its trust accounts. Govoni is alleged to have made false declarations to the bankruptcy court related to the CSNT bankruptcy proceedings.

Separately, Govoni is also alleged to have committed bank fraud related to a $3 million mortgage refinance loan and to have laundered $205,054 of the proceeds to pay off a home equity line of credit on his residence.

Govoni and Witeck were both charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. Govoni was additionally charged with bank fraud, illegal monetary transactions, and false bankruptcy declarations.

If convicted, both defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and money laundering conspiracy charges. If convicted, Govoni faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the bank fraud charge, 10 years in prison on the illegal monetary transactions charge, and five years in prison on the false bankruptcy declaration charge.

The FBI, IRS-CI, HHS-OIG, and SSA-OIG are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Lyndie Freeman of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U. S. Attorneys Jennifer Peresie and Michael Gordon for the Middle District of Florida are handling the prosecution.

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

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Celebrating Over 50 Years of Title IX: A Champion for Educational Equality

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today marks more than five decades since the passage of Title IX, the landmark federal civil rights law that bars sex-based discrimination in education.

Only 37 words long, Title IX has advanced equal opportunity in admissions, financial aid, athletics, and more in educational settings across the United States. At its core, the law operates as a contract between the federal government and educational institutions. It conditions the acceptance of federal funding to schools on the agreement to comply with not discriminating on the basis of sex in their programs and activities.

Equality under Title IX was also built on the understanding that physical differences between men and women matter, particularly in athletics and private spaces. Whether in the locker room, on the playing field, or in college dorms, women and girls fought for the right to fair educational and athletic opportunities.

Protecting fairness today means meeting one of the most pressing challenges that Title IX faces: the inclusion of males in women’s single-sex spaces and activities.

“The recent cultural movement to erase biological distinctions has metastasized into misguided policies across our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, “This Division will continue to stand firmly in defense of the immutable biological reality of sex in preserving the fairness, safety, privacy, and speech of all Americans.”

The Civil Rights Division is committed to continuing the legacy and original intent of Title IX, and we will not back down.

Earlier this month, we warned California Public School Districts that they may be violating the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution for allowing males to compete against females in high school sports. The state of California has pre-emptively sued the Department of Justice over this warning, and we are now in active litigation. We also opened an inquiry into concerns raised to us about similar issues in the state of Oregon.

In another case, we opened an investigation into a Virginia school, arising from three male students who raised concerns — partially based on faith — about a girl in their locker room. The boys were then subjected to Title IX investigations, which may have been potentially retaliatory.

The Department of Justice celebrates the protections afforded by Title IX today, and the Civil Rights Division will continue to uphold its responsibility by enforcing the equality and justice it has provided to generations of Americans.

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Justice Department Sues Washington State Over its new anti-Catholic law, Senate Bill 5375

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department announced today that it filed legal action for a complaint in intervention against the State of Washington over its a new state law, Senate Bill 5375, which violates the free exercise of religion for all Catholics, and requires Catholic priests to violate the confidentiality seal of Confession.

Senate Bill 5375 requires Catholic priests to violate their vows to uphold the confidentiality seal that accompanies the sacred rite of Confession, subjecting them to immediate excommunication from the Catholic Church.

As the Justice Department’s lawsuit explains, the violations imposed by this new law on all practicing members of the Catholic Church, including Catholic priests administering the sacrament and Catholic penitents participating in the rite, include deprivations of the Free Exercise of Religion under the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

“Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges. The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.”

The Department’s motion to intervene in Etienne v. Ferguson is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

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Jacksonville Property Management Company to Pay Compensation and Penalties for Imposing Unlawful Charges on U.S. Military Servicemembers

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department resolved an enforcement matter against JWB Real Estate Management for violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) when it imposed illegal early termination charges on military servicemembers who terminated their leases after receiving military relocation orders.

JWB Property Management, a property management company based in Jacksonville, Florida, imposed early termination fees on at least six members of the U.S. military after they attempted to terminate their leases in accordance with the SCRA.  

As a result of the Department’s enforcement, JWB will be required to pay over $39,000 in compensation to the affected servicemembers, as well as a $25,000 civil penalty. The company will also make changes to its policies and training to ensure that it complies with the SCRA in the future.

“Our military families already shoulder the burden of military-ordered moves and deployments,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will not allow them to be penalized by landlords for answering the call of duty for service.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida is committed to protecting the rights of all our servicemembers,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Our servicemembers make tremendous sacrifices to protect the rights and freedoms of our citizens and we will combat all forms of discrimination against them to help ensure that they are able to fulfill their military obligations.”

The Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $483 million in monetary relief for over 148,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.

Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.