11 MS-13 Gang Members, Associates Arrested For Sexual Exploitation In Virginia & Maryland Where Young Girl Was Beaten & ‘Sold’

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eleven members or close associates of the MS-13 gang were arrested this week relating to the sexual exploitation and physical abuse of a minor in northern Virginia and Maryland.

“Sex traffickers often prey upon the most vulnerable victims in our society, and when combined with the horrific abuses of a gang like MS-13, the effects can be devastating,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I have personally handled the prosecution of MS-13 members in northern Virginia for over a decade, including for gang-controlled sex trafficking, and I have led meaningful outreach efforts with the Hispanic community in order to raise public awareness of these serious threats. As I’ve noted before, no one suffers more at the hands of MS-13 than other individuals of Central American birth or ancestry, and cases like this are proof of the need for community leaders to step up, acknowledge this reality, and work together to be part of the solution. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for conducting this complex investigation and arrest operation in a diligent and professional manner, and for their sustained commitment to eradicating MS-13 from our communities. These defendants are charged with heinous offenses, but are appropriately presumed innocent unless or until proven otherwise.”

“Combatting MS-13 is not anti-immigrant—it is distinctly pro-immigrant as the group that suffers the most and is consistently preyed upon by MS-13 are those individuals of Central American birth or ancestry whom the gang specifically targets.”

According to court documents, in Aug. 2018, a 13-year-old identified as MINOR 2 ran away from a youth home in northern Virginia. Shortly after running away, MINOR 2 was introduced to members of MS-13. Members of the gang beat MINOR 2 26 times with a baseball bat as part of a gang initiation. Gang members then sex trafficked MINOR 2 in Virginia and Maryland using the currency of cash and drugs. While in Virginia, men lined up to have sex with her in a wooded area behind one target’s apartment complex. The men gave her drugs in exchange for sex. She also was harbored in various apartments in northern Virginia where men paid her and her handlers cash for sex.

“MS-13 is known for their violence and intimidation, but the horrific crimes alleged in this case show how their cruelty and depravity know no bounds,” said Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “The FBI and our community will not stand by while children are beaten, plied with drugs, and trafficked for sex. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to disrupt violent gang activity and bring justice on behalf of the innocent victims on whom they prey.”

According to court documents, MINOR 2 was later beaten again with a bat 26 times. After the second bat beating, MINOR 2 was transported to Maryland, where she was sold to numerous gang members and other customers in exchange for cash. Law enforcement recovered photographs and videos of MINOR 2 while being sexually exploited, along with numerous social media messages regarding the trafficking and sexual exploitation of MINOR 2.

“Today’s arrests are a prime example of the commitment and dedication of local police officers and federal agents to safeguard northern Virginia against crime and violence,” said Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of Fairfax County Police. “The Fairfax County police department will continue to use every resource and leverage the full weight of our agency and our federal partners to prevent violence by interdicting organized crime and holding alleged criminal street gangs accountable.”

https://breaking911.com/11-ms-13-gang-members-associates-arrested-for-sexual-exploitation-in-virginia-maryland-where-young-girl-was-beaten-sold/

Researchers Find Low-Cost Way to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Liquid Fuel

Catalysts speed up chemical reactions and form the backbone of many industrial processes. For example, they are essential in transforming heavy oil into gasoline or jet fuel. Today, catalysts are involved in over 80 percent of all manufactured products.

A research team, led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with Northern Illinois University, has discovered a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product and low cost. Ethanol is a particularly desirable commodity because it is an ingredient in nearly all U.S. gasoline and is widely used as an intermediate product in the chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

“The process resulting from our catalyst would contribute to the circular carbon economy, which entails the reuse of carbon dioxide.” — Di-Jia Liu, senior chemist in Argonne’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering division and a UChicago CASE scientist.

“The process resulting from our catalyst would contribute to the circular carbon economy, which entails the reuse of carbon dioxide,” said Di-Jia Liu, senior chemist in Argonne’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering division and a UChicago CASE scientist in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago. This process would do so by electrochemically converting the CO2 emitted from industrial processes, such as fossil fuel power plants or alcohol fermentation plants, into valuable commodities at reasonable cost.

The team’s catalyst consists of atomically dispersed copper on a carbon-powder support. By an electrochemical reaction, this catalyst breaks down CO2 and water molecules and selectively reassembles the broken molecules into ethanol under an external electric field. The electrocatalytic selectivity, or “Faradaic efficiency,” of the process is over 90 percent, much higher than any other reported process. What is more, the catalyst operates stably over extended operation at low voltage.

“With this research, we’ve discovered a new catalytic mechanism for converting carbon dioxide and water into ethanol,” said Tao Xu, a professor in physical chemistry and nanotechnology from Northern Illinois University. “The mechanism should also provide a foundation for development of highly efficient electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide conversion to a vast array of value-added chemicals.”

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2020/08/researchers-find-low-cost-way-to-turn-carbon-dioxide-into-liquid-fuel.html

High School Campus Monitor Accused Of Asking Kids For Sexually Explicit Videos

Pompano Beach, FLORIDA — A Broward County Public Schools campus monitor is facing several criminal charges, including soliciting minors and transmitting harmful material to minors, and detectives are concerned there may be more victims in the community.

In February, Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives began a joint investigation with the Broward County Public Schools Special Investigative Unit into Alton Johnson for the crimes. The investigation determined that Johnson, who worked at Blanche Ely High School, solicited two juveniles to send him sexually explicit videos. In one case, Johnson offered the juvenile money in exchange for the video. Johnson is also accused of sending pornographic images to one of the juveniles. Additionally, Johnson is charged with being an authority figure engaged in lewd conduct with a student.

On August 4, Johnson was booked into the Broward County Main Jail on five criminal charges.

Due to Johnson’s job and proximity to minors, detectives fear there may be more victims. Anyone with information about Johnson that could assist investigators is asked to contact Special Victims Unit Detective Robert Rausch at 954-321-4234. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or online at browardcrimestoppers.org.

https://breaking911.com/high-school-campus-monitor-accused-of-asking-kids-for-sexually-explicit-videos/