Office of Justice Programs Awards $261 Million to Support Youth Mentoring, Protect Children

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced that it has awarded $261 million in grant awards to support mentoring services for youth and to protect children from abuse, exploitation and threats such as sex trafficking. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan made the announcement at an event with leaders and representatives of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and local chapters of the Police Athletic League, along with local police chiefs.

“Young people in America face an array of challenges, from social and academic pressures to dangerous predators and lethal drugs. They are better equipped to meet those challenges with a model of care and compassion to guide them along,” said Sullivan.

“These awards will support outstanding youth-serving organizations like the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs and their local affiliates across the country as they help youth discover their talents, find their purpose and realize their full potential. We are incredibly grateful to our mentorship programs, both nationally and locally. Badges in Blue and Badges for Baseball are great examples of successful community partnerships through law enforcement and mentoring.”

Grants from OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will allow national, state and local organizations to provide mentoring to youth who are at risk of juvenile delinquency, victimization and juvenile justice system involvement. Funds also support the National Mentoring Resource Center, which last year provided training and other support to 362 school-, community- and faith-based mentoring programs that served more than 79,000 youth nationwide.

“We can take no greater step toward securing the future health and prosperity of our nation than by investing now in the physical safety and emotional resilience of our children,” said OJJDP Administrator Caren Harp.

“These grants will give law enforcement officials, service providers and children’s advocates the resources they need to fight off predators, take kids out of harm’s way and help children overcome the effects of trauma.”

Mentoring programs supported by OJJDP help youth make connections with leaders and respected members of their communities, including law enforcement officers. Police and sheriffs’ departments have formed close and lasting bonds with young citizens, leading to greater trust and respect between law enforcement professionals and community members. Grants also address the impact of the addiction crisis on children and teens. Funds support mentoring in rural and other underserved communities hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

In addition, more than 100 sites are receiving grants from OJJDP and OJP’s Office for Victims of Crime to help find missing children, investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, serve abused and neglected children, and assist minor victims of human trafficking.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/office-justice-programs-awards-261-million-support-youth-mentoring-protect-children

<span class="heading">Suburban Chicago Businessman Charged With Illegally Exporting Arms to Ukraine</span>

CHICAGO —A suburban Chicago businessman has been indicted on federal criminal charges for allegedly illegally exporting gun parts and other defense articles from the United States to a company in Ukraine.

GLENN STEPUL owned a Buffalo Grove, Ill.-based business that distributed horizontal directional drilling equipment. From 2014 to 2016, Stepul conspired with a Ukranian resident – ANDRIY YAKIN – and an unindicted co-conspirator in Ukraine to violate the Arms Export Control Act by exporting or attempting to export pistol slides and stainless steel gun barrels from the United States to Ukraine, without obtaining the required authorization from the U.S. Department of State, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Stepul, Yakin, and the unindicted co-conspirator also conspired to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by exporting or attempting to export rifle scopes and night-vision cameras from the United States to Ukraine, without obtaining the required authorization from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the indictment states.

The charges allege that Stepul commingled and concealed some of the export-controlled items inside shipments of drilling equipment sent to Ukraine. One such shipment was intercepted by customs officials in Lviv, Ukraine, in September 2014, the indictment states. Stepul had completed a customs declaration falsely describing the items inside the parcel as “household goods,” “cosmetics,” “toys,” “stationary,” and “cassettes,” the indictment states.

The indictment charges Stepul, 33, of Miami Beach, Fla., and formerly of Wheeling, Ill., and Yakin, 38, of Poltava, Ukraine, with conspiracy to violate the AECA and IEEPA and knowingly impede and obstruct the functions of the Commerce and State Departments. Stepul also faces additional export-control, smuggling, and false statement charges. Stepul pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment Thursday before U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey in Chicago. Judge Blakey scheduled a status hearing for Dec. 16, 2020, at 1:00 p.m.

Yakin is believed to be residing in Ukraine, and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.

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Notetakers dropped the ball yesterday on notables