https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/united-states-nuclear-deterrence-policy-and-strategy
https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/united-states-nuclear-deterrence-policy-and-strategy
https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/united-states-nuclear-deterrence-policy-and-strategy
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Oklahoma
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Rogers County Mother Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography
A Rogers County woman pleaded guilty today in federal court for producing child pornography involving her young child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Brittney Jo Wallace, 29, of Claremore, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography by a parent. Wallace admitted that she had the toddler touch her in a sexually explicit manner while she took photos using her cell phone on Sept. 26, 2015. Chief U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell set sentencing for July 29, 2021.
“Detectives and agents with OSBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and Tulsa’s Homeland Security Investigations Child Exploitation Task Force doggedly pursue individuals, like Brittney Wallace, who harm the most innocent and vulnerable among us,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This office and our law enforcement partners will continue our critical work to protect Oklahoma’s children.”
In 2016, Wallace’s children were taken from the home after a doctor found signs of severe child abuse. The defendant’s parental rights were later terminated. During the 2016 investigation conducted by the state of Oklahoma, authorities seized the defendant’s phone which was later suppressed. Recently, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals found the seizure and subsequent search of her phone were proper, and the phone was turned over to investigators. When authorities conducted a forensic examination of the phone, they discovered the child pornography.
On March 1, 2021, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Wallace on a federal arrest warrant. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, and Claremore Police Department conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matilda M. Villalobos and Christopher J. Nassar are prosecuting the case. AUSA Villalobos is a prosecutor from the District of New Mexico. She volunteered to assist prosecution efforts here in the Northern District of Oklahoma due to increased jurisdictional responsibilities regarding crimes involving Native American victims or defendants and that occur within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Cherokee Nation Reservations.
You can find the indictment press release here.
If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children immediately at 1-800-THE-LOST or cybertipline.org. You can also contact the OSBI ICAC Unit at (800) 522-8017 or tips@osbi.ok.gov.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndok/pr/rogers-county-mother-pleads-guilty-production-child-pornography
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Columbia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Former Executive Director of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Husband Plead Guilty to Bank Fraud
WASHINGTON – Jeanine Henderson Arnett, 43, the former Executive Director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and her husband, Diallo Arnett, 47, pled guilty on April 20, 2021 and April 28, 2021, respectively, to a charge stemming from her embezzlement of over $150,000, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
Jeanine Henderson Arnett and Diallo Arnett, of the Commonwealth of Virginia, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to Bank Fraud. The Honorable Randolph D. Moss scheduled sentencing for July 29, 2021. The charge carries a statutory penalty of up to thirty years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss of the offense.
“While Delta Sigma Theta and its members were committed to a mission of public service, the defendants were committed to a mission of personal benefit, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars to use for their own pleasure” said Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The defendants – and others who steal from non-profit organizations to enrich themselves – will be caught, prosecuted, and punished for the damage they cause.”
“The Arnetts pleaded guilty to stealing money from this historic women’s organization and used the funds for their own benefit,” said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “Their selfish actions not only betrayed the dedicated members, but also dishonored the core mission and values of the sorority.”
According to the statements of offense submitted to the Court, Jeanine Henderson Arnett was employed as the Executive Director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a 501(c)(7) organization located in the District of Columbia. Jeanine Henderson Arnett and Diallo Arnett admitted that, between approximately October 3, 2017 and September 15, 2019, she misappropriated more than $150,000 from Delta Sigma Thetas’s bank accounts through, among other things, ACH money transfers and credit card transactions. This included unauthorized and fraudulent charges for personal items and expenses at, among other places, Amazon, Avis Rent a Car, Century Twenty-One, Coach, GEICO, and T-Mobile. In addition, the Arnetts used the Square Cash App to make 9 transactions to transfer $14,162.50 to their account.
In announcing the plea, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips acknowledged the work of Paralegal Angeline Thekkumthala of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Rothstein and David Kent, who investigated and prosecuted this matter.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/former-executive-director-delta-sigma-theta-sorority-inc-and-husband-plead-guilty-bank
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Western District of Pennsylvania
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Erie Man Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to 36 months in prison, 10 years supervised release and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $18,000 to the victims, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Charles Przybyszewski, 54, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea and sentencing, the court was advised that from July 2018 to July 2020, Przybyszewski possessed computer images depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Przybyszewski.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/erie-man-pleads-guilty-and-sentenced-prison-possessing-child-pornography
Alex Oh Resigns from SEC; Melissa Hodgman Named Acting Director of Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2021-75
Washington D.C., April 28, 2021 —
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Alex Oh has resigned her position as Director of the Division of Enforcement for personal reasons. Melissa Hodgman will return to the role of Acting Director of the Division of Enforcement.
"Melissa is an exceptional attorney who has proven to be an effective leader of the Enforcement Division. I’m grateful that she will take on this role again and look forward to working closely with her to fulfill the mission of the SEC," said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. "I thank Alex for her willingness to serve the country at this important time."
Ms. Hodgman served as the Enforcement Division's Acting Director from January 2021, through April 2021. Before that, she was the Associate Director in the SEC's Home Office since October 2016. Ms. Hodgman began working in the Enforcement Division in 2008 as a staff attorney. She joined the Market Abuse Unit in 2010 and was promoted to Assistant Director in 2012. She received the Ellen B. Ross Award, the 2010 SEC Chairman's Award, the 2017 Arthur F. Mathews Award, and the 2020 Chairman's Award for Excellence with the SEC's Employee Affinity Groups, as well as a number of Division Director Awards.
Ms. Hodgman earned her Master of Laws with distinction in securities and financial regulation in 2007 from Georgetown University Law Center, her law degree with high honors from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994, and her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1990. Before joining the SEC staff, she worked as an associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in Washington, D.C
https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2021-75
October 14, 2016 – Hours after FBI found classified Clinton emails on Weiner laptop, Peter Strzok’s wife is promoted to Director of SEC Enforcement
In Clinton Foundation Timeline, Email Timeline Post-Election 2016, Email/Dossier Investigations by Katie WeddingtonOctober 14, 2016Leave a Comment
Melissa Hodgman-Strzok (Credit: The Daily Mail)
“Hours after the FBI found classified Hillary Clinton emails on Anthony Weiner’s laptop, the wife of the FBI agent running the high-profile probe was promoted to a powerful position in the Securities and Exchange Commission, FBI sources said.
This case keeps getting worse for the FBI and embattled agent Peter Strzok, the lead investigator on the Clinton probe. His wife Melissa Hodgman was promoted to deputy director of SEC’s Enforcement Division literally hours after Strzok and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe were debriefed about the Clinton emails found on Weiner’s computer.
The FBI’s original warrant for Weiner’s laptop was issued in late September 2016 and a subsequent warrant was issued on Oct. 30, 2016 so that the FBI could use Huma Abedin’s & Hillary’s classified emails as evidence in the re-opened Clinton probe.
Hodgman was promoted Oct. 14, 2016, literally hours after investigators started to examine the laptop’s contents for Clinton emails and assorted files, federal sources confirm.
Federal sources said the FBI field office in New York, who handled the original Weiner warrant for then-US Attorney Preet Bharara, reported to Strzok and McCabe that they had found evidence pertaining to the Hillary Clinton email case on Oct. 12, 2016, federal sources said.
About 36 hours later, Hodgman was promoted in the SEC.
The Wall Street Journal’s reporting on the laptop case confirms the early October timeline divulged to True Pundit by FBI sources.
“The latest development began in early October when New York-based FBI officials notified Andrew McCabe, the bureau’s second-in-command, that while investigating Mr. Weiner for possibly sending sexually charged messages to a teenage minor, they had recovered a laptop. Many of the 650,000 emails on the computer, they said, were from the accounts of Ms. Abedin, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Two weeks after Hodgman’s appointment, the FBI secured a subsequent search warrant to use Hillary and Huma emails from the 650,000 warehoused on the computer as evidence.”
(…) “Perhaps Hodgman’s promotion was merely happenstance?
“There are no coincidences here,” one FBI source told True Pundit. “Not with this crew. They wanted his wife in that SEC slot for a reason.”
But why?
Enter the Clinton Foundation.
We now know what the FBI knew after they seized the laptop during a search warrant at Weiner and Huma Abedin’s Manhattan residence: There were thousands of documents on the laptop related to the Clinton Foundation, including offshore financial records.
With that evidence — as well as thousands more of classified emails linked to Hillary on the laptop — FBI sources said agents and brass knew immediately the Bureau would likely reopen the criminal case against Clinton. And ex-Director James Comey did just that two weeks later.
Hence the rush to get an insurance policy in place at the SEC in case things heated up on the white-collar crime side.
With Hodgman at the SEC and Strzok at the FBI it would be virtually impossible to even know what cases linked to the Clinton Foundation had criminal merit if each were trying to keep all things Clinton-related quiet.” (Read more: The True Pundit, 12/14/2017)
https://clintonfoundationtimeline.com/october-14-2016-hours-after-fbi-found-classified-clinton-emails-on-weiner-laptop-peter-strzoks-wife-is-promoted-to-director-of-sec-enforcement/
Snackbar meltdown on trans rhetoric
Twitch.tv/hasanabi
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of New York
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Queens Man Convicted of Threatening to Murder Members of Congress
Defendant Threatened to “Slaughter” Senators and Representatives Two Days After the January 6, 2021 Storming of the U.S. Capitol
Earlier today, following a one-week trial before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Brendan Hunt, also known as “X-Ray Ultra,” of threatening to assault and murder members of the United States Congress to impede, interfere and intimidate with those members and to retaliate against them on account of their performance of their official duties. When sentenced on June 22, 2021, Hunt faces up to 10 years in prison.
Mark J. Lesko, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict.
“With today’s verdict, the defendant is now a convicted felon, not for his repugnant, racist rants, but because he threatened to attack and kill members of Congress to prevent them from carrying out their constitutional duties, and that is a federal crime,” stated Acting United States Attorney Lesko. “This Office will not tolerate threats of violence against public officials who are entrusted with upholding the Constitution.”
Mr. Lesko and Mr. Sweeney praised the outstanding work of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force on the case.
On January 8, 2021, two days after the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Hunt posted a video called “KILL YOUR SENATORS” that included the summary “Slaughter them all,” to BitChute, an Internet-based video sharing site. In the video, Hunt made additional threats, exhorting his viewers to violence and telling them that “[w]e need to go back to the U.S. Capitol when all of the Senators and a lot of the Representatives are back there, and this time we have to show up with our guns. And we need to slaughter these m-f-s.” Hunt also advocated for the violent overthrow of the federal government, claiming that “our government at this point is basically a handful of traitors . . . so what you need to do is take up arms, get to D.C., probably the inauguration . . . so called inauguration of this m-f-g communist Joe Biden . . . [T]hat’s probably the best time to do this, get your guns, show up to D.C., and literally just spray these m-f-s . . . put some bullets in their f--g heads.” Hunt stated, “If anybody has a gun, give me it, I’ll go there myself and shoot them and kill them . . . [W]e have to take out these Senators and then replace them with actual patriots. This is a [Zionist Occupied Government].”
The evidence at trial also showed that, between December 6, 2020 and January 8, 2021, Hunt made a series of posts on various social media websites in which he targeted Members of Congress, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. On December 6, 2020, Hunt posted two messages on his Facebook account, the first calling Speaker Pelosi, Senator Schumer, and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez “high-value target[s].” Hunt stated: “They really need to be put down. These commies will see death before they see us surrender.” A second message called on former President Donald Trump to hold a public execution of Pelosi, Schumer, and Ocasio-Cortez. “If you dont do it, the citizenry will. We’re not voting in another rigged election. Start up the firing squads, mow down these commies, and lets take America back,” Hunt stated.
The evidence included the defendant’s social media and video accounts, as well as videos, text messages, emails, and documents downloaded from the defendant’s electronic devices espousing white supremacist and anti-Semitic views, including Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and accused mass murderer Dylan Roof’s manifesto.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David K. Kessler, Ian C. Richardson and Francisco J. Navarro are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
BRENDAN HUNT (also known as “X-Ray Ultra”)
Age: 37
Ridgewood, Queens
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-086 (PKC)
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/queens-man-convicted-threatening-murder-members-congress
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Individual Arrested and Charged with Operating Notorious Darknet Cryptocurrency “Mixer”
Bitcoin Fog Service Allegedly Laundered $335 Million in Cryptocurrency Since 2011
A dual Russian-Swedish national was arrested Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport on criminal charges related to his alleged operation of the longest-running bitcoin money laundering service on the darknet.
According to court documents, Roman Sterlingov, 32, operated Bitcoin Fog since 2011. Bitcoin Fog was the longest-running cryptocurrency “mixer,” gaining notoriety as a go-to money laundering service for criminals seeking to hide their illicit proceeds from law enforcement. Over the course of its decade-long operation, Bitcoin Fog moved over 1.2 million bitcoin – valued at approximately $335 million at the time of the transactions. The bulk of this cryptocurrency came from darknet marketplaces and was tied to illegal narcotics, computer fraud and abuse activities, and identity theft.
Sterlingov is charged by complaint with money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and money transmission without a license in the District of Columbia.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia; Acting Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The IRS-CI District of Columbia Cyber Crime Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office are investigating the case. Essential support was provided by Excygent; the IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office, Van Nuys Post of Duty; FBI Los Angeles Field Office; Homeland Security Investigations; Customs and Border Patrol; the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Central District of California, Northern District of California, and Southern District of New York; and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of Treasury. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided invaluable assistance, as did Europol; the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, the Swedish Prosecution Authority, and the Swedish Police; and the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police, Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism.
Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Chad Byron. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Youli Lee and Zia Faruqui made invaluable contributions during their tenures on the case team. The team also appreciates the previous support of Trial Attorney S. Riane Harper of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Paralegal Specialist Kenny Nguyen; former Paralegal Specialists Toni Anne Donato and Bianca Evans; and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen O’Rourke over the course of this long-running investigation.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/individual-arrested-and-charged-operating-notorious-darknet-cryptocurrency-mixer
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Transportation of Child Pornography
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/sioux-falls-man-sentenced-transportation-child-pornography-0
Belle Fourche Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/belle-fourche-man-sentenced-federal-prison-possession-child-pornography
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/rapid-city-man-sentenced-federal-prison-possession-child-pornography
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Florida
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Martin County Registered Sex Offender Detained Pending Federal Trial on Child Exploitation Charges
MIAMI – On April 23, 2021, a federal magistrate judge in Ft. Pierce ordered Gernard Keiwon Clark, Sr., 46, of Stuart, Florida, detained pending trial on charges of using an underaged girl to produce child pornography.
According to court records, on August 31, 2020, a report of alleged child abuse led law enforcement officers to Clark, a registered sex offender. A forensic analysis of the SD card of Clark’s cellular telephone showed over 500 sexually explicit photographs and over 40 sexually explicit videos of a particular underaged girl.
An indictment unsealed on April 15, 2021, charges Clark with two counts of producing child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography, and two counts of committing a felony involving a minor by a registered sex offender. If convicted, Clark faces a statutory minimum mandatory sentence of 35 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Miami in particular, FBI Miami’s Child Exploitation Task Force investigated this case, Martin County Sheriff’s Office assisted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosa C. Rodriguez-Mera is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/martin-county-registered-sex-offender-detained-pending-federal-trial-child-exploitation
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