Wells Fargo Banker Worked in Sinaloa Cartel Money Laundering Scheme, Say Feds

A former Wells Fargo banker was arrested by FBI agents on Wednesday, for allegedly participating in an international money laundering conspiracy connected to Mexican cartels.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrest of Luis Fernando Figueroa, 30, for allegedly taking part in an international money laundering conspiracy tied to cartels based in Tijuana, Mexico. Figueroa was arrested in San Diego.

According to the indictment and other public records, the international money laundering organization cleaned approximately $19.6 million in narcotics proceeds on behalf of Mexican-based drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, between 2014 and 2016. Figueroa’s arrest marks the latest in a string of recent indictments. Between January and March 2018, seven alleged leaders of this organization were charged and arrested in San Diego. Five of those pleaded guilty. Figueroa made his initial court appearance Thursday, according to the DOJ.

The money laundering organization reportedly recruited individuals to serve as “funnel account holders” and open personal accounts with Wells Fargo Bank and others. “Couriers” traveled to San Diego, Los Angeles, and other U.S. cities where they picked up and transported varying amounts of cash, say federal investigators.

The couriers deposited the monies into the funnel accounts controlled by the money laundering organization. The funds were transferred to a series of Mexican shell companies. The funds were then moved to representatives of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the DOJ.

This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District of California.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2018/11/16/wells-fargo-banker-worked-in-sinaloa-cartel-money-laundering-scheme-say-feds/

Too little, too late? Merkel comes to Chemnitz to ease ethnic tensions, but faces mass protest

German Chancellor Angela Merkel finally visited the eastern German city of Chemnitz, more than two months after massive right-wing protests there. However, twenty times as many people came to protest against her than to see her.

In late August, the city of Chemnitz witnessed a surge of anti-immigrant sentiment after the fatal stabbing of a German man, allegedly by a group of migrants. The incident provoked a wave of right-wing rallies and far-right marches, as well as counter-protests, some of which escalated into skirmishes between riot police and protesters, resulting in multiple arrests and injuries.

Now, more than two months after the scandal, Merkel finally turned her attention to the beleaguered city in what even the local mayor, Barbara Ludwig, called a belated gesture. The chancellor met with a youth basketball team, talked to Ludwig and the head of the region of Saxony, where Chemnitz is located. In an apparent attempt to heal the rift between the government and the people, she also engaged in what she called a "civil dialogue" with some 120 readers of a local newspaper.

The chancellor's visit predictably brought no surprises as she kept defending her immigration policies, admitting, however, that they provoked some "dissatisfaction" among Germans. She described the Chemnitz murder as a "horrifying crime" but said that no crimes justify other crimes, referring to the far-right violence and xenophobic attacks.

"What concerns me is the fact that, as a result of these developments [in Chemnitz], many people have lost the feeling of security," she told the audience, adding that restoring this feeling is a responsibility which "a state governed by the rule of law" should bear. However, she then immediately said that the feeling of insecurity is mostly "subjective" and is not supported by statistics and police data.

Claiming that her government made just one mistake in its immigration policy, she explained it "was made not when the refugees were coming" in Germany, but rather when it failed to care enough about the people fleeing wars in Syria and Iraq for refugee camps in Jordan and Turkey, before the refugee crisis actually reached Europe.

The chancellor seemed to be pretty happy with the results of her visit and the "in-depth" conversations she described as well worth including in her tight schedule. She also promised "more support" for Chemnitz in the form of "certain congresses and meetings [that] will take place [there] in the future."

https://www.rt.com/news/444217-merkel-visits-chemnitz-protests/

Washington Establishment ‘Grabbing At Straws' Over North Korea's Tactical Weapon

Reports on North Korea's new tactical weapon shows just how the Washington establishment is trying to sabotage the country's denuclearization negotiations with the US, Gregory Elich, author of "Strange Liberators: Militarism, Mayhem, and the Pursuit of Profit," told Sputnik.

News of Pyongyang's recently developed tactical weapon bubbled up late Thursday stateside after Korean Central Television reported North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praising the work completed by officials.

"This result today is a justification of the party's policy focused on defense science and technology, another display of our rapidly-growing defense capabilities to the whole region, and a groundbreaking change in strengthening our military's combat capabilities," Kim said, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It's unclear exactly what kind of weapon was tested.

In response to the reports, the US Department of State stayed on course, indicating that it remains "confident that the promises made by [US] President [Donald] Trump and Chairman Kim will be fulfilled."

Elich told Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear on Friday that the tactical weapon, because it's artillery related and not nuclear, is completely "irrelevant" in regards to denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea.

"I think the Washington establishment is grabbing at straws," Elich told hosts John Kiriakou and Walter Smolarek. "[They're doing] anything they can to try and sabotage negotiations between the US and North Korea."

"In the case like this, it's irrelevant, but it's not portrayed as irrelevant, so they're trying to frame the whole issue of how North Korea can't be trusted. It's a complete fabrication of the issue," he added.

Reflecting on how media reports look down upon North Korean military development, but tend to praise new gadgets unveiled by the US military, Elich told Smolarek that "the imbalance is quite extreme."

"It is remarkable if you look at the US Department of Defense… It's a remarkable double standard," the author stressed.

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201811171069885245-washington-establishment-north-korea-weapon/

Israel heads toward elections as Jewish Home says it will leave coalition

Netanyahu says he will still try to ‘preserve right-wing government,’ but Jewish Home says elections now inevitable after PM rejects Bennett’s demand he be made defense minister

The Jewish Home will leave the coalition, bringing down the government and forcing new elections, senior sources in the Orthodox-nationalist party told The Times of Israel Friday.

The Jewish Home party’s decision came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett’s demand to be made defense minister in a Friday afternoon meeting between the two.

The sources said a date for elections had not been agreed upon. Elections are formally set for November 2019, but it is now expected they will be held between March and May, with Netanyahu pushing for a later date and other parties seeking an earlier one.

Netanyahu said in a statement, however, that he would continue to try to preserve the right-wing coalition. He also made a series of telephone calls to coalition chiefs telling them there was no reason to dismantle the coalition at this stage.

Netanyahu “stressed the importance of making every effort to preserve the right-wing government and not to repeat the historical mistake of 1992 when the right-wing government was overthrown, the left came into power and brought the Oslo disaster to the State of Israel,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu also told Bennett that “the rumors that a decision to go to elections had been made were incorrect,” the statement said.

According to a Jewish Home source, however, “It became clear that in light of the resolute position of Kulanu Chairman, Minister Kahlon [who has called for early elections], there was a need to go to elections as soon as possible with no possibility of continuing the current government.”

“On Sunday, the date of the elections will be coordinated between the heads of the coalition parties.”

Bennett said Thursday he had asked Netanyahu for the portfolio after Avigdor Liberman resigned the post on Wednesday. The party said this was an “ultimatum” for it to stay in the government.

By pulling his Yisrael Beytenu party out of the coalition, Liberman left the government with a narrow majority, with just 61 out of the 120 Knesset seats. The religious nationalist Jewish Home party then quickly declared it would topple the government if its leader Bennett is not given the defense portfolio.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-heads-toward-elections-as-jewish-home-says-will-leave-coalition/

James Comey Calls Out House Republicans Planning to Issue Him Subpoena – Offers Public Testimony

Former FBI Director James Comey responded to House Republicans Friday evening after it was reported the Judiciary Committee was preparing to subpoena him along with former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

The GOP-led House is in its final days of power before the Dems are set to take over in January.

According to Bloomberg, the House Judiciary is planning to issue subpoenas to the former Obama officials on November 29th and December 5th.

Comey fired off a cocky tweet offering public testimony saying he “wants the American people to watch,” adding the House Republicans can ‘ask him anything they wanted.’

COMEY: House Republicans can ask me anything they want but I want the American people to watch, so let’s have a public hearing. Truth is best served by transparency. Let me know when is convenient.

Comey and Lynch were under threat of subpoena by the Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley in June of this year after the IG report revealed the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private server was mishandled.

The FBI was destroyed under James Comey’s directorship; the American people no longer have confidence in the premiere law enforcement agency.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/james-comey-calls-out-house-republicans-planning-to-issue-him-subpoena-offers-public-testimony/