Our mission is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the status quo. Independent journalism with a focus on politics and satire, public safety, judicial misconduct, government corruption, HOA/CID, senior advocacy, sanctity of life & marriage and a voice to the voiceless
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - According to the Irvine Police Department
(IPD) In the early morning hours of Oct. 11, an Irvine resident saw two
suspects around his car, parked on Freemont Street, outside of his home. The
resident went outside to confront the suspects, and was able to detain Mohamad
Jamal Elmasri until Irvine Police Officers arrived. The other suspect
identified as Omar Elnaggar, was able to
flee the scene but was detained later that day after appearing in court on
residential burglary charges.
Both suspects
are now in custody: Mohamad Jamal
Elmasri, 19, of Irvine was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 11, following the theft on
Fremont Street in Irvine. Omar Elnaggar, 22, of Irvine was detained a short
time later.
Elnaggar and Elmasri have
previously been arrested for residential burglary, theft from a vehicle and
receiving stolen property.
Anyone with information on this
case or these suspects is asked to contact IPD Detective Chris Bees at
949-724-7249 orcbees@cityofirvine.org.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - The flood of recent email leaks is proof positive of what independent minded voters already knew: 1) News outlets like the Los Angeles times, The New York Times, ABC, CBS, NBC and the Clinton News Network (CNN) have long stopped being part of the Fourth State and have become members of a Clinton Basket, we refer o as Clinton Redeemables.
Hilary's Baskets
2) The email leaks have also shown a racist DNC that uses African-Americans and Latinos as mere pawns
3) That not unlike Obama, Hilary views Christians as Deplorables.
In summary, the facts show that Hilary categorizes voters into Deplorables and Redeemables: The Redeemables include the LGBT community, Muslims, Radical Muslims, Atheists, Elitists, Sexcual Predators an Elitists. The Deplorables basket contain Christians, Jews, Latinos, Second Amendment defenders and all those opposed to the progressive agenda.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - So how long does it take to close an Earthlink account? If you are lucky, one year. After enduring more than 16 years with Earthlink, I finally decided to switch service providers more than a year ago. The main reason for switching service providers was customer care. Every single time I called technical support, I was read a list of things to do, none of which solved my problem. I then had to research the problem and solve it on my own.
Roughly a year ago, I called Earthlink to have my service cancelled. As in the past, I got through a call center most likely in India, as in the past. The environment was too loud coupled with the accent, made it difficult to communicate, so the operation had to be repeated a couple of times. What was clear, is that the agent did not want me to close the account. He offered special discounts and bonuses if I kept the account open. I told the agent that this was too late, as I already had the new service provider on line.
After repeated calls, one line items was closed in December of 2015. Since then, Earthlink kept invoicing me for the second line item.
After three letters to American Express and a Twitter rant, magically the account seems to have been close as of this Monday. Almost a year to the date since I commenced the cancellation process.
Today’s FBI release of the Hilary Clinton papers produces more
questions than answers: Ironically, earlier this weeFBI’s Director James Comey called for an “adult conversation”
regarding encryption, while engaging in
a childish one about Hilary Clinton’s use of a private email server while
serving as Secretary of State: The way
he sees it, he needs more tools – perhaps to give the powerful a pass and
the less powerful a heavy hand?
The FBI said this release was a summary of former Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton’s July 2, 2016 interview with the FBI concerning
allegations that classified information was improperly stored or transmitted on
a personal e-mail server she used during her tenure.
The FBI characterizes this release as "a factual summary of
the FBI’s investigation into this matter......making these materials available
to the public in the interest of transparency and in response to numerous
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Appropriate redactions have been
made for classified information or other material exempt from disclosure under
FOIA."
However, Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, strongly disagrees. He said that the deletion of the emails violated
an order his committee issued to Mrs. Clinton in 2012 and a subpoena issued by
the Benghazi committee in 2015.
Additionally, according to Senator Charles E. Grassley, who
leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, characterized the FBI release as a
selective release, that produced “an incomplete and possibly
misleading picture of the facts without the other unclassified information that
is still locked away from the public and even most congressional staff.”
Further, Hilary Clinton’s use of
BleachBit to wipe her storage devices clean, not with “a cloth or
something,” goes to criminal intent.Additional information related to the FBI’s investigation that it
will in the future will be placed onThe Vault, the FBI’s electronic FOIA
library.
Today’s FBI release of the Hilary Clinton papers produces more
questions than answers: Ironically,
earlier this week FBI’s Director James Comey called for an “adult conversation”
regarding encryption, while engaging in
a childish one about Hilary Clinton’s use of a private email server while
serving as Secretary of State: The way
he sees it, he needs more tools – perhaps to give the powerful a pass and
the less powerful a heavy hand?
The FBI said this release was a summary of former Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton’s July 2, 2016 interview with the FBI concerning
allegations that classified information was improperly stored or transmitted on
a personal e-mail server she used during her tenure.
The FBI characterizes this release as "a factual summary of
the FBI’s investigation into this matter......making these materials available
to the public in the interest of transparency and in response to numerous
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Appropriate redactions have been
made for classified information or other material exempt from disclosure under
FOIA."
However, Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, strongly disagrees. He said that the deletion of the emails violated
an order his committee issued to Mrs. Clinton in 2012 and a subpoena issued by
the Benghazi committee in 2015.
Additionally, according to Senator Charles E. Grassley, who
leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, characterized the FBI release as a
selective release, that produced “an incomplete and possibly
misleading picture of the facts without the other unclassified information that
is still locked away from the public and even most congressional staff.”
Further, Hilary Clinton’s use of
BleachBit to wipe her storage devices clean, not with “a cloth or
something,” goes to criminal intent.
Additional information related to the FBI’s investigation that it
will in the future will be placed on The Vault, the FBI’s electronic FOIA
library.
US Lutherans approve document recognizing agreement with Catholic Church
(RNS) Nearly 500 years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Castle Church door, the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. has approved a declaration recognizing “there are no longer church-dividing issues” on many points with the Roman Catholic Church.
The “Declaration on the Way” was approved 931-9 by the 2016 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly held last week at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans
D’Antonio admitted that the RLG and ALG schemes fraudulently obtained approximately $9 million from more than 1,500 victims.D’Antonio’s co-defendants, Charles Wayne Farris and Ronald Rodis, both previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Posted by CotoBlogzz
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday that Bryan D’Antonio, 50, of Brea, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, California, for his role as the owner and operator of a multi-million dollar fraudulent mortgage modification scheme that posed as a successful law firm to defraud struggling homeowners.
D'Antonio pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter for the Central District of California to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for his role as owner and operator of Rodis Law Group (RLG) and America’s Law Group (ALG). His sentencing is on Jan. 30, 2017.
D’Antonio was previously convicted of mail and wire fraud and sentenced to four years in federal prison for his participation in a medical billing scheme. He was also subject to a permanent injunction prohibiting him from having any involvement with any business that engaged in telemarketing or misrepresented the services it would provide.
As part of his plea hearing yesterday, D’Antonio admitted that he started RLG while he was still on supervised release from his prior conviction. In violation of D’Antonio’s permanent injunction, RLG and ALG sold their services through an extensive telemarketing operation and employees routinely misrepresented the services RLG and ALG would provide.
D’Antonio admitted that, between October 2008 and June 2009, he participated in a scheme with Ronald Rodis, Charles Wayne Farris and others to induce homeowners to pay between $3,500 and $5,500 for the services of RLG and its successor entity, ALG. RLG and ALG advertised on radio stations nationwide, urging struggling homeowners to call a toll-free number and stated that the companies consisted of “a team of experienced attorneys” who were “highly skilled in negotiating lower interest rates and even lowering your principal balance.” In fact, RLG and ALG were telemarketing operations that never had teams of experienced attorneys. During much of the scheme, Ronald Rodis was the only attorney at RLG.
RLG and ALG telemarketers working for D’Antonio made numerous misrepresentations regarding the companies’ ability to negotiate loan modifications from the homeowners’ mortgage lenders. For example, the telemarketers stated that RLG and ALG had been in business for 11 years when in fact the company had only opened in October 2008. They falsely stated that RLG and ALG routinely obtained positive results for homeowners, including lower monthly payments, reductions in principal balance and lower interest rates. In fact, positive results were rarely achieved for any RLG or ALG clients. Telemarketers also falsely reiterated that homeowners would have a team of attorneys and real estate professionals assigned to their case. The telemarketers did not disclose to homeowners that RLG and ALG were owned and operated by Bryan D’Antonio, a convicted felon who was prohibited from engaging in telemarketing
In a plea agreement filed in federal court, D’Antonio admitted that the RLG and ALG schemes fraudulently obtained approximately $9 million from more than 1,500 victims.
D’Antonio’s co-defendants, Charles Wayne Farris and Ronald Rodis, both previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John W. Burke of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally of the Central District of California.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - according to the Irvine Police Department (IPD,) earlier today, at approximately 1:00 AM, the owner of an Irvine business received a phone call from his alarm company notifying him of an burglary alarm activation at his business. The owner was able to instantly pull up his live video surveillance on his home computer to view the interior of his business. A male subject, now identified as Ryan Janes Adrig, was seen walking around inside the business. The owner immediately contacted IPD and provided the physical description of Adrig to IPD dispatchers.
As Irvine officers were responding to the business, they located Ryan James Adrig, 23, of Laguna Beach, walking along Sand Canyon Avenue. Upon approaching Adrig, he quickly ran away from the officers jumping over several fences and walls. A short foot pursuit ensued before Adrig was located and arrested for commercial burglary, vandalism and resisting arrest.
Officers returned to the business and found a window smash to the front and no other suspects were inside. Investigation is ongoing.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - On July 22, 2016, the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council, created by the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, held its inaugural meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
The CFO Council is composed of all agency CFOs, plus the Deputy Director for Management from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and is co-chaired by the Directors of OIP and the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS). Chief FOIA Officers and representatives from over 64 agencies attended, along with several members of the public.
OIP Director Melanie Ann Pustay, opened the meeting by providing an overview of the responsibilities of agency CFOs. Next, Andrew Mayock, the Deputy Director for Management of OMB, emphasized the Administration’s commitment to transparency and open government. Based on facts covered herein, that commitment seems to be as solid as the Syrian Red Line, however.
Mr. Mayock described the recently-announced Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal for FOIA that will be co-led by OMB, DOJ, and NARA to focus senior leadership attention and drive performance and accountability for improving FOIA administration, and to ensure that Federal departments and agencies are providing sufficient resources toward FOIA responsibilities.
He explained that the CAP goal will be publicly posted on Performance.gov, and will have a detailed action plan, including specific metrics and milestones that will be used to gauge progress. He did not explain if heads would roll if milestones were not met.
Mr. Mayock explained that the initial focus of the CAP goal will be on implementing the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016.
Acting Director of OGIS Nikki Gramian also gave opening remarks. She discussed the responsibilities of OGIS and summarized the first meeting of the second term of the FOIA Advisory Committee, which is composed of representatives from both agencies and the requester community.
Ms. Gramian indicated that she anticipates the work of the CFO Council and the FOIA Advisory Committee will be complementary, and that she looks forward to keeping the CFO Council informed about the Advisory Committee’s activities. Which begs the question: if the work of the newly created council is complementary, why create a new bureaucracy in the first place?
Director Pustay then introduced the Council’s first item for consideration – implementing a “release to one is release to all” presumption for FOIA responses. Director Pustay briefed the Council on OIP’s six-month pilot program conducted with seven volunteer Federal agencies that was designed to assess the viability of a policy that would direct agencies to proactively post online their FOIA responses.
Director Pustay did not address what happens when government employees use private servers or delete emails such as was the case with Lois G. Lerner targeting conservative groups, or Secretary Clinton deleted emails.
In the coming months, the CFO Council will examine critical issues, including assessing the impact on investigative journalism efforts, as well as how best to address technological and resource challenges. At its next meeting, the Council will invite journalists and members of the public to provide feedback about the “release to all” policy, specifically addressing the concerns raised by some journalists about its possible impact on their work. Details about the next meeting will be available here on FOIA Post.
DNC's racist taco bowl is a contrived controversy: Like Old Faithful, the dems have been consistently racist: https://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2012/05/turn-far-lefts-old-faithful-into.html
Posted by CotoBlogzz
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/25/us/politics/debbie-wasserman-schultz-dnc-wikileaks-emails.html3 hours ago ... Some prominent Democrats had called for the Democratic National Committee chairwoman to step down in the wake of emails revealing the
DNC member killing horses for insurance money.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/578
DNC making fun of black woman's name.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/17942
DNC telling each other, “I love you too. no homo.”
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/425
DNC requesting a pull an MSNBC commentary segment.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/6107
DNC controlling the narrative with time released stories.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/12450
DNC conspiring to create false Trump information and release with Reuters.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7102
DNC Hillary supporters infiltrated Sanders campaign.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/4776
DNC members going to complain to Morning Joe producers about his mentioning of a “rigged system.”
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/8806
DNC discussing their relationship with NBC/MSNBC/CNN and how to get better treatment.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/13762
Super PAC paying young voters to push back online Sanders supporters. Paid shills.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/8351
DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz having an off the record meeting in MSNBC President Phil Griffin’s office.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/8867
DNC being messed with by the Washington Examiner.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/5304
DNC discussing Hillary’s policies as unfeasible.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/519
$200k for a private dinner with Hillary.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/17287
Offering to send interns out to fake a protest against the RNC.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/13366
Faking outrage and pasting in a video later.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7102
A mole working inside of the Sanders campaign.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7793
Bringing up Sanders religion to scare the southern voters.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/11508
Possible money laundering by moving money back and forth to bypass legal limits.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/6230
Politico writer sending his stories to the DNC before he sends them to his editor.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/10808
DNC feeding CNN the questions they want to be asked in interviews.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/4077
Creating a fake job ad for a Trump business to paint him as a sexist.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/12803
Hillary funding 2 million dollars in a cooridanted campaign in battleground states to win back the Senate.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7784
DNC is upset that their “allies” didn’t send in protestors so they sent out interns.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/13366
“Clinton Foundation quid-pro-quo worries are lingering, will be exploited in general.”
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/8351
$50,000 – Lawrence Benenson.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/14700
Daily Fundraising Report for the DNC.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/2875
Content & Social Strategy Discussion.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7512
Re: BuzzFeed and DNC connection.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/10933
Draft linking news articles about trump to use as negative press.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7586
Fwd: State Dinner Countdown.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/1901
Some chick is angry she hasn’t been given more stuff from the Obama administration…might be interesting to follow up.
Re: State Dinner Countdown.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/2946
Tim O’Brien: Trump’s Fixation on Inflating his Net Worth is a Cause for Concern.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/4496
RE: May Fundraising Numbers.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/5615
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7720
Hillary for America Raised $26.4 Million in April, Began May with More than $30 Million Cash on Hand.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/13986
Re: For approval: Trump supporter graphics.
https://www.wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/788
Press talking points, states Hillary is their candidate, dated May 5, 2016. More of a smoking gun than the ambiguous talk in the emails themselves.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/fileid/5254/2728
Consultant calling megyn kelly a bimbo. Has PDF attached that says the same.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/6087
DNC trying to get away with violating the Hatch Act.
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/20148
Democrats using interns to organize fake “protests.”
https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/13830
RE: Action on DNC tomorrow (Immigration Raids).
https://www.wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/9736
Ashkan Dezhangfard, Ryan Huebnar, Siavish Hosseinaliarhani, Angelica Shiabata, Brion Hyde, arrested in homicide case
Posted by CotoBlogzz
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Today Orange County Sheriff Department (OCSD) investigators arrested Ashkan Dezhangfard, San Juan Capistrano, Ryan Huebnar, Laguna Niguel, Siavish Hosseinaliarhani, Laguna Niguel, Angelica Shiabata, San Juan Capistrano and Brion Hyde, San Juan Capistrano, in connection with a homicide at the end of Trabuco Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano.
On Wednesday, July 13, 2016, at approximately 1:10 p.m., OCSD's deputies responded to the end of Trabuco Creek Road and found an adult male deceased in the creek bed.
An Orange County Deputy Coroner responded and found traumatic injuries to the victim’s body. OCSD Homicide investigators responded and assumed responsibility for the investigation. Homicide, crime scene and coroner investigators processed and collected evidence from the scene.
During the preliminary investigation, the deceased adult male was identified as Alvaro Rios, 38, Perris. Rios was a reported missing adult from Perris in Riverside County on July 13, 2016.
Orange County Coroner Division conducted an autopsy and determined Alvaro was the victim of homicide. The injuries were consistent with being stabbed.
Investigators prepared and served several search warrants on vehicles and residences in south Orange County.
All five suspects were arrested for murder and conspiracy and booked into the Orange County Jail. They are being held on $1 million bail each and scheduled for their first court appearance on Monday, July 25, 2016.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Artem Vaulin, owner of KAT, the most visited illegal file-sharing website was charged with criminal copyright infringement and have seized domain names associated with the website, according to announcement by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois, Executive Associate Director Peter T. Edge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Chief Richard Weber of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)
Artem Vaulin, 30, of Kharkiv, Ukraine, was arrested today in Poland and is charged by criminal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, with one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of criminal copyright infringement. The United States will seek to extradite Vaulin to the United States.
According to court records, Vaulin allegedly owns and operates Kickass Torrents or KAT, a commercial website that has enabled users to illegally reproduce and distribute hundreds of millions of copyrighted motion pictures, video games, television programs, musical recordings and other electronic media since 2008. The copyrighted material is collectively valued at well over $1 billion, according to the complaint. The complaint alleges that KAT receives more than 50 million unique visitors per month and is estimated to be the 69th most frequently visited website on the internet.
In addition, a federal court in Chicago ordered the seizure of one bank account and seven domain names associated with the alleged KAT conspiracy.
According to the complaint, KAT has consistently made available for download movies that were still in theaters and displayed advertising throughout its site. KAT’s net worth has been estimated at more than $54 million, with estimated annual advertising revenue in the range of $12.5 million to $22.3 million, according to the complaint. The complaint alleges that the site operates in approximately 28 languages. KAT has moved its domains several times due to numerous seizures and copyright lawsuits, and it has been ordered blocked by courts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Belgium and Malaysia, according to the complaint. KAT has allegedly operated at various times under the domains kickasstorrents.com, kat.ph, kickass.to, kickass.so and kat.cr, and relied on a network of computer servers located around the world, including in Chicago.
Several motion pictures currently available for download and sharing on KAT are still showing in theatres, including “Captain America: Civil War,” “Now You See Me 2,” “Independence Day: Resurgence” and “Finding Dory,” according to the complaint. The complaint alleges that Vaulin, who used the screen name “tirm,” was involved in designing KAT’s original website, oversaw KAT’s operations and, during the latter part of the conspiracy, Vaulin allegedly operated KAT under the auspices of a Ukrainian-based front company called Cryptoneat.
HSI and IRS-CI investigated the case with substantial assistance from the International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center, the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Polish Border Guard and National Prosecutor’s Office.
Senior Counsel Ryan K. Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William E. Ridgway and Devlin N. Su of the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - – Mir Islam, 22, of New York, N.Y., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison on three federal charges stemming from a conspiracy to commit various crimes related to the “swatting” and “doxing” of dozens of victims, and from a false bomb threat made against a university in Arizona and a pattern of online harassment constituting cyber-stalking against a university student, according to announcement by John S. Leonardo of the District of Arizona, and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Islam pleaded guilty on July 6, 2015, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a total of three charges. They included one count of conspiracy to commit a range of federal offenses, including identity theft; access device fraud; social security number misuse; computer fraud; wire fraud; assaulting federal officials; and interstate transmission of threats. The other charges included one count of threatening and conveying false information concerning the use of explosives and one count of cyber-stalking.
In his guilty plea, Islam admitted to “swatting” and “doxing” numerous individuals, to communicating a false shooting and bomb threat on a university campus in Arizona, and to committing a pattern of online harassment against a university student.
According to court documents, Islam and his co-conspirators “swatted” and “doxed” numerous individuals from February through August 2013. Islam and his co-conspirators committed the doxing and swatting to entertain themselves, to exact revenge for official conduct they found objectionable, to express animus toward certain victims, and for their own notoriety. The investigation is continuing.
Swatting in many instances is an assault with a deadly weapon in which the police are used as proxies to commit the assault. By definition, the crime entails an armed police response. When the responding officers are threatened in the fake 9-1-1 communications with physical harm or death if they respond, as some were by Islam and his co-conspirators, the officers invariably arrive at the premises in force, with guns drawn and trained on the premises and its occupants. The prospect for injuries or fatalities in such a police response is manifest. According to the government’s evidence, Islam and his co-conspirators swatted at least 20 celebrities and state and federal officials. For example, a former member of Congress from Michigan was swatted because of federal legislation he sponsored; a former State Representative, who is now a member of Congress, was swatted because of anti-swatting state legislation he sought to enact, and an Assistant United States Attorney was swatted in retaliation for a particular prosecution he participated in.
Doxing is the act of gathering, by licit and illicit means, and posting on the Internet personal identifying information (“PII”) and other sensitive information about an individual, including, for example, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, credit information, employers, and details regarding the individual’s children and other family members. According to the government’s evidence, Islam and his co-conspirators posted the PII of at least 50 celebrities and state and federal officials on different websites that all shared the domain name “Exposed,” which were accessible to anyone, anywhere. The natural, inevitable, and intended consequence of this publication of names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, credit reports, and the like, was the use of that information by countless others to illicitly obtain credit cards and other finance-related accounts using the identities of the doxing victims, causing many victims to suffer continuing credit issues. The publication of the victims’ personal identifying information also revealed to any other would-be harassers or assailants how and where to contact the victims.
Additionally, according to the government’s evidence, on March 22, 2013, Islam separately falsely reported a shooting and explosives incident on the campus of a university located in Arizona. Using a 9-1-1 Internet relay system, Islam reported that a man on campus had a gun and a rifle and was shooting people on campus. Islam further stated that the man was shooting up the area and that he had explosives and was going to blow up buildings. In response to Islam’s false report, the local police, university police, and the FBI responded to the campus to investigate, including SWAT Teams and a Police Department Bomb Squad. The campus was placed in lockdown, with flash text messaging sent to the student population advising of a potential active shooter situation.
Islam made the false shooting and explosives report as part of Islam’s cyber-stalking of a student attending that university. Over the course of several months after the false bomb threat, according to the government’s evidence, Islam repeatedly called or sent text messages to this student and some of her friends, occasionally threatening them. Islam impersonated state and federal law enforcement officials to try to collect information about the student. Islam further acquired unauthorized access to the student’s e-mail and social media accounts, and then downloaded information from those accounts and changed the passwords to the accounts, thereby denying the student access. Islam created a social media account in which he assumed a false identity, including photographs of someone other than Islam, pretending to be a student attending the student’s university. Islam used this account and identity to attempt to befriend the student. Islam’s prolonged harassment of the student caused the student to suffer substantial emotional distress.
Islam, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Bangladesh, was arrested in September 2013 and has been in custody in this case since July 2015. In addition to the prison time, the Honorable Randolph D. Moss ordered Islam to be placed on three years of supervised release following the prison term; during that time, Islam must agree to computer monitoring and other conditions.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Assistance was provided by the FBI’s Phoenix, New York and Los Angeles Field Offices; the United States Secret Service’s Boston Field Office, and the Los Angeles, Boston, and Fairfax County, Va., Police Departments. The Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) also provided support.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corbin A. Weiss of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Beverly Anderson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Charles Wayne Farris, 55, of Aliso Viejo, California, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter for the Central District of California to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in his role as the sales manager of a multi-million dollar fraudulent mortgage modification scheme, according to announcement by the Department of Justice (DOJ.)
Farris admitted that, between October 2008 and June 2009, he participated in a scheme to induce homeowners to pay between $3,500 and $5,500 for the services of the Rodis Law Group (RLG) and a successor entity, America’s Law Group (ALG). RLG and ALG advertised on radio stations nationwide, urging struggling homeowners to call a toll-free number and stating that the companies consisted of “a team of experienced attorneys” who were “highly skilled in negotiating lower interest rates and even lowering your principal balance.” In fact, RLG and ALG were telemarketing operations that never had teams of experienced attorneys. During much of the scheme, Ronald Rodis was the only attorney at RLG.
Farris supervised a sales force of dozens of telemarketers who fielded calls from struggling homeowners. At Farris’s direction and using scripts that he created, the telemarketers made numerous misrepresentations regarding the companies’ ability to negotiate loan modifications from the homeowners’ mortgage lenders. For example, the telemarketers stated that RLG and ALG had been in business for 11 years when in fact the company had only opened in October 2008. They falsely stated that RLG and ALG routinely obtained positive results for homeowners, including lower monthly payments, reductions in principal balance and lower interest rates. In fact, positive results were rarely achieved for any RLG or ALG clients. Telemarketers also falsely reiterated that homeowners would have a team of attorneys and real estate professionals assigned to their case.
In a plea agreement filed in federal court, Farris admitted that the RLG and ALG schemes fraudulently obtained approximately $9 million from more than 1,500 victims. His sentencing is on April 17, 2017.
Farris was charged along with two co-defendants, Bryan D’Antonio and Ronald Rodis. Rodis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud on June 27. D’Antonio is charged with 23 felony counts. He is charged with nine counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each of these counts carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. In addition, D’Antonio is charged with 13 counts of criminal contempt for violating a 2001 federal court order, which permanently banned D’Antonio from participating in future telemarketing operations. Criminal contempt of court has no statutory maximum penalty. D’Antonio is scheduled for trial beginning Sept. 20.
This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John W. Burke of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally of the Central District of California.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Gregory Allen Justice, Culver City, California, was arrested yesterday on federal charges of economic espionage and violations of the Arms Export Control Act for his attempts to sell sensitive satellite information to a person he believed to be a foreign intelligence agent, according to announcement by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker of the Central District of California, Assistant Director in Charge Deirdre Fike of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and Special Agent John Rayho of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) Detachment Commander at Los Angeles Air Force Base.
Gregory Allen Justice, 49, who worked for a cleared defense contractor as an engineer on military and commercial satellites during his alleged crimes, was arrested yesterday by FBI special agents and made his initial appearance yesterday afternoon in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The judge ordered him detained pending trial.
According to court records, Justice stole proprietary trade secret materials from his employer and provided them to a person whom he believed to be a representative of a foreign intelligence service, but who was in fact an FBI undercover agent. In addition to their proprietary nature, the documents contained technical data covered by the U.S. Munitions List and therefore controlled for export from the United States under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to the allegations. In exchange for providing these materials, Justice allegedly sought and received cash payments.
The FBI and AFOSI investigated the case. Attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California and the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Yahya Farooq Mohammad, Toledo, Ohio, was indicted Wednesday, charging him with soliciting the murder of a federal judge, according to announcement by U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Mohammad, 37, from the United Arab Emirates, was charged with attempted first degree murder of a federal officer, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and use of interstate commerce facilities in commission of murder for hire.
Mohammad was indicted last year on charges of conspiring with three other men to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars to Anwar Al-Awlaki in an effort to support violent jihad against U.S. military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world. That case remains pending and is assigned to U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary of the Northern District of Ohio.
In the most recent charges, Mohammad is accused of soliciting someone to kidnap and murder Judge Zouhary.
On April 8, Mohammad allegedly told another inmate in the Lucas County Corrections Center in Toledo that he wanted Zouhary kidnapped and murdered.. That inmate then introduced Mohammad to an undercover FBI employee, according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges that Mohammad told the inmate that he was willing to pay $15,000 to have Zouhary killed. Mohammad also allegedly told the undercover employee that he could send a down payment through a mail courier or that the undercover could meet Mohammad’s wife in Chicago to pick up the money. When asked when he wanted the murder committed, Mohammad stated: “The sooner would be good, you know,” according to the indictment.
On May 5, Mohammad’s wife, identified in the indictment as N.T., met the undercover agent at a post office in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and provided $1,000 in cash inside a white envelope, according to the indictment.
On May 11, Mohammad informed the inmate that the rest of the money for the murder was coming from Dubai to Texas to Chicago to N.T., and then to the undercover agent, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, on May 16, the undercover agent and N.T. met, and the undercover agent showed N.T. a photograph that purported to be of Zouhary’s dead body. The undercover agent told N.T. he needed the rest of the money owed to him. N.T. said she would contact Mohammad and then she would contact the undercover agent, according to the indictment.
The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Freeman and Matthew Shepherd of the Northern District of Ohio following an investigation by the FBI. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio has recused herself from this case.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Haris Qamar, 25, of Burke, Virginia, was arrested this morning on charges of attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, according to announcement by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
According to court records, on May 26, Qamar and an FBI confidential witness (CW) discussed a video that ISIS was supposedly making to encourage lone wolf attacks in the Washington, D.C., area. Unbeknownst to Qamar, there was no actual video being created. Qamar and the CW discussed the need for photos of possible targets in and around Washington, D.C., for use in the purported video.
According to the complaint, Qamar offered the CW ideas of where to take photographs for use in the video, including the Pentagon and numerous landmarks in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., which could be targeted for terrorist attacks.
On June 3, a conversation was audio and video recorded when CW picked up Qamar in a vehicle and they drove to area landmarks on the list Qamar had developed. Qamar allegedly said, “bye bye DC, stupid ass kufar, kill’em all.” Qamar and CW met again on June 10 and drove to a location in Arlington to take additional photos for the purported video.
According to the complaint, the investigation revealed that Qamar operated over 60 variations of the Twitter handle “newerajihadi,” which Qamar used to express his support for ISIS and to share videos and photos of extreme violence, including beheadings and mass shootings.
According to the allegations, during numerous conversations with the CW, Qamar expressed his interest and excitement in the extreme violence that ISIS is known for and said that he loved the bodies, blood and beheadings. On several occasions, Qamar allegedly said that he could slaughter someone and described how he would do it.
On Sept. 11, 2015, terrorists connected with ISIS posted a “kill list” to the internet containing the names and addresses of U.S. military members. A few days later, Qamar allegedly told the CW that the residences of several service members who appeared on the “kill list” were near Qamar’s own home, and that Qamar had observed undercover police cars near those residences. According to the affidavit, on Sept. 16, 2015, Qamar tweeted his prayer that Allah “give strength to the mujahideen to slaughter every single US military officer.”
Additionally, the affidavit alleges that on Sept. 25, 2015, Qamar told the CW that he tried to join ISIS in 2014, but that his parents prevented him from going overseas by controlling his passport. Qamar allegedly said that his parents threatened to notify law enforcement authorities and said that he fought with his father and called his father a traitor to Islam. According to the allegations, on Nov. 18, 2015, Qamar told the CW that he would leave the United States and join ISIS if his father gave him back his passport.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Josh Parecki of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – Remon Issa Daniel pleaded guilty in federal court late yesterday to three counts of wire fraud for his scheme to defraud produce vendors, according to announcement by United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett.
The plea follows charges Daniel pretended to be employed by reputable produce companies and ordered loads of fruits and vegetables on credit, when he knew he did not have the funds to pay for the loads and had no intention of paying for them.
In pleading guilty, Daniel admitted that between 2014 and his arrest on February 25, 2016, he defrauded at least 38 different businesses of more than $1.5 million worth of fruits and vegetables. Daniel ordered produce primarily from companies in California, Arizona, and Texas, and usually claimed to be from Bay Produce, New San Jose Wholesale, or General Produce, each a genuine produce wholesaler in Northern California. In fact, Daniel had no association with any of these companies. Daniel admitted to sending some of the vendors a copy of a deposit slip as proof that he had made a payment for the product. Only after the vendor released the produce to Daniel did the vendor learn that the deposited check was returned for insufficient funds.
Daniel was indicted by a grand jury on March 10, 2016, on 14 counts of wire fraud. According to court records, Daniel has admitted he is guilty of three of the counts in the indictment and the remaining counts will be dismissed. He is currently being held in in the Santa Clara County Main Jail, pending sentencing, set for October 19, 2016, at 9:45 a.m., before the Honorable United States District Judge Lucy Koh.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber Rosen is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider, Yolanda Singletary, and Nina Williams.
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Democrat, Florida, and her chief of staff Elias Simmons, were indicted today for their roles in a conspiracy and fraud scheme involving a fraudulent education charity, according to announcement by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Michelle S. Klimt of the FBI’s Jacksonville Division and Chief Richard Weber of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)
Brown, 69, of Jacksonville, Florida, and her chief of staff, Elias “Ronnie” Simmons, 50, of Laurel, Maryland, were charged today in a 24-count indictment with participating in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, multiple counts of mail and wire fraud, concealing material facts on required financial disclosure forms, theft of government property, obstruction of the due administration of the internal revenue laws and filing false tax returns.
The indictment alleges that between late 2012 and early 2016, Brown and Simmons participated in a conspiracy and fraud scheme involving One Door for Education – Amy Anderson Scholarship Fund (One Door) in which the defendants and others acting on their behalf solicited more than $800,000 in charitable donations based on false representations that the donations would be used for college scholarships and school computer drives, among other things. According to the indictment, Brown and Simmons allegedly solicited donations from individuals and corporate entities that Brown knew by virtue of her position in the U.S. House of Representatives, many of whom the defendants led to believe that One Door was a properly-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, when, in fact, it was not.
Contrary to the defendants’ representations, the indictment alleges that Brown, Simmons and Carla Wiley, the president of One Door, among others, used the vast majority of One Door donations for their personal and professional benefit, including tens of thousands of dollars in cash deposits that Simmons made to Brown’s personal bank accounts. In one instance, Simmons is alleged to have deposited $2,100 in One Door funds into Brown’s personal bank account the same day that Brown wrote a check for a similar amount to pay taxes she owed. Likewise, the indictment alleges that Brown and Simmons used the outside consulting company of one of Brown’s employees to funnel One Door funds to Brown and others for their personal use.
According to the indictment, more than $200,000 in One Door funds were used to pay for events hosted by Brown or held in her honor, including a golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; lavish receptions during an annual conference in Washington, D.C.; the use of a luxury box during a concert in Washington, D.C.; and the use of a luxury box during an NFL game in the Washington, D.C., area.
Despite raising over $800,000 in donations, the indictment alleges that One Door was associated with only two scholarships totaling $1,200 that were awarded to students to cover expenses related to attending a college or university.
Simmons is also charged with theft of government property based on the misuse of his position as Brown’s chief of staff to obtain congressional employment for a close relative. Between 2001 and early 2016, Simmons’ relative allegedly received approximately $735,000 in government salary payments despite performing no known work for the U.S. House of Representatives. The indictment alleges that between 2009 and late 2015, Simmons diverted over $80,000 of his relative’s government salary for his personal benefit, including through transfers to his personal bank accounts, payments on his personal credit cards and loan payments on his boat.
Simmons and Brown are also charged with failing to disclose, among other things, the reportable income they received from One Door and the salary payments that Simmons diverted from his relative’s government employment on required financial disclosure forms submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives and made available to the general public.
Brown is also charged with engaging in tax obstruction between 2008 and 2014 and, in certain years, filing false returns based on her repeated failure to report income from substantial cash deposits to her personal bank accounts and her repeated deduction of inflated and fabricated charitable donations. According to the indictment, in various years, Brown claimed deductions on her tax returns based on false donations she claimed she made to One Door, as well as to local churches and non-profit organizations in the Jacksonville area.
Wiley, the president of One Door, pleaded guilty for her involvement in the scheme on March 3, 2016.
The FBI and IRS-CI are investigating the case.
Deputy Chief Eric G. Olshan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Tysen Duva and Michael J. Coolican of the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
