Category: Security Intelligence

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Two Individuals Admit Conspiring with Convicted Ponzi Schemer and Others to Defraud Investors of Tens of Millions of Dollars

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

TRENTON, N.J. – Two individuals today admitted conspiring with a twice-convicted fraudster to defraud investors of more than $35 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Christopher Anderson, 47, of Flemington, New Jersey, and Richard Curry, 36, of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to informations charging them with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Anderson and Curry admitted conspiring with others, including Eliyahu “Eli” Weinstein, whose 24-year federal prison sentence was commuted after being twice convicted of defrauding investors of a total of $230 million.

“These two defendants admitted scheming with Eli Weinstein and others to rip off investors to the tune of millions of dollars. They admitted that this scheme used phony identities and false promises of access to deals involving scarce medical supplies, baby formula, and first-aid kits supposedly destined for wartime Ukraine to defraud their victims. They will now face justice for their crimes, and we will continue to pursue the other alleged conspirators.”

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger

“Anderson and Curry are admitting they took part in a scheme that created millions of dollars in loss for the victims,” FBI – Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said. “Although it’s not easily understood, scams like this impact people’s lives in a very real way. We’re asking anyone who believes they are a victim or know of an investment that doesn’t pass the smell test, to reach out to us at the Newark FBI. We will do all we can to hold those fraudsters accountable and protect the next potential victim.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Weinstein, Aryeh “Ari” Bromberg, Joel Wittels, Shlomo Erez, and Alaa Hattab were previously charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice based on allegations arising from the same scheme in which Anderson and Curry pleaded guilty today. That complaint remains pending.

Anderson and Curry admitted, among other things, to conspiring with each other, Weinstein, Bromberg, Wittels, Hattab and Erez to make materially false and misleading statements and omissions to investors and potential investors. These statements included actively concealing Weinstein’s identity, history of fraud and role in purported investments, and falsely claiming that investors funds would be used to invest in lucrative deals.

Weinstein was convicted two times in New Jersey federal court for defrauding investors. His first case involved a real estate Ponzi scheme, and his second case stemmed from additional fraud Weinstein committed while on pretrial release. For these crimes, which resulted in combined losses to investors of approximately $230 million, Weinstein was sentenced to serve 24 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On Jan. 19, 2021, after Weinstein had served less than eight years in prison, the President of the United States at that time commuted Weinstein’s term to time served, leaving intact the rest of his sentence.

Conspiracy to commit securities fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Sentencing for Anderson is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2024, and for Curry, Jan. 18, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Dennehy, with the investigation leading to the charges in this case. He also expressed appreciation for the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the direction of Antonia Apps, Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Fayer and Emma Spiro of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

 The charges and allegations against Weinstein, Bromberg, Wittels, Erez, and Hattab, are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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DIANA, NATO’s innovation accelerator, attracts cutting-edge ideas from across the Alliance

Source: NATO

DIANA – the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic – has received proposals from over 1,200 applicants as part of its pilot challenge call to innovators and entrepreneurs. DIANA’s first challenges – which closed at the end of last week (25 August 2023) – focus on three priorities: energy resilience; sensing and surveillance; and secure information sharing.

Companies – many of them small start-ups – are competing for hundreds of thousands of euros in grant funds. Applicants will be evaluated by expert panels drawn from across NATO and industry, and DIANA expects to be able to issue the first grants to innovators towards the end of the year. The DIANA team will then work directly with the successful applicants – helping them to test their ideas, secure further funding and get commercial advice to help their businesses grow. 
 
“My team and I are delighted with the overwhelming response and positivity from the Alliance’s  innovators to DIANA’s first three challenges,” said DIANA’s Managing Director, Professor Deeph Chana. “It is testament to the hard work of the DIANA team – of which I’m extremely proud – and the significant talent pool that we know exists within the Alliance.”

Once DIANA is fully operational in 2025, it will run multiple challenges per year on various topics, with the capacity to work with hundreds of innovators each year across its network of accelerator sites and test centres. “The entire team and myself are looking forward to engaging with the successful candidates,” continued Professor Chana. ”We hope to expand on the success of our pilot programme in future years.” 

For more information visit DIANA’s website: www.diana.nato.int
 

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Iqaluit — Iqaluit RCMP Detachment suspend front-counter service

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On September 1, 2023, the Iqaluit RCMP Detachment will be closed due to the water shut-off in the City of Iqaluit. The availability of front counter services and criminal record checks will be suspended for the day.

The Iqaluit RCMP Detachment will continue to respond to operational calls for service. In the event of an emergency, please call 979-1111.

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Valley — Colchester County District RCMP charge former band director with sexual offences

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Colchester County District RCMP has charged a former band director with sexual offences.

On August 17, 2023, Colchester County District RCMP were notified about historical sexual assaults that occurred in Valley, Nova Scotia, between 2005 and 2007. With this information, Colchester County District RCMP began an investigation and was able to identify a survivor.

The survivor, who was a youth at the time, came forward and, on August 25, provided details about having been sexually assaulted by a former band director while she attended the Cobequid Educational Centre.

On August 25, RCMP officers arrested Lorna Elaine Letcher, age 65, of Valley. Letcher has been charged with Sexual Assault (3 counts) and Sexual Exploitation (3 counts). Letcher was released on conditions, including not to be in contact with anyone under age 18, and will appear in Truro Provincial Court on October 25, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.

Colchester County District RCMP is aware that Letcher volunteers at the Redcliff Middle School and has also provided music lessons from her residence in the past.

Investigators believe there may be additional survivors, and is reaching out to offer support and encourage anyone who may be a survivor to come forward by contacting your local police or RCMP Detachment. Police want survivors to know that they can contact them and discuss an incident before making a decision to further participate in the investigation and court process. The Colchester County District RCMP can be contacted at 902-893-6820.

File #: 2023-1210577

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Sussex — 22-year-old man arrested following drug seizure

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

A 22-year-old man from Sussex, N.B., has been arrested following a drug seizure in the community.

On August 26, 2023, at approximately 3 a.m., members of the Sussex RCMP detachment stopped a vehicle travelling on Main Street, in Sussex. During the stop, police searched the vehicle and seized quantities of what is believed to be methamphetamine, cocaine, prescription pills, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and money.

A 22-year-old man was arrested at the scene, and was later released pending a court appearance at a later date.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Remembering CIA’s Heroes: Helge Boes

Source: Central Intelligence Agency CIA

Headline: Remembering CIA’s Heroes: Helge Boes

Feature Story: Helge Philipp Boes was with the Central Intelligence Agency a short time, but his entire life seemed to have pointed him towards the sense of purpose he found working for the Agency. Helge’s talent, tenacity, and presence of mind under fire earned him the respect of those far senior to him in experience. On February 5, 2003, Helge – a special operations officer who had served in the CIA for only 2 years – was killed in a training accident while on a temporary duty (TDY) assignment in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, Helge was the 80th CIA officer in 56 years to die in the line of duty.

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The Women Who Lived at CIA

Source: Central Intelligence Agency CIA

Headline: The Women Who Lived at CIA

Feature Story: Margaret Scattergood and Florence Thorne purchased a rural farm house on 20 acres of land in 1933. Neither woman could have predicted that within 30 years of purchase, their home would be enclosed on CIA property, behind its protective barriers, while hundreds of CIA officers came to work just a stones’ throw away.

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INTERPOL Chief meets with Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss security

Source: Interpol (news and events)

Headline: INTERPOL Chief meets with Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss security

28 February 2018

BAGHDAD, Iraq –  INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abaidi to discuss a range of measures to identify and arrest foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) both within Iraq and abroad.

With ISIS/Daesh militarily defeated, the focus is now on law enforcement efforts to address the evolving threat posed by FTFs and investigate crimes committed on Iraqi territory.

The Secretary General headed an INTERPOL team in Baghdad which is liaising with the Ministry of Interior and its partners to identify areas for enhanced cooperation in relation to counter-terrorism, forensics and border security.

Evidence and information from the battlefield is playing a significant role in enhancing security around the world.

Biometric data recovered from Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq and the Gulf shared via INTERPOL has already resulted in the identification of suspects in Europe and Asia.

“The INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Baghdad is one of the most active in the region, regularly sharing vital policing information,” said Secretary General Stock.

“Discussions have focused on how we can help Iraqi authorities to further strengthen the National Central Bureau and enhance the quality of information for successful investigations.

“We are now looking at a range of joint activities which will help achieve long term, sustainable results and benefits for the Iraqi security services,” added the INTERPOL Chief, who highlighted proposals to expand access to INTERPOL’s global databases to strategic locations.

Another potential area for assistance is through INTERPOL’s Project FIRST (Facial, Imaging, Recognition, Searching and Tracking) which focuses on biometric data sharing on FTFs.

Secretary General Stock’s mission to Iraq will build on outcomes from the Conference on mobilizing law enforcement efforts to defeat ISIS (Daesh) held in Washington DC this week and the recent Global Coalition Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh in Kuwait.

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Developing the law enforcement response to an evolving ISIS threat

Source: Interpol (news and events)

Headline: Developing the law enforcement response to an evolving ISIS threat

27 February 2018

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Senior justice and policing officials are gathering to identify how law enforcement can meet the evolving threat of ISIS (Daesh) as its fighters scatter across the globe.

With ISIS having lost most of its territory in Iraq and Syria, the International Conference on Mobilizing Law Enforcement efforts to Defeat ISIS will seek to establish a common understanding of the depth and breadth of the threat.

Global ‘tripwires’

Proven ‘tripwires’ for identifying terrorists, including watchlists, biometric data and finance tracking will be discussed, linked to the need for this information to be shared as widely as possible.

INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services Tim Morris said terrorist-related information shared via the world police body was having  real impact in the field.

“Thanks to biometric data recovered from Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq and the Gulf and shared via INTERPOL, suspects are now being identified in Europe and Asia,” said Mr Morris.

Cooperation equals results

“Warnings circulated via our global network continue to help countries identify and interdict foreign terrorist fighters as they attempt to cross borders. Where we see cooperation, we see results.

“We need to make sure that frontline officers get the information they need to take action. A country’s decision on sharing information, a name, a DNA profile, or fingerprints, can make the difference in our global efforts to protect citizens from harm,” added Mr Morris.

Participants were briefed on INTERPOL’s Project FIRST (Facial, Imaging, Recognition, Searching and Tracking) which helps countries to enhance security through biometric data sharing on FTFs and other terrorist suspects.

Database matches

A team deployed to Niger helped take photos, fingerprints and DNA from 179 prisoners, which resulted in two hits against INTERPOL’s databases.

One of the hits identified an inmate arrested in a terrorist training camp as the same person who had been fingerprinted in a Malian prison in 2014.

Building national capacity to conduct checks on the frontlines is an important part of INTERPOL’s counter-terrorism strategy. Making sure frontline officials can access the data on nearly 41,000 foreign terrorist fighters currently held by INTERPOL is a vital step in global security.

Organized by the US Department of State, INTERPOL and the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, the two-day (27 and 28 February) meeting brings together senior justice and law enforcement officials and their diplomatic counterparts from some 90 countries and organizations.

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Two arrested in France for major CEO fraud

Source: Europol

Headline: Two arrested in France for major CEO fraud

House searches in France have led to the arrests of two individuals suspected of large-scale CEO fraud. The criminals belonged to an organised crime group involved in at least 24 cases of CEO fraud causing EUR 4.6 million worth of damage. With the support of Europol, the French National Gendarmerie carried out the searches in Paris and Lille and made the subsequent arrests on 20 February 2018.