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Clarenville — RCMP NL executes search warrants in Clarenville; drugs and cash seized, two men arrested

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Two men, 39-year-old Steven Smith and 36-year-old Mitchell Smith, who were operating a drug-trafficking operation together in Clarenville, were arrested by RCMP NL on August 30, 2023. As part of an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation, search warrants authorized under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act were executed at each of their homes. A combined amount of more than 250 grams of cocaine, more than 30 grams of methamphetamine and over $11,000.00 cash was located and seized.

Yesterday, RCMP officers with the East District General Investigation Section and Clarenville Detachment attended a residence on Clearwater Drive in Clareville and executed a search warrant. At the property, both men were arrested. Upon his arrest, Steven Smith was found in possession of a quantity of cash, a replica hand gun and other items consistent with drug trafficking.

In continuing the investigation, police then attended a residence on Thorburn Place in Clarenville where the second warrant was executed.

Inside each home, officers located and seized the following items:

  • A quantity of cocaine – combined amount of more than 250 grams
  • A quantity of methamphetamine – combined amount of more than 30 grams
  • A quantity of prescription medications
  • More than $11,000.00 cash
  • Other items consistent with drug trafficking

Both men attend court today and are charged with the following criminal offences:

  • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – cocaine
  • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – methamphetamine
  • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – prescription medications
  • Possession of proceeds of crime

The investigation is continuing.

RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure the delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Grand Falls-Windsor — RCMP NL seizes more than $82K in cash, contraband tobacco and firearms from Bunyan’s Cove man, charges laid

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Following a traffic stop and the execution of a search warrant by RCMP NL, 44-year-old Murley Tucker of Bunyan’s Cove, who was found in possession of more than $82,000 cash, more than 23 cases of contraband tobacco and three unsafely stored long guns, was arrested on August 29, 2023. He is charged with a number of offences.

As part of an on-going investigation, RCMP officers with both East and West District General Investigation Sections, with assistance from the RCMP-RNC Joint Forces Operation West, conducted the traffic stop with a vehicle in Botwood. Officers located and seized a large amount of cash and contraband tobacco. Tucker was arrested.

In continuing the investigation, a warrant to search Tucker’s home and all buildings on his property was obtained. Officers located and seized three unsafely stored firearms, additional quantities of cash and contraband tobacco, and other items consistent with trafficking contraband tobacco.

Tucker was released from police custody and is set to appear in court on December 21, 2023. He is charged with the following offences:

  • Unsafe storage of a firearm – three counts – Criminal Code
  • Possession of proceeds of crime – two counts – Criminal Code
  • Possession of unstamped tobacco -two counts – Excise Act
  • Possession of contraband tobacco – Revenue Administration Act

The investigation is continuing.

RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure the delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Greater Moncton Area — RCMP issue 121 tickets during traffic enforcement operation

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

A recent RCMP traffic enforcement operation in the Greater Moncton area has resulted in nine vehicles being towed and 121 traffic violations being issued.

On August 25, 2023, members of the New Brunswick RCMP’s Tactical Traffic Enforcement Unit (TTEU) and the Highway Safety Enforcement Branch of the Department of Justice and Public Safety, worked together to conduct multiple traffic enforcement operations in both urban and rural areas in Greater Moncton.

121 tickets were issued under the New Brunswick Motor Vehicle Act, including 33 tickets for using a hand-held electronic device while driving, and 21 tickets for not wearing a seatbelt. In total, nine vehicles were towed, several of which had fictitious inspection stickers on their windshield.

“Fictitious motor vehicle inspection stickers are a widespread issue in New Brunswick,” says Sgt. Ghislain David of the Tactical Traffic Enforcement Unit. “The cost of a two-year motor vehicle inspection is $45; however, people are paying over $100 for a fictitious sticker, and are then fined $292.50 and have to pay a towing fee when they are caught.”

The New Brunswick RCMP’s TTEU conducts regular, targeted traffic enforcement on roadways throughout the province with the goals of improving road safety, educating motorists about traffic laws, and to reduce serious injury and fatal collisions.

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Micro-reactor pilot program reaches major milestone

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

The Department of the Air Force, in partnership with the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, reached a critical milestone Aug. 31, in piloting advanced nuclear energy technology with the issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award a contract to Oklo Inc.

Oklo Inc. will site, design, construct, own and operate a micro-reactor facility licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The notice initiates the acquisition process to potentially award a 30-year, firm-fixed-price contract to the vendor after successfully obtaining an NRC license.

“The Department of the Air Force announcement today demonstrates how the Department of Defense continues to invest in facilitating U.S.-developed technology that provides mission assurance and advances our national interests in Alaska and the homeland,” said Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment.” We are watching this project closely and working with the other military departments to identify additional installations where deployment of U.S.-developed advanced nuclear technology will improve power reliability and installation resilience.”

Micro-reactors are small nuclear reactors that can produce carbon-free energy and are equipped with built-in safety features that self-adjust to changing conditions and demands to prevent overheating. The technology’s ability to operate independently from the commercial grid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions make micro-reactors a promising power source for critical national security infrastructure.

“Today is a historic first for the Air Force, state of Alaska, and the nation. Safe, reliable, clean energy using micro-reactor technology will be an integral part of Air Force installations in the future. The best part of this innovation is that we are coming together at the beginning to demonstrate this capability—partnering with key regulatory authorities, state, and local communities to ensure we get this right and do it safely,” said Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment. “It’s a huge team effort. By seizing the initiative on this critical technology today, we are laying the foundation for American competitiveness in energy for years to come.”

As the impacts of changing environmental conditions become more recognizable, the Department understands the importance to secure energy infrastructure, supply chains and logistics to ensure mission resilience and resource availability.

“Our partnerships with Oklo Inc., Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy, Alaska stakeholders and Tribal Nations are imperative to a successful pilot and future implementation scalability of this transformational technology,” said Nancy Balkus, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Infrastructure.

The micro-reactor is expected to be operational by the end of 2027, as directed by the fiscal year 2019 National Defense authorization Act.

“Eielson (AFB) is eager to welcome this cutting-edge technology onto the base. The NOITA to Oklo Inc. reinforces our commitment to innovation in order to protect and defend the nation with even greater efficiency and effectiveness,” said Col. Paul P. Townsend, 354th Fighter Wing commander at Eielson AFB.

For more information on the micro-reactor pilot project, please visit their website.

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IAEA Director General Grossi Sees “Impressive” Work in Sweden to Store Spent Nuclear Fuel Deep Underground

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi descended deep underground in coastal Sweden this week to study the Nordic nation’s advanced preparations to store its spent nuclear fuel safely and securely for many thousands of years, saying they demonstrated the availability of technical solutions for managing such used radioactive material at a time of growing global interest in nuclear energy. 

On the third day and final day of his official visit to Sweden, Director General Grossi travelled to the country’s south-east yesterday to visit the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory 500 metres below ground, located on an island north of the town of Oskarshamn and near one of its nuclear power plants. Sweden has six reactors generating nearly a third of its electricity but is planning to build more.

At the laboratory, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has for decades been carrying out cutting-edge geological research in realistic conditions for the planned construction – at the Forsmark site further north – of a final repository for thousands of tonnes of spent fuel generated by Sweden’s nuclear industry over the past half century.

The Swedish government has approved the plan and SKB – owned by the nuclear plant operators – aims for the facility to be operational in the 2030s. In neighbouring Finland, the nuclear fuel repository at Onkalo is expected begin operating in the next few years. Both will use the KBS-3 method largely developed at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory and the nearby Canister Laboratory, which Director General Grossi also visited yesterday.

The method is based on three protective barriers: copper canisters, bentonite clay and bedrock. Once the final repository stands ready, the spent fuel – currently stored in an interim facility in Oskarshamn – will be encapsulated in copper canisters and transported by sea to Forsmark, where they will be placed in tunnels half a kilometre underground.

“More countries around the world are planning to introduce nuclear power or – like Sweden – expand existing programmes to fight climate change and ensure energy security. In this context, it is very important that people know that the spent fuel and radioactive waste the nuclear sector is generating is managed in a sustainable and responsible way,” Director General Grossi said.

“Countries like Sweden and Finland – with decades of nuclear power experience – are leading the way on how to do it, also ensuring that the local communities hosting the sites are engaged, informed and in favour of these important projects,” Director General Grossi said.

Opinion polls cited by SKB show that a large majority in the municipalities that will host the final repository and the associated encapsulation plant support the construction of these facilities.

“Few industries are investing as much time and resources in taking care of its waste as the nuclear sector. Engaging with local stakeholders is key in this context. Without local backing, it would be very difficult to pursue the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Sweden is showing it is possible to gain the confidence of the local communities, which is very important,” he said.

Director General Grossi said the work carried out at the two laboratories was a “magnet” for international interest and indicated that the IAEA would step up its cooperation with the facilities so that other countries could benefit from their expertise and experience.

“I’m very impressed and encouraged by what I saw here,” he said.

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Chester Housing Authority Director of Public Housing, His Chief Assistant, and Contractor Indicted for Bribery and Fraud Schemes

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Norman D. Wise, 57, of Mullica Hill, NJ, Douglas E. Daniel, 65, of Philadelphia, PA, and Leonard F. Coleman, 53, of Paulsboro, NJ, were charged by Information with bribery and fraud charges related to two schemes: (1) a bribery scheme in which Coleman paid off Wise and Daniel in exchange for contracting work awarded to Coleman at the Chester Housing Authority (“CHA”); and (2) a fraud scheme in which Wise and Daniel created a contracting company that they used to fraudulently bill the CHA and obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds. During the time they engaged in these offenses, Wise was the Director of Public Housing for the Chester Housing Authority and Daniel was the Housing Program Manager and Wise’s chief assistant.

According to the Information, from in or about July 2014 through in or about March 2022, defendant Coleman made bribe payments separately to Wise and Daniel in exchange for CHA contracting work awarded to his company, Coleman’s Contracting. To generate these bribe payments, Wise and Daniel inflated the amount charged on invoices that Coleman submitted to the CHA for work he performed for the CHA. Wise and Daniel then ensured that the CHA paid Coleman on the inflated invoices, and Coleman paid Wise and Daniel bribes in amounts covered by the inflated invoices. Coleman made these payments by depositing funds directly into the personal bank accounts of Wise and Daniel. In total, Coleman made approximately $76,400 in bribe payments to Wise and Daniel around the time that Coleman received approximately $2.5 million in revenue from the CHA.

According to the Information, from in or about January 2019 through in or about January 2023, in a separate scheme, Wise and Daniel together used a company they created, Trinity Management Group (“TMG”), to fraudulently bill the CHA for work TMG allegedly performed for the CHA. Most of the work for which TMG billed the CHA was (1) performed by salaried CHA employees during their regular work hours; (2) performed by other contractors who were paid for that work by the CHA; or (3) not performed at all. In particular, the fraudulent invoices included billing for landscaping, painting, window replacements, and other construction and renovation work at CHA facilities. This fraudulent billing resulted in losses to the CHA of approximately $544,967.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Suburban Chicago Chiropractor Charged with Fraudulently Billing for Nonexistent Services

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago chiropractor has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly billing a private insurer for nonexistent services.

SEUNG HAN LIM owned and operated Movement Health and Rehab, also known as Motu Chiropractic and Motu Chiromassage, in Libertyville, Ill.  From 2016 to 2019, Lim submitted fraudulent claims to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for purported health care services that Lim knew were not actually provided, according to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Some of the fraudulent claims were for services purportedly provided on dates when either Lim or the patient were not in Illinois, the indictment states.  Other claims submitted by Lim were for services purportedly rendered by another chiropractor to Lim and Lim’s family members, even though Lim knew that those services were not actually provided by the other chiropractor and that BCBS would have denied the claims had Lim been identified as the rendering provider because the insurer prohibited claims from providers for services rendered to the provider or their immediate family members, the indictment states.

When BCBS attempted to audit Lim’s claims, he prepared false patient medical records and other documents and submitted them to BCBS, the indictment states.

As a result of the scheme, Lim and his clinic fraudulently obtained at least $430,000 from BCBS, the indictment states.

The indictment charges Lim, 40, of Lincolnshire, Ill., with 14 counts of health care fraud.  Each count is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.  Lim was scheduled to make an initial court appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes.

The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paige Nutini and Jasmina Vajzovic.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

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DAF unveils art commemorating 75 Years of Air and Space Power

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

Department of the Air Force senior leaders presided over a ceremony unveiling commemorative wall art titled, “A Shared Foundation; Celebrating 75 Years of Air and Space Power,” at the Pentagon Aug. 29.

DAF celebrated the 75th Anniversary of Air and Space heritage in September 2022 and commissioned the art to help tell the stories of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, which required nearly 18 months to complete due to the artist’s extensive research into each of its numerous elements.

The artist, Warren F. Neary, focused the content of the piece on the contributions of Airmen and Guardians throughout the eras. Beginning with the earliest airpower innovators in the Army Air Corps, the art highlights significant milestones and achievements.

“[Neary] met with DAF leadership and visited bases around the country to capture the range of the missions and the people that compose our Air and Space Forces,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall remarked. “The people you see in the painting are depictions of real Airmen, real Guardians; both are part of our heritage and those who are currently serving … [This artwork shows] people who helped build our organization, the aircraft and equipment that shaped our experiences and the missions that drove it all.”

In addition to depicting Airmen and Guardians, the artwork features various Air Force and Space Force platforms and systems. In total, 114 unique visual elements are incorporated into the piece.

Each group of elements in the artwork is designed to form the shape of the delta or infinity symbols. The delta symbol carries a deep, historic meaning for both the Air Force and Space Force and signifies upward trajectory and rapid advancement. The infinity symbol represents the ever-present requirements for adaptation, improvement, innovation and vigilance.

” Our heritage is incredibly important — it tells our story. It reminds us of who we are and where we have come from, and why it all matters. The images that surround this piece are powerful. They shape our culture, our sense of purpose and our warfighter mindset.” -Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall

Neary has created many works of art throughout his career depicting subjects of air and space power. He has received national-level recognition, and his artwork has been exhibited in the National Museum of the Air Force, the Museum of Aviation, the U.S. Air Force Art Collection and the U.S. Army Center for Military History, in addition to private collections.

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Charlottetown — Two separate traffic stops lead to drug seizures

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

August 31, 2023 Charlottetown – Two separate traffic stops investigated by RCMP have resulted in the seizure of drugs and expected charges.

On August 28, 2023 at 10:40 p.m., Queens District RCMP responded to an impaired driving complaint in Cornwall. Police located the vehicle and arrested the driver for impaired driving by drug and possession of a controlled substance. As a result of the search of the vehicle police seized 30 grams of crystal methamphetamine. The driver will appear in court on a later date.

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Second North River — 57-year-old man dies following two-vehicle collision

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

A 57-year-old man from The Glades, N.B., has died following a two-vehicle collision in Second North River, N.B.

On August 30, 2023, at approximately 5 p.m., members of the Caledonia Region RCMP detachment responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision between a pickup truck and a vehicle on Homestead Road in Second North River, N.B. The collision is believed to have occurred when a car travelling westbound crossed the centerline during a heavy rainstorm and collided with an eastbound pickup truck.