Daily Archives: May 14, 2019

Rubio Wants DoJ to Investigate Kerry and Logan Act/FARA

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Yippee!

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether former Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s actions since leaving office related to the Iran nuclear deal violate the Logan Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Rubio previously urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate the matter.

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Attorney General Barr:

I write to make you aware of a September 18, 2018 letter I sent to your predecessor regarding potential violations of the Logan Act (18 U.S.C. § 953) and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.) by former Secretary of State John F. Kerry.  As you know, former Secretary Kerry’s actions since leaving office have come under scrutiny as they related to the Iran nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The full letter to your predecessor is attached.

The American people deserve to know that U.S. laws are enforced regardless of any individual’s past position. The Department of Justice should therefore make a determination on whether or not former Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s recent actions related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran potentially violate the Logan Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

*** The Boston Globe reported factually that John Kerry had met with Javad Zarif at least 3-4 times since leaving his post as Secretary of State. In fact, this is not news by any means, calls for attention to John Kerry working against the Trump administration goes back to at least May of 2018. Did John Kerry bother to announce his activity to anyone in the Trump administration? Nah…

Kerry’s Iran diplomacy in cross hairs of partisan battle ...

In fact, Democrats in Congress knew about the activities of John Kerry because he called them trying to get their help too.

Kerry’s little team (called Diplomacy Works) of people included Wendy Sherman, Jon Finer, Jen Psaki, David Wade, Chuck Schumer, Robert Menendez, Susan Rice, Angela Merkel, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Fedrica Mogherini, Emmanuel Macron, Ernest Moniz and Wendy Sherman. This Kerry organization has been writing articles, op-eds, producing and airing television and radio ads and blasting them to policy-makers as well as foreign policy experts.

Now this is shadow government and policy…right?

But don’t believe John Kerry’s mission is just exclusive the Iran nuclear deal. Indeed, it also deals with North Korea and China.

On the Board of Directors of ‘Diplomacy Works’ are names such as Tony Blinken, Nicolas Burns, Michele Flournoy, Matt Olsen, Nancy Soderberg and yikes Robert Malley.

Robert Malley is fully anti-Israel. His biography/resume demonstrates that as well as his concocted campaign to defeat ISIS while he worked for the Obama White House. His family considered Yassir Arafat to be a close and reliable friend. He was a trusted advisor to Susan Rice. In 2001 Malley moved over to the policy and think tank world, continuing his involvement with Middle East issues. He was Senior Policy Advisor at the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, and is now with the Soros-funded International Crisis Group, where he serves as Middle East and North Africa Program Director.

***

Oh yeah, Kerry’s organization has a legislative agenda that includes climate change, democracy and human rights, gender equality, global health, refugees, trade and the United Nations. He and his staff clearly advise only Democrats in both chambers of Congress after reviewing the names listed on the website.

Someone tell Hannity, Laura Ingraham or Peter Schweizer to give all this some airtime…please…

 

 

N Korea Demand the Wise Honest be Returned

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Nah…not gonna happen. Let’s take a deeper dive shall we? First, the cargo ship was seized in April of last year for violating international sanctions. The ship was used to transport North Korean coal and heavy machinery to China and Russia and the money for ship operations were funneled through a few U.S. banks.

Panorama: „Wise Honest“: Beschlagnahmter nordkoreanischer ...

The United States enlisted foreign authorities, in this case Indonesia to seize the ship last year and only in recent weeks did the United States work to take ownership under asset forfeiture laws being controlled by the Southern District of New York. During the ship operations, the crew refused to use AIS since 2017, which is an automatic identification system required by all maritime vessels.

For the criminal complaint, click here.

In this case, the Justice Department found that the vessel’s operator, Korea Songi Shipping Company, conducted over $750,000 worth of payments through unwitting U.S. banks to improve and maintain the ship. The vessel’s operating company is an affiliate of the Korea Songi General Trading Corporation, which Washington sanctioned in 2017 for its involvement in exporting North Korean coal. According to the Treasury Department, North Korea’s military owns this company. Additionally, the department targeted the Wise Honest for helping Pyongyang export coal and import heavy machinery, both of which are UN-sanctioned goods.

In April 2018, the Indonesian government first detained the Wise Honest when authorities observed the ship behaving erratically and then straying into Indonesian waters. Once detained, authorities discovered the vessel loaded with coal from Russia, thereby violating U.S. sanctions. The United States issued a warrant for the Wise Honest in July 2018, and Indonesia subsequently transferred the vessel to U.S. custody.

The Justice Department’s complaint strengthens U.S. leverage for future nuclear talks with Pyongyang by countering Kim’s efforts to intimidate Washington with missile tests. Washington should now bolster U.S. pressure on Pyongyang by addressing other vulnerabilities in the current sanctions regime.

For example, a UN Panel of Experts report assessed in March that financial sanctions against Pyongyang are the “most poorly implemented and actively evaded measures.” Thus, the panel advised member states to enhance financial oversight protocol by mandating stricter reporting measures when offering letters of credit, loans, and other financial transfers.

In the case of the Wise Honest, the Korea Songi Shipping Company made illicit payments through U.S. banks to finance the vessel’s maintenance. This indicates how Pyongygang seeks to evade sanctions even beyond the financial sector. A U.S. application of the UN panel’s recommendation could have a ripple effect, hampering all of North Korea’s sanctions evasion schemes. More details here.

Have you Met John Durham?

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Attorney General Bill Barr is moving in mach speed to clean up the swamp it seems. Just remember too that timing is everything in Washington DC. Barr is working presently with DNI Dan Coates, CIA Director Gina Haspel and FBI Director Chris Wray on the early stages of the misconduct of government agencies.

When a Special Counsel is assigned, they are generally provided a file to review where the evidence and testimonies gathered so far. So, meet John Durham, the U.S. Attorney in Connecticut that AG Barr just assigned to examine all things as to how the whole Russian collusion scandal began.

John Durham Named Interim U.S. Attorney; Presidential ...

Durham has been reviewing the case actually for several weeks, which was noted a few weeks ago in Barr’s testimony before a Senate hearing. The focus of the Durham assignment is to review the use of FBI informants (read spies), improper use of the FISC and warrants and the counterintelligence operation.

We may soon find out just how many CIA/FBI operatives were assigned to all things Trump including who Stefan Halper really was working for and who is alleged assistant was, named Azra Turk.

Durham has a stellar pit bull reputation. He has worked in government law since he graduated from last school in the late 1970’s. Imagine the cases…

As The Federalist noted, consider the following:

While Comey’s record on truth-telling is decidedly mixed, he is correct that facts matter and that the FBI’s use of informants is governed by strict guidelines. How and why many of those guidelines came to be are important facts that the American public deserves to know as it considers revelations that the FBI used wiretaps and spies to surveil Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, his transition, and perhaps even his presidential administration.

Those guidelines, many of which the Government Accountability Office found were not being followed as recently as 2015, were put in place after rogue FBI agents working in the Boston field office routinely worked to cover up murders committed by their informants. You might say they were the direct result of justifiable attacks on the FBI for unconscionable violations of the public trust.

In fact, years-long violations of the rules about the FBI’s use of secret spies have led to massive investigations across every branch of government, including a multi-volume, 3,528-page congressional investigative report in 2003, a scathing 314-page report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general in 2005, and even a scathing 228-page, $102 million ruling against the government in 2007 after a federal judge ruled that the FBI deliberately withheld evidence, leading to the wrongful convictions of four men, in order to protect a mob informant. (Three of the men were originally sentenced to death; two died in prison awaiting justice for a crime they didn’t commit.)

Attorney General Michael Mukasey enlisted Durham to investigate the destruction of the CIA video tapes regarding the enhanced interrogation operations of terror detainees. His mandate was to only look at the chance the interrogations went beyond the guidelines. Both Eric Holder Michael Mukasey and John Durham all concluded the interrogators all acted in good faith within the guidance and no one was prosecuted with respect to the interrogations or the destruction of the tapes.

From 1975 to 1977, Mr. Durham worked as a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA) on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.

Mr. Durham graduated, with honors, from Colgate University in 1972 and the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1975.

Mr. Durham has served as an Instructor in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of New Haven, as a Moot Court Judge at the Yale School of Law, and as a lecturer for the Connecticut Bar Association.

 

Houston: Massive Marriage Fraud Scheme

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The indictment remains sealed as to those charged but not as yet in custody. The charges allege Ashley Yen Nguyen AKA Duyen, 53, of Houston, headed the Southwest Houston-based organization and had associates operating throughout Texas and Vietnam.

The criminal organization also allegedly prepared fake wedding albums which were provided to the petitioner and beneficiary spouse that included photographs to make it appear as if they had a wedding ceremony above and beyond a simply courthouse marriage. The indictment further alleges the criminal organization provided false tax, utility and employment information to help ensure USCIS would approve the false immigration forms.

Dozens charged in massive Houston marriage fraud scheme ... ABC

HOUSTON — Fifty people are now in law enforcement custody following last week’s return of a 206-count indictment criminally charging 96 people for their alleged roles in a large-scale marriage fraud scheme.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Houston.

A federal grand jury returned the massive indictment April 30, 2019. The indictment remains sealed for those charged but not yet in law enforcement custody.

“These arrests mark the culmination of a comprehensive yearlong multi-agency investigation into one of the largest alleged marriage fraud conspiracies ever documented in the Houston area,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson, HSI Houston. “By working together with our partners from various federal law enforcement agencies, we have sent a resounding message that we are united in our effort to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations that seek to circumvent U.S. law by fraudulent means.”

This investigation targeted a suspected criminal organization allegedly operating a large-scale marriage fraud scheme to create sham marriages to illegally obtain admission and immigrant status for aliens in the United States.

The indictment further alleges Ashley Yen Nguyen, aka Duyen, 53, of Houston, headed the Southwest Houston-based organization and had associates operating throughout Texas and the Republic of Vietnam.

“Marriage fraud is a serious crime,” said District Director Tony Bryson, USCIS Houston. “This indictment reveals how successful our working relationships are with our law enforcement and intelligence partners when it comes to investigating marriage fraud. USCIS remains steadfast in our commitment to ensuring national security, public safety and the integrity of the immigration system.”

Individuals enter into sham marriages primarily to circumvent U.S. immigration laws. The indictment alleges the marriages involved in this conspiracy were shams because the spouses did not live together and did not intend to do so, contrary to the official documents and statements they submitted to USCIS. The spouses only met briefly, usually immediately before they obtained their marriage license, or not at all.

According to the criminal charges, each beneficiary spouse entered into an agreement with Duyen in which they paid about $50,000 to $70,000 to obtain full U.S. permanent resident status. The agreements were allegedly prorated in that they would pay an additional amount for each immigration benefit they received, such as admission into the United States, conditional U.S. permanent resident status and full U.S. permanent resident status.

In addition, Duyen and others allegedly recruited other U.S. citizens to act as petitioners in the sham marriages who received a portion of the proceeds received from the beneficiary spouses. Several individuals who were recruited as petitioners soon afterwards became recruiters themselves. Others were also allegedly in charge of receiving the proceeds from the beneficiary spouses and disbursing the payments to the petitioners.

The indictment also charges several individuals to act as guides for U.S. citizen petitioners who allegedly travelled to Vietnam under the guise they were going to meet his/her fiancée/fiancé. In truth, according to the indictment, they were beneficiary spouses paying the criminal organization to circumvent U.S. law.

This criminal organization also allegedly prepared fake wedding albums which were provided to the petitioner and beneficiary spouse that included photographs to make it appear as if they had a wedding ceremony above and beyond a simple courthouse marriage. The indictment further alleges the criminal organization provided false tax, utility and employment information to help ensure USCIS would approve the false immigration forms.

Attorney Trang Le Nguyen, aka Nguyen Le Thien Trang, 45, of Pearland, Texas, was also indicted for obstructing and impeding the due administration of justice and tampering with a witness, victim or informant. According to the indictment, Nguyen allegedly prepared paperwork associated with at least one of the fraudulent marriages and told a witness who provided information to law enforcement to go into hiding, to not engage in any air travel that may alert federal law enforcement to her presence, and to not provide any further information to law enforcement.

These criminal charges include: 47 counts of marriage fraud, 50 counts of mail fraud; 51 counts of immigration fraud; 51 counts of false statements under oath in a matter relating to registry of aliens; and one count each of conspiracy to engage in marriage fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, conspiracy to make false statements under oath in a matter relating to registry of aliens, unlawful procurement of naturalization, obstructing and impeding the due administration of justice, and tampering with a witness, victim or informant.

Conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud and tampering with a witness, victim or informant all carry possible 20-year federal prison sentences. If convicted of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud or marriage fraud, those charged face up to five years in prison. The remaining charges all have maximum possible 10-year-terms of federal imprisonment.

“The following agencies participated in last week’s operation to arrest the indicted individuals:  HSI Houston, USCIS Houston, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Fort Bend County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office, Harris County (Texas) Constable’s Office Precinct 5, Houston Police Department, Harris County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman, Michael Day and Kate Suh, Southern District of Texas, are prosecuting this case.

An indictment is an accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.