Category Archives: Gangs and Crimes

How About Consulting FBI and SOCOM on Immigration

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Homeland Security and Homeland Defense cannot be divided, one relies on the other.

For starters, the FBI has had a long term operation in Central America. The FBI declares the gang operations for instance in El Salvador does affect public safety in America.

“Many of the gang members committing these homicides are 13-, 14-, and 15-year-olds,” he explained, “and every day there are new members coming in.”

“We aren’t facing a group of youths who are rebelling, but a very structured organization conducting criminal activities,” said Luis Martinez, El Salvador’s attorney general and the country’s highest ranking law enforcement officer. “They are using military-grade weapons, and they are using them against the police, military, and prosecutors.”

MS-13 and 18th Street gang members have gained a foothold in numerous U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Charlotte, Newark, and the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. They commit a variety of crimes—mainly trafficking drugs and extorting individuals and business owners—and they maintain strong ties to Central America.

The program is called Central American Law Enforcement Exchange (CALEE).

The success of the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange (CALEE) program hinges on bringing together U.S. and Central American law enforcement officers who share a common cause in the fight against violent transnational gangs. During the most recent CALEE, an important new partner was added to the group—prosecutors.

“We have seen that when prosecutors and investigators work together from the outset, cases tend to have more successful outcomes,” said Special Agent Grant Mann, who helped plan and administer CALEE 2015, the sixth session since the program began in 2009.

In the U.S, it is typical for FBI agents and prosecutors to sit down at the beginning of an investigation to discuss possible charges and investigative strategies. Historically, that collaborative process is less common in Central America—but thanks to programs such as CALEE, it is gaining acceptance.

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At Joint Task Force-Bravo which is located at Soto Cano Air Base, Hondura, the task force supports training engagements, counterdrug missions and humanitarian and disaster relief efforts in Central America.

Southern Command continues support for Guatemala’s counter trafficking efforts, human rights efforts and future U.S. military engagement activities. Guatemalan police unit and an interagency task force – both focused on countering illicit traffickers in the nation in cooperation with the U.S. military.

Additionally, in El Salvador we have partnerships that provides key support to regional counter illicit trafficking efforts. The U.S. military has a Cooperative Security Location hosted at Comalapa International Airport where U.S. aircraft fly missions to detect, monitor and track aircraft or vessels engaged in illicit drug trafficking in the region.

File photo of the Curacao/Aruba Cooperative Security Location. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The CSLs are not bases.  They are tenant activities on existing airfields whose purpose is to support CTOC missions (see more on SOUTHCOM’s role in Countering Transnational Criminal Organizations).

U.S. Southern Command oversees the operations from the CSLs.  The Key West, Fla.-based Joint Interagency Task Force South coordinates U.S. aircraft usage and operations.

From these locations, U.S. detection and monitoring aircraft fly missions to detect, monitor and track aircraft or vessels engaged in illicit drug trafficking. The unarmed aircraft offer unique surveillance capabilities that support and compliment the counter-drug efforts of partner nation law enforcement agencies. (Note: Host nation officials are responsible for decisions to interdict suspected traffickers within their borders/airspace, and U.S. law enforcement agencies lead interdiction efforts in international waters.)

U.S. military, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S Customs personnel operate from the CSLs to support the U.S. aircraft and to coordinate communications and information.   More here.

The House Armed Services Committee is chaired by Democrat Adam Smith. Back in May of 2019, Chairman Smith admitted several crisis conditions in Central America, the Southern border and Latin America. This included the flow of migrants and the flaws of the asylum laws. However, Congressman Adam Smith still blames the Trump White House for the cause of the crisis.

There continues to be particular focus and resource attention on Venezuela which does affect other neighboring countries. Southern Command leader Adm. Faller declares that Iran, China and Russia exacerbate the problems not only in Venezuela but also in Central America. This rogue foreign actor declaration was also validated by other national security experts in the hearing, noting Kathryn Wheelbarger, acting assistant defense secretary for international security affairs and Kenneth Rapuano, assistant secretary for homeland defense and global security.

DoJ Anti-Trust Case Advancing v. Social Tech Companies

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The Department of Justice is preparing to open a broad probe into whether Amazon, Facebook, and other big tech companies are illegally harming their competitors, the department said in a press release on

The investigation is the latest antitrust probe looking into “Big Tech” and is separate from the potential investigations into Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Alphabet that are reportedly being brought up against them by the DOJ and FTC.

Watch the FAANG stocks.

What are FAANG Stocks?

Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX), and Alphabet (GOOG) are the five technology giants trading publicly in the market. Investors grouped these companies into one acronym to capture the collective impact that these companies have on the markets.

The Big FAANG Theory: 5 Reasons To Stop Dancing With Your Favorite Big 5 | Seeking Alpha

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In the case of Big Tech and Anti-Trust, the issue is to protect competition and ensure benefits to the consumer. There are at least 3 Anti-Trust laws under consideration for the Department of Justice to pursue a case or cases against big tech.

  • The Sherman Antitrust Act
  • The Clayton Act
  • The Federal Trade Commission Act

The Sherman Antitrust Act since 1890 stands to protect a free market economy and outlaws contracts, combinations or price fixing. In short, it is a crime to monopolize.

The Clayton Act is a civil statue that prohibits mergers or acquisition that harm competition.

The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits unfair interstate methods of commerce that include false testimony to Federal agencies, mail or wire fraud and obstruction of justice.

These Acts in composition prevent corporate cartel action in a free market system. Previous cases have included telecom companies like AT&T, Proctor and Gamble and Roche Holding, a Swiss pharmaceutical company.

The DoJ has been reviewing all things big tech for a while so just a simple review has already happened. Digital platforms are not responsive to consumer demands when it comes to privacy, access to small business and entrepreneurs and retail operations.

Congress has proposed regulation and even Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg admitted he was open to oversight or regulation in congressional testimony. So far, big tech has not addressed the concerns of users including possible corruption, censor algorithms or slanted search results.

Users have lost trust but have little choices for other platforms that offer better free enterprise usage. Is this now a discussion and investigation on consumer welfare and protection? Yes. This comes down to an congested intersection of corporations, terms of use, subjective results, narrow competition ranges and innovation all under the guise of power and money.

There is market domination and the little guy is sideline or bought out causing harm to innovation and user expectations.

Wray’s Senate Testimony on China

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Two significant items that prove Chinese espionage activities in the United States: a) Chinese Talent Plan b) Corporate Party Cells

This website has published several articles regarding the Chinese propaganda operation in the U.S. public school system and up to and including the university level.

As part of the Chinese mission to steal intellectual property beyond the insertion of censorship, culture and propaganda, China has at least two other successful objectives, the talent plan and the party cells.

China’s New Talent Policy: Objectives and Opportunities ...

A 5 page summary document on the talent plan is found here.

(U) Chinese Talent Programs are a vital part of Chinese industry. Talent programs recruit experts to fill technical jobs that drive innovation and growth in China’s economy. National, provincial, and municipal talent recruitment programs provide opportunities for experts to work in industry and academic organizations supporting key areas deemed critical to China’s development. The talent programs recruit experts globally from businesses, industry, and universities with multiple incentives to work in China. Associating with these talent programs is legal and breaks no laws; however, individuals who agree to the Chinese terms must understand what is and is not legal under US law when sharing information. A simple download of intellectual property (IP) or proprietary information has the potential to become criminal activity.

(U//FOUO) The large number of foreign students, researchers, scientists, and professionals in the United States, combined with current technological capabilities, allows foreign governments to contact and recruit individuals with the hopes to acquire advanced technology without research costs. While the majority of the population are law abiding individuals, anyone has the capability to acquire information. The theft of information can come from current or former employees, business partners, consultants, contractors, temporary hires, foreign agents, suppliers, or even vendors who have access to proprietary information. Read on here.

Per the applied website:

China initiated “the Recruitment Program of Global Experts” (known as “the Thousand Talents Plan”) since the end of 2008, under which it would bring in overseas top talents to China over the next five to ten years. Relying upon National Key Innovation Projects, National Key Disciplines and National Key Laboratories, central SOEs and state-owned commercial and financial institutions, and various industrial parks( mainly the high-tech development zones), this plan called for strategic scientists or leading talents who can make breakthroughs in key technologies or can enhance China’s high-tech industries and emerging disciplines.

By the end of May 2014,more than 4180 overseas high-level talents have been introduced in “1000 Talent Plan” by 10 times. When they go (back) to China, they are playing a positive role in the scientific innovation, technological breakthrough, discipline construction, talent training and hi-tech industry development, as an important force in the construction of the innovative country.

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May Day Story: Chinese Government’s Communist ‘Party Cells ...

As for the Party cells, China, Inc. meaning all Chinese corporations/businesses are to have a department or cell within the company that is a mobilized team ensuring all business activities and employees adhere to the Communist Party mandates.

In November, at the most important Communist Party meeting, which takes place every five years, Mr. Xi called on officials to strengthen the party in “government, the military, society and schools, north, south, east and west.” The message was quick to reach party members lower down in the ranks.

Soon after Mr. Xi’s speech, party officials in the central province of Hunan issued a notice to members instructing them to write the party into legal documents for private and state-owned companies alike. The document was accidentally made public when a local state-owned newspaper published it, but it was quickly taken down.

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In July, executives from more than a dozen top European companies in China met in Beijing to discuss their concerns about the growing role of the party in their local operations, Reuters reported.

One senior executive whose company was represented at the meeting told Reuters some firms were under “political pressure” to revise terms of their joint ventures with state-owned partners to allow the party the final say over business operations and investment decisions.

The business component with the party cells is quite important to consider when there is Chinese investment in the United States. When it comes to foreign applications, the U.S. Treasury may need to alter the approval process for all things China inside the United States given the history of theft. As for schools and business, it may be a consideration for the Chinese government to put up an export bond. Consider this is all going on as China defense industry is now the top arms maker ahead of all Western military contractors and manufacturers.

How About the Katyn Trials for Starters?

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Since revisionist history is commonplace, few either know about the Nuremberg trials or remember the details. A book published years ago and finally translated in English titled ‘ Judgment in Moscow’ written by Vladimir Bukovsky asks the very question of why no Nuremberg type trials for the Soviets or Russians. In full disclosure, only recently I interviewed Mr. Bukovsky who has been living in England.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Bukovsky returned to Russia and traced documents proving the horrific crimes of the Soviets. In a prisoner swap, Mr. Bukovsky was later released from a Soviet prison. He knows full well the human rights atrocities of the Soviet Union and modern day Russia. Included are concentration camps, torture and genocide but outright murder cannot go unpunished. Someone please tell the New York Times to quit being so sympathetic with Moscow…anyway…..how about the Katyn massacre for starters?

This massacre happened in 1939 during the Soviet invasion of Poland when the Soviets massacred 8000 Polish military officers and an estimated 6000 police officers and hundreds of regular citizens. There are at least 8 mass graves in the Katyn forest holding the remains of Polish nationals killed by the NKVD, otherwise known as the Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs. A great case for real reparations for sure.

It’s been 5 years since MH17 was shot down, killing 298 people.

Why no arrests, trial or prosecutions?

In May 2018, the international team of investigators concluded that a Russian military missile was responsible for bringing down the plane, and showed photo and video evidence.

Australia and the Netherlands then formally blamed Russia for the crash, concluding that it was likely the missile system was brought to the region to support the separatists.

mh17 suspects  International investigators have accused Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov, and Leonid Kharchenko of the missile attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Dutch national police/YouTube

The three Russians formally worked for Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, investigators said. The JIT intends to try the four suspects in The Netherlands in March 2020 on murder charges — though the men have not yet been apprehended. Russia maintains that the investigation is baseless and that the accusations “discredit Russia in the eyes of the international community.”

Credit video

Why are the dozens of Russian deaths committed in Britain, Ukraine, United States and in Russia all forgotten?

How about a few names you ask?

Vitaly Churkin

Petr Polshikov

Alexander Litvinenko

Oleg Erovinkin

Alex Oronov

Matthew Puncher

Mikhail Lesin

Anna Politkovskaya

Natalia Estemirova

Boris Nemtsov

Boris Berezovsky

Paul Klebnikov

Sergei Yushenkov

Nikolai Glushkov

There is an unresolved case that dealt with a nerve agent called novichok where at least two former Russian spies were poisoned.

Seems no world leaders including the United States has the will to host any kind of trial. What is the fear? Well for more context and perspective, read here.

Russia has veto power at the United Nations, so is this the reason the UNHRC, the Human Rights Council at the UN just ignores it all too? Shame on world leaders.

 

 

Facebook Primed for Illicit Funds Use/Money Laundering

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America’s rivals are increasingly turning to bitcoin-style cryptocurrencies after their economies were brought to their knees thanks to crippling U.S. sanctions, experts have warned.

Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela are all investing in the technology in an attempt to counter American economic might – and an expert says these nations are forming alliances through the technology.

A form of digital money, cryptocurrency uses encryption to secure transactions and control the creation of new units. It uses cryptography, a form of secret coding originating from the Second World War, to process transactions securely. Its major appeal is it is untraceable.

U.S. sanctions work by placing bans on dealings and transactions with persons, nations and companies.

When ransomware is planted on state or local government systems and theft of data occurs, cities are forced to pay ransom to regain ownership and control.

Florida has paid more than $1.1 million in bitcoin to cybercriminals to recover encrypted files from two separate ransomware attacks—one against Riviera Beach and the other against Lake City.

Lake City, a city in northern Florida, agreed on Monday to pay hackers 42 Bitcoin (equivalent to $573,300 at the current value) to unlock phone and email systems following a ransomware attack that crippled its computer systems for two weeks.

For years, ransomware has been a particularly annoying cybersecurity threat. And despite reports that cybercriminals are shifting their efforts away from encrypting malware to cryptomining malware, ransomware infections continue at an alarming rate.

In one week in March 2018 alone, government-run targets in two of the biggest cities in America — Atlanta and Baltimore — were hit by ransomware. These attacks, which disrupted important city services, are far from isolated; similar ransomware attacks have targeted U.S. municipalities for years.

Stories about smaller cities falling victim to ransomware often go unreported by the national news … or anywhere at all. Nevertheless, municipalities and cities in all corners of the U.S. have seen ransomware infect their networks.

So, here comes the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin with a major concern and warning for Facebook. What about this new Libra currency that has been launched?

(Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Monday that the Treasury department has serious concerns that Facebook Inc’s proposed LIBRA cryptocurrency could be misused for money laundering, adding to the growing regulatory skepticism of the company’s digital asset plans.

Secretary Mnuchin also said that the agency has warned Facebook that it must enact proper safeguards against illicit use such as money laundering.

“Treasury has been very clear to Facebook…and other providers of digital financial services that they must implement the same anti-money laundering safeguards in countering the financing of terrorism as traditional financial institutions,” Mnuchin said.

Project Libra: Facebook Launching One-World ‘GlobalCoin ...

Meanwhile:

Activists and Democratic lawmakers blasted the Federal Trade Commission’s $5 billion fine against Facebook as “chump change” and lambasted the agency’s settlement as toothless.

The settlement, which was reportedly voted along party lines, gaining support from the FTC’s three Republicans while being rejected by its two Democrats, is the beginning of the end for the agency’s probe of Facebook’s alleged mishandling of more than 87 million users’ private data during the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Although the fine sets a record in terms of the agency’s actions against Big Tech, a chorus of Democratic lawmakers, technologists and activists excoriated the FTC for not doing enough and not imposing a larger penalty.

“The sad reality is that this does not go nearly far enough. For a company that last year alone generated revenue nearly 11 times greater than the reported fine, the Federal Trade Commission should send a clear signal to Facebook and so many other tech companies that privacy is their ultimate responsibility,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who is chairwoman of the consumer protection and commerce subcommittee in the House, said in a statement. “If these reports are true, then they failed.”

Will Facebook pay the fine using Libra? Well, when it comes to the Facebook blockchain debate, Facebook declares the Swiss government will regulate it all. Really? There is a Congressional hearing in the Senate by the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee where Libra is to be explained. Frankly, isn’t PayPal a form of cryptocurrency too? Anyway, this testimony found here is regarding Facebook’s Libra Project.

Read it here.