Indiana
Man Sentenced for Mortgage Fraud Crimes Robert Andrew Penn, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to seven years in prison
for his role in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme in the Indianapolis
area. Kentucky
Man Sentenced to Lengthy Term for Drug Trafficking Marco Rhodes, of Covington, Kentucky, was sentenced to 24 years in prison for
trafficking in crack cocaine. Connecticut
Man Indicted for Serial Bank Robbery Anthony Hall, of Montville, Connecticut, was indicted on three counts of
armed bank robbery and one count of bank robbery. CEO
of Connecticut Health Care Company Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Raymond Termini, of Middletown, Connecticut, the former CEO of Haven
Healthcare, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one
count of monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful
activity in connection with a scheme to defraud a real estate investment
company. IRS
Employee Pleads Guilty to Receiving Bribe Former Internal Revenue Service employee Fernando Hernandez, of Dallas,
Texas, pled guilty in connection with seeking and accepting a $2000 cash payment
from a U.S. taxpayer in return for Hernandez's promise that he would ensure that
no IRS representative would audit that taxpayer's return. West
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges Daniel K. Leggette, of Huntington, West Virginia pled guilty to possession
with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine. Illinois
Man Sentenced for Traveling to Maryland to Have Sex with Minor Vincent Louis Karczynski, of Calumet City, Illinois, was sentenced in
Baltimore, Maryland to more than five years in prison, followed by supervised
release for life, after pleading guilty to traveling from Illinois to Baltimore
to have sex with a 12-year-old girl he met online. Maryland
Teacher and Coach Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge John Joseph Kovach, Jr., of Reisterstown, Maryland, a former assistant field
hockey coach at Towson University and a former teacher and coach at a private
elementary school in Montgomery County, pled guilty to receipt of child
pornography. California
Man Charged in Connection with Ongoing Tomato Industry Corruption
Case Michael Chavez, of Fremont, California, a former purchasing manager for
Safeway, Inc., was charged with two counts of wire fraud in connection with an
ongoing federal investigation into various illicit activities in the tomato
processing industry. Three
Indicted in New York on Multiple Public Corruption Charges Former Democratic Majority Leader of Yonkers City Council Sandy Annabi,
former Yonkers Republican Party Chief Zehy Jereis, and attorney Anthony Mangone,
were indicted on multiple public corruption charges, including conspiracy,
bribery, extortion, false statements, and tax crimes. California
Men Sentenced for Filing False Claims in Kansas Bankruptcy Courts Isaac Yass, a citizen of Israel who has been living in Los Angeles,
California, and Andrew Blechman, of Culver City, California, were sentenced in
Topeka, Kansas for running a scam in which homeowners who were behind on their
mortgage payments paid them to hold off foreclosure by filing fraudulent
bankruptcy petitions. Missouri
State Representative Sentenced on Federal Bribery Charges Talibdin El-Amin, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives for the
57th Missouri District, was sentenced in St. Louis to 18 months in prison on
federal bribery charges. Leader
of Indiana Drug Dealing Organization Sentenced Rosendo Barragan-Cruz, of Evansville, Indiana, was sentenced to 188 months in
prison for his leadership role in methamphetamine and marijuana trafficking
conspiracies. Connecticut
Building Official Admits Lying to Grand Jury During Public Corruption
Probe Elliott Wilson, of Shelton, Connecticut, pled guilty to one count of making a
false declaration to a federal grand jury during a probe of public corruption
concerning officials and developers in Shelton. Greenpeace
Members Plead Guilty, Sentenced for Climbing Mount Rushmore Eleven members of Greenpeace, Inc. each pled guilty and were sentenced in
South Dakota for climbing Mount Rushmore, as prohibited by law. Minnesota
Man Sentenced for Bank Robbery Donteh Lamont Smith, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was sentenced to 37 months in
prison for robbing a St. Paul TCF Bank on July 6, 2009. Pennsylvania
Man Guilty of Defrauding Virginia Real Estate Investment Trust Robert E. Atwood, of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, pled guilty in Alexandria,
Virginia to scheming to defraud an Alexandria-based real estate investment trust
company. Louisiana
Police Chief Charged with Civil Rights Violation Independence, Louisiana Police Chief Anthony P. Maurer was charged with
deprivation of rights under color of law. Gambino
Crime Family Soldier Pleads Guilty in New Jersey to Racketeering
Charge Andrew Merola, of East Hanover and Toms River, New Jersey, a high-ranking
soldier in the Gambino Crime Family, pled guilty to a federal charge of
racketeering conspiracy for his role in running an enterprise that engaged in
illegal gambling, extortion, fraud schemes, and labor racketeering. New
Jersey Man Admits Role in Organization that Prostituted Minors Ibn Shabazz, of Newark, New Jersey, pled guilty to charges connected to his
role as the second-in-command of a prostitution enterprise that recruited and
prostituted minor girls in several New Jersey cities. Arsonists
Who Set Fire to Adult Club in Georgia Sentenced to Prison Boyd Smith, of Atlanta, Georgia; Sandeo Pablo Dyson, of Gainesville, Georgia;
and Howard "Bit" Thrower, of Alpharetta, Georgia, were each sentenced in
connection with a conspiracy to burn down "Club Onyx," an adult entertainment
establishment in Atlanta, just after New Year’s Day 2007. The three defendants
worked for a competing adult club. Former
Connecticut Hedge Fund Manager Pleads Guilty Former hedge fund manager Francesco Rusciano, of Stamford, Connecticut, pled
guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with a multi-million dollar
investment scheme. Arkansas
Doctor Charged with Bombing State Medical Board Chairman A second superseding indictment was returned against Dr. Randeep Mann, of
London, Arkansas. In addition to earlier charges, Mann is now also charged with
the February 4, 2009, bombing of Dr. Trent Pierce, Chairman of the Arkansas
State Medical Board. Massachusetts
Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements Arlindo Romeiro, a Stoughton, Massachusetts police officer who recently
resigned, pled guilty to making false statements to the FBI in an ongoing public
corruption matter. Umar
Farouk Abdulmutallab Indicted for Attempted Christmas Day Plane
Bombing Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, was charged in a
six-count criminal indictment returned in the Eastern District of Michigan for
his alleged role in the attempted Christmas day bombing of Northwest Airlines
flight 253 from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Detroit.
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:14:18 -0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:37:27
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:28:40 -0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:33:57
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:40:42
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:03:27
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:08:14
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:11:29
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010
14:19:46 -0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:30:05
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:36:39
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:01:56
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:06:45
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010
15:17:03 -0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:54:23
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:56:38 -0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:07:07
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:14:15
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010
16:19:17 -0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:22:33
-0600
Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:44:14
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:49:40
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:53:28
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:57:29
-0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010
17:01:32 -0600
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:03:20
-0600
Former Democratic Majority Leader of Yonkers City Council Sandy Annabi, former Yonkers Republican Party Chief Zehy Jereis, and attorney Anthony Mangone, were indicted on multiple public corruption charges, including conspiracy, bribery, extortion, false statements, and tax crimes.
Missouri
State Representative Sentenced on Federal Bribery Charges
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:03:46
-0600
Talibdin El-Amin, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives for the 57th Missouri District, was sentenced in St. Louis to 18 months in prison on federal bribery charges.
Arkansas
Doctor Charged with Bombing State Medical Board Chairman
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:04:27
-0600
A second superseding indictment was returned against Dr. Randeep Mann, of London, Arkansas. In addition to earlier charges, Mann is now also charged with the February 4, 2009, bombing of Dr. Trent Pierce, Chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board.
Umar
Farouk Abdulmutallab Indicted for Attempted Christmas Day Plane
Bombing
Wed, 06 Jan 2010
17:04:52 -0600
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, was charged in a six-count criminal indictment returned in the Eastern District of Michigan for his alleged role in the attempted Christmas day bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Detroit.
Airport security starts in the parking lot
Behavioural clues are a vital link, experts say
A full body scan may reveal a bomb tied to an ankle, but the space between the fingers could determine a terrorist's state of mind.
Joe Navarro, an ex-FBI agent, says there is no "Pinocchio effect" when looking for deceit.
"Our bodies tell us we're either comfortable or uncomfortable and when people lie you see displays of discomfort," he said.
Navarro, who teaches non-verbal communication to poker players, says when a person lacks confidence, the fingers that normally rest apart, tend to come together.
Detecting these kinds of nervous clues may soon be the norm at Canadian airports. The federal government announced Tuesday it will soon accept bids for a company to design a behaviour observation screening program for Canadian airports. The new layer of security will focus on recognizing irregular and suspicious behaviour.
But Navarro said a problem in examining small clues is that compressed lips, cracked voice and increased blinking can occur with honest people under stress. Flight cancellations, unruly children and surly airline staff could lead to an airport filled with false positives.
The ideal model, many experts say, is the Israeli one, where travellers are asked seemingly innocuous questions to determine if further screening is needed. In addition, behavioural specialists observe travellers from the time they arrive in the parking lot.
Rafi Sela, the president of AR Challenges, a global transportation security firm based in Israel, said trained observers at the Tel Aviv airport are senior university students.
"It's a part-time job instead of McDonald's," he said.
Sela said employees are tested all the time with the terrorism equivalent of the secret shopper. "We have actors who we constantly send out to the airport to act strange and give out signals," he said.
Sela didn't want to disclose the strange behaviour employees look for but explained that in an air-conditioned terminal, a person sweating profusely is one to watch.
"It doesn't mean you're a terrorist but it signals there is a problem and we should talk to you," he said.
Navarro, who is surprised more airports haven't adopted the Israeli model, said clues can range from a suddenly shifted foot to the absence of a smile.
"In the history of mankind, there has never been a happy terrorist," he said, noting that post-facto scans of crowds before the attempted assassinations of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and former Alabama governor George Wallace revealed a stony faced person in a crowd of happy people.
"It is almost impossible to wear a mask of happiness when you're going to blow something up," he said.
Another sign is anxious, repetitive behaviour. Navarro said people who hide explosives often will incessantly fidget with a briefcase.
Paul Ekman, a psychologist who has studied deceit for decades, and is the inspiration for Lie to Me, a Fox TV show about a genius who helps police detect lies using psychology, said the key is in the face.
Ekman calls these clues "microexpressions," an involuntary flicker of a facial feature when a person is trying not to reveal their true feelings. They last for 1/25th of a second and most people don't notice them.
Navarro said governments have been reluctant to dedicate resources to this kind of observational training – and that's dangerous.
"When we rely on machines, the individual loses the ability to observe acutely," he said.
A Transport Canada spokesman said the government will soon post a request for a proposal for the program, but an estimated cost for an actual program is far off.
Former RCMP officer and security analyst Chris Mathers doesn't think the Canadian traveller is ready to absorb the costs of employing university graduates.
"Right now we have security guards. You'd need some pretty astute people to do that. This is an inexact science. It's very difficult," he said.
Quick Capture
Fingerprint Technology on the Go
A new portable fingerprint system enables us to identify terrorists and conduct intel sweeps in Iraq and Afghanistan. Story
 BOSS-U has a potential program cap of up to $497 million over a total of five years. |
Rockville, MD (SPX) Jan 12, 2009
The U.S. Department of Defense Biometrics Task Force (BTF) has named Lockheed Martin an industry leader capable of being awarded task orders under the Biometrics Operations and Support Services - Unrestricted (BOSS-U) vehicle. As part of the award process, 11 other corporations were also selected to participate in this indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) program.
At its core, the BOSS-U program is designed to give military field operations greater access to reliable, secure biometrics tools and services, empowering U.S. military forces and safeguarding the nation. BOSS-U has a potential program cap of up to $497 million over a total of five years, with a three year base period and two one-year option periods.
Lockheed Martin's principal strengths include broad-based experience in biometrics, solid investment in related research and development, proven risk reduction strategies, and access to the corporation's key spaces for collaboration in biometrics and development, including the Center for Innovation and the Biometric Experimentation and Advanced Concepts (BEACON) center.
In addition to research and development efforts at these labs, Lockheed Martin brings in government customers, industry partners, and academic experts as part of its collaborative process.
"We're proud that the Department of Defense has given us the opportunity to vigorously compete for task orders as they're issued under BOSS-U," said Barbara Humpton, vice president, Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services (IS and GS) Secure Enterprise Solutions.
"Our focus is realistic: building useful solutions based on knowledge from our military expertise. We believe our experience in biometrics across the homeland security, counterterrorism, law enforcement and civil arenas will serve our defense customer - and, ultimately, the soldier in the theater of operations - very well."
The Lockheed Martin-led BOSS-U team includes BAE Systems, CWI, Edge Consulting, Global Science and Technology, Inc., ID Technology Partners, Information Manufacturing Company, LLC, List Innovative Solutions, Inc., and PMG.
Copyright . INFORMATION AWARENESS OFFICE. All rights reserved.