EFTA00160409.pdf

From: FBI News Briefing To: "FBINewsBriefing" Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL) - FBI Daily News Briefing - May 1, 2023 Date: Mon, 01 May 2023 10:15:03 +0000 Importance: Normal ce. View in Browser Federal Bureau of Investigation Seal May 01, 2023 Federal Bureau of Investigation Daily News Briefing (In coordination with the Office of Public Affairs) Email Public Affairs to subscribe to the Daily News Briefing. Mobile version and archive available here. Table of Contents IN THE NEWS • Five People Killed In Shooting At Home North Of Houston COUNTERTERRORISM • Cuba, U.S. Officials Meet In Havana To Discuss Anti-Terrorism Measures • Former FBI Agent, Now Running for Office, Won't Talk About Shahed Hussain • Washington Man Pleads Guilty To Vandalizing Four Substations COUNTERINTELLIGENCE • FISA 702 Searches Of Foreign Nationals Tick Up, Amid Major Drop In U.S. Citizen Queries • Biden Vows Action on Detained U.S. Journalists in White House Correspondents Dinner Speech • Guardsman in Leak Case Wanted to Kill a 'Ton of People' • China 'Police Station' Case Shows U.S. Ramping Up Use Of Foreign Agent Laws • Migrants Find Tips On Chinese Version Of Tik Tok For Long Trek To U.S.-Mexico Border • In China, a Detention and a New Espionage Law Have Businesses Worried • Texas Senate Passes Legislation Banning Hostile Nations From Buying Farmland • Opinion: America's Spies Are Losing Their Edge • Opinion: To Stop Intelligence Leaks, Assume There Will Be Bad Actors CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Ex-CIA Moscow Station Chief Reveals Why He Refused to Sign Hunter Biden Laptop 'Disinfo' Letter • Congress Investigates IRS Whistleblower's `Troubling Claims' About Agency • FBI To Lead Internal Review In Case Of Man Shot, Killed By Federal Agent In North Minneapolis • Man Resumed Date After Killing `Scammer' Over $40, Police Say EFTA00160409 • California Man Guilty Of Killing Three After Doorbell Prank • Three Killed, One Wounded in Philadelphia Shooting; Two in Custody • UC Davis Stabbing Victim Identified as Senior • Evidence Revelations in Lori Vallow Case • Why the Shanquella Robinson Murder Case is Stuck • Ex-Goldman Banker Ng Seeks Delay to Start of 10-Year Sentence • Mississippi Lobbyist Pleads Guilty In Timber Sales Fraud • Gillum Trial: Jurors Begin Deliberations, Break for Weekend • Fugitive CEO Fined Record $3.4 Billion for Bitcoin Investment Fraud • New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Demands FBI Investigate Threat Posed by 'Vegan Extremists' • Arkansas Woman Indicted in $11,000 Sale of Stolen Body Parts • Republican Senators Want Feds to Explain Losing 85,000 Migrant Kids • Oklahoma Man to Spend Life in Prison After Trying to Marry, Flee Country With Girl He 'Groomed' • A Michigan Man Got One Day in Jail for Child Porn. Now, Feds Say, He Offended Again. • New York Democrat Blames 'Misogyny' When She's Forced Out Over Handling of Staffer's Teen Sex Sting Video FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Judge Acquits Aerospace Executives Accused of Rigging Labor Market CYBER DIVISION • The DOJ Detected The Solarwinds Hack Six Months Earlier Than First Disclosed LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • 'Mom, These Bad Men Have Me': She Believes Scammers Cloned Her Daughter's Voice In A Fake Kidnapping • New Surge Of Migrants Strains U.S. Capacity Ahead Of May 11 Deadline • As Fentanyl Crisis Grows, U.S.-Mexico Divide Deepens • Six Law Enforcement Agencies Will Work Together to Fight Gun Crime in the Illinois Area • Former Colorado Officer Is The First To Be Convicted Of Failure To Intervene Under State Law INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • Canada, U.S. To Expand Intelligence Sharing To Fight Opioid Crisis On Both Sides Of Border • Companies Are Colluding to Cheat H-1B Visa Lottery, U.S. Says CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS • Prosecutors in Jan. 6 Case Step up Inquiry Into Trump Fund-Raising • Santa Ana Man Sentenced To 54 Months In Prison For Assaulting Police During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach • Trump Hugs January 6 Rioter Who Called For Pence And Congress To Be Executed • As Special Counsel Nears Decision In Trump Cases, Who Are The Lawyers Working With Him • Continued Reporting: Former Vice President Pence Testifies Before Jan. 6 Grand Jury OTHER FBI NEWS EFTA00160410 • Ghaisars To Use $5 Million Settlement To Oppose Immunity In Police Shootings • Needing Younger Workers, Federal Officials Relax Rules on Past Drug Use • Police Chief's Exit the Latest Among Key D.C. Government Departures • Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Says He Wants to 'Shut Down the FBI' • Celtics Great Bill Russell Investigated by FBI in 1960s for Civil Rights Activism • Opinion: D.C. Should Heed Pleas of Outgoing Police Chief Robert J. Contee III INTERNATIONAL NEWS • U.S. Conducts 1st Evacuation Of Its Citizens From Sudan War • The Scariest Advancements In North Korea Missile Tech So Far • U.S. Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo On Tanker Amid Tehran Tensions • Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder, Portrayed In 'Narcos' Series, Could Be Released From Prison In Days • U.S. Wires Ukraine With Radiation Sensors to Detect Nuclear Blasts • American Doctor Killed in Sudan Had Stayed to Treat His Patients as Bombs Fell OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • U.S. Senator Introduces Bill Targeting Al's Shortfalls • U.S. Justice Department Moves For Fines-And-Fees Reform, Backs Off Bail Issue • Over 1 In 5 Skip Health Care Due To Transportation Barriers • DOJ Challenges Tennessee Over Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors • D.C. Jail Medical Care 'Systemically Dysfunctional,' Suit Alleges • Biden Admin Seeks To Pause Order Blocking Obamacare Preventive Care Mandate • How New York and California Botched Marijuana Legalization • South Carolina Legislature Passes 'Barbaric' Law Shielding Identity Of Lethal Injection Drugmakers • Biden Commutes Sentences of 31 People with Nonviolent Drug Offenses • Google Loses Bid to Escape DOJ's Digital-Ad Antitrust Case • As Regulators Block Tech Deals, They Increasingly Look to the Future • U.S. Antitrust Agencies Seek Role in Indo-Pacific Trade Talks • Biden Administration Asks Judge To Limit DACA Ruling If He Finds "Dreamer" Protections Unlawful • Immigration Overhaul Clears Florida Senate • Ethics Probe Of U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins Complete, Justice Dept. Watchdog Has Yet To Release Findings • How Many Legal Cases Does Donald Trump Face? • In Lawsuit Against Trump Over Rape Claim, His Accusers Hope For Vindication • JPMorgan, PNC Bidding for First Republic as Part of FDIC Takeover • N. Carolina Justices Hand GOP Big Wins With Election Rulings BIG PICTURE • New York Times • Wall Street Journal • Washington Post • Financial Times • ABC News • CBS News • NBC News • Fox News EFTA00160411 WASHINGTON SCHEDULE IN THE NEWS Five People Killed in Shooting At Home North Of Houston The Associated Press (04/29, Lozano, Weber) reported that a Texas man went next door with a rifle and began shooting his neighbors, killing an 8-year-old and four others inside the house after the family asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep. According to the article, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said authorities were still searching for the 39-year-old suspect following the overnight shooting in the town of Cleveland, about 45 miles north of Houston. He also said that the suspect used an AR-style rifle in the shooting. The Washington Post (04/29, McDaniel, Salcedo, Berman, Rosenzweig-Ziff) reported that authorities charged Francisco Oropeza, 38, with five counts of murder and were searching for him Saturday morning. The article indicated that James Smith, special agent in charge of the FBI Houston office, told reporters Saturday afternoon that "He could be anywhere right now," noting "We consider him armed and dangerous. We believe he's on foot but we don't know." Smith, the article continued, added that the suspect could be somewhere within a 10-20 square mile search area but that dogs lost his scent. The article noted that authorities located the gun allegedly used in the killings but were unsure if the suspect was still armed. The New York Times (04/29, Moya, Medina, Jimenez) and CNN (04/29, Razek, Rose, Sanchez) reported that several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were searching homes and wooded areas on foot and with drones to find Oropeza. Fox News (04/29, Pandolfo, Sabes) emphasized the fact that the suspect is a Mexican national. Additional reporting from the Associated Press (05/01, Lozano) added that after nearly two days of searching with a team that has grown to hundreds of people, the FBI appeared no closer to catching the gunman who killed five neighbors as officers knocked on doors, with the governor adding $80,000 in reward money for information that will help authorities find the suspect. BBC News (04/30, Wright), New York Times (04/30, Moya, Albeck-Ripka, Medina), the Washington Post (04/30, Paul, Javaid, Kaur), Fox News (04/30, Betz), USA TODAY (04/30, Bacon, Collins), Axios (04/30, Staff Writer), the New York Post (04/30, Reyes), The Daily Beast (04/30, McDougall), Newsweek (04/30, Rahman), Forbes (04/30, Dellatto), NPR (04/30, Hernandez), two articles from ABC News (04/29, Haworth, EI-Bawab, Charalambous, Deliso), Wall Street Journal (04/30, Otis), two articles from Business Insider (04/29, Balevic), BBC News (04/30, Staff Writer), New York Magazine (04/30, Danner), People (04/29, Jones), Al Jazeera (04/30, Staff Writer), Daily Mail (04/29, Smith), Law & Crime (04/29, Kandel), two articles from CNN (04/29, Maxouris, Yan, Salahieh), two articles from Reuters (04/29, Pisharody), two articles from the Independent (04/29, Blanco), NPR (04/29, Kim), Chron (04/29, Staff Writer), AFP (04/29, Staff Writer), two articles from NBC News (04/29, Thompson, Romero, Burke, McShane), CBS News (04/29, Staff Writer), The Hill (04/29, Gans), and the Washington Examiner (04/29, Mondeaux) also reported on the story. Back to Top COUNTERTERRORISM Cuba, U.S. Officials Meet In Havana To Discuss Anti-Terrorism Measures Reuters (04/28, Sherwood) reported that Cuban and U.S. officials met on Friday in Havana to discuss anti-terrorism measures, Cuba's interior ministry said, broaching a particularly thorny subject between the two long-time rivals in the latest in a series of bilateral talks. The article explained that terrorism is a contentious issue as Cuba is on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a matter the two sides agreed to continue discussing, however, the talks this week were mainly "technical". Specifically, the article said that the meetings, which included the U.S. State Department, Justice Department, and Homeland Security and their Cuban counterparts, addressed the hijacking of aircraft and maritime vessels and the use of digital networks for violent purposes. The article noted that former U.S. President Donald Trump placed Cuba on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that Cuba's government has rejected as the list imposes strict sanctions on the communist-run island, complicating financial transactions and contributing, Cuba says, to a severe economic crisis that has led to shortages of fuel, food, and medicine and a record-breaking exodus of migrants north to the United States. Former FBI Agent, Now Running for Office, Won't Talk About Shahed Hussain EFTA00160412 The Times Union (04/29, Churchhill) reported that when Tim Coll arrested Shahed Hussain for running a driver's license scam, it was the beginning of a long and controversial relationship. Coll was an Albany-based FBI agent focused on terrorism. Hussain, facing criminal charges and deportation after the 2002 bust, agreed to become an informant and operative. Together, Coll and Hussain would zero in on a Central Avenue mosque and its imam, a man the FBI suspected had terrorism ties. The article stated that whether that suspicion was justified remains controversial, as do the methods used in a sting that imprisoned Yassin Aref, the imam, and Mohammed Hossain, the owner of an Albany pizzeria. The article noted that on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik said she wants more information. Accusing the agency of being less than forthcoming to her prior requests, the North Country Republican also said she wants to hear directly from the agents who handled Hussain. In a letter to Director Wray, Stefanik said, "Additional work is needed for full transparency regarding the FBI's apparent lack of adherence to their confidential human source program's standard operating procedures." Stefanik's request points to Tim Coll, who retired from the FBI in 2020 but isn't avoiding attention. The article added that Coll recently announced he's running to be the public safety commissioner in Saratoga Springs. The Democrat is challenging incumbent James Montagnino and has been endorsed by the Saratoga Springs Republican Committee. Washington Man Pleads Guilty To Vandalizing Four Substations CBS News (04/28, Tabachnick) reported that a man named Matthew Greenwood from Washington pleaded guilty in federal court to vandalizing four power substations in Tacoma, which resulted in a power outage affecting over 14,000 customers on Christmas. According to the article, Greenwood admitted to carrying out the vandalism alongside Jeremy Crahan, and they also planned to fell trees to disrupt power lines. The first attack occurred on December 25, 2022, in Spanaway. The article noted that Greenwood and Crahan intended to exploit the power outage to rob ATMs and businesses. Back to Top COUNTERINTELLIGENCE FISA 702 Searches Of Foreign Nationals Tick Up, Amid Major Drop In U.S. Citizen Queries The Hill (04/28, Beitsch) reported that the number of foreign nationals spied on by the U.S. through its warrantless surveillance program reached an all-time high last year, according to government statistics released Friday, even as the number of Americans swept up in such searches declined dramatically. The article explained that the report, required annually, comes as Congress weighs reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), set to expire this December. The article cited specifically that the FBI spied on more than 246,000 foreign nationals using the tool, a jump from roughly 232,000 the year before, while the number of Americans impacted by those searches plummeted, from 2.9 million last year to 119,000 this year. The article noted that the FBI attributes the decline to a shift in its practices, including requiring agents to "opt-in" to search the 702 database and requiring attorney approval when running a batch of more than 100 queries. The article then said that Rep. Jim Nimes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and a leader in the reauthorization effort, called it "evidence of a real tightening up on the part of the FBI on the most controversial aspect of 702." Coverage by Politico (04/28, Banco, Sakellariadis) emphasized that the Biden administration is leaning into a politically potent issue — fentanyl trafficking from Mexico — to convince lawmakers to reauthorize Section 702. Coverage by the New York Times (04/28, Savage), NBC News (04/28, Luce), Fox News (04/28, Singman), National Review (04/28, Zymeri), an an additional article from Politico (04/28, Sakellariadis) focused on the decreased monitoring of U.S. citizens. Coverage by the Associated Press (04/28, Merchant, Tucker) claimed that growing anger at the FBI from both parties in Congress has become a major hurdle for U.S. intelligence agencies fighting to keep Section 702. According to the article, many key lawmakers blame problems with how the FBI's special agents search for U.S. citizens using Section 702 — along with publicly revealed mistakes in other intelligence investigations by the bureau. The article cited revelations since the law was last renewed in 2018: The bureau misled surveillance court judges in seeking to wiretap a 2016 campaign aide for former President Donald Trump, and agents didn't follow guidelines in searching Section 702 databases for the names of a congressman on the House Intelligence Committee, a local political party, and people of Middle Eastern descent. The article also said that two successive chief judges of the primary U.S. surveillance court criticized the bureau in written opinions, with one saying the frequency of mistakes in the bureau's investigation of Russian election interference "calls into question whether the information contained in other FBI applications is reliable." This story was also reported on by the Associated EFTA00160413 Press (04/28, Merchant, Tucker), the Wall Street Journal (04/28, Volz), The Epoch Times (04/29, Athrappully), CNN (04/28, Lyngaas), Daily Mail (04/28, Laco), CyberScoop (04/28, Riley), VOA News (04/28, Seldin), NBC News (04/28, Luce), and CBS News (04/28, Gazis). Biden Vows Action on Detained U.S. Journalists in White House Correspondents Dinner Speech The Washington Examiner (04/30, Jacobs) reported that in his keynote address at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, President Joe Biden emphasized the fight against global press freedoms and the wrongful detention of Americans abroad. He highlighted the cases of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter wrongfully detained in Russia, and Austin Tice, a journalist and U.S. Marine veteran kidnapped in Syria. According to the article, Biden promised to work tirelessly to secure their release and also mentioned Paul Whelan, another former U.S. Marine held in Russia on espionage charges. The president also acknowledged the attendance of Brittney Griner, whose sentence in a Russian penal colony was cut short through a prisoner swap. The article noted that Director Wray was present and joined in celebrating Griner, along with other political figures. Biden concluded his speech with a lighthearted reference to his age, passing the microphone to comedian Roy Wood Jr, who jokingly mentioned the president's classified documents. The Washington Post (04/29, Terris, Izadi), New York Times (04/30, Bigg), Politico (04/29, Garrity), Bloomberg (04/29, Parker), Associated Press (04/30, Amiri), and the Wall Street Journal (04/30, McCormick) also reported on the story. Guardsman in Leak Case Wanted to Kill a 'Ton of People' The Associated Press (04/28, Durkin, Tucker, Copp) and the Washington Examiner (04/28, Brest) reported that in the case of Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents, prosecutors argued that he should remain in jail for his trial due to concerns about his arsenal of guns and social media posts expressing a desire to kill people. According to the articles, the court filings also raised questions about how Teixeira had such a high security clearance and access to classified information, suggesting he may still possess unreleased material that could be valuable to hostile nations. The articles noted that the defense countered that Teixeira no longer has access to top-secret information and accused prosecutors of speculative claims about his potential escape with the help of a foreign adversary. The judge postponed the decision on whether to keep Teixeira in custody until his trial or release him under certain conditions. The Independent (04/29, Dasgupta) reported that despite multiple red flags, including his suspension from high school over concerning remarks about weapons and racial threats, Teixeira was granted a top-secret security clearance by the Pentagon in 2021. According to the article, the clearance was obtained after Teixeira filled out an extensive questionnaire and underwent vetting by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. The article noted that the Senate Intelligence Committee has requested further information about Teixeira's vetting process, and the Air Force has suspended two leaders from Teixeira's unit. The incident has prompted a review of the Pentagon's vetting procedures. The New York Times (04/30, Ismay) reported that the arrest of Teixeira has brought attention to the little-known Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) mission, a worldwide computer network handling data from surveillance drones and spy satellites. According to the article, Teixeira's access to sensitive intelligence at the Cape Cod Air National Guard base was a result of the expansion of military drone operations and a reorganization of the Air National Guard, which tasked small air bases with intelligence responsibilities. The DCGS system, which began with three bases and grew rapidly, supports intelligence analysts who analyze data for troops on the ground. The article noted that Teixeira's arrest has led to a review of intelligence sharing and access protocols, resulting in the temporary suspension of the 102nd Intelligence Wing's missions and the investigation of his superiors. China 'Police Station' Case Shows U.S. Ramping Up Use Of Foreign Agent Laws Reuters (04/28, Cohen) reported that U.S. charges last week against two people for allegedly running a Chinese "secret police station" in New York marked the latest case in a broad ramp-up in the use of a century-old law meant to curb the activity of foreign agents. The article explained that the law, Section 951, was passed as part of the 1917 Espionage Act and makes it illegal to operate in the United States subject to a foreign government's direction or control without notifying the Attorney General. The article cited that the Justice Department last year charged at least 25 people with violating or conspiring to violate the law. The article added that prosecutors have charged at least nine since the start of this year, showing that the U.S. government has prioritized suspected cases of spying, illegal lobbying, and harassment. The article quoted Brandon Van Grack, a former Justice Department national security prosecutor, saying that the record number of foreign agent cases "shows that this issue of foreign agents in EFTA00160414 the U.S. is a national security priority and the Department of Justice and the FBI are devoting a ton of time and resources to identifying and charging those cases." Migrants Find Tips On Chinese Version Of Ilk Tok For Long Trek To U.S.-Mexico Border Reuters (04/28, Wang, Rosenberg) reported that the difficulty of obtaining U.S. visas and the economic after-shocks of China's COVID lockdowns have led to a sharp increase in Chinese nationals presenting at the U.S.-Mexico border — and that some of those arrivals learned about how to come online via apps like TikTok. The article interviewed many who said that they got the idea to take the land route to the United States on social media and drew on influencers, private groups and comments to plan their trips. The article then specified that apprehensions of Chinese nationals at the U.S.-Mexico border reached more than 6,500 in the six months since October 2022, the highest on record and a more than 15-fold increase over the same period a year ago, according to CBP data. The article also said the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, has said that social media and other online platforms have increased smugglers' access to potential migrants, creating an environment ripe for manipulation, which the agency has tried to combat with social media campaigns. In China, a Detention and a New Espionage Law Have Businesses Worried The Wall Street Journal (04/28, Kubota, Inada) reported that a string of events have sparked new concerns among foreign companies about the safety of their staff and the reliability of Beijing's pledges that China is open for business. The article indicated that in recent weeks Chinese authorities have questioned staff at U.S. consulting firm Bain & Co. and raided the office of American due diligence firm Mintz Group and detained all five of its employees in mainland China. China, the article highlighted, also passed an expansive update of an anti-espionage law that will tighten state control over a wider swath of data and digital activities, raising the risks that ordinary business behavior could be misconstrued or misrepresented as spycraft. Texas Senate Passes Legislation Banning Hostile Nations From Buying Farmland The Epoch Times (04/28, Fang) reported that the Texas Senate has passed legislation that prohibits the purchase of farmland by individuals and entities associated with hostile foreign nations, aiming to enhance state and national security. According to the article, the bill, introduced by Republican Texas Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and supported by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, specifies China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran as nations currently classified as hostile by the Director of U.S. National Intelligence. The legislation allows the Texas attorney general, based on reasonable suspicion, to investigate potential violations and bring cases to district courts for divestment proceedings. The article noted that Democrat Texas Rep. Gene Wu expressed concerns about the legislation's discriminatory aspects, while state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa defended the bill, emphasizing the security threats posed by these nations. Hinojosa cited the recent FBI arrest of two individuals operating a secret police station in New York City on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party as evidence of China's security threat to the U.S. Opinion: America's Spies Are Losing Their Edge An opinion piece published by Bloomberg (04/30, Hastings) stated that we in the Western democracies enjoy the huge privilege of living in open societies, as Chinese, Russian, North Korean, and Iranian people do not. But part of the price of our freedom is that we are more vulnerable to attack, especially by foreign intelligence services. The author noted that most corporations and some elements of national defense are appallingly vulnerable, because of lax electronic data security, highlighted by the Russians' 2020 SolarWinds hack of Washington systems. The author stated that according to experts that almost every Chinese weapons system has been created from stolen American technology, which former U.S. cyberwarfare chief Keith Alexander branded bitterly as "the greatest transfer of wealth in history." Opinion: To Stop Intelligence Leaks, Assume There Will Be Bad Actors In an opinion piece published by the Washington Post (04/29, Ignatius) the author stated that intelligence agencies need a "zero-trust architecture" that automatically enforces need-to-know permissions. This approach would be more efficient, less bureaucratic, and invasive, than some other draconian changes. The author noted that Robert M. Gates, who spent his career overseeing classified information as CIA director and defense secretary, sees two essentials going forward: "We need technology solutions that enforce the need to know, and systematic and rigorous enforcement of rules that already exist" Back to Top EFTA00160415 CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Ex-CIA Moscow Station Chief Reveals Why He Refused to Sign Hunter Biden Laptop 'Disinfo' Letter The New York Post (04/28, Nava) reported that a former Moscow station chief for the CIA revealed on Friday that he was given the chance to sign onto a letter attacking The Post's bombshell report on Hunter Biden's infamous laptop as possibly Russian disinformation — but he ultimately refused. According to the article, Daniel Hoffman said on Friday that he was presented with the letter, which ended up being signed by 51 top US intelligence officials, on Oct. 18, 2020, but didn't sign it because there was "no evidence" of Russian involvement. The article mentioned that Hoffman explained that the arguments presented in the speculative letter were "convoluted" and would need to be scrutinized by an investigatory agency such as the FBI before being considered credible. The article mentioned that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) revealed last week that former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell testified before his panel that he drafted the letter and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken — a Biden campaign adviser back in 2020 — was the "impetus" behind the attempt to discredit The Post's reporting. Fox News (04/28, Creitz), and an opinion piece by the Hill (04/29, Turley) also reported on the story. Congress Investigates IRS Whistleblower's 'Troubling Claims' About Agency The Epoch Times (04/28, Phillips) reported that the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday indicated the powerful panel is reviewing claims from an alleged IRS whistleblower who is voicing concerns about possible political interference that some lawmakers say relates to the probe targeting Hunter Biden. The article noted that the unnamed IRS whistleblower is "a career IRS criminal supervisory special agent who has been overseeing the ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject since early 2020," The article stated that Republicans in the Senate and House are investigating Biden's role in his family's overseas business ventures during and after his vice presidency, including in Ukraine, China, and other countries. Several weeks ago, House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) produced bank records showing that members of the Biden family received more than $1 million in payments from accounts tied to associate Rob Walker, who, in turn, had been recently wired money from a Chinese state energy firm. The article noted that in 2019, the FBI also obtained the first son's laptop, which was left at a Delaware repair shop. That device had allegedly contained extensive information about Joe Biden's involvement with his relatives' business dealings with associates from China, Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine. FBI To Lead Internal Review In Case Of Man Shot, Killed By Federal Agent In North Minneapolis WCCO (CBS-4) (04/28, Kaplan) reported that the FBI says it will be leading its own internal review of an incident on Thursday in which an agent shot and killed a man in north Minneapolis. The article claimed that, according to court documents, the FBI was serving a search and arrest warrant for Chue Feng Yang, who has a record of prior arrests and convictions, including a carjacking and police chase earlier this year. The article said that legal experts say they're "paying particular attention to carjacking cases because they're such a menace." The article then noted that rules differ between state and federal law enforcement practice, but that the FBI is able to act directly based on the goals of the DOJ. Coverage by Fox News (04/28, Norman) explained that Yang was killed after agents went to his home to arrest him in connection with a car theft in which he and another person were accused of shooting a dog multiple times with a BB gun inside a stolen SUV before abandoning the wounded animal. The story was also reported on by KSTP (ABC-5) (04/28, Gray), Star Tribune (04/28, Walsh, Sawyer), The Daily Beast (04/28, Swezey), and New York Daily News (04/28, Niemietz). Man Resumed Date After Killing 'Scammer' Over $40, Police Say The New York Times (04/28, Jiminez) reported that Erick Aguirre, a man from Houston, was arrested and charged with murder for fatally shooting Elliot Nix, who had scammed him out of $40 by pretending to be a parking attendant. According to the article, Aguirre, who was out on a date with Melanie Castillo, discovered the scam and ran back to his car, retrieved a pistol, shot Nix, and then nonchalantly returned to the restaurant. The article noted that a witness saw Aguirre with the gun and observed his actions. The Washington Post (04/28, Bella) and CNN (04/28, Rose, Elamroussi) also reported on the story. California Man Guilty Of Killing Three After Doorbell Prank The Associated Press (04/29, Staff Writer) reported that a Southern California man accused of killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming their car after they played a doorbell-ringing prank on him was found guilty Friday of murder. According to the article, Anurag Chandra was convicted in a Riverside County courtroom of three counts of EFTA00160416 first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. The article indicated that the victims, who were all 16 years old, were among six teens inside a Toyota Prius on Jan. 19, 2020 when Chandra intentionally rammed their vehicle off the road and fled. Three Killed, One Wounded in Philadelphia Shooting; Two in Custody The Associated Press (04/29, Staff Writer) reported that three people were killed and one was wounded in a shooting at a home in northeast Philadelphia. According to the article, Lt. John Stanford told reporters that officers called to the residence shortly after 3:30 p.m. Friday and found one person shot on the sidewalk, another on the porch, and a third victim inside the home." The article noted that two youths, ages 15 and 16, were facing firearms offenses and related crimes, and the investigation remains active, police said. UC Davis Stabbing Victim Identified as Senior CBS News (04/30, Ramos) reported that a UC Davis senior was identified as the person who was stabbed to death at Sycamore Park this weekend, authorities said Sunday. The student was identified as Karim Abou Najm, 20. Najm was also a graduate of Davis High School and is the son of UC Davis Professor Majdi Abour Najm. According to the article, Davis police said a person who matched the suspect description was arrested on an outstanding warrant for public intoxication and resisting arrest. A search warrant was issued for a location associated with that person. The article noted that the City of Davis released a statement following this second stabbing that read, "The safety of our community has been violated and two individuals have lost their lives. We know that emotions are high. Now is not the time for panic or speculation. Now is the time for unity and vigilance. The Davis Police Department is leading the investigation and is engaged with law enforcement and investigators from across the region, including the FBI, to solve these crimes as quickly as possible." Evidence Revelations in Lori Vallow Case The Daily Beast (04/29, Melendez) reported that jurors in the trial of doomsday mom Lori Vallow this week heard how two of her children were murdered and buried in her apocalypse-obsessed new husband's Idaho backyard. According to the article, the revelations, which made at least one Ada County juror cry, will weigh heavily on jurors when they have to decide if Vallow was part of a conspiracy to kill 7-year-old son Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan in 2019, legal experts said. The article mentioned that the horrendous details the jury heard include the explanation of how investigators determined that Tylee had been hacked by a serrated, bladed tool and torched after her murder. The article added that Douglas Halepaska, who works for the FBI lab in the firearms and tool marks division, testified that he examined several sharp trauma areas on Tylee's bones. While he could not determine the exact tool used, he concluded it could have been a machete, hatchet, or cleaver. Why the Shanquella Robinson Murder Case is Stuck Newsweek (04/29, Kaonga) reported that for the family of Shanquella Robinson, the past six months have brought nothing but anguish. The 25-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, had traveled to Mexico with six university friends on October 28, 2022, for a short vacation. The next day Robinson was found unconscious in the living room of a rented villa in San Jose del Cabo, a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. She died that afternoon. The article noted that Robinson's mysterious death and the video resulted in an investigation by authorities in Mexico as well as the FBI. Her family has continued to demand justice for her and a letter sent from their attorney to President Joe Biden in March called on him to do more, and most importantly find those responsible for her alleged murder. Attorney Sue-Ann Robinson, who is representing the family, has publicly called for a greater examination into the circumstances of the death. According to the article, despite the pleas from the family, the FBI, and federal prosecutors announced this month that they had completed their investigation and that they would not be pursuing criminal charges. Ex-Goldman Banker Ng Seeks Delay to Start of 10-Year Sentence Bloomberg (04/28, Hurtado) reported that former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker Roger Ng asked a U.S. judge to delay the start of a 10-year prison sentence for his role in the global 1MDB fraud, saying he needs three months to allow for his wife and young daughter to arrive in New York from Malaysia. According to the article, U.S. District Judge Margo Brodie sentenced Ng on March 9 and ordered him to surrender to federal prison officials on May 4. The article indicated that his defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo on Friday asked the court to allow Ng to delay going to prison until August. Agnifilo, the article detailed, said Ng hasn't seen his daughter, who is now 10, for more than four years — since he was arrested in Malaysia in 2018. The article noted that Ng, who agreed to be extradited to the U.S. to face trial in New York in early 2019, also faces prosecution in Malaysia once he's released. EFTA00160417 Mississippi Lobbyist Pleads Guilty In Timber Sales Fraud The Associated Press (04/28, Staff Writer) reported that a longtime Mississippi lobbyist has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for participating in a fake timber investment scheme that caused investors to lose tens of millions of dollars. According to the article, the U.S. attorney's office said Thursday that Brent Alexander, 57, of Jackson, entered the plea the previous day before U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves in Jackson. The article indicated that federal prosecutors announced in May 2021 that Alexander and attorney Jon Darrell Seawright of Jackson had been indicted on multiple charges in an investment scheme that "affected hundreds of victims across multiple states over a number of years." Alexander's sentencing, the article noted, is scheduled for Aug. 21. The press release noted that the FBI's Jackson Field Office assisted with the investigation. Gillum Trial: Jurors Begin Deliberations, Break for Weekend The Associated Press (04/28, Staff Writer) reported that jurors deliberated for several hours Friday before breaking for the weekend in the corruption case against former Florida Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum, who came within a whisker of defeating Republican Ron DeSantis in 2018. According to the article, federal prosecutors and defense attorneys made their closing arguments Friday morning following a nearly two-week trial. Later that afternoon, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that jurors had three questions: Can one defendant be found guilty of fraud and not the other? When will the jury be dismissed for the day? And what is a lay definition of a material fact? U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor responded that one defendant can be found guilty and not the other, jurors can recess at any time and come back either Saturday or Monday and the definition of a material fact is already in jury instructions. The jury will reconvene Monday morning. The article noted that Gillum is also accused of lying to undercover FBI agents posing as developers who paid for a 2016 trip he took with his brother to New York, including a ticket to the hit Broadway show "Hamilton." Gillum faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence, although, under federal sentencing guidelines, he is likely to get far less than the maximum. The Washington Examiner (04/28, Chakraborty) also reported on the story. Fugitive CEO Fined Record $3.4 Billion for Bitcoin Investment Fraud The Epoch Times (04/28, Athrappully) reported that a United States court has ordered a South African citizen to pay over $3 billion in fines for duping American investors through a fraudulent Bitcoin investment scheme. According to the article, Cornelius Johannes Steynberg was ordered by a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to pay $1.73 billion in restitution to defrauded victims as well as $1.73 billion in civil monetary penalties, with the total fines coming to over $3.4 billion, according to an April 27 press release by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The article noted that the FBI's annual Internet Crime Report, investment scams were the "costliest scheme" reported to the agency's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) last year. Investment fraud rose from $1.45 billion in 2021 to $3.31 billion in 2022, driven by cryptocurrency investment fraud that jumped 183 percent during this period to $2.57 billion. The article added that in February, the FBI issued a warning about romance scammers targeting victims with fake crypto investments. In the scam, criminals build relationships with vulnerable social media and dating website users. New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Demands FBI Investigate Threat Posed by 'Vegan Extremists' The New York Post (04/29, Nava) reported that Rep. Claudia Tenney on Thursday called on Director Wray to investigate alleged "criminal activity being promoted" by a vegan activist group in upstate New York. According to the article, in her letter to Wray, the New York Republican alleges that California-based group Direct Action Everywhere has been using her home state to fundraise and recruit people to "actively disrupt farms" in rural communities in Empire State and elsewhere. The article noted that in her letter, Tenney urged the FBI to take swift action in response to Direct Action Everywhere's alleged activities and she asked the bureau to assist local law enforcement in New York gather intelligence on the group and its members who may be violating the law. Arkansas Woman Indicted in $11,000 Sale of Stolen Body Parts The Associated Press (04/29, Staff Writer) reported that an Arkansas woman has pleaded not guilty to charges that she sold 20 boxes of stolen body parts from medical school cadavers to a Pennsylvania man for nearly $11,000. According to the article, the April 5 indictment, unsealed Friday in federal court in Little Rock, accuses Candace Chapman Scott, 36, a former mortuary worker, of setting up the transactions with a man she met through a Facebook group about "oddities." The article mentioned that Scott was employed at Arkansas Central Mortuary Services, where part of her job was to transport, cremate and embalm remains. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock has said that's where the medical school sent remains of cadavers that had been donated for medical students to examine. The article added that Leslie Taylor, a spokeswoman for the medical EFTA00160418 university, told the Arkansas newspaper Friday that officials are grateful federal authorities charged Scott. Taylor called the people who donate their bodies for medical research "true heroes," and said they are the largest victims in the crime because of the role the donations play in medical education. Taylor said the FBI has not told school officials if any of the remains have been identified. She said embalming damages DNA, making identification "extremely difficult." Fox News (04/30, Mion) also reported on the story. Republican Senators Want Feds to Explain Losing 85,000 Migrant Kids The New York Post (04/28, Takala) reported that two Republican senators are demanding that federal officials account for how they reportedly lost track of 85,000 migrant children over the past two years. According to the article, the clamor from Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) comes on the heels of a February New York Times report that the Department of Health and Human Services had been unable to contact thousands of unaccompanied minors who were placed with sponsors after crossing the border — raising fears that they have been trafficked for cheap labor. The article added that Hawley demanded the FBI investigate both HHS and the Department of Homeland Security for allegedly turning a blind eye to whistleblowers, writing, "The FBI must also investigate HHS and the Department of Homeland Security for their role in facilitating the exploitation of these children, in violation of the law." The Epoch Times (04/29, Pearson) also reported on the story. Oklahoma Man to Spend Life in Prison After Trying to Marry, Flee Country With Girl He 'Groomed' Fox News (04/30, Miller) reported that an Oklahoma man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of grooming a teenage girl. According to the article, Alexander Sweet, 28, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of coercion and enticement of a minor, four counts of production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. The article quoted Edward Gray, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Oklahoma City Field Office, who said, "There is nothing more disgraceful than a person who intentionally exploits a child's vulnerabilities to ingratiate themselves and manipulate their decisions, t"There is nothing more disgraceful than a person who intentionally exploits a child's vulnerabilities to ingratiate themselves and manipulate their decisions, A Michigan Man Got One Day in Jail for Child Porn. Now, Feds Say, He Offended Again. USA TODAY (04/28, Baldas) reported that in U.S. District Court this week, Tyrone Sawyer Jr., 22, of Madison Heights, Michigan, was charged with sexual exploitation of children and distributing child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a minor girl and then sharing the video on porn sites. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison on the exploitation charge, up to 30 years max. The article noted that as with his first victim, the second didn't know he was secretly taping her until videos of her surfaced on porn sites, court records show. One of her friends alerted her about the videos, and she went to the police, who got the FBI involved. The article goes into detail of an FBI agent's affidavit, that landed Sawyer in federal court. New York Democrat Blames 'Misogyny' When She's Forced Out Over Handling of Staffer's Teen Sex Sting Video Fox News (04/30, Colton) reported that a New York Democrat blamed "institutional misogyny" as she resigned from her government leadership position in the wake of accusations a staffer tried to solicit someone he thought was an underaged girl. According to the article, Westchester County Board of Legislators Chair Catherine Borgia stepped down on Friday under pressure from colleagues who said she failed to act when she was told in December that the staffer was caught on video by a vigilante group that tricked him into thinking he was meeting a 14-year-old. The article noted that former legislative aide Anand Singh, 33, was fired on April 13 after video published by vigilante group OBL Global showed him allegedly trying to meet up with someone he thought was an underaged girl in New Jersey. The article added that Singh has not been arrested, but Borgia previously said she referred the case to the FBI and the Westchester District Attorney's Office is looking into the matter. The New York Post (04/28, Propper) also reported on the story. Back to Top FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS Judge Acquits Aerospace Executives Accused of Rigging Labor Market The Wall Street Journal (04/28, Michaels) reported that the DOJ's push to prosecute employers over alleged deals to fix wages or stop workers from getting better jobs has a major defect: Courts don't see any crime committed. EFTA00160419 The article said that on Friday, a federal judge in Connecticut threw out criminal charges against six aerospace- industry executives accused of agreeing to not poach one another's employees and that the result is the latest trial defeat for the DOJ, which is trying to prosecute conduct previously treated as civil wrongdoing. The article explained that the Dal once treated wage-fixing or no-poaching agreements as civil violations, but it changed its position in 2016 and said it would deal with them as crimes. Back to Top CYBER DIVISION The DOJ Detected The Solarwinds Hack Six Months Earlier Than First Disclosed Wired (04/28, Zetter) reported that the DOJ, along with Mandiant and Microsoft, discovered the SolarWinds breach six months earlier than previously reported. According to the article, in May 2020, the DOJ detected unusual traffic from a server running SolarWinds' software and sought assistance from Mandiant and Microsoft. The article noted that the FBI's criminal investigation remained open throughout the incident response. The article also discussed the lack of information sharing among agencies and the need for an investigation into the government's response to the breach. Back to Top LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES 'Mom, These Bad Men Have Me': She Believes Scammers Cloned Her Daughter's Voice In A Fake Kidnapping CNN (04/29, Karimi) reported that Jennifer DeStefano believes she was a victim of a virtual kidnapping scam that targets people around the country, frightening them with altered audio of loved one's voices and demanding money. According to the article, Siobhan Johnson, a special agent and FBI spokesperson in Chicago, said in the United States, families lose an average of $11,000 in each fake-kidnapping scam. Overall, the article detailed, Americans lost $2.6 billion last year in imposter scams. The article highlighted that imposter scams have been around for years, but federal officials warn such schemes are getting more sophisticated, and that some recent ones have one thing in common: cloned voices. The growth of cheap, accessible artificial intelligence (AI) programs, the article pointed out, has allowed con artists to clone voices and create snippets of dialogue that sound like their purported captives. New Surge Of Migrants Strains U.S. Capacity Ahead Of May 11 Deadline The Washington Post (04/28, Mata, Miroff) reported that a new migration surge has stretched U.S. Border Patrol stations and holding cells beyond capacity just two weeks ahead of the day the Biden administration plans to lift pandemic-era health restrictions, projecting an even larger influx. According to the article, more than 20,000 migrants were in Border Patrol custody Friday morning, more than twice the rated capacity of the agency's detention facilities along the southern border, and that about 7,000 migrants are currently being held in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, the most overcrowded Customs and Border Protection sector. The article said that when the volume of border crossings has overwhelmed authorities in recent years, they have resorted to providing migrants with instructions to report to immigration offices in U.S. cities, but that this practice is widely viewed as an incentive to additional illegal entries. The article then said that Biden officials are anxious to avoid the kind of chaos they faced in Del Rio, Texas, in 2021 when thousands of mostly-Haitian migrants forded the Rio Grande to set up a makeshift camp that created a humanitarian emergency. The article also quoted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas who told reporters this week the Biden administration has had 18 months to prepare for Title 42's end, anticipating illegal crossings will rise because "smugglers are seeking to take advantage of this change and already are hard at work spreading disinformation that the border will be open." Texas Border City Struggles With Large Arrival Of Migrants The Associated Press (04/29, Gonzalez) reported that shelters in a Texas city struggled to find space Saturday for migrants who authorities say have abruptly begun crossing by the thousands from Mexico, testing a stretch of the U.S. border that is typically equipped to handle large groups of people fleeing poverty and violence. The article said that the pace of arrivals in Brownsville appeared to catch the city on the southernmost tip of Texas off guard, stretching social services and putting an overnight shelter in an uncommon position of turning people away. EFTA00160420 As Fentanyl Crisis Grows, U.S.-Mexico Divide Deepens The Washington Post reported that as alarm grows in the U.S. over the fentanyl epidemic, a highly acrimonious dispute has erupted between the U.S. and Mexican governments, threatening cooperation in battling an opioid that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. According to the article, at issue is a fundamental disagreement over what's causing the crisis — and different visions of how to address it. U.S. officials blame the flood of fentanyl crossing the border primarily on Mexican crime groups and are pressing the government to do more to stop them, while Mexican President Andras Manuel Lopez Obrador insists that the main source of the synthetic drug is Asia. The article noted that Obrador has also blamed the crisis on a lack of family values in the United States that drives people to use the drug. Several prominent U.S. Republicans, the article continued, have accused Lopez Obrador of denying the extensive reach of Mexican drug cartels. The article added that fentanyl has shot to the top of the GOP agenda; lawmakers, former senior officials, and presidential candidates are coalescing around the once-fringe idea of using the U.S. military to attack Mexico's drug cartels and fentanyl labs. While the Biden administration opposes that idea, the article elaborated, it's almost certain to be a key Republican proposal as both countries head into presidential elections in 2024. The article explained that U.S. frustration goes beyond the campaign trail, and federal prosecutors this month announced sweeping indictments laying out what they describe as brazen efforts by the Sinaloa cartel to flood the United States with fentanyl. To U.S. officials, the article pointed out, it's obvious who's producing that fentanyl. The article detailed that seizures of the drug at the U.S.- Mexican border have tripled since 2020, and Mexican authorities have captured significant amounts of precursor chemicals used to manufacture it. The article added that one former senior DEA official said U.S. security agencies have compiled extensive information on Mexican cartels' fentanyl production, from cooperating witnesses, informants, and intelligence methods, but "since you have no bilateral cooperation" in Mexico, he said, "there's no one to pass the information to." Six Law Enforcement Agencies Will Work Together to Fight Gun Crime in the Illinois Area The Peoria Journal Star (04/29, Bullock) reported that the new Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force is composed of officers and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; Peoria Police Department; Peoria County Sheriffs Department; Illinois State Police; and the parole unit of the Illinois Department of Corrections. According to the article, the task force will also be assigned a federal prosecutor. The article explained that gun crimes have been on the rise in Peoria, hitting a peak in 2021 when Peoria set a record for homicides, many of those stemming from firearms. The article noted that the task force will specifically target fully-automatic and machine guns being utilized in the Peoria area. Former Colorado Officer Is The First To Be Convicted Of Failure To Intervene Under State Law USA TODAY (04/30, Yancey-Bragg) reported that Francine Martinez, a former Colorado police officer last week became the first to be convicted by a jury of failing to intervene after jurors found she did not step in when another officer choked a man and beat him with a gun during an arrest in 2021. According to the article, Martinez will be sentenced in June after she was found guilty under a police accountability law passed in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd. The article noted that Martinez was fired after an internal investigation found she violated several department policies during the violent arrest of Black Army veteran Kyle Vinson, according to the Aurora Police Department, and that John Haubert, who was also charged in connection with the arrest, resigned amid the internal investigation. Back to Top INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Canada, U.S. To Expand Intelligence Sharing To Fight Opioid Crisis On Both Sides Of Border Global News (04/28, Staff Writer) reported that Canada's Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland met on Friday and announced that Canada and the U.S. have agreed to increase information-sharing between the two countries to "target each stage of the movement manufacture and sale of fentanyl from start to finish." Coverage by ABC News (04/28, Barr) added that Canadian Attorney General David Lametti and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas joined the two in Ottawa for the second Canada—U.S. Cross-Border Crime Forum. The article added that the top law enforcement leaders prioritized finding and taking off the street ghost guns which have been an issue in the United States and in Canada, with Garland saying that, "The Justice Department is using every tool at our disposal to combat gun trafficking and hold EFTA00160421 accountable those who flood our communities with illegal guns." This story was also reported on by the Associated Press (04/28, Staff Writer), NTD News (04/28, Video), and the Ottawa Sun (04/28, Robertson). Companies Are Colluding to Cheat H-1B Visa Lottery, U.S. Says The Wall Street Journal (04/28, Hackman) reported that the Biden administration says it has found evidence that several dozen small technology companies have colluded to increase the chances that their prospective foreign hires will win a coveted H-1B visa for skilled foreign workers in this year's lottery. According to the article, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that awards H-18 visas, said it has found that a small number of companies are responsible for entering the same applicants into the lottery multiple times, with the alleged goal of artificially boosting their chances of winning a visa. The article explained that the practice is in large part responsible for inflating demand for visas to a record high this year, with 781,000 entries into the lottery for 85,000 visa slots. The article added that the government declined to name the companies in question, citing their status of being under investigation and that the companies have been referred to federal law-enforcement agencies for potential criminal prosecution. Back to Top CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS Prosecutors in Jan. 6 Case Step up inquiry Into Trump Fund-Raising The New York Times (04/28, Haberman, Feuer, Swan) reported that as they investigate former President Donald J. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal prosecutors have been looking into whether Mr. Trump and a range of political aides knew that he had lost the race but still raised money off claims that they were fighting widespread fraud in the vote results. The article specifically said that prosecutors led by the special counsel Jack Smith are trying to determine whether Mr. Trump and his aides violated federal wire fraud statutes as they raised as much as $250 million through Trump's Save America PAC. The article cited that prosecutors have issued multiple batches of subpoenas in a wide-ranging effort to understand Save America and that more recently, investigators have homed in on the activities of a joint fund-raising committee made up of staff members from the 2020 Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, among others. The article added that prosecutors have been heavily focused on details of the campaign's finances, spending, and fund-raising, such as who was approving email solicitations that were blasted out to lists of possible small donors and what they knew about the truth of the fraud claims. The article cited previous coverage by the Washington Post (04/27, Dawsey), which reported earlier on the efforts by the campaign to fund research into claims of fraud and the new round of subpoenas. Santa Ana Man Sentenced To 54 Months In Prison For Assaulting Police During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach Associated Press (04/29, Staff Writer) reported that a judge on Friday sentenced Jeffrey Scott Brown, a 56-year-old resident of Santa Ana, to more than four years in prison for his actions during the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 70 months for Brown, who they say dove toward the front of a makeshift police line and used on officers a stolen can of pepper spray handed to him by Schwartz. The story was also reported on by NBC News (04/28, Helsel). Trump Hugs January 6 Rioter Who Called For Pence And Congress To Be Executed The Washington Post (04/28, Arnsdorf) reported that former president Donald Trump on Thursday praised and embraced a woman convicted of defying police orders on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. The article quoted him saying, "Listen, you just hang in there," as Trump told the woman, Micki Larson-Olson, who was found guilty on a misdemeanor charge of resisting police efforts to clear the grounds after the insurrection by a pro- Trump mob, "You guys are gonna be okay." The article explained that Trump, who was campaigning in New Hampshire, then agreed to sign the backpack she said she carried to the Capitol complex on the day of the interruption of the congressional proceedings to formally certify Trump's loss in the 2020 election. The article emphasized that Trump has steadily escalated his advocacy for people charged in the Capitol riot, including by pledging to pardon them if he returns to the White House, praising them as patriots, participating in a recording with Jan. 6 prisoners singing the national anthem, and playing it at his first rally of the 2024 campaign last month. This story was also reported on by Business Insider (04/28, Goodwin), Independent (04/28, Kilander), Slate (04/28, Mathis-Lilley), Newsweek (04/28, Khaled), The Daily Beast (04/28, Swezey), HuffPost (04/28, Vlachou), Washington Examiner (04/28, Goldsberry), Newswer (04/28, Cronin), Daily Express (04/28, Donnelly), and MSNBC (04/28, Video). EFTA00160422 As Special Counsel Nears Decision In Trump Cases, Who Are The Lawyers Working With Him ABC News (04/28, Levine, Faulders, Mallin) reported that special counsel Jack Smith is nearing a decision over whether to recommend charges for former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents and any role he may have played in efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election. The article then highlighted the people on his team, providing a biography for the federal prosecutors in the January 6th related probe. Trump Giving Prosecutors More Evidence To Use Newsweek (04/29, Kika) reported that Donald Trump's continued support of Capitol rioters could potentially be used as evidence against him in a future trial, according to Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. The article claimed that McQuade on a Friday evening appearance on MSNBC said that continued statements and behaviors from Trump could be "very damaging as evidence against" him in a future trial stemming from the January 6 investigation. Continued Reporting: Former Vice President Pence Testifies Before Jan. 6 Grand Jury Continued video coverage by NBC News (04/28, Video) reported that Mike Pence's testimony before a federal grand jury looking into the January 6 Capitol riot could impact the Justice Department's investigation into January 6. The video noted that Pence spent more than five hours behind closed doors at the Federal District Court in Washington. The video also emphasized how the testimony is significant as a federal criminal investigation is underway into a former president's efforts to overturn a free and fair American election, which included an insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol. Coverage by the New York Times (04/28, Weisman) focused on Pence's 2024 campaign, claiming that his efforts to be run won't just be hampered by Trump's hold over the Republican party, but also by Trump's legal problems. Additional coverage was also provided by MSNBC (04/28, Benen). Coverage by KUTV (ABC-6) (04/28, Video) added that a day after testifying for hours before a grand jury in Washington, Pence spoke at the Gary R Herbert Institute for Public Policy at UVU, during which he said that "I will always believe by God's grace, with my wife by my side all day and night that we did our duty under the Constitution of the United States of America." Back to Top OTHER FBI NEWS Ghaisars To Use $5 Million Settlement To Oppose Immunity In Police Shootings The Washington Post (04/28, Jackman) discussed the $5 million settlement reached by the parents of Bijan Ghaisar, who was fatally shot by two U.S. Park Police officers in 2017, ending their five-year legal battle against the federal government. The settlement includes $3.75 million for the Ghaisar family and $1.25 million for their lawyers. According to the article, the Ghaisars plan to use the proceeds to advocate for the end of qualified immunity for police officers in fatal shootings and to reduce gun violence in the United States. They expressed their frustration with the federal government, federal officers, a federal judge, and the FBI, highlighting the difficulties they faced throughout the process. The article noted that the officers involved were cleared of criminal charges and remain on the force, but two administrative investigations are pending. The article mentioned that the civil case was mistakenly assigned to the same judge who dismissed the criminal charges against the officers. Senator Mark R. Warner, who sought information about the case from the FBI, the DOJ, and the Park Police, expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome and acknowledged that the settlement cannot erase the harm and loss suffered by the Ghaisar family. Needing Younger Workers, Federal Officials Relax Rules on Past Drug Use The New York Times (04/30, Londono) reported that as more states legalize marijuana and competition for talent grows fiercer, the U.S. government is loosening guidelines from the "Just Say No" era. The article mentioned that during the past five years, the United States military gave more than 3,400 new recruits who failed a drug test on their first day a grace period to try again, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Agencies like the CIA and the FBI have adopted more lenient rules regarding past use of marijuana among job candidates, officials acknowledge. The article noted that the CIA, for instance, began telling applicants in April of 2022 that they needed to refrain from using marijuana for just 90 days before submitting an application, shortening its previous one-year eligibility requirement. In 2021, the FBI reduced its marijuana abstention requirement for those seeking employment to one year from three. EFTA00160423 Police Chief's Exit the Latest Among Key D.C. Government Departures The Washington Post (04/29, Brice-Saddler) reported that the retirement of D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III — who plans to take a top-level position with the FBI — is the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who is months into a third term that has already brought its share of challenges as she seeks to carry out an agenda focused largely on leading the city out of pandemic doldrums. According to the article, it's expected that a three-term mayor will lose top talent after serving so many years, but standing next to Contee on Thursday morning, Bowser acknowledged that while she had planned for some of the recent departures, others were "unexpected." The article noted that over the past year, notable exits from Bowser's administration have included a number of agency directors in addition to two deputy mayors who resigned amid questions about their behavior. Here's a lineup of some of those departures and how they've affected her administration's policy goals. Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Says He Wants to 'Shut Down the FBI' Business Insider (04/30, Balevic) reported that 2024 GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to shut down the FBI and replace it with a new bureau that sounds a lot like the FBI. According to the article, the candidate has also suggested shutting down the Department of Education, limiting the Federal Reserve, and sending U.S. troops to the Mexican border. The article quoted Ramaswamy, who said, "We need federal law enforcement, but that institution has, in a bipartisan way, become so, I think ossified in its own norms, in its own corruption, that we need to rebuild it from scratch and have something new take its place." NBC News (04/30, Video), and the Daily Beast (04/30, Baragona) also reported on the story. Celtics Great Bill Russell Investigated by FBI in 1960s for Civil Rights Activism Celtics Wire of USA TODAY (04/29, Quinn) reported that the history of the U.S. civil rights movement cannot be told without the inclusion of Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell, and it also can't be told without bringing up the FBI. The Bureau was infamous for monitoring the activities of activists and organizers in that critical stretch of U.S. history, a practice that has continued with the monitoring of Black Lives Matter and other organizations. According to the article, Bill Russell was himself monitored by the FBI after a successful Freedom of Information Act request, a fact that should not surprise much given the history pointed to above. The article stated that newly released FBI documents show Bill Russell was being shadowed by the for possible ties to the Black Panthers and allegedly gambling on hoop games. Opinion: D.C. Should Heed Pleas of Outgoing Police Chief Robert J. Contee III The Washington Post (04/28, Editorial Board) published an opinion piece that mentioned that D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III announced this week that he will leave his post on June 3, after just two years in the top job, to become an assistant director at the FBI. According to the author, it's a blow to the community that in part follows his growing frustration with the degree to which the hands of law enforcement have been tied amid epidemic levels of carjacking and gun violence. The author noted that the past two years each saw more than 200 killings in the District. Homicides are up 17 percent compared with this time last year, with violent crime up 8 percent and property crime up 28 percent. Because of the proliferation of illegal guns, Chief Contee says the weaponry people use to commit crimes has evolved from revolvers to semiautomatic weapons to "ghost guns" and even automatic rifles. The author added that during a conversation last month, Chief Contee said officers keep leaving because they don't feel respected or valued. "We have to demonstrate ourselves as being a city that's supportive of police officers — period," he said. Back to Top INTERNATIONAL NEWS U.S. Conducts 1st Evacuation Of Its Citizens From Sudan War • Associated Press: U.S. Conducts 1st Evacuation Of Its Citizens From Sudan War • Reuters: U.S. Citizens Evacuated From Bor to Juba in South Sudan • CNN: First Red Cross Aid Arrives in Sudan After Weeks of Fighting • New York Times: U.S. Begins Overland Evacuation of American Civilians From Sudan • Washington Post: U.S. Evacuation Convoy Reaches Sudanese Port City, State Department Says EFTA00160424 The Scariest Advancements In North Korea Missile Tech So Far • Washington Post: The Scariest Advancements In North Korea Missile Tech So Far U.S. Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo On Tanker Amid Tehran Tensions • Reuters: U.S. Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo On Tanker Amid Tehran Tensions Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder, Portrayed In 'Narcos' Series, Could Be Released From Prison In Days • Fox News: Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder, Portrayed In 'Narcos' Series, Could Be Released From Prison In Days U.S. Wires Ukraine With Radiation Sensors to Detect Nuclear Blasts • New York Times: U.S. Wires Ukraine With Radiation Sensors to Detect Nuclear Blasts American Doctor Killed in Sudan Had Stayed to Treat His Patients as Bombs Fell • Wall Street Journal: American Doctor Killed in Sudan Had Stayed to Treat His Patients as Bombs Fell Back to Top OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS U.S. Senator Introduces Bill Targeting Al's Shortfalls • Reuters: U.S. Senator Introduces Bill Targeting Al's Shortfalls • Washington Post: The Perilous Path to a New Cybercrime Treaty • Washington Examiner: Democrat Proposes Bill for Task Force to Investigate Artificial Intelligence U.S. Justice Department Moves For Fines-And-Fees Reform, Backs Off Bail Issue • Reuters: U.S. Justice Department Moves For Fines-And-Fees Reform, Backs Off Bail Issue Over 1 In 5 Skip Health Care Due To Transportation Barriers • Axios: Over 1 In 5 Skip Health Care Due To Transportation Barriers DOJ Challenges Tennessee Over Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors • Washington Post: Dal Challenges Tennessee Over Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors D.C. Jail Medical Care 'Systemically Dysfunctional,' Suit Alleges • Washington Post: D.C. Jail Medical Care 'Systemically Dysfunctional,' Suit Alleges Biden Admin Seeks To Pause Order Blocking Obamacare Preventive Care Mandate • Reuters: Biden Admin Seeks To Pause Order Blocking Obamacare Preventive Care Mandate How New York and California Botched Marijuana Legalization • Wall Street Journal: How New York and California Botched Marijuana Legalization South Carolina Legislature Passes 'Barbaric' Law Shielding Identity Of Lethal Injection Drugmakers • Independent: South Carolina Legislature Passes 'Barbaric' Law Shielding Identity Of Lethal Injection Drugmakers Biden Commutes Sentences of 31 People with Nonviolent Drug Offenses • Bloomberg: Biden Commutes Sentences of 31 People with Nonviolent Drug Offenses • CBS News: Biden Commutes Sentences of 31 People with Nonviolent Drug Offenses EFTA00160425 Google Loses Bid to Escape DOJ's Digital-Ad Antitrust Case • Wall Street Journal: Google Loses Bid to Escape DOJ's Digital-Ad Antitrust Case • Bloomberg: Google Advertising Antitrust Lawsuit to Move Forward • Associated Press: Judge Rules Against Google, Allows Antitrust Case to Proceed • Reuters: U.S. Judge Denies Google's Motion to Dismiss Advertising Antitrust Case As Regulators Block Tech Deals, They Increasingly Look to the Future • New York Times: As Regulators Block Tech Deals, They Increasingly Look to the Future U.S. Antitrust Agencies Seek Role in Indo-Pacific Trade Talks • Bloomberg: U.S. Antitrust Agencies Seek Role in Indo-Pacific Trade Talks Biden Administration Asks Judge To Limit DACA Ruling If He Finds "Dreamer" Protections Unlawful • CBS News: Biden Administration Asks Judge To Limit DACA Ruling If He Finds "Dreamer" Protections Unlawful • The Hill: 'Dreamers' Income More Than Doubled Under DACA Program: Survey Immigration Overhaul Clears Florida Senate • Axios: Immigration Overhaul Clears Florida Senate Ethics Probe Of U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins Complete, Justice Dept. Watchdog Has Yet To Release Findings • Boston Globe Today: Ethics Probe Of U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins Complete, Justice Dept. Watchdog Has Yet To Release Findings How Many Legal Cases Does Donald Trump Face? • USA TODAY: How Many Legal Cases Does Donald Trump Face? In Lawsuit Against Trump Over Rape Claim, His Accusers Hope For Vindication • Washington Post: In Lawsuit Against Trump Over Rape Claim, His Accusers Hope For Vindication JPMorgan, PNC Bidding for First Republic as Part of FDIC Takeover • Wall Street Journal: JPMorgan, PNC Bidding for First Republic as Part of FDIC Takeover • Associated Press: Regulators Seize First Republic Bank, Sell to JPMorgan Chase • New York Times: Regulators Prepare to Seize and Sell First Republic • Reuters: PNC, JPMorgan Putting in Final Bids for First Republic Bank in FDIC Auction N. Carolina Justices Hand GOP Big Wins With Election Rulings • Associated Press: N. Carolina Justices Hand GOP Big Wins With Election Rulings • New York Times: North Carolina Gerrymander Ruling Reflects Politicization of Judiciary Nationally • Wall Street Journal: A North Carolina Supreme Court Switcheroo • Washington Post: N.C. Supreme Court Reverses Redistricting Ruling in a Win for Republicans • Politico: North Carolina Supreme Court Clears Way for Partisan Gerrymandering Back to Top BIG PICTURE New York Times • They Refused to Fight for Russia. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly. EFTA00160426 • Iranian Insider and British Spy: How a Double Life Ended on the Gallows • Airman in Leaks Case Worked on a Global Network Essential to Drone Missions • In San Francisco, a Troubled Year at a Whole Foods Market Reflects a City's Woes • After Student's Suicide, an Elite School Says It Fell 'Tragically Short' Wall Street Journal • Building Boom Prolongs Market Pain • Epstein's Private Calendar Reveals Prominent Names • China Curbs Information Flow, Unnerving Global Businesses • Fancy Ultramarathons Include $11,000 Entry Fee, Butler • Price Trims at Tesla Test Musk Strategy Washington Post • Far-Right Bloc Is Flexing Muscle • California Tries Coercive Compassion • Mix of Fear, Firearms Fuel Spate of Shootings • The Rise and Violent Demise of a Pro-russian War Blogger • As Dealers Cut Fentanyl With Xylazine, Deaths Mount Financial Times • U.S. Chamber of Commerce Warns of Rising Risk of Doing Business in China • Federal Reserve Review Pins Blame for Svb Failure on Donald Trump-Era Rule Changes • U.S. Seizure of Oil Vessel Triggered Iran Tanker Capture ABC News • More Than 22 Million People on Alert for Severe Storms and Flooding; Urgent Manhunt for Mass Shooter in Texas; First Republic Bank on the Brink of Collapse. CBS News • Texas Shooting Suspect on the Loose; How Charles Ili Helped Rock Band Elbow Get Started. NBC News • Search for Man Accused of Killing Five Neighbors in Texas Intensifies; Tornado With 130 Mph Winds Flips Cars and Damages Homes in Florida; U.S. Navy Arrives to Help Americans Evacuate Sudan. Fox News • Snapchat Defends Efforts to Combat Drug Activity Amid Overdose Lawsuit; Voters Sound Off on Dissatisfaction Under Biden's Leadership; Lawmakers Push Nuclear Launch Bill Blocking Al Takeover. Back to Top WASHINGTON SCHEDULE White House President Biden • 9:00 AM: The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing • 12:00 PM: The President and The Vice President deliver remarks during National Small Business Week; THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR participates by 8:00 am] EFTA00160427 • 2:30 PM: The President AND The First Lady welcome His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. President of the Republic of the Philippines and Mrs. Louise Araneta-Marcos to the White House by 8:00 am] • 2:45 PM: The President holds a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. President of the Republic of the Philippines • 5:30 PM: The President hosts a reception celebrating Eid-al-Fitr; The Vice President and The Second Gentleman attend 8:00 am] Vice President Harris • 12:00 PM: The President and The Vice President deliver remarks during National Small Business Week; THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR participates by 8:00 am] • 5:30 PM: The President hosts a reception celebrating Eid-al-Fitr; The Vice President and The Second Gentleman attend 8:00 am] US Senate • No events scheduled. US House of Representatives • No events scheduled. Cabinet Members • Secretary of State Blinken meets with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoya at the George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center at 8:30 AM. • Secretary Blinken meets with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at the George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center at 9:00 AM. • Secretary Blinken welcomes Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to bilateral peace negotiations at the George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center at 9:45 AM. • Secretary Blinken attends a dinner hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in Washington, D.C. at 7:00 PM. Visitors • His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. President of the Republic of the Philippines and Mrs. Louise Araneta-Marcos meet with President Biden and The First Lady at the White House. • Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. hosts a dinner attended by Secretary Blinken. • Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov meet with Secretary Blinken at the George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center. General Events • Brookings Institution: Net-zero commitments: What is needed from non-state entities to reach net-zero emissions? — Monday, May 1, 2023. Location: Online Event, 9:30 AM. At COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the United Nations' High-Level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities (the Group) delivered their report, "Integrity Matters: Net Zero Commitments by Businesses, Financial Institutions, Cities and Regions." The report presented recommendations to increase robust net-zero commitments by non-state actors and advance their achievement. How have businesses, financial institutions, cities, and regions responded to these commitments? What challenges do non-state actors confront? On May 1, The Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at Brookings will host an online public EFTA00160428 event to explore what measures will be needed in the next year to ensure that a net-zero future remains within reach. The event will begin with opening remarks from John W. McArthur. Catherine McKenna will deliver the keynote, share insights on the Group's findings, and discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition to a net-zero future. Following the keynote address, Catherine McKenna will join a panel discussion, alongside Helen Mountford and Carsten Stendevad, moderated by Sanjay Patnaik. The panelists will offer their perspectives on the role of non-state entities and share strategies for achieving net-zero emissions. • Brookings Institution: US-Taiwan relations: Will China's challenge lead to a crisis? — Monday, May 1, 2023. Location: Brookings Institution, 2:00 PM. There has been mounting concern in Washington about a potential Chinese military invasion of Taiwan, especially given Russia's assault on Ukraine. How close is the situation in the Taiwan Strait to conflict? What factors and events have pushed risk higher in recent years? And what more can Washington, Taipei, and others do to manage risks and deter conflict? To address these and other questions, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Ryan Hass and Nonresident Senior Fellow Richard Bush, along with German Marshall Fund Indo-Pacific Managing Director Bonnie Glaser, have released a new book, "U.S.- Taiwan Relations: Will China's Challenge Lead to a Crisis?" On May 1, the authors will join PBS NewsHour's Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent Nick Schifrin in conversation around the past, present, and future of the Taiwan Strait and America's role in it. • Atlantic Council: 20-year retrospective: Reflecting on the 'Mission Accomplished' speech and its aftermath — Monday, May 1, 2023. Location: Online Event, 9:00 AM. The Atlantic Council's Iraq Initiative invites you to a virtual discussion on May 1st from 9:00 to 10:00 am ET, featuring distinguished guest speaker General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Ret.) in a moderated conversation marking the anniversary of the historically significant "Mission Accomplished" speech, delivered by former US President George W. Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the aftermath of the 2003 events. The speech declared an end to major combat operations in the country and represented a decisive milestone in the conflict. Twenty years on, this discussion will aim at examining the significance of the speech and the events that followed, assessing what has been achieved in Iraq over the past two decades and what still needs to be accomplished in the years to come. • Hudson Institute: Rebuilding American Naval Dominance — Monday, May 1, 2023. Location: Online Event, 10:00 AM. For 70 years, the world's oceans have been a global commons protected by America's dominance of the high seas. However, since the end of World War II, the active US Navy fleet has shrunk from nearly 1,000 ships to fewer than 300. China and Russia are eager to fill this dangerous vacuum. Please join retired Navy Captain Dr. Jerry Hendrix and Hudson Senior Fellow Timothy Walton for a conversation about rebuilding American naval dominance. Hudson Media Fellow Jeremy Hunt will moderate the event. Email Public Affairs to subscribe to the Daily News Briefing. Mobile version and archive available here. EFTA00160429