Sunday, June 17, 2012
COURT ORDERS OWNER AND TRADING COMPANY TO PAY RESTITUTION, CIVIL PENALTIES TO SETTLE CFTC CHARGES
Federal Court in Illinois Orders Defendants Richard C. Regan and Pro Trading Course, LLC to Pay More than $600,000 in Restitution and Civil Monetary Penalties to Settle CFTC Anti-Fraud Action
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that Judge James B. Zagel, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, entered an order of default judgment and permanent injunction against defendants Richard C. Regan (Regan) and Pro Trading Course, LLC(PTC), both of La Jolla, Calif.
The court’s order stems from a CFTC enforcement action filed on December 7, 2011, that charged the defendants with fraudulently soliciting members of the public to enroll in a commodity futures training program .
The order, entered on May 29, 2012, requires the defendants jointly and severally to pay a $461,100 civil monetary penalty and restitution of $232,200. The order also imposes permanent trading and registration bans against the defendants and prohibits them from violating the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, as charged.
The order finds that PTC, through Regan and its employees, used false and misleading promotional material and sales solicitations, which overstated the advancement opportunity and profit potential of PTC’s commodity futures training program. The defendants also failed to disclose that not one of the 126 clients who completed PTC’s training and became PTC proprietary traders ever advanced beyond Level 1 of the program, according to the order. In addition, no PTC trader ever met the monthly profit targets set by Regan or received profit “payouts” approximating those depicted on the “Payout Charts” Regan prepared, the order finds.
The order further finds that PTC, through Regan and its sales associates, used false and misleading promotional material and sales solicitations to sell access to PTC’s Virtual Trading Room (VTR). This created the impression that VTR sessions involved actual commodity futures trading, but they failed to disclose that Regan and his team placed only simulated trades while conducting VTR sessions.
The CFTC appreciates the assistance of the National Futures Association.
BROOKLYN DOCTOR CONVICTED OF MEDICARE AND INSURANCE FRAUD
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, June 15, 2012
Brooklyn Doctor Convicted for Role in Medicare and Private Insurance Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON – A Brooklyn board-certified colorectal surgeon, who owned and operated a New York medical clinic, was convicted for his role in a fraud scheme that billed Medicare and numerous private insurance companies for surgeries and other complex medical procedures that were never performed, the Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.
On Wednesday, June 13, 2012, after a two-week trial in federal court in Brooklyn, a jury found Boris Sachakov, M.D., 43, guilty of one count of health care fraud and five counts of health care false statements.
The trial evidence showed that from January 2008 to January 2010, Sachakov, who owned and operated a clinic called Colon and Rectal Care of New York P.C., defrauded Medicare and private insurance companies by billing for surgeries and medical services that he never provided. According to trial testimony, several private insurance companies began investigating Sachakov after receiving complaints from patients that Sachakov had submitted claims for surgeries, including hemorrhoidectomies, that he never performed.
At trial, 11 of Dr. Sachakov’s patients testified that they had not received the surgeries and other medical services for which Sachakov had billed their insurance companies. The evidence presented at trial showed that the medical records Dr. Sachakov created and maintained on these patients, including letters to the patient’s referring doctors, did not support the extensive billings he submitted. After Dr. Sachakov was confronted by two insurance companies about complaints of billings for surgeries that did not happen, the evidence at trial showed that Dr. Sachakov sent letters to his patients, asking them to falsely certify in writing that they had received the phony surgeries.
The indictment alleged that Sachakov submitted and caused the submission of over $22.6 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and private insurance companies, and received more than $9 million on those claims.
At sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 24, 2012, Sachakov faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison and an $18 million fine.
The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk of the FBI’s New York field office; and Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas O’Donnell of the HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sarah M. Hall and Assistant Chief William Pericak of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by the FBI, HHS, the New York State Office of Medicaid Inspector General and the New York State Department of Financial Services, Criminal Investigative Division.
The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations are part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), a joint initiative announced in May 2009 between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.
Since their inception in March 2007, strike force operations in nine districts have charged 1,330 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $4 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
CLOUD COMPUTING, THE NEXT IT REVOLUTION
FROM: U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Statement of Dr David McClure "The Next IT Revolution? Cloud Computing Opportunities and Challenges"
STATEMENT OF
Dr. David McClure
Associate Administrator
Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies
General Services Administration
BEFORE THE
HOUSE SCIENCE, SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
September 21, 2011"The Next IT Revolution? Cloud Computing Opportunities and Challenges"
Chairman Quayle and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the General Service
Administration's (GSA) leadership role in ongoing efforts to enable and accelerate adoption of cloud computing across the federal government. Cloud adoption is a critical component of the Administration’s plan to improve management of the government’s IT resources. The reforms underway are enabling agencies to use information more efficiently and effectively, delivering improved mission results at lower cost.
Cloud computing offers a compelling opportunity to substantially improve the efficiency, agility and performance of the federal information technology portfolio. It allows agencies to pay only for the resources they use in response to fluctuating demand, avoid the expenses of building and maintaining costly IT infrastructure, and control the appropriate level of security for data and applications. Cloud computing is also a key technology for achieving cost effective IT. In fact, agencies have already started to realize numerous benefits as they begin to adopt cloud computing across their programs. These include cost reduction, faster deployment of systems and applications, increased productivity, greater flexibility and scalability and improved self-service capabilities. As agencies consolidate and virtualize their data centers, cloud provides an ideal path forward to achieve needed results while substantially lowering costs – an essential focus given federal budget constraints.
GSA is playing a leadership role in facilitating easy access to cloud-based solutions from
commercial providers that meet federal requirements, enhancing agencies’ capacity to analyze viable cloud computing options that meet their business and technology modernization needs, and reducing barriers to safe and secure cloud computing. We are developing new cloud computing procurement options with proven solutions that leverage the government’s buying power, ensuring effective cloud security and standards are in place to lower risk, and identifying and leveraging government-wide uses of cloud computing solutions such as email.
These are highlighted on our web page Info.Apps.gov, which provides useful information about cloud computing and available solutions. The Administration’s efforts to apply rigor to information technology management and foster cloud adoption is framed by several key guidance documents and policies, including the OMB 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management and the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy issued by the federal CIO’s office. The initiatives being implemented in response to these documents are making significant progress tackling long standing challenges in the way IT is acquired and managed. These reforms are also meeting the Administration’s goals to make government more responsive, operationally effective, cost efficient, transparent, participatory, collaborative, and innovative for the citizens it serves.
The Subcommittee asked that I address the four questions outlined below.
(1) Please provide an overview of how the General Services Administration (GSA) is
implementing the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 25 Point Implementation
Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management, the OMB Federal Data
Center Consolidation Initiative, and the Federal Chief Information Officer’s Federal
Cloud Computing Strategy. GSA plays a central role in realizing the goals set forth in the Administration’s initiatives and strategies to reform IT management, consolidate data centers and implement cloud computing Below are the primary initiatives underway to achieve the policy goals of Data Center Consolidation, the Cloud Computing Strategy and the specific objectives of the 25 Point Plan. Below is an overview of the work we are conducting to support specific objectives of the Federal IT Reform Strategy. Each objective of the 25 Point IT Reform Plan for which GSA is directlyresponsible is identified in bold; the specific section is in parenthesis.Complete detailed implementation plans to consolidate at least 800 data centers by 2015.
(#1)
Create a government-wide marketplace for data center availability (#2)
The Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI), managed jointly by GSA and OMB, is charged with reversing the federal government’s explosive data center growth to optimize and improve efficiency of federal IT infrastructure. The FDCCI is chartered to engage with agencies, support and facilitate agency data center consolidation planning, and to provide tools to federal partners.
Under the FDCCI, GSA is accomplishing the following:
Working with a government-wide task force co-chaired by DHS and DOI that meets
monthly and includes representatives from all 24 CFO Act agencies.
Assisting agencies to maximize the return on investments for data centers to remain in
their inventory after consolidation Ensuring consistent data collection of the federal data center inventory by developing
and disseminating standard templates to collect, manage, and analyze agency data
center inventory data.
Collaborating with industry on best practices and solutions for key data center
consolidation issues. Developing a comprehensive data center Total Cost Model for agencies to use to
analyze alternative consolidation scenarios, enable data-driven decision-making for
infrastructure cost and performance optimization.
Pursuing development of a data center marketplace that would help optimize
infrastructure utilization across government by matching agencies with excess
computing capacity with those that have immediate requirements. A working group is
addressing consensus-building, requirements gathering, and other key facets necessary
to ensure the marketplace’s success. Stand up contract vehicles for secure IaaS solutions
(#4)
IT infrastructure represents a multi-billion dollar investment that requires constant maintenance, expensive technology upgrades, and dedication of valuable personnel. Agencies are faced with outdated infrastructure requiring ongoing, major investments to keep pace with growing demand and rapidly changing technology. Servers across both government and industry are highly underutilized. To address these issues, GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) established a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with 12 companies (many with multiple partners) that offer cloud storage, computing power, and cloud-based website hosting as commodity services that enable agencies to optimize their infrastructure and achieve substantial, long-term cost savings.
Under these Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) contracts, agencies pay only for what they need, define performance requirements, have the flexibility to respond to changing demands, benefit from commodity pricing, and are assured of secure solutions. At present, four contractors are offering services under the BPA, with the remaining completing the security authorization process. DHS has recently awarded a task order under this BPA for the consolidation and migration of its public facing websites to a cloud hosting service. Stand up contract vehicles for commodity services
(#5)
Working closely with email and collaboration experts from across government, GSA developed a government-wide contract vehicle to help agencies move email and collaboration solutions to the cloud. The Email as a Service (EaaS) BPA is an active procurement managed by FAS; responses are currently being evaluated. It will offer federal customers a streamlined procurement vehicle to commercially available cloud email solutions that best fits their agency's needs. Based on information from Forrester Research, average cost savings for agencies migrating to cloud-based email are expected to be $11/mailbox/month, $1 million in annual savings for every 7,500 users, or approximately 44% over existing on-premise email solutions.
The BPA will offer a range of email services in public, private, and highly secured clouds,
making available robust, feature-rich, secure email and collaboration service options similar to those currently being implemented at GSA, USDA, USAID, DOE, and other agencies. It can meet the needs of the 15 agencies that have identified 950,000 e-mail boxes they plan to move to the cloud under the Administration’s IT Reform effort. Launch an interactive platform for pre-RFP agency-industry collaboration
(#25)
To streamline the procurement process and enhance communication with industry, GSA is
establishing "cross-trained" program teams and improving the way requirements are defined. GSA is working to establish an interactive platform for pre-RFP agency-industry collaboration. Based on input from government and industry, alternatives for design and delivery of an online collaboration tool have been examined and rated. Candidates for the tool included existing government systems and commercial collaboration tools.
GSA not only is fostering adoption of cloud computing government-wide, but as required under the Cloud First policy, has recently completed a major cloud migration of our internal email and collaboration solution that demonstrates the significant potential of cloud solutions to achieve substantial cost savings. In approximately seven months, we moved 17,000 users to Google Apps for Government. Savings over the next five years are projected to be over $15M. Not only have we reduced costs, but we have also made significant gains in environmental sustainability – we shut down 45 servers, which is equivalent to taking 60 cars off the road. The lessons learned from our cloud implementation have been captured and are being shared with agencies across the government as they seek to achieve similar success.
2. Please provide an overview of the costs associated with implementing these plans at
GSA, and provide a description of both the short-term and long-term budgetary impacts of these changes. To date, GSA’s Federal Cloud Computing Initiative has been funded under the e-Government program administered by the Federal Chief Information Officer. In FY10 and FY11 GSA’s Federal Cloud Computing Initiative (FCCI) Program Management Office (PMO) budget of $4.8 million was allocated to five primary tasks:
Establish procurement vehicles that allow agencies to purchase IT resources as
commodities - resulting in the award of the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Blanket
Purchase Agreement under GSA Schedule 70.
Address security risks in deploying government information in a cloud environment -
resulting in the development of the Federal Risk Authorization Management Program
(FedRAMP)
Establish a procurement vehicle that allows agencies to purchase cloud-based e-mail
services - resulting in the issuance of the Email as a Service (EaaS) procurement that is
currently underway
Work with agencies to consolidate their data center asset - resulting in the Federal Data
Center Consolidation Initiative that works with agencies to inventory their data center
assets and to identify targets for consolidation and optimization
Create apps.gov, an on-line storefront that provides access to over 3,000 cloud-based
products and services where agencies can research solutions, compare prices and
place on-line orders using GSA’s eBuy system.
This initial funding provided by the e-Gov Fund allowed GSA to accomplish significant results. However, there are key activities that still need to be accomplished to realize the significant, additional potential cost savings and productivity improvements that GSA can help agencies achieve. The continuation of these cost-saving initiatives is dependent on FY12 eGov Fund budget levels and decisions.
3. What cybersecurity steps is the GSA taking to protect federal data and communications in the cloud? To what extent does GSA work with NIST on the development of cybersecurity standards for federal cloud computing use?
The primary goal of the Administration’s Cloud First policy is to achieve widespread practical use of secure cloud computing to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness of government. Currently, each agency typically conducts its own security Certification and Accreditation (C&A) process for every system it acquires, leading to unnecessary expense, duplication and inconsistency. According to the 2009 FISMA report to Congress, agencies reported spending $300M on C&A activities alone. Working in close collaboration with DHS, NIST, DoD and OMB and the Federal CIO Council,
GSA is leading establishment of the Federal Authorization Risk Management Program
(FedRAMP) to accelerate adoption of secure cloud solutions by agencies across government.
Key benefits include:
Provides a single, consistent security risk assessment and authorization that can be
leveraged across agencies – an "approve once, and use often" approach
Establishes a common set of baseline security assessment and continuous monitoring
requirements using NIST standards
Approves and makes available qualified, independent third party assessors, ensuring
consistent assessment and accreditation of cloud solutions and based on NIST’s proven
conformity assessment approach
Shifts risk management from annual reporting under FISMA to more robust continuous
monitoring, providing real-time detection and mitigation of persistent vulnerabilities and
security incidents.
There is strong support and demand for FedRAMP from agencies seeking to adopt cloud
services, as required by the Administration’s Cloud First policy, and from industry. FedRAMP's processes, policy, governance, and technical security standards have all been arrived at via a consensus-based approach that includes agencies’ Chief Information Security Officers, the Federal CIO Council, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Defense (DoD), National Security Agency (NSA), and numerous industry organizations. This new program is expected to be initially launched this Fall.
4. What other challenges face federal agencies in adopting cloud computing services,
and what steps is the GSA taking to overcome these challenges?
Considerable progress has been made in adopting successful cloud solutions. Cloud computing’ is now an accepted part of the federal IT lexicon. However, there continues to be a need for more thorough understanding of the cloud’s deployment models, unique security implications, and data management challenges. Agency executives should not focus on cloud technology itself; rather, they should focus on the desired outcome driving the need for cloud adoption.
CIOs need to work with their line of business executives and program managers to develop and deploy effective cloud roadmaps that address pressing agency mission needs, taking into account costs savings and expected performance improvements. Agencies should analyze business needs and identify cloud solutions that best fit their requirements by making cloud adoption part of an overall IT portfolio management and sourcing strategy. NIST is currently working on a Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap that will be released in November. If linked to cloud provider products and services, it would greatly assist in this decision-making.
Cultural resistance is also a major challenge. Cloud adoption requires moving away from
managing physical assets to buying services. As GSA’s own experience has shown, these
issues can be effectively addressed. Critical success factors include robust communication,
practical training and emphasis on the benefits of cloud, and especially on the control agencies gain by buying what they need and defining performance metrics that are tied to desired performance results. GSA found that having a group of early adopters fostered buy-in and enthusiasm, and provided a ready corps of skilled users.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, General Services Administration is leading the Administration’s charge to make government more open, transparent, and effective for the citizens it serves. In our increasingly data-centric and network-based world and workplace, effective and efficient procurement and implementation of information technology will be paramount in making sure the federal government closes the IT performance gap between it and the private sector. Cloud computing and data center consolidation are key initiatives that should be pursued aggressively to achieve needed costs savings and improve effectiveness of government operations.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear today. I look forward to answering questions from you and members of the Subcommittee.
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SALUTES MILITARY FAMILIES AT H.S. GRADUATION
FROM: AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Biden Salutes Military Families at High School Graduation
By Lisa Daniel
WASHINGTON, June 15, 2012 - Vice President Joe Biden yesterday paid tribute to military families at a high school graduation ceremony in Virginia Beach, Va., where many students and staff are connected to the services.
At least 37 graduates of Tallwood High School's 2012 graduating class plan to enlist, Biden said as he gave the commencement address.
"It's great to be in a town that has such respect for our military and such great tradition, and such a wonderful group of graduates," Biden said. He asked the graduates who have military family members to raise their hands and be recognized, then asked those in the audience to stand if they served in the military and served overseas. "We owe you," he said as they stood, "we owe you."
The vice president noted that more than 2.8 million Americans have served in the military since 9/11. More than half "have been in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq, many of them multiple times," he said. "Your parents and siblings put their lives on the line for this country. And they were asked to do so much more than just fight."
"You're inheriting an incredible tradition, because they were asked to take on responsibilities beyond their base or battlefield," he continued. "Young men and women that I have witnessed more than two dozen times, steeped in military doctrine, have had to master the intricacies of tribal politics, deal with issues ranging from lack of electricity to unemployment, to currency exchange to taxation."
Biden saluted the "remarkable, remarkable group of military men and women we have today -- the finest generation of warriors in the history of not only the United States, but the history of the world. So thank you all who have served. "
Biden also thanked the families of those who deployed for their service. He quoted the 17th century British poet, John Milton, who wrote, "They also serve who only stand and wait," and noted his son Beau Biden's year-long deployment to Iraq. "I watched the impact on my grandchildren -- the games missed, the birthdays missed, the Christmases missed, the empty seat at Thanksgiving dinner," he said.
"So from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank all of you who are the brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, spouses of those who have put themselves in harm's way in the last decade and beyond," the vice president said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Biden told the graduates that the school, which houses a Global Studies and World Languages Academy, prepared them for more than "just mastering their studies." One thing the students learned, he said, "is that in order for this nation to lead the world and you to be leaders in the world, you have to understand the world. You have to participate in the world."
Biden said he was impressed that 76 graduates took part in the academy, and learned to speak at least one foreign language. "You've had a chance to put those language skills to the test by video-conferencing with others halfway around the world," he said. "And I guarantee you most of you will have a chance to put it to the test on the foreign soil of the language you've mastered. We will need you there."
The graduates studied global governments and cultures, people and their backgrounds, and learned to respect different viewpoints, Biden said. "Most of all, you've gained perspective, whether it's in the service of your family or in participating in a program. And that matters," he said.
"No one can tell you how small the world has become better than those who raised their hands a few moments ago who served abroad," Biden said. "As this world of ours continues to shrink, what happens in a remote province in Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, is known around the world in a matter of minutes."
Biden said he had simple advice for the graduates: Think big and imagine. Their greatest challenge, he said, will be in learning how to deploy emerging technologies wisely.
"Deploying it wisely means infusing technology with our oldest values -- values that you have learned here," he said. "The values of tolerance, respect, understanding. These are not some obsolete, old notions that don't matter anymore. The more advanced and shrunk the world becomes, the more critical those values become. They mean more than ever."
The vice president said he is confident in the graduates' abilities to meet U.S. and global challenges head on.
"I am absolutely confident in your ability to meet the challenges I have laid out head on, and to bend them -- to bend them -- to your will in your and our moral precepts," he said. "I'm confident of that because of where you come from, how you were raised, what you learned at this fine school, but most of all because who you are."
FINDING JOBS FOR SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS
Labor Department Paves Job Path for Service Members, Vets
By Terri Moon Cronk
FORT MEADE, Md., June 14, 2012 - Department of Labor officials are reaching out to let transitioning service members and veterans know about the department's many training programs to give them a successful path to employment.
From workshops to job fairs and one-on-one training, DOL is committed to connecting veterans with jobs, Junior Ortiz, DOL's deputy assistant secretary for Veterans' Employment, told American Forces Press Service.
"We are the employment arm of the government [and] the DOL is charged to take care of employment issues, ... but specifically for our veterans," he said. "We must make sure our veterans are employed."
Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis is "very committed to making sure that we take care of our veterans," Ortiz said. Solis has said, 'Our veterans have taken care of us. Now it's time for us to take care of them,'" he said.
As many as 1.5 million service members are expected to transition out of the military during the next five years, said Ortiz, a former Marine Corps officer.
"We have a lot of young men and women coming out of the service who are having a hard time finding something," he said, "because they don't realize the resources are out there ... to help them find good opportunities and perhaps great careers."
"We prepare them, we provide the information and skills they need to find good jobs and we protect their rights," he said.
"DOL has so many facilities and so many pieces that help a veteran, it's like being on a military team," he added.
Ortiz outlined just a few of DOL's resources for transitioning service members and veterans:
--The Transition Assistance Program, also known as the Employment Workshop, ensures service members have the information they need to make a successful transition back to civilian life, and helps them determine how their military skills transfer to civilian jobs – something Ortiz says people underestimate.
"That's one of the biggest problems we have," he said of service members who aren't sure how to market themselves for a job. "We teach them how to translate [their military experience] to a resume and their skill sets into viable aspects so they can get a job," he said.
--The One-Stop-Career centers -- 2,800 nationwide -- help people obtain training and other support to secure a job. The center serves as a resource to explore careers, salaries and benefits, obtain education and training, do job searches, learn how to write resumes and do interviews.
Transitioning service members become part of the DOL's Gold Card Initiative following completion of TAP. The gold card gives them six months of intensive one-on-one work with a veterans outreach program. "The gold card is a great way to get them to a One-Stop-Career center and set them up for a good job," Ortiz said.
-- My Next Move for veterans helps transitioning service members determine their eligibility for jobs. By putting their military occupational specialty into a program to find a civilian-equivalent job, they're coached on how to compete for a job, what it pays, and how and where those particular jobs are available across the country, Ortiz said. The program also allows service members to apply for jobs online.
-- Hiring Our Heroes is a DOL program that partners with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to conduct job fairs in cities across the country, Ortiz said. Hiring officials from the local area talk to transitioning service members and veterans about their companies, and can interview and even hire them on the spot or later, he said.
-- The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program is training in which DOL, the Veterans Affairs Department and other agencies work together to give veterans' employment "the full push," Ortiz said. DOL and the VA have created a seamless transition in VRAP, he said, to help veterans find jobs. It is open only to veterans who are between the ages of 35 and 60, unemployed and have exhausted all benefits for job training.
Under VRAP, Ortiz said, DOL determines a veteran's eligibility, then VA works with them to decide what abilities they have. The VA also arranges for training and certification in their field, and returns them to DOL to begin looking for work through the One-Stop-Career center program.
Service members have grown up in the military culture of success, and working as a team is their mindset until they look for a job on their own, Ortiz said.
"They don't have that person in front, beside or behind them to protect them anymore," he said. "We train them to be successful. ... We want to transition them and let them know that they, in fact, do have a person in front, right next to them and behind them."
Because service members sometimes struggle to translate military skills into civilian job skills, Ortiz suggests hiring officials put the resume aside in an interview and rely more on talking to the veteran applicant. "Nine times out of ten, what the hiring official is looking for, that individual already has," he said.
"I tell [hiring managers], 'Do you really think an 18-year-old kid who came into the service and learned how to put together and take apart a radar system of an F-18 aircraft really had all those skill sets when he first walked in? He or she had to learn those things. And if they're able to do that, imagine what they'll be able to do in any company.'"
There also are the "intangibles" of employing veterans, he said, such as loyalty, duty, honor, trustworthiness, a solid work ethic, and how as team members, they work under pressure.
"You have someone who will work because it's part of their culture," Ortiz said. "They want to be successful ... and bringing that success in will also build the company up."
Saturday, June 16, 2012
ALLEGED CREDIT CARD TRAFFICKER EXTRADITED FROM FRANCE TO THE U.S.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Alleged International Credit Card Trafficker “Badb” Extradited from France to the United States
WASHINGTON – Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin, aka “BadB” of Moscow, an alleged international credit card trafficker thought to be one of the most prolific sellers of stolen credit card data, has been extradited from France to the United States to face criminal charges filed in the District of Columbia and in the Northern District of Georgia.
The extradition was announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. for the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates of the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Assistant Director for Investigations David J. O’Connor, and Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Lamkin of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.
Horohorin, 27, made his first appearance before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle in the District of Columbia yesterday. He was extradited to the United States on June 6, 2012, and was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay in the District of Columbia on June 7, 2012. He was ordered detained pending trial.
“According to the indictment, Mr. Horohorin was one of the most notorious credit card traffickers in the world, transacting in stolen credit information across the globe,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Due to our strong relationships with our international law enforcement partners, we secured his extradition to the United States, where he now faces multiple criminal counts in two separate indictments. We will continue to do everything we can to bring cybercriminals to justice, including those who operate beyond our borders.”
“Our indictment alleges that this young man used his technological savvy to profit by selling stolen credit card information over the Internet on a massive scale,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “We are pleased that he has been extradited to the United States to face these criminal charges in a District of Columbia courtroom. This prosecution demonstrates that those who try to rip off Americans from behind a computer screen across an ocean will not escape American justice.”
“The Secret Service is committed to identifying and apprehending those individuals that continue to attack American financial institutions and we will continue to work through our international and domestic law enforcement partners in order to accomplish this,” said USSS Assistant Director O’Connor.
“International cyber criminals who target American citizens and businesses often believe they are untouchable because they are overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Yates. “But as this case demonstrates, we will work relentlessly with our law enforcement partners around the world to charge, find and bring those criminals to justice.”
“Horohorin’s extradition to the United States demonstrates the FBI’s expertise in conducting long-term investigations into complex criminal computer intrusions, resulting in bringing the most egregious cyber criminals to justice, even from foreign shores,” said Special Agent in Charge Lamkin. “The combined efforts of law enforcement agencies to include our international partners around the world will ensure this trend continues.”
Horohorin was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia in November 2009 on charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. In a separate investigation, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned a superseding indictment against Horohorin in August 2010, charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and access device fraud. In August 2010, French law enforcement authorities, working with the U.S. Secret Service, identified Horohorin in Nice, France, and arrested him as he was attempting to board a flight to return to Moscow.
According to the indictment filed in the District of Columbia, Horohorin was the subject of an undercover investigation by USSS agents. Horohorin, who is a citizen of Israel, Russia and Ukraine, allegedly used online criminal forums such as “CarderPlanet” and “carder.su” to sell stolen credit card information, known as “dumps,” to online purchasers around the world. According to the indictment, Horohorin, using the online name “BadB,” advertised the availability of stolen credit card information through these web forums and directed purchasers to create accounts at “dumps.name,” a fully-automated dumps vending website operated by Horohorin and hosted outside the United States. The website was designed to assist in the exchange of funds for the stolen credit card information. Horohorin allegedly directed buyers to fund their “dumps.name” account using funds transferred by services including “Webmoney,” an online currency service hosted in Russia. The purchaser would then access the “dumps.name” website and select the desired stolen credit card data. Using an online undercover identity, USSS agents negotiated the sale of numerous stolen credit card dumps.
According to the indictment filed in the Northern District of Georgia, Horohorin was one of the lead cashers in an elaborate scheme in which 44 counterfeit payroll debit cards were used to withdraw more than $9 million from over 2,100 ATMs in at least 280 cities worldwide in a span of less than 12 hours. Computer hackers broke into a credit card processor located in the Atlanta area, stole debit card account numbers, and raised the balances and withdrawal limits on those accounts while distributing the account numbers and PIN codes to lead cashers, like Hororhorin, around the world.
Horohorin faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of access device fraud, 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud and a statutory consecutive penalty of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft count.
The charges in the indictments are merely allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The District of Columbia case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Carol Sipperly, Ethan Arenson and Corbin Weiss of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Weiss also serves as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia case is being investigated by USSS. Key assistance was provided by the French Police Nationale Aux Frontiers and the Netherlands Police Agency National Crime Squad High Tech Crime Unit. The FBI Atlanta field office provided information helpful to the investigation.
The Northern District of Georgia case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nick Oldham and Lawrence R. Sommerfeld and Trial Attorney Sipperly of CCIPS. The Atlanta case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistance was provided by numerous law enforcement partners. U.S. Secret Service provided information helpful to the investigation.
The Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division provided invaluable assistance.
COLD WAR HERO CAPT. GARY FRANCIS POWERS RECEIVES POSTHUMOUS SILVER STAR
FROM: AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Cold War Hero Powers Receives Posthumous Silver Star
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON, June 15, 2012 - More than half a century after his plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, the heroism Air Force Capt. Francis Gary Powers displayed while piloting his U-2 aicraft was finally recognized during a Pentagon ceremony today.
Powers, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star -- the nation's third-highest award for combat valor. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz presented the medal to Powers' grandson, Francis Gary "Trey" Powers and granddaughter Lindsey Berry.
The downing of his plane on May 1, 1960 was one of the most famous incidents of the Cold War. Powers was flying a clandestine mission in a U-2 over the former Soviet Union. The program, a Joint Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency mission, was a top-secret effort to monitor Soviet nuclear and missile programs.
Powers took off from Peshawar, Pakistan, and headed over the Central Asian Soviet republics. The U-2 cameras gathered invaluable information for the United States and its allies at a time when the Soviet Bear seemed to be on the ascent.
The Soviets had launched Sputnik -- the world's first satellite -- in 1957. John F. Kennedy -- then running for president -- deplored the "missile gap" between the United States and Soviet Union. It was the height of the Cold War with schoolchildren conducting "duck and cover" drills in case of nuclear attack. Most buildings had signs indicating the location of fallout shelters, rooms designed to protect against radiation contamination.
Powers' mission was to overfly Soviet missile sites, nuclear plants and rocket-launching facilities. Over Sverdlovsk his plane -- flying at more than 70,000 feet -- was hit by a SA-2 missile and brought down. Soviet forces captured Powers and he was held by the Soviet secret police, the KGB, in Lubyanka Prison in Moscow.
The shoot down sharply increased tensions between Washington and Moscow. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had to admit that the United States was flying over another sovereign nation. Protests over this broke out in Japan and Europe. Relations with Pakistan deteriorated. A Big-4 Summit -- leaders of the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France and the United States -- scheduled for Paris was canceled. The Soviet Union made propaganda of the incident at the United Nations.
And the Soviets wanted more. Teams of KGB interrogators worked on Powers to get him to give up information or turn against his country. While they never beat him, they constantly threatened him with death, said his son Gary Francis Powers Jr.
Powers spent 21 months in a Moscow prison, Schwartz said. "For nearly 107 days, Captain Powers was interrogated and harassed by numerous Soviet secret police interrogation teams," the chief said. Powers also was held in solitary confinement.
"Although weakened by lack of food and denial of sleep and mental anguish of constant interrogation, Captain Powers refused all attempts to glean from him sensitive information that would have proved harmful to the defense and security of the United States," Schwartz said.
In February 1962, the Soviets exchanged Powers for Soviet spy KGB Col. Rudolph Abel. The handover was conducted on "The Bridge of Spies" in Berlin.
It was a sign of the times that Powers' return home was fraught with uncertainty and questions. A teacher told Dee Powers, the captain's daughter, that her father should have killed himself rather than getting captured. The program was still top secret and what Powers went through was classified. The captain received the CIA Intelligence Star for Valor in 1965 and the Senate Armed Services Committee declared that Powers had conducted himself, "as a fine man under dangerous circumstances."
The younger Powers started researching his father's case in the late 1980s. Much of it was classified. "I would speak about the U-2 incident at classes and people would think I was talking about the rock group," he said.
It wasn't until 1998, seven years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, that the CIA declassified records of the program and Powers' full heroism became known, said young Gary. At that point, the captain posthumously received the CIA Director's Award for Extreme Fidelity and Courage, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross and the Prisoner of War Medal.
Today's award of the Silver Star puts to rest the idea that somehow the captain behaved poorly in captivity, his son said.
"He loved his family, he loved flying and he loved his country," he said.
DOD IS "...LEVERAGING MOBILE DEVICE TECHNOLOGY...".
FROM: AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
DOD Releases Mobility Device Strategy
WASHINGTON, June 15, 2012 - The Department of Defense announced the release of a mobile device strategy that identifies information technology goals to capitalize on the full potential of mobile devices.
The strategy focuses on improving three areas critical to mobility: wireless infrastructure, mobile devices, and mobile applications, and works to ensure these areas remain reliable, secure and flexible enough to keep up with fast-changing technology, according to a DOD news release.
"The Department of Defense is taking a leadership role in leveraging mobile device technology to improve information sharing, collaboration and efficiencies," Teri Takai, DOD's chief information officer, said in the release. "As today's DOD personnel become increasingly mobile, a wide variety of devices offer unprecedented opportunities to advance the operational effectiveness of the DOD workforce. This strategy will allow mobile activities across the department to converge towards a common vision and approach."
The scope of the DOD mobile device user base is significant, according to the release, with more than 250,000 commercial mobile devices and several thousand Apple and Android operating systems, including pilots. The Mobile Device Strategy is intended to align the progress of these various mobile devices, pilots and initiatives across DOD under common objectives to ensure the warfighter benefits from these activities and aligns with efforts in the Joint Information Environment.
"The DOD Mobile Device Strategy takes advantage of existing technology, the ability to use or build custom apps, and a workforce increasingly comfortable with mobile devices," Takai said in the release. "This strategy is not simply about embracing the newest technology -- it is about keeping the DOD workforce relevant in an era when information and cyberspace play a critical role in mission success."
F-16C FIGHTING FALCON COMBAT TRAINING DURING RED FLAG ALASKA
FROM: U.S. NAVY
A U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft takes off for a combat training mission during Red Flag-Alaska 12-2 on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 12, 2012. The pilot is assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth
German air force Master Sgt. Diana Glamich conducts preflight checks on a GAF Eurofighter Typhoon before a combat training mission during Red Flag-Alaska 12-2 on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 11, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth
Two U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft return to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, after completing a combat training mission, June 11, 2012, during Red Flag-Alaska 12-2. The aircraft pilots are assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron. Red Flag-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise that provides joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support and large force employment training in a simulated combat environment. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth
A U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft takes off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, for a combat training mission, June 11, 2012, during Red Flag-Alaska 12-2. The aircraft pilot is assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzwort
NEW YORK STATE GETS OVER $7 MILLION FROM FEMA FOR HURRICANE IRENE RECOVERY EFFORTS
FROM: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced over $7 million in Federal grant funding to the State of New York for expenses associated with Suffolk County’s recovery from Hurricane Irene.
FEMA recently approved three debris removal projects within Suffolk County. Applications were approved for the Town of Smithtown, Town of Brookhaven, and Suffolk County. Combined, FEMA approved more than $7 million in federal funds to assist with these debris removal projects. The funds represent 75 percent of the total cost of the projects.
“FEMA is pleased to provide funding for these important projects in support of New York State’s recovery from Hurricane Irene,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Philip E. Parr.
Town of Smithtown: During the period from Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, 2011, Hurricane Irene's high winds and soaking rains caused 1,855 tons of debris within the Town of Smithtown. FEMA has approved $1,009,769 in funding to reimburse the Town for the federal share of the project to remove debris.
Town of Brookhaven: On Aug. 26, 2011, Hurricane Irene’s heavy rain and gale force winds caused over 16,894 tons of debris throughout the Town of Brookhaven. FEMA has approved $4,296,116 in funding to reimburse the Town for the federal share of the project to remove debris from within the Town limits.
Suffolk County: During the initial response to Hurricane Irene, Suffolk County activated personnel from all departments to assist in cleanup operations, utilizing its own equipment as well as hiring additional contractors with specialized equipment to provide additional help to collect, reduce and dispose of debris. The county submitted an application for reimbursement for costs associated with the emergency debris removal. FEMA has approved the county’s application, granting $1,745,715 to Suffolk County for a major debris removal project.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
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