Monday, October 29, 2012
U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND PREPARES TO DEPLOY AS HURRICANE SANDY MOVES IN
Storm waters floods Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light, N.J., and the surrounding area, Oct. 29, 2012, as Hurricane Sandy moves into the area. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge and coastal hurricane winds. U.S. Coast Guard photo
From a U.S. Northern Command News Release
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Oct. 29, 2012 – U.S. Northern Command is poised to provide Defense Department support to Federal Emergency Management Agency, tribal, state and local response efforts due to Hurricane Sandy.
Northcom Supports Government’s Storm Response Efforts
Part of Northcom’s defense support of civil authorities mission directs the command to plan and anticipate actions that it may need to take to support civil authorities.
Support efforts include:
-- Defense Department activation of defense coordinating officers and defense coordinating elements to support FEMA Regions 1, 2, and 3, with coordinating elements from Regions 4, 7, and 9 providing additional surge support to Regions 1, 2, and 3;
-- Northcom has identified active duty deputies to deploy in support of designated dual-status commanders, and is currently working with officials from Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. These active duty deputies facilitate active duty force employment under dual-status leadership should active duty assets be required.
-- Northcom has placed the following defense support of civil authorities forces on 24-hour "Prepare to deploy" status in response to anticipated FEMA requests to mitigate or respond to effects of Hurricane Sandy: light- and medium-lift helicopters; medium- and heavy-lift helicopters; pararescue teams; information awareness and assessment aircraft; Tactical Common Data Link; Rover video receiver systems; and fixed-wing aircraft.
-- Northcom is deploying joint regional medical planners to the regions.
-- Northcom has activated Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.; and Dover Air Force Base, Del., as incident support bases for staging federal support equipment and supplies. Fort Devens, Mass., has been designated a federal team staging facility.
-- The Air Force Northern national security emergency preparedness directorate deployed emergency preparedness liaison officers to assist civil authorities in preparing for relief efforts.
-- Air Force Northern officials deployed joint air component coordination elements to Philadelphia, Boston and Trenton, N.J.
-- Northcom’s Joint Personnel Recovery Center, in support of Air Force Northern’s joint force air component commander, is pre-positioning search and rescue forces.
-- All Defense Department installations have been directed to offer support to local community requests for assistance, including providing staging and bed-down for utility recovery teams assigned to restore power.
NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR OCTOBER 29, 2012
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| Photo Credit: U.S. Navy. |
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 29, 2012 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed several insurgents during a security operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Afghanistan's Ghazni province today, military officials reported.
The security force came under small-arms fire from several insurgents as it approached the Taliban leader's suspected location. The security force returned fire, killing the insurgents.
The combined force also detained a suspected insurgent and seized a machine gun with a large quantity of ammunition, several assault-style rifles, a pistol and assorted ammunition.
In other Afghanistan operations today:
-- A combined force in Kandahar province arrested a Taliban leader believed to be responsible for high-profile attack planning, facilitating weapons for insurgents and leading a group of Taliban fighters.
-- In Logar province, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Haqqani network leader believed to coordinate attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.
-- A combined force in Khost province detained a suspected insurgent during a search for a Haqqani network leader suspected of planning ambush attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces and helping to facilitate weapons for insurgents.
EUROPE IS STILL PART OF EARTH ACCORDING TO U.S.
Photo Credit: NASAEurope Remains Important to New Strategy, General SaysBy Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2012 - Europe remains important, even as the United States shifts its strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army said during a Defense Writers Group breakfast here today.
"Europe remains one of our key strategic partners, Lt. Gen. Mark P. Hertling said. "If you take a look at the rebalancing strategy toward the Pacific, ... Europe still has a very important part to play."
European nations are contributing significantly to U.S. alliances, the general said, noting that 40,000 soldiers from allied countries are serving in Afghanistan. "Ninety-one percent of those ... come from the European footprint," he added. "These are people that we helped train, that we exercise with, that we partner with, that we conduct engagements with."
Even with the shift to the Pacific, European nations provide a lot of capability, Hertling said. Their commitment to the defense of South Korea is one example, he told the group, and the European nations have many other interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
Still, he said, the U.S. presence in Europe is dropping. Last week, Hertling presided at a ceremony that cased the colors of the 170th Brigade at Baumholder, Germany, and he will soon case the colors of another U.S. brigade. "We are trying to right-size the [U.S.] force in Europe," he said.
The Cold War is over, and no one knows it better than the commander of U.S. Army Europe. The need for large tank formations on the continent is gone, he said, so even with the loss of the two brigades, the Army will have what it needs to conduct missions in Europe, including contingency operations, partnership exercises and theater security operations.
Last year, the general noted, U.S. Army Europe troops conducted 1,100 security operations missions, and missions continue.
U.S. Army Europe is part of Exercise Austere Challenge, which kicked off this week in Israel, and the command plays a part in the Northern Distribution Network, getting supplies for U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan. "We continue to run things like missile defense, countercyber exercises, logistics support to allies [and] support to NATO and contingency operations," Hertling said.
In addition, a peacekeeping effort continues in Europe. More than 1,000 American service members are part of NATO's Kosovo Force in the former Yugoslavia. Most of the troops in the operation are Army National Guardsmen. U.S. Army Europe is responsible for providing the final training the troops receive before deploying to Kosovo and for the logistics they receive while in country.
"We have reinforced that brigade on several occasions when there have been crises," Hertling said. "They continue to do significant stability operations in Kosovo, training the Kosovar forces as well as patrolling. It is still ... calm, but tense, in Kosovo. It gets tenser at times, depending on what's going on."
LARGEST MISSILE DEFENSE FLIGHT TEST IN HISTORY
121025-N-ZZ999-002 MECK ISLAND, Republic of the Marshall Islands (Oct. 25, 2012) A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor missile is launched from Meck Island to intercept a ballistic missile target during a Missile Defense Agency integrated flight test. Americas Sailors are Warfighters, a fast and flexible force deployed worldwide. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. U.S. Navy photo/Released
Ballistic Missile Defense System Successfully Conducts Largest Missile Defense Flight Test in History
U.S. Missile Defense Agency
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully conducted the largest, most complex missile defense flight test ever attempted, Oct. 24.
MDA, Soldiers from the 94th and 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC); Sailors aboard USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62); and Airmen from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center conducted test, resulting in the simultaneous engagement of five ballistic missile and cruise missile targets.
An integrated air and ballistic missile defense architecture used multiple sensors and missile
defense systems to engage multiple targets at the same time. All targets were successfully launched and initial indications are that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system successfully intercepted its first medium-range ballistic target in history, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) near simultaneously destroyed a short-range ballistic missile and a low flying cruise missile target over water.
The live-fire demonstration, conducted at U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site, Hickam Air Force Base, and surrounding areas in the western Pacific, stressed the performance of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), THAAD, and Patriot weapon systems.
An Extended Long Range Air Launch Target (E-LRALT) missile was air-dropped over the broad ocean area north of Wake Island from a U.S. Air Force C-17
aircraft, staged from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The AN/TPY-2 X-band radar, located with the THAAD system on Meck Island, tracked the E-LRALT and a THAAD interceptor successfully intercepted the medium-range ballistic missile. THAAD was operated by Soldiers from the 32nd AAMDC.
Another short-range ballistic missile was launched from a mobile launch platform located in the broad ocean area northeast of Kwajalein Atoll. The Patriot system, manned by Soldiers of the 94th AAMDC, detected, tracked and successfully intercepted the target with a PAC-3 interceptor.
USS Fitzgerald successfully engaged a low flying cruise missile over water. The Aegis system also tracked and launched an SM-3 Block 1A interceptor against a short-range ballistic missile. However, despite indication of a nominal flight of the SM-3 Block 1A interceptor, there was no indication of an intercept of the SRBM.
FTI-01 was a combined developmental and operational test. Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen from multiple Combatant Commands operated the systems and were provided a unique opportunity to refine operational doctrine and tactics. Program officials continue to assess and evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.
Ballistic Missile Defense System programs have completed 56 successful hit-to-kill intercepts in 71 flight test attempts since 2001.
DOMINICA NATIONAL DAY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Dominica National Day Message
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 24, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes and congratulations to the people of Dominica as you celebrate 34 years of independence this November 3.
The United States and Dominica remain united by shared history, values, and strong cultural ties. Our collaboration within programs such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief advances our common aspirations and strengthens democracy, rule of law, and human rights. Our joint efforts will increase security, improve access to health care, improve economic opportunities, and create a brighter future for all our people.
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| Map Credit: CIA World Factbook |
The United States is committed to strengthening our bonds of friendship. I wish you a happy, safe, and prosperous independence day as you enjoy some of Dominica’s best music and dance during the Cultural Gala and honor your country’s heritage during the annual parade.
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| View of the south side of the island. Dominica features lush mountainous rain forests, and is the home of many rare plant, animal, and bird species (including the Sisserou Parrot featured on its flag). Credit: CIA World Factbook. |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.
NUCLEAR RISK REDUCTION RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY
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| Photo: Little Boy Atomic Bomb. Credit: Wikimedia. |
FROM U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC) Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Remarks
Rose Gottemoeller
Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security
Washington, DC
October 24, 2012
As Prepared
Thank you to everyone for being here today and thank you to the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC) Staff for hosting us. It is wonderful to see some old familiar faces, as well as some young new ones. My special thanks to Russian Embassy DCM Oleg Stepanov. We are so glad that you could be here to share in this special celebration.
A little over 25 years ago, this center was just a bold concept generated by foreign policy heavyweights including Senator John Warner, Senator Sam Nunn and the incomparable former Secretary of State George Shultz. In 1985, Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev officially agreed to explore the concept of national centers to reduce nuclear tensions, avoid crisis escalation and create transparency. By September 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the first NRRC Agreement. President Reagan called the agreement "another practical step in our [two nations'] efforts to reduce the risks of conflict."
Less than a year later, the first notifications were transmitted between the United States and the Soviet Union, creating the first direct communications link between the countries since the establishment of the Hot Line in 1963. In the 25 years since its inception, the NRRC has been a key asset and resource for implementing U.S. arms control data sharing and transparency policy initiatives. These initiatives have provided mutual confidence and predictability in U.S.-Russian relations.
In addition to fostering stable communications with Russia, the NRRC’s activities have expanded considerably over the past 25 years. Today, the NRRC exchanges an average of 7,000 messages annually for over a dozen treaties and agreements with fifty-plus countries and international organizations, in six languages.
The NRRC has played a core role in the implementation of New START. The United States and the Russian Federation have exchanged over 3,100 notifications on their respective strategic forces over the life of the Treaty so far. Every one of those notifications has been processed by the staff you see here today. On-site inspections that enable each side to confirm the validity of that data are also going well. Our experience so far demonstrates that New START’s verification regime works and sets an important precedent for future joint work.
Planning for the future is one of the main reasons we are here today in the NRRC’s newly modernized facility. The work done here is highly technical in nature and it is critical that we keep up with the dynamic technological landscape. The new NRRC is designed to improve operational efficiency and treaty notification monitoring using video collaboration systems, computer processing technology, and better office functionality.
The NRRC also continually adapts and evolves to meet our needs. In preparation for the implementation of New START, the NRRC developed an entirely new software protocol and upgraded its automated translation tool to facilitate the required notification regime.
All of these upgrades that you see around you or have heard about will enable the NRRC to continue implementing existing treaties and agreements, as well as prepare for future treaties and agreements.
I want to take a moment to thank the team of professionals who work every day, around-the-clock in the NRRC; you do an outstanding job. It is only fitting that you now have a first-class, modernized, 24-hour a day center to help you to advance international safety and security. I sincerely appreciate your efforts to put this event together today, as well as the work that you do every single day, unseen by the public.
I am now pleased to introduce Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Secretary Clinton has long been an advocate of arms control and nonproliferation and has been a great supporter of this Bureau and this office. We are so pleased that you are here to officially open this new facility.
ILLINOIS RESIDENT SETTLES FRAUD CHARGES FOR $1.8 MILLION
FROM: U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSIONCFTC Orders Illinois Resident Joshua T.J. Russo to Pay More than $1.8 Million in Restitution and Penalties for Futures and Options Fraud and Unauthorized Trading
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an order filing and settling charges against Joshua T.J. Russo of Chicago, Ill., for fraudulently soliciting at least one customer to participate in a fictitious commodity futures and options pool, engaging in unauthorized trading, and issuing false account statements.
The CFTC order requires Russo to pay restitution of $960,000, a $645,000 civil monetary penalty, and disgorgement of $215,000. The order permanently prohibits Russo from engaging in any commodity-related activity, including trading, and from registering or seeking exemption from registration with the CFTC. The order also permanently prohibits Russo from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, as charged.
The CFTC order finds that, from around March 2007 through April 2011, Russo, as a registered Associated Person of an independent Introducing Broker (IB), fraudulently solicited at least one of the IB’s customers by telling the customer that he would be a general partner in a fictitious pool called Peak Performance Fund, LP (PPF). According to the order, Russo issued false statements to the PPF customer in the form of purported PPF audited financial statements and in the form of weekly spreadsheets that Russo represented were summaries of the customer’s account values. In fact, however, the statements grossly overinflated the value of the customer’s accounts, the order finds.
In addition, the order finds that Russo provided at least five other customers with similar spreadsheets that grossly inflated the value of the customers’ accounts. Russo also engaged in a significant amount of unauthorized trading in these customers’ accounts, and in the accounts of three other customers, the order finds. Russo engaged in speculative trading for at least one customer, contrary to the hedging strategy that Russo represented he would utilize, according to the order.
According to the order, Russo’s eight customers deposited at least $3 million into trading accounts to trade commodity futures and options in managed and self-directed accounts. Russo, through his false statements to the eight customers, concealed his unauthorized trading and overall trading losses of approximately $1.7 million, the order finds.
On October 25, 2012, Russo was charged with a single count of commodities fraud in a related criminal action (USA v. Russo, 1: 12-cr-00836). His arraignment is currently scheduled for November 1, 2012.
The CFTC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and the National Futures Association.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Katherine S. Driscoll, Michael Solinsky, Michelle Bougas, Kassra Goudarzi, Melanie Bates, Gretchen L. Lowe, and Vincent A. McGonagle
DOLPHIN 2012 CONCLUDES
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEU.S. Navy teams work with specially trained dolphins during an exercise designed to help the Montenegrin navy detect underwater explosives left over from war. State Department photo, courtesy of U.S. Embassy Montenegro
Dolphin 12 Training Concludes in Montenegro
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2012 - Advancing U.S. European Command's efforts to build partnerships and partner capacity across the continent, U.S. Navy divers and six bottlenose dolphins wrapped up a month-long exercise yesterday, during which they trained Montenegrin navy divers to locate and clear underwater mines and explosives dating back to World War I.
Dolphin 2012 concluded yesterday in Tivat, Montenegro, with the Navy presenting $70,000 in dive equipment to help their Montenegrin counterparts establish an underwater clearance capability, U.S. Embassy officials reported.
The presentation capped a month of training in the Boka-Kotorska Bay by members of the San Diego-based Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 1 and the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.
Using specially trained dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, the participants demonstrated how to identify sea mines or explosive remnants, some that have been on the ocean floor for more than 80 years, officials said.
During the training, the dolphins used their exceptional biological sonar capabilities to locate mine-like objects and mark them with GPS coordinates. At the exercise's conclusion, the participants presented the Montenegrin government officials a grid listing all objects found and their locations, officials said.
Dolphin 12 was part of a multiyear U.S. program to help Montenegro detect potentially dangerous objects within its waters and build its capacity to rehabilitate areas plagued by remnants of war, officials said.
The effort is being funded by Eucom's Humanitarian Mine Action Program and the State Department's Humanitarian Demining Training Center and Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
Dolphins have an extraordinary sonar capability that surpasses anything human divers or the latest technology developments can provide, officials from the Navy Marine Mammal Program said. The Navy relies on specially trained dolphins as well as sea lions to detect sea mines, that, if not found, could sink ships, destroy landing craft and kill or injure people, program officials explained.
The dolphins used in the training receive two to three years of specialty training before working on underwater security projects. In addition, they are cared for with around-the-clock medical and dental care and enjoy a diet of restaurant-grade fish.
The Navy's dolphins operate in the open oceans without tethers, and no Navy marine mammal has been a casualty in any hostile conflict, officials reported.
SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY AND THE U.S. NATIONAL GUARD
Army Spc. Manda Walters attaches a satellite dish to the Defense Video Imagery Distribution System's mobile satellite during training at Camp Rapid, S.D., Oct. 23, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Julieanne Morse
Face of Defense: Guard Members Embrace Satellite Technology
By Army Spc. Manda Walters
American Forces Press Service
RAPID CITY, S.D., Oct. 26, 2012 - Soldiers with the South Dakota Army National Guard's 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment trained on state-of-the-art satellite equipment Oct. 22-24 here at Camp Rapid in preparation for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
The Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System's mobile satellite, known as DVIDS Direct, will give the unit, made up of journalists and broadcasters, the capability of providing U.S. news media with real-time broadcast-quality video, photography and print products.
"The unit could broadcast high-profile events live," said Donovan Hill, a support engineer with NORSAT Inc., who provided the training. "DVIDS Direct was used in the spring of 2012 to feed video of the president's address from Bagram Airfield."
DVIDS Direct will also allow the 129th to provide media outlets with immediate interview opportunities with service members, commanders and subject matter experts.
"This technology allows television or radio stations the opportunity to interview soldiers from their community, live on-the-air," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Theanne Tangen, operations noncommissioned officer. "The system will also provide our unit internet capabilities, allowing us to upload our content in remote areas that are without the internet."
The training focused on introducing members of the 129th to satellite terminology and the technical aspect of satellite news gathering.
"The unit has not used satellite systems prior to the training, so we were shown everything from setting up the satellite dishes, to operating the software and transmitting video," Tangen said. "We went through the entire process enough times that we're confident in our abilities and look forward to using the technology overseas to help us reach an even bigger audience."
The 129th will add two DVIDS Direct systems to their inventory, which will be used in Afghanistan and when they return home.
"DVIDS Direct will let us distribute our products immediately to media outlets worldwide, whether we are in South America covering stories on our State Partnership Program or here in South Dakota reporting on the National Guard's role in statewide emergencies like the Missouri River Flood," said Army Sgt. Jacqueline Fitzgerald, broadcast noncommissioned officer.
"This technology will enhance our ability to provide media with reliable access to all branches of the U.S. armed forces and coalition partners serving overseas," Tangen said. "It also helps us fulfill the military's obligation to provide maximum disclosure of information with minimum delay."
Sunday, October 28, 2012
GULLIES ON MARS
FROM: NASA
Gullies in Southern Winter
Crisp details in a suite of mid-latitude gullies on a crater wall are captured in this Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera view obtained in southern winter on Oct. 12, 2006. During southern winter, shadows are more pronounced and the atmosphere is typically quite clear. These gullies, which may have formed in relatively recent Martian history by erosion caused by flowing, liquid water, are located in a crater on the east rim of Newton Crater near 40.4°S, 155.3°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 miles) wide.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA APPOINTS COMMANDERS IN PREPARATION OF HURRICANE SANDY
Panetta Appoints 'Dual' Commanders for Hurricane Relief
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has appointed "dual status" commanders – those authorized to command both federal and state National Guard forces – in preparation for Hurricane Sandy.
As federal and state officials prepare for Sandy to make landfall between the Delaware and New York coasts tomorrow, Panetta agreed with the governors of several northeast coastal states to appoint the commanders "with the goal of helping to save lives and property during the storm," a Pentagon spokesman said in a press release issued yesterday.
"This special authority enables [the commanders] to effectively integrate the defense support operations and capabilities that governors request," the official said. Panetta made the appointments at the request of the governors of Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he said.
"The secretary is prepared to quickly agree to similar requests from other states," he said.
The dual-status commander concept was created in 2009 and the first commander designees were appointed in August 2011 to prepare for Hurricane Irene, according to a Pentagon press release then.
DOD also is supporting Hurricane Sandy preparedness with its U.S. Northern Command, which has put aviation assets such as light- and medium-lift helicopters and rescue teams on 24-hour status to prepare to deploy in response to the storm, the release says. Northcom also is providing military installations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use in its response operations, it says.
The National Guard Bureau is coordinating with the adjutants general and their disaster response teams in every East Coast state, the release says.
RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS
FROM: U.S. NAVYThe guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) launches a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) as apart of a joint ballistic missile defense exercise. America's Sailors are Warfighters, a fast and flexible force deployed worldwide. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. U.S. Navy photo (Released) 121025-N-ZZ999-201
Pyrotechnics explode simulating a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in front of the guided-missile frigate USS Ford (FFG 54) on the south wharf of Naval Station Everett during Citadel Protect, one of Naval Station Everett's annual anti-terrorism training exercises. America's Sailors are Warfighters, a fast and flexible force deployed worldwide. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Lockwood (Released) 121025-N-AE328-218
PAROLE OFFICER INDICTED FOR PART IN BRIBERY SCHEME
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEFormer Texas Parole Officer Indicted for Bribery Scheme Involving Assigned Parolee
WASHINGTON – A former Texas state parole officer was arrested today in Dallas on charges of engaging in a bribery scheme involving one of her assigned parolees, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned a two-count indictment yesterday charging Nichelle Derricks, 37, of Cedar Hill, Texas, with one count of honest services wire fraud and one count of federal programs bribery.
According to the indictment, while serving as a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) parole officer, Derricks and one of her assigned parolees developed an improper relationship in which Derricks secretly used her official position with TDCJ to enrich herself and others by soliciting and receiving cash payments, gifts, furniture, household goods and items, food and beverages, and other things of value from the parolee in exchange for favorable official action benefitting the parolee. The scheme, according to the indictment, was conducted without the authorization, knowledge or approval of TDCJ and contrary to TDCJ procedures and requirements.
The indictment further alleges that Derricks repeatedly allowed the parolee to violate the terms of his parole by, among other things, permitting him to travel outside Texas without prior, written approval and by allowing the parolee to engage in prohibited financial transactions. According to the indictment, such favorable treatment allowed the parolee to facilitate a massive scheme to defraud investors through an oil and gas company founded and operated by the parolee while he was on state parole.
If convicted, Derricks faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison on the honest services wire fraud charge and 10 years in prison on the federal programs bribery charge. Each charge also carries a maximum $250,000 fine.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys John P. Pearson, Edward P. Sullivan and Jeffrey E. Tsai of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The case is being investigated by the FBI Dallas Field Office, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the TDCJ Office of Inspector General.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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