FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, July 19, 2013
Eight Arrested in Puerto Rico on Charges of Illegal Trade in Endangered Sea Turtles for Human Consumption
Federal Agencies Announce Formation of Puerto Rico Environmental Crimes Task Force
Federal authorities arrested eight people in the cities of Arroyo and Patillas, Puerto Rico, yesterday on felony and misdemeanor charges for the illegal take, possession and sale of endangered sea turtles and their parts for human consumption as well as aiding and abetting violations of the Endangered Species and Lacey Act, announced Robert G. Dreher, the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Roberto Guzman Herpin, 34, Madelyne Montes Santiago, 37, Edwin Alamo Silva, 50, Juan Soto Rodriguez, 45, Ricardo Dejesus Alamo, 33, Jose Javier Rodriguez Sanchez, 40, Iris Lebron Montanez, 53, and Miguel Rivera Delgado, 55, all residents of Patillas and Arroyo, were arrested Thursday and made their appearances in federal court.
The takedown was led by special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), with assistance from the recently formed Puerto Rico Environmental Crimes Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Puerto Rico Police Department and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. Participating agencies of the task force currently include prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, FWS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the FBI.
In 2011, the FWS initiated an undercover operation to investigate the illegal trade in sea turtles for human consumption. During this investigation, it was determined that these illegal sales of sea turtle meat, confirmed through DNA analysis conducted by the FWS Forensic Lab, have resulted in the illegal take of 15 individual endangered hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricate) and 7 endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).
“Hawksbill and green sea turtles are protected by Puerto Rican law, nationally under the Endangered Species Act as well as internationally under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna),” said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Resident Agent in Charge David Pharo. “The protection from the illegal take and sale of this and of other marine life organisms is a priority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is instrumental to the health of marine ecosystems for where they exist. These charges stem from a collaborative effort amongst law enforcement agencies to achieve a common goal of protecting our nation’s sensitive marine environments. It demonstrates our commitment to pursue those who violate fish & wildlife laws for the purpose of personal and or commercial gain as well as those that drive the illegal trade of marine life nationally and internationally.”
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Márquez. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The waters around Puerto Rico are designated as a critical habitat for the hawksbill and the green sea turtle. The most significant nesting for the hawksbill within the U.S. occurs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each year, about 500-1000 hawksbill nests are laid on Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The green sea turtle population has declined by 48-65 percent over the past century. Puerto Rico is also home to nesting sites for the endangered leatherback sea turtle, the largest species of turtle in the world. The leatherback sea turtle suffered a severe population crash due to human harvesting of its meat and eggs, and the destruction of its nesting habitat by beachfront development.
The Puerto Rico Environmental Crimes Task Force
Also today, representatives of federal criminal investigative agencies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division announced the creation of a Puerto Rico Environmental Crimes Task Force to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes on the island.
The commonwealth of Puerto Rico contains six national wildlife refuges (Cabo Rojo, Culebra, Desecheo, Laguna Cartagena, Navassa Island, Vieques) and is home to 25 endangered and threatened animal species, 21 of which are found nowhere else on earth. For instance, there are only 200 Puerto Rican parrots (Amazona vittata) remaining, with less than 50 left in the wild, making it one of the 10 rarest birds on Earth. The island is also home to 49 endangered and threatened plant species. There are 37 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Superfund cleanup sites on Puerto Rico.
Through the new task force, federal investigative agencies will coordinate their efforts to investigate and prosecute those responsible for committing serious environmental crimes. Federal laws have been enacted to protect the environment, but their enforcement requires the coordinated efforts and involvement of multiple federal law enforcement agencies with the assistance local law enforcement and the citizenry. The task force has three specific goals:
• Improve investigative coordination among the federal authorities who are responsible for protecting public health and the environment.
• Coordinate the available federal resources and improve the dissemination of information between the federal law enforcement agencies to better protect human health and the environment.
• Improve environmental awareness of the community to recognize violations of federal environmental laws and regulations.
“Through the effective and efficient coordination of federal agencies who will jointly investigate and prosecute environmental crimes on the island, the task force will help preserve the island’s abundant natural resources and wildlife, including endangered sea turtles,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “It is our hope and vision that these efforts will raise greater awareness about environmental crime, bring those who knowingly harm the environment to justice, and help preserve the island’s environment for generations to come.”
“With the creation of this Task Force we aim to protect the environment and the public’s health from exposure to environmental hazards, said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who do not comply with the environmental laws of the United States.”
“Puerto Rico’s high asthma rates and its incredible natural resources make pollution prevention together with the rigorous enforcement of environmental laws critical to the people of Puerto Rico,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “By pooling EPA resources and those of other agencies, the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and EPA’s Caribbean Environmental Protection Division can maximize the ability to ensure that those who willfully violate environmental laws are held accountable.”
“The task force will strengthen already existing enforcement partnerships that help protect Puerto Rico’s wildlife and rich wildlife heritage,” said Special Agent in Charge Luis Santiago, who oversees U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement operations in southeastern states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“This enforcement task force will be a great help for us in our mission to conserve, protect, and manage living marine resources in the commonwealth,” said Otha Easley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement Southeast Division, which covers eight southern states and all U.S. Caribbean territories. “Puerto Rico has a rich and diverse ecosystem, and this partnership is a significant step forward in its protection.”
Friday, July 26, 2013
SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND EMPHASIZES BUILDING SPECIAL OPERATIONS CAPACITY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Special Operations Officials Emphasize Capacity Building
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2013 - Building on the lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Special Operations Command is refocusing on helping partner militaries across the geographic commands build special operations capacity, Socom's commander reported.
The drawdown in Afghanistan will free up more special operators to support other theaters, Navy Adm. William H. McRaven said during a July 19 panel discussion at the 2013 Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colo.
McRaven reported that he already has sat down with all of the geographic combatant commanders to discuss their objectives and determine how more special operations forces can support them.
Toward that goal, Socom is returning to its pre-9/11 concept of aligning forces to specific geographic areas and providing them cultural and language training for that region, he said.
By necessity, special operators shifted their focus to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 12 years, McRaven said, and fluency in languages other than Arabic, Dari and Pashto suffered. To rebuild lost skill sets, the command is reinvigorating its language and cultural awareness program and aligning it to the theaters "so that the right people speak the right languages and understand the right cultures in the right regions," the admiral added.
One of the big takeaways from Afghanistan has been the effectiveness of the command structure provided through the Special Operations Joint Task Force Afghanistan, he reported. It aligns all special operations missions across Afghanistan, to make them more coordinated and effective.
The task force has provided "effects that we hadn't seen in the previous decade," McRaven said. The challenge now, he told the forum, is to take the lessons learned and export them to other special operations missions around the world.
Special operators "will always be able to do the kinetic piece ... better than anyone else in the world," he said. "When somebody needs to rescue Americans or when someone needs to capture or kill the enemy, I think we have the best force in the world and will for a long time."
McRaven acknowledged, however, that "that's a small part of what we do in the special operations community."
Building partner capacity is the larger mission, he reported, and it currently involves about 3,000 special operations forces in about 84 countries outside Afghanistan. Working in small teams, they are helping partner-nation militaries build special operations capacity so their sovereign governments can deal with their own problems without the need for U.S. forces, he said.
These are core special operations capabilities that the special operations community has been conducting "for a very, very long time," McRaven said. "So any thought that this is a new idea is not correct," he added.
What has changed is the fiscal environment, he noted. "Now, we've got to do it in a little more structured fashion," McRaven said. "We have limited resources, [so] we've got to figure out where to apply those resources."
Michael A. Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, joined McRaven for the panel discussion. A former Green Beret, Sheehan recalled being among only about 12 special operations advisors in El Salvador during its civil war. "I think in many ways, we're going to go back to the future in terms of the SOF mission set," he said.
Counterterrorism is actually a two-part effort, both with a special operations forces component, Sheehan explained.
"One is [that] we have to deny sanctuary to terrorists. We can't let them sit and be comfortable, or they will be able to attack us strategically," he said. "And secondly, we need to pressure the network. We need to attack the leaders, safe houses, training sites, their assets, lines of communications, et cetera."
Typically, a special operations forces advisor works with a host-nation military to help train and equip the force and plan activities designed to deny space to the enemy, Sheehan said. "On the other side, we want to have a relationship, the training, advising, equipping for the host country's kinetic action for their direct action against the enemy," he explained.
The key, Sheehan said, is to identify the best way to train, equip and advise the host-nation forces so they can successfully conduct their own special operations missions.
"When we are successful in doing that, we have then pushed ourselves back into the secondary role and enabled host countries to defend their own country," Sheehan said. "And that's our goal for the next 10 years."
Special Operations Officials Emphasize Capacity Building
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2013 - Building on the lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Special Operations Command is refocusing on helping partner militaries across the geographic commands build special operations capacity, Socom's commander reported.
The drawdown in Afghanistan will free up more special operators to support other theaters, Navy Adm. William H. McRaven said during a July 19 panel discussion at the 2013 Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colo.
McRaven reported that he already has sat down with all of the geographic combatant commanders to discuss their objectives and determine how more special operations forces can support them.
Toward that goal, Socom is returning to its pre-9/11 concept of aligning forces to specific geographic areas and providing them cultural and language training for that region, he said.
By necessity, special operators shifted their focus to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 12 years, McRaven said, and fluency in languages other than Arabic, Dari and Pashto suffered. To rebuild lost skill sets, the command is reinvigorating its language and cultural awareness program and aligning it to the theaters "so that the right people speak the right languages and understand the right cultures in the right regions," the admiral added.
One of the big takeaways from Afghanistan has been the effectiveness of the command structure provided through the Special Operations Joint Task Force Afghanistan, he reported. It aligns all special operations missions across Afghanistan, to make them more coordinated and effective.
The task force has provided "effects that we hadn't seen in the previous decade," McRaven said. The challenge now, he told the forum, is to take the lessons learned and export them to other special operations missions around the world.
Special operators "will always be able to do the kinetic piece ... better than anyone else in the world," he said. "When somebody needs to rescue Americans or when someone needs to capture or kill the enemy, I think we have the best force in the world and will for a long time."
McRaven acknowledged, however, that "that's a small part of what we do in the special operations community."
Building partner capacity is the larger mission, he reported, and it currently involves about 3,000 special operations forces in about 84 countries outside Afghanistan. Working in small teams, they are helping partner-nation militaries build special operations capacity so their sovereign governments can deal with their own problems without the need for U.S. forces, he said.
These are core special operations capabilities that the special operations community has been conducting "for a very, very long time," McRaven said. "So any thought that this is a new idea is not correct," he added.
What has changed is the fiscal environment, he noted. "Now, we've got to do it in a little more structured fashion," McRaven said. "We have limited resources, [so] we've got to figure out where to apply those resources."
Michael A. Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, joined McRaven for the panel discussion. A former Green Beret, Sheehan recalled being among only about 12 special operations advisors in El Salvador during its civil war. "I think in many ways, we're going to go back to the future in terms of the SOF mission set," he said.
Counterterrorism is actually a two-part effort, both with a special operations forces component, Sheehan explained.
"One is [that] we have to deny sanctuary to terrorists. We can't let them sit and be comfortable, or they will be able to attack us strategically," he said. "And secondly, we need to pressure the network. We need to attack the leaders, safe houses, training sites, their assets, lines of communications, et cetera."
Typically, a special operations forces advisor works with a host-nation military to help train and equip the force and plan activities designed to deny space to the enemy, Sheehan said. "On the other side, we want to have a relationship, the training, advising, equipping for the host country's kinetic action for their direct action against the enemy," he explained.
The key, Sheehan said, is to identify the best way to train, equip and advise the host-nation forces so they can successfully conduct their own special operations missions.
"When we are successful in doing that, we have then pushed ourselves back into the secondary role and enabled host countries to defend their own country," Sheehan said. "And that's our goal for the next 10 years."
Thursday, July 25, 2013
DOJ ON OCCASION OF 23RD ANNIVERSARY OF ADA, CELEBRATES OPENING GATEWAY TO EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Celebrating 23 Years of the ADA – ADA Anniversary Week at the Department of Justice
July 23rd, 2013 Posted by The Department Of Justice
TUESDAY: Gateway to Emerging Technology
This week, in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the ADA, we recognize and celebrate the different gateways that the ADA is opening up to people with disabilities. Today we highlight the ADA as a gateway to emerging technology.
The explosion of new technology has dramatically changed the way America communicates, learns and does business. For many people with disabilities the benefits of this technology revolution remain beyond their reach. Many businesses websites and government entities are inaccessible to people with vision or hearing disabilities. Because websites are a primary means of accessing all kinds of goods, entertainment and government services, this lack of access excludes people with disabilities from modern society. Similarly, devices like electronic book (e-book) readers, whether used as textbooks in a classroom or to take out books from a local library, can be completely unusable by someone who is blind because accessible features they need, such as text-to-speech functions or menus and controls accessible by audio or tactile means, are not provided.
Websites and digital technologies can be made accessible, much like adding ramps to building entrances, but few entities are including available accessibility features in their technology. The Civil Rights Division is working to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind as new technology continues to emerge.
Increasing Technological Accessibility for Students with Disabilities at Louisiana Tech: Today, the Civil Rights Division announced a settlement agreement with Louisiana Tech University and the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System to address the use of inaccessible technology in the university setting. The settlement resolves claims that the university violated the ADA by using an online learning product that was allegedly inaccessible to a blind student. The student’s lack of access to the online course materials and homework lasted nearly a month into the university quarter, at which point the student was so far behind in his coursework that he had to withdraw from the course. The settlement also resolves allegations that in a later class, the same student was not provided accessible course materials for in-class discussion or exam preparation on time.
Under the settlement agreement, the university will adopt a number of accessibility policies, including the requirement to use only learning technology, web pages and course content that are accessible in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standard. The university will also make existing web pages and materials created since 2010 accessible. The agreement also requires the university and the Board to pay a total of $23,543 in damages to the student.
Making Accessible e-book Readers Available to Patrons with Disabilities at the Sacramento Public Library: In August 2012, the Civil Rights Division and the National Federation of the Blind entered into a settlement agreement with the Sacramento Public Library to resolve a complaint that the library’s use of certain e-readers in its e-reader lending program discriminated against people who are blind or have other vision disabilities because the e-readers did not have accessible features such as text-to-speech functions or the ability to access menus through audio or tactile means. Under the terms of the settlement, the library will no longer purchase inaccessible e-book readers for patron use. The library also agreed to buy several additional accessible e-readers and to train its staff about the ADA. As a result of this settlement, the library’s e-book lending program is accessible to patrons who are blind or have other vision disabilities.
Celebrating 23 Years of the ADA – ADA Anniversary Week at the Department of Justice
July 23rd, 2013 Posted by The Department Of Justice
TUESDAY: Gateway to Emerging Technology
This week, in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the ADA, we recognize and celebrate the different gateways that the ADA is opening up to people with disabilities. Today we highlight the ADA as a gateway to emerging technology.
The explosion of new technology has dramatically changed the way America communicates, learns and does business. For many people with disabilities the benefits of this technology revolution remain beyond their reach. Many businesses websites and government entities are inaccessible to people with vision or hearing disabilities. Because websites are a primary means of accessing all kinds of goods, entertainment and government services, this lack of access excludes people with disabilities from modern society. Similarly, devices like electronic book (e-book) readers, whether used as textbooks in a classroom or to take out books from a local library, can be completely unusable by someone who is blind because accessible features they need, such as text-to-speech functions or menus and controls accessible by audio or tactile means, are not provided.
Websites and digital technologies can be made accessible, much like adding ramps to building entrances, but few entities are including available accessibility features in their technology. The Civil Rights Division is working to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind as new technology continues to emerge.
Increasing Technological Accessibility for Students with Disabilities at Louisiana Tech: Today, the Civil Rights Division announced a settlement agreement with Louisiana Tech University and the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System to address the use of inaccessible technology in the university setting. The settlement resolves claims that the university violated the ADA by using an online learning product that was allegedly inaccessible to a blind student. The student’s lack of access to the online course materials and homework lasted nearly a month into the university quarter, at which point the student was so far behind in his coursework that he had to withdraw from the course. The settlement also resolves allegations that in a later class, the same student was not provided accessible course materials for in-class discussion or exam preparation on time.
Under the settlement agreement, the university will adopt a number of accessibility policies, including the requirement to use only learning technology, web pages and course content that are accessible in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standard. The university will also make existing web pages and materials created since 2010 accessible. The agreement also requires the university and the Board to pay a total of $23,543 in damages to the student.
Making Accessible e-book Readers Available to Patrons with Disabilities at the Sacramento Public Library: In August 2012, the Civil Rights Division and the National Federation of the Blind entered into a settlement agreement with the Sacramento Public Library to resolve a complaint that the library’s use of certain e-readers in its e-reader lending program discriminated against people who are blind or have other vision disabilities because the e-readers did not have accessible features such as text-to-speech functions or the ability to access menus through audio or tactile means. Under the terms of the settlement, the library will no longer purchase inaccessible e-book readers for patron use. The library also agreed to buy several additional accessible e-readers and to train its staff about the ADA. As a result of this settlement, the library’s e-book lending program is accessible to patrons who are blind or have other vision disabilities.
'20/20 BY 2020'
 |
| DAYTON, Ohio -- Lockheed SR-71A in the Cold War Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The aircraft was retired in 1990. (U.S. Air Force photo) |
Beale removes fuel storage tanks that kept Blackbird soaring
by Staff Sgt. Robert M. Trujillo
9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
7/22/2013 - BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Beale is conducting a four-month deconstruction project to remove Cold War-era fuel storage tanks that once fueled the SR-71 Blackbird.
The project is a part of the Air Force's "20/20 by 2020" initiative, which aims to reduce excess capacity by reducing a base's footprint, as well as reducing operating costs by 20 percent by the year 2020.
Three of the storage tanks have already been removed, and the remaining two are scheduled to be demolished in the upcoming months.
During the mid-1960s, Beale was home to jets that required massive amounts of fuel including the Blackbird.
Five tanks at Beale's fuel terminal held between 400,000 and 657,000 gallons each of specially designed JP-7 jet fuel. This fuel was developed by the U.S. Air Force to power the SR-71 and was brought to the fuel terminal via a locomotive system.
The fuel was then pumped through a 4.5 mile-long pipeline to the flight line where the Blackbird consumed approximately 36,000 to 44,000 pounds of fuel per hour of flight.
The tanks became cold war relics with the retirement of the SR-71 in 1998 and coupled with the transfer of the B-52 Stratofortress bomber and KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling missions to other bases.
"They're kind of historic structures," said Robert Nordhal, 9th Civil Engineer Squadron flight chief of programs. "We just don't have the need for high capacity fuel storage anymore."
Nordhal said that unused structures cost the Air Force in maintenance and repairs as well as pose safety concerns.
"These tanks were not fitted with modern safety features," said Mark Hoover, fuels terminal superintendent with AKIMA Technical Solutions. "It would cost more for us to upgrade those tanks then to build new ones."
In addition to maintenance and repair costs, Beale will also save in the demolition of the tanks themselves.
"The scrap metal from the tanks is being recycled and is being used to fund the demolition," Hoover said. "It's essentially saving the Air Force tens of thousands of dollars.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL ADDRESSES VFW NATIONAL CONVENTION
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel Calls on Vets to Partner in Reshaping Military
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2013 - Opening his address today to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention with a tribute to Korean War veterans, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called on the nation's 22 million veterans to become partners in helping the Defense Department work through "historic transition and change."
Every major conflict in U.S. history has been followed by a period of "realignment and redefinition," with "enormous ramifications and consequences for our entire defense enterprise," the secretary noted.
As the Defense Department undergoes the latest realignments and reshapes the military for the future, Hagel called on veterans "who helped build our military into the strongest, most capable and most respected on Earth" to help ensure it remains that way.
"All of us at the Pentagon, and across this administration, value your perspective and devotion to our military men and women," he told the group. "We will need your help and partnership as we manage through a period of historic transition and change.
"As I look out across this audience, I see thousands of veterans whose lives have been committed to helping our service members, their families and our veterans succeed, and to ensuring this country honors their legacy with policies that are worthy of their sacrifices," Hagel continued. "All of you, and the roughly 22 million veterans across this nation, have an important role to play in the debate over our country's future national security priorities."
Hagel pointed out that veterans of past wars depended on their elected representatives to ask the right questions and establish the proper policies before sending them into conflict. "You all have fought and put your lives on the line for this country," he said. "You did so with the expectation that you would be given the equipment, training and support you needed to succeed."
The secretary noted that many of the veterans, particularly those of the Korean War, have seen firsthand the human toll of sending a hollow force to war.
"Not one American should ever be ordered into battle without our leaders being as sure as they can be that their decision is worthy of the sacrifices that will be made by our sons and our daughters," he said.
The secretary began his address leading a thunderous applause for veterans of the Korean War whose service led to the armistice agreement signed 60 years ago this week. Hagel noted that he will join President Barack Obama and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki for a July 27 ceremony at the Korean War Veterans Memorial here to commemorate the formal signing of the armistice on July 27, 1953.
The armistice agreement ended the fighting in a three-year conflict between North Korea and China and South Korea and United Nations forces led by the United States.
"The upcoming observance is a chance for the country to fully express its profound gratitude for your service and sacrifice," Hagel told the veterans. "The Korean War veterans here today, and all across the country, should know that your fellow citizens are proud of what you accomplished, and what your generation has contributed to our security and prosperity."
Hagel Calls on Vets to Partner in Reshaping Military
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2013 - Opening his address today to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention with a tribute to Korean War veterans, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called on the nation's 22 million veterans to become partners in helping the Defense Department work through "historic transition and change."
Every major conflict in U.S. history has been followed by a period of "realignment and redefinition," with "enormous ramifications and consequences for our entire defense enterprise," the secretary noted.
As the Defense Department undergoes the latest realignments and reshapes the military for the future, Hagel called on veterans "who helped build our military into the strongest, most capable and most respected on Earth" to help ensure it remains that way.
"All of us at the Pentagon, and across this administration, value your perspective and devotion to our military men and women," he told the group. "We will need your help and partnership as we manage through a period of historic transition and change.
"As I look out across this audience, I see thousands of veterans whose lives have been committed to helping our service members, their families and our veterans succeed, and to ensuring this country honors their legacy with policies that are worthy of their sacrifices," Hagel continued. "All of you, and the roughly 22 million veterans across this nation, have an important role to play in the debate over our country's future national security priorities."
Hagel pointed out that veterans of past wars depended on their elected representatives to ask the right questions and establish the proper policies before sending them into conflict. "You all have fought and put your lives on the line for this country," he said. "You did so with the expectation that you would be given the equipment, training and support you needed to succeed."
The secretary noted that many of the veterans, particularly those of the Korean War, have seen firsthand the human toll of sending a hollow force to war.
"Not one American should ever be ordered into battle without our leaders being as sure as they can be that their decision is worthy of the sacrifices that will be made by our sons and our daughters," he said.
The secretary began his address leading a thunderous applause for veterans of the Korean War whose service led to the armistice agreement signed 60 years ago this week. Hagel noted that he will join President Barack Obama and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki for a July 27 ceremony at the Korean War Veterans Memorial here to commemorate the formal signing of the armistice on July 27, 1953.
The armistice agreement ended the fighting in a three-year conflict between North Korea and China and South Korea and United Nations forces led by the United States.
"The upcoming observance is a chance for the country to fully express its profound gratitude for your service and sacrifice," Hagel told the veterans. "The Korean War veterans here today, and all across the country, should know that your fellow citizens are proud of what you accomplished, and what your generation has contributed to our security and prosperity."
CONSTRUCTION COMPANY OWNER INDICTED FOR TAX FRAUD
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, July 19, 2013
Owner of New York Construction Company Indicted for Tax Fraud
The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Gurmail Singh, of Richmond Hill, N.Y., was arrested yesterday following his indictment on July 11, 2013, for multiple tax crimes. The indictment was unsealed yesterday following his arrest.
According to the indictment, Singh owned Fancy and Vicky Construction Co. Inc., a construction company in Richmond Hill. As alleged in the indictment, Singh used check-cashing services to cash more than $2.9 million of checks paid to his construction company for services between 2006 and 2008. He concealed his check-cashing activities from his tax return preparers, and this income was not included as gross income on the company’s tax returns. Singh also diverted cash receipts earned by his companies for his own personal use.
The indictment alleges that Singh filed false 2006 and 2007 corporate income tax returns for Fancy and Vicky Construction, failed to file a 2008 corporate income tax return for Fancy and Vicky Construction and failed to file individual income tax returns for 2007 and 2008. Singh faces a potential maximum sentence of nine years in prison and a potential fine of up to $800,000.
A trial date has not been scheduled. An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Tax Division, commended the efforts of special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Mark Kotila and Jeffrey Bender, who are prosecuting the case.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Owner of New York Construction Company Indicted for Tax Fraud
The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Gurmail Singh, of Richmond Hill, N.Y., was arrested yesterday following his indictment on July 11, 2013, for multiple tax crimes. The indictment was unsealed yesterday following his arrest.
According to the indictment, Singh owned Fancy and Vicky Construction Co. Inc., a construction company in Richmond Hill. As alleged in the indictment, Singh used check-cashing services to cash more than $2.9 million of checks paid to his construction company for services between 2006 and 2008. He concealed his check-cashing activities from his tax return preparers, and this income was not included as gross income on the company’s tax returns. Singh also diverted cash receipts earned by his companies for his own personal use.
The indictment alleges that Singh filed false 2006 and 2007 corporate income tax returns for Fancy and Vicky Construction, failed to file a 2008 corporate income tax return for Fancy and Vicky Construction and failed to file individual income tax returns for 2007 and 2008. Singh faces a potential maximum sentence of nine years in prison and a potential fine of up to $800,000.
A trial date has not been scheduled. An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Tax Division, commended the efforts of special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Mark Kotila and Jeffrey Bender, who are prosecuting the case.
ARMY SERGEANT PLEADS GUILTY TO STEALING IDENTITY INFORMATION
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, July 18, 2013
US Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty in Georgia to Stealing Identity Information from US Army Computer System
Ammie Brothers, 29, of Columbus, Ga., a sergeant in the U.S. Army, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully obtaining personal information from the U.S. Army’s Army Knowledge Online computer system.
The guilty plea was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride; U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Michael J. Moore; and Director Daniel T. Andrews of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Computer Crime Investigative Unit.
Brothers pleaded guilty before U. S. District Judge Clay Land in Columbus, Ga., to one count of unauthorized access to information from a U.S. Army computer system. She was charged on Feb. 14, 2013, in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Brothers admitted that between April 24, 2009, and Oct. 5, 2011, she repeatedly and intentionally accessed two victims’ Army Knowledge Online accounts, which contain personnel files for members of the armed services. Brothers initially gained access by calling the Army Knowledge Online help desk in the Eastern District of Virginia and providing the victims’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth in order to obtain temporary passwords.
When law enforcement searched Brothers’s home in Columbus, they recovered numerous documents printed from the Army Knowledge Online system that contained victims’ Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and employment history, including the Social Security number of one minor child. Brothers admitted to law enforcement that, in addition to illegally accessing the victims’ Army Knowledge Online accounts, she regularly harassed the victims by telephone and accessed several credit card accounts belonging to one victim, and in one case authorized charges without the victim’s knowledge or consent.
At sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 24, 2013, Brothers faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Computer Crime Investigative Unit of U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Peter V. Roman of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Kelly of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford L. Seals of the Middle District of Georgia.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
US Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty in Georgia to Stealing Identity Information from US Army Computer System
Ammie Brothers, 29, of Columbus, Ga., a sergeant in the U.S. Army, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully obtaining personal information from the U.S. Army’s Army Knowledge Online computer system.
The guilty plea was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride; U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Michael J. Moore; and Director Daniel T. Andrews of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Computer Crime Investigative Unit.
Brothers pleaded guilty before U. S. District Judge Clay Land in Columbus, Ga., to one count of unauthorized access to information from a U.S. Army computer system. She was charged on Feb. 14, 2013, in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Brothers admitted that between April 24, 2009, and Oct. 5, 2011, she repeatedly and intentionally accessed two victims’ Army Knowledge Online accounts, which contain personnel files for members of the armed services. Brothers initially gained access by calling the Army Knowledge Online help desk in the Eastern District of Virginia and providing the victims’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth in order to obtain temporary passwords.
When law enforcement searched Brothers’s home in Columbus, they recovered numerous documents printed from the Army Knowledge Online system that contained victims’ Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and employment history, including the Social Security number of one minor child. Brothers admitted to law enforcement that, in addition to illegally accessing the victims’ Army Knowledge Online accounts, she regularly harassed the victims by telephone and accessed several credit card accounts belonging to one victim, and in one case authorized charges without the victim’s knowledge or consent.
At sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 24, 2013, Brothers faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Computer Crime Investigative Unit of U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Peter V. Roman of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Kelly of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford L. Seals of the Middle District of Georgia.
NSF SAYS BURIED NEW JERSEY SEAWALL SPARED COASTAL HOMES FROM SANDY
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| Hurricane Sandy Aftermath. Credit: FEMA |
Long-Buried New Jersey Seawall Spared Coastal Homes From Hurricane Sandy's Wrath
Built in 1882, then hidden by drifting sands, seawall mitigated 2012 hurricane's effects
July 16, 2013
Picture two residential beach communities on the New Jersey shore: Bay Head and Mantoloking. They sit side-by-side in Ocean County on a narrow barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay.
Before Hurricane Sandy landed on Oct. 29, 2012, a motorist traveling north would pass through Mantoloking into Bay Head. He or she would note few changes in residential development, dunes, beaches or shoreline.
The difference, however, was hidden under the sand.
A long-forgotten, 4,134-feet-long seawall buried beneath the beach helped Bay Head weather Sandy's record storm surges and large waves, says geoscientist Jennifer Irish of Virginia Tech.
The stone structure dates to 1882. Its reappearance in 2012 surprised many area residents, underscoring the difficulties transient communities have in planning for future threats along their shores, Irish says.
"It's amazing that a seawall built nearly 150 years ago, then naturally hidden under beach sands and forgotten, would have a major effect under the conditions in which it was originally designed to perform," says H. Richard Lane, program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Earth Sciences.
NSF funded the research through a rapid response award following Hurricane Sandy.
"This finding should have major implications for coastal planning, as sea level rises and storms increase in intensity in response to global warming," says Lane.
The results, published online this week in the journal Coastal Engineering, illustrate the need for multi-levels of beach protection in coastal communities, Irish and colleagues say. Irish is the paper's lead author.
"Once we got to the site, we immediately saw the seawall," Irish says.
"The beach and dunes did their job to a certain point, then the seawall took over, providing significant dampening of the hurricane waves.
"It was the difference between houses that were flooded in Bay Head and houses that were reduced to piles of rubble in Mantoloking."
With recovery efforts underway and storms still circulating through the area, Irish and Robert Weiss, also a geoscientist at Virginia Tech, along with Patrick Lynett, a civil and environmental engineer at the University of Southern California, assessed the area, documenting high water marks, damage, overwash and breaches of the barrier island.
All oceanfront homes in the two boroughs were damaged, ranging from ground-floor flooding to complete destruction.
As measured by waterlines in the interiors of homes, flooding was similar in both boroughs.
The difference was the extent of the storm's effects.
In Mantoloking, an entire dune nearly vanished. Water washed over a barrier spit and opened three breaches of 541 feet, 194 feet and 115 feet, respectively, where the land was swept away.
In Bay Head, only the portion of the dune located seaward of the seawall was eroded. The section of dune behind the seawall received only minor local scouring.
Later, using Google Earth to evaluate aerial images taken two years before and immediately after Hurricane Sandy, the researchers looked at the area's houses.
They labeled a structure with a different roofline as damaged, one that no longer sits on its foundation as destroyed and the remaining houses as flooded.
The scientists classified 88 percent of the oceanfront homes in Bay Head as flooded, with just one oceanfront home destroyed.
In Mantoloking, more than half the oceanfront homes were classified as damaged or destroyed.
Despite the immense magnitude and duration of the storm, a relatively small coastal obstacle--the seawall--reduced potential wave loads by a factor of two.
The seawall was the difference between widespread destruction and minor structural effects, the researchers say.
"We are left with a clear, unintentional example," says Irish, "of the need for multiple levels of defense that include hard structures and beach nourishment to protect coastal communities."
Additional researchers include Wei Cheng and Stephanie Smallegan of Virginia Tech.
-NSF-
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
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