(EXTERNAL EMAIL) - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Monday, November 16, 2020
Good morning,
Texas Youth Coach Sentenced Over College Admissions Investigation.
The Los Angeles Times (11/13, 4.64M) reports Texas youth sports coach Martin Fox "was sentenced Friday to three months in prison and three months of home detention" in connection to a college admissions scandal. He "admitted serving as a middleman between William "Rick" Singer, the Newport Beach college consultant at the heart of the scheme, and several university coaches and a teaching assistant whom Singer sought to bribe."
Florida High School Coach Arrested For Allegedly Defrauding PPP Of Almost $1M.
The Hill (11/14, Deese, 2.98M) reports, "A Fort Lauterdale, Fla., high school basketball coach was arrested for allegedly submitting close to $1 million in claims to the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), according to federal prosecutors." Terrence Williams "is a championship-winning coach at Stranahan High School. He was charged Friday with several financial crimes, including bank fraud and money laundering, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported." The Hill adds, "Prosecutors accuse Williams of applying for and receiving a loan of $984,710 for his company Williams Consulting Group LLC, according to the newspaper."
The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (11/13, 742K) reports, "The FBI complaint says Williams claimed his company had 67 employees and an average monthly payroll of $393,884. But, in fact, it paid no such payroll and did not have any workers. The complaint further alleges that after receiving the loan, Williams laundered the vast majority of the money by transferring it to several of his bank accounts."
Virginia Man Sentenced For PPP Fraud.
Loudoun (VA) Now (11/13) reported that an Ashburn, Virginia man "was sentenced Friday to 12 months in prison and two years of supervised release for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal initiative designed to help businesses pay their employees and meet expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic." Loudoun Now adds, "According to court documents, Tarik Jaafar, 43, conspired with his wife, Monika Magdalena Jaworska, from April 13 to May 6 applied for 18 separate PPP loans in the names of the four shell companies they had created, securing approximately $6.6 million in government support. 'As we've seen in the aftermath of many disasters and crises, criminals will exploit any opportunity to take advantage of programs intended to help businesses and individuals
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confronted with hardship,' said James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division."
Former Wells Fargo CEO Settles Claims As Other Former Official Faces Fraud Case.
The Wall Street Journal (11/13, Eisen, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf on Friday agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle civil claims involving fake accounts at the bank, even as the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil fraud lawsuit against another former Wells Fargo executive.
Illinois Developer Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud.
The Chicago Sun-Times (11/13, Seidel, 875K) reports, "A developer who made secret recordings for the feds of former Ald. Danny Solis and House Speaker Michael Madigan pleaded guilty to wire fraud Friday." According to the Sun-Times, "Federal prosecutors charged See Y. Wong back in March, days before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in Chicago and years after he played a key role in a public corruption investigation that has embroiled city and state politics in recent years. Wong made a secret 2014 audio and video recording for the feds of Solis and Madigan, according to court records and sources. That recording became part of the investigation that persuaded Solis to then secretly record the now-indicted Ald. Edward M. Burke. However, Wong only helped the feds because he hoped a judge would go easy on him one day for a fraud that was only identified when the feds filed a seven-page charging document known as an information against him in March."
The Chicago Tribune (11/13, Meisner, 2.65M) reports, "Wong was charged in a seven-page criminal information in March for allegedly lying to banks and buyers involved with his Canal Crossing building, records show. He pleaded guilty Friday during a hearing held via video conference before U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle. The 20-page plea agreement does not specifically mention the Solis probe, but calls on Wong to provide "complete and truthful" information in any investigation and testify if necessary. Wong agreed to have his sentencing delayed until his cooperation is complete. Norgle set a status hearing in the case for Feb. 5."
FBI Arrests Texas Man On Fraud Charges.
El Paso (TX) Inc. (11/15, Crowder, 32K) reports, "Daniel Steadley, the former head of a once-popular health insurance-type plan in El Paso, has been indicted on 19 counts of fraud and arrested by the FBI after a protracted investigation involving state and federal agencies." According to El Paso Inc., "Gregg Soler, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Luis Quesada announced the legal actions against Steadley on Nov. 5, the day of his arrest. The following day Federal Magistrate Robert Castalieda set his bond at $50,000, and Steadley went free after posting a 10% cash deposit. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison." El Paso Inc. adds, "According to the Oct. 28 indictment, Steadley operated two companies from 2014 to 2018 that sold Unique MEC Healthcare Plans for as little as $99 a month to about 2,000 El Pasoans, and 'stole approximately $1.5 million in premiums from unsuspecting victims during his scheme."
FBI Searching For Man Accused Of Stealing Trade Secrets From Texas Firm.
The Houston Chronicle (11/13, Dellinger, 730K) reports, "The FBI is searching for a Chinese man accused of stealing and selling trade secrets from a Houston oil and gas company." According to the Chronicle, "Between 2019 and 2020, Lei Gao, 44, also known as "Jason," and others allegedly schemed to obtain trade secrets from a Houston-based manufacturer of advanced coiled tubing, according to the FBI. The stolen trade secrets were used to assist in the development of an advanced coiled tubing product, which Gao and con-conspirators introduced to the market for sale in 2020, the FBI said in a statement. Gao left the United States and returned to China in 2019 and has not returned, according to authorities."
FBI Arrests California Man In Fraudulent Manure-To-Methane Project.
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Reuters (11/13, Malo) reports, "A California man who promised investors to turn cow manure into renewable energy has been arrested on a 24-count indictment after allegedly defrauding them of $8.75 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice." Reuters adds, "U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott charged Raymond Brewer, 64, with wire fraud and money laundering, saying he duped investors into funding his business that purported to turn cow dung into methane natural gas, but instead spent the money on his home, a property in Montana and several cars. Brewer was arrested on Thursday."
Nine Arrested In California Money Laundering Scheme.
The Canyon (CA) News (11/13) reports, "On Thursday, November 12, federal authorities arrested nine defendants, who allegedly laundered millions of dollars derived from health care fraud and tax fraud schemes. Two indictments allege that a total of 10 defendants were involved in the operation that laundered over $30 million in tax refunds from 7,000 fraudulent tax returns. The tax returns were filed using stolen identities from American taxpayers. Seven defendants were arrested Thursday, November 12, and there are three still being sought." Authorities "also arrested two additional defendants who are being charged in two other indictments. One involves a short sale scheme involving a $2 million residence, that was forfeited earlier this year to the United States, and one involving a car leasing scam. There is also an additional defendant in the real estate scam who is a fugitive."
Washington Insurance Agent Charged With Stealing From Clients.
The Everett (WA) Herald (11/14, Stevick, 151K) reports from Seattle, "A Snohomish insurance agent accused of stealing $750,000 from clients pleaded not guilty Friday in federal court in Seattle." Vicki Boser, 57, "is charged with five counts of wire fraud after allegedly stealing three-quarters of a million dollars in premium payments from clients. Boser owned and operated InsuranceTek, Inc. She's accused of issuing fake certificates of insurance to some of those companies."
Microsoft: Vaccine Researchers, Companies Targeted By North Korean, Russian Hackers.
The AP (11/13, Bajak) reports that in a blog post on Friday, "Microsoft said it has detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers to steal valuable data from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers." Though "most of the attacks in recent months were unsuccessful," Microsoft "provided no information on how many succeeded or how serious those breaches were." The company "said most of the targets - located in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States — were 'directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for COVID-19." The blog post "identified one of the state-backed hacker groups as Fancy Bear, the Russian military agents who Britain's National Cyber Security Center said in July were behind such intrusion attempts," while two others "were North Korea's Lazarus Group and a group Microsoft calls Cerium."
TechCrunch (11/13, Whittaker, 605K) reports that Tom Burt, Microsoft's customer security and trust head, said, "We think these attacks are unconscionable and should be condemned by all civilized society." Burt also said, "Microsoft is calling on the world's leaders to affirm that international law protects health care facilities and to take action to enforce the law." The news coincided "with the Paris Peace Forum, where Microsoft president Brad Smith will urge governments to do more to combat cyberattacks against the healthcare sector, particularly during the pandemic."
NBC News (11/13, Collier, 6.14M) reports that most of the companies targeted "have vaccines already in clinical trials." In some instances, the hackers "successfully breached their target," though it "wasn't immediately clear how serious those intrusions were, and a Microsoft spokesperson declined to elaborate."
The Wall Street Journal (11/13, McMillan, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports companies developing COVID-19 vaccines say they are being targeted by Russian and North Korean cyberattacks. The attacks represent an espionage risk, as well as a challenge to the integrity of the research - and could also delay clinical trials. University of Oxford professor of international law Dapo
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Akande said, "We need to kind of raise the profile and to raise the quality of the discussion around these issues as to what is off-limits."
Emmy
Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com.
FBI News Briefing
TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF
DATE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 6:30 AM EST
TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS
LEADING THE NEWS
• Kelly Joins At Least 12 GOP Lawmakers Calling For Trump To Give Biden Access To Classified Intelligence Briefings.
PROTESTS
• FBI Probing Post-Election Vandalism Targeting Government.
• Trump Denounces "Antifa Scum" For Clashes After His Supporters DC Rally.
• Nearly Two Dozen Arrested In Washington, DC Trump Protests.
• WPost Analysis: Following Summer Of Demonstrations, Americans Voted In Favor Of Criminal Justice Reform.
• Even With New Police Law, Critics Feel Baltimore County Has A Great Deal More To Do.
• NYTimes Al: Some Staff Members At New York City Police Watchdog Claim Recent Layoffs At Agency Were Due To Retaliation.
• Minneapolis Sees Surging Violence As Droves Of Officers Leave Police Department.
• NYC Pilot Program Will See Dispatchers Send Mental Health Units To Respond To Mental Health Calls Instead Of Police.
• Louisville Family Still Getting Harassed By Neighbor Who Allegedly Painted Racist Message On Their Driveway.
• Rittenhouse's Mother Slams Biden For Showing Son In Campaign Ad.
OPERATION LEGEND
• Nearly 360 Arrests In St. Louis Area Under Operation LeGend.
COUNTER-TERRORISM
• Two Testify Against Alleged Ringleader Of Minnesota Mosque Bombing.
• Nevada Man Sentenced To Two Years In Bomb Plot Case.
• Biden Urged To Create White House Position Tasked With Combatting Domestic Terrorism.
• NYTimes Al: Intelligence Officials Confirm Israeli Operatives Killed Key Al Qaeda Leader In Iran.
• French Government Defends Response To Islamist Terrorist Attacks.
• Ethiopian Security Officials Arrest Suspected Members Of Al-Shabaab, ISIS Accused Of Plotting Terror Attacks.
• Eleven Germans Charged With Belonging To Far-Right Terror Group.
• Local Insurgency In Mozambique Increases Allegiance To Islamic State.
COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE
• Biden Transition, Some Republicans Critical Of Trump's Refusal To Share Classified Information.
• Following Promotion, Giuliani Spreads Conspiracy Theories About Electronic Voting Machines.
• Federal Prosecutors Tell Barr They Saw No Evidence Of Substantial "Irregularities" During Elections.
• Washington Reacts To Possible Ouster Of CISA Director.
• Extremists Turn To Fringe Social Networks To Spread Post-Election Disinformation.
⚫ McCabe Says Further Trump-Russia Declassifications "Unflattering" For President.
• QAnon Conspiracy Thriving Internationally.
• Government Urges FISC To Reject ACLU Appeal.
• ODNI Taps Matthew Kozma As IC's New CIO.
• NSA General Counsel Pick Setting Off Alarm Bells Among Experts.
• Atlas 5 Rocket Carrying NRO Satellite Launched November 13.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
• Bond Reduced For Three Michigan Men Charged In Whitmer Kidnap Plot.
• Judge Denies Bond To Men Charged With Killing Arbery.
• Prosecutors: Guards At Federal Prison In Virginia Were Bribed By Prisoners.
• FBI Captures Fugitive Who Escaped Custody Almost Five Decades Ago.
• FBI Following New Lead In 2004 Death Of Kansas Man.
• Fourth Suspect Charged In Mississippi Murder-For-Hire Case.
• FBI Offers Reward For Information On Georgia Double Murder Case.
• Ex-Illinois Police Officer Sentenced In Uzi Coverup.
• Boy Scouts Facing More Than 82,000 Sex-Abuse Claims.
• New Mexico Man Pleads Guilty To Hitting Federal Officer.
• Man Charged With Taking Gun From Kansas City Homicide Scene.
• Wisconsin Man Charged With Abducting Missouri Minor.
• Drug Cartels Funneling Meth Into Las Vegas.
• Brevard County Sheriff's Office Publishes Video Showing Moments Preceding Death Of Army Veteran Inmate.
• Florida Man Sentenced Over Plan To Kill Judge, Prosecutor.
• FBI Searching For Colorado Man.
• Mother, Son Facing Charges After Drugs Recovered From New Mexico Homes.
• Colorado Man Arrested In Connection To New Jersey Bank Robberies.
• Georgia Resident Sentenced To Nearly 20 Years In Prison For Distributing Meth.
• Virginia Man Tied To Meth Purchase In Georgia Gets 151-Month Prison Sentence.
• Texas Man Sentenced Over Child Pornography.
• California Man Arrested In Connection To Hate Crime.
• FBI Investigating Texas Gang.
• Pennsylvania Grand Jury Charges Man With Sexual Extortion Of Minors.
• Virginian Man Sentenced Over Child Pornography.
• Texas Youth Coach Sentenced Over College Admissions Investigation.
• Alaska Man Sentenced For Armed Robberies.
• FBI Captures Suspect In Connecticut, Pennsylvania Bank Robberies.
FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS
• Florida High School Coach Arrested For Allegedly Defrauding PPP Of Almost $1M.
• Virginia Man Sentenced For PPP Fraud.
• Former Wells Fargo CEO Settles Claims As Other Former Official Faces Fraud Case.
• Ex-Deputies Sue Texas AG Paxton For Retaliation.
• US Charges Massachusetts Tribal Chairman With Bribery In Casino Development.
• Illinois Developer Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud.
• FBI Arrests Texas Man On Fraud Charges.
• FBI Searching For Man Accused Of Stealing Trade Secrets From Texas Firm.
• FBI Arrests California Man In Fraudulent Manure-To-Methane Project.
• Nine Arrested In California Money Laundering Scheme.
• Washington Insurance Agent Charged With Stealing From Clients.
CYBER DIVISION
• WSJournal Al: Schools Throughout US Contending With Ransomware Attacks.
• Microsoft: Vaccine Researchers, Companies Targeted By North Korean, Russian Hackers.
• DHS Says Becton Medical Pump Has Cybersecurity Issues.
• ByteDance Granted 15-Day Extension To Divest TikTok.
• Qualcomm Gets US Permission To Sell 4G Phone Chips To Huawei.
• North Korea-Linked Twitter Accounts Garnering Attention.
• Google Unable To Resolve Dispute With DOJ Over Protective Order.
LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES
• NYTimes Analysis: NYPD Insufficiently Disciplining Officers Accused Of "Serious Misconduct."
• Recreational Marijuana Industry Players Preparing To Operate In New Jersey Following Approval Of Ballot Measure.
• Judge Provides DOJ With Single Day To Explain Why Woman's Execution Should Not Be Put Off Due To COVID Infections Among Lawyers.
• Maryland Judiciary Halts Jury Trials For Remainder Of 2020 Amid Rising Coronavirus Cases.
• Arlington's Leading Prosecutor, Public Defender Engaged In Legal Challenges To County Judge.
• Judge Rebukes Fairfax County Law Enforcement, Prosecutors For Not Providing Exculpatory Evidence In Murder Case In Timely Manner.
• Poll: About 80% Of Americans Believe Crime Has Risen During Past Year.
OTHER FBI NEWS
• DOJ Report Says FBI Wanted To Arrest Epstein At Virgin Islands Beauty Pageant Before Plea Deal.
• Tennessee Man Convicted Of Homicide Seeks New Trial Because Testifying Officer Is Under FBI Probe.
• Four Colorado Detectives Honored By DOJ For Busting Gift Card Scam.
OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS
• Trump Says "I Concede Nothing," Criticizes Media For Calling 2020 Election For Biden.
• US Adds Another Million Coronavirus Cases In Under A Week.
• Administration Officials, Republican Governors Call On Americans To Take Surging Coronavirus Cases Seriously.
• Biden Advisers, Democrats Urge Americans To Take Pandemic Seriously.
• More States Enact Tough Restrictions As Coronavirus Spreads.
• Trump Hails Progress On Vaccine, Says It Will Be Available Within "Weeks," Though Not In New York.
• CDC Urges Americans To Wear Masks.
• Alito Describes Covid-19 As "Constitutional Stress Test."
• More Than 130 Secret Service Agents In Quarantine.
• Pfizer Could Apply For FDA's Emergency Authorization Of Vaccine As Soon As This Week.
• Physicians, Nurses Retiring Early, Leaving Jobs During Pandemic.
• Republicans Showing Little Interest In Pursuing Biden Investigations.
• Millions Face Loss Of Unemployment Benefits If Congress Fails To Reach Deal On Coronavirus Relief.
• Trump Allies See Newsmax As Potential Rival To Fox News.
• Judge Rules Wolf Serving Illegally, Invalidates His Suspension Of DACA.
• Miller: Americans Are "Not A People Of Perpetual War."
• Bolton: Recent Pentagon, NSA, DHS Firings Are "Very Damaging."
• SpaceX Launches Four Astronauts Into Orbit On NASA Mission.
• SCOTUS Has Not Acted On Trump Tax Suits In Weeks.
• Hollyanne Milley Saves Man Who Collapsed During Veterans Day Ceremony.
• Explosion At VA Hospital Complex In Connecticut Leaves Two Dead.
• WPost Al: McEntee Leading Purge Of "Insufficiently Loyal" Administration Officials.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
• UK Prime Minister To Self-Isolate After Contact With Lawmaker With COVID-19.
• Coronavirus Cases In Italy's Hospitals Threaten To Outstrip Spring Peak.
• Germans Should Expect Another 4-5 Months Of "Lockdown Light," Economy Minister Says.
• French Police Break Up Parties That Violate Second Lockdown Restrictions.
• Classrooms Remain Open Across Europe Despite Lockdowns.
• Asian Economies Recovering Fastest From Coronavirus.
• India To Fly In Physicians, Take Other Steps To Stem Surge Of Virus Cases In Delhi.
• Mexico Tops 1M Coronavirus Cases As Country Continues To Defy Accepted Prevention Practices.
• ESwatini's Prime Minister Tests Positive For COVID-19.
• WPost Al: Trump Has Worsened Iran Crisis Since Taking Office.
• India Denies Pakistan's Claim It Funded Militant Groups.
• US Condemns Tigray Forces' Attacks On Eritrea.
• Israel Advances Plan To Build 1,200 Apartments In East Jerusalem Settlement.
• Macron: Europe Needs Its Own Sovereignty In Defense Strategy.
• Sandu Leads Moldova Presidential Run-Off.
• Belarus Police Detain Hundreds Amid Raid On Protester's Shrine.
• Azerbaijan Delays Takeover Of Disputed Territory.
• Erdogan Visits Northern Cyprus, Calls For Two-State Solution For Island.
• Moroccan Forces Clash With Western Sahara Fighters.
• Peru's Interim President Steps Down Amid Protests.
• WPost Al: Brazil Grapples With Racial Redefinition Amid US Protests.
• Death Toll In Philippines Typhoon Rises To 67.
• NYTimes Analysis: Chinese Legal System Fails To Protect Women From Domestic Violence.
• Mahuta Named First Maori Woman In New Zealand Cabinet.
THE BIG PICTURE
• Headlines From Today's Front Pages.
WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE
• Today's Events In Washington.