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From Los Angeles Times

10 suspected illegal immigrants arrested near Malibu

The suspected illegal immigrants were found after being dropped off by a smuggling boat in what authorities call one of traffickers' northernmost forays so far.

by Richard Marosi, Los Angeles Times

June 30, 2011

Ten suspected illegal immigrants were arrested Wednesday near Pacific Coast Highway after being dropped off by a smuggling boat along the coast northwest of Malibu, U.S. authorities said.

The group was spotted about 4:30 a.m. just up the coast from the Los Angeles-Ventura county line, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A woman with a broken nose and a man with a broken leg were hospitalized, Kice said.

The maritime smuggling attempt marks one of the northernmost forays by traffickers as they try to evade increased enforcement in San Diego County, where such activity has surged dramatically in recent years.

Last year, 867 illegal immigrants and smugglers were arrested at sea or along the California coast, more than double the number in 2009. In recent months authorities have noticed an increase in smuggling-boat landings in Orange County, and they believe traffickers are now eyeing points farther north.

In March, an empty 30-foot motorboat that authorities believe was used to transport people or drugs was found off the Malibu coast. Officials have not found the vessel that may have carried the immigrants arrested Wednesday.

The pilots of smuggling boats frequently evade arrest by speeding back to Mexican waters. The boats leave from Baja California beaches, often crowded with as many as 25 immigrants who pay as much as $6,000 each for the trip.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-malibu-human-smuggling-20110630,0,2991871,print.story

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One of U.S. Marshals' 15 'most wanted' captured in the San Fernando Valley

The U.S. Marshals Service captured one of its 15 most-wanted criminals in the San Fernando Valley, authorities said Wednesday.

Keith Hasson, 45, who had been wanted since July 2005 on a warrant issued in Albuquerque, N.M., was picked up around 11:20 a.m. at an apartment near the intersection of Shoup Avenue and Victory Boulevard, according to federal authorities and Los Angeles police.

Authorities are searching for a man who fled the scene and is believed to be one of Hasson's associates.

Hasson is alleged to have been the leader of drug distribution enterprise that dealt extensively in cocaine and marijuana, according to the U.S. Marshals Service website.

Officials said he has an extensive criminal history that includes arrests for violent crimes including attempted murder, robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon.

The arrest comes a week after one of the FBI's most-wanted fugitives, James "Whitey" Bulger, was arrested in Santa Monica.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/06/keith-hasson.html

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Eleven arrested in undercover operation aimed at San Fernando Valley arms traffickers

Federal investigators arrested 11 people Wednesday morning in an undercover operation aimed at firearms traffickers in the San Fernando Valley.

Authorities said an undercover agent working during a yearlong operation for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives infiltrated a group that sold drugs and illegal firearms. Undercover agents were able to buy stolen firearms, machine guns and silencers during the investigation, said bureau spokesman Christian Hoffman.

Seven suspects named in indictments handed down last week by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles were arrested on charges related to the illegal sale of firearms and drugs.

Three others named in the indictments remain fugitives. Three people were arrested during the raids on charges unrelated to the investigation and a fourth was arrested later in the day, Hoffman said.

The ATF investigation was done in conjunction with several other state and local agencies, including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the LAPD.

Black student chained to locker, finds noose around dummy in alleged racial bullying incident

An African American student at Santa Monica High School says fellow members of the wrestling team chained him to a locker and hung a noose around a brown wrestling dummy.

The alleged racial incident is being investigated by Santa Monica police and school officials, who sent an email to parents earlier this month calling it a "serious matter that warranted a swift and appropriate response." The students accused were given "appropriate disciplinary consequences, including suspension," Principal Hugo A. Pedroza said in the email to parents.

The student and his mother, Victoria Gray, reported the incident to police on June 21. The incident happened more than a month ago, but Gray told The Times she was never notified by the school and didn't find out about the incident until May 31, when she heard about it from a parent she did not know.

The student walked into the school's wrestling room on May 4 and found a brown practice mannequin with a noose tied around its neck, according to the report made to authorities. He then went to the locker room to change and two students restrained him in a bear hug and used a cable and lock to chain his pants to a locker, according to the report. The students allegedly made racial remarks.

Sgt. Richard Lewis said that the students could face charges of assault and battery for allegedly restraining him, and that the racial nature of the encounter could constitute a hate crime.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/06/black-student-noose-chained-locker-racial-bullying-santa-monica.html

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From the Department of Homeland Security

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Recognizing the Faces of Homeland Security: Heroes on the Front Lines

June 29, 2011

by Secretary Janet Napolitano

One of the most gratifying parts of my job is meeting DHS employees who are dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of communities across the country. People are often surprised to learn that almost 90 percent of the men and women of DHS are not located in the Washington, DC area, but work in all 50 states and in 75 countries around the world.

Today, as part of the Department's commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we are launching Faces of Homeland Security: Heroes on the Front Lines to tell the stories of some of the inspiring DHS employees who have gone above and beyond to prevent terrorism, secure our borders, enforce our immigration laws, safeguard cyberspace and prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

The stories we are highlighting are just a few examples of the thousands of dedicated professionals working everyday to keep our communities safe and secure. Just as inspiring as their dedication is their spirit of cooperation with our many federal, state, local, and private sector partners. As we often say, DHS isn't the team; we are part of the team. So over the next few months, we will be spotlighting examples of these essential partnerships as well.

I hope you will take a few minutes to read some of the stories behind the extraordinary men and women of DHS and our partners across the nation.

As citizens and businesspeople, families and communities, we all share the responsibility for our security. The dedication of these men and women to service exemplifies the very best of the American spirit. Together, we are making America safer, more resilient and stronger than ever.

http://blog.dhs.gov/2011/06/recognizing-faces-of-homeland-security.html

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From the Department of Justice

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the STANCE Initiative Meeting/Neighborhood Crime Prevention Event

Thank you, Steve [Dettelbach]. I appreciate your kind words, and I'm especially grateful for your outstanding leadership of this city's United States Attorney's Office. You and your colleagues are doing extraordinary work to strengthen the communities you serve; to combat gun-, gang-, and drug-fueled violence; to improve public safety; and, especially, to ensure that young people across, and beyond, Cleveland have the chance to achieve their dreams and to unlock their potential.

Of course, you are not alone in this work. And it's encouraging to see so many of your partners here today. I want to thank each of you for joining us. Let me also thank the Boys and Girls Club for hosting this important meeting.

Today, together, we have an opportunity to discuss the goals and responsibilities that we share – to reach the young people who need our help most; and to ensure that violent crime rates – here in Cleveland and across the country – continue to head in the right direction. This gathering also provides a chance for us to explore new ways to build on the progress that's been achieved through STANCE, Standing Together Against Neighborhood Crime Everyday.

Five years ago, this innovative initiative brought together prosecutors, law enforcement officers, community leaders, service providers, researchers, teachers, coaches, parents, and students – to address this city's alarming rate of violent crime. It was a moment of crisis – but, also, of hope.

In the face of widespread gang activity and gang-related violence, your U.S. Attorney's office took on a convening role – and called on a diverse group of area leaders, stakeholders, and experts to join forces in identifying the solutions necessary to address local public safety challenges.

Although the problems you faced were overwhelming, this community – and many of the people in this room – responded not with despair, but with resolve – and with a determination to develop the public safety strategies that Cleveland needed, and that its young people deserved.

What you've accomplished through STANCE is inspiring, to say the least. I'm grateful to count each one of you as partners in the fight for justice – and as examples for others across the country.

By sharing expertise, insights, and resources, you've created peace in some of Cleveland's most dangerous and divided areas. You've helped enemies find common ground. You've raised spirits, and prospects, in Slovak Village, Hough Heights, and other vulnerable neighborhoods. And you've lifted up countless young people who were heading down dark, dangerous paths. Quite simply, you have worked miracles.

And your impact is felt across – and far beyond – this region. Whether you work to shape policy; to examine and identify the most pressing local public safety challenges; to develop and implement successful prevention, intervention, and reentry programs; to reach out to young people and families who are in need and at risk; or to advance enforcement efforts and policing strategies – your contributions are essential. Through your involvement with STANCE, you are providing the Justice Department with valuable insights. You're telling us what works, what doesn't, and what we must do to enhance public safety. And, as you've created new programs and field-tested new strategies, you've shown that – despite budget and infrastructure challenges – solutions are possible.

Over the last five years, STANCE – and the programs and partnerships it has helped to establish – have demonstrated meaningful, measurable progress in reducing gang activity and violent crime. Targeted areas have seen violent crime drop by nearly 50 percent. And – as you've engaged more schools and students – suspension, arrest, and recidivism rates have also seen dramatic declines.

These are significant achievements. And we should celebrate them. But we must also face facts.

Today, far too many neighborhoods continue to be ravaged by gang violence. Too many kids are giving up on themselves and giving in to a life of crime. Too many families are struggling to heal. Too many lives continue to be needlessly, and violently, cut short.

Young people like Brandon Young, a 17-year-old, A-student who, in 2009, was looking forward to college. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to graduate from John Hay High School. He was killed by the Lakeshore Boyz gang in a drive-by shooting near St. Clair Avenue.

Nineteen-year-old Donta Dinkins suffered a similar fate. In April of 2006, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time – and was shot down by a 17-year-old gang member who was attempting to kill a rival. Less than a year later, Terrance Allen, a student at Wade Park Elementary School, was killed in yet-another gang-related shooting. He was 13 years old – and was gunned down at 2:15 in the afternoon, shortly after the school day had ended.

These teenagers were killed by young men who – perhaps because no one showed them, or encouraged them to follow a different path – became involved with gangs and the culture of gang violence.

So how do we honor these youngsters now lost to us – and Cleveland's many other victims of violent crime? How do we hold those who violate our laws – and threaten our communities – accountable? How do we prevent future tragedies?

These questions can't be answered easily or quickly. But, as all of you have proven, the most effective way to find the answers we need is to expand our circle of partners, to open new channels for communication and collaboration, and to agree that this problem does not belong to – and cannot be fixed by – any one person, agency, school, or neighborhood. It is everyone's responsibility. And I want all of you to know that it's a responsibility I share.

For me, combating gang violence – and assisting young people who've been exposed to violent crime – has been both a personal and professional concern for decades. As a prosecutor, as a judge, as a U.S. Attorney in our Nation's Capital, and as the Deputy Attorney General, addressing the causes and remedying the consequences of violence was at the forefront of my work. Today, as Attorney General and as a parent, it remains a top priority.

It is also a top priority for this administration – and the President's most recent budget request reflects this. But – in this time of growing demands and limited resources – we've got to make the most of every dollar. We've got to identify and replicate what works – and abandon what doesn't. We've got to be sure we aren't duplicating efforts. And we must apply the key lesson that STANCE has taught us – that, when it comes to reducing violence crime, we can't arrest our way out of this problem. Enforcement is just one necessary part of the solution; effective prevention, intervention, and reentry strategies are also essential.

While I can't pretend that putting gangs out of business and providing young people with opportunities to improve their lives will be easy work – what you've accomplished through STANCE is cause for optimism. The many programs it has advanced – including Peacekeepers, MyCom, PAR, Operations Focus and Night Light, and Project Yes – have proven that we can help young people resist the allure of gangs; and that it is within our power to reach the kids who need us most.

Not only is your work having a positive effect here in Cleveland, your local efforts are serving as a model for the innovative approaches that must be adopted nationwide.

In particular, STANCE has reaffirmed the fact that we must continue to conduct the research and analysis necessary to fully understand what we're up against and where we can make the biggest difference. This approach – and this focus on evidence-based solutions – is at the core of the Justice Department's Defending Childhood Initiative – which I know many of you are already familiar with and eager to help advance. In addition to incorporating more science into our public safety strategies, we also need to engage more “non-traditional” crime fighters – more public health officials, parents, and teachers; more non-profit and faith-based groups; and more young people. In short, we need to replicate the framework you've established – and the results you've achieved – through STANCE.

As we look toward the critical days ahead, I ask each of you to keep up the great work. And I want you all to know that the Justice Department is committed to your continued success.

Together, you have demonstrated your commitment to solving a problem that, simply put, will determine the future course of this city – and of our entire country. I am honored to work with you. I look forward to learning more about your goals, concerns, and ideas – and I'm excited to see where we go from here. I also am confident that, together, we will re-make this country for the better.

Thank you.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2011/ag-speech-110628.html

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From the FBI

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Three Men Each Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 25 Years in Prison for Plotting to Bomb Bronx Synagogues and Shoot Down U.S. Military Planes

Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: “James Cromitie, David Williams, and Onta Williams voluntarily agreed to target synagogues and military planes using what they thought were real bombs and missiles. As reflected in the sentences imposed by Judge McMahon, these were extremely serious crimes that targeted New York and its citizens. Today's sentences ensure that the defendants will be punished for their actions.”

According to the evidence presented at trial and other documents and proceedings in this case:

In June 2008, an informant working with the FBI was approached by CROMITIE in Newburgh, New York. CROMITIE explained to the informant that his parents had lived in Afghanistan and that he was upset about the war there. CROMITIE expressed interest in returning to Afghanistan and said that if he were to die a martyr, he would go to “paradise.” He also expressed an interest in doing “something to America.”

The following month, CROMITIE and the informant discussed Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, with which the informant claimed to be involved. CROMITIE stated that he would be interested in joining the organization to “do jihad.”

During further meetings with the informant, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and a fourth defendant, LAGUERRE PAYEN, discussed their desire to attack certain targets in New York, including synagogues in the Bronx and military aircraft located at the Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York. CROMITIE asked the informant to supply surface-to-air guided missiles and explosives for the planned operations. The informant responded that he could provide CROMITIE with C-4 plastic explosives.

After CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN selected the synagogues they intended to target and conducted surveillance of military planes at the Air National Guard Base, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, and PAYEN drove with the informant toward Stamford, Connecticut, to obtain what the defendants believed would be a surface-to-air guided missile system and three improvised explosive devices (“IEDs“) containing C-4 plastic explosive material. The informant provided the defendants with a Stinger surface-to-air guided missile provided by the FBI that was not capable of being fired, telling the defendants that he had obtained it from Jaish-e-Mohammed. The informant also provided three IEDs that each contained over 30 pounds of inert C-4 plastic explosives, again telling the defendants that he had obtained them from Jaish-e-Mohammed. CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, and PAYEN transported these weapons back to Newburgh.

Two days later, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN met to inspect the “missile system” and the “explosive devices” and to further discuss the logistics of the operation. Law enforcement officers arrested the four men on May 20, 2009, as they took active steps to carry out the operation.

CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, and ONTA WILLIAMS, were each found guilty of one count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States, three counts of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States, one count of conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, one count of attempting to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, and one count of conspiracy to kill officers and employees of the United States. CROMITIE and DAVID WILLIAMS were also found guilty of one count of attempting to kill officers and employees of the United States.

* * *

In addition to the prison terms, CROMITIE, 45, DAVID WILLIAMS, 30, and ONTA WILLIAMS, 35, all of Newburgh, New York, were each sentenced by Judge McMAHON to five years of supervised release. CROMITIE and DAVID WILLIAMS were each ordered to pay an $800 special assessment. ONTA WILLIAMS was ordered to pay a $700 special assesment.

LAGUERRE PAYEN was also convicted in October 2010 after the jury trial. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Mr. BHARARA praised the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force—which principally consists of agents of the FBI and detectives of the New York City Police Department—the New York State Police, and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations for their extraordinary work in the investigation of this case. He also thanked the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice for its assistance in the case.

This case is being handled by the Office's Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys DAVID RASKIN, JASON P.W. HALPERIN, and ADAM HICKEY are in charge of the prosecution.

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