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The IPT Update
23 January 2012
The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT)General security, policy
1. Treasury designates major Iranian state-owned bank; EU adopts oil embargo & freezes assets of Iran’s central bank; White House acknowledges letter to Iran, mum on alleged call for direct talks2. Inside the ring: Space code push back; Saudi nuclear watch; Covert CIA Iran program
3. MA man pleads guilty in DC to conspiracy to export military antennae to Singapore and Hong Kong
4. US says al-Qaida magazine “Inspire” got into Guantanamo cell
5. Former CIA officer charged with disclosing covert officer’s identity and other classified information to journalists and lying to CIA’s publications review board6. Prosecutors: 4th man recruited in NYC bomb plot
7. FBI arrests suburban Denver man in Chicago over material support of terrorism charges
8. From private school student in Plano TX to al-Qaida agent
9. Police chiefs discuss terrorism at White House
10. Canada’s Supreme Court denies leave to appeal in Syrian, Egyptian torture case11. Russian embassy staff forced to leave Canada after navy spy mystery: reports
12. Mexican investigator questions Canadians about Saadi Gaddafi Mexico escape plot
Air, rail, port, health & communication infrastructure security
13. TSA agents respond to hidden knives and drunken bomb threat; Passenger arrested at DFW Airport after carrying gun through security checkpoint14. Bio-terror fear halts bird flu research
15. Anhydrous ammonia fertilizer stolen in St. Joseph County MI, police say
Financing, money laundering, bribery, fraud, identity theft, civil litigation
16. US Treasury targets top Guatemalan drug trafficker17. TX supermarket owner sentenced to prison over food stamp fraud that netted millions
18. Mosque president accused in NC case of fronting cash in multimillion-dollar interstate cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme
Border security, immigration & customs
19. New way to secure borders: Instead of catch-release approach, illegal aliens may now be punished20. AZ prosecutor asserts 5th Amendment rights; Won’t testify in Fast and Furious probe
Other items
21. Widespread support for burka ban in Canada; Muslims salute minister for ‘courageous’ move
International
22. Air Force investigation finds mixed motives in April 2011 Kabul attack; 6 Hawaii-based Marines killed in Afghanistan crash; Besides the Taliban, US talking to once-shunned Afghan insurgent group23. Two European aid workers are kidnapped in Pakistan; US drone strike ‘kills four in Pakistan’
24. Salman Rushdie cancels appearance at Indian literature festival after warnings he could be targeted
25. Assad’s fall could solve Iraqi weapons mystery
26. Nigerian terrorist ‘mastermind’ escapes police custody; Boko Haram kill over 178 in Nigeria’s Kano
27. Three men cleared of plotting to kill Swedish artist who depicted Muhammad
28. Senior Al-Qaeda attack planner lived in Manchester England for 4 yearsComment / Analysis / Conferences
29. Edna Erez, Gabriel Weimann, & A. Aaron Weisburd: Jihad, Crime, and the Internet: Content Analysis of Jihadist Forum Discussions
30. Robert Satloff and Eric Trager: How the U.S. Should Handle the Islamist Rise in Egypt
The Investigative Project on Terrorism Update is designed for use by law enforcement, the intelligence community and policy makers for non-profit research and educational use only. Quoted material is subject to the copyright protections of the original sources which should be cited for attribution, rather than the Update. Our weekly report, “The Money Trail,” derived from our Update, is a compilation of materials on terror financing and other related financial issues.
THE AMERICAS
GENERAL SECURITY, POLICY
1. Treasury Designates Major Iranian State-Owned Bank
Action Strikes at One of Iran’s Few Remaining Access Points to the Global Financial System
US Department of the Treasury January 23, 2012
http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1397.aspx
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated Iran’s third-largest bank, Bank Tejarat, for providing financial services to several Iranian banks and firms already subject to international sanctions for their involvement in Iran’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation activities. With today’s action, 23 Iranian-linked financial institutions, including all of Iran’s largest state-owned banks, have been sanctioned by the U.S. based on their involvement in Iran’s illicit activities… Bank Tejarat was designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382 (Blocking Property of WMD Proliferators and Their Supporters) for providing financial services to Bank Mellat, the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI), the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), and the Ministry of Defense for Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), all of which were previously designated by the the Treasury Department or the Department of State for their involvement in Iran’s WMD proliferation activities. Trade Capital Bank also was designated today for providing financial services to EDBI and for being owned or controlled by Bank Tejarat…
Non-proliferation Designations; Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations Identifications
1/23/2012 US Department of the Treasury OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROLSpecially Designated Nationals Update
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20120123.aspx
The following changes have been made to OFAC’s SDN list:
EU adopts Iran oil embargo
By Don Melvin Associated Press Monday, January 23, 2012http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/23/eu-adopts-iran-oil-embargo/?page=all#pagebreak
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union adopted an oil embargo Monday against Iran and a freeze of the assets of the country’s central bank, part of sanctions meant to pressure the country to resume talks on its nuclear program. Diplomats said the measures, which were adopted in Brussels by the EU’s 27 foreign ministers, include an immediate embargo on new contracts for crude oil and petroleum products, while existing contracts will be allowed to run until July. EU diplomats are calling the measure part of a twin-track approach toward Iran: increase sanctions to discourage what they suspect is Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons but emphasize at the same time the international community’s willingness to talk. Iran says its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes… The EU also agreed to freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank, “while ensuring that legitimate trade can continue under strict conditions,” the foreign ministers said in a statement. In addition, trade in gold, diamonds and precious medals with the bank and Iranian public bodies will be prohibited. The EU froze the assets of eight other companies and imposed visa bans and assets freezes on three Iranians. They will not be identified until their names are published in the EU’s official journal on Tuesday…
White House acknowledges letter to Iran, mum on alleged call for direct talks
Published January 18, 2012 FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/18/iranian-lawmaker-says-obama-proposed-direct-talks-in-letter/
Obama administration officials would not confirm whether President Obama called for direct talks with Iran, after an Iranian lawmaker claimed Wednesday that the president floated the proposal in a secret letter to the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader. The White House acknowledged the letter and reiterated that the door remains open for Iran to return to international talks over its nuclear program. “It remains available to Iran to this day,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, adding that the U.S. position has not changed. But he did not confirm whether the president called for direct talks. The letter also warned Tehran against closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iran has threatened to close the waterway, the route for about one-sixth of the global oil flow, because of new U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program. Conservative Iranian lawmaker Ali Motahari revealed the content of the letter days after the Obama administration said it was warning Iran through public and private channels against any action that threatens the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf…
2. Inside the Ring
By Bill Gertz - Special to The Washington Times Wednesday, January 18, 2012
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/18/inside-the-ring-488627123/?page=all#pagebreakSPACE CODE PUSH BACK
A senior House Republican is questioning the Obama administration’s plan to seek an arms agreement for space based on concerns that the pact could restrict U.S. military and intelligence operations…
SAUDI NUCLEAR WATCH
U.S. intelligence agencies are closely watching Saudi Arabia for signs that the oil-rich kingdom will seek to develop nuclear weapons, amid tensions in the region centered on Iran’s nuclear program. One key warning sign was the cooperation agreement signed Sunday in Riyadh by China and Saudi Arabia…
COVERT CIA IRAN PROGRAM
A court filing in the unauthorized disclosure case of former CIA official Jeffrey Sterling confirms a published report that the CIA in 1998 ran a covert operation to provide false technical information to the Iranians…
3. Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Export Military Antennae to Singapore and Hong KongU.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs January 20, 2012 (202) 514-2007/TDD (202) 514-1888
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8899WASHINGTON—Rudolf L. Cheung, 57, a resident of Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today in federal court in the District of Columba to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act in connection with the unlawful export of 55 military antennae from the United States to Singapore and Hong Kong… Cheung serves as the head of the Research & Development Department at a private company that manufactures antennae. Over the past 17 years, he has designed or supervised the development of a full library of antennae made by the firm, many of which have military applications and are used by defense contractors. Some of Cheung’s inventions are used in the U.S. space program. According to court documents filed in the case…
4. US says al-Qaida magazine got into Guantanamo cell
Published January 18, 2012 Richard Lardner Associated Press
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8900FORT MEADE, Md. – A copy of a magazine published by an arm of al-Qaida made its way to a terror suspect at the Guantanamo Bay prison, leading to an inspection of cells and a contentious new policy requiring special review teams to examine correspondence between prisoners and attorneys, U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday. Navy Cmdr. Andrea Lockhart told a military judge during a pre-trial hearing that a copy of Inspire magazine got into a cell. She provided no details on who received the magazine or how. But she said the breach showed that prior rules at the base governing mail review were not adequate. Yemen’s al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula launched the online, English-language magazine in 2010. An early issue contained tips to would-be militants about how to kill U.S. citizens. Lockhart is part of the U.S. team prosecuting the case against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national charged with orchestrating the deadly attack on the USS Cole in 2000. Al-Nashiri, 47, is considered one of the most senior al-Qaida leaders. He has been held at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006 after spending several years held by the CIA in a series of secret prisons. How mail between Guantanamo prisoners and their attorneys should be handled consumed several hours of the Al-Nashiri’s pre-trial session on Tuesday and Wednesday. At issue is whether even a cursory examination of the legal correspondence violates the attorney-client privilege…
5. Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou Charged with Disclosing Covert Officer’s Identity and Other Classified Information to Journalists and Lying to CIA’s Publications Review BoardInvestigation Involving Photos Seized from Guantanamo Detainees Concludes No Criminal Violations by Defense Team; Rather, Classified Information Kiriakou Allegedly Illegally Disclosed to a Journalist Was Provided by the Journalist to a Defense Investigator
Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs Monday, January 23, 2012
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/January/12-ag-083.html
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, was charged today with repeatedly disclosing classified information to journalists, including the name of a covert CIA officer and information revealing the role of another CIA employee in classified activities, Justice Department officials announced. The charges result from an investigation that was triggered by a classified defense filing in January 2009, which contained classified information the defense had not been given through official government channels, and, in part, by the discovery in the spring of 2009 of photographs of certain government employees and contractors in the materials of high-value detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The investigation revealed that on multiple occasions, one of the journalists to whom Kiriakou is alleged to have illegally disclosed classified information, in turn, disclosed that information to a defense team investigator, and that this information was reflected in the classified defense filing and enabled the defense team to take or obtain surveillance photographs of government personnel. There are no allegations of criminal activity by any members of the defense team for the detainees… In June 2008, The New York Times published an article by Journalist B entitled “Inside the Interrogation of a 9/11 Mastermind,” which publicly identified Officer B and reported his alleged role in the capture and questioning of Abu Zubaydah – facts which were then classified. The article attributed other information to Kiriakou as a source, but did not identify the source(s) who disclosed or confirmed Officer B’s identity…
United States of America vs. John Kiriakou: Criminal Complaint, January 23, 2012 (PDF) http://www.justice.gov/opa/documents/kiriakou-complaint.pdf
6. Prosecutors: 4th Man Recruited in NYC Bomb Plot
By TOM HAYS Associated Press January 19, 2012
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/prosecutors-4th-man-recruited-nyc-bomb-plot-15396571
NEW YORK January 19, 2012 (AP) - Federal prosecutors have quietly added a new wrinkle to their case against a New York City man charged in one of the most serious terror plots since the Sept. 11 attacks. In a revised indictment filed last week in Brooklyn, Adis Medunjanin was hit with a new allegation that he — along with former high school classmates Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay — tried to recruit someone identified only as John Doe to travel to Pakistan “to wage violent jihad.” It was the first time the government has linked a fourth person in the U.S. to what evolved into an al-Qaida-sanctioned scheme to pull off what prosecutors call three “coordinated suicide bombing attacks” on Manhattan subway lines. Lawyers for Medunjanin are now demanding that the government reveal the identity of the man before he turns up as a possible witness at a trial set for March. “We want to know who John Doe is,” defense attorney Robert Gottlieb said Thursday. A pretrial hearing is scheduled next week to take up the issue. The defense also plans to oppose a request by prosecutors for an anonymous jury, Gottlieb said… Medunjanin, 27, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, providing material support to a terrorist organization and other charges…
7. FBI arrests suburban Denver man indicted on charges of supporting terrorist organization
By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, January 23, 2012 2:51 PMhttp://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8901
IPT NOTE: Court documents posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/case/611
AURORA, Colo. — The FBI arrested a refugee from Uzbekistan at Chicago’s O’Hare airport on charges that he planned to travel overseas to fight for a terrorist group and give up his life if necessary, an official said Monday. However, there was no evidence that suspect Jamshid Muhtorov was plotting attacks inside the United States, authorities said. Muhtorov, 35, of Aurora, Colo., was arrested Saturday by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces. Muhtorov, who goes by several other names, was indicted for providing and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors allege he planned to fight for the Islamic Jihad Union, which has been blamed for suicide attacks in Uzbekistan and claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan. Muhtorov was arrested without incident before he could board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, said Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department in Washington. Muhtorov made a brief court appearance Monday morning in Chicago and waived his rights to further hearings in the northern Illinois district. Judge Morton Denlow then ordered Muhtorov to be transferred to Denver but it wasn’t immediately clear how soon that would happen… Neighbors said Muhtorov worked as a truck driver and lived with three children and a woman…
Colorado Man Arrested for Providing Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization
U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Colorado January 23, 2012 (303) 454-0100
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8902
DENVER—Jamshid Muhtorov, aka Abumumin Turkistony, aka Abu Mumin, 35, of Aurora, Colorado, was arrested Saturday afternoon at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces on a charge of providing and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Department of Justice announced today… Muhtorov’s arrest is the result of a long-term investigation conducted by the FBI’s Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force. The Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force provided investigative support. The defendant is a refugee from Uzbekistan. According to the criminal complaint, which was obtained in Denver and initially filed under seal, Muhtorov indicated that he planned to travel overseas where he intended to fight on behalf of the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a designated foreign terrorist organization…
8. From private school student in Plano to al-Qaida agent
by CHRIS BRUMMITT and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press Posted on January 19, 2012 at 1:36 AM
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/CHRIS-BRUMMITT-and—137642183.html#IPT NOTE: Background posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/3337/senior-american-al-qaida-propagandist-killed-in
Moeed Abdul Salam didn’t descend into radical Islam for lack of other options. He grew up in a well-off Texas household, attended a pricey boarding school and graduated from one of the state’s most respected universities. But the most unlikely thing about his recruitment was his family: Two generations had spent years promoting interfaith harmony and combating Muslim stereotypes in their hometown and even on national television. Salam rejected his relatives’ moderate faith and comfortable life, choosing instead a path that led him to work for al-Qaida. His odyssey ended late last year in a middle-of-the-night explosion in Pakistan. The 37-year-old father of four was dead after paramilitary troops stormed his apartment. Officers said Salam committed suicide with a grenade. An Islamic media group said the troops killed him…
9. Police Chiefs to Discuss Terrorism at White House
By Eileen Sullivan Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-chiefs-discuss-terrorism-white-house-15384440WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is providing senior state and local police officials with its analysis of homegrown terrorism incidents, including common signs law enforcement can use to identify violent extremists. The warning signs identified for police include someone joining a group advocating violence, receiving support from a network that plans attacks or seeking out charismatic leaders who encourage violence. The analysis was conducted by the Homeland Security Department, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center. An overview of the findings was shared with The Associated Press. The conference Wednesday at the White House marks the first time this unclassified analysis will be presented to 46 senior federal, state and local law enforcement officials, many of whom are police chiefs and sheriffs. The conference will also include sessions on other programs the federal government has for countering violent extremism and a briefing from a deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department about what the city has done on this front…
10. Supreme Court denies leave to appeal in Syrian, Egyptian torture caseThursday, January 19, 2012 10:10 AM GlobalNews.ca
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8903
IPT NOTE: Another perspective is found at http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/testimony/355.pdf OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of three men suing the federal government for complicity in their detention and torture in Syria and Egypt. The high court dismissed the leave to appeal application of the men, who allege the government is hiding behind Section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act, which allows information to be withheld for national security reasons. They were appealing a ruling last year by the Federal Court of Appeal that sided with the government over keeping information about their cases from being released. A government inquiry under former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci concluded in 2008 that Canadian officials were likely partly to blame for the torture of the three men. The trio, Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin, deny they are terrorists…
Supreme Court to decide on hearing torture cases
Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin accuse Ottawa of hiding behind national security law
The Canadian Press Posted: Jan 19, 2012 8:10 AM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/01/19/supreme-court-torture-cases.htmlThree men seeking to sue the federal government for complicity in their detention and torture in Syria and Egypt will find out today whether Canada’s highest court will hear their appeal. Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin accuse Ottawa of hiding behind Section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act, which allows the government to withhold sensitive information to protect national security. Their cases date back more than a decade…
11. Russian embassy staff forced to leave Canada after navy spy mystery: reports
Postmedia News Jan 19, 2012 – 11:47 PM ET | Last Updated: Jan 20, 2012 10:11 AM EThttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/19/ottawa-refuses-to-deny-expelling-russian-embassy-officials/
OTTAWA — A number of Russian embassy officials have been expelled from Canada in connection with an alleged espionage affair, it has been reported. The expulsions apparently came after charges were laid against a Canadian military intelligence officer in Halifax, accused of passing protected government information to an un-named foreign entity. Reports listed the names of two diplomats and two other staff members who were dropped from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ list of representatives officially recognized by Canada. But Postmedia News has confirmed that at least one of the Russian diplomats, Konstantin Kolpakov, left on Dec. 25 at the end of his scheduled term. That was before this week’s charges against Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle under the Security of Information Act…
12. Mexican investigator questions Canadians about Saadi Gaddafi Mexico escape plot
Stewart Bell Jan 22, 2012 – 7:55 PM ET | Last Updated: Jan 22, 2012 11:13 PM ET National Posthttp://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8904
A Mexican prosecutor investigating an alleged Canadian-led plot to help members of the Gaddafi family escape to Mexico was in Ontario last week to question witnesses, according to sources familiar with the case. Among those who met with the prosecutor was Gary Peters, an Ontario-based private security contractor who oversaw an aborted plan to fly Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saadi to a safe house near Puerta Vallarta last year. RCMP officers accompanied the official during his visit, which ended Friday and indicates that Mexican authorities are still actively investigating the alleged scheme more than two months after arresting a Canadian woman. Cynthia Vanier, of Mount Forrest, Ont., and three others were arrested in Mexico City in November over the alleged plot to fly Mr. Gaddafi, his wife and two children to Punta Mita, Mexico, on false passports…
AIR, RAIL, PORT, HEALTH & COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY
IPT NOTE: DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Reports http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/editorial_0542.shtm ; DHS Blog http://blog.dhs.gov/ ; TSA Releases http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/index.shtm ; TSA Blog http://blog.tsa.gov/13. TSA agents respond to hidden knives and drunken bomb threat
Mon, 2012-01-23 09:07 AM By: Mark Rockwell Gov’t Security News
http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/25498?c=airport_aviation_securityTransportation Security Officers at airports across the country found 24 loaded guns in carry-on bags, inert grenades and 1.5 pounds of Methamphetamine in the middle week of January. The agency said one of its top finds of the period was a non-metallic knife disguised as a hairbrush in a carry-on bag at Lynchburg (VA) Regional Airport. The hairbrush concealed an ice-pick style ceramic blade measuring several inches long, said the agency. Ceramic blades are more difficult to detect than metallic blades, and just as sharp and dangerous, it said. The passenger, travelling to Charlotte (NC) Douglas International Airport, voluntarily surrendered the weapon to airport police who responded to the scene, said the agency. According to the TSA’s Blogger Bob Burns, TSOs also received a threat from a passenger who said he had eight bombs in his bags. Burns didn’t specify the airport where the incident occurred, but said local police who responded to the incident said the passenger “may” have been intoxicated…
Passenger arrested at DFW Airport after carrying gun through security checkpoint
Andrea Ahles Dallas-Fort Worth Star Telegram blog, Sky Talk, January 18, 2012
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8905A passenger was arrested this morning at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport after carrying a gun through a security checkpoint at Terminal D. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the screening officers detected a firearm in a carry-on bag after the passenger had already left the checkpoint with the bag. The incident occurred around 6:20 a.m. at the checkpoint near gate D-30…
14. Bio-terror fear halts bird flu research
Published January 21, 2012 | Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/21/bio-terror-fear-halts-bird-flu-research/
Scientists who created easier-to-spread versions of the deadly bird flu said Friday they’re temporarily halting more research, as international specialists debate what should happen next. Researchers from leading flu laboratories around the world signed onto the voluntary moratorium, published Friday in the journals Science and Nature. What the scientists called a “pause” comes amid fierce controversy over how to handle research that’s high-risk but potentially could bring a big payoff. Two labs — at Erasmus University in the Netherlands and the University of Wisconsin-Madison — created the new viruses while studying how bird flu might mutate to become a bigger threat to people. The U.S. government funded the work but last month urged the teams not to publicly reveal the exact formula so that would-be bioterrorists couldn’t copy it. Critics also worried a lab accident might allow the strains to escape. The researchers reluctantly agreed not to publish all the details as long as the government set up a system to provide them to legitimate scientists who really need to know. The National Institutes of Health is creating such a system…
15. Anhydrous ammonia fertilizer stolen in St. Joseph County, police say
Published: Monday, January 23, 2012, 1:10 PM By Rosemary Parker The Kalamazoo Gazette
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/01/anhydrous_ammonia_fertilizer_s.htmlNOTTAWA TOWNSHIP — Sometime between Friday and Saturday, anhydrous ammonia fertilizer was taken from the 25000 Block of Prairie Corners Rd. in Nottawa Township, according to a news release from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities did not say how much was taken. Investigators ask that anyone with information about the theft contact the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department at 269-467-9045 or the St. Joseph County Central Dispatch at 269-467-4195.
FINANCING, MONEY LAUNDERING, BRIBERY, FRAUD, IDENTITY THEFT, CIVIL LITIGATION
16. Treasury Targets Top Guatemalan Drug TraffickerUS Department of the Treasury Press Release 1/19/2012
http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1395.aspxWASHINGTON- The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced the designation of Guatemalan national Marllory Dadiana Chacon Rossell and seven other individuals and entities connected to Chacon Rossell’s drug trafficking and money laundering organization as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNTs). Today’s action, taken pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these entities and individuals and freezes any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction. Marllory Dadiana Chacon Rossell leads a drug trafficking and money laundering organization based out of Guatemala with operations in Honduras and Panama that supplies the Mexican drug cartels. Chacon Rossell is believed to be one of the most prolific narcotics traffickers in Central America. She is responsible for transshipping thousands of kilograms of cocaine per month through Guatemala, into Mexico, and on to the United States. Chacon Rossell is also believed to launder tens of millions of U.S. dollars in narcotics proceeds each month, making her the most active money launderer in Guatemala… To view a chart of the Chacon Rossell affiliates, see…
17. Store owner sentenced in food-stamp fraud
By MADELINE BUCKLEY/The Brownsville Herald 2012-01-17 21:38:23
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/common/printer/view.php?db=brownsville&id=135949The owner of a Brownsville supermarket is facing almost four years in prison for committing food stamp fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. Parviz Sheikh Rezaei, 56, proprietor of Pariz Dollar Supermarket, pleaded guilty in August to exchanging Lone Star cards — used in Texas for food stamps and cash benefits for the needy — for discounted amounts of cash… Court documents alleged that Rezaei, along with two co-conspirators, netted more than $4 million in the scheme. Documents show the charges against co-conspirators named in the indictment were later dropped. U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen sentenced Rezaei Tuesday and ordered him to serve a supervised release term of three years following his release from federal prison. He was also ordered to pay almost $2.5 million in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture…
18. SC man charged with cigarette trafficking, money laundering
By Allyson Bird - January 22, 2012 Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/jan/22/mt-p-man-charged-with-trafficking-smokes/
IPT NOTE: Court documents posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/case/610
A Mount Pleasant man fronted cash in a multimillion-dollar cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme that crossed state borders and hid cash within South Carolina businesses, according to federal court documents unsealed last week. Nasser Alquza, 56, was president of the Central Mosque of Charleston until after his arrest Nov. 30. Investigators nabbed Alquza and 10 other men in a 26-count indictment filed in North Carolina, accusing them of crimes ranging from conspiracy to receiving stolen property. Court records say the men bought nearly 7,000 cases of “stolen” cigarettes, each containing 60 cartons, from undercover officers in exchange for about $7.5 million… Officials asked a judge to seal the court records as the investigation continued, but the documents became public last week… This is how the federal agents’ investigation unfolded, according to unsealed documents:… Investigators wrote in court papers that they believe the two men have spent the past decade involved in illegal activity, including money laundering, interstate transportation of stolen property, marriage fraud, alien smuggling, bank fraud, Social Security fraud, identity theft and operating an unlicensed money service business. In court filings, authorities described their network as family members helping one another further advance their illegal activity… The indictment against all 11 men recounts alleged illegal cigarette sales at a cell phone store, a storage facility and a convenience store in North Carolina and South Carolina…
BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS
IPT NOTE: US Customs & Border Protection, http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/ & http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/border_security/border_patrol/press_announce_lp.xml; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement http://www.ice.gov/news/ ; Canada Border Services Agency http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html19. U.S. has new way to secure borders
Instead of catch-release approach, illegal aliens may now be punished
STEWART M. POWEL, Times Union, Hearst Newspapers 10:41 p.m., Tuesday, January 17, 2012
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/U-S-has-new-way-to-secure-borders-2592522.phpWASHINGTON — What used to be just an inconvenience is about to become a real headache for undocumented immigrants illegally entering the United States from Mexico. The U.S. Border Patrol is preparing to impose carefully-targeted punishments on captured illegal aliens to replace a revolving door approach that often amounts to little more than catch-and-release program that sends the detainees back to Mexico without penalty. A Department of Homeland Security official said the U.S. Border Patrol and other border security agencies are extending a so-called “consequence delivery system” along the length of the U.S.-Mexico border. That program has been in use for the past year in the busy Tucson, Ariz., sector…
20. Ariz. prosecutor asserts Fifth Amendment rights
Won’t testify in Fast and Furious probe
By Jerry Seper The Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/22/ariz-prosecutor-asserts-fifth-amendment-rights/The chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona cited his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in refusing Friday to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in its ongoing investigation into the failed “Fast and Furious” gunrunning operation. Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican and committee chairman, said prosecutor Patrick J. Cunningham had been subpoenaed to testify Tuesday but his attorney notified the panel that Mr. Cunningham intended to exercise his right not to incriminate himself…
OTHER ITEMS
21. Widespread support for burka ban, Jason Kenney says; Muslims salute minister for ‘courageous’ move
Stewart Bell Jan 23, 2012 – 9:44 AM ET National Post
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/8906TORONTO – A month after Canada banned Muslim women from covering their faces during citizenship ceremonies, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says the policy has won widespread support. Speaking at a Muslim Canadian Congress event honouring his “courageous decision,” Mr. Kenney said polling shows that eight out of 10 Canadians agreed with the decision while only 14% were opposed. “It is only a sign of respect for your fellow citizens, when you are pledging to them your commitment to live in a community with them, to show your face and who you are and that your pledge is heartfelt and authentic,” he said. He said he would not act on suggestions to hold separate citizenship ceremonies for Muslim women who cover their faces in public. “We are all becoming Canadians together,” he said. “We are not going to start segregating our citizenship ceremonies.” The minister characterized the new rule as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the value of citizenship in Canada, which he said has the highest rate of naturalization of any country in the developed world. While the audience gathered at a Toronto hotel spoke mostly in support of the niqab ban, one woman said she was “extremely offended” by the comments she had heard. “If somebody believes in it [the niqab] then it’s their right to practise it,” said Fatema Dada of the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association…
ASIA/PACIFIC
22. Air Force completes Kabul shooting investigation
Posted 1/17/2012 US Air Force release
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123286288IPT NOTE: See http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-120111-051.pdf for a copy of the redacted AFOSI Report of Investigation.
1/17/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) — The Air Force completed its investigation into the April 27, 2011 shooting incident at the Afghanistan air force Headquarters located in Kabul, Afghanistan, in which eight U.S. Air Force Airmen and one civilian contractor were killed in the line of duty while serving in a combat zone. The incident occurred when an Afghanistan air force officer, Col. Ahmed Gul, entered the Afghan Command and Control Center in the Afghanistan air force headquarters, North Kabul International Airport, and shot and killed the eight Airmen and one civilian contractor. In addition to the U.S. personnel killed, two Afghans were shot and three other Afghans were injured in the attack. The attacker died of wounds received during the incident. The investigation report concludes Gul acted alone and discusses factors that may have pla Notes
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