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  • Department of Justice Begins Third Distribution of Forfeited Funds to Compensate Victims of Fraud Scheme Facilitated by Western Union

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    JUSTICE NEWS, Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Wednesday, June 30, 2021
    Distribution of Funds Brings Compensation Total to More than $365 Million

    The Department of Justice announced today that the Western Union Remission Fund began its third distribution of approximately $66 million in funds forfeited to the United States from the Western Union Company (Western Union) to approximately 6,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims, many of whom were elderly victims of consumer fraud, will be recovering the full amount of their losses.

    This is the third in a series of distributions. The first two distributions paid more than $300 million to over 142,000 victims, all of whom received full compensation for their losses. The Department of Justice anticipates authorizing compensation for more victims in the coming months. Petitions are accepted on an ongoing basis and potential victims who have not applied for compensation will be provided the opportunity to apply this year.

    “This third distribution of funds from the Western Union forfeiture demonstrates the Department of Justice’s continued commitment to compensate and serve justice to victims, many of whom suffered immense losses from this fraud scheme,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kevin O. Driscoll of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Divesting criminals of ill-gotten gains and returning those funds to victims are the primary goals of the Asset Forfeiture Program, which has provided over $10 billion in forfeited funds to victims over the last two decades.”

    “Since 2001, our office, in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, has been at the forefront of investigating and prosecuting cross-border frauds where global money services companies such as Western Union facilitate fraud by transferring millions of dollars overseas into the pockets of international fraudsters,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “The historic 2017 deferred prosecution agreement with Western Union, and the payments to thousands of victims to compensate them for their losses, demonstrates our commitment to hold all responsible parties accountable and to make all victims whole. I want to thank all the prosecutors and agents who continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the victims.”

    “Today’s $66 million distribution continues our commitment to ensuring justice for the thousands of victims who were financially harmed by multiple fraud schemes in this investigation,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division. “We are pleased that thus far over $350 million has been returned to approximately 150,000 victims, many who are among the most vulnerable: the elderly.  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to protect Americans and to ensure that all remedies are explored in delivering justice.”

    In 2017, Western Union entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the United States. Pursuant to the DPA, Western Union had a criminal information filed against it acknowledged responsibility for its criminal conduct, which included violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and aiding and abetting wire fraud, and agreed to forfeit $586 million, which has been made available to compensate victims of an international consumer fraud scheme. Western Union simultaneously resolved a parallel civil investigation with the Federal Trade Commission.

    According to court documents, in the scheme, fraudsters targeted consumers, including seniors, through multiple scams. Three specific scams directed towards seniors included the so-called grandparent scam, where the fraudster would pose as the victim’s relative in purported need of immediate money to avoid personal harm; lottery or sweepstakes scams, where the fraudster would tell the victim that he or she had won a large cash prize but had to pay fees, such as taxes, to claim the prize; and romance scams, where the fraudster would pose as an online love interest and request funds for a visit or for another purpose. In each of these scams, the fraudsters convinced their victims to send money through Western Union.

    Certain owners, operators or employees of Western Union locations were complicit in the scheme. Western Union aided and abetted the scheme by failing to suspend or terminate complicit agents and by allowing them to continue to process fraud-induced monetary transactions. Western Union fulfilled its obligations under the DPA, and the court granted the motion to dismiss the criminal information against Western Union last year.

    The Department of Justice, through the Asset Forfeiture Program, works diligently to restore lost funds to victims of crime and acknowledges the significant assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Philadelphia Division’s Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Office. The victim compensation payments in this case would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Central District of California, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the Southern District of Florida. The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office of Inspector General, and the Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General provided valuable assistance.

    More information about the Western Union compensation process is available on the Western Union remission website at www.westernunionremission.com. Further questions may be directed to the Western Union Remission Administrator by phone at 844-319-2124 or by email at info@WesternUnionRemission.com.

    The Department of Justice announced today that the Western Union Remission Fund began its third distribution of approximately $66 million in funds forfeited to the United States from the Western Union Company (Western Union) to approximately 6,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims, many of whom were elderly victims of consumer fraud, will be recovering the full amount of their losses.

    This is the third in a series of distributions. The first two distributions paid more than $300 million to over 142,000 victims, all of whom received full compensation for their losses. The Department of Justice anticipates authorizing compensation for more victims in the coming months. Petitions are accepted on an ongoing basis and potential victims who have not applied for compensation will be provided the opportunity to apply this year.

    “This third distribution of funds from the Western Union forfeiture demonstrates the Department of Justice’s continued commitment to compensate and serve justice to victims, many of whom suffered immense losses from this fraud scheme,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kevin O. Driscoll of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Divesting criminals of ill-gotten gains and returning those funds to victims are the primary goals of the Asset Forfeiture Program, which has provided over $10 billion in forfeited funds to victims over the last two decades.”

    “Since 2001, our office, in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, has been at the forefront of investigating and prosecuting cross-border frauds where global money services companies such as Western Union facilitate fraud by transferring millions of dollars overseas into the pockets of international fraudsters,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “The historic 2017 deferred prosecution agreement with Western Union, and the payments to thousands of victims to compensate them for their losses, demonstrates our commitment to hold all responsible parties accountable and to make all victims whole. I want to thank all the prosecutors and agents who continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the victims.”

    “Today’s $66 million distribution continues our commitment to ensuring justice for the thousands of victims who were financially harmed by multiple fraud schemes in this investigation,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division. “We are pleased that thus far over $350 million has been returned to approximately 150,000 victims, many who are among the most vulnerable: the elderly.  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to protect Americans and to ensure that all remedies are explored in delivering justice.”

    In 2017, Western Union entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the United States. Pursuant to the DPA, Western Union had a criminal information filed against it and acknowledged responsibility for its criminal conduct, which included violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and aiding and abetting wire fraud, and agreed to forfeit $586 million, which has been made available to compensate victims of an international consumer fraud scheme. Western Union simultaneously resolved a parallel civil investigation with the Federal Trade Commission.

    According to court documents, in the scheme, fraudsters targeted consumers, including seniors, through multiple scams. Three specific scams directed towards seniors included the so-called grandparent scam, where the fraudster would pose as the victim’s relative in purported need of immediate money to avoid personal harm; lottery or sweepstakes scams, where the fraudster would tell the victim that he or she had won a large cash prize but had to pay fees, such as taxes, to claim the prize; and romance scams, where the fraudster would pose as an online love interest and request funds for a visit or for another purpose. In each of these scams, the fraudsters convinced their victims to send money through Western Union.

    Certain owners, operators or employees of Western Union locations were complicit in the scheme. Western Union aided and abetted the scheme by failing to suspend or terminate complicit agents and by allowing them to continue to process fraud-induced monetary transactions. Western Union fulfilled its obligations under the DPA, and the court granted the motion to dismiss the criminal information against Western Union last year.

    The Department of Justice, through the Asset Forfeiture Program, works diligently to restore lost funds to victims of crime and acknowledges the significant assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Philadelphia Division’s Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Office. The victim compensation payments in this case would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Central District of California, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Southern District of Florida. The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office of Inspector General and the Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General provided valuable assistance.

    More information about the Western Union compensation process is available on the Western Union remission website at www.westernunionremission.com. Further questions may be directed to the Western Union Remission Administrator by phone at 844-319-2124 or by email at info@WesternUnionRemission.com.

    Topic(s): 
    Asset Forfeiture
    Component(s): 
    Criminal Division
    Criminal – Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section
    USAO – California, Central
    USAO – Florida, Southern
    USAO – Pennsylvania, Eastern
    USAO – Pennsylvania, Middle
    Press Release Number: 
    21-614
     
     https://www.justice.gov/largecases
     

  • Jo Freeman Reviews Electing Madam Vice President by Nichola D. Gutgold

    By Jo Freeman                                                      

     Electing Madam Vice President
    Review of
    Electing Madam Vice President: When Women Run Women Win
    Lanham, MD:  Lexington Books, 2021, xi + 145 pages; hardcover $95; e-book $45
     
    This book packs a lot of punch into 145 pages.  
     
    The eleven 2019/20 Presidential debates allowed more women than ever before to stand up and be heard.  While women have been running for President at least since Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (R. ME) threw her hat into the ring in 1964 (there were two in the 19th Century), female names usually only appeared on primary ballots or under third party labels in a handful of states.   The televised debates exposed a large, national audience to women’s rhetorical skill.
     
    This book has one chapter on each of the six women who participated in the first two debates.  Gillibrand and Williamson didn’t meet the threshold for polls and money to participate in the other debates.  Gabbard was in four.  Harris was in five.  Warren and Klobuchar lasted through ten.
     
    The debates defined the candidates, but the book is about rhetoric, so Gutgold looks at a lot of campaign speeches, statements and other TV presentations as well as the debates.  She examines each woman’s style, delivery, message and command of the many topics they had to address.
     
    These six women were very different.  Tulsi Gabbard was a young Representative from Hawaii, who was a member of the National Guard.  Kirsten Gillibrand came from upper New York state, where her family was political aristocracy that sent her to the “best” schools.  Kamala Harris was a Californian, born to immigrant parents who came to UC Berkeley for their graduate education and stayed.  Amy Klobuchar was a Minnesota pragmatist who went to Ivy League schools.  Elizabeth Warren morphed from a third-grade teacher from an Oklahoma Republican family into a very progressive Harvard Law professor.  Marianne Williamson was the only one without a political career and slim political credentials.  As a spiritual guru who produced best-selling books, she had a national following but had never won an election.
     
    All told stories from their lives to illustrate their themes.  None were rags-to-riches stories.  Nor did they go into politics the old-fashioned way, by inheriting an office from a male relative.  They worked their way up the political ladder, though some had doors opened for them while others had to pound on those doors.
     
    Along the way the women were often attacked, though not so viciously as when they ran for President.  Trump called Warren ‘Pocahontas’. The press said Klobuchar was a mean boss.  Williamson was dismissed as an aging hippie.  Some of the women handled these attacks better than others – but that’s true of men as well.  Above all, they had to deal with the issue of “electability” – could a woman, any woman, beat Trump.  Each had to tell her audience why “this woman” could.
     
    None won, of course. While some rose in the polls, at the polls the best that any did was third.  That would be Warren.  Harris, whom Biden chose to be his running-mate, dropped out in December so didn’t appear on any Democratic primary ballot.
     
    In her final chapter Gutgold asks “Did Six Women Running for President 2020 Change the Rhetoric of Women and Presidential Politics?”  To find out her answer, you’ll have to read the book.
     
    © 2021 Jo Freeman for SeniorWomen.com; Jo Freeman: www.jofreeman.com  

  • Eunice Foote, Amateur Scientist From the Mid-1800s Whose Experiments Foreshadowed the Discovery of Earth’s Greenhouse Effect

    Drawing of a woman in 19th-century dress standing in front of a table with scientific instruments

    Drawing by Carlyn Iverson, NOAA Climate.gov.  Born on July 17, 1819, Eunice Newton Foote was an amateur scientist and a women’s rights campaigner who was friends with American suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  Foote’s experiments with atmospheric gases and her insights about past climate were overlooked for more than a century. 

    Women have been making significant contributions to science for centuries and receiving little to no credit for their work. Rosalind Franklin captured the X-ray images of the DNA molecule that allowed James Watson and Francis Crick to decipher its structure, but she received scant recognition for her role. [Correction, 09/17/19: The article previously stated that Franklin did not share in Watson and Crick’s Nobel prize for the discovery. However, Franklin died before the scientists were nominated.)

    African-American women at NASA — Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson (along with the countless other women mathematicians) — helped engineer the spacecraft and solved the equations that guided the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit in 1962. But their contributions to America’s space program were barely recognized for half a century until their story became a best-selling book and blockbuster film in 2016.

    That kind of recognition isn’t the case for many women scientists who were never given authorship on papers and whose work has been forgotten. One woman who almost fell into that category was American Eunice Newton Foote, an early female climate science pioneer whose name you’ve most likely never heard.

    Scan of yellowed pages of Foote's 1856 paper

    A scan of Foote’s paper “Circumstances affecting the heat of the Sun’s rays ” from the American Journal of Science (1857). 

    Foote’s experiments in the 1850s demonstrated the ability of atmospheric water vapor and carbon dioxide to affect solar heating, foreshadowing John Tyndall’s later experiments that described the workings of Earth’s greenhouse effect. Despite her remarkable insight into the influence that higher carbon dioxide levels in the past would have had on Earth’s temperature, Foote went unnoticed in the history of climate science until recently.

  • GAO*, Pipeline Safety: Performance Measures Needed to Assess Recent Changes to Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Regulations

    Fast Facts

    The US hazardous liquid pipeline network runs for over 220,000 miles and is critical to the economy. Pipelines are considered a relatively safe way to transport crude oil and other hazardous liquids, but accidents can happen.

    The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration amended safety regulations in 2019. Stakeholders told us the changes could improve safety without presenting significant challenges. However, several operators said they would need to modify or replace pipelines to accommodate certain inspection tools. The agency hasn’t developed measures to assess whether the changes improve safety. We recommended doing so.

    Construction of a Hazardous Liquid Pipeline

    A pipeline being constructed

    What GAO Found

    In 2019, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a final rule amending its hazardous liquid pipeline safety regulations. Selected pipeline operators and officials from PHMSA and selected states’ pipeline safety offices said that these changes would enhance pipeline safety and present no significant challenges. They said the most beneficial changes expanded the scope of inspections. For example, in addition to existing requirements for operators to use specialized tools to inspect pipelines in “high consequence areas” — defined by population and environmental factors — the 2019 Rule requires such inspections outside of those areas. While operators noted the rule’s potential to improve safety, all 11 operators GAO interviewed identified specific amendments that could increase their costs. For example, several operators said they would need to modify or replace some of their pipeline to allow for certain inspection tools required by the changes. PHMSA and state pipeline safety officials said they did not anticipate oversight challenges or additional costs because the changes did not alter their inspection process.

    Specialized In-Line Inspection Tool Being Placed in a Launch Point on a Pipeline

    Specialized In-Line Inspection Tool Being Placed in a Launch Point on a Pipeline

    PHMSA held meetings with and provided guidance to operators and inspectors on the changes but has not developed measures to assess if the changes improve safety. Leading performance management practices call for agencies to track progress toward goals using measures that include targets for expected levels of performance and timeframes. While PHMSA has desired outcomes for the 2019 Rule, including safety improvements, PHMSA officials said they have not established performance measures for those outcomes because some of the changes have long-term compliance deadlines, and so data are not yet available to assess effectiveness. However, other changes have shorter-term deadlines for compliance and PHMSA could use data it already collects from operators for its assessment. Without performance measures, PHMSA cannot determine whether the changes made by the 2019 Rule are achieving their intended outcomes and contributing to PHMSA’s safety goals.

    Why GAO Did This Study

    The US hazardous liquid pipeline network runs for over 220,000 miles and is a critical component of the nation’s economy. The US hazardous liquid pipeline network runs for over 220,000 miles and is a critical ponent of the nation’s economy. Pipelines are considered to be a relatively safe mode of transporting crude oil, refined petroleum products, and other hazardous liquids, but accidents can occur that result in loss of life and environmental damage. PHMSA, within the Department of Transportation (DOT), sets the federal minimum pipeline safety standards and generally ensures operator compliance.

    In 2016, a pipeline safety statute included a provision for GAO to report on hazardous liquid pipeline safety after PHMSA issued a specific final rule amending its safety regulations, which it did in 2019. This report examines: (1) perspectives of selected pipeline stakeholders on the benefits and challenges of the amendments made by the 2019 Rule and (2) steps PHMSA has taken to inform stakeholders of these amendments and to measure their effects on pipeline safety. GAO reviewed relevant statutes and regulations; analyzed PHMSA accident data from calendar years 2011-2020; interviewed 11 pipeline operators — selected by pipeline type, miles, and product type — as well as pipeline industry and safety stakeholders, and PHMSA and pipeline safety officials from six states.

    Recommendations

    PHMSA should develop and use performance measures to assess whether the changes made by the 2019 Rule achieve desired outcomes and improve safety. DOT concurred with GAO’s recommendation. 

    Recommendations for Executive Action

    Agency Affected Recommendation Status
    Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 1. The PHMSA Administrator should develop and use performance measures to assess whether the amendments made by its 2019 Rule to its hazardous liquid pipeline safety regulations are achieving their desired outcomes and contributing to PHMSA’s safety goals for hazardous liquid pipelines. These measures should include targets for the expected levels of performance to be achieved and specific timeframes in which to achieve these results. (Recommendation 1)
    Open
    When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

  • Women’s Congressional Policy Institute: Increasing Access to Child Care, Amending the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Improve SS Benefits for Widows and Widowers in 2-Income Households

    Issues of importance to women and their families*
    Weekly Legislative UpdateSylvia Garcia

    June 21, 2021, Right, Sylvia Garcia; D-Tex
    Bills Introduced: June 14-18, 2021
     
    Child Care
     
    H.R. 3878 — Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA)/Education and Labor (6/14/21) — A bill to authorize states to expand the uses of the child care stabilization funds to include support for grants to increase access to child care through the establishment and expansion of child care programs by businesses. 
     
    Employment
     
    H.R. 3992 — Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)/Education and Labor (6/17/21) — A bill to amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to prohibit employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying applicants for employment.
     
    Health
     
    S. 2047 — Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)/ Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (6/14/21) — A bill to ban the use of intentionally added perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances in cosmetics.
     
    S. 2051 — Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)/Finance (6/15/21) — A bill to provide coverage for custom fabricated breast prostheses following a mastectomy.
     
    S. 2100 — Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)/Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (6/17/21) — A bill to ensure the safety of cosmetics.
     
    H.R. 3990 — Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI)/Energy and Commerce (6/17/21) — A bill to ban the use of intentionally added perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances in cosmetics.
     
    Human Trafficking
     
    S. 2040 — Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)/Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs (6/14/21) — A bill to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from furnishing a consumer report containing any adverse item of information about a consumer if the consumer is a victim of trafficking, and for other purposes.
     
    S. 2049 — Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)/ Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs (6/15/21) — A bill to require a study and report on the housing and service needs of survivors of trafficking and individuals at risk for trafficking.
     
    H.R. 3891 — Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH)/ Financial Services (6/15/21) — A bill to require a study and report on the housing and service needs of survivors of trafficking and individuals at risk for trafficking.
     
    H.R. 3957 — Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI)/Education and Labor (6/16/21) — A bill to direct the secretary of Labor to train certain Department of Labor personnel how to effectively detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities, and for other purposes.
     
    S. 2136 — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (6/17/21) — A bill to provide for the implementation of curricula for training students, teachers, parents, and school and youth development personnel to understand, recognize, prevent, and respond to signs of human trafficking and exploitation in children and youth, and for other purposes.
     
    International
     
    H.R. 3938 — Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)/Foreign Affairs (6/16/21) — A bill to authorize contributions to the United Nations Population Fund, and for other purposes.

     H.R. 4017 — Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA)/Foreign Affairs (6/17/21)—A bill to authorize appropriations for the Department of State for fiscal years 2021 through 2023 to provide assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras through bilateral compacts to increase protection of women and children in their homes and communities and reduce female homicides, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
     
    Judiciary
     
    S. 2115 — Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)/Judiciary (6/17/21) — A bill to prohibit the exclusion of individuals from service on a federal jury on account of sexual orientation or gender identity.
     
    S. 2128 — Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)/Judiciary (6/17/21) — A bill to ensure the humane treatment of pregnant women by reinstating the presumption of release and prohibiting shackling, restraining, and other inhumane treatment of pregnant detainees, and for other purposes.
     
    H.R. 3993 — Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)/Judiciary (6/17/21) — A bill to ensure the humane treatment of pregnant women by reinstating the presumption of release and prohibiting shackling, restraining, and other inhumane treatment of pregnant detainees, and for other purposes.

  • New Documents Show Trump Repeatedly Pressed DOJ to Overturn Election Results Before Inciting Capitol Attack

    June 15, 2021,  Press ReleaseCAROLYN MAHONEY

     

    Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released new documents showing President Trump’s efforts to pressure the Department of Justice (DOJ) to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election.  At 2:00 p.m., the Committee will hold its second hearing on the events of January 6, 2021, in which insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt a joint session of Congress convened to count Electoral College votes.

     “These documents show that President Trump tried to corrupt our nation’s chief law enforcement agency in a brazen attempt to overturn an election that he lost,” Chairwoman Maloney said.  “Those who aided or witnessed President Trump’s unlawful actions must answer the Committee’s questions about this attempted subversion of democracy.  My Committee is committed to ensuring that the events leading to the violent January 6 insurrection are fully investigated.”

    On May 21, 2021, the Committee sent a letter to DOJ requesting documents relating to President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election prior to the January 6 attack. 

    Documents obtained by the Committee in response to this letter show that in December 2020 and early January 2021, President Trump, his Chief of Staff, and outside allies repeatedly put pressure on senior DOJ officials to challenge the results of the presidential election and advance unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, with the apparent goal of keeping President Trump in power despite losing the 2020 election.

    President Trump Sent Bogus Election Fraud Claims to Top DOJ Officials Minutes Before Announcing Their Promotions to the Top Two Spots in the Department

    • On December 14, 2020 — t he day electors in each state certified the Electoral College votes —President Trump’s White House Assistant sent an email with the subject “From POTUS” to then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.  The email attached materials about alleged voter fraud in Antrim County, Michigan, including “talking points” that asserted, “a Cover-up is Happening regarding the voting machines in Michigan,” and, “Michigan cannot certify for Biden.”
    • Just two minutes after President Trump’s assistant sent these documents to Mr. Rosen, then-Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, through his assistant, sent the same documents to the U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. 
    • Approximately 40 minutes after sending this phony voter fraud information, President Trump tweeted that Attorney General Barr—who had said publicly that he had not seen widespread election fraud—would be stepping down, that Mr. Rosen would serve as Acting Attorney General, and that Mr. Donoghue would serve as Acting Deputy Attorney General.

     President Trump Used Official White House Channels and a Private Attorney to Pressure DOJ to Urgently File a Supreme Court Lawsuit to Nullify the Election

    • On December 29, 2020, President Trump’s White House Assistant emailed Mr. Rosen, Mr. Donoghue, and Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, attaching a draft legal brief to file in the Supreme Court.  She wrote, “The President asked me to send the attached draft document for your review,” and provided a phone number so they could contact the President directly. 
    • The draft 54-page complaint demanded that the Supreme Court “declare that the Electoral College votes cast” in six states that President Trump lost “cannot be counted,” and  requested that the Court order a “special election” for president in those states.  
    • On the very same day, a private attorney, Kurt Olsen, contacted multiple senior DOJ officials on President Trump’s behalf to urge them to file this complaint.  In one email to Mr. Rosen’s Chief of Staff, he wrote:  “As I said on our call, the President of the United States has seen this complaint, and he directed me last night to brief AG Rosen in person today and discuss bringing this action.  I have been instructed to report back to the President this afternoon after this meeting.”  In a separate email to the Acting Solicitor General, Mr. Olsen added, “This is an urgent matter.”

     Emails indicate that Mr. Rosen discussed the filing with Mr. Olsen on or around December 29, 2020, and asked Mr. Olsen to send him Supreme Court precedent supporting the arguments in the complaint.  Mr. Olsen previously represented Texas in its failed lawsuit to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 

     

  • Julia Sneden Wrote: A Look Back at Boomers and Welcome To the Other Side Of the Hill

    baby boomer retirements

    Editor’s Note: Do be aware that Julia’s original article was written some time ago with updating by your editor. Therefore there  might be some calendar and meaning to be adjusted to.

    Julia Sneden: 

    Baby Boomers are defined as people born between 1945 (the end of World War II) and 1965, or thereabouts. That puts the oldest of them at age 76 this year, and the youngest at 56. They represent a huge demographic bulge in America’s population, explained by the return of all those veterans and the economic boom that followed WWII.

    Boomers have certainly had great press. Of course not all of it has been favorable, but as someone once said, “I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.” God knows, Boomers have been noticed.

    I’m actually rather fond of the generation. As the mother of one bona fide member and two who just missed it, I’ve never subscribed to the labeling of all Boomers as drugged-out, lazy, sloppy, or any of the other stereotypes. It’s a generation that has done some great things, and we’re all in their debt.

    It does rankle a bit, however, that someone labeled my generation, the group that was adolescent during the 1950’s, “The Silent Generation.” No one ever called us that at the time, but I suppose that in retrospect, we seemed silent in comparison to the chanting hordes of Boomers.

    “Silent Generation” depicts my generation as placid, accepting whatever was handed to us to believe, content with things as they were. That’s not what I saw! Remember, please, that Elvis and Buddy and Chubby and even Ann Margaret were members of my generation. Rock ‘N Roll didn’t suddenly spring into being post-1960. And it would be nice if all those youngsters who were on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement would remember that it was the young professionals from my generation who organized them, defended them, counseled them, doctored them, and supported them. It would be good to remember that Betty Friedan was of my generation, and Elizabeth Dole and Ann Richards and Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda and even Phyllis Schlafly. Silent? I think not!

    Most of all, it would be good not to label any generation, nor to brand all members of one generation, with adjectives like silent or hippie or conservative or self-centered. There are, of course, trends in fashion and culture; there are philosophical shifts in the body politic; there are advances in science and changes in demographics, as well as in the social contract. But to stick any one group of people who happen to be born within an arbitrary time span with a one-size-fits-all label is just plain silly.

    That said, let me revert to popular custom and give the Boomers their due: by their sheer numbers, they have brought about many good changes, oftentimes without their knowledge or intention. I remember reading in astonishment the adjustments my college made to attract and serve them, shortly after my graduation. The curriculum was revised (long overdue); the parietal rules were removed from dormitory life (we girls had to be in by 10:30 p.m., and I don’t know anyone who wasn’t insulted by that). Dorms were rewired, the dining system revamped, apartments built, automobile restrictions rescinded or at least loosened, a new field house constructed, classrooms spruced up, etc. I was glad for the new students, but I was also jealous as hell.

    Special treatment is the norm for Boomers. New schools were built just in time for them (and many were abandoned immediately following the 60’s). Educators played with new teaching methods and programs, some disastrous, some productive. The teaching profession boomed, but during the late ’70’s their ranks were reduced as the Boomers left grammar school. That was, I think, a great mistake. By reducing the number of teachers, we missed a great chance to reduce class size rather painlessly, with all those extra teachers and classrooms in place.

    As the Boomers moved into adulthood, they proved themselves able to make huge changes in laws and customs. They have immeasurably furthered tolerance among people of different races and religions. The causes they embraced have brought about new attitudes toward same-sex relationships, single parenting, women in the work force, the environment, and physical fitness.

    New marketing strategies were developed to entice Boomers. (Remember when you could buy shoes without a company’s logo on it, or a shirt without the designer’s name on the pocket?)

    Now that they are beginning to tip the demographics for older Americans, we are bound to see changes in services, advertising, and probably even attitudes affecting the elderly. I say: Good Deal! Maybe the Boomers can do something about problems that have puzzled, amused, and infuriated me.

  • US Department of Justice: Russian National Convicted of Charges Relating to Kelihos Botnet


    Asst Attny General McQuaid
    Department of Justice           
    Office of Public Affairs
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Wednesday, June 16, 2021

    A federal jury in Connecticut convicted a Russian national on Tuesday for operating a “crypting” service used to conceal “Kelihos” malware from antivirus software, enabling hackers to systematically infect victim computers around the world with malicious software, including ransomware.

    Right, Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General

    According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Oleg Koshkin, 41, formerly of Estonia, operated the websites “Crypt4U.com,” “fud.bz” and others. The websites promised to render malicious software fully undetectable by nearly every major provider of antivirus software. Koshkin and his co-conspirators claimed that their services could be used for malware such as botnets, remote-access trojans, keyloggers, credential stealers and cryptocurrency miners.

    “The defendant designed and operated a service that was an essential tool for some of the world’s most destructive cybercriminals, including ransomware attackers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The verdict should serve as a warning to those who provide infrastructure to cybercriminals: the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners consider you to be just as culpable as the hackers whose crimes you enable — and we will work tirelessly to bring you to justice.”

    In particular, Koshkin worked with Peter Levashov, the operator of the Kelihos botnet, to develop a system that would allow Levashov to crypt the Kelihos malware multiple times each day. Koshkin provided Levashov with a custom, high-volume crypting service that enabled Levashov to distribute Kelihos through multiple criminal affiliates. Levashov used the Kelihos botnet to send spam, harvest account credentials, conduct denial of service attacks, and distribute ransomware and other malicious software. At the time it was dismantled by the FBI, the Kelihos botnet was known to include at least 50,000 compromised computers around the world.

    “By operating a website that was intended to hide malware from antivirus programs, Koshkin provided a critical service that enabled other cyber criminals to infect thousands of computers around the world,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle for the District of Connecticut. “We will investigate and prosecute the individuals who aid and abet cyber criminals as vigorously as we do the ones who actually hit the ‘send’ button on viruses and other malicious software.”

    “Koshkin and his associates knowingly provided crypting services designed to help malicious software bypass anti-virus software,” said Special Agent in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI’s New Haven Division. “The criminal nature of the Crypt4U service was a clear threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computer systems everywhere. We at the FBI will never stop pursuing those like Koshkin for perpetrating cyber crimes and threats to the public at large.”

    Koshkin was arrested in California in September 2019 and has been detained since his arrest. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 20.

    Koshkin’s co-defendant, Pavel Tsurkan, is charged with conspiring to cause damage to 10 or more protected computers, and aiding and abetting Levashov in causing damage to 10 or more protected computers.

    Levashov was arrested by the Spanish National Police in April 2017 and extradited to the United States. In September 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of causing intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of conspiracy, one count of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

    The FBI’s New Haven Division investigated the case through its Connecticut Cyber Task Force.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang of District of Connecticut, and Senior Counsel Ryan K.J. Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board also provided significant assistance.

    This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, which was created to combat the growing number of ransomware and digital extortion attacks. As part of the Task Force, the Criminal Division, working with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, prioritizes the disruption, investigation, and prosecution of ransomware and digital extortion activity by tracking and dismantling the development and deployment of malware, identifying the cybercriminals responsible, and holding those individuals accountable for their crimes. The department, through the Task Force, also strategically targets the ransomware criminal ecosystem as a whole and collaborates with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as private sector partners to combat this significant criminal threat.

  • Brennan Center: One in Three Election Officials Report Feeling Unsafe Because of Their Job

      poll workers

    Poll workers check in mailed ballots in Williamstown, Massachusetts; Gillian Jones/The Berkshire Eagle via The Associated Press

    The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and the Bipartisan Policy Center today published a report on the state of the election official profession and the toll of the unprecedented attacks on these officials’ authority, credibility, and personal safety that surged in the run-up to the 2020 election and have not stopped. The report features a survey finding that one in three election officials report feeling unsafe because of their job, and one in six reported having been threatened due to their job. The authors provide solutions for the various problems facing election officials, with calls to action for local, state, and federal governments as well as social media companies and other institutions.

    “Threats of violence, smear campaigns, laws and lawsuits undermining election officials at every turn – this is what the professionals who uphold our elections and democracy are facing every day,” said Lawrence Norden, director of the Election Reform Program at the Brennan Center for Justice and co-author of Election Officials Under Attack: How to Protect Administrators and Safeguard Democracy. “The attacks will keep coming – and succeeding – unless there is a multipronged intervention across government and society to stop the purveyors of the Big Lie from making it impossible for election officials to do their jobs: conducting free and fair elections without partisanship.”

    Election Officials Under Attack: How to Protect Administrators and Safeguard Democracy identifies four factors making election officials’ work more difficult and dangerous: threats of violence and other safety concerns; increased disinformation being spread about elections, especially online and often by public officials; rising pressure to prioritize party interests over a democratic process; and unsustainable workloads. For each problem, the authors present multiple, urgent solutions.

    “The continued threats against election officials and attempts to undermine their independence months after the presidential election are antithetical to a free and fair democracy,” said Matthew Weil, director of the Election Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “There are reasonable, implementable solutions that will safeguard our elections going forward and the recommendations in this report are developed with the direct input and participation of election officials from across the country.”

    The authors, election officials, and other experts will gather today online at noon ET for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s “Virtual Summit: Continuing Threats to Free and Fair Elections.” Please click here for more information or to RSVP. And click here to view a video that will be featured at the event, of election officials discussing their experiences firsthand.

  • 91.0% Efficacy In Preventing Symtomatic Disease: US Clinical Trial Results Show Novavax Vaccine is Safe and Prevents COVID-19

    Right:  Dr. Nita Patel, Kelsey Jacobson, Dr. Rhonda Flores, and Dr. Sonia Maciejewski are on the research team working on the genetic sequencing for vaccine candidate development.All female team at Novavax

    Results from a Phase 3 clinical trial enrolling 29,960 adult volunteers in the United States and Mexico show that the investigational vaccine known as NVX-CoV2373 demonstrated 90.4% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 disease. The candidate showed 100% protection against moderate and severe disease. In people at high risk of developing complications from COVID-19 (people 65 years or older and people under age 65 with certain comorbidities or with likely regular exposure to COVID-19), the vaccine showed 91.0% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 disease.

    Safety data indicate the investigational vaccine was generally well-tolerated. Mild-to-moderate injection site pain and tenderness were the most common local symptoms among participants, and fatigue, headache and muscle pain lasting less than two days were the most common systemic symptoms.

    Novavax, Inc., of Gaithersburg, Maryland, developed the investigational vaccine and led the clinical trial known as PREVENT-19(link is external). The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a component of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, provided funding support for the trial as part of the federal COVID-19 response.

    The PREVENT-19 trial began in late December 2020 and enrolled adult volunteers at 119 study sites, including those in the NIAID-supported COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN)(link is external). Participants were randomly assigned to receive two shots, 21 days apart, of either the investigational vaccine or a saline placebo. Randomization occurred in a 2:1 ratio with two volunteers receiving NVX-CoV2373 for each one who received placebo. Because the trial was blinded, neither investigators nor participants knew who received the candidate vaccine.

    PREVENT-19 was designed to evaluate whether NVX-CoV2373 can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 disease seven or more days after the second injection relative to placebo. The results shared today are based on 77 cases of symptomatic COVID-19 that investigators observed among trial participants from January 25 through April 30, 2021. Investigators recorded 63 cases among the approximately 10,000 participants who received placebo and 14 cases among the approximately 20,000 participants who received the investigational vaccine. Of the 63 COVID-19 cases in the placebo group, investigators classified 10 as moderate and four as severe. There were no cases of moderate or severe disease in the investigational vaccine group.

    NVX-CoV2373 is a subunit vaccine made from a stabilized form of the coronavirus spike protein using the company’s recombinant protein nanoparticle technology. The purified protein antigens in the vaccine cannot replicate or cause COVID-19. The vaccine also contains a proprietary adjuvant, MatrixM™. Adjuvants are additives that enhance desired immune system responses to vaccine. NVX-CoV2373 is administered by injection in liquid form and can be stored, handled and distributed at above-freezing temperatures (35° to 46°F.) A single vaccine dose contains 5 micrograms (mcg) of protein and 50 mcg of adjuvant. The vaccine is administered as two intramuscular injections 21 days apart. The technology used for this vaccine was developed under a long-standing contract with the Department of Defense.

    Results from a Phase 3 clinical trial enrolling 15,000 adults in the United Kingdom showed a two-dose regimen of NVX-CoV2373 was highly effective(link is external) in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 overall and also demonstrated high efficacy against the Alpha variant strain of SARS-CoV-2.

    An independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) is overseeing PREVENT-19 to ensure the safe and ethical conduct of the study. All Phase 3 clinical trials of candidate vaccines supported through the federal COVID-19 response are overseen by a common DSMB convened by NIAID.

    In May 2021, PREVENT-19 was expanded(link is external) to evaluate the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 in adolescents aged 12-17. Adolescent enrollment recently completed with 2,248 participants. For more information about PREVENT-19, see preventcovid.org(link is external), view the trial protocol(link is external), or visit ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04611802.