SANTA ANA, California – Federal authorities and Huntington Beach Police officers have arrested 20 defendants indicted by a grand jury on charges of participating in a long-running telemarketing scheme that targeted small businesses and charities by selling them toner products for printers and photocopiers at grossly inflated prices.

The indictment unsealed after this morning’s arrests alleges that participants in the scheme fraudulently induced over 50,000 victims to send more than $126 million to telemarketers who posed as the victims’ regular supplier of toner products at prices as much as ten times the normal retail price.

The 30-count indictment, which charges 23 defendants, alleges a conspiracy that started in 1988 and was orchestrated by Gilbert N. Michaels,   more...

Summary

Sextortion is a type of online sexual exploitation in which individuals coerce victims into providing sexually explicit images or videos of themselves, often in compliance with offenders’ threats to post the images publicly or send the images to victims’ friends and family. The FBI has seen a significant increase in sextortion activity against children who use the Internet, typically ages 10 to 17, but any age child can become a victim of sextortion.

Technical Details

The FBI is seeking to warn parents, educators, caregivers, and children about the dangers of sextortion.   more...

Washington, DC – Judge Beth Bloom of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC’s) motion for entry of final default judgment Order against Defendants Harvard Assets LLC (Harvard Assets), London Assets Inc. (London Assets), and Harvard International Trading, Inc. (Harvard International), all three with their place of business in Florida, and their controlling person, Todd Owen Marshall, with a last known address in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Judge Bloom’s Order requires the Defendants to pay disgorgement totaling $612,892 and a civil monetary penalty totaling $1,838,676. The Order also imposes permanent trading, solicitation, and registration bans against the Defendants and prohibits them from violating provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), as charged.

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ORLANDO—In order to provide an update on the progress of the investigation into the Pulse nightclub shooting, the FBI is releasing an excerpt from the timeline of events inside the Pulse nightclub during the early morning hours of Sunday, June 12, 2016. Out of respect for the victims of this horrific tragedy, law enforcement will not be releasing audio of the shooter’s 911 calls at this time, nor will law enforcement be releasing audio or transcripts of the calls made by victims at the Pulse nightclub during the incident. Furthermore, the name of the shooter and that of the person/group to whom he pledged allegiance are omitted.

The following is based on Orlando Police Department (OPD) radio communication (times are approximate):

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The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is issuing two ozone High Pollution Advisories (HPAs) for Maricopa County: Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19. These HPAs are due to levels that are expected to accumulate enough to exceed the federal health standard.

Employers and Travel Reduction Program Transportation Coordinators are advised to activate their HPA Plans immediately. ADEQ further recommends that the general public limit outdoor activity while the HPA is in effect, especially children and adults with respiratory problems.

ADEQ, MCAQD and Valley Metro recommend residents and businesses use the following tips and resources to reduce ozone pollution and make the air healthier to breathe:

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The Charlotte Division of the FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest of a North Carolina man who fled after being charged in connection with an investment scheme. An arrest warrant was issued for Ronald Earl McCullough in July 2013 after he was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, engaging in unlawful monetary transactions, and aiding and abetting. McCullough portrayed himself as a religious leader and used that angle to get his investors to trust him with their life savings and even with property the victims planned to build a church on. McCullough and a partner (who was convicted at trial in June 2015), solicited people to invest in what McCullough described as an exclusive foreign currency exchange group.

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