Monday - November 25, 2024
Federal Tipoffs Involving California Newsletter for Thursday October 03, 2024 ( 13 items )  

'Big Ideas Lab' Podcast Examines Strategic Deterrence in National Security
LIVERMORE, California, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory issued the following news: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is releasing a two-part episode of the "Big Ideas Lab" podcast, offering an in-depth exploration of strategic deterrence -- a cornerstone of national security that has been pivotal in maintaining global stability. Listen here [View podcast in the link at bottom.] on Spotify or Apple. Historical context and foundational   more

Calif. U.S. Attorney: 68 Defendants Charged in Indictment of Dozens of Members and Associates of San Fernando Valley White Supremacist Gang
LOS ANGELES, California, Oct. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for Central District of California issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024: Federal and local law enforcement have arrested 42 members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley-based white supremacist street gang, on a 76-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they engaged in a years-long pattern of racketeering activity that included trafficking of drugs - including fentanyl - illegal firearms  more

Calif. U.S. Attorney: Four Leaders of Notorious Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Convicted of Racketeering and Related Crimes
OAKLAND, California, Oct. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release: A federal jury found David Cervantes (aka "DC"), James Perez (aka "Conejo"), Guillermo Solorio (aka "Capone" aka "Caps"), and George Franco (aka "Puppet") guilty of racketeering, for their roles as senior members of the Nuestra Familia criminal enterprise, which engaged in murder conspiracies, attempted murder, drug distribution, and money laundering. The jur  more

Calif. U.S. Attorney: San Francisco Man Pleads Guilty to Making Threats to Assault and Murder Federal Probation Officer
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024: Brandon Sims-White pleaded guilty in federal court today to making threats to sexually assault and murder his United States Probation Officer, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Acting United States Marshal Jay Bieber. Sims-White has remained in federal custody since making these threats and following his arrest in Feb  more

Calif. U.S. Attorney: Two Fugitive Tenderloin Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Prison After Being Extradited From Honduras
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Oct. 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California issued the following news release: Two drug dealers who fled to Honduras from the Bay Area while on bond pending federal drug trafficking charges have been extradited to San Francisco and were sentenced to prison terms of 82 months and 34 months, announced U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris. Victor Viera-C  more

CFTC Charges Former CEO of Carbon Credit Project Developer with Fraud Involving Voluntary Carbon Credits
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following enforcement news release: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against of California, the former chief executive officer and majority shareholder of a based carbon credit project developer, charging fraud and false, misleading, or inaccurate reports relating to voluntary carbon credits. The CFTC also issued orders fili  more

From the Battlefield to Biocontainment: Meet Sean Leonard
LIVERMORE, California, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory issued the following news: Science at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is what synthetic biologist and postdoctoral researcher Sean Leonard calls a "team sport." This is one of the aspects he enjoys the most about working in a national laboratory environment. "I'd say my military experience fundamentally shaped how I approach science," said Leonard. "In the Army, I learned that   more

Justice Dept.: Former California Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Attempting to Murder Two Jewish Men Leaving Los Angeles Synagogues Last Year
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: A former California man who shot and wounded two Jewish men last year as they left religious services in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 35 years in prison. Jaime Tran, 30, formerly of Riverside, pleaded guilty on June 3 to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.   more

Justice Dept.: Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Injectable Stem Cell Product Manufacturer Sentenced for Distributing Unapproved Drug
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: The founder and chief executive officer of a California-based company that marketed stem cell-based products allegedly linked to 19 hospitalizations was sentenced today to 36 months in prison following his conviction under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. John W. Kosolcharoen, 53, most recently of Orange County, California, pleaded guilty last month in the U.S. District Court for the Central Distr  more

Justice Dept.: Sixty-Eight Defendants Charged in Indictment of Dozens of Members and Associates of California White Supremacist Gang
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Oct. 2, 2024: Federal and local law enforcement today arrested 42 members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley, California-based white supremacist street gang, on a 76-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they engaged in a years-long pattern of racketeering activity that included trafficking of drugs -- including fentanyl -- illegal firearms possession, and COVID-19 benefits  more

Litigation: SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Rari Capital, Its Founders in Connection With Their Operation of Crypto Investment Platforms
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 2:24-cv-07967-PA-MAA; C.D. Cal. filed Sept. 18, 2024) involving Rari Capital Inc., Jai Bhavnani, Jack Lipstone and David Lucid: * * * On September19, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered final judgments against Rari Capital, Inc. and its three co-founders--Jai Bhavnani, Jack Lipstone, and David Lucid--for various violations of the securities offering  more

NASA Turns Off Science Instrument to Save Voyager 2 Power
PASADENA, California, Oct. 2 (TNSres) -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news: * * * The mission has been working to postpone the shut-off as long as possible. Four other instruments aboard the interstellar spacecraft continue to operate. * * * Mission engineers at NASA have turned off the plasma science instrument aboard the Voyager 2 spacecraft due to the probe's gradually shrinking electrical power supply. Traveling more than 12.8 billion miles (20.5 billion kilomet  more

Tulsa District Awards $1.8M Construction Contract for Electrical Upgrades at Fort Sill
TULSA, Oklahoma, Oct. 3 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Tulsa District issued the following news: Story by Brannen Parrish, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District The Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a construction contract for electrical upgrades at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Sept. 30. The district awarded the $1.8 million contract to GCI General Contractors LLC of San Francisco, California, to replace components on powerlines at the historic post. Tulsa District's M  more