Ahmad Abousamra Added to the FBI’s #MostWantedTerrorists List

Vincent S. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division, announced today the addition of wanted fugitive Ahmad Abousamra to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List (MWTL). The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading directly to the capture and return of Abousamra to the United States.



With the inclusion of Ahmad Abousamra, there are currently 30 individuals on the FBI’s MWTL, which was created in October 2001 to highlight individuals indicted for various acts of terrorism against the United States. The list remains a worldwide tool that assists the FBI in its efforts to apprehend alleged terrorists and bring them to justice.

Ahmad Abousamra was indicted after taking multiple trips to Pakistan and Yemen, where he allegedly attempted to obtain military training for the purpose of killing American soldiers overseas. On November 5, 2009, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Abousamra in the United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, after he was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists; conspiracy to kill in a foreign country; conspiracy; and false statements. Abousamra was indicted on a total of nine charges and should be considered armed and dangerous.

“The FBI’s top priority is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist threats, both foreign and domestic,” said SAC Lisi. “The Most Wanted Terrorists List is another example of the FBI continuing to pursue those individuals accused of criminal conduct. In this case, Ahmad Abousamra advocates violent extremism and boldly promotes violence against United States citizens and military personnel.”

SAC Lisi goes on to say, “We believe the international exposure the Most Wanted Terrorists List provides will assist the FBI in Abousamra’s apprehension and his return to the United States to face justice.”

The Boston Division first announced and publicized the $50,000 reward in October 2012. It is still believed Abousamra may be living in Aleppo, Syria, with extended family, his wife, and at least one child, a daughter.

Abousamra is of Syrian descent and has dual citizenship in the United States and Syria. He was born in France on September 19, 1981, and is currently 32 years old. He is 5’11” tall and, from the time that he fled, weighed approximately 170 pounds, had a slim build, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. He speaks, reads, and writes fluently in English and Arabic. He has a college degree related to computer technology and was previously employed at a telecommunications company. He has a number of known aliases, to include Ahmad Abou-Samra, Ahmad Abou, Ahmad Abou Samira, Ahmad Samra, Ahmad Abu Samra, and Ahmad Abou Samra.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s Boston Division at (617) 742-5533, on the Internet at https://tips.fbi.gov, or by calling their local FBI office or nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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California Congressman and House GOP Watch Dog @DarrellIssa vows tenacious fight for #OperationFastandFurious truths

Rep. Darrell E. Issa is vowing to keep up the heat in the investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, which led to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry, until accountability is affixed and the family can get closure.

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Six Indicted in International Investment Fraud Scheme

Six individuals have been indicted for their role in an investment scam perpetrated from the United States and Switzerland, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada, and Special Agent in Charge Laura A. Bucheit of the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office announced.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada has unsealed indictments against Antony Brandel, 46, of Las Vegas; Joseph Micelli, 59, of Las Vegas; James Warras, 67, of Waterford, Wisconsin; Sean Finn, 44, of Whitefish, Montana; Martin Schlaepfer, 55, of Zurich, Switzerland; and Hans-Jurg Lips, 50, of Zurich, Switzerland. Brandel and Micelli were arrested on December 12, 2013, in Las Vegas, and Warras was arrested on December 13, 2013, in Wisconsin. Finn, Schalepfer and Lips remain at large.

According to court documents, from October 2009 through October 2013, the defendants used a Swiss corporation known as Malom Group AG to promote investments in European equities and debt offerings, which they said would yield high rates of return. The indictment alleges that the defendants created and provided to investors fake bank statements representing that Malom Group AG had large deposit balances at prominent European banks. The defendants collected payments of between $200,000 and $1.2 million per investor but did not put the funds toward the advertised investments. Instead, the defendants used the money for their own purposes. Court documents allege that Brandel, Micelli, Finn, and Warras attempted to conceal the proceeds of the conspiracy by not filing tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

According to allegations in the indictment, the investments that the defendants promoted did not yield any returns to their victims. When victims complained, the defendants told investors that the Malom Group AG would refund their money with the proceeds of pending transactions the defendants knew were fictitious and would not generate any proceeds. Despite the defendants’ promises of refunds, court documents allege that none of the investors identified in the indictment received a refund. The indictment alleges that Micelli, Warras, and Lips went so far as to submit to a U.S. Bankruptcy Court declarations they knew contained false statements about a transaction that the Malom Group AG had promoted to an investor who had an interest in a company that had filed for bankruptcy protection.

According to the indictment, Anthony Brandel acted as the director of MY Consultants Inc., a Nevada corporation that purported to review potential investments for the Malom Group AG. Micelli, a disbarred former attorney, identified himself to victims as Malom Group AG’s “compliance officer.” Warras served as Malom Group AG’s executive vice president for U.S. Operations and Finn acted as a broker who recruited victims and referred them to Malom Group AG. Schlaepfer was Malom Group AG’s chief executive officer, and Lips identified himself as the head of Malom Group AG’s Structured Finance Group. Schlaepfer and Lips presently reside in Switzerland.

The case was investigated by the Las Vegas Field Office of the FBI. The Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which referred the matter to the Department of Justice, provided valuable assistance and is conducting a parallel civil enforcement investigation. The Public Prosecutor of the Canton of Zurich State Attorney’s Office assisted with the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Brian R. Young, Stephen J. Spiegelhalter, and Anna Kaminska of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, with assistance from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Today's guilty plea was a result of efforts by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory, and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets; and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions, and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants, including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the Task Force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.

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Three reputed #Gangsters plead not guilty in fatal gang-related #mobaction

Three reputed gang members charged with the late November stabbing death of a Wheaton man pleaded innocent Monday to all charges against them, including first-degree murder.

Jonathan Jimenez, 19, of Aurora; Alejandro Martinez, 17, of West Chicago; and Anthony Rios, 18, of West Chicago, each face first-degree murder charges in the death of Thomas Tecuatl, who was found beaten and stabbed early Nov. 17 along Route 59 in West Chicago.

Jimenez, who is alleged to have stabbed Tecuatl, could face natural life in prison if convicted. Rios and Martinez each face 20 to 100 years in prison because prosecutors allege the murder happened during a gang-related mob action.

All three are expected back in court on Jan. 29.

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Holiday Crackdown on Drunk and Drugged Driving #DriveSoberorGetPulledOver

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland today kicked off the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” winter holiday crackdown on drunk and drugged driving, along with representatives from local law enforcement, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). To further deter drunk driving, NHTSA today released a “Model Guideline for State Ignition Interlock Programs” that will help states develop and implement a breath alcohol ignition interlock program based on highly successful practices from the U.S. and around the world.

“With the help of our law enforcement partners, we’re sending a message across the country, today and throughout the holiday season – Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” said Secretary Foxx. “And this year, with the release of our model guidelines for ignition interlock programs, we’re helping states improve their efforts to enforce safe driving among convicted offenders, which is crucial to ending these unnecessary deaths.”

Last year, deaths in crashes involving drunk drivers increased 4.6 percent, taking 10,322 lives compared to 9,865 in 2011. The majority of those crashes involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher – nearly double the legal limit. During last year’s holiday season alone, 830 lives were lost in drunk driving crashes.

Previous NHTSA research of convicted drunk drivers show that those with interlocks installed are 75 percent less likely to repeat the behavior compared to those who do not. The guideline emphasizes several key program features to maximize effectiveness – including legislation, education, program administration, and implementation.

“It is unacceptable and downright offensive that anyone would get behind the wheel drunk, let alone at twice the legal limit,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “I urge the states to adopt our new guidelines to protect sober motorists and ensure that individuals convicted of drunk driving learn from their mistakes.”

According to NHTSA’s latest issue of Safety 1n Num3ers, the holiday enforcement on drunk drivers comes at a time of year when crashes involving alcohol increase. Over the past decade, almost two of every five (41 percent) deaths that occur around the New Year’s holiday and the Christmas holiday (37 percent) were alcohol-impaired, compared to 31 percent nationally over the past ten years.

The crackdown runs from December 13 – January 1, 2014, and is supported by $7.5 million in national advertising in TV and radio advertising featuring NHTSA’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. The ads are designed to raise awareness and support law enforcement activities in every state in an effort to reduce drunk driving deaths. NHTSA's Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over message will also be featured in a new public service announcement featuring Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia Pictures' RoboCop, in theaters February 12, 2014.

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