Federal, state and local authorities are marshaling more than 50 agents to target human traffickers, illegal drugs and weapons, white-collar criminals and other organized crime in the oil-producing regions of North Dakota and Montana, officials said Wednesday.
The Bakken Organized Crime Strike Force consists of existing law enforcement officers assigned to four task forces – each with its own state-federal prosecutor – that will coordinate investigations from Bismarck, Dickinson, Minot and Williston.
“The focus is going to change,” said Chris Myers, acting U.S. attorney for North Dakota. “We are going to focus on the worst of the worst criminal organizations in the Bakken.”
The effort pools existing resources to attack criminal enterprises that have become more sophisticated and violent, changing the face of western North Dakota and eastern Montana, Myers said.
“We are doing what we can with our existing resources, recognizing that we need additional resources to battle this issue,” he said.
While no new money was earmarked and no new positions were specifically created for the task force, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said the strike force is a redoubling of efforts to take down criminal organizations. The number of local law enforcement officers in North Dakota has increased nearly 83 percent since 2005, and state lawmakers approved eight new agents for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation just this year, he noted.
“I can guarantee you, you are going to see results,” he said.
Myers said the strike force adopts the model of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, whose director, Bruce Ohr, joined officials in Bismarck and Williston for Wednesday’s announcement.
Ohr said reports suggest much of the Bakken crime is fueled by illegal drug trafficking, especially of methamphetamine and heroin. “And we have seen documented connections between some of the cases that are being worked here and larger drug organizations, and those are the ones that we want to focus on,” he said.
North Dakota has seen an “alarming” increase in drug and human trafficking, Stenehjem said, with the number of drug cases skyrocketing from 385 in 2010 to 1,269 in 2014, according to preliminary figures. The nature of the drug activities also is “much more serious than they have been before,” with direct pipelines from drug suppliers and heavily armed distributors, he said.
In addition to the roughly 50 strike force members in North Dakota, two FBI agents will spend extended periods of time in Sidney, Mont., along with two Montana Division of Criminal Investigation agents who will be sworn as federal officers and able to work across state lines, Montana U.S. Attorney Michael Cotter said.
In the last two years, Montana has seen nine drug trafficking organizations disrupted, 210 people indicted and/or convicted on federal narcotics charges and another 50 under investigation, Cotter said, adding a downturn in oil drilling hasn’t meant less crime.
“The fact that rigs are stacked (idle), that is having no effect on the level of criminal activity that is occurring in the Bakken,” he said.
The strike force also will investigate fraud and other economic crimes, environmental crimes and workplace injuries caused by employers’ criminal conduct, Cotter said.
A new FBI office being built in Williston will supplement the strike force, officials said.
The strike force comes on the heels of Project Safe Bakken, a program created in 2013 that joined federal, state and tribal law enforcement agencies in North Dakota and Montana to fight criminal activity in the Bakken.
Thanks to Mike Nowatzki.
Friday, June 05, 2015
Thursday, June 04, 2015
U.S. Marshals Arrest Matthew Dion, “15 Most Wanted” Fugitive, Wanted for Killing Parents
The search for 15 Most Wanted fugitive Matthew Dion is over. U.S. Marshals located and arrested him at an Orange Park, Florida, hotel where he was allegedly living and working.
Dion, 39, is wanted for allegedly killing his elderly parents, Robert and Constance Dion, in March 2014 and setting their New Hampshire home on fire. On Sept. 3, 2014, the Manchester Police Department charged Dion with two counts of second-degree murder and arson. These criminal charges were in addition to an April 4, 2014, child pornography charge Dion was facing. On Nov. 22, 2014, Dion was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, allowing the Marshals to join the manhunt.
“The arrest of Matthew Dion is a testament to the extraordinary trust and support given to the Marshals Service by the public,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton. “Their tips and information were crucial in helping us locate and arrest this malicious fugitive. I am greatly appreciative of their support and proud of the dedicated men and women who tirelessly worked on this case to ensure Dion faces justice for his heinous crimes.”
The fugitive investigation for Dion gained momentum Tuesday when the U.S. Marshals initiated a media blitz with the help of news outlets in Florida and Georgia where he was last seen. Within hours an anonymous tip helped the Marshals develop significant information about the fugitive’s whereabouts.
Today, members of the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force-Jacksonville and Tampa division, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office converged on the Astoria Hotel in Orange Park where they found Dion working. When Deputy U.S. Marshals asked him to identify himself, Dion gave the name “Cameron Bouchard,” but later gave his real name confirming he was the person they were looking for. He was then arrested and taken into custody without incident.
“Countless hours of collaborative investigative work and sheer determination have finally brought Dion to justice,” said District of New Hampshire U.S. Marshal David Cargill, Jr. “The senseless murder of Robert and Constance Dion back in 2014 remained at the forefront for everyone working this case. We hope today’s arrest brings some comfort to their friends and family.”
William “Bill” Berger, U.S. Marshal of the Middle District of Florida, agreed and reiterated the effectiveness of the U.S. Marshals’ strong law enforcement partnerships. “Dion’s capture sends a strong, clear message to anyone attempting to avoid answering for their crimes,” Berger said. “With the help of our federal, state and local partners, it’s not a matter of if we catch you; it is when.”
Dion is currently being held at the Clay County Jail in Florida awaiting extradition.
Dion, 39, is wanted for allegedly killing his elderly parents, Robert and Constance Dion, in March 2014 and setting their New Hampshire home on fire. On Sept. 3, 2014, the Manchester Police Department charged Dion with two counts of second-degree murder and arson. These criminal charges were in addition to an April 4, 2014, child pornography charge Dion was facing. On Nov. 22, 2014, Dion was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, allowing the Marshals to join the manhunt.
“The arrest of Matthew Dion is a testament to the extraordinary trust and support given to the Marshals Service by the public,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton. “Their tips and information were crucial in helping us locate and arrest this malicious fugitive. I am greatly appreciative of their support and proud of the dedicated men and women who tirelessly worked on this case to ensure Dion faces justice for his heinous crimes.”
The fugitive investigation for Dion gained momentum Tuesday when the U.S. Marshals initiated a media blitz with the help of news outlets in Florida and Georgia where he was last seen. Within hours an anonymous tip helped the Marshals develop significant information about the fugitive’s whereabouts.
Today, members of the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force-Jacksonville and Tampa division, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office converged on the Astoria Hotel in Orange Park where they found Dion working. When Deputy U.S. Marshals asked him to identify himself, Dion gave the name “Cameron Bouchard,” but later gave his real name confirming he was the person they were looking for. He was then arrested and taken into custody without incident.
“Countless hours of collaborative investigative work and sheer determination have finally brought Dion to justice,” said District of New Hampshire U.S. Marshal David Cargill, Jr. “The senseless murder of Robert and Constance Dion back in 2014 remained at the forefront for everyone working this case. We hope today’s arrest brings some comfort to their friends and family.”
William “Bill” Berger, U.S. Marshal of the Middle District of Florida, agreed and reiterated the effectiveness of the U.S. Marshals’ strong law enforcement partnerships. “Dion’s capture sends a strong, clear message to anyone attempting to avoid answering for their crimes,” Berger said. “With the help of our federal, state and local partners, it’s not a matter of if we catch you; it is when.”
Dion is currently being held at the Clay County Jail in Florida awaiting extradition.
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Islamic State Group Gains Support in Africa, Asia per @Interpol
A growing number of extremist groups from Africa to southeast Asia are shifting their allegiance to the Islamic State group, leading to greater risks for "cross-pollination" among conflicts beyond Syria and Iraq, the head of Interpol said.
Jurgen Stock cited this shift as an emerging trend at a U.N. Security Council meeting along with changing travel methods being used by foreign fighters seeking to join groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaida.
Stock was a keynote speaker at a meeting attended by half a dozen ministers including U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to assess progress in implementing a U.S.-sponsored resolution adopted last September requiring all countries to prevent the recruitment and transport of would-be foreign fighters preparing to join extremist groups.
Johnson said the United States will be developing a new passenger data-screening and analysis system within the next 12 months which will be made available to the international community at no cost for both commercial and government organizations to use.
In a report obtained by The Associated Press on April 1, the panel of experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against al-Qaida said the number of fighters leaving home to join al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria and other countries has spiked to more than 25,000 from over 100 nations. The panel said its analysis indicated the number of "foreign terrorist fighters" worldwide increased by 71 percent between mid-2014 and March 2015.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said most are young men motivated by extremist ideologies but he called for an examination of the reasons why more women and girls are joining the groups as well. He said he plans to present a plan of action to prevent violent extremism to the General Assembly later this year.
Jurgen Stock cited this shift as an emerging trend at a U.N. Security Council meeting along with changing travel methods being used by foreign fighters seeking to join groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaida.
Stock was a keynote speaker at a meeting attended by half a dozen ministers including U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to assess progress in implementing a U.S.-sponsored resolution adopted last September requiring all countries to prevent the recruitment and transport of would-be foreign fighters preparing to join extremist groups.
Johnson said the United States will be developing a new passenger data-screening and analysis system within the next 12 months which will be made available to the international community at no cost for both commercial and government organizations to use.
In a report obtained by The Associated Press on April 1, the panel of experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against al-Qaida said the number of fighters leaving home to join al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria and other countries has spiked to more than 25,000 from over 100 nations. The panel said its analysis indicated the number of "foreign terrorist fighters" worldwide increased by 71 percent between mid-2014 and March 2015.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said most are young men motivated by extremist ideologies but he called for an examination of the reasons why more women and girls are joining the groups as well. He said he plans to present a plan of action to prevent violent extremism to the General Assembly later this year.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution
The prizewinning author of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation and American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson now gives us the unexpected story--brilliantly told--of why the thirteen colonies, having just fought off the imposition of a distant centralized governing power, would decide to subordinate themselves anew.
The triumph of the American Revolution was neither an ideological nor political guarantee that the colonies would relinquish their independence and accept the creation of a federal government with power over their individual autonomy
. The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 is the story of this second American founding and of the men responsible--some familiar, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, and some less so, such as Robert Morris and Governeur Morris. It was these men who shaped the contours of American history by diagnosing the systemic dysfunctions created by the Articles of Confederation, manipulating the political process to force a calling of the Constitutional Convention, conspiring to set the agenda in Philadelphia, orchestrating the debate in the state ratifying conventions, and, finally, drafting the Bill of Rights to assure state compliance with the constitutional settlement.
The triumph of the American Revolution was neither an ideological nor political guarantee that the colonies would relinquish their independence and accept the creation of a federal government with power over their individual autonomy
. The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 is the story of this second American founding and of the men responsible--some familiar, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, and some less so, such as Robert Morris and Governeur Morris. It was these men who shaped the contours of American history by diagnosing the systemic dysfunctions created by the Articles of Confederation, manipulating the political process to force a calling of the Constitutional Convention, conspiring to set the agenda in Philadelphia, orchestrating the debate in the state ratifying conventions, and, finally, drafting the Bill of Rights to assure state compliance with the constitutional settlement.Monday, May 18, 2015
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
In The Wright Brothers, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize David McCullough tells the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly: Wilbur and Orville Wright.
On a winter day in 1903
, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two unknown brothers from Ohio changed history. But it would take the world some time to believe what had happened: the age of flight had begun, with the first heavier-than-air, powered machine carrying a pilot.
Who were these men and how was it that they achieved what they did?
David McCullough, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, tells the surprising, profoundly American story of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Far more than a couple of unschooled Dayton bicycle mechanics who happened to hit on success, they were men of exceptional courage and determination, and of far-ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity, much of which they attributed to their upbringing. The house they lived in had no electricity or indoor plumbing, but there were books aplenty, supplied mainly by their preacher father, and they never stopped reading.
When they worked together, no problem seemed to be insurmountable. Wilbur was unquestionably a genius. Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever seen. That they had no more than a public high school education, little money and no contacts in high places, never stopped them in their mission to take to the air. Nothing did, not even the self-evident reality that every time they took off in one of their contrivances, they risked being killed.
In this thrilling book, master historian David McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters from private family correspondence to tell the human side of the Wright Brothers story, including the little-known contributions of their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them.
On a winter day in 1903
, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two unknown brothers from Ohio changed history. But it would take the world some time to believe what had happened: the age of flight had begun, with the first heavier-than-air, powered machine carrying a pilot.Who were these men and how was it that they achieved what they did?
David McCullough, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, tells the surprising, profoundly American story of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Far more than a couple of unschooled Dayton bicycle mechanics who happened to hit on success, they were men of exceptional courage and determination, and of far-ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity, much of which they attributed to their upbringing. The house they lived in had no electricity or indoor plumbing, but there were books aplenty, supplied mainly by their preacher father, and they never stopped reading.
When they worked together, no problem seemed to be insurmountable. Wilbur was unquestionably a genius. Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever seen. That they had no more than a public high school education, little money and no contacts in high places, never stopped them in their mission to take to the air. Nothing did, not even the self-evident reality that every time they took off in one of their contrivances, they risked being killed.
In this thrilling book, master historian David McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters from private family correspondence to tell the human side of the Wright Brothers story, including the little-known contributions of their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them.
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