Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce the sentencing of Eliezer Lazo, 41, of Miami-Dade County. U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard sentenced Lazo to 175 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, the Court ordered Lazo to pay a $17,500 fine, and to forfeit his right to $1.49 million in cash, several real properties and a vehicle.
Lazo pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit extortion for his role in an alien smuggling operation that moved approximately 1,000 Cuban migrants from Cuba to Mexico, and then the United States. According to court documents, many of the Cuban migrants pre-paid for their illegal journey to the United States. Other migrants were Cuban baseball players who paid for the journey by entering into a contract with Lazo’s company—Estrellas del Beisbol—in which the migrants agreed to pay Lazo a share of their respective earnings from U.S. baseball teams. A third group of migrants, comprising of approximately 100 migrants, did not pre-pay for their journey and were held and restrained in Mexico. These migrants were beaten during phone calls with family members who were forced to pay $10,000 for the release of their relatives.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Washington Political Consultant Thomas Lindenfeld Pleads Guilty in Fraud and Corruption Scheme
Political consultant Thomas Lindenfeld, 59, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a fraud and corruption scheme related to illegal campaign contributions.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard Gross of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
According to admissions in his plea agreement, Lindenfeld agreed to route an illegal $1 million political contribution for “U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah” during a 2007 campaign for elected office. The contribution was in the form of a loan routed through Lindenfeld’s political consulting firm, LSG Strategic Services Corporation (LSG). When the campaign donor attempted to collect on the outstanding balance of the $1 million loan, however, Lindenfeld and his co-conspirators, at the direction of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, engaged in a complicated series of transactions using federal grant money and monies from Sallie Mae’s charitable arm illegally to repay the loan. These transactions were routed through several entities, including LSG, and were all falsely labeled as payments for services that were never actually rendered.
Lindenfeld admitted that, in exchange for the work he had done on the campaign, which included concealing the illegal campaign contribution, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah agreed to use his elected position to steer federal funding to Lindenfeld’s proposed environmental advocacy group, Blue Guardians. Lindenfeld further admitted that he created Blue Guardians at the direction of Elected Official A for the purpose of receiving the federal funding.
According to Lindenfeld, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah advocated for $15 million in federal funding for Blue Guardians as a reward for Lindenfeld’s services. Five hundred thousand dollars was approved in 2009 as an earmark through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lindenfeld admitted, however, that the Blue Guardians did not exist in December 2009, and that he only created an email address, articles of incorporation, and a tax identification number for Blue Guardians in April 2010. After receiving questions from NOAA and members of the press, Lindenfeld declined the funding, stating that he and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah decided it could be better spent on the oil spill in the Gulf. NOAA did not disburse the $500,000 to Lindenfeld or Blue Guardians.
U.S. District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 25, 2015.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard Gross of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
According to admissions in his plea agreement, Lindenfeld agreed to route an illegal $1 million political contribution for “U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah” during a 2007 campaign for elected office. The contribution was in the form of a loan routed through Lindenfeld’s political consulting firm, LSG Strategic Services Corporation (LSG). When the campaign donor attempted to collect on the outstanding balance of the $1 million loan, however, Lindenfeld and his co-conspirators, at the direction of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, engaged in a complicated series of transactions using federal grant money and monies from Sallie Mae’s charitable arm illegally to repay the loan. These transactions were routed through several entities, including LSG, and were all falsely labeled as payments for services that were never actually rendered.
Lindenfeld admitted that, in exchange for the work he had done on the campaign, which included concealing the illegal campaign contribution, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah agreed to use his elected position to steer federal funding to Lindenfeld’s proposed environmental advocacy group, Blue Guardians. Lindenfeld further admitted that he created Blue Guardians at the direction of Elected Official A for the purpose of receiving the federal funding.
According to Lindenfeld, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah advocated for $15 million in federal funding for Blue Guardians as a reward for Lindenfeld’s services. Five hundred thousand dollars was approved in 2009 as an earmark through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lindenfeld admitted, however, that the Blue Guardians did not exist in December 2009, and that he only created an email address, articles of incorporation, and a tax identification number for Blue Guardians in April 2010. After receiving questions from NOAA and members of the press, Lindenfeld declined the funding, stating that he and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah decided it could be better spent on the oil spill in the Gulf. NOAA did not disburse the $500,000 to Lindenfeld or Blue Guardians.
U.S. District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 25, 2015.
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Mob Film 'Idol's Eye' Shuts Down Production,
Deadline reports that the film’s production company and financier Benaroya Pictures has decided to cut off financing for the movie due to the producers’ failure to meet financing deadlines; the film was expected to begin filming in Chicago and Toronto in October. The film would have starred Robert DeNiro, Robert Pattinson, and Rachel Weisz.
Benaroya Pictures released a statement regarding the production’s shut down:
Idol’s Eye is a multilayered crime thriller surrounding the mob world, following the true story of a crew of robbers who were murdered after robbing the home of Chicago mob boss Tony “Big Tuna” Accardo in 1978. Assayas has recently been on the festival circuit celebrating his most recent film, Clouds of Sils Maria, starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart.
Benaroya Pictures released a statement regarding the production’s shut down:
“The company cannot continue to put its investment at risk and has been forced to stop cash flowing the production. This is something all of us wanted to avoid, but due to the producers missing a number of financing criteria deadlines that were mutually established by all parties, we were left with no other options. Benaroya Pictures plans to retain the rights of the film and move forward with production on the picture after we generate a revised script and assemble a new filmmaking team.”
Idol’s Eye is a multilayered crime thriller surrounding the mob world, following the true story of a crew of robbers who were murdered after robbing the home of Chicago mob boss Tony “Big Tuna” Accardo in 1978. Assayas has recently been on the festival circuit celebrating his most recent film, Clouds of Sils Maria, starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart.
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Stand in Line to Vote Today or You Could Be Standing in Line to Register Your Guns Tomorrow
The future of our Second Amendment rights comes down to one day— Election Day—Tuesday, November 4.
Tuesday’s elections are the most important of our lifetime. Our fundamental right to keep and bear arms has never been in greater jeopardy. This election cycle, we face the best organized and most well-funded attack on our freedom since our forefathers put pen to paper to ensure our Second Amendment rights.
As a Second Amendment supporter, you belong to one of the most effective civil rights advocacy organizations in the country. But make no mistake; our opposition is not to be underestimated. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared war on the NRA and the Second Amendment. We must not sit back and let him use his billions of dollars to impose his radical and elitist anti-gun agenda on the American people.
Your vote on Tuesday could ensure the strength of the Second Amendment for generations to come. Stay home, and we will only be able to watch as anti-gun politicians advance and enact legislation to erode our rights and disarm the American people. We must be sure our collective voices are heard loudly and clearly on Tuesday— the future of our freedom depends on it!
To ensure you know which candidates support or oppose our Second Amendment rights prior to voting on Tuesday, please visit www.NRAPVF.org.
Without the hard work of millions of NRA members, our right to keep and bear arms would have already been rendered all but meaningless, just as it has for the people of Australia and England, places that President Obama cites as model gun control jurisdictions.
We salute our members and their determination to win each and every battle, and the culmination of that battle is Election Day on Tuesday. You, the voters, ultimately determine America’s fate this year and for years to come. Freedom can be lost or gained incrementally. Your votes on Tuesday will ultimately determine which way the fate of our freedoms will sway. Now is your time to stand and fight!
Yours in freedom,
Chris W. Cox
NRA-ILA Executive Director
Tuesday’s elections are the most important of our lifetime. Our fundamental right to keep and bear arms has never been in greater jeopardy. This election cycle, we face the best organized and most well-funded attack on our freedom since our forefathers put pen to paper to ensure our Second Amendment rights.
As a Second Amendment supporter, you belong to one of the most effective civil rights advocacy organizations in the country. But make no mistake; our opposition is not to be underestimated. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared war on the NRA and the Second Amendment. We must not sit back and let him use his billions of dollars to impose his radical and elitist anti-gun agenda on the American people.
Your vote on Tuesday could ensure the strength of the Second Amendment for generations to come. Stay home, and we will only be able to watch as anti-gun politicians advance and enact legislation to erode our rights and disarm the American people. We must be sure our collective voices are heard loudly and clearly on Tuesday— the future of our freedom depends on it!
To ensure you know which candidates support or oppose our Second Amendment rights prior to voting on Tuesday, please visit www.NRAPVF.org.
Without the hard work of millions of NRA members, our right to keep and bear arms would have already been rendered all but meaningless, just as it has for the people of Australia and England, places that President Obama cites as model gun control jurisdictions.
We salute our members and their determination to win each and every battle, and the culmination of that battle is Election Day on Tuesday. You, the voters, ultimately determine America’s fate this year and for years to come. Freedom can be lost or gained incrementally. Your votes on Tuesday will ultimately determine which way the fate of our freedoms will sway. Now is your time to stand and fight!
Yours in freedom,
Chris W. Cox
NRA-ILA Executive Director
Sunday, November 02, 2014
Who’s been hacking Sharyl Attkisson’s computers? #Stonewalled
Who’s been hacking Sharyl Attkisson’s computers? Computers that turn themselves on in the night
, make strange noises, then shut themselves down. Whoever is doing it is using highly sophisticated spyware available only to our top intelligence agencies. Is someone sending Attkisson a message?
Washington, D.C., has always been a tough town for investigative journalists. But in the age of Obama, the government has taken the tried-and-true techniques of bureaucratic stonewalling to unprecedented heights. What’s more, it has added harassment, intimidation, and outright spying to the mix.
Through more than thirty years as an award-winning investigative reporter, Sharyl Attkisson fought tirelessly to uncover wrongdoing by those in power, whether major corporations, government officials, or presidential administrations of both parties. But when she started looking into stories involving the Obama administration’s mistakes and misjudgments in a series of high-profile cases—stories few in mainstream journalism would touch—she was confronted with the administration’s use of hardball tactics to discourage, block, and actively suppress her investigative work.
A dogged reporter with a well-earned reputation as a “pit bull,” Attkisson filed a series of groundbreaking stories on the Fast and Furious gunwalking program, Obama’s green energy boondoggle, the unanswered questions about Benghazi, and the disastrous rollout of Obamacare. Her news reports were met with a barrage of PR warfare tactics, including emails and phone calls up the network chain of command, criticism from paid-for commenters and bloggers, and a campaign of character assassination that continues to this day. Most disturbing of all, Attkisson reveals that as she broke news on Fast and Furious and Benghazi, her computers and phone lines were hacked and bugged by an unrevealed but tremendously sophisticated party.
Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington is the story of the Obama administration’s efforts to monitor journalists, intimidate and harass opposition groups, and spy on private citizens. But it is also a searing indictment of the timidity of the press and the dangerous decline of investigative journalism and unbiased truth telling in America today.
, make strange noises, then shut themselves down. Whoever is doing it is using highly sophisticated spyware available only to our top intelligence agencies. Is someone sending Attkisson a message?Washington, D.C., has always been a tough town for investigative journalists. But in the age of Obama, the government has taken the tried-and-true techniques of bureaucratic stonewalling to unprecedented heights. What’s more, it has added harassment, intimidation, and outright spying to the mix.
Through more than thirty years as an award-winning investigative reporter, Sharyl Attkisson fought tirelessly to uncover wrongdoing by those in power, whether major corporations, government officials, or presidential administrations of both parties. But when she started looking into stories involving the Obama administration’s mistakes and misjudgments in a series of high-profile cases—stories few in mainstream journalism would touch—she was confronted with the administration’s use of hardball tactics to discourage, block, and actively suppress her investigative work.
A dogged reporter with a well-earned reputation as a “pit bull,” Attkisson filed a series of groundbreaking stories on the Fast and Furious gunwalking program, Obama’s green energy boondoggle, the unanswered questions about Benghazi, and the disastrous rollout of Obamacare. Her news reports were met with a barrage of PR warfare tactics, including emails and phone calls up the network chain of command, criticism from paid-for commenters and bloggers, and a campaign of character assassination that continues to this day. Most disturbing of all, Attkisson reveals that as she broke news on Fast and Furious and Benghazi, her computers and phone lines were hacked and bugged by an unrevealed but tremendously sophisticated party.
Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington is the story of the Obama administration’s efforts to monitor journalists, intimidate and harass opposition groups, and spy on private citizens. But it is also a searing indictment of the timidity of the press and the dangerous decline of investigative journalism and unbiased truth telling in America today.
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