Trio from South Dakota and Colorado Federally Indicted for Kidnapping, Carjacking, and Firearm Offense Against FBI Employee

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that three individuals, one who resides in South Dakota and two who reside in Colorado, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Kidnapping, Carjacking, and Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt

Juan Francisco Alvarez-Soto, age 23 and originally from El Salvador; Deyvin Morales, age 27 and originally from Guatemala; and Lourdes Alondra Bonilla, age 23 and originally from Colorado, were indicted on May 19, 2022.  The defendants appeared before a magistrate judge in the District of Colorado, and each defendant pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.  The three defendants will be transported to the District of South Dakota for further court proceedings.

-Legalizing Crime and Criminality

The maximum term of imprisonment upon conviction for each count is as follows: up to life for Kidnapping; up to fifteen (15) years for Carjacking; and a mandatory minimum of seven (7) years up to life for Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.  Each count also has a maximum fine of $250,000. 

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality

According to the indictment, on or about May 6, 2022, near Red Shirt, in the District of South Dakota, the defendants, Juan Francisco Alvarez-Sorto, a/k/a Juan Francisco Alvarez, a/k/a “Juanito R.,” a/k/a “Juan Jr.,”  Deyvin Morales, a/k/a Deyvin Eliabid Escriba Morales, a/k/a Deybi Eleabit Escriba Morales, a/k/a “Guate,” a/k/a “Watay,” a/k/a “Chapine,” and Lourdes Alondra Bonilla, a/k/a “Bhabie Doze,” a/k/a “Princess_Doze,” did willfully and knowingly kidnap and abduct a victim.  At the time, the victim was engaged in the performance of their official duties as a professional support employee with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The defendants also took the victim’s vehicle, with force, violence, and intimidation, and brandished a rifle during the commission of the charged criminal conduct.  It is alleged that the defendants aided and abetted each other in committing the charges set forth in the indictment.

-Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach

The charges are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.   

The defendants were all detained pending further court proceedings in South Dakota.  A trial date has not been set.

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate

Most of those in the political class have never protected the interests of Nigerian workers. Every worker must take this into consideration  when deciding in the 2023 General Elections. Vote Wisely.

Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt                                                            -Legalizing Crime and Criminality

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality                 -Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate

                                                                            Press Release

WASHINGTON – Donnell Owens, a former employee of the American Federation of Government Employees, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for an embezzlement scheme in which he stole more than $270,000 from the labor union.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Mark Wheeler, Director of the Washington District Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards.

Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt

            Owens, 34, of District Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of embezzlement and theft of labor union assets. He was sentenced by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. Following his prison term, Owens will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay $273,745 in restitution and an equal amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

-Legalizing Crime and Criminality

            According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court and admitted by Owens, from October 2014 through June 2018, Owens worked as a Secretary to the Director of Communications at the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a labor organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. which represents workers in various functions of the private sector and the government affecting commerce throughout the United States and overseas.  During this period, Owens embezzled more than $270,000 in AFGE funds for his use and the use of others. 

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality

            As detailed in court documents, throughout the scheme Owens abused and misused his position and employment at AFGE in order to seek and obtain illegal monetary gains at the expense of the labor organization.  For example, Owens submitted false and fraudulent check requests for payments related to services, such as photography and videography, that were purportedly provided by alleged vendors.  As a result of these submissions, AFGE funds were subsequently disbursed.  These check requests listed fictitious dollar amounts for fake work assignments supposedly performed by vendors, who were not actually hired by AFGE.  In fact, the purported vendors who allegedly performed the fake work assignments were really friends and associates of Owens, who he recruited as part of his illegal scheme. 

-Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach

            As Secretary to the Director of Communications, Owens also had access to an Amazon account and a union credit card linked to it. During the scheme, Owens also used this account and linked credit card to embezzle items and make dozens of unauthorized personal purchases, including clothing, shoes, jewelry, and party supplies.  Additionally, Owens used union credit cards to purchase items from other online retailers for personal use, including T-shirts for his online business, microphones, and flowers. 

            To avoid detection and cover up the fraud, Owens provided falsified signatures, fraudulent expense vouchers, and altered receipts for these items.  However, the investigation revealed photos of Owens, his family members, and associates wearing the clothing purchased on Amazon with the union credit card on social media accounts belonging to the defendant. 

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate

            This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne P. McNamara of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller and Paralegal Specialists Amanda Rohde and Mariela Andrade.

Source-FBI

Primary and Secondary schools have resumed for the third term and stakeholders in the education sector are expressing optimism that there shall be an improvement in the academic performances of pupils and students. In this interview the Founder, Spiritual Head, and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke advises the Government and teachers to be upright. Excerpts :
What is your advice to the government and teachers as the third term gets underway nationwide?
The third term is a decisive segment of the session in the lives of the students and teachers in every educational institution across the federation.
This is the period when students are evaluated through different examination bodies-internal and external.
The success rate in this term is a measure of the work done by the teachers. Teachers must be up and doing to ensure that the results of the students are satisfactory.
The Government on its part must ensure that the term runs smoothly without any disruption.

The Government is also expected to provide the necessary assistance needed by the schools in preparing and getting the students ready for their different external examinations.
The Government should also ensure the school environment is conducive to learning by providing good structures for the use of the students. The environment should also be enabling for teaching and learning.
Above all, discipline should be an integral part of any school administration to be able to check the excesses of the students and teachers.
Furthermore, the teachers need to be encouraged and appreciated as and when due to boost their morale.
The prompt payment of salaries and other related incentives.
It is very imperative for the government to adequately fund the education sector even beyond the stipulated benchmark of 26 per  cent of the annual budget as obtains in countries such as Ghana and other progressive nations in the world. These countires have been able to achieve outstanding student performances to the level of the expected quality and standard.
The third term is underwayalready, students and teachers must be committed to the cause of very high sucess rates in theri various examinations through adequate preparations for it knowing fully well that the focus of all teachers and learners in the world today is on competitiveness in the global market.

A senior Police Officer in Kenya has recounted how he was defrauded of Ksh 597, 100 by syndicate via sim card swap.
 Commanding Police Division (OCPD), Peter Mwanzo, testified against one of the members of the syndicate , one Gideon Mark before a magistrate’s court in Milimani, Nairobi, where the latter was accused of stealing Ksh597,100 in a sim-swap fraud.

Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt                                                           -Legalizing Crime and Criminality

He stated that  at about  6.45 pm he received a phone call from a private number but he did not pick up although the caller kept bugging his phone. He put the phone in flight mode to avoid further disturbance.
He deactivated the flight mode at 6.50pm, but his mobile phone failed to pick up the signal. Mwanzo rechecked his phone at 9 pm but it had not yet picked network.

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality
Mwanzo stated that after the problem persisted, he visited a sim card outlet in the neighbourhood to get assistance. The attendant, he narrated, informed him that his sim card had failed and advised him to do a replacement.
The senior police officer continues :
“She could not tell how I lost the sim card but I did the replacement and it was reactivated. Upon turning on my phone, I was surprised by the messages that started coming in.

-Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach

"I tried to purchase airtime and send money but the transaction failed and got a message that I had exceeded my limits,” the senior police officer told the court.
“I was shocked that I had even registered a loan and a mobile money account. I had never applied for any loan or registered with the subscriber,” Mwanzo recalled.
He told the court that he does not know how and where the fraudsters obtained his private information to carry out the bank transactions.

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate
The statements indicated that the money was moved in four batches. The police boss noted that although the scammers were in Donholm, Nairobi, the money that was stolen from his account was withdrawn by a third party in Bomet.
Mwanzo  requested his mobile money and bank account statements to confirm the alleged transactions.

“To my surprise, on that night, I had transacted from a bank account to mobile money about Ksh597,100,” he stated.
“Someone used my sim card remotely. This is madness and it seemed easy for the third party to use my sim card.” the senior police officer lamented.

The religious aspect of society is in place to sanitize our environment, reform the people for necessary transformation and to also regulate and control happenings.

In the 21st century, why should we remain so conservative and dogmatic in politicizing religion to the detriment of appreciating democracy to advance the cause of justice and equity for society?

It is high time, that religious leaders and followers realize the consequences of their actions and inactions by teaching the scripture correctly and also following the tenets of the content to promote peaceful co-existence, good behavior, credible leadership, and good governance. The Holy Bible, Romans 12: 1-2 warns us vehemently to avoid future calamities. ''I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.''

The Holy Quran 22: 35 also corroborates the Holy Bible on this. Teaching by this time must be based on facts and respect for the point of view of others to restore the goal of the essence of living by principle to the fundamental Human Rights charter.

Religious people, therefore, must not be found wanting in knowledge, wisdom, and the power of a discerning mind, if they want to be respected as true adherents of their religion. This is because the Almighty Allah invigorates socially and spiritually true adherents to be right goal-getters in their socio-spiritual pursuit while alive.

The Holy Quran admonition on this must be taken with all seriousness as our daily meditation.

The Holy Quran 22: 35 refers, '' To those whose hearts when Allah is mentioned, are filled with fear, who show patient perseverance over their afflictions keep up regular prayer and spend in charity out of what We have bestowed on them.''

The striking note in the above is as follows: the fear of God, patience, perseverance even in adversity, and living by the concept of philanthropy.

Always meditate on the number of people you have positively impacted daily. Avoid putting others in difficult situations in life. Offer your creator unconditional just worship through love for Him and humanity.

This is the only way by which religion can be relevant and beneficial to humanity in this 21st century.

The monetization and politicization of trade unionism in Nigeria has impacted negatively on workers in the country.
This assertion was made by a member of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria(ASCSN)(Federal, Oyo state chapter), Comrade Olaniyi Ajibosho.

Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt                                          -Legalizing Crime and Criminality
The union as a whole has been monetized and politicized.  The main purpose of the union is to protect the interest of cheated Nigerian workers. Most Labor leaders believe in political patronage rather than  protecting the interests of impoverished workers. The way forward is for there to be a continous sensitzation and education of workers on the need for them to support credible personalities who will never compromise and sell out, '' Comrade Ajibosho stated.

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality

-Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate

Education revolves around persons, society, things and ideas. It is majorly concerned with the individual in his or her social, physical and spiritual environment.
In teaching and learning, the above mentioned play significant roles in the molding of a person's character.

Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt                                                        -Legalizing Crime and Criminality
The mindset of those who take up the responsibility of teaching goes a long way in shaping the education of learners.
In addition, the quality and direction of the work of those who are involved in teaching is hinged on their spiritual and moral environment.

Sadly, nobody knows how the present crop of teachers were recruited into government service in a number of states.
It is not possible to brainwash the entire population. Perhaps.

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality
Threats to kill and other  uncouth words is now common among young and old Nigerians, who express this evil intentions in their native languages.

                                                                                                    -Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach
This is very strange, as ritual killings continue unabated in different parts of the country.
This development has to do with the mindset of the  leadership, teachers and learners.
The suggestion is that those who ought to impart knowledge and those who ought to learn aspire to take up heinous, grievous and violent crimes as means to ends.

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate