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

The hundreds of uncollected Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) in the offices of the Independent National Commission(INEC) across Nigeria are reflections of the fact that Nigerians have lost faith in the electoral system.
Millions of Nigerians are impoverished and disillusioned, to the extent that they now live on handouts given by men and women; who by whatever means get into political offices.

The suspicious deaths of unspecified number of Nigerians under unexplainable circumstances, is an indication that Those-in-Charge are evil

Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt                                                      Read-Legalizing Crime and Criminality
In a bid to meet the crumb requirements in their constituencies and senatorial districts, these men and women resort to corrupt and fraudulent practices.
The unclear ways those in power represent their constituencies and senatorial districts have put a high premium on attaining power for self-interest.

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality                  -Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach
The suggestion is that the present administration in the country has been overwhelmed by known evil forces; that is why it seeks to influence who takes over power in 2023, to ensure that its secret deals and self-centered interests are protected.
The total goodwill and support that heralded the coming of the present administration in 2015 have evaporated and in its place are frustrations and complaints.

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its annual report.

The 2021 Internet Crime Report (pdf) includes information from 847,376 complaints of suspected internet crime—a 7% increase from 2020—and reported losses exceeding $6.9 billion. State-specific statistics have also been released and can be found within the 2021 Internet Crime Report and in the accompanying 2021 State Reports
 Read-Helplessness in the Face of Dirt
The top three cyber crimes reported by victims in 2021 were phishing scams, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and personal data breach. Victims lost the most money to business email compromise scams, investment fraud, and romance and confidence schemes.  

In addition to statistics, the IC3’s 2021 Internet Crime Report  contains information about the most prevalent internet scams affecting the public and offers guidance for prevention and protection. It also highlights the FBI’s work combatting internet crime, including recent case examples. Finally, the 2021 Internet Crime Report  explains the IC3, its mission, and functions.

-Legalizing Crime and Criminality

The IC3 gives the public a reliable and convenient mechanism to report suspected internet crime to the FBI. The FBI analyzes and shares information from submitted complaints for investigative and intelligence purposes, for law enforcement, and for public awareness. 

-Landlords and Tenants Associations, Crime and Criminality

With the release of the 2021 Internet Crime Report, the FBI wants to remind the public to immediately report suspected criminal internet activity to the IC3 at ic3.gov. By reporting internet crime, victims are not only alerting law enforcement to the activity but aiding in the overall fight against cybercrime. 

To report an online crime or view IC3’s annual reports and public service announcements, visit ic3.gov.  

-Law Enforcement: The Reactionary Approach

-Government Workers-A Subject of Debate