Posts by solomon2day
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FBI Statement on Investigations
- By solomon2day
- On 20/04/2023
- In News
40 Officers of China’s National Police Charged in Transnational Repression Schemes Targeting U.S. Residents
Defendants Accused of Creating Fake Social Media Accounts to Harass PRC Dissidents, and Working with Employees of a U.S. Telecommunications Company to Remove Dissidents from Company’s Platform
Two criminal complaints filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York were unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging 44 defendants with various crimes related to efforts by the national police of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) – to harass Chinese nationals residing in the New York metropolitan area and elsewhere in the United States. The defendants, including 40 MPS officers and two officials in the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), allegedly perpetrated transnational repression schemes targeting U.S. residents whose political views and actions are disfavored by the PRC government, such as advocating for democracy in the PRC.
In the two schemes, the defendants created and used fake social media accounts to harass and intimidate PRC dissidents residing abroad and sought to suppress the dissidents’ free speech on the platform of a U.S. telecommunications company (Company-1). The defendants charged in these schemes are believed to reside in the PRC or elsewhere in Asia and remain at large.
“These cases demonstrate the lengths the PRC government will go to silence and harass U.S. persons who exercise their fundamental rights to speak out against PRC oppression, including by unlawfully exploiting a U.S.-based technology company,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “These actions violate our laws and are an affront to our democratic values and basic human rights.”
“China’s Ministry of Public Security used operatives to target people of Chinese descent who had the courage to speak out against the Chinese Communist Party – in one case by covertly spreading propaganda to undermine confidence in our democratic processes and, in another, by suppressing U.S. video conferencing users’ free speech,” said Acting Assistant Director Kurt Ronnow of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “We aren’t going to tolerate CCP repression – its efforts to threaten, harass, and intimidate people – here in the United States. The FBI will continue to confront the Chinese government’s efforts to violate our laws and repress the rights and freedoms of people in our country.”
Disclosure: U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York is recused from and has not participated in the case captioned United States v. Julien Jin et al., 20-mj-1103.
United States v. Yunpeng Bai, et al.
The two-count complaint charges 34 MPS officers with conspiracy to transmit interstate threats and conspiracy to commit interstate harassment. All the defendants are believed to reside in the PRC, and they remain at large.
As alleged, the officers worked with Beijing’s MPS bureau and are or were assigned to an elite task force called the “912 Special Project Working Group” (the Group). The purpose of the Group is to target Chinese dissidents located throughout the world, including in the United States.
“As alleged, the PRC government deploys its national police and the 912 Special Project Working Group not as an instrument to uphold the law and protect public safety, but rather as a troll farm that attacks persons in our country for exercising free speech in a manner that the PRC government finds disagreeable, and also spreads propaganda whose sole purpose is to sow divisions within the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “I commend the investigative team for comprehensively revealing the insidiousness of a state-directed criminal scheme directed at residents of the United States.”
The complaint alleges how members of the Group created thousands of fake online personas on social media sites, including Twitter, to target Chinese dissidents through online harassment and threats. These online personas also disseminated official PRC government propaganda and narratives to counter the pro-democracy speech of the Chinese dissidents. As alleged, for example, Group members created and maintained the fake social media accounts through temporary email addresses, posted official PRC government content, and interacted with other online users to avoid the appearance that the Group accounts were “flooding” a given social media platform. The Group tracks the performances of members in fulfilling their online responsibilities and rewards Group members who successfully operate multiple online personas without detection by the social media companies who host the platforms or by other users of the platforms.
The investigation also uncovered official MPS taskings to Group members to compose articles and videos based on certain themes targeting, for example, the activities of Chinese dissidents located abroad or the policies of the U.S. government.
As alleged, the defendants also attempted to recruit U.S. persons to act as unwitting agents of the PRC government by disseminating propaganda or narratives of the PRC government. On several occasions, the defendants used online personas to contact individuals assessed to be sympathetic and supportive of the PRC government’s narratives and asked these individuals to disseminate Group content.
In addition, Group members took repeated affirmative actions to have Chinese dissidents and their meetings removed from the platform of Company-1. For example, Group members disrupted a dissident’s efforts to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre through a videoconference by posting threats against the participants through the platform’s chat function. In another Company-1 videoconference on the topic of countering communism organized by a PRC dissident, Group members flooded the videoconference and drowned out the meeting with loud music and vulgar screams and threats directed at the pro-democracy participants.
United States v. Julien Jin, et al.
This amended complaint charges 10 individuals, including a former PRC-based Company-1 employee, six MPS officers, and two officials with the CAC, with conspiracy to commit interstate harassment and unlawful conspiracy to transfer means of identification. Nine of the defendants are believed to reside in the PRC and remain at large. The tenth defendant is believed to reside in Indonesia or the PRC and also remains at large.
“The amended complaint charging a former PRC-based employee of a U.S. telecommunications company illustrates the insider threat faced by U.S. companies operating in the PRC,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pokorny for the Eastern District of New York, who thanked Company-1 for its cooperation in the government’s investigation. “As alleged, Julien Jin and his co-conspirators in the Ministry of Public Security and Cyberspace Administration of China weaponized the U.S. telecommunications company he worked for to intimidate and silence dissenters and enforce PRC law to the detriment of Chinese activists in New York, among other places, who had sought refuge in this country to peacefully express their pro-democracy views.”
“These cases demonstrate that the Chinese Communist Party, once again, attempted to intimidate, harass, and suppress Chinese dissidents in the United States,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “In the United States, the freedom of speech is a cornerstone of our democracy, and the FBI will work tirelessly to defend everyone's right to speak freely without fear of retribution from the CCP. These complex investigations revealed an MPS-wide effort to repress individuals by using the U.S. communications platform and fake social media accounts to censor political and religious speech.”
In December 2020, the Department first announced charges against Julien Jin in connection with his efforts to disrupt a series of meetings on the Company-1 platform held in May and June 2020 commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Jin served as Company-1’s primary liaison with PRC government law enforcement and intelligence services. In that capacity, he regularly responded to requests from the PRC government to terminate meetings and block users on Company-1’s video communications platform.
As detailed in the original complaint, Jin and others conspired to use Company-1’s U.S. systems to censor the political and religious speech of individuals located in the United States and elsewhere at the direction of the PRC government. For example, Jin and others disrupted meetings held on the Company-1 platform to discuss politically sensitive topics unacceptable to the PRC government – including the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Jin and his co-conspirators fabricated evidence of purported misconduct to cause U.S.-based employees of Company-1 to terminate the meetings.
The allegations in the amended complaint reveal that Jin worked directly with and took orders from defendants at the MPS and the CAC to disrupt meetings on the Company-1 platform and that the co-defendants had targeted U.S.-based dissidents’ speech on Company-1’s platform since 2018.
Starting in 2018, Jin and his co-defendants repeatedly sought to terminate video chat meetings organized by a Chinese dissident residing in New York City who has been a vocal critic of the PRC government and the Chinese Communist Party. After the CAC requested that Company-1 terminate the dissident’s meetings on the Company-1 platform, Jin worked to identify all accounts associated with the dissident, caused meetings related to the dissident to be hosted in a “quarantine zone” – that is, on a server with known lags in response time – and later worked to block all accounts associated with the dissident. Similarly, in 2019, Jin collaborated with the MPS and CAC to block accounts seeking to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the cases.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon, Antoinette N. Rangel, Ian C. Richardson, Nicholas J. Moscow and Jessica K. Weigel of the Eastern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases.
The FBI has created a website for victims to report efforts by foreign governments to stalk, intimidate, or assault people in the United States. Please visit: www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression.
Source-FBI
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When Nation Building takes the Back Seat
- By solomon2day
- On 10/04/2023
- In Solomon's Column
Nigerians will soon heave a sigh of relief, after eight years of tortuous regulation of their behaviors by those in power today. Indeed, participation in the decision making process during this period is a true reflection of democracy.
Sadly, additional organizations have been established to further regulate the behavior of Nigerians and in the process ''dehydrate'' them financially.
Political and career appointments in this administration exposed the fact that Nigeria is not a balanced federation revolving around the principles of justice, equity and fairness.
The insensitive leadership facilitated the entrenchment of economic stagnation at all levels of government; closely followed by the political mariginalization of the other geo-political zones. Indeed, the policies of the apex people's unfriendly policies of the apex bank in the country, have overshadowed the loyalty and commitment of Nigerians to nation building.
The Twilight Days
It is so sad that in the twilight days of the present administration, terrorism, banditry, killings and other violent crimes are on the increase. Are these what Nigerians will remember the outgoing administration for? Probably not.
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The Cosmetic Process of Democracy
- By solomon2day
- On 03/04/2023
- In Solomon's Column
The deepening sufferings and hadrships in Nigeria are a fall out of the greed, self-centered intents and the lack of know how of those opportuned to be controllers at every level of government.
Desolation of the polity has set in, with political entrepreneurs maintaining their beneficiary status, even though the outlook is very bleak.
Sadly, those who Nigerians eexpect to keep Those-in-Authority on their toes, have over-timme, contributed positively to the anti-people policies of the government under the cover of darkness.
Indeed, their public statements and declarations are bereft of sincerity and sensitivity.
Not surprisingly, the masses no longer rely on the labor movement, which in the past was the last resort of defence against evil.
It was not until the tail end of the Naira scarcity imbroglio, that labor decided to wake up to its deep slumber by acting out a written script.
Events in Nigeria(unfolding) have proven and will prove that the peace and unity of any country revolves around the character of its people and to a lesser extent, the form of government it adopts.
Since the body language of Those-in-Authority is not indicative of the discipline of desire which is the background of character, the imperatives of self-sustenance and material wellbeing of Nigerians have been overwhelmed by a cosmetic process of democratic despotism at every level of government.The Sudden Realization
Celebrations of victory have continued in the closets of those who are conversant with what transpired in a number of states before, during, and after the elections, while the streets remain indifferent and non-chalant as a result of the sudden realization that things are not the way they are pushing them to be. -
Salvation
- By solomon2day
- On 03/04/2023
- In Special Report
Although keeping the 120 commandments is imperative, salvation comes from putting our trust in JESUS CHRIST, our LORD AND SAVIOR.
Romans 8 : 1-21
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
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Have an Eye for Good Things
- By solomon2day
- On 31/03/2023
- In Special Report
Develop the habit of watching out for good things.
Always be on the look out for good attributes, and you are already on the way to cultivating a positive mindset.
This frame of mind will not only enhance your happiness and efficiency but that of several others.
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Create Your Circle of Knowledge
- By solomon2day
- On 30/03/2023
- In Special Report
Take the pains to learn something different from the normal stream of happenings.
Opportunities arise from this source.
Discover something that is yet to be of common knowledge and start creating your unique circle of knowledge.
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Ramadhan Diet - Day 2 to 5 by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke
- By solomon2day
- On 24/03/2023
- In The People Talk
Ramadhan Diet Day 2The essence of the Ramadhan fast is to reflect on how far we have faired in the areas of the necessary realization of the Oneness of God in our daily and routine activities.
That is,in thoughts ,words,deeds and actions. For us to be able to keep up with the sacrosanct concept of the Brotherhood essence and maintain good neighborliness.
Let's use the occasion of this sacred month to make the necessary adjustments.
Ramadhan Mubarak
Ramadhan Diet - Day 3
In this season of arousing our conscience on the issue of the sacredness essence of houses of worship and the state of piety needed for the body of worshippers,let us cleanse our mind and heart from evil thoughts and develop permanently a positive mindset towards all our activities and human endeavors.
This is how our act of Ibadah in this respect can be relevant to nation building.
Ramadhan Kareem!
RAMADHAN Diet - Day 4
Are you eligible to observe Saomu Ramadhan? Have you made a firm decision to refrain from all forms of iniquities,sins and crimes?
Be rightly guided in this sacred month by the Sermons, Tefsir Al-Quran and develop to a pious level,the Spiritual consciousness expected of a good Muslim to be able to be an exemplar of good deeds,whose work shall be respected by society and accepted by the Almighty Allah.
Let us all work for a beneficial reward from our Creator, the Almighty Allah.
Reflect on this:Q 41 v 32- 36
Ramadhan Kareem!
Ramadhan Diet - Day 5Let us all reflect on the content of this admonition of God from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W): "Use the period of the 7th Month of the lunar calendar for body preservation from sins and crimes, for acceptable offer of an act of Ibadah." "Use the 8th Month that is Shaaban, for soul purification from devilish thought processes to be able to realize the need to live by the concept of Puritanism for wholesome state of piety."
Before you enter the sacred Month of Ramadhan,for the dividend of Ramadhan to be realized,reflect on the provision of Q 91 v 7- 10. May God the Almighty Allah accept our observation of the Ramadhan fast as an act of Ibadah.
Ramadhan Kareem!
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Disrupted Elections-UCH NASU members call for Probe
- By solomon2day
- On 23/03/2023
- In News
Members of the Non-Academic Staff and Related Institutions(NASU) University College Hospital(UCH) branch, Ibadan, Nigeria have appealed to the hospital's management to identify and sanction those responsible for the disruption of the union's election to usher in new executives on 15 March, 2023.
Trouble started when the electoral committee, which included the NASU state chairman, Comrade Adepeju announced the disqualification of one of the contestants, Comrade Adekunle Adegboye, for belonging to two different trade unions.
This prompted angry members to disrupt the elections, while the rear windscreen of Comrade Adepeju's vehicle was shattered in the process of leaving the sports field venue of the elections.The unruly members ignored the the hospital's Director of Administration, who along with other officials walked from the venue to their offices.
However, a section of the membership of the union have accused Comrade Kehinde Abiona-led executives of incompetence and corruption.
They insisted that as a result of the incompetence of the executives, an unspecified number of members were dismissed, while disclosing that the chairman facilitated the use of the union's vehicle without due process.
''Our members were dismissed because of the incompetence of the executives. In addition, our vehicle, a Toyota Sienna which the chairman took to Lagos without due process, was impounded in Lagos and he illegally withdrew N37,000 from NASU account to pay for the fee of the offense. There is also the issue of the mismanagement of the NASU food canteem. Food and drinks are expensive because of the returns, the operators give the chairman,'' they stated.
However, in his reaction, the embattled chairman dismissed the allegations against him, saying, '' the elections were disrupted by non-financial and expelled members of the union who have constituted themselves into foxes and hyneas who want to devour the resources of the union. That is the basis of their allegations.
He also insisted that Comrade Adegboye was disqualified ''premised on the fact that there are two different trade unions on his payslip which contravened part of the NSU electoral guidelines for the conduct of the 2023 NASU elections.;;
On the allegation of incompetence, Comrade Abiona said, '' the issue of the inability to defend members on the panel, is a lie from the pit of hell. Despite several panels that were set up and we attended between March 2019 til date, only one member was dismissed because the CCTV camera caught him stealing and he was still on probationary period.''
He denied the allegation of corruption, saying, '' there is nothing like illegal use. The union's Sienna vehicle was taken tp Lagos in the course of signing a nomination form, in order to contest for a position on our Teaching Hospital Trade Group council. In the course of the official trip, there was an issue with traffic control officers in Lagos and the then branch treasurer, Mrs. Okeowo Aminatu Bayon;le refused to sign for the amount of fine paid, hence I, Comrade Joseph Kehinde Abiona, was fully responsible for the fine. Anybody having contrary views must come out with concrete evidence.''Join LeadsLeap
Comrade Abiona denied all the allegations, adding,'' as at today, 20th March, 2023, the branch executive committee under the able leadership of J.K Abiona is still in charge until another date for the elections is picked. As a responsible leader, I am appealing to financial members of the branch and other stakeholders in the UCH community to remain calm and law-abiding until another date for the elections is picked. Finally, I want to tender an unreserved apology on behalf of all our financial members to the management as well as our national headquarters for the show of shame of miscreants in our midst on the 15th March, 2023.''Presently, the union secretarait within the premises of the UCH is under lock and key.
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RAMADHAN DIET - DAY One by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke
- By solomon2day
- On 23/03/2023
- In The People Talk
The Ramadhan fasting exercise, is a divine construct given by God to mankind as the fourth pillar of Islam, for the purpose of spiritual rejuvenation to improve the state of piety.
This is to help the animal called Man to become reformed, decent, modest and disciplined enough to be able to have an easy ride in his pursuit of social desires.The signs of Lent for the Christians and the arrival of Saomu Ramadhan must be seen as a blessing to us in Nigeria to seek Divine Intervention for Government Transition and for our next political dispensation to be fruitful and beneficial to all of us in Nigeria as a nation.
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Prof. S. A. Olagoke JP FNSE, FNATE, FNIM, FAES
Ajagun Esin of Oyo State
Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam
Shafaudeen In Islam Worldwide. -
Oyo Gov should be Prayerful-Prof. Olagoke
- By solomon2day
- On 20/03/2023
- In The People Talk
Running for and winning an office as a governor is an accomplishment to be proud of. More importantly, Nigeria’s democratic political sphere, for the first time in history, gave the mandate to the people, through BVAS and INEC Servers, to perfect our voting exercise to have more credible or so reliable results to produce credible leaders in the government of the next political dispensation.
However, the hackers' attempt was disturbing, while vote buying was at its worst practice despite the Naira redesign and cash crunch for the Nigerians making the winners, to look like beneficiaries of the highest syndrome.
However, we need to congratulate the winners for peace to reign and the transition to be smooth for the emerging leaders to be able to perform in a conducive and peaceful environment. After all, those who feel cheated or unsatisfied with the results have the basic alternative to seeking redress in a court of law.
For our Governor in Oyo State, I congratulate Engr. Seyi Makinde FNSE. On behalf of myself as Mogaji Aare Alasa, Arole OgunElu Dynasty and the entire OgunElu Aare Alasa Dynasty, of which Aigbofa Compound among other 35 is your source, we congratulate your Excellency on your second term bid success. The first Road of Oja'ba - Oranyan axis reconstructed by your Government and the Renovation of the First Central Mosque, Oja'ba, Ibadan endear all of us to you and your Government. May your name never be soiled.
Every government is responsible to its people in the areas of food, clothing, and shelter. Unfortunately, this is the core around which everything else revolves. It is still a surprise that no Governor in Nigeria, past or present, has quite got this basic tenet of governance right. Only with improved income could people seek to build personal homes, however, when the government goes into schemes for people, the challenge of food and clothing would without much ado be surmounted. Thus, my advice is that the governor take a cursory look into a low-cost housing scheme for civil servants and other people in society with regular incomes to procure. Work on the complaints of the people.
In particular, I put forward the following for consideration:
At the end of these second four years, what would you be noted for? The first has been known to cater to civil servants. What of other areas? Start with this end in mind. Go back in the history of the first four years, what area or sector was left unattended. Give them attention this time around. The focus should be on good government, not politics, which drains energy and time. Practice management by walking around.
Set performance goals, with high priority goals for local governments should be established. Each head should set out how it and its agencies will accomplish the goal. This information should be available in the public domain.
Employees more often than not have experience that can improve the administrative environment, but are rarely given the opportunity to air their opinions.
Give greater attention to the current state of State Universities and Polytechnic Campuses; give them a suitable look and review their tuition to be affordable to all; attend to the gloomy state of our water works; provide standard road networks that are not coloured with political undertones.
Pay attention to the poor state of major towns in Oyo state; rehabilitate our general hospitals and be fair to all the 33 local government areas of the state.
The issue of a high sense of insecurity bedeviling the state is a call for concern and action.
As a religious leader who has observed Nigerian politics for some time, the most important advice I am going to give you is to be prayerful. Also, politics is local. I advise you to increase your local presence.
On a final note, do not perceive other political parties as arch enemies for peace to reign and accelerated development that will be sustainable and bequeathable to mark the era of Omituntun 2.0 as your second term Blessing.
Alh. Engr. Prof. S. A. Olagoke JP
Ajagun Esin of Oyo State
Mogaji Aare Alasa, Arole OgunElu Dynasty
Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam
Shafaudeen In Islam Worldwide.
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Never Envy the Wicked
- By solomon2day
- On 11/03/2023
- In Special Report
We must never envy the ways of the wicked because their days are numbered.
Psalm 37 : 1-20
1 A Psalm of David.) Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous. 18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
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Remembrance-Mr. R.A Ande
- By solomon2day
- On 07/03/2023
- In Special Report
Forever in our hearts. Mrs. V.A Ande-Wife J. Ande-Daughter
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Remembrance - Mrs. B. ADEWUMI (1938-2006)
- By solomon2day
- On 07/03/2023
- In Special Report
15 years gone by, you are still in our minds. Bisi, Nike, Funke, Tayo
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Pharmacist Convicted for $1M Prescription Drug Fraud
- By solomon2day
- On 16/02/2023
- In News
A federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted a Virginia man today for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare of over $1 million in prescription drug benefits.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ronald A. Beasley II, 33, of Portsmouth, was the pharmacist in charge at NH Pharma, a pharmacy located in Lake Mary, Florida. Through NH Pharma, Beasley and his co-conspirators billed Medicare for expensive compound drug creams that they never actually purchased or dispensed, and instead provided Medicare patients an inexpensive compound drug cream not covered by Medicare. Inventory records showed that NH Pharma did not buy enough of the expensive prescription drugs to fill all the prescriptions NH Pharma billed to Medicare. In total, Beasley and his co-conspirators received more than $1 million in fraudulent proceeds from Medicare.
Beasley was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent in Charge David Walker of the FBI Tampa Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office made the announcement.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Reginald Cuyler Jr. and Darren C. Halverson of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 25 federal districts, has charged more than 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $24 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Source-FBI
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Chinese High-Altitude Balloon Recovery
- By solomon2day
- On 16/02/2023
- In News
Behind the Bureau’s role as the lead governing agency for the forensic examination of the Chinese high-altitude balloon
FBI special agents assigned to the Evidence Response Team process material recovered from the high-altitude balloon recovered off the coast of South Carolina. In a news briefing on Thursday, senior FBI officials detailed the Bureau’s role as the lead governing agency for the forensic examination of the Chinese high-altitude balloon identified and shot down February 5 by the U.S. military off the coast of South Carolina. The Operational Technology Division and the Laboratory Division are working closely with subject matter experts from the Department of Defense—including the Naval Criminal Investigative Service—and other government agencies. Additionally, personnel from the FBI’s Washington, Columbia, Charlotte, and Norfolk field offices have deployed personnel, including ERT- and USERT-trained agents, to assist with the logistics of the recovery and analysis of the debris. Michael Paul, assistant director of the Operational and Technology Division (OTD), and Eric Pokorak, assistant director of the Laboratory Division, said it is too early in the investigation to determine the intent and capabilities of the balloon. Pokorak said much of the evidence remains underwater and that the FBI is coordinating further searches with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Dive teams from the FBI and U.S. Navy are working together. “We were on-scene late Sunday, on February 5, and the first evidence that was received was transported to Quantico and received late Monday, February 6,” he explained. Pokorak described the search area as a “large-scale scene” and said weather concerns in the next few days “may impact” evidence collection and the transportation of recovered items.
Once the evidence is received at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, a team of experts engages in a decontamination process, Pokorak continued. “In simple terms, that is removing the salt water from the evidence itself. Rinsing and washing it so that it can be further processed.” The evidence recovered so far has been limited to surface findings, including the balloon (or canopy itself) some wiring, a tiny amount of electronics—but only a small portion of the payload. “We have not seen the payload where we expect to see the lion’s share of the electronics,” said Paul. “OTD deployed specialists to assist with screening and to specifically assess electronic components that might be recovered during the operation.”
He said this investigation marks the first time the FBI Laboratory and OTD have responded to a “hot air balloon of this nature” and the processing of the corresponding scene. Paul said no “energetic or offensive material” has been detected but emphasized much of the evidence has yet to be recovered. Asked about the manufacturer of the balloon or whether its design was based on stolen intelligence, Paul said the FBI is not in position “at this point to have that information.” He said both the FBI Laboratory and OTD are working to determine the source of the balloon components. Additionally, the FBI has no information or physical evidence at this time that contradicts previous statements made by other government agencies. The Laboratory Division leads the collection, transportation, and subsequent forensic examinations of evidentiary material. It is staffed with subject matter experts, including highly trained evidence response dive teams and hazardous evidence response teams, which contribute to the mission of collecting, analyzing, and sharing timely scientific and technical information within the FBI and with other government and law enforcement agencies. The OTD is the FBI’s provenance for applied technology enabling and enhancing investigations. OTD personnel have been deployed to assist with recovery efforts and initial assessments of technological evidence. Source-FBI -
The Stubborn Refusal to Learn from History
- By solomon2day
- On 12/02/2023
- In Solomon's Column
1963/64, 1983, 1993, and 2003 are significant years in Nigeria's history. A number of political office holders may have learnt a lot of lessons from history, even though others have become perpetual learners and have continually repeated avoidable mistakes of the past.
In a number of days to come, Nigerians will elect a brand new President and the statutorily stipulated lawmakers.
Sadly, February 25th, a date that ought to attract happiness and hopes for Nigerians, has become a source of great worry.
This date will serve as the long awaited JUDGMENT day for Nigerians to either reward good governance or effect a change in the present status quo, where and if necessary, in the center and the 36 states on March 11.
Indeed, the gloomy faces of Nigerians constitute a major indication that the democratic experience has been that of despondency, anguish, sorrow and bitterness.
Without doubt, the journey has been a political mis-adventure directed by the political class, who have, overtime, displayed a stubborn resolve not to learn any lessons from history.
The Truth in Agonies and Hardships
A school thought has it that the agonies, hardships and difficulties, Nigerians are presently experiencing were deliberately designed to make the electorate vulnerable to evil influences on election days. Perhaps this is true.
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Be Conscious of Evil
- By solomon2day
- On 06/02/2023
- In Special Report
Be conscious of those with evil intentions who quietly penetrate gatherings of the gospel to counterfeit and discredit that which is of God.
Mark 9 : 35-50
35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is on our part. 41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
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Be Conscious of Time
- By solomon2day
- On 23/01/2023
- In Special Report
Timing is crucial to success in business.
Identify a project, work on it and implement it at the appropriate time.
Let your project revolve around the preferences of customers for you to achieve satisfactory results.
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As the General Elections Approaches
- By solomon2day
- On 16/01/2023
- In Solomon's Column
Nigerians are hopeful that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) will justify the mind-boggling money the Federal Government set aside for the successful conduct of the general elections.
This will become a reality if the elections are free, fair and credible.
However, the violent crimes occurring on a daily basis in different parts of Nigeria is a major threat to the smooth conduct of the elections.
Of worry, is the safety of lives and property.
The electoral umpire has already made public, selected observers for the elections and part of that allocation will be for the observers.
The journey so far, has been a far cry from what Nigerians envisaged when the present administration mounted the saddle in 2015.
Indeed, the chairman and Resident Electoral Commissioners(REC) in the states where elections will take place should be above board and ought to maintain a non-partisan attitude before, during and after the elections, to ensure that the confidence reposed in them by the Nigerians does not wane.
In the same vein, other categories of officials of the INEC ought to be mindful of their responsibilities by not engaging in acts that will undermine the smooth conduct of the general elections.
Violent crimes
Community leaders, elders and residents, landlords and tenants associations in communities in Nigeria ought to be held responsible for lawlessness and criminality in their domains, since they live and know those who are involved. The law enforcement agencies must cease to scratch the surface and act according to the dictates of their primary duties
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Meditation
- By solomon2day
- On 10/01/2023
- In Special Report
Cultivate the habit of meditating 12 minutes each day to develop your brain.
The benefits of this exercise include greater mental capacity, reduced stress and an increased sense of joy.
Meditation adequately prepares you for the day's activities.
