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Federal Bureau Of Investigation News

04 Nov 2021

Suspect Charged After Explosives Found on Ohio River Towboats

Nathaniel Blayn Becker (Photo: South Central Regional Jail)

An Ohio man has been arrested on federal charges after suspected explosive devices were found on Ohio River towboats, authorities said.Nathaniel Blayn Becker, of Marietta, Ohio, was charged on October 28 in a federal criminal complaint with possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices.Forty-two-year-old Becker is accused of purchasing pipes and other components that formed suspected destructive devices recovered by law enforcement officers from two different tugboats on the Ohio River on October 21 and October 25, 2021.

03 Jun 2021

Humphreys to Lead LR's Maritime Business in the Americas

Kevin Humphreys (Photo: LR)

U.K.-based classification society Lloyd's Register (LR) has appointed Kevin Humphreys as its new Marine and Offshore President for the Americas. Humphreys, who has more than 30 years of maritime and government experience in commercial and operational roles, joins from Wärtsilä where he was General Manager for Market Innovation and Global Merchant Segment Shipping Sales.Succeeding John Hicks, who has taken up the role of LR Strategic Implementation Director, Humphreys has experience as an executive and manager in a variety of fields including private equity and venture capital backed start-ups…

17 Aug 2020

US' FBI to Help Lebanon Probe Beirut Explosion

(Satellite image ©2020 Maxar Technologies)

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday confirmed that it will assist authorities in Lebanon investigating the cause of the explosion that devastated Beirut and killed 172 people."At the request of the Government of Lebanon, the FBI will be providing our Lebanese partners investigative assistance in their investigation into the explosions at the Port of Beirut on August 4th," FBI headquarters said in a statement to Reuters."As this is not an FBI investigation, the FBI will not offer additional comment at this time.

12 Jun 2020

How China Got Venezuelan Oil Despite US Sanctions

Last year, China replaced the United States as the No. 1 importer of oil from Venezuela, yet another front in the heated rivalry between Washington and Beijing.The United States had imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company as part of a bid to topple that country’s socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. U.S. refineries stopped buying Venezuelan crude. Caracas’ ally China, long a major customer, suddenly found itself the top purchaser. Through the first six months of 2019, it imported an average of 350,000 barrels per day of crude from Venezuela.But in August, Washington tightened its sanctions on Venezuela, warning that any foreign entity that continued to do business with the South American country’s government could find itself subject to sanctions.

21 Mar 2019

Report: FBI Falls Short On Port Threat Assessment

© stockphoto mania/AdobeStock

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not taking appropriate steps to review and assess potential maritime terrorism risks facing U.S. sea ports, the Justice Department's internal watchdog has found.The audit, released on Thursday by Inspector General Michael Horowitz, found that while top FBI officials believe the country faces a low maritime terrorism threat, that view is actually based on "incomplete and potentially inaccurate information."Moreover, the audit found that the FBI had not conducted its own formal assessment of the matter.In a letter to Horowitz dated Aug.

02 Mar 2018

Luxury Yacht Seized in Money Laundering Probe

Equanimity (File photo: Oceanco)

Indonesian police on Thursday questioned the captain and crew of a luxury yacht in Bali at the request of U.S. authorities, probing alleged money laundering at a Malaysian state fund, they said. The yacht was impounded in Bali on Wednesday amid a multi-billion dollar corruption investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and tied to Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Police seized the yacht, Equanimity, after receiving a letter on Feb. 21 from the U.S.

16 Jan 2018

New Patrol Boat Delivered to Puerto Rico PD

The Puerto Rico Police Department's new Metal Shark 35 Defiant, operating off the coast of San Juan. (PRPD Photo)

The Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) has taken delivery of a new patrol boat from Louisiana-based boatbuilder Metal Shark. The new 35-foot Defiant welded aluminum pilothouse patrol vessel, built at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette, La. production facility, joins the fleet of 36-foot Metal Shark Fearless-class high performance center console patrol boats delivered to the PRPD a year ago. The PRPD’s new patrol boat features a fully-enclosed, climate-controlled pilothouse for all weather operation, outfitted with Shockwave shock-mitigating seating for a crew of four, the builder said.

19 Aug 2015

Detroit Agencies Perform Maritime Security Exercise

Detroit Coast Guard members are participating in a Southeast Michigan Area Maritime Security Committee multi-agency table-top exercise Wednesday at the Detroit Fire Department Regional Training Center. The purpose of this exercise is to test plans and policies of federal, provincial, state and local area agencies in response to a transportation security incident. In accordance with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, a table-top exercise is a discussion based exercise. There will not be any resources deployed directly as a result of this exercise. More than 150 participants from 50 agencies are expected to participate in the exercise.

04 Jun 2015

Australia, US Alliance on Display for Talisman Sabre

More than 33,000 U.S. and Australian personnel will participate in the biennial military training exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 in Australia July 4-19. Talisman Sabre, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and Australian Defence Force Headquarters Joint Operations Command, will incorporate U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force as well as other government agencies from each country. Featuring 21 ships, including the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and more than 200 aircraft and three submarines, this sixth iteration of the exercise will focus on joint training of a combined task force of U.S.

23 Feb 2015

MARAD Certifying Cruise Security, Safety Training

Photo: Antonio Ferrer

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) informs it has begun certifying cruise vessel security and safety training program providers. As part of the voluntary certification, MARAD will review training plans and supporting information for consistency with training standards established under the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010, which imposes new security and safety standards on cruise ships. MARAD will issue certifications effective for five years to successful training provider applicants, and will list certified training organizations on its website.

10 Dec 2014

Proposed Rulemaking on Cruise Ship Terminal Security

The Federal Register Wednesday published the U.S. Coast Guard’s notice of proposed rulemaking amending its regulations on cruise ship terminal security. This proposed rule would standardize screening activities for all persons, baggage and personal effects at cruise ship terminals while also allowing an appropriate degree of flexibility that accommodates and is consistent with different terminal sizes and operations. This flexible standardization ensures a consistent layer of security at terminals throughout the United States.

12 Aug 2014

Monroe County to Conduct Maritime Security Exercise

(Credit: USCG)

Scheduled for Thursday and Friday, federal, state, local and Canadian law enforcement partners will be brought together in a multi-agency exercise designed to prepare for and prevent cross-border terrorist and criminal activity on the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. There are no known threats against the area, but boaters may notice increased assets of law enforcement on the water. Organized by The Monroe County Emergency Management Office, the multi-jurisdictional exercise will be sponsored by The Department of Homeland Security.

08 May 2014

Families of S.Korea Ferry Dead March on Presidential Palace

Parents of children killed when a passenger ferry sank last month led a sombre march on South Korea's presidential palace in the early hours of Friday morning, where they demanded to meet with President Park Geun-hye. Clutching memorial portraits of their children, family members and grieving parents were prevented by riot police from nearing the palace, and instead sat in the middle of the road where they sobbed, wailed and shouted in anger. "Listen to us, President Park. Just give us ten seconds!," one family member said, using a portable address system. "Why are you blocking the way?," said another. Seated on the ground in the middle of the night, they wore beige blankets and huddled in rows on the cold floor.

12 Sep 2013

Mission Specific Boat(s)…With a Twist

Today’s economy is tough enough for the commercial sector. For federal, state and municipal authorities – and in an atmosphere of shrinking tax revenues and sequestration – the task of securing mission-appropriate assets can be even tougher. At this year’s National Sheriff’s Association Conference (of all places), held this June in Charlotte, N.C, at least two boatbuilders showed that there is an economical way to get the job done. Increasingly, the need for multi-missioned boats to create both economy of scale and the ability to do more with fewer assets is becoming the rule…

25 Aug 2010

Cargo Ship Engineer Sentenced for Pollution Violation

United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that United States District Judge James C. Dever III, sentenced Vaja Sikharulidze, a citizen of Georgia, to one-year probation to include seven days of home detention, which reflected a sentence reduction based upon his substantial cooperation in the investigation. A Criminal Information was filed on April 23, 2010. sikharulidze pled guilty on May 3, 2010 to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), in violation of Title 33, United States Code, Sections 1901, et. seq. Sikharulidze, 59, was the Chief Engineer of the Motor Tanker Chem Faros, a 21,145 gross-ton ocean-going cargo ship.

16 Jun 2010

This Day in Coast Guard History – June 17

1832- The practice of utilizing "surplus" naval officers as officers of the Revenue Marine was discontinued. Revenue officer vacancies were henceforth filled by promotion from within the service. 1910-An Act of Congress (36 Stat. L., 534) abolished the Lighthouse Board and created the Bureau of Lighthouses to have complete charge of the Lighthouse Service. This law constituted the organic act under which the Lighthouse Service operated thereafter. 1942-Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet ordered the organization of coastal pickets to combat submarine menace of Atlantic Coast. 1983- National Narcotics Border Interdiction System (NNBIS) began operations under the direction of Vice President George Bush and the executive board consisting of Secretaries of State…

20 Jul 2009

Prison Sentence For Cosco Busan Pilot

John Joseph Cota, the pilot who caused the Cosco Busan, a 900-ft long container ship, to collide with the San Francisco Bay Bridge and discharge approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, was sentenced to serve 10 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston for the Northern District of California, the Justice Department announced. Cota, who was a licensed bar pilot at the time of the collision, gave commands that caused the 65,131-ton Hong Kong-registered ship to collide with the bridge on Nov. 7, 2007. Cota was sentenced according to an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to negligently causing discharge of a harmful quantity of oil in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA)…

23 Apr 2009

Trelleborg AB to Pay $11m in Criminal Fines

Two subsidiaries of the Swedish company Trelleborg AB, one based in Virginia and the other in France, have agreed to plead guilty and pay a total of $11m in criminal fines for their participation in separate conspiracies affecting the sales of marine products sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced April 21. A two-count felony charge was filed in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Va., against Virginia Harbor Services Inc., formerly known as Trelleborg Engineered Products Inc. (VHS/TEPI), a manufacturer of foam-filled marine fenders, buoys and plastic marine pilings headquartered in Clearbrook, Va. According to the charges…

09 Mar 2009

Guilty Plea in Case of Cosco Busan Ship Pilot

John Joseph Cota, a California ship pilot, pleaded guilty on March 6 to negligently causing the discharge of approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay in violation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, a law enacted in the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster. Cota, who piloted the M/V Cosco Busan when it hit the San Francisco Bay Bridge on Nov. 7, 2007, also pleaded guilty to violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the death of protected migratory birds. If the plea terms are accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston, Cota will be sentenced to serve between two and ten months in prison and be fined between $3,000 to $30,000.

03 Feb 2009

Former Shipping Exec Sentenced

A former high-level shipping executive was sentenced today to serve 48 months in jail and to pay a $20,000 criminal fine for his role in an antitrust conspiracy involving the transportation of goods to and from the continental United States and Puerto Rico by ocean vessel, the Department of Justice announced on Jan. 30. This is the longest jail sentence ever imposed for a single antitrust charge. Peter Baci of Jacksonville, Fla., pleaded guilty on Oct. 20, 2008, in the U.S. District Court in Jacksonville for his role in the conspiracy, which began at least as early as May 2002 and continued until as late as April 2008. Baci was charged…

20 Nov 2001

House-Senate Conference Agrees on $33 Million For Title XI Loan Guarantees

The House and the Senate have agreed to include $33 million for Title XI loan guarantees in Fiscal Year 2002 in the commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary Appropriations conference report. The conference report filed on November 9, which also includes some $3.9 million for administering the program, is expected to be approved by the House and Senate this week. In addition to Title XI, the appropriations conference report funds State and Justice department programs, including the immigrations and border controls, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, embassy security, and diplomatic and consular affairs. The Title XI funds provided in the conference report…

13 Dec 2007

Jail for Execs in Marine Hose Bid-Rigging Conspiracy

An independent consultant and two executives of Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd., a manufacturer of marine hose located in Grimsby, U.K., pleaded guilty and have agreed to serve record-setting prison sentences for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices, and allocate market shares of marine hose sold in the U.S. the Department of Justice announced. The plea agreements were filed today in U.S. District Court in Houston. The Antitrust Division filed a one-count felony charge on Dec. 3, 2007, against Peter Whittle, sole proprietor of a consulting business named PW Consulting (Oil & Marine); Bryan Allison, managing director of Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd.; and David Brammar, Dunlop’s sales and marketing director, in U.S. District Court in Houston.

13 Nov 2008

GAO – Proliferation Security Initiative

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report stating that some federal agencies have taken steps to strengthen the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), but that more effort is needed to expand the program. In particular, the GAO recommends that federal law enforcement agencies (including the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) establish clear policies, procedures, and indicators to support PSI activities. (Source: Holland & Knight)