National Security Division

Tennessee Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS Benjamin Carpenter, also known as Abu Hamza, 34, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in connection with providing translation services to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. “For years, this defendant led a global digital media operation to distribute pro-ISIS propaganda, promoting the group’s radical message of terror and pushing it to every corner of the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s conduct and the Justice Department’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who would provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBZYv8iD

Russian International Money Launderer Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Illicitly Procuring Large Quantities of U.S.-Manufactured Dual-Use, Military Grade Microelectronics for Russian Entities Defendant Participated in Overseas Illicit Procurement Network That, After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, Illegally Procured Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) Micro-Displays for Russian End Users Maxim Marchenko, 52, was sentenced today to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in procuring dual-use, military grade OLED micro-displays for Russian end users. “Today’s sentence holds Mr. Marchenko accountable for his role in a procurement syndicate that funneled U.S.-manufactured military-grade microelectronics to end users in Russia, illegally delivering controlled technologies worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department remains relentlessly focused on dismantling illicit procurement networks led by individuals like the defendant, who use their business skills and connections to advance the Russian war agenda.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gbnKD5kH

Former Government Official Arrested for Acting as Unregistered Agent of South Korean Government Sue Mi Terry Provided South Korean Intelligence Officers Access, Information and Advocacy in Exchange for Luxury Goods and Funding Sue Mi Terry, 54, of New York, New York, was arrested yesterday and presented on criminal charges related to offenses under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). According to court documents, after leaving U.S. government service and for more than a decade, Terry worked as an agent of the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea, without registering as a foreign agent with the Attorney General, as required by law. As covertly directed by ROK government officials, Terry publicly advocated ROK policy positions, disclosed non-public U.S. government information to ROK intelligence officers and enabled ROK officials to gain access to U.S. government officials. In exchange for these actions, ROK intelligence officers provided Terry with luxury goods, expensive dinners and more than $37,000 in funding for a public policy program focusing on Korean affairs that Terry controlled. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g-mi7HVc

Readout of Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen’s Trip to The Hague Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division traveled to The Hague, Netherlands, this week to address the Counterterrorism Law Enforcement Forum (CTLEF) and to convene a high-level meeting with European partners on stopping the illicit flow of sensitive technology to foreign adversaries. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g7cm-e8D

New Jersey Man Charged with Soliciting Destruction of Energy Facilities Andrew Takhistov, 18, of East Brunswick, New Jersey, was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance in court today for allegedly soliciting another individual to destroy energy facilities. “Andrew Takhistov was allegedly on his way to Ukraine to join the Russian Volunteer Corps when we arrested him on charges of recruiting an individual to destroy an electrical substation here in the United States in order to advance his white supremacist ideology,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their exceptional work disrupting this dangerous plot.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gsQ_xBVH

New York Man and Canadian National Plead Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Export Control Scheme Defendants Exported Millions of Dollars of Electronics Used by Russia in Missiles and Drones Nikolay Goltsev, 38, of Montreal, and Salimdzhon Nasriddinov, 53, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit export control violations for their roles in a global procurement scheme on behalf of sanctioned Russian companies, including Russian military companies. Some of the electronic components shipped by the defendants were later found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. “The defendants shipped millions of dollars of U.S. electronics critical to the missiles and drones Russia uses to attack Ukraine, and they now face U.S. prison time for their scheme,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “As Russia continues to wage its unjust war of aggression against Ukraine, the Department remains committed to holding accountable those who fuel Putin’s war machine.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/g5Cxvmnn

Man Sentenced for Sending Death Threat to Michigan Election Worker An Indiana man was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for sending a communication that included death threats to an election worker in Michigan shortly after the November 2020 election. “The Justice Department has no tolerance for violent threats against election workers, officials, and volunteers, and as this case demonstrates, we will aggressively investigate and prosecute such threats to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to defend the right to vote and to defend the safety of the public servants who make voting possible.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/daWfFAVQ

Justice Department Leads Efforts Among Federal, International, and Private Sector Partners to Disrupt Covert Russian Government-Operated Social Media Bot Farm Russia’s State-Run RT News Network Developed and Federal Security Service Operated the Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Bot Farm to Disseminate Disinformation to Sow Discord in the United States and Elsewhere The Justice Department today announced the seizure of two domain names and the search of 968 social media accounts used by Russian actors to create an AI-enhanced social media bot farm that spread disinformation in the United States and abroad. The social media bot farm used elements of AI to create fictitious social media profiles — often purporting to belong to individuals in the United States — which the operators then used to promote messages in support of Russian government objectives, according to affidavits unsealed today. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gq-bwAQ4

President of Freight Forwarding Company Indicted for Allegedly Smuggling Goods from the United States to Russia A citizen of Belarus and lawful permanent resident of the United States has been indicted for allegedly smuggling goods from the United States into Russia without a license. Kirill Gordei, 34, of Hallandale, Florida, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States; one count of smuggling goods from the United States; and one count of export of a spectrometer, which is a commerce control item. Gordei was arrested on June 30 in Florida and made an initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida today. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. “As alleged, Gordei defrauded U.S. government export regulators and smuggled advanced scientific technology to Russian customers, placing personal profit over national security,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will use every available tool to disrupt illicit supply chains used to illegally funnel sophisticated technologies to Russia and other hostile powers.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gQ_QzynF

Juan Orlando Hernández, Former President of Honduras, Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute More Than 400 Tons of Cocaine and Related Firearms Offenses Hernández Conspired with Some of the Largest Drug Traffickers in the World to Transport Tons of Cocaine through Honduras to the United States The former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, 55, also known as JOH, was sentenced today to 540 months in prison and 60 months of supervised release for cocaine importation and related weapons offenses. The former two-term president was in office until weeks before his extradition to the United States in April 2022. Hernández was convicted on March 8 following a three-week jury trial. “As President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández abused his power to support one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world, and the people of Honduras and the United States bore the consequences,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Thanks to the diligent work of the Justice Department’s agents and prosecutors, Hernández will now spend more than four decades in prison. The Justice Department will hold accountable all those who engage in violent drug trafficking, regardless of how powerful they are or what position they hold.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gg3Mhe8U