Tag: Ready

2…………> Outbound Deportation Train Ready: ICE

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can now expedite the removal of certain aliens thanks to a recent order issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Sept. 30, 2020. The court order mandates the removal of the July 27, 2019, preliminary injunction which was the only legal impediment to ICE in enforcing former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan’s July 23, 2019, Designation of Aliens for Expedited Removal. Expediting removals will help keep dangerous criminals from entering communities to potentially reoffend.

“Our ability to implement this important statutory tool will further enable us to protect our communities and preserve the integrity of our nation’s congressionally mandated immigration laws,” said Tony Pham, Senior Official Performing the Duties of ICE Director.

All ICE officers, special agents and attorneys must complete required web-based training before they can implement the July 2019 expedited removal designation.

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https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-implements-july-23-2019-expedited-removal-designation

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3…………> COVID19 Fraudster Caught: DOJ

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A Seattle man pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud for carrying out a scheme to defraud several COVID-19 relief programs.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran of the Western District of Washington, Special Agent in Charge Weston King of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General’s (SBA-OIG) Western Region, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) J. Russell George, and Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office made the announcement.

Baoke Zhang, 35, of Issaquah, Washington, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian A. Tsuchida of the Western District of Washington.

As part of his guilty plea, Zhang admitted that he carried out a scheme to defraud several different government and private COVID-19 relief programs intended to assist those facing financial difficulties due to the ongoing pandemic. 

Zhang admitted that he submitted four fraudulent applications to three different lenders for forgivable loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a SBA program that provided payroll assistance to small businesses.  To support the loan applications, Zhang used fake entities for which he created fake payroll and tax records.  Two of the fraudulent loan applications sought $600,000 each, a third application sought $325,000, and a fourth sought approximately $41,000.  Zhang also submitted a fraudulent application to the SBA for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) in the name of one of the fake entities for which he also had applied for PPP loans.  The SBA paid Zhang a $10,000 EIDL advance before his fraud was detected.

Zhang further admitted that he submitted fraudulent applications to two non-profit organizations providing grants to restaurant workers suffering economic hardship due to the pandemic.  Zhang submitted the various applications in the names of Zhang, his wife, and his parents, falsely claiming that each were restaurant workers who had either lost their jobs or lost wages due to COVID-19.  To support the applications, Zhang created fake letters from purported restaurant owners regarding employment and fake payroll records.  In fact, neither Zhang nor his wife or parents worked in restaurants.  Zhang obtained $1,500 from one of the non-profits before his fraud was detected.

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https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/seattle-software-developer-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-covid-relief-fraud-scheme

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4………….> EU Tech Used In China’s Uyghur Internment Camps

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In the fight against coronavirus, the EU is using thermal cameras produced by Chinese tech giant Hikvision. The firm has been linked to the oppression of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang province.

Two EU institutions are using technology produced by China’s Hikvision, a firm that has been accused of providing surveillance equipment to Muslim internment camps in the country’s northwest Xinjiang province.

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https://m.dw.com/en/exclusive-eu-taps-chinese-technology-linked-to-muslim-internment-camps-in-xinjiang/a-55362125