FBI Raids New Orleans Police Department

by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica

Correction (8/8/2009): This post originally stated that five people were wounded during the Danziger Bridge incident. In fact, it was four people.

For anybody who has followed our reporting on the violence that followed Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Times-Picayune has an interesting story today.

According to the paper, FBI agents this week raided the New Orleans Police Department’s homicide unit, seizing files and computer drives connected to the so-called Danziger Bridge incident of September 4, 2005. The bureau is investigating the episode, during which NOPD officers loosed a fusillade of bullets on a group of civilians as they walked over the bridge, killing Ronald Madison and James Brissette, and wounding four others.

The police officers involved say they began shooting in response to gunfire from the civilians; that claim is vigorously disputed by the shooting victims.

The FBI raid focused on two NOPD officers tasked with carrying out the police department’s internal probe of the shooting. One of those detectives, Sergeant Gerard Dugue, has also been investigating the murder of Henry Glover.

As we’ve reported, Glover died after he was denied medical attention by a group of NOPD officers, according to witnesses. Federal agents are also scrutinizing his death — including the possibility that he was shot by police — and in recent months, federal prosecutors have called officers before a grand jury.

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Upgraded Biometric Technology Facilitates Visitors' Entry to the United States

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that upgraded biometric technology is in place at major U.S. ports of entry, and most international visitors should expect to use the new technology when they enter the United States. DHS's US-VISIT program began upgrading its biometric technology from a two- to a 10-fingerprint collection standard in 2007 to make the entry process faster and more accurate, enabling DHS officials to focus their attention on people who may pose a risk to the United States, those officials say.

"Since 2004, biometrics have facilitated legitimate travel for millions of visitors entering the United States," says US-VISIT Director Robert Mocny. "The 10-fingerprint upgrade makes this proven system even more efficient and enhances the security of our nation."

For the last five years, U.S. Department of State consular officers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have collected biometric information -- digital fingerprints and a photograph -- from all non-U.S. citizens between the ages of 14 and 79, with some exceptions, when they apply for visas or arrive at major U.S. ports of entry. State consular officers began collecting 10 fingerprints from visa applicants in 2007.

Collecting 10 fingerprints increases fingerprint matching accuracy and reduces the possibility that the system will misidentify an international visitor, DHS says. It also strengthens DHS's capability to check visitors' fingerprints against the FBI's criminal data and enables DHS to check visitors' fingerprints against latent fingerprints collected by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the FBI from known and unknown terrorists around the world, DHS says.

DHS's US-VISIT program, in cooperation with CBP, is leading the department's upgrade to 10-fingerprint collection. This upgrade is the result of an interagency partnership among DHS, FBI, DOD and State.

US-VISIT provides biometric identification services to agencies throughout federal, state and local government. The program's most visible service is the collection of biometrics from international visitors when they apply for visas and enter the United States. Since US-VISIT began in 2004, DHS's use of biometrics has helped prevent the use of fraudulent documents, protect visitors from identity theft, and stop thousands of criminals and immigration violators from entering the United States.

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Justice Dept. Gets First Conviction On Illegal Source Code Exports

Xiaodong Sheldon Meng, 42, formerly a resident of Beijing, China, and resident of Cupertino, Calif., has pleaded guilty to violating the Foreign Economic Espionage and violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and theInternational Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), federal law enforcement officials say.

The defendant entered into a plea agreement whereby he pleaded guiltyto Count Five (EEA) and Count Seven (AECA) of a superseding indictment thathad been filed on December 13, 2006.

Count Five charged that Meng violated the EEA by possessing a trade secret belonging to Quantum3D, a San Jose company by whom he was formerly employed, intending and knowing that this possession would benefit aforeign government, instrumentality, or agent, namely the People's Republic of China ("PRC") Navy Research Center, the U.S. Justice Department says.

The trade secret at issue, known as "Mantis," is a Quantum3D productused to simulate real world motion for military training purposes. Meng installed a demonstration unit of Mantis on the PRC Navy site. Meng also altered Mantis to make it appear as if it belonged to ORAD, Meng's new employer, a competitor of Quantum3D based in PRC. This altered version of Mantis was included as part of the demonstration project in the PRC.

Count Seven charged that defendant Meng knowingly and willfullyviolated the AECA and ITAR when he exported "viXsen" source code, a Quantum3D product that is a designated defense article on the United StatesMunitions List, and for which Meng had no Department of State exportlicense. viXsen is a visual simulation software program used for trainingmilitary fighter pilots.

U.S. Attorney Scott Schools notes that this prosecution isthe result of a nearly three-year joint investigation by the U.S.Attorney's Office Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Unit, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) -- Office of Investigations, as well as Customs & Border Protection (CBP).

"This conviction, the first in the nation for illegal exports of military-related source code, demonstrates the importance of safeguarding our nation's military secrets and should serve notice to others who would compromise our national security for profit," says U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security Kenneth Wainstein. "This case is the latest evidence of the Department's enhanced investigative and prosecutorial efforts to keep America's critical technology from falling into the wrong hands."

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Survey: Most Adults Want Further Education

More than half of American adults age 25 to 60 would like to pursue additional education — the equivalent of more than 70 million adult Americans, according to capella university.

Although most adults place great value on higher education, only a third of those who say they want more education say they were likely to pursue it. Time management was the greatest barrier — 73 percent of those who wanted to pursue additional education rated this issue as a concern.

An accredited online university, Capella is geared towards these types of adults who need to balance education, career, and family.

Tammy Alexander is that kind of adult. A recent winner of the 2006 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award and a a master’s degree student at Capella.

"The National Center for Education Statistics has found that online education is growing at a rate that is 10 times faster than that of traditional postsecondary options. With time management concerns at the top of many students' minds, the flexibility of online environments is likely contributing to the increase in those enrollments," says Lyungai Mbilinyi, author of the study report.

Capella offers 82 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate programs and serves more than 18,000 students.

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U.S. Citizen Sentenced to Prison for Training From Terrorist Organization

Daniel Joseph Maldonado, a.k.a. Daniel Aljughaifi, a U.S. citizen convicted of receiving training from a foreign terrorist organization has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, senior U.S. law enforcement officials announced.

The 10-year sentence is the maximum statutory penalty for receiving military training from a terrorist organization. U.S. District Judge Gray Miller handed down the maximum sentence during a hearing in Houston. The prison term is to be followed by a three year term of supervised release. Additionally, the court imposed a $1,000 fine.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein says, "We cannot tolerate our own citizens joining the ranks of our enemies and foreign terrorists. Any American who does so can expect swift prosecution and a severe sentence."

Daniel Joseph Maldonado, a.k.a. Daniel Aljughaifi, 28, pleaded guilty in April admitting he had traveled from Houston to Africa in November 2005 and then on to Somalia in December 2006 to join the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and elements of Al Qaeda to fight "jihad" against the Transitional Federal Government to establish an independent Islamic State in Somalia.

While in Somalia, Maldonado was provided an AK-47, equipped with military combat uniforms and boots in Mogadishu, and participated in training camps in Kismaayo and Jilib, Somalia. The camps included physical fitness, firearms and explosives training, all in preparation to go to the
front to fight for the ICU. Al Qaeda members were present at the training camps. ICU and Al Qaeda, a recognized foreign terrorist organization, worked together to train fighters in the camps to fight jihad to establish an independent Islamic state in Somalia.

Maldonado was captured by Kenyan military forces on January 21, as he fled to avoid Ethiopian and Somalian forces. Expelled by Kenyan officials, Maldonado was turned over to American authorities and flown to Houston accompanied by Special Agents of the FBI. Maldonado has been in federal custody since his return to the United States.

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FBI Partners With Capella For Online Education

The FBI has teamed with capella university for bureau personnel to receive their online training.

An accredited online university, Capella serves more than 17,900 students from across the United States and more than 50 countries. It offers 82 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate programs. For more information on Capella and its programs, visit the univsersity online or call 1-888-CAPELLA.

The FBI's University Education Program (UEP) offers educational and professional development opportunities to its employees. Capella's partnership with the UEP is aimed at
helping FBI employees develop key management leadership skills and competencies.

The agreement continues the ongoing cooperation between Capella and the FBI's Leadership Development Institute. "Capella University is gratified to be a member of the Bureau’s University Education Program and will work diligently to insure that every eligible FBI employee has access to Capella’s full range of degree programs," says Jim Landerkin, Capella's federal program manager.

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Capella Student Makes a Difference

Capella University, the online university, is making a positive contribution in the community.

Take, for instance, Tammy Alexander. A master’s degree student at capella university, Alexander was awarded the 2006 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award.

Alexander is studying education with an emphasis on enrollment management at Capella, an accredited online university. Alexander is the director for information assurance and cybersecurity training at Fountainhead College of Technology in Knoxville, Tenn., where her responsibilities include developing and conducting cyber security awareness lectures and workshops for the general public, academia and law enforcement.

She also serves as the vice president on the board of advisors for the Infragard East Tennessee Alliance. Infragard is an FBI program that aims to improve and extend information sharing between private industry and the government, particularly the FBI, when it comes to critical national infrastructures.

“There are a lot of people who are deserving of this award,” Alexander says. “I’m so honored to be recognized among all of them.”

Capella has nearly 18,000 students in 50 countries. The university is organized into five schools: Business and Technology, Education, Human Services, Psychology, and Undergraduate Studies.

In operation since 1993, Capella received accreditation in 1997 from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges.

Let Capella help you make more of a positive contribution in your community today.

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