EFTA00148281.pdf

From: "Bulletin Intelligence" To:" Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2021 10:26:23 +0000 Importan c Normal e: Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. FBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Attorneys Make Opening Statements As Chauvin Trial Begins. • New York's Eastern District To Expand Civil Rights Unit To Probe Bias Crimes. • No Evidence Colorado Shooting Suspect Entered Country, Bought Gun, Illegally Despite Internet Claims. CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS • Man Photographed In Capitol With Zip-tie Cuffs, His Mother Win Pretrial Release. • Holocaust Group: Capitol Attack Shows Far-Right "Mainstreaming" Anti-Semitism. • Capitol Riot Suspect Arrested While Wearing "I Was There" T-shirt. • Kentucky Man Charged With Participating In Capitol Riot. • At least 17 Ohioans Facing Charges In US Capitol Siege. • Florida Man Arrested In Connection To Capitol Riot Seeks Release Due To Risk Of COVID. • Michigan Man Charged In Capitol Riot Will Fight For Bond. • Tipster Turns In Michigan Man To FBI After Bragging About "Storming U.S. Capitol." • Lawmakers Pressure Capitol Police To Make Report Public. • Oregon Man Arrested In Attack On US Capitol. • Capitol Police Provide More Than 14,000 Hours Of Capitol Riot Footage To Lawmakers. • Small Virginia Town Divided Over Local Police Officers Involved In Capitol Riot. • Analysis: Many Capitol Rioters Unlikely To Serve Jail Time. COUNTER-TERRORISM • Connecticut Middle School Bomb Threat A Hoax. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Privacy Advocates Express Concern NSA Moving Toward Domestic Internet Spying. • Opinion: The Military Needs Better Understanding Of Its Extremism Problem. • Supreme Court Leaves In Place A Ruling Blocking Hillary Clinton Deposition Over Private Email Server. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Ghislaine Maxwell Charged With Sex Trafficking In Expanded Indictment. EFTA00148281 • Judge Orders Three Men To Stand Trial Over Plot To Kidnap Whitmer. • FBI Offers $50,000 Reward In 1998 Kansas Cold Case Killing. • Man Captured After Firing On Park Rangers In Everglades. • Murderer Dies Awaiting Execution In Indiana. • Washington Man Sentenced For Torching Police Car At Protest. • Arrest Made In 1979 Colorado Murder. • Elder Abuse Increasing In California and Elsewhere. • Long Missing Murderer Eubanks Spotted Outside Los Angeles. • Last Suspect In Michigan Murder Caught In Tennessee. • Members Of Prison Drug Ring Charged. • FBI Turns To Google In Investigation Of Racist Vandalism At Knoxville Church. • Portland Man Gets 17 Years For Online Abuse Of Teen Boy. • Maine Woman Charged By FBI With Involvement In Massachusetts Drug Ring. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • SCOTUS Hears Securities Fraud Case Against Goldman Sachs. • Chicago Precinct Captain Charged With Deceiving FBI. • Chicago-based Marijuana Cultivator Part Of Federal Pay-to-play Investigation. • Mosby Investigation A Distraction For Baltimore City Council. • FBI Warns Of Rise Of "Deepfakes" In Coming Months. • FBI Issues Warning About COVID-19 Scams. • Biggest Blowups Among Financial Funds Detailed. • Raleigh Real Estate Investor Agrees To Plea Deal. • Fraudsters Using Online Investment Platforms To Launder Illicitly-Gained Pandemic Relief Funds. • Na Leo CEO To Go On Leave Following Allegations Of Fraud, Bribery. CYBER DIVISION • White House Assesses Potential Responses To Major Hack. • US Banking Regulators Seek Information On How Financial Institutions Use AI. • Opinion: Cybersecurity Needs A New Alert System. • Malicious Software Attacks "Spiraling Out Of Control," Report Warns. • Opinion: The Need To Establish A Global Standard To Protect And Share Data. • Cyberattack Pushes Australian TV Channel Off Air. • SolarWinds Hackers Gained Access To Head Of DHS' Emails. • Tech Firms And Independent Shops Argue Over "Right To Repair" Hardware. • Biden Says New Cybersecurity Czar Will Be Appointed Soon. • Grindr's US Security Review Disclosures Contradict Previous Statements. LAWFUL ACCESS • FBI Hopes Murder Suspect's iPhone Will Reveal Motive. OTHER FBI NEWS • Former GOP Officials: We Need Voting Rights Champion Like Vanita Gupta At Justice. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Administration Developing New Testing Techniques To Reopen Schools. • WPost Details How Cuomo Prioritized Family And Friends For COVID Testing. • Ohio LG Defends Continued Usage Of "Wuhan Virus." • Kemp Announces Plan To Self-Quarantine. • WPost: Doctors Must Pivot Toward Understanding "Long-Haul" COVID Infections. • Biden And Walensky Warn Of Potential COVID Resurgence. EFTA00148282 • NYTimes Urges State Lawmakers To Support Raising New York's Felony Theft Threshold. • Biden To Lay Out First Part Of Infrastructure And Jobs Proposal Wednesday. • Schumer Reportedly Believes Reconciliation Can Be Used More Expansively. • Senate Progressives Propose Taxing Capital-Gains At Death With $1M Per Person Exemption. • WPost Analysis: Summers Has Emerged As Loudest Critic Of Biden's Economic Policy. • NYTimes Report: Biden Intent On Spending Far More On Climate Initiatives Than Obama Did In 2009. • Legislation Would Create A "Chief Manufacturing Officer" In White House. • IRS Delays Deadlines For IRA, HSA Contributions Until May. • Suez Canal Traffic Resumes After Cargo Ship Is Freed. • CDC Extends National Eviction Moratorium Through June. • Stocks Finish Mostly Lower, But Dow Posts A Record. • Ballot-Counting In Amazon Union Election To Begin Tuesday. • WSJournal: Vermont Wants To Use Federal Aid For Pension Funds. • China Warns Apparel Makers Not To Promote Xinjiang Forced-Labor Claims. • Olsen Welcomes Biden's Delay In Lifting Trump's China Tariffs. • Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence For Tennessee Inmate. • Romney Says He Will Not Vote For New Federal Gun Laws. • Education Department Cancels Student Debt For Some Students With Disabilities. • WSJournal Celebrates That States Are Seeing Progress With School Choice. • Supreme Court To Hear Kentucky Abortion Case. • WPost Criticizes Republican Officials For Blocking Americans From Access To Medicaid Expansion. • Administration "Still Struggling With A Surge Of Migrant Children." INTERNATIONAL NEWS • WHO-China Report On Pandemic's Origin Rules Out Lab Leak Hypothesis. • WHO, Leaders Of 23 Countries Endorse Pandemic Treaty For Future Health Emergencies. • Canadian Health Officials To Stop Using AstraZeneca's Vaccine For People Under 55. • Cuba Has Developed Five Vaccine Candidates, Two In Late-Stage Trials. • UK Begins Easing Lockdown. • Lopez Obrador Announces Autopsy Result For Murdered Prisoner. • Thailand Begins Sending Ethnic Karen Back To Burma. • US Considering New Sanctions On North Korea. • NYTimes Analysis: China Working To Build New World Order Not Beholden To US. • Australian PM Announces Cabinet Reshuffle Following Assault, Harassment Scandals. • Politico Report: Biden Will Present Iran With Interim Nuclear Deal As Soon As This Week. • Hagel Dismisses May 1 Afghanistan Deadline As Unrealistic. • Millions Of Syrians Face Starvation Amid Aid Shortfall. • UN Report Concludes Houthis Responsible For December Attack On Aden Airport. • Report: Mozambique ISIS Militants Behead Residents Of Palma. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Attorneys Make Opening Statements As Chauvin Trial Begins. EFTA00148283 The Minneapolis Star Tribune (3/29, Walsh, 855K) reports attorneys on Monday made their opening arguments in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin "before jurors who will decide the fired Minneapolis police officer's fate in the killing of George Floyd 10 months ago." The Star Tribune says prosecutor Jerry Blackwell "turned to what could be prosecution's most crucial piece of the evidence: the viral bystander video of Floyd's arrest and showed it in full to the jurors, others in the courtroom and millions watching on the livestream." The AP (3/29, Karnowski, Forliti) says the footage of Floyd "gasping for breath was essentially Exhibit A as the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on the Black man's neck went on trial...on charges of murder and manslaughter." CNN (3/29, Levenson, 89.21M) reports on its website that Blackwell "broke down the timing of Chauvin's kneeling into three sections: 4 minutes and 45 seconds as Floyd cried out for help, 53 seconds as Floyd flailed due to seizures and 3 minutes and 51 seconds as Floyd was non-responsive." The Washington Post (3/29, Al, Bailey, Bellware, 10.52M) reports Blackwell "told the jury that Chauvin `didn't let up' and `didn't get up' even after Floyd repeatedly complained of struggling to breathe, cried out for his mother and ultimately went limp," and said the former officer "betrayed his badge." Blackwell also "described Floyd as `defenseless' and `completely in control of the police." The Post says Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, pointed to Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker's "interviews with prosecutors and the FBI - in which he called attention to the high level of drugs in Floyd's system." In addition, Jamie Yuccas reported on the CBS Evening NewsVi (3/29, lead story, 4:35, O'Donnell, 4.18M) that three witnesses for the prosecution testified on Monday, "including one who shot seven videos of the incident, and another who says he heard Floyd plead for his life. But nothing may have been more impactful on the jury than those opening statements." The New York Post (3/29, Rosenberg, Fitz-Gibbon, 7.45M) reports 911 dispatcher Jena Lee Scurry, the first witness called in the trial, "said she saw city officers pin the dead man down for so long that she thought `the screen was broken." Axios (3/29, 1.26M) reports Scurry "said she felt a `gut instinct' that `something was not right' as she watched police officers hold George Floyd on the ground with a knee on his neck." Fox News (3/29, Wallace, 23.99M) reports on its website that another witness, Alisha Oyler, "told jurors she took seven video clips on her phone" because the police were "messing with someone," while Donald Williams, "a wrestler and mixed martial artist who said he has worked with athletes and off-duty Minneapolis police officers," testified about "various chokeholds and how they are used." However, Reuters (3/29, Allen) says Chauvin's lawyers "responded by saying that the former officer was simply following training from his 19 years on the force, even as they acknowledged that the arrest, caught in videos from multiple angles, was distressing to watch." CNBC (3/29, Higgins, Breuninger, 7.34M) reports on its website that Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson "aimed to separate the case from Floyd's status as an activist symbol while introducing the concept of a reasonable doubt to the jurors." The Wall Street Journal (3/29, Ailworth, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports Nelson called for the jury to look beyond the videos and consider other evidence before making their decision. On NBC Nightly NewsVi (3/29, lead story, 3:50, Holt, 5.9M), Gabe Gutierrez reported Nelson "pointed to other videos, the body cameras worn by the officers which he said will show the full interaction between Floyd and the police." The New York Times (3/29, Martinez, Arango, 20.6M) says that legal experts believe "the defense's best tool to minimize the impact of that video, which spurred the largest protests in the United States since the Civil Rights era, may be calling on Mr. Chauvin to testify." Meanwhile, the New York Daily News (3/29, Oliveira, 2.51M) reports that as the trial was ongoing, "prominent civil rights leaders joined George Floyd's family in downtown Minneapolis to highlight the importance of this moment in U.S. history." According to USA Today (3/29, Keveney, 12.7M), "The level of TV coverage reflected the significance of the May 25 killing of EFTA00148284 Floyd while in police custody, which became the catalyst for protests and a larger cultural conversation about racial injustice and police brutality." USA Today adds that ABC, CBS, and NBC "broke into regular programming to cover the opening statements in the trial, as did cable and streaming networks CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, HLN, Newsmax, Court TV and Law & Crime Network." On ABC World News TonightVi (3/29, lead story, 7:30, Muir, 7.27M), Alex Perez reported, "Security is very tight. The rest of the building is shut down and surrounded by National Guardsmen. Jurors are escorted in and out of the building by security every day. We expect this to last about three to four weeks." Perez added the judge "says he's allowing this trial to be broadcast so that the rest of the world can watch and follow along." The Washington Post (3/29, 10.52M) editorializes that Chauvin's lawyer "argued there is more to the case than the video," but "we hope no jury can accept that a police officer would be trained to be so willing to cause harm and so indifferent to human suffering." Eugene Robinson writes in his Washington Post (3/29, 10.52M) column that the opening statements "made clear that much will be made of Floyd's medical cause of death." Chauvin's attorney "indicated he will claim that Floyd died of an overdose of opioids. We can expect testimony from dueling experts on the question." Robinson adds, "We should know by now...that it is all too possible to convince juries to blame the victim if the victim is a Black man. It is not possible, however, to erase the video of Floyd's final minutes. The world has seen it; and it will never, ever be unseen." James A. Gagliano, a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, writes at the New York Post (3/29, Gagliano, 7.45M) that "it is necessary to balance the revulsion for disgraced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's mistreatment of George Floyd - an appalling case of police brutality — with recognition that prosecutors may have made a critical error by overcharging the case." He predicts an "acquittal on the murder charges and found guilty of second-degree manslaughter." Also reporting are Reuters (3/29) and NBC News (3/29, 4.91M). New York's Eastern District To Expand Civil Rights Unit To Probe Bias Crimes. Newsday (NY) (3/29, 776K) reports that "federal prosecutors on Long Island on Monday announced an expanded effort to investigate alleged hate crimes in the wake of an increase in violence targeting Asian Americans." Acting US Attorney Mark Lesko for the Eastern District "said the office's existing Civil Rights Section will double in size as a result" from three to six prosecutors, "though more will be assigned on an as-needed basis." The head of the FBI in New York, William Sweeney, said of the EDNY's expanded unit: "We can't investigate what we don't know, however, so I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a hate crime, or anyone who has witnessed a hate crime, to report this information to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Victims should know that information may be reported anonymously and in their native language." No Evidence Colorado Shooting Suspect Entered Country, Bought Gun, Illegally Despite Internet Claims. In a fact check piece, USA Today (3/29, Rouan, 12.7M) reports on the claim that "the suspect in the mass shooting in a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store entered the U.S. illegally through Mexico and bought a stolen gun." However, the "man accused of killing 10 people in a Colorado grocery store on March 22 was born in Syria, and law enforcement officials said he bought the gun days before carrying out the mass shooting." Meanwhile, "no evidence has emerged to suggest Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, of Arvada, Colorado, entered the U.S. illegally or illegally purchased the gun police said he used." CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS EFTA00148285 Man Photographed In Capitol With Zip-tie Cuffs, His Mother Win Pretrial Release. The Washington Post (3/29, Weiner, 10.52M) reports that "a man photographed inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot with a handful of plastic handcuffs and the mother with whom he traveled to Washington will be released from jail to home confinement ahead of their trial after weeks of debate over how dangerous they might be." Prosecutors said "Eric Munchel, 30, and his mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 57, both accused of trespassing at the Capitol and obstructing the congressional confirmation of President Biden's victory, can await trial on home confinement in Tennessee." The Post says "Their decision came after a federal appeals court on Friday sided with the two accused rioters' request for release from jail, drawing a distinction between violent and nonviolent rioters." The Tennessean (3/29, 645K) reports "Munchel and Eisenhart are to be released with conditions established by Middle Tennessee District U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey S. Frensley, similar to those ordered in other Capitol riot cases about GPS monitoring, lack of drug or excessive alcohol use and a ban on travel except for legal proceedings." Holocaust Group: Capitol Attack Shows Far-Right "Mainstreaming" Anti-Semitism. Newsweek (3/29, 2.67M) reports that "the rise of America's far-right is helping mainstream anti-Semitism in U.S. politics, according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance - a global intergovernmental organization that promotes Holocaust education and tracks extremism." Kathrin Meyer, the IHRA permanent secretary general, said "there is a growing trend of extremism and anti-Semitism across the world, exacerbated by the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic and shaped by transnational social media platforms." FBI Director Christopher Wray has "recently warned Congress that the far-right threat in the U.S. is 'metastasizing,' and that the January 6 Capitol attack will serve as inspiration for future agitation." Capitol Riot Suspect Arrested While Wearing "I Was There" T-shirt. The Hill (3/29, 5.69M) reports that "a Dallas man who was arrested in late January and charged with involvement in the riot that overtook the Capitol on Jan. 6 was reportedly wearing a shirt that declared his participation in the siege during his arrest." Federal prosecutors "wrote in a court filing Monday that Garret Miller was clad in a shirt bearing the message 'I Was There, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021,' when he was arrested on Jan. 20." Meanwhile, "despite his shirt's apparent admission and evidence submitted by prosecutors Monday indicating that Miller had tweeted 'assassinate AOC' at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in the days following the riot, he reportedly told his mother 'I don't feel that I've done anything wrong and now I'm being locked up." The FBI "is still looking for information on numerous individuals seen at the Capitol and around Washington, D.C. related to the Capitol siege." WTTG-TV Washington (3/29, 168K) reports that "like many of the more than 300 people facing federal charges in connection with the siege, Miller thoroughly documented and commented on his actions that day in a flurry of social media posts." The Daily Caller (3/29, 375K) also reports. Kentucky Man Charged With Participating In Capitol Riot. The Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (3/29, 554K) reports that "a Louisville man charged earlier this month with participating in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol is the 13th with ties to Kentucky to be arrested, and authorities say more are expected." The Courier-Journal says "Michael Orangias is charged with entering restricted grounds, entering with the intent to impede government business, demonstrating on Capitol grounds and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." During a phone interview with the FBI, he "acknowledged being at the Capitol on Jan. 6 for the Trump rally" and "during a second interview - in-person with an FBI agent - he admitted to going into the building for about 5 to 7 minutes before going back outside, authorities said." EFTA00148286 At least 17 Ohioans Facing Charges In US Capitol Siege. The AP (3/29) reports that "more than 300 supporters of former President Donald Trump have been charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, including members of far-right extremist groups." Meanwhile, "at least 17 of those cases, including one announced Monday, involve Ohio residents identified through social media posts and surveillance footage and often turned in by friends or family members." The AP detail the Ohioans charged in the Capitol breach and the FBI's efforts to investigate those individuals. Florida Man Arrested In Connection To Capitol Riot Seeks Release Due To Risk Of COVID. The Naples (FL) Daily News (3/29, 238K) reports that "an attorney representing an East Naples man suspected of participating in the U.S. Capitol riot in January filed an emergency motion on Friday stating the suspect has cancer and is at risk of COVID-19 exposure while in custody." Christopher Worrell "was arrested after FBI agents executed a search and arrest warrant at his home on March 13." According to the prosecution, "Worrell assaulted a line of law enforcement officers with pepper spray gel outside the U.S. Capitol building during the riot in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6." Michigan Man Charged In Capitol Riot Will Fight For Bond. The Detroit News (3/29, 1.16M) reports that "the first Michigan resident charged with a federal crime stemming from the Capitol riot pleaded not guilty to five charges Monday and will fight for bond later this week, his lawyer said." Karl Dresch, "of Calumet was arraigned in front of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., almost two months after being indicted on five charges related to the Jan. 6 riot." The News says "the charges include obstructing an official proceeding, entering a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building." In its complaint against Dresch, the FBI "supported its allegations of unlawful entry into the Capitol with pictures the Upper Peninsula man posted on social media as the mob stormed the building in Washington, D.C." Tipster Turns In Michigan Man To FBI After Bragging About "Storming U.S. Capitol." The Southgate (MI) News Herald (3/29, 57K) reports that according to statements in a Federal Bureau of Investigations complaint, Anthony Williams, of Southgate, has been named as being in the Capitol building by an online tipster to the FBI. The tip "identified Williams by name and told authorities there were screenshots of Williams in the building on his Facebook account." The News Herald says "after getting records from his Facebook account, agents found pictures from inside the building, likely taken on a device that Williams held while he was inside, according to their report." MLive (MI) (3/29, 828K) also reports. Lawmakers Pressure Capitol Police To Make Report Public. The Miami Herald (3/29, 647K) reports that "two lawmakers in charge of determining Capitol Police funding levels are pressuring the notoriously secretive department to publicly release an upcoming inspector general report on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol." House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan (D-OH) and ranking member Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) wrote to the Capitol Police Board, "In the wake of the January 6th attack that shook the confidence of so many Americans, taking a more open and transparent approach isn't just the right thing to do, it will be the most effective as we seek to restore citizens' confidence that the heart of America's government is secure." The Herald says the board "is now composed of House Sergeant-at-Arms William J. Walker, Senate Sergeant-at- Arms Karen Gibson and Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton." EFTA00148287  The Hill (3/29, Marcos, 5.69M) reports "the lawmakers asked that members of the Capitol Police Board hold press conferences to provide updates on any threats to Congress and progress on efforts to protect the Capitol complex and the people who work and visit there." Oregon Man Arrested In Attack On US Capitol. The AP (3/29) reports that "an Oregon man has been arrested in Florida on criminal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, court records show." The AP says "a grand jury indicted Richard Harris, 40, and federal law enforcement officers took him into custody March 18." Federal prosecutors "charged Harris with five counts related to the Capitol riots, including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers; obstruction of an official proceeding; and entering and remaining in a restricted building." Capitol Police Provide More Than 14,000 Hours Of Capitol Riot Footage To Lawmakers. Politico (3/29, Cheney, 6.73M) reports that "the Capitol Police shared thousands of hours of Jan. 6 surveillance camera footage with two key congressional committees investigating the mob attack on the building - and provided 'numerous' clips to the Democrats prosecuting Donald Trump's impeachment, the department's top lawyer revealed Monday." Politico says "the department provided the footage to the impeachment managers in response to a request from top House lawyer Douglas Letter, according to Capitol Police General Counsel Thomas DiBiase, who made the disclosures in a sworn affidavit he submitted in one of the criminal cases stemming from the Jan. 6 riot." DiBiase "said the department also provided more than 14,000 hours of surveillance camera footage - encompassing the hours of noon to 8 p.m. on Jan. 6 - to two key committees investigating the Capitol assault: The House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules Committee." Small Virginia Town Divided Over Local Police Officers Involved In Capitol Riot. The Washington Post (3/29, Kindy, 10.52M) reports Black Lives Matter activist Bridgette Craighead exposed Rocky Mount, Virginia, police officers Jacob Fracker and Thomas "T.J." Robertson "proudly posing inside the nation's Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection," which is "inflaming a culture war in this southwest Virginia town of 5,000 people, a microcosm of the schisms across America." According to the Post, people are "quarreling over who was treated with kid gloves - Black Lives Matter protesters or the largely White throng that stormed the U.S. Capitol. They are arguing over the fairness of the presidential election. ... And there's a simmering standoff between activists such as Craighead who see this as the moment to redress injustices, and those who believe the activists are fomenting racial tensions by pushing too hard and too fast." Analysis: Many Capitol Rioters Unlikely To Serve Jail Time. Politico (3/30, Gerstein, Cheney, 6.73M) reports that "many of those who invaded the halls of Congress on Jan. 6 are likely to get little or no jail time." Politico says "while public and media attention in recent weeks has been focused on high-profile conspiracy cases against right-wing, paramilitary groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, the most urgent decisions for prosecutors involve resolving scores of lower-level cases that have clogged D.C.'s federal district court." A Politico "analysis of the Capitol riot-related cases shows that almost a quarter of the more than 230 defendants formally and publicly charged so far face only misdemeanors." Meanwhile, "in recent days, judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys have all indicated that they expect few of these 'MAGA tourists' to face harsh sentences." This is because "the actions of many of the individual rioters often boiled down to trespassing. And judges have wrestled with how aggressively to lump those cases in with those of the more sinister suspects." EFTA00148288 COUNTER-TERRORISM Connecticut Middle School Bomb Threat A Hoax. Fairfield (CT) Daily Voice (3/29, Reakes) reports a bomb threat at a middle school in Ansonia, CT was "deemed unfounded after a search of the facility by bomb-sniffing dogs, state police, and the FBI." The search began after Ansonia police were informed by the FBI that they had received a report of a threat. The threat was tracked down to neighbors who were having a dispute. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Privacy Advocates Express Concern NSA Moving Toward Domestic Internet Spying. The Daily Beast (3/29, 933K) reports privacy advocates say moves to expand NSA authorities "jeopardizes an already weakened four-decade old compromise of national-security surveillance." NSA access to the digital trails of US persons and foreigners transiting domestic communications infrastructure is "supposed to require a warrant from a secret court specifying specific suspected worrisome activity." But it's unclear how "early detection of foreign-borne digital threats, particularly at scale, could operate within the same legal paradigm." NSA chief Gen. Paul Nakasone "did not offer any such answers in recent congressional testimony about the devastating SolarWinds hack." Instead, Nakasone "highlighted to legislators what he described as a dangerous blindness in cyberspace created by holding the domestic internet off- limits to him." Opinion: The Military Needs Better Understanding Of Its Extremism Problem. In a commentary in the Washington Post (3/29, 10.52M), Daniel Milton, Andrew Mines, Andangelina Maleska write, "In the wake of the attack on the Congress, it seemed to some that the military community was stumped for solutions and unable to size the problem of extremism among its own. While the military-wide stand-down issued by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was undoubtedly a step in the right direction, it will take more time, effort and ingenuity to develop both a deeper understanding and a coherent strategy toward combating extremism in the largest workforce in the world." They conclude, "To combat it, we need a longitudinal, preemptive approach that takes ownership for those who fail to honor the highest values for which the military stands, past and present." Supreme Court Leaves In Place A Ruling Blocking Hillary Clinton Deposition Over Private Email Server. CNN (3/29, Vogue, Cole, 89.21M) reports the Supreme Court on Monday "left in place a lower court order that blocked the conservative group Judicial Watch from deposing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about her use of a private email account in a lawsuit related to the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya." A federal appeals court "ruled last August that Clinton cannot be compelled to appear for a deposition in a lawsuit about State Department emails, a ruling that came after a federal judge said earlier in 2020 that the former secretary must appear for a deposition in the case." The court's denial on Monday "was unsigned." The Washington Times (3/29, Swoyer, 626K) reports it would have taken "four justices to vote to grant review on the matter." David Kendall, who represented Mrs. Clinton, "said the Supreme Court's decision 'speaks for itself." Also reporting on the story are the Washington Examiner (3/29, 888K) and Breitbart (3/29, 1.26M) CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS EFTA00148289 Ghislaine Maxwell Charged With Sex Trafficking In Expanded Indictment. The AP (3/29, Neumeister) reports that "sex trafficking charges and another alleged victim were added to a superseding indictment returned Monday in the criminal case against financier Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend as prosecutors alleged that a conspiracy to sexually abuse girls stretched over a decade." The AP says "the charges contained in a rewritten indictment returned by a grand jury in Manhattan federal court alleged that a conspiracy between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell occurred between 1994 and 2004." The indictment "returned after Maxwell's July arrest limited crimes to a three-year period in the 1990s." Reuters (3/29, Stempel) reports that "it is unclear whether the new charges could lead to a postponement of Maxwell's scheduled July 12 trial before U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan, though prosecutors said Maxwell should have 'ample time' to prepare." Prosecutors "said they have given Maxwell's lawyers the month and year when the fourth victim was born and key evidence about her." The Washington Post (3/29, Jacobs, 10.52M) reports David Boies, an attorney for Epstein accuse who is part of Maxwell's case, said Monday's development "demonstrates that the prosecution is continuing to build its case." He added, "I think it's certainly an important addition to the case because of the age of the victim and the length of time she was trafficked." Meanwhile, "Maxwell now faces eight counts in total, including perjury charges for allegedly lying during depositions in a defamation lawsuit brought against her by another Epstein accuser, Also reporting are the New York Times (3/29, Weiser, 20.6M) and CNN (3/29, Scannell, 89.21M). Judge Orders Three Men To Stand Trial Over Plot To Kidnap Whitmer. The AP (3/29, Williams) reports Jackson County District Court Judge Michael Klaeren on Monday "ordered three men to stand trial in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over her coronavirus restrictions." The AP says Klaeren "ruled there was enough evidence and bound over Paul Bellar, Joe Morrison and Pete Musico to circuit court to stand trial," but "dismissed a charge of threat of terrorism against Musico and Morrison. Bellar didn't face that charge." The AP says "the FBI in October said it broke up a plot to kidnap Whitmer by anti-government extremists upset over her coronavirus restrictions." The Detroit Free Press (3/29, Moran, Marini, 2.16M) reports that while their lawyers had "argued, at various times, that the men had disengaged from those making trouble in the group," Klaeren "wasn't on board with that argument. He said they were never fully disengaged or considered crazy and therefore not listened to by others." The Free Press says "the Michigan Attorney General's Office laid out in early March its case against the men - anti-government social media posts, at least one featuring a grenade, FBI testimony on surveillance of the men and their training and attendance of protests, and eyewitness testimony from an FBI informant." The Hill (3/29, Coleman, 5.69M) reports "the FBI has previously said it became aware of the group early last year and used undercover agents and confidential informants for months for the investigation." Also reporting are USA Today (3/29, Moran, 12.7M), PBS NewsHour (3/29, 792K), NBC News (3/29, 4.91M), the Washington Examiner (3/29, Deese, 888K), WDIV-TV Detroit (3/29, Ley, Clarke, 568K), MLive (MI) (3/29, 828K), and WUOM-FM Ann Arbor, MI (3/29, Carmody, Tribou, 24K). FBI Offers $50,000 Reward In 1998 Kansas Cold Case Killing. The AP (3/29) reports that "the FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 in the death of a Kansas City-area woman who died more than 22 years ago." The AP Rhonda Tribue was a mother of six from Kansas City, Kansas and "was found dead on Oct. 8, 1998" in the roadway near Edwardsville, Kansas. Authorities said she died of blunt force trauma at the age of 34. The EFTA00148290 FBI "says Tribue had been at the Firelight Lounge in Kansas City, Kansas, hours before her death." Also reporting are Wyandotte Daily (KS) (3/29) and WDAF-TV Kansas City, MO (3/29, 349K). Man Captured After Firing On Park Rangers In Everglades. The Houston Chronicle (3/29, 982K) reports an unnamed man was taken into custody after firing a gun at rangers in the Everglades National Park in Florida. He had been involved in a domestic dispute earlier the same day, but left before rangers arrived. The FBI was among the agencies assisting the park rangers. Newsweek (3/29, Dutton, 2.67M) reports the attack seemed to be unprovoked. There were no injuries. This is the same area of south Florida as Sunrise, where "two FBI agents were killed and three were wounded after a standoff with a shooter" February 2 when "FBI agents had come to an apartment complex in a middle-class neighborhood...to serve a federal search warrant in connection with a case involving violent crimes against children." Murderer Dies Awaiting Execution In Indiana. The Los Angeles Times (3/29, Wigglesworth, 3.37M) reports Joseph Edward Duncan III, formerly of Fargo, ND, died Sunday in Terre Haute IN while awaiting execution for the murders of five people. He was suffering from brain cancer. After he was arrested for the murder and kidnapping of members of an Idaho family in 2005, Duncan "reportedly told FBI agents that he was also connected to the 1997 killing of Anthony Martinez, 10." Washington Man Sentenced For Torching Police Car At Protest. KING-TV Seattle (3/30, 417K) reports Kelly Thomas Jackson of Edmonds, WA was sentenced to 40 months in prison "for setting two Seattle police cars on fire by throwing Molotov cocktails at them during a protest" on May 2020. Jackson "was identified...after an anonymous tip to police." The FBI was among the investigating agencies. The Washington Examiner (3/29, Dima, 888K) reports "several videos reviewed by law enforcement showed a white male suspect, who was later identified as Jackson...lumping up and down with excitement after his crime." FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Office Donald Voiret said, "This instigator researched his arsons and, on multiple occasions, endangered the safety of those nearby, as he helped to overshadow peaceful protests and escalate the environment into violence." The AP (3/29) reports Jackson "was identified in surveillance video because of unique clothing and other identifying marks and arrested several days later." Arrest Made In 1979 Colorado Murder. WPXI-TV Pittsburgh (3/29, Bonvillain, 149K) reports James Herman Dye of Wichita, KS "is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Nov. 26, 1979, death of Evelyn Kay Day" in Greeley, CO. Dye was identified after Weld County Sheriff's Office cold case investigator Detective Byron Kastilahn requested that DNA from Day's killer be run through the FBI's combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. FBI agents also assisted in Dye's arrest in Wichita on March 22. Elder Abuse Increasing In California and Elsewhere. The Palo Alto M) Patch (3/29, Reese, 1.44M) reports elder and dependent adult abuse has been rising in Santa Clara County, CA since 2013, with the number of cases rising 7% to over 6300 in 2020. National statistics are even more striking. The FBI received about 320,000 complaints by May 2020, "nearly the same number they had for the entirety of 2019." Part of the case is "COVID-related schemes." EFTA00148291 Long Missing Murderer Eubanks Spotted Outside Los Angeles. The Mansfield (OH) News Journal (3/29, Whitmire, 47K) reports the Marshals Service is searching in South Los Angeles, CA for Lester Eubanks, who was convicted of killing a 14-year- old girl in 1965 and walking from a shopping trip in 1973. Both Eubanks and his victim were from Mansfield, OH. Eubanks was identified in photographs recently taken in Gardena, CA. A retired Mansfield detective said he was recently contacted by the producers of "America's Most Wanted" in connection with the case. Last Suspect In Michigan Murder Caught In Tennessee. The Macomb (MI) Daily (3/29, Notts, 135K) reports six people were arrested in connection with the Dec. 9 "execution-style" killing of Jason Leon Foster of Macomb, MI, who is thought to be "responsible for the shooting death of a Detroit man that took place the night before Foster was attacked." While five of the suspects were apprehended in Michigan in December or January, one, Larry Bell Jr., was only captured March 9, in Tennessee. Macomb Public Safety Director George Rouhib said, "We were able to contact the FBI in Tennessee to secure their involvement." Members Of Prison Drug Ring Charged. Georgia Sun (3/29, Chandler) reports four inmates at two Georgia prisons and an outside accomplice "are facing federal charges stemming from a scheme to smuggle narcotics into Hays State Prison by bribing a corrections officer, FBI officials say." For several months in 2018, the defendants allegedly smuggled methamphetamine, cocaine base, and marijuana, and other contraband into the prison with the help of a corrections officer, using "contraband cellphones and...coded emails." Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Chris Hacker said, "Prisons should be a place of rehabilitation, not a place to continue committing crimes. ... Illegal cellphones have emboldened inmates and their associates to engage in criminal conduct, sometimes with the help of law enforcement officials. It threatens both inmates and staff and the FBI will pursue these investigations no matter who is involved." FBI Turns To Google In Investigation Of Racist Vandalism At Knoxville Church. The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel (3/30, 379K) reports that "federal agents are asking Google for help to figure out who wrote a racial slur on a bottle and tossed it through the window of one of Knoxville's oldest historically black churches." The News Sentinel says "records filed in U.S. District Court show authorities still don't know who tossed the bottle through the window of Logan Temple AME Zion in early February or why." Records show "with no fingerprint evidence to point to a suspect, the FBI is asking Google to help identify any cellular devices that might have been in use near the church at the time." FBI agent Jason Malkiewicz in his request for a search warrant wrote, "Nearly every cellular phone using the Android operating system has an associated Google account, and users are prompted to add a Google account when they first tum on a new Android device." Portland Man Gets 17 Years For Online Abuse Of Teen Boy. The Oregonian (3/29, 1.02M) reports that "a Portland man who served a dozen years in prison for sexually abusing a child in California was sentenced Monday to serve 17 more years after using Facebook Messenger to convince a 16-year-old boy to take sexually explicit videos of himself." According to prosecutors, "Scott Andrew Lawrence, 57, was on supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender in Oregon when he posed online as a woman named Mary and communicated with the teenager from South Dakota." The Oregonian says "the FBI investigated the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national program started by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation." Maine Woman Charged By FBI With Involvement In Massachusetts Drug Ring. EFTA00148292 The Bangor (ME) Daily News (3/30, 178K) reports that "a Trenton woman arrested Friday on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges could face a life sentence related to her role in a drug ring that brought fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine from Massachusetts to eastern Maine, according to court documents." The Daily News says "the FBI is accusing Shelby Kleffman, 31, of participating in the drug ring that brought large quantities of the drugs to eastern Maine. Federal law enforcement on Friday identified Kleffman and two Massachusetts men - Armani Minier-Tejada, 22, of Salem, and Miguel Minier, 55, of Lynn - as being part of the alleged drug distribution ring." Meanwhile, "Kleffman and Minier-Tejada were arrested Friday in Maine and appeared Monday morning via video before a federal judge in Maine." FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS SCOTUS Hears Securities Fraud Case Against Goldman Sachs. The New York Times (3/29, Liptak, 20.6M) reports the Supreme Court "heard arguments on Monday in a securities fraud class-action case against Goldman Sachs." The Times describes the justice as "frustrated" and says several indicated "puzzlement about what they were meant to do in light of both parties seeming to agree about the governing legal standard." Pension funds brought the case, arguing "they had lost as much as $13 billion as a consequence of what they called false statements about the investment bank's sales of complex debt instruments before the 2008 financial crisis." Goldman's lawyer Kannon K. Shanmugam said the case involved "exceptionally generic and aspirational statements" that could not have impacted its stock price. But "he conceded as a general matter that courts could take account of generic statements in deciding whether investors had relied on them." the pension funds' lawyer Thomas C. Goldstein "said the firm's statements in context justified certifying a class action," but "conceded that the generic nature of the statements was 'relevant evidence." The Wall Street Journal (3/29, Bravin, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) says the tone of Monday's argument indicated the Court is inclined to support a small clarification instead of a major change to class action procedures. Chicago Precinct Captain Charged With Deceiving FBI. The Chicago Tribune (3/29, Meisner, 2.03M) reports that "a longtime precinct captain for indicted Chicago Ald. Edward Burke and aide to former state Sen. Martin Sandoval was charged Monday with misleading the FBI in its sprawling federal political corruption investigation." The Tribune says "Rudy Acosta Jr., 70, was charged in a criminal information with one count of willfully deceiving the FBI about the criminal activity of others when he was interviewed in 2017 and 2018." According to the charge, "Acosta failed to disclose in interviews with agents benefits both he and Sandoval received from another person - identified only as Individual A - including 'free services, meals and travel." The Chicago Sun-Times (3/29, 970K) reports that "beyond the corruption charges leveled against Burke and Sandoval, Acosta is the father of a onetime reputed drug kingpin whose own case has been pending for more than five years." Meanwhile, "he also has ties to a Summit bar operator who admitted bribing public officials there." WBEZ-FM Chicago (3/29, 29K) reports that "Sandoval died of COVID-19 in December" and "had pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges relating to his support of the red light camera industry, and was cooperating with the federal government in its corruption investigation." Chicago-based Marijuana Cultivator Part Of Federal Pay-to-play Investigation. The Chicago Tribune (3/29, Meisner, Long, 2.03M) reports that "a Chicago-based marijuana cultivator and dispenser that has rapidly grown into one of the nation's biggest pot firms is under federal investigation for possible pay-to-play violations during its push for coveted state EFTA00148293 licenses, sources said." The Tribune says "investigators have been scrutinizing campaign donations and other steps Green Thumb Industries took as it sought to secure growing and distribution licenses in Illinois and several other states." Spokeswoman Linda Marsicano said, "Green Thumb takes compliance very seriously and operates with the highest standards of ethical business conduct. We are not aware of any such investigation." Mosby Investigation A Distraction For Baltimore City Council. The Baltimore Sun (3/29, Opilo, 629K) reports that since it was revealed last week that federal officials are investigating City Council President Nick Mosby and his wife, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's "finances, the task of council members to concentrate on the city's business has gotten a whole lot harder." The Sun says "unlike past probes of City Hall that have focused attention on the mayor's office, one of the targets of the current one is the head of their legislative body." meanwhile, "neither Mosby has been criminally charged" and "their attorney has denounced the investigation as a 'political witch hunt." FBI Warns Of Rise Of "Deepfakes" In Coming Months. Business Insider (3/29, Civieta, Ravindran, 2.74M) reports the FBI has issued a stark warning saying "malicious actors almost certainly will leverage synthetic content for cyber and foreign influence operations in the next 12-18 months." In the statement issued March 10, the FBI said "Russian, Chinese, and Chinese-language actors are using synthetic profile images derived from GANs [generative adversarial networks]." The FBI said they had "identified multiple campaigns which have leveraged synthetic content" since late 2019, and the number looks set to grow. FBI Issues Warning About COVID-19 Scams. In a piece for Forbes (3/29, Rash, 1