WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: TAMPA, Fla. -- A joint investigation has led to the return of an indictment charging two people with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Devin Alan Rhoden aka Denny aka Deviinz, 24, of Pinellas Park, and Berman Jerry Nowlin Jr. aka Repulse aka Zayous, 20, of Huntsville, Alabama, each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. R  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release: A former nurse pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to adulteration of fentanyl at a local hospital. Caroline Sheehan, 39, of Lowell, Mass. pleaded guilty to one count of adulteration of a prescription drug with intent to defraud and mislead. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2024. Sheehan was charged by Informa  more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska issued the following news release on Feb. 19, 2024: U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska announced her office's priority to prosecute white-collar and financial crimes committed in Alaska. One prong of this effort is the formal establishment of an interagency Covid-19 Fraud Task Force. "White-collar and other financial crimes devastate families, communities and organizations. This task f  more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska issued the following news release on Feb. 19, 2024: A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment in October charging an Anchorage businessman with allegedly committing wire fraud related to his application for Covid-19 recovery funds. He was transferred from Texas to Alaska this month. According to court documents, Lloyd Pennebaker, 58, is the owner of The Pennebaker Group, an organization doing b  more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska issued the following news release: The U.S. will collect over $350,000 in treble damages and penalties after a default judgement was ordered in the False Claims Act case of the former co-owner of Arm Rippin Toys, who made false statements on an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application. Michael Hanzuk II, 31, of Anchorage, co-owned Arm Rippin Toys Inc. According to court documents, Hanzuk admitted i  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, urged Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to strengthen enforcement penalties under the Fed's Investment and Trading Policy. In a letter to Chair Powell, Brown cites a Fed report that said that in March 2020, just before the Board met to consider monetary policy and emergency lending programs in response  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: BATON ROUGE - On Wednesday afternoon, Senator Cassidy met with area veterans in Hammond to discuss issues important to their community. Among other topics, they discussed how to improve mental health services for veterans, with a special emphasis on group therapy and support for female veterans. "The veteran community supports each other," said Dr. Cassidy. "They shared their concerns, not just for themse  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (TNSrep) -- The Commerce Inspector General issued the following report (No. OIG-24-011-I) on Feb. 05, 2024, entitled "Independent Evaluation of the 2020 Decennial Census Evaluation and Experiments Operation." Here are excerpts: * * * MEMORANDUM FOR: Robert Santos, Director, U.S. Census Bureau FROM: Arthur L. Scott, Jr., Assistant Inspector General for Audit and Evaluation SUBJECT: Independent Evaluation of the 2020 Decennial Census Evaluations and Experiments (EAE) Opera  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (TNSrep) -- The Commerce Inspector General issued the following report (No. OIG-24-012-I) on Feb. 06, 2024, entitled "Semiannual Status Report on NTIA's Broadband Programs." Here are excerpts: * * * Why This Matters Broadband is an essential component of modern life and a requirement for economic growth, education, healthcare, and public safety. Maximizing broadband coverage and meaningful use is imperative for national and individual success. The National Telecommunicat  more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut issued the following news release: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Kenneth Cleevely, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that MICHAEL D. LUTZ, 26, of Seymour, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge   more

NEW YORK, Feb. 22 -- The City University of New York's Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy issued the following news release: With mixed emotions, we announce the retirement of our esteemed colleague Patricia Stein, Esq., effective February 29. Pat has brought over 35 years of legal and labor expertise to her role as CUNY SPH's Executive Counsel and Labor Designee since 2017. In her work with CUNY SPH, Pat provided expert guidance to the School on a broad array of governance, le  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release on Feb. 21, 2024: On February 17, 2024, at approximately 6:45 p.m., a red tractor trailer semi-truck arrived at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint located on Interstate 35 (I-35) approximately 25 miles north of Laredo, Texas. A USBP K-9 alerted to the semi-truck as it arrived at the primary inspection area. At approximately 6:46 p.m., Border Patrol agents searched the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2024: Anthony Merritt, 48, was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for facilitating bribes to a District tax official from business owners who wanted to evade tax obligations, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and  more

DENTON, Texas, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Contract Audit Agency issued the following audit guidance: Mr. Dave Bukauskas was inducted as a member of the Senior Executive Services (SES) during a ceremony on Feb. 13, 2024, at DCAA's 2024 Leadership Conference. Mr. Bukauskas is now the Deputy Regional Director, Central Region. During the ceremony, DCAA Director, Ms. Terri Dilly, highlighted, "Whether in a different agency, serving alongside the Warfighter in Afghanistan, o  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General issued the following news on Feb. 20, 2024: Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General released two reports on the sustainment of equipment provided to Ukraine: the "Evaluation of the DoD's Sustainment Plan for Bradley, Stryker, and Abrams Armored Weapon Systems Transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces" and the "Evaluation of Sustai  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Education Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. A19IL0036) on Feb. 5, 2024, entitled "UEI College's Career Pathway Programs." Here are excerpts: * * * To: Dr. Fardad Fateri, President and CEO, International Education Corporation, 16485 Laguna Canyon Road, Suite 300 Irvine, California 92618 Dear Dr. Fateri: Enclosed is our final audit report, "UEI College's Career Pathway Programs" Control Number ED-OIG/A19IL0036. This  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrep) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General issued the following compliance review (No. COM-2024-003) on Feb. 8, 2024, entitled "Agency Incorporated the FAR's Whistleblower Protection Language for Contractor Employees in Selected Open Market Solicitations and Awards." Here are excerpts: * * * Executive Summary Federal law provides whistleblower protections for contractor employees by prohibiting federal contractors from discharging, demoting, or other  more

TAMPA, Florida, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Devin Alan Rhoden (24, Pinellas Park), a/k/a "Denny" and "Deviinz," and Berman Jerry Nowlin, Jr. (20, Huntsville, AL), a/k/a "Repulse" and "Zayous," with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. If convicted, Rhoden and Nowlin each face a maximum penalty of five years   more

DUBLIN, Georgia, Feb. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia issued the following news release: A Johnson County man has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, and awaits sentencing with other defendants after pleading guilty to dog fighting charges. Travis Lee Martin, a/k/a "Fat," 42, of Wrightsville, Ga., was sentenced to 200 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Di  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA - Millions of taxpayer dollars funneled through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant program were largely used by recipient organizations to cover the organizations' overhead and operating expenses, without yet producing tangible results demonstrating the efficacy of the environmental justice program. Records and receipts tracking expenditures in the EPA's 2021 Environment  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrep) -- The General Services Administration Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. A220077) entitled "PBS Is Not Assessing High-Risk Uses of Space by Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, Raising Safety and Security Issues." Here are excerpts: * * * Executive Summary Why We Performed This Audit In March 2022, we issued an audit report on the GSA Public Buildings Service's (PBS's) fire, safety, and health space evaluation policy. During that audit, we fo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- The Health and Human Services Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. A-07-22-07009) on Feb. 2, 2024, entitled "Colorado Could Better Ensure That Nursing Homes Comply With Federal Requirements for Life Safety, Emergency Preparedness and Infection Control" filed under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Here are excerpts: * * * Report in Brief Why OIG Did This Audit In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its lif  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, issued the following news release: Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Chairwoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) will hold a hearing titled "Made in China: Is GSA Complying with Purchasing Restrictions?" The hearing will examine findings from a recent Inspector General re  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization issued the following testimony by Mike Sicilia, executive vice president for global industries at Oracle Corp., involving a hearing on Feb. 15, 2024, entitled "Electronic Health Record Modernization Deep Dive: Can the Oracle Pharmacy Software Be Made Safe and Effective?": * * * Chairman Rosendale, Ranking Member Cherfilus-McCormick, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to speak  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health issued the following testimony by Charles Worthington, chief technology officer in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Information and Technology, involving a hearing on Feb. 15, 2024, entitled "Artificial Intelligence at VA: Exploring its Current State and Future Possibilities": * * * Good Morning, Chairwoman Miller-Meeks, Ranking Member Brownley, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you fo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs issued the following testimony by Brent E. Arronte, deputy assistant inspector general for audits and evaluations at the Veterans Affairs Department, involving a hearing on Feb. 14, 2024, entitled "Is VA Illegally Spending Taxpayer Dollars in its Compensation and Pension Programs?": * * * Chairman Luttrell, Ranking Member Pappas, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the oppor  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization issued the following testimony by David Case, deputy inspector general of the Veterans Affairs Department, involving a hearing on Feb. 15, 2024, entitled "Electronic Health Record Modernization Deep Dive: Can the Oracle Pharmacy Software Be Made Safe and Effective?": * * * Chairman Rosendale, Ranking Member Cherfilus-McCormick, and Subcommittee members, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Offic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following report (No. 2024-FIN-002) on Jan. 30, 2024, entitled "Progress Made by in Implementing Government Charge Card Recommendations, Fiscal Year 2023." Here are excerpts: * * * To: Shalanda Young, Director, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503 Subject: Progress Made by the U.S. Department of the Interior in Implementing Government Charge Card Recommendations, Fiscal Year 2023; Report No  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 2022-WR-004) on Feb. 13, 2024, entitled "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grants Awarded to the State of Iowa, Department of Natural Resources, From July 1, 2019, Through June 30, 2021, Under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program." Here are excerpts: * * * Memorandum To: Martha Williams, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service From: Bryan Brazil, Director, Western Region Audit Division Sub  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 2022-CR-032) on Feb. 2, 2024, entitled "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grants Awarded to the State of Nebraska, Game and Parks Commission, From July 1, 2019, Through June 30, 2021, Under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program." Here are excerpts: * * * Memorandum To: Martha Williams, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service From: Amy R. Billings, Director, Central Region Audit Division Sub  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2024: Settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act exceeded $2.68 billion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023, Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer and Civil Division Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton announced today. The government and whistleblowers were party to 543 settlements and judgments, the highest number of settlements and judgments  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: Fourteen men - residents of Georgia, Florida and Alabama - were charged for participating in a major dog fighting event that occurred in April 2022 in Donalsonville, Georgia. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia unsealed the indictment in conjunction with arrests that occurred this week. The defendants are: * Tamichael Elijah, 47, of Donalsonville, Georgia; * Marvin Pulley III, 52, o  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-036) on Feb. 14, 2024, regarding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Firearms Integrated Technology Portfolio - Federal Licensing System pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, fiscal 2023: * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to determine whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF)   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-037) on Feb. 15, 2024, regarding the Criminal Division's Information Security Management Program pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, fiscal 2023: * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to: (1) determine whether the Criminal Division's (CRM) overall information security management program and practices were consistent with the re  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-038) on Feb. 15, 2024, regarding the Criminal Division's Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section Special Analytics System pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, fiscal 2023: * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to determine whether the Criminal Division's (CRM) Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section Special Analytics Sys  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-034) on Feb. 14, 2024, regarding the Justice Management Division's Fix National Instant Criminal Background Check System Disposition Reporting System pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, fiscal 2023: * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to determine whether the Justice Management Division's (JMD) Fix National Instant Criminal B  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-033) on Feb. 14, 2024, regarding the Justice Management Division's Information Security Management Program pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, fiscal 2023: * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to: (1) determine whether the Justice Management Division's (JMD) overall information security management program and practices were co  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-032) on Feb. 7, 2024, regarding the Office of Justice Programs Victim Assistance Grants awarded to the Guam Office of the Attorney General, Tamuning, Guam. Here are excerpts: * * * EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Objective The objective of the audit was to evaluate how the Guam Office of the Attorney General (Guam OAG), located in Tamuning, Guam, designed and implemented its crime victim assistance program. To   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-040) on Feb. 15, 2024, regarding the U.S. Trustees Program's Credit Counseling & Debtor Education System pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, fiscal 2023: * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to determine whether the United States Trustees Program's (USTP) Credit Counseling & Debtor Education (CCDE) system security program and   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-039) on Feb. 15, 2024, regarding the U.S. Trustees Program's Information Security Management Program pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, fiscal 2023: * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to: (1) determine whether the United States Trustees Program's (USTP) overall information security management program and practices were cons  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General issued the following report (No. 24-041) on Feb. 15, 2024, entitled "Evaluation of Issues Surrounding Inmate Deaths in Federal Bureau of Prisons Institutions." Here are excerpts: * * * EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is responsible for developing sound correctional practices and adhering to its policies that ensure the safety and security of federal inmates in its care. High-p  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following investigative summary (No. 24-026) on Jan. 30, 2024, entitled "Finding of Misconduct by an Immigration Judge in the Executive Office for Immigration Review for Making Inappropriate Comments During Immigration Court Proceedings:" * * * The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated an investigation after receiving information from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), allegin  more

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, Feb. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2024: A Nelson County, Kentucky, man was sentenced yesterday to 9 years and 2 months in prison for charges related to bank fraud and money laundering. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, S  more

DETROIT, Michigan, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan issued the following news release on Feb. 20, 2024: Christopher Niebel, a former tax preparer who did business as "Tax Guy Chris," pleaded guilty today to fraud and identity theft charges resulting from his participation in a pandemic unemployment insurance fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Joining in the announcement were Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago   more

BILLINGS, Montana, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana issued the following news release: A former Bureau of Land Management employee today admitted to stealing agency checks and forging the signature of another employee to obtain cash for personal expenses, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Adrian Anthony Aragon, 52, of Butte, pleaded guilty to theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. Aragon faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250   more

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina issued the following news release: Evan Agustin Perez, 35, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for obtaining approximately $720,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Relief Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronaviru  more

CONCORD, New Hampshire, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire issued the following news release: A Derry man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to attempting to fraudulently obtain $2.5 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. David Dodge, 41, pleaded guilty to bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Paul J. Barbadoro scheduled sentencing for May 29, 2024. Dodge's wife and co-conspirator, Tammy Dodge, has a ch  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release: A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in fraudulently obtaining over $2.1 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Arlen G. Encarnacion, 38, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. Di  more

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico issued the following news release on Feb. 20, 2024: Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General announced today that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Teresa McCown with violations of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act and wire fraud. McCown, 55, of Farmington, wil  more

NEW YORK, Feb. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DUSTIN GENCO, a former investigator with the Nassau County District Attorney's Office and Task Force Officer with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge James L. Cott to three months in prison for depriving an individual (the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSRep) -- NASA Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. IG-24-007) on Feb. 1, 2024, entitled "Compliance with Federal Export Control Laws." Here are excerpts: * * * To: The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Harold Rogers, Chairman, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Comm  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Navy Installations Command issued the following news release: By Patrick Gordon, NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs Officer NAS Patuxent River announces its Sailors of the Year, marking the command's top Sailors for 2023. "I am regularly impressed by the commitment our Pax Sailors show to their command, their Navy, and each other," said NAS Patuxent River Commanding Officer Capt. Douglas Burfield. "The Sailors chosen as this year's Sailors of the Year exemplify it ev  more

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, Feb. 22 -- The Commander of the Hawaii Navy Region issued the following news release: By Patrick Gordon, NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs Officer NAS Patuxent River announces its Sailors of the Year, marking the command's top Sailors for 2023. "I am regularly impressed by the commitment our Pax Sailors show to their command, their Navy, and each other," said NAS Patuxent River Commanding Officer Capt. Douglas Burfield. "The Sailors chosen as this year's Sailors of the Y  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrep) -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector General issued the following report (No. OIG-24-A-03) on Jan. 24, 2024, entitled "Implementation of the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 for Fiscal Year 2023 Region I: King of Prussia, Pennsylvania." Here are excerpts: * * * MEMORANDUM DATE: January 24, 2024 TO: Daniel H. Dorman, Executive Director for Operations FROM: Hruta Virkar, CPA /RA/, Assistant Inspector General for Audits SUBJECT: AU  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on Feb. 20, 2024, entitled "Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2024." The proposed rule was issued by Jennifer M. Golder, Acting Chief Financial Officer. COMMENT DEADLINE: September 30, 2024 Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend the licensing, inspection, special project, and annual fees charged to its  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Feb. 24 -- The Pennsylvania House Republicans issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2024: Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Dr. Laurel Harry along with Kelly Evans, Executive Deputy Secretary for Community Corrections, Reentry, and Parole Field Services, Robert Gimble, Deputy Secretary of Administration, Christian Stephens, Deputy Secretary for Office of Field Services, and James Fox, Chairman of the Probation and Parole Board testified today before the  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release: United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Michael Neill, 57, Marita Crawford, 54, and Niko Rodriguez, 32, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were sentenced this week by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl. The defendants, all former employees of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ("Local 98  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility issued the following news release: Senior U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials have dictated that its new Scientific Integrity Policy will not contain any provisions that could be used to hold them to account for their own inappropriate interference with agency science, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, EPA's latest draft policy does not contain procedures f  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Continuing his push to improve mail delivery for Montanans, U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, is calling on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to fix issues at the United States Postal Service (USPS) and ensure Montana veterans who receive medications through USPS delivery get their medications in an accurate and timely manner. "Rural Montanans rely on USPS to pay their   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following commentary on Feb. 23, 2024: * * * IRS Needs to Do More to Protect Taxpayer Data In 2022, Congress passed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act. As its name suggests, this law bans TikTok on government devices due to the significant security risks that the app poses. This was an important step to protect sensitive data and government networks, but a recent report indicates that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ha  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 20, 2024: Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, urged Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to strengthen enforcement penalties under the Fed's Investment and Trading Policy. In a letter to Chair Powell, Brown cites a Fed report that said that in March 2020, jus  more

BUTLER COUNTY, Iowa, Feb. 23 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following news release: Millions of taxpayer dollars funneled through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant program were largely used by recipient organizations to cover the organizations' overhead and operating expenses, without yet producing tangible results demonstrating the efficacy of the environmental justice program. Records and receipts tracking expenditu  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, Feb. 20 -- The West Virginia Legislature issued the following news release on Feb. 19, 2024: Tuesday, February 20, 2024 - 42nd Day of Session The Senate will convene at 11 a.m. UNFINISHED BUSINESS * SCR 31: Requesting Joint Committee on Government and Finance study benefits associated with increasing paid parental leave for state employees * SR 47: Recognizing week of May 5-11, 2024, as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week * SR 48: Recognizing AARP of WV for many co  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Senate Finance Committee issued a report (S.Rpt. 118-121) on the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs and Extenders Act (S. 3430), which aims to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the mental health care workforce and services, reduce prescription drug costs and extend certain expiring provisions under Medicare and Medicaid. The report was advanced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, on Dec. 7, 2023. Here are excerpts: * * * I. LEGISLATI  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee issued the following information for a nominations hearing at 10 a.m. on Feb. 27, 2024: Nominees * Julie A. Su, to be Secretary of Labor * Moshe Z. Marvit, to be a Member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission * Stephen H. Ravas, to be Inspector General, Corporation for National and Community Service * * * Original text here: https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/nominations-02-27-2024  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement: * * * U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General's (IG) investigation into the non-medical deaths of those in Bureau of Prisons (BOP) care. At the request of Durbin, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz previously agreed t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The Senate Judiciary Committee issued the following information for a hearing entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal Prisons" at 10 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2024, at G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building: Witnesses * Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General, Department of Justice, Washington, DC * Colette S. Peters, Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Washington, DC * * * Original text here: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-acti  more

BIG SANDY, Montana, Feb. 23 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news: Continuing his push to improve mail delivery for Montanans, U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, is calling on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to fix issues at the United States Postal Service (USPS) and ensure Montana veterans who receive medications through USPS delivery get their medications in an accurate and timely   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee issued the following testimony by Julie Kroviak, principal deputy assistant inspector general for the Office of Healthcare Inspections at the Veterans Affairs Department, involving a hearing on Jan. 31, 2024, entitled "Vet Centers: Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Servicemembers, Veterans and Their Families": * * * Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Moran, and Committee Members, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Office   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee issued the following testimony by Michael Fisher, chief officer of readjustment counseling service at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration, involving a hearing on Jan. 31, 2024, entitled "Vet Centers: Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Servicemembers, Veterans and Their Families": * * * Good afternoon, Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Moran, and Members of the Committee. I appreciate the opportuni  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Rep. Jason Smith, R-Missouri, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, issued the following news release: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is currently failing to follow the law and protect taxpayers in several key areas, Ways and Means Committee members warned IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel during an oversight hearing of the agency. A recent report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) showed just how vulnerable the security of sensi  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas issued the following news release: A Kerrville man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 42 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, theft of government property and possession of stolen mail. According to court documents, Scott Mitchell Brown, 38, was a pharmacy technician at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Kerrville. Usi  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrep) -- The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration issued the following audit report (No. 2024-200-015) on Feb. 12, 2024, entitled "Annual Assessment of the IRS's Information Technology Program for Fiscal 2023." Here are excerpts: * * * Highlights Why TIGTA Did This Audit This audit was initiated because the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 requires TIGTA to annually assess and report on an evaluation of the adequacy and security of IRS informati  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrep) -- The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration issued the following audit report (No. 2024-IE-R008) on Feb. 6, 2024, entitled "Assessment of Processes to Grant Access to Sensitive Systems and to Safeguard Federal Tax Information." Here are excerpts: * * * Highlights Why TIGTA Did This Evaluation In February 2023, the Chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to TIGTA that referenced a news media outlet that, in June 2021, revea  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 22 -- The Illinois National Guard issued the following news: The University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign's Army ROTC program will induct two Illinois National Guard officers into its Hall of Fame in May: Maj. Gen. Henry Dixon of Dixon, Illinois, and Col. (retired) Clayton Kuetemeyer of Champaign, Illinois. Although the university's Army ROTC program is more than 150 years old, its Hall of Fame was started about a decade ago. After this year's inductees, the Hall   more

STUTTGART-MOEHRINGEN, Germany, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Africa Command issued the following news release: U.S. Marine Corps General Michael Langley, Commander, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Michael Woods, Command Senior Enlisted Leader visited Morocco Feb. 20-21, 2024 on his third trip to the country since taking command. During his official trip to Rabat, Morocco, Langley and U.S. Ambassador Puneet Talwar met with Mr. Abdellatif Loudiyi, the Moroccan Minister Delegate to  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Tina Flint Smith, D-Minnesota, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), led by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT), joined her colleagues to send a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urging the Department to take immediate steps to improve the readiness of VA facilities and staff to address the needs of veterans after experiencing a sexual assault. The letter comes as a result of a concerning VA Offic  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Feb. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2024: A McLean man pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Small Business Administration by fraudulently obtaining approximately $455,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds. According to court documents, Mehdi Pazouki, 65, was the owner and sole employee of Systems Integration Services Inc., an   more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, Feb. 19 -- The West Virginia Legislature issued the following news release on Feb. 18, 2024: Monday, February 19, 2024 - 41st Day of Session The Senate will convene at 11 a.m. UNFINISHED BUSINESS * SCR 30: Honoring Hershel "Woody" Williams as one of two WV statues in National Statuary Hall Collection * SR 43: Memorializing life of Honorable John Patton Fanning * SR 44: Designating February 19, 2024, as Pancreatic Cancer Day * SR 45: Recognizing 112th anniversary  more