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Metal-organic framework supported single-site nickel catalysts for butene dimerization
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
Homotopic sites in a well-controlled environment are not only ideal systems for mechanistic studies, but also allow optimal control of catalytic transformations. Sites having only a single metal cation and sites consisting of metal oxo complexes with few nickel (Ni) cations supported on the nodes of UiO-66 metal-organic framework (Ni-UiO-66) are studied for 1-butene dimerization. Monomeric Ni sites, which bind to the Zr6 node via two Zr-OH(u3)
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
Homotopic sites in a well-controlled environment are not only ideal systems for mechanistic studies, but also allow optimal control of catalytic transformations. Sites having only a single metal cation and sites consisting of metal oxo complexes with few nickel (Ni) cations supported on the nodes of UiO-66 metal-organic framework (Ni-UiO-66) are studied for 1-butene dimerization. Monomeric Ni sites, which bind to the Zr6 node via two Zr-OH(u3)linkages, are active and selective for the dimerization of 1-butene to linear and mono-branched C8 isomers. Ni oxo complexes with few Ni cations show lower activity and promote the oligomerization of transiently formed C8 isomers. Kohn-Sham density function theory calculations combined with spectroscopic measurements and kinetic analyses indicate that dimerization follows a Cossee-Arlman reaction mechanism.
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Original text here: https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/metal-organic-framework-supported-single-site-nickel-catalysts-butene-dimerization
White House Issues Transcript of Background News Call on Actions Against Ortega-Murillo Regime Repressing People, Preying on Migrants in Nicaragua
WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a background news call via teleconference on May 15, 2024, at the National Security Council on the actions against the Ortega-Murillo regime repressing people and preying on migrants in Nicaragua:
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MODERATOR: I am extremely sorry for our delay today. We had a last-minute scheduling conflict. But I thank you all for joining this call on Nicaragua. I will be very brief.
Not for reporting purposes -- on the call we have [senior administration official]. We also have [senior administration official] and [senior administration
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WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a background news call via teleconference on May 15, 2024, at the National Security Council on the actions against the Ortega-Murillo regime repressing people and preying on migrants in Nicaragua:
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MODERATOR: I am extremely sorry for our delay today. We had a last-minute scheduling conflict. But I thank you all for joining this call on Nicaragua. I will be very brief.
Not for reporting purposes -- on the call we have [senior administration official]. We also have [senior administration official] and [senior administrationofficial]. Again, that's not for reporting purposes.
The call will be on background, attributable to senior administration officials.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks. And I reiterate my apologies for the delay. I'm very sorry for keeping everybody waiting. And thank you for your time and patience with us today.
Today, the Biden administration is taking several coordinated actions out of significant concern about the government of Nicaragua and its continued repression of the people of Nicaragua and their exploitation of migrants. These actions are taken as a part of the President's efforts to crack down on irregular migration and in support of his affirmative agenda for the Western Hemisphere for a more democratic, secure, and prosperous region.
We are very concerned about the ways in which the Ortega-Murillo regime continues to engage in a repressive campaign that silences civil society and unjustly detains individuals for exercising their fundamental freedoms.
Today, the Treasury Department designated three Nicaragua-based entities: a Russian military training center that supports repressive activities by the Nicaraguan National Police to prosecute political opposition and two gold companies that generate revenue and enrich the Ortega regime.
At the same time, the State Department imposed visa restrictions on over 250 members of the Nicaraguan government, non-governmental actors, and their immediate family members for their roles in supporting the Ortega-Murillo regime's attack on human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people, and repression of civil society organizations.
The regime is also responsible for the weaponization and profiting off of desperate and vulnerable migrants. Among other issues, the regime sells visas upon arrival at their airports for migrants that require them to leave the country in 96 hours. So they are profiting quite substantially off of facilitation of irregular migrants who ultimately, in many cases, make their way up towards our Southwest border.
As part of our comprehensive approach to addressing this issue, today the Treasury, State, and Department of Homeland Security are also issuing a policy alert to inform the aviation and travel industry of the ways in which smugglers are facilitating this illegal migration and to remind the industry of key steps that they should take to avoid complicity in these actions.
These actions are -- in addition to standing on their own, they're also a follow-up to the third Los Angeles Declaration Ministerial in Guatemala last week, where the United States pledged $578 million in humanitarian development and economic assistance, and secured support from partner countries to help respond in supporting the regularization and integration of migrants.
As I know all of you know, our Latin American and Caribbean partners are hosting more than 80 percent of the nearly 8 million Venezuelan migrants that have fled the Maduro regime. And this is critically important because it helps keep them in place and reduce the numbers at our Southwest border.
It was also highly encouraging to see, in advance of the ministerial, actions like the one taken by the International Air Transport Association and its members, issuing a statement reminding its members of the importance, consistent with our policy alert today, of taking steps to minimize the risk that their airlines are being used to facilitate and support irregular migration. And this also follows on our imposition of visas on Colombian companies that are engaged in transport of migrants as well.
And combined, all of these efforts collectively send a strong signal not only to the Ortega regime to stop its nefarious actions, but also to private sector actors to remind them of the important steps that they can and should take to help avoid exploitation of their systems.
The U.S. government will continue to take actions to promote accountability for those involved in the Ortega government's relentless attacks on the human rights and fundamental freedoms. And we will continue to take steps to address and hopefully, ultimately, stop the exploitation of vulnerable migrants and to respond to the, really, cynical ways in which the Ortega regime is profiting off of facilitating the movement of these migrants.
And finally, I'll just end by stating what I think is obvious, which is that we strongly urge the Ortega regime to cease its repression of democracy and allow Nicaraguans to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to cease their practice of facilitating irregular migration.
I will now turn it over to the State Department for additional comments.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, and good morning, everyone. Just to piggyback on much of what [senior administration official] has said, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, and those under their command, continue to unjustly detain their own countrymen for bravely advocating for free civil society, religious freedom, and freedom of expression. They've chosen to align themselves with Russia's authoritarian government and follow its playbook of repression.
The Ortega-Murillo regime has deeply involved itself in profiting, as [senior administration official] said, from the exploitation of vulnerable migrants. We are committed to promoting accountability for those who act on behalf of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo and facilitating or sustain their assaults on democracy and human rights.
So to elaborate a little bit more on the actions by the Department of State today, we took steps to impose visa restrictions on over 250 members of the Nicaraguan government, including police and paramilitary personnel, penitentiary officials, prosecutors, judges, public higher-education officials, as well as select non-governmental actors for their roles in supporting the Ortega-Murillo regime in its attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms, repression of civil society organizations, and profiting off of vulnerable migrants, all pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 10309.
In addition, the Department of State is joining Homeland Security and Treasury to jointly issue a policy alert to warn airlines, air charter operators, travel agents, service providers of the ways in which smugglers are facilitating irregular migration and migrant smuggling and trafficking networks to the United States, and the importance of preventing the exploitation of their legitimate transportation services.
In particular, the actions by the Nicaraguan government are of grave concern, where President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have put in place permissive, by design, migration policies such as the 96-hour cap that have introduced opportunities to exploit migrants and fuel dangerous irregular travel towards the Southwest U.S. border.
We urge Ortega and Murillo to cease their repression of democracy and allow Nicaraguans to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. I will just run through the Treasury actions that we are rolling out today.
On the sanctions front, Treasury will sanction three Nicaragua-based entities to hold the Ortega-Murillo regime to account for its continued repression of the Nicaraguan people and its profiting from exploitation of vulnerable migrants.
The first entity is the Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Managua, a Nicaragua-based subdivision of the government of the Russian Federation Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Managua enabled anti-democratic behavior and repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime. Our targets are Compania Minera Internacional, Sociedad Anonima, known by its Spanish acronym as COMINTSA, and Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua, Sociedad Anonima -- which are government-affiliated gold companies generating revenue for the Ortega-Murillo regime.
As you know, by imposing sanctions, all U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with these entities, which effectively cuts them off from the U.S. and much of the international financial system. And any assets they have in the United States are blocked.
The designations of the RTC and the two gold companies that enrich the Ortega-Murillo regime demonstrate the United States' enduring support for the Nicaraguan people and condemnation of a regime that exploits vulnerable migrants for profit while facilitating irregular migration to the United States.
In addition to sanctions, Treasury is also joining the policy alert that our colleagues have mentioned. At OFAC, we see every day the destabilizing effects of illicit finance on countries around the world. That's why we want to very clearly identify the risk to the business community of engaging in activity that exacerbates instability and enables exploitation.
We have and will continue to use our authorities, including the Transnational Criminal Organizations Sanctions authorities, to hold smugglers accountable and cut them off from using the U.S. financial system.
So with that, I'll turn things back over to [moderator].
MODERATOR: Thank you very much to our three speakers for joining us today.
At this moment, I will turn it over to questions. If you have a question, please raise your hand and I will unmute you. As a reminder, the call is on background, attributable to senior administration officials. And as noted in the media advisory, the call is embargoed until 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time today.
We'll turn it over to Michael Wilner, please.
Q: Thanks. I appreciate this. And thanks, everyone, for doing the call. If you could just provide some more details on the policy alert and, you know, what it means to -- what steps are required of the aviation and travel industry to avoid complicity. What are you asking them to do? And, really, any more details on that would be appreciated.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'm happy to respond to that if you'd like.
The statement conveys the U.S. government's efforts to promote responsible practices in the industry, but it also notifies the airlines that they are being exploited -- that migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks are exploiting these legitimate transportation services to facilitate irregular migration to the United States.
So, the alert has a number of suggestions that can be done by the airlines. There are five different suggestions that include participation in the document validation process. There are suggestions that the airlines could undertake proactive measures to identify flight segments and routes that are known to be used by migrants and migrant smuggling. And the United States is closely tracking this issue and can also provide and share information to support airlines' efforts.
Industry participants can also report concerning activity to the United States Customs and Border Protection to be able to work to avoid irregular migration and migrant smuggling. Carrying out appropriate due diligence also protects the exploitation of services.
And then finally, encouraging all airlines to comply with government regulations by transmitting accurate and timely API, or advanced passenger information, prior to departure beginning at least 24 hours prior to scheduled takeoff to enable proper record checks and so on.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: And if I could just add one quick thing to that which I think is important, which is that this follows on, as I said before, the International Association of -- IATA's own -- the industry issuing a statement last week, the International Air Transport Association, in which the airlines themselves noted the value of implementing commercial measures to minimize the risk of irregular migration.
And so, this alert follows on to that, and it provides -- it's actually four, not five, but it provides four concrete measures that airlines can take, and talks about the ways in which the U.S. government can assist them in doing that.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. I will also flag for our friends on the line that we will have the policy alert, a Treasury press release on the sanctions, and a statement on the visas posting later this morning for everyone's reference as well.
We'll turn to Salome Ramirez next.
Q: Thank you. Good morning. Just to follow up on the policy alert and to have some clarification, does this mean that maybe airlines who don't comply or don't take the actions that the U.S. is encouraging would have some kind of repercussion or some kind of consequence for being complicit in this illegal migration? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, I'll start with that. One thing that I think is really important to note, as we already said during the opening, is that the U.S. government, particularly the State Department, has taken steps already through its 3C visa restrictions to impose visa restrictions on executives who are -- executives of charter companies who have supported the movement of migrants, largely to Managua. And those actions have had a really important effect on the numbers of charter airlines that are engaged.
This is something that the U.S. government is watching closely. There's not any specific enforcement action threatened or accompanying this at the time, but it is something that we continue to watch and look at very closely.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. I recognize that we started late and that we are over five minutes already, but if there are any other questions, please do raise your hand. Otherwise, we can wrap up, and we can take maybe a couple more -- maybe one or two more questions.
Let's go to Pedro Rojas, please. Please also say your outlet.
Q: Thanks so much. Pedro Rojas with Univision. I just wanted to find out if there is any consideration to -- in order to stop these charter flights, to at least temporarily close the airspace over Nicaragua. I know that sounds extreme, but if there's any consideration to some measure like that, to prevent this. We have known that there's a lot of flights coming from Cuba and places like that into Nicaragua in the last few months (inaudible). Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for that. Again, I think what we're taking today are a series of incredibly robust and strong measures to both respond to the democracy and human rights abuses of the Ortega regime and also make explicitly clear -- respond to the ways in which they are profiting off of migrants.
We are working -- as I said, there are a number of steps that we're taking and that have been taken by the private companies, including their own voluntary statements, and this will build off of them.
Obviously, we need to act in ways that address the problem but also continue to allow for what is also legitimate travel into Nicaragua and other countries in the region as well.
And so, we think these are a set of strong measures that both convey the seriousness with which the Biden administration takes these issues, and also we expect and hope that they will have a concrete effect, and we will continue to evaluate and monitor and adjust as needed depending on what we see on the ground.
Q: Thank you.
MODERATOR: We'll go next to Tracy Wilkinson. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q: This is Tracy Wilkinson with the Los Angeles Times. I want one more clarification on the alerts and the airlines and the warnings and so forth. It's only in connection with illegal migration, is that correct? You're not addressing at all regular tourism that, you know, tons of American tourists go to Nicaragua, and obviously, that helps enrich Ortega and his comp- -- and so forth, his associates. So I just wondered if at all tourism is something that you're going to -- are or will address at all in related policies. Thanks.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for that question. I mean, we are not trying to stop or preclude tourists and legitimate travel to and from Nicaragua. We are very focused explicitly on the ways in which the Ortega regime is profiting off of the movement of migrants to their country. And as I said at the start, they're in very cynical ways selling visas upon arrival that require individuals to leave within 96 hours. This is the Ortega regime profiting off the movement of migrants and facilitating the smuggling of migrants. And that is the issue that we are focused on.
Q: Thanks.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. I think that's all the time we have for today. Again, our sincere apologies for starting a little bit late. We will have the statements from our agencies, including the policy alert, posted. We will be issuing a statement also from the White House that links to all three actions today for ease, so please stay tuned for that.
Thank you again for joining. Thank you to our speakers. Again, the embargo of this call will lift at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. And the call was on background, attributable to senior administration officials.
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Original text here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/15/background-press-call-on-actions-against-the-ortega-murillo-regime-repressing-people-and-preying-on-migrants-in-nicaragua/
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Hotter Droughts Increase Resource Allocation to Chemical Defenses in Pinon Pine
WASHINGTON, May 16 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
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Abstract
Heat and drought affect plant chemical defenses and thereby plant susceptibility to pests and pathogens, but how they do so in mature trees remains largely unknown. Monoterpenes play critical roles in tree chemical defense against bark beetles. We measured needle and woody tissue monoterpene concentrations and primary physiology from mature pinon pines (Pinus edulis) in a large-scale temperature and drought manipulation field experiment.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 16 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
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Abstract
Heat and drought affect plant chemical defenses and thereby plant susceptibility to pests and pathogens, but how they do so in mature trees remains largely unknown. Monoterpenes play critical roles in tree chemical defense against bark beetles. We measured needle and woody tissue monoterpene concentrations and primary physiology from mature pinon pines (Pinus edulis) in a large-scale temperature and drought manipulation field experiment.Heat had no effect on total monoterpene concentrations, but trees under combined heat and drought stress exhibited ~85% and 35% increases in needle and woody tissue, respectively.
These elevated levels were sustained in new growth over multiple years. Physiological variables, including growth, each explained less than 10% of the variation in total monoterpenes for both tissue types while starch and glucose + fructose measured one-month prior explained ~25% of woody tissue total monoterpenes, suggesting a critical role for non-structural carbohydrates in supporting monoterpene production under stress.
Shifts in key monoterpene compounds with known roles in bark beetle ecology were observed with important implications for tree susceptibility to biotic attack. Our results point to sophisticated shifts in monoterpene production where cumulative climate effects reprioritize carbon sources and sinks and thus allocation toward defense.
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Citation
Trowbridge A., H.D. Adams, A.D. Collins, L.T. Dickman, C. Grossiord, M. Hofland, and S. Malone, et al. 2021. Hotter droughts increase resource allocation to chemical defenses in pinon pine. New Phytologist 197, no. 4:921-938. PNNL-SA-156752. doi:10.1007/s00442-021-05058-8
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Original text here: https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/hotter-droughts-increase-resource-allocation-chemical-defenses-pinon-pine
N.J. U.S. Attorney: Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking Organization
CAMDEN, New Jersey, May 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on May 15, 2024:
A manager for a drug trafficking organization that purchased over 100 kilograms of cocaine in Puerto Rico and shipped the kilograms to residences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Jose Gonzalez, 51, Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O'Hearn to an information charging
... Show Full Article
CAMDEN, New Jersey, May 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on May 15, 2024:
A manager for a drug trafficking organization that purchased over 100 kilograms of cocaine in Puerto Rico and shipped the kilograms to residences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Jose Gonzalez, 51, Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O'Hearn to an information charginghim with one count of conspiring to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Judge O'Hearn imposed the sentence on May 14, 2024, in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From March 2019 to August 2020, Gonzalez and other conspirators traveled on commercial flights from Philadelphia International Airport to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on numerous occasions. They purchased multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from wholesale drug suppliers based in the San Juan area in exchange for cash payments. Gonzalez and the other conspirators then shipped the kilograms of cocaine by overnight delivery from U.S. Post Offices in San Juan to addresses in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. Gonzalez resold the kilograms to other drug dealers in the Philadelphia area for a profit. Gonzalez admitted that he had a management role in the conspiracy, and that he and the other conspirators purchased and shipped over 100 kilograms of cocaine.
When Gonzalez was arrested in August 2020, agents seized over $120,000 in cash during a search of his residence in Philadelphia and a 9mm handgun from an auto garage that Gonzalez operated in Philadelphia. As part of his plea agreement, Gonzalez agreed to the forfeiture of the U.S. currency and the 9mm handgun, as well as the forfeiture of a Dodge Ram pickup truck that was used in connection with the drug trafficking conspiracy.
In addition to the prison term, Judge O'Hearn sentenced Gonzalez to five years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $120,900, a 9 mm handgun, and a Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen; agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the leadership of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi; special agents of the FBI's Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs in Philadelphia; troopers assigned to the New Jersey State Police Strategic Investigations Unit South, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; and officers and detectives of the Philadelphia Police Department, under the direction of Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Askin of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/philadelphia-man-sentenced-10-years-prison-role-drug-trafficking-organization
Mass. U.S. Attorney: Member of Violent Gang Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Racketeering, Drug and Firearm Offenses
BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on May 15, 2024:
A Boston-area man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a violent Boston street gang as well as gun and drug trafficking charges.
Kenny Romero, a/k/a "KG," 29, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in November 2023 to one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise (more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued the following news release on May 15, 2024:
A Boston-area man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a violent Boston street gang as well as gun and drug trafficking charges.
Kenny Romero, a/k/a "KG," 29, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in November 2023 to one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise (more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeeringconspiracy); three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine; and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Romero was also sentenced to 24 months in prison, to be served consecutively, for committing the offenses while on federal supervised release.
According to court documents, Cameron Street is a violent gang based largely in Dorchester that uses violence and threats of violence to preserve, protect and expand its territory, promote a climate of fear and enhance its reputation. Cameron Street members also allegedly distribute narcotics and firearms, commit armed robberies and engage in human trafficking. Additionally, members allegedly post videos or use social media applications to promote Cameron Street, celebrate murders and other violent crimes committed by the gang and denigrate rivals - in particular the NOB gang - an abbreviation for the Norton/Olney/Barry Streets in Dorchester.
Romero had a "3113" tattoo, which referred to the third, first and 13th letters of the alphabet ("C," "A," "M"):
During a two-year investigation, Romero was recorded selling eight firearms, as well as ammunition, cocaine base and cocaine to a cooperating witness who Romero believed was a member of Cameron Street:
Data from Romero's cell phone and Snapchat accounts determined that Romero generated income for Cameron Street through gun and drug sales as well as human trafficking.
At the time of Romero's conduct, he was on supervised release for a 2019 federal conviction for interstate transportation of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to 21 months in prison.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff's Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney's Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth and Pawtucket (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Charles Dell'Anno of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/member-violent-gang-sentenced-more-seven-years-prison-racketeering-drug-and-firearm
Ind. U.S. Attorney: Former Credit Union Employee Sentenced to Nearly Three Years in Federal Prison for Scheme That Stole Over $2M From Members' Accounts
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, May 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana issued the following news release on May 15, 2024:
Jose Prado-Valero, 35, of Carmel has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to financial institution fraud. He must also pay $2,132,517 in restitution.
According to court documents, from 2016 through August of 2019, Jose Prado-Valero served as the Automated Clearing House coordinator at a credit union beginning in 2019. His duties included posting and coordinating transactions
... Show Full Article
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, May 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana issued the following news release on May 15, 2024:
Jose Prado-Valero, 35, of Carmel has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to financial institution fraud. He must also pay $2,132,517 in restitution.
According to court documents, from 2016 through August of 2019, Jose Prado-Valero served as the Automated Clearing House coordinator at a credit union beginning in 2019. His duties included posting and coordinating transactionsinto and out of the accounts of credit union members, which gave him access to members' personally identifiable information, including Social Security numbers, date of birth, home address and telephone numbers. Prado-Valero also had access to members' account numbers and account balances.
Sometime prior to February 14, 2019, Prado-Valero was approached by individuals not employed by the credit union who sought his assistance in conducting a scheme to defraud the financial institution and steal money held in member accounts. The co-conspirators promised to pay Prado-Valero a portion of the fraud proceeds if he stole members' identity and account information.
Prado-Valero agreed to join the scheme and used his position of trust at the credit union to access members' account information and steal their money. Between February 14, 2019, and August 16, 2019, Prado-Valero and accomplices successfully made 34 fraudulent transfers to themselves out of credit union members' accounts, in the aggregate amount of $2,078,725. Prado-Valero was paid over $100,000 by his co-conspirators for his role in the scheme.
"Account holders and financial institutions depend on people in positions of trust to keep their information and money safe," said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "This corrupt employee facilitated the theft of millions of customer dollars to satisfy his own greed. The serious federal prison sentence imposed demonstrates that the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office are watching, and those who abuse positions of trust to line their pockets at the expense of others will be held accountable."
"Prado-Valero was entrusted with a great deal of responsibility over the hard-earned money of the credit union's members. Instead of using his authority and access to protect the accounts of these customers, he sold his access to a criminal conspiracy so he could enrich himself," said Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Indianapolis Field Office. "I commend the investigative team for their expert, detailed work in this case, which resulted in this defendant being held accountable for his crimes."
The FBI investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Warden, who prosecuted this case.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/former-credit-union-employee-sentenced-nearly-three-years-federal-prison-scheme-stole
BLS - Southeast Region Issues Report Entitled 'Consumer Price Index, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach - April 2024'
ATLANTA, Georgia, May 16 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southeast Regional Information Office issued the following report on May 15, 2024, entitled "Consumer Price Index, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach - April 2024":
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Area prices up 4.5 percent over the past 12 months
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The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach rose 1.0 percent from February to April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the bi-monthly
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, May 16 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southeast Regional Information Office issued the following report on May 15, 2024, entitled "Consumer Price Index, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach - April 2024":
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Area prices up 4.5 percent over the past 12 months
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The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach rose 1.0 percent from February to April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the bi-monthlyincrease in the all items index was largely attributed to increases in the shelter and gasoline indexes. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)
The all items CPI-U increased 4.5 percent for the 12 months ending in April. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.8 percent over the past year. The food index continued to increase, up 0.8 percent over the last 12 months. In contrast, the energy index declined 5.0 percent over the past year. (See table 1.)
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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, April 2021-April 2024
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Food
The food index rose 0.1 percent from February to April. The index for food away from home continued to increase over the bi-monthly period, up 1.5-percent. In comparison, the food at home index fell 0.5 percent over the same period. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes declined from February to April, led by a 5.4-percent decrease in the index for cereals and bakery products.
The food index increased 0.8 percent for the 12 months ending in April, reflecting a 4.5-percent increase in the food away from home index. In contrast, the index for food at home declined 0.6 percent over the 12-month period. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes declined over the past year, including cereals and bakery products (-4.8 percent) and other food at home (-2.4 percent). In comparison, the indexes for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials increased 5.7 percent over the past year, while the index for fruits and vegetable rose 2.1 percent over the 12-month span.
Energy
The energy index rose 1.9 percent from February to April, reflecting a 7.7-percent increase in the gasoline index. The electricity index declined 5.0 percent over the two-month period. The index for natural gas also declined from February to April, down 2.4 percent.
The energy index fell 5.0 percent for the 12 months ending in April, led by an 11.1-percent fall in the electricity index. The gasoline index decreased 0.9 percent over the past year, while the index for natural gas rose 2.1 percent over the same period.
All items less food and energy
The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.0 percent from February to April. The increase was largely attributed to an increase in the shelter index (+1.4 percent). The index for owners' equivalent rent increased 1.5 percent over the bi-monthly period, while the index for rent of primary residence increased 1.4 percent.
The index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.8 percent for the 12 months ending in April. The index for shelter continued to increase over the past year, up 7.1 percent, and was the largest factor in the 12-month increase in the index for all items less food and energy. The index for owners' equivalent rent rose 7.2 percent over the past year, as did the index for rent of primary residence.
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Table A. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
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The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Consumer Price Index for June 2024 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
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Technical Note
The Consumer Price Index for Miami is published bi-monthly. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 93 percent of the total U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. population. The CPI-U includes, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force.
The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors' and dentists' services, drugs, and the other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Each month, prices are collected in 75 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 retail establishments--department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.
The index measures price changes from a designated reference date; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000. Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the internet at http://www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.
In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with weights that represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. Because the sample size of a local area is smaller, the local area index is subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error than the national index. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are quite similar. NOTE: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Core Based Statistical Area is comprised of Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and Palm Beach County.
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Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
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View original text, plus chart and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/news-release/2024/consumerpriceindex_miami_20240515.htm
