Huey and I traveled from New Hampshire to Vermont. Our drive wove through scenic small towns and stretches of unbroken trees, which were starting to become tinted with fall colors.

Jong Woo Son, a South Korean national, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week for his involvement with Welcome To Video, the largest child sexual exploitation market by volume of content. Son is the international actor among hundreds of domestic perpetrators indicted on charges relating to the website’s use.

In a memo to agencies and a guidance posted last week, the Office of Personnel Management is encouraging agencies to step away from progressive penalties and tables of penalties in deciding what disciplinary action to take against employees. The guidance was issued to assist in the implementation of White House Executive Order 13839, which pushed agencies to promote greater accountability in their offices.

The National Security Agency (NSA) is known for its secrecy, but last week the agency opened its doors to journalist to provide an inside look at the new Cybersecurity Directorate. Reporters were welcomed into the agency’s Fort Meade, Maryland headquarters for a tour of the operations underway to protect the U.S. against emerging cyber threats.

Convicted “D.C. sniper” Lee Boyd Malvo’s appeal of his sentence to life in prison without parole was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this week.

In the months following the assassination, there was a desperate need to understand what had happened, why it happened, and if it could have been prevented.

Tune in to FEDtalk this week for a discussion on Cybersecurity Awareness Month. A few weeks ago we heard from industry leaders about top cybersecurity concerns. This week, the individuals leading efforts to combat cyber threats in government will join us to discuss their work.

A grand jury has convicted three leaders of the national criminal organization, Gangster Disciples. The convicted offenses include racketeering conspiracy (RICO) involving murder, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking conspiracy, and other crimes.

The Transportation Security Administration has announced its intention to better manage data using cloud solutions. In the solicitation request entitled TSA’s Cloud Strategy 2.0, the agency described how they plan to “adopt and integrate cloud based services” to better achieve their mission.

The first case from the Air Force security forces has been uploaded to the new Air Force Justice Information System (AFJIS). The system is a step toward modernizing criminal data reporting within the Department of Defense (DoD) and creating more integrated awareness of criminal activities.

A political appointee retired from federal service after almost four years of civilian service, relying on advice from a human resources official that he could “buy back” time spent as a cadet at West Point and credit it towards the five years of civilian service required to qualify for a FERS retirement annuity. When OPM found that he was ineligible for an annuity, he appealed to the Merit Systems Protection Board, which affirmed OPM’s decision. The employee appealed. On October 2, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Board’s decision.

Actions taken in several states have uncovered millions of dollars of health care fraud spanning at least five states. In two Department of Justice (DOJ) releases, DOJ attorneys outline charges against 120 individuals.

In a memo issued to agency leadership last week, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Dale Cabaniss provides agencies with a roadmap for streamlining performance management and dismissal policies and procedures. The memo aligns with the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) priorities on “modernizing the federal government and its workforce.”

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced this week three contracts that have been awarded for the construction of 65 miles of new border wall systems across the Rio Grande Valley. The new border fencing will be located across Starr, Hidalgo, and Cameron Counties in Texas.

On September 27, 2013, Luis Hernandez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with public lewdness, a misdemeanor. While he was being processed in the New York City criminal court system, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Officer W. Outlaw lodged an immigration detainer against him, incorrectly asserting that Hernandez was the subject of an order of removal. The detainer identified Hernandez as an “alien” named “Luis Enrique Hernandez-Martinez” with a nationality of “Honduras.” The detainer requested the city’s department of corrections maintain custody of Hernandez, and the city complied.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen P. Tandy as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors. Ms. Tandy replaces Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who is stepping down.

Tune in to FEDtalk this week for a discussion on Enterprise Risk Management. The federal government is great at responding to problems, but experts across the federal community have ideas on how to make the government more proactive rather than reactive. Assessing and managing risk is an integral part of this mission.

It was a sad ending to National Suicide Prevention Week 2019 for the law enforcement community. Six officers died by suicide in seven days – that’s the verified number by Blue H.E.L.P. – and it could be more once the verifications are completed.

Being insured by WAEPA offers more than just Group Term Life Insurance.1 After over 75 years of serving Civilian Federal Employees, our objective has remained the same: to provide access to products and services that promote the health, welfare and financial well-being of our members.

A Colombian cartel leader was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release in the Southern District of Florida for bribing a former special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) team. The cocaine trafficker, Jose Bayron Piedrahita-Ceballos, bribed the ICE-HSI official to dismiss a drug trafficking indictment against him.