Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Partner to Distribute More Than Half a Million Medical Supplies Confiscated from Price Gougers

by U.S. Department of Justice

Washington, D.C. - April 2, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the distribution of hoarded personal protective equipment (PPE), including approximately 192,000 N95 respirator masks, to those on the frontline of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response in New York and New Jersey.

The FBI discovered the supplies during an enforcement operation by the Department of Justice's COVID-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force on March 30 and alerted HHS which used its authority under Defense Production Act (DPA) to order that the supplies be immediately furnished to the United States. In addition to the N95 respirator masks, the supplies found included 598,000 medical grade gloves and 130,000 surgical masks, procedure masks, N100 masks, surgical gowns, disinfectant towels, particulate filters, bottles of hand sanitizer, and bottles of spray disinfectant.

"If you are amassing critical medical equipment for the purpose of selling it at exorbitant prices, you can expect a knock at your door," said Attorney General William P. Barr. "The Department of Justice's COVID-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force is working tirelessly around the clock with all our law enforcement partners to ensure that bad actors cannot illicitly profit from the COVID-19 pandemic facing our nation."

"Cracking down on the hoarding of vital supplies allows us to distribute this material to the heroic healthcare workers on the frontlines who are most in need," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "Thanks to the quick work of the White House, the Department of Justice, and HHS, the seized resources were distributed in days to the doctors, nurses and first responders who need them. President Trump's all-of-America approach to combating the coronavirus involves an aggressive approach to stopping hoarding, and the American public can play a role by being on the lookout for this behavior."

HHS will pay the owner of the hoarded equipment pre-COVID-19 fair market value for the supplies and has begun distributing to meet the critical need for the supplies among healthcare workers in New York and New Jersey.

Specifically, after inspecting the supplies, HHS arranged for the delivery of the PPE to the New Jersey Department of Health, the New York State Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

"This is the first of many such investigations that are underway," said Peter Navarro, DPA Policy Coordinator and Assistant to the President. "Our FBI agents and other law enforcement agencies are tracking down every tip and lead they get, and are devoting massive federal resources to this effort. All individuals and companies hoarding any of these critical supplies, or selling them at well above market prices, are hereby warned they should turn them over to local authorities or the federal government now or risk prompt seizure by the federal government."

Vendors interested in selling PPE to the federal government should contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency at https://www.fema.gov/coronavirus/how-to-help. Anyone who learns of hoarding or price gouging of PPE should report it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud by dialing 1-866-720-5721 or emailing disaster@leo.gov.

HHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency continue to collaborate with private industry to overcome the shortage of PPE across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Defense Production Act and Presidential Executive Order are intended to prevent accumulation in excess of reasonable demands of business, personal, or home consumption, or for the purpose of resale at prices in excess of prevailing market prices, also known as hoarding and price gouging, of medical supplies critical to the COVID-19 response.

Turkish Banker Convicted of Conspiring to Evade U.S. Sanctions Against Iran and Other Offenses

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Mehmet Hakan Atilla was found guilty of conspiring with others, including Reza Zarrab, aka Riza Sarraf, who previously pleaded guilty to evading U.S. sanctions among other offenses, to use the U.S. financial system to conduct transactions on behalf of the Government of Iran and other Iranian entities, which were barred by U.S. sanctions, and to defraud U.S. financial institutions by concealing these transactions’ true nature.

Read more about this at U.S. Department of Justice

Departments of Justice and Homeland Security Release Data on Incarcerated Aliens—94 Percent of All Confirmed Aliens in DOJ Custody Are Unlawfully Present

By Department of Justice



Washington, D.C. - December 21, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- President Trump’s Executive Order on Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect relevant data and provide quarterly reports on data collection efforts. On Dec. 18, 2017, DOJ and DHS released the FY 2017 4th Quarter Alien Incarceration Report, complying with this order.[1] The report found that more than one-in-five of all persons in Bureau of Prisons custody were foreign born, and that 94 percent of confirmed aliens in custody were unlawfully present.

"The American people deserve a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest," Attorney General Sessions said. "But at the border and in communities across America, our citizens are being victimized by illegal aliens who commit crimes. Nearly 95 percent of confirmed aliens in our federal prisons are here illegally. We know based on sentencing data that non-citizens commit a substantially disproportionate number of drug-related offenses, which contributes to our national drug abuse crisis. The simple fact is that any offense committed by a criminal alien is ultimately preventable. One victim is too many. It's time for Congress to enact the President's immigration reform agenda so that we start welcoming the best and brightest while turning away drug dealers, gang members, and other criminals."

“While the administration is working diligently to remove dangerous criminal aliens from our streets, this report highlights the fact that more must be done,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. “We will continue to pursue President Trump’s immigration priorities, including securing the border, enhancing interior enforcement, and pursuing a merit-based immigration system, but Congress must act immediately to adopt obvious solutions to strengthen DHS and DOJ efforts to confront dangerous criminal aliens.”

Section 16 of the Executive Order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to collect relevant data and provide quarterly reports regarding: (a) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; (b) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated as federal pretrial detainees under the supervision of the United States Marshals Service; and (c) the immigration status of all convicted aliens in state prisons and local detention centers throughout the United States.

A total of 58,766 known or suspected aliens were in in DOJ custody at the end of FY 2017, including 39,455 persons in BOP custody and 19,311 in USMS custody. Of this total, 37,557 people had been confirmed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be aliens (i.e., non-citizens and non-nationals), while 21,209 foreign-born people were still under investigation by ICE to determine alienage and/or removability

Among the 37,557 confirmed aliens, 35,334 people (94 percent) were unlawfully present. These numbers include a 92 percent unlawful rate among 24,476 confirmed aliens in BOP custody and a 97 percent unlawful rate among 13,081 confirmed aliens in USMS custody.

This report does not include data on the foreign-born or alien populations in state prisons and local jails because state and local facilities do not routinely provide DHS or DOJ with comprehensive information about their inmates and detainees—which account for approximately 90 percent of the total U.S. incarcerated population.

Information Regarding Immigration Status of Aliens Incarcerated Under the Supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons

The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has an operational process for maintaining data regarding foreign-born inmates in its custody. On a quarterly basis, BOP supplies this information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE, in turn, analyzes that information to determine the immigration status of each inmate and provides that information back to BOP.

Out of the 185,507 inmates in BOP custody, 39,455 (21 percent) were reported by BOP as foreign-born. Further details regarding these 39,455 foreign-born inmates are as follows:

20,240 (51 percent) were unauthorized aliens who are subject to a final order of removal;

14,979 (38 percent) remain under ICE investigation;

2,374 (6 percent) were unlawfully present and now in removal proceedings;

1,852 (less than 5 percent) were lawfully present aliens but are now in removal proceedings; and

10 were aliens who have been granted relief or protection from removal.

Information Regarding the Immigration Status of Aliens Incarcerated as Federal Pretrial Detainees

USMS identified 19,311 aliens and foreign-born inmates under ICE investigation detained at USMS facilities. Further details regarding these 19,311 foreign-born inmates are as follows:

11,459 (59 percent) were aliens who are subject to a final order of removal;

6,230 (32 percent) remain under ICE investigation;

1,261 (6.5 percent) were unlawfully present and now in removal proceedings;

358 (less than 2 percent) were lawfully present but are now in removal proceedings; and

3 were aliens who have been granted relief or protection from removal.

Immigration Status of All Convicted Aliens Incarcerated in State Prisons and Local Detention Centers Throughout the United States

The Departments continue to progress towards establishing data collection of the immigration status of convicted aliens incarcerated in state prisons and local detention centers through the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics.


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Poll: 63 percent say Trump-Russia collusion investigation by Justice Dept. harming the country

By Americans for Limited Government



Fairfax, VA - December 17, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning has issued the following statement noting a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll finding that 63 percent of the American people believe the Justice Department investigation into suppose Trump-Russia collusion on the 2016 election is harming the country, including 78 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of Independents and 52 percent of Democrats:

“A Harvard University study finds that 63 percent of the American people believe that the Trump-Russia collusion investigation by the Justice Department is hurting the country. Our nation has spent almost a year and a half on a political witch hunt designed to take out President Donald Trump, and the Harvard poll shows that almost two-thirds of the public have had enough, believing that it is harming the nation. They are right. Significantly, this poll was taken prior to mass dissemination of news that a high-ranking Obama Justice Department official was married to a Fusion GPS contractor, the company was paid by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC to produce the Christopher Steele dossier that the FBI relied on to pursue the investigation. The poll was also taken prior to revelations that the lead FBI investigator and his mistress who also worked for the FBI were describing the investigation as an ‘insurance policy’ against Trump winning the election from a meeting with Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

“Given this corruption and the revelation that the entire investigation may have been based on a lie, a plot hatched by Clinton partisans and intelligence officials in the Obama administration, the entire basis for this harmful investigation has collapsed. The abject failure of the partisan Mueller team to find, after over one year of investigation, evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia to hack the DNC or influence the election discredits the entire probe. It is time for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to end the Mueller investigation as it has evolved into nothing more than a partisan attempt to overturn the outcome of the 2016 election.”


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DOJ Appeals Military “Transgender” Ruling

By Liberty Counsel




Washington, D.C. - December 14, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an appeal in a D.C. federal appeals court after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the military must begin accepting so-called “transgender” recruits on January 1, despite opposition from President Trump and the Pentagon.

The DOJ is currently reviewing the legal options to ensure that the president’s directive can be implemented. The Pentagon, under the direction of former President Obama, had originally set the January 1 deadline before President Trump declared a ban on all “transgender” military personnel earlier this year.

Two U.S. district courts, one in the District of Columbia and one in Maryland, blocked enforcement of President Trump’s proposed August 2017 ban on “transgender” persons in the armed services. According to the Defense Department, those courts required the branches to begin allowing such recruits to sign up for military service. A third order was issued Monday, by a U.S. District judge who also allowed the state to challenge the ban, stating that Washington has an interest in protecting its residents from discrimination.

In the August 2017 order, President Trump reversed policies put in place by the Obama administration in June 2016. Those Obama administration policies themselves reversed long-standing military rules against “transgender” people serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Prior to June 2016, “transgender” people were not permitted to enlist in the military and members of the military who identified themselves as “transgender” were discharged. Obama's Department of Defense announced in June 2016 that openly “transgender” people would be permitted to enlist in the military as of January 1, 2018 and those already in the military could not be discharged.

“These court rulings are not in the best interest of the military and our national security,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “The duty of military officers is to appropriately lead and prepare their personnel to serve and protect, and they cannot do that when there is confusion, dysfunction and distraction about a person’s gender preference. President Trump has tried to refocus the mission to emphasize military readiness and unit cohesion, and the courts have no business telling the Commander-in-Chief who is eligible to serve,” said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.


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Duncan’s Statement on Clinton Corruption Investigation

Source: Jeff Duncan (R-SC, 3rd)



Washington, D.C. - October 26, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Jeff Duncan released the following statement after three House committees announced new investigations into the Russian acquisition of uranium and the Department of Justice’s 2016 investigation of Secretary Clinton’s possible misconduct:

“Hillary Clinton’s gross negligence has brought us to yet another congressional inquiry into her illegal behavior while serving as Secretary of State. We must investigate the botched 2016 probe by Former FBI Director James Comey to the fullest extent to ensure the legitimacy of the rule of law is upheld. Further, the twisted love triangle between the Clinton Foundation, the Obama Administration, and Russia is another shocking example of the deeply rooted corruption that we are up against.

“I applaud Chairman Goodlatte, Chairman Gowdy, and Chairman Nunes for opening investigations into the alleged fraudulent and nefarious behavior of Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, and the Obama Administration. The indisputable corruption of the Clinton family and their allies is slowly coming to light for the world to see, and I believe this is just the beginning. Justice must and will be served.”

Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017 Passes House

Source: Doug Collins (R-GA, 9th)

Washington, D.C. - October 25, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) voted with the House to pass H.R. 732, the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017. Collins co-sponsored the legislation and managed its rule on the House floor. He issued the following response to its passage in the House:

“Under the last administration, the Justice Department funneled settlements away from actual victims and toward special interest groups, many of them political in nature. It muffled the voice of the people by circumventing their representatives and ignoring Article 1 of the Constitution, which assigns Congress the power of the purse. By passing the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act, the House acted to reprioritize actual victims and reestablish Congressional oversight in federal spending,” said Collins.

H.R. 732 will go the Senate for consideration.

Democrat Candidate Caught Conspiring to Commit Election Fraud in Pennsylvania

Source: Department of Justice

Washington, D.C. - October 25, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- A federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania returned an indictment today charging two Philadelphia-area political consultants with a scheme to use a political candidate’s campaign funds to make illegal contributions to his opponent’s campaign to secure the opponent’s agreement to drop out of a 2012 congressional primary race.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Donald “D.A.” Jones, 62, of Willingboro, New Jersey, and Kenneth Smukler, 57, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, were charged with conspiracy, causing unlawful campaign contributions and causing the filing of false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and Jones was charged with making false statements to the FBI, in connection with a falsification scheme involving unlawful contributions to the campaign of former Municipal Court Judge Jimmie Moore, a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2012 Democratic race for Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District. According to the indictment, those payments came from the campaign committee of Moore’s opponent for the purpose of removing Moore from the race. Moore pleaded guilty to the charge of causing false statements to the FEC in connection with this matter on Oct. 2.

As alleged in the indictment, in or about February 2012, Moore withdrew from the primary election pursuant to an agreement with his opponent, who promised $90,000 in campaign funds to be used to repay Moore’s campaign debts. Under the applicable law, a contribution from one authorized campaign to another could not exceed $2,000 for the primary election. Therefore, the $90,000 payment from Moore’s opponent’s campaign to pay Moore’s campaign debts constituted an unlawful campaign contribution.

According to the indictment, the FEC requires campaigns to file periodic reports itemizing the campaign’s contributions and expenditures during the reporting period. However, in order to conceal the unlawful contribution and its source, Moore instructed his campaign manager, Carolyn Cavaness, to create a company whose sole purpose would be to receive the funds from his opponent’s political campaign and repay Moore’s campaign debts. As described in the indictment, those payments were routed through Voter Link Data Systems (Voter Link) and D. Jones & Associates, political consulting companies run by Smukler and Jones.

According to the indictment, the defendants used false invoices to generate a paper trail intended to justify the payments from Moore’s opponent’s campaign committee, and Cavaness, acting at Moore’s direction, used a portion of the money from the opponent’s campaign committee to repay Moore’s campaign debts, including debts to Moore and Cavaness themselves. Cavaness pleaded guilty to the charge of causing false statements to the FEC in connection with this matter on July 25.

According to the indictment, to further conceal the scheme, the defendants willfully caused Moore’s campaign committee to file false reports with the FEC that did not disclose or reference the funds received from his opponent’s campaign committee; did not mention Voter Link or D. Jones & Associates, the companies through which the payments were routed; and falsely listed the same debts owed by Moore’s campaign that had been disclosed on earlier reports, despite the fact that those debts had been repaid using funds from Moore’s opponent’s campaign committee. Likewise, the defendants willfully caused the opponent’s campaign committee to file false reports with the FEC that did not mention the use of campaign funds to repay Moore’s campaign debts. Finally, the indictment alleges that Jones made material false statements to FBI agents investigating this matter, telling them that Cavaness had performed work in exchange for the opponent’s campaign funds that were routed through D. Jones & Associates, when in fact Cavaness never performed any such work.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. It merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gibson Eric Gibson of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Jonathan Kravis of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.

Baltimore Drops Charges in Freddie Gray Case

Source: House Representative John P. Sarbanes (D-MD, 3rd)

Washington, D.C. - September 14, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Congressman John Sarbanes joined U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and Congressmen Elijah E. Cummings and Dutch Ruppersberger (all D-MD) in issuing the following statement after reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will not bring federal charges against the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray:

“We are disappointed by reports that DOJ will not seek justice for Freddie Gray, but we are not surprised. We must now focus on ensuring that BPD has the resources it needs to implement the court-ordered consent decree and repair the sacred trust between police officers and the people they are sworn to protect.

“In order to improve BPD and reduce the violence in our city, Baltimore will need the support of the Trump Administration and DOJ. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has repeatedly stood in the way of our City’s progress by attempting to impede the implementation of the consent decree and holding hostage federal resources to reduce violent crime.

“In light of this reported decision, we are once again calling on DOJ to actively support — not undermine — the consent decree and to provide Baltimore with all federal resources available to improve our police force. Doing anything less would be unconscionable.”