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As reported by Compete.com on September 10, 2009, % increase or decrease in website traffic during the past twelve months for BackgroundNow.com versus four leading background check websites, HireRight.com, Intelius.com, Kroll.com Sentrylink.com and USSearch.com.
BackgroundNow.com leads HireRight.com, Intelius.com, Kroll.com Sentrylink.com and USSearch.com with one-year growth of 206%.
Jacques Monsieur Arrested for Conspiracy to Supply U.S. Fighter Jet Engines to Iran Via Dara Fotouhi
Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, has been arrested on charges alleging that he conspired to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the United States to Iran. Monsieur is scheduled to have his arraignment today in federal court in Mobile, Alabama.
A six-count indictment returned on Aug. 27, 2009, in the Southern District of Alabama charging Monsieur, 56, and co-defendant Dara Fotouhi, aka Dara Fatouhi, 54, an Iranian national currently living in France, with conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling, as well as violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Monsieur was arrested by federal agents last Friday upon his arrival in New York. Fotouhi remains at large. The charge of conspiracy carries a potential sentence of five years in prison, while smuggling carries a potential 10-year prison term, AECA carries a potential 10-year prison term, money laundering carries a potential 20-year prison term and IEEPA carries a potential 20-year prison term.
According to the indictment and an affidavit filed in the case, defendants Monsieur andFotouhi are experienced arms dealers who have been actively working with the Iranian government to procure military items for the Iranian government.
The indictment alleges that in February 2009, Monsieur contacted an undercover agent seeking engines for the F-5 (EIF) fighter jet or the C-130 military transport aircraft for export to Iran. Thereafter, Monsieur began having regular e-mail contact with the undercover agent regarding requested F-5 engines and parts.
These engines, known as J85-21 models, are replacement engines for the F-5 fighter jet that was sold to Iran by the United States before the 1979 Iranian revolution. The engines and parts are designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List and may not be exported from the United States without a license from the U.S. State Department. Additionally, these items may not be exported to Iran without a license from the U.S. Treasury Department due to the U.S. trade embargo on Iran.
According to the indictment, in March 2009, Monsieur met with the undercover agent in Paris, where Monsieur again requested engines and parts for the F-5 fighter jet. In May 2009, an undercover agent met with Monsieur in London, where Monsieur introduced Dara Fotouhi as a business associate, and again discussed the illegal export of F-5 fighter jet engines from the United States to Iran. During this negotiation, the defendants allegedly asked the undercover agent if he could obtain or use U.S. shipping or export authorization documents that falsely indicated that the end user of the items would be located in Colombia.
In June 2009, according to the indictment, Monsieur sent an e-mail to the undercover agent and provided a purchase order for F-5 fighter jet parts from a front company for an organization known as Trast Aero Space, located in Kyrgyzstan. The order requested that the parts be located by the undercover agent and illegally exported to the United Arab Emirates for transshipment to Iran.
The following month, Monsieur allegedly contacted the undercover agent indicating that approximately $110,000 had been wired from Dubai to a bank account in Alabama as payment for the parts. He also indicated that a deposit of $300,000 would be forthcoming as a down payment for two F-5 fighter jet engines. In August 2009, Monsieur requested information from the undercover agent about his contact in Colombia for forwarding the aircraft parts from Colombia to the United Arab Emirates, the indictment alleges.
“The facts alleged in this indictment underscore the global reach of Iranian procurement networks and the international arms traffickers who help supply them. This case also highlights the importance of keeping restricted U.S. weapons technology out of their grasp,” said Deputy Attorney General Ogden. “I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring about this important arrest.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Eugene A. Seidel said, “The investigation and prosecution of cases such as this one will have a significant deterrent impact on illegal arms trafficking and will enhance our national security. Foreign governments and illegal arms dealers should know that there are no ‘safe harbors’ for this type of commerce. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the dedicated investigators, agency analysts, and prosecutors who helped bring about the arrest and indictment of the defendant.”
“Those who seek to illegally send dangerous weapons to Iran will never quite know whether the ‘merchant’ they’re dealing with is actually the long arm of the law,” said John Morton, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE. “ICE is committed to combating the flow of arms and sensitive technologies abroad and will utilize all of its resources to do so.”
“Safeguarding our military equipment and technology is vital to our nation’s defense and the protection of our war fighters,” said Director Sharon Woods, Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. “We know that foreign governments are actively seeking our equipment for their own military development. Thwarting these efforts is a top priority of the DCIS. I applaud the agents and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring about this result.”
This investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Bordenkircher of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, with assistance from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
An indictment is a formal accusation and is not proof of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless they are found guilty.
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Extremely thorough background checks, very inexpensive.
Launched in 2003, BackgroundNow.com provides background checks to organizations and a website rich in background check resources. Also, BackgroundNow.com Staff publish high profile background checks, such as “Bernard L. Madoff: The Five Federal Court Cases Filed December 2008: Official Federal Court Case Files“ at Amazon.com. Custom softcover background check books are available, as well, for only $.22 per page.
BackgroundNow.com is a small, private company that successfully competes with larger background check corporations, like Intelius.com, USSearch.com, Kroll and HireRight.com, with rapid, resourceful and personal service.
Is BackgroundNow.com the right background check company for your organization? Try these steps to evaluate background check services:
- Review “How safe is BackgroundNow.com?“
- View the “Step By Step Guide To BackgroundNow.com”presentation.
- Compare our background check options and pricesto Intelius.com, USSearch.com or HireRight.com.
- Download a sample background check.
- Call us at 1-713-784-3232, ext 3 and get friendly answers to your questions or request references.
Smart employers check backgrounds of potential and current employees to avert risk. The background checks your company conducts on employees can and should vary to match the kind of risks associated with each particular job.
Be aware, if your employee’s behaviors do harm in the course of employment duties your company may be liable. It’s up to you to know your employees’ backgrounds as thoroughly as possible to size up risks. Ignorance of their backgrounds is not a defense for damages caused by an employee. In fact, it may be used against your company through claims of negligence. Neglecting employee background checks can damage fiscal health, reputation and careers. Instinct and speculation are not substitutes for background checks.
Are you defraying your risks with background checks?
Carlin King, Former Head of Hanover Stevens Investments, Perpetrated $2 Million Ponzi Scheme
CARLIN KING, 43, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Marvin Shoob to serve three years in federal prison on a charge of wire fraud, in connection with his operation of the foreign exchange investment house “Hanover Stevens,” based in Atlanta.
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United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said of the case, “This case involves yet another scheme by an investment professional who earned the trust of many individuals and then defrauded them out of their savings. Whether there are $2 million or $200 million in losses, these are devastating crimes to the victims. This fraudster now will join many others in federal prison.”
KING was sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2.5 million. KING pleaded guilty to the charge on February 23, 2009.
According to United States Attorney Nahmias and the information presented in court: KING was a professional securities broker, who traded equity stocks and commodities for clients at various financial firms, mostly in Atlanta, since the 1990s. In approximately 2002, KING founded and began operating “Hanover Stevens,” a retail foreign exchange brokerage firm. Beginning in approximately February 2006, however, KING stopped actually investing client money in foreign exchange transactions. The evidence shows he began lying to clients about the returns their investments were supposedly making, and he began operating a fraudulent “Ponzi” scheme. Instead of investing client money in the foreign currency markets as he promised, KING began using those funds to pay Hanover Stevens’s increasing operating expenses, investors who had requested distributions, and substantial personal expenses (including living expenses at luxury hotels). To create the impression that their investments were profitable, KING provided account statements to his investors containing fabricated numbers as to the balances in their accounts and supposed investment gains. Because there were no actual investment gains—and because the balances being reported to investors were fabricated—the only way that KING could pay any requested distributions was to use newly-invested funds from new investors.
By December 2007—when the unsustainable scheme collapsed—the losses to the investors exceeded $2.5 million.
David G. Friehling, Accountant for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC, Charged with Securities Fraud, Other Offenses
Lev L. Dassin, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Joseph M. Demarest Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Division, announced today the filing of a criminal information in Manhattan federal court charging David G. Friehling, the accountant for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC (BLMIS), with securities fraud, aiding and abetting investment adviser fraud, and four counts of filing false audit reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The information also contains an allegation requiring the forfeiture of all of Friehling’s proceeds from the alleged securities fraud.
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According to the criminal information filed today before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein:
From 1991 through 2008, Friehling was paid by BLMIS purportedly to audit BLMIS’s financial statements that were filed with the SEC and sent to certain clients of BLMIS. Friehling falsely certified that he had prepared and audited those financial statements, including balance sheets, statements of income, statements of cash flows and reports on internal control, in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In fact, he failed to conduct audits that complied with GAAS and GAAP and also failed to test internal controls as required under GAAP and GAAS standards. Friehling also failed to maintain the requisite professional independence from his audit client, BLMIS, because he and/or his wife maintained an account with BLMIS that had a balance in excess of $500,000.
Friehling, 49, is charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of abetting investment adviser fraud, and four counts of filing false audit reports with the SEC. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 105 years in prison.
Mr. Dassin praised the investigative work of the FBI and thanked the SEC for its assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc Litt, Lisa A. Baroni, William J. Stellmach, Barbara A. Ward, and Sharon Frase are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges and allegations contained in the information are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Dongfan Chung, aka Greg Chung, Convicted of Economic Espionage in Theft of Space Shuttle Secrets for China
A former Rockwell and Boeing engineer from Orange County, Calif., was remanded into custody this morning after a federal judge convicted him of charges of economic espionage and acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China, for whom he stole restricted technology and Boeing trade secrets, including information related to the Space Shuttle program and Delta IV rocket.
Dongfan “Greg” Chung, 73, who was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until its defense and space unit was acquired by Boeing in 1996, was found guilty by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who presided over a three-week bench trial last month.
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In his ruling read this morning in court, Judge Carney found Chung guilty of conspiracy to commit economic espionage, six counts of economic espionage to benefit a foreign country, one count of acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China and one count of making false statements to the FBI.
Immediately following the reading of the verdicts, Judge Carney remanded Chung into custody, where he will remain until his sentencing, which was scheduled for Nov. 9, 2009. Chung had been freed after being arrested by special agents with the FBI and investigators with NASA in February 2008.
Chung, a native of China who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, held a “secret” security clearance when he worked at Rockwell and Boeing on the Space Shuttle program. He retired from the company in 2002, but the next year he returned to Boeing as a contractor, a position he held until September 2006. At trial last month, the government proved that Chung took and concealed Boeing trade secrets relating to the Space Shuttle and the Delta IV rocket, materials he acquired for the benefit of the PRC.
David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said: “For years, Mr. Chung stole critical trade secrets from Boeing relating to the Space Shuttle and the Delta IV rocket – all for the benefit of the government of China. Today’s verdict should serve as a warning to others willing to compromise America’s economic and national security to assist foreign governments. The many agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked on this important case deserve special thanks for their efforts.”
“Mr. Chung stole restricted technology for the benefit of a foreign nation, and as a result he has lost the freedom he was offered by this nation,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “The stolen technology compromised not only the American company that developed and owned the trade secrets, but national security as well because the secrets could be used by the PRC to develop its own military technology.”
Salvador Hernandez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles, stated: “The cost of Mr. Chung’s traitorous actions to American security and the economy cannot be quantified, but have now been exposed, and his ability to exploit critical technology has come to an end. FBI counter-intelligence agents and NASA received the full cooperation of the Boeing Company in building this three-year investigation, the successful outcome of which marks the first conviction by trial under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. I’m confident this milestone conviction will serve as a deterrent to would-be spies contemplating theft of precious U.S. secrets.”
The case against Chung resulted from an investigation into another engineer who worked in the United States and obtained sensitive military information for the PRC. That engineer, Chi Mak, and several of his family members were convicted of providing defense articles to the PRC. Chi Mak was sentenced last year to more than 24 years in federal prison (see: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/pressr...).
According to the evidence presented during the trial, individuals in the Chinese aviation industry began sending Chung “tasking” letters as early as 1979. Over the years, the letters directed Chung to collect specific technological information, including data related to the Space Shuttle and various military and civilian aircraft. Chung allegedly responded in one undated letter that “I would like to make an effort to contribute to the Four Modernizations of China.” In various letters to his handlers in the PRC, Chung referenced engineering manuals he had collected and sent to the PRC, including 24 manuals relating to the B-1 Bomber that Rockwell had prohibited from disclosure outside of the company and “selected federal agencies.”
Between 1985 and 2003, Chung made multiple trips to the PRC to deliver lectures on technology involving the Space Shuttle and other programs, and during those trips he met with PRC government officials, to include agents affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army. Chung and PRC officials exchanged letters that discussed Chung’s travel to China and recommended methods for passing information, including suggestions that Chung use Chi Mak and his wife Rebecca to transmit information. A May 2, 1987, letter from Gu Weihao, an official in the Ministry of Aviation and China Aviation Industry Corporation, discussed the possibility of inviting Chung’s wife, who is an artist, to visit an art institute so that Chung could use her trip as an excuse to travel to the PRC. This same letter suggested that passing information to the PRC through Chi Mak would be “faster and safer” and concluded with the statement: “It is your honor and China’s fortune that you are able to realize your wish of dedicating yourself to the service of your country.”
On Sept. 11, 2006, FBI and NASA agents searched Chung’s house and found more than 250,000 pages of documents from Boeing, Rockwell and other defense contractors inside the house and in a crawl space underneath the house. Among the documents found in the crawl space were scores of binders containing decades’ worth of stress analysis reports, test results and design information for the Space Shuttle.
Each charge of economic espionage carries a maximum possible penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine. The charge of acting as an agent of a foreign government carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The charges of conspiracy to commit economic espionage and making false statements to federal investigators each carry a maximum possible penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
In this morning’s ruling, Judge Carney acquitted Chung of one count of obstruction of justice.
The investigation in this case was conducted jointly by the FBI and NASA Counterintelligence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg Staples and Ivy Wang.
DISH Network LLC Agrees Sales, Service Deceptions Cleanup
Firm’s 100-page agreement with 46 states ensures clarity in terms of service, cancellations. Today’s agreement reflects a multi-state effort that was conducted in conjunction with 46 state attorneys general.
According to the states’ enforcement action, customers complained that DISH Network disclaimed responsibility for the conduct of its third-party retailers and installers; advertised rebates without disclosing limitations on rebate offers; represented that equipment was new when, in fact, it was used or refurbished; and electronically debited customers’ bank accounts and credit cards without their authorization. The agreement specifies that DISH Network denied any wrongdoing.
DISH Network, the nation’s No. 2 provider of direct broadcast satellite television service, agreed to numerous corrective actions to remedy conduct uncovered by the states. Foremost among these, the company’s advertising must clearly outline the following to its prospective customers:
• Whether signing up for a minimum term of service is necessary to receive an advertised price;• Whether penalties apply – and if so, the penalty amount – in the event a customer cancels service;• All fees and cost of service, including additional charges if the customer requests more than one satellite receiver;• Whether local channels are available to subscribers and if premium sports packages are subject to blackouts; and• All limitations on available customer rebates.
In addition, DISH Network must provide customers with a copy of the service contract before its satellite is installed. It must also provide a toll-free customer service number for customers who have questions. The agreement will make it easier for customers to understand DISH Network’s billing cycle – including when late fees apply – and bill payment options, as well as the fees that customers will be assessed for failing to timely return equipment. DISH Network must also comply with federal regulations regarding customers’ preauthorization to transfer funds from their bank accounts.
Additionally, DISH Network must ensure that its third-party retailers and installers abide by the terms of today’s agreement.
DISH Network also must comply with all federal, state and local telemarketing laws, including Texas No-Call statute. Under today’s agreement, DISH Network must get a listing of customers statewide who have signed up on Texas’ No Call list and the company must ensure its telemarketers avoid making unwanted calls.
http://www.backgroundnow.com/dish-network-agrees-sales-service-deceptions-cleanup/
Selecting The Right Background Check Company For Your Organization
Launched in 2003, BackgroundNow.com provides background checksto organizations and a website rich in background check resources. Also, BackgroundNow.com Staff publish high profile background checks, such as “Bernard L. Madoff: The Five Federal Court Cases Filed December 2008: Official Federal Court Case Files“ at Amazon.com. Custom softcover background check books are available, as well, for only $.22 per page.
Is BackgroundNow.com the right background check company for your organization? Try these steps to evaluate background check services:
- Review “How safe is BackgroundNow.com?“
- View the “Step By Step Guide To BackgroundNow.com”presentation.
- Check out the background check options and prices available to you.
- Call us at 1-713-784-3232, ext 3 and get friendly answers to your questions or request references.
www.BackgroundNow.com’s services are especially well suited to small and medium-sized companies. www.BackgroundNow.com gives you direct access management expertise, versus impersonal service found at big employment background check companies. Informed Networks Corporation is a firm that offers highly personalized service and open access to expertise.
The company’s knowledge of employment background check sources and its research expertise is deep. BackgroundNow’s systems search billions of records and compile the background check services you want and deliver answers you need. www.BackgroundNow.com researchers investigate every county, state and federal courthouse in the United States, covering every employment background check records source in the US and 200 other countries around the globe. With direct access to online and onsite sources, you’ll get authoritative employment background check services now.
Most background checks are delivered within 45-minutes and pricing is competitive. Our most popular domestic background check is less than $25.00. Most international criminal background check services are less than $200.00. There are no setup or monthly fees. Your company pays only for the reports you request.
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Click to view the “Step By Step Guide To BackgroundNow.com”.
Launched in 2003, BackgroundNow.com provides background checks to organizations, plus over 100,000 free, searchable federal court cases and criminal and civil cases published at Amazon.com.
Company Snapshot
www.BackgroundNow.com
Year Founded: 2003
Employees: 9
1526 Phoenician Drive
Mailbox-13, Katy, TX 77494
P. 713-784-3232
F. 281-754-4886
http://www.backgroundnow.com/
