By R. Mitchell – Washington – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury lowered the withholding underpayment threshold to 80 percent, delivering more taxpayers penalty relief. This change applies to taxpayers whose total withholding and estimated tax payments for 2018 are equal to or greater than 80 percent of their taxes owed. The typical threshold to avoid a penalty is ...

By R. Mitchell – Washington – Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Banco de Desarrollo Economico y Social de Venezuela, or BANDES, pursuant to E.O. 13850, as amended, for operating in the financial sector of the Venezuelan economy, as well as four additional financial institutions that BANDES owns or controls. “The willingness of ...

By R. Mitchell – AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico — A joint effort by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) and U.S. Coast Guard  resulted in the interception last Friday night of a vessel attempting to smuggle 2,513 pounds (1,140  kilos) of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $28.5 million.  Authorities arrested three aliens from Dominican Republic found operating ...

By R. Mitchell – Cesar Altieri Sayoc, aka “Cesar Randazzo,” “Cesar Altieri,” and “Cesar Altieri Randazzo,” pled guilty today to a 65-count Superseding Information in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.  In connection with the guilty plea, Sayoc admitted to mailing 16 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to 13 victims throughout the country, including 11 current or ...

By R. Mitchell – President Donald Trump will travel to Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he and the first lady will participate in a working visit with Carribean leaders. Keep up with Trump on President Trump’s Schedule Page. President Trump’s schedule for 3/22/19 All Times EDT 9:30 AM Depart the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews –  ...

By R. Mitchell – A citizen of Nigeria residing in Atlanta, and a citizen of Mexico residing in California, were convicted Wednesday after a seven-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee on charges related to the part each played in an international cyber fraud scheme. Olufolajimi Abegunde, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Javier Luis ...

By R. Mitchell – A Charlotte, North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to access a protected computer, for his role in an international “Tech Support Scam” that defrauded hundreds of victims, including seniors, of more than $3 million. Bishap Mittal, 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer after which he was released on bond.  A ...

By C. Todd Lopez – What’s great power competition?  Its when large nations vie for the greatest power and influence — not just in their own parts of the world, but also farther out. The United States enjoys a lead there, now, but other nations are nipping at its heels. In the 1990s, the U.S. didn’t have a peer competitor, ...

By R. Mitchell – The Department of State has amended the terrorist designations of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to include Amaq News Agency, Al Hayat Media Center, and other aliases. These aliases have been added to ISIS’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a ...

By R. Mitchell – WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced the designation of two shipping companies that have helped North Korea evade sanctions.  Today’s action highlights the deceptive methods that the North Korean regime uses to circumvent international and U.S. sanctions, as well as the U.S. Government’s commitment to implement ...

By David Vergun – “Rosie the Riveter” was an iconic poster of a female factory worker flexing her muscle, exhorting other women to join the World War II effort with the declaration that “We Can Do It!” Mae Krier, 93, an original Rosie the Riveter, worked at Boeing aircraft, producing B-17s and B-29s for the war effort from 1943 to 1945 ...

By R. Mitchell – PHILADELPHIA – A multi-agency examination of imported shipping containers at the Philadelphia seaport netted 1,185 pounds of cocaine Tuesday. This multi-agency team was led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and consisted of partner agencies Homeland Security Joint Task Force-East, U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Philadelphia Police Department, ...

By R. Mitchell – DONNA, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers intercepted a substantial amount of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $3,000,000 in two enforcement actions over a four-day span. “I applaud the CBP officers for these two exceptional narcotic interceptions as they illustrate the multilayered enforcement effected ...

By R. Mitchell – President Donald Trump signs an executive order Thursday that will improve free speech at America’s learning institutions by holding colleges and universities accountable when censorship or bias are allowed. The president announced the executive order during his speech at CPAC in March saying that he would deny federal research funds to colleges and universities that do ...

By C. Todd Lopez – The recently announced U.S Space Force won’t be deploying space cadets on bug hunts any time soon — at least it’s not in the plans for now. Instead, its primary role will be to maintain and increase the gap between existing U.S. space capabilities and those of America’s nearest competitors. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. ...