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  • BULLETIN: ‘TeamVinh,’ A Ponzi-Board ‘Program,’ Charged By SEC

    teamvinhlogoBULLETIN: (8th Update 3:34 p.m. ET U.SA.) The SEC has gone to federal court in Minnesota, alleging that an enterprise known as “TeamVinh” that pushed something called “VPAKs” was operating a securities-fraud scheme targeted at MLMers.

    TeamVinh, which allegedly recruited more than 5,600 participants,  has a presence on the Ponzi boards, including MoneyMakerGroup and TalkGold. Recent chatter suggests the scheme may have been making selective payouts, a classic maneuver in HYIP Ponzi land. The scheme eventually morphed into a “purported commodities trading platform,” the SEC said.

    Morphing into a new scheme is another classic form of Ponzi fraud.

    “Defendants claimed that TeamVinh members are able to obtain the placement of individuals in their downline salesforce through purchasing what TeamVinh refers to as ‘VPAKs,’” the SEC charged. “Each VPAK is supposed to represent another individual who signed up for TeamVinh, and TeamVinh promises to ‘fulfill’ the VPAK by placing the person represented by the VPAK in the member’s downline at the third-party MLM company and in the member’s TeamVinh account. Defendants claim that, through the VPAKs, TeamVinh would ‘continuously SPILL in NEW Active Paying Members into [the existing member’s] Downline.’ Members could also earn funds by referring additional individuals to TeamVinh. ”

    Claims of tremendous spillover are common in MLM schemes.

    Charged were TeamVinh.com LLC and alleged operator Vu H. Le, also known as Vinh H. Le.

    Le, 39, lives in Minnesota and was convicted of forgery in Wisconsin in 1995. He spent two years in prison, the SEC said.

    By 2007, the SEC charged, “the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota barred Le from offering or selling securities in those states based on Le’s involvement in a real estate scam.”

    Le raised more than $3 million through TeamVinh, spending $2 million of it at “a single casino” in Las Vegas, the SEC charged. He allegedly also spent investor money at other casinos.

    Promises of “passive income” were part of the TeamVinh scheme, the SEC alleged. Earlier Ponzi-board scams such as Zeek Rewards and TelexFree made similar claims. So did “The Achieve Community.”

    Ponzi-board posts suggest TeamVinh was using a curious (and lengthy) acronym to sanitize the scheme: ACCESS WEW. This apparently stands for “A Crazily Cost Effective Self-Sustainable Wealth the Easier Way” system.

    A higher-priced scheme within the overall scheme was known as VET, which stood for “Vinh’s Elite Team,” the SEC said.

    The VET membership costs ranged “from $3,995 to $24,995.”

    TeamVinh buy-ins for as low as $40 also allegedly were offered, potentially making the business both a microscheme and a macroscheme.

    With TeamVinh already in trouble in 2014, “Le solicited additional investments from TeamVinh members in what he referred to as the ‘Platform.’ As new member and investor proceeds began to dwindle, Le told existing members and investors that he needed $200,000 to finalize TeamVinh’s launch of VodeOx,” the SEC charged. “Le claimed that an investor had committed the $200,000, but the investor’s bank would not clear the funds.”

    VodeOx purportedly was “TeamVinh’s own MLM company,” after TeamVinh earlier had operated as an apparent affiliate of other MLM firms.

    Read the SEC statement on TeamVinh. Read the complaint.




  • U.S. Tweaks National Terrorism Advisory System, Issues First ‘Bulletin’

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a terror “Bulletin.” The issuance coincides with an update to the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS).

    A “Bulletin” describes “general developments or trends regarding threats of terrorism,” DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said today.

    Two other advisory levels exist:

    An “Elevated Alert” warns “of a credible terrorism threat against the United States.”

    An “Imminent Alert,” meanwhile, warns “of a credible, specific and impending terrorism threat against the United States,” DHS says.

    The Bulletin issued today expires June 16, 2016, and reads as such (italics added):

    We are in a new phase in the global threat environment, which has implications on the homeland.  Particularly with the rise in use by terrorist groups of  the Internet to inspire and recruit, we are concerned about the “self-radicalized” actor(s) who could strike with little or no notice. Recent attacks and attempted attacks internationally and in the homeland warrant increased security, as well as increased public vigilance and awareness.

    • Though we know of no intelligence that is both specific and credible at this time of a plot by terrorist organizations to attack the homeland, the reality is terrorist-inspired individuals have conducted, or attempted to conduct, attacks in the United States this year.
    • DHS is especially concerned that terrorist-inspired individuals and homegrown violent extremists may be encouraged or inspired to target public events or places.
    • As we saw in the recent attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, terrorists will consider a diverse and wide selection of targets for attacks.
    • In the current environment, DHS is also concerned about threats and violence directed at particular communities and individuals across the country, based on perceived religion, ethnicity, or nationality.

    Here’s how Johnson began his remarks today (italics added):

    “In the period of weeks following the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13 and the terrorist attack in San Bernardino on December 2, officials of Homeland Security, the FBI, the intelligence community, state and local law enforcement and homeland security officials have been in a heightened state of readiness to protect our homeland. People are anxious now. They should know, they need to know what their government is doing to protect our homeland.”

    Read his full statement.

  • DEVELOPING STORY: Proposed Settlement Agreement With Zeek Receiver May Wipe Out MLM Attorneys And Law Firm

    From a court filing dated Dec. 11, 2015. Red highlight by PP Blog.
    From a court filing dated Dec. 11, 2015. Red highlight by PP Blog.

    DEVELOPING STORY: (5th Update 8:18 p.m. ET U.S.A.) MLM attorneys Gerald Nehra and Richard Waak will sign a confession of judgment for a whopping $100 million and acknowledge that Zeek parent Rex Venture Group “in fact operated an unlawful Ponzi and pyramid scheme” under the terms of a settlement agreement with Zeek Rewards’ receiver Kenneth D. Bell, according to new court filings.

    The news comes as Nehra and Waak also are being pursued by class-action attorneys for alleged misdeeds involving the TelexFree MLM scheme broken up by the Massachusetts Securities Division, the SEC and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2014.

    A judge must approve the settlement proposal with Bell in which the MLM lawyers contend “that they acted in good faith as legal counsel,” but now “acknowledge and agree that, based on their current knowledge, during the period they served as counsel RVG in fact operated an unlawful Ponzi an pyramid scheme involving an unregistered investment contract that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses to innocent victims of the scheme,” according to filings from Bell.

    In 2008, Nehra argued that AdSurfDaily — a $119 million Ponzi scheme — was not a Ponzi scheme. His own client, Andy Bowdoin, later disagreed. Nehra then became involved in both Zeek, a scheme that allegedly gathered more than $850 million, and TelexFree, which allegedly created more than $3 billion in bogus economic activity.

    All three “programs” used similar business models. The cascading fraud totals have been a source of considerable concern.

    The settlement proposal with Bell hints the MLM attorneys, who acknowledge no liability to the receiver, already may be wiped out in that it calls for a payment of $100,000, a small sum compared with the confession of judgment for $100 million.

    In fact, according to the agreement, the MLM lawyers have submitted a sworn financial statement and the $100,000 figure represents “to the extent that it can be accomplished, the full payment of all the Nehra and Waak’s funds and assets available to satisfy the agreed judgment.”

    “The Receiver believes the financial settlement, Confession of Judgment in the amount of $100 million and the acknowledgement of the existence of the Ponzi and pyramid scheme reached as part of the negotiation process is the best outcome for the Receivership and that even with the expenditure of additional funds to obtain a judgment there is not a likelihood of a materially increased recovery for the eventual distribution to the Zeek victims.” Bell wrote.

    Bell sued Nehra and Waak in September, alleging that they “encouraged investors to participate in the scheme by knowingly allowing their names to be used in providing a false façade of legality and legitimacy and gave improper legal advice that allowed the scheme to continue far longer than it would have without the Defendants’ support. Nehra and Waak’s improper and negligent actions, which breached their fiduciary duties to RVG and assisted RVG’s Insiders to breach their fiduciary duties, caused significant damage to RVG.”

    The PP Blog reported last month that a settlement was possible.

    Bell advised Senior U.S. District Judge Graham C. Mullen today that the proposed settlement sum of $100,000 was “based on the defendants’ financial condition.”

    NOTE: Our thanks to the ASD Updates Blog.




  • URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Judge Orders U.S. Marshals To Arrest Zeek Figure Darryle Douglas

    breakingnews725URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (3rd Update 6:25 p.m. ET U.S..) Senior U.S. District Judge Graham C. Mullen of the Western District of North Carolina has ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to arrest alleged Zeek Rewards’ insider Darryle Douglas for civil contempt of court.

    The order was issued yesterday and included a directive for marshals to execute an arrest warrant and jail Douglas, a Californian. It was not immediately clear whether he has been taken into custody.

    As the PP Blog reported on July 13, Douglas may be associated with an emerging scheme known as Auction Attics. Zeek receiver Kenneth D. Bell initially declined to comment on the nascent “program,” which almost certainly was aimed at former Zeekers and others.

    But Bell did reference Auction Attics in an Aug. 24 court filing, according to BehindMLM.com.

    After Mullen ordered Douglas to appear at a Dec. 3 hearing in North Carolina, Douglas failed to show, according to the order.

    At the same time, Douglas has not complied with a Sept. 15 order that directed him to turn over the Zeek Rewards’ database, to produce certain financial records and to submit to a deposition by Bell, according to the order.

    And, according to the order, Douglas has been obstructing the receiver. From the order (italics added):

    Mr. Douglas failed to appear for the show-cause hearing. The Court took evidence at the hearing from the Receiver and from counsel for Mr. Douglas and is satisfied that Mr. Douglas received notice of the hearing well in advance of the hearing date. The Court finds that Mr. Douglas received notice of the September 15 Order and has violated that Order. In addition, the Court finds that the Receivership has suffered and will continue to suffer harm because of Mr. Douglas’ violation of the Order. Mr. Douglas was previously found liable for more than $2 million to the Receivership in the form of fraudulent transfers and prejudgment interest, and under the Agreed Order in this matter, these are Receivership Assets belonging to the Receivership Estate.

    Mr. Douglas’s failure to return the database and these Receivership Assets not only harm the Receivership, but they also violate the Agreed Order in obstructing the Receiver’s efforts.

    NOTE: Our thanks to the ASD Updates Blog.




  • Watch The Trailer For ‘Madoff’ And Think About How You Could Have Avoided Schemes Such As Zeek And TelexFree

    Bernard Madoff, played by Richard Dreyfuss, tells investors "Look, it's a closed fund" in the ABC miniseries. Ponzi schemes often trade on suggestions of exclusivity.
    Bernard Madoff, played by Richard Dreyfuss, tells investors “Look, it’s a closed fund” in the ABC miniseries. Ponzi schemes often trade on suggestions of exclusivity.

    ABC has made available the first trailer for “Madoff,” a network miniseries debuting Feb. 3, 2016. Richard Dreyfuss plays the notorious Ponzi schemer, with Blythe Danner starring as Ruth Madoff.

    Bernard Madoff’s name first appeared on the PP Blog nearly seven years ago, on Dec. 13, 2008. It has appeared numerous times since then.

    Says Dreyfuss, as Madoff, in the trailer: “You want to know how to get people to trust you with their money? I’ll tell you right now: You present it as an exclusive thing.”

    Any number of the “programs” we have covered tried to sell Madoff-like exclusivity. One of them was Zeek Rewards, an alleged MLM fraud involving more than $850 million taken down by the SEC in 2012.

    Zeek Rewards, according to the SEC, called itself a “private, invitation-only, affiliate advertising division” for Zeekler, a penny-auction “opportunity.”

    Of course, the interest rate Zeek promised made Madoff look like an amateur.

    As the PP Blog reported on June 10, 2012, a couple of months prior to the SEC’s Zeek action (italics added):

    When Zeek’s story is compared to the tale of Madoff’s relatively modest (compared to Zeek) but unusually consistent returns of around 10 percent a year, Zeek is outperforming the notorious Ponzi swindler by a factor on the order of 30 to one. Zeek, though, insists it is not offering an investment. It also preemptively denies it is a “pyramid scheme” and plants the seed it will terminate any affiliate who suggests Zeek is offering an investment program.

    Lessons flowing from Madoff continue to go unheeded — things such as suggestions of exclusivity and unusually consistent returns.

    But with HYIPs, the danger signs may be even clearer: preposterous interest rates that dwarf Madoff’s “returns,” a presence of a scheme on the Ponzi boards such as TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup, menacing behavior by a company or its affiliates, cult-like qualities (such as allegedly existed at TelexFree), bizarre antigovernment rhetoric suggesting the presence of “sovereign citizens” or political extremists.

    One of the classic refrains is that “it can’t be a scam because the company is registered.”

    TelexFree, which allegedly generated $3 billion in economic activity, was “registered.”

    So was Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.

    As was the case at Zeek, the TelexFree interest rate dwarfed that of Madoff. From the SEC’s 2014 TelexFree complaint filed years after Madoff made “Ponzi” household word in 2008 (italics added):

    One version of the marketing presentation on the company website contained slides indicating that an AdCentral promoter could clear $2,296 per year on a $289 investment, that an Ad Central Family promoter could clear $11,599 per year on a $1,375 investment, and that a Team Builder promoter could receive as much as $39,600 per year.

    The “Madoff” trailer is below. It includes lots of lessons for the mind and soul in just one minute — and it’s not just about making people think they are becoming members of an exclusive club. The con man serving 150 years in federal prison also made appeals to naked greed.

    Your Ponzi-board sponsor may be doing the same thing to you right now.




  • BULLETIN: 2 Arrested In Alleged ‘Banners Broker’ Pyramid Scheme

    breakingnews725BULLETIN: (14th Update 3:39 p.m. ET U.S.A.) Toronto police have arrested “Banners Broker” figures Christopher George Smith of Toronto and Rajiv Dixit of Vancouver.

    Both suspects are 45 and are scheduled to make a court appearance today, police said. The scheme allegedly raised $93 million (U.S.).

    They have been charged with Defrauding the Public of Over $5000, Possession of the Proceeds of Crime, Laundering the Proceeds of Crime, Operating a Pyramid-Selling Scheme and Making False or Misleading Representations under the Competition Act, police said.

    “[T]here are 1000’s of victims worldwide in Banners Brokers pyramid scheme,” police said on Twitter. The remark was attributed to Det. Sgt. Ian Nichol of the Toronto Police Mass Marketing Section.

    And, the department Tweeted, the agency and mass-marketing fraud investigators from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police “worked for 2yrs full time on Banners Brokers pyramid scheme investigation.”

    Also assisting in the cross-border probe were the Competition Bureau of Canada, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, the Ministry of Finance, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, FINTRAC and the Canada Revenue Agency, police said.

    FINTRAC stands for the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada.

    “[T]he program’s existence was entirely dependent upon the fee-based entry of new members and little or no real product or service was provided,” police said.

    Banners Broker, a purported “advertising” program similar to the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme broken up by the U.S Secret Service in 2008 and a current “program” known as MyAdvertisingPays or MAPS, previously has been described as a criminal enterprise.

    As the PP Blog reported last year, Banners Broker, like similar schemes, appeared to be trying to intimidate members.

    Read the statement by the Toronto Police Service on Banners Broker and the arrests of Smith and Dixit.

    In 2013, the PP Blog received bizarre spam from apparent Banners Broker supporters unhappy about the Blog’s coverage of the “program.”

    The PP Blog’s first reference to Banners Broker was published on June 17, 2012, when the Blog reported that a site that claimed it sold “customers” to Zeek Rewards members also was pushing traffic to Banners Broker and JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid, the bizarre, 730-percent-a-year “program” purportedly operated by Frederick Mann.

    Mann also was a pitchman for the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme. JSS/JBP, which later morphed into a “program” known as ProfitClicking, may have ties to the sovereign-citizens movement. Zeek allegedly was a Ponzi/pyramid scheme that gathered more than $850 million.

    Some HYIP promoters move from scheme to scheme to scheme, creating a condition in which losses mount globally and banks become warehouses for fraud proceeds. The SEC yesterday announced charges against alleged Zeek promoter Trudy Gilmond, whom the agency alleged recruited members for multiple failed schemes.

    See the PP Blog’s tag archive of references to Banners Broker or use the search function near the upper-right corner.

    Also see: “Law Firm’s Name Used In Bid To Dupe Members Of Banners Broker, Profit Clicking, MLM Attorney Says.”

    Within the story, the PP Blog showed a menacing communication it had received in January 2013. The story also shows the interconnectivity of certain online MLM schemes, as does this 2013 story: “TelexFree Affiliate Pitches Appear To Have Been ‘Scraped’ To Drive Traffic To Purported Gold And Silver Venture In Panama; Spam Link Leads To Site That Showcases ‘First Zeek Red Carpet Event’ And ‘Banners Broker’ In Folder Labeled ‘aaronsharazeek’  




  • URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: SEC Charges Alleged Zeek Promoter Trudy Gilmond

    breakingnews725URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (5th Update 9:15 p.m. ET U.S.A.) The SEC has gone to federal court in the Western District of North Carolina and charged Zeek Rewards’ figure Trudy Gilmond with securities fraud, selling unregistered securities and failure to register as a broker-dealer.

    Among the allegations: Gilmond knew Zeek was under investigation in 2012 and cashed out without telling investors the “program’s” days likely were numbered. She also is accused of joining with Zeek’s principals in playing word games to sanitize the fraud.

    Gilmond, 45, of Vermont, is the first individual Zeek promoter charged in an alleged Ponzi- and pyramid scheme said to have gathered more than $850 million. She previously had been sued by court-appointed receiver Kenneth D. Bell as an alleged “winner” in the scheme.

    The Zeek receivership estate was awarded a judgment of more than $2.1 million against Gilmond, who previously promoted the collapsed Regenesis 2X2 scheme investigated by the U.S. Secret Service in 2009.

    In its complaint, the SEC said Gilmond is a “self-described network marketer who has participated in numerous MLM programs, operating under the trade name ‘Team Fired Up’ to attract followers and new recruits to join her ‘downline’  in those MLM programs (several of which ultimately collapsed in a fashion similar to ZeekRewards).”

    Zeek’s former COO Dawn Wright-Olivares, an SEC civil defendant who also has been charged criminally, recruited Gilmond, the SEC charged.

    Bell has raised the issue of MLMers or direct marketers moving from one fraud scheme to another. Gilmond now joins MLM promoter Matthew John Gagnon as a roving huckster pursued by both a receiver and the SEC. Gagnon also was pursued by criminal authorities.

    It perhaps never has been more dangerous for hucksters to move from scheme to scheme to scheme. Serial promoters Faith Sloan and Sann Rodrigues were charged by the SEC in the TelexFree Ponzi- and pyramid case and also are being pursued by class-action attorneys. Rodrigues, who once claimed God invented MLM and “binary,” also has been hit with criminal charges of immigration fraud.

    The SEC later tied Rodrigues to Daniel Fernandes Rojo Filho, an alleged fraudster from DFRF Enterprises who previously was tied to the infamous EMG/Finanzas Forex Ponzi scheme.

    With respect to Gilmond, the SEC described her as “one of the most successful and prolific promoters of ZeekRewards. From at least September 2011 until ZeekRewards was shut down in August 2012, Gilmond worked closely with the company founders and served as a senior ‘field liaison’ to promote the scheme, persuading scores of unsophisticated retail investors to buy ZeekRewards securities upon the promise of profit sharing. Gilmond reaped more than $1.7 million in transaction-based commissions and bogus profit-sharing for her recruiting efforts.”

    Some of the specific allegations against Gilmond in the SEC complaint (italics added/editing performed):

    Based on Gilmond’s efforts and the misstatements on the website, many of Gilmond’s team members ultimately purchased the ZeekRewards securities, earning Gilmond substantial commissions.

    As a field liaison, Gilmond had access to portions of ZeekRewards’ internal electronic investor database so that she could make adjustments to individual accounts to address her affiliates’ concerns or complaints. Among other things, Gilmond had the ability to adjust the number of “points” earned and could assign downline recruits to certain affiliates, both of which impacted the measure of profit sharing or commissions paid to those affiliates. In addition, Gilmond developed close ties with Wright-Olivares and other ZeekRewards insiders, which gave her unique access and insight not available to a typical investor.

    Having worked closely with the company founders and insiders to promote the scheme in her role as a senior field liaison, and given her prior experience with similar MLM programs that ultimately collapsed, Gilmond knew or should have known that the ZeekRewards scheme’s outsize returns (averaging 1.5% per day) were too good to be true and could not be sustained.

    Gilmond also helped conceal from investors and regulators the true nature of the ZeekRewards scheme. To that end, Wright-Olivares and others directed, and Gilmond helped implement, several superficial or nominal changes to certain ZeekRewards features. This included removing any references on the website to the terms “investment” and “ROI”; substituting a daily award percentage that in the aggregate approximated 125% every 90 days rather than “guaranteeing” a 125% return; and requiring investors to give away VIP bids to foster the illusion of contributing efforts to the enterprise.

    Aware that ZeekRewards was under investigation by several law enforcement agencies and that the business was in serious trouble in 2012, Gilmond and others withdrew substantial sums of money from the scheme before it was shut down, without advising investors that the scheme was likely to collapse.

    Read the SEC statement and complaint against Gilmond.

    NOTE: Our thanks to the ASD Updates Blog.

     

  • 11,900 Claims Received In WCM777 Ponzi/Pyramid Case; Time To File Is Running Out

    wcm777In the bizarre WCM777 Ponzi- and pyramid scheme, investors may not know what has become of Ming Xu and how much the equally bizarre Joseph Global Institute reportedly once operated by Xu and a former Mafia member continues to contribute to the vomitous madness.

    What is known is that about 11,900 claimants have come forward. The number is included in a Dec. 4 report filed by Krista L. Freitag, the court-appointed receiver. The deadline for filing originally was Nov. 9. But Freitag, in October, asked the court to extend the deadline in part because too few claimants had surfaced.

    U.S. District Judge John F. Walter of the Central District of California extended the deadline  until Dec. 24 and empowered the receiver to take other actions “to increase the number of investor claims submitted,” according to the court docket.

    The order seems to have aided the cause.

    Noted Freitag in her report: “As proposed in the Receiver’s application, in addition to a reminder email blast notifying investors of the extended bar date and steps approved by the Court, the steps taken by the Receiver include opening a live telephone line for investor calls (which can be answered in six different languages), allowing investors to submit their supporting documents by mail, mailing physical notices to investors whose addresses are available from checks, and holding an in-person meeting in Los Angeles at which investors were able to submitting claims with assistance from the Receiver and her staff. As a result of these efforts, the response rate and number of claims received have increased significantly.”

    As of Nov, 27, the number of claimants stood at approximately 11,900, the receiver noted.

  • Terrorist Incident At London Subway Station, Scotland Yard Says

    breakingnews725BULLETIN: London Metropolitan Police are investigating multiple stabbings at Leytonstone Underground station and are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.

    Scotland Yard has identified the weapon as a knife, but the deck of a story in the Telegraph reports it was a machete and that a male suspect had yelled, “This is for Syria.”

    From an early statement by Scotland Yard, attributed to Com. Richard Walton, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command (italics added):

    “We are treating this as a terrorist incident. I would urge the public to remain calm, but alert and vigilant.

    “The threat from terrorism remains at severe, which means that a terrorist attack is highly likely.

    “I would appeal to anyone who was in the vicinity of Leytonstone underground station earlier this evening at around 7pm who saw anything suspicious to call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.

    “Anyone who may have captured video or photographic footage of the incident is also urged to make contact with the Counter Terrorism Command via the Anti-Terrorist Hotline.”

    The suspect, who is in custody in East London and whose name has not been released, was subdued by an officer with a TASER, Scotland Yard said.

    “One man has sustained serious knife injuries; these are not believed at this stage to be life-threatening,” the agency said. “Two other people have sustained minor injuries.”

    Today’s London incident occurred three days after 14 people were killed in a suspected terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif.

    “This is now a federal terrorism investigation, led by the FBI,” FBI Director James Comey said yesterday about the San Bernardino mass shooting. “The reason for that is that the investigation so far has developed indications of radicalization by the killers and of the potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations.”

    In a statement, the White House said this evening that President Obama will address the American people tomorrow at 8 p.m. from the Oval Office.

    Here is the full statement (italics added):

    On Sunday, December 6th at 8:00PM EST, President Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office about the steps our government is taking to fulfill his highest priority: keeping the American people safe. The President will provide an update on the ongoing investigation into the tragic attack in San Bernardino. The President will also discuss the broader threat of terrorism, including the nature of the threat, how it has evolved, and how we will defeat it. He will reiterate his firm conviction that ISIL will be destroyed and that the United States must draw upon our values – our unwavering commitment to justice, equality and freedom – to prevail over terrorist groups that use violence to advance a destructive ideology.

  • DEVELOPING STORY: Boston Police Seek Public’s Help After Suspicious Package Left Near Department Of Homeland Security Vehicle

    This "person of interest" dropped a suspicious package near a Department of Homeland Security vehicle in downtown Boston this morning. Source: Boston Police Department.
    Source: Boston Police Department.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: There appears to be no evidence so far that the suitcase contained a bomb. Even so, the incident in Boston this morning shows that terrorism still is very much on the minds of police after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 and after the attack in San Bernardino, Calif., that killed 14 people on Dec. 2. Also: See 4:15 p.m. ET update below. Police have made an arrest and now are calling the subject a “suspect.” He earlier was called a “person of interest.”

    This (left) is a photo of a man the Boston Police Department is trying to identify after someone reportedly “dropped a suitcase by the rear tire of a marked [U.S.] Department of Homeland Security vehicle then left the area in a hurry” at about 9:50 a.m. today.

    The incident occurred in downtown Boston ” in the area of 408 Atlantic Avenue,” police said.

    Authorities detonated the suitcase in an abundance of caution after observing wires inside of it, Chief William Evans says in this WVCB video.

    “Officers are seeking the public’s assistance in locating and identifying the above person of interest in relation to this incident. Anyone with any information is asked to call District A-1 Detectives directly at (617) 343-4248,” the department said.

    UPDATE 4:15 P.M. ET U.S.A. Boston police say they and members of the Lawrence Police Department have arrested James Derepentigny, 50.

    “He is charged with Planting a Hoax Device and will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court,” police said.

  • Suspect Tyler Scott Testerman Captured In Shooting Of Maryland Police Officer, Authorities Say

    Tyler Scott Testerman. Source: Aberdeen Police Deparment, via Facebook.
    Tyler Scott Testerman. Source: Aberdeen Police Deparment, via Facebook.

    This is Tyler Scott Testerman, a 21-year-old man suspected of shooting an Aberdeen (Md.) police officer in the face early today. A manhunt ensued, and police announced the capture of Testerman minutes ago.

    The shooting of the officer in a wooded area led to the closure of Aberdeen schools today, police said.

    wbaltv.com has identified the officer as Jason Easton, a 10-year veteran of the force. The officer survived the shooting and was flown to a trauma center in Baltimore.

    Easton was hit by several projectiles, suggesting a shotgun was used. Early in the investigation, police have not specifically identified the weapon.

    Here is what Aberdeen police said at 8:30 today, prior to the capture (italics added):

    Officer Shot in Face; Suspect At Large

    Aberdeen, MD – On Friday, December 04, 2015, at approximately 2:27 AM, the Aberdeen Police Department responded to the 500 block of Ohio Court in reference to a suspicious circumstance. The initial investigating officer made contact with a complainant in the backyard and began to gather facts about the complaint. Next, a white male appeared from the wood line and fired a shot, striking the investigating officer in the face with 6-8 projectiles.

    Maryland State Police Medevac responded and transported the officer from the scene to Maryland Shock Trauma. The injured officer is a 10 year veteran assigned to the Patrol Division, Midnight Shift. He is currently undergoing treatment for injuries sustained as a result of the incident.

    Investigators responded quickly to the scene and identified Tyler Scott Testerman, W, M, DOB [deleted by PP Blog], as the alleged shooter. Testerman had already fled the scene on foot. Lastly, an immediate manhunt ensued that enlisted the support of the Maryland State Police and Harford County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives are actively following up on leads developed as to whereabouts of Testerman.

    Aberdeen Public Schools have been closed today, and should resume normal operations on Monday, December 7, 2015. Traffic on Baltimore Street is not affected at this time.

    The Aberdeen Police Department encourages anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Tyler Testerman to contact the Aberdeen Police Department at 410-272-2121.
    Prepared By: Sgt. C. William Reiber