MIT Computer Hacker Faces Charges

BrocktonPost
BOSTON--A federal indictment unsealed Tuesday has charged a Cambridge man with
computer intrusion, fraud, and data theft in computer hacking incidents that targeted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and JSTOR, a not-for-profit archive of scientific journals and academic work.
Aaron Swartz, 24, was charged in an indictment with wire fraud, computer fraud,
unlawfully obtaining information from a protected computer, and recklessly damaging a
protected computer.
The indictment alleges Swartz illegally accessed and distributed more than 4 million scientific works from JSTOR.
If convicted on these charges, SWARTZ faces up to 35 years in prison, to
be followed by three years of supervised release, restitution, forfeiture and a fine of up to $1 million.
“Stealing is stealing whether you use a computer command or a crowbar, and whether you take documents, data or dollars. It is equally harmful to the victim whether you sell what you have stolen or give it away,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz in a prepared statement.
The indictment alleges between September 24, 2010, and January 6, 2011, Swartz
contrived to break into a restricted computer wiring closet in a basement at MIT and to access
MIT’s network without authorization from a computer switch within that closet.
He is charged with doing this in order to download a major portion of JSTOR’s archive of digitized academic journal articles onto his computers and hard drives.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization that has invested heavily in providing an online system for archiving, accessing, and searching digitized copies of over 1,000 academic journals.
It is alleged that Swartz avoided MIT’s and JSTOR’s security efforts in order to distribute a significant proportion of JSTOR’s archive through one or more file-sharing sites.
The indictment alleges that Swartz’s repeated automatic downloads impaired JSTOR’s
computers, brought down some of its servers, and deprived various computers at MIT from accessing JSTOR’s research.
Even after JSTOR and MIT worked to block Swartz’s computers, Swartz allegedly returned with new methods for accessing JSTOR and downloading articles.
The indictment alleges that Swartz exploited MIT’s computer system to steal over four
million articles from JSTOR, even though Swartz was not affiliated with MIT as a student,faculty member, or employee.
In fact, during these events, Swartz was allegedly a fellow at a Boston-area university, through which he could have accessed JSTOR’s services and archive for legitimate research.
At this time, the government is unaware of any personal identifying information having been stolen from JSTOR as a result of SWARTZ’s alleged actions.

Canadian Doctor Pleads Quilty In Illegal HGH Sports Injury Treatments

BrocktonPost
BUFFALO, N.Y.--A Canadian doctor has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of treating American baseball, football, golf and other professional athletes with illegal human growth steroids in violation of several U.S. laws and will face up to three years in jail.
According to a release from U.S. Immigration and Customs, or ICE, Dr. Anthony Galea, 51, of Toronto, Canada, entered his guilty plea Wednesday, July 6 before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara in Buffalo, N.Y., and faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and forfeiture of $275,000.
In the original affidavit from May, 18, 2010, Galea faced a maximum of 20 years for smuggling charges.
The drugs included human growth hormone, or HGH, and Actovegin, a derivative of calf's blood.
Media reports have said Galea was a former doctor to golfer Tiger Woods and New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez.
The charge stems from an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
Galea admitted traveling to the U.S. numerous times from 2007 through September 2009in order to provide medical treatments to professional athletes, including players in the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
The affidavit supporting the complaint alleges that Galea, who is not a U.S. citizen and who is not authorized to work in the United States, repeatedly entered the United States from 2007 to September 2009 in order to treat numerous professional athletes in the country. The athletes were said to be from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the Professional Golfers' Association.
It was alleged that Galea's billings to three athletes from the NFL alone amounted to approximately $200,000.
Galea, who is not licensed to practice medicine in the U.S., admitted traveling to 13locations, including New York City, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Boston to administer four different kinds of treatments.
One type of treatment involved injecting athletes with a mixture containing HGH, while a second type of treatment involved injections of Actovegin.
Federal law requires that drugs intended for human consumption, such as prescription medicines, must be approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration.
Human growth hormone is not approved by the FDA as a treatment for sports injuries and is banned by most professional sports leagues, including the NFL and MLB.
Actovegin is not approved for any use in humans.
Also participating in this ICE HSI investigation were the FBI; FDA, Office of Criminal Investigations; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
On June 24, 2010, Mary Anne Catalano, an employee of the defendant in Canada, pleaded guilty before Judge Arcara to making false statements at the border. Catalano is awaiting sentencing in this case.
Judge Arcara scheduled sentencing for October 19, 2011 at 12:30 pm. Galea was released pending sentencing.

Whitey Caught In Santa Monica, California

BrocktonPost
LOS ANGELES--After 16 years on the run, accused murderer and Winter Hill Gang James "Whitey" Bulger has been arrested in Santa Monica, California by Santa Monica Police and agents with the FBI.
According to a statement from the FBI, Bulger and his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig were arrested after a tip Wednesday night June 22 led police to a 28-unit apartment complex where the pair lived on the top floor.
The FBI said a "rouse" was used to bring Bulger out of the apartment and when he was identifed was arrested without incident.
Grieg was then arrested and an FBI evidence team scoured the apartment and found weapons and a large stash of money.
A press conference and arraignment was expected in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Los Angeles around 10:30 this morning.
Bulger, the brother of former longtime Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives William Bulger, has been on the run since 1995 when he escaped custoday a day before he was to be arrested on murder charges.
Now imprisoned FBI agent John Connolly used Bulger as an informant and protected Bulger from prosecution for numerous crimes including murder.
It was Connolly who tipped Bulger that federal officials were moving in to arrest him.
Bulger has been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List since 1999.
The FBI last week began a publicity campaign that concentrated on Greig and FBI officials said it was the campaign that produced a tip which led agents to Santa Monica, California, where they located both Bulger and Greig at the apartment which is about three blocks from the ocean.

Gov. Patrick To Testify In DiMasi Case

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--According to a statement late Wednesday, May 25 from the U.S. Attorney in Boston, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to testify in the corruption case against former Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi on Friday.
At this time, there is no more information at this time.

678 gang members and associates arrested during Project Southern Tempest

BrocktonPost
WASHINGTON--A division of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency today announced the arrests of 678 alleged gang members and drug trafficking associates from 133 different gangs and coming from 24 different countries including Mexico, and 168 U.S. cities in a sweep dubbed Project Southern Tempest.
"Project Southern Tempest is the largest ever ICE-led gang enforcement operation targeting gangs with ties to drug trafficking organizations," said Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton in a prepared statement.
"Through gang enforcement operations like Project Southern Tempest and Project Big Freeze last year, ICE will continue to disrupt and dismantle these transnational gangs and rid our streets not only of drug dealers, but the violence associated with the drug trade," he said.
According to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, Project Southern Tempest, led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, has worked with 173 federal, state and local law enforcement partners to apprehend individuals from 13 gangs affiliated with drug trafficking in Mexico.
More than 46 percent of those arrested during this operation were members or associates of gangs with ties to drug trafficking organizations.
Those arrested came from 24 countries in South and Central America, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.
Of the total number of arrested, 776 were males and 72 were females.
Transnational criminal street gangs have significant numbers of foreign-national members and are frequently involved in human smuggling and trafficking; narcotics smuggling and distribution; identity theft and benefit fraud; money laundering and bulk cash smuggling; weapons smuggling and arms trafficking; cyber crimes; export violations; and other crimes with a nexus to the border.
Of the 678 gang members or associates arrested:
they hailed from 133 different gangs;
447 were charged with criminal offenses;
231 were administrative arrests;
322 had violent criminal histories;
421 were foreign nationals.
In addition to the 678 arrests, 164 individuals were arrested for federal or state criminal violations, or administrative immigration violations.
Of the 164, 117 were charged with criminal offenses, 46 had violent criminal histories, 47 were administrative arrests and 78 were foreign nationals.
In addition to the arrests, during the operation agents seized 86 firearms, eight pounds of methamphetamine, 30 pounds of marijuana, one pound of cocaine, more than $70,000 in U.S currency and two vehicles.
Among those arrested during Project Southern Tempest were:
• Andrey Melnikov, 36, a Russian national with legal permanent residence status and an associate of the Valleros gang was arrested in Oceanside, Calif., for auto theft. His criminal convictions include possession of weapon on school grounds/carrying loaded firearm in a public place and felon in possession of a firearm.
• Cesar Enrique Barreiro, 27, a U.S. citizen and member of the Lennox 13 gang was arrested in Lennox, Calif., for RICO charges from an ongoing multi-agency investigation. His criminal convictions include aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. He faces federal criminal prosecution on racketeering charges.
• Shawn Allison, 32, a Jamaican national and member of the Jamaican Posse gang was arrested in Bronx, N.Y., for attempted murder. His convictions include possession with intent to distribute and criminal contempt. He faces state criminal prosecution on charges of attempted murder.
• Rodimiro Burquez-Cortez, 34, a Mexican national and Surenos gang associate was arrested in Provo, Utah, for re-entry after deportation and narcotics and weapon offenses. His criminal convictions include illegal re-entry; carrying a concealed weapon, assault, DWI, illegal possession of controlled substance, possession of dangerous weapon. He faces federal criminal prosecution for re-entry of previously removed alien, illegal alien in possession of a firearm, and felon in possession of a firearm.
• Gustavo Morales, 52, a Mexican national and an associate of the Boomerangz gang was arrested in Reading, Pa., for federal offenses related to narcotics and weapons violations. His criminal history has a conviction for re-entry. He faces federal prosecution for illegal re-entry and narcotics and weapon offenses.
This enforcement operation is part of Operation Community Shield, a global initiative, in which ICE HSI partners with existing federal, state, local and foreign anti-gang efforts to share intelligence on criminal gang organizations and their leadership, share resources and combine legal authorities to identify, locate, arrest, prosecute, imprison and/or deport transnational gang members.