DEC Announces 2022 Bear Harvest Totals

Overall Harvest Declined Slightly; Harvest Density Greatest in Catskills

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that New York bear hunters harvested an estimated 1,318 black bears during the 2022 hunting season. As in past years, the Catskill region recorded the greatest bear harvest densities.

“New York’s black bear populations remain robust, particularly in the Catskill and Adirondack regions,” Commissioner Seggos said. “Regulated bear hunting is a necessary tool for population management, especially with numbers increasing in recent years. I’m pleased to see hunters across the state logged another successful and safe bear hunting season.”

Hunters harvested an estimated 458 bears in the Northern Zone and an estimated 860 bears in the Southern Zone, an increase of about 14 percent in the north compared to the previous year and a decrease of approximately nine percent in the south. The total bear harvest was approximately 10 percent fewer than the five-year average. As in past years, the Catskill region produced the greatest bear densities. In Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 3C, 3H, 3K, 3M, and 4R, hunters took more than 10 bears per 100 square miles, with hunters taking more than 15 bears per 100 miles in WMU 4R.

Estimated Bear Harvest Totals

	2022 Total	2021 Total	Recent 5-year Average (2016-2020)
Northern Zone	458	403	449
Bow	15	12	30
Muzzleloader	8	12	32
Regular	434	376	263
Youth	1	3	1
Southern Zone	860	943	988
Early	234	100	213
Bow	348	322	347
Muzzleloader	4	23	13
Regular	274	490	408
Youth	0	8	7
Statewide	1,318	1,346	1,438

Notable Numbers

• 13 and 93: the ages of the youngest and oldest hunters who successfully harvested a bear in 2022.
• 15.5: the number of bears harvested per 100 square miles in WMU 4R (western Greene County and portions of Schoharie, Delaware, and Ulster Counties), which had the greatest bear harvest density of any WMU.
• 11.8: the number of bears harvested per 10 square miles in the town of Port Jervis, Orange County, which had the greatest bear harvest density of any town.
• 520 pounds: the heaviest dressed-weight bear reported to DEC in 2022, taken in the town of Windsor, Broome County, WMU 7S. Scaled weights of dressed bears were submitted for 26 percent of bears taken in 2022.
• 612: the number of hunter-harvested bears in 2022 from which DEC collected teeth to determine the bear’s age.

Black bear harvest data are gathered from two main sources: harvest reports required of all successful bear hunters; and the physical examination of bears by DEC staff and cooperating taxidermists. Harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources and determining the rate at which hunters report bear harvests in each zone. In 2022, 80 percent of successful bear hunters in the Northern Zone and 89 percent of successful bear hunters in the Southern Zone reported their harvest. In the fall of 2023, DEC will send a 2022 Black Bear Management Coordinator Patch and a letter confirming each bear’s age to all hunters who reported their bear harvest and submitted a tooth for age analysis.

DEC’s 2022 Bear Harvest Summary report provides tables, charts, and maps detailing the bear harvest around the state. Past harvest summaries are also available on DEC’s website. DEC’s Black Bear Management Plan provides information on how DEC determines black bear population objectives throughout the state

Justice Department Investigation Leads to Takedown of Darknet Cryptocurrency Mixer that Processed Over $3 Billion of Unlawful Transactions

Vietnamese Operator of ChipMixer Charged with Laundering Money for Ransomware Perpetrators, Darknet Markets, Fraudsters, and State-Sponsored 

 The Justice Department announced  a coordinated international takedown of ChipMixer, a darknet cryptocurrency “mixing” service responsible for laundering more than $3 billion worth of cryptocurrency, between 2017 and the present, in furtherance of, among other activities, ransomware, darknet market, fraud, cryptocurrency heists and other hacking schemes. The operation involved U.S. federal law enforcement’s court-authorized seizure of two domains that directed users to the ChipMixer service and one Github account, as well as the German Federal Criminal Police’s (the Bundeskriminalamt) seizure of the ChipMixer back-end servers and more than $46 million in cryptocurrency. 

Coinciding with the ChipMixer takedown efforts, Minh Quốc Nguyễn, 49, of Hanoi, Vietnam, was charged today in Philadelphia with money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and identity theft, connected to the operation of ChipMixer.

Working with partners at home and abroad, the Department of Justice disabled a prolific cryptocurrency mixer, which has fueled ransomware attacks, state-sponsored crypto-heists and darknet purchases across the globe,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “This coordinated operation reinforces our consistent message: we will use all of our authorities to protect victims and take the fight to our adversaries. Cybercrime seeks to exploit boundaries, but the Department of Justice’s network of alliances transcends borders and enables disruption of the criminal activity that jeopardizes our global cybersecurity.”

“This announcement demonstrates the FBI's commitment to dismantling technical infrastructure that enables cyber criminals and nation-state actors to illegally launder cryptocurrency funds,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “We will not allow cyber criminals to hide behind keyboards nor evade the consequences of their illegal actions. Countering cybercrime requires the ultimate level of collaboration between and among all law enforcement partners. The FBI will continue to elevate those partnerships and leverage all available tools to identify, apprehend and hold accountable these bad actors and put an end to their illicit activity.”

According to court documents, ChipMixer – one of the most widely used mixers to launder criminally-derived funds – allowed customers to deposit bitcoin, which ChipMixer then mixed with other ChipMixer users’ bitcoin, commingling the funds in a way that made it difficult for law enforcement or regulators to trace the transactions. As detailed in the complaint, ChipMixer offered numerous features to enhance its criminal customers’ anonymity. ChipMixer had a clearnet web domain but operated primarily as a Tor hidden service, concealing the operating location of its servers to prevent seizure by law enforcement. ChipMixer serviced many customers in the United States, but did not register with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and did not collect identifying information about its customers. 

As alleged in the complaint, ChipMixer attracted a significant criminal clientele and became indispensable in obfuscating and laundering funds from multiple criminal schemes. Between August 2017 and March 2023, ChipMixer processed:

• $17 million in bitcoin for criminals connected to approximately 37 ransomware strains, including Sodinokibi, Mamba and Suncrypt;
• Over $700 million in bitcoin associated with wallets designated as stolen funds, including those related to heists by North Korean cyber actors from Axie Infinity’s Ronin Bridge and Harmony’s Horizon Bridge in 2022 and 2020, respectively;
• More than $200 million in bitcoin associated either directly or through intermediaries with darknet markets, including more than $60 million in bitcoin processed on behalf of customers of Hydra Market, the largest and longest running darknet market in the world until its April 2022 shutdown by U.S. and German law enforcement;
• More than $35 million in bitcoin associated either directly or through intermediaries with “fraud shops,” which are used by criminals to buy and sell stolen credit cards, hacked account credentials and data stolen through network intrusions; and
• Bitcoin used by the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), 85th Main Special Service Center, military unit 26165 (aka APT 28) to purchase infrastructure for the Drovorub malware, which was first disclosed in a joint cybersecurity advisory released by the FBI and National Security Agency in August 2020.

Beginning in and around August 2017, as alleged in the complaint, Nguyễn created and operated the online infrastructure used by ChipMixer and promoted ChipMixer’s services online. Nguyễn registered domain names, procured hosting services and paid for the services used to run ChipMixer through the use of identity theft, pseudonyms, and anonymous email providers. In online posts, Nguyễn publicly derided efforts to curtail money laundering, posting in reference to anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) legal requirements that “AML/KYC is a sellout to the banks and governments,” advising customers “please do not use AML/KYC exchanges” and instructing them how to use ChipMixer to evade reporting requirements. 

“ChipMixer facilitated the laundering of cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin, on a vast international scale, abetting nefarious actors and criminals of all kinds in evading detection,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Platforms like ChipMixer, which are designed to conceal the sources and destinations of staggering amounts of criminal proceeds, undermine the public’s confidence in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. We thank all our partners at home and abroad for their hard work in this case. Together, we cannot and will not allow criminals’ exploitation of technology to threaten our national and economic security.”

“Criminals have long sought to launder the proceeds of their illegal activity through various means,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office. “Technology has changed the game, though, with a site like ChipMixer and facilitator like Nguyen enabling bad actors to do so on a grand scale with ease. In response, the FBI continues to evolve in the ways we ‘follow the money’ of illegal enterprise, employing all the tools and techniques at our disposal and drawing on our strong partnerships at home and around the globe. As a result, there’s now one less option for criminals worldwide to launder their dirty money.”

“Together, with our international partners at HSI The Hague, we are firmly committed to identifying and investigating cyber criminals who pose a serious threat to our economic security by laundering billions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency under the misguided anonymity of the darknet,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown of Homeland Securities Investigations (HSI) Arizona. “HSI Arizona could not be more proud to work alongside every agent involved in this complex international case. We thank all our domestic and international partners for their support.”

Nguyễn is charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, money laundering and identity theft. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

The FBI, HSI Phoenix and HSI The Hague investigated the case.

German law enforcement authorities took separate actions today under its authorities. The FBI’s Legal Attaché in Germany, the HSI office in The Hague, the HSI Cyber Crimes Center, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, EUROPOL, the Polish Cyber Police (Centralnego Biura Zwalczania Cyberprzestępczości) and Zurich State Police (Kantonspolizei Zürich) provided assistance in this case.

To report information about ChipMixer and its operators visit rfj.tips/Duhsup.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Governor Hochul Launches New Online Tool to Help New Yorkers Access Child Care

 

Pre-Screening Tool to Help Families Check for Eligibility and Connect with Local Funding Resources; Fulfills Governor’s State of the State Proposal

Re-Established Task Force to Develop an Implementation Plan for Universal Child Care; Includes State Agencies, Early Education Leaders, and Stakeholders

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced efforts to help working families access child care throughout New York State, including launching a new online screening tool for them to check eligibility and re-establishing a statewide task force to develop an implementation plan for universal child care. These efforts are part of the Governor’s sweeping plan to make New York’s child care system fairer, more affordable and easier to access, which was announced as part of her 2023 State of the State address.

“As a mother who put her career on pause due to a lack of affordable child care, I understand first-hand how important this lifeline is for families,” Governor Hochul said. “Complimenting the major investments made in funding child care, we are taking significant steps to improve the process of finding care, widen program eligibility, and support our workforce to ensure all New Yorkers have access to these critical resources.”

The new online screening tool will help parents determine their eligibility for financial support from the state’s Child Care Assistance Program for low or no-cost child care. Developed by the state Office of Children and Family Services, the tool is aimed at accelerating and streamlining the application process for families, so that they can quickly determine the services they may be eligible to receive.

Families can complete an optional online questionnaire, which immediately lets them know whether they meet the basic criteria for eligibility and then directs them to the local department of social services to apply for funding. The new online tool is available to the general public in 12 languages on the New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ website and can be accessed anywhere, anytime with a computer or mobile device.

Governor Hochul announced the statewide electronic pre-screening tool as part of her State of the State address in January, when she called for streamlining and centralizing the child care application process. The Governor also committed to accelerating the application process for families in her continuing effort to expand access to high-quality child care, including an unprecedented $7.6 billion investment over four years.

In addition, Governor Hochul announced the re-establishment of the New York State Child Care Availability Task Force, which will help develop a framework for how the state could implement universal child care. Co-chaired by OCFS Acting Commissioner Suzanne Miles-Gustave and Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, the task force met earlier this week for the first time since releasing its final report in May 2021.

The re-established Child Care Availability Task Force will advise the state on developing a phased-in rollout of universal child care and is charged with issuing its new report by the end of the year. In addition to developing this plan, the task force will also evaluate the state’s child care needs, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of child care, recommend ways to address the child care workforce crisis, and assess the implementation of policies supported by federally funded pandemic-related programs.

The task force is comprised of representatives from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Council on Children and Families, Department of Taxation and Finance, Regional Economic Development Council, State University of New York, City University of New York, State Education Department. The task force membership also includes child care providers and unions, advocacy groups and stakeholders, the business community and local departments of social services.

Governor Hochul served as co-chair the task force when it was initially convened in December 2018 and developed a comprehensive plan to make quality child care affordable and accessible for all New Yorkers. New York State’s social services law was amended to reconvene the task force and with a new charge, in addition to reviewing the progress of recommendations made in the 2021 report.