MAYOR DE BLASIO, SENATOR SCHUMER, NEW YORK TAXI WORKERS ALLIANCE, AND MARBLEGATE ASSET MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO SUPPLEMENT MEDALLION RELIEF PROGRAM WITH CITY BACKSTOP

 

 Mayor de Blasio, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Commissioner and Chair Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk, and Senator Charles Schumer today announced an agreement between the City, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), and Marblegate Asset Management (Marblegate), the largest medallion lender, to supplement the City’s Medallion Relief Program (MRP) with a City-funded deficiency guarantee to achieve greater principal reduction and lower monthly payments.

Under the agreement, Marblegate will restructure outstanding loans to a principal balance of $200,000, which will be constituted as a $170,000 guaranteed loan, plus a City grant of $30,000. The terms of the new loan will include a 5% interest rate and a 20-year, fully amortizing term. This restructuring will cap debt service payments at $1,122 per month for eligible medallion owners.

 

The City will provide funding for a guarantee on the principal and interest for these loans and will work with all other medallion lenders to achieve the same terms.

 

This agreement builds on the success of the City’s $65 million Medallion Relief Program, which has helped 173 owner/drivers achieve $21.4 million in debt forgiveness in just five weeks.

 

“Taxi workers have worked tirelessly to make New York City the most vibrant city in the world, and we refuse to leave them behind,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m proud to have worked with Senator Schumer, NYTWA, and Marblegate to reach an equitable, sustainable solution that builds on the success we’ve achieved in reducing debt burdens for the hard-working drivers who keep our city moving.”

 

“I was so proud to broker a deal for desperately needed debt relief for hardworking taxi workers,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer. “The medallion debt crisis has gone on for years, taking lives and livelihoods. I commend Mayor de Blasio for his leadership, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance for their steadfast advocacy, and Marblegate for their good-faith effort to forge a workable solution. Together, we will bring this ongoing situation to a just resolution for the thousands of cabbies who work every day to serve this City.”

 

“After a long and painful journey, we made it home to victory,” said Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of New York Taxi Workers Alliance, union of 25,000 taxi and app-based driver members. “Today marks a new dawn, a new beginning for a workforce that has struggled through so much crisis and loss. Today, we can say owner-drivers have won real debt relief and can begin to get their lives back. Drivers will no longer be at risk of losing their homes, and no longer be held captive to a debt beyond their lifetime. We are grateful to Mayor de Blasio for standing with the drivers and putting the might and the faith of the City to fix this crisis. We are thankful to Marblegate for working with us in good faith to reach a resolution. This resolution was not possible without Senator Schumer whose leadership secured funds and helped steer our ship.  And this victory was not possible without our broad coalition of supporters. The city we love had our back and so today we can say, we have won!”

 

“The TLC’s top priority is all TLC Licensees and the health of the Industry. We remain committed to the success and vitality of the Taxi segment and look forward to building on the success of the Medallion Relief Program in collaboration with Industry stakeholders and elected officials,” said TLC Commissioner and Chair Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk.

 

“Today’s agreement is a win for taxis, which are a critical piece of New York City infrastructure,” said Andrew Milgram, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Marblegate Asset Management. “It is also a testament to Ms. Desai and the many taxi drivers who have been tenacious advocates and who, along with the de Blasio Administration and Senator Schumer, have delivered meaningful debt forgiveness and a sizable reduction in drivers’ monthly loan payments.”

 

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State’s Progress Combating COVID-19 - NOVEMBER 3, 2021

 

77,583 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours  

37 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.  

"Thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers, we continue to see our state's vaccination rate climb, but now is not the time to become complacent," Governor Hochul said. "Vaccines are the best weapon we have against the virus, and with us being so close to our goal, we can't stop now. As we move into the winter months, it's critical that everyone acts as ambassadors for this vaccine, and make sure your friends and family are getting their shots so we can all enjoy a safe and happy holiday season."

 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 165,669
• Total Positive - 4,032
• Percent Positive - 2.43%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.22%
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,908 (-16)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 260
• Patients in ICU - 433 (-4)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 254 (-3)
• Total Discharges - 208,916 (+237)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 37
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 45,659

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 58,139

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

• Total vaccine doses administered - 27,392,352       
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 77,583
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 556,331
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 84.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 76.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 87.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 78.9%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 71.6%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 65.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 74.5%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 66.8%

Owner And Principal Of Investment Fund Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Insider Trading And Investment Fraud

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that DONALD BLAKSTAD, the owner and principal of a California-based investment fund, was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 36 months in prison for committing insider trading and orchestrating a securities offering fraud scheme.   In June 2021, a jury found BLAKSTAD guilty of conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud offenses following a two-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who imposed today’s sentence.

According to the Indictment, evidence presented at trial, and statements made in connection with sentencing:

BLAKSTAD was a stock trader and the owner and principal of an investment fund known as Midcontinental Petroleum Inc. (“Midcontinental Petroleum”), which purported to be in the business of soliciting investments in the energy industry.  Martha Bustos was a former certified public accountant who worked in the finance department at Illumina, Inc. (“Illumina”), a San Diego-based biotechnology company whose securities trade on NASDAQ.  By virtue of her employment at Illumina, Bustos had access to material nonpublic information about Illumina’s financial condition, including its earnings. 

On several occasions, from 2016 through 2018, BLAKSTAD obtained inside information about Illumina’s financial condition from Bustos before Illumina publicly announced its earnings and financial results.  As BLAKSTAD knew, Bustos owed a duty to keep inside information about Illumina confidential. 

BLAKSTAD, aware of Bustos’s breach of duty to Illumina, used this inside information to make profitable trades in Illumina securities shortly before Illumina’s earnings announcements.  At times, BLAKSTAD tipped his associates so that they could trade Illumina stock and options based on the inside information.  At other times, in order to avoid detection, BLAKSTAD arranged for his associates to purchase Illumina securities for BLAKSTAD’s benefit in accounts controlled by his associates. 

Following the public announcement of Illumina’s earnings, BLAKSTAD and his associates sold the Illumina securities at a significant profit, sometimes exceeding more than 2,000 percent.  In total, BLAKSTAD and his associates made more than $6 million in profits from purchasing and selling Illumina securities. 

In addition, from at least in or about 2015 through at least in or about 2019, BLAKSTAD devised and operated a securities offering fraud to fraudulently obtain more than a $1 million from a number of investors.  BLAKSTAD fraudulently induced victim investors to make up-front, lump-sum investments for securities issued by Midcontinental Petroleum, which funds BLAKSTAD then misappropriated, in substantial part. 

To facilitate the scheme, BLAKSTAD made false and misleading representations to investor victims regarding how their investment funds would be utilized.  During the scheme, at BLAKSTAD’s direction, victims transmitted their funds, including by wire transfer, into bank accounts that were controlled by BLAKSTAD.  Once he obtained these investor funds, BLAKSTAD did not use them for the purposes he had represented to investors.  Instead, BLAKSTAD diverted a substantial portion of victims’ funds to himself and to co-conspirators.  For example, BLAKSTAD used the funds to pay for a variety of personal expenses and for purposes that were unrelated to the business of Midcontinental Petroleum. 

BLAKSTAD also made a series of false and misleading statements to victims designed to avoid detection, perpetuate the scheme, and keep the victim funds he received as a result of the fraud.

In total, BLAKSTAD’s schemes yielded more than $7 million in criminal profits.

In addition to his prison term, BLAKSTAD, 62, of San Diego, California, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to victims in the amount of $669,000.        

Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission, which brought a separate civil action. 

Governor Hochul Signs Legislation to Improve Education in State Prisons

 

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We had to comment on this before the story. It seems that since New York State can not educate the public school children of New York City, especially the Bronx, New York State will now educate them when they are in prison. Good going Governor Hochul.

Legislation S.5468/A.2530 Establishes a Commission to Study and Develop a Plan for Improving Education in State Prisons

 Governor Kathy Hochul today signed legislation (S.5468/A.2530) to establish a commission to study and develop a plan for improving education in state prisons.

"When incarcerated individuals reenter society, it's critical we ensure they are prepared and ready to forge a path for themselves and their families," Governor Hochul said. "By embarking on a detailed study of how we can improve education for those who are incarcerated, we will be able to identify and implement the programs and resources necessary for ensuring those who are reentering society have the best shot at success. This not only benefits the individual and their families, but the community at large as well."

Legislation S.5468/A.2530 aims to prevent recidivism by taking steps to improve prison education. This legislation will establish a commission comprised of nine members who will study and develop a plan for improving said education. The commission will be comprised of three people appointed by the Governor, two by the Speaker of the Assembly, one by the Minority Leader of the Assembly, two by the temporary President of the Senate, and one by the Minority Leader of the Senate.

AOC: There isn’t a “labor shortage”. There’s a dignified job shortage.

 

“Imagine you go into a store, and you see a shirt you’d like to purchase. You ask the shopkeeper how much it is, and they say it’s $5. You say, I don’t have $5, I have $1. Can you sell it to me for $1?

Of course the shopkeeper says, no, I’m sorry but I can’t sell that shirt for less than $5. That $5 helps cover my basic essentials to continue running my business.

Do we say that there’s a t-shirt shortage? No. Then why do we treat wages like that? Why are we calling this a ‘labor shortage’? I think it is a dignified job shortage.”

That’s how Alexandria started her latest Instagram stories series to help break down some of the false “labor shortage” claims that corporate politicians are using to further whittle down the Build Back Better Act.

Then she hit us with some hard facts about the so-called “labor shortage”:

The sectors hardest hit by this “labor shortage” are those that have historically relied on women, people of color, and low-income workers. These include retail, food service, caregiving, teaching, and home health care aids.

We are in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 700,000 Americans and conservatives act like that has nothing to do with the shortage of people that are available to work. On top of that, w​omen, especially, have been pushed out of the workforce by the thousands.

This is what happens when we don’t have health care or childcare. And the irony is that a lot of the folks claiming a “labor shortage” are the same ones claiming that investing in universal pre-k, childcare, and paid leave is irresponsible for the economy.

What’s irresponsible is leaving our communities to pick up the pieces of our economy without the proper support, and then blaming them for not working low-wage jobs with bad benefits.

We need a real investment in our care economy and human infrastructure. And Alexandria is fighting right now to get these transformative programs and policies included and passed in the Build Back Better Act.

Right now is our biggest opportunity to make transformative investments in our human infrastructure. We can accomplish this and we must.

Thank you for your support today,

Team AOC

Statement from Governor Kathy Hochul on U.S. Supreme Court Review of New York's Gun Safety Law

 

 "The scourge of gun violence has taken far too many lives, and I'm proud that New York is a national model for the strongest gun safety laws. With arguments being heard today, my hope is that the Supreme Court upholds our state's commonsense law that requires 'proper cause' for issuing concealed carry pistol permits. Having more armed people in public places doesn't make us any safer. I am committed to continue working with partners at all levels to push for solutions that will save lives, get guns off the streets, and help put an end to the gun violence epidemic."

Leader Of MS-13 In Honduras And Drug Supplier For MS-13 Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Racketeering, Narcotics Trafficking, And Firearms Offenses

 

Yulan Andony Archaga Carías, a/k/a “Alexander Mendoza,” a/k/a “Porky,” the Leader of MS-13 in Honduras, Named to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitives List, and HSI’s Most Wanted Fugitives List

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John J. Durham, Director of Joint Task Force Vulcan (“JTFV”), Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Jay Greenberg, Acting Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Steve Francis, Acting Executive Associate Director, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment in Manhattan federal court charging YULAN ANDONY ARCHAGA CARÍAS, a/k/a “Alexander Mendoza,” a/k/a “Porky,” and DAVID CAMPBELL, a/k/a “Viejo Dan,” a/k/a “Don David,” with committing racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses.  ARCHAGA Carías, a Honduran national, remains at large and has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitives List, and HSI’s Most Wanted Fugitives List.  CAMPBELL, a Honduran national, is currently in custody in Nicaragua.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Yulan Andony Archaga Carías is MS-13’s highest-ranking member in Honduras, responsible for trafficking multi-ton shipments of cocaine into the U.S. and ordering and overseeing the multiple violent acts carried out to make those shipments happen.  These allegedly included numerous murders of rivals.  David Campbell was, until his capture, allegedly one of Archaga Carías’s major suppliers of drugs and guns, and he planned and coordinated violent acts with Archaga Carías.  Campbell is in custody, and now a reward is offered for information leading to the arrest of Archaga Carías.”

JTFV Director John J. Durham said: “MS-13 violence, fueled by drug trafficking and firearms, has a devastating impact across the United States and Central America.  The indictment unsealed today, which charges the highest ranking leader of MS-13 in Honduras and one of MS-13’s alleged main drug suppliers in Honduras, shows that no leader of MS-13 is beyond the reach of the Department of Justice and United States law enforcement.  JTFV gratefully appreciates its partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to dismantle MS-13’s command and control structure throughout the Western Hemisphere.”

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “For decades, MS-13 has been synonymous with extreme violence and brutality.  The only way to weaken and disrupt criminal organizations that wreak havoc on our communities is to attack them at their core – their leadership and suppliers.  DEA’s successful investigation leading to today’s charges, along with the addition of Archaga Carías to the DEA and FBI most wanted lists, represent a significant stride in our efforts to stop the devastating effects of MS-13’s violent drug trafficking activities that endanger the safety and health of Americans.”

Acting Assistant Director Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division said: “This indictment demonstrates the resolve of the FBI to aggressively pursue transnational criminal gangs like MS-13.  We will work with our law enforcement partners to find wanted fugitives wherever they seek refuge and hold them accountable for their crimes."

HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Steve Francis said: “Today’s announcement highlights our commitment to working with domestic and international law enforcement partners to dismantle gangs like MS-13.  By contributing our unique capabilities to this joint effort, Homeland Security Investigations is helping to make our nation safer.”

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court[1]:

Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is a transnational criminal organization that engages in acts of violence, including murders, kidnapping, assaults, extortion, and large-scale drug importation and distribution throughout Central America and the United States.  ARCHAGA CARÍAS is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras.  As the leader and highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras, ARCHAGA CARÍAS is in charge of, among other things, the gang’s drug trafficking operations, ordering and coordinating acts of violence, including numerous murders, and the laundering of drug proceeds.  MS-13’s drug trafficking operations led by ARCHAGA CARÍAS include the processing, receiving, transporting, and distributing of multi-ton loads of cocaine shipped through Honduras and into the United States. 

ARCHAGA CARÍAS and other MS-13 members and associates acting at his direction also provided protection for other drug trafficking organizations (“DTOs”) engaged in transporting multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras and destined for the United States.  ARCHAGA CARÍAS contracted out members of MS-13 as “Sicarios,” or hit men, to other DTOs for payment.  In that role, members of MS-13 committed numerous murders for hire for DTOs trafficking cocaine through Honduras to the United States.  ARCHAGA CARÍAS and MS-13 also supplied other DTOs with firearms, including machineguns, that were received from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere.  ARCHAGA CARÍAS also ordered multiple murders of rival gang members and drug trafficking competitors in Honduras, as well as other members of MS-13 who ARCHAGA CARÍAS believed had been disloyal to the gang. 

CAMPBELL was one of the principal suppliers of cocaine and weapons, including machineguns, to MS-13.  As an associate of MS-13 and close confidant of ARCHAGA CARÍAS, CAMPBELL planned and coordinated retaliatory acts of violence with ARCHAGA CARÍAS, and assisted MS-13 and ARCHAGA CARÍAS in establishing businesses to launder the gang’s drug proceeds.  CAMPBELL and MS-13 used businesses they owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through banks in the United States.

*                      *                      *

ARCHAGA CARÍAS, 39, of Honduras, remains at large, and has now been named to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List (https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten), the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitives List (https://www.dea.gov/fugitives), and HSI’s Most Wanted Fugitives List.  The FBI is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of ARCHAGA CARÍAS.  Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of ARCHAGA CARÍAS can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.  CAMPBELL, 54, of Honduras, is currently in custody in Nicaragua on local charges.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years in prison.  A chart containing the charges and statutory minimum and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, DEA, and HSI. 

The case is being handled by JTFV and the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Jacob Warren and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher A. Eason are in charge of the prosecution.   

Since its creation in August 2019, JTFV has successfully implemented a whole-of-government approach to combatting MS-13, including increasing coordination and collaboration with domestic and foreign law enforcement partners; designating priority MS-13 programs, cliques and leaders, who have the most impact on the United States, for targeted prosecutions; and coordinating significant MS-13 indictments, including the first use of national security charges against MS-13 leaders.  JTFV has comprised members from U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including this Office, the Eastern District of New York, the Eastern District of Texas, the District of New Jersey, the Northern District of Ohio, the District of Utah, the Eastern District of Virginia, the District of Massachusetts, the District of Alaska, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of California, the District of Nevada, and the District of Columbia, as well as the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  All Department of Justice law enforcement agencies are involved in the effort, including the FBI, DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.  In addition, HSI plays a critical role in JTFV.  The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) also supports JTFV in its mission.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.      

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.

U.S. Attorney Announces Indictment Charging U.K. Citizen With Conspiracy To Commit Computer Intrusions And Other Offenses

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging JOSEPH JAMES O’CONNOR, a/k/a “PlugwalkJoe,” with conspiracy to commit computer hacking and other crimes in connection with a SIM swapping scheme that resulted in the theft of approximately $784,000 worth of cryptocurrency.  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.  O’CONNOR was previously arrested in Spain on other U.S. federal charges.  The Government is also pursuing O’CONNOR’s extradition from Spain on the charges in this case.

According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed yesterday[1]:  

During a cyber intrusion known as a SIM swap attack, cyber threat actors gain control of a victim’s mobile phone number by linking that number to a subscriber identity module (“SIM”) card controlled by the threat actors, resulting in the victim’s calls and messages being routed to a malicious unauthorized device controlled by the threat actors.  The threat actors then typically use control of the victim’s mobile phone number to obtain unauthorized access to accounts held by the victim that are registered to the mobile phone number.

Between approximately March 2019 and May 2019, JOSEPH JAMES O’CONNOR, a/k/a “PlugwalkJoe,” the defendant, and his co-conspirators perpetrated a scheme to use SIM swaps to conduct cyber intrusions in order to steal approximately $784,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a Manhattan-based cryptocurrency company (“Company-1”), which, at all relevant times, provided wallet infrastructure and related software to cryptocurrency exchanges around the world. 

As part of the scheme, O’CONNOR and his co-conspirators successfully perpetrated SIM swap attacks targeting at least three Company-1 executives.  Following a successful SIM swap attack targeting one of the executives on or about April 30, 2019, O’CONNOR and his co-conspirators successfully gained unauthorized access to multiple Company-1 accounts and computer systems.  On or about May 1, 2019, through their unauthorized access, O’CONNOR and his co-conspirators stole and fraudulently diverted cryptocurrency of various types (the “Stolen Cryptocurrency”) from cryptocurrency wallets maintained by Company-1 on behalf of two of its clients.  The Stolen Cryptocurrency was worth at least approximately $784,000 at the time of the theft and included approximately 770.784869 Bitcoin cash, approximately 6,363.490509 Litecoin, approximately 407.396074 Ethereum, and approximately 7.456728 Bitcoin. 

After stealing and fraudulently diverting the Stolen Cryptocurrency, O’CONNOR and his co-conspirators laundered it through dozens of transfers and transactions and exchanged some of it for Bitcoin using cryptocurrency exchange services.  Ultimately, a portion of the Stolen Cryptocurrency was deposited into a cryptocurrency exchange account controlled by O’CONNOR.

O’CONNOR, 22, of the United Kingdom, is charged with conspiracy to commit computer hacking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other prison term imposed on the other charges; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences set forth above are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court.

The charges in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI.  Mr. Williams also thanked the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs for its assistance in this matter.

[1]  As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.