Latest news with #Ganjei
UPI
09-07-2025
- UPI
Chinese hacker arrested, charged with stealing U.S. COVID-19 research
The Department of Justice announced Tuesday the arrest of a Chinese national accused of hacking and stealing COVID-19 information from U.S. universities for the Beijing government. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- Italian authorities arrested a Chinese national accused by the United States of working at the direction of Beijing to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from U.S. universities, immunologists and virologists during the early days of the pandemic. Xu Zewei, 33, of China, was arrested Thursday in Malan. The nine-count indictment charging him and his co-conspirator, 44-year-old Chinese national Zhang Yu, was unsealed Tuesday by the Justice Department as it seeks Xu's extradition. Zhang remains at large. The arrest and filing of charges are the latest U.S. law enforcement action targeting Chinese nationals accused of working at the behest of Beijing's foreign intelligence arm, the Ministry of State Security, in recent months. According to the indictment, Xu and his coconspirators were involved in the China state-sponsored HAFNIUM hacking campaign -- also known as Silk Typhoon -- that targeted vulnerabilities in the widely used Microsoft Exchange Server program to gain access to victims' information from February 2020 to June 2021. Federal prosecutors said they used the vulnerabilities in the Microsoft program to install code known as webshells on their victims' computers, gaining remote access to the devices. The victims were not named in the charging document, but are identified as a university located in the Southern District of Texas and a university based in North Carolina involved in "research into COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and testing," as well as a second university based in the southern district of Texas and a law firm with offices in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, including internationally. During a press conference Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas said Xu would be assigned targets from his handlers within the Ministry of State Security's State Security Bureau with instruction to hack their computers and steal specific information. Once with access to the requested accounts, he copied gigabits of COVID-19 research that he then transferred to China. Ganjei explained the law firm was targeted for the confidential information it had on its clients, specifically that of U.S. policy makers and government agencies. "Although the Chinese state-sponsored hackers are, on occasion, indicted by the Department of Justice, it is exceedingly rare -- indeed it is virtually unheard of -- to actually get your hands on them," he said. "Since 2023, the United States has waited quietly and patiently for Xu to make a mistake that would put him within the reach of the American Judicial system. And last week, he did just that, traveling from Shanghai to Milan, Italy." Ganjei said Italian authorities took him into custody once his plane touched down. He further described that alleged crimes as those not specifically targeting computers, but targeting "American scientific innovation" and the "American system of justice." "Although, the conduct in this case took place several years ago, we never lost sight of our goal to bring the perpetrators of these cyber intrusions to justice. Now, at least, some of that story can be told," he said. A little more than a week earlier, the Justice Department charged two Chinese nationals with spying on the U.S. Navy and its bases as well as assisting Beijing with recruiting others within the U.S. military as potential Ministry of State Security asstes.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Game room bust: Brazoria County authorities close over 10 game room facilities
The Brief Over 10 game room facilities are closed in Brazoria County after operating without proper permits. The closed businesses will remain closed until they come into compliance with the ordinance. Any owners who continue to operate without a permit may face up to $10,000 in fines or arrest on a Class A misdemanor charge. BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas - Over 10 game room facilities are now closed in Brazoria County, authorities announced on Wednesday. What we know Officials said the facilities were operating without proper permits in violation of the county's game room ordinance. The ordinance, which was instituted by the Brazoria County Commissioners Court in March 2024, established clear permitting requirements for game room operations. Officials stated that over 30 game rooms have successfully completed the permit process to date. Authorities said the facilities that were closed on Wednesday failed to meet requirements despite multiple opportunities to do so. The closed businesses will remain closed until they come into compliance with the ordinance, officials said. Any owners who continue to operate without a permit may face up to $10,000 in fines or arrest on a Class A misdemeanor charge. What we don't know Officials did not provide a list of the locations that were closed on Wednesday. Dig deeper As you may recall, FOX 26 reported about multiple game room raids taking place just last week across the Houston area. A 61-year-old man was among 45 people arrested for a multi-million-dollar scheme involving illegal game rooms in the Houston area. According to federal officials, 30 of the man's game rooms were the target of the police raids. Over 720 law enforcement agents and officers were involved in the raids. The operation involved about 20 local and federal agencies, including Houston police, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the IRS, and the FBI. Officials raided 45 locations in total across the Houston area, including 30 alleged illegal gaming rooms with names like "El Portal" and "Yellow Building." Ganjei says the raids were the result of a five-year "Operation Double Down" operation involving multiple agencies. Officials were executing 85 warrants and a 37-count indictment against 16 suspects. The Source Information provided by the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office, as well as previous FOX 26 reporting.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Houston game room raids: 61-year-old ring leader among 16 charged in $22 million scheme; 45 arrested in total
The Brief Local and federal law enforcement raided 30 illegal gaming rooms across the Houston area on Wednesday. Nearly 15 people were taken into custody. Two are still wanted. A Richmond man allegedly used family members, among others, to operate game rooms, then transferred proceeds to his other financial assets. Over 30 undocumented immigrants were allegedly arrested for working as armed security. The alleged leader paid who he thought was a corrupt officer for protection from the law. The officer was actually undercover. HOUSTON - A 61-year-old man is among 45 people arrested for a multi-million-dollar scheme involving illegal game rooms in the Houston area. According to federal officials, 30 of the man's game rooms were the target of police raids on Wednesday. What we know U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei says over 720 law enforcement agents and officers were involved in Wednesday's raids. The operation involved about 20 local and federal agencies, including Houston police, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the IRS, and the FBI. Officials raided 45 locations in total across the Houston area, including 30 alleged illegal gaming rooms with names like "El Portal" and "Yellow Building." Ganjei says the raids were the result of a five-year "Operation Double Down" operation involving multiple agencies. Officials were executing 85 warrants and a 37-count indictment against 16 suspects. The following 14 have been arrested: Nizar Ali, 61, from Richmond Naeem Ali, 33, Richmond Amer Khan, 68, Richmond Ishan Dhuka, 33, Rosenberg Shil Karovalia, 32, Rosenberg Safarez Maredia, 38, Sugar Land Shoaib Maredia, 40, Sugar Land Yoland Figueroa, 40, Pasadena Viviana Alverado, 45, LaPorte Anabel Eloisa Guevarra, 46, Houston Precela Solis, 27, Houston Maria Delarosa, 53, Houston Claudia Calderon, 37, Houston Lucia Hernandez, 34, Houston Two others are still wanted: 59-year-old Sayed Ali of Richmond 35-year-old Stephanie Huerta of Houston The suspects are accused of "conspiracy, operating an illegal gambling business and interstate travel in aid of racketeering," with each charge carrying an up to five-year prison sentence. The suspects are also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries an up to 20-year sentence. According to Ganjei, no game room customers were arrested during the raids. Only those who were accused of helping to operate the game rooms were reportedly arrested. "Nobody here is being charged with simply gambling. It's for people that were operating this criminal scheme and laundering money," Ganjei said. In addition to the arrests, officials seized over 2,000 illegal slot machines, eight firearms, "numerous high-end vehicles," 100 Rolex watches, $4.5 million in cash, and $6.5 million from accounts and other financial institutions. What we don't know It's also not clear what other 15 locations were targeted in Wednesday's raids. RELATED: Houston game rooms raided: Numerous locations targeted by authorities The backstory According to Ganjei, the game rooms were all being operated under one mastermind: 61-year-old Nizar Ali. Ali allegedly used family members, among others, to operate illegal game rooms across the Houston area. Ali then disguised the proceeds from the game rooms by distributing them among his businesses, 25 bank accounts, and other assets. Ganjei says Ali made $22 million in illicit proceeds. The suspect allegedly also hired 31 undocumented immigrants as armed guards for the game rooms and his other businesses. Those immigrants were arrested "on various immigration and firearm charges" during Wedensday's raids, according to Ganjei's office. "The scheme itself was sophisticated in its design and operation," Ganjei said in a press conference on Thursday. "It utilized armed security, surveillance systems, membership lists, and member ID cars to ensure that those that were accessing these game rooms were legitimate customers of theirs and couldn't otherwise expose the operation." In addition to the other charges, Ali is also charged with 32 counts of federal program bribery. Ganjei says Ali bribed who he thought was a corrupt Houston police officer, so his operations could be hidden from the law. The officer was actually undercover and involved in the investigation. The Source United States Attorney's Office - Southern District of Texas.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
U.S. Attorney: Dozens of illegal game rooms shut down, $16M in cash seized in massive gambling bust
HOUSTON (KIAH) – Federal and local authorities have shut down 30 illegal game rooms across Houston as part of 'Operation Double Down,' a sweeping takedown on an alleged multimillion-dollar gambling and money laundering scheme. Local and federal officials seized more than $16 million in currency, bank accounts, and assets during the April 2, 2025, operation. U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei described the seizure as one of the largest law enforcement operations in the history of the Southern District of Texas. 'We've exposed and dismantled one of the largest illegal gaming and money laundering operations in the state's history and taken another significant step in our efforts to eradicate organized crime in the Houston area,' Ganjei said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. Full story at
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Shipping company slammed with $1M fine after deceiving US Coast Guard: 'We encourage the public to continue reporting any suspicious activities'
In late January, the Greek shipping company Eurobulk pleaded guilty to illegally discharging oily bilge water from one of its vessels and was met with a massive fine and probation. As KRIS 6 News reported, the company admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and falsifying records, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. A U.S. District judge in Texas ordered Eurobulk to pay a $1.125 million criminal fine and serve four years' probation for violating the APPS during a port call in Corpus Christi. "It is crucial that we strive to eliminate threats to our waters through holding overseas corporations accountable," Ganjei told gCaptain. The case involved the Good Heart, a Liberia-flagged vessel operated by Eurobulk, from which crew members made illegal oily water discharges and gave false records to the U.S. Coast Guard to cover up their environmental crimes. Court documents revealed that the Good Heart's former chief engineer, Christos Charitos, told crew members on at least two occasions to dump oily waste overboard from the ship's duct keel — a pipe that runs from the engine room and underneath cargo holds — without using the required oily water separator. The Maritime Executive reported that Charitos pleaded guilty to the crimes in September and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and serve one year of probation. Eurobulk was also required to pay a $375,000 community service penalty to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. "This outcome directly reflects our dedication to holding those who violate laws designed to prevent pollution of the marine environment accountable," Rear Adm. David Barata, commander of the USCG's 8th District, told the news outlet. "The Coast Guard and our partners remain resolute in our mission to protect our waters, and we encourage the public to continue reporting any suspicious activities as every report is essential in our ongoing effort to preserve the health of our marine ecosystems." Bilge water is wastewater that collects in the lowest compartment of a ship and contains a mixture of water, grease, oil, and other pollutants. When companies dump these chemicals into oceans, they can poison or kill marine animals, damage fragile habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds, reduce oxygen levels, and contaminate beaches. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Bilge water dumping is common in the shipping industry, but the environmental damage it causes doesn't get much attention. According to Marine Defenders, commercial ships discharge up to 810,000 tons of oily bilge waste and fuel oil sludge into oceans annually. To put that in perspective, it's the equivalent of eight Exxon Valdez oil spills occurring every year. So, why would shipping companies knowingly harm the ocean and wildlife? As with most things, it comes down to time and money. It's cheaper and easier to dump wastewater overboard than to follow regulations for proper treatment, and ship operators may think they won't get caught. However, these actions have huge environmental consequences and can also impact humans who visit beaches and eat fish. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, also known as MARPOL, regulates the discharge of bilge water from ships to prevent oil pollution and requires companies to use oil filtering equipment. Environmental nonprofits such as SkyTruth help track ocean oil pollution by employing satellite imagery and machine learning to catch polluters in the act. Some shipping companies have started launching electric container ships and wind-powered cargo vessels to reduce pollution and operating costs, though it will take time for the industry to switch to cleaner energy sources. We can ensure shipping companies stay on track by reporting environmentally damaging behavior and reduce pollution locally by practicing safe maintenance habits, which can save money as well. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
