Latest news with #HUMINT
Business Wire
05-08-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
5 Stones intelligence Strengthens Leadership With Addition of High-profile Federal and International Recruits
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--5 Stones intelligence (5Si)®, a leading professional intelligence and investigations firm headquartered in Miami, FL, with additional offices in Washington, D.C. and across the globe, has announced a significant expansion of its leadership team. The company has welcomed seven seasoned law enforcement, intelligence, and military professionals from the U.S., U.K., and Israel, while also promoting two exemplary internal leaders, further strengthening its position as the operator of the world's largest private HUMINT intelligence network serving government, corporate, and private-sector Clients worldwide. "The caliber of talent joining and advancing within 5Si is extraordinary. Their collective skills reinforce our mission to deliver world-class intelligence and investigative solutions for every Client we serve." –5Si Founder David Tinsley Share The new hires include Helene Miller KPM, former London Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector; Bailea Tinsley, former FBI Special Agent; Daniel Forst, former Israel Defense Force Unit 8200; Mack Strong, former HSI Miami Supervisory Special Agent; Matthew Germanowski, former DEA Special Operations Senior Executive; John Gazzarra, former DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge; and Louis Sastre, former Miami Police Task Force Agent. In addition to these appointments, Grayson Blake has been promoted to Director of Science & Technology Services, and Matthew Tinsley has been promoted to Chief of Staff. "Our Clients rely on us for their most sensitive investigations and intelligence challenges," said Brian Talay, CEO of 5Si. "With more than 100 years of combined global law enforcement and intelligence experience, the addition of these exceptional individuals further enhances our global services and enables us to continue delivering extraordinary outcomes for our Clients." Helene Miller, KPM, 5Si's Director of Global Investigations and Risk Management for the United Kingdom and Europe, provides strategic investigative leadership to 5Si's government and commercial Clients across Europe from the firm's London office. A decorated former Detective Chief Inspector with London's Metropolitan Police Service, Miller brings more than 30 years of leadership in complex investigations, risk management, and international crime operations. She also served with the U.K.'s National Crime Agency (NCA). She was awarded the prestigious King's Police Medal for distinguished service. Recognized as "Crime Fighter of the Year" for her work combating modern slavery and human trafficking, Miller led a 120-person detective unit specializing in mass fatalities, family liaison, and high-risk cases. Bailea Tinsley, 5Si's Director of Global Investigations and Intelligence Services, operates from the Washington, D.C. office. A former FBI Special Agent, Tinsley brings extensive experience investigating transnational criminal enterprises and complex financial crimes, including major cases on Native American reservations. Her assignments spanned the Baltimore, Nashville, and Oklahoma City field offices. Before joining the FBI, she practiced law in Finance and Corporate Restructuring and holds a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. Tinsley is also trained in multiple law enforcement and intelligence disciplines and is proficient in French with additional Arabic skills. At 5Si, she leads high-level global investigations and litigation strategies for government and commercial Clients across diverse international sectors. Daniel Forst, 5Si's Director of Global Technology Solutions and Services, is based in the firm's Jerusalem office. A veteran of Israel's elite IDF Unit 8200, Forst brings over 20 years of experience advancing deep-tech solutions across defense, homeland security, and intelligence sectors. He has led high-impact initiatives on Iran and global terrorism, operating in politically unstable regions and conflict zones. A recognized subject matter expert in Technical Covert Operations, Forst provides 5Si Clients with access to cutting-edge technologies and strategic guidance on complex geopolitical threats. He holds a degree in East Asian Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and speaks multiple languages. Forst also supports veteran-focused resilience programs and serves on the board of a nonprofit educational theater. Mack Strong, 5Si's Director of Global Security and Sensitive Investigations and Intelligence, oversees complex international investigations from the firm's Miami office. A distinguished former HSI Supervisory Special Agent, Strong led groundbreaking international operations for the Department of Homeland Security focused on complex financial crimes, illicit networks, and national security threats. He is a recognized subject matter expert in anti-money laundering, kleptocracy, OFAC sanctions enforcement, FCPA violations, and due diligence under the Patriot Act and Bank Secrecy Act. With extensive expertise in asset tracing, financial fraud, and global compliance strategies, Strong delivers high-level investigative insight to 5Si's government, corporate, and private-sector Clients, helping navigate risk in today's interconnected threat landscape. Matthew Germanowski, a Director at 5Si, oversees investigative efforts for U.S. congressional committees and serves as a key leader on 5 Stones' federal contracts, including the IRS Criminal Investigation SAISS contract and the Department of State's international training programs. As a former DEA Special Agent, Germanowski held high-level classified roles within the DEA's Special Operations Division and Office of Professional Responsibility. He led global narco-terrorism and money laundering investigations, briefed the Attorney General, and directed internal affairs oversight as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Professional Conduct. A seasoned instructor, he has delivered advanced training in over a dozen countries on undercover operations and transnational organized crime. Germanowski is also a committed Christian and mentor to aspiring government professionals. John Gazzarra, a Director of 5Si, brings decades of high-level experience in both federal law enforcement and corporate security. A former DEA Special Agent, Gazzarra led complex international investigations in high-threat environments before transitioning to a senior security leadership role at Coca-Cola. He is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Subject Matter Expert in global security, risk mitigation, crisis management, and high-stakes investigative strategy. Known for his ability to navigate multinational investigations with precision, Gazzarra currently oversees the expansion of 5Si's Commercial and Private Client operations worldwide. Louis Sastre, 5Si Director of Surveillance Operations, is a seasoned surveillance specialist with over 20 years of field experience, including service as a DEA Miami Task Force Agent. He has led sophisticated physical surveillance operations across the U.S., South America, Asia, and the Middle East. Sastre is a Subject Matter Expert in deploying and managing a wide range of surveillance technologies—including sensors, video systems, and real-time coverage solutions—to support global intelligence and investigative missions. He now directs surveillance operations for 5Si's government and private-sector Clients. Grayson Blake, 5Si Director of Science & Technology Services, leads 5Si's innovation in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and digital investigative technologies. Blake specializes in OSINT research, online data collection, and complex digital footprint analysis. He designs and implements advanced intelligence workflows that transform raw data into actionable insights. Recognized as a thought leader in AI and tech-enabled investigations, Blake guides teams in expanding 5Si's digital capabilities to support global intelligence and investigative objectives with precision and speed. Matthew Tinsley, 5Si Chief of Staff, coordinates all agency operations to ensure exceptional service delivery across the firm's global Client base. A certified Personal Protection Specialist (PPS), Tinsley previously led 5Si's Global Surveillance and Protection Operations, with field experience spanning the U.S., Israel, and the West Bank. He holds degrees from Lee University (Global Business) and Tennessee Wesleyan (MBA). He has completed executive programs at Oxford Saïd, Yale, and MIT—where he earned certifications in Blockchain, AI, and Digital Currency tracing. Tinsley is also Chainalysis Reactor Certified (CRC). He has trained with the Israeli Shin Bet, the Executive Protection Institute, and Gunsite Academy, among others, with specialized expertise in advanced firearms, tactical systems, and threat mitigation. "The caliber of talent joining and advancing within 5Si is extraordinary," added 5Si Founder David Tinsley. "These individuals bring decades of specialized expertise, proven leadership, and unmatched dedication to service. Their collective skills reinforce our mission to deliver world-class intelligence and investigative solutions for every Client we serve, no matter the complexity or scale of the challenge. We're proud to welcome these exceptional professionals to the 5Si team." 5 Stones intelligence (5Si)® is a leading U.S.-based intelligence and investigations firm founded in 2007, with offices in Miami, Washington D.C., and global operations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, delivering full-spectrum solutions in human intelligence (HUMINT), forensic investigations, financial and technical intelligence, risk mitigation, AML compliance, and protective services, for government, corporate, legal, and nonprofit Clients. Staffed by elite professionals from the FBI, DEA, CIA, and global military and law enforcement, 5Si operates the world's largest private HUMINT network, providing mission-critical intelligence with integrity, discretion, and international reach. Learn more at
News18
28-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
Who Is Parag Jain, The IPS Officer Appointed As India's New R&AW Chief?
Last Updated: Currently serving as the head of the Aviation Research Centre, a crucial arm of R&AW, Jain played a pivotal role in Operation Sindoor The Narendra Modi government on Saturday appointed Parag Jain, a 1989-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, as the new Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)—India's premier external intelligence agency—for a fixed tenure of two years. He will officially take over on July 1, succeeding Ravi Sinha, whose term ends on June 30 after what many viewed as a relatively low-profile tenure. Jain's elevation was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on June 28, ending speculation over the leadership succession in one of India's most sensitive security establishments. Currently serving as the head of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC)—a crucial arm of R&AW—Jain played a pivotal role in Operation Sindoor, India's precision retaliation following the Pahalgam terror attack. Under his command, ARC gathered actionable intelligence on Pakistani military deployments using a combination of HUMINT and TECHINT capabilities. Over 15 Years in R&AW: Deep Domain Expertise Parag Jain is currently the second-most senior officer in R&AW, directly reporting to the chief, and oversees several high-stakes operational and intelligence divisions. With over 15 years in the agency, he has built deep expertise in: Stints In Canada, Sri Lanka & J&K: Global Intel Exposure Jain's international assignments include a critical posting in Ottawa, Canada, where he monitored radical Sikh diaspora groups and worked to infiltrate separatist networks. He was later stationed in Sri Lanka during its 2022 economic crisis, witnessing regime change and political upheaval—giving him firsthand operational experience in high-volatility foreign environments. Back home, he has served in Jammu and Kashmir, contributing significantly to the Centre's counter-terrorism strategy, especially in the post-Article 370 security restructuring of the Union Territory. Grassroots Policing To Strategic Ops: A Dual Lens Before his R&AW tenure, Jain held several key policing roles across Punjab, including as Senior Superintendent of Police in Chandigarh, DIG Ludhiana Range, and postings in Bhatinda, Mansa, and Hoshiarpur. His deep familiarity with Punjab's ground-level security dynamics, especially amid the legacy of militancy, gives him a unique advantage in handling transnational threats with regional roots. Jain was empanelled for senior central postings and granted DGP rank benefits effective January 1, 2021, further underscoring his standing within the national security hierarchy. Why His Appointment Matters Parag Jain's elevation comes at a time of rising strategic challenges for India's external intelligence community—ranging from cross-border terrorism and Khalistani revivalism to China-Pakistan coordination, and evolving hybrid warfare. With a rare combination of ground policing experience, foreign intelligence postings, and technical reconnaissance leadership, Jain is expected to bring sharper focus and operational depth to R&AW's mission during a geopolitically sensitive period. First Published: June 28, 2025, 15:23 IST
Hans India
29-05-2025
- Hans India
Crackdown at the capital's edge: Family of five Bangladeshi nationals caught in Delhi
New Delhi: In a significant breakthrough under its ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration, the East District Police of Delhi have apprehended five Bangladeshi nationals, including three minors, who were residing illegally in the Anand Vihar area. The arrests were made as part of a special drive launched by the district police aimed at identifying and deporting foreign nationals living unlawfully in the city. The operation, which marks a key milestone in the district's intensified immigration enforcement efforts, was conducted based on specific intelligence inputs gathered through a combination of human intelligence (HUMINT) and technical surveillance. A special team from the Special Staff unit was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Jitendra Malik, operating under the direct supervision of Pawan Kumar, ACP/Operations, and overall guidance of Abhishek Dhania, Deputy Commissioner of Police, East District. According to police officials, the accused had entered India illegally through unauthorised riverine routes along the India-Bangladesh border, a method increasingly used by illegal migrants to avoid detection. The individuals had been living discreetly in Anand Vihar, attempting to blend in and avoid the attention of authorities. Following a meticulously planned raid, five individuals were detained. During questioning, none were able to produce any legal documents establishing Indian citizenship. As the police carried out scrutiny of their mobile phones it was revealed that they had photographic evidence of Bangladeshi identity documents. This confirmed their nationality and illegal presence in the country. The individuals apprehended have been identified as Md Shaheen, 30, and his wife Rujeena, 26. Along with the couple, three minors were also detained. All five are residents of village Shimulbari, Post Office Miyapara, Police Station Phulbari, District Kurigram, in the Rangpur division of Bangladesh. Now deportation proceedings have been initiated in coordination with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Delhi. Authorities are adhering strictly to the legal process, ensuring due respect for procedural safeguards while prioritising national security concerns. The presence of three minors among those apprehended has also prompted the police to coordinate with child welfare authorities to ensure that appropriate care and protection protocols are followed during the deportation process. According to East District Police officials, more operations are in the pipeline, and efforts are ongoing to trace other illegal foreign nationals believed to be residing in the district. The police said that the crackdown is not only aimed at upholding immigration laws but also at ensuring internal security, as illegal migration poses complex challenges, including the potential for identity fraud, unlawful employment, and strain on civic resources. Commenting on the operation, DCP Abhishek Dhania, IPS, said: 'This operation reflects the East District Police's continued commitment to identifying and acting against illegal immigration. Our teams remain vigilant and are working systematically to uphold the law while ensuring the safety and security of Delhi's residents.' He reiterated that the drive against illegal immigrants will continue with full intensity and called upon the public to report suspicious foreign nationals to local authorities.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
LoC isn't key
Pak response isn't much. Kashmiris have condemned terror. Ensure they aren't targeted outside J&K Predictably, Pakistan responded on Thursday to India's retaliatory measures post the Pahalgam terror attack. Unsurprisingly, given that Pakistan has very few cards to play, its responses don't amount to much. Take the statement that all bilateral agreements, including the 1972 Simla accord, will be in abeyance. But the accord didn't prevent Kargil or multiple ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Pakistan's army has repeatedly violated the sanctity of LoC. So, if Islamabad is now saying there's no recognising an LoC anymore, it hardly makes any material difference to India. True, suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by New Delhi has limited near-term punitive power. But as one of our OpEd columnists points out, suspension of the treaty can potentially be very costly for Pakistan. That's not the case with India vis-à-vis anything Pakistan threatened. What'll happen from here on is impossible to predict. But whatever happens GOI has an urgent job at hand. It needs to get to the bottom of the intelligence/security lapses that gave free entry and exit to Pahalgam terrorists. The point is not that there should be additional army boots on the ground in J&K. It's impossible to post security personnel in every tourist attraction or bazaar in Kashmir. The only thing that can thwart Pahalgam-style attacks is an intelligence network that feeds credible information to security forces. The best intelligence systems still rely on quality human intelligence or HUMINT. For that, any force needs some level of connect with at least some sections of locals. It's relevant here to note that many Kashmiris have openly and clearly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan's terror planners had clearly hoped that the incident would engender communal discord and reopen fissures in J&K. Instead, from north to south Kashmir, schools, colleges and shops remained closed in protest against what they termed as 'murder of Kashmiriyat'. But this message needs to be reciprocated by the rest of India – govts everywhere must take the strictest of actions against groups that harass Kashmiris. To the extent this shows that more Kashmiris today are becoming genuine stakeholders in the normalisation process, it's good news for Indian intelligence agencies. Note here that Kashmiriyat thrives only in democratic India, not in PoK where Islamabad has carried out ethnic cleansing and engineered demographic change. Therefore, GOI and the entire security apparatus must leverage this moment to quietly seek the support of Kashmiris to strengthen HUMINT. If Kashmiris' response to Pahalgam stays as it is, the battle against terrorism may get just a little easier. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pam Bondi Takes Point On Covering Up Trump's Signal Fiasco
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM's Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. In highly unusual public statements about an unprecedented breach of national security at the highest levels of the U.S. government, Attorney General Pam Bondi not only shut the door on investigating whether criminal laws were broken in the Signal group chat fiasco but actively engaged in political attacks and rhetorical spin to defend the Trump administration and assail its critics. The attorney general, who wears dual hats as the nation's chief law enforcement officer and as a member of the intelligence community, categorically dismissed the prospect of even investigating the matter during public remarks Thursday morning. Bondi quickly pivoted to regurgitating right-wing talking points about the prior mishandling of classified information by Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton: By last evening, in a friendly appearance on Fox News, Bondi was lambasting U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who is overseeing a civil lawsuit seeking to preserve the Signal chat as official government records. In an extraordinary move, Bondi attacked three DC federal judges by name as unable to be impartial or objective before singling out Boasberg for his role in the Signal case: Bondi has now made public statements assessing the facts and the law of the Signal case while resisting calls for an investigation. These are imply astounding actions by a sitting attorney general. 'The Justice Department's approach thus far stands in contrast with its customary role of examining serious national-security breaches,' the WSJ reported in the most understated possible way. The abiding concern all along has been that Trump would place loyalists at the Justice Department in part to protect himself and his administration from legal consequences for their wrongdoing – a permanent coverup mechanism to ignore, bury, and disregard executive branch lawlessness. Pam Bondi is eagerly filling the role of a loyalist attorney general. This is what it looks like. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe 'to preserve all Signal communications between March 11 and March 15.' President Trump is unwilling to fire officials involved in the Signal group chat 'because doing so would be a tacit admission of fault and seen as handing a victory to the Atlantic magazine,' The Guardian reports. Israel complained privately after HUMINT it provided for the anti-Houthi airstrike was included in the Signal group chat among U.S. officials. The original version of yesterday's Morning Memo incorrectly described the prisoners who appeared behind DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in her propaganda video as Venezuelan detainees deported under the Alien Enemies Act. They were in fact El Salvadoran prisoners held in the same prison. The mistake was mine. A federal judge's order barring the transfer of detained Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk out of Massachusetts came too late, the Trump administration said. Ozturk is now at a detention facility in Louisiana. Ozturk's student visa was unilaterally revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who revealed that he has revoked some 300 visas for participating in pro-Palestinian activities on campus: The University of Michigan, a national leader in diversity efforts in higher ed, is shuttering its DEI offices. Case Western Reserve University, Ohio's largest private university, has shut down its DEI office under pressure from the Trump administration. The Trump DOJ has launched an anti-DEI investigation into admissions policies at Stanford, UC-Berkely, UCLA, and UC-Irvine. President Trump's retribution spree continued with an executive order targeting law firm WilmerHale, which at one point employed former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into Trump's relationship with Russia in the 2016 campaign and its aftermath. In a statement, WilmerHale indicated it will challenge the executive order, which is similar in form and substance to the other Trump executive orders targeting the legal profession. In other developments: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is in talks with the Trump White House to avoid being targeted by an executive order of its own. The WSJ looks at the Perkins Coie's decision to fight back against the Trump executive order targeting it. Former Perkins Coie Bab Bauer partner examines the deal that the Paul Weiss firm struck with the Trump White House to get the president to rescind the executive order against it: Paul Weiss disregarded the lawlessness of Trump's actions, which is lawlessness of a particularly pernicious kind: punishing lawyers for representing clients or causes personally offensive to this president. Perhaps a different kind of business might sensibly conclude that it should do what it could to placate a hostile administration. But a law firm, in this instance a leading one, is not any kind of business: It is a professional association with obligations not only to its clients, but to the legal system itself. In addition to the Wilmer Hale executive order, President Trump issued new executive orders targeting federal worker unions and whitewashing U.S. history. Election law expert Rick Hasen digs into Trump's executive order on elections. 'A federal judge in Maryland admonished the Trump administration for trying to rush her into lifting restrictions on an Elon Musk team seeking access to the private Social Security Administration information of millions of Americans,' Bloomberg reports. Rather than mounting a concerted legislative effort to block DOGE's rampage, Republican lawmakers are scrambling to make personal appeals to head off DOGE cuts, the NYT reports. In a Fox News interview, Elon Musk made the preposterous claim that DOGE's $1 trillion in spending cuts won't harm federal services Gov't wide: Internal White House document shows the Trump administration is preparing to cut between 8 and 50 percent of the workforces of federal agencies, the WaPo reports. DHS: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he is axing 10,000 workers in his department. NWS: The union that represents workers at the chronically understaffed National Weather Service warns that the Trump administration could shed as much as one-quarter of the agency's workforce. The Trump administration's ban on trans service members has been blocked for the second time, when a federal judge in Washington state intervened yesterday shortly after the DC Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on an earlier court ruling that blocked the ban. Notably, even though the appeals court was siding with the Trump administration, it used unusual language to suggest the Pentagon should not take any adverse action against trans personnel while the sorted things out. Chris Geidner has the play by play in real time from yesterday (scroll down past the first section). After widespread local revulsion over their planned visit to Greenland today, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha will now only stop at a U.S. military base. The cultural exchanges that were originally part of the trip have been jettisoned. Canada is reorienting itself to the fact that its southern neighbor is no longer a benign presence:
