Monday, September 20, 2010

2009 Defense Message System (DMS) Service/Agency Excellence Award

-- Guest Post by Mr. Steven Wolf, Chief, Coast Guard Telecommunications Systems Infrastructure Division Commandant (CG-642)

Communications Area Master Station Pacific (CAMSPAC) was the Coast Guard recipient of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) 2009 Defense Message System (DMS) Service/Agency Excellence Award. The award was scheduled to be presented at the 2010 DISA Customer Partnership Conference in Nashville on 3 May, but major flooding of the Cumberland Riverresulted in the cancellation of the conference. Instead, Mr. Steve Wolf (CG-642), DMS Program Manager, presented the award plaque to the station and crew of CAMSPAC on 26 August 2010.

The award citation reads: The DMS Award of Excellence is presented to the U.S. Coast Guard Communications Area Master Station (CAMS) Pacific for exemplifying professionalism, dedication, diligence and a high degree of technical competence as they accomplished essential mission critical goals on the path to fully implement DMS in the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Their work as one of the Coast Guard's premiere service providers for DMS services, most especially as a key node in providing key intelligence data to the Intelligence Coordination Center via DMS, was key to the Coast Guard's ability to effectively and agilely perform its missions. CAMSPAC maintained a better than 99% Coast Guard DMS Component Site Availability rating for 2009 while maintaining a consistently low Non-Delivery Notice (NDN) percentage.

Congratulations to the station and crew of CAMSPAC for a job well done. Bravo Zulu!

Photo: LCDR Dan Connolly, CAMSPAC XO & Mr. Steven Wolf.

Ancient artifacts returned to Cambodia via the USNS Mercy ICE/HSI led investigations have museums looking closer at their collections

The pier side scene on July 17, 2010, in Cambodia was as reverential as it was magnanimous. Buddhist monks bowed their heads and blessed each gingerly unwrapped ancient artifact after the carefully crated cargo was offloaded from the Military Sealift Command's hospital ship USNS Mercy. The holy men then led a crowd of people in prayers of thanks for the bounty that was brought back to the Cambodian people. The treasures included a Cambodian temple decoration, a decorative buckle, a bronze leaf, a bronze Buddha, a two-piece sandstone sculpture and others items. Some of the antiquities, which had been stolen from Angkor Wat, a Buddhist temple near the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, dated to the 4th century.

Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Navy and the U.S. State Department coordinated the return of these antiquities via the compassionate ship as part of the ship's scheduled humanitarian and civic assistance voyage to Southeast Asia in support of Pacific Partnership 2010. Returning the cultural heirlooms to the Cambodians was in perfect harmony with this goodwill tour, which the U.S. Navy initiated to strengthen U.S. international partnerships and reinforce mutual support between nations.

The joyous reunion of the Cambodian artifacts to their rightful owners was far from an overnight success. In fact, it took years of intensive investigation beginning with Operation Antiquity, which touched off related investigations. In Operation Antiquity, federal agents from ICE/HSI, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) worked together in a massive investigation that unveiled an interconnected web of individuals involved in the plundering of Southeast Asian ancient objects then smuggling and selling them within the U.S.

ICE/HSI Special Agent Michael Scott Crabb, who led this epic operation, puts the crime of stealing and selling historical and cultural treasures into perspective. "How would we, as U.S. citizens, feel if someone were to steal an original copy of the U.S. Constitution or Declaration of Independence and sell to it to someone across the globe?" Another analogous hypothetical might be, 'How would Americans feel if someone sliced the head off of George Washington from Mount Rushmore and sold it to the highest bidder?'

US Navy personnel and others gathered around monks

The loss would be tremendous, and so it is with other nations, many of which are without the resources to investigate or conduct an adequate search to recover pieces that have been chipped off of their national heritage.

Thus, in 2003 when a letter arrived on the desk of the ICE assistant secretary from the Cambodian Embassy requesting ICE's help in recovering ancient artifacts belonging to the country of Cambodia that were being auctioned and sold over the Internet, ICE obliged.

Operation Antiquity initially focused on Robert Olson, a U.S. citizen and importer of Southeast Asian items. Olson worked with Cambodian and Thai "brokers." These brokers hired private "diggers" who visited ancient sites with the purpose of pillaging, sometimes cutting away friezes and other parts of a structure's ornamentation. Olson falsified documents as the goods were shipped into the United States. Olson was breaking several U.S. and international laws and bilateral agreements in his profit-making venture. His nearly 25-year scam was so prodigious that Crabb says Olson was responsible for Thailand's loss of one-third of its remnants from the ancient Ban Chiang culture.

But when the law caught up with Olson, federal agents, working undercover, discovered they had just scratched the surface. One of Olson's associates was a wealthy and well-traveled Wall Street financial analyst who was also cashing in on the theft and importation of Southeast Asian antiquities. Another buyer was a private museum owner who bought vast amounts of illicit items concealing them in containerized cargo shipments. One shipment authorities intercepted contained a 7th century Khumer sandstone head and a 2nd century Dong Son bronze container. Together these items were worth more than $35,000. But coming through U.S. customs, the smuggler declared the entire shipment as "handicrafts" worth $250.

The smuggling scheme not only involved undervaluing the worth of ancient items to pass them through U.S. customs, but inflating their value when the purpose was to donate an artifact to a museum and write it off as a charitable tax donation.

In January 2008, more than 400 federal agents from the ICE Special Agent in Charge (SAC) office in Los Angeles, the NPS and the IRS conducted a massive raid, sanctioned by search warrants issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in California. Law enforcement officials surprised owners, curators, registrars and collection mangers from 16 museums and galleries in California and Illinois, interviewing them and examining their collections. Several people were indicted, one individual was prosecuted and thousands of objects were seized.

Operation Antiquity put museums all over the country on notice. "The case enlightened museums as to their acquisition policies," said Crabb. Some museums are now voluntarily bringing forth for examination pieces in their collection that may be of questionable origin. U.S. customs inspectors have also wised up to the tricks of the antiquity trafficking trade, and these officials have gained more expertise in how to catch this type of thief.

An unfortunate phenomenon in today's world is that historical and cultural artifacts that are looted and smuggled out of their home countries are often auctioned and sold in cyberspace, rapidly changing hands. But the Internet is no safe haven for criminals of any kind, including illegal traffickers of antiquities.

Some of the items recovered and returned via the USNS Mercy had been available for purchase on the Internet. ICE Special Agent Razmik Madoyan of SAC Los Angeles who led an Internet investigation that helped recover some of the artifacts, said "Sometimes people turn a blind eye to what they are purchasing and don't care about the provenance. If it looks good they buy it. But if these individuals are purchasing historical or cultural property that's been stolen, they are breaking U.S. and international laws." The red flag indicators of stolen artifacts, said Madoyan, "are an item's lack of provenance or provenance with nonspecific item descriptions or country of origin, such as "Babylonian items" or "the Middle East."

"ICE's Homeland Security Investigations goes the distance when it comes to investigating and tracking the true ownership of ancient treasures being traded and sold within the U.S.," said Herbert Kaufer, acting executive deputy assistant director of ICE International Affairs. "We'll hunt down the perpetrators of these crimes and use every law on the books against aspiring profiteers so they'll learn to keep their paws off historical and cultural heirlooms they have no right to acquire."

Operation Antiquity "was a tough case…very paper intensive and requiring a lot of travel," said Crabb. "We did it and we'll keep doing these investigations because it's the right thing to do."

Photos courtesy of Meghan Patrick, U.S. Navy.

HSI investigates, arrests and sends Czech criminal fugitives back home to face justice

Photo Credit: DHS

Investigating and deporting criminals who have no business being in the United States back to their home countries is a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) top priority carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). On the other side of the Atlantic, a goal of the Czech Republic is for their criminal fugitives to face criminal proceedings within their own justice system. Fulfilling both these objectives through an ICE Vienna, Austria, fugitive program is not only where the twain shall meet, but is bringing excellent results.

Authorities from HSI and the Czech Republic Interpol initiated this highly effective program two years ago, and it has worked exceedingly well since that time with HSI arresting 25 Czech fugitives in the U.S., and 12 of them returning to the Czech Republic. The program targets some of the most wanted fugitives according to Czech authorities.

During a week in May 2010, the stars were shining particularly unfavorably on a string of Czech criminal fugitives committing various U.S. violations while trying to take refuge in the U.S. HSI agents investigating three different cases in three different parts of the country -- Florida, California and Texas -- arrested three Czech fugitives within four days of each other.

On May 25, 2010, HSI agents in Sarasota, Fla., arrested a man wanted by the Czechs for embezzlement and fraud who had been sentenced to seven years in the Czech Republic. Two days later, HSI agents in Los Angeles, Calif., arrested another Czech national who was evading Czech authorities after he committed armed robbery, theft, breaking and entering, property damage and other violent crimes in his home country for which he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Then, on May 28, 2010, HSI agents in Galveston, Texas, arrested a third wanted fugitive from the Czech Republic for various criminal fraud offenses in which he had been sentenced to four years in prison.

"The mutual law enforcement cooperation between HSI and the Czech Republic is a win-win situation for us both," said ICE Vienna Attaché James Plitt. "In the process of returning Czech citizens who are wanted for criminal offenses in their own countries, we not only help the Czechs bring justice in their own land, but we are also hitting one of our pillars of protecting the public-removing criminal aliens."

The ICE Attaché office in Vienna is responsible for U.S. immigration and customs law enforcement liaison functions within 13 countries in southeast Europe.

"This successful program sustains the joint investigative efforts that ICE currently has with law enforcement authorities from the Czech Republic and other countries related to human smuggling and trafficking, narcotics trafficking, counter-proliferation investigations and other crimes that transcend U.S. borders," said Plitt.

Captain Jaroslav Ibehej, of the Office of the Czech Republic Police President Presidium, Public Relations and Prevention Division commented, "Our mutual cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is greatly appreciated by the Czech National Police. The cases demonstrate that even in the United States, Czech fugitives cannot hide from justice. Both the DHS Homeland Security investigators and the Czech law enforcement officials look forward to working on future law enforcement projects."

On May 21, 2010, Attaché Vienna ICE Senior Representative Stephen Madden received the Czech Republic Police Medal of Honor in an official ceremony held in Prague, Czech Republic, at Czech Republic Police Headquarters attended by the Czech Police President, Head of Czech Republic Police Criminal Investigative Division, and the Head of Interpol Prague. Madden was recognized for his long-term outstanding international police cooperation with Czech law enforcement authorities since 2007.

Tough immigration enforcement measures take a predominant place on ICE's agenda, and the record removal of 380,000 illegal aliens during the past fiscal year proves that the agency's actions back up their intentions. ICE Director John Morton has repeatedly stated that ICE is committed to removing illegal immigrants who pose the greatest threat to public safety. European nationals, including Czech nationals who are wanted in their own countries for criminal offenses are included as targets for removal.

-- ICE --

Retired U.S. Army veteran at ICE helps recuperating veterans transition to work ICE leads DHS in bringing veterans on board through Operation Warfighter

The doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center call Wayne "Mike" Nelson "a walking miracle." A U.S. Army veteran, Nelson was, not too long ago, paralyzed from the waist down. He courageously climbed out of immobility, and now he's helping other veterans by giving them the same chance he was given through the Operation Warfighter (OWF) program. Under Nelson's leadership as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) veterans employment program manager and coordinator for OWF, ICE has brought 40 veterans on board from October 2009 through August 2010 and is leading the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the program.

Nelson helps veterans navigate the federal application process and ensures they have all the required documents to be considered for an internship at ICE. He intercedes on the veteran's behalf by matching the veteran's skills to ICE's needs and directly contacts the appropriate ICE hiring authority.

OWF, originated by the Department of Defense in 2004, is a means for "warriors-in-transition" to be a part of the mainstream of work activity while they recuperate from injuries or illness. These veterans often have significant down time as they are recovering. Besides the career benefits of gaining valuable federal government work experience, productively working provides "tremendous physical, psychological and social benefits for recuperating service members," says Patrick Brick, the Armed Forces Services Corporation program coordinator for OWF.

Convalescing veterans who transition to work through the OWF are still being paid by the military. They are an asset to any organization not only because of their dedication and skills, but because "they are disciplined and have been trained to work long and hard," says Nelson.

To see Nelson now, walking down the hallway, reaching for his phone across the desk and typing notes into an Excel sheet no one would suspect he had been severely physically challenged from January until May 2009 when he had no use of his legs.

Nelson's entire adult life has been connected to the U.S. military. He retired from the U.S. Army after 22 years of service and was called back to active duty in December 2007 to serve in the Fatal Accident Branch. Nelson, along with a U.S. Army chaplain and a unit commander, visited family members of veterans who had been killed either from an accident or from friendly fire. With the official U.S. Army investigative report in hand, Nelson explained to family members what happened to their loved ones. "They welcomed me," said Nelson. "They wanted to know exactly how their son, husband, wife or daughter had died."

In an even tone, Nelson recounted heartbreakingly tragic mishaps that snuffed out the lives of some of America's sons and daughters while in service to their country. With his mellifluous tone and calm demeanor, one could understand how Nelson might be a port in another's storm.

In January 2009, Nelson suffered his own sea of troubles. A bone spur lodged in his spine caused him to collapse. Two operations, a continuous intravenous stream of antibiotics and five intensive months of grueling physical therapy later, Nelson defied the odds and got back on his feet.

Nelson recalled the words of one of his doctors, which he attributes in large part toward making his way toward his current ambulatory status. Examining the results from electrodes attached to his legs, the doctor said, "Mr. Nelson, I don't know what's wrong with you. But whatever it is, it's fixable. You've got good nerves in your legs." Nelson hung his hopes high on the word "fixable," saying, "that's what kept me going."

In October 2009, while still convalescing, Nelson applied for employment at DHS through OWF. "I wanted to be part of the DHS/ICE team," said Nelson. He received a call from the ICE Chief Diversity Officer who said, "I'll give you a chance." Nelson seized the opportunity and never looked back. He was hired as a full-time federal employee at ICE in March 2010.

Today, Nelson is helping other veterans to be given the same chance that was given to him. He liked his job at ICE immediately saying, "Everything I was doing was geared toward veterans-making life better for veterans-giving them an opportunity through OWF."

Nelson waxes philosophical when advising recuperating veterans. "A job is like an apple. Your object is to get that apple. You take a big bite out of the apple when you apply." Nelson says. "I help veterans take the second bite of the apple, which is to get them to the hiring official."

Nelson says the best thing people can do for wounded veterans is to "give them a chance to show their skills. If your office is short-handed, think about bringing a veteran on board. If you like them, hire them."

Retired U.S. Army veteran at ICE helps recuperating veterans transition to work ICE leads DHS in bringing veterans on board through Operation Warfighter

HSI/ICE agents and others receiving U.S. EPA Montreal Protocol Award for ozone-protecting investigation

uvindex.html