Police Investigate Possible Sightings in Steuben County of Two Escaped NY State Prison Convicts Richard Matt & David Sweat (Also, Male Corrections Officer Placed on Leave)

The authorities are investigating two possible sightings in Steuben County, NY of the the two convicts who escaped from the maximum-Security Prison Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York. One witnesses spotted two men on June 13 walking near the Gang Mills rail yard on Rita’s Way in the town of Erwin. The next day, two men with the same description were spotted walking along County Route 115 in the town of Lindley, heading toward the Pennsylvania Border. Convicted murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, have been added to the U.S. Marshals’ most wanted list.

The list “is reserved for the worst of the worst,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton. “There is no question David Sweat and Richard Matt fall into this category.”

Authorities warned that it could take some time as the massive manhunt enters its second week in the area of the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.

CNN – Possible sights of escaped prison convicts:

Police are pursuing possible sightings of two men who may fit the descriptions of the murderers who broke out from Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

The sightings happened in Steuben County last weekend, New York State Police said in a news release Friday evening.

The development is another lead in the search for escapees Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 35, which is now on its 15th day.

“Witnesses spotted two men on June 13 walking near the Gang Mills rail yard on Rita’s Way in the town of Erwin,” police said. “The next day, two men with the same description were spotted walking along County Route 115 in the town of Lindley, heading toward the Pennsylvania Border.”

The unconfirmed sightings came from two separate individuals, police spokesman Beau Duffy told CNN on Saturday.

UPDATE I: Correction officer suspended in connection with NY prison break.

A correction officer was suspended Friday as part of the investigation into the escape of two inmates who broke out of a New York state prison and are still at large, officials said.

A statement by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said that due to the ongoing investigation, no more information was immediately available.

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Indicted On Federal Charges of Tax Evasion & Lying to the FBI

Former GOP Speaker of the House indicted  …

Former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) was indicted on federal charges of tax evasion and lying to the FBI. As reported at the WAPO, in 2010, Hastert agreed to give an unnamed person $3.5 million “to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct against Individual A.”  The “prior misconduct” occurred before Hastert entered politics in 1981 as he was elected to the Illinois state House in the election of 1980. It would appear that Hastert was paying $3.5 million in  hush money to an individual and got busted.

Read the Indictment HERE.

The Justice Department has indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert on reporting evasion charges and lying to the FBI as part of an effort to conceal paying off the victim of “prior bad acts.

In an indictment handed down in the District Court of Northern Illinois, the Department of Justice and IRS charged Hastert, 73, with illegally transferring funds in an effort to avoid detection by the IRS, a scheme known as “structuring.”

In the indictment, Hastert is accused of agreeing to pay one individual $3.5 million.

Although the indictment does not specify the “bad acts,” sources said they could be from before Hastert, who is now a lobbyist in Washington, entered politics in 1980. The indictment does, however, claim that Hastert agreed to make the payments “[d]uring … 2010 meetings and subsequent discussions.” In at least one of those meetings, according to the indictment, Hastert and the individual “discussed past misconduct by [Hastert against the individual] that had occurred years earlier.”

UPDATE I: A federal magistrate set preliminary bail at $4,500 for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

The bail amount, included in court documents made public Friday, will allow Mr. Hastert to stay out of custody until he is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment. An arraignment hasn’t yet been scheduled, but will probably take place in the coming days.

Mr. Hastert hasn’t appeared in public or commented on the charges. The case was assigned to U.S. Judge Thomas Durkin.

UPDATE II: So what is the law that Denis Hastert broke?

* The law Hastert allegedly broke dictates that any cash withdrawal over $10,000 be accompanied by a Currency Transaction Report filed by the bank to the federal government. “The federal law requiring these reports was passed to safeguard the financial industry from threats posed by money laundering and other financial crime,” according to the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN). “To comply with this law, financial institutions must obtain personal identification information about the individual conducting the transaction such as a Social Security number as well as a driver’s license or other government issued document. This requirement applies whether the individual conducting the transaction has an account relationship with the institution or not.” These regulations grew out of the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, which is formally known as the “Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970.”

* The federal investigation into Hastert’s withdrawal practice began in 2013 due to concerns that Hastert was “structuring” withdrawals to avoid the reporting requirements. Structuring, which is also called “smurfing,” is a purposeful attempt to break up large cash withdrawals to keep them from drawing scrutiny. It’s a common practice in money laundering and gambling. Between June 2010 and April 2012, Hastert took $50,000 out of his bank accounts on 15 different occasions.  When questioned about those practices by bank officials, Hastert began taking out less than $10,000 at a time to avoid detection, a classic case of structuring or smurfing, if true.

* When confronted about his withdrawals by federal officials in late 2014, Hastert allegedly lied — insisting that he was keeping the cash for himself. Hastert said that he “did not feel safe with the banking system,” adding: “Yeah … I kept the cash. That’s what I’m doing.” Lying to federal officials is, obviously, a crime.

UPDATE III: Hastert resigns lobbying position after indictment.

Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has resigned from his position as a lobbyist at law and lobby firm Dickstein Shapiro following a federal indictment released Thursday, according to a firm spokesman.

“Dennis Hastert has resigned from the firm. Scott Thomas will continue to lead the Public Policy & Political Law Practice,” a firm spokesman said in an email to The Hill.

UPDATE IV: Hastert also resigned from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange board.

Hastert’s biography was removed from the firm’s website Thursday. In a statement issued late Thursday, a Dickstein Shapiro spokesman said only that “Dennis Hastert has resigned from the firm.” Hastert also resigned Thursday from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange board, according to reports.

Two New York City Women (Noelle Velentzas & Asia Siddiqui) Arrested in Connection with Home Grown Terrorist Bomb Plot

BECAUSE ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE …

Two New York City women, 28 year old Noelle Velentzas and 31 year old Asia Siddiqui, were arrested at their Queens homes early Thursday during a police and FBI sting operation. It is reported that the two women were influenced by ISIS and the Boston Marathon bombing.  According to the complaint, the women “researched and acquired some of the components of a car bomb, like the one used in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; a fertilizer bomb, like the one used in the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City; and a pressure cooker bomb, like the one used in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.” The two female terrorists were reportedly going to attack police amnd military funerals.

The Washington Times:

The disturbing allegations were contained in court papers describing the latest homegrown terror plot thwarted by the FBI and the New York Police Department.

Noelle Velentzas and Asia Siddiqui were arrested at their Queens homes early Thursday following a sting operation using an undercover officer wearing a wire. Officer searching the homes recovered items including three gas tanks, a pressure cooker, fertilizer, handwritten notes on the recipes for bomb making and jihadist literature, court papers say.

Velentzas, had been “obsessed with pressure cookers since the Boston Marathon attacks in 2013” and made jokes alluding to explosives after receiving one as a gift, according to a criminal complaint citing one of the secret recordings made by the undercover who managed to befriend the pair.

The arrests show U.S. authorities “are committed to doing everything in our ability to detect, disrupt, and deter attacks by homegrown violent extremists,” U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “As alleged, the defendants in this case carefully studied how to construct an explosive device to launch an attack on the homeland.”

29 Year Old Denise Huskins Missing Since 3/23/15 in Vallejo, CA … Possible Abduction/Kidnap for Ransom (Update: Police Searching Mare Island Waterfront)(Update: Found Safe in Huntington Beach, CA)

29 year old Denise Huskins has been missing since Monday, March 23, 2015 in Vallejo, CA. According to reports, Denise Huskins was kidnapped from the home of her boyfriend, 30 year old Aaron Quinn. Huskins was reported missing from the 500 block of Kirkland Avenue on Mare Island at about 1:55 PM. The boyfriend told police “a ransom demand was communicated” during her abduction. However, according to the police,  Denice Huskins was abducted sometime between midnight and 5 a.m. on Monday but her boyfriend didn’t tell police until almost 2 PM. A vehicle taken from the home and found later in the city is also under Quinn’s name. Huskins is 5’7″ and weighs 150 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes, police said. The FBI has joined the investigation into missing Denise Huskins. Aaron Quinn is reportedly not considered a suspect.

At some point during 29-year-old Denise Huskins’ kidnapping Monday in Vallejo, her boyfriend was given a ransom demand, police said a day later.

The woman, a physical therapist at Kaiser Permanente, was reported missing about 12 hours after her boyfriend told police that he saw her being “forcibly taken against her will” and spirited away, Vallejo police officials said Tuesday.

Quinn and Huskins are physical therapists at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, police said. Huskins hails from Huntington Beach but has been living in her own place in Vallejo for about the last year, police said.

The 500 block of Kirkland Avenue, where Huskins was abducted, was blocked off by police tape and a command vehicle idled nearby Tuesday morning.

Hmm, so Denise Huskins is allegedly abducted sometime between midnight and 5 AM as witnessed by her alleged boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, and he does not contact police of his kidnapping until about 2PM. REALLY? The authorities are stating that Quinn is not considered a suspect. REALLY? Or are they just saying this in order to get his cooperation. I am not sure what kind of boyfriend material waits that long to contact the police when your girl friend is abducted.

UPDATE I: Vallejo Police: Ransom demand received for kidnapped woman.

A ransom demand was received for a 30-year-old Vallejo woman who was forcibly taken from her Mare Island home by an unknown abductor, Vallejo police said Tuesday.

Vallejo police Lt. Kenny Park said investigators got a call from a man who lives with Denise Huskins reporting she had been abducted.

“All I can tell you is there was a ransom demand,” said Park, who would not divulge whether it was a written or verbal demand for cash.

UPDATE II: Search for missing Vallejo woman focuses on Mare Island area.

In the search for a kidnapped Vallejo woman, crews have focused on Mare Island and the surrounding area. Crews are using sonar along the Mare Island waterfront to help in the search for Denise Huskins.

The 30-year-old woman was last seen Monday morning, when a man told police Huskins was abducted from their Vallejo home.

More than 100 trained search personnel spent Tuesday near Mare Island. Investigators say there was no specific tip that led them to the area, they focused there because of its proximity to where Huskins went missing.

UPDATE III: Search Dogs Hint At Area Possibly Related To Missing Vallejo Woman’s Alleged Kidnapping.

The search of a missing woman police say was kidnapped and being held for ransom is now centered on a section of the Mare Island waterfront.

Search dogs hinted at an area that could be related to Denise Huskins’ alleged kidnapping. Sonar has been deployed in the area, and divers could go into the water on Wednesday.

“The intention is for the dive team to go into the water, and discover or I should say to look at what this object they’ve discovered to be, and at this point we have no idea what that is,” said Lt. Kenny Park.

If anyone has any information regarding Huskins’ location and welfare, please contact the Vallejo Police Department Detective Division at 707-648-4524.

UPDATE IV: California woman found safe two days after alleged kidnapping.

Denise Huskins, who was reported kidnapped two days ago in Vallejo, California, has been found safe more than 400 miles away, authorities and her father said Wednesday.

Huskins’ boyfriend Monday afternoon called police and said she had been abducted that morning from his home in the Bay Area. About 48 hours later, she was located an hour south of Los Angeles.

Officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department found Huskins at her father’s apartment complex, department spokeswoman Jennifer Marlatt told reporters.

Huskins, 29, is in good condition and had no apparent injuries, Marlatt said. Huskins left with police to meet several family members.

UPDATE V: Missing Vallejo woman found safe: ‘Everyone’ is a person of interest.

Investigators in Vallejo are traveling to interview a woman who was reportedly kidnapped from her boyfriend’s home, held for ransom, then found safe Wednesday, 420 miles south in Huntington Beach, authorities said.

Denise Huskins, 29, was found in “good condition” at a relative’s house, said Huntington Beach police Officer Jennifer Marlatt.

Vallejo police said Wednesday afternoon that they are continuing to investigate the case as a kidnap-for-ransom.

“We’re confident we’re going to be able to piece this puzzle together and get a better picture of what really occurred once we speak to Ms. Huskins,” Vallejo Police Department spokesman Lt. Kenny Park said.

“There’s nobody that’s a person of interest at this point. Everyone is.”

20 Year Old ISIS Sympathizer Christopher Lee Cornell (Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah) Arrested on Charges in Plot to Attack the U.S. Capitol & Kill Government Officials

20 year Ohio man arrested in terror plot … They walk among us.

20 year old Christopher Lee Cornell of Green Township, Ohio, was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempting to kill U.S. government officials in an alleged plot to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The terror attack by the 20 year old “Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah” on DC was radical Islam, ISIS inspired.  Cornell posted statements, videos and other content expressing support for ISIS and told an undercover FBI agent that that they should conduct “jihad” against the United States saying, “I believe that we should just wage jihad under our own orders and plan attacks and everything … I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic State here and plan operations ourselves.” The FBI said Cornell told the informant he planned to detonate pipe bombs at and near the Capitol, and use rifles to shoot and kill employees.

Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, of Green Township, was arrested on charges of attempting to kill a U.S. government official, authorities said.

According to government documents, he allegedly planned to detonate pipe bombs at the national landmark and open fire on any employees and officials fleeing after the explosions.

The FBI first noticed Cornell several months ago after an informant notified the agency that Cornell was allegedly voicing support for violent “jihad” on Twitter accounts under the alias “Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah,” according to charging documents. In addition, Cornell allegedly posted statements, videos and other content expressing support for ISIS — the brutal terrorist group also known as ISIL — that is wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria.

But of course we are not at war with radical Islam … Because Islam is a religion of Peace.

VIDEO – CNN

FBI: Ohio Man Inspired By ISIS Plotted Attack On U.S. Capitol.

Cornell met with the informant in Cincinnati on Oct. 17 and 18, and said weapons were needed for an attack, the FBI said. He also showed jihadist videos and information about making bombs on his laptop computer, the FBI said.

The informant met with Cornell a second time on Nov. 10 and 11, and said he considered members of Congress enemies and wanted attack the Capitol, the FBI said. He said he would case out security before conducting the attack, the FBI said.

The FBI said Cornell told the informant he planned to detonate pipe bombs at and near the Capitol, and use rifles to shoot and kill employees. He made plans to get guns and make pipe bombs, and saved up money for the attack, the FBI said.

On Tuesday, Cornell and the informant discussed the final steps to go ahead to Washington, D.C., and on Wednesday, Cornell bought two M-15 semiautomatic rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition for the mission, the FBI said.

Cornell was arrested after he bought the guns, prosecutors said.

FBI: Federal agent arrest Cornell in terror plot at Capitol inspired by ISIS