"Not only have Mt Gox funds been seized from the Dwolla account, but according to the warrant issued for that seizure, a separate seizure warrant was issued to allow Homeland Security to seize the funds in the Mt Gox account held in the name Mutum Sigillum at Wells Fargo. It appears that Mt Gox has been shutdown for all practical purposes in the United States." Continue reading →
"In the warrant, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), states that there's probable cause to believe Mt. Gox is engaging in 'money transmitting' without a license, a crime punishable by a fine or up to five years in prison. The warrant goes on to demand that Dwolla hand over the keys to account number 812-649-1010, which is owned by Mt. Gox subsidiary Mutum Sigillum LLC, and held in the custody of Veridian Credit Union. The funds in that account 'are those of Mt. Gox customers that withdraw said funds from Mt. Gox and direct their transfer to Dwolla.'" Continue reading →
"The Department of Homeland Security has served a court order to the money exchange service Dwolla, in regard to its dealings with Mt. Gox. Earlier today, I reported on news that the Department of Homeland Security ordered the money transfer firm from transacting with the Bitcoin dealer Mt. Gox. More details are now emerging. A representative for Dwolla told Betabeat that, 'The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a ‘Seizure Warrant’ for the funds associated with Mutum Sigillium’s Dwolla account (a.k.a. Mt. Gox).'" Continue reading →
"In 1981, President Reagan signed the Military Cooperation with Law Enforcement Act, a law that granted the Pentagon permission to assist domestic police departments engaged in enforcing the nation’s drug laws. Similar legislation accompanied efforts to combat terrorism even before 9/11. A 1997 federal law known as Program 1033 made it easier for state and local law enforcement agencies to obtain surplus military hardware—including body armor, armored vehicles, and surveillance equipment—for use in counterdrug and counterterrorism activities. In 2011, the program transferred $500 million worth of equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies." Continue reading →
"According to FBI spokesman Tom Simon, the passenger’s luggage contained what appeared to be a modified pressure cooker, which was discovered through standard Transportation Security Administration screening. The passenger was detained for questioning but was not placed under arrest, Simon said. The pressure cooker and some of the contents of the luggage were seized by the FBI for analysis. Simon today declined further comment, and did not respond to a question from Big Island Now as to whether pressure cookers are now among the items prohibited from being carried on board airlines, either in carry-on or checked baggage." Continue reading →
"Attacks exploiting a previously unknown and currently unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser have spread to at least nine other websites, including those run by a big European company operating in the aerospace, defense, and security industries as well as non-profit groups and institutes, security researchers said. The revelation, from a blog post published Sunday by security firm AlienVault, means an attack campaign that surreptitiously installed malware on the computers of federal government workers involved in nuclear weapons research was broader and more ambitious than previously thought." Continue reading →
"A senior Internal Revenue Service official knew in 2011 that IRS agents were giving extra scrutiny to conservative Tea Party groups, according to documents from a watchdog office obtained by Reuters on Saturday. A report from the Treasury Department's Inspector General For Tax Administration (TIGTA) was expected to be issued publicly next week on the IRS practice, who knew about it and when. The TIGTA report finds that Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS's tax-exempt groups unit, knew of the extra scrutiny as early as June 2011. The number of groups seeking 501(c)(4) status more than doubled from 2010 to 2012." Continue reading →
"A Saudi student living in Michigan was questioned in his home by FBI agents after neighbours saw him carrying a pressure cooker and called the police. Talal al Rouki had been cooking a traditional Saudi Arabian rice dish called kabsah and was carrying it to a friend's house. While armed agents surrounded his apartment block, other agents, asked a 'nervous' Mr al Rouki if they could come in to question him. 'They asked me about my major, when I arrived in the US and what I do in my spare time' he said. Officers said that a woman had seen him walking out of his apartment carrying the pressure cooker pot, which was described as ‘bullet coloured’." Continue reading →
"He snapped photos of the Arizona State Capitol and the Sandra Day O’Connor United States Courthouse, two of the city’s most picturesque buildings. He continued walking when he noticed he was being followed by a Phoenix police patrol car. Before he knew it, he was being followed by an additional two marked cars as well as an unmarked car, not to mention a cop on foot. Before he knew it, he was handcuffed and sitting in an interrogation room at the Phoenix Police Department, fielding questions from an FBI agent and a police detective named Darren Emfinger from the Joint Terrorism Task Force as to what organizations he belonged to and what types of books he reads." Continue reading →
"The TSA in its mind-boggling stupidity came up with a scheme it called 'TWIC' ('Transportation Worker Indentification Credential'). TSA forced drivers to undergo background checks and fingerprinting and Lord-knows-what-all. And get this: 'TWIC enrollment centers' were often hundreds of miles from drivers’ homes and depots, forcing these professionals to work thousands of hours of unpaid overtime. TWIC also costs those hard-working serfs around $130. Remember that many drivers work as independent contractors, in business for themselves, so no company picks up such expenses for them." Continue reading →