US infiltrates big ransomware gang: 'We hacked the hackers'
The FBI and international partners have at least temporarily dismantled the network of a prolific ransomware gang they infiltrated last year, saving victims including hospitals and school districts a potential $130 million in ransom payments, Attorney General Merrick Garland and other U.S. officials announced Thursday. Officials said the targeted syndicate, known as Hive, operates one of the world's top five ransomware networks and has heavily targeted hospitals and other health care providers. The FBI quietly gained access to its control panel in July and was able to obtain software keys to decrypt the network of some 1,300 victims globally, said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
news.yahoo.comGarland: Justice Dept.'s civil rights work is key priority
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says the early work of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division meant confronting white supremacists who were intimidating Black voters, and the division's work remains urgent 65 years later amid a surge of hate crimes.
White House hosts lawyers for discussion on abortion access
Attorney General Merrick Garland is headlining a White House event that's bringing together pro bono lawyers, bar associations and public interest groups to discuss how best to offer legal services and protections for women seeking abortions.
Members of the super-rich Sackler family that profited from OxyContin were forced to listen to opioid victims call them the 'scum of the earth'
People who had OxyContin addictions, and who had lost loved ones to the drug, denounced the multi-billionaire Sackler family, at a bankruptcy hearing.
news.yahoo.comReadout of Meeting between U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco of the U.S. Department of Justice, together with colleagues from the National Security Division and the Criminal Division, met yesterday with UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in Washington, DC, to further strengthen law enforcement and national security cooperation. In their meeting, both governments discussed their close cooperation against numerous threats to their countries’ collective security, including with respect to combating terrorism, cybercrime, and illicit finance. Both the Deputy Attorney General and the Home Secretary committed and agreed to heighten the focus on illicit use of cryptocurrency and ransomware, as well as to continue the dialogue about emerging threats to national security.
justice.govSuspected hackers arrested in global ransomware crackdown
Two suspected hackers accused of ransomware attacks resulting in 5,000 infections have been arrested as part of a global cybercrime crackdown, Europol announced Monday. Officials say the attacks, linked to the ransomware gang known as REvil, yielded about half a million euros in ransom payments. REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, has been linked in recent months to ransomware targeting the world's largest meat processor, JBS SA, as well as a Fourth of July weekend attack that snarled businesses around the world.
news.yahoo.comJustice Dept. curtails agents' use of 'no-knock' warrants
The Justice Department is curtailing federal agents’ use of “no-knock” warrants — which allow law enforcement agents to enter a home without announcing their presence — and would also prohibit its agents from using chokeholds in most circumstances.
Justice Department Announces First Federal Agents to Use Body-Worn Cameras
Today, the Department of Justice announced the launch of the first phase of its Body-Worn Camera Program that requires department law enforcement personnel use body-worn cameras (BWCs) during pre-planned law enforcement operations. “Law enforcement is at its most effective when there is accountability and trust between law enforcement and the community. “Because there are circumstances where the use of force may occur during planned law enforcement operations, we are committed to the use of body-worn cameras by DOJ law enforcement agents in such circumstances. Since October 2020, ATF, DEA, FBI and USMS have been integrating the use of BWCs on federal task forces around the nation. The department continues to encourage participating task force agencies to contact the sponsoring federal agency for more information about their BWC program.
justice.govDeputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Announces Creation of New Cyber Fellows Positions
Today, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the creation of a new Cyber Fellowship program, designed to develop a new generation of prosecutors and attorneys equipped to handle emerging national security threats. “As we have witnessed this past year, cyber threats pose a significant and increasing risk to our national security, our economic security, and our personal security,” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “We need to develop the next generation of prosecutors with the training and experience necessary to combat the next generation of cyber threats. Cyber Fellowship DetailsThe three-year Cyber Fellowship will provide selected attorneys experience combatting emerging national security and criminal cyber threats, while rotating through multiple department components that protect the nation from cyber threats — including the Criminal Division, the National Security Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. Information regarding deadlines and eligibility to submit applications to the Cyber Fellowship through subsequent tracks is forthcoming.
justice.govJustice Dept. bolsters monitoring of federal inmate accounts
The Justice Department is directing the federal prison system implement new procedures to monitor government-run prison deposit accounts that have at times been used by inmates to shield themselves from paying debts and for suspicious or illegal activity.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks Announcing Lawsuit Against the State of Georgia to Stop Racially Discriminatory Provisions of New Voting Law
Remarks as DeliveredGood morning, I’m pleased to be joined by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke. I noted that our progress on protecting voting rights, especially for black Americans and people of color, has never been steady. Moments of voting rights expansion have often been met with counter efforts to curb the franchise. I want to thank the staff of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section for their hard work on this matter and for their everyday efforts to protect Americans’ voting rights. And because the upcoming redistricting cycle may be the first since 1960 to proceed without the key preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act.
justice.govDeputies who fatally shot man in Minneapolis were undercover
The two sheriff's deputies who shot and killed a Black man during an arrest attempt by a U.S. Marshals Service task force in Minneapolis were working undercover at the time so their names will not be released, state investigators said Wednesday. Winston Boogie Smith Jr., 32, of St. Paul, was killed last Thursday as authorities were trying to arrest him on a weapons violation in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. The U.S. Marshals Service said he was wanted for allegedly being a felon in possession of a firearm and that Smith, who was in a parked vehicle, didn’t comply and “produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject.”
news.yahoo.comUS recovers $4.4m ransom paid to Darkside for Colonial Pipeline hack
The US Justice Department said it has recovered more than half of the $4.4 million (£3.1 million) paid by Colonial Pipeline to ransomware extortionists Darkside, who had forced the shutdown of a major fuel network. DarkSide infiltrated the pipeline last month in an attack that severely disrupted supplies and caused fuel shortages for days. The group, which Washington officials believe could be based in Russia, broke into the computer systems of Colonial and forcing the shutdown of its 5,500-mile
news.yahoo.comDeputy Attorney General Convenes Inaugural Meeting of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force
WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco convened the first meeting of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force. Launched earlier this month, the Task Force is marshalling the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across the federal government to enhance enforcement efforts against COVID-19 related fraud. In launching the first meeting of the Task Force, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told the members that the “aim of the Task Force is to join forces against fraud and protect the integrity of government funds.”The Task Force members discussed several of their priority goals, including increased efforts to combat fraud related to COVID-19 relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, as well as unemployment insurance benefits. The Deputy Attorney General closed by stressing that a well-informed public is the strongest weapon in preventing fraud and reiterating the Task Force's commitment to educating individuals and businesses about how they can best protect themselves. For more information on the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, visit: Attorney General Announces Task Force to Combat COVID-19 Fraud | OPA | Department of Justice
justice.govUS looking at how to weed out extremists in law enforcement
Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department is looking into how it can weed out any extremists from within federal law enforcement following the arrest of current and former law enforcement officers involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at Announcement of Pattern or Practice Investigation into the Louisville Police Department
They are leaders of great ability and integrity, and I am very happy that they have returned to serve again at the Justice Department. The Justice Department is also charged with ensuring that the constitutional and federal statutory rights of all people are protected. Those investigations, and the recommendations and actions that ensue, do not only protect individuals’ civil rights. Those qualities are necessary to building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. As in every Justice Department investigation, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.
justice.gov75 ex-top prosecutors endorse Biden’s pick for associate AG
FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2021 file photo, Associate Attorney General nominee Vanita Gupta speaks during an event with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. More than 75 former U.S. attorneys are throwing their support behind Gupta for associate attorney general and urging congressional leaders to quickly confirm her to the post. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – More than 75 former U.S. attorneys are throwing their support behind President Joe Biden’s nominee for associate attorney general and urging congressional leaders to quickly confirm her to the post. She was in charge of the Justice Department’s civil rights division in the Obama administration. The Senate has scheduled the confirmation hearing for Gupta and Lisa Monaco, Biden’s nominee for deputy attorney general, for March 9.
Biden marks nation’s COVID grief before inauguration pomp
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden look out at lights during a COVID-19 memorial, with lights placed around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. “To heal we must remember," the incoming president told the nation at a sunset ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. “Between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights into the darkness ... and remember all who we lost,” Biden said. Biden at his Delaware farewell, held at the National Guard/Reserve Center named after his late son Beau Biden, paid tribute to his home state. ___This story has been corrected to show that flags on the National Mall represent people who couldn’t come, not COVID deaths.
Biden cancels plans to travel by Amtrak to inauguration amid security concerns
President-elect Joe Biden will no longer take an Amtrak train to Washington ahead of Inauguration Day next week, according to a person familiar with the plans. As of Tuesday, the Biden team was still planning the train arrival event, CBS News was told. A Biden transition spokesperson confirmed to CBS News that Lisa Monaco, former homeland security adviser to President Obama, will serve as a temporary advisor to the transition on homeland security surrounding the Inauguration. "Ms. Monaco will assist the President-elect and work with the incoming National Security Advisor, the incoming Homeland Security Advisor, and current security and law enforcement officials, including with the United States Secret Service on their plans for the Inauguration. This is an all-hands-on-deck period, but the goal is to quickly and seamlessly turn full responsibility to the incoming Homeland Security Advisor and team as soon as possible. "
cbsnews.comBiden cancels plans to travel by Amtrak to inauguration amid security concerns
President-elect Joe Biden will no longer take an Amtrak train to Washington ahead of Inauguration Day next week, according to a person familiar with the plans. As of Tuesday, the Biden team was still planning the train arrival event, CBS News was told. A Biden transition spokesperson confirmed to CBS News that Lisa Monaco, former homeland security adviser to President Obama, will serve as a temporary advisor to the transition on homeland security surrounding the Inauguration. "Ms. Monaco will assist the President-elect and work with the incoming National Security Advisor, the incoming Homeland Security Advisor, and current security and law enforcement officials, including with the United States Secret Service on their plans for the Inauguration. This is an all-hands-on-deck period, but the goal is to quickly and seamlessly turn full responsibility to the incoming Homeland Security Advisor and team as soon as possible. "
cbsnews.comBiden blames Trump for violence at Capitol that's shaken US
President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, to announce key nominees for the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has denounced the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol as “domestic terrorists” and he blamed President Donald Trump for the violence that has shaken the nation's capital and beyond. It was chaos.”Those who massed on Capitol Hill intending to disrupt a joint session of Congress that was certifying Biden’s election victory over Trump “weren’t protesters. The remarks came during an event in Wilmington, Delaware, to introduce Biden's Justice Department team, to be led by federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland as attorney general. The Justice Department is expected to dramatically change course during the Biden administration, with a greater focus on civil rights issues and a review of policing policies.
Biden introduces Merrick Garland as attorney general pick
Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland speaks during an event with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. If confirmed by the Senate, which is likely, Garland would take over as the U.S. attorney general at a critical moment for the country and the agency. His confirmation prospects as attorney general were all but ensured when Democrats scored control of the Senate majority by winning both Georgia Senate seats. Biden also introduced three others for senior Justice Department leadership posts on Thursday, including Obama administration homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general and former Justice Department civil rights chief Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general, the No. Garland was selected over other finalists including former Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
Biden to name Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general
President-elect Joe Biden is set to name Garland as Attorney General. Biden is expected to announce Garland’s appointment on Thursday, along with other senior leaders of the department, including former homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general and former Justice Department civil rights chief Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general, the No. Garland was selected over other finalists including former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. At the time of the bombing, Garland was 42 and principal associate deputy attorney general, a top lieutenant to Attorney General Janet Reno. Eric Holder, President Barack Obama’s first attorney general, had also previously been a Superior Court judge in the District of Columbia.