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☆ Pras Michel Convicted of Involvement in Foreign-Influence Scheme Linked to 1MDB
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, exits federal court in Washington. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON— Pras Michel , who rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Fugees hip-hop trio, was found guilty Wednesday of serving as the linchpin of a multimillion-dollar foreign-influence scheme that spanned two presidencies and combined celebrity with political intrigue. After a monthlong trial, a jury in Washington convicted Mr. Michel on charges he improperly injected millions of dollars in donations to then-President Barack Obama ’s re-election campaign in 2012 and, years later, illegally lobbied the Trump administration.

☆ Former Fugees Rapper Pras Michel Convicted of Role in Foreign-Influence Scheme Tied to 1MDB
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, leaving federal court in Washington earlier this month. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON— Pras Michel , who rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Fugees hip-hop trio, was found guilty Wednesday of serving as the linchpin of a multimillion-dollar foreign-influence scheme that spanned two presidencies and combined celebrity with political intrigue. After a monthlong trial, a jury in Washington convicted Mr. Michel on charges he improperly injected millions of dollars in donations to then-President Barack Obama ’s re-election campaign in 2012 and, years later, illegally lobbied the Trump administration.

☆ Tobacco Company BAT Pleads Guilty to Violating U.S. Sanctions on North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Sadie Gurman | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

British American Tobacco PLC said it had abandoned its North Korean business, but continued selling tobacco to the regime using a front company, officials said. Photo: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—A U.K. tobacco company agreed to pay more than $635 million to resolve charges that it conspired to violate U.S. sanctions by selling cigarettes to North Korea in what Justice Department officials described as a brazen scheme to conceal illicit business by routing it through a third-party company in Singapore. The settlement payment was the largest penalty ever levied on a company for violating U.S. sanctions on Pyongyang. The company, British American Tobacco PLC, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors over illegal sales that took place over more than a decade, even after the company announced that it had abandoned its North Korean business, U.S. officials said. But BAT, which makes Lucky Strike, Dunhill and Pall Mall cigarettes, continued selling tobacco products to the isolated regime through a Singaporean front company.

Hunter Biden denies wrongdoing in a criminal investigation related to his taxes. Photo: Patrick Semansky/Associated PressWASHINGTON—An IRS supervisor has told lawmakers he has information that suggests the Biden administration is improperly handling the criminal investigation into President Biden ’s son, Hunter Biden , and is seeking whistleblower protections, according to people familiar with the matter. A letter sent to Congress on Tuesday says a career Internal Revenue Service criminal supervisory special agent has information that would contradict sworn testimony by a “senior political appointee.” The supervisor also has information about a “failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case,” according to the letter.

Hunter Biden, pictured in February in Syracuse, N.Y., denies wrongdoing in a criminal investigation related to his taxes. Photo: Patrick Semansky/Associated PressWASHINGTON—An IRS supervisor has told lawmakers he has information that suggests the Biden administration is improperly handling the criminal investigation into President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden , and is seeking whistleblower protections, according to people familiar with the matter. A letter sent to Congress on Tuesday says a career Internal Revenue Service criminal supervisory special agent has information that would contradict sworn testimony by a “senior political appointee.” The supervisor also has information about a “failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case,” according to the letter.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government is treating the apparent disclosure of classified material surrounding the war in Ukraine as an insider’s leak, people familiar with the matter say, and is working to identify and apprehend a key suspect in a massive intelligence breach that has exposed the challenges of safeguarding sensitive U.S. information and tested ties with some of America’s closest allies.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government is treating the apparent disclosure of classified material surrounding the war in Ukraine as an insider’s leak, people familiar with the matter say, but hasn’t yet homed in on key suspects for a massive intelligence breach that has exposed the challenges of safeguarding sensitive U.S. information and tested ties with some of America’s closest allies.

When a hostile foreign nation or group releases an imprisoned U.S. citizen, the first American to welcome them home is typically Washington’s hostage deal maker in chief, Roger D. Carstens . The special presidential envoy for hostage affairs was on a tarmac Dec. 8 in the United Arab Emirates to meet Brittney Griner when she arrived on a Russian plane after almost 10 months in captivity. Mr. Carstens told the freed basketball star that he was there to escort her home on behalf of President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken , according to a senior Biden administration official.

☆ Congress Seeks Details on Spying Risks From Chinese Cargo Cranes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Chinese company makes software used by many U.S. port cranes. Cranes in Baltimore. WASHINGTON—Top lawmakers who oversee the Department of Homeland Security want to hold hearings and obtain access to classified and unclassified government documents that expose potential security vulnerabilities posed by dozens of Chinese-made cranes at American ports across the country. It is “extremely worrisome” that about 80% of American port cranes use Chinese software that is manufactured by a Chinese company, said House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R., Tenn.) in a statement. “On behalf of the American people, this Committee is demanding answers on the risks these cranes pose to U.S. cybersecurity and the resilience of our critical infrastructure, which is a core aspect of the homeland security mission.”

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies at Pras Michel’s 1MDB Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Byron Tau | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been friends with rapper Pras Michel for years, hasn’t been accused of any crime. WASHINGTON—Actor Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in a Washington federal courthouse on Monday to testify in a closely watched criminal case featuring a potent mix of celebrity, money and geopolitical intrigue. The Academy Award-winning star of blockbusters such as “Titanic,” “The Revenant” and “Catch Me If You Can” appeared as a witness in a sprawling Hollywood-meets-Washington trial against the rapper Pras Michel , a founding member of the hip-hop trio the Fugees.

☆ Rapper Pras Michel Is Unlikely Defendant in Case of International Skulduggery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Former Fugees rap star Pras Michel is trying to beat a case related to one of the largest financial scandals in history, one that has already toppled a prime minister and tarnished the reputation of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.Actor Leonardo DiCaprio , casino mogul Steve Wynn and senior Trump administration officials are among those expected to testify in the Hollywood-meets-Washington trial opening this week against Mr. Michel, who faces numerous criminal charges related to his business relationship with the alleged mastermind of the 1MDB fraud.

☆ America’s Political Divide Over Jan. 6 Reaches Into FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government’s sweep-up of Jan. 6 suspects has led to conflict within the Federal Bureau of Investigation over the agency’s expansive efforts to pursue charges against more than 1,000 people, according to a review of testimony by three former or suspended bureau employees before a House committee and other people familiar with the matter. The investigation into a pro-Trump mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, two weeks before President Biden’s inauguration, is the largest in FBI history in terms of the number of cases and national reach. Prosecutors have said they may indict another thousand people in addition to those already charged. Led by agents in Washington, all 56 field offices were enlisted to help trace the rioters in the months after the attack.

Former real-estate developer Guo Wengui has said he fled China in 2014 after hearing that a state security official to whom he was close would be arrested. Chinese businessman Guo Wengui , who gained attention by lobbing corruption allegations at Beijing from a Manhattan penthouse and later launched a media company with Trump confidant Steve Bannon , was arrested Wednesday and accused of orchestrating a $1 billion fraud. Mr. Guo took advantage of the hundreds of thousands of followers he amassed online, prosecutors alleged, by soliciting investments in his cryptocurrency, media and other companies. Instead, he used the money to buy a $26 million home in New Jersey, a yacht, a Ferrari and a $36,000 mattress, among other items, said the indictment, which charged Mr. Guo with 11 counts of fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors said they seized $634 million in criminal proceeds and assets that included a Lamborghini.

WASHINGTON—U.S. officials are growing concerned that giant Chinese-made cranes operating at American ports across the country, including at several used by the military, could give Beijing a possible spying tool hiding in plain sight. Some U.S. officials have compared ship-to-shore cranes made by the China-based manufacturer, ZPMC , to a Trojan horse. While comparably well-made and inexpensive, they contain sophisticated sensors that can register and track the provenance and destination of containers, prompting concerns that China could capture information about materiel being shipped in or out of the country to support U.S. military operations around the world.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s probe has taken steps to obtain the testimony of former Vice President Mike Pence and former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. WASHINGTON—The special counsel investigating former President Donald Trump appears to have reached the advanced stages of his sweeping inquiry after a flurry of aggressive steps in recent weeks, some of which have set the stage for court fights that could take months to resolve. In recent days, special counsel Jack Smith’s office asked a federal judge to override Mr. Trump’s assertion of executive privilege to shield former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying before a grand jury about the former president’s efforts to stay in office after his 2020 election loss, people familiar with the effort said. Mr. Pence has vowed to mount his own challenge to the subpoena and take it as far as the Supreme Court.

Sequoia Capital has started screening some investments its China arm is considering in technology companies there for U.S. national-security concerns, according to people familiar with the matter, as Washington steps up efforts to stop American money from funding China’s development of sensitive technologies. The Biden administration is expected to soon unveil investment restrictions that would prevent U.S. capital from flowing to companies and startups in China that are developing cutting-edge technologies in sectors including advanced semiconductors.

☆ Pentagon Spent At Least $1.5 Million on Missiles to Down Three High-Altitude Objects
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. military said it now believes the three airborne objects were likely recreational balloons. The U.S. military spent at least $1.5 million to shoot down three airborne objects, which it now believes were likely recreational balloons, defense officials said Wednesday. That figure is only for the four AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles used to bring down the objects over Alaska, Canada’s Yukon territory and Lake Huron. It does not include the cost for Navy, Coast Guard, Alaska National Guard and Canadian forces to search for the debris, which likely will add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost, the officials said.

Law-enforcement officials including Attorney General Merrick Garland, speaking, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco have been dedicating resources to thwarting cyberattacks. Extortion payments from ransomware, a hacking scourge that has crippled hospitals, schools and public infrastructure, fell significantly last year, according to federal officials, cybersecurity analysts and blockchain firms. After ballooning for years, the amount of money being paid to ransomware criminals dropped in 2022, as did the odds that a victim would pay the criminals who installed the ransomware. With ransomware, hackers lock up a victim’s computer network, encrypting hard drives until victims pay.

Merrick Garland has said that he has grown concerned about what he described as arbitrariness in the application of capital punishment. WASHINGTON—More than a year after halting federal executions, Attorney General Merrick Garland is authorizing prosecutors to seek the death penalty in some brutal cases while withdrawing it in many others, drilling down on the circumstances surrounding even the most heinous crimes before making the final call. The approach has effectively raised the bar for the federal government’s use of the ultimate punishment after a flurry of executions during the Trump administration.

☆ FBI Searched for Biden Documents at University of Delaware
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sadie Gurman | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Biden donated his Senate papers to the University of Delaware, turning over more than 1,850 boxes to his alma mater, according to the university’s website. WASHINGTON—The FBI has conducted two searches in recent weeks at the University of Delaware as part of a probe into how and why classified documents were on premises used by President Biden, people familiar with the matter said. The agents found no documents marked classified but did take some material from the university, the people said. The searches, like others done as part of the expanding inquiry involving Mr. Biden’s documents, took place upon agreement with Mr. Biden’s lawyers. A special counsel, Robert Hur , is now probing why classified documents followed Mr. Biden after he left the Senate and his vice presidency, an inquiry that is expected to take months.

☆ Christopher Wray Tries to Thaw FBI’s Frosty Relationship With Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray has told the private sector that some of the biggest threats to national security are from the Chinese government and the cyber arena. When FBI agents last year infiltrated the networks of Hive, a notorious ransomware group that had demanded hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments from some 1,500 companies, hospital networks and other targets, they made an uncomfortable discovery. Only 20% of the victims had approached law enforcement about their attacks.

☆ FBI’s Christopher Wray Wants Business to Help Fight China, Cyber Threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Balloons get less attention as tools of possible Chinese espionage than cyber theft and paid informants. But outfitted as floating monitoring stations, they shed an image as old-fashioned vehicles. The flight path of a high-altitude Chinese balloon spotted this week over the Western and Central U.S. put into stark relief hardening views in Washington that Beijing is America’s top spying threat.

☆ FBI to Search Mike Pence’s Home for Additional Classified Materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The FBI is expected to search former Vice President Mike Pence‘s Indiana home for classified material in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, as senior government officials come under increased law-enforcement scrutiny of their handling of such documents. The Justice Department is in talks with Mr. Pence’s legal team about scheduling the search, the people said.

☆ Justice Department Searches Biden’s Beach Home for Classified Documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sadie Gurman | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department is searching President Biden’s Rehoboth, Del., beach house on Wednesday, Mr. Biden’s lawyer said, as the investigation into why classified materials ended up at his primary home and former office advances. “Today, with the president’s full support and cooperation, the DOJ is conducting a planned search of his home in Rehoboth, Delaware,” the lawyer, Bob Bauer, said.

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