GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Goldman Sachs Computer Programmer Sentenced for Stealing Trade Secrets

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: FBI

21March2011 1:31pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SERGEY ALEYNIKOV, a former computer programmer at Goldman Sachs & Co. (“Goldman Sachs”) was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 97 months in prison for stealing valuable, proprietary computer code of Goldman Sachs. A jury in Manhattan federal court previously found ALEYNIKOV guilty on December 10, 2010, of theft of trade secrets and interstate transportation of stolen property charges. U.S. District Judge DENISE L. COTE imposed the sentence on ALEYNIKOV.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: “Protecting the proprietary information of America’s companies is critically important. Today’s sentence sends a clear message that professionals like Sergey Aleynikov who abuse their positions of trust to steal confidential business information from their employers will be prosecuted and punished.”

According to the evidence presented at trial and at the sentencing hearing:

From May 2007 to June 2009, ALEYNIKOV was employed at Goldman Sachs as a computer programmer responsible for developing computer programs supporting the firm’s high-frequency trading on various commodities and equities markets. Since acquiring the system in 1999 for approximately $500 million, Goldman Sachs modified and maintained it and took significant measures to protect the confidentiality of its computer programs. Goldman Sachs’ trading system generated millions of dollars per year in profits for the firm. They took several measures to protect the system’s source code, including requiring all Goldman employees to agree to a confidentiality agreement.

In April 2009, ALEYNIKOV resigned from Goldman Sachs and accepted a job at Teza Technologies (“Teza”), a newly-formed company in Chicago, Illinois. He was hired to develop Teza’s own version of a computer platform that would allow Teza to engage in high-frequency trading. His last day of employment at Goldman Sachs was June 5, 2009.

Beginning at approximately 5:20 p.m. on June 5, 2009—his last day working at Goldman Sachs—ALEYNIKOV, from his desk at Goldman Sachs, transferred substantial portions of the firm’s proprietary computer code for its trading platform to an outside computer server in Germany. He encrypted the files and transferred them over the Internet without informing Goldman Sachs. After transferring the files, he deleted the program he used to encrypt them and deleted his computer's “bash history,” which records the most recent commands executed on his computer.

In addition, throughout his employment at Goldman Sachs, ALEYNIKOV transferred thousands of computer code files related to the firm’s proprietary trading program from the firm’s computers to his home computers, without the knowledge or authorization of Goldman Sachs.

On July 2, 2009, ALEYNIKOV flew to Chicago, Illinois, to attend meetings at Teza’s offices, bringing with him his laptop computer and another storage device, each of which contained Goldman Sachs’ proprietary source code. He was arrested on July 3, 2009, as he arrived at Newark Airport following that visit.

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge COTE ordered ALEYNIKOV to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Judge COTE also ordered him to pay a $12,500 fine.

During the sentencing proceeding, Judge COTE said, “[Aleynikov’s] conduct deserves a significant sentence because the scope of his theft was audacious—motivated solely by greed, and it was characterized by supreme disloyalty to his employer.”

Mr. BHARARA praised the investigative work of the FBI in this case. Mr. BHARARA also thanked Goldman Sachs for its cooperation in the investigation. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Leader of Violent D.C. Drug Gang Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Term

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: FBI

17March2011 9:25pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: WASHINGTON—Antwuan Ball, 40, was sentenced today to a prison term of 18 years and nine months for drug-dealing activities that took place when he was the leader of the Congress Park Crew, a violent drug gang that operated in Southeast Washington.

The sentencing, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Ball, also known as Big Ant, appeared before the Honorable Richard W. Roberts for sentencing for one count of unlawful distribution of five grams or more of crack cocaine. The judge cited the defendant's leadership role in the gang as well as his possession of guns during the time that he dealt crack cocaine in the Congress Park area.

Ball, of Washington, D.C., was one of six defendants prosecuted by the government during an eight-month trial in 2007. During that trial, the government presented evidence that Ball, along with his five co-defendants, Gregory Bell, aka Boy-Boy; Joseph Jones, aka Jo-Jo; Dominic Samuels, aka Don; Desmond Thurston, aka Daz; and David Wilson, also known as Cool Wop, as well as others, were members of a crew that had engaged in a series of crimes, including crack cocaine dealing, armed robbery, attempted murder, and murder in the Congress Park neighborhood of Southeast Washington for more than a decade.

Since March of 2005, 18 individuals have been indicted in connection with this case. Ball and his five-co-defendants were the final defendants remaining from the original March 2005 indictment. The others previously pled guilty or had been found guilty after trial.

The jury in this trial acquitted the six defendants of the charged conspiracy in this case, but convicted them on 18 other felony charges stemming from violence and drug-dealing.

Judge Roberts previously sentenced co-defendant Bell to a 16-year prison term. Jones was sentenced to a 15-year term, and Thurston to 16 years and two months. The jury was unable to reach a verdict against Samuels in the August 2002 murder of Jamel Sills, aka Black. However, Samuels subsequently pled guilty to manslaughter while armed and was sentenced to a seven-year prison term.

Wilson, another leader of the gang, was sentenced last week to the longest term for any of the defendants: 45 years and eight months in prison for his role in two murders and other crimes. The murder charges stemmed from the slayings of Ronnie "Squid" Middleton, 27, and Sabrina Bradley, 26, which took place early August 17, 1998 in the 1500 block of Congress Place SE.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director McJunkin and Chief Lanier praised the collective and cooperative efforts of the law enforcement agencies that worked together to investigate and prosecute this complex case, including the MPD, the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force, and the United States Park Police.

In addition, they commended the outstanding work of the special agents from the FBI's Washington Field Office; MPD Detectives Anthony Brigidini, Kenneth Todd Williams, Constantinos "Gus" Giannakoulias, and Anthony Commodore; William Sepeck and Paul Edwards, of the U.S. Park Police; and Special Investigator Diane Eickman.

Also, they praised the staff at the U.S. Attorney's Office, including Paralegal Specialist James Mazzitelli; Victim-Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant; Victim-Witness Specialists Katina Adams, LaVerne Forrest, and Debbie Cannon; Intelligence Specialists Frank Morgan, Larry Grasso, and Shannon Alexis, and Legal Assistants Dianne Brashears, Carolyn Carter-McKinley, Patricia Hall, and Nadi Ishman. They also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenn S. Leon, Ann Petalas, and Gilberto Guerrero Jr., who prosecuted the case, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Jeffrey Beatrice, who led the initial investigation. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Self-Described “Militant Extremist” Sentenced in Maryland for Visa Fraud

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: FBI

01March2011 6:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:

GREENBELT, MD—U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus, sentenced Brahim Lajqi, age 51, an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, today to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for visa fraud. Judge Titus granted the government's requested sentence enhancement based on Lajqi conducting activities to fulfill his pledge to retaliate against the United States for its involvement in the Kosovo conflict, which Lajqi believed had led to the deaths of several family members.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations.

"The evidence showed that Mr. Lajqi repeatedly and consistently made statements and took actions indicating that he planned to engage in terrorist activity," said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

"As this case clearly demonstrates, visa fraud presents a vulnerability that could be exploited by dangerous criminals or even terrorists," said William Winter, Special Agent in Charge of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations in Baltimore. "ICE HSI will continue to vigorously pursue those who seek to exploit and corrupt America's legal immigration system."

According to Lajqi's guilty plea, he made false statements on immigration documents. Lajqi admitted that on his application to become a permanent resident in the United States he stated that he had been granted asylum status, when in fact, he had not. Lajqi further admitted that he forged his mother's signature on a petition for an alien relative that was purportedly filed by her on his behalf.

According to court documents and testimony at today's sentencing hearing, Lajqi is a self-described extremist militant trained by Bosnian rebels, who on several occasions expressed a desire to "get even" with the United States and discussed obtaining weapons and explosives for an attack on Washington, D.C. According to court documents, Lajqi drove around Washington, D.C. on two occasions to discuss and view potential targets, including Capitol Hill, the courthouse where his immigration proceedings were being held, the White House, the Treasury building, and a Metro train stop during rush hour. Lajqi also stated that he was in the process of renewing his commercial drivers license (CDL) in South Carolina so that he could transport weapons from Canada. Lajqi actually traveled to West Virginia in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a CDL there.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI and ICE-HSI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Welsh, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey E. Eisenberg, Chief of the National Security Section, who supervised the case. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: U.S. checks Egyptian prisons for terrorist escapes

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: The Washington Times

11February2011 9:49amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The U.S. intelligence community is closely monitoring the state of Egypt‘s highest security prisons, trying to track dozens of senior members of al Qaeda, the Islamic Group and Egyptian Islamic Jihad to find out whether any have escaped and where they have gone.

“Yes, we are monitoring this,” Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg told The Washington Times on Thursday when asked about reports of breakouts from Egyptian prisons since the Jan. 25 uprisings began in Cairo and Alexandria.

After Pakistan, Egypt holds the largest number of senior al Qaeda leaders, according to two U.S. intelligence officials who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity.

The jailbreaks occurred in the first days after the unrest after police left their posts guarding some prisons. Several news reports suggested that the Interior Ministry deliberately allowed the jails to empty in order to justify a crackdown later on. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's advertisers or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: TV boss Muzzammil Hassan found guilty of beheading wif

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: BBC

08February2011 9:52amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  A New York television executive has been convicted of stabbing his wife to death and beheading her.

A jury found Pakistan-born Muzzammil Hassan guilty of second-degree murder in the 2009 death of Aasiya Hassan six days after she filed for divorce.

Hassan never denied killing her but said she had abused him and that he had acted in self-defence. He served as his own lawyer during the three-week trial.

Hassan, who founded a Muslim-oriented TV network, could face life in prison.

Prosecutors argued Hassan abused his wife and planned the attack in a hallway at Bridges TV, a satellite channel he set up in 2004 in an effort to counter negative portrayals of Muslims following the 9/11 terror attacks. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's advertisers or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS/MSS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Man jailed over anti-semitic video

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: ABC Australia

31January2011 9:57amEST

GCIS/MSS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Brendon Lee O'Connell is the first person in Western Australia to be convicted under the state's racial vilification laws.

A jury found him guilty last week of six offences.

O'Connell posted a video on YouTube showing him insulting a young Jewish man in 2009.

The video also showed O'Connell standing in front of the Perth Bell Tower telling Jews their days were numbered. (read full report)

GCIS/MSS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Armed Gangs Free Muslim Militants in Egypt

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Newsmax

30January2011 12:46pmEST

GCIS/MSS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: CAIRO (AP) — Gangs of armed men attacked at least four jails across Egypt before dawn Sunday, helping to free hundreds of Muslim militants and thousands of other inmates as police vanished from the streets of Cairo and other cities.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo told its citizens in Egypt to consider leaving the country as soon as possible, a display of Washington's escalating concern about the stability of its closest Arab ally.

The army sent hundreds more troops and armored vehicles onto the streets of Cairo and other cities but appeared to be taking little action against gangs of young men with guns and large sticks who were smashing cars and robbing people.

At least one Nile-side shopping mall in Cairo was on fire after being looted the previous day. (read full report)