We have seen a shift from regional families with a clear structure, to flat, fluid networks with global reach. These international enterprises are more anonymous and more sophisticated. Rather than running discrete operations, on their own turf, they are running multi-national, multi-billion dollar schemes from start to finish.

We are investigating groups in Asia, Eastern Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East. And we are seeing cross-pollination between groups that historically have not worked together. Criminals who may never meet, but who share one thing in common: greed.

They may be former members of nation-state governments, security services, or the military. These individuals know who and what to target, and how best to do it. They are capitalists and entrepreneurs. But they are also master criminals who move easily between the licit and illicit worlds. And in some cases, these organizations are as forward-leaning as Fortune 500 companies.

This is not “The Sopranos,” with six guys sitting in a diner, shaking down a local business owner for $50 dollars a week. These criminal enterprises are making billions of dollars from human trafficking, health care fraud, computer intrusions, and copyright infringement. They are cornering the market on natural gas, oil, and precious metals, and selling to the highest bidder.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has released its long-awaited bipartisan report on election security and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Among the key findings of the report, the committee writes that “the Russian government directed extensive activity, beginning in at least 2014 and carrying into at least 2017, against U.S. election infrastructure at the state and local level.”

The report is heavily redacted in some areas and is 67 pages. The Senate panel, which has been investigating Russian interference for more than two years, released a summary version of its election security findings in May 2018.

Former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi has registered as a foreign agent of QATAR to assist with “consulting and advocacy services regarding matters involving anti-human trafficking”.

Bondi now works for PR and lobbying firm Ballard Partners. https://t.co/LM6CgE1moR?amp=1

Breaking: Jeffrey Epstein Found Injured in NYC Jail Cell After Possible Suicide Attempt or Assault https://t.co/jfNKMhwH8c

Report: U.S. is underestimating Putin’s “grand strategy” for Russian dominance

‘A new report for the Pentagon suggests the U.S. is underestimating the scale of Putin’s “grand strategy” for dominance on the world stage, and that inaction in the face of Russia’s malign influence activities poses a serious threat to national security.’ Link