History made with the first Poarch Creek Tribal Citizen tapped as police chief
Surrounded by co-workers, family, and friends, Chris Rutherford was sworn in on October 28, 2024, as the Police Chief of the Poarch Creek Tribal Police Department. He joined the Tribal Police Department in 1998 and is making history as the first Poarch Creek Tribal Citizen. Tribal Chair Stephanie A. Bryan also spoke about the significance of the moment. “Chris represents the strength and dedication of our people. His achievement is a significant milestone for our Tribe and a testament to the potential we have within our community. We look forward to his leadership and the positive impact he will continue to make.” Before joining the police department, Rutherford began his career 32 years ago with the Tribe as a mechanic. He has also served in the Alabama National Guard and is also a certified firefighter According to a press release announcing his promotion, Rutherford’s family has a history of public service, with his father serving in the U.S. Army and his grandfather serving as a fire chief. He says the role is a tremendous honor that he will not take lightly. His supervisor, Bruce Lee, Director of Public Safety, witnessed Chris’s growth over the years. “Chris has worked very hard to prepare himself for this role, and his close connection to the Tribe and community makes him the perfect fit.” Rutherford’s appointment as Police Chief marks a new chapter for the Poarch Creek Indians Tribal Police Department, as well as a moment of pride for the entire Poarch community. His leadership is expected to bring an innovative and community-centered approach to law enforcement while honoring the rich traditions of the Tribe.
Governor Kay Ivey applauds DOJ indictment of two Sudanese nationals in Alabama cyberattack
Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday applauded the federal indictment of two Sudanese nationals after their involvement in a cyberattack on Alabama, as well as hospitals, government facilities and other critical infrastructure around the world. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed that a federal grand jury charged two individuals with operating and controlling Anonymous Sudan, an online cybercriminal group responsible for tens of thousands of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. In March 2024, pursuant to court-authorized seizure warrants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI seized and disabled Anonymous Sudan’s powerful DDoS tool, which the group allegedly used to perform DDoS attacks, and sold as a service to other criminal actors. Ahmed Salah Yousif Omer, 22, and Alaa Salah Yusuuf Omer, 27, were both charged with one count of conspiracy to damage protected computers. Ahmed Salah was also charged with three counts of damaging protected computers. “Criminal activity of any kind, including that coming from outside of our state, will not be tolerated in Alabama,” said Governor Ivey. “I am thankful for the quick action of our Office of Information Technology, and I applaud the indictment of these individuals responsible for this attempt to disrupt state government and many other operations around the world. Any individual or organization who attempts to harm our state, our citizens or our way of life will be subject to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.” Alabama state government websites were subject to a DDoS attack in addition to sites around the nation. Immediately upon discovering a cyber event was underway, the state responded quickly and decisively to ensure no access or damage occurred to the state’s network, resources and data, or infrastructure. While this indictment is an allegation of criminal activity and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, these two individuals will face statutory maximum sentences ranging from five years to life in federal prison, if convicted of all charges. According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice, “An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of all charges, Ahmed Salah would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison, and Alaa Salah would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. The investigation of Anonymous Sudan was conducted by the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Computer Investigations and Forensics Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Cameron L. Schroeder and Aaron Frumkin of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting this case, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Greg Nicosia of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Schroeder and Frumkin, along with Assistant United States Attorney James Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture Section, also obtained the seizure warrants for computer servers constituting Anonymous Sudan’s DCAT tool. The DOJ Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s International Operations Division and Behavioral Analysis Unit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska aided in this investigation. These law enforcement actions were taken as part of Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructure worldwide, and holding accountable the administrators and users of these illegal services. Akamai SIRT, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Crowdstrike, DigitalOcean, Flashpoint, Google, Microsoft, PayPal, SpyCloud and other private sector entities provided assistance in this matter.” The unsealed indictment can be read on the DOJ’s website. “We will always do what is required to protect everyone who calls Alabama home,” added Governor Ivey.
