AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Fire Department partnered with Lucid Diagnostics to support firefighters’ health in relation to esophageal cancer through preventative screenings this month.

According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, firefighters have a 62% greater risk of developing Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

The screenings will take place Monday-Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Locations include:

• Augusta Fire Department Station 2: 928 Telfair Street
• Augusta Fire Department Station 20: 2820 Old Highway 1

“Firefighters train to face the heat, but their greatest shield is their own health. Every workout, every check‑up, every moment invested in wellness is another promise that they’ll make it home after the call,” said Augusta Fire Department Chief Antonio Burden.

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Augusta, Ga.- Augusta scored nine runs over a four inning stretch and posted a 12-7 win over Georgia College Sunday afternoon at Jaguar field. With the win, the Jaguars not only take two of three from the Bobcats, but improve to 11-7 in Peach Belt Conference play and 15-14 overall. Georgia College is now 8-10 in the conference and 12-17 overall. 

Nolan Turner, Aidan Cannaday and Jakob Cowart led the offense as each collected three hits. Turner, Cannaday and Jake Vachon each drove in a pair of runs in the game. 

On the mound, Patrick Matsunaga, making his first collegiate start, went five innings. Jameson Whittier picked up the win going the last 3.1 innings.

The Jaguars scored a run in the first on a Harris Bachelder double, but the Bobcats tallied two in the top of the second. 

In the fifth, AU plated three runs. Cannaday doubled home Roland Chance with the first run of the inning. An error and fielder’s choice would plate the other runs in the frame.

After the Bobcats would take a 5-4 lead in the sixth, AU put up a four spot to retake the lead, one they would not surrender. Turner would double in the first run of the inning. He would later score on an error. Kent Moon then singled home Chance with Vachon collecting a bases loaded walk to plate the final run of the inning.

Turner continues his hot hitting with a seventh inning solo home run. Chance, who pinch hit in the fifth, would walk four times and also score all four runs.

The Jaguars will head to Due West, S.C. on Tuesday to take on Erskine. 

Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A former Fort Gordon soldier has been sentenced for his role in a scheme that gave North Korean workers access to U.S.-based computer networks.

Alexander Paul Travis, 35, of Augusta, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $193,265.

Also sentenced in the scheme were Jason Salazar, 30, and Audricus Phagnasay, 25, both of California. They were ordered to forfeit $409,876 and $681,926, respectively, and each got three years of probation.

Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, according to federal prosecutors.

“These men practically gave the keys to the online kingdom to likely North Korean overseas technology workers seeking to raise illicit revenue for the North Korean government – all in return for what to them seemed like easy money,” said U.S. Attorney Meg Heap. “These schemes present a significant challenge to our national security.”

Since 2003, United States and United Nations sanctions cut off North Korea from the U.S. marketplace and financial systems and restricted Americans from doing business with North Korean institutions.

North Korea responded with a variety of schemes to evade those sanctions, according to authorities. The revenues from those schemes contribute to North Korea’s weapons programs in violation of U.S. and U.N. sanctions, according to American authorities.

The defendants’ guilty pleas describe how they were contacted by overseas workers, and each defendant allowed those workers to:

• Create resumes in the defendants’ names with false information about their experience.
• Use those false representations and identities to obtain remote employment with U.S. companies.
• Pass employer vetting procedures, including video interviews, drug testing and fingerprinting.
• Open bank accounts in the defendants’ names to receive payment from the U.S. companies.

In each case, the defendant would receive a laptop computer from the company that hired the fictitious worker, and then would install unauthorized software to enable the overseas IT worker to access the computers remotely while appearing to work from the defendant’s address in the United States.

Travis, who was an active-duty member of the Army stationed at Fort Gordon at the time, received at least $51,397 for his participation in the scheme.

Phagnasay and Salazar earned at least $3,450 and $4,500, respectively.

The fraudulent scheme earned approximately $1.28 million in salary payments from the victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas.

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