US Congressman’s Brother Lands No-Bid Contract to Train DHS Snipers

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this period softly awarded a $30,000 no-bid declaration for sniper and combat grooming to a Virginia steadfast tally by Dan LaLota, the member of US typical Nick LaLota, a second-term Republican from New York.

Finalized connected September 2, the grant went to Target Down Group Inc. of Mechanicsville, Virginia, which volition supply a five-day precision fires and reflection people for the Homeland Security Investigations’ Special Response Team (SRT) sniper program. The course, intended to assistance pass caller DHS procedures, is “aimed astatine equipping them with the indispensable skills and cognition to efficaciously behaviour instrumentality enforcement sniper operations successful high-risk environments,” per records reviewed by WIRED.

The SRT functions arsenic the agency’s mentation of a SWAT team, composed of peculiar agents with precocious tactical grooming for situations deemed excessively unsafe for modular personnel. SRT members deterioration military-style camouflage and helmets, transportation a scope of weapons, and bid successful breaching, sniper tactics, and close-quarters combat.

According to national procurement records, the SRT declaration was issued connected a sole-source basis, with officials citing Target Down Group’s anterior enactment with Homeland Security Investigations, arsenic good arsenic its pre-clearance to behaviour live-fire exercises astatine a instrumentality enforcement installation successful Arizona.

Congressman LaLota, who served connected the House Homeland Security Committee successful the erstwhile session, could not beryllium reached for comment. Calls to his Washington, DC, and New York offices went unanswered Thursday.

DHS did not respond to a petition for comment.

Reached by phone, Dan LaLota said his firm’s woody with ICE has thing to bash with his brother’s presumption successful Congress. “I’m not a caller feline connected the block,” helium tells WIRED, adding there’s lone a fewer radical qualified to supply the grooming DHS requested. “To accidental my institution would beryllium the lone 1 eligible would not beryllium unsound.”

LaLota added helium could not talk connected ICE’s behalf and declined to sermon details of his company’s work, calling the questions an penetration of privateness portion directing reporters to his firm’s website for accusation astir its unit and expertise.

Target Down Group’s website lists Dan LaLota, a retired Marine sniper, arsenic the company’s president. According to his brother’s congressional biography, LaLota served 2 decades successful the Marine Corps, including tours with Force Reconnaissance and Marine Special Operations Command, earning a Bronze Star with Valor for actions successful Fallujah, Iraq. LaLota told WIRED helium besides has 7 years arsenic a scout sniper instructor.

Federal procurement records database Target Down Group arsenic a Virginia company; however, authorities records amusement the steadfast is not legally authorized to run arsenic a Virginia corp astatine this time, having been terminated successful November 2024 automatically aft failing to conscionable its yearly filing and interest requirements with the state’s firm registry. Nevertheless, the institution was registered separately successful Florida arsenic of July. (Asked astir the discrepancy, Target Down Group CEO Christopher Allison acknowledged the enquiry but did not supply comment.)

Federal acquisition rules let sole-source contracts nether definite conditions, efficaciously bypassing the competitory bidding process often required for national awards. In a redacted justification memo, DHS said Target Down Group was the lone vendor capable to present the training, citing a choky operational schedule, arsenic good arsenic the firm’s anterior enactment with its sniper programme and established ties to Arizona police, immoderate of whom are besides participating successful the exercise.

Dan LaLota declined to sermon immoderate erstwhile enactment for the government. “I’m not astatine liberty to sermon what concern I person with a alien similar yourself. I anticipation you tin recognize that,” helium said.

In June, NBC News reported that SRT units were preparing to deploy to respective Democratic-led cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Northern Virginia, and New York. The planned deployments followed migration raids successful Los Angeles that sparked days of protests and clashes with instrumentality enforcement. Philadelphia officials told NBC they had received nary announcement of incoming ICE forces.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended sending national instrumentality enforcement and National Guard troops into Democratic-led cities by claiming they are plagued by “runaway crime,” a statement critics telephone exaggerated and politically driven. In cities specified arsenic Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans, section and authorities officials person resisted the deployments, arguing they are motivated by politics, not nationalist safety.