Train

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this month quietly awarded a $30,000 no-bid contract for sniper and combat training to a Virginia firm run by Dan LaLota, the brother of US representative Nick LaLota, a second-term Republican from New York.

Finalized on September 2, the award went to Target Down Group of Mechanicsville, Virginia, which will provide a five-day precision fires and observation course for the Homeland Security Investigations’ Special Response Team (SRT) sniper program. The course, intended to help inform new DHS procedures, is “aimed at equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively conduct law enforcement sniper operations in high-risk environments,” per records reviewed by WIRED.

The SRT functions as the agency’s version of a SWAT team, composed of special agents with advanced tactical training for situations deemed too dangerous for standard personnel. SRT members wear military-style camouflage and helmets, carry a range of weapons, and train in breaching, sniper tactics, and close-quarters combat.

According to federal procurement records, the SRT contract was issued on a sole-source basis, with officials citing Target Down Group’s prior work with Homeland Security Investigations as well as its pre-clearance to conduct live-fire exercises at a law enforcement facility in Arizona.

Congressman LaLota, who served on the House Homeland Security Committee in the previous session, could not be reached for comment. Calls to his New York and Washington, DC, offices went unanswered Thursday.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment.

Reached by phone, Dan LaLota said his firm’s deal with ICE has nothing to do with his brother’s position in Congress. “I’m not a new guy on the block,” he tells WIRED, adding there’s only a few people qualified to provide the training DHS requested. “To say my company would be the only one eligible would not be unsound.”

LaLota added he could not speak on ICE’s behalf and declined to discuss details of his company’s work, calling the questions an invasion of privacy while directing reporters to his firm’s website for information about its staff and expertise.

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

Federal procurement records list Target Down Group as a Virginia company; however, state records show the firm is not legally authorized to operate as a Virginia corporation at this time, having been terminated in November 2024 automatically after failing to meet its yearly filing and fee requirements with the state’s corporate registry. Nevertheless, the company was registered separately in Florida as of July. (Asked about the discrepancy, Target Down Group CEO Christopher Allison acknowledged the inquiry but did not provide comment.)

Federal acquisition rules allow sole-source contracts under certain conditions, effectively bypassing the competitive bidding process often required for federal awards. In a redacted justification memo, DHS said Target Down Group was the only vendor able to deliver the training, citing a tight operational schedule as well as the firm’s prior work with its sniper program and established ties to Arizona police, some of whom are participating in the exercise.

Dan LaLota declined to discuss any previous work for the government. “I’m not at liberty to discuss what business I have with a stranger like yourself. I hope you can understand that,” he said.

In June, NBC News reported that SRT units were preparing to deploy to several Democratic-led cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Northern Virginia, and New York. The planned deployments followed immigration raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests and clashes with law enforcement. Philadelphia officials told NBC they had received no notice of incoming ICE forces.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended sending federal law enforcement and National Guard troops into Democratic-led cities by claiming they are plagued by “runaway crime,” a description critics call exaggerated and politically driven. In cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans, local and state officials have resisted the deployments, arguing they are motivated by politics, not public safety.

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