Category: Security

Source: US FBI

The FBI narrowly defeated its hockey rivals, the U.S. Secret Service, in a 2-1 win on March 4.

The sold-out charity game was expected to raise at least $20,000 to benefit the families of fallen law enforcement officers. It also paid special tribute to fallen FBI Miami Special Agent Daniel Alfin.

Following a fierce effort by both teams that saw them neck-and-neck at the start of the third period, the FBI clinched the game-winning goal in the matchup’s final minutes.

“Typically, these games are always close,” said Kyle Miller, an FBI auditor and analyst who plays defense for the Bureau’s hockey team. “It always comes down to who can make the plays in the end, and, fortunately, we were able to do that again this year.”

Source: US FBI

He said this investigation marks the first time the FBI Laboratory and OTD have responded to a “hot air balloon of this nature” and the processing of the corresponding scene. Paul said no “energetic or offensive material” has been detected but emphasized much of the evidence has yet to be recovered.

Asked about the manufacturer of the balloon or whether its design was based on stolen intelligence, Paul said the FBI is not in position “at this point to have that information.” He said both the FBI Laboratory and OTD are working to determine the source of the balloon components. Additionally, the FBI has no information or physical evidence at this time that contradicts previous statements made by other government agencies. 

The Laboratory Division leads the collection, transportation, and subsequent forensic examinations of evidentiary material. It is staffed with subject matter experts, including highly trained evidence response dive teams and hazardous evidence response teams, which contribute to the mission of collecting, analyzing, and sharing timely scientific and technical information within the FBI and with other government and law enforcement agencies.

The OTD is the FBI’s provenance for applied technology enabling and enhancing investigations. OTD personnel have been deployed to assist with recovery efforts and initial assessments of technological evidence.

Source: US FBI

Wray addressed the winter conference of Major County Sheriffs of America on January 31. The professional organization represents approximately 110 of the largest elected sheriff’s offices in counties or parishes with populations of 500,000. Then this week, on February 8, he spoke at the National Sheriffs’ Association’s conference.

Topics included crime and national security challenges like violent crimes, gangs, drugs, border crime, terrorism, and violent extremism. During each meeting, Director Wray expressed concern about the continuing increase in murder rates, the release of repeat or dangerous offenders from prison, and the rise in radicalized juveniles inspired by violent radical ideologies and extremist groups.

And discussion of the brutal beating death of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers, captured on video, was top of mind for leaders at both conferences. “What happened was tragic and inexcusable,” Director Wray said. “I was appalled by the video and deeply troubled by what I saw.” The video, he insisted, is not reflective of the men and women in law enforcement “who go about their job in the right way.”

Source: US FBI

As she investigated the person who ordered that die piece, she learned that FBI Special Agent Kostic was pursuing the same individual, whom the FBI team had identified as a major online drug dealer, selling on both darknet and clearnet sites. Darknet sites require a specialized browser called Tor to view. Clearnet sites are available on any connected device.

Their joint work, and months of investigative efforts by FBI, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigation teams, eventually led to six search warrants being carried out on the same early November morning. Partnerships among agencies are crucial to the success of these complex investigations and were the primary reason the Department of Justice created the Joint Criminal and Opioid Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) Team in 2018.

Altogether, investigators found six pill presses; 10 weapons, including one that had been modified to function as an automatic weapon; bundles of cash; and approximately 450 pounds of illegal drugs, which included tens of thousands of pills, powdered fentanyl, marijuana, mushrooms, heroin, and other substances that still need to be identified.

Many of the pills were the so-called “rainbow pills” that investigators believe are created to market to young people. They are often sold on popular social media platforms.

While searching the location believed to be the primary suspect’s residence, investigators also found packaging materials, heat sealers, and the computers and phones he used to run his active online business. One computer was left open.

“We were able to get a pretty comprehensive buyer list, which included approximately 2,200 unique buyer names for a total of over 4,000 sales,” said FBI Los Angeles Supervisory Special Agent Andrew Innocenti.

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

What happens if I’m a victim of catalytic converter theft? 

If your catalytic converter is stolen, you’ll want to file a report with local police and contact your insurance company.  

“It’s disruptive,” said Fairbanks. “It takes time out of your day. There’s a cost to it. You have to go to your insurance or pay out of pocket, have to go to the dealer, and your vehicle’s inoperable until you get it fixed.

And it’s a pricey but essential piece to replace: catalytic converters are federally mandated. Installing a new one could cost upwards of $3,000. Even if your auto insurance covers it, you may have to pay a deductible, and your insurance premium could go up after filing a claim. 

Most importantly, if you encounter someone trying to steal your catalytic converter, Curran stressed that you not get involved.  

“If you see the crime in progress, call the police immediately. Don’t try to interfere yourself because there have been so many violent incidents associated with these thefts.” 

Source: US FBI

The U.S. government is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.

After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims. The investigation is ongoing, and we encourage any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI field office or CISA. 

Agencies across the U.S. government are collaborating to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector.

Source: US FBI

A former U.S. soldier was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for the murder of a pregnant, 19-year-old fellow soldier on a U.S. Army base in Germany over 22 years ago.

On May 7, a jury in Pensacola, Florida, found Shannon L. Wilkerson, 44, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Amanda Gonzales.

According to court documents, Wilkerson beat and strangled Amanda Gonzales to death on Nov. 3, 2001, in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, then a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany. Evidence introduced at trial indicated that Wilkerson feared he was the father of Gonzales’ unborn child and that her pregnancy would interfere with his military career and his marriage to another soldier on the base. Wilkerson was a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of the offense but was later discharged.

“Shannon Wilkerson brutally murdered Amanda Gonzales, a fellow soldier who Wilkerson knew was pregnant at the time,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “While nothing we can do will reunite Amanda with her family, we hope today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure and comfort to Amanda’s loved ones. I am proud of the dedicated and hardworking members of the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners, who are committed to pursuing justice for victims of violent crime, no matter how challenging that pursuit may be.”

“The murder of Amanda Gonzales and her unborn child was a horrific act of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody for the Northern District of Florida. “This decades-long investigation and resulting prosecution demonstrate the unwavering resolve of our law enforcement partners and their commitment to obtain justice for the victims and their family. The defendant took the life of a 19-year-old woman serving her country far from home — knowing that he was killing her unborn child. The sentence acknowledges the brutal, selfish nature of his crime and imposes just punishment.”

“Justice for victims is not just a promise, it’s a commitment, no matter how long it takes,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “This sentencing comes just as Amanda Gonzales’ family will mark 23 years since she and her unborn child were brutally murdered by Shannon Wilkerson on Nov. 3, 2001. While no amount of prison time will bring the young Army solider back, we hope this will close another chapter in the Gonzales family’s grieving process.”

The FBI New York and Jacksonville Field Offices investigated this case, with assistance from the Army Criminal Investigative Division, which originally investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg for the Northern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

Source: US FBI

Yuksel Senbol, 36, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, violating the Export Control Reform Act, and violating the Arms Export Control Act. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $275,430.90, the proceeds of Senbol’s fraud and money laundering scheme. Senbol entered pleaded guilty on May 7.

According to facts taken from public filings, beginning in approximately April 2019, Senbol operated a front company in the Middle District of Florida called Mason Engineering Parts LLC. She used this front company to assist her co-conspirators, Mehmet Ozcan and Onur Simsek, to fraudulently procure contracts to supply critical military components to the Department of Defense. These components were intended for use in the Navy Nimitz and Ford Class Aircraft Carriers, Navy Submarines, Marine Corps Armored Vehicles, and Army M-60 Series Tank and Abrahams Battle Tanks, among other weapons systems.

To fraudulently procure the government contracts, Senbol and her co-conspirators falsely represented to the U.S. government and U.S. military contractors that Mason Engineering Parts LLC was a vetted and qualified manufacturer of military components, when in fact, the parts were being manufactured by Ozcan and Simsek in Turkey. As Senbol knew, Simsek’s involvement had to be concealed from the U.S. government because he had been debarred from contracting with the U.S. government after being convicted of a virtually identical scheme in the Southern District of Florida.

In order to enable Ozcan and Simsek to manufacture the components in Turkey, Senbol assisted them in obtaining sensitive, export-controlled drawings of critical U.S. military technology. Using software that allowed Ozcan to remotely control her computer — and thus evade security restrictions that limited access to these sensitive military drawings to computers within the United States — Senbol knowingly facilitated the illegal export of these drawings. She did so despite having executed numerous agreements promising to safeguard the drawings from unlawful access or export, and in spite of the clear warnings on the face of each drawing that it could not be exported without obtaining a license.

Once Ozcan and Simsek manufactured the components in Turkey, they shipped them to Senbol, who repackaged them — making sure to remove any reference to their Turkish origin. The conspirators then lied about the origin of the parts to the U.S. government and a U.S. government contractor to receive payment for the parts. Senbol then laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in criminal proceeds back to Turkey through international wire transfers.

This scheme continued until uncovered and disrupted by federal investigators. Parts supplied by Senbol were tested by the U.S. military and were determined not to conform with product specifications. Many of the components supplied to the U.S. military by Senbol were “critical application items,” meaning that failure of these components would have potentially rendered the end system inoperable.

Alleged co-conspirators Mehmet Ozcan and Onur Simsek are fugitives.

The General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General; Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security; Air Force Office of Special Investigations; FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; and Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Lindsey Schmidt for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Stephen Marzen of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Section are prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Jacqueline Maguire as the executive assistant director of the Science and Technology Branch. Ms. Maguire most recently served as the assistant director of the Training Division.

Ms. Maguire joined the FBI as a special agent in 2000, joining the New York Field Office as a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. She was the lead agent for the investigation of the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77 after the 9/11 terror attacks. 

In 2006, Ms. Maguire was promoted to supervisory special agent, and then to unit chief, in the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She moved to the Washington Field Office in 2011 as a supervisory special agent. She returned to FBI Headquarters in 2014, when she was named the special assistant to the executive assistant director of the Human Resources Branch. 

Ms. Maguire was promoted in 2016 to assistant special agent in charge of the Birmingham Field Office in Alabama, where she oversaw all criminal and administrative matters. She was named section chief in the Office of Public Affairs at FBI Headquarters in 2017 and promoted to deputy assistant director in 2018. She was promoted in 2019 to special agent in charge of the Criminal Division of the New York Field Office.

Ms. Maguire was named special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office in 2021. In 2023, Ms. Maguire moved to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia to be the assistant director of the Training Division.

Ms. Maguire has earned several awards during her FBI career, including the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security and the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. 

Prior to joining the FBI, Ms. Maguire worked at the Office of the Medical Examiner in Suffolk County, New York. She earned a bachelor’s degree in comprehensive science from Villanova University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from Long Island University, and a master’s degree in homeland defense and security from the Naval Postgraduate School.