Category: Security

Source: US FBI

CLARKSBURG, WV—The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division honored fallen law enforcement officers and FBI agents at the annual Memorial Ceremony in Honor of Fallen West Virginia Law Enforcement Officers on Tuesday, May 20.

During the solemn ceremony, the FBI and local law enforcement agencies paid tribute to all West Virginia law enforcement officers and FBI agents who have given their lives in the line of duty. While there were no deaths in the line of duty for West Virginia officers in 2024, across the nation, 64 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed on the job. An additional 85,730 officers were assaulted in 2024—a rate of 13.5 assaults per 100 officers. That marked the highest officer assault rate in the past 10 years. So far this year, 18 law enforcement officers have been feloniously killed. These numbers reflect the reality of the dangers law enforcement officers face every time they put on their badge.

“Despite no West Virginia law enforcement officers being killed in the line of duty in 2024, it was important for the CJIS Division to continue the tradition,” said CJIS Division Assistant Director Timothy A. Ferguson. “This ceremony is an opportunity to honor the fallen officers and their families. We also want to tell law enforcement: we have your back. The CJIS Division supports you and your mission, and we are going to share the critical criminal justice information you need to help you make it home safely.”

FBI Police placed an American flag and a wreath near a memorial bearing names of the fallen. Local police officers and FBI agents read the names of 243 West Virginia law enforcement officers and 90 FBI agents during the roll call ceremony.

The annual ceremony has been held on the FBI’s CJIS Division campus since 1995.

Source: US FBI

Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Alexandro Aguilar 33, to 30 years in prison, Kassandra M. Montelongo, 27, to 10 years in prison, and Luis Lara, 25, to 10 years in prison on drug trafficking charges. 

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in August 2022, Aguilar was being held at the Spokane County Jail, following state court conviction for murder. Deputies with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office developed information Aguilar was regularly communicating from jail with Montelongo, who was acting as his agent for a drug trafficking operation on the outside.  Investigators also developed information that Lara and another man, Jose Garcia, were also involved in the drug operation.

Between December 2022 and January 2023, agents conducted several controlled drug purchases in Spokane Valley, from Aguilar’s drug operation totaling 7,700 fentanyl pills and more than 7 pounds of methamphetamine. Federal law enforcement additionally obtained cocaine through these controlled purchases, which involved convert purchases under law enforcement supervision of illegal drugs to use as evidence against the defendants.

On June 7, 2023, federal agents executed a search warrant at Montelongo’s home in Sunnyside, Washington. During the search, agents located approximately 11 pounds of methamphetamine, a small scale, and ziplock bags. Additionally, agents located multiple high-capacity magazines, bulk ammunition in various calibers, one AR-15 style rifle, two pistols, and cash.

On January 24, 2025, Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison on one count of methamphetamine distribution.

“Drug trafficking continues to devastate families and communities across Eastern Washington, especially in our most vulnerable and underserved areas,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rich Barker. “Our office will continue to pursue those who profit of off addiction and violence, and we will continue to support law enforcement efforts to stop the flow of deadly narcotics like fentanyl and protect the people we serve.”

“Dangerous drugs, such as those circulated by this trafficking organization, have the potential to destroy lives and devastate entire populations whether by the pill or by the pound.” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office.  “Mr. Aguilar ran the conspiracy from behind bars and I am thankful for the work of our investigators and local partners putting an end to it. The FBI remains committed to holding accountable all those responsible for enabling, supporting, and profiting from the distribution of these poisons within our community.”

This case was investigated by the FBI Spokane Regional Safe Streets Task Force and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nowles H. Heinrich and Patrick J. Cashman.

1:23-cr-02039-MKD

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

“Our goal is to get bystanders, who are the most important part of the prevention cycle, to be able to consistently identify concerning behaviors that are backed by research and experience,” said Taylor Cilke, a crime analyst in the unit of BAU that studies threats. BAU resides in the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group and is part of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, which was established in 1984 to develop strategies to combat serial and violent crimes.

“In order to prevent a threat, we have to identify it, and we have to assess it, and then we have to take steps to manage it,” Cilke said. “The hardest part is that identification piece. And that’s where the public and potential bystanders can really help us empower our communities and force-multiply our work. But if we never identify the threat, we can’t assess and manage it.”

To that end, BAU this week launched a Prevent Mass Violence campaign that includes a new webpage and brochures containing tips and strategies to help potential bystanders understand what types of behaviors may be concerning and ways to respond.

“The most important thing is to tell someone,” the webpage says. That may not necessarily mean law enforcement; it could be a school administrator, employee assistance peer, a boss, or someone else you trust.

“We’ve seen time and again that there are noticeable, observable behaviors,” said Brad Hentschel, a supervisory special agent in BAU, pointing to nearly three decades of academic research, along with BAU’s findings from studying mass violence events. “Mass shooters don’t just snap. Recognizing and reporting the warning signs of someone thinking about and preparing for violence can be lifesaving.”

Source: US FBI

When a Florida auctioneer was asked to auction off a pocket watch from the late 1800s, his research led him to believe that he may be holding a piece of U.S. presidential history.

The auctioneer realized that the watch may have belonged to Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. He contacted two historic sites closely associated with Roosevelt—Sagamore Hill National Historic Site and Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site—who confirmed the authenticity of the watch.

Roosevelt’s watch had been in possession of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site since he died in 1919. They loaned the watch to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in 1971 for a six-year term to be shown in an exhibition. The loan was extended, but, unfortunately, the watch was reported stolen from the site in Buffalo, New York, on July 21,1987, and wouldn’t be identified again until 2023 at the Florida auction house.

Since Sagamore Hill National Historic Site and the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS), they reached out to NPS to recover the stolen artifact. NPS, the lead investigative agency, contacted the FBI Art Crime team for additional assistance. Both the NPS and FBI confirmed that this was the watch stolen almost 40 years earlier.

“This watch was a fairly pedestrian Waltham 17 jewel watch with an inexpensive coin silver case. It’s a ‘Riverside’ grade and model ‘1888’ with a hunter-style case, meaning it has a lid on either side which fold and encase the dial and the movement,” said Special Agent Robert Giczy, a member of the FBI Art Crime Team who investigated the provenance of the watch in this case.

Source: US FBI

Estas estafas les han costado a las víctimas más de $300 millones de dólares. Aprenda cómo protegerse.

El FBI ha visto un aumento en las estafas dirigidas a propietarios de tiempo compartido. En este tipo de estafa, los delincuentes engañan a estos propietarios de tiempo parcial para que desembolsen cuantiosas sumas de dinero en efectivo, todo bajo falsas pretensiones relacionadas con sus propiedades de tiempo compartido.

Su elección principal de víctima—estadounidenses mayores—técnicamente esto hace que el fraude de tiempo compartido sea una forma de fraude a personas mayores, o delito que tiene como objetivo hacer que los estadounidenses mayores sean despojados de su dinero o criptomoneda. El FBI investiga agresivamente tales delitos para salvaguardar de estafas a una población particularmente vulnerable, dijo el Agente Especial Adjunto a Cargo Paul Roberts, quien dirige la Subdivisión de Delitos Financieros Complejos en la Oficina de Nueva York.

“Los estafadores de tiempo compartido tienen como objetivo dejar a las víctimas sin nada, lo cual deja en las victimas consecuencias devastadoras en su futuro financiero, relaciones, salud física y emocional”, señaló el mismo.

Sin embargo, indicó él, el fraude de tiempo compartido también se encuentra en el radar del Buró debido a que sus ganancias ilícitas se utilizan cada vez más para financiar cárteles violentos en México. “A medida que los cárteles cimientan aún más su control en este espacio, es especialmente crítico que el FBI tome la iniciativa en abordar esta amenaza a personas mayores estadounidenses”, dijo Roberts. Él agregó que algunos estafadores participan en estos esquemas porque temen convertirse en las próximas víctimas de estos cárteles.

Los cárteles han operado los fraudes de tiempo compartido más reportados que involucran propiedades en México, dijo Roberts. El Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), el Cártel del Golfo y el Cártel de Sinaloa han estado ejecutando esquemas de fraude de tiempo compartido, para ayudar a financiar sus actividades ilícitas, durante más de diez años. Hasta la fecha, basado en denuncias y rastreo financieros, el FBI cree que el CJNG ha sido el cártel que predominantemente participa en fraudes de tiempo compartido en México. Sin embargo, es probable que los centros de llamadas independientes en México también estén participando en este delito.

El fraude de tiempo compartido es una operación atractiva para los cárteles ya que es más barato y representa menos desafíos logísticos, laborales y de supervisión que otras operaciones generadoras de ingresos como el tráfico de drogas y armas, explicó Roberts.

“El fraude de tiempo compartido tiene costos generalmente bajos y reinversión mínima ya que sólo se necesita un alquiler de espacio reducido, configuración de telecomunicaciones y empleados de habla inglesa con acceso a bases de datos de complejos turísticos”, dijo Roberts. “Se percibe un menor riesgo de enjuiciamiento y de extradición por fraude de tiempo compartido, y en cambio sí es un flujo de efectivo fácil que va directamente al sistema bancario mexicano, ofuscando los fondos para facilitar las actividades de lavado de dinero”.

Estos esquemas—impactan desproporcionadamente a los estadounidenses ricos y mayores que quieren recuperar parte del dinero que gastaron en sus tiempos compartidos—dejan huellas emocionales y financieras en sus víctimas”.

Sin embargo, el FBI está utilizando una combinación de asociaciones estratégicas para detectar, investigar y prevenir estos esquemas.

“Nos asociamos con una variedad de diferentes agencias para investigar estos casos, las cuales incluyen la Administración Federal Antidrogas de Estados Unidos (DEA, por sus siglas en inglés) y a la Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros del Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos (OFAC, por sus siglas en inglés)”, dijo Roberts. “Asimismo coordinamos con agencias estatales y locales para asegurarnos también de recibir denuncias de víctimas presentadas ante estas instancias. Trabajamos cada vez más con socios del sector privado en la industria financiera para ayudar en la detección y prevención de estos fraudes”.

¿Cómo Funcionan Las Estafas de Fraude de Tiempo Compartido?

Para llevar a cabo sus estafas, los estafadores realizan una amplia investigación sobre sus posibles víctimas. Los delincuentes crean documentos falsos y se hacen pasar por personas de instituciones confiables para embaucar a las víctimas con sus historias y asustarlas para lograr que cumplan.

“A lo largo del proceso, los estafadores utilizan una combinación de tácticas de ventas de alta presión y estrategias de fraude cibernéticas, tales como las de imitar direcciones de correo electrónico de entidades legítimas y falsificar documentos oficiales, para convencer a las víctimas de que cada fase de la estafa es legítima”, explicó Roberts.

Y, añadió Roberts, este no es un tipo de estafa de una sola vez. Los estafadores suelen utilizar una combinación de esquemas para re-victimizar a los propietarios de tiempo compartido durante un período de varios años.

Estos tipos de estafas suelen desarrollarse en tres fases, explicó Roberts.

En la fase uno, dijo, los estafadores hacen contacto con la víctima por primera vez por teléfono o por correo electrónico.

“En estas comunicaciones iniciales con las víctimas, los estafadores a menudo se hacen pasar por  corredores terciarios de tiempo compartido o representantes de venta de la industria de tiempo compartido, bienes raíces o servicios financieros localizados en Estados Unidos o México”, dijo Roberts.

Los estafadores luego instan a la víctima a tomar una de estas tres acciones:

1. Salirse de su tiempo compartido
2. Alquilar su propiedad de tiempo compartido
3. Invertir en certificados de acciones para su tiempo compartido

Los estafadores posteriormente presionan a las víctimas a que paguen por adelantado honorarios o impuestos para asegurar estos acuerdos, explicó Roberts.

Y, advirtió Roberts, los estafadores hacen su tarea. Antes de empezar a estafar a las víctimas, estos se ponen en contacto con fuentes dentro de la industria del tiempo compartido para obtener información sobre las propiedades de tiempo compartido y sus dueños. También hacen hasta lo imposible para vender a sus objetivos [victimas] la autenticidad de sus esquemas por medio de contractos redactados, cartas de oferta y documentación de cuentas bancarias fraudulentos.

“Los estafadores, asimismo, con el fin de reforzar su credibilidad, se apalancan de una vigorosa red de sitios web de empresas falsas, nombres de negocios y direcciones, registros con funcionarios gubernamentales y grupos comerciales”, dijo Roberts.

Y, agregó, los estafadores son aparentemente angloparlantes fluidos quienes han memorizado respuestas a preguntas frecuentes sobre sus negocios falsos para así vender aún más la farsa de que sus argumentos de venta son legítimos.

Los estafadores después exigen repetidos pagos adelantados hasta que la víctima se queda sin dinero o se entera de su esquema.

En la fase dos de la estafa, los estafadores vuelven a acercarse a las víctimas después de haber pasado algún tiempo. En esta ocasión, los estafadores se hacen pasar por empleados de bufetes de abogados que quieren ayudar a las víctimas a recuperar el dinero que éstas les entregaron a los estafadores en la fase uno.

“Los estafadores a menudo afirman que los estafadores iniciales han sido acusados de fraude o considerados jurídicamente responsables en una demanda en Estados Unidos o México, y que a las víctimas se les debe restituir en el acuerdo de reposición”, explicó Roberts. No obstante, para acceder a ese dinero de restitución, a las víctimas se les dice que deben pagar honorarios legales o judiciales a los bufetes de abogados. Los estafadores subsecuentemente defraudan a las víctimas con una serie de pagos anticipados relacionados con este acuerdo; nuevamente utilizando documentos falsos para reforzar su credibilidad”.

La tercera fase de la estafa implica la suplantación del gobierno. Los estafadores se hacen pasar por funcionarios de la OFAC, de la Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera del gobierno de México o de otras entidades internacionales, tales como la INTERPOL.

Luego toman una de dos vías:

• Los suplantadores del gobierno afirman que están contactando a las víctimas porque tienen acceso a acuerdos penales y desean ayudarlas a recuperar el dinero perdido.
• O bien, los suplantadores tratan de asustar a las víctimas para que proporcionen aún más dinero. Esto lo hacen informándoles a las víctimas de que sus pagos iniciales a los estafadores de tiempo compartido se consideraron sospechosos. Los estafadores luego les dicen a las víctimas que las autoridades determinaron que sus pagos a los estafadores de tiempo compartido estaban “vinculados al lavado de dinero o a operaciones terroristas”. Subsecuentemente, estos amenazan con citar a las víctimas a comparecer o con enviarlas a prisión si no pagan dinero adicional con el fin de asegurar de que sus pagos se liberen y se limpien sus nombres.

Reconocer las Señales

El fraude de tiempo compartido no se denuncia por dos razones principales: Las víctimas o no se dan cuenta de que están siendo estafadas, o no se dan cuenta de que hay ayuda disponible. Dicho esto, el FBI y la Comisión Federal de Comercio han visto recientemente un repunte en denuncias. En los últimos cinco años, dijo Roberts, más de 6,000 víctimas han reportado a las agencias más de 300 millones de dólares en pérdidas.

El FBI espera que una mayor cobertura mediática del fraude de tiempo compartido eduque al público sobre la amenaza e inspire a más víctimas a presentar denuncias.

“No hay nada vergonzoso en caer víctima de una estafa como esta”, dijo Roberts. “Lo peor que la gente puede hacer es sufrir en silencio por vergüenza o por miedo a la crítica”.

Mientras tanto, usted puede protegerse de caer víctima de fraude de tiempo compartido sí reconoce las señales.

• Primero, dijo éste, nadie le debería pedir que pague honorarios o impuestos por adelantado, ni le debería pedir que proporcione un formulario de poder notarial. Ninguna de éstas es práctica estándar de la industria. Cada uno es una señal de peligro.
• Próximo, dijo él, si alguien que dice ser funcionario del gobierno se pone en contacto con usted, esa persona no debería:
• Ponerse en contacto con usted sobre un acuerdo de restitución.
• Amenazarlo con arresto o enjuiciamiento si no se paga el dinero.
• Amenazarlo con citatorio a comparecer ante un tribunal fuera de los Estados Unidos.
• Afirmar el estar trabajando con el FBI y/o la Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros del Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos para expedirle un citatorio.
• Por último, usted puede tomar algunas medidas proactivas para protegerse contra la estafa de fraude de tiempo compartido. No conteste llamadas telefónicas de números desconocidos.
• Si alguien se comunica con usted sobre su tiempo compartido y solicita dinero por adelantado, deje de comunicarse con ellos y no pague.
• Nunca firme, certifique ante notario, ni envíe ningún poder notarial o documentos legales por correo electrónico.

Las Posibles Consecuencias del Fraude de Tiempo Compartido

Las personas que ayudan a orquestar estafas de fraude de tiempo compartido pueden enfrentar la extradición a Estados Unidos y posible enjuiciamiento por una serie de cargos penales, los que incluye:

• Fraude electrónico
• Fraude bancario
• Confabulación para cometer fraude electrónico
• Confabulación para cometer fraude bancario
• Blanqueo de dinero
• Cargos por la Ley sobre organizaciones corruptas influidas por el crimen organizado (RICO)

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

Our Victim Services Division provides support to child victims and witnesses of federal crimes, as well as their families and loved ones, through investigative forensic interviews and coordination with victim specialists who ensure all parties receive the proper care when faced with devastating challenges. The team is trained to ensure that any interactions with child victims or witnesses are tailored to the child’s stage of development and to minimize any additional trauma to the child.

A missing child is someone whose whereabouts became unknown when they were aged 17 or younger. Victim Services Division personnel often support these cases even as time progresses and the victim who went missing as a child may have grown into an adult. Regardless of how the child initially went missing, victim specialists work with families and loved ones, as well as victims who have been found. 

“That family is missing their child during crisis. We would respond the same to that family,” explained Jennifer Piero, a victim specialist at the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “If the FBI were involved in the case or asked by a police department to become involved, we would immediately start providing the family with updates and any services we can provide, as well as crisis intervention.”

Victim specialists work with the families throughout the investigation—no matter how long—and are often present during a victim’s recovery.

When victim specialists are assigned a case, they immediately start working with FBI agents, task force officers, and local law enforcement to meet the missing child’s family. These first interactions are the foundations for building trust with the families. The victim specialist looks into the following: 

• Who are the missing child’s relatives? 
• Are there siblings, and, if so, are they juveniles? 
• Which family members should be interviewed for background information?

“Siblings may know different things than parents, so we have to look at setting up child interviews with our child and adolescent forensic interviewers, or CAFIs. The CAFIs gather information they might know, such as whether they might have witnessed anything the missing child had done or somebody they had talked to before disappearing,” said Piero. 

“Then there are the assessments of the parents that the agents are working on to ensure that a parent is not potentially involved in the child’s disappearance,” continued Piero. “Once they’ve ruled out that possibility, we continue to work with the family. We coordinate communication with the agents to ensure the family is the first to receive updates about the case.”

Victim specialists also assess whether initial crisis intervention and counseling services are needed and ensure those resources are provided. As the investigation develops, victim specialists will work with FBI public affairs and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to alert the public about the missing child and ask for help finding them. 

One of NCMEC’s vital roles includes creating age-progressed photos of the victim. These photos are shared on NCMEC’s website and FBI missing person posters and disseminated to law enforcement and media outlets.

“We obtain photos of the victim’s family members—mom, the dad, any family members—to provide an image of what that child might look like at an older age,” said Piero. “Once NCMEC creates that image, we take it to the family and have them give us some critiques or say what they think might be different, because they know their child best.”

And as victim specialists help agents and task force offers gather and share information related to the case, they are simultaneously developing plans for if and when a victim is found and reunited with their family to ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible. Some items to consider include: 

• What are the logistics for reuniting the victim with their family? 
• What are the logistics to ensure the victim receives medical assistance?  
• What is the plan to help mitigate interactions with the community and the press? 

For instance, events like large celebratory gatherings and homecomings immediately after a successful recovery—though often well-intentioned—may be too overwhelming for the victim and their families at that time. Victim specialists will help manage these scenarios. In one case, victim specialists helped arrange the first reunification between the victim and their family at a location outside their town so they could have some privacy before facing the general public and media.

“We want to mitigate any types of secondary trauma, making sure that people aren’t asking the victim questions that are not victim sensitive,” said Catherine Connell, unit chief of the Child Victim Services Unit. 

Source: US FBI

Investigating Laser Strikes 

The first federal laser law was enacted in 2012, when Congress passed it as part of the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.  

Before 2012, the Bureau pursued laser pointer investigations under a law forbidding “destruction of an aircraft,” which Gates likened to “trying to smash a square peg into the round hole.” 

The 2012 federal statute makes it illegal for people to “knowingly” point a laser pointer’s beam “at an aircraft”—whether private, commercial, or military—or its flight path. Most importantly, it attaches consequences to this action: A monetary fine of up to $250,000 and/or a federal prison sentence of up to five years. On top of that, the FAA’s website notes that it “can impose civil penalties of up to $11,000” each time someone aims a laser beam at an aircraft. 

“That suddenly gave us real teeth in enforcement,” Gates said of the statute. “It made shining a laser pointer at an aircraft a five-year maximum penalty felony, which is a really big deal.” 

And, as Gates recalls, it paid off: He opened his first investigation into a laser strike violation within two months of the law’s implementation, which eventually resulted in a conviction. 

According to the FAA, the profile of individuals responsible for laser strikes differs between different locations of the country. But when it comes to FBI investigations into such incidents, Gates said, “we’re looking for that person who’s intentionally tracking an aircraft, who does it over and over.” 

He said that red flags for FBI investigators include: 

• A laser beam that follows an aircraft as it moves 
• A laser beam that keeps coming at an aircraft, even after its position has changed 
• Clusters of laser strikes reports from aircraft traversing the same stretch of airspace 

The FBI commonly catches laser strike offenders in collaboration with federal and local law enforcement partners, Gates explained. 

The universally accepted procedure is that an air traffic controller notifies local law enforcement dispatch, who will then notify law enforcement air units and ground patrols, if available, the FAA said. 

From there, if a local police helicopter deploys to the scene and gets lased, they can use technology like infrared cameras to pinpoint the exact location the laser beam came from.

Helicopter crews can then reach out to their agencies for on-the-ground backup or call the FBI for assistance. An October 2022 laser strike against an Austin Police Department helicopter led to the arrest and conviction of two Texas men, Ventresca noted.  

Bureau partnerships with local, state, and federal partners—as well as with commercial airlines—are key to ensuring that members of the aviation and law enforcement communities know how to seek the Bureau’s help in addressing laser strikes. This is especially important in states and municipalities that lack laser-strike laws of their own, since local or state authorities can ask the FBI to investigate incidents in those areas as federal crimes. 

Help Us Protect the Skies 

We’ve all likely mistaken an airplane for a star or other celestial body at least once in our lives. But pointing out a possible star with a laser could endanger the aircrew if your suspicion is wrong. For this reason, it’s best to keep your laser pointers out of the sky. 

If you spot someone aiming a laser at the sky in a suspicious manner, you can report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or visiting tips.fbi.gov. You can also report laser strikes to the FAA. 

You should contact the FBI immediately if you see someone playing with lasers near—or otherwise posing a threat to—an airport. 

Finally, if you’re thinking of gifting a laser pointer to someone—especially if they’re a minor—educate them on the very real dangers of misusing these devices. 

“If we can prevent one 15-year-old from ending up with federal or state charges or even the large fine, that’s a win,” Ventresca said. “If we can prevent one catastrophe, prevent one pilot from being blinded, that makes it worth it.” 

Resources: 

Source: US FBI