Category: Security

Source: US FBI

National Senior Fraud Awareness Day is May 15, and FBI Philadelphia wants to remind families, friends, and caregivers, of the fraud schemes that target older Americans.

In April, the FBI released the annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Elder Fraud report. This annual publication provides statistics about incidents of elder fraud—or fraud that explicitly targets older Americans’ money or cryptocurrency—that are reported to IC3. The goal of this report is to inform the public of the scams impacting the country and prevent future and repeat incidents.

In 2024, those over the age of 60 filed over 147,000 complaints to the IC3, with over $4.8 billion in reported losses, a 43% increase in losses from 2023. Across the nation, phishing and spoofing schemes were the most reported scams impacting older Americans, with over 23,000 complaints. Investment fraud resulted in the most reported victim losses, with about $1.8 billion in losses.

“Criminals continue to launch calculated and deliberate attacks against a uniquely vulnerable population, our senior citizens. Threat actors systematically prey on their savings, their identity, and their sense of security,” said FBI Philadelphia Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicole Sinegar. “National Senior Fraud Awareness Day is a critical reminder of the growing threat that financial scams and frauds pose to our older citizens. We urge families, friends, and caregivers to have an open and continuous dialogue about the scams threatening older Americans and empower them to report suspected schemes to law enforcement.”

Ways to protect yourself include:

• Recognize scam attempts and end all communication with the perpetrator.
• Search online for the contact information (name, email, phone number, addresses) and the proposed offer. Other people have likely posted information online about individuals and businesses trying to run scams.
• Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure victims into immediate action. Call the police immediately if you feel there is a danger to yourself or a loved one.
• Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door service offers.
• Never give or send any personally identifiable information, money, jewelry, gift cards, checks, or wire information to unverified people or businesses.
• Make sure all computer anti-virus and security software and malware protections are up to date. Use reputable anti-virus software and firewalls.
• Be careful what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know, and be wary of email attachments forwarded to you.

If you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, contact FBI Philadelphia at (215) 418-4000, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. If the suspected fraud was Internet-facilitated, you can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

To find additional elder fraud resources, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/elder-fraud

Source: US FBI

The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators.

Source: US FBI

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Vincent Villarreal, age 35, of Sachse, Texas, was sentenced yesterday, May 7, 2025, by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 33 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud.  Villarreal was also ordered to pay restitution.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, Villarreal previously admitted that he embezzled approximately $475,000 from a building-products company headquartered in central Pennsylvania while employed by the company in an information technology position. Villarreal made numerous unauthorized transfers from his company credit card, and then improperly accessed the company’s accounting system to delete records of those transfers.  Villarreal further admitted that after he was terminated from the company, he was employed in an information technology position for a software company, where he fraudulently purchased over $470,000 worth of technology products for his own benefit.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case. 

Source: US FBI

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Imoleayo Samuel Aina, aka “Alice Dave,” 27, of Nigeria entered a plea of guilty before United States District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky Monday to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of wire fraud, in connection with the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Aina and co-defendant Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 25, were arrested on a complaint and warrant in Nigeria, taken into custody by the FBI on July 31, 2024, and extradited to the United States to face charges in this case. They and another Nigerian co-defendant, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 25, were then charged by indictment in August 2024.

Aina is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11 and faces a statutory maximum of lifetime imprisonment.

Abiodun pleaded guilty in December to money laundering conspiracy and four counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10 and faces a statutory maximum of 100 years’ imprisonment.

Adewale has also been charged with money laundering conspiracy and four counts of wire fraud. He remains in Nigeria, pending extradition to the U.S.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Abington Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown.

Aina and Abiodun were extradited to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja, and the FBI. The support and assistance of Nigerian security authorities was essential to this effort, notably that of Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Source: US FBI

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Isaiah Smith, 18, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of possession of child pornography.

The indictment alleges that Smith possessed visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. As detailed in court filings, these visual depictions included videos that the defendant recorded as he sexually abused two different child victims, a six-year-old girl, and a nonverbal three-year-old boy, on multiple occasions, over more than a year. The child sexual abuse material was discovered after a friend of the defendant walked in on Smith orally raping one of the child victims.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of five years up to lifetime supervised release, mandatory financial penalties, and mandatory registration as a sex offender under SORNA and Megan’s Law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Source: US FBI

The FBI Portland Field Office held a ceremony to recognize several community leaders and organizations from across the state of Oregon at their headquarters office on May 9, 2025.

The community awards ceremony, the office’s third, highlighted government and non-profit entities who work closely with FBI personnel in the area to accomplish various aspects of our mission; to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States.

Among those in attendance, in addition to the awardees and their friends and families, were Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Bill Narus, Criminal Chief and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Bolstad, Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Amanda McMillan Stayton City Manager Julia Hajduk, and former Portland FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jordan.

“The FBI mission is clear: to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson. “Though the words are straightforward, the work is anything but simple. This mission demands collaboration—it’s a shared effort that depends on strong partnerships with fellow law enforcement agencies, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and the dedicated individuals in our communities.”

“Your involvement is essential to the success of this mission we all share. So, today is about thanking our partners. Partners across our community, partners from law enforcement, and partners at the U.S. Attorney’s office. While the FBI is a large federal agency, we are incapable of achieving our mission without all of these partners being recognized today,” he said.

The awardees included:

• Local Community Partner Award—Kids First Children’s Advocacy Center: Kids First is Lane County’s Children’s Advocacy Center. Their mission is to provide intervention and advocacy for children who are victims of/or witnesses to crime. Minor victims are referred directly by community partners: law enforcement, DHS Child Welfare, and medical professionals. Kids First most often serves children who are victims of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, severe neglect, or witness to domestic violence.
• Exemplary Service Award—Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela Paaso: Since May 2020, Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Pamela Paaso has been the principal prosecutor for crimes committed on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Statistical accomplishments that can be attributed to AUSA Paaso ’s work with the Warm Springs Safe Trails Task Force include 74 indictments, 52 convictions, and the sentencing of 47 subjects.
• Exemplary Service Award—Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas H. Edmonds and Lewis Burkhart, Supervisory Paralegal Kelly Borroz, Victim-Witness Specialist Samantha Lwali-Welsh, Milwaukie Police Department Detective/FBI Task Force Officer Tony Cereghino, and Portland Police Bureau Detective/FBI Task Force Officer Brett Hawkinson: The group was nominated for the FBI’s Exemplary Service award as a result of their outstanding efforts in a long-term complex investigation leading to the conviction of six individuals for their roles in a violent robbery series in 2016 that included the violent death of a Milwaukie, Oregon, man.
• Law Enforcement Leadership Award—Chief Gwen Johns, Stayton Police Department. The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest public awareness campaign and grass-roots fundraiser for Special Olympics. Known honorably as Guardians of the Flame, law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes carry the Flame of Hope into the Opening Ceremony of local competitions, and into Special Olympics State, Provincial, National, Regional and World Games. Chief Johns has been active with the Special Olympics for over 15 years. She is the chair of the Awareness Committee and also an Oregon State Regional Coordinators covering Yamhill, Polk, and Marion Counties. She has been instrumental in organizing Law Enforcement Support for the Torch Run and other Special Olympic events such as tournaments and the annual Polar Plunge which occur year-round. These activities serve to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics while bringing the community together to support local athletes.
• Director’s Community Leadership Award—National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation (NWCAVE). NWCAVE is a non-profit dedicated to advocating for victims and survivors of various forms of violence and exploitation. They focus on incidents involving human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, missing and murdered individuals, bullying, hate crimes, gun violence and more. Their mission statement is, “We have a dream; a world without violence.” Since their inception in 2012, NWCAVE has provided services for over 30,000 victims of crime not just in Oregon, but in Washington and California as well. They are intentional in using their platform and programs to shed light on issues surrounding violence and exploitation. They strive to educate and hold safety briefings for community members through their speaker ’s bureau to help prevent future violence.
• FBI National Academy Associates Award—Chief David Rash, Rogue River Police: Chief David Rash has dedicated over 30 years of service in law enforcement to protecting communities in Oregon. He has served communities in Milwaukee, Hubbard, and now Rogue River, where he currently serves as the Chief of Police. Chief Rash is a past-President of the Oregon Chapter of the FBI National Academy Association, but his service to the chapter did not end when his time on the board was over. He remains a trusted and valuable partner who is known for his acts of service, historical knowledge, and willingness to step up when needed most. So much so, the phrase, “Let ’s ask Rash” has become common place. He continues to volunteer by organizing regional gatherings across the state, and consistently recognizes promotions or retirements of chapter members.  Chief Rash is a great example of what service should look like, as he has dedicated so much time over the years to his community, and to his law enforcement partners.
• FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association Award—Jocelyn Libby: Jocelyn volunteers over 100 hours each month to the Trauma Intervention Program NW (TIP) and has responded to 18 incident calls since the beginning of 2025. She has a variety of roles within TIP – she is a certified National Trainer who has traveled to other TIP affiliates to train and present on “emotional first aid.” Jocelyn devotes multiple weekends every year to be a “volunteer crisis team manager” providing coverage for staff members and allowing them time for self-care. The Trauma Intervention Program NW (TIP) is a non-profit organization of specially training citizen volunteers who respond to traumatic incidents and citizens in crisis. TIP volunteers are requested on scene by Law Enforcement/Fire/Paramedic/Medical Examiners to provide immediate trauma informed, emotional and practical support to those affected by a crisis.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison Monday for using multiple social media applications to entice a young child to send him sexually explicit images of herself.

Shawn Alan Smith, 44, was sentenced to 288 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release. Smith was also ordered to pay restitution to his victim.

According to court documents, between July 11 and September 15, 2020, Smith used multiple fake online social media personas, including several on KIK messenger and TikTok, to communicate with a nine-year-old child. While posing as a minor himself, Smith instructed the child victim to take sexually explicit photos of herself and send them to him, which she did. Smith also engaged in a video chat with the child while pretending to be the father of one of his fake online personas. At the time of the offense, Smith was a registered sex offender following prior state criminal convictions for child pornography offenses in Oregon and Maryland.

On March 9, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at Smith’s Portland apartment. While the agents were attempting to gain entry to the apartment through a door he had barricaded, Smith threw his phone and computer out his bathroom window. Smith was arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint with production and attempted production of child pornography.

On January 21, 2025, Smith pleaded guilty to a two-count superseding information charging him with online enticement of a minor and receipt of child pornography.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims—especially child victims—and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to be a part of Operation Restore Justice and seek justice for children who have been exploited or abused. A common thread in these cases and many others is that online predators will use any platform on the internet to contact unsuspecting children. These predators often pose as children themselves to trick their would-be victims,” said William M. Narus, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

“The FBI has zero tolerance for criminal actors who target the most vulnerable in our community—our children,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson. “While we count Operation Restore Justice as a success, our work continues. We will use every resource available to us to pursue those who prey on children, as well as to help victims of abuse access tools to help them heal.”

Three individuals were arrested and charged with federal child exploitation crimes in the District of Oregon as part of Operation Restore Justice.

Robert Andrew Arias, 54, of Salem, Oregon, has been charged by indictment with distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography. He was arrested on April 28, 2025, at his residence in Salem and made his first appearance in federal court the same day. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2025.

Berret J. Brown, 40, of Vida, Oregon, has been charged by indictment with enticing minors, receiving child pornography, using a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and transferring obscene matter to a minor. Between July and August 2024, Brown is alleged to have used Snapchat to entice multiple children into producing and sending him sexually explicit videos. Brown is also alleged to have used Roblox, a children’s online video game platform, to connect with minors. On April 30, 2025, Brown made his first appearance in federal court and was ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on August 5, 2025.

Michael Joseph Cambalik, 35, of Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by complaint with sexually exploiting a minor, receiving child pornography and coercing and enticing a minor. In December 2024, Cambalik, posing as a female minor, is alleged to have used Call of Duty, an internet-connected video game, to meet and coerce a then-nine-year-old child to produce and send him sexually explicit photos and videos. On April 30, 2025, Cambalik made his first appearance in federal court and was ordered detained pending his arraignment on May 29, 2025.

Those arrested nationwide are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents at an online safety presentation broadcast from Albany, N.Y.

This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims and raising awareness through community education.

The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.

The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

Other online resources:

Electronic Press Kit

Violent Crimes Against Children

How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Granite Bay, California man was arrested and appeared in federal court Tuesday after he was indicted in Oregon for cyberstalking his ex-girlfriend and posting sexually explicit photos online.

Jason David Campos, 42, has been charged with stalking, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, between 2009 and 2023, Campos is alleged to have stalked and harassed the victim, a former intimate partner, by posting sexually explicit images and personal information online using social media platforms and public forum websites. 

In May 2007, while still in the relationship, Campos told the victim that the laptop containing the sexually explicit images had been stolen from his vehicle. Campos and the victim ended their relationship in 2008.

The following year, the victim searched her name online and discovered that sexually explicit images, taken by Campos during their relationship, had been posted to Facebook, Craigslist, Classmates.com, in sex ads, and a Swedish website, without the victim’s consent. Campos used the victim’s name, including her maiden name, to create accounts on several social media platforms and public forum websites. Over the next 14 years, Campos used these accounts to publish sexually explicit images of the victim online. In numerous instances, Campos asked viewers to contact the victim directly and shared her personal information in order to further harass the victim.

On July 16, 2021, Campos is further alleged to have created an email account using the victim’s name, which he used to contact the victim’s attorney in Oregon. Posing as the victim, Campos requested the client file which contained personal information including the victim’s address and information about a child. After obtaining the file, Campos contacted the victim directly.

On January 23, 2022, the victim received an email from an account later linked to Campos, in which he referred to the child by name and asked if the victim was the child’s mother. Additionally, Campos used the email account to post several sexually explicit images of the victim to an online message board. He asked viewers to print the images and post them around a neighborhood in Oregon that the victim was residing in at the time.

Campos was arrested in Granite Bay and made his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Sacramento, California. He was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

If convicted, Campos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 for wire fraud, a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 for stalking, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in federal prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 for aggravated identity theft.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Gregory R. Nyhus and Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.— Juan Jose Varela-Espinoza, 31, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Portland, was sentenced Wednesday to 120 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release for possessing nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, and a stolen firearm.

According to court documents, in July 2023, the Multnomah County Dangerous Drug Team (DDT) learned that Varela-Espinoza was distributing thousands of fentanyl pills in Portland.

On July 25, 2023, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) requested assistance from Multnomah County DDT with locating and arresting Varela-Espinoza on an outstanding felony warrant for distributing dangerous drugs in Colorado. The same day, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on Varela-Espinoza’s residence and vehicles. Investigators arrested Varela-Espinoza and seized nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, $5,042 in cash, a stolen firearm, ammunition, and two pill press machines.

On August 8, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Varela-Espinoza with conspiracy to possess and possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On December 10, 2024, Varela-Espinoza pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

This case was investigated by the Multnomah County DDT and was prosecuted by Kemp L. Strickland, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The Multnomah County DDT is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Multnomah County Parole and Probation, Gresham Police Department, the FBI and USMS.

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.