Category: Security

Source: US FBI

Months later, the statistics collected by the FBI would show the reports coming into Stop AAPI Hate were no anomaly. The 2020 hate crime statistics showed 8,052 single-bias incidents involving 11,126 victims. These numbers are the highest since 2008 and showed an increase in crimes targeting Black, Asian, and Jewish individuals.

It is also highly likely that these numbers represent an incomplete count, in part because law enforcement agencies are encouraged to report these numbers but are not required to do so, and also because so many victims never come forward.

Among Jeung’s recommendations for addressing the reporting gap were to show how reporting makes a difference, recruit more FBI agents and personnel from diverse backgrounds, and use Asian-language media to encourage reporting. The professor was also able to explain the roots of racism against Asians and offer other suggestions for improving relationships.

“Many communities don’t always feel comfortable coming forward to law enforcement. That’s a big problem for us,” said Biebesheimer. “As investigators, we can’t do anything about the crimes we don’t know about. We have to get better.”

That commitment is echoed by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Daudshah Andish, the program coordinator for the Civil Rights Division in San Francisco. It’s why his squad assigned agents to be dedicated hate crime coordinators—and why he sees their work as an essential part of the FBI’s mission to defend civil rights.

“Hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim, but they also threaten and intimidate the entire community,” Andish said. “Everybody should be able to get out of their houses, enjoy the public spaces, and go about their business without any fear of violence or retribution.”

Source: US FBI

He also attended the first commander’s meeting of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Kenya (JTTF-K), which included the heads of each participating agency. Kenya plays a leading role in regional counterterrorism cooperation, and is a critical partner in countering violent extremism and deterring terrorist attacks. The JTTF-K was established in 2020 following the DusitD2 attack in Nairobi to address serious and significant terrorism investigations. This multi-agency task force is modeled after the FBI-led JTTF and is the first of its kind established outside of the U.S.

“I know of no more effective way than a JTTF to bring all of a government’s resources to bear in a rule of law-based framework,” Director Wray said of the JTTF-K. “Collaboration, both within a country’s national security apparatus and among like-minded countries, is the only way to successfully fight the scourge of terrorism while protecting human rights. As we learned in the U.S. in the aftermath of September 11, no single agency has all the tools, knowledge, or resources to fight this battle alone.”

Nigeria

During his visit to Abuja, Nigeria, Director Wray met with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu, and other senior law enforcement and security officials to discuss the FBI’s partnership with Nigeria to combat terrorism, violent crime, and cybercrime.

Director Wray expressed appreciation to Nigerian President Tinubu and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for Nigeria’s commitment to collaborating with the FBI to confront transnational criminal and terrorist threats. He discussed the FBI’s work with the Nigerian National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) and ONSA to support counterterrorism investigations, an initiative closely aligned with both nations’ security priorities.

Director Wray also met with the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and commended the EFCC’s close cooperation with the FBI to combat cyber-enabled crimes and sextortion schemes emanating from Nigeria. He discussed opportunities for the FBI to provide additional training and resources to expand the EFCC’s capacity to investigate cyber threats.

Additionally, Director Wray addressed the concerning issue of kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria. He noted that the FBI’s International Violent Crimes Unit is engaging with Nigerian law enforcement to provide investigative assistance and training to help combat this threat.

Throughout his engagements in Africa, Director Wray underscored the robust relationship between the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Kenya and Nigeria. He thanked the U.S. Mission in both countries for their close collaboration with the FBI’s legal attaché offices to advance shared security objectives.

The FBI collaborates with international law enforcement through a network of legal attaché offices worldwide, including in Nairobi, Kenya, and Abuja, Nigeria. Joint investigations, information sharing, and capacity-building with global partners are key to the FBI’s mission to protect the American people and uphold the rule of law.

Resources:

Source: US FBI

FBI Director Christopher Wray traveled to Abuja, Nigeria, this week and met with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu, and senior law enforcement and security officials to discuss the FBI’s partnership with Nigeria to combat terrorism, violent crime, and cybercrime.

During his June 12-14 visit, Director Wray expressed appreciation to Nigerian President Tinubu and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for Nigeria’s commitment to collaborating with the FBI to confront transnational criminal and terrorist threats. He discussed the FBI’s work with the Nigerian National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) and ONSA to support counterterrorism investigations, an initiative closely aligned with both nations’ security priorities.

Director Wray also met with the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and commended the EFCC’s close cooperation with the FBI to combat cyber-enabled crimes and sextortion schemes emanating from Nigeria. He discussed opportunities for the FBI to provide additional training and resources to expand the EFCC’s capacity to investigate cyber threats.

Additionally, Director Wray addressed the concerning issue of kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria. He noted that the FBI’s International Violent Crimes Unit is engaging with Nigerian law enforcement to provide investigative assistance and training to help combat this threat.

Throughout his engagements, Director Wray underscored the robust relationship between the FBI and Nigerian law enforcement. He thanked the U.S. Mission in Nigeria for its close collaboration with the FBI’s legal attaché office in Abuja to advance shared security objectives.

The FBI collaborates with international law enforcement through a network of legal attaché offices worldwide, including in Lagos, Nigeria. Joint investigations, information sharing, and capacity-building with global partners like Nigeria are key to the FBI’s mission to protect the American people and uphold the rule of law.

Resources:

Source: US FBI

A federal jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, convicted a Kentucky man yesterday of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and receiving military-type training from ISIS. ISIS is a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on June 3, 2014, Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, and two co-conspirators coordinated their departure from the United States, arriving separately in Istanbul, Turkey. They abandoned the rest of their purchased travel itineraries, and purchased tickets to fly to Gaziantep, Turkey. Gaziantep is located near the Turkey-Syrian border, and from there, Ramic and the two co-conspirators crossed into Syria and joined ISIS.

The evidence at trial established that after joining ISIS, Ramic attended an ISIS training camp, where he received military-type training. A photograph of Ramic, posted on social media, depicted him, among other things, wearing camouflage clothing and standing in front of a truck outfitted with an anti-aircraft gun and the ISIS flag.

After joining ISIS, Ramic and his co-conspirators remained in contact with each other and discussed, among other things, his use of an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot at planes. Ramic and his co-conspirators also discussed jihad, martyrdom and fighting for ISIS. Ramic, a dual U.S.-Bosnian citizen, joined an ISIS fighting unit comprised primarily of Bosnian foreign fighters, and participated in an ISIS offensive in Kobane, Syria.

Ramic has been in federal custody since December 2021, after being deported to the United States from Turkey.

Ramic is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison, a fine of $750,000 and a term of supervised release up to life. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky and Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement.  

The FBI is investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Kevin C. Nunnally and Jessica Fender of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Judd and Christopher Tieke for the Western District of Kentucky are prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

Two Texas men, both of whom were convicted at trial, were sentenced today to 45 months in prison for attempting to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), conspiracy to violate IEEPA and conspiracy to commit money laundering based on their attempt to transact in sanctioned petroleum and launder the proceeds. 

According to court documents, Zhenyu “Bill” Wang, 43, a Chinese citizen, and Daniel Ray Lane, 42, of McKinney, Texas, schemed with co-conspirators to evade U.S. economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) from July 2019 to February 2020 by facilitating the purchase of sanctioned oil from Iran, masking its origins and selling the oil under masked origins to buyers in the People’s Republic of China. To accomplish their goal, the conspirators communicated among themselves and with third parties concerning, among other things, concealing the origin of the oil and the overall illegal transaction, financing the transaction, preparing contracts and other documents needed to effect the sale, shipping the sanctioned Iranian oil, obtaining Antiguan passports to facilitate the transaction and to establish offshore bank accounts to receive funds, distributing proceeds from the intended sale of the sanctioned Iranian oil and concealing and disguising the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of the intended transaction. 

“Today, Mr. Lane and Mr. Wang are held accountable for attempting to broker illicit oil sales between Iran and China, and launder the proceeds, in violation of U.S. sanctions,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The court’s sentence makes clear that those who place personal profit over national security will face serious consequences.” 

“It’s one thing to be entrepreneurial and take risks, but when your business plan hinges on evading U.S. sanctions, you’re doing it wrong,” said U.S. Attoreny Jacqueline C. Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Wang, Lane and their co-conspirators’ scheme to make millions also would have enriched Iran, one of our government’s foreign adversaries, in direct contravention of measures meant to protect American interests and national security. Holding accountable those who violate our sanctions laws and export controls is a priority for my office and our partners at the FBI.” 

“The FBI will use all our lawful authorities to stop those who seek to evade sanctions on Iranian oil,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Today’s sentencing of Zhenyu Wang and Daniel Ray Lane reflects our commitment to combatting these illegal actions and serves as a warning to others that violating U.S. sanctions impacts our national security and will not be tolerated.” 

Wang played a critical role in this conspiracy, providing the connection to the Chinese buyers who would purchase the Iranian oil. As part of his efforts, Wang communicated with multiple parties in China, secured a written offer from a Chinese buyer and brokered a contract of sale with this buyer. He also arranged for bribe payments to be made to Chinese officials to facilitate the illegal transaction. Lane agreed to help launder the Iranians’ proceeds from the transaction. He offered to use the mineral rights that he sold through his business, Stack Royalties, to conceal the Iranians’ profits, and even purchased a cash machine to count the millions of dollars of laundered proceeds quickly. Wang and Lane worked with three other conspirators who acted as intermediaries seeking buyers for the sanctioned oil.  

The conspirators believed that they would profit handsomely from the scheme to evade U.S. sanctions through significant shipments of sanctioned Iranian oil. They planned to start their scheme with a 500,000-barrel shipment of Iranian oil, but intended to increase the shipments to one or two million barrels per month for a year or more. Lane and another co-conspirator understood that the scheme was to be funded by an initial $5 million payment, which would include $4 million provided in cash. And the conspirators believed that they would make significant profits, with Wang stating that he planned to make $1.5 million in profit for each 500,000-barrel shipment.  

Wang and Lane acted fully aware that the scheme to sell sanctioned Iranian crude oil was in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran. In fact, both defendants made statements explicitly acknowledging that their conduct was illegal. Wang, for example, acknowledged the profits he stood to make by engaging in illegal transactions, stating that “I love sanction to be honest with you and the sanctions make everybody money.” Similarly, Lane discussed concealing and disguising the proceeds of the transactions in sanctioned Iranian oil, noting that “sanctions can always be massaged . . . you know, there is always a way around it.”  

In January 2024, Wang and Lane’s co-conspirator, Nicholas Hovan, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison, and co-conspirators Nicholas Fuchs and Robert Thwaites were each sentenced to 10 months in prison.

The FBI investigated the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. Murray and Mary E. Crawley for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. 

Source: US FBI

On the second Sunday in June, the FBI recognizes National Children’s Day to emphasize our commitment to combating crimes against children, as well as reaffirm our ongoing effort to locate missing children.

The FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children program works to:

• Provide a rapid, proactive, and comprehensive ability to counter all threats of abuse and exploitation to children when those crimes fall under the authority of the FBI
• Identify, locate, and recover child victims
• Strengthen relationships between the FBI and federal, state, local, tribal, and international law enforcement partners to identify, prioritize, investigate, and deter individuals and criminal networks exploiting children

One main resource of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children program includes the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Teams within our individual field offices. Established in October 2005, these teams are composed of experienced personnel who provide on-the-ground investigative, technical, and resource assistance to state and local law enforcement. They work to recover victims as quickly as possible and apprehend those responsible for taking them.

Between 2006 and May 2024, the CARD Team deployed 207 times in response to the abduction or mysterious disappearance of 221 child victims.

FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children program efforts includes, but isn’t limited to, investigating the sexual exploitation of children, trafficking, international parental kidnapping, and child abductions. As part of the FBI’s commitment to childhood safety, the FBI maintains interagency partnerships with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), to review information that is provided to NCMEC’s Cyber Tipline.

The first few hours after a child disappears are critical. If your child ever goes missing, contact local law enforcement immediately as well as your local FBI field office or closest international office. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

Additional Resources:

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Anna Middlebrook as the assistant director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The office endeavors to ensure a working environment free from discrimination, retaliation, and disruption.

Ms. Middlebrook most recently served as the deputy director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington.

Ms. Middlebrook has more than 25 years of experience in federal equal employment programs. She joined the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1997 as an appellate attorney in the Office of Federal Operations. In 1999, she began work as an administrative judge for the EEOC, deciding discrimination complaints of federal employees.

In 2002, Ms. Middlebrook became the national hearings coordinator at the EEOC, supporting the agency’s leadership for the federal sector hearings program. She also advised 98 administrative judges, determining and implementing policies for the effective, efficient, expeditious, and consistent processing of cases and the conduct of conferences and hearings. Between 2010 and 2012, Ms. Middlebrook was the special assistant to the EEOC inspector general and updated the inspector general’s quality assurance program, among other accomplishments and assignments.

Ms. Middlebrook was selected as the deputy director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 2015. The NLRB protects employees’ rights to organize and addresses unfair labor practices.

Ms. Middlebrook helped NLRB leaders advance fairness in its policies, programs, and practices in recruitment and retention, while building and maintaining workforce diversity. She also devised a strategy to make the NLRB accountable to the EEOC’s Management Directive 715—to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce—and helped bring the agency into compliance with federal requirements to provide employees reasonable workplace accommodations.

Ms. Middlebrook earned a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Spelman College in Atlanta and a juris doctorate from the University of Baltimore. Prior to joining the federal government, she worked in private law practice in California.

Source: US FBI

Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas was known as the primary enforcer of the Sinaloa Cartel’s ruthless security apparatus.

In addition to his alleged role in importing massive quantities of lethal narcotics into the United States, he is accused of leading a group of enforcers who committed brutal acts of violence to maintain control and protect the cartel’s leadership and operations, including the murder of law enforcement officers, a witness and informant, and even a 13 year-old boy.

The Sinaloa Cartel causes immense harm to the American public by importing lethal narcotics and illegal firearms which terrorizes our communities, and the FBI thanks our partners who share a relentless commitment to going after the leadership of these cartels and holding those individuals to account.

We will not stop working to ensure that criminals profiting from the illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, and violence face justice.

Source: US FBI

TOLEDO – A federal grand jury in Toledo returned an indictment on February 7, 2024, charging Daniel R. Hitlan, of Huron, Ohio, with three counts of bank fraud and five counts of money laundering related to filing false applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans.

The indictment charges that between April 14, 2020 and May 13, 2020, Hitlan submitted three false PPP loan applications and received funding totaling $2,578,318.  Hitlan applied for the loans using two businesses that he owned: Sailor Sales, LLC and Daniel Robert Hitlan.  Hitlan applied for the loans at three separate banks.  In each instance, he falsely stated the number of employees for the businesses and claimed to have payroll expenses when in fact the businesses had no payroll expenses.  Hitlan supported the PPP loan applications by creating and submitting fictitious payroll documents and payroll forms with his application. 

It is further alleged that Hitlan used the proceeds to conduct several financial transactions to include a check for $88,811.27 for the purchase of a 2020 Cadillac Escalade, another check for $48,232.63 for the purchase of a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette, two wires for the purchase of real estate in the amounts of $179,013.97 and $248,423.89, and a debit card transaction for $20,000 to a jeweler for the purchase of Rolex watches. 

An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The investigation was conducted by IRS–Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gene Crawford.

Source: US FBI

TOLEDO – Jeffrey Deitsch, 36, of St. Marys and later Spencerville, Ohio, was sentenced on February 1, 2024, to 210 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick, after he pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and transportation of a minor across state lines for illicit sexual activity. Deitsch was also sentenced to 25 years of supervised release after he serves his prison term and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment and an additional assessment of $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

According to court documents, Deitsch met a 15-year-old Illinois girl online, drove from Ohio to Illinois less than a week later, and transported her back to Ohio where he engaged in illicit sexual activity with her. On June 25, 2020, Allen County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a hotel in Lima after receiving a report that the Illinois runaway was staying there with Deitsch, who was more than twice her age. Sheriff’s Deputies located the victim who later advised that Deitsch had told her to tell anyone who asked that she was 18. Deitsch admitted to law enforcement that he knew the victim’s age before transporting her and engaging in the sex acts.

Deitsch had just been released from state prison the month before, after having served a prison term for abduction of a different female.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Lima, Ohio. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Tracey Tangeman and Angelita Cruz Bridges.