Category: Security

Source: US FBI

Share the thing you’re most proud of from your FBI career.

When I joined the FBI as a special agent, I believed this was the pinnacle of any career and assumed I would remain an agent until I retired. I had no aspirations to go into management. Had it not been for colleagues, friends, and managers encouraging me to seek out career advancements, I don’t know if I would have done so on my own. They provided me with the information and inspiration I needed to be willing to raise my hand and take the next steps.

I am hoping I can be a role model, not only for other female agents coming into the FBI, but to young women who may one day want to join the FBI. I want them to see in me a reflection of themselves and realize, as a woman and ethnic minority, the FBI will benefit from your experience and provide a great opportunity to shine.

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.

My most memorable case was my first health care fraud investigation. It involved a group of individuals involved in a prescription drug ring where they used stolen prescription pads from various doctor offices to forge approximately 175 prescriptions. These forged prescriptions were used to obtain controlled substances, including Percocet and Oxycodone. The subjects used stolen identification documents and information on the forged prescriptions to have them filled in over 50 pharmacies. As a result of our efforts, five search warrants were executed and seven individuals were prosecuted.

We even received help from the sister of one of the main subjects. She was willing to provide information in the hopes of getting help for her sister’s drug addiction. Although her assistance strained their relationship, she was grateful for the work we did on the case. It led to her sister getting the help she needed and entering a drug rehabilitation program.

Source: US FBI

I have been with the FBI for 12 years. I have worked counterintelligence, counterterrorism, violent crime, and drug cases. I have also served as the weapons of mass destruction assistant coordinator, primary fitness coordinator, and bank robbery investigation coordinator.

Prior to the FBI, I served for 11 years in the Army Reserves with one deployment to Afghanistan. I previously worked in database marketing and sales in the private sector for 12 years and am the mother of three boys, an author, and an artist.

What drew you to the FBI?

I was drawn to the FBI after a year long deployment to Afghanistan. After losing two soldiers on that tour, I really felt that I wanted to work in national security and continue to support the fight against terrorism. After researching several federal agencies, I believed the FBI would give me that chance, and it did.

I worked on the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the Little Rock Field Office for several years. That gave me the opportunity to work with intelligence community partners and other countries. No other federal agency would have offered what the FBI can do in that realm.

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.

I have been privileged to work several interesting and successful investigations in the FBI.

Source: US FBI

Daniel M. Gitner, Attorney for the United States, Acting under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, announced today that YVETTE WANG, a/k/a “Yanping,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with her managerial role in a sprawling and complex scheme WANG and her co-conspirator, Miles Guo, orchestrated in order to fraudulently solicit investments from thousands of Miles Guo’s online followers in various entities and programs.  As part of that scheme, WANG and Guo made false representations to induce victims to invest money in various entities WANG and/or her co-conspirators controlled, including GTV Media Group, Inc. (“GTV”), the Himalaya Farm Alliance, G Club Operations, LLC (“G|CLUBS”), and the Himalaya Exchange.  And then WANG and her co-conspirators spent their victims’ money on themselves, purchasing luxurious items such as million-dollar sports cars and a New Jersey mansion.

Attorney for the United States Daniel M. Gitner said: “Yvette Wang worked with Miles Guo to defraud thousands of victims out of more than $1 billion.  Today’s sentence is a reminder that there will be serious consequences for this conduct, and that this Office will tirelessly in its work to detect, prosecute, and punish fraud.”

According to the charging documents, public court filings, statements made in court, and evidence admitted at Miles Guo’s trial:

From at least in or about 2018 through at least in or about March 2023, WANG and others conspired to defraud thousands of victims of more than approximately $1.4 billion.  Miles Guo was the leader of this complex conspiracy.  WANG was Guo’s “Chief of Staff.” In that capacity, WANG played a managerial role in a variety of entities that the Government has alleged were part of the “G Enterprise” – a series of interrelated entities and companies that were used by WANG and her co-conspirators to carry out this billion-dollar fraud scheme.  Through her work in the G Enterprise, and as WANG well knew, WANG directed the expenditure of fraud proceeds on luxury items for herself, Miles Guo’s family, and others.

WANG and her co-conspirators’ fraud relied on several interrelated operations:  the Rule of Law Charities, GTV Private Placement, the Farm Loan Program, G|CLUBS, the Himalaya Exchange, and A10.

Between on or about April 20, 2020, and on or about June 2, 2020, approximately $452 million worth of purported GTV common stock was sold to more than 5,500 investors.  Investors participated in the GTV Private Placement based, in part, on the belief that their money would be invested into GTV to develop and grow that business. In early June 2020, as WANG and her co-conspirators agreed, WANG transferred $100 million of funds raised from the GTV Private Placement into a high-risk hedge fund for the benefit of GTV’s parent company and its ultimate beneficial owner, Guo’s son.

On or about July 22, 2020, in a video distributed via social media, WANG’s co-conspirator promoted the Farm Loan Program, which was a purported opportunity to obtain stock in GTV in exchange for a loan.  However, no stock was ever provided, and WANG and her co-conspirators misappropriated funds that were raised through the Farm Loan Program. For example, approximately $2.3 million was used to cover maintenance expenses associated with an approximately 145-foot luxury yacht worth approximately $37 million.

From at least in or about October 2020 through at least in or about March 2023, WANG and her co-conspirators fraudulently obtained more than approximately $250 million in victim funds through G|CLUBS.  G|CLUBS claimed on its website to be “an exclusive, high-end membership program offering a full spectrum of services” and “a gateway to carefully curated world-class products, services and experiences.”  WANG was the de facto CEO of G|CLUBS, and as she well knew, G|CLUBS did not provide anything other than superficial services to its members.  Moreover, on the basis of Guo’s statements in online videos, victims sent money to G|CLUBS expecting to receive stock in GTV, G|Fashion, or other entities.  But, as WANG well knew, victims never received stock and instead G|CLUBS funds were used—often at WANG’s direction—to purchase, among other things, a 50,000 square foot New Jersey mansion; various furniture and decorative items including, among other items, Chinese and Persian rugs worth approximately $978,000, a $62,000 television, and a $53,000 fireplace log cradle holder; a $900,000 Lamborghini, and a custom-built Bugatti sports car for approximately $4.4 million.

On or about November 1, 2021, WANG’s co-conspirators introduced purported cryptocurrencies called the Himalaya coin and the Himalaya dollar through a fraudulent cryptocurrency exchange called the Himalaya Exchange.  These purported cryptocurrencies were fraudulent and designed so that the conspiracy could collect additional money from victims.  On or about September 20, 2022, and September 21, 2022, U.S. authorities served judicially-authorized seizure warrants on several domestic banks and subsequently seized approximately $335 million of proceeds from bank accounts held in the names of Himalaya Exchange entities and other entities associated with WANG and her co-conspirators.        

Wang was arrested on March 15, 2023, at which time FBI agents located $130,000 of cash in a safe in her apartment.

In connection with the sentencing, Judge Torres said that Wang was an “integral part of the conspiracy and knew what she was doing was illegal.”

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In addition to the prison term, WANG, 45, of New York, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release concurrently on each count. WANG also agreed to pay forfeiture in the amount of $1.4 billion. 

Guo was convicted at trial on July 16, 2024. Guo’s sentencing date is pending.

Mr. Gitner praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case is being handled by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the Office’s Criminal Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah F. Fergenson, Ryan B. Finkel, Justin Horton, and Juliana N. Murray are in charge of the prosecution.

Source: US FBI

Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States; James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”); and Jessica S. Tisch, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing today of a Complaint charging LUIGI NICHOLAS MANGIONE in connection with the December 4, 2024, murder of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. MANGIONE was taken into federal custody today and will be presented this afternoon in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.  

Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Brian Thompson was gunned down in cold blood as he walked down a street in midtown Manhattan.  Thompson was allegedly killed just because he held the position of chief executive officer of a health insurance company.  As alleged, Luigi Mangione traveled to New York to stalk and shoot Thompson in broad daylight in front of a Manhattan hotel, all in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione’s views across the country.  But this wasn’t a debate, it was murder, and Mangione now faces federal charges.  This Office and its law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to fight violence in whatever form it takes.”

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “Today, the Justice Department has brought federal murder charges against Luigi Mangione.  As alleged, Mangione planned his attack for months and stalked his victim for days before murdering him — methodically planning when, where, and how to carry out his crime.  I am grateful to our state and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to locate and apprehend the defendant and to ensure that he answers for his alleged crime.”

FBI Assistant Director James E. Dennehy said: “Luigi Mangione allegedly conducted the carefully premeditated and targeted execution of Brian Thompson to incite national debates.  This alleged plot demonstrates a cavalier attitude towards humanity – deeming murder an appropriate recourse to satiate personal grievances.  Through continued close partnership with the NYPD, the FBI maintains our steadfast commitment to fervently pursue any individual who promotes a personal agenda through violence.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said: “NYPD detectives worked relentlessly to identify and widely distribute images of the suspect who allegedly carried out this premeditated, preplanned, targeted murder, and they are committed to assisting prosecutors in seeing this important case through to its rightful conclusion.  This senseless incident highlights the critical role of the public in the NYPD’s public safety mission, and I thank everyone who saw something, said something, and did something.  It is because of the public’s actions that we now have an alleged killer in custody back in New York City.”

As alleged in the Complaint:

Over the course of the last several months, MANGIONE meticulously planned the execution of Brian Thompson in an effort to initiate a public discussion about the healthcare industry. MANGIONE targeted the victim, tracked his whereabouts, and traveled from out of state to New York City, where the victim was scheduled to attend the company’s investor conference. After arriving in the City on November 24, 2024, more than one week before the murder, MANGIONE performed reconnaissance in the area around the victim’s hotel and the conference venue where the victim was scheduled to speak. Using a false identification, MANGIONE checked into an Upper West Side hostel.

In the early morning hours of December 4, 2024, MANGIONE traveled by bicycle from the Upper West Side to the area around West 54^th Street and Sixth Avenue. At approximately 6:45 a.m., MANGIONE strategically placed himself in between two cars on West 54^th Street, and as the victim passed by, MANGIONE walked up behind the victim and fired several gunshots from a 9mm pistol causing the victim’s death. The pistol was equipped with what appeared to be a firearm sound suppressor or silencer. After the murder, MANGIONE fled on his bicycle northbound through Central Park and ultimately back to the Upper West Side.

On December 9, 2024, MANGIONE was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania while he sat in a fast-food restaurant after being recognized by one of the restaurant’s workers. Members of the Altoona Police Department confronted MANGIONE, who provided the same false identification that he used when checking-in to the Upper West Side hostel. MANGIONE was also found in possession of, among other things, a 9mm pistol and a sound suppressor consistent with the weapon used to kill the victim.

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MANGIONE, 26, of Towson, Maryland, is charged with one count of using a firearm to commit murder, which carries a maximum potential sentence of death or life in prison; one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, which carries a maximum potential sentence of life in prison;  one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death, which carries a maximum potential sentence of life in prison; and one count of discharging a firearm that was equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum potential sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years.

The maximum and minimum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. 

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the NYPD.

Mr. Kim also thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which has brought a separate prosecution against MANGIONE, which is currently expected to proceed to trial before the federal case.

The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile, Jun Xiang, and Alexandra Messiter are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that SUNG KOOK (BILL) HWANG, the founder and head of a private investment firm known as Archegos, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to 18 years in prison concurrently on each count charged for leading a criminal enterprise that manipulated the prices of multiple stocks and defrauded at least nine investment banks. In July 2024, HWANG was convicted following a nine-week jury trial of racketeering conspiracy, securities fraud, market manipulation, and wire fraud.

Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Bill Hwang weaponized his personal hedge fund, Archegos, to pursue financial fraud on a national scale.  For months on end, Hwang and his coconspirators used an array of lies and manipulative trading strategies to rig the stock market in Hwang’s favor.  Hwang’s crimes brought him to the brink of staggering wealth before his fraud collapsed and left investors, banks, and even Hwang’s own employees with billions of dollars in losses.  Today’s sentence sends a clear message that criminal manipulation schemes will be met with serious prison sentences.”

As reflected in the Indictment, court filings, and the evidence presented at trial:

Beginning in 2020, HWANG—along with his co-conspirators, including codefendant Patrick Halligan (Archegos’s Chief Financial Officer)—used the Archegos enterprise to pursue two interrelated criminal schemes, one involving manipulative trading in the marketplace and the other involving false and misleading statements to Archegos’s trading counterparties.  Although HWANG held himself out as an investor focused on company fundamentals with a three- to five-year investment horizon, which had been Archegos’s investment approach for years, by the fall of 2020, HWANG spent his time—and nearly all Archegos’s capital—on constant trading in the same core stocks.  HWANG began deploying strategies aimed to manipulate, control, and artificially affect the market for securities in Archegos’s portfolio.  Those techniques included purchasing or selling securities at particular times of day including marking the price of securities up at the close of trading to trigger payouts to Archegos and trading at times and in a manner to give the false impression of additional interest in the securities, transacting in certain securities in large amounts or high volume, and timing or coordinating certain transactions to maximize impact on the market.

HWANG’s manipulative trading was sustained and furthered by lies and misrepresentations made to Archegos’s counterparties.  As HWANG’s trading led to large position sizes, Archegos’s counterparties started to impose limits on Archegos’s trading.  To enable HWANG to continue to trade the same names at larger sizes, HWANG, Halligan, and others conspired to make repeated, materially false and misleading statements to Archegos’s counterparties about Archegos’s portfolio of securities.  These false and misleading statements were designed to fraudulently induce the counterparties into trading with and extending credit to Archegos, enabling and facilitating the market manipulation scheme, and to hide the true risk of doing business with Archegos.

By March 2021, HWANG’s manipulative trading scheme—which relied in part on continually increasing the size of Archegos’s positions in a handful of equities—had profoundly reshaped Archegos’s portfolio and risk profile. Now Archegos had concentrated its investments in a number of publicly traded stocks with markets that HWANG found he could distort, including of large companies, such as ViacomCBS and Discovery.  Archegos’s portfolio became highly vulnerable to external events that might deflate the artificial prices HWANG had created.  In late March 2021, the markets exposed HWANG’s price manipulation.  On March 22, 2021, ViacomCBS announced a seasoned equity offering.  Following that announcement, on March 23, 2021, HWANG directed nearly a billion dollars in additional purchases of stock in ViacomCBS and other companies whose stock HWANG had manipulated in a final effort to control the prices of those stocks and prevent them from declining and harming the value of his portfolio. On March 24, 2021, using what cash and trading capacity remained, HWANG made one final attempt to reverse market forces, but he failed.  When the markets closed, Archegos faced substantial margin calls that it could not meet, causing billions of dollars in losses to the counterparties that had financed HWANG’s trading.

Ultimately, the market manipulation and fraud schemes, and the billions of dollars in losses that they caused, victimized a wide swath of market participants, including counterparties that engaged in loans and securities trading with Archegos based on lies and deceit, ordinary investors who purchased and sold the relevant securities at artificial prices, and securities issuers who made business decisions based on the artificial prices of their stocks.  The schemes also caused millions of dollars of losses to innocent Archegos employees who had been required to allocate to Archegos a substantial amount of their pay as deferred compensation.

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In addition to the prison term, HWANG, 60, of Tenafly, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release concurrently on each count and ordered to pay more than nine billion dollars in restitution.

Halligan, who was convicted at trial alongside HWANG of racketeering conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2025.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Podolsky, Alexandra Rothman, Samuel P. Rothschild, and Andrew Thomas are in charge of the prosecution.

Source: US FBI

I became a FBI special agent in 2011, and I have been in the Knoxville Field Office my entire career. I worked complex financial crimes for more than 11 years. I recently decided to try something new and moved to the special agent applicant coordinator position. I am also Knoxville’s crisis negotiation team leader.  

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.  

My most memorable case was a financial crimes case. Southport Lane Management, LLC, through their principles, entered into a series of fraudulent transactions to acquire insurance companies in multiple states. They ran one of the first known regulated Ponzi schemes. The fraud significantly contributed to the failure of multiple insurance companies. The losses caused by Southport Lane’s actions exceeded $300 million dollars.  

This case was memorable because we had an incredible FBI case team that traveled all over the country to put together a very substantial investigation. The team worked with the Department of Justice, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

We worked hard on this investigation and put in a lot of hours over the four years it took to work the case. Case agents made countless trips from Knoxville to New York City, which was where Southport Lane was headquartered. FBI Knoxville seized more than $70 million. We were able to locate and physically see some of the overvalued assets, including an alleged Caravaggio painting and a vineyard. The investigation taught me a lot, allowed me to build lifelong friendships, and was a really rewarding experience

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

I began my FBI career as an honors intern in the International Operations Division and then became a foreign operations specialist for more than three years before transferring to the Cyber Division as a management and program analyst. In 2014, I entered the FBI Academy for new agent training and was assigned to investigate violent gangs and criminal enterprises with the FBI Indianapolis Safe Streets Task Force. 
  
What is the best career or life advice you have to give? 

Pick up the phone. Meet someone in person if you can. This organization is about people. Protecting people. Advocating for people. Connecting with people. Don’t default to sending emails. Learn how to have hard conversations and push against the impulse to take the easiest path. 

What drew you to the FBI? 

I was initially drawn to the FBI because I knew the organization has a positive impact on our communities, and I wanted to pursue a career where I felt like I was making a difference. I also felt the pull of being part of a team with a shared mission. Once I started working for the FBI, I also realized what incredible opportunities exist in this organization due to the scope of our responsibilities and our domestic and international footprint.  All you have to do is reach out and grab them. 

Source: US FBI

What is the best career or life advice you’ve been given?

The best life advice was given to me by my brother, Bill (retired FBI). From a young age, he always reminded me life wasn’t always going to be fair and life wasn’t always going to be easy. Additionally, to succeed in life, he coached me to have a very strong work ethic. He encouraged me to stay humble during my successes and to always remember where I came from. Keeping true to his life advice allowed me to accomplish my lifelong dream of service by becoming a police officer and FBI agent.

What does it mean to make room at the table? Why does it matter?

Having a seat at the table, to me, represents the opportunity someone is given to be heard and effect change within an organization. Thanks to the many female agents who successfully sat at the table to create change within the organization, we are finally seeing more chairs added to the table to represent the diverse workforce of the FBI.

Source: US FBI

BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Levester Rose, 46, of Niagara Falls, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, which carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, during an ongoing narcotics trafficking investigation in Niagara Falls, Rose was identified as an individual engaged in narcotics trafficking. Rose has a history of narcotics trafficking, with drug convictions in 1995, 2014, and 2020. On July 31, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at a 26th Street residence in Niagara Falls, a premises known to be utilized by Rose. During the search, law enforcement recovered packages of suspected fentanyl.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the North Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief Keith Glass, the  Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent Nick Ligammari, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michal Filicetti.  

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  

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