MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

Eleven people indicted were arrested, including Robert Scoppa, an alleged Canadian drug trafficker with close ties to the Montreal Italian Mafia, and Guramrit Sidhu, of Canada.  

The defendants allegedly conspired to traffic and import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico through Los Angeles for export to Canada or redistribution throughout the U.S. 

The investigation, known as Operation Dead Hand, examined this network of “handlers” and “dispatchers” moving these substances. The indictment alleges that Scoppa allegedly purchased the drugs wholesale from cartel-affiliated suppliers in Mexico—then handlers ensured they were loaded onto a long-haul semi-truck. Through coordination with trucking companies, the drugs were delivered across a port of entry into Canada.

“Drug trafficking is a global problem being driven by sophisticated, organized crime groups who put profits over people’s lives,” said Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, during a press conference on January 30. “Motivated by greed, these criminals destroy lives, devastate families, and wreak havoc in our community. But this case shows that we will collaborate with our international partners to bring these criminal networks to justice. Those who traffic in highly addictive and dangerous drugs will be held accountable.”

The operation began in September 2022 and specifically targeted the groups’ leaders. 

FBI Los Angeles Supervisory Special Agent Tracy Dockery explained how the Bureau and its partners investigated the criminal organizations from a global perspective, from the source of supply to the customer base—ultimately identifying high-ranking leadership. 

“By targeting the highest level of transnational organized crime, the goal was to dismantle and disrupt the global network instead of just the network in Los Angeles that engages in these illicit activities and ultimately reduce the harm to the public that these organizations pose,” said Dockery. “Operation Dead Hand was a model case for this kind of strategy.”  

The strategy worked.  

Source: US FBI

Chinese government hacking efforts now target the entire American populace, and the escalating urgency of the overall threat that China poses to U.S. national security requires more investment in the FBI’s capabilities, FBI Director Wray warned lawmakers during a January 31 appearance before the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. 

“I do not want those watching today to think we can’t protect ourselves,” he told legislators. “But I do want the American people to know that we cannot afford to sleep on this danger.” 

China’s quest to steal American intellectual property to gain an economic and militaristic edge over the United States—through nefarious cyber means and traditional espionage, alike—hasn’t let up. But the scope of its malicious cyber activities has expanded to target our nation’s critical infrastructure, Wray told lawmakers during the hearing, which looked to gauge the risks that CCP cyber efforts poses to U.S. national security. 

“There has been far too little public focus on the fact that PRC [People’s Republic of China] hackers are targeting our critical infrastructure—our water treatment plants, our electrical grid, our oil and natural gas pipelines, our transportation systems,” Wray told the committee during his opening remarks. “And the risk that poses to every American requires our attention now.” 

China’s state-sponsored hackers are posturing themselves to be able to take down these vital resources at a moment’s notice. That way, if conflict breaks out between the U.S. and China, they can cripple those resources and do direct harm to U.S. citizens, Wray explained. “Low blows against civilians are part of China’s plan,” he said. 

And, Wray stressed, this threat isn’t theoretical. On January 31, it was announced that the Bureau had worked with partners to identify Wi-Fi routers that had been infected with malware originating from a Chinese government-sponsored hacking group. 

“The Volt Typhoon malware enabled China to hide, among other things, pre-operational reconnaissance and network exploitation against critical infrastructure like our communications, energy, transportation, and water sectors—steps China was taking, in other words, to find and prepare to destroy or degrade the civilian critical infrastructure that keeps us safe and prosperous,” Wray said. “So working with our partners, the FBI ran a court-authorized, on-network operation to shut down Volt Typhoon and the access it enabled.” 

This disruption was significant, but it’s not the end of the story when it comes to countering malicious cyber efforts by the Chinese government.  

The FBI is leveraging its expertise in the areas of cybersecurity, criminal investigation, and weapons of mass destruction, as well as private and public sector partnerships and relationships with international allies to tackle this multifaceted threat, he said. And investment is central to sustaining our battle rhythm against this threat. 

The President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request would help the FBI bolster its 56 field offices’ ability to investigate cyber threats, Wray’s written testimony to the committee stated. 

“The Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request includes an additional $63 million for more agents, enhanced response capabilities, and strengthened intelligence collection and analysis capabilities,” he wrote. “These investments reflect the National Cybersecurity Strategy’s emphasis on a whole-of-nation approach to addressing the ongoing cyber threat.” 
Cuts to the Bureau’s budget would hinder the FBI computer intrusion program’s ability to combat CCP threats to U.S. economic and national security “before they can do significant harm,” the written testimony noted. 

“The budgets that emerge from the discussions underway now will dictate what kind of resources we have ready in 2027—a year that, as this committee knows all too well, the CCP has circled on its calendar,” Wray told the committee. 

Wray testified beside witnesses from across the U.S. government’s highest levels of cyber leadership at the hearing about CCP threats to American cybersecurity. Fellow panelists included National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul M. Nakasone (who appeared in his capacity as commander of U.S. Cyber Command); Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly; and Harry Coker, Jr., who leads the Office of the National Cyber Director. 

“The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is committed to working on a bipartisan basis to build consensus on the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and develop a plan of action to defend the American people, our economy, and our values,” the committee’s website states. 

You can read Director Wray’s full written testimony here, and you can read his opening remarks, as prepared, here. 

Source: US FBI

Visualizing the Threat Picture

FBI New York personnel aim to be ready for anything when safeguarding NYE festivities, Burgwald said.

“Those threats can really range the ideological spectrum that can go from your traditional violent criminality to certainly terrorist attacks for New Year’s Eve,” he explained. 

For example, on Dec. 31, 2022, an attacker driven by extremist ideology attacked three NYPD officers with a machete. The attacker, Trevor Bickford, recently plead guilty to federal terrorism charges in connection with the attack.

Wittenberg says that the night of the festivities, the FBI takes nothing for granted. 

“During the course of the event, there is a constant assessment of how things are going and, as needed, we can adjust our plans and redirect some of the experts that we have deployed just to make sure that everything is going as smoothly as possible,” Wittenberg said.

As for 2023’s event, “there were no significant incidents,” Wittenberg said. “The plan and the new measures that were put into place to make sure that the event was smooth and not disrupted were very effective.” 

It’s event for which no news is good news.

“The New Year’s Eve event is just a reminder of the love of mission and just the sheer dedication to the FBI’s mission to keep the American people safe,” Burgwald said. “The team’s collective work is often done away from the spotlight, so when an event goes off without a quote unquote ‘incident,’ that’s a good thing.”

Source: US FBI

The FBI team started strong and led at the half. But youth won in the end with a final score of 35-31. David Johnson, a supervisory special agent at Headquarters and a commanding presence on the court, said after the game what nobody wants to hear an FBI agent say: “We were outgunned and outmanned.”

Johnson said the game was a great example of trying to build trust. “We are our community and we want the community to have a relationship with us,” he said. “We want to know what they need from us. Som this starts right here.”

James Johnson, a 15-year-old sophomore who landed a few buckets in the game, said the day offered him perspectives he had never imagined. “There’s 2,000 opportunities in the FBI, and that is something that I never knew,” he said. “But I’m glad I got to find out. It’s different from any type of nine-to-five job. You can do multiple things, and that’s what I like about it.”

David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, said the day’s lessons cut both ways. “One thing we learned from these kids today, and I think we’ve known this, is our agency can be pretty opaque to them,” he said. “They can’t put a face to it. And so it’s important for us to be in those communities putting a face to that.”

After the first game, the teams mixed it up, with the FBI and high-schoolers playing again amongst themselves. The day ended with a lot of smiles, fist-bumps, and group pictures—a day the young players will likely remember.

“We are breaking down walls,” said Freeman, the city’s DPR director. “We are removing barriers and removing stereotypes, one opportunity at a time.”

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Brian Driscoll as the special agent in charge of the Newark Field Office. Mr. Driscoll most recently served as the commander of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) and Critical Incident Response Group’s (CIRG) Tactical Section chief.

Mr. Driscoll joined the FBI as a special agent in 2007. He was first assigned to the New York Field Office, where he worked organized crime matters and later became a member of SWAT.

In March 2011, Mr. Driscoll was selected as an operator for FBI’s HRT. Ultimately, he became an HRT team leader, responsible for the planning and execution of tactical solutions in furtherance of FBI global operations. He also collaborated with foreign law enforcement and military partners to conduct operations and training, strengthening FBI global partnerships.

In 2019, Mr. Driscoll moved to New York to work in the Long Island Resident Agency as a supervisory special agent to establish and lead two joint task forces concerning violent crimes, child exploitation, and human trafficking.

Mr. Driscoll was transferred to the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force in 2020 to lead the North Africa international terrorism investigations squad. Mr. Driscoll was promoted to serve as the assistant special agent in charge of the NY JTTF’s Extraterritorial Terrorism Branch.

In April of 2022, Mr. Driscoll was promoted to head of HRT and tactical section chief of CIRG.

For his actions under fire on numerous tactical operations, Mr. Driscoll has been awarded the FBI Medal of Valor and the FBI Shield of Bravery.

Prior to his career with the FBI, Mr. Driscoll was a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Mr. Driscoll earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Villanova University and a master’s degree in public policy and international relations from Pepperdine University.

Source: US FBI

Court-Authorized Operation Removes PlugX Malware from More Than 4,200 Infected U.S. Computers

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named R. Joseph Rothrock as the special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Office. Mr. Rothrock most recently served as the deputy assistant director in the Counterintelligence Division.

Mr. Rothrock entered on duty as an FBI special agent in 2006, assigned to the San Diego Field Office, Imperial County Resident Agency. During this assignment, he investigated transnational organized crime, violent crime, public corruption, and counterterrorism matters.

In 2012, Mr. Rothrock was promoted to supervisory special agent (SSA) and assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) at FBI Headquarters. Mr. Rothrock returned to San Diego in 2014 as an SSA working domestic and international violent crime, as well as crimes against children and victim services programs.

Mr. Rothrock was named assistant section chief for CID in 2019. He was later promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Branch at the Pittsburgh Field Office. In 2022, Mr. Rothrock returned to CID once more, this time as a section chief. Mr. Rothrock has been serving as the deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division since 2023. 

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Rothrock began his law enforcement career in 2001 as a police officer in Florissant, MO. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology and a master’s degree in business administration from Lindenwood University.

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Phillip E. Bates as the special agent in charge of the Mission Services Division at the Washington Field Office. Mr. Bates most recently served as section chief of the Inspection Division’s Internal Affairs Section.

In July 2008, Mr. Bates began his career at the FBI as a special agent. He reported to the Seattle Division’s Everett Resident Agency, where he worked on their Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and covered Indian country matters.

In 2013, he transferred to the Phoenix Field Office, where he was a member of the Violent Street Gang Task Force. He was promoted to supervisory special agent (SSA) in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate at FBI Headquarters in 2014. During his time in WMDD, he oversaw weapons of mass destruction (WMD) investigations in the western United States and Asia before returning to Phoenix in 2016 to serve as the primary WMD coordinator. 

In 2018, he was promoted to supervisor of the Phoenix JTTF, where he led the Threat Assessment and Mitigation squad, moving to lead the Domestic Terrorism and WMD squad in May 2019. In April 2021, he was promoted to assistant special agent in charge over the counterterrorism program at the Phoenix Field Office.

Prior to becoming a special agent, Mr. Bates served for six years as a police officer and a member of the special weapons and tactics team for the City of Mesa, Arizona Police Department. Mr. Bates graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in education and graduated in 2012 from Norwich University with a master’s degree in organizational leadership.

Source: US FBI

The FBI is committed to providing assistance and support to the victims of the January 1, 2025, attack on Bourbon Street. FBI victim specialists are engaging with the victims and family members impacted by the brutal attack, which took the lives of 14 innocent people. 

The FBI has established a victim resource page where victims can complete a seeking victim form and be contacted directly for assistance by FBI victim specialists. 

The FBI is working with our local, state, and federal partners to open a centralized location where victims and their loved ones can receive in-person information and assistance. At this Family Assistance Center (FAC), victims and family members will also be able to recover personal items left at the scene of the attack. Media will not be allowed to enter the FAC out of respect for the privacy of victims and their families. The FAC will open at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church at 5621 Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans on Sunday, January 5 from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. Regular operations will begin, Monday, January 6, when the FAC will provide services from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

The FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) is leading the Bureau’s effort to ensure that victims and their families receive the services and support they need in the aftermath of this attack, in coordination with many local, state, and federal partners.   

VSD’s Victim Services Response Team (VSRT) is one of the many specialized FBI assets deployed to New Orleans. VSRT is a multi-disciplinary team of agents, analysts, and victim specialists who are specially trained to provide support in crisis following mass violence incidents. VSRT provides a number of different services, including coordinating emergency victim assistance funding for emergency expenditures like travel and lodging, repatriation of remains, child and dependent care, medical services, and mental health services.

The seeking victim form can be found at https://forms.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetvictims.

More information about FBI victim services can found at https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services.

For updates on the Bourbon Street Attack, visit www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetupdates.