MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Chicago, Il., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today for her role in a wire fraud conspiracy that targeted United States Service men and women who had recently joined the military.

Jetauwn T. Griffin, 31, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie Epps, Jr., to a federal information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Griffin conspired with others that sought to defraud United States military service men and women through the use of social media.

According to the plea agreement, Griffin conspired with others that employed a scheme to defraud United States military service men and women. Service members who had recently joined the United States military were contacted through various social media platforms.  Upon communicating with each military member, a person within the conspiracy would use the information obtained from the social media platform and then contact the service member claiming to be a senior military official.  As a senior military member, they would tell each service member that they were receiving the wrong salary, and they were owed more money than they were being paid.  The perpetrators of the scheme who advise the service member that they needed to return their prior pay using a cash application and then they would receive the higher pay once the other money was returned.  If a service member followed these instructions, the members of this scheme would take the monies transferred and would never return any monies to the victim.  Griffin conspired with others in this scheme by taking the cash application transfers and conducted financial transactions that transferred the victim’s money to accounts that were accessed by all members of the scheme.

Under federal statutes, Griffin is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Source: US FBI

A Melvindale man – and former member of the Michigan Army National Guard – was arrested today after he attempted to carry out a plan to conduct a mass-shooting at a U.S. military base in Warren, Michigan, on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization.

Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, is charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device.

“This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost. We will not hesitate to bring the full force of the Department to find and prosecute those who seek to harm our men and women in the military and to protect all Americans.”

“ISIS is a brutal terrorist organization which seeks to kill Americans. Helping ISIS or any other terrorist organization prepare or carry out acts of violence is not only a reprehensible crime – it is a threat to our entire nation and way of life,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan. “Our office will not tolerate such crimes or threats, and we will use the full weight of the law against anyone who engages in terrorism.”

“The defendant allegedly tried to carry out an attack on a military facility in support of ISIS, which was disrupted thanks to the good work of the FBI and our partners,” said Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to detect and stop terrorist plans aimed at the American homeland or at U.S. interests overseas.”

“The arrest of this former soldier is a sobering reminder of the importance of our counterintelligence efforts to identify and disrupt those who would seek to harm our nation,” said Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command. “I commend the tireless work of our special agents and FBI partners who worked together to investigate and apprehend this individual. We will continue to collaborate with our partners to prevent similar incidents in the future. We urge all soldiers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their chain of command, as the safety and security of our Army and our nation depends on our collective efforts to prevent insider threats.”

According to the complaint, Said informed two undercover law enforcement officers of a plan he had devised and formulated to conduct a mass-shooting at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan. In April 2025, the two undercover officers indicated they intended to carry out Said’s plan at the direction of ISIS. In response, Said provided material assistance to the attack plan, including providing armor-piercing ammunition and magazines for the attack, flying his drone over TACOM to conduct operational reconnaissance, training the undercover employees on firearms and the construction of Molotov cocktails for use during the attack, and planning numerous details of the attack including how to enter TACOM and which building to target.

On May 13 – the scheduled day of the attack – Said was arrested after he traveled to an area near TACOM and launched his drone in support of the attack plan. He will make his initial court appearance today in the Eastern District of Michigan. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will be asking the court to hold Said in pretrial detention because of his danger to the community and the risk that he will flee.         

Based on the charges in the complaint, Said faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count if convicted.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Salzenstein for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorneys John Cella and Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

The FBI and our partners disrupted a Chinese botnet and freed thousands of impacted devices from its clutches, Director Christopher Wray announced September 18. 

The botnet, which was operated by a Chinese government-sponsored hacker group known as Flax Typhoon, targeted internet-connected devices such as storage devices, cameras, and video recorders to compromise victims’ systems and steal their confidential data, Director Wray said during a keynote at the 2024 Aspen Cyber Summit in Washington, D.C.

“Ultimately, as part of this operation, we were able to identify thousands of infected devices, and, then, with court authorization, issued commands to remove the malware from them, prying them from China’s grip,” Wray said.  

Approximately half of the devices under the botnet’s control were based in the United States, he noted. The hacker group’s targets included organizations in the public and private sectors, as well as academia and the media, he added. Wray also revealed the hacker group’s true identity to be an information security company known as the Integrity Technology Group. “But their chairman has publicly admitted that for years his company has collected intelligence and performed reconnaissance for Chinese government security agencies,” Wray added. 

Wray called the cyber disruption a success but cautioned that the effort was “just one round in a much longer fight.” 

“The Chinese government is going to continue to target your organizations and our critical infrastructure—either by their own hand or concealed through their proxies,” Wray said. “And we’ll continue to work with our partners to identify their malicious activity, disrupt their hacking campaigns, and bring them to light.” 

Saving victims time and money 

During his remarks, Wray also underscored the Bureau’s dedication to working with victims of cyber intrusions, whether they’re individuals or organizations. According to Wray, reporting ransomware attacks to the FBI can potentially help us: 

• Recover ransomed data 
• Negotiate-down ransoms demanded by cybercriminals—or spare victims from having to pay ransoms at all 
• Help impacted organizations resume their normal operations in a speedy manner 

“I’m extremely proud to report that, in just the past two years, the FBI has handed out nearly 1,000 decryptors, and we’ve saved victims around the world something like $800 million in ransom payments,” Wray said. 

Decryptors—also known as decryption keys—function like passwords to unlock data that ransomware criminals hold captive. But, Wray explained, some of those keys require information about the victim to work.  

So it’s paramount that organizations contact the FBI if they fall victim to ransomware attacks. Otherwise, he cautioned, the Bureau “might not be able to make that match—and we might not be able to save you that ransom payment.” 

Wray also discussed how information sharing between the Bureau and our public and private sector partners can help the FBI combat ongoing cyberattacks and lessen the impact of future cyber incidents.  

As an example, he pointed to a recent interagency effort to alert the private sector that a pro-Russian hacktivist group was targeting “operational technology networks.”  

“They had set their sights across our critical infrastructure—from dams and wastewater systems to the energy, food, and agriculture sectors,” Wray explained.  

But, he said, the FBI’s joint advisory about the cyber threat allowed private sector organizations to fix the vulnerability these bad actors were using to infiltrate networks, thereby protecting the companies and the American public, alike. 

“So, if there’s only one thing you take away from my time here today, I hope it’s this: The FBI needs and wants to work with you,” Wray said. “Let us save you money, save you time, and save you from future attacks so that you can keep your organization’s focus where it should be: on your operations, and—together—we can help keep our nation safe.” 

West Palm Beach investigation updates 

During his remarks, Wray also addressed the Bureau’s investigation into the September 15 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.  

“For the second time in just over two months, we’ve witnessed what appears to be an attempt to attack our democracy and our democratic process,” he said. “I’m relieved that former President Trump is safe, and I want the American people to know the men and women of the FBI are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened.” 

Wray acknowledged that the ongoing nature of the investigation limited how much the Bureau could say about the matter. 

“What I can say is that we have dedicated the full force of the FBI to this investigation, and that runs the gamut from criminal to national security resources, from tactical support to Evidence Response Teams, from forensic scientists to operational technology personnel,” he said.“Together, we’re working around the clock to investigate this.” 

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

“Wherever in the country you may live—from California to Nebraska to Georgia to points in between—the cyber risk and the national security risk for farms and ranches and our food processing facilities is growing exponentially,” said Gene Kowel, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Omaha Field Office, which partnered with the Nebraska Farm Bureau to host the August 12 symposium. “The threats are evolving. They’re becoming more complex and more severe.”

Examples shared during the daylong event included ransomware attacks that cripple operations, network hacks that take control of systems, and the theft of seeds worth millions of dollars in intellectual property and research.

Kowel said the FBI is monitoring four major threats to the nation’s agriculture sector, which—like water, power, and transportation—is considered part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. The threats include ransomware attacks, malicious software (malware) from foreign adversaries, theft of data and intellectual property, and bioterrorism.

Foreign actors—most notably the People’s Republic of China—are actively seeking ways to disrupt the United States’ agriculture industry, Kowel said. He urged farmers, cattle ranchers, and others to add cyber hygiene to their long list of chores. Cyber hygiene includes basic steps like using multi-factor authentication to access networks and backing up critical data.

“We all know that in agriculture today, almost all of our data is stored in the cloud,” Kowel said. “Almost all of our complex machinery is connected to the internet, connected to the cloud, so protecting that control and protecting that data is critical.”

Source: US FBI

In addition to reporting the incident to a cruise ship security officer as soon as possible, you can also report the incident to the FBI directly. Knowing your rights can help you speak up if something happens.

For investigators, a big challenge is delayed reporting.

Pagliarini stressed the importance of immediate reporting by victims and witnesses, especially considering the complexities of investigating crimes at sea.

Delays often occur because victims feel ashamed or uncertain and may only report the incident after discussing it with others once they return home, said Pagliarini.

“We get that a lot, or somebody has something stolen, and they don’t know until they got home and then report it,” said Pagliarini. “This delay complicates investigations, especially when victims are far from the location of the incident.”

Parker and Pagliarini suggest passengers avoid taking valuable jewelry—as it’s easy to lose or have stolen—be responsible when drinking, and go directly through the cruise line company when booking excursions.

They also explained that it is important to familiarize yourself with the guest services locations on the ship. And if you see an incident, do your best to be a helpful witness.

Behind every cruise ship crime incident is a human story of victims seeking justice and families grappling with loss. The FBI’s Victim Services Division offers support to those affected by crimes at sea.

“It’s very common if we have a juvenile involved, we make our best efforts to notify Victim Services ahead of time, and often they’ll accompany myself or whoever’s going out initially on the investigation,” said Pagliarini. From counseling referrals to support navigating the criminal justice process, their efforts extend to both victims and their families.

Additionally, the FBI conducts specialized training for industry partners, enhancing their ability to assist law enforcement with securing and documenting a crime scene at sea.

“We try to hold trainings with the cruise industry personnel, kind of a best practice as far as evidence preservation,” said Parker.

The collaborative approach to security at sea, along with passengers understanding how to mitigate risk, is vital to ensuring the FBI can work with partners at every level to investigate crimes on the high seas and keep Americans safe.

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI