U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

2014

FBI Director James B. Comey speaks to Cyber Division 

employees at FBI Headquarters.
2014 The FBI Story I

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Subtitle and Upper and Upper 

and Upper and Upper

2014

The National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force is composed of nearly two dozen federal intelligence, military, and law enforcement agencies, along 

with local law enforcement and international and private industry partners. The task force serves as the government’s central hub for coordinating, 

integrating, and sharing information related to cyber threat investigations.

www.fbi.gov
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A Message from FBI Director James B. Comey

It has been a busy and challenging year for the FBI and for our partners at home and around the world. Together, we 

confronted cyber attacks from sophisticated, state-sponsored actors, transnational criminal groups, and everyday hackers. 

We arrested white-collar criminals and corrupt public officials. We protected our communities from violent gangs and 

child predators. And we safeguarded Americans from an array of counterterrorism and counterintelligence threats. 

This latest edition of The FBI Story, our annual collection of news and feature articles from our public website, 

FBI.gov, chronicles our most successful 2014 investigations and operations. These include the disruption of botnet 

operators responsible for the theft of more than $100 million worldwide; nearly $9 billion in penalties levied against one 

of the largest financial institutions in the world for exploiting the American financial system; and a nationwide child 

exploitation sweep that recovered 168 victims of trafficking. 

This edition of The FBI Story also highlights some of our unique capabilities. You will find multi-part series on gangs and 

serial killers, as well as features on the biometric system known as Next Generation Identification (now fully operational) 

and the completion of a project to digitize FBI files, including 30 million records and 83 million fingerprint cards. You 

will also find historical pieces on Benson House, which played a crucial role in our counterintelligence operations during 

World War II, and the 50th anniversary of the investigation into the disappearance of three civil rights workers in 

Mississippi in 1964—a case widely known as Mississippi Burning.

Our work to protect the United States and its citizens never stops. As these stories make clear, we don’t operate in 

isolation. We need our federal, state, local, tribal, and international law enforcement and intelligence partners—as well 

as our non-governmental and private sector allies—to succeed. We also need the trust and cooperation of the American 

people. Without your assistance, our mission would be far more difficult.

I’ve been FBI Director for more than a year, and I believe—now, more than ever—that the FBI is an amazing 

organization. We have folks doing an astonishing array of things all over the world, and doing them well. But we can’t do 

those things without your support. On behalf of the entire FBI, I hope you enjoy this latest edition of The FBI Story. We 

look forward to working with you—and for you—in 2015. 

Director Comey discusses the impact of emerging technology on public safety in a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. 
IV 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story

1

January 2, 2014

Counterfeit Cosmetics, 

Fragrances

Hazardous to Your Health

often times, the illicit proceeds are used to fund other 

types of crime. We’ve also seen people selling counterfeit 

products through online auction sites and other websites 

just to make a little extra cash...some may not even 

realize their merchandise is fake.

Because of the dangers to the public, law enforcement is 

mobilizing against counterfeit cosmetics and fragrances. 

For example, the nearly two dozen U.S. and foreign 

agencies that make up the National IPR Center are 

working on the matter—sharing intelligence with 

one another, coordinating with state and local law 

enforcement, and developing relationships with industry 

representatives.

But we need the public’s help.

First, educate yourself about some of the common 

indicators of counterfeit cosmetics and fragrances so that 

you don’t become a victim. If you’re not sure about the 

authenticity of a product, don’t buy it.

And second, if you think you or someone you know may 

have purchased counterfeit cosmetics or fragrances—or if 

you suspect someone of selling counterfeit items—submit 

a tip to the National IPR Center. The more information 

law enforcement has, the more effective we can be. 

With the proliferation of counterfeit goods increasing at 

an alarming rate, the National IPR Center focuses on 

keeping these bogus and often unsafe products off U.S. 

streets while dismantling the criminal organizations 

behind this activity.

You see what appears to be your favorite brand name eye 

shadow, eye liner, or fragrance for sale at a flea market or 

on an unfamiliar website. You notice the price is lower 

than what you normally pay at your favorite retail store or 

through an authorized online dealer.

Before you hand over your hard-earned money, though, 

keep this in mind: It could be counterfeit, and—in 

addition to buying something that’s not the real deal—

you are also risking your health by buying and using 

products that may contain substandard or even dangerous 

substances.

The National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) 

Center—of which the FBI is a partner—wants you 

to know that the volume of all sorts of counterfeit 

cosmetics and fragrances coming into the U.S. is 

definitely on the rise...that’s according to our industry 

partners as well as law enforcement. Why is this 

happening? Because the Internet has given counterfeiters 

widespread access to customers, and because criminals 

increasingly view dealing in counterfeit personal care 

products—as well as other knock-off consumer goods 

as well—as a relatively low-risk crime since many of the 

perpetrators are located outside of the U.S.

Government and industry studies and testing have 

discovered that some of the ingredients that make up 

counterfeit cosmetics and fragrances are downright 

dangerous: ▪ Phony cosmetics often contain things such as arsenic, 

beryllium, and cadmium (all known carcinogens) 

along with high levels of aluminum and dangerous 

levels of bacteria. Some of these products have 

caused conditions like acne, psoriasis, rashes, and eye 

infections.

▪ Counterfeit fragrances have been found to 

contain something called DEHP, classified by the 

Environmental Protection Agency as a probable 

human carcinogen. These phony perfumes and 

colognes, which sometimes contain urine as well, 

have been known to cause serious skin rashes.

There is no typical profile of the individuals or groups 

trafficking in these kinds of counterfeit products...and 

this might just be one of their many illegal activities—
2 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 3

January 10, 2014

On the Ground in Kenya

Part 2: Terror at the

Westgate Mall

connected to the individuals who physically carried out 

the attack. Nobody is under the impression that we have 

fully identified the entire network in this attack, however. 

That’s why the investigation continues.

Q: There have been conflicting reports about what 

happened to the gunmen. Can you comment?

Brady: We believe, as do the Kenyan authorities, that the 

four gunmen inside the mall were killed. Our ERT made 

significant finds, and there is no evidence that any of the 

attackers escaped from the area where they made their 

last stand. Three sets of remains were found. Also, the 

Kenyans were on the scene that first day and set up a very 

secure crime scene perimeter, making an escape unlikely. 

Additionally, had the attackers escaped, it would have 

been publicly celebrated and exploited for propaganda 

purposes by al Shabaab. That hasn’t happened.

Q: All in all, are you pleased with how the legat 

responded to the crisis?

Brady: Very much so. Our people stood shoulder to 

shoulder with the Kenyans through some very difficult 

days. It’s also worth noting that it wasn’t just Americans 

helping the Kenyans. It was an international effort. But 

yes, I am proud of how the legat responded and how 

we were able to assist our host country when they most 

needed us.

Part 2 of an interview with Dennis Brady, the FBI’s legal 

attaché in Nairobi, Kenya.

Q: On September 21, 2013, al Shabaab gunmen attacked 

the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi. Over a period of 

several days, they killed more than 70 people. What was 

the FBI’s response?

Brady: The attack started on a Saturday. I was called 

to the embassy, and we immediately began securing 

resources to assist the Kenyans. Our people were on 

the scene from the first day. The FBI’s role was—and 

continues to be—to facilitate, enable, and assist the 

Kenyan investigation and prosecution regarding a crime 

that occurred largely against Kenyan citizens on their soil.

Q: After the attack ended, what was the crime scene 

like?

Brady: Very complicated. Westgate was a large mall, 

four stories, with underground parking and an attached 

parking structure. In the process of fighting the attackers, 

there were explosions and a fire. The area where the 

attackers were had home furnishings that caught fire. 

The fire spread and continued to burn, causing that part 

of the structure to collapse into a pit that smoldered for 

weeks.

Q: Was it dangerous for investigators working to collect 

evidence?

Brady: It’s amazing we got our Evidence Response Team 

[ERT] people down into that pit. It was a very difficult 

place to work. While ERT was doing its work, every now 

and then a propane tank would explode or vehicles on 

the edge of the collapse would fall in and catch fire. But 

there was a lot of attention paid to the soundness of the 

structure and where we could reasonably collect evidence. 

Safety of the investigators was paramount. We had an FBI 

structural engineer and hazardous materials experts on 

scene in addition to our other assets. At the height of the 

initial investigation, the Bureau had more than 80 people 

on the ground there.

Q: Where does the investigation stand now?

Brady: The Kenyans have charged four individuals 

in connection with the terror attack, and the case is 

moving through the court process. The four are directly 

January 7, 2014

On the Ground in Kenya

Part 1: A Conversation with Our 

Legal Attaché in Nairobi

Q: What types of FBI personnel are posted to Legat 

Nairobi?

Brady: In addition to our administrative and support 

staff, we have a special agent bomb technician, a member 

of the FBI’s counterterrorism fly team, and a Hostage 

Rescue Team operator embedded on a permanent 

rotating basis. So when something happens—a 

kidnapping or an act of terror or piracy—we can respond 

immediately with a full range of Bureau expertise.

Q: Is that expertise also used to help train Kenyan law 

enforcement?

Brady: Absolutely. Training is one of our key functions, 

and it’s been going on for years. We train Kenyan 

law enforcement personnel in a variety of disciplines, 

including crime scenes, IEDs, and tactics. We also 

provide instruction in areas such as fingerprinting, cyber 

investigations, evidence collection, intelligence analysis, 

interview techniques, and major case management. In 

the past few years, the Bureau has conducted more than 

40 training sessions in Kenya and has trained more than 

800 individuals. We also have 10 Kenyan graduates 

of the FBI’s National Academy who are still active 

in law enforcement. The Kenyans are very receptive 

to everything we offer and are enthusiastic, active 

participants in the process. What we provide supplements 

their own training and significantly improves their 

capacity to do their jobs.

Q: Does the training have other benefits?

Brady: Yes, it further strengthens our working 

relationship with the Kenyans and reminds us of how 

much we have in common. Kenya was formerly a British 

colony and has a European-style legal system. The police 

and defense forces are separate, and the country operates 

its law enforcement and courts under the rule of law. 

Kenya also has an extradition treaty with the U.S., so 

when we locate fugitives, we can get them removed 

through the legal process and extradited back to the 

U.S. to face justice. All of these things make for good 

partnerships, and that becomes critical when you are 

responding to a crisis like the Westgate Mall terror attack 

a few months ago. In a life and death situation like that, 

everyone needs to know they can rely on one another.

Part 2: Terror at the Westgate Mall (page 3)

The FBI’s legal attaché, or legat, program places Bureau 

personnel in more than 60 countries around the world. 

Working primarily through U.S. Embassies, our employees 

serve at the pleasure of host country governments, and 

their core mission is to establish and maintain liaison 

with local law enforcement and security services. Such 

partnerships are critical in the fight against international 

terrorism, cyber crime, and a range of other criminal and 

intelligence matters.

FBI.gov recently sat down with Dennis Brady, the 

Bureau’s legal attaché in Nairobi, Kenya, to talk about 

our partnerships with the Kenyans and our work in that 

region of the world.

Q: What are the key threats in Kenya that impact 

Americans and U.S. interests?

Brady: The terrorist organization al Shabaab has been 

the biggest threat we face. Members of that group use 

IEDs [improvised explosive devices] to carry out terrorist 

attacks. They are known to throw grenades into local 

buses and attack local police officers. They also have a 

history of kidnapping Americans in Somalia—an area 

that our legat office covers. Piracy in Somalia is also a 

continuing threat.
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January 17, 2014

Prepaid Funeral Scam

Fitting End to Multi-State

Fraud Scheme

Here’s what NPS didn’t tell its customers: The 

company didn’t put all of the funds from customers into a 

trust or life insurance policy, but instead brazenly altered 

application documents—i.e., changing deposit amounts, 

naming itself as a beneficiary, converting whole life 

insurance policies to term life—and used the money for 

unauthorized purposes like risky investments, payments 

for existing funeral claims, and personal enrichment. 

In some instances, defendants even removed money 

previously placed in trusts and life insurance policies. 

And NPS routinely lied to state regulators about its 

practices.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, NPS also purchased 

large blocks of prearranged funeral contracts from 

funeral homes that had previously entered into their own 

prearranged funeral contracts with customers, falsely 

telling these funeral homes that the contracts would be 

rolled over into life insurance policies.

The complex case—investigated by three federal 

agencies, a number of state regulatory agencies, and the 

Department of Justice—began in 2008 when we received 

information from several state agencies on the shady 

practices of NPS and one of its affiliated life insurance 

companies. It ended in November 2013, when six coconspirators who took advantage of people’s desire to 

protect their loved ones upon their own deaths were 

finally brought to justice.

Scamming nuns. Taking advantage of the mentally 

disabled. Stealing from the elderly. Just when you think 

con men couldn’t sink any lower, they do: This time, a 

group of fraudsters took money from individuals who 

prepaid their own funerals to ease the financial and 

emotional burdens on their families.

Recently, a Missouri man and five others were sentenced 

to federal prison for their role in a Ponzi-like prepaid 

funeral scheme that victimized some 97,000 customers in 

more than 16 states. The scheme caused more than $450 

million in losses, smaller or non-existent death benefits 

for families at their most vulnerable, and huge profits that 

lined the pockets of the defendants.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, millions 

of Americans enter into contracts to prearrange 

their funerals and prepay some or all of the expenses 

involved. Laws in individual states regulate the industry, 

and various states have laws to help ensure that these 

advance payments are available when they’re needed. 

However, protections vary widely from state to state, 

sometimes providing a window of opportunity for 

unscrupulous operators.

That’s just what happened with James “Doug” Cassity 

and his Missouri-based company called National 

Prearranged Services Inc. (NPS). As early as 1992 and 

until 2008, Cassity and the other defendants employed 

by NPS or affiliated life insurance companies devised 

and ran a scheme to defraud purchasers of prearranged 

funeral contracts obtained from NPS. Also victimized 

were funeral homes that did business with NPS, financial 

institutions that served as trustees of the prearranged 

trusts established by NPS for their customers, and state 

insurance guarantee associations.

In general, here’s what NPS told its customers: After 

discussing what the customer wanted, a price would be 

agreed upon and payment accepted. NPS would make 

arrangements with the customer-designated funeral 

home. In accordance with state law, the funds would be 

placed with a third party—depending on the state, that 

third party would be a financial institution that would 

put the funds into a trust that could be only used for safe 

investments (like government-backed securities)...or a life 

insurance company that would put the funds into a life 

insurance policy in the name of the customer.

January 14, 2014

Left: Joseph Paul Franklin (Missouri Department of Corrections Photo)

Serial Killers

Part 4: White Supremacist

Joseph Franklin

The summer of 1976 marked a turning point. On 

Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Franklin followed an 

interracial couple and sprayed them with mace. This was 

his first known physical attack...it escalated from there. 

On July 29, 1977, he bombed a Tennessee synagogue; 

a few days later in Wisconsin, he killed two men—one 

black and one white—after encountering them in a 

parking lot.

For the next three years, Franklin drifted across the 

country, robbing banks and using a sniper rifle to target 

his victims. He killed possibly more than 20 people and 

seriously injured six more.

By 1980, the FBI and its partners were closing in on 

Franklin. The often vast miles and lack of evidentiary 

connections between his crimes—as well as his skill at 

living the life of an anonymous drifter—kept Franklin 

under the radar for a time. This changed in September 

1980, when an observant police officer in Kentucky 

noticed a gun in the back of a car Franklin was driving. 

A records check showed an outstanding warrant, and 

Franklin was brought in for questioning. He escaped 

while being detained, but the Bureau was on his trail.

Evidence from the car suggested multiple connections 

to the racially motivated sniper attacks across the 

country. The Bureau’s behavioral analysts contributed 

their insights, and the FBI shared its growing knowledge 

of Franklin’s characteristics and tactics with law 

enforcement and the public. Two details were crucial—

Franklin’s racist tattoos and his reliance on blood bank 

donations for cash while between bank robberies.

Within weeks, a blood-bank operator in Florida contacted 

the Bureau about a man matching Franklin’s description. 

FBI agents immediately tracked him to Lakeland, Florida 

and arrested him on October 28, 1980.

Franklin faced legal action across the U.S. for the next 

two decades, eventually being convicted of multiple 

murders, attacks, and other crimes. He was sentenced 

to life in prison and received the death penalty in several 

states. On November 11, 2013, he was executed in 

Missouri for the 1977 murder of a man standing in front 

of a synagogue in St. Louis.

Note: Parts 1-3 of this series were published in 2013.

Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta Child Murders 

(page 11)

It was a deadly mix: a mentally troubled man from an 

abusive, broken home turned radical racist and then serial 

killer.

His name was Joseph Paul Franklin, and he went on 

a horrific killing spree beginning in 1977 at the age 

of 27. Before his reign of murder ended in 1980, he took 

the lives of at least 15 men, women, and children in some 

11 states. He also admitted shooting civil rights leader 

Vernon Jordan and paralyzing pornography publisher 

Larry Flynt.

Franklin was drawn to white supremacist ideologies as a 

teen. Dropping out of high school following a severe eye 

injury, he got married, became an abusive husband, and 

began racking up minor legal violations.

As his association with white supremacist groups grew, 

Franklin became increasingly confrontational toward 

minorities. By the mid-1970s, he had rejected even the 

most radical hate groups because he didn’t think they 

took their hatred far enough. His self-directed “mission,” 

he later suggested, was to incite his fellow supremacists to 

action.
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January 24, 2014

A Byte Out of History

The Five-Decade Fugitive Chase

A wanted poster was issued for Frank Grigware after he escaped from 

federal prison in 1910.

The story doesn’t end there, though. The Canadian press 

suggested that Grigware was innocent of the original 

charges (which may well have been true) or that he 

deserved mercy. Many Canadians agreed. They flooded 

Ottawa and Washington with petitions urging that 

Grigware be allowed to remain in Canada. In 1934, the 

U.S. dropped its extradition request.

But could Grigware return to the U.S. to visit his family, 

his niece asked in 1957? The Department of Justice ruled 

against this since he had never been officially pardoned, 

so the FBI kept tabs on Grigware until formally closing 

the case in 1965. Grigware died in 1977 at the age of 91.

In the end, the pursuit of the former mayor of Spirit 

River lasted more than a half century. Though 

Grigware was hardly a dangerous fugitive, the case 

shows how the keys to the Bureau’s success were already 

coming into focus in its early years: the tireless quest for 

justice, the mix of old-fashioned investigative legwork 

with modern scientific principles like fingerprinting, 

and the formation of solid partnerships with colleagues 

across borders. It’s only fitting that one of the FBI’s first 

cases would end up incorporating so many features of our 

modern-day investigations.

Frank Grigware was serving a life sentence for robbing

a mail train in Nebraska when he escaped from the 

United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth in 1910, and

a young Bureau was handed one of its first investigations. 

It turned out to be one of the longest-running cases in 

our history.

USP Leavenworth, the nation’s first federal 

penitentiary, was still under construction in Kansas 

on that April morning when Grigware and five other 

convicts made their escape—carving a piece of wood 

into the shape of a revolver to dupe the guards and 

busting through the prison gates in a hijacked locomotive 

used to haul supplies and new inmates into the complex.

Within hours, four of the fugitives were captured. A 

few days later, the fifth man was found. Only Grigware 

remained missing. The Bureau of Investigation—the 

forerunner of today’s FBI—was notified. For years, agents 

pursued numerous leads across the country and around 

the world. Grigware was reportedly spotted masquerading 

as everything from a Catholic priest to a traveling 

salesman. Catching the now-fabled fugitive became 

something of a national obsession.

In reality, Grigware had fled to Canada, eventually 

settling in northern Alberta under the name James Fahey. 

He began a new life, running a confectionery store, 

building homes, and becoming active in his church. In 

1915, he moved to the small town of Spirit River and was 

elected mayor the next year. Along the way, he married 

and had a family.

During those years, the Bureau’s investigation ebbed and 

flowed as leads dried up and larger events—like World 

War I—took over. In 1928, the case was reignited, and 

the following year, the Bureau learned of a credible 

sighting of Grigware in Edmonton more than a decade 

earlier. The fugitive’s photo and fingerprints were sent to 

the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). By 1933, 

however, after no success, the Bureau closed its case.

Still, a standing wanted notice was kept in place.

Three months later, nearly a quarter century after 

Grigware’s prison break, the mystery was finally 

solved. After Grigware was caught poaching in Canada, 

he was fingerprinted by local authorities. His prints were 

sent to the RCMP, where an astute clerk matched them 

to the set sent years before by the Bureau.

January 22, 2014

Scam on the Run

Fugitive Identity Thief Led

Global Criminal Enterprise

numbers—and then using other online sites to obtain 

personal information to help with passwords and security 

questions, they were able to access victims’ credit 

reports online, which contained loan balances and other 

financial and personal information.

Armed with this information, Onwuhara would either 

call a customer service representative at a victim’s 

financial institution while impersonating the victim—or 

gain access to the victim’s online account—and request 

a transfer of funds from the home equity line of credit 

account into the victim’s checking or savings account. 

From those accounts, he’d request that the money be 

wired to another bank account—usually overseas and 

always one that he controlled.

To help with the impersonation, Onwuhara would use 

caller ID spoofing services to display the customer’s 

legitimate phone number. And in case the financial 

institution needed to call the customer back for some 

reason before the money was wired, Onwuhara—again 

impersonating the victim—would call the victim’s 

telephone company and request call forwarding to 

another phone (which of course belonged to a member of 

his criminal group).

Once the money was transferred, Onwuhara paid money 

mules in several different countries to withdraw the 

money and get it back to Onwuhara’s criminal enterprise.

Our investigation of Onwuhara’s scheme—which 

involved hundreds of victims nationwide, attempts 

to steal more than $38 million, and losses of $13 

million—began in late 2007 after we received a 

complaint from a Washington, D.C.-area victim.

We were ultimately able to identify and gather evidence 

against Onwuhara and his crew, and federal charges were 

handed down in August 2008. After he fled the U.S., 

ongoing international law enforcement efforts continued 

until December 2012, when he was located in Sydney, 

arrested by the Australian National Police, and returned 

to this country.

He made a living stealing other people’s identities...and 

then their money. And what a living it was—more than 

enough to bankroll luxury homes, fancy cars, expensive 

clothes and jewelry, and nights spent in clubs and casinos. 

When law enforcement was about to swoop in and arrest 

the thief, he managed to flee the country and continue 

his extravagant lifestyle abroad for about four years.

Eventually, thanks to investigators who wouldn’t give up 

and international partners who provided vital support, 

this man was found and returned to the U.S. to face 

justice. Last month, Tobechi Onwuhara, of Dallas, 

Texas—the ringleader of a multi-million-dollar fraud 

scheme and a former FBI wanted cyber fugitive—was 

sentenced to federal prison. Seven additional coconspirators have either pled guilty or been convicted.

There’s no shortage of schemes that identity thieves 

perpetrate to line their own pockets—from stealing 

credit card numbers and fraudulently applying for loans 

and refunds to breaking into online bank accounts. 

Onwuhara’s specialty? He targeted home equity line of 

credit accounts, a form of revolving credit in which your 

home serves as collateral.

How the scheme worked: Onwuhara and his coconspirators identified potential victims—people who had 

home equity line of credit accounts with large balances—

by accessing certain fee-based websites often used in the 

real estate industry for customer leads (one of Onwuhara’s 

associates was a real estate agent). After collecting bits of 

personally identifiable information from those websites—

like names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security 
8 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 9

January 31, 2014

A Byte Out of History

$10 Million Hack, 1994-Style

from overseas accounts; both were Russian nationals 

who had been recruited as couriers and paid to take the 

stolen funds that had been transferred to their personal 

accounts.

In March 1995, Levin was lured to London, where he was 

arrested and later extradited back to the United States. 

He pled guilty in January 1998.

Believed to be the first online bank robbery, the virtual 

theft and ensuing investigation were a needed walk-up 

call for the financial industry...and for law enforcement. 

The victim bank put corrective measures in place to shore 

up its network security. Though the hack didn’t involve 

the Internet, the case did generate media coverage that 

got the attention of web security experts. The FBI, for 

its part, began expanding its cyber crime capabilities 

and global footprint, steadily building an arsenal of tools 

and techniques that help us lead the national effort to 

investigative high-tech crimes today.

It was hardly the opening salvo in a new era of virtual 

crime, but it was certainly a shot across the bow.

Two decades ago, a group of enterprising criminals 

on multiple continents—led by a young computer 

programmer in St. Petersburg, Russia—hacked into the 

electronic systems of a major U.S. bank and secretly 

started stealing money. No mask, no note, no gun—this 

was bank robbery for the technological age.

Our case began in July 1994, when several corporate 

bank customers discovered that a total of $400,000 

was missing from their accounts. Once bank officials 

realized the problem, they immediately contacted the 

FBI. Hackers had apparently targeted the institution’s 

cash management computer system—which allowed 

corporate clients to move funds from their own accounts 

into other banks around the world. The criminals gained 

access by exploiting the telecommunications network and 

compromising valid user IDs and passwords.

Working with the bank, we began monitoring the 

accounts for more illegal transfers. We eventually 

identified approximately 40 illegal transactions from 

late June through October, mostly going to overseas 

bank accounts and ultimately adding up to more than 

$10 million. Meanwhile, the bank was able to get the 

overseas accounts frozen so no additional money could be 

withdrawn.

The only location where money was actually 

transferred within the U.S. was San Francisco.

Investigators pinpointed the bank accounts there and 

identified the owners as a Russian couple who had 

previously lived in the country. When the wife flew into 

San Francisco and attempted to withdraw funds from one 

of the accounts, the FBI arrested her and, soon after, her 

husband. Both cooperated in the investigation, telling 

us that the hacking operation was based inside a St. 

Petersburg computer firm and that they were working for 

a Russian named Vladimir Levin.

We teamed up with Russian authorities—who provided 

outstanding cooperation just days after a new FBI legal 

attaché office had been opened in Moscow—to gather 

evidence against Levin, including proof that he was 

accessing the bank’s computer from his own laptop. We 

also worked with other law enforcement partners to 

arrest two co-conspirators attempting to withdraw cash 

January 28, 2014

Botnet Bust

SpyEye Malware Mastermind 

Pleads Guilty

versions of it. Once in their hands, these cyber criminals 

used the malware for their own nefarious purposes—

infecting victim computers and creating botnets (armies 

of hijacked computers) that collected large amounts of 

financial and personal information and sent it back to 

servers under the control of the criminals. They were 

then able to hack into bank accounts, withdraw stolen 

funds, create bogus credit cards, etc.

In February 2011, a search warrant allowed the FBI 

to seize a key SpyEye server located in Georgia. It 

was several months after that when the FBI bought 

SpyEye online from Panin—which turned out to be very 

incriminating because that particular version contained 

the full suite of features designed to steal confidential 

financial information, make fraudulent online banking 

transactions, install keystroke loggers, and initiate 

distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks from 

computers infected with malware.

Panin was arrested in July 2013 while he was flying 

through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The investigation into the SpyEye malware is just one 

initiative worked under Operation Clean Slate, a broad 

public/private effort recently undertaken to eliminate 

the most significant botnets affecting U.S. interests by 

targeting the criminal coders who create them and other 

key individuals who provide their criminal services to 

anyone who’ll pay for them. Much like the FBI’s other 

investigative priorities where we focus on taking down the 

leaders of a criminal enterprise or terrorist organization, 

under Clean Slate we’re going after the major cyber 

players who make botnets possible.

And FBI Executive Assistant Director Rick McFeely 

warns potential hackers: “The next person you peddle 

your malware to could be an FBI undercover employee...

so regardless of where you live, we will use all the tools 

in our toolbox—including undercover operations and 

extraditions—to hold cyber criminals accountable for 

profiting illicitly from U.S. computer users.”

Today, Russian national Aleksandr Andreevich Panin 

pled guilty in an Atlanta federal courtroom to a 

conspiracy charge associated with his role as the primary 

developer and distributor of malware—called SpyEye—

created specifically to facilitate online theft from financial 

institutions, many of them in the U.S.

SpyEye infected more than 1.4 million computers—many 

located in the U.S.—obtaining victims’ financial and 

personally identifiable information stored on those 

computers and using it to transfer money out of victims’ 

bank accounts and into accounts controlled by criminals.

Ultimately, though, Panin sold his malware online to the 

wrong customer—an undercover FBI employee. And after 

an investigation involving international law enforcement 

partners as well as private sector partners, a dangerous 

cyber threat was neutralized.

How the conspiracy operated. From 2009 to 2011, Panin 

conspired with others, including co-defendant Hamza 

Bendelladj (charged and extradited to the U.S. last year), 

to advertise and develop various versions of SpyEye in 

online criminal forums. One ad described the malware as 

a “bank Trojan with form grabbing possibility,” meaning 

it was designed to steal bank information from a web 

browser while a user was conducting online banking. 

Another ad said that the malware included a “cc 

grabber,” which scans stolen victim data for credit card 

information.

Panin sold the SpyEye malware to more than 150 “clients” 

who paid anywhere from $1,000 to $8,500 for various 
10 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 11

February 7, 2014

Serial Killers

Part 5: Wayne Williams and the 

Atlanta Child Murders

Evidence linked Wayne Williams, inset above over one of the files in 

his case, to 22 murders in Atlanta beginning in 1979.

The FBI’s involvement began in 1980 following the abduction of a 

7-year-old girl.

change his behavior, dumping the victims’ bodies in the 

Chattahoochee River. Members of the task force staked 

out the 14 bridges in the Atlanta metropolitan area that 

crossed the river and patiently waited.

On May 22, a big break came in the case. One of 

the groups conducting surveillance—consisting of an 

FBI agent, an Atlanta police officer, and two police 

cadets—heard a loud splash around 2:52 a.m. A car sped 

across the bridge, turned around in a parking lot on the 

other side, and sped back across the bridge. The vehicle 

was pursued and stopped. The driver was a 23-year-old 

African-American freelance photographer named Wayne 

Williams.

Lacking probable cause, authorities let Williams go. 

But when the body of a young African-American man 

named Nathaniel Cater was found downstream two days 

later, more attention was paid to Williams. Investigators 

soon learned that his alibi was poor and that he had 

been arrested earlier that year for impersonating a police 

officer. Later, he failed multiple polygraph examinations.

Williams was arrested on June 21, 1981. He was 

convicted of two murders on February 27, 1982, after 

he was linked to the victims through meticulous hair 

and fiber analysis and witness testimony. Following the 

trial, the law enforcement task force concluded that there 

was enough evidence to link Williams to another 20 of 

the 29 deaths. He went to jail for life, and the Atlanta 

child killings stopped.

Part 6: Andrew Cunanan Murders a Fashion Icon (page 21)

On July 21, 1979, a 14-year-old boy disappeared. Four 

days later, another teen went missing. Both, it was soon 

learned, had been killed.

It was the beginning of a shocking series of murders—

some 29 in all—that would take place over the next 22 

months in Atlanta. The victims were all young AfricanAmericans, and as the death toll mounted, so did fear 

and tension across the city.

The FBI’s involvement in the case began on June 22, 1980 

following the abduction of a 7-year-old girl. The Atlanta 

Police Department, which—along with the Georgia 

Bureau of Investigation—was investigating the string of 

killings, asked the FBI if the federal kidnapping statute 

had been violated.

None of the crimes appeared to fall under federal law, but 

Special Agent in Charge John Glover—the first AfricanAmerican to lead an FBI field office—offered all the 

support the Bureau could give under the circumstances. 

Our Atlanta office helped follow up on out-of-state leads. 

The FBI Lab provided assistance. And our Behavioral 

Sciences Unit sent an expert to develop a profile of a 

possible perpetrator.

Meanwhile, the murders continued. Local politicians, 

the news media, and even Georgia Senator Sam 

Nunn asked the Department of Justice to permit 

FBI involvement, and the attorney general did so 

on November 6, 1980, authorizing a preliminary 

investigation. On November 17, the Bureau launched a 

major case investigation, devoting more than two dozen 

agents and other personnel to the case full time.

FBI agents joined local and state law enforcement officers 

on a task force investigating the murders. Collectively, 

they focused on a dozen disappearances with several 

shared traits. The victims were all young AfricanAmerican males who vanished in broad daylight in fairly 

public locations. Their bodies were found in desolate 

areas. Their murders had no obvious motivation (in 

contrast, two other homicides from that period appeared 

to have been gang-related). These commonalities 

suggested a single killer.

The case continued through the winter and into the 

spring of 1981. By late April, however, the killer began to 

February 4, 2014

Four MS-13 Leaders 

Sentenced

Serious Threat Removed from 

Atlanta Streets

crimes for seemingly minor reasons—to enhance their 

reputations among fellow gang members, to protect their 

turf from rival gangs, or to exact revenge for a real or 

perceived slight. The robberies were usually committed 

to obtain funding to support the criminal enterprise, 

providing money and weapons to gang members—

including incarcerated individuals in the U.S. and 

elsewhere.

Some of the heinous crimes the defendants were charged 

with included:

▪ Murdering a fellow MS-13 member who was thought 

to be cooperating with police;

▪ Ordering an MS-13 member who wanted to leave the 

gang to first commit an act of violence, leading the 

departing member to shoot into a car believed to be 

carrying rival gang members—killing the passenger 

and wounding the driver;

▪ Returning to a nightclub following a fight with a 

suspected rival gang member and fatally shooting a 

man walking through the club’s parking lot;

▪ Going back to a gas station after a scuffle with two 

teenagers who worked there and fatally shooting one 

of them as he painted lines in the parking lot; and

▪ Murdering a 15-year-old boy—a suspected 18th Street 

gang member—with a shotgun.

The case was investigated by the Atlanta Safe Streets 

Task Force, made up of investigators from local, state, 

and federal agencies, including the FBI. Another 

key partner was the U.S. Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations 

Directorate.

Federal participation in this case allowed a number 

of effective tools to be brought to the table—perhaps 

most importantly the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and 

Corrupt Organizations) and the VICAR (Violent Crimes 

in Aid of Racketeering) statutes with their tougher 

penalties. Investigators also made use of physical and 

court-authorized electronic surveillances and confidential 

informants.

The charges against the four subjects in this case were 

part of a broader multi-agency investigation of MS-13 in 

Atlanta, concluded in 2010, which resulted in arrests of, 

charges against, and/or deportation of 75 members.

Proof positive that dedicated, cooperative efforts among 

law enforcement agencies can and do win out over 

dangerous criminal conspiracies.

For nearly four years, four leaders of various Mara 

Salvatrucha, or MS-13, factions operating in the Atlanta 

metro area terrorized the community through their 

flagrant disregard for life—conspiring to commit senseless 

acts of murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery.

But a multi-year, multi-agency law enforcement effort 

recently took down this criminal enterprise, eradicating 

a deadly threat from the streets of Atlanta. Ernesto 

Escobar, Miguel Alvarado-Linares, and Dimas AlfaroGranados will be spending the rest of their lives in prison, 

while Jairo Reyna-Ozuna will be behind bars for more 

than a decade.

The MS-13 gang is composed primarily of immigrants 

and/or their descendants from El Salvador, Guatemala, 

and Honduras. In the U.S., this extremely violent 

criminal organization got its start in Los Angeles and 

then spread out to a number of states around the country, 

including Georgia.

In Atlanta, as in other areas, members are usually 

organized into groups called “cliques” that operate under 

the larger MS-13 umbrella. Each clique has a leader who 

conducts regular meetings to plan and discuss crimes 

against rival gangs. In this case, we saw clique leaders 

reporting back to MS-13 leaders in their home countries 

about MS-13 activities in the Atlanta area.

The four defendants in this case, who reportedly lived 

by the credo “rape, kill, control,” perpetrated their 
12 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 13

February 14, 2014

The Gangs of 

Los Angeles

Part 1: Innovative Approaches

to a Serious Problem

Through the FBI’s Community Impact Initiative, law enforcement 

personnel and other volunteers return to neighborhoods after gang 

busts to clean alleyways, working alongside residents

and property owners.

Clark spearheaded three initiatives that are making a

difference in Los Angeles. In the coming weeks,

FBI.gov will chronicle those programs, which are helping 

to empower communities, reduce the crime rate, clear 

unsolved murder cases, and aid in intelligence-gathering 

efforts that allow the Bureau to monitor gangs with an 

international reach such as MS-13.

The programs include:

▪ Operation Save Our Streets Task Force, established 

in 2010 in partnership with the LAPD to solve gangrelated homicide cases;

▪ The Community Impact Initiative, in which law 

enforcement personnel and other volunteers return 

to neighborhoods after gang busts to clean alleyways 

of trash and graffiti, working alongside residents and 

property owners; and

▪ The Homicide Library project, a joint initiative 

between the FBI and the LAPD that is digitizing 

thousands of paper-only murder investigation files for 

use in a searchable system that will help solve more 

cases.

“Thanks to the hard work of many, many people,” 

Clark said, “we have been able to take these ideas and 

implement them and measure their success. We have 

been able to take murderers off the streets,” he added, 

“and just as importantly, we are helping to improve the 

quality of life in communities where residents often felt 

forgotten or ignored.”

Part 2: Operation Save Our Streets (page 14)

At 5 a.m., the command post in our Los Angeles Division 

was buzzing with activity. It would be a day of reckoning 

for nearly two dozen members of MS-13, the violent street 

gang that over the years has brought drugs, murder, and 

misery to countless Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Before the sun came up, teams of FBI agents and their 

partners from the Los Angeles Police Department 

(LAPD) began making arrests. In short order, the large 

video monitors in the command post started to show the 

words “in custody” next to the images of the subjects—

many of whom were wanted on federal drug charges and 

were the gang’s leaders, or “shot callers,” in the parlance 

of the street.

In Los Angeles—often referred to as the gang capital 

of the world—it was just another day for the men and 

women of the FBI who work to protect the community 

from hundreds of area gangs. But locking up these 

criminals is only part of the story. Together with our 

law enforcement and community partners, the Los 

Angeles Division is taking a leadership role in the fight 

against gangs with innovative programs designed to bring 

healing as well as justice to neighborhoods ravaged by 

violence and intimidation.

“You can’t arrest your way out of the gang problem,” 

explained Robert Clark, an assistant special agent in 

charge in our Los Angeles Division. “Looking at the 

statistics prior to 2007 and in the seven years since 

I’ve been here,” he said, “there’s been upwards of a 300 

percent increase in arrests, but the gang problem still 

exists.”

Clark and others considered new approaches. “Where 

could we bring our resources and our like ideas to really 

have an impact in the community?” he asked. “FBI agents 

and local police officers can’t be everywhere. That’s 

why it was important that we build relationships in the 

community. Those relationships are essential to solving 

crimes.”

Understanding firsthand the challenges facing gangplagued neighborhoods based on his own childhood 

growing up in the inner city of Youngstown, Ohio,

February 11, 2014

Protecting Aircraft from

Lasers

New Program Offers Rewards for 

Information

to such attacks have described them as the equivalent of 

a camera flash going off in a pitch black car at night.

Since the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) began tracking laser strikes in 2005, there has 

been a more than 1,000 percent increase in the number 

of incidents with these devices, which can be purchased 

in stores or online for as little as a few dollars. Last year, 

3,960 laser strikes against aircraft were reported—an 

average of almost 11 incidents per day. And it’s estimated 

that thousands of attacks go unreported every year.

“We hope that more public awareness about this issue 

will lower the instances of laser strikes,” Johnson said. 

“We also want to encourage people to come forward 

when they see someone committing this felony—one 

that could have terrible consequences for pilots and 

their passengers.” As of December 2013, the FAA had 

documented at least 35 incidents where pilots required 

medical attention after a laser strike.

Interfering with the operation of an aircraft has long 

been a federal crime, but the FAA Modernization 

and Reform Act of 2012 specifically made it a federal 

felony to knowingly point the beam of a laser at 

an aircraft. The new law lowered the threshold for 

prosecution, Johnson said, “and the trend is on the rise 

for jail time in these cases.” Last month, for example, a 

23-year-old California man was sentenced to 21 months 

in prison for aiming a laser pointer at a Fresno County 

Sheriff’s Office helicopter. Court records showed that the 

man deliberately tracked and struck the aircraft.

The 12 FBI offices participating in the new program are 

Albuquerque, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, 

New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San 

Antonio, San Juan, and the Washington Field Office.

If you have information about a lasing incident or see 

someone pointing a laser at an aircraft, call your local FBI 

office or dial 911.

Today the FBI announced a program aimed at deterring 

people from pointing lasers at aircraft—a felony 

punishable by five years in jail—and rewarding those who 

come forward with information about individuals who 

engage in this dangerous activity.

“Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a serious 

matter and a violation of federal law,” said Ron Hosko, 

assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative 

Division. “It is important that people understand 

that this is a criminal act with potentially deadly 

repercussions.”

The new initiative—which includes a campaign to 

educate the public about the dangers of “lasing”—will 

run for 60 days in 12 FBI field offices where laser strikes 

against aircraft are prevalent. A key part of the program 

is reward money: The Bureau will offer up to $10,000 for 

information leading to the arrest of any individual who 

intentionally aims a laser at an aircraft.

“Laser pointers are legal and certainly have legitimate 

uses,” said George Johnson, a federal air marshal who 

serves as a liaison officer with the Bureau on laser issues. 

“Used in the wrong environment, however, they can be 

very dangerous.”

When aimed at an aircraft from the ground, the powerful 

beam of light from a handheld laser can travel more 

than a mile and illuminate a cockpit, disorienting and 

temporarily blinding pilots. Those who have been subject 
14 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 15

February 21, 2014

The Gangs of 

Los Angeles

Part 3: Helping to Heal

Communities

Los Angeles Police Department Detective Cedric Washington 

discusses the Community Impact Initiative as FBI Los Angeles 

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Clark (far left) and other 

partners look on.

With gang members in jail, the crime rate went 

down—and stayed down. “Because of our law 

enforcement action and the community impact piece,” 

Clark said, “we’ve been able to maintain a double digit 

reduction in the crime rate in Baldwin Village.”

The Community Impact Initiative has now become a 

regular part of the Bureau’s anti-gang operations. “After 

the bad guys have been arrested and removed,” Clark 

said, “we roll back into those communities within 90 days 

with our volunteers.”

That causes residents to view law enforcement 

in a different way. “Some folks think all we do is 

arrest people,” Clark said. “A lot of people in these 

neighborhoods feel ignored and forgotten. But then they 

see us working with them to improve where they live.”

The Community Impact Initiative works because it builds 

relationships, Clark explained. “We have breakfast with 

residents and face-to-face conversations. They see that we 

care about their quality of life.” In return, residents are 

more willing to cooperate with law enforcement, which 

helps solve cases and adds to the reduction in crime.

“I’ve seen generations of young kids in these 

neighborhoods with such potential,” Washington said. 

“Then you fast forward and they’re in gangs. But because 

of our enforcement efforts and the community impact 

days, Baldwin Village is getting better,” the detective said. 

And that gives him hope. “I can see the results of our 

efforts.”

Part 4: The Homicide Library (page 18)

Driving along the streets and alleyways of Baldwin 

Village—known as “The Jungle” and historically one of 

the most violent gang neighborhoods in South Central 

Los Angeles—homicide detective Cedric Washington 

can recall in detail the many gang-related shootings and 

murders he has investigated there. In his 17 years with the 

Los Angeles Police Department, he has learned a hard 

truth: “It’s too easy to become a victim here.”

But Washington also sees something else in Baldwin 

Village. Beyond the violence and the victims, he sees a 

restored neighborhood taking shape. Part of the credit 

for that goes to an FBI program he helped establish. It’s 

called the Community Impact Initiative, and it’s designed 

to work after law enforcement puts gang members behind 

bars.

The program brings together law enforcement personnel 

and volunteers from a variety of government, business, 

and community organizations to work alongside residents 

and property owners to clean up alleyways, paint over 

graffiti, and install security cameras—all to help residents 

stake a new claim on their neighborhoods.

“A few years ago, we were arresting dozens of gang 

members at a time,” said Robert Clark, an assistant 

special agent in charge in our Los Angeles Division. 

“That was impactful, but then someone said: ‘You 

arrested X number of gang members. How did 

that improve the quality of life in that particular 

neighborhood?’” The question, he remembered, “caught 

us flat-footed, because for law enforcement, it usually 

stops at the numbers—the arrest statistics. We realized 

there was more that we could do.”

Clark, Washington, and others organized the first 

community impact day after a major gang takedown in 

Baldwin Village and enlisted more than 100 volunteers 

to donate time and materials. “The city has existing 

programs to mitigate trash and graffiti,” Clark said, “so we 

partnered with them as well.”

The result of that and a second cleanup effort was that 

“children were able to return to the playground,” Clark 

said, “and people could walk to the shopping areas and 

feel safe.”

February 18, 2014

Left: FBI task force members conduct an operation in Los Angeles.

The Gangs of 

Los Angeles

Part 2: Operation Save Our 

Streets

she said, adding that in 2010, lack of funds threatened to 

imperil many gang-related homicide investigations.

In that year, a city budget crisis forced administrators 

to place a cap on the amount of overtime homicide 

detectives could work, which meant that some 

investigations were put at risk. The SOS initiative 

provided temporary federal funding to pay overtime 

costs along with investigative manpower and additional 

resources.

During the initial 90-day trial period of SOS in 2010, 

27 homicide cases were cleared, a number that was 

“unheard of in such a short period of time,” Clark said. 

The following year, during the same 90-day period from 

July through September, SOS task force officers cleared 

50 homicide cases.

“A host of things are being done in L.A. to contribute 

to the annual murder rate dropping to record lows,” 

Clark said, “and SOS is absolutely a part of that. 

We’ve cleared more than 200 cases since the program 

began, and that means we’ve sent more than 200 

people to jail. SOS puts murderers behind bars.”

Today, the SOS Task Force has become a permanent part 

of the FBI’s anti-gang operations in Los Angeles, and 

Clark is able to assign task force officers to the city’s gang 

hotspots.

Special Agent Bob Scheerle, an SOS member, 

currently sits with his LAPD counterparts in the police 

department’s Harbor office in southern Los Angeles—a 

jurisdiction where there are seven major gangs, 

methamphetamine is the illicit drug of choice, and the 

majority of murders are gang-related.

Having agents and detectives sitting together, working 

cases side by side, makes for a true partnership, Scheerle 

said, “and that helps solve more cases.”

“Those relationships are what make SOS work, not 

just funding and equipment,” Clark added. “We are all 

working toward a common goal—to make the community 

a better place in which to live.” 

Nalls agrees. “SOS has been a win-win for everybody,” 

she said, “but most especially for the community.”

Part 3: Helping to Heal Communities (page 15)

The murders may be random and senseless—a drive-by 

shooting that kills an innocent bystander—or they may 

be targeted hits by individuals “putting in work” against 

rival gang members. Either way, officials estimate that 

more than half of all the homicides that occur in Los 

Angeles are gang related.

To address the problem, the FBI joined with the Los 

Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in establishing 

a gang homicide task force in 2010 called Save Our 

Streets (SOS). It was an idea born of necessity, and it 

has been extremely successful.

“We’ve had a record number of homicide clearances 

because of the SOS effort,” said FBI Los Angeles 

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Clark. The 

task force—which Clark proposed—focuses on murder 

investigations that are close to being solved but need an 

extra investigative push and other resources to result in 

indictments and arrests.

“Recognizing that there were a large number of 

unsolved gang-related homicides in L.A., we decided 

to pool our resources,” Clark said, “and have seasoned 

FBI investigators and LAPD homicide detectives work 

together to solve cases.”

“The FBI offered us everything from personnel to 

laptops,” said Cheryl Nalls, an LAPD detective who 

works in the Criminal Gang/Homicide Division in South 

Central L.A. “We have a serious gang problem here,” 
16 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 17

February 28, 2014

Historic Insider 

Trading Scheme

Stock Manager Busted

of both pharmaceutical companies’ stock for his portfolio 

and recommended that SAC Capital do the same 

across the board. By spring 2008, SAC Capital held 

approximately $700 million worth of stock in these two 

companies.

But in mid-July 2008, one of the doctors—who later 

became a cooperating witness and testified against 

Martoma at his trial—discovered some unsettling 

information about the new drug: Alzheimer’s 

symptoms in patients taking the drug had consistently 

gotten worse over time. Chosen to make a public 

announcement about these drug trial results at an 

international Alzheimer’s conference on July 29, 2008, the 

doctor quickly forwarded the information to Martoma. 

And just as quickly, Martoma and SAC Capital unloaded 

nearly all of their stock in the two companies—thus 

avoiding huge losses when the announcement about the 

drug trial results became known.

The case began in 2009, when our partners at the 

Securities and Exchange Commission referred to us 

incidents of suspicious trading in two health care stocks 

by SAC Capital. After reviewing trading records and 

other documentation, we identified Martoma. And 

subsequent investigative efforts—which included 

executing search warrants, reviewing financial and other 

business records, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing 

e-mail evidence—culminated in Martoma’s arrest in 

December 2012.

Through this investigation and many others like it, we 

continue to work against corruption in U.S. financial 

markets to help ensure fairness in the marketplace.

For Mathew Martoma, 2008 seemed like a banner 

year. As an up-and-coming portfolio manager for the 

hedge fund company SAC Capital, he helped earn $275 

million in profits and avoided losses related to trades 

involving pharmaceutical companies and an experimental 

Alzheimer’s drug. He even took home a $9 million bonus 

in the process.

If that sounds too good to be true—especially during 

a rocky year for the stock market—that’s because it 

was. Martoma’s success was based not on his investment 

savvy but on illegally obtained inside information. Earlier 

this month, he was convicted of securities fraud in a 

Manhattan federal court in what U.S. Attorney Preet 

Bharara called “the most lucrative insider trader scheme 

ever charged.”

Martoma went to work for SAC Capital in 2006 and was 

responsible for investment decisions related to public 

companies in the health care sector. At the time, two 

pharmaceutical companies were involved in clinical trials 

for a new Alzheimer’s drug. One of Martoma’s first steps 

was to reach out to expert networking firms—businesses 

that arrange paid consultations between financial 

industry clients and experts in various fields who can 

offer advice, analysis, and market research. This was all 

perfectly legal, since the information exchanged wasn’t 

considered material, non-public data.

But Martoma wanted more. Through an expert 

networking firm, he connected with two doctors involved 

in the Alzheimer’s drug trials who he knew would have 

the kind of confidential information he wanted.

From 2006 until July 2008, Martoma arranged for dozens 

of “consultations” with these doctors, often engaging in 

subterfuge to disguise the nature of their communications 

(e.g., sending e-mails to schedule meetings or phone calls 

on bogus topics). Taking full advantage of his financial 

and personal relationships with them, Martoma managed 

to solicit inside information on the drug trials that led 

him and SAC Capital to trade aggressively...racking up 

millions in profits.

Early on, information from one of the doctors included 

generally positive safety data about the drug. After 

receiving that information, Martoma purchased shares 

February 25, 2014

A (Driver’s)

License to Steal

Corruption in a San Diego

Motor Vehicle Office

“They had gotten away with it for so long,” added George, 

“that they were extremely confident and had no plans to 

stop.”

Court records indicate that the group—which included 

Kuvan Piomari, who owned the U.S. Driving School 

in El Cajon; Jeffrey Bednarek, a DMV examiner 

who conducted driving tests; and three other DMV 

employees—took part in the long-running bribery 

conspiracy that produced hundreds of ill-gotten licenses.

In exchange for bribes, Bednarek falsely entered 

passing scores for written and behind-the-wheel tests 

for applicants seeking regular and commercial driver’s 

licenses. He enlisted other DMV employees to falsify 

records as well. Bednarek produced more than 100 

fraudulent driver’s permits, for which applicants paid a 

total of more than $50,000.

Sometimes the corrupt DMV employees would issue 

multiple bogus licenses a day, George said. “They would 

leave work with $500 in cash in their pocket. That could 

be one day a week or two. They were doing very well.”

When a new manager arrived at the El Cajon DMV 

office, however, “she instantly realized that something 

wasn’t right,” Peters said. The new manager alerted the 

DMV’s investigative arm, who in turn called the FBI.

Using undercover operatives and court-authorized 

surveillance and wiretaps, investigators quickly uncovered 

the scam. Some of the “candidates” who paid for licenses 

were bad drivers, George explained, “and some paid 

because they were just too lazy to take the test.”

Peters added that some candidates had paid for 

commercial licenses that allowed them to drive tanker 

trucks. “That took things to a different level in terms of 

public safety,” he said.

In all, 30 defendants have been charged with conspiracy 

to commit bribery and identification document fraud, 

and all have pled guilty. The case is ongoing. Bednarek 

is scheduled to be sentenced in April. Another DMV 

employee, Jim Bean, was sentenced to 18 months in 

prison for his role in the scheme.

“We hope this case sends a message,” Peters said. “This 

type of corruption will not be tolerated.”

You could call this scam a license to steal, and it certainly 

was—until it all came crashing down on the corrupt 

state employees and their accomplices who were selling 

California driver’s licenses for cash.

For at least three years, though, between 2009 and 

2012, the scammers had a nearly seamless operation 

that netted a tidy profit. Here’s how it worked:

A man who owned a driving school let his students know 

that—for a price—he could guarantee them a license, 

even if they had already failed the driving test. Often 

they didn’t even have to take the test, thanks to the 

man’s connections at the Department of Motor Vehicles 

(DMV) office in El Cajon, California.

Those willing to pay anywhere from $500 to $2,500 

to corrupt DMV employees could get a license with 

no questions asked. The driving school catered mostly 

to Middle Eastern immigrants, and soon word of easy 

licenses in that community spread north to Los Angeles 

and beyond.

“One guy flew in from Dallas, took a cab to the DMV 

office, paid for his license, and flew back to Dallas a 

few hours later,” said Special Agent Mike Peters, who 

investigated the case with Special Agent Kim George out 

of our San Diego Division. “It was so blatant,” Peters said, 

“that our surveillance showed the driving school operator 

brokering multiple deals in the DMV parking lot.”
18 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 19

March 7, 2014

Naval Espionage

Stopping a Dangerous

Insider Threat

The encrypted thumb drive containing top secret national defense 

information that Robert Hoffman gave to what he thought was the 

Russian intelligence service.

said. “We didn’t want to pressure him. We wanted him to 

make a conscious decision, knowing he would be dealing 

with the Russian intelligence service.”

Hoffman didn’t wait a week—he responded within 

hours. He agreed to answer a series of questions on an 

encrypted thumb drive that was to be left in a hollow tree 

in a park—a hiding place known in the spy world as a 

dead drop. On the third such drop, Hoffman divulged top 

secret national defense information.

“American lives could have been lost based on the 

information he was willing to give up,” Dougherty 

said. “He had access to things that were highly, highly 

sensitive.”

In August 2013, a jury in Norfolk found Hoffman guilty 

of attempted espionage; last month, the 40-year-old was 

sentenced to 30 years in prison.

“The insider threat is very real,” said Dougherty, 

explaining that in these types of cases, there are often 

people who are suspicious of a friend or colleague’s 

statements or behavior but who don’t act on those 

suspicions.

“One of the things we teach in insider threat training,” 

Dougherty said, “is that if you see something, say 

something. Often, people don’t want to rock the boat,” he 

added, “but if you see something that doesn’t seem right, 

it’s your legal obligation to report it. Let the FBI sort it 

out. That’s what we get paid for.”

As a sailor with a top secret clearance, a sensitive job on 

a submarine, and 20 years of service in the Navy, Robert 

Hoffman possessed a tremendous amount of knowledge 

about the U.S. nuclear fleet and its operations—

knowledge he was willing to sell to the Russians.

“It’s almost impossible to say why someone would 

become a spy,” said Special Agent James Dougherty, 

who investigated the case from our Norfolk Division, 

but Hoffman represents a classic example of the 

insider threat. “When a U.S. citizen with classified 

information threatens to betray his country,” Dougherty 

explained, “the resulting damage to national security and 

loss of American lives can be catastrophic.”

Investigators speculate that Hoffman may have blamed 

his divorce on the Navy, along with his failure to gain 

promotion. The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative 

Service (NCIS) became concerned in 2011 when, nearing 

retirement, Hoffman told friends he was going on a 

“man-cation” to Belarus to see Russian women he had 

previously met when he was stationed in Bahrain—even 

though he knew the women would not be there.

“He had some sort of motivation to travel to Belarus that 

didn’t seem logical,” said Dougherty. In addition, Hoffman 

ignored the requirement to alert military security officers 

that he would be traveling out of the country, and he 

failed to adhere to other security rules of reporting any 

suspicious incidents while overseas. However, Hoffman 

did post items on social media channels saying he met the 

president of Belarus. “All of that added to our suspicion,” 

Dougherty noted.

Using court-authorized surveillance, wiretaps, and other 

investigative tools, FBI and NCIS investigators began 

monitoring Hoffman’s movements at his home in Virginia 

Beach following his retirement from the Navy in late 

2011. Soon after, our undercover operatives made contact 

with him to assess his intentions.

Then, in September 2012, a female FBI undercover agent 

posing as a Russian operative knocked on Hoffman’s 

door and delivered a message ostensibly from Russian 

intelligence officials.

“He received instructions from the woman, who asked 

him to respond by e-mail within one week,” Dougherty 

March 4, 2014

Left: Boxes containing “murder books”—binders filled with 

information on homicide investigations—are stacked at a Los Angeles 

Police Department facility. The FBI is helping to digitize these files for 

use in a fully searchable homicide library.

The Gangs of 

Los Angeles

Part 4: The Homicide Library

And when a homicide case is officially inactive for one 

year, it goes dormant and the murder book is placed into 

one of several retention files located at various locations 

within the LAPD’s 21 geographical areas. The result is 

that hundreds of unsolved cases could potentially end up 

filed away and forgotten.

“The homicide library will change all that,” said Robert 

Clark, an assistant special agent in charge in our Los 

Angeles Division who worked with LAPD Capt. Nancy 

Lauer to launch the digital library idea. “Being able to 

search and cross-reference 20 years of homicide data on 

solved and unsolved cases is something that has never 

existed.”

Murder books are shipped to the FBI’s Document 

Conversion Lab in Virginia, where each record in 

every book is scanned into a software system that 

allows for sophisticated searching and archiving. The 

Bureau will maintain the digital network.

“We are essentially digitizing the investigative process,” 

Clark said, which has intelligence value for the Bureau 

as well as the LAPD. Agents working other federal 

investigations or analysts looking for gang and murder 

trends, for example, will be able to use the system to add 

and extract information.

The LAPD has committed funds to create and maintain 

a physical space for the homicide library, where the 

murder books will be stored and made available to 

victims’ families. They will be able to visit the library to 

find out the status of loved ones’ cases, and perhaps offer 

new information that could help solve a case.

“We want to bring healing to families,” Nalls said.

About 1,000 books have been scanned and uploaded so 

far. Beta testing is underway, and Nalls says she hopes 

the system will be operational by the end of 2014. The 

homicide library project has been “a great innovation,” 

she said, “and a great partnership between the LAPD and 

the FBI.”

Part 5: The Power of Partners and Intelligence (page 20) 

In a room at a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 

facility, thick binders—most filled with more than a 

thousand pages of paper—are stacked in boxes on and 

under tables and piled from floor to ceiling. Each binder 

represents a murder victim.

Dubbed “murder books” by the LAPD, they hold the 

contents of individual homicide investigations, from 

witness statements and crime scene photos to autopsy 

reports. The FBI is helping to turn these paper-only 

books into a digital homicide library that will benefit 

investigators as well as the families of victims.

The project will take nearly 5,000 murder books going 

back to 1990 and digitize them for use in a system that 

will be fully searchable so that LAPD detectives—as 

well as FBI analysts and investigators—will be able to 

cross-reference and compare information in every case, 

something not currently possible.

“Not only will this help solve cases,” said LAPD Det. 

Cheryl Nalls, who is administering the project, “it will 

bring healing to the families of victims.”

Over the years, the LAPD developed a system where all 

paper material related to a homicide investigation is put 

into a binder. Each murder book has tabs where particular 

information is placed. That way, any detective inheriting 

a case understands how the paperwork is organized.

“The system works,” Nalls said, “but because it is paper 

only, the material in the binders is only useful to the 

investigator on that case. Potential leads involving other 

cases, victims, or subjects are locked inside the book.”
20 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 21

March 14, 2014

Serial Killers

Part 6: Andrew Cunanan

Murders a Fashion Icon

Murderer Andrew Cunanan was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted 

Fugitives list on June 12, 1997, shortly before he killed Gianni 

Versace. 

country, and gay groups were especially concerned that 

he might insinuate himself into their circles and continue 

to commit murders. The New York City Gay and Lesbian 

Anti-Violence Project posted a large reward and sought to 

warn those who might know Cunanan.

Working with the television show America’s Most Wanted, 

the FBI made Cunanan the 449th addition to its Ten 

Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 12, 1997. Our offices 

in Minnesota, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and 

elsewhere continued to seek information about him. 

The Bureau also publicized a telephone tip line and 

disseminated details on the FBI’s public website. But 

Cunanan slipped under the radar.

With the murder of Gianni Versace, though, the net 

began to close. Eight days later, on July 23, 1997, the 

caretaker of a houseboat about two miles north of 

Versace’s house in Miami Beach reported hearing a 

gunshot. Responders found Cunanan dead from a selfinflicted wound. His killing spree was over.

Part 7: The FBI and Jeffrey Dahmer (page 61)

Around 8:45 on the morning of July 15, 1997, 

international fashion designer Gianni Versace returned 

home to his Miami Beach mansion on Ocean Drive 

following a walk to a local café.

Suddenly, a man approached Versace, pulled out a 

pistol, and killed him with two shots to the back of 

his head. The man fled—followed at a distance by at 

least one witness—and disappeared into a nearby parking 

garage.

Miami Beach homicide detectives soon asked for 

assistance from the FBI’s local field office in the city. 

The officers were concerned that the killing might be a 

murder-for-hire, but evidence quickly suggested that it 

wasn’t. Inside the parking garage identified by the witness 

was a red pickup truck linked to a murder in New Jersey 

and a man named Andrew Phillip Cunanan, the target of 

an ongoing manhunt.

Cunanan was a 27-year-old college dropout from 

California. He was highly intelligent, spoke two 

languages, and since his teenage years had sought to live 

a life of riches and comfort. He had supplemented his 

earnings from an odd job here and there by serving as a 

male prostitute and engaging in longer-term liaisons with 

older homosexuals who would shower him with gifts and 

cash.

For reasons that remain unclear, Cunanan had 

begun a murderous spree in late April 1997. First, 

he bludgeoned a former naval officer to death with a 

hammer in Minneapolis. A few days later, he shot and 

killed an architect and dumped his body near East 

Rush Lake in Minnesota. Both men were his long-time 

associates. In May, Cunanan targeted a stranger—a 

72-year-old real estate developer—in Chicago. Cunanan 

stole the man’s car, and, less than a week later, murdered 

a cemetery worker in New Jersey. He then took that 

victim’s red truck and drove to Miami.

Throughout this time, authorities were putting together 

the pieces. The investigation and forensic work linked 

the Chicago murder and the others to Cunanan. On 

May 7, the FBI joined the search for Cunanan and 

quickly marshaled its resources to identify and interview 

his friends, family, and other contacts. The New Jersey 

murder made it clear Cunanan was moving across the 

March 11, 2014

Left: FBI Los Angeles Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert 

Clark walks through a trash-strewn alleyway in a gang-plagued 

neighborhood. The FBI partners with multiple agencies on a variety of 

initiatives designed to dismantle gangs as well as help communities.

The Gangs of 

Los Angeles

Part 5: The Power of

Partners and Intelligence

to control neighborhoods and extort and intimidate 

people who live there.”

Intelligence gathering and sharing is critical to 

law enforcement’s success, Clark noted. “And 

good intelligence happens when you have strong 

partnerships.” The Bureau’s international gang 

investigations may be helped by intelligence gleaned from 

a local gang case. “We may be able to recruit new sources 

or open new investigations based on what we learn 

locally,” he said.

And the information flows both ways. The Los Angeles 

City Attorney’s office, for example, is able to fight the 

gang threat through a unique initiative that benefits from 

its partnership with the FBI.

“Traditionally,” said Jonathan Cristall, a supervising 

city attorney who runs the Federal and Local Special 

Abatement Operations Program, “prosecutors deal with 

problem people. Our program targets problem places that 

serve as bases of operations for the gangs and negatively 

impact public safety.”

The city attorney’s office obtains injunctions requiring 

property owners to implement improvements to 

properties. They can also obtain court orders that 

prohibit gang members from setting foot back in the 

neighborhood. “If they come back,” Cristall added, “they 

can be arrested on sight.”

In the civil courts, the city attorney often moves against 

gang members and the properties they control on the 

same day the FBI makes criminal arrests. That requires 

close coordination—and the Bureau’s willingness to share 

sensitive information about its operations. “Today, we 

work with many of the federal law enforcement agencies,” 

Cristall said. “But one of the first agencies to bring us on 

board as a trusted partner was the FBI.”

He added that when his office first started this type 

of work, “there were so many spots in L.A. where the 

gangsters felt like they owned that neighborhood. Those 

areas are harder to find now,” said Cristall. 

Clark sees the abatement program as one more tool in law 

enforcement’s fight against gangs. “Collectively, when we 

apply all of our resources,” he said, “we can bring justice 

to the people in communities hard hit by gangs.”

Part 6: Working to Make a Difference (page 31)

In Los Angeles and the sprawling metropolitan area that 

surrounds the city, there are approximately 800 different 

gangs, each of them engaged in various levels of violence 

and criminal activity.

“There was a time when we talked about gangs 

in terms of individuals standing on street corners 

selling rocks of crack cocaine,” said Robert Clark, an 

assistant special agent in charge in our Los Angeles 

Division who supervises the Bureau’s gang program 

there. “But the threat has evolved,” he said. “We now 

have gangs that are involved in regional, national, and 

international criminal enterprises.”

There are still open-air drug markets in certain 

neighborhoods, Clark explained, but the gangs have 

grown more sophisticated, branching out to extortion, 

money laundering, identity theft, and human trafficking. 

All of that can exact a heavy toll on the community.

To counter the threat, the FBI partners with local and 

state law enforcement organizations and numerous federal 

agencies. Through a variety of task forces and intelligence 

platforms, the goal is to leverage all of law enforcement’s 

resources to dismantle the worst gangs from the top 

down.

“The most significant threats that impact the 

communities—the shootings, murders, and robberies—

are easy to see,” Clark said. “But we also look at the entire 

criminal enterprise, the infrastructure that allows gangs 
22 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 23

March 21, 2014

Help Us Find a Killer

American Contractor

Murdered in Iraq in 2009

enforcement colleagues. He believes the $20,000 reward 

may help bring more people forward, particularly in Iraq.

“Although the international aspect of this case has made 

it difficult,” Hess added, “what’s important is what is 

always important in investigations—that people who 

have information need to come forward and do the right 

thing.”

Since the murder, Hess has been in regular contact 

with Kitterman’s brother. “The family isn’t giving up on 

finding his killer,” Hess said, “and neither is the FBI.” He 

added that Kitterman was well liked and respected in the 

international contracting community, “and his employees 

all said he treated them like family.”

Help us locate those responsible for James Kitterman’s 

murder. “He deserves justice,” Hess noted, “and his killer 

or killers deserve to be caught and held accountable.”

Note: The suspect(s) in this case may have been located since 

the above information was posted on our website. Please 

check our Seeking Information webpage at www.fbi.gov/

wanted/seeking-info for up-to-date information.

American contractor James Kitterman was last seen alive 

on the evening of May 21, 2009, in Baghdad, Iraq. His 

body was found the next day inside his vehicle, and his 

killer or killers are still at large.

Although nearly five years have passed since 

Kitterman’s death, the FBI investigation continues. 

Today we are announcing a reward of up to $20,000 

for information leading to the identification, arrest, 

and conviction of the person or persons responsible for 

the murder.

“We have put a lot of effort into this case,” said Special 

Agent Marc Hess, who is leading the investigation from 

our Washington Field Office. “We have interviewed more 

than 100 potential witnesses in Iraq, Afghanistan, the 

U.S., and the Philippines—but despite our efforts, we 

need the public’s help.”

A poster seeking information has been placed on our 

website and is available in Arabic and Tagalog in addition 

to English. Anyone with information about the case is 

encouraged to contact their local FBI office or the nearest 

American Embassy or Consulate, or to submit a tip 

online. All tips can remain anonymous.

Kitterman, who was 60 at the time of his death, owned a 

private construction company and was contracted by the 

U.S. government to build a helipad at the U.S. Consulate 

in Baghdad. The work was taking place inside the Green 

Zone—the roughly four-square-mile area housing U.S. 

military personnel and their international coalition 

partners located in central Baghdad. Kitterman lived and 

worked inside the Green Zone, which was considered a 

secure area for Americans and had security provided by 

locally recruited guards.

Complicating the investigation is that possible 

witnesses—as well as suspects—are scattered around 

the world. During that time period, contractors came 

to work in Iraq from many countries. Kitterman’s nowdefunct company, Peregrine Eyes, recruited its employees 

from various countries, although the majority of the 

workers were from the U.S. and the Philippines.

Hess, who has been working the Kitterman case since 

2010, has coordinated with the FBI’s legal attaché 

offices to help enlist the support of our international law 

March 18, 2014

Investigating Tax 

Refund Fraud

FBI Works Cooperatively with 

Federal Partners

How a scheme works. The perpetrator fills out a federal 

tax return online with stolen identity information and 

phony wage and tax withholding figures, then informs 

the IRS how to provide the refund (a check mailed to a 

certain address, a direct deposit into a bank account he 

controls, or, more common these days, a deposit onto a 

debit card in his possession).

In simple tax refund schemes, one person usually 

handles everything—from obtaining stolen identities to 

collecting refunds. But in more sophisticated schemes, 

there are a number of individuals assuming different roles: 

“ringleaders” who organize entire operations, “sources” 

who steal identity information, “preparers” who file 

returns online, and “runners” who actually collect the 

proceeds.

Law enforcement response. The dedicated work done 

by IRS-Criminal Investigation professionals is a major 

component of that agency’s efforts to combat taxrelated identity theft. And the IRS continues to make 

enhancements in fraud prevention, early detection, and 

victim assistance as well.

But the FBI—working with our partners at the IRS and 

U.S. Secret Service and through liaison efforts with 

banks—brings valuable investigative resources to the 

table: our years of experience investigating financial 

crimes, our focus on identifying and dismantling 

large criminal networks, and our use of sophisticated 

investigative techniques. We also share intelligence and 

information with other federal law enforcement partners 

to help link investigations of criminal organizations 

engaged in tax fraud schemes that may be tied to illegal 

drugs, weapons, terrorism, or other types of criminal 

activity.

All of these efforts are paying off—we’ve been part of 

many successful cases recently.

And the FBI will continue to work cooperatively to 

investigate stolen identity tax refund fraud—we take our 

role in identifying and arresting those responsible very 

seriously. These crimes not only victimize law-abiding 

individuals but all honest U.S. taxpayers who ultimately 

foot the bill for this stolen revenue.

A Georgia woman was recently sentenced to 27 years in 

prison for stealing the identities of nursing home patients 

and using their information to apply online for about 

half a million dollars in fraudulent tax refunds from the 

Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Criminals who use stolen personally identifiable 

information to line their own pockets perpetrate a wide 

variety of fraudulent financial schemes, like hacking into 

online accounts, submitting phony insurance claims, and 

applying for loans and credit cards. Increasingly, though, 

tax refund fraud using stolen identities is fast becoming a 

favorite money-making endeavor of the criminal element.

The IRS has reported a significant increase in identity 

theft-related tax refund fraud over the past several 

years. This type of crime is perceived by criminals and 

organized criminal enterprises as relatively easy, seemingly 

low-risk, and, ultimately, pure profit which can be used 

to fund other criminal activities—like drug trafficking, 

money laundering, public corruption, or even terrorism.

Anyone with a Social Security number could become 

a victim. But criminals who commit tax refund fraud 

seem to focus more on people who don’t normally file 

tax returns—the elderly, low-income families, students, 

patients at long-term health care facilities, and even 

the homeless. Perpetrators also target public figures like 

celebrities, athletes, CEOs, and politicians, as well as 

law enforcement, military, and government personnel—

including Attorney General Eric Holder.
24 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 25

March 26, 2014

New Top Ten Fugitive

MS-13 Member Wanted for

Double Murder

On February 4, 2010, Garcia invited Argueta to dinner 

but instead lured her and her son into the woods. Along 

with two other MS-13 members, he executed her with 

two shots from a handgun while her son looked on. The 

gun was then turned on the child. The first shot knocked 

him to the ground but did not kill him. The boy got up 

and clutched at Garcia’s leg, but another gang member 

shot again and killed him

Garcia should be considered armed and dangerous. He 

is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 125 pounds, and has black 

hair and brown eyes. He is known to speak Spanish 

and English and has ties to Santa Rosa de Lima in El 

Salvador as well as Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and 

Panama. His two co-conspirators have been convicted of 

murder and are awaiting sentencing. A fourth defendant 

charged in connection with the murders—Garcia’s MS-13 

leader—has been sentenced to three terms of life in 

prison, plus 60 years.

We need your help: If you have any information 

concerning the whereabouts of Juan Elias Garcia, contact 

the FBI’s New York Field Office or your nearest law 

enforcement agency or U.S. Embassy or Consulate. You 

can also submit a tip online.

Note: Juan Elias Garcia surrendered to authorities at the 

U.S. Embassy in Managua, Nicaragua on March 27, 2014.

Juan Elias Garcia, wanted for the execution-style murder 

of a 19-year-old New York woman and her 2-year-old son, 

has been named to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for 

information leading directly to the arrest of Garcia, who 

is alleged to be a member of the violent Mara Salvatrucha 

gang—MS-13—and may be hiding in El Salvador.

“Garcia’s callous disregard for human life resulted in 

the senseless murder of a young mother and her helpless 

2-year-old son,” said George Venizelos, assistant director 

in charge of our New York Field Office. “His appointment 

to the FBI’s Top Ten list illustrates not only the 

seriousness of his crimes but our commitment to seeking 

justice for his victims.”

The murders occurred in Central Islip, New York in 2010. 

At that time, Garcia—who is known by the nickname 

“Cruzito”—was 17 years old.

“MS-13 is the most violent gang here of any of the 

street gangs,” said Special Agent Reynaldo Tariche, 

who investigated the case with other members of the 

FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force. While gang-related 

murders are not uncommon on Long Island, “the 

execution of a 2-year-old and his mother is a new low 

even for MS-13,” Tariche noted.

Garcia had a romantic relationship with the 19-year-old 

victim, Vanessa Argueta, who had ties to the 18th Street 

gang and the Latin Kings, two of MS-13’s rivals. After 

a falling out between Argueta and Garcia, rival gang 

members allegedly threatened Garcia. When he relayed 

that information to fellow MS-13 members—that he 

had been threatened because of information provided by 

Argueta—it was decided to retaliate against her.

“They were going to kill her for disrespecting the gang,” 

said Special Agent James Lopez, also a member of the 

task force. According to gang code, Lopez explained, “it 

is unacceptable for MS-13 members to have girls they 

associate with be involved with rival gang members.”

“Garcia was an enthusiastic murderer,” Tariche said. 

“He was the reason why this happened. He was the one 

who decided to get the gang involved. It wasn’t about a 

boyfriend-girlfriend dispute. This was about disrespecting 

the gang. And the penalty for that is death.”

March 24, 2014

Left: The Exxon Valdez is seen following its devastating 1989 oil spill 

in Alaska. (NOAA Photo)

The Exxon Valdez, 

25 Years After

FBI Continues to Support

Environmental Crime

Enforcement Partners

since the 1920s), among others. And in October 1991, 

the U.S. District Court in Anchorage accepted guilty 

pleas by Exxon and approved a settlement involving a 

criminal plea agreement and restitution. Exxon paid a 

hefty fine; however, a portion of it was returned due to 

the company’s support of clean-up efforts. The court also 

approved a civil settlement resolving claims with the 

federal government and Alaska for clean-up costs and 

damage to natural resources—the civil penalties were 

even higher than the criminal fines.

Fast Forward: The FBI’s Role Today

In 2014, with the Bureau’s overriding focus on preventing 

terrorist attacks—along with efforts to address cyber 

crimes and emerging national security and criminal 

threats—our environmental role is largely a supporting 

one, assisting our partners at the Environmental 

Protection Agency, the Coast Guard, and state and local 

agencies.

But our focus on criminal activity that threatens lives 

remains the same. Working with other agencies, the FBI 

generally focuses on significant environmental crime 

cases in the following areas:

▪ Knowing endangerment, where the crime puts 

people in danger;

▪ Catastrophic events, like huge oil spills or 

explosions;

▪ Patterned flagrant violators, which include 

companies that shrug off their fines;

▪ Government abuse and public corruption, because 

the government has to obey the laws, too; and

▪ Organized crime, which often involves waste and 

illegal dumping.

The Bureau brings unique tools to the investigative 

table—including sophisticated techniques like courtauthorized electronic surveillance, undercover operations, 

and informants—that we’ve used successfully for years 

against organized crime groups, drug traffickers, financial 

crime fraudsters, and the like. And we continue to assist 

our partners in bringing the most egregious violators to 

justice.

For information on the Department of Justice’s overall 

efforts to go after abusers of the nation’s civil and 

criminal pollution-control laws, visit its Environmental 

and Natural Resources Division website.

On March 24, 1989—25 years ago today—the massive 

oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in 

Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The ship was outbound 

from Port Valdez and carried 53 million gallons of crude 

oil; an estimated 11 million gallons spilled into the Gulf 

of Alaska.

The harm caused by the spill was extensive. Tens of 

thousands of animals died, generations of fish and other 

marine life were compromised, the lives of residents 

were greatly disrupted, and the ongoing effects of 

this catastrophe continue today. Clean-up costs were 

astronomical. 

Particularly since the 1970s amid growing concerns about 

the environment, a series of federal laws have been added 

to the government’s authority to investigate abuses of 

our shared environment, looking for criminal activity 

that threatens lives and health. In the case of the Exxon 

Valdez—and in most environmental crime cases at the 

time—the FBI worked closely with state and other federal 

agencies to determine what happened, how it happened, 

and if criminally negligent behavior was involved.

In February 1990, after an extensive investigation into the 

incident, the Department of Justice brought a multi-count 

criminal indictment against Exxon Corporation and its 

shipping subsidiary for violations of the Clean Water 

Act, the Refuse Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 

(this particular law had been part of the FBI’s jurisdiction 
26 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 27

April 4, 2014

FBI Honors 

Community Leaders

Their Efforts to Improve

Lives Lauded

▪ After the unsolved murder of her 14-year-old 

daughter, a Cleveland mother now assists other 

parents who have lost children to violence and 

creates educational opportunities for underprivileged 

youth.

▪ A non-profit organization in Las Vegas helps 

southern Nevada’s homeless and at-risk veterans and 

their families with rapid re-housing, employment 

assistance, training, and other services.

▪ A Louisville cardiologist and civic leader—a voice 

for the local Muslim community—coordinates 

meetings and public service projects between Muslim, 

Christian, and Jewish leaders with the aim of 

reducing stereotypes within the community.

▪ A survivor of human trafficking and advocate for 

human trafficking victims dedicates her efforts in 

Milwaukee to ensuring adequate resources for victims 

and educating young people and adults on the issues 

of sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and sex 

trafficking.

▪ A Seattle man facilitates stronger ties between 

members of the Seattle-area Somali community 

and local and federal law enforcement by hosting 

numerous gatherings and fostering an environment of 

understanding and dialogue.

Congratulations to each of our award recipients for going 

above and beyond the call to service...for reaching out 

to those in need...and for supporting law enforcement’s 

efforts to better our communities—and our nation.

The FBI and law enforcement agencies around the 

country diligently work for the good of the communities 

we serve and for the nation as a whole. But we can’t do it 

alone—we also need the support of the people who live in 

those communities.

Today, at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., we 

publicly recognized 58 individuals and organizations 

from communities around the country for giving us 

that support. The recipients of our annual Director’s 

Community Leadership Award have made tremendous 

contributions toward crime and violence prevention, 

education and awareness programs, and efforts to 

enhance cooperation between law enforcement and all 

citizens.

Addressing the award winners during the ceremony, 

Director James Comey said, “You are the truly 

extraordinary among us .... You see injustice in your 

communities and you take action—showing a true 

willingness to lead when others may choose to walk 

away.”

We present these awards publicly—first at the local FBI 

field office and then at this yearly national ceremony—

with the hopes that others will hear the stories of the 

recipients and be inspired to create change in their own 

communities and help make their neighborhoods safer.

Here are just a few of those inspiring stories:

▪ An Albuquerque civil rights advocate—whose goal 

is to convince people to be “change agents” in their 

communities—continues his four decades of work 

toward building coalitions to improve the lives of all 

Americans, regardless of race.

▪ A former law enforcement officer-turned-community 

activist in Atlanta uses the game of chess to reach 

disadvantaged youth by teaching them the practical 

skills and techniques needed to overcome life’s 

obstacles.

▪ A Delaware social services agency focuses on meeting 

the needs of the state’s growing Latino population 

through programs dedicated to the healthy 

development and education of children, youth, and 

their families.

April 2, 2014

Left: The child predator known as John Doe 28 is seen in stills pulled 

from a video.

Child Predator

Help Us Identify John Doe 28

four years, “but that didn’t happen in this case. That’s 

why we are asking for the public’s help nationwide.”

The video is just over two minutes long and was 

recovered during the arrest of a San Francisco man 

on child pornography charges. “The video was part of 

his collection,” Jurden added, explaining that sexually 

explicit videos and images of children are often traded 

anonymously through online forums.

The efforts to identify and apprehend John Doe 

28 are part of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and 

Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) initiatives 

and represent a longstanding partnership with 

NCMEC. Operation Rescue Me identifies child victims 

of sexual exploitation by using sophisticated image 

analysis to obtain evidence. ECAP seeks public and 

media assistance to help identify the John and Jane 

Does who display their faces—and other distinguishing 

characteristics such as tattoos—in pornographic images 

and videos of children.

Since the inception of ECAP in 2004, 28 John/Jane 

Does have been investigated; 20 of these cases have been 

successfully resolved so far. These investigations have led 

to the identification of nearly 70 child victims.

We need your help. John Doe 28 appears to be a 

Caucasian male in his 30s or 40s who has a receding 

hairline and wears wire-framed glasses. Anyone with 

information should submit a tip online or call the FBI’s 

toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

“We need to identify John Doe 28,” Jurden said, “so we 

can make sure no harm comes to that little boy.”

Note: John Doe 28 may have been located since the above 

information was posted on our website. Please check our 

ECAP webpage at www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap for up-to-date 

information.

The FBI is seeking the public’s help to stop a child 

predator.

The unidentified individual we are seeking is known 

only as John Doe 28. In November 2012, online video 

of the man engaging in sexually explicit activities 

with a young boy was reported to the National Center 

for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), an 

organization that works closely with the Bureau to stop 

child predators.

The video contains a brief image of the alleged predator, 

which investigators hope will lead to his identification—

and the recovery of the exploited child. “Subjects who 

show their faces in child pornography are not typical,” 

said Special Agent Karen Jurden. “It is our hope that 

someone will recognize this individual and come forward. 

We were able to recover a very clear image of John Doe 

28.”

Working with NCMEC, investigators in our Violent 

Crimes Against Children program have enhanced other 

details from the video that could be clues to help identify 

the suspect. For example, the video shows the individual 

and the victim inside a residence with what appears to 

be a blue chair and a picture hanging on a wall in the 

background. Someone familiar with the house might 

easily recognize the chair. Also, John Doe 28 is wearing 

wire-framed glasses and a burgundy T-shirt with a fish 

logo on it.

There are no details linking the suspect to a particular 

area, but Jurden said investigators believe he may be 

a U.S. citizen because he speaks one word during the 

video—“careful”—which is in English.

“Sometimes we will get some type of identifier that 

narrows down the geographic region,” said Jurden, who 

has been investigating crimes against children for the last 

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/dcla2013.
28 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 29

April 10, 2014

New Top Ten Fugitive

‘Family Annihilator’ William 

Bradford Bishop, Jr. Wanted for 

1976 Murders

24-hour news cycle,” Vogt said. “There was no sustained 

way to get his face out there like there is today. And the 

only way to catch this guy is through the public.”

“If Bishop is alive—and there is every chance that he 

could be,” said Tom Manger, chief of the Montgomery 

County Police Department and a member of the task 

force, “we are hopeful someone will call with the tip we 

need to catch him.” Manger added, “When you have 

a crime of this magnitude, no matter how long ago it 

occurred, the police department and the community 

never stop trying to bring the person responsible to 

justice.” 

“No lead or tip is insignificant,” Vogt explained. “If 

Bishop is living with a new identity, he’s got to be 

somebody’s next-door neighbor.” Vogt, a Maryland native 

who remembers when the murders happened 38 years ago, 

echoed Manger’s sentiments about never giving up trying 

to locate the fugitive. “Don’t forget that five people were 

murdered,” he said. “Bishop needs to be held accountable 

for that.”

We need your help: If you have any information 

concerning William Bradford Bishop, Jr., contact your 

local FBI office, the nearest law enforcement agency, or 

the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate. You can also 

submit a tip online.

Note: William Braford Bishop, Jr. may have been located 

since the above information was posted on our website. Please 

check our Ten Most Wanted Fugitives webpage at www.fbi.

gov/wanted/topten for up-to-date information. 

William Bradford Bishop, Jr., wanted for the brutal 

murders of his wife, mother, and three sons in Maryland 

nearly four decades ago, has been named to the Ten Most 

Wanted Fugitives list.

A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for 

information leading directly to the arrest of Bishop, 

a highly intelligent former U.S. Department of State 

employee who investigators believe may be hiding in 

plain sight.

On March 1, 1976, Bishop used a hammer to bludgeon 

his family, including his three boys, ages 5, 10, and 14. 

Investigators believe he then drove to North Carolina 

with the bodies in the family station wagon, buried 

them in a shallow grave, and set them on fire. The last 

confirmed sighting of Bishop was one day after the 

murders at a sporting goods store in Jacksonville, North 

Carolina, where he bought a pair of sneakers.

“Nothing has changed since March 2, 1976 when Bishop 

was last seen except the passage of time,” said Steve Vogt, 

special agent in charge of our Baltimore Division. Vogt 

has teamed with local Maryland law enforcement officials 

to apprehend Bishop, a man described by investigators as 

a “family annihilator.”

“There is no indication that Bishop is dead,” Vogt said, 

explaining that the area where the bodies were discovered 

was searched extensively, and hundreds of individuals 

were interviewed at the park where the abandoned 

station wagon was later discovered—there was no trace of 

Bishop.

The FBI, the Montgomery County Police Department, 

the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the 

Department of State formed a task force last year to take 

another look at the Bishop case and to engage the public 

in locating him. As part of that effort, a forensic artist 

created a three-dimensional, age-enhanced bust of what 

the fugitive may look like now, at the age of 77.

Naming Bishop to the Top Ten list is expected to 

bring national and international attention to the case 

in a way that was impossible decades ago. “When 

Bishop took off in 1976, there was no social media, no 

April 8, 2014

Left: Carl Dickens joined the FBI in 2011 after a 32-year career in 

the military.

Helping Victims and 

Their Families

Psychologist Specializes in

Kidnapping, Hostage Cases

units and federal partners involved in the effort to recover 

the individual. The OVA will also locate the victim’s 

family and dispatch a victim specialist there for support 

(the Bureau has victim specialists in all 56 of its field 

offices).

“Families of kidnap victims are dealing with one of 

the most stressful events in their lives,” Dickens said. 

“Unfortunately there are no roadmaps for a family when 

something like this happens,” he added. “While their 

loved one is being held, we try to offer families a sense 

of hope. We let them know there are people actively 

working to recover their family member and that we 

aren’t giving up.” In addition to providing emotional 

support, the OVA team can assist with travel, lodging, 

and emergency expenses and can provide notification 

about criminal proceedings.

Dickens understands how a hostage might react to 

the stresses of captivity, which can be helpful to those 

planning a rescue operation or preparing for the victim’s 

safe return home. He can also help to assess the hostage’s 

coping response and develop a post-captivity support plan 

for the individual’s return.

Kathryn Turman, who leads the OVA, noted that the 

FBI has been increasingly called on to handle overseas 

hostage cases. “We knew we needed someone like Carl, 

and we were incredibly fortunate that he joined the FBI,” 

she said. “His practical knowledge helps investigators, and 

his efforts with recovered victims and their families make 

a significant difference in how well they are able to cope 

and move forward in their lives.”

Experience has taught Dickens that most hostages find 

an inner strength when they are in captivity. “Recovered 

victims are not broken or damaged,” he said. “They are 

just normal people who have gone through an abnormal 

situation. It’s important for families to recognize that 

their loved one may be weak and shaken when they come 

home,” he explained, “but they are not broken.”

Helping victims and families find the way forward is “a 

noble profession,” he added. “To see the look on the face 

of someone who has been recovered, and to know that 

you were part of that effort, is very gratifying.”

A U.S. aid worker is kidnapped for ransom in Somalia. 

A terrorist group holds an American hostage in 

Afghanistan. Sometimes incidents like these make 

headlines, and sometimes they occur below the media 

radar. Either way, the FBI’s Office for Victim Assistance 

(OVA) is there to help victims and their families.

When the FBI investigates crimes, federal law 

requires that we offer assistance and services to 

victims. In situations where Americans are taken 

hostage overseas, our go-to person in the OVA is an 

operational psychologist with decades of real-world 

experience.

Carl Dickens joined the Bureau in 2011 after a 32-year 

career in the military in which he spent more than 13 

years in special operations and personnel recovery and 

deployed multiple times in support of combat operations. 

His insights and practical knowledge help investigators 

working to recover victims, and also help victims—and 

their families—resume their lives.

“My job starts the moment a person goes missing,” 

Dickens explained. “The FBI uses an integrative approach 

to hostage cases that not only supports individuals and 

their families but also synchronizes the investigative and 

operational elements working to get the person back.”

When the FBI is alerted to an overseas hostage situation, 

Dickens and his colleagues in the OVA’s Terrorism and 

Special Jurisdiction Program coordinate with other FBI 

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/williambradfordbishop.
30 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 31

April 17, 2014

The Gangs of 

Los Angeles

Part 6: Working to Make a

Difference

how I grew up and the things that I was able to escape 

from—made me want to give something back.”

He is now in a unique position to do just that.

“I recognize that I can influence young people in gang 

neighborhoods,” Clark noted. “Most of these kids have 

never seen an FBI agent, much less an African-American 

FBI agent. When they see me, I want to stand as an 

example and tell them, ‘You, too, can come from this 

environment and still succeed if you go to school and 

work hard. It doesn’t matter what your situation is at 

home. It doesn’t matter if mom or dad is not there, or 

dad’s in prison, or whatever the case may be. You can 

achieve something.’”

“Robert takes great pride in his work and helping 

communities to heal and become whole,” said Cheryl 

Nalls, a Los Angeles Police Department detective who 

has worked closely with Clark in some of the worst gang 

neighborhoods in South Central L.A. “He is a passionate 

advocate,” she added, “and it’s important for people in 

these communities to see someone like that.”

“I come to work every day to make a difference,” Clark 

said.

When Special Agent Robert Clark speaks to an inner 

city school group or residents who live in Los Angeles 

neighborhoods overrun by gangs, he doesn’t think of 

himself as an outsider.

“I don’t see myself as separate from a lot of the people 

that I meet in the community,” said Clark, an assistant 

special agent in charge in our Los Angeles Division 

who supervises the Bureau’s gang operations there.

“I see myself as one of them, because I used to be one of 

them. I grew up in the inner city. I grew up in foster care. 

I grew up in places where violence was commonplace, and 

gangs, graffiti, and drugs were everywhere.”

For that reason, Clark is committed to dismantling 

violent gangs through rigorous law enforcement efforts. 

He is equally committed to helping young people avoid 

the gang life and empowering residents to take back their 

neighborhoods. Since coming to Los Angeles seven years 

ago, he has spearheaded several gang initiatives with 

community, civic, and law enforcement partners that go 

beyond merely arresting gang members and sending them 

to jail.

“I can relate so much to what these kids go through 

and the violence that they see,” Clark explained. “I was 

involved in some of that as a youngster, but I realized 

very early that it was not for me. Thankfully, I had some 

teachers that believed in me and made sure I stayed on 

the straight and narrow. They made sure that my life 

mattered.”

Growing up in a gritty section of Youngstown, Ohio, 

known then for its connections to organized crime, 

Clark’s life could have gone either way. “My father was a 

nightclub owner,” he said. “He worked for the mob and 

ran nightclubs for the mob—girls, numbers, drugs, that 

whole life. That’s what my father did. He was murdered 

when I was 12 years old. I was the last one to see him 

alive.”

A college scholarship to play football got Clark out of 

Youngstown; after college, he became a police officer and 

eventually joined the FBI. “I knew that my life had to 

count,” he said. “The impact my childhood had on me—

April 14, 2014

Advice for U.S. College 

Students Abroad 

Be Aware of Foreign Intelligence 

Threat

How do foreign intelligence officers routinely interact 

with students?

▪ Foreign intelligence officers don’t normally say 

they work for intelligence services when developing 

relationships with students—they claim other lines of 

work.

▪ Intelligence officers develop initial relationships with 

students under seemingly innocuous pretexts such as 

job or internship opportunities, paid paper-writing 

engagements, language exchanges, and cultural 

immersion programs.

▪ As relationships are developed, the student might be 

asked to perform a task and provide information—

not necessarily sensitive or classified—in exchange 

for payment or other rewards, but these demands 

grow over time.

▪ Intelligence officers might suggest that students—

upon completion of their schooling—apply for U.S. 

government jobs (particularly for national securityrelated agencies).

What can students do to protect themselves while 

studying abroad?

▪ Be skeptical of “money-for-nothing” offers and other 

opportunities that seem too good to be true, and be 

cautious of being offered free favors, especially those 

involving government processes such as obtaining 

visas, residence permits, and work papers.

▪ Minimize personal information you reveal about 

yourself, especially through social media.

▪ Minimize your contact with people who have 

questionable government affiliations or who you 

suspect might be engaged in criminal activity.

▪ Properly report any money or compensation you 

received while abroad on tax forms and other 

financial disclosure documents to ensure compliance 

with U.S. laws.

And when you return to the U.S., report any suspicious 

activity to your local FBI office. You can also contact your 

local U.S. Embassy or Consulate while abroad.

Three years ago, Glenn Duffie Shriver, a Michigan 

resident and former college student who had studied in 

the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was sentenced 

to federal prison in the U.S. for attempting to provide 

national defense information to PRC intelligence officers.

According to the Institute of International Education, 

more than 280,000 American students studied abroad 

last year. These experiences provide students with 

cultural opportunities and can equip them with technical 

and leadership skills that make them marketable to U.S. 

private industry and government employers.

But this same marketability makes these students 

tempting and vulnerable targets for recruitment by foreign 

intelligence officers whose long-term goal is to gain 

access to sensitive or classified U.S. information. Glenn 

Shriver—prodded by foreign intelligence officers into 

eventually applying for U.S. government jobs—cited his 

naivety as a key factor in his actions.

The FBI has ramped up efforts to educate American 

university students preparing to study abroad about the 

dangers of knowingly or unknowingly getting caught 

up in espionage activities. As part of these efforts, we’re 

making available on this website our Game of Pawns: The 

Glenn Duffie Shriver Story video, which dramatizes the 

incremental steps taken by intelligence officers to recruit 

Shriver and convince him to apply for jobs with the U.S. 

State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency. 

We’d like American students traveling overseas to view 

this video before leaving the U.S. so they’re able to 

recognize when they’re being targeted and/or recruited.

FBI Los Angeles Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Clark 

discusses efforts to tackle the gang problem.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/gameofpawns.

Left: Glenn Duffie Shriver describes his experience being recruited by 

PRC intelligence officers.
32 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 33

April 25, 2014

Investment Fraud 

Scheme Uncovered

Members of Military and

Dependents Victimized

In one particular instance, a U.S. Naval Academy 

graduate who invested $20,000 with FCG tried 

withdrawing funds. Matthews mailed a check that 

bounced. After being notified about it, he mailed another 

one...and instructed the victim not to deposit the check 

until he could put the funds into his account. That, of 

course, never happened.

Matthews received more than $235,600 from victim 

investors. Only a few of his victims were able to recover 

any money, so at his sentencing, the judge ordered 

Matthews to repay the outstanding balance of $204,465 

in restitution to his victims.

The Bureau joined the investigation in April 2013. In 

July 2013—after an extensive review of financial records, 

documents, and e-mails, along with interviews of dozens 

of victims and other witnesses—Matthews was arrested.

The Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force 

was initially launched in 2010 to establish a partnership 

between criminal investigators—including the FBI 

and the USPIS—and civil regulators to investigate and 

prosecute complex financial fraud cases in Virginia. The 

state task force is also an investigative arm of the national 

Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, an interagency 

group created to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and 

proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial 

crimes.

And while law enforcement, civil regulators, and 

prosecutors are doing all they can to address financial 

crimes, you should educate yourself and your loved ones 

on how to avoid becoming a victim of financial fraud.

They are our nation’s heroes—often risking their lives 

abroad to protect us at home. Which makes what one 

Virginia con man did all the more despicable...defrauding 

military personnel and their dependents in an investment 

fraud scheme.

But one of his victims came forward and filed a 

complaint. And after a joint investigation conducted 

by the Richmond offices of the FBI and the U.S. Postal 

Inspection Service (USPIS)—under the auspices of the 

Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force—

Vernon Matthews was charged in the scheme, pled guilty, 

and was recently sentenced to a federal prison term.

Matthews operated a company called First Capital 

Group (FCG), located in Virginia Beach. He had a 

license to sell insurance, not to give investment advice or 

handle securities—but that didn’t stop him from doing 

so. Starting in 2010 and continuing until early 2013, 

Matthews solicited members of the military and their 

families to make investments with FCG.

Often times, he set up booths at establishments known 

to be frequented by the military—like restaurants located 

near military bases—and offered promotions, like a free 

night at a hotel. And when potential victims came to his 

office to claim the prizes, Matthews would pitch them on 

an investment.

And he lied through his teeth while doing it. Among 

Matthews’ misrepresentations:

▪ He received compensation from the U.S. government 

for his investment advice and services (he did not);

▪ He would invest his clients’ funds in certificates 

of deposits, mutual funds, or something similar 

(Matthews misappropriated all the funds for his own 

personal or business use);

▪ FCG was affiliated with several reputable investment 

companies and funds (it was not);

▪ The investment provided a good return—anywhere 

from 4 to 300 percent—and was low-risk or no-risk 

(it did not and was not).

April 22, 2014

Seeking Information

International Child

Exploitation Case

At this point in the investigation, photographed victims 

are being identified and notified. Those who believe they 

may have been victims are being encouraged to come 

forward—not only to aid investigators but potentially to 

seek services through our Office for Victim Assistance. 

A confidential questionnaire is available for anyone who 

thinks they may have been victimized by Vahey or who 

may have information about his predatory behavior.

In addition to teaching, Vahey coached boys’ basketball 

teams at several of the schools where he taught. The 

popular and highly respected teacher regularly organized 

overnight field trips and coordinated itineraries that 

included boys’ room assignments.

“He had access to children because of his position 

of trust,” Fransen said. “He created a system that 

gave him the opportunity and the means to molest 

children. The manner in which he committed these 

acts—while the boys were unconscious—may have 

inhibited them from knowing what happened, making 

it impossible for them to come forward at the time of 

the molestation.”

By his own admission, Vahey used sleeping pills to drug 

his victims, but investigators want to learn more about 

his methods and what drugs he may have used. They are 

hopeful the public can assist them.

Vahey traveled extensively over the past four decades, 

teaching at American schools in Nicaragua, the United 

Kingdom, Venezuela, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Greece, 

Iran, Spain, and Lebanon. His victims are multinational. 

In addition to foreign nationals, the schools were 

attended by the children of American diplomats, military 

personnel stationed overseas, and other American citizens 

working abroad.

As the investigation unfolds, the FBI continues to 

work with our international partners in the affected 

countries through our legal attaché offices and the U.S. 

Department of State. “At this time, investigators have 

no knowledge that Vahey shared or traded any of the 

pornographic material he made,” Fransen said. “But 

his suicide left a lot more questions unanswered than 

answered.”

The FBI is asking for the public’s help to identify victims 

of a suspected serial child predator who taught in private 

American schools overseas in nine different countries 

beginning in 1972 and whose young victims—believed to 

be boys between the ages of 12 and 14—may be unaware 

of what happened to them.

William James Vahey, a 64-year-old U.S. citizen who 

was jailed in California in 1969 for child molestation, 

committed suicide last month days after his employer 

saw a thumb drive belonging to him that contained 

pornographic images of boys who were likely drugged.

At the time, Vahey was teaching ninth-grade world 

history and geography at the American Nicaraguan 

School in Managua.

When confronted about the images by a school 

administrator, Vahey confessed that he was molested as a 

child and had preyed on boys his entire life, giving them 

sleeping pills prior to the molestation.

The thumb drive contained sexually graphic images of 

at least 90 victims, according to Special Agent Patrick 

Fransen. The photographs were cataloged with dates 

and locations that corresponded to Vahey’s overnight 

field trips with students beginning in 2008. However, 

the investigation has revealed that Vahey accompanied 

students on similar trips throughout his career.

Fransen, a 16-year FBI veteran who specializes in crimes 

against children, noted that Vahey had been teaching 

at American schools overseas since the 1970s. “I’m 

concerned that he may have preyed on many other 

students prior to 2008,” he said. “I’ve never seen another 

case where an individual may have molested this many 

children over such a long period of time.”

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/williamjamesvahey.
34 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 35

May 2, 2014

FBI, DHS Offer Partners 

Terrorist Incident 

Response Training

Coordination Among

Agencies is Key

FBI Sacramento SWAT team members participate in a complex mall 

attack training exercise.

a simulated terrorist incident with numerous attacks, 

improvised explosive devices, and multiple victims and 

witnesses. Participants gather to discuss what’s about 

to happen, run through the exercise, and finish up by 

reflecting on what worked and what didn’t. After the 

several-hour exercise and the formal after-action review, 

participants will take the lessons learned and modify their 

own agency’s response plans as needed to ensure they 

mesh with those of other agencies.

A few FBI offices have already conducted their Phase III 

training and can attest to its value.

For example, Monica Miller, special agent in charge of 

our Sacramento Division, said that her office’s exercise 

“ensures unity and strategic collaboration among federal 

agencies, first responders, and private sector partners 

during a crisis” and also offered the opportunity to “make 

improvements well in advance of a real-world incident.”

Also supportive was the general manager of the mall 

where the Sacramento exercise took place. “We take 

our participation in training exercises such as this one 

seriously,” Eddie Ollmann explained, “because we know 

they help prepare our community to respond to potential 

emergency situations.”

So far, all of this training has been regionally based. 

Later this year, the FBI will host a capstone exercise 

to incorporate national assets and resources into the 

mix in the event of a public venue attack with broader 

implications.

Last September, al Shabaab gunmen attacked a shopping 

mall in Nairobi, Kenya, killing more than 70 people. In 

response, the FBI secured operational resources to assist 

Kenyan authorities.

Not long after, the Bureau—in partnership with the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—formulated 

plans for a training exercise series to ensure that 

American law enforcement, other public safety first 

responders, and private sector entities had coordinated, 

effective response plans in place in case this type of 

complex terror attack ever occurs at a U.S. public venue.

These exercises aren’t in response to any current 

threat but are simply part of our continuing mission 

to share information and work with public safety 

and private sector partners to improve overall threat 

response capabilities.

The first two phases of this training series took place 

last fall. Tabletop exercises were held with FBI field 

office personnel; federal, state, and local public safety 

officials; and private sector partners—including mall 

managers and owners—to discuss a hypothetical terror 

attack on a local mall and gain a clearer understanding 

of each other’s capabilities and responsibilities. A second 

exercise was more inwardly focused, concentrating on FBI 

field office response plans and the effectiveness of our 

capabilities to communicate vital information to our own 

personnel and external partners.

After the training last fall, more effective responses to 

several subsequent public venue incidents—including an 

active shooter situation at a Maryland shopping mall this 

past January—were reported.

Lessons learned from Phases I and II were integrated 

into the third phase of the training, which is actually 

occurring now and over the next couple of weeks. During 

Phase III, FBI field offices—with DHS—are hosting a 

boots-on-the-ground exercise with regional federal, state, 

and local public and private sector partners at shopping 

malls outside of regular business hours.

This exercise scenario, like the first two phases, involves 

April 29, 2014

Understanding School 

Impersonation Fraud

A Look Inside the Scam

but is another victim of the group’s social engineering 

tactics. The purchase will later be re-shipped to 

Nigeria. In some cases, the order is directed to the 

actual school, whereupon the scammer—posing as a 

representative of the retail store—contacts the school 

and says the shipment was sent in error. The school, 

believing it is returning the order to the store, reships 

the items to a domestic address provided by the 

fraudster.

▪ Either way, once the fraud is discovered, it’s too late, 

and the retailer absorbs the loss.

Those who perpetrate school impersonation schemes 

are members of an African Cyber Criminal Enterprise 

(ACCE), said Lipetsker, who has been investigating these 

groups for the past year as part of a new initiative in our 

Criminal Investigative Division.

ACCE refers to a network of predominantly Nigerian 

criminal actors who are engaged in computer-assisted 

frauds. The schemes are heavy on deception instead of 

hard-core intrusions, Lipetsker said. “The Africans don’t 

do a lot of hacking,” she explained. “They deceive their 

targets through phishing schemes and social engineering.”

Lipetsker is part of our Asian, African, Middle-Eastern 

Criminal Enterprise Operations Unit, and she and other 

investigators and intelligence analysts work to stop cyberassisted transnational crimes. “Our goal is to take down 

the entire criminal enterprise,” she said, “not just a few 

actors.”

Although many people equate Nigerian fraud schemes 

with ham-handed e-mail scams, ACCE members use 

sophisticated techniques to fool their targets, and they 

create forged online documents that are extremely 

convincing.

“They know where the vulnerabilities are,” Lipetsker said, 

adding that many school systems make the fraudsters’ job 

easier by posting information on their websites about their 

schools, personnel, and purchasing accounts.

“The greatest lesson that comes from this scheme is 

that retailers and schools systems must be vigilant 

about telephone and online orders,” she said. “If you 

get large orders, make sure to independently verify the 

information. Don’t just call the telephone number on the 

e-mail you received or be convinced by someone using 

the name of a known purchasing officer.” She added, “A 

little diligence could save a lot of money and aggravation 

later.”

The operator at the office supply store call center answers 

the phone, and the person on the other end claims to 

be a school purchasing officer with questions about his 

account. But the caller is actually a criminal, and the 

information the operator may unwittingly divulge could 

cost the retailer hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s called the school impersonation scheme, and it has 

been carried out in nine states across the country—

mostly by Nigerian criminal groups using the Internet and 

social engineering techniques. 

“Most retailers have been pretty good about catching 

the scam,” said Special Agent Alla Lipetsker, “but it’s an 

alarming trend, and the fraudsters have had success.”

Here’s how the scam works:

▪ A member of the criminal group poses as a school 

official on the telephone or by e-mail and uses social 

engineering—actions that deceive individuals into 

revealing otherwise secure information—to learn 

about a school’s purchasing account with large office 

supply stores.

▪ Using account information obtained from the original 

call—and sometimes the school’s website—the 

fraudster makes a second call and bills the school’s 

line of credit for a large order of laptops, hard drives, 

printer ink, and other items that can total more than 

$200,000.

▪ A U.S. shipping address is provided belonging to 

a third-party—someone who has been fooled into 

thinking they are working from home, for example, 

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/complexattacktraining.
36 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 37

May 9, 2014

Investigating Child 

Abductions

FBI CARD Team Plays a

Vital Role

investigative efforts. They also help map registered sex 

offenders in the area, handle national and international 

leads, guide investigative efforts using the protocols from 

the FBI’s child abduction response plan, coordinate 

forensic resources as needed, and incorporate the Bureau’s 

technical assets—which play an increasingly larger role in 

investigations where every minute counts.

But the true measure of the CARD team’s impact is how 

often these kids are found safe. Here are a few recent 

examples where that’s happened:

▪ A newborn kidnapped from his Wisconsin home 

in February 2014 was found by law enforcement 

the following day—alive—in a plastic storage crate 

outside a gas station in Iowa. The alleged kidnapper 

has been charged.

▪ In August 2013, a San Diego County teenager 

abducted by a family friend was located and rescued 

by law enforcement a week later in the Idaho 

wilderness. Her kidnapper, killed during the rescue, 

was believed to have been responsible for the deaths 

of her mother and 8-year-old brother.

▪ A 6-year-old girl, abducted from her Mississippi 

school in April 2013, was released the following day. 

The mastermind of the kidnapping received a 25-year 

prison term, while five other co-conspirators have 

also been sentenced.

While the FBI necessarily focuses on terrorism and other 

national security issues and major criminal threats, we 

will always place a premium on the safety and well being 

of our nation’s children.

When a child goes missing, it impacts the whole 

community. And while local law enforcement and 

investigators from our regional FBI offices respond and 

begin looking into the disappearance, the Bureau has an 

additional investigative asset that can be called upon for 

these time-sensitive cases—our national Child Abduction 

Response Deployment (CARD) team, which works to 

recover victims as quickly as possible and helps apprehend 

those responsible for taking them.

The CARD team, created in 2006, has been deployed 

more than 100 times for approximately 108 victims, 

both domestically and—when requested—abroad.

Numerous children have been located and safely returned 

to their loved ones. Tragically, the remains of victims 

have also been found—though this can at least provide 

some sort of closure for their families.

The 60 or so agents who make up the CARD team 

are stationed at field offices around the country. Each 

is assigned to one of five regional teams that cover the 

Northeast, Southeast, North Central, South Central, and 

Western United States and are deployed at the request of 

a field office. Deployment size depends on the case and 

the particular needs of local responders.

CARD team investigators are seasoned veterans 

of crimes against children cases—especially child 

abductions—and have received extensive training.

While some local law enforcement agencies may only 

work one or two child abduction cases a year, CARD 

team agents work these kinds of cases all the time, 

keeping their unique skill set honed.

They often deploy to the abduction site with FBI 

behavioral analysis experts and technical specialists in 

tow. CARD team agents also work closely with National 

Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime coordinators, 

members of the regional FBI-led Child Exploitation Task 

Forces, and representatives from our Violent Crimes 

Against Children Section at FBI Headquarters.

What exactly does the CARD team bring to the 

table? In addition to being on the scene within an hour 

or two to augment local resources, these agents can 

quickly establish on-site command posts to centralize 

May 6, 2014

Left: A 586 Social Security card and credit card used in Sang-Hyun 

“Jimmy” Park’s multi-million-dollar fraud scheme.

Sophisticated Fraud 

Scheme Dismantled

Ringleader Sentenced to

12 Years in Prison

Here’s how the scam worked:

▪ Park and his conspirators sold 586 cards for a fee, 

promising to help customers use the cards to get other 

forms of identification, including driver’s licenses.

▪ With new identities in place, Park helped customers 

establish credit through a lengthy process. One of 

the methods was temporarily adding a new identity 

to an existing credit card account whose owner 

had excellent credit. The owners of the legitimate 

accounts were paid a fee for this service.

▪ After building the credit scores associated with 

the new identities—and detaching them from the 

legitimate accounts—Park helped customers obtain 

credit cards and open bank accounts.

“With valid credentials and high credit scores, the 586 

card owners could open credit accounts everywhere—

banks, retail stores, car dealerships,” said Special Agent 

Theresa Fanelli, another member of the investigative 

team. “The sky was the limit.”

The scammers then proceeded to “bust out” their 

credit cards, charging as much as $30,000 per month. 

“With an impeccable credit history,” Woodruff 

explained, “none of the financial institutions batted an 

eye. Why would they?”

When it came time to pay monthly bills, the scammers 

made online or telephone payments using accounts that 

had no money behind them—knowing that the banks 

and retail outlets could take several days to figure out 

that the payments were bogus. During that period, they 

charged even more items.

“They were able to steal millions of dollars in a short 

amount of time,” Fanelli said.

Park and his conspirators also paid merchants to charge 

sums on the fraudulent credit cards when no actual 

transactions took place. After receiving money from 

the fake sales in their accounts, the merchants gave the 

proceeds to Park, minus their cut.

Our investigation began at the end of 2008 after clues 

about the fraud were discovered during a homicide 

investigation. Arrests were made in September 2010. 

In all, 54 individuals were charged with various felony 

frauds, and most have pled guilty. Park admitted to 

defrauding numerous companies out of millions and was 

sentenced in February. After completing his prison term, 

he will be deported to South Korea.

The leader of a large-scale fraud ring who profited by 

helping people establish fake identities—enabling them 

to charge millions of dollars on credit cards they had no 

intention of paying off—was recently sentenced to 12 

years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges against 

him.

The fraud carried out by New Jersey resident SangHyun “Jimmy” Park was sophisticated and also 

brazen. He actively recruited scores of participants by 

placing ads that promised easy credit and easy money 

in Korean-language newspapers.

The scam hinged on Social Security cards that had 586 

in the prefix. These were legitimate documents issued 

in the 1990s mostly to Chinese nationals hired to work 

in American territories such as Guam and American 

Samoa. When the workers returned to China, criminals 

there bought the so-called 586 cards, knowing they might 

illegally profit from them.

The criminals gathered more than 20,000 of the secondhand cards and then found buyers for them throughout 

the United States. In the New Jersey area, Jimmy Park 

was buying all the 586 cards he could get.

“He realized he had a clean slate with perfectly valid 

Social Security numbers,” said Special Agent Barbara 

Woodruff, one of a team of investigators who worked the 

case out of our Newark Division. “Park understood the 

potential for financial gain and took it to the next level.”
38 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 39

May 19, 2014

International 

Blackshades Malware 

Takedown

Coordinated Law Enforcement 

Actions Announced

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara 

announces arrests in the Blackshades malware cyber takedown 

during a press conference in New York.

and other personal identification information of 

hundreds of thousands of victims globally. We spun off 

a new investigation and ultimately identified one of the 

Cardshop subjects—Michael Hogue—and Alex Yucel as 

the Blackshades co-developers. Yucel, the alleged head 

of the organization that sold the malware, was previously 

arrested in Moldova and is awaiting U.S. extradition.

Our investigation revealed that several different types of 

Blackshades malware products were available for purchase 

by other cyber criminals through a website; the popular 

Blackshades RAT could be bought for as little as $40. In 

addition to its low price, the Blackshades RAT was very 

attractive because it could be customized by the criminals 

who bought it.

Yucel ran his organization like a business—hiring and 

firing employees, paying salaries, and updating the 

malicious software in response to customers’ requests. He 

employed several administrators to facilitate the operation 

of the organization, including a director of marketing, 

a website developer, a customer service manager, and a 

team of customer service representatives.

New York FBI Assistant Director in Charge George 

Venizelos said that today’s announcement “showcases 

the top to bottom approach the FBI takes to its cases...

starting with those who put it [malware] in the hands of 

the users—the creators and those who helped make it 

readily available, the administrators.”

We’re currently working with Internet service providers to 

notify domestic victims of the Blackshades malware. But 

in the meantime, we’re providing information on how to 

check your computer for a possible Blackshades infection 

at www.fbi.gov/blackshadesinfection.

Today, representatives from the FBI New York Field 

Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern 

District of New York announced the results of a cyber 

takedown, which included the unsealing of an indictment 

against Swedish national Alex Yucel and the guilty 

plea of U.S. citizen Michael Hogue, both of whom we 

believe co-developed a particularly insidious computer 

malware known as Blackshades. This software was sold 

and distributed to thousands of people in more than 100 

countries and has been used to infect more than half a 

million computers worldwide. 

Also charged and arrested in the U.S. were an 

individual who helped market and sell the malware and 

two Blackshades users who bought the malware and 

then unleashed it upon unsuspecting computer users, 

surreptitiously installing it on their hardware. So far 

during the takedown, 40 FBI field offices have conducted 

approximately 100 interviews, executed more than 100 

e-mail and physical search warrants, and seized more 

than 1,900 domains used by Blackshades users to control 

victims’ computers.

And that’s not all. The actions announced at today’s press 

conference are part of an unprecedented law enforcement 

operation involving 18 other countries. More than 

90 arrests have been made so far, and more than 300 

searches have been conducted worldwide. 

Malware is malicious software whose only purpose 

is to damage or perform other unwanted actions on 

computer systems. Blackshades malware—in particular, 

the Blackshades Remote Access Tool (RAT)—allows 

criminals to steal passwords and banking credentials; 

hack into social media accounts; access documents, 

photos, and other computer files; record all keystrokes; 

activate webcams; hold a computer for ransom; and use 

the computer in distributed denial of service (DDoS) 

attacks.

We uncovered the existence of the Blackshades 

malware during a previous international investigation 

called Operation Cardshop, which targeted “carding” 

crimes—offenses in which the Internet is used to traffic 

in and exploit the stolen credit cards, bank accounts, 

May 12, 2014

Left: Steve Shaw, left, and Chris Lorek were special agents and 

members of our Hostage Rescue Team.

Remembering Our 

Fallen Agents

Training Accident at Sea

Occurred One Year Ago

News of the accident sent shockwaves through the HRT 

and the entire FBI. Chris, 41, and Steve, 40, were both 

married and each had two children. They lived near 

Quantico, Virginia, where the HRT is headquartered.

“It was an absolutely tragic day,” said Jim Yacone, a former 

HRT operator and commander of the team. He now leads 

the Bureau’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), of 

which the HRT is a part. “Whether it’s a training exercise 

or an actual mission, there are no acceptable losses.”

Chris and Steve—like all their HRT colleagues—

acknowledged and accepted the risks involved with being 

operators, Yacone explained. “They understood that HRT 

has to remain mission-ready at all times. They would 

not want us to stop training or preparing for the most 

extreme environments and circumstances.”

Although the loss of the two popular and respected 

operators was a blow to the team, Yacone added that they 

will not be forgotten. “All of us will remember these two 

outstanding individuals and the contributions they made. 

Everybody has Chris and Steve in their memory, and that 

will be a driving force going forward. The team won’t 

want to let them down.”

The two are described by their HRT colleagues as 

talented, professional, and humble. “We have a dangerous 

job on HRT,” one operator said. “In the back of your 

head you always know there’s that ultimate risk, but it 

doesn’t make their loss any easier.” He added, “I know 

for all of us, it felt like we lost a family member, not just 

teammates.”

Yacone suggested that while HRT operators will carry on 

with their mission, “they will know that Steve and Chris 

are watching—watching how we perform and how we 

stand up for them and their memory.”

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the deaths 

of Chris Lorek and Stephen Shaw, special agents and 

members of our Hostage Rescue Team who were killed 

during a training accident off the coast of Virginia.

The two will be honored this week—during National 

Police Week—and their names will be installed in the 

FBI’s Hall of Honor, a tribute to fallen agents killed in the 

line of duty throughout the Bureau’s history.

As boys, both Chris and Steve dreamed of becoming FBI 

agents. They achieved that goal and then some, earning 

places on the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), the Bureau’s 

celebrated counterterrorism tactical unit that selects few 

members and undertakes dangerous missions around the 

globe.

“Chris and Stephen chose to be part of a team that 

assumes the greatest risk as part of their everyday job, 

a team that says, ‘Yes, we will,’ without any hesitation,” 

noted former FBI Director Robert Mueller during a 

memorial service last year. “And though that kind of 

motivation—of service over self, even at the greatest 

cost—is difficult for some to comprehend, it is who they 

were, and it was in their very DNA, as it is with every 

member of HRT.”

On May 17, 2013, during HRT training at sea near 

Virginia Beach, the two were fast-roping out of a 

helicopter when the aircraft encountered serious 

difficulties, causing the men to fall a significant distance 

into the water and suffer fatal injuries.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/lorek-shaw.
40 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 41

May 27, 2014

Investigating Student 

Aid Fraud

FBI Plays Supporting Role

Recently, four people in Montgomery, Alabama were 

sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy 

to defraud the Department of Education and various 

colleges and universities of financial aid money. And just 

a week earlier, three defendants pled guilty to a federal 

student aid fraud scheme in San Francisco. The Bureau 

was involved in both cases.

Over the past several years, we’ve played a supporting role 

in a handful of other student aid fraud cases as well. For 

example:

▪ A Baltimore-area school test proctor and an 

admissions officer pled guilty in a scheme to 

manipulate test scores of students who were taking 

assessment exams to qualify for federal grants.

▪ A former inmate at a South Carolina prison pled 

guilty to applying for federal student aid using the 

identities of some of her fellow inmates.

▪ A San Diego college paid a civil settlement and its 

financial aid director pled guilty in connection with 

a scheme to submit falsified financial aid applications 

to obtain grants for students who were not eligible to 

receive them.

Investigative entities will continue to identify and bring 

to justice those who commit federal student aid fraud. 

And the Department of Education and colleges and 

universities will continue to put protections in place that 

make it harder to perpetrate these crimes.

Both actions will help ensure that federal student aid for 

higher education ends up in the hands of those who need 

and deserve it the most.

It’s a yearly spring ritual: college-bound students, young 

and old, applying online for much-needed federal student 

aid in the form of grants or loans.

Unfortunately, a few unscrupulous individuals view Title 

IV Federal Student Assistance funding as a way to line 

their own pockets—not to get an education. According 

to a recent assessment by the U.S. Department of 

Education’s Office of Inspector General, the number of 

aid recipients potentially taking part in criminal fraud 

rings is increasing.

And while the FBI doesn’t generally become 

involved these cases because of our necessary 

focus on counterterrorism, cyber crime, and other 

national security and major criminal threats, we 

do—as resources allow—assist our partners at the 

Department of Education and other agencies in 

rooting out some of the more egregious offenders. The 

Bureau brings to the table the same investigative methods 

and techniques we’ve used so successfully against 

criminals who commit other types of government fraud.

Why the increase in student aid fraud? For one, there 

are more online higher education opportunities—a single 

criminal participant can create multiple online student 

identities and apply for aid in each name. Another reason 

is the growing popularity of open access, lower-cost 

schools—like community colleges—where perpetrators 

can get back a larger percentage of a financial aid award 

in the form of excess Title IV funds (once the school 

applies the funds to tuition, anything left over is remitted 

directly to the “student” to use on related educational 

expenses like books, supplies, transportation, living costs, 

etc.).

It’s not just the theft of millions of dollars of taxpayer 

money, though. Criminals committing federal student 

aid fraud are stealing enrollment slots from legitimate 

students and depriving qualified students of the Title 

IV funds they need. Those grants and loans sometimes 

make the difference between attending school and not 

attending school.

But the government and the higher education 

community are fighting back.

May 23, 2014

Have You Seen These Kids?

National Missing Children’s Day 2014

▪ Endangered Child Alert Program, a joint effort 

with NCMEC that seeks national and international 

exposure of unknown adults whose faces and/or 

distinguishing characteristics are visible in child 

pornography images and videos;

▪ Safe Online Surfing initiative, a web-based program 

that teaches kids how to recognize and respond 

to online dangers like sexual predators and cyber 

bullying; and

▪ FBI Child ID App, which provides parents with an 

easy way to electronically store pictures and vital 

information about their children in case they go 

missing.

Recently, the NCMEC paid tribute to a number of Bureau 

employees—along with their state and local partners—for 

their extraordinary work on missing or exploited children 

investigations. We congratulate all the honorees, but we 

know our work is not done. The FBI will continue to 

make investigating violent crimes against young victims a 

priority, working side by side with our public and private 

partners to ensure the safety of children nationwide.

Note: The children pictured here may have been located since 

the above information was posted on this website. Please 

check our Wanted by the FBI webpage at www.fbi.gov/

wanted for up-to-date information.

In observance of National Missing Children’s Day on 

Sunday, May 25—which honors the memories of those 

who are lost and focuses attention on the issue—the FBI 

is highlighting the names and faces of the children listed 

on our Kidnappings and Missing Persons webpage and 

asking for your continued help to locate them.

We’d also like to remind everyone about the committed 

efforts the Bureau undertakes—in conjunction with our 

federal, state, local, and organizational partners—to help 

rescue the most vulnerable of crime victims, to bring 

to justice those who would harm them, and to educate 

parents and kids about the all-too-real dangers of violent 

and sexploitation crimes threatening children.

Those efforts include our:

▪ National Child Abduction Rapid Deployment 

Team, ready to travel anywhere at a moment’s notice 

to assist in missing child investigations;

▪ Innocence Lost National Initiative, a partnership 

with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the 

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 

(NCMEC) that addresses domestic sex trafficking of 

children;

▪ Child Exploitation Task Forces, cooperative 

ventures with federal, state, and local partners around 

the country that investigate individuals and criminal 

enterprises responsible for victimizing young people;

 Shausha Abigail Adji Desir Alexis S. Alexis Tiara Aliayah Amir Asha Ashley Bianca

 Latine Hernandez Patterson Lunsford Jennings Jaquilla Summers Lebron

Henson Degree 

 Bryan Dos Daphne Diamond Erica Lynn Haleigh Jaliek L. Kayla May Lindsey Lisa Irwin Myra Lewis

 Santos- Viola Webb Yvette Parsons Cummings Rainwalker Berg Baum 

 Gomez Bradley

 Reachelle Relisha Rolando Tiona Z. Trenton Wesley Zoe Crystal Ann Kyron Shaina

 Smith Tenau Rudd Salas Jusino Bradley John Dale Gabrielle Tymich Richard Ashley

 Duckett Morgan Horman Kirkpatrick
42 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 43

June 2, 2014

GameOver Zeus 

Botnet Disrupted

Collaborative Effort Among

International Partners

Emergency Readiness Teams (CERTs) around the world, 

as well as to Internet service providers and other private 

sector parties who are able to assist victims in removing 

GameOver Zeus from their computers.

Important note: No contents of victim 

communications are captured or accessible in the 

disruption process.

In a related action announced today, U.S. and foreign 

law enforcement officials seized Cryptolocker command 

and control servers. Cryptolocker is a type of ransomware 

that locks victims’ computer files and demands a fee in 

return for unlocking them. Computers infected with 

Cryptolocker are often also infected with GameOver 

Zeus.

Evgeniy Bogachev, added to the FBI’s Cyber’s Most 

Wanted list, was identified in court documents as the 

leader of a gang of cyber criminals based in Russia 

and the Ukraine responsible for the development and 

operation of both the GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker 

schemes.

The actions to take down GameOver Zeus were truly 

collaborative. “GameOver Zeus is the most sophisticated 

botnet the FBI and our allies have ever attempted to 

disrupt,” said FBI Executive Assistant Director Robert 

Anderson. “The efforts announced today are a direct 

result of the effective relationships we have with 

our partners in the private sector, international law 

enforcement, and within the U.S. government.”

On June 2, 2014, the Department of Justice and the 

FBI announced a multinational effort to disrupt the 

GameOver Zeus botnet, believed to be responsible for the 

theft of millions of dollars from businesses and consumers 

in the U.S. and around the world.

Also announced was the unsealing of criminal charges 

in Pittsburgh and Omaha against alleged botnet 

administrator Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev of Anapa, 

Russian Federation.

GameOver Zeus is an extremely sophisticated type 

of malware designed specifically to steal banking and 

other credentials from the computers it infects. It’s 

predominately spread through spam e-mail or phishing 

messages.

Unbeknownst to their rightful owners, the infected 

computers become part of a global network of 

compromised computers known as a botnet—a powerful 

online tool that cyber criminals can use for their own 

nefarious purposes. In the case of GameOver Zeus, 

its primary purpose is to capture banking credentials 

from infected computers, then use those credentials to 

initiate or re-direct wire transfers to accounts overseas 

that are controlled by the criminals. Losses attributable 

to GameOver Zeus are estimated to be more than $100 

million.

Unlike earlier Zeus variants, GameOver has a 

decentralized, peer-to-peer command and control 

infrastructure rather than centralized points of origin, 

which means that instructions to the infected computers 

can come from any of the infected computers, making a 

takedown of the botnet more difficult. But not impossible.

Officials announced that in addition to the criminal 

charges in the case, the U.S. obtained civil and criminal 

court orders in federal court in Pittsburgh authorizing 

measures to sever communications between the 

infected computers, re-directing these computers away 

from criminal servers to substitute servers under the 

government’s control.

The orders authorize the FBI to identity the IP addresses 

of the victim computers reaching out to the substitute 

servers and to provide that information to Computer 

May 30, 2014

Bureau Initiative 

Focuses on Child 

Sex Tourism

Help the Victims,

Apprehend the Abusers

But whether it involves commercial or non-commercial 

sex acts, the FBI—in conjunction with our domestic and 

international law enforcement partners—investigates U.S. 

citizens and permanent residents who travel overseas to 

engage in illegal sexual conduct with children under the 

age of 18. Since 2008, our Child Sex Tourism Initiative 

has employed proactive strategies to address the crime, 

including working with foreign law enforcement and 

non-governmental organizations to provide child victims 

with support services and to investigate and prosecute 

individuals engaging in child sex tourism.

The FBI also shares intelligence products with our 

overseas law enforcement partners that focus on 

trends, methods of operations, offenders, etc. And we 

offer training to foreign law enforcement and nongovernmental organizations to build capacity and develop 

an effective team approach to address the problem. 

Intelligence sharing and training help develop cohesive 

multi-disciplinary teams, which in turn enable better 

international cooperation during the investigation of 

these crimes.

Children from developing countries are often seen as easy 

targets by Americans. Our investigations, however, have 

shown that American perpetrators travel to a variety of 

locations—from less developed areas in Southeast Asia 

and Central and South America to more developed areas 

in Europe. But it makes no difference where these crimes 

occur—any U.S. citizen or permanent resident who 

engages in sexual contact with a minor overseas is subject 

to prosecution under various U.S. laws.

And these laws were strengthened in 2003 with the 

passage of the federal PROTECT Act, which authorized a 

variety of additional prosecutive remedies and other tools 

to use against those who victimize children. It also makes 

clear that there is no statute of limitations for crimes 

involving the abduction or physical or sexual abuse of a 

child.

So a word of warning to perpetrators of this horrendous 

crime: No matter where you go, no matter how long it 

takes, you will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest 

extent of the law.

And a word of comfort to the victims: The FBI will work 

with your country’s authorities and non-governmental 

organizations to bring perpetrators to justice and to help 

coordinate the services you need.

Last month, the FBI asked for the public’s help in a 

case involving a suspected serial child predator who for 

years taught in private international schools overseas. 

The suspect committed suicide after his employer saw 

pornographic images on his thumb drive, but as part of 

our subsequent investigation—when we began the process 

of identifying and notifying the victims shown in these 

images—we also asked that possible victims and others 

who may have information come forward, not only to 

aid investigators but to potentially access our victim 

assistance services.

Child sex tourism—people traveling to another country 

specifically to engage in illegal sexual conduct with 

children—is a very real issue that causes devastating and 

long-lasting psychological and physical consequences 

for victims. And the problem is growing, thanks to the 

relative ease of international travel coupled with the 

popularity of the Internet in helping individuals exchange 

information about how and where to find child victims in 

foreign locations.

The U.S. State Department estimates that more than 

a million children are exploited each year in the global 

commercial sex trade. That’s in addition to the untold 

number of young victims of non-commercial sexual 

conduct.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/gameoverzeus.
44 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 45

June 9, 2014

Operation Bodyguard

FBI Recognizes WWII

Counterintelligence

Landmark in New York

During World War II, FBI agents and radio technicians lived and 

worked undercover at Benson House, secretly transmitting coded 

messages that the Nazis believed came from their own spies. 

A plaque placed at Benson House 

in honor of the 70th anniversary of 

the D-Day invasion recognizes the 

counterintelligence efforts of FBI 

employees during WWII. 

one double agent’s transmission indicated the Nazis were 

very interested in U.S. experiments with atomic energy. 

This, in part, spurred U.S. efforts to build the atomic 

bomb before the Nazis could.

The secretive work at Benson House proved even more 

valuable because it allowed us to plant misleading 

information for Nazi officials—essentially controlling 

what the enemy knew about the U.S. and its state of 

military readiness. In the case of Operation Bodyguard, 

it allowed us to help Allied efforts to protect the D-Day 

invasion plans.

Even after the fall of Germany in 1945, Nazi intelligence 

officials believed that the hundreds of messages sent 

by their spies in the U.S. were real. The FBI’s efforts to 

contribute to the Allied “bodyguard of lies” were among 

the many Bureau intelligence efforts during the war and 

were surely some of our most significant.

In honor of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, 

the FBI last weekend celebrated a landmark that was 

home to one of the Bureau’s intelligence successes during 

World War II. At a ceremony in recognition of the effort 

of FBI employees during World War II, the Society of 

Former Special Agents, the Episcopal Diocese of New 

York, the Suffolk County Historical Society, and the FBI’s 

New York Division placed a plaque at a quaint building 

known as Benson House in Wading River, New York, 

overlooking Long Island Sound.

It was there, from January 1942 until the end of the war 

in Europe in 1945, that FBI agents and radio technicians 

lived and worked undercover, secretly transmitting 

coded messages that the Nazis believed came from their 

own spies operating in New York. The Nazis believed 

their operatives were funneling significant details about 

U.S. forces, munitions, and war preparations. But in 

fact, the transmissions were controlled by the FBI—

the Nazi spies were FBI double agents. The Bureau’s 

work—known as Operation Ostrich—was central to our 

counterintelligence operations throughout the war and 

was part of a larger effort by Allied Forces to deceive the 

enemy called Operation Bodyguard.

The Allied effort derived its name from a statement by 

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who said, “In 

wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be 

attended by a bodyguard of lies.”

Misleading Adolf Hitler’s intelligence services was 

integrated into the long preparation for the June 6, 1944 

landing of 160,000 Allied troops in Normandy, France. 

Operatives set out to deceive the Nazi leader about the 

nature and location of the main Allied thrust so that he 

would be ill-prepared to meet the invasion. The key to 

Bodyguard’s success was the Allies’ control of a number of 

German spies and ability to read coded German messages 

that confirmed the Nazis didn’t know their agents were 

compromised.

For the FBI, the initial purpose in participating in 

the counterintelligence effort was to learn about Nazi 

espionage—who was involved, how they worked, and 

what they wanted to know. Early on, intelligence from 

June 3, 2014

Protecting Aircraft from

Lasers

Trial Program Being Expanded 

Nationwide

Now, the Bureau—along with the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) and the Air Line Pilots 

Association, International—are extending the program 

to all 50 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. We are 

also working with state, local, and international law 

enforcement on the campaign, and we are conducting 

outreach to schools to educate teens about the dangers 

associated with lasing.

When aimed at an aircraft, the powerful beam of light 

from a handheld laser can travel more than a mile 

and illuminate a cockpit, disorienting and temporarily 

blinding pilots. Those who have experienced such attacks 

have described them as the equivalent of a camera flash 

going off in a pitch black car at night. As of December 

2013, the FAA had documented at least 35 incidents 

where pilots required medical attention after a laser 

strike.

Interfering with the operation of an aircraft has long been 

a federal crime, but in 2012, a new law made it a felony 

to knowingly point the beam of a laser at an aircraft. The 

new law lowered the threshold for prosecution, Johnson 

said, “and the trend is on the rise for jail time in these 

cases.”

In March, for example, a 26-year-old California man was 

sentenced to 14 years in prison for aiming a laser pointer 

at a police helicopter and a hospital emergency transport 

helicopter. The man and his girlfriend were using a device 

that was 13 times more powerful than the permissible 

power emission level for handheld lasers. The girlfriend 

was also convicted and recently sentenced to a two-year 

prison term.

Since the FBI and the FAA began tracking laser strikes 

in 2005, there has been more than a 1,000 percent 

increase in the number of incidents with these devices, 

which can be purchased in stores or online for as little as 

a few dollars. Last year, 3,960 laser strikes against aircraft 

were reported. It is estimated that thousands of attacks go 

unreported every year.

If you have information about a lasing incident or see 

someone pointing a laser at an aircraft, call your local FBI 

office or dial 911.

After a successful trial program aimed at deterring people 

from pointing lasers at aircraft—by rewarding those 

who provide information about individuals who engage 

in this dangerous crime and aggressively prosecuting 

the perpetrators—the FBI is expanding the campaign 

nationwide.

“Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a serious matter 

and a violation of federal law, said Joe Campbell, assistant 

director of our Criminal Investigative Division. “The 

public awareness campaign we launched in February has 

been effective in reducing the number of incidents, and 

our hope in expanding the program is that people will 

think twice about illegally using these devices.”

A key part of the publicity campaign is reward money. 

For the next 90 days, the FBI will offer up to $10,000 for 

information leading to the arrest of any individual who 

intentionally aims a laser at an aircraft.

“We want to encourage people to come forward when 

they see someone committing this crime, which 

could have terrible consequences for pilots and their 

passengers,” said George Johnson, a federal air marshal 

who serves as a liaison officer with the Bureau on laser 

issues.

The original initiative, which began nearly four months 

ago, took place in 12 FBI field offices where “lasing” 

incidents are prevalent. Since then, there has been a 19 

percent decrease in the number of reported incidents in 

the major metropolitan areas of those offices.
46 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 47

June 17, 2014

Public Corruption 

Update

FBI Continues Efforts to Root 

Out Crooked Officials

However, investigating public corruption is an FBI 

commitment as old as the Bureau itself. When we 

were founded in 1908, our responsibilities included the 

investigation of land fraud, which often involved corrupt 

public officials.

Because of the nature of public corruption, we work 

closely with the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity 

Section and U.S. Attorney’s offices to ensure laws, 

guidelines, and protocols are strictly adhered to during 

investigations.

Where do our cases come from? Sometimes from 

credible information from a Bureau source. Or we 

might uncover something about unrelated corruption 

activities during a public corruption investigation and 

spin that off into a new case. We receive complaints from 

citizens. Disgruntled participants in corruption schemes 

sometimes come to us and tell us what they know. And 

occasionally, the corrupt official might self-report, hoping 

for leniency from the government.

And if a determination is made that the reported activity 

doesn’t rise to the level of federal prosecution, we can and 

do refer cases to state attorneys general offices or local 

prosecutors.

Public corruption, though, is not just an American 

problem—it plagues countries around the world.

So the FBI offers training to foreign law enforcement, 

prosecutors, and judges through our International 

Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, several other 

international academies, and our National Academy 

program at Quantico, Virginia.

In the U.S. and abroad, the FBI is doing everything 

we can to help ensure that the good name of the vast 

majority of public servants is not besmirched by a corrupt 

few.

The vast majority of public servants who work at the 

local, state, and federal levels of government are honest 

and dedicated folks who strive every day to do the right 

thing for their constituents, their communities, and their 

country.

Unfortunately, there is a small subgroup of public servants 

who, whether elected, appointed, or contracted, are 

only concerned about a very specific constituency—

themselves. And because this type of corruption strikes 

at the heart of government, eroding public confidence 

and undermining the strength of our democracy, the 

investigation of public corruption is the FBI’s top criminal 

priority.

Currently the Bureau is working more than 4,000 

public corruption cases around the nation with the 

help of our partners. Our investigative efforts pay off 

year after year—fiscal year 2013 alone saw approximately 

1,200 federal indictments and informations against 

corrupt officials.

Investigating the corruption of federal personnel—in 

particular, trusted officials and employees with access 

to sensitive information—is our number one public 

corruption priority because of the potential impact 

on U.S. national security. But corrupt state and local 

officials—who, like their federal counterparts, take 

an oath to serve—can seriously harm public trust in 

government. They can also jeopardize public safety and 

waste millions of taxpayer dollars.

The FBI is uniquely situated to investigate public 

corruption—we’ve got plenty of experience and the 

resources to run the kind of long-term, complex 

investigations that corruption activities often require. 

To uncover secretive activities like bribery, embezzlement, 

racketeering, kickbacks, and money laundering, we use 

sophisticated investigative techniques that can give us 

a front row seat to handshakes, money exchanges, or 

descriptions of corrupt schemes directly from the mouths 

of the officials involved. These techniques—which 

we’ve been using successfully for years against organized 

crime—include electronic surveillance, undercover 

operations, and informants/cooperating witnesses.

June 12, 2014

The Testing That Wasn’t

New York Man Falsifies Test 

Data on Military Equipment

The investigation, which involved extensive reviews of 

company testing records and numerous interviews with 

company employees and others, revealed how the data 

was falsified. Here’s how it worked:

▪ Among the testing protocols imposed by DOD for 

the KG-40 and SH-60 is something called vibration 

testing—component parts being placed on a 

vibration table for a certain period of time to ensure 

they can survive real-world combat conditions on 

aircraft and ships.

▪ During vibration testing, the components are hooked 

up to a computer that monitors performance and 

produces a profile. Because of testing variables, no 

two items will produce the same exact testing profile.

▪ Wysocki admitted to personally falsifying vibration 

test profiles—and directing subordinates to do the 

same—for components of the KG-40 and SH-60 

systems by using testing profiles from previous items 

and simply changing the serial number, date, and 

time of the test. These phony profiles were then 

inserted into each component’s “traveler file,” which 

accompanies it throughout the assembly and testing 

process. Each tested item needs a copy of a passing 

vibration table profile in its file before it can be 

released to the military. Wysocki even had a name for 

his non-testing procedure: “phantom vibe testing.”

▪ To justify the phantom vibe testing to his workers, 

Wysocki told them that the testing of certain 

components could be skipped because those types of 

components had no reported failures detected during 

vibration testing. He also told them he was trying to 

clear up a backlog and that the units needed to move 

along the line quicker.

But no matter how Wysocki tried to justify his actions to 

his subordinates—or perhaps to himself—he broke the 

law. And as U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Jr., Western 

District of New York, put it, “This office will not tolerate 

anybody who, by their actions, hurts or impacts the 

products used by our military men and women to carry 

out their critical mission.”

Technology enhances the U.S. military’s ability to protect 

our nation. That technology, however, is traditionally 

subject to stringent testing measures to ensure it operates 

the way it’s supposed to.

Unfortunately, one testing manager employed by a 

government contractor in western New York decided, on 

his own, that the testing requirements imposed by the 

Department of Defense (DOD) on his company were 

unnecessary, so he cut corners. And when the FBI and 

our military partners got wind of his actions, the ensuing 

joint investigation resulted in that testing manager’s 

guilty plea and subsequent federal prison term. He was 

also ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution for the 

retesting costs incurred by the military.

Steve Wysocki personally oversaw product testing for two 

specific projects—the KG-40 military radio system and 

the SH-60 Sonobuoy system. The KG-40 is a tactical 

radio encryption system used by the U.S. Army and Navy 

and also sold for export to foreign countries, while the 

SH-60 is an anti-submarine warfare device that includes 

a small sonar unit usually released into the ocean from an 

aircraft.

In 2011, the FBI received information about possible 

falsification of testing data for the KG-40 radio system. 

Teaming up with investigators from the Army Criminal 

Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit, 

the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the 

Defense Criminal Investigative Service, we began looking 

into the allegations.
48 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 49

June 23, 2014

Operation Cross Country

Recovering Victims of Child

Sex Trafficking

Nicole was 17 when she was lured into a life of forced prostitution by 

a man who initially charmed her but turned out to be a pimp.

forces also include FBI victim specialists from our Office 

for Victim Assistance—men and women who play a 

key role in helping victims while their cases are being 

investigated and up to and beyond criminal prosecutions.

“We don’t enter any of our victims’ lives at a good time,” 

said Victim Specialist Dani Geissinger-Rodarte, who 

works in our Seattle Division and who was instrumental 

in helping Nicole get away from her pimp and later testify 

against him (Vianez is serving a 20-year jail term).

“A lot of victims of child prostitution have difficult 

backgrounds,” Geissinger-Rodarte explained, so victim 

specialists must assess the girls’ needs before they can 

begin to help them.

Sometimes, it’s not easy to convince young victims 

they need to get away from those who are exploiting 

them. Nicole, like many trafficked juveniles, was totally 

dependent on her pimp. “I didn’t have money, I didn’t 

have a house, I didn’t have a bank account, I didn’t have 

my own car,” she said. “I didn’t have anything. So if I left 

Juan, I left everything.”

In 2007, after a vicious beating that left her in the 

hospital with serious injuries, Nicole met GeissingerRodarte—and over time came to trust her. Eventually, 

Geissinger-Rodarte connected Nicole with community 

services and helped her to see there was a future beyond 

prostitution.

Today, Nicole is an honors college student on her way to a 

psychology degree. She has a job, a driver’s license, a good 

credit rating, and she just bought a new car. “I am very, 

very proud of myself,” she said.

In many ways, Nicole was a typical teenager. In high 

school she tried cigarettes and alcohol, but she says, “I 

was pretty much a good kid. I didn’t really stay out late, I 

always came home, I never stole anything. I did what a lot 

of teenagers do.”

By age 17, however, things were deteriorating at home. 

Her parents were divorced, her father was absent, and she 

and her mother had an on-again, off-again relationship. 

That’s when Nicole met a man who took her shopping 

and showered her with attention. “He was gorgeous and 

he had charm,” she said. “I didn’t really think he was 

going to turn out to be...” Her voice trailed off as she 

tried to find words to describe Juan Vianez, the pimp who 

forced her into prostitution and later brutally beat her.

Now 27, Nicole is one of countless young women 

victimized by child sex traffickers. But with the assistance 

of the FBI and our partners, she and other victims are 

turning their lives around—and helping to put hundreds 

of pimps behind bars.

Operation Cross Country, an annual law enforcement 

action that took place last week in 106 U.S. cities, 

highlights ongoing efforts by the Bureau—together with 

the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 

and our local, state, and federal law enforcement 

partners—to address the sexual exploitation of juveniles 

as part of our Innocence Lost National Initiative.

Since its creation in 2003, the Innocence Lost program 

has resulted in the identification and recovery of 

approximately 3,600 minors who have been sexually 

exploited. This year marks the eighth Operation Cross 

Country, the largest such enforcement action to date: 

168 trafficking victims were recovered and 281 pimps 

were arrested.

“These are not children living in some faraway place, far 

from everyday life,” FBI Director James Comey said at a 

press conference today at FBI Headquarters. “These are 

America’s children.”

To address violent crimes against children, the FBI has 

established nearly 70 Child Exploitation Task Forces 

around the country, said Special Agent Steve Vienneau. 

Noting that the task forces rely on partnerships with 

all levels of law enforcement, Vienneau added, “the FBI 

could never succeed in this mission alone.” The task 

June 20, 2014

Left: The burned interior of the station wagon that was discovered 

following the disappearance of activists Michael Schwerner, James 

Chaney, and Andrew Goodman.

A Byte Out of History

50 Years Since Mississippi

Burning

Even before that, their friends at COFO had become 

concerned. Schwerner’s travel plans indicated the three 

would arrive at their hotel that afternoon. When they 

missed 4 p.m. check-in, COFO began to try and track 

their whereabouts, calling around the county throughout 

the evening. By 10 p.m., around the time they were 

released, COFO still hadn’t heard from them and relayed 

their concerns to the local FBI and a Department of 

Justice representative who was in the area. At that point, 

though, nothing was known of the three or about what 

had happened. Without evidence to suspect foul play, 

there were no grounds yet for FBI involvement.

But in this case, the ramifications were not just a local 

matter. The voting rights drive in Mississippi and 

its national implications were clearly on the radars 

of President Johnson and Attorney General Robert 

Kennedy, who took great interest in civil rights matters. 

Although the FBI’s local agent had begun asking about 

the missing workers on June 22, the Justice Department 

wanted even more involvement and told the FBI to place 

additional agents on the case.

By the next day, another 10 agents had been assigned to 

the case. The FBI received a tip about a burning station 

wagon seen in the woods off of Highway 21, about 13 

miles northeast of Philadelphia—it was the men’s vehicle. 

Soon after the find, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was 

advising President Johnson on the case. With no remains 

found in the car, there was a slim hope that the three 

might still be found alive. President Johnson informed the 

Schwerner family and closely followed the FBI’s progress.

The Mississippi Burning, or MIBURN, case quickly 

became one of the Bureau’s biggest investigations; FBI 

resources and personnel that moved into Mississippi that 

summer—including the opening of the new FBI field 

office in the state capitol—reflected the massive effort.

Fifty years ago, our country was in the midst of a struggle 

to extend full rights and liberties to all of its citizens. 

On the national stage, the long legislative fight on the 

landmark Civil Rights Act was nearing a conclusion. 

Regionally, the push to roll back odious Jim Crow laws 

led to demonstrations between opponents of the legal 

discrimination and supporters of the status quo.

In Mississippi, the center of the civil rights effort in 1964 

was the Freedom Summer, in which committed activists 

and local residents encouraged African-Americans to 

register to vote—fewer than seven percent of those 

eligible were registered at the time. The Council of 

Federated Organizations (COFO), a coalition of civil 

rights groups, arranged the drive, and orientation for its 

registrars had begun in mid-June.

Michael Schwerner, a 24-year-old social worker, had just 

started a job with the Congress on Racial Equality in 

Mississippi and quickly came to the attention of local 

Klan members. He had been at the Freedom Summer 

training in Ohio and was returning to Mississippi with 

fellow activists Andrew Goodman and James Chaney. 

Their plan was to visit Mount Zion Church in Neshoba 

County, which had been burned by the Klan.

Arriving in Philadelphia, Mississippi on June 21, the 

three were arrested by Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price, who 

charged Chaney with speeding and held the other two 

“for investigation.” Though the men were released from 

custody later that night and set off for their lodgings, they 

were followed out of town. They never made it to their 

destination.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/occviii.
50 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 51

July 3, 2014

Violent Criminals 

Sentenced

Charged in 2010 Murder of 

Oklahoma Couple

This is all that was left of the travel trailer belonging to Oklahoma 

retirees Gary and Linda Haas when it was discovered in New Mexico 

in 2010. The couple was murdered inside the trailer by a escaped 

prison inmate and his accomplices.

On August 4, 2010, the New Mexico State Police 

discovered the remains of Gary and Linda Haas in their 

burned trailer. Later that day, they also located the 

couple’s pick-up truck in Albuquerque. After a multistate, multi-agency manhunt, Tracy Allen Province 

was apprehended in Wyoming on August 9, 2010, and 

McCluskey and Welch—thanks to an alert U.S. Forest 

Service employee—were apprehended at a camp ground 

in Arizona on August 19, 2010.

Collaborative evidence collection played a key role in this 

case. Personnel from the New Mexico State Police and 

the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Forensic 

Laboratory performed the initial crime scene work at the 

burned-out trailer and the victims’ truck. Despite the 

criminals’ attempts to wipe the truck clean, the three 

subjects were able to be identified through fingerprint and 

DNA evidence they left behind.

Then the FBI’s Evidence Response Teams from our 

Phoenix and Albuquerque offices processed the location 

where McCluskey and Welch were apprehended as well 

as the stolen sedan they were driving. ERT personnel 

recovered several telling items owned by the victims, 

including the very handgun used to kill the couple and a 

cap belonging to Gary Haas that McCluskey was wearing 

at the time of his arrest.

In August 2010, Oklahoma retirees and high school 

sweethearts Gary and Linda Haas took off in their 

truck and travel trailer for their annual camping trip to 

Colorado. But tragically, they soon crossed paths with 

violent prison escapees and were murdered inside that 

trailer.

As a result of the FBI and New Mexico State Policeled investigation into this especially brutal crime, last 

month defendant John Charles McCluskey received a 

life sentence plus 235 years. His accomplices—fellow 

prison escapee Tracy Allen Province and Casslyn Mae 

Welch—McCluskey’s girlfriend—were sentenced to five 

consecutive life terms and 40 years, respectively.

It began on July 30, 2010, when McCluskey, fellow 

inmate Tracy Allen Province, and a third inmate—all 

violent offenders—escaped from an Arizona state 

prison with the assistance of Welch. (The third inmate 

was separated from the others during the escape but was 

apprehended two days later.)

McCluskey, Province, and Welch—using handguns 

provided by Welch—kidnapped two truck drivers who 

had stopped along a nearby interstate and took their 

truck to Flagstaff. Leaving the truck drivers at a rest 

stop, the group then stole a small sedan to continue their 

getaway. But after driving in the small car with little or no 

sleep, the three thought it would be a good idea to target 

a camper or trailer owner, so on August 2, 2010, they 

pulled off at a New Mexico rest stop to find one.

Unfortunately, Gary and Linda Haas also chose the 

same rest stop. And it wasn’t long before they were 

spotted by McCluskey and his accomplices, who carjacked 

the couple at gunpoint and forced them back onto the 

interstate.

A short distance later, McCluskey ordered the couple to 

exit the interstate and stop at a secluded location, where 

he shot and killed Gary and Linda Haas at point-blank 

range inside their trailer. The trio towed the trailer to 

another secluded location and set it on fire, with the 

Haases’ bodies inside. They then took off in the couple’s 

truck and drove to Albuquerque, where they abandoned 

it in a shopping center—but not before trying to wipe it 

down inside and outside to remove fingerprints.

July 1, 2014

Left: As Attorney General Eric Holder (right) looks on, FBI Director 

James Comey speaks at a press conference announcing charges 

against BNP Paribas, which has agreed to plead guilty and pay 

$8.9 billion for illegally processing financial transactions on behalf 

countries subject to U.S. economic sanctions.

Bank Guilty of 

Violating U.S. 

Economic Sanctions

Record Penalties Levied Against 

Global Financial Institution

role in the transactions. In addition, the bank instructed 

other financial institutions not to mention the names of 

sanctioned entities in payments sent through the U.S. 

and removed references to those entities from payment 

messages, thereby enabling the funds to pass through the 

U.S. financial system undetected.

“The significant financial penalties imposed on BNP 

Paribas send a powerful deterrent message to any 

company that places its profits ahead of its adherence 

to the law,” said FBI Director James Comey. “We will 

continue to work closely with our federal and state 

partners to ensure compliance with U.S. banking laws 

to promote integrity across financial institutions and to 

safeguard our national security.”

During the course of the more than four-year 

investigation, FBI agents from our New York Division 

and criminal investigators from the Internal Revenue 

Service reviewed scores of financial documents and 

e-mails to unravel the illicit activity and made numerous 

trips overseas to interview people with knowledge of the 

transactions.

The majority of illegal payments were made on behalf 

of sanctioned entities in Sudan, which was subject to 

U.S. embargo based on the Sudanese government’s role 

in facilitating terrorism and committing human rights 

abuses. BNPP processed approximately $6.4 billion 

through the U.S. on behalf of Sudanese sanctioned 

entities between 2006 and 2007, including approximately 

$4 billion on behalf of a financial institution owned 

by the government of Sudan, even as internal e-mails 

showed BNPP employees expressing concern about the 

bank’s role assisting the Sudanese government.

In March 2007, a senior compliance officer at BNPP 

wrote to other high-level BNPP employees reminding 

them that certain Sudanese banks BNPP was dealing 

with “play a pivotal part in the support of the Sudanese 

government which...has hosted Osama Bin Laden and 

refuses the United Nations intervention in Darfur.”

The case against BNPP “should send a strong message to 

any institution anywhere in the world that does business 

in the United States,” Attorney General Holder said. 

“Illegal conduct will simply not be tolerated.”

France’s largest bank—and the fourth largest financial 

institution in the world—has admitted to large-scale, 

systematic exploitation of the American financial system 

on behalf of countries facing U.S. economic sanctions 

(such as Sudan, Iran, and Cuba) and has agreed to pay 

record penalties of nearly $9 billion.

BNP Paribas (BNPP), a global financial institution 

headquartered in Paris, has admitted its role in violating 

the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and 

the Trading with the Enemy Act by processing billions of 

dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system 

on behalf of entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions.

“BNP Paribas went to elaborate lengths to conceal 

prohibited transactions, cover its tracks, and deceive U.S. 

authorities,” noted Attorney General Eric Holder during 

a press conference yesterday at the Department of Justice 

in Washington, D.C. “These actions represent a serious 

breach of U.S. law.”

According to documents released yesterday, from 2004 

until 2012, BNPP illegally moved more than $8.8 billion 

through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned 

entities and used a variety of schemes to conceal the true 

nature of the transactions from U.S. regulators.

For example, BNPP routed illegal payments through 

third-party financial institutions to conceal the 

involvement of the sanctioned entities as well as BNPP’s 
52 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 53

July 11, 2014

Dog Fighting Ringleader 

Pleads Guilty

Multi-State Criminal Enterprise 

Shut Down

Along with the round-up of Anderson and his coconspirators on that day, 367 dogs were rescued with the 

assistance of the American Society for the Prevention 

of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the 

United States. Most of the recovered dogs were in pretty 

bad shape, with plenty of evidence showing they had 

been subjected to fighting activities. But after medical 

treatment and rehabilitation, many of the dogs have been 

or are in the process of being placed into loving homes.

Federal enforcement of dog fighting activities in 

general got a boost in 2007 when the Animal Fighting 

Prohibition Enforcement Act—which targeted individuals 

directly involved in fighting activities—was passed. This 

law prohibits the interstate trafficking of animals that will 

be used for fighting and also strengthens imprisonment 

penalties.

But a word of warning to spectators at these events—this 

past February, a new federal provision made it a crime 

to knowingly attend an animal fighting event and to 

knowingly bring a child under the age of 16 to such an 

event.

In recognition of their actions that led to the rescue 

of hundreds of mistreated dogs, two FBI agents and a 

former agent—along with an Auburn Police Department 

detective and the U.S. Attorney and Assistant U.S. 

Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama—were all 

recently recognized with an award from the Humane 

Society.

In 2011, our Mobile Field Office had received some 

disturbing reports about a possible high-stakes dog 

fighting and gambling enterprise based in Alabama 

with activities spanning several nearby states. So in 

April of that year, the Bureau—in conjunction with our 

law enforcement partners in those states—opened an 

investigation.

By August 2013, this broad and coordinated investigative 

effort—which involved sophisticated techniques like 

court-authorized wiretaps and confidential sources—had 

led to the indictment and arrest of 10 individuals on 

federal dog fighting and gambling charges. Several others 

were subsequently charged.

A key figure in this group of co-conspirators—Donnie 

Anderson—recently pled guilty in the case. In addition, 

nine others involved have pled guilty thus far.

In his plea agreement, Anderson admitted to organizing 

and holding dog fights—mostly in the Auburn, Alabama 

area—from 2009 to 2013, as well as charging spectators 

an entrance fee of between $100 to $150 (although 

owners of dogs fighting at that particular event got in for 

free). He also said that dog owners and spectators were 

betting on the outcome of the fights, putting up a total 

of anywhere between $20,000 and $200,000 per fight. 

And, Anderson admitted to not only hosting the fights 

but—along with his co-conspirators—buying, selling, 

transporting, housing, and training the dogs used in the 

fights.

Dogs involved in these matches are treated very poorly—

they are neglected and abused, living primarily in cages 

or in chains without adequate food and water. During 

training, they’re taught to attack live bait (often times 

stolen pets like cats, rabbits, and small dogs). After a 

fight, the losing dog is often killed.

And dog fighting (as well as cock fighting) is usually 

always accompanied by other illegal activities, like 

gambling, illegal firearms activity, and drug trafficking. 

During the August 2013 takedown of Donnie Anderson’s 

operation, law enforcement personnel seized guns, illegal 

drugs, drugs used to treat and train dogs, and more than 

$500,000 in cash.

July 8, 2014

Left: FBI Director James Comey speaks at the International Law 

Enforcement Critical Infrastructure Symposium in Miami on July 7, 

2014. (Interpol Photo)

FBI, Interpol Host 

Critical Infrastructure 

Symposium

Director Comey Addresses the 

Importance of Partnerships

by terrorists who bombed the London Underground and 

a double-decker bus in a series of coordinated suicide 

attacks.

“We know these threats are real,” Comey told the 

audience. “We must together figure out ways to protect 

our infrastructure, to work together to strengthen our 

response to a terrorist attack, a tragic accident, or a 

natural disaster.”

While touching on topics ranging from terrorism, 

cyber, and WMD threats to training, partnerships, and 

intelligence, Comey’s theme throughout underscored the 

importance of open communication and information 

sharing with our partners in the U.S. and abroad.

Interpol, as an international police organization, is an 

important partner on which the Bureau relies heavily 

to help combat threats of all types. The FBI, through 

its liaison with Interpol, is able to leverage 190 member 

countries to address challenges around the globe—a very 

important ability in a constantly evolving global threat 

environment.

Comey also highlighted the work of our WMD 

Directorate, each FBI field office’s WMD coordinator, 

and our two regional WMD assistant legal attachés 

in Tbilisi and Singapore. “They integrate our 

counterterrorism, intelligence, counterintelligence, 

scientific, and technological components and provide 

timely analysis of the threat and response,” Comey said. 

“The goal is to shrink the world to respond to the threat.”

The symposium provides the opportunity for participants 

to help work toward that goal. Through networking 

and discussions on how to coordinate and cooperate 

on critical infrastructure preparedness and protection 

efforts, attendees will strengthen existing partnerships 

and develop new ones. By rallying the international 

community around defeating a common threat, our 

collective chances of success increase.

Director Comey said that our greatest weapon in this 

fight is unity, which is developed through intelligence 

sharing and interagency cooperation. “It is built on the 

idea that standing together, we are smarter and stronger 

than when we are standing alone,” he said. “Because no 

one person—no FBI agent, no police officer, no agency, 

and no country—can prevent or respond to an attack on 

critical infrastructure alone.”

FBI Director James Comey was in Miami yesterday, where 

he spoke at the opening of the four-day International 

Law Enforcement Critical Infrastructure Symposium. 

The event, co-hosted by the FBI’s Weapons of Mass 

Destruction (WMD) Directorate and Interpol, has drawn 

senior law enforcement officials from more than 90 

countries to explore and share best practices for managing 

WMD and counterterrorism threats targeted against 

critical infrastructure and to identify common approaches 

to protect infrastructure and key resources.

Also participating in the symposium are domestic first 

responders, corporate security officers, and other U.S. 

federal partners.

“Today, critical infrastructure is all encompassing,” said 

Director Comey. “It is everything to our country and 

our world—our dams, our bridges, our highways, our 

networks,” he added, explaining that the threats we face 

to our interconnected systems—such as bioterrorism, 

agroterrorism, and sabotage—are as diverse as our 

infrastructure itself.

Comey cited examples of threats to infrastructure, to 

include the armed assault last April on a California power 

station, the 2008 attack in Mumbai in which gunmen 

opened fire at a number of locations, and last year’s 

deadly shootings at a Kenyan shopping mall. He also 

noted the ninth anniversary of the July 7, 2013 strikes 
54 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 55

July 18, 2014

The Transnational 

Gang Threat

Part 1: Joining Forces to

Meet the Challenge

CACIE participants from Guatemala listen to a translation of events at 

the start of the two-week training program.

“We need to understand the enemy we are fighting,” 

said Jason Kaplan, the FBI’s legal attaché in El Salvador. 

“Gang members do not pay attention to borders. So we 

need to develop lasting and meaningful relationships with 

our international partners to deal with the gang threat.” 

He added, “We have to establish programs to teach 

young people about the dangers of drugs and gangs and 

violent crimes. CACIE is all about prevention, and that is 

critical, because you can’t arrest your way out of the gang 

problem.”

Following the opening events in Washington, D.C., 

CACIE participants spent time at the FBI’s training 

facility in Quantico, Virginia; in Durham, North 

Carolina, to learn about prevention programs that are 

working; and in Guatemala, where a new emphasis is 

being placed on community policing to fight the gang 

threat.

On the first day of their training, Legal Attaché Kaplan 

encouraged CACIE participants from Honduras, 

Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, 

and the U.S. “to walk away from this experience with 

plenty of business cards and good ideas. Everyone 

involved in the fight against transnational gangs has to 

be assertive,” he said. “You will need to be champions for 

your countries and your communities, and for the young 

people who are growing up there right now.”

Part 2: Building Partnerships That Last (page 56)

The community activists, social workers, and police 

officers from six Central American countries and the U.S. 

who had arrived in the nation’s capital the previous day 

were now assembled at the Eisenhower Executive Office 

Building next door to the White House. Chatting in 

Spanish and English, they waited for the official start of a 

two-week training program with an innovative approach 

to dealing with the problem of transnational gangs.

The FBI-led initiative known as CACIE—the Central 

American Community Impact Exchange program—

unites civic groups and law enforcement organizations to 

deter gang violence and criminal activity by helping to 

keep young people from joining gangs. This deterrence 

model stresses prevention in addition to police 

intervention, and the 22 CACIE participants are on the 

front lines of that effort.

The MS-13 and 18th Street gangs are entrenched in 

many parts of Central America and are notoriously 

violent. Gang members in their teens are responsible 

for kidnappings and extortion, trafficking of drugs and 

people, and brutal murders. Often, a young person must 

kill someone before being fully admitted into the gang. 

And these crimes don’t heed borders.

“The White House recognizes that violent crime and the 

illicit flow of drugs and money across borders can be a 

threat to America’s national security,” said George Selim, 

a member of the White House National Security Staff, 

which sponsors the CACIE initiative along with the FBI 

and the U.S. Department of State. “Community solutions, 

rather than government solutions,” Selim said during 

CACIE’s opening ceremony in April, “are really the spirit 

behind this effort.”

The training program—the second since CACIE was 

established in 2013—brings together a cross-section 

of dedicated individuals involved in the fight against 

gangs. The goal is to share best practices about how to 

deter recruitment of gang members, whether through 

community-based after-school programs, policesponsored youth corps, or other initiatives rooted in their 

respective communities. CACIE also promotes longterm partnerships between civic organizations and law 

enforcement agencies.

July 15, 2014

Left: Director Hoover greets Jackson Police Department Chief W.D. 

Rayfield (left) and Jackson Mayor Allen C. Thompson (right) in the 

newly opened Jackson FBI Field Office on July 10, 1964.

A Byte Out of History

50th Anniversary of the FBI’s 

Jackson Field Office

The violence in Mississippi, though, demanded an 

immediate and strong response. In late June, an aide to 

President Lyndon Johnson called the FBI’s White House 

liaison, Assistant Director “Deke” DeLoach, and told 

him that the president wanted the FBI’s presence in 

Mississippi greatly increased. The president himself was 

telling FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover the same thing as 

Hoover reported in regularly on the case of the missing 

civil rights workers. On June 29, 1964, Hoover reported 

to Johnson, “I am opening a main office at Jackson, 

Mississippi...[but] it won’t be able to be effective for three 

or four days.”

FBI Memphis Special Agent in Charge Karl Dissly—at 

that time responsible for investigations in the northern 

part of Mississippi—was sent to Jackson to hunt for office 

space, but he faced some challenges. The Bureau needed 

suitable space, and quickly. And local prejudices meant 

that it might be hard to find a landlord willing to rent 

to an integrated agency—the FBI employed not only 

African-American support staff but also agents.

But these problems were worked out, and on July 10, 

1964, Hoover arrived in Mississippi for the office’s 

dedication. When speaking of the reasons for the office, 

Hoover said he knew that there were “strong feeling we 

were coming in to take over” and he wanted to allay 

those fears, explaining that the FBI would keep within 

bounds of the law and its mandate.

The creation of the Jackson Field Office, recognized 

last week, was a product of need, tragedy, politics, and 

especially passion—passion to oppose the violence and 

cruelty encouraged by the Jim Crow laws.

“Liberty and justice for all,” said FBI Deputy Director 

Mark Giuliano, who also spoke at last week’s ceremony, 

“that is what Jackson office stands for. It is what the FBI 

stands for.”

Fifty years ago this summer, Mississippi was at the front 

and center of our country’s civil rights struggles, with 

cases such as the June 21, 1964 disappearance of three 

civil rights workers becoming issues of national concern. 

Less than two weeks later—and in response to that tragic 

event—the FBI opened its Jackson Field Office.

On July 10, 2014, FBI employees joined state officials, 

law enforcement partners, and civil rights era figures, 

including Myrlie Evers-Williams—widow of civil rights 

leader Medgar Evers, who was slain in Mississippi in 

1963—in celebrating the 50th anniversary of our Jackson 

Division and the vital role the office has played since 

then in the Bureau’s civil rights program.

Evers-Williams noted the long evolution of the fights 

and passions that led to the opening of the Jackson Field 

Office and the scars that those directly involved bore. 

“We saw the FBI only as an institution set to keep people 

of color down,” she said. “One that was not a friend, but 

one that was a foe. And I stand before you today saying 

that I am proud to say I see the FBI as playing the role 

they did, and finally in my mind, and my heart reaching 

the point where I can say, friend.”

This turning of foe to friend was set in motion 50 years 

ago under unique circumstances. Usually when an FBI 

field office is opened, the Bureau spends a significant 

amount of time analyzing the caseloads of nearby offices, 

comparing the geographic distribution of those cases, and 

evaluating where the most efficient place would be to put 

a new office.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/jackson50th.
56 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 57

July 25, 2014

The Transnational 

Gang Threat

Part 3: Overcoming the

Language Barrier

Martha Anta (right), a linguist in our San Antonio Field Office, 

interprets for the Spanish-speaking CACIE participants who did not 

speak English.

communities drew them all closer, she added. “It was 

extremely gratifying to be part of such a heartfelt group.”

The linguists were never really off-duty. Training 

days sometimes stretched beyond 12 hours, and their 

interpreting skills were also needed for after-hours tours 

and meals. As a result, said Lillian Atdjian, a language 

specialist in our Jacksonville Division, “we became 

members of the group.”

Thanks to the interpreters’ efforts, noted CACIE 

participant Nick Hullinger, “the whole group was able 

to quickly move forward together. Their abilities made 

it easy for everyone to communicate and to bond.” 

Hullinger, a Spartanburg (South Carolina) County 

Sheriff’s Office deputy and member of an FBI Safe Streets 

Task Force, added that the language barrier posed little 

problem for the group.

There were emotional moments when it was difficult to 

interpret, said Sabrina Jennings, a language analyst in 

our Houston Field Office. During a meeting with at-risk 

youth in Durham, North Carolina, for example, a young 

boy talked about not having a father or father figure 

in his life. “As a male counselor told the young boy to 

stand up and proceeded to hug him, I found it difficult 

to maintain my composure as I watched people in the 

audience crying,” Jennings recalled. “I kept interpreting 

with watery eyes and a lump in my throat.”

Just like the CACIE participants, she added, “the 

interpreters don’t simply walk away from an assignment 

like this. We all spent two weeks together, shared so 

much, and learned from each other. We all became 

friends.”

Part 4: Adding Prevention to Intervention (page 58)

For some Central American and U.S. participants in 

an FBI-led training program to combat the threat of 

transnational gangs, there may have been a considerable 

language barrier if not for the Bureau interpreters on 

hand to provide a verbal lifeline.

Although not technically members of the Central 

American Community Impact Exchange (CACIE) 

program, the four interpreters from our Language 

Services Section who recently took part in the two-week 

session were instrumental to the group’s success, ensuring 

that the police officers, pastors, social workers, and 

community activists from Honduras, Guatemala, El 

Salvador, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, and the U.S. were 

all on the same page.

A fundamental goal of CACIE is to facilitate an 

international coalition between law enforcement and 

communities to fight violent transnational gangs 

like MS-13 and 18th Street. The ability for partners 

from different countries to communicate—to share 

information and ideas—is central to that goal.

During presentations, participants who were not 

bilingual wore headsets to listen to an interpreter 

translating between English and Spanish. In the field, the 

linguists—whose regular assignments support a variety 

of FBI investigations—kept the dialogue flowing while 

the group toured neighborhoods and police stations in 

North Carolina and Guatemala learning about programs 

designed to keep young people out of gangs.

“What set this apart from our usual work is that it 

involved community leaders as well as law enforcement,” 

said Ana Lahr, a linguist in our Pittsburgh Division 

who, like the other CACIE interpreters, volunteered for 

this assignment. “We had the privilege of interacting 

with all the participants and listening to their unique 

perspectives,” she explained. “Everyone was passionate 

about the work they do.”

Typically, interpreters try to be “invisible” and simply 

convey the speaker’s message, said Martha Anta, a 

linguist in our San Antonio Field Office. But hearing 

about the challenges CACIE participants face in their 

July 22, 2014

Left: CACIE participants use the FBI’s state-of-the-art simulation 

trainer in Quantico, Virginia to hone their tactical skills.

The Transnational 

Gang Threat

Part 2: Building Partnerships

That Last

of the FBI’s Safe Streets and Gang Unit who helps 

administer the CACIE program.

For that concept to work, the 22 CACIE participants 

from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Costa 

Rica, Panama, and the U.S. must develop strong 

relationships so that when the two-week class is 

completed, lasting partnerships can be formed.

“All the people here need to become close friends 

during this experience,” said Gerry Lopez, a senior 

deputy district attorney in Riverside, California, who 

participated in the first CACIE training session last year 

and was invited back to share best practices with this 

year’s class. “Before there can be an effective professional 

connection,” he said, “there needs to be a meaningful 

personal connection.”

That’s why the team-building exercise in the virtual 

trainer—along with other classroom, tactical, and field 

training the group received—is vital. Learning how 

officers search buildings and make arrests gave the 

non-law enforcement members of CACIE an appreciation 

for what police are up against when dealing with violent 

gang members. It also underscored the fact that the 

fight against transnational gangs—regardless of one’s 

nationality—can only succeed through a unified effort.

“The hope is that after this training, the participants will 

take an elevated role against gangs in their communities,” 

Baer said, “and share with each other what works and 

what doesn’t work.”

“It’s good to know there are so many other people in 

different countries committed to keeping kids out of 

gangs,” said CACIE class member Fredy Martinez, a 

mental health therapist and court liaison with Arlington, 

Virginia’s Department of Human Services who counsels 

young gang members caught up in the legal system. “This 

group—and what they stand for—validates what I do on 

a daily basis.”

CACIE participant Henry Pacheco, a counselor for 

the Northern Virginia Family Service’s Intervention, 

Prevention, and Education Program, acknowledged that 

the gang problem can sometimes seem overwhelming. 

“But there is hope,” he said. “Just take a look at the 

people in this group. They all care, and they are all 

working together to make their communities better.”

Part 3: Overcoming the Language Barrier (page 57)

Wearing special headsets and sensors that transported 

them into a virtual world, the Central American 

Community Impact Exchange (CACIE) participants 

prepared to do battle in the FBI’s simulation trainer. 

The armed criminals projected through their 3D goggles 

lurked behind furniture and doorways. Carrying real M4 

rifles customized to shoot virtual rounds, it was the team’s 

job to subdue the bad guys without becoming casualties 

themselves.

The state-of-the-art simulation trainer at our facility in 

Quantico, Virginia helps new FBI agents-in-training and 

police officers around the country hone their tactical 

skills. For the CACIE group—many of whom are not 

members of law enforcement—the simulator was an 

illuminating and sobering lesson in how dangerous a 

police officer’s job is and how crucial teamwork is to 

success.

“Until today,” said a community activist from Honduras 

who had just emerged from a training run in the 

simulator, “I had never held or fired a weapon in my life.” 

Unfortunately, transnational gangs such as MS-13 and 

18th Street use guns far too often for crimes and murders 

in her country and elsewhere in Central America.

One of CACIE’s primary goals is to bring law 

enforcement and community groups together to develop 

programs that keep youths from being recruited by 

gangs. “The idea is to provide young people with other 

opportunities,” said Special Agent Rich Baer, a member 
58 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 59

August 1, 2014

Latent Hit of the 

Year Award

Massachusetts Examiner

Honored

The latent print on the left was taken from a television set found at a 

crime scene in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1983. The fingerprint on 

the right from IAFIS was matched to the latent print by an examiner 

with the Massachusetts State Police.

candidates for comparison purposes. Dolan examined the 

evidence and positively identified the prints to the first 

candidate in the IAFIS response—Shawn Marsh.

Based on this identification, the MSP reopened the case. 

Investigators located Marsh and requested additional 

prints from him, which resulted in an additional match 

to palmprint evidence recovered from the crime scene. 

Marsh was indicted in September 2011, pled guilty in 

April 2013, and was sentenced to a lengthy prison term.

It turned out that some of Marsh’s fingerprints had been 

available in the state AFIS at the time of the murder. 

However, the database was fairly new to the MSP, and 

those processing crime scene evidence at that time 

considered the prints of the right and left little fingers 

of limited value, so it was common practice to exclude 

them from the overall AFIS database in order to conserve 

resources. Why is that an important fact? Because the 

original latent prints lifted from the television set in the 

motel room crime scene came from a left little finger.

The full set of Marsh’s fingerprints contained in IAFIS—

which ultimately led to his identification—came from 

another arrest.

But the lesson was learned, and today, the Massachusetts 

State Police train law enforcement officers to collect 

prints from all 10 fingers when processing suspects.

Every year, our Criminal Justice Information Services 

Division gives its Latent Hit of the Year Award to latent 

print examiners and/or law enforcement officers who 

solve a major violent crime using the Bureau’s Integrated 

Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or IAFIS.

This year, we honor Massachusetts State Police (MSP) 

Trooper Christopher Dolan, a latent print examiner in 

the MSP’s Crime Scene Services Section, for the role he 

played in identifying the killer in a 1983 cold case.

The victim, 29-year-old Rodney Wyman, and a coworker had traveled from Connecticut to Malden, 

Massachusetts, to install windows at a construction 

site in the summer of 1983. On the night of August 

22, the two men settled down in their motel suite to 

watch television. They heard a noise in a back room, 

and Wyman got up to check it out. As he approached 

the door, a gunman fired a fatal shot into Wyman’s 

chest. The gunman, demanding money from Wyman’s 

co-worker, brutally attacked the man and then began 

removing valuables from the room. But when he tried 

lifting the television set, a tamper alarm was activated, 

and two hotel employees rushed to the room. One of the 

employees saw a man exit the rear window of the suite 

and chased him, but the intruder escaped.

The motel room was processed by the MSP’s Crime 

Scene Services Section. More than 23 latent prints 

were recovered—several were deemed of no value, and 

others were identified as those of the deceased victim 

and employees of the hotel. The remaining prints 

were searched against the Massachusetts Automated 

Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which was 

relatively new at the time. There were no results 

produced, and eventually, the case went cold

But 27 years later, the MSP—looking to apply newer 

investigative technologies to cold cases—requested a 

reassessment of the latent evidence from the Wyman 

homicide investigation. That task fell to Dolan, who first 

searched two latent images collected from the television 

set against the state AFIS, with negative results. He 

then requested a search of the FBI’s IAFIS and, in less 

than 10 minutes, received a response containing possible 

July 29, 2014

Left: CACIE participant Luis Ramirez, a National Civilian Police 

officer in Guatemala, said his department has placed a new emphasis 

on community-based policing. “We want to change the culture in 

these dangerous neighborhoods.”

The Transnational 

Gang Threat

Part 4: Adding Prevention to

Intervention

CACIE recently conducted a training class for law 

enforcement and community leaders from six Central 

American countries and the U.S. aimed at exposing 

participants to community-based prevention programs 

that work so they might be implemented in other places.

“We want to change the culture in these dangerous 

neighborhoods,” said Luis Ramirez, a National Civilian 

Police officer in Guatemala. His department has placed 

a new emphasis on community-based policing, recently 

launching a 14-month training program in which 

graduating officers will have the equivalent of a master’s 

degree in community policing.

“We are constantly working on strategies to investigate 

the gangs and to stop the threat,” Ramirez said. 

“Community programs to keep kids from joining gangs 

are one more strategy. We need to pay more attention to 

these at-risk kids.”

In Guatemala and elsewhere in Central America, many 

teens don’t go to school and don’t work. Often, they come 

from broken homes, their parents are not around, and 

they are unsupervised. “The goal is to keep these youths 

from being idle,” Ramirez said, “and to give them hope for 

the future.” But resources to create and fund after-school 

and other programs like Project Hope are often in scarce 

supply in Central American countries like Guatemala.

“These are very challenging circumstances,” Ramirez 

acknowledged. But a unified effort can make a difference, 

as CACIE participants saw in Villa Nueva and in 

Durham, North Carolina. “We all work together—the 

church, private enterprise, and the state,” Ramirez said. 

“Individually, we might not have resources, but everyone 

can bring something to the table. Communities are made 

by everyone.”

“We hope this year’s CACIE class will take the best of 

what they learned and implement similar programs in 

their own communities,” said Special Agent Rich Baer, 

who helps administer the program. “Because of the strong 

bonds they formed during the program, we are confident 

they will be good resources for each other going forward.”

In an impoverished neighborhood in Guatemala known 

for its violent gang activity, a handful of youngsters show 

visitors around a small compound next to a playground 

and soccer field. Although the buildings have dirt floors 

and few amenities, they represent a future for these 

children—one designed to keep them beyond the reaches 

of gangs.

Mentors hired by the community help the youths with 

their studies there, encourage them to stay in school, 

teach them how to plant and cultivate a garden, and 

remind them of the dangers associated with gangs such as 

MS-13 and 18th Street.

Most of the children live with those dangers on a daily 

basis. Gang crime is severe in Guatemala. An average of 

nearly 16 homicides occur daily in the country, and most 

of them are gang-related. “My goal is to stay in school and 

one day become an auto mechanic,” one of the boys in 

the program said. “With gangs, there is no future.”

The youth program in the impoverished outskirts of 

Villa Nueva—Guatemala’s second largest city—is called 

Project Hope and is an example of how communities are 

working to fight the gang threat through prevention as 

well as police intervention. That deterrence approach—

keeping young people from being recruited by gangs—is 

a fundamental goal of the Central American Community 

Impact Exchange (CACIE) program, an FBI-led initiative.
60 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 61

August 8, 2014

Serial Killers

Part 7: The FBI and

Jeffrey Dahmer

In this 1991 handout from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s 

Department, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is seen in his mugshot.

(AP Photo)

another murder. In 1994, while serving his sentence in a 

Wisconsin prison, Dahmer was bludgeoned to death by a 

fellow inmate.

The FBI’s involvement in serial killer cases has evolved 

over time. In the 1970s, we began applying the insights 

of psychology and behavioral science to violent criminal 

behavior. Federal legislation on serial killings in 1988 

and on violent crimes against interstate travelers in 1994 

expanded our operational jurisdiction. And of course, 

advancements in forensics over the years—such as DNA 

analysis and automated fingerprint capabilities—have 

played, and will continue to play, a vital role in stopping 

these killers and identifying their victims.

More about the Bureau’s role in this case can be found 

on the FBI Vault, where we have made our Freedom of 

Information Act release of material on Dahmer available. 

This material was released a number of years ago and 

includes our Headquarters file, Milwaukee Division file, 

a file from the FBI Laboratory concerning tests made on 

evidence from Dahmer’s apartment, and a foreign police 

cooperation file on efforts to determine if Dahmer had 

killed anyone while living in Germany.

Part 8: New Research Aims to Help Investigators Solve Cases 

(page 79)

At about 11:30 on the night of July 22, 1991, Milwaukee 

Police Department patrol units saw a partially clothed 

man stumbling down the road near an apartment building 

on North 25th Street. A handcuff could be seen dangling 

from his wrist. The young man reported to police that he 

had been threatened with a knife inside that apartment 

building, prompting the officers to investigate. And the 

first report on the incident to FBI Headquarters indicated 

that the police arrested a man named Jeffrey Dahmer 

at his apartment, where they had discovered what could 

have been the set of a horror movie—numerous body 

parts belonging to multiple victims.

In serial murder cases, the FBI’s role is often that of 

providing forensic and other investigative support in an 

ongoing investigation. That was certainly the case with 

Dahmer.

After analyzing our options regarding jurisdiction in this 

case under the federal kidnapping statute, the Bureau 

offered its laboratory and identification services to local 

authorities in Milwaukee. To help identify previous 

victims, investigators began tracing the killer’s trail across 

the U.S. and around the world. Behavioral analysts, also 

known as profilers, participated as well.

The remains of 11 victims were found in Dahmer’s 

apartment. Evidence recovered there—from physical 

remains to tools used to torture and dismember victims—

was sent to FBI Headquarters for forensic analysis. The 

Bureau ran DNA profiles; conducted chemical, biological, 

and tool mark analyses; undertook photographic and 

computer examinations; and performed other tests on 

submitted evidence. Bureau agents and analysts also 

investigated whether Dahmer could be linked to unsolved 

murders in areas where he was known to have lived, 

including Ohio, Florida, and Germany—one of the 

locations Dahmer was stationed while in the U.S. Army.

Soon after his arrest, Dahmer confessed to committing 

more than a dozen murders that included the torture and 

mutilation of his victims and the abuse of their corpses.

In early 1992, Wisconsin prosecutors—armed with 

evidence provided by the Bureau— began to set forth 

charges that Dahmer had killed 15 men during the course 

of a long criminal career. He was sentenced to life in 

prison and extradited to Ohio, where he was convicted of 

August 5, 2014

Violation of Public Trust

Corrupt Officials Jailed for

Abusing Justice System

had illegally received prescription pain medication and 

obtained unlawful campaign contributions. To protect 

Crum, Thornsbury and his colleagues pressured the 

defendant into firing his defense attorney and replacing 

him with another attorney handpicked by Team Mingo. 

After switching lawyers and pleading guilty to lesser 

charges, the defendant dropped his allegations against 

Crum and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

In addition, Thornsbury was later charged with trying to 

frame the husband of a woman with whom he was having 

an affair. The judge tried to have drugs planted in the 

husband’s car. When that plan failed, he arranged to have 

the man arrested for stealing scrap metal—even when it 

was determined the man had been given permission to 

take the material.

In June, Thornsbury was sent to prison for more than four 

years for denying residents their constitutional rights. The 

federal judge who sentenced him compared Thornsbury’s 

abuses of office to the actions of a Third World dictator.

Sparks, the former prosecutor who later cooperated 

with our investigation, was recently sentenced to a year 

in prison for his role in Team Mingo’s illegal activities. 

Others previously jailed as a result of the corruption probe 

include Baisden, sentenced in January to 20 months’ 

imprisonment, and former Mingo County chief magistrate 

Dallas Toler, sentenced in March to 27 months in prison.

“Team Mingo controlled the legal system, and they may 

have thought no one would stand up against them,” said 

Lafferty, who has been investigating public corruption 

and white-collar crime for more than a decade. “That 

didn’t turn out to be the case. No matter how much 

power you wield,” he added, “when you violate the public 

trust and engage in corruption, sooner or later, you will 

get caught.”

In the run-up to the 2012 primary elections in Mingo 

County, West Virginia, a group of officials adopted a 

campaign slogan to promote their political slate: Team 

Mingo. But the judge, sheriff, and county prosecuting 

attorney who were part of the alliance—among the most 

powerful men in the local judicial system—used their 

authority to serve their own interests rather than those of 

the citizens who elected them.

“These men essentially ran the county’s legal system,” 

said Special Agent Jim Lafferty, who investigated the 

case out of our Pittsburgh Field Office. The ringleader 

was Circuit Court Judge Michael Thornsbury. “The judge 

and his team were the power in Mingo County,” Lafferty 

explained. “They didn’t like anyone who tried to oppose 

them. If you were an attorney or an individual who 

wanted to get a fair shake in the court system, you had 

to play whatever game they wanted you to play. It was a 

toxic environment.”

We opened a case in September 2012. Lafferty and retired 

Special Agent Joe Ciccarelli—with the help of West 

Virginia State Police investigators—uncovered evidence 

that Thornsbury, then-Sheriff Eugene Crum (who had 

formerly been the county’s chief magistrate judge), and 

Michael Sparks, then the county’s prosecuting attorney, 

had been engaging in corrupt activities.

Specifically, the judge coerced a local drug defendant 

into firing his defense counsel because Thornsbury and 

other Team Mingo officials, including former County 

Commissioner David Baisden, learned that the drug 

defendant was prepared to testify that Sheriff Crum 
62 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 63

August 15, 2014

Health Care Fraud 

Enterprise Dismantled

Ringleader Operated Multiple 

Pharmacies

Care For You Pharmacy was one of the 26 Michigan pharmacies 

owned and/or operated by Babubhai Patel, who ran a criminal 

enterprise involved in health care fraud and drug diversion.

of pharmacists—mostly from overseas—to staff his 

pharmacies and help facilitate his scheme to defraud 

government and private insurers.

Patel and his associates offered kickbacks and bribes 

to doctors willing to write medically unnecessary 

prescriptions, home health care referrals, and bills 

for other services to Medicare, Medicaid, and private 

insurers. He also provided kickbacks and bribes to patient 

recruiters—individuals hired to go out and find patients 

willing to share their insurance information—as well 

as other inducements, such as doses of the drugs from 

the illegally written prescriptions. Patient recruiters, in 

turn, would then offer some of the same inducements 

to government and private insurance patients to get 

the patients to fill their prescriptions at Patel-owned 

pharmacies.

Such an extensive and complex fraud scheme required a 

similar response from law enforcement, and we obliged 

with the same sophisticated investigative techniques 

we’ve been using for years against savvy fraudsters—

careful reviews of financial records, interviews, physical 

surveillance, undercover scenarios, confidential sources, 

court-authorized wiretaps, and analysis of medical data 

and corporate filings.

When all was said and done, a prolific criminal enterprise 

was completely dismantled. And its ringleader discovered 

that crime really doesn’t pay: In addition to his 17-year 

prison sentence, Babubhai Patel was ordered to pay nearly 

$19 million in restitution to the insurance programs he 

had bilked.

It was a combination health care fraud and drug 

distribution scheme on a massive scale. It involved 26 

Michigan pharmacies, nine doctors, and two health 

care agencies. There were bribes and kickbacks aplenty 

and thousands of illegal doses of sought-after drugs like 

oxycodone and hydrocodone. And fraudulent billings to 

Medicare and Medicaid totaled more than $60 million, 

not to mention additional amounts to private insurers.

But the case began on a much smaller scale. In 2008, 

the Bureau learned that a single Michigan pharmacy 

was allegedly sending phony bills to Medicare and 

private insurance companies for prescription drugs. 

During the ensuing joint investigation with the Drug 

Enforcement Administration and the Department of 

Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, 

however, we were able to connect a wide array of other 

pharmacies—and subjects—to this illegal activity. 

We also uncovered the illegal diversion of controlled 

substances to people who didn’t medically need them, as 

well as billings to the government and private insurers 

for millions of dollars of non-controlled medications that 

were never dispensed to patients.

In August 2011 and March 2013, a total of 39 

individuals—including ringleader Babubhai Patel—were 

indicted on various federal health care fraud and drug 

charges related to this scheme, which ran from 2006 to 

2011.

After a six-week trial, Patel was convicted and sentenced 

to a 17-year prison term in 2013. And just last month, 

the 38th defendant in the case was convicted in federal 

court. These defendants included pharmacists, doctors, 

home health care agency owners, an accountant, and a 

psychologist. (The 39th defendant is currently a fugitive 

believed to be outside the U.S.—law enforcement 

continues to pursue him.)

How the scheme worked. Patel, a pharmacist and 

businessman from Canton, Michigan, owned and/or 

controlled 26 pharmacies and several home health care 

agencies in that state, but he concealed his involvement 

in many of these facilities through the use of straw 

owners. He and his associates recruited a number 

August 12, 2014

Long-Time Fugitive 

Captured

Juggler Was on the Run for

14 Years

Given his overseas travel experience and his language 

skills, the juggler could have been hiding anywhere in the 

world. With few credible leads, the case against Stammer 

went cold.

Fast forward to January 2014. Special Agent Russ 

Wilson had just been assigned the job of fugitive 

coordinator in our Albuquerque Division—the person 

responsible for helping to catch the region’s bank robbers, 

murderers, sex offenders, and other criminals who had 

fled rather than face the charges against them.

“In addition to the current fugitives, I had a stack of old 

cases,” Wilson said, “and Stammer’s stood out.” Working 

with our Office of Public Affairs, a new wanted poster for 

Stammer was posted on FBI.gov in hopes of generating 

tips.

At about the same time, a special agent with the 

Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)—a branch of the U.S. 

Department of State whose mission includes protecting 

U.S. Embassies and maintaining the integrity of U.S. 

visa and passport travel documents—was testing new 

facial recognition software designed to uncover passport 

fraud. On a whim, the agent decided to use the software 

on FBI wanted posters. When he came upon Stammer’s 

poster online, a curious thing happened: Stammer’s 

face matched a person whose passport photo carried a 

different name.

Suspecting fraud, the agent contacted the Bureau. The 

tip soon led Wilson to Nepal, where Stammer was living 

under the name Kevin Hodges and regularly visiting the 

U.S. Embassy there to renew his tourist visa.

“He was very comfortable in Nepal,” Wilson said. “My 

impression was that he never thought he would be 

discovered.” Stammer had been living in Nepal for years, 

teaching English and other languages to students hoping 

to gain entrance into U.S. universities.

Although Nepal and the U.S. have no formal extradition 

agreement, the Nepalese government cooperated with our 

efforts to bring Stammer to justice. “We had tremendous 

assistance from DSS, the State Department, and the 

government of Nepal,” Wilson said. “It was a huge team 

effort with a great outcome.”

How do you catch a fugitive who has been on the run for 

14 years, has traveled extensively overseas, speaks a dozen 

languages, and could be anywhere in the world?

The answer to that question, as Special Agent Russ 

Wilson learned, is a lot of hard work—and a little bit of 

luck.

Neil Stammer, a talented juggler with an international 

reputation, was recently arrested in Nepal and returned 

to New Mexico to face child sex abuse charges. The 

events that led to his capture are a testament to good 

investigative work and strong partnerships, and also to 

the strength of the FBI’s fugitive publicity program.

Here’s how the case unfolded:

Stammer, who once owned a New Mexico magic shop, 

was arrested in 1999 on multiple state charges including 

child sex abuse and kidnapping. He was released on bond 

but never showed up for his arraignment. New Mexico 

issued a state arrest warrant in May 2000; a federal 

fugitive charge was filed a month later, which allowed the 

FBI to become involved in the case.

Stammer, who was 32 years old when he went on the run, 

told investigators that he began juggling as a teenager 

to make money, and he was good at it. Before his 1999 

arrest, he had lived in Europe as a street performer and 

had learned a variety of languages. At the time of his 

disappearance, it was reported that Stammer could read 

or speak about a dozen of them.
64 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 65

August 22, 2014

FBI Files

CJIS Digitizes Millions of Files in 

Modernization Push

Rows of file cabinets in FBI facilities in West Virginia have been 

rendered obsolete in the FBI’s effort to digitize decades of fingerprint 

cards, criminal history folders, and civil files. 

The files that comprised the bulk of the digital conversion 

fell within three broad categories: criminal history files 

dating back to the early 1970s and before; civil identity 

files of people born prior to 1960 who enlisted in the 

military or applied for a government job; and fingerprint 

index cards. Files are maintained until individuals are 110 

years old or dead.

After scanning and digitization, the paper files are 

destroyed, though original versions of historic files—

fingerprint cards for John Dillinger, Bonnie Parker, and 

Clyde Barrow, to name a few—have been saved from the 

shredder.

“This is a monumental leap for us, because now we’re not 

taking months to get back with a positive identification, 

said Jeremy Wiltz, deputy assistant director at CJIS. “With 

our Next Generation Identification, we’re going to take 

that into seconds and sub-seconds.”

NGI is scheduled to be fully operational in September. 

The digital conversion effort is also projected to be 

completed next month.

The era of sliding drawers full of aging FBI files is drawing 

to a close. Millions of fingerprint cards, criminal history 

folders, and civil identity files that once filled rows upon 

rows of cabinets—and expansive warehouses—have been 

methodically converted into ones and zeroes.

The digital conversion of more than 30 million records—

and as many as 83 million fingerprint cards—comes as 

the FBI fully activates its Next Generation Identification 

(NGI) system, a state-of-the-art digital platform of 

biometric and other types of identity information. The 

system, which is incrementally replacing the Bureau’s 

Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, 

or IAFIS, will better serve our most prolific customers—

law enforcement agencies checking criminal histories and 

fingerprints, veterans, government employees, and the 

FBI’s own Laboratory.

The conversion from manual to digital systems began 

more than two decades ago, when paper files outgrew 

the space at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

They were shipped to West Virginia, where the FBI 

built a campus in Clarksburg in 1992 for its Criminal 

Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division and leased 

warehouse space in nearby Fairmont for the burgeoning 

files. In 2010, CJIS broke ground on a new Biometric 

Technology Center and redoubled its efforts to digitize 

all the files. The most recent push—digitization of 8.8 

million files in two years—not only added more data 

points to the NGI program, but also eliminated the need 

to move scores of cabinets full of paper into the new 

technology center.

“It makes those records immediately accessible to law 

enforcement across the country,” said Penny Harker, 

who runs the Biometric Services Unit at CJIS. She said 

fulfilling requests for fingerprint matches—which once 

took hours—now takes just minutes or seconds. “It’s a 

great benefit to them not having a delay simply because 

we were still storing files in a manual format.”

The FBI’s role as steward of so many identity files dates 

back to the 1920s, when the Bureau received 800,000 

files from the U.S. Army. In the 1930s, the Bureau’s 

Identification Division compiled the largest-ever 

collection of fingerprints from files collected from partner 

law enforcement agencies.

August 19, 2014

Left: Boxes containing some of the counterfeit goods seized during 

the investigation of a massive smuggling ring.

Counterfeit Goods 

Smuggling Ring 

Dismantled

Undercover Agents Infiltrated 

Massive International Operation

customs. Later, when the smuggler shipped a container of 

counterfeit cigarettes and learned that his U.S. buyer had 

fallen through, he asked our undercover agent to sell it for 

him—and he gave the agent a list of potential buyers.

With that list, Pascale said, the investigation expanded 

significantly—and soon led to Ning Guo, who bragged 

that he was the best person in the New York region to 

store and distribute counterfeit merchandise.

Using a variety of undercover operatives and working 

with other law enforcement partners—including U.S. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection—the conspiracy was 

unraveled:

▪ Using false paperwork, the counterfeit merchandise 

was shipped in containers fraudulently associated 

with legitimate importers.

▪ Others in the ring managed the distribution of the 

goods once they were safely in the U.S. and cleared 

through the port.

▪ The merchandise was delivered to warehouses and 

distributed throughout New York, New Jersey, and 

elsewhere. Some of the conspirators paid hundreds of 

thousands of dollars to our undercover agents, whom 

they believed were assisting them.

▪ Some conspirators acted as wholesalers for the 

counterfeit goods, supplying retailers who sold the 

merchandise.

▪ Other conspirators took the profits and wired the 

money back to China.

In addition to undercover operatives, investigators used 

court-authorized wiretaps and sophisticated surveillance 

techniques to gather evidence. “We had the bad guys 

incriminating themselves in their own words,” Pascale 

said, “and it was usually on tape and video.”

The smuggling investigation also uncovered a scheme 

to import 50 kilograms of crystal meth into the U.S. 

“Counterfeiting always seems to be the gateway into 

something else,” Pascale explained. “If these guys think 

they can get counterfeit shoes into the country, pretty 

soon they think they can get anything in.”

He added, “Counterfeiting is never going to stop, so there 

will always be a reason to smuggle. That’s why we will 

never stop working these cases.”

When Ning Guo was sentenced to prison earlier this 

year, it marked one of the final chapters in a massive 

international counterfeit goods smuggling case in which 

criminals attempted to flood the U.S. market with bogus 

cigarettes, handbags, and sneakers from China that would 

have been worth $300 million on the retail market.

From November 2009 through February 2012, the 

smugglers and their conspirators attempted to import 

hundreds of shipping containers full of counterfeit Nike 

shoes, Gucci handbags, cigarettes, and other items from 

China into the U.S. through the Port Newark-Elizabeth 

Marine Terminal in New Jersey.

When a multi-agency force took down the operation in 

2012, nearly 30 individuals were arrested and charged 

with various counts of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit 

goods, as well as other crimes—including money 

laundering and drug trafficking.

“This was a complex case,” said Special Agent Ron 

Pascale, who worked the investigation from our Newark 

Division. “But over time, we identified the entire 

conspiracy and dismantled it.”

In 2008, our sources overseas identified a Chinese subject 

who wanted to smuggle counterfeit goods into the U.S. 

from China. That individual was introduced to an FBI 

undercover agent posing as a person at the port who 

had connections and could clear containers through 

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/fbifiledigitization.
66 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 67

August 29, 2014

Corruption in a 

Small Texas Town

Investigation Dismantles

Family-Run Criminal Operation

and kickbacks from contractors willing to pay. Jose 

Vela maintained control over the PISD and its board of 

trustees through a system of reward and retaliation: He 

distributed bribe money he received from contractors to 

trustees who voted as he directed; when trustees didn’t 

vote with him, they were retaliated against—usually 

demoted, transferred, or ultimately forced out of their 

positions.

Vela’s influence was not just over the PISD. With his sons’ 

help, he took bribes and kickbacks from any entity—like 

construction companies and architectural firms—that 

wanted a public project contract with the city of Progreso. 

Vela, in effect, created a “pay to play” contracting 

environment in the city for such projects as municipal 

parks and libraries. He even extracted money from the 

lawyer who was supposed to be advising the school board.

Omar and Michael Vela assisted their father by collecting 

bribes from contractors and delivering the payments to 

him, keeping a portion for themselves.

A third Vela son was sentenced to a federal prison term 

as well for his role in a separate but related scheme. 

Orlando Vela, employed by the PISD as a risk manager, 

also headed a company purportedly in the business of 

supplying office products to school districts and admitted 

submitting thousands of dollars worth of phony invoices 

to the PISD for office supplies never received by the 

district.

And finally, also caught up in the overall corruption 

scheme was Jesus Bustos, who admitted to paying bribes 

and kickbacks to obtain contracts for his architectural 

firm. He was sentenced on August 27, 2014.

Public corruption at any level of government cannot be 

tolerated, and the FBI—uniquely situated to investigate 

it—will continue to address these allegations wherever we 

find them.

Public corruption arrests and convictions in major 

metropolitan areas usually garner a great deal of national 

attention. But big cities don’t have a monopoly on 

crooked politicians—they can be found anywhere.

Like Progreso, Texas, a small town a few miles north 

of the U.S.-Mexico border. For almost a decade—from 

2004 to 2013—several members of the same family, all 

Progreso government officials, used their positions to 

exact bribes and kickbacks from city and school district 

service providers. Through their illegal activities, they 

distorted the contract playing field, cheated the very 

citizens they purported to serve, stole education money 

from the children whose educations they were supposed 

to ensure, and lined their own pockets in the process.

Until the FBI got wind of what was going on, that is, 

and opened a case. Our investigation—which included 

confidential sources, undercover scenarios, financial 

record examinations, and witness interviews—collected 

plenty of evidence of wrongdoing and ultimately led to 

guilty pleas by the defendants. And on August 11, 2014, 

they were all sentenced to federal prison terms.

Jose Vela, the patriarch 

of the Vela family 

and leader of the 

corruption scheme, 

served as maintenance 

and transportation 

director for the Progreso 

Independent School 

District (PISD), which 

from 2004 to 2013 

received more than 

a million dollars per 

year in federal program grants and funds from the U.S. 

Department of Education. But Vela’s scope of influence 

was much broader than his job title suggested, thanks in 

part to the positions of his sons—Progreso Mayor Omar 

Vela and Michael Vela, president of the PISD Board of 

Trustees.

The elder Vela let it be known that contracts with the 

school district could be bought, and he accepted bribes 

August 26, 2014

Left: This $80,000 boat owned by California con man David Rose 

was seized after law enforcement determined he had purchased it 

using funds he stole from his investors.

Investment Con Man 

Pleads Guilty

Fraudster Targeted Medical

Professionals

used and what the risks are. The PPM also stated that 

Rose would receive a 2.5 percent “management fee.”

To keep his clients engaged in the scam, Rose periodically 

consulted with them to solicit their medical expertise and 

bounce ideas off them. But they never saw any return on 

their investment.

In 2011, he began another scam, this one involving 

recruiting dentists and orthodontists into giving money 

to his new company, Technology Innovation Partners. He 

claimed that their funds would be pooled and invested 

in a company developing technology that would remove 

wisdom teeth in children without surgery. Like his 

previous scam, Rose targeted a certain group of people 

and relied heavily on referrals. He tapped into the 

medical expertise of his investors to keep stringing them 

along. He also prepared phony PPMs for his clients—only 

this time, he upped his “management fee” to 10 percent.

But by 2013, after several complaints to the FBI from 

his victims—the Bureau began investigating Rose 

and his investment activities. And through numerous 

interviews with victims and other witnesses and detailed 

examinations of Rose’s financial records—tracking where 

the money actually went—we were able to gather enough 

evidence for a federal indictment against him.

Where did investors’ money end up? Investigators found 

that Rose used it to rent pricey homes in California 

and purchase an $80,000 powerboat, luxury vehicles, 

expensive jewelry, college tuitions, and even shares of 

stock in a professional football team.

If you are contemplating investing your hard-earned 

money, here are a few tips to help you do it as safely as 

possible:

▪ Be extremely cautious about unsolicited offers to 

invest.

▪ Don’t believe everything you’re told. Take the time to 

do your own research on the investment’s potential 

and on the person making the offer.

▪ Be wary of investment opportunities that offer 

unusually high yields.

▪ Check with a trusted financial adviser, broker, or 

attorney about any investments you are considering.

It’s an age-old scam: A smooth-talking individual offers 

an amazing investment opportunity—with promises of 

large returns—that turns out to be completely bogus. But 

because there are always people willing to accept these 

kinds of claims at face value and hand over their hardearned money, it’s a scam that continues to be effective.

Consider a recent case in Orange County, California, 

where just-convicted David Rose duped more than 

75 doctors and dentists from around the country into 

shelling out more than two million dollars for him 

to invest in companies involved in researching and 

developing emerging medical technologies. But the 

investment money, despite what he promised, never made 

it any further than Rose’s own bank accounts.

From at least March 2005 to around May 2011, 

Rose solicited mainly doctors to invest money with him 

through his company, M.D. Venture Partners. In many 

instances, he recruited investors by placing ads in medical 

publications, but he also got additional business through 

referrals from doctors who had already signed with him.

In his promotional material and in conversations and 

e-mails with prospective clients, Rose claimed that 

investor funds would be pooled and used to invest in 

companies developing new medical technology—an 

area that of course was of great interest to physicians. 

Rose even prepared for each client a private placement 

memorandum (PPM), a document commonly used in 

investments that fully lays out how invested funds will be 
68 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 69

September 5, 2014

Vintage Fraud

Rare Wine Dealer Sentenced in 

Counterfeiting Scheme

Fake vintner labels used by wine dealer Rudy Kurniawan in his 

massive counterfeiting scheme.

“People were seduced by him,” Wynne said, “and many 

suspended their good sense. And these were not stupid 

people,” he added. “The people who can pay tens of 

thousands of dollars for a bottle of wine are often 

extraordinarily successful and wealthy. They just took it 

on faith that Rudy was telling the truth.”

Ultimately, French wine makers who became suspicious 

of Kurniawan’s claims cooperated with investigators to 

help to stop the fraud. With their help and the “typical 

gumshoe work” of investigators interviewing people and 

reviewing countless records, Roeser said, Kurniawan was 

arrested in 2012 and found guilty by a jury at trial in 

December 2013.

“The evidence against Kurniawan was overwhelming,” 

Wynne said. “He was the forger, consignor, and marketer, 

all in one.”

Besides counterfeiting, Kurniawan was also found guilty 

of bank fraud relating to a $3 million loan he obtained 

by providing false information, including omitting more 

than $7 million in outstanding loans, misrepresenting his 

annual expenses, and claiming he was a permanent U.S. 

resident when he had no legal immigration status in the 

country.

In addition to the prison sentence, Kurniawan was 

ordered to forfeit $20 million and to pay more than $28 

million in restitution to his victims.

“The same old wine in a brand new bottle” is a phrase 

that aptly describes how fraudsters deceive the public 

in ever-changing ways. It applies perfectly to Rudy 

Kurniawan’s profitable and long-running counterfeiting 

scam—except that Kurniawan was putting new wine in 

old bottles.

Earlier this month, a New York federal judge sentenced 

Kurniawan to a 10-year prison term for his elaborate 

counterfeiting scheme in which he mixed newer, cheaper 

wines together and poured them into old bottles with 

forged labels.

When FBI agents executed a search warrant at 

Kurniawan’s California home in 2012, they found winemaking materials everywhere in plain sight. “Essentially, 

the entire house was a fake wine-making laboratory,” said 

Special Agent Adam Roeser, who helped investigate the 

case out of our New York Division.

“There were old bottles soaking in the sink. There was 

fresh wax dripping off bottles in another room,” Roeser 

said. “There were piles and piles of corks, and on the 

kitchen counter there were 30 to 50 open bottles with a 

funnel and re-corker next to them. We found fake labels 

going back to 1899. He could make any label going back 

to the end of the 1800s.”

Investigators are not certain how long Kurniawan—an 

Indonesian citizen who was in the U.S. illegally—was 

engaged in his scheme, but he appeared on the wine 

scene a decade ago, buying rare wines and later selling 

them. With access to a seemingly endless cache of rare 

and expensive Burgundies and Bordeaux varieties, among 

others, he was the toast of the town among a small group 

of high-end dealers and collectors.

“Wine is a collectible just like art,” said now-retired 

Special Agent Jim Wynne, a long-time member of the 

FBI’s Art Crime Team who investigated the Kurniawan 

case. “People want this stuff. Kurniawan was able to 

establish a persona as a rare wine connoisseur, and 

everyone believed his story.”

Kurniawan befriended auctioneers and private collectors. 

He picked up the tab at expensive wine dinners with 

big-name chefs in Los Angeles and New York. And 

through those connections, he sold approximately $30 

million worth of counterfeit wine.

September 2, 2014

A Case of Corporate 

Greed

Executives Sentenced in

$750 Million Fraud Scheme

The distributors agreed to stock their shelves with the 

extra devices because ArthroCare made it profitable to do 

so. Distributors were given a fee for taking extra product 

or given generous terms to pay for the devices. Some were 

told they could return the spine wands at no cost if they 

didn’t sell.

This long-running misrepresentation of sales gave 

ArthroCare the appearance of significant growth, and 

its stock price climbed—even as Baker lied to investors 

and analysts about ArthroCare’s relationships with its 

distributors.

“The CEO was digging the company into a bigger and 

bigger hole to maintain the stock’s inflated price,” 

Callender said. At one point, the company bought one of 

its distributors in an effort to sidestep regulatory reporting 

requirements.

But the fraud was getting too big to control, and in July 

2008, amid public speculation of the channel stuffing 

scheme, the company announced it would restate 

previously reported financial results as a result of an 

internal investigation. The price of ArthroCare shares 

plummeted, resulting in an immediate loss in shareholder 

value of more than $400 million, and total losses of more 

than $750 million.

“There were countless victims in this case,” said Special 

Agent Robert Cochrane, “including individual investors, 

banks, and large investment funds.”

The FBI opened a case in 2011. Over the next three 

years, investigators combed through tens of thousands 

of paper and electronic records and documents; they 

also crisscrossed the country interviewing distributors, 

investors, and other individuals. In June 2014, after a 

four-week trial in Texas, a federal jury convicted Baker 

and Gluk.

“This scheme of betrayal and deceit was carried out by 

the defendants without regard to the deep-reaching and 

irreparable harm their actions caused to thousands of 

victims,” said Chris Combs, special agent in charge the 

San Antonio Division. “Many of the victims will never 

recover from the financial ruin caused by the defendants’ 

greed.”

Special Agent Tom Hetrick, another agent who worked 

on the investigation, noted that the lengthy prison terms 

given to the CEO and CFO should send a clear signal: 

“No matter what your title or position, no one is above 

the law. This type of corporate fraud is unacceptable.”

Two former top executives of a publicly traded medical 

device company were sentenced to lengthy prison terms 

last week for their roles in a massive fraud scheme that 

cost shareholders $750 million.

Former ArthroCare Corporation Chief Executive Officer 

Michael Baker and Chief Financial Officer Michael Gluk 

were sentenced Friday to 20 years and 10 years in prison, 

respectively, for crimes including wire fraud and securities 

fraud. Two former vice presidents of the Austin, Texasbased company also received jail time.

“For years, the CEO and the CFO cooked the books 

to meet and exceed Wall Street’s expectations,” said 

Special Agent Duncan Edwards, one of several agents 

who worked the investigation out of our San Antonio 

Division. “It was only a matter of time before their crimes 

caught up to them.”

Baker and Gluk were engaged in a sophisticated fraud 

scheme known in business circles as channel stuffing. 

“You get your distributors to buy more product than they 

need so the company’s sales and revenue appear to be 

greater than they actually are,” explained Special Agent 

Stephen Callender. “They were creating sales on paper 

that didn’t exist in reality.”

Beginning in 2005 and continuing until 2009, Baker 

orchestrated a series of end-of-quarter transactions 

involving distributors who willingly received more of 

ArthroCare’s product—a specialized needle used in back 

surgeries known as a spine wand—than they expected to 

sell.
70 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 71

September 12, 2014

Money Laundering 

Takedown

Operation Targets Sinaloa

Drug Cartel

At one location during the September 10 takedown in Los Angeles, 

FBI agents seized nearly $3 million in cash.

“We have targeted money laundering activities in the 

fashion district based on a wealth of information that 

numerous businesses there are engaged in Black Market 

Peso Exchange schemes,” said Central District of 

California Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale. “Los 

Angeles has become the epicenter of narco-dollar money 

laundering, with couriers regularly bringing duffel bags 

and suitcases full of cash to many businesses. Because 

Los Angeles is at the forefront of this money laundering 

activity,” he explained, “law enforcement in Los Angeles 

is now at the forefront of combating this issue.”

Wednesday’s operation was the result of a task force 

investigation made up of multiple federal and local 

law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Los 

Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement 

Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland 

Security Investigations. ICE-HSI efforts alone resulted in 

seizures of more than $65 million.

“Today’s arrests and searches should send a message to 

international drug cartels that the FBI and our partners 

won’t tolerate the exploitation of American businesses 

for the purposes of illicit financial transactions that fund 

hostage taking and the distribution of narcotics,” Lewis 

said Wednesday after the takedown. “In addition, today’s 

actions should send a warning to American businesses 

that turn a blind eye to the crime they facilitate while 

avoiding reporting requirements, transaction fees, and law 

enforcement scrutiny.”

In a major takedown in Los Angeles on Wednesday, 

September 10, nearly 1,000 federal, state, and local law 

enforcement officers seized approximately $100 million 

in cash, arrested nine subjects, and searched dozens of 

businesses in the city’s downtown fashion district alleged 

to have laundered money for Mexican drug cartels.

The ongoing investigation—three indictments were 

unsealed Wednesday—is specifically aimed at the Sinaloa 

Cartel and its activities, including narcotics trafficking, 

hostage taking, and money laundering in Los Angeles and 

elsewhere in the U.S. and Mexico.

In one case, the cartel used a fashion district business 

to funnel ransom payments related to a kidnapped U.S. 

citizen who was held hostage and tortured by cartel 

members in Mexico.

“The victim, who worked as a distributor for the Sinaloa 

Cartel, was kidnapped after 100 kilograms of cocaine 

he was supposed to distribute were seized by U.S. law 

enforcement,” said Bill Lewis, assistant director in charge 

of our Los Angeles Field Office. The victim—who was 

ultimately released and safely returned to the U.S.—was 

kidnapped because of his drug debt.

The cartel sent demands to the victim’s family in the 

U.S. and instructed them to deliver the ransom money—

separate payments of $100,000 and $40,000—to a 

Los Angeles business known as QT Maternity. “Our 

investigation determined that the ransom payment was 

distributed to 17 other businesses located in the fashion 

district,” Lewis said. “These stores were used as thirdparty money launderers in a scheme commonly referred to 

as the Black Market Peso Exchange.”

The peso exchange scheme essentially turns dollars into 

Mexican currency through the sale of legitimate goods. 

The Mexican businesses that participated used illicit 

drug money to purchase goods, which were then sold 

in Mexico for pesos. The proceeds were returned to the 

cartel in Mexican currency. This laundering process 

avoided the risk of smuggling large amounts of cash across 

the border.

Left: An FBI Laboratory-constructed house model is a replica of 

the building where the victims in a Cleveland labor trafficking case 

were held. Using the model, one of the victims and other witnesses 

were better able to describe what was going on in the house to 

investigators and to the jury during the defendants’ trial.

September 9, 2014

Justice in Labor 

Trafficking Case

Subjects Get Lengthy Prison 

Terms

restraint, and threats of physical restraint to make sure 

they stayed, forcing the older victim to clean and do yard 

work.

Some of the defendants’ actions included:

▪ Forcing the victims to sleep on a cement floor in 

a locked basement, then on the floor in a locked 

bedroom;

▪ Keeping the younger victim locked in a bedroom 

while her mother worked and not allowing either 

victim to use a bathroom until all of the day’s chores 

were completed;

▪ Giving the victims minimal food and water;

▪ Sending the woman to the store for food and other 

items and threatening to harm her daughter if she 

didn’t return within a certain time frame;

▪ Taunting the victims with pit bulls and snakes;

▪ Forcing the woman to hit her daughter while her 

actions were recorded with a cell phone, then 

threatening to show the video to authorities if the 

woman didn’t do their bidding; and

▪ Physically harming the woman by slamming a door 

on her hand or kicking her in the hips, then taking 

her to the emergency room and confiscating any 

prescription pain medicine she received to feed their 

own drug habits.

Fortunately, the October 2012 arrest of the woman 

for shoplifting ultimately led to her freedom—and the 

freedom of her daughter.

An integral aspect of the federal case against Callahan 

and his co-conspirators was the work done by the FBI’s 

victim specialist in Cleveland and the U.S. Attorney’s 

Office victim-witness coordinator, who jointly navigated 

through a myriad of organizations and government 

entities to ensure that both mother and child received 

needed services and support, from the beginning of the 

case through trial, sentencing, and beyond.

In October 2012, a young woman was arrested by 

police in Ashland, Ohio for shoplifting a candy bar. But 

when she explained why she stole the candy, her story 

concerned the officers, and, eventually—after additional 

information was obtained—the Cleveland FBI opened a 

federal investigation into the matter.

It turned out that the young woman, who was cognitively 

disabled, was being held against her will and forced to 

perform manual labor for a couple who lived in a multidwelling house not far from the store where she was 

arrested. And it wasn’t just the woman herself being 

held—it was her young daughter as well. Mother and 

daughter had been living in the apartment—in squalid 

conditions and enduring constant threats—since August 

2010. The withholding of food was just one of the 

methods their captors used to control them.

Last month, after an investigation by the FBI and the 

Ashland Police Department, a federal judge handed down 

substantial prison terms for the two primary defendants 

following their convictions on labor trafficking charges: 

Jordie Callahan was sentenced to 30 years, while Jessica 

Hunt received a 32-year sentence. And earlier this year, 

acquaintances Daniel Brown and Dezerah Silsby were 

also sentenced for their supportive roles in the conspiracy 

to deprive the victims in this case of their freedom.

Back in 2010, Callahan and Hunt, who knew about the 

young woman’s disability, targeted her and her daughter 

and invited them to live in their apartment. Once there, 

the defendants used force, threats of force, physical 
72 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 73

September 18, 2014

Sweepstakes Fraud

Senior Citizens Targeted

of legitimacy to the scheme, since the callers frequently 

claimed to be representing a U.S. federal agency.

Though initial prizes were usually billed as second-place 

winnings, the $350,000 to $400,000 figures were still 

substantial. The victims were told they would have to pay 

fees and taxes of about 10 percent—between $3,500 and 

$4,000—and were often directed to send the money via 

Western Union.

It didn’t stop there. After receiving money, the scammers 

would contact the victims again and inform them that 

their prize amount had increased, either because of 

a clerical error or because another prize winner was 

disqualified. Of course, the new, larger prize meant 

more taxes and fees. The attempts to collect more 

cash would continue until a victim either ran out of 

money or realized what was going on, Duffey explained. 

“One Delaware woman was swindled out of more than 

$300,000—her life savings,” he added.

Donley has seen similar schemes ruin elderly victims 

financially. “One person in Florida gave up more than 

$800,000,” he said, “and a woman from California gave 

up most of her savings that she was going to use to care 

for her two handicapped children. These criminals are 

heartless,” he continued. “It’s easy for them to rob people, 

because they never meet the victims and never see the 

consequences.”

A North Carolina couple recently pled guilty to running 

a sweepstakes fraud scheme that targeted elderly 

Americans, in some cases causing victims to lose their 

entire life savings.

Jessica and Jason Brown acknowledged in federal court 

that they operated call centers in Costa Rica that falsely 

informed U.S. residents—predominantly senior citizens—

that they had won a substantial cash prize in a global 

sweepstakes, but the prize was only redeemable if the 

“winners” sent money to cover insurance and other fees. 

From 2004 until 2013, the Browns and their crew fleeced 

hundreds of elderly Americans out of nearly $900,000.

“They could make themselves extremely believable 

over the phone,” said Special Agent Scott Duffey, who 

investigated the case from our Baltimore Division. “For 

people on the other end of the line who were even a little 

bit gullible or desperate for money, the deception could be 

too much to resist.”

“The victims of these scams are not just people without 

an education,” noted Pat Donley, a senior litigator with 

the Department of Justice who has prosecuted many 

sweepstakes fraud cases. “Some victims have been 

doctors, others Ph.Ds. They are just taken in.”

Those who carry out these types of telemarketing frauds, 

including the Browns, use Internet technology and 

even forged documents to dupe their victims. They also 

purchase marketing lists—commonly used by lawful 

telemarketers—so they may know something about their 

victims, such as credit cards they might possess.

The fraudsters work out of so-called boiler rooms, 

usually apartments or offices with banks of phones. They 

might make hundreds of calls before finding one person 

receptive to their pitch. Typically, the criminals say 

they are calling on behalf of some reputable insurance 

company or a U.S. federal agency such as the Federal 

Trade Commission or the Internal Revenue Service. The 

imposters say they want to make sure all the taxes are 

paid on the sweepstakes money so the winner faces no 

legal or tax issues.

To mask that they were calling from Costa Rica, the 

Browns used readily available technology that made 

victims think they were talking to someone from an 

area code in Washington, D.C. This added a further air 

September 16, 2014

Murder-for-Hire 

Plot Uncovered

Subject Wanted Out of

$8 Million Debt

$15,000 to pay upfront; he would then pay another 

$50,000 after the murder. He told his acquaintance he 

could arrange for a flight on a private jet so the hit man’s 

name wouldn’t appear on any commercial flight records. 

And he indicated that he would want to be out the 

country when the murder occurred so he wouldn’t be a 

suspect.

Dvorkin also explained that he was currently appealing 

the judgment order and thought that if the Texas 

businessman did not or could not respond to the appeal, 

the funds wouldn’t have to be paid out.

How do we know what Dvorkin said during this 

conversation? Because several days after it took place, 

the acquaintance contacted the Oakbrook Terrace Police 

Department and reported Dvorkin’s attempt to solicit a 

murder. Oakbrook police then contacted the FBI’s West 

Resident Agency—a satellite of our Chicago office—and 

our investigators reached out to the acquaintance, who 

readily agreed to consensually monitor any related future 

conversations with Dvorkin.

Over the next few weeks, and at the behest of law 

enforcement, the acquaintance-turned-cooperating 

witness called and met with Dvorkin several times, 

following up on their April 6 conversation and moving 

the plot ahead. But during a meeting on May 7, Dvorkin 

told our witness that he had hired another hit man—

one who only charged somewhere in the $20,000 range 

and only needed a 10 percent down payment. The FBI, 

concerned by this turn of events, immediately contacted 

the intended victim in Texas and arranged for protection 

for him and his family. Investigators also approached 

Dvorkin that same day, letting him know they were aware 

of his murder-for-hire plot—without giving away the 

identity of the cooperating witness.

After further investigation and collection of additional 

evidence, Dvorkin was arrested on July 5, 2012. And 

in August 2013, after a five-day trial, a jury found him 

guilty—most likely due to Dvorkin’s own incriminating 

words captured on court-authorized recordings.

It’s a novel way to have your debt forgiven—hire a hit 

man to kill your creditor. However, it’s also illegal. Just ask 

the Illinois businessman who recently received a federal 

prison term for attempting to arrange such a murder.

Daniel Dvorkin, a commercial real estate professional, 

had taken out business loans a number of years ago. 

When the economy took a downturn around 2008, 

Dvorkin’s businesses took a hit, and he was unable 

to pay back those loans to the bank. Eventually, his 

loans were bought out by a Texas businessman and his 

company, which sued Dvorkin in civil court, winning an 

$8.2 million judgment against Dvorkin and two of his 

companies in February 2012.

On April 2, 2012, both sides sat down to mediation, 

trying to find some middle ground regarding the 

judgment and a dollar amount both parties could live 

with. But it failed.

Three days later, Dvorkin called an acquaintance 

and asked to meet the next day at Dvorkin’s office 

in Oakbrook Terrace, a Chicago suburb. When this 

individual came to the office, Dvorkin walked him 

outside and asked for help with finding a hit man. Giving 

his acquaintance a copy of the judgment order and two 

Internet documents clearly identifying the intended 

victim as the Texas businessman, Dvorkin said he wanted 

his target to “stop breathing.”

They discussed specifics: Dvorkin had $35,000 in 

untraceable cash saved and could come up with another 
74 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 75

September 24, 2014

FBI Releases Study on 

Active Shooter Incidents

Covers 2000-2013 Time Frame

The above graphic depicts the characteristics of the 160 active 

shooter incidents identified between 2000 and 2013 that were used 

in the study.

shooters did what they did in an effort to help strengthen 

prevention efforts around the country.

Today’s study is just one of the resources the FBI offers 

to its law enforcement partners and others to help 

coordinate and enhance the response to active shooter 

incidents. Other resources—due in part to last year’s 

Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act and a 

federal multi-agency initiative targeting violent crime—

include training for first responders, conferences for law 

enforcement executives, operational support in the event 

of an active shooter event, and assistance to victims. 

The Bureau is in a unique position to offer this type of 

assistance—we’ve played a large role in supporting the 

response to every major active shooter incident in recent 

years.

Today the FBI is releasing a study of 160 active shooter 

incidents that occurred between 2000 and 2013 

throughout the U.S. The primary purpose of the study? 

To provide our law enforcement partners—normally the 

first responders on the scene of these dangerous and fastmoving events—with data that will help them to better 

prepare for and respond to these incidents, saving more 

lives and keeping themselves safer in the process.

But we believe the information contained in this study 

can benefit anyone who could potentially be in an active 

shooter situation—like emergency personnel, employees 

of retail corporations and other businesses, educators and 

students, government and military personnel, members 

of the general public, etc.—by giving them a better 

understanding of how these incidents play out.

We began the study in early 2014. With assistance from 

Texas State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement 

Rapid Response Training Center, we researched possible 

active shooter incidents in the U.S. during our selected 

time frame using official police records, after action 

reports, and shooting commission documents as well 

as FBI resources and open source information. We 

identified 160 events that fit our criteria—individuals 

actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in 

populated areas (excluding shootings related to gang or 

drug violence). 

Once the incidents were identified—and we’re confident 

that our research captured the vast majority of active 

shooter events falling within the specified time frame—

we looked at each incident separately to identify its 

characteristics, then we correlated the data from all of the 

incidents to get a fuller picture of active shooter incidents 

in general.

Because so many of these incidents unfold so rapidly, 

Special Agent Katherine Schweit—who heads the 

FBI’s Active Shooter Initiative—says she hopes the 

study “demonstrates the need not only for enhanced 

preparation on the part of law enforcement and other 

first responders, but also for civilians to be engaged in 

discussions and training on decisions they’d have to make 

in an active shooter situation.”

Using the results of this study, the Bureau’s behavioral 

analysis experts will now delve deeper into why these 

September 23, 2014

Next Generation 

Identification

FBI Announces Biometrics 

Suite’s Full Operational

Capability

what Morris described as the database’s “worst of the 

worst offenders,” including terrorists and dangerous 

fugitives. Using a mobile device, police can take two 

fingerprints from a subject and remotely query the 

database and get immediate results.

▪ National Palm Print System: In May 2013, NGI 

expanded beyond traditional finger and thumbprint 

capabilities to include palms. Morris said the majority 

of prints left at crime scenes contain hand ridges and 

palm prints.

▪ Rap Back: Entities that conduct background checks 

on individuals holding positions of trust (teachers, 

camp counselors) can receive notifications if the 

individual is subsequently involved in criminal 

activity. Launched earlier this year, Rap Back is 

named for the process of reporting back when a 

person is involved in criminal activity.

▪ Interstate Photo System (IPS): Launched this year, 

NGI’s facial recognition capability provides a way 

to search millions of mug shots or images associated 

with criminal identities for potential matches. Note 

that civil files (such as those in Rap Back) and 

criminal mug shots reside in a repository separated by 

identity group, so an innocent schoolteacher’s image 

isn’t going to appear when the system returns an array 

of possible candidates in a criminal query.

In safeguarding privacy and protecting the public’s rights 

and civil liberties, NGI is subject to the same extensive 

security protections, access limitations, and quality 

control standards already in existence for IAFIS. A 

thorough privacy impact assessment is completed and 

submitted to DOJ for each enhancement under NGI.

The facial recognition system is not connected to the 

Internet or social networks or your local Department of 

Motor Vehicles. “Facial recognition doesn’t mean that 

we somehow now have this ability to go out and start 

collecting video feeds,” Morris said. “That’s not what 

this is about. It’s a technology that allows us to digitally 

compare criminal mug shot photos that we have in our 

database against one another.”

For more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies and 

partners—and their constituents—upgrading to 

NGI means increased accuracy and improved, faster 

intelligence.

Agencies searching the FBI’s criminal history record 

database for matches to their subjects are getting 

faster and more accurate responses—the result of the 

Bureau’s 10-year effort to improve its ability to provide 

law enforcement partners with timely, high-quality 

identification.

Earlier this month, the FBI announced the Next 

Generation Identification system, or NGI, is now at full 

operational capability. The system replaced the Integrated 

Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), 

the Bureau’s longstanding repository for fingerprints. 

NGI’s incremental roll-out, which began in 2010, has 

already seen significant improvements in accuracy 

rates on queries, the result of new high-tech tools and 

algorithms that more effectively search more than 100 

million records. Fingerprint matches are now better than 

99 percent accurate, and hits on latent prints (prints 

lifted from crime scenes, for example) have tripled from 

27 percent accuracy in the old IAFIS system to more than 

81 percent today.

“NGI gives us this opportunity to not only upgrade and 

enhance technology that we’ve been using for years, but 

it also lets us leverage new technology that can help us 

do our jobs better,” said Steve Morris, assistant director 

of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) 

Division, which runs NGI.

Enhancements under NGI include the following:

▪ Repository for Individuals of Special Concern 

(RISC): Deployed in 2011, it’s a searchable subset of 

Left: The data center at the Criminal Justice Information Services 

Division in West Virginia is home to the Next Generation Identification 

System, or NGI.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/activeshooterstudy.
76 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 77

October 2, 2014

National Cyber Security 

Awareness Month

Security is Everyone’s

Responsibility

Our legal attaché offices coordinate international 

investigations and address jurisdictional hurdles and 

differences in the law from country to country, supporting 

and collaborating with newly established cyber crime 

centers at Interpol and Europol.

We work side by side with our federal, state, and local 

partners on cyber task forces in each of our 56 field offices 

and at the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force.

We also exchange information about cyber threats with 

the private sector through partnerships such as the 

Domestic Security Alliance Council, InfraGard, and the 

National Cyber Forensic and Training Alliance.

So do all these partnerships make a difference? Here are 

some recent case examples that clearly demonstrate the 

value of collaboration:

▪ In August 2014, a Chinese national was indicted 

on charges stemming from a computer hacking 

scheme that involved the theft of trade secrets from 

American defense contractors.

▪ In June 2014, a multinational effort disrupted the 

GameOver Zeus botnet, believed to have been 

responsible for the theft of millions of dollars from 

business and consumers in the U.S. and abroad.

▪ In May 2014, five hackers—members of China’s 

People’s Liberation Army—were indicted on charges 

of illegally penetrating the networks of six U.S. 

companies and stealing proprietary information, 

including trade secrets.

▪ Also in May 2014, the co-developers of a particularly 

insidious malware known as Blackshades—which is 

believed to have infected more than half a million 

computers around the world—were indicted.

Stay tuned to our website during the month of October 

for more information on cyber security, cyber threats, 

investigative activities, and wanted cyber fugitives.

Every October since 2004, National Cyber Security 

Awareness Month—administered by the Department 

of Homeland Security (DHS)—reminds us of the 

importance of protecting not only our individual 

identities, finances, and privacy but also our country’s 

national security, critical infrastructure, and economy. 

Cyber security is a responsibility shared by all—the public 

sector, the private sector, and the general public.

Individually, Americans should ensure the security 

of their own computers and other electronic devices.

You don’t want criminals accessing your bank accounts 

online. You don’t want to become part of a criminal 

botnet responsible for stealing millions of dollars. You 

don’t want to unknowingly infect your company’s 

computer network with a damaging virus.

So how can you protect against those scenarios? Here are 

a few tips:

▪ Make sure you’ve got updated antivirus software 

installed;

▪ Enable automated patches for your operating system;

▪ Don’t open e-mail attachments or click on URLs in 

unsolicited e-mails;

▪ Use strong passwords, and don’t use the same one or 

two passwords for everything; and

▪ Avoid putting out personally identifiable information 

on social media platforms.

In other words, make it as difficult as possible for 

criminals and others to use your digital technology 

against you, against other innocent victims, and against 

our nation as a whole.

Agencies across the U.S. government, including the 

FBI, are making cyber security a top priority as well.

Within the Bureau, we prioritize high-level intrusions by 

the biggest and most dangerous botnets, state-sponsored 

hackers, and global cyber syndicates. Collaborating 

with our partners—including DHS, the intelligence 

community, law enforcement at all levels, and the private 

sector—we strive to predict and prevent these kinds of 

intrusions, not just investigate them after the fact.

September 30, 2014

Help Us Catch the 

AK-47 Bandit

Violent Bank Robber Shot a

Police Officer

▪ The robberies occurred on February 29, 2012, in 

Chino (California Bank & Trust); March 12, 2012, 

in Vacaville, California (Bank of the West); July 6, 

2012, in North Bend, Washington (Chase Bank); 

November 7, 2012, in Rexburg, Idaho (East Idaho 

Credit Union); and August 22, 2014, in Nebraska 

City, Nebraska (First Nebraska Bank). There was 

also an attempted robbery on March 9, 2012, in 

Sacramento, California, at the Tri-Cities Bank.

Police believe the variety of surveillance video from the 

robberies—and a voice recording—may help the public 

identify this criminal. “We truly believe that someone 

knows this suspect, whether they are familiar with his 

physique, his voice, his vehicle, or even some of the 

apparel he’s wearing during the robberies,” said Bill Lewis, 

assistant director in charge of our Los Angeles Field 

Office during a 2013 press conference announcing the 

reward offer. “We are hoping citizens will take notice, 

look a little closer, and think a little harder about whether 

they have information that could break this case.”

Anyone with information about the AK-47 Bandit’s 

identity or whereabouts is urged to contact investigators 

at the toll-free number 1-800-CALL-FBI or send an 

e-mail to bandit@chinopd.org. Information can be 

provided confidentially.

Bank surveillance photographs of the vehicle and the 

suspect can be found at the Chino Police Department’s 

website: http://www.chinopd.org. Additional bank 

surveillance photos and videos can be found on the FBI’s 

wanted poster.

Billboard advertising has also been donated to assist 

with the publicity campaign. Digital ads, including bank 

surveillance images, the reward offer, and the toll-free 

number, are running in the Los Angeles region and other 

areas where robberies occurred. The FBI’s social media 

channels are helping to publicize the case as well.

“This guy attempted to murder a police officer,” Boles 

said. “There is no telling what he is capable of. We need 

to get him off the streets for everyone’s safety.”

Note: The AK-47 Bandit may have been located since the 

above information was posted on our website. Please check 

bankrobbers.fbi.gov for up-to-date information.

During what authorities believe was his first bank robbery 

nearly three years ago in Chino, California, the AK-47 

Bandit—so named because he carries an assault rifle 

during takeover-style robberies—shot and seriously 

wounded a police officer while making his escape. Since 

then, he has robbed or attempted to rob five more banks, 

most recently in August, when he hit a rural bank in 

Nebraska.

“He has shown he is not afraid to shoot someone, and 

experience tells us he is not going to stop robbing banks 

until we catch him,” said Special Agent Kevin Boles, who 

is working the case out of our Los Angeles Field Office. 

“We feel like we are racing the clock on this guy,” Boles 

said. “If we don’t get him soon, things could end badly 

and someone else might get hurt.”

That’s why we are asking for the public’s help and 

renewing our publicity campaign regarding this violent 

criminal. There is a reward of up to $100,000 for 

information leading to the arrest and conviction of the 

AK-47 Bandit.

Here is what we know:

▪ He is a white male, approximately 25 to 40 years old, 

about 6 feet tall, with light-colored eyes and a stocky 

build.

▪ During robberies he wears a dark balaclava ski mask, 

body armor, and black gloves.

▪ He carries an AK-47 assault rifle with a drum 

magazine.

▪ In several of the robberies, his getaway car was a dark 

gray four-door Nissan Maxima with chrome accents, 

model year 2009-2011.
78 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 79

October 10, 2014

Serial Killers

Part 8: New Research Aims to 

Help Investigators Solve Cases

law enforcement with relevant data that helps them focus 

on the most likely suspects.”

Serial murder in the United States is surprisingly rare. 

Although it’s impossible to quantify the number of 

active serial murderers nationwide or how many murders 

they commit, academic and law enforcement research 

suggests that the numbers of homicides carried out by 

serial offenders in a given year are a fraction of the total 

number of murders that occur in the U.S. “But when 

it does occur,” said Morton, who has worked dozens of 

these cases during his 25-year Bureau career, “it can be 

overwhelming to a community and its law enforcement 

agencies.”

“There is a lot of pressure on the police to solve these 

crimes,” he added, and most local police departments 

haven’t had a serial homicide in their jurisdiction. That’s 

where the FBI can provide behavioral-based investigative 

support to our state and local partners. The National 

Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime and members of 

our Behavioral Analysis Unit have extensive experience 

with serial murder investigations and offer their expertise 

on request.

“The FBI has become a clearinghouse for these crimes,” 

Morton said, “and we stand ready to assist local law 

enforcement when they are faced with an active serial 

murder case. This new research is one more tool to help 

investigators.”

Mention the term serial killer and what comes to mind 

for many people are murderers like Ted Bundy and John 

Wayne Gacy, whose grisly deeds seem to haunt our 

collective imagination.

But when Bob Morton considers serial killers—which 

he has spent much of his professional life doing—the 

recently retired special agent formerly with our Behavioral 

Analysis Unit thinks mostly about statistics.

Morton, the author of a new study on serial murder for 

the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent 

Crime, spent the last eight years gathering and analyzing 

details from hundreds of serial murder cases to help 

investigators better understand these terrible crimes—and 

be better equipped to solve them.

“In the past,” Morton said, “research tended to focus on 

known offenders and what led them to become serial 

murderers.” That information, while useful, provided little 

help to investigators trying to apprehend an unknown 

offender in an active, unsolved case.

The new study—Serial Murder: Pathways for 

Investigations—focuses on a key aspect of serial murder 

cases: how and where the victims’ bodies are discovered 

and what that says about the killers.

“What we tried to do was give investigators working 

these cases a common place to start, which is the body,” 

Morton said. “You work your way back from there to 

discern offender characteristics and narrow the suspect 

pool. The body is the only constant in the crime,” he 

explained. “Lots of other things can change, but how you 

find that victim is not going to change.”

If the victim was a prostitute, for example, and the body 

was left where the murder occurred, that may offer 

certain clues about the killer. If the body was hidden at 

a distance from the murder site, that may offer different 

clues. The study’s statistical data was drawn from 480 

U.S. serial murder cases involving 92 offenders over a 

period of nearly five decades. Morton believes the study’s 

findings could be a “game changer” for investigators 

working unsolved cases.

“Many of the things we have learned over the years 

through experience we are trying to prove through 

empirical research,” he said. “The main goal is to provide 

October 7, 2014

Left: A 55-minute ISIL propaganda video features an Englishspeaking man with what is believed to be a North American accent.

Seeking Information

Help Identify Individuals

Traveling Overseas for Combat

The threat of U.S. citizens traveling overseas to fight 

alongside terrorist groups is not new. Two years ago, 

a Chicago man was imprisoned for planning to travel 

to Somalia in 2010 to join al Shabaab. Last year, an 

Albanian man living in Brooklyn was sentenced to 15 

years for attempting to travel to Pakistan to engage in 

violent jihad. Last month, a New York man pled guilty 

to attempting to travel to Yemen in 2012 to support al 

Qaeda. On Saturday, a Chicago man was arrested for 

allegedly attempting to travel overseas to join ISIL. 

Earlier this year, the FBI’s Minneapolis Division 

launched a campaign to raise awareness in communities 

and law enforcement circles about the foreign traveler 

threat. Minneapolis created a unique tip line and 

distributed business cards to community leaders asking 

for information about anyone who might be planning 

travel—or had already traveled—to a foreign country for 

armed combat.

“These homegrown violent extremists are troubled 

souls who are seeking meaning in some misguided 

way,” Director Comey said during a recent 60 Minutes

interview. “And so they come across the propaganda and 

they become radicalized on their own independent study, 

and they’re also able to equip themselves with training 

again on the Internet, and then engage in jihad after 

emerging from their basement.”

ISIL has released several videos in recent months 

showing the beheadings of American, French, and 

English journalists and aid workers. The speaker—and 

executioner—in those videos has a British accent and 

authorities have said they now know his identity. The 

propaganda video highlighted today features a fluent 

English speaker and appears to be a stylized recruitment 

tool designed to lure Westerners to ISIL’s cause.

The FBI needs your help identifying the individuals 

in this video as well as anyone traveling abroad to 

join terrorist organizations. Please send tips to www.

fbi.gov/ISILtips or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-

5324) with information.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help identifying 

individuals who have traveled—or are planning to 

travel—overseas to engage in combat alongside terrorist 

organizations.

“We need the public’s assistance in identifying U.S. 

persons going to fight overseas with terrorist groups 

or who are returning home from fighting overseas,” 

said Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the FBI’s 

Counterterrorism Division.

The FBI is also seeking information about an Englishspeaking individual and others seen in a propaganda 

video released last month by the group calling itself the 

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.

In the video, a man whose face is obscured by a mask 

alternates seamlessly between English and Arabic in 

pro-ISIL pronouncements intended to appeal to a 

Western audience. Dressed in desert camouflage and 

wearing a shoulder holster, the masked man can be seen 

standing in front of purported prisoners as they dig their 

own graves and then later presiding over their executions.

The video was released on September 19. In releasing 

a segment from the video, the FBI hopes someone 

recognizes the man. In the segment, faces of purported 

prisoners are obscured and their executions are not 

shown.

The subject in the video has what is believed to be a 

North American accent. FBI Director James Comey has 

said about a dozen Americans are known to be fighting in 

Syria on the side of terrorists.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/seekinginfo-isil.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/serialkillerstudy.
80 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 81

October 17, 2014

Color of Law

Agent Exposes Civil Rights 

Crimes in Alabama Prison

A view of the prison yard at the Ventress Correctional Facility in 

Alabama. The image was part of a display in court to show the 

perspectives of witnesses to the fatal 2010 assault of an inmate by 

corrections officers.

was justified.

To build her case, Hanson and Special Agent William 

Beersdorf enlisted Mobile’s Evidence Response Team 

(ERT) to take extensive photographs from witnesses’ 

vantage points that could support or refute their claims. 

“That’s where she was able to start separating fact from 

fiction,” said Beersdorf. Specialists were brought in from 

the FBI’s Charlotte office to collect exact measurements 

and chart graphical representations of where each of the 

assaults occurred.

“Susan then could eliminate witnesses because of what 

they could or couldn’t see,” said Bryan Myers, an ERT 

technician who made six trips to the prison during the 

course of the investigation. The Special Projects Unit at 

FBI Headquarters assembled an interactive blueprint of 

the prison that showed everyone’s precise locations during 

the beatings. In the end, the evidence revealed how a 

cadre of guards, led by Smith, struck and kicked Mack so 

severely he died—and then conspired to cover it up.

“It was very helpful during trial,” said Hanson. Four 

officers were convicted last year on civil rights, 

obstruction of justice, and conspiracy charges and 

received prison terms—including Smith, who was 

sentenced to 30 years.

Hanson, who was named a finalist for the Service to 

America Medal by the Partnership for Public Service for 

bringing the guards to justice and exposing corruption 

in Alabama’s prisons, said the case is still heartbreaking 

to her because Mack was in the care of officials who had 

been bestowed a public trust.

“He was serving his time, he was not a problem child, 

and he was beaten to death because of conduct that had 

gotten out of control,” she said.

There was never any dispute that Rocrast Mack, a 24-

year-old serving time on drug charges in a state prison 

in Alabama, died at the hands of corrections officers in 

2010. What wasn’t immediately clear was how and why 

the inmate sustained a lethal beating.

What was known was this: On August 4, 2010, a female 

corrections officer confronted Mack in his bunk, accused 

him of inappropriate behavior, and struck him. Mack 

retaliated, the officer radioed for help, more officers 

arrived, and Mack was beaten in three separate prison 

locations over a 40-minute period. He died the next day 

from his injuries. Guards claimed Mack fought them 

throughout the ordeal and sustained his fatal injuries in a 

fall.

An investigator from Alabama’s State Bureau of 

Investigation thought the stories didn’t add up and called 

the FBI, which investigates cases of abuse of authority—

or color of law—and other civil rights violations. When 

Special Agent Susan Hanson opened her case at the 

Ventress Correctional Facility, her biggest challenge 

would be getting to the truth.

“The injuries that caused Mack’s death did not match up 

with the story the corrections officers were telling,” said 

Hanson, who works in the Dothan Resident Agency, a 

satellite office of the FBI’s Mobile Division. Meanwhile, 

witness accounts were suspect, given the questionable 

reliability of the sources. “You could have 10 different 

inmates who were in the very same room and they would 

give you 10 different stories,” she added.

What did emerge was a portrait of a corrupt prison 

environment led by a heavy-handed guard—Lt. Michael 

Smith. Smith, the main subject in the investigation, held 

sway over corrections officers and inmates alike. A few 

guards privately acknowledged that Smith’s history of 

intimidation could eventually land him in hot water. For 

Hanson, who conducted hundreds of interviews over 

nearly three years, the key to cracking the case was to 

find a sympathetic guard whose conscience carried more 

weight than his fear of Smith.

“It really was working with one of the officers, spending 

a lot of time with him, and telling him that the story just 

doesn’t make sense. It cannot have happened that way,” 

Hanson said. The guard implicated Smith but never broke 

ranks from the original narrative—that their use of force 

October 14, 2014

Sex Trafficker Receives 

40-Year Sentence

Texas Man Found Young Victims 

Through Social Media Sites

call her mother for help. And he helped himself to all the 

money paid by customers.

Using photos he took or occasionally pilfered from the 

victims’ own social media pages, Harris advertised the 

girls’ services on various Internet websites.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation 

Task Force in Houston, one of many child-focused task 

forces that we participate in around the country, working 

side by side with our partner agencies to investigate 

individuals and criminal enterprises responsible for 

victimizing young people. The Houston task force 

works closely with the Houston Police Department—in 

particular, its Vice and Juvenile Sex Crimes Divisions—

and it was Houston uniformed officers who recovered 

one of Harris’ victims and subsequently notified the task 

force.

The task force collected enough evidence to convince 

Harris to plead guilty. There was also enough evidence to 

prompt the judge to order that—after serving his 40-year 

sentence—Harris spend the rest of his life on supervised 

release. He’s also required to register as a sex offender.

The dangers and pitfalls of social media cannot be 

overstated, especially for young people. Here are a few 

tips on how to stay safe online:

▪ Only “friend” and connect to people online that you 

know personally.

▪ Set your social media security settings so that only 

confirmed friends and connections can see what you 

are posting.

▪ Never post a picture of yourself or write anything on 

social media sites—or in e-mails and text messages—

that you wouldn’t want the world to see.

▪ Be wary of giving anyone you meet through social 

media your phone number, e-mail address, or home 

address. Use common sense.

▪ And most importantly, be aware that anyone you 

meet online may not be who they say they are.

It is yet another example of how social media can 

be dangerous for young people. Recently, a Houston 

man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on child sex 

trafficking charges after identifying and contacting young 

girls through social media platforms and then luring them 

into prostitution.

Back in 2012, 20-year-old Tevon Harris—aka “Da Kidd” 

or “King Kidd”—didn’t have a legitimate job. He lived on 

and off with his mother but mostly moved from one motel 

room to the next. And he was very good at manipulating 

people. Harris trolled social media websites looking for 

vulnerable young girls he could sexually exploit. Online, 

he complimented them. He offered them modeling jobs. 

And he promised them lots of money.

Some agreed to meet with him, and he would go and pick 

them up. But what waited for them was not the glamorous 

modeling world. It was a nightmarish world of motel 

rooms, forced sexual encounters—with Harris himself 

and then with paying customers—and other degrading 

and violent acts.

Harris used violence and intimidation to keep the girls 

cooperative. He took their wallets and their cell phones, 

cutting off their communication with the outside world. 

In one instance, he deprived a victim of food for four 

days because he thought she wasn’t serving a client well 

enough. He also supplied her with marijuana and alcohol. 

Another victim was beaten with a towel rack torn from a 

motel room wall when Harris found her using a phone to 
82 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 83

October 23, 2014

Agencies Cooperate 

in Child Sexual 

Exploitation Case

Michigan Subject Gets 30

Years in Prison

spread outside the state of Michigan—that FBI assistance 

was solicited, and we opened a case in October 2012.

Continuing to work together, the MSP and FBI obtained 

evidence of online chats that Beckman had with others 

in his child pornography network. During many of the 

chats, Beckman was soliciting individuals who were 

conducting sexual acts with children, usually encouraging 

conversations about these activities and exchanging 

pornographic images and videos with them. Working to 

identify those in the network, the Bureau sent out leads 

to a number of our field offices around the country and 

several of our legal attaché offices overseas.

A unique set of circumstances surrounded the sexual 

exploitation charges. Evidence presented at trial showed 

that Beckman sexually abused and exploited two young 

children, and he streamed and attempted to stream live 

video of this abuse and exploitation to others. Because 

he streamed his child pornography via webcam, we had 

no images or videos to enter as evidence. However, we 

managed to track down a number of people Beckman 

streamed to—and two of them testified against him in 

court. One of those two individuals was charged, pled 

guilty, and was sentenced to a 12-year prison term. 

Charges are pending against the second.

After a two-week trial during which one of the young 

victims testified against Beckman from a room outside 

the courtroom, a jury found the defendant guilty on 15 of 

the 16 charges against him.

According to the federal judge who heard the case, the 

defendant’s conduct was “about as serious as it gets,” and 

that on a scale of one to 10, she believed the case was 

“way past 10.” Then she sentenced the defendant—James 

Alfred Beckman, Jr. of Grand Rapids, Michigan—to 30 

years in prison.

What crimes moved the judge in this case to hand 

down such a substantial prison term? Multiple counts 

of attempted sexual exploitation of a child, attempted 

coercion of a child, and receipt and distribution of child 

pornography. And in addition to the lengthy prison stay, 

the judge also imposed a lifetime term of supervised 

release on the defendant once he gets out, ordering that 

he register as a sex offender.

The success of this case, as with many investigations 

involving the FBI, can be attributed to the close 

working relationship between Bureau investigators 

and our partners—in this instance, troopers from the 

Michigan State Police (MSP) and prosecutors from 

the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of 

Michigan. The agencies’ seamless interactions resulted 

in the incarceration of an individual who posed a very 

dangerous threat to children.

The investigation into the illicit activities of Beckman 

began in September 2012, when a woman came to the 

MSP with allegations that Beckman had sexually abused 

her young child. The youngster reported that during 

the abuse, a computer and webcam had been present. 

Troopers opened a case and involved the state’s Child 

Protective Services to conduct interviews of the young 

victim and another child by an expert who is specially 

trained to interact with children who are victims of 

crime.

MSP investigators interviewed Beckman and performed 

forensic exams on his computers. The examination of 

Beckman’s work laptop turned up not only photos of child 

pornography but also evidence of a network of individuals 

trafficking in child pornography. It was at that point—

when the MSP determined that Beckman’s activities had 

Left: The National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force serves as the 

government’s central hub for coordinating, integrating, and sharing 

information related to cyber threat investigations.

October 20, 2014

Cyber Security

Task Force Takes ‘Whole

Government’ Approach

motivations and capabilities. That knowledge is used to 

disrupt criminal operations, minimize the consequences 

of intrusions, and ultimately bring perpetrators to justice.

This unified, government-wide approach leverages 

intelligence gathering and sharing among task force 

partners to gain a strategic view of what our enemies are 

trying to do within our infrastructure and why.

“Individual local and federal organizations rightfully focus 

on immediate threats in their areas of responsibility, but 

the NCIJTF is looking at the overall cyber landscape,” 

said FBI Special Agent Paul Holdeman, an NCIJTF 

chief. “We are looking at the broad strategic shifts in 

the enemy’s tactics and movements. What are these bad 

actors doing, and what threats do they pose?”

The ability to share intelligence across government 

agencies integrates the response to intrusions and 

investigations. “That is the key to the NCIJTF’s success, 

the exchange of information,” Holdeman said. “Bringing 

everyone together under one roof has been a huge 

benefit.”

Gustavo Rodriguez, a lieutenant with the New York 

Police Department (NYPD), recently completed a sixmonth assignment on the task force as part of the FBI’s 

Law Enforcement Fellows program, in which members 

of local law enforcement are trained so they can in 

turn train their colleagues when they return to their 

organizations.

“The NYPD has a robust cyber program,” Rodriguez 

said, “but the department thought it would be wise to see 

how the NCIJTF collectively addresses the cyber threat. 

The Fellows program allowed me to see the threat in real 

time domestically and internationally.” He added, “This 

experience has opened my eyes to how serious the threat 

is and how much damage bad actors could cause if left 

unchecked.”

The cyber criminals and nation states probing our systems 

are relentless, McAleer said. “But the American public 

should know that the NCIJTF will leverage technology, 

intelligence, tactics, and partnerships to disrupt attacks 

before they materialize.”

Hackers compromising banking and retail networks to 

steal consumers’ personal information. Foreign actors 

virtually accessing our trade secrets. Criminal groups 

lining their pockets by exploiting any online vulnerability 

they can find.

In today’s virtual world, it is well known that cyber crime 

can jeopardize our privacy, our economy, and even our 

national security. Less well known is an organization—

the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force 

(NCIJTF)—that is working around the clock to fight the 

threat.

“The challenge we face as a nation is formidable, because 

the bad actors never stop trying to infiltrate our systems,” 

said Greg McAleer, an assistant special agent in charge 

at the U.S. Secret Service who was recently named 

one of the NCIJTF’s deputy directors. “The NCIJTF 

uses a whole government approach—employing every 

tool in our arsenal to address the threat and protect 

our infrastructure, financial systems, and intellectual 

property.”

Working largely out of public view, the nearly two dozen 

federal intelligence, military, and law enforcement 

agencies that comprise the NCIJTF—along with local 

law enforcement agencies and international and private 

industry partners—serve as the government’s central hub 

for coordinating, integrating, and sharing information 

related to cyber threat investigations.

Established in 2008 by a presidential directive and 

administered by the FBI, the NCIJTF is also tasked 

with identifying cyber hackers and understanding their 
84 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 85

October 30, 2014

Ten Years of 

Protecting Children

International Task Force Targets 

Pedophiles, Rescues Victims

▪ And lastly, by combining forces, resources, and 

expertise, law enforcement collectively becomes 

more effective in identifying and taking down these 

criminal networks around the world.

Today, as we did 10 years ago, the FBI—with the help of 

our legal attaché offices overseas—seeks the best and the 

brightest to join the task force. Working alongside Bureau 

agents who specialize in these kinds of cases are task force 

officers with similar experience in their own countries, 

who come mainly from national-level police agencies, who 

have an understanding of cyber technology, and who are 

deeply committed to working with their international 

colleagues to protect children everywhere from sexual 

exploitation.

Obviously, our goal is to identify and prosecute these 

sexual predators, but we also want to identify and rescue 

their vulnerable victims. One of the ways we do that 

is through Operation Rescue Me, a joint FBI/National 

Center for Missing & Exploited Children program that 

uses image analysis to determine the identity of victims 

depicted in child sexual exploitation material.

Over the years, the Violent Crimes Against Children 

International Task Force has played a key role in a 

number of international cases. And looking ahead, we 

will continue to effectively target and take down those 

who threaten the youngest and most vulnerable among us 

by continually adapting our law enforcement response to 

the ever-changing nature of the threat.

Ten years ago this month, the FBI stood up the 

Innocent Images International Task Force. Its mission: 

to investigate commercial websites—at that time mostly 

based in Eastern Europe—involved in the worldwide 

distribution of child pornography. A big task for a small 

but dedicated group of expert investigators from the U.S. 

and five other participating nations.

Fast forward to October 2014, and this group of 

investigators has grown from about a half dozen 

individuals to around 60 officers from nearly 40 

countries. And the group’s changed name—the Violent 

Crimes Against Children International Task Force—

represents its expanded mission today: to identify and 

bring to justice anyone involved in violent child sexual 

exploitation activities, whether online or in person, and 

to identify and rescue the victims of these crimes no 

matter where in the world they may be.

The FBI created the task force to help counteract 

some of the difficulties that we—and other law 

enforcement agencies around the world—were facing 

while investigating complex, multinational child sexual 

exploitation cases. Constantly changing technology 

helped pedophiles prey on children anywhere and made 

law enforcement detection difficult. And law enforcement 

had to work within the context of political, legal, and 

judicial cooperation mechanisms that predated the digital 

era.

So how does the task force maneuver through these 

difficulties?

▪ For one, to help standardize investigations and 

enhance capabilities, the Bureau provides the same 

training to all task force officers in areas like online 

investigations, interviewing and interrogation, 

behavioral analysis, victim assistance, FBI priorities, 

and U.S. judicial standards.

▪ Also, putting task force officers together in the same 

room for training—and for a yearly case coordination 

meeting—helps establish professional relationships 

that carry over into the investigative arena, 

facilitating the real-time sharing of intelligence and 

the working of joint operations.

October 27, 2014

Left: Nigerian criminals behind purchase order frauds use fake or 

stolen e-mail addresses to deceive retailers, as shown in the example 

at left. They also dupe individuals who are the victims of online 

romance or work from home scams to re-ship merchandise out of the 

country, as seen in the example at right. 

Cyber Crime

Purchase Order Scam Leaves a 

Trail of Victims

information about the organization’s purchasing 

account.

▪ The criminals then contact the target business 

and request a quote for products. They use forged 

documents, complete with letterhead and sometimes 

even the name of the organization’s actual product 

manager. They request that the shipments be made 

on a 30-day credit—and since the real institution 

often has good credit, vendors usually agree.

▪ The criminals provide a U.S. shipping address that 

might be a warehouse, self-storage facility, or the 

residence of a victim of an online romance or workfrom-home scam. Those at-home victims are directed 

to re-ship the merchandise to Nigeria and are 

provided with shipping labels to make the job easy.

▪ The vendor eventually bills the real institution and 

discovers the fraud. By then, the items have been 

re-shipped overseas, and the retailer must absorb the 

financial loss.

Although the cyber criminals are practiced at deception, 

there are ways to spot the fraud, according to Special 

Agent Paula Ebersole in our Washington Field Office. 

“The most important thing is to independently verify 

shipping addresses,” she said, “no matter how legitimate a 

website or e-mail looks.”

Businesses should also be on the lookout for e-mails that 

contain unusual phrases or spellings, indicating that 

messages were not written by a fluent English speaker. 

And bogus phone numbers provided by the fraudsters are 

rarely answered by a live person.

“If your business has been scammed,” Ebersole added, 

“time is of the essence. If you report the theft to local 

authorities or the FBI before the merchandise is shipped 

out of the country, there is a chance the items can be 

located and returned.”

In addition to investigating these crimes, Ebersole and 

Altenburg are also getting the word out to the business 

community about purchase order fraud through the 

Domestic Security Alliance Council, a security and 

intelligence-sharing initiative between the FBI, the 

Department of Homeland Security, and the private 

sector. “We want to make everyone aware of this 

potential threat.”

What began as a scheme to defraud office supply stores 

has evolved into more ambitious crimes that have cost 

U.S. retailers millions of dollars—and the Nigerian cyber 

criminals behind the fraud have also turned at-home 

Internet users into unsuspecting accomplices.

FBI investigators are calling it purchase order fraud. 

Through online and telephone social engineering 

techniques, the fraudsters trick retailers into believing 

they are from legitimate businesses and academic 

institutions and want to order merchandise. The retailers 

believe they are filling requests for established customers, 

but the goods end up being shipped elsewhere—often to 

the unsuspecting at-home Internet users, who are then 

duped into re-shipping the merchandise to Nigeria.

“They order large quantities of items such as laptops and 

hard drives,” said Special Agent Joanne Altenburg, who 

has been investigating the cyber criminals since 2012 out 

of our Washington Field Office. “They have also ordered 

expensive and very specialized equipment, such as 

centrifuges and other medical and pharmaceutical items.”

Our investigators have found more than 85 companies 

and universities nationwide whose identities were used 

to perpetrate the scheme. Approximately 400 actual or 

attempted incidents have targeted some 250 vendors, and 

nearly $5 million has been lost so far.

The scam has several variations, but basically it works 

like this:

▪ The criminals set up fake websites with domain 

names almost identical to those of real businesses or 

universities. They do the same for e-mail accounts 

and also use telephone spoofing techniques to make 

calls appear to be from the right area codes.

▪ Next, the fraudsters—posing as school or business 

officials—contact a retailer’s customer service 

center and use social engineering tactics to gather 
86 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 87

November 4, 2014 November 6, 2014

Virtual Kidnapping

U.S. Citizens Threatened by 

Mexican Extortion Scheme

1 a.m., the phone rang in his room. A man claiming to 

be a member of the Zetas, a ruthless drug cartel, said 

Ramirez was being “fined” $10,000.

They knew his name and information about him, possibly 

from accomplices at the hotel. “They were very believable, 

and they were making threats,” Ramirez said, recalling 

the threats: “If you don’t listen to us, we are going to put 

drugs in your hotel room and you’re going to rot in jail in 

Mexico. Or we will just put a pistol to your head and kill 

you.”

What followed for Ramirez was a nearly three-day ordeal 

in which he was instructed to change hotels, buy a new 

cell phone—so his wife could not reach him—and 

withdraw money from the bank. “And don’t forget, we are 

watching you,” he was told. Eventually, his wife contacted 

local law enforcement who, in turn, called the FBI. 

With the help of Mexican police, Ramirez was recovered 

unharmed.

Although millions of Americans safely visit Mexico 

each year for business and pleasure, they can be 

targets for virtual kidnappers. “People with family and 

connections in Mexico and communities on both sides 

of the border have legitimate fears of the gangs and drug 

cartels and how violent they are,” said a member of our 

Crisis Negotiation Unit who has worked many hostage 

situations. “That fear plays into the hands of the virtual 

kidnappers,” he said. “They use it to their advantage.”

“If you think you are a victim, get to a place that feels 

safe, and then call someone who can help,” said the 

crisis negotiator. “If you are a family member or loved 

one getting ransom calls, remember that you have more 

power than you think, because you have the money 

that the kidnappers want.” He added that while some 

families think they can handle these situations alone, the 

FBI—which is the lead investigative agency when a U.S. 

citizen is taken hostage overseas—stands ready to offer its 

expertise and guidance to frightened families. “We can 

help,” he said.

Jose Ramirez, a retired New York police officer and ultrafit triathlete, is an unlikely victim. But last December 

in Cancun, Mexico, after completing an Ironman 

competition, he was tricked into believing his life was 

in danger. Like an increasing number of U.S. citizens on 

both sides of the border, Ramirez was the target of an 

extortion scheme known as virtual kidnapping.

Unlike traditional abductions, virtual kidnappers do not 

intend to physically detain their victims. Instead, through 

various deceptions and threats of violence, they coerce 

individuals to isolate themselves from their families—or 

make families believe that their loved ones are being 

held—all to extract a quick ransom before the scheme 

falls apart.

“Victims of virtual kidnappings are scared for their 

lives, and so are their families,” said Special Agent Brian 

Wittenberg, a member of our International Violent 

Crimes Unit at FBI Headquarters who has worked many 

of these cases.

Although these extortion schemes have been around 

for many years, their numbers are on the rise, and the 

criminals’ tactics are becoming more sophisticated. “It’s 

big business for them, and they do it well,” Wittenberg 

said. “Since the threat is continuing to evolve, the FBI 

wants to raise public awareness to help individuals from 

becoming victims.”

After completing the rigorous Ironman—a 2.4-mile swim, 

112-mile bike ride, and marathon run—the 73-year-old 

Ramirez returned to his hotel room in the evening, called 

his wife at home in Nevada, and went to sleep. Around

Egregious Case of 

Health Care Fraud

Cancer Doctor Admits

Prescribing Unnecessary

Chemotherapy

After his arrest, agents, prosecutors, and staff at each 

of the involved agencies worked around the clock to 

ensure that all of Fata’s patients—past and present—got 

their medical files so they could receive continued care. 

Investigators and prosecutors also contacted major 

medical centers in the southeastern Michigan area to 

ensure that Fata’s patients would be taken in quickly by 

new treating physicians.

In the months that followed, agents and prosecutors pored 

over billing data, medical records, financial records, and 

other materials recovered in searches of Fata’s businesses. 

In addition, agents interviewed hundreds of witnesses, 

including employees, former patients, and family members 

of patients.

Fata’s plea to the health care fraud charges, kickback 

conspiracy, and money laundering was the culmination 

of an intensive and extensive investigation. Some of the 

conduct he admitted to in his guilty plea included:

▪ Administering unnecessary chemotherapy infusions;

▪ Administering unnecessary iron infusions;

▪ Administering unnecessary human growth factors;

▪ Ordering unnecessary cancer tests;

▪ Accepting kickbacks to refer patients for home health 

care services; and

▪ Promoting his cancer test fraud scheme with money 

laundered from his infusion fraud scheme.

At his upcoming sentencing, Fata faces up to 175 years 

in prison on the charges he pled guilty to. The U.S. 

Attorney has stated that prosecutors intend to seek life.

Imagine receiving a diagnosis of cancer and then 

having to go through chemotherapy or other intensive 

treatments. Then imagine finding out that you never had 

cancer in the first place and that your doctor—whom 

you trusted implicitly—merely used you in his scheme to 

fraudulently bill the federal Medicare program and private 

insurance companies for hundreds of millions of dollars.

That’s exactly what happened to patients of Dr. Farid 

Fata, a Detroit-area hematologist and oncologist. And it 

was not only cancer diagnoses. Some patients were told, 

wrongly, that they had other conditions which required 

expensive intravenous therapies, medications, and 

diagnostic tests—all of which jeopardized their health 

and well-being.

But after a thorough investigation by the FBI, 

Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of 

Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Internal Revenue 

Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI)—and just 

before his trial was scheduled to begin—Fata recently 

pled guilty to 13 health care fraud crimes against his 

patients, as well as one count of conspiracy to receive 

kickbacks and two counts of money laundering.

Fata operated a cancer treatment clinic—Michigan 

Hematology Oncology, P.C.—which had multiple 

locations throughout Michigan. He also owned a 

diagnostic testing facility—United Diagnostics, PLLC—

in Rochester Hills, Michigan. His case came to light in 

the summer of 2013, when allegations against him came 

to the attention of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the 

Eastern District of Michigan and the Medicare Fraud 

Strike Force from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) 

Criminal Division.

Because of the seriousness of the allegations and the 

potential risk to the health of Fata’s current patients and 

any future patients, FBI and HHS-OIG investigators, 

as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys and DOJ Criminal 

Division prosecutors, moved quickly to collect 

corroborating information from employees in his practice. 

Within days, there was enough evidence to arrest him 

and shut down his businesses.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/virtualkidnapping.
88 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 89

November 13, 2014

Crime Statistics for 

2013 Released

Decrease in Violent Crimes and 

Property Crimes

the previous (or legacy) definition as well as the revised 

definition. Footnotes for tables in the report indicate 

which definition of rape is being used.

Here are some quick highlights from Crime in the United 

States, 2013:

▪ During 2013, law enforcement made an estimated 

11,302,102 arrests (including 480,360 for violent 

crimes and 1,559,284 for property crimes). The 

highest number of arrests were for drug abuse 

violations (estimated at 1,501,043), larceny-theft 

(estimated at 1,231,580), and driving under the 

influence (estimated at 1,166,824).

▪ There were an estimated 14,196 murders last year.

▪ Aggravated assaults (an estimated 724,149 last year) 

accounted for the largest percentage of violent crimes 

reported to law enforcement—62.3 percent.

▪ Firearms were used in 69 percent of the nation’s 

murders, 40 percent of robberies, and 21.6 percent of 

aggravated assaults (weapons data is not collected on 

rape incidents).

▪ There were an estimated 79,770 rapes (legacy 

definition) reported to law enforcement.

▪ Victims of burglary offenses suffered an estimated 

$4.5 billion in property losses, and burglaries of 

residential properties accounted for 74 percent of the 

total reported.

▪ Larceny-thefts accounted for the largest percentage of 

property crimes reported to law enforcement—69.6 

percent. (The average value of property taken during 

larceny-thefts was $1,259.)

▪ During 2013, an estimated 699,594 motor vehicles 

were reported stolen, and 73.9 percent of those were 

cars. (Other types of stolen vehicles included trucks, 

sport utility vehicles, buses, motorcycles, motor 

scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and snowmobiles).

UCR publications scheduled for release within the next 

couple of months include Law Enforcement Officers Killed 

and Assaulted, 2013; Hate Crimes Statistics, 2013; and 

National Incident-Based Reporting System, 2013.

The FBI released Crime in the United States, 2013 today, 

which shows that the estimated number of violent crimes 

in 2013 decreased 4.4 percent when compared with 2012 

figures, and the estimated number of property crimes 

decreased 4.1 percent. There were an estimated 1,163,146 

violent crimes reported to law enforcement last year, 

along with an estimated 8,632,512 property crimes.

The crime statistics report, issued by the Bureau’s 

Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, contains 

voluntarily submitted data from 18,415 city, county, state, 

tribal, campus, and federal law enforcement agencies 

on specific crimes brought to their attention. They 

include the violent crimes of murder, rape, robbery, and 

aggravated assault, and the property crimes of burglary, 

larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

The primary goals of Crime in the United States? To 

assess and monitor the nature and type of crime in 

the nation and to generate reliable information for 

use in law enforcement administration, operations, 

and management. The data has also been used by 

criminologists, sociologists, legislators, municipal 

planners, the media, and other students of criminal 

justice for research and planning purposes.

But a word of caution: Don’t draw conclusions from the 

report by making direct comparisons between cities. Valid 

assessments are only possible with an understanding of 

various factors affecting each jurisdiction.

Beginning in 2013, the UCR Program began collecting 

rape data under a revised definition. However, not all 

law enforcement agencies have been able to convert their 

records management systems to reflect the new definition 

yet, so this year’s report includes data collected under 

November 10, 2014

Left: Charts from the just-released Crime in the United States, 

2013 publication show the downward progression in the number of 

reported violent crimes (left) and property crimes (right) over the past 

five years.

Child Pornography Case 

Results in Lengthy 

Prison Sentences

Couple Abused Child in

Their Care

During the course of the investigation, an agent from 

our Dallas Field Office who was working another child 

pornography matter was able to connect his case—and 

his subject—to Patricia Ayers through an automated 

search of FBI records. Among other links, Patricia Ayers 

had e-mailed the subject of the Dallas case images of 

child pornography, including pictures of the child in the 

Ayers’ custody. Matthew and Patricia Ayers were indicted 

on federal charges in May 2014.

Assisting Bureau agents on the Ayers case was an FBI 

Computer Analysis and Response Team expert who 

reviewed all of the digital evidence seized during the 

search warrants, as well as FBI analysts who carefully 

scrutinized every image for clues as to when and where it 

was taken, what was being shown, and who was pictured.

Also involved were forensic child interviewers from our 

Office for Victim Assistance at FBI Headquarters, who 

are specially trained to get young crime victims and 

witnesses to talk about what they experienced while not 

traumatizing them any further. And FBI Birmingham’s 

local victim specialist worked with the victim from the 

beginning of the case through sentencing and beyond, 

offering much-needed support, some counseling, and 

additional community resource referrals. The victim—

who is believed to have been around 6 years old when the 

abuse started—is now in the care of family members.

This case and others like it demonstrate the value of—

and the need for—law enforcement’s lawful access to 

digital media.

It was a horrific instance of child sexual exploitation that 

went on for approximately three years. But in the end, 

Patricia and Matthew Ayers—who pled guilty to crimes 

against a child in their custody—were recently sentenced 

to an astonishing 2,340 years collectively behind bars 

(1,590 for her, 750 for him).

The federal judge who handed down those sentences told 

the defendants, “I have been on the bench since 1998 and 

this is the worst case I have personally dealt with .... You 

robbed this child of her childhood and her soul, and a 

maximum sentence is the only sentence appropriate.”

The case began in Alabama in December 2012, when 

a friend of the couple contacted local authorities after 

seeing digital pornographic pictures of a child that were 

provided to him by Patricia Ayers. The Lauderdale 

County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at the 

Ayers’ residence in Florence and seized computers, cell 

phone, cameras, and electronic storage media devices. 

Patricia Ayers—who admitted taking the images of the 

child, initially claiming they were taken for the purposes 

of documenting a rash—was arrested.

Found among the thousands of pornographic images on 

the seized devices were pictures of Matthew Ayers and 

the young victim engaged in sexual acts—he was then 

arrested by local authorities as well.

In early January 2013, Lauderdale authorities requested 

the Bureau’s assistance, and our Florence Resident 

Agency (out of the FBI Birmingham Field Office) opened 

a federal child pornography investigation.

Another search warrant was served at the Ayers’ 

residence to locate and document items seen in the child 

pornography images suspected of being produced in the 

home. A previous address that the pair had occupied 

was also searched—with the consent of the current 

homeowners—and law enforcement identified wallpaper 

in that house as the same wallpaper visible in some of the 

images.
90 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 91

November 18, 2014 November 21, 2014

Prison Plot Foiled

Murder Witness

Threatened from Jail

“It was apparent in the investigation that Dr. Weber was 

head over heels for Stanishia. She even sent him nude 

pictures of herself,” Rardain said, explaining that the two 

exchanged hundreds of calls, and although she did not 

work at the institution where Stanishia was an inmate, 

she visited him monthly and wrote often, signing some 

letters, “Your loving wife.”

Stanishia and Weber allegedly hired a private investigator 

to find out where the murder witness and his wife lived 

and worked as well as information about their children. 

Then they allegedly hired a man to place a gas can on the 

porch at the witness’ family home in Pennsylvania.

According to the indictment, a fellow inmate helped 

smuggle a cell phone into the prison, which Stanishia 

used to call the witness and ask if he had received his 

previous “message.” Stanishia claimed to be a ranking 

member of the Aryan Brotherhood and suggested that 

the witness sign a new affidavit—being prepared with 

Weber’s help—recanting his original testimony. He told 

the man the Aryan Brotherhood could easily reach him 

and his family. “I want you to think about this,” Stanishia 

said.

The frightened witness called local law enforcement, who 

contacted the FBI. It didn’t take long for investigators to 

unravel the scheme.

“This was a well-calculated threat,” Rardain said, 

“but the witness did the right thing by contacting law 

enforcement.” He added that while “Stanishia is the 

bad guy here, he could not have carried out the threat 

without Weber. We believe she was coordinating the 

entire plan.”

In October, Stanishia and Weber, along with three other 

accomplices—two of whom are already in jail—were 

indicted and charged with three counts relating to an 

interstate conspiracy to transmit threats to a witness. 

Weber is being held without bond. Trial is scheduled for 

December 3, 2014.

It’s one of the more outrageous prison plots the FBI has 

investigated in recent memory: An Ohio inmate—and 

the clinical psychologist who was in love with him—were 

among five people indicted last month and charged with 

threatening a murder witness.

“I’ve seen a lot of creative inmates trying to get released,” 

said Special Agent Eric Rardain, who investigated the 

case out of our Philadelphia Field Office, “but never in 

my 22 years of law enforcement have I seen anyone go to 

this extreme.”

Nicholas Stanishia, who is serving a life sentence at the 

Southeastern Correctional Institution in Lancaster, Ohio, 

apparently believed he could get out of jail if the man who 

saw him kill his ex-girlfriend recanted his testimony.

In 1997, Stanishia murdered his former girlfriend and 

shot her then boyfriend, who survived and later testified 

to what he saw. Stanishia was on the run for three 

years, during which time he also committed a home 

invasion and rape. At his murder trial in 2001, based on 

the witness’ testimony, Stanishia was found guilty and 

received a life sentence.

To carry out his witness threat plan, Stanishia needed an 

ally on the outside—and he had one in Marcia Weber. 

The two had met years earlier when Weber was starting 

her clinical psychology career at a local prison where 

Stanishia was incarcerated on unrelated charges. Theirs 

was initially a doctor-patient relationship, but around 

2006, after years of keeping in touch, Weber professed 

her love for him and began to help him orchestrate the 

scheme they hoped would win his freedom.

Honoring the Fallen

20 Years Since Shooting Killed 

Two Agents, Police Sergeant

1991 to solve moldering homicide cases—with helping 

turn the city around.

“It’s incumbent upon us to remember that whatever we 

accomplish, whatever we achieve, we achieve standing 

on their shoulders,” said Mike Daly, brother of Sgt. Hank 

Daly.

“When the moment came, when danger threatened, they 

ultimately gave what President Abraham Lincoln once 

called that last full measure of devotion to their families, 

to their colleagues, and to their country,” said Attorney 

General Holder.

The two-hour service was followed by a procession to the 

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, where 

family members laid wreaths next to the names of their 

loves ones etched in the marble walls.

“Let’s not dwell long on the anguish of that day,” said 

Tony Daniels, who was in charge of the Washington Field 

Office in 1994. “Let’s celebrate how they lived and how 

we can be proud of what they accomplished. Let’s leave 

here today rededicating ourselves to what they taught us 

and what they represent: honor, courage, commitment.”

Two decades ago, on November 22, 1994, a lone gunman 

entered the headquarters building of the Metropolitan 

Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C. and 

opened fire in a squad room, killing a police sergeant 

and two FBI agents. For those close to the fallen, who 

gathered today for a memorial service marking 20 years 

since the tragic event, it’s as if it happened yesterday.

“Twenty years have passed, but our hearts are still heavy,” 

said former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh, who headed the 

Bureau in 1994. “Our hearts and memories still feel the 

pain of that day. It was a day that we will never forget and 

will always honor.”

Special Agents Michael J. Miller and Martha DixonMartinez, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and MPD 

Sgt. Joseph “Hank” Daly were fatally wounded in the 

attack. Another FBI agent, John Kuchta, was seriously 

wounded, and a 15-year-old bystander was injured. The 

assailant, Benny Lee Lawson, was killed in the exchange 

of gunfire. The 25-year-old had been questioned as a 

suspect a week earlier in a triple homicide investigation

Nearly 500 guests attended the memorial service this 

morning at St. Patrick’s Church in Washington, D.C., 

where FBI Director James Comey, Attorney General Eric 

Holder, and MPD Chief of Police Cathy L. Lanier joined 

family members and former colleagues of the service 

martyrs to reflect on their lives and contributions. Family 

members who spoke at the memorial asked that their 

fallen siblings be celebrated for how they lived.

Paul Dixon recalled a story about his sister, Martha, who 

threatened to quit her elementary school when it wanted 

to move her into a higher-level class. She didn’t want to 

leave her friends. Dixon said the same was true when her 

fellow squad members were attacked 20 years ago. She 

could have escaped, but stayed to help her colleagues.

“She was going to stay there and fight for her friends 

and defend them. And that’s what she did. That’s an 

illustration of Martha’s character. That’s the woman that 

was taken from us,” Dixon said. “So I would encourage 

everybody here not to focus on the deaths of these people. 

It’s not how they died that made them heroes, but it’s how 

they lived.”

Many recalled how dangerous the city was in 1994 and 

credited the work of the Cold Case Squad—created in 

FBI Director James Comey speaks at a memorial service recognizing 

the 20-year anniversary of the fatal attack on two FBI agents and a 

Metropolitan Police Department sergeant at police headquarters. 

Michael J. Miller Sgt. Joseph 

“Hank” Daly

Martha DixonMartinez
92 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 93

November 26, 2014

In the Line of Duty

Law Enforcement Officers

Killed and Assaulted, 2013

Report Released

▪ Law enforcement agencies identified 28 alleged 

assailants in connection with the felonious line-ofduty deaths (20 had prior criminal records).

▪ Of the 49 officers accidentally killed, 23 died as a 

result of automobile accidents.

▪ Of the nearly 49,851 officers assaulted during 2013, 

the largest percentage of victim officers (31.2 percent) 

were responding to disturbance calls (family quarrels, 

bar fights, etc.) when the incidents occurred.

New to LEOKA is the addition of detailed data 

concerning assault victims. Although this year’s detailed 

information on assaults was only received for 78 officers, 

submissions are expected to increase over time.

The LEOKA publication, released by the FBI’s Uniform 

Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, contains data on dulysworn city, university/college, county, state, tribal, and 

federal law enforcement officers who, at the time of the 

incidents, met the following criteria:

▪ They were working in an official capacity, whether on 

or off duty;

▪ They had full arrest powers;

▪ They ordinarily wore/carried a badge and a firearm; 

and

▪ They were paid from government funds set aside 

specifically for sworn law enforcement representatives.

The information in the report comes from various 

sources—the law enforcement agencies participating in 

the UCR Program, FBI field offices, and several nonprofit organizations, such as the Concerns of Police 

Survivors and the National Law Enforcement Officers 

Memorial Fund.

The goal of the FBI’s LEOKA program is to provide data 

and training that help keep law enforcement officers 

safe as they serve and protect our nation’s communities. 

Later this week on our website, we’ll focus on what 

LEOKA is doing, beyond its annual report, to further 

that goal—specifically, the extensive research being done 

on collected data (including studies involving interviews 

with individuals convicted of police killings) and the 

incorporation of that research into the officer safety 

awareness training conducted by the LEOKA program for 

partner agencies.

A Florida sheriff’s officer, responding to a report of a 

domestic disturbance at a residence, was shot and killed 

by someone inside the home. An Iowa police officer 

was shot and killed while attempting to serve an arrest 

warrant. A Michigan state trooper was fatally shot during 

a routine traffic stop. And a West Virginia sheriff was 

ambushed and fatally shot in the head while he was 

eating his lunch in a marked car.

According to the just-released Law Enforcement Officers 

Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) report, these four officers 

were among the 76 men and women killed in the line 

of duty during 2013—27 died as a result of felonious 

acts, and 49 died in accidents. Another 49,851 law 

enforcement officers were victims of line-of-duty assaults. 

Proof positive of the dangers that all officers willingly 

face, day in and day out, to protect the rest of us.

Among the report’s findings for 2013:

▪ Of the 27 officers feloniously killed, 16 were on 

assigned vehicle patrol duty when the incidents 

occurred, and all but one of the 27 officers was killed 

with a firearm.

▪ Circumstances surrounding the deaths of these 

27 officers included arrest situations, ambushes, 

investigations of suspicious persons, disturbance 

calls, tactical situations, traffic pursuits or stops, and 

investigative activities.

November 24, 2014

In the Line of Duty

Annual ‘Officers Killed’ Report 

More Than a Tally of Losses

“It makes a huge impact on these guys,” said Lt. Herb 

Rosenbaum, of the Trussville Police Department near 

Birmingham, Alabama. “When we’re out on the road, we 

all have a tendency to fall into a routine. You’ve made a 

thousand traffic stops and you’ve never been challenged. 

This brings it back to the forefront.”

The LEOKA program has released three multi-year 

studies tailored toward improving officer safety—Killed 

in the Line of Duty (1992), In the Line of Fire (1997), and 

Violent Encounters (2006). Each zeroed in on a subset 

of fatality and assault cases in prior years and looked 

for common threads that might illustrate better ways to 

assess or respond to a situation.

More recent statistics have shown a significant uptick 

in ambushes and unprovoked attacks on police, which 

prompted the LEOKA program to embark on a new 

study in 2013 that will include the unique perspectives 

of ambush victims and perpetrators. The study, due out 

in 2016, is reviewing cases from 1995 to 2011, looking 

for general themes of offender motives and officer 

perceptions.

“We want to figure out why the offenders were doing 

what they were doing and how the police officers reacted 

to see if there’s anything we can link in the study that 

would enhance police officer safety,” said James Sheets, a 

LEOKA training instructor.

Special Agent Michael Freeman, who coordinates 

training for our Norfolk Field Office, said LEOKA 

training is popular with police departments and 

other agencies in his region. He said the sobering 

information and first-person accounts help ensure against 

complacency.

“What adds so much value,” Freeman said, “is receiving 

the perception of the offender and why that individual 

made the decision to challenge that law enforcement 

professional.”

The FBI’s annual Law Enforcement Officers Killed and 

Assaulted (LEOKA) report released earlier this week 

details in chilling narratives and statistics how 76 law 

enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 

2013.

While the LEOKA report offers a stark reminder of 

the dangers police face every day, the main reason for 

gathering the comprehensive data about line-of-duty 

fatalities, assaults, and accidents is to prevent them from 

occurring in the future. In addition to collecting details 

about the critical aspects of fatal confrontations and 

assaults, the FBI’s LEOKA program conducts extensive 

research on the data that eventually gets incorporated 

into the officer safety awareness training the FBI provides 

for partner agencies.

“It’s a three-prong program,” said Brian McAllister, a 

training instructor for LEOKA, a unit in the Bureau’s 

Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. 

“LEOKA is about data, it’s about research, and it’s about 

training.”

The data is collected from participating agencies across 

the country as part of the Uniform Crime Reporting 

Program and is published in conjunction with Crime 

in the United States, the FBI’s annual dissemination of 

crime statistics. Over the years, researchers led by the 

LEOKA program have performed deep-dives into the 

data and published research aimed at giving officers a 

sharper understanding of what types of scenarios and 

circumstances have resulted in fatalities and assaults—

and how to avoid them. The research delves well beyond 

statistics to include in-depth interviews with officers 

who were victims of assaults or involved in incidents 

that resulted in officer fatalities. The LEOKA program 

staff—former police officers—also interview the 

perpetrators of police deaths, hoping to provide a window 

into what compelled them to make a fatal move on a law 

enforcement officer.

For officers going through LEOKA’s Officer Safety 

Awareness Training, it’s these first-hand accounts that 

bring the job’s dangers to the fore. “It’s a wake-up call 

for officers in the class to see and listen to an interview 

with an offender who has killed a police officer,” said 

McAllister, who conducts some of the interviews in 

addition to teaching the eight-hour seminars.
94 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 95

December 1, 2014 December 4, 2014

WMD Training

FBI Worst-Case Exercise Tests 

Response to Chemical Attack

“As a manager you never want to be responsible for 

something like this going on,” said Bruce Shelton, 

manager of the waste disposal site in La Porte, just 

outside of Houston, that was targeted in the exercise 

(the Houston area is home to the largest concentration 

of chemical facilities in the U.S.). “But I know that we 

absolutely need to be in contact with our local emergency 

planning folks in this type of environment, because we 

don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

In the scenario, things go from bad to worse very quickly, 

and agency representatives are confronted with realtime questions about how they will respond in what is 

emerging as an act of domestic terrorism. Who is the 

incident commander? Is this an ongoing attack? Are 

we evacuating? Are your people trained to operate in 

personal protective equipment? Do they have access to 

that equipment? Knowing the roles and skills of all parties 

in advance can reduce confusion in a real incident, 

whether it’s a terrorist attack or an accident.

“We have a lot of incidents that happen in this part of 

the country, so I think it’s good for us to review those so 

we hopefully limit the number of potential mistakes,” said 

Mark Sloan, coordinator of the Harris County Office of 

Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Any 

time you get face time with your partners, it’s going to 

benefit you when you meet at 2 a.m. and say, ‘Hi, what 

resources do we have available to us?’”

Each of the FBI’s 56 field offices has at least one WMD 

coordinator whose job includes establishing relationships 

with local partner agencies and private companies 

to prevent WMD attacks. In making the rounds, the 

coordinators share prevailing threats and become key 

points of contact when a suspicious incident arises in the 

WMD arena.

“Our WMD coordinators are the face of the Bureau 

when they go out and meet the locals,” said Chris Freeze, 

assistant special agent in charge of the Houston Division, 

who participated in the exercise.

Bruce Shelton, the facility manager, had never dealt with 

most of the individuals or agencies that participated in 

the exercise. Seeing the response unfold in front of him 

gave him a fresh perspective on his own role in securing 

his site and helping in a coordinated response.

“There are a lot of resources out there that I haven’t used 

until now,” he said after the scenario concluded. “It’s good 

to know where they’re at and who they are.”

When the facility manager for a hazardous waste disposal 

company near Houston took his seat at the table with 

law enforcement officials and emergency first responders, 

he knew it was going to be a very bad day. In the coming 

hours, his facility would experience a break-in, a fire, and 

the theft of a chemical agent that would be intentionally 

released at a popular waterfront amusement park, sending 

a poisonous plume across the region.

The fictional worst-case scenario was designed by the 

FBI’s Chemical Countermeasures Unit—part of our 

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Directorate—to 

shake out any weaknesses in the region’s elaborate 

network of emergency responders. The daylong exercise, 

attended by more than two dozen local, state, and federal 

agencies, raised all the tangly issues that come up in 

real catastrophic events: Who has jurisdiction? Who 

is the lead investigative agency? Who is qualified to 

appropriately respond?

“It’s an excellent opportunity for everybody to get 

together and learn what each other’s capabilities are,” said 

Special Agent Amanda Koldjeski, a WMD coordinator 

in the FBI’s Houston Division, which hosted the training 

event in October as part of the Bureau’s ongoing effort 

to reach out to first responders and high-risk chemical 

facility operators about potential threats in their areas.

The exercise also showed how private industry has an 

important seat at the table in dynamic events like this, 

since they know their materials and vulnerabilities better 

than anyone else, and they are most likely to be the 

first to recognize suspicious activity related to their own 

operations.

Left: Chemical storage tanks provided a visual aid during an FBI-led 

exercise in Houston designed to test emergency responders in the 

event of a chemical attack. New Top Ten Fugitive

Help Us Find a Murderer

In addition to Egypt and Canada, investigators believe 

Said has ties to the Dallas-Fort Worth region and the 

New York City area. He frequents diners—including 

Denny’s and IHOP restaurants—smokes Marlboro Lights 

100s cigarettes, and loves dogs, especially tan- and blackcolored German Shepherds. He may be working as a taxi 

driver.

Said—the 504th person to be named to the FBI’s Ten 

Most Wanted Fugitives list since its creation in 1950—is 

considered armed and dangerous. He reportedly carries a 

weapon with him at all times.

We need your help: If you have information about Yaser 

Abdel Said, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or contact your 

nearest law enforcement agency or U.S. Embassy or 

Consulate. You can also submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

“These murders were brutal and cold-blooded,” Balli said. 

“If a person is capable of killing his own daughters, there 

is no telling what he might do. We need to catch this 

individual and prevent him from harming anyone else.”

Note: Yaser Abdel Said may have been located since the 

above information was posted on our website. Please check 

our Ten Most Wanted Fugitives webpage at www.fbi.gov/

wanted/topten for up-to-date information.

Yaser Abdel Said, wanted for the murder of his two 

teenage daughters in Texas, has been named to the Ten 

Most Wanted Fugitives list. A reward of up to $100,000 is 

being offered for information leading directly to the arrest 

of Said, who was born in Egypt and may be hiding there 

or in U.S. communities with Egyptian ties.

On January 1, 2008, Said persuaded his estranged 

daughters—Amina, 18, and Sarah, 17—to visit him. 

He said he was going to take them to get something to 

eat. Instead, he allegedly drove them in his taxi cab to 

a remote location and used a handgun to murder them. 

One of the girls was able to make a 911 call and was 

heard screaming for help, saying she and her sister were 

being shot by their father. Their bodies were discovered 

several hours later in the cab, which was abandoned 

outside a hotel in Irving, Texas.

“Yaser Abdel Said is wanted for his alleged role in 

committing a terrible act of violence against his own 

daughters,” said Diego Rodriguez, special agent in charge 

of our Dallas Field Office. “Adding him to the Ten Most 

Wanted Fugitives list shows our commitment to seek 

justice for Amina and Sarah.”

Since the murders nearly seven years ago, the case has 

received widespread publicity, and law enforcement has 

followed every credible lead, but Said remains at large. 

Today’s announcement, Rodriguez noted, should draw 

increased attention to the case. “We believe that the 

combination of publicity, the significant reward, and the 

team of experienced investigators working the case from 

the Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force and the Irving 

Police Department will result in Said’s arrest.”

Special Agent Gil Balli, a task force supervisor who is 

leading the investigation, explained that “Said likely 

fled immediately after the murders. There have been 

many reports that he is in the U.S., but we are not ruling 

out the possibility that he is abroad.” Balli added that 

investigators are coordinating with law enforcement 

partners in Egypt and Canada along with U.S. law 

enforcement agencies.

The last confirmed sighting of Said, now age 57, was in 

Irving, Texas, in 2008. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 

about 180 pounds, and has brown eyes, black hair, and 

possibly a thick moustache.

Digital billboards featuring new FBI Top Ten Fugitive Yaser Abdel Said 

are being displayed nationwide. 

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/yaserabdelsaid.
96 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 97

December 8, 2014 December 11, 2014

Latest Hate Crime 

Statistics Report 

Released

Publication Includes

New Data Collected Under

Shepard/Byrd Act

orientation bias types, a revision of race and ethnicity 

categories, and the collection of rape data under the new 

UCR rape definition.

Among the report’s findings for 2013:

▪ Of the 5,928 incidents reported, six were multiplebias hate crime incidents involving 12 victims.

▪ Of the 5,922 single bias incidents reported, the top 

three bias categories were race (48.5 percent), sexual 

orientation (20.8 percent), and religion (17.4 percent).

▪ Of the reported 3,407 single-bias hate crime offenses 

that were racially motivated, 66.4 were motivated 

by anti-black or African-American bias, and 21.4 

percent stemmed from anti-white bias.

▪ 60.6 percent of the reported 1,402 hate crime offenses 

based on sexual orientation were classified as anti-gay 

(male) bias.

▪ Law enforcement agencies identified 5,814 known 

offenders in the 5,928 bias-motivated incidents. Of 

these offenders, 52.4 percent were white and 24.3 

percent were black or African-American.

▪ Of the 6,933 hate crime offenses reported in 

2013, 63.9 percent were crimes against persons 

(e.g., intimidation, assaults, rapes, murders), while 

35 percent were property crimes (mostly acts of 

destruction/damage/vandalism). The rest were 

considered crimes against society (like drug offenses 

or prostitution).

Upcoming changes to Hate Crime Statistics: The FBI 

approved a recommendation by the Criminal Justice 

Information Services Division’s Advisory Policy Board to 

expand the bias types in the religious category to include 

all the religions identified by the Pew Research Center 

and the U.S. Census Bureau. Also, the hate crime data 

collection procedures will be modified to include an 

anti-Arab bias motivation. The collecting of both types of 

data will begin on January 1, 2015.

The UCR Program continues its efforts to assist our law 

enforcement partners in collecting and submitting hate 

crime data and with establishing or updating hate crime 

training programs for their personnel. Most recently, we 

held a training session for UCR contributors that focused 

on upcoming changes to the hate crime report, and we’re 

in the process of revising our Hate Crime Data Collection 

Guidelines and Training Manual with new definitions and 

scenarios that reflect those changes.

Today, the FBI released its annual Hate Crime Statistics

report, which revealed that 5,928 hate crime incidents 

involving 6,933 offenses were reported by our law 

enforcement partners to the Bureau’s Uniform Crime 

Reporting (UCR) Program in 2013. These hate crime 

incidents impacted a total of 7,242 victims—which are 

defined as individuals, businesses, institutions, or society 

as a whole.

The number of reported hate crimes last year is down 

slightly when compared to 2012 UCR figures—5,928 in 

2013 versus the 2012 figure of 6,573 (a combination of the 

5,796 incidents in Hate Crime Statistics, 2012 and the 777 

additional incidents published in Hate Crime Addendum, 

2012).

Hate Crime Statistics, 2013—the first UCR publication to 

contain data collected under the Matthew Shepard and 

James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2009—has 

a few changes from previous reports. First, biases against 

gender (male or female) and gender identity (transgender 

and gender nonconformity) have been added to the list 

of bias categories. And in response to the Shepard/Byrd 

Act, we modified our data collection so that reporting 

agencies can indicate whether crimes were committed by, 

or directed against, juveniles.

Changes to this latest report include a revision of sexual 

Left: Of the 5,928 hate crime incidents reported in 2013, 5,922 

were single-bias offenses. A Commitment to 

Indian Country

Director Comey Pledges

Continued Support for Crime

Victims

partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs 

(BIA)—to equip new FBI and BIA agents, along with 

tribal law enforcement officers, with cutting-edge 

training on investigating Indian Country crimes.

▪ Partnerships. Currently, there are 14 Bureau-led 

Safe Trails Task Forces nationwide, bringing together 

federal, state, local, and tribal resources to combat 

violent crime, drugs, and corruption in Indian 

Country.

▪ Victim assistance. “Much of our work in Native 

American communities involves the most 

heartbreaking kinds of crimes—the homicides and 

the violent assaults and the rapes, and especially 

the abuse directed at kids,” said Comey. FBI victim 

specialists provide on-scene crisis intervention and 

help victims and their families navigate the criminal 

justice process. “The work of our victim specialists is 

so important to the FBI that we made sure many of 

them were here today to meet with their counterparts 

in the BIA,” explained Comey, “so they can talk with 

you about how to get better at their work.”

“The essence of our job in the FBI,” Comey added, “is 

to ensure that justice is done for everyone in America—

every man, woman, and child living in any part of this 

great land—including American Indian and Native 

Alaskan communities.”

At the 14th National Indian Nations Conference, which 

convened today on the reservation of the Agua Caliente 

Band of Cahuilla Indians in California, FBI Director 

James Comey pledged the Bureau’s “unshakeable” 

commitment to tribal nations.

The Bureau has unique and important responsibilities in 

Indian Country, Comey told more than 1,000 conference 

attendees. Investigating crimes and assisting victims 

there, he said, “will be a priority of the FBI.”

The conference, sponsored by the Department of Justice’s 

Office for Victims of Crime and coordinated by the 

Tribal Law and Policy Institute, brings together Native 

Americans, community and government agencies, 

and service providers to share knowledge and develop 

programs to help those impacted by violence on tribal 

lands.

Comey noted that his interest in the FBI’s Indian 

Country work is driven by his responsibilities as Director, 

but also by something more—his family. Last summer, 

his two youngest daughters went on a mission trip to a 

reservation and came home, he said, “with their eyes wide 

open about the challenges on the reservation. They said, 

‘Dad, you’ve got to do something, you’ve got to do more.’”

The FBI has investigative responsibility for 212 Indian 

reservations nationwide, and about 115 special agents 

work in our Indian Country program. Additionally, 41 

victim specialists from our Office for Victim Assistance 

serve Native American crime victims. The Director 

acknowledged that those numbers should be higher.

To begin to address staffing and resource needs, Comey 

said, he has asked the Indian Country Crimes Unit and 

Office for Victim Assistance at FBI Headquarters to 

submit proposals detailing the need for increased staff, 

specialized training, and additional equipment.

Comey highlighted several areas in which the Bureau 

provides valuable resources to tribal nations:

▪ Training. Beyond the many training opportunities 

the FBI provides to tribal law enforcement, the 

Bureau is developing a new, three-week school—in 

Director Comey delivers remarks at the 14th National Indian Nations 

Conference.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to 

access related information, or visit

www.fbi.gov/indiannationsconference.
98 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 99

December 18, 2014

A Byte Out of History

The Bureau’s Role During

Early World War I Years

That didn’t mean the Bureau was on the sidelines, 

however. Between 1914 and American entry into the 

war in 1917, the Bureau’s national security war-related 

investigations grew rapidly, from a small percentage of 

our total workload in 1914 to almost 30 percent two years 

later.

Among some of these early investigations:

▪ In 1914, Bureau agents broke up a ring run by Hans 

Adam Wedel, Carl Ruroede, and others who engaged 

in a variety of frauds to obtain passports for the use 

of German reservists stuck in the U.S. when war 

erupted.

▪ In 1915, Bureau agents investigated Werner Horn, 

a German national who bombed a bridge between 

Maine and Canada. Horn had attacked the Canadian 

side of the bridge and declared himself an agent 

of the German Army. The Bureau helped develop 

evidence that Horn had carried dynamite on public 

interstate transportation, a federal crime. He served 

18 months in a U.S. prison and was later extradited 

to Canada, where he was sentenced for his sabotage.

▪ Also in 1915, agents in New York investigated a plot 

to blow up the Welland Canal, a major shipping point 

between Lakes Erie and Ontario. Paul Koenig, head 

of security for a German shipping line, and Richard 

Leyendecker, a New York antiques dealer, were 

arrested. German military attaché Franz von Papen 

was also charged for his role in the plot, but he had 

already left the U.S. by then. Papen, however, was 

soon connected to the previously mentioned Secret 

Service investigation involving a briefcase full of 

sensitive German documents left on a New York City 

bus.

In fact, it was these investigations by the Bureau and 

the Secret Service, along with Germany’s resumption of 

unlimited submarine warfare and their plan to convince 

Mexico and Japan to ally with it against the United 

States, that helped convince America to enter the war on 

the Allied side on April 6, 1917.

That development brought even more work for the 

Bureau, as we will see in an upcoming story.

When war broke out in Europe a hundred years ago—in 

1914, to be exact—the U.S. declared its neutrality, 

and U.S. investigative agencies like the Bureau of 

Investigation (the precursor to the FBI) had little role to 

play.

As the conflict escalated, though, American munitions, 

food, and other goods became a point of contention. 

Great Britain and its allies tried to purchase all they 

could afford from the U.S. to bolster their effort. But 

Germany and its allies, blockaded by British ships, took 

up submarine warfare to try and prevent their enemies 

from benefiting from American trade and turned to 

sabotage, espionage, propaganda, and other intelligence 

tactics to succeed.

The U.S. government’s response was divided. On the one 

hand, the Treasury Department’s Secret Service sought to 

pursue German spies and their agents in the U.S. In one 

well known case, a Secret Service agent tailing a known 

German agent in New York City picked up a briefcase 

accidentally left behind on a bus—it contained a trove 

of documents related to German efforts to clandestinely 

plan and support secret activities aimed at interfering 

with American assistance to the Allies.

On the other hand, because little of this activity violated 

the limited federal laws at the time, U.S. Attorney 

General Thomas Gregory cautioned the Bureau of 

Investigation to keep its investigations into German 

activities limited—even though they were potential 

threats to our national security.

December 15, 2014

Left: A badge from the Bureau of Investigation, as the FBI was called 

from 1909 to 1935, is seen on the left. At right is a 1917 photo of 

U.S. Attorney General Thomas Gregory, who served from 1914-1919. 

(Library of Congress Photo)

The Fraudster Who 

Faked His Own Death

Inside the Aubrey Lee Price Case

“a lot of money.” He convinced bank officials to use some 

of the institution’s funds to invest in U.S. securities and 

was permitted to wire $5 million to an account he said he 

created with a well-known global investment firm.

“Everyone believed Price was on the up and up,” Sutcliff 

said. “He had investors, a solid track record, and there 

was no reason to doubt his ability or his honesty. And 

keep in mind that his PFG investors were getting bogus 

statements saying they were making money—and when 

they needed funds, he would provide them. It was the 

classic Ponzi scheme.”

There never was an account with the global investment 

firm, and that initial $5 million was just the beginning of 

Price’s thefts from the bank. He eventually gained access 

to more than $21 million and lost more than $16 million 

through risky investments—all the while telling the bank 

the money was being used to purchase securities. In the 

end, Price’s deception resulted in the bank’s failure and 

losses of more than $70 million.

In 2012, when he knew his house of financial cards was 

about to crumble, Price faked his suicide on a boat in Key 

West, Florida and fled first to Mexico and later to Florida, 

where he grew and sold marijuana and other drugs, and 

sometimes served as a bodyguard for prostitutes.

“He went from clean-cut preacher and investment adviser 

to weed grower and prostitute escort,” said Sutcliff, who 

spent many hours interviewing Price. “He will tell you he 

made all those risky investments trying to earn back his 

clients’ money,” Sutcliff said.

“Like any good con man,” Sutcliff added, “you want to 

believe what he is saying is true. But in the end, the words 

don’t match the actions.”

When a federal judge recently sentenced Aubrey Lee 

Price to 30 years in prison for bank fraud, embezzlement, 

and other crimes, it closed a chapter on the once 

successful businessman’s sensational criminal saga.

Price went from a devout Christian minister and trusted 

financial adviser to a schemer who wiped out many of 

his clients’ life savings and then faked his own death to 

avoid taking responsibility for what he had done. When 

a routine traffic stop in Georgia resulted in his arrest on 

New Year’s Eve in 2013, Price acknowledged that he had 

become a drug dealer.

His well-publicized rise and fall makes for a fascinating 

tale, but our agents who investigated the case are quick to 

point out that the real focus of this story should not be on 

Price but rather on his victims.

“It’s unbelievably sad,” said Special Agent Ed Sutcliff in 

our Atlanta Field Office. “Most of Price’s victims had 

worked 30 or 40 years to save for retirement. They were 

living off those funds,” said Sutcliff, who interviewed 

many of the victims. “They had to learn from us that 

Price was missing, and all their money was gone.”

Price told investigators he got involved in the investment 

business to help fund his mission efforts overseas. He 

worked for two well-known investment firms and later 

started his own company, PFG. Many of his clients were 

personal friends from Georgia, where Price lived. Some 

knew him from church—he gave seminars on how to be a 

wise Christian investor. Others had been on mission trips 

with him. Eventually, he consolidated PFG to about 100 

“significant investors,” Sutcliff said.

In 2009, unbeknownst to his clients, Price began 

gambling with their money, making risky investments. He 

would later falsify documents to hide those transactions. 

The following year, he convinced 40 of his clients to 

invest in a troubled Georgia bank and profit by turning 

the bank around.

Price raised $10 million from PFG clients, and bank 

employees and area residents put in $4 million. Price—

who by this point was on the bank’s board of directors—

was seen as a hero for helping to keep it afloat.

But in 2011, Sutcliff said, Price realized the bank could 

not be turned around and that his investors stood to lose 

When he was arrested on New Year’s Eve day in 2013, Aubrey Lee 

Price had been on the run for nearly 18 months. To manage his life as 

a fugitive, Price created fake ID cards for himself like the ones shown 

here.
100 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 101

December 22, 2014 December 24, 2014

FBI Releases 

Expanded Crime 

Statistics for 2013

Latest Report from National

Incident-Based Reporting

System

interested in submitting their crime data through the 

NIBRS.

As compared to UCR’s traditional Summary 

Reporting System currently used in the annual Crime 

in the United States report—which is an aggregate 

monthly tally of crimes—the NIBRS is a more 

comprehensive accounting of crime occurring in a 

law enforcement agency’s jurisdiction. When used to 

its full potential, the NIBRS can identify with precision 

when and where crime takes place, the form it takes, and 

the characteristics of its victims and perpetrators. Armed 

with this information, law enforcement agencies can 

better define and articulate the resources they need and 

then apply these resources where they’d be most effective.

When the UCR Program studied several years of NIBRS 

data to examine the effect of agencies switching to the 

system, most figures stayed the same—especially for the 

single-offense incidents—but slight increases occurred for 

agencies that had several multiple-offense incidents. For 

NIBRS submissions, all of the offenses in an incident were 

reported—not just the most serious one as is done in the 

Summary Reporting System. So when agencies switch to 

the NIBRS, it may seem like crime within their region 

has increased, but that perception of an increase is due 

to the greater level of reporting specificity in NIBRS 

data compared to that for summary data.

New in the NIBRS this year: This latest report includes 

information about new collection standards—and new 

data—including a revised rape definition, the addition 

of human trafficking offenses and gender and gender 

identity bias categories, and the revision of sexual 

orientation bias types and race and ethnicity categories.

Next year—at the request of the National Sheriffs’ 

Association and the Animal Welfare Institute—an 

animal cruelty offense category will be added to the 

NIBRS and will include four separate types of abuse: 

simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, 

organized abuse (dog fighting and cock fighting), 

and animal sexual abuse. This new category will be 

implemented during 2015, and data collection will begin 

January 2016.

Today, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) 

Program released its third annual compilation of statistics 

from the National Incident-Based Reporting System 

(NIBRS), providing expanded data on more than 4.9 

million criminal incidents reported to law enforcement in 

2013.

The NIBRS, implemented to improve the overall quality 

of crime data collected by law enforcement, captures 

details on each single crime incident—as well as on 

separate offenses within the same incident—including 

information on victims, known offenders, relationships 

between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property 

involved in the crimes. In this latest report, 6,328 NIBRS 

agencies—about a third of the more than 18,000 law 

enforcement agencies that participate in the UCR 

Program—reported 4,927,535 crime incidents involving 

5,665,902 offenses, 5,980,569 victims, 4,517,902 known 

offenders, and 1,533,671 arrestees.

While these numbers are not yet nationally 

representative, the FBI is undertaking a number of efforts 

to educate law enforcement and others on the benefits of 

the NIBRS and to increase participation in the program. 

For example, we have partnered with the Department 

of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics on the National 

Crime Statistics Exchange to assist states and agencies 

Digital Billboard 

Initiative

Catching Fugitives in the

Information Age

Channel Outdoor, Lamar Advertising Company, 

Outfront Media (formerly CBS Outdoor), Adams 

Outdoor Advertising, the Fairway Media Group, 

CEMUSA, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of 

Georgia. All these organizations—including other digital 

advertisers who informally support the program—have 

been critical to the success of numerous investigative 

efforts, because digital billboards are extremely effective 

in reaching the public with information about fugitives, 

missing persons, and public safety issues.

“The companies’ willingness to assist us in bringing 

criminals to justice, as well as the speed in which they 

are able to publicize the information, is a tribute to their 

organizations,” said Mike Kortan, assistant director for 

the FBI’s Office of Public Affairs. “Their efforts have 

given us an added edge to identify, locate, and apprehend 

fugitives—and that, in turn, has helped to stop many 

criminals from further victimizing the public.”

Because digital billboards can be quickly changed and 

updated, information about a kidnapped child, a bank 

robbery, or a matter of public safety can immediately 

be displayed. And messages can be targeted to specific 

geographic locations, which is important when time is of 

the essence.

And as the program expands, we are adding new 

formats. Fugitive information, for example, is now being 

displayed on digital bus shelters in Washington, D.C., 

and digital newsstands in New York City. “Thanks to 

our partnerships, the billboard initiative has been a 

tremendous success,” Kortan said. “We look forward to its 

continued growth.”

In April 2013, a Buffalo grand jury indicted 33-year-old 

Oscar Romero and other suspected members of the 

Loiza Boys gang, charging them with heroin and cocaine 

distribution. After nearly a year on the run, investigators 

received information that Romero had returned to the 

Buffalo area from Puerto Rico, and the FBI deployed a 

powerful weapon to help capture the fugitive—digital 

billboards. The electronic billboards featuring Romero’s 

face—along with the words “Wanted” and “Drug 

Charges” and a number to call—were posted in the 

Buffalo area on March 31, 2014. Four days later, Romero 

turned himself in.

“When our billboards went live, Oscar Romero had been 

a federal fugitive for just shy of a year,” said Brian Boetig, 

special agent in charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Division. “Our 

partnership with the local billboard company generated 

media attention and conversations throughout Romero’s 

West Side neighborhood, which pressured him into safely 

surrendering.”

Similar events have occurred around the country, 

thanks to the FBI’s National Digital Billboard Initiative, 

which began in 2007 in Philadelphia when a graduate 

of the FBI’s Citizens Academy—who happened to be 

an executive with Clear Channel Outdoor—offered to 

provide free space on the company’s digital billboards to 

help catch criminals and rescue missing children. 

Since then, the program has recorded impressive 

growth—and results. To date, the FBI has captured 53 

individuals as a direct result of billboard publicity, and 

the Bureau now has access to more than 5,200 billboards 

nationwide made available by a number of companies. 

The billboard initiative is an excellent example of how 

law enforcement, the private sector, and the public can 

all work together to bring criminals to justice in today’s 

information age.

“We view the partnership with the FBI as a model of 

public service,” said Nancy Fletcher, president and CEO 

of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America 

(OAAA). “The billboard program makes a difference, 

using the latest technology on behalf of public safety.”

The FBI has formal partnerships with OAAA, Clear 

Fugitive Daniel Andreas San Diego, wanted in connection with 

domestic terrorism, has been featured on a billboard in New York 

City’s Times Square.
102 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 103

Most Wanted Talent

FBI Seeking Tech Experts to

Become Cyber Special Agents

to the table,” Anderson said. “Cyber agents will be 

integrated into all the different violations that we work. 

So whether it’s a counterterrorism or counterintelligence 

investigation, they could be the lead agent in the case.”

Key requirements to be a special agent include passing a 

rigorous background check and fitness test. Agents must 

be at least 23 and no older than 37. Prospective cyber 

special agents are expected to meet the same threshold 

as special agents, but also have a wealth of experience 

in computers and technology. Preferred backgrounds 

include computer programming and security, database 

administration, malware analysis, digital forensics, and 

even ethical hacking. An extensive list of sought-after 

backgrounds and certifications can be seen on the job 

posting.

“Cyber permeates every aspect of what we do,” Anderson 

said. “That’s why these types of people are so important 

to get into the pipeline and come into our organization.”

Bank robberies help illustrate how the landscape has 

shifted. Traditionally, a team of agents responding to an 

armed bank robbery would cordon off a crime scene, 

interview witnesses, and collect evidence, such as 

fingerprints and security video. However, if the money 

was stolen through a cyber intrusion into the bank’s 

holdings, the approach would be very different: a cyber 

agent would request firewall logs and forensic copies of 

hard drives, in addition to interviews.

The FBI already has a lengthy track record fighting 

cyber crimes. In June, the FBI announced its role in 

the multinational effort to disrupt the GameOver Zeus 

botnet, believed to be responsible for the theft of millions 

of dollars from businesses and around the world. A month 

earlier, the FBI announced charges against distributors of 

malicious software that infected millions of computers. 

Forty FBI field offices executed more than 100 search 

warrants and seized more than 1,900 domains used by 

Blackshades users to control victims’ computers.

But the FBI wants to grow to meet tomorrow’s 

challenges. “We’re looking to hire a lot of cyber agents 

now,” Anderson said. “It’s an area where the FBI and 

the whole U.S. government will be looking for this 

talent for years to come.”

Cyber agents can expect continued specialized training 

once onboard and to work on some of the Bureau’s most 

complex cases. Given the broad scope of the FBI’s work, 

Anderson says, “there is no other place like it.”

Since its earliest days, the FBI has looked for recruits with 

specialized skills to fill its special agent ranks: lawyers, 

accountants, scientists, and engineers, to name a few. 

Today, however, the most sought-after candidates possess 

a uniquely 21st century quality: cyber expertise.

Investigating cyber crimes—such as website hacks, 

intrusions, data theft, botnets, and denial of service 

attacks—is a top priority for the FBI. To keep pace 

with the evolving threat, the Bureau is appealing to 

experienced and certified cyber experts to consider 

joining the FBI to apply their well-honed tradecraft as 

cyber special agents.

“The FBI seeks highly talented, technically trained 

individuals who are motivated by the FBI’s mission to 

protect our nation and the American people from the 

rapidly evolving cyber threat,” said Robert Anderson, 

Jr., executive assistant director for the Bureau’s 

Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.

“What we want are people who are going to come and 

be part of a team that is working different, very complex 

types of investigations and to utilize their skillsets in that 

team environment.”

The Bureau recently launched a campaign to bring 

aboard more technical talent, including computer 

scientists, IT specialists, and engineers. In a job 

posting—open until January 20—the FBI says no 

other organization will apply the expertise of successful 

candidates like the FBI.

“One thing that no one else can offer is the mission 

and the camaraderie and the teamwork the FBI brings 

December 29, 2014
104 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 105

Index Index

Bureau Initiative Focuses on Child Sex Tourism: Help

the Victims, Apprehend the Abusers, page 42

Operation Cross Country: Recovering Victims of Child

Sex Trafficking, page 49

Long-Time Fugitive Captured: Juggler Was on the Run for

14 Years, page 62

Sex Trafficker Receives 40-Year Sentence: Texas Man

Found Young Victims Through Social Media Sites,

page 80

Agencies Cooperate in Child Sexual Exploitation Case:

Michigan Subject Gets 30 Years in Prison, page 83

Ten Years of Protecting Children: International Task

Force Targets Pedophiles, Rescues Victims, page 85

Child Pornography Case Results in Lengthy Prison

Sentences: Couple Abused Child in Their Care,

page 89

CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SERVICES

Latent Hit of the Year Award: Massachusetts Examiner

Honored, page 59

FBI Files: CJIS Digitizes Millions of Files in

Modernization Push, page 65

Next Generation Identification: FBI Announces

Biometrics Suite’s Full Operational Capability, page 74

Crime Statistics for 2013 Released: Decrease in Violent

Crimes and Property Crimes, page 88

In the Line of Duty: Law Enforcement Officers Killed and

Assaulted, 2013 Report Released, page 92

In the Line of Duty: Annual ‘Officers Killed’ Report

More Than a Tally of Losses, page 93

Latest Hate Crime Statistics Report Released: Publication

Includes New Data Collected Under Shepard/Byrd Act,

page 96

FBI Releases Expanded Crime Statistics for 2013: Latest

Report from National Incident-Based Reporting System, 

page 100

CIVIL RIGHTS

A Byte Out of History: 50 Years Since Mississippi

Burning, page 48

A Byte Out of History: 50th Anniversary of the FBI’s

Jackson Field Office, page 54

Justice in Labor Trafficking Case: Subjects Get Lengthy

Prison Terms, page 70

Color of Law: Agent Exposes Civil Rights Crimes in

Alabama Prison, page 81

Latest Hate Crime Statistics Report Released: Publication

Includes New Data Collected Under Shepard/Byrd Act,

page 96

COUNTERTERRORISM

On the Ground in Kenya: Part 2: Terror at the Westgate

Mall, page 3

FBI, DHS Offer Partners Terrorist Incident Response

Training: Coordination Among Agencies is Key,

page 35

FBI, Interpol Host Critical Infrastructure Symposium:

Director Comey Addresses the Importance of

Partnerships, page 52

Seeking Information: Help Identify Individuals Traveling

Overseas for Combat, page 78

WMD Training: FBI Worst-Case Exercise Tests Response

to Chemical Attack, page 94

CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN

Serial Killers: Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta

Child Murders, page 11

Child Predator: Help Us Identify John Doe 28, page 26

Seeking Information: International Child Exploitation

Case, page 32

Investigating Child Abductions: FBI CARD Team Plays

a Vital Role, page 37

Have You Seen These Kids? National Missing Children’s

Day 2014, page 40

CYBER CRIMES

Scam on the Run: Fugitive Identity Thief Led Global

Criminal Enterprise, page 6

Botnet Bust: SpyEye Malware Mastermind Pleads Guilty,

page 8

A Byte Out of History: $10 Million Hack, 1994-Style,

page 9

Understanding School Impersonation Fraud: A Look

Inside the Scam, page 34

International Blackshades Malware Takedown:

Coordinated Law Enforcement Actions Announced,

page 39

GameOver Zeus Botnet Disrupted: Collaborative Effort

Among International Partners, page 43

National Cyber Security Awareness Month: Security is

Everyone’s Responsibility, page 77

Sex Trafficker Receives 40-Year Sentence: Texas Man

Found Young Victims Through Social Media Sites,

page 80 

Cyber Security: Task Force Takes ‘Whole Government’

Approach, page 82

Cyber Crime: Purchase Order Scam Leaves a Trail of

Victims, page 84

Most Wanted Talent: FBI Seeking Tech Experts to

Become Cyber Special Agents, page 102

DIRECTOR/FBI LEADERSHIP

FBI Honors Community Leaders: Their Efforts to

Improve Lives Lauded, page 27

FBI, Interpol Host Critical Infrastructure Symposium:

Director Comey Addresses the Importance of

Partnerships, page 52

Honoring the Fallen: 20 Years Since Shooting Killed Two

Agents, Police Sergeant, page 91

A Commitment to Indian Country: Director Comey

Pledges Continued Support for Crime Victims, page 97

FIELD CASES

Serial Killers: Part 4: White Supremacist Joseph Franklin,

page 4

Prepaid Funeral Scam: Fitting End to Multi-State Fraud

Scheme, page 5

Scam on the Run: Fugitive Identity Thief Led Global

Criminal Enterprise, page 6

Botnet Bust: SpyEye Malware Mastermind Pleads Guilty,

page 8

A Byte Out of History: $10 Million Hack, 1994-Style,

page 9

Four MS-13 Leaders Sentenced: Serious Threat Removed

from Atlanta Streets, page 10

Serial Killers: Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta

Child Murders, page 11

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 1: Innovative

Approaches to a Serious Problem, page 13

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 2: Operation Save Our

Streets, page 14

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 3: Helping to Heal

Communities, page 15

A (Driver’s) License to Steal: Corruption in a San Diego

Motor Vehicle Office, page 16

Historic Insider Trading Scheme: Stock Manager Busted,

page 17

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 4: The Homicide Library,

page 18

Naval Espionage: Stopping a Dangerous Insider Threat,

page 19

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 5: The Power of Partners

and Intelligence, page 20

Serial Killers: Part 6: Andrew Cunanan Murders a

Fashion Icon, page 21

Help Us Find a Killer: American Contractor Murdered in

Iraq in 2009, page 23
106 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 107

Index

New Top Ten Fugitive: MS-13 Member Wanted for

Double Murder, page 25

New Top Ten Fugitive: ‘Family Annihilator’ William

Bradford Bishop, Jr. Wanted for 1976 Murders, page 29

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 6: Working to Make a

Difference, page 31

Investment Fraud Scheme Uncovered: Members of

Military and Dependents Victimized, page 33

Sophisticated Fraud Scheme Dismantled: Ringleader

Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison, page 36

The Testing That Wasn’t: New York Man Falsifies Test

Data on Military Equipment, page 46

Violent Criminals Sentenced: Charged in 2010 Murder of

Oklahoma Couple, page 51

Dog Fighting Ringleader Pleads Guilty: Multi-State

Criminal Enterprise Shut Down, page 53

A Byte Out of History: 50th Anniversary of the FBI’s

Jackson Field Office, page 54 

Violation of Public Trust: Corrupt Officials Jailed for

Abusing Justice System, page 60

Long-Time Fugitive Captured: Juggler Was on the Run for

14 Years, page 62 

Health Care Fraud Enterprise Dismantled: Ringleader

Operated Multiple Pharmacies, page 63

Counterfeit Goods Smuggling Ring Dismantled:

Undercover Agents Infiltrated Massive International

Operation, page 64

Investment Con Man Pleads Guilty: Fraudster Targeted

Medical Professionals, page 66

Corruption in a Small Texas Town: Investigation

Dismantles Family-Run Criminal Operation, page 67

A Case of Corporate Greed: Executives Sentenced in

$750 Million Fraud Scheme, page 68

Vintage Fraud: Rare Wine Dealer Sentenced in

Counterfeiting Scheme, page 69

Justice in Labor Trafficking Case: Subjects Get Lengthy

Prison Terms, page 70

Money Laundering Takedown: Operation Targets Sinaloa

Drug Cartel, page 71

Murder-for-Hire Plot Uncovered: Subject Wanted Out of

$8 Million Debt, page 72

Sweepstakes Fraud: Senior Citizens Targeted, page 73

Help Us Catch the AK-47 Bandit: Violent Bank Robber

Shot a Police Officer, page 76

Sex Trafficker Receives 40-Year Sentence: Texas Man

Found Young Victims Through Social Media Sites,

page 80

Color of Law: Agent Exposes Civil Rights Crimes in

Alabama Prison, page 81

Agencies Cooperate in Child Sexual Exploitation Case:

Michigan Subject Gets 30 Years in Prison, page 83 

Cyber Crime: Purchase Order Scam Leaves a Trail of

Victims, page 84

Virtual Kidnapping: U.S. Citizens Threatened by

Mexican Extortion Scheme, page 86

Egregious Case of Health Care Fraud: Cancer Doctor

Admits Prescribing Unnecessary Chemotherapy,

page 87

Child Pornography Case Results in Lengthy Prison

Sentences: Couple Abused Child in Their Care,

page 89

Prison Plot Foiled: Murder Witness Threatened from Jail,

page 90

New Top Ten Fugitive: Help Us Find a Murderer, page 95

The Fraudster Who Faked His Own Death: Inside the

Aubrey Lee Price Case, page 99

FOREIGN COUNTERINTELLIGENCE

Naval Espionage: Stopping a Dangerous Insider Threat,

page 19

Advice for U.S. College Students Abroad: Be Aware of

Foreign Intelligence Threat, page 30

Operation Bodyguard: FBI Recognizes WWII

Counterintelligence Landmark in New York, page 45

Index

HISTORY

Serial Killers: Part 4: White Supremacist Joseph Franklin,

page 4

A Byte Out of History: The Five-Decade Fugitive Chase,

page 7

A Byte Out of History: $10 Million Hack, 1994-Style,

page 9

Serial Killers: Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta

Child Murders, page 11

Serial Killers: Part 6: Andrew Cunanan Murders a

Fashion Icon, page 21

The Exxon Valdez, 25 Years After: FBI Continues to

Support Environmental Crime Enforcement Partners,

page 24

Operation Bodyguard: FBI Recognizes WWII

Counterintelligence Landmark in New York, page 45 

A Byte Out of History: 50 Years Since Mississippi

Burning, page 48

A Byte Out of History: 50th Anniversary of the FBI’s

Jackson Field Office, page 54

Serial Killers: Part 7: The FBI and Jeffrey Dahmer,

page 61

FBI Files: CJIS Digitizes Millions of Files in

Modernization Push, page 65

Honoring the Fallen: 20 Years Since Shooting Killed Two

Agents, Police Sergeant, page 91

A Byte Out of History: The Bureau’s Role During Early

World War I Years, page 98

INTELLIGENCE

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 5: The Power of Partners

and Intelligence, page 20

INTERNATIONAL

On the Ground in Kenya: Part 1: A Conversation with

Our Legal Attaché in Nairobi, page 2

On the Ground in Kenya: Part 2: Terror at the Westgate

Mall, page 3

Scam on the Run: Fugitive Identity Thief Led Global

Criminal Enterprise, page 6

Botnet Bust: SpyEye Malware Mastermind Pleads Guilty,

page 8

A Byte Out of History: $10 Million Hack, 1994-Style,

page 9

Help Us Find a Killer: American Contractor Murdered in

Iraq in 2009, page 23

Helping Victims and Their Families: Psychologist

Specializes in Kidnapping, Hostage Cases, page 28

Seeking Information: International Child Exploitation

Case, page 32

Understanding School Impersonation Fraud: A Look

Inside the Scam, page 34

International Blackshades Malware Takedown:

Coordinated Law Enforcement Actions Announced,

page 39

Bureau Initiative Focuses on Child Sex Tourism: Help the

Victims, Apprehend the Abusers, page 42 

GameOver Zeus Botnet Disrupted: Collaborative Effort

Among International Partners, page 43

Bank Guilty of Violating U.S. Economic Sanctions:

Record Penalties Levied Against Global Financial

Institution, page 50

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 1: Joining Forces to

Meet the Challenge, page 55

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 2: Building

Partnerships That Last, page 56

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 3: Overcoming the

Language Barrier, page 57

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 4: Adding

Prevention to Intervention, page 58

Long-Time Fugitive Captured: Juggler Was on the Run for

14 Years, page 62 

Counterfeit Goods Smuggling Ring Dismantled:

Undercover Agents Infiltrated Massive International

Operation, page 64 
108 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 109

Index

Money Laundering Takedown: Operation Targets Sinaloa

Drug Cartel, page 71 

Seeking Information: Help Identify Individuals Traveling

Overseas for Combat, page 78 

Ten Years of Protecting Children: International Task

Force Targets Pedophiles, Rescues Victims, page 85

Virtual Kidnapping: U.S. Citizens Threatened by

Mexican Extortion Scheme, page 86

New Top Ten Fugitive: Help Us Find a Murderer, page 95

MAJOR THEFTS/VIOLENT CRIME

Serial Killers: Part 4: White Supremacist Joseph Franklin,

page 4

Four MS-13 Leaders Sentenced: Serious Threat Removed

from Atlanta Streets, page 10

Serial Killers: Part 5: Wayne Williams and the Atlanta

Child Murders, page 11

Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: New Program Offers

Rewards for Information, page 12

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 1: Innovative

Approaches to a Serious Problem, page 13

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 2: Operation Save Our

Streets, page 14

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 3: Helping to Heal

Communities, page 15

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 4: The Homicide Library,

page 18

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 5: The Power of Partners

and Intelligence, page 20

Serial Killers: Part 6: Andrew Cunanan Murders a

Fashion Icon, page 21

Help Us Find a Killer: American Contractor Murdered in

Iraq in 2009, page 23

New Top Ten Fugitive: MS-13 Member Wanted for

Double Murder, page 25

Helping Victims and Their Families: Psychologist

Specializes in Kidnapping, Hostage Cases, page 28

New Top Ten Fugitive: ‘Family Annihilator’ William

Bradford Bishop, Jr. Wanted for 1976 Murders, page 29

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 6: Working to Make a

Difference, page 31

Understanding School Impersonation Fraud: A Look

Inside the Scam, page 34 

Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: Trial Program Being

Expanded Nationwide, page 44

Operation Cross Country: Recovering Victims of Child

Sex Trafficking, page 49 

Violent Criminals Sentenced: Charged in 2010 Murder of

Oklahoma Couple, page 51

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 1: Joining Forces to

Meet the Challenge, page 55 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 2: Building

Partnerships That Last, page 56

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 3: Overcoming the

Language Barrier, page 57 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 4: Adding

Prevention to Intervention, page 58

Latent Hit of the Year Award: Massachusetts Examiner

Honored, page 59

Serial Killers: Part 7: The FBI and Jeffrey Dahmer,

page 61

Murder-for-Hire Plot Uncovered: Subject Wanted Out of

$8 Million Debt, page 72

FBI Releases Study on Active Shooter Incidents: Covers

2000-2013 Time Frame, page 75

Help Us Catch the AK-47 Bandit: Violent Bank Robber

Shot a Police Officer, page 76 

Serial Killers: Part 8: New Research Aims to Help

Investigators Solve Cases, page 79

Virtual Kidnapping: U.S. Citizens Threatened by

Mexican Extortion Scheme, page 86 

Crime Statistics for 2013 Released: Decrease in Violent

Crimes and Property Crimes, page 88

Index

Prison Plot Foiled: Murder Witness Threatened from Jail,

page 90

In the Line of Duty: Law Enforcement Officers Killed and

Assaulted, 2013 Report Released, page 92

In the Line of Duty: Annual ‘Officers Killed’ Report

More Than a Tally of Losses, page 93

New Top Ten Fugitive: Help Us Find a Murderer,

page 95

A Commitment to Indian Country: Director Comey

Pledges Continued Support for Crime Victims,

page 97

ORGANIZED CRIME/DRUGS

Dog Fighting Ringleader Pleads Guilty: Multi-State

Criminal Enterprise Shut Down, page 53 

Money Laundering Takedown: Operation Targets Sinaloa

Drug Cartel, page 71 

PARTNERSHIPS

On the Ground in Kenya: Part 1: A Conversation with

Our Legal Attaché in Nairobi, page 2

On the Ground in Kenya: Part 2: Terror at the Westgate

Mall, page 3

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 2: Operation Save Our

Streets, page 14

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 3: Helping to Heal

Communities, page 15

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 4: The Homicide Library,

page 18

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 5: The Power of Partners

and Intelligence, page 20

Investigating Tax Refund Fraud: FBI Works

Cooperatively with Federal Partners, page 22

The Exxon Valdez, 25 Years After: FBI Continues to

Support Environmental Crime Enforcement Partners,

page 24 

FBI, DHS Offer Partners Terrorist Incident Response

Training: Coordination Among Agencies is Key,

page 35 

FBI, Interpol Host Critical Infrastructure Symposium:

Director Comey Addresses the Importance of

Partnerships, page 52 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 1: Joining Forces

to Meet the Challenge, page 55 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 2: Building

Partnerships That Last, page 56 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 3: Overcoming the

Language Barrier, page 57 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 4: Adding

Prevention to Intervention, page 58

Latent Hit of the Year Award: Massachusetts Examiner

Honored, page 59 

Cyber Security: Task Force Takes ‘Whole Government’

Approach, page 82 

Agencies Cooperate in Child Sexual Exploitation Case:

Michigan Subject Gets 30 Years in Prison, page 83 

Ten Years of Protecting Children: International Task

Force Targets Pedophiles, Rescues Victims, page 85

WMD Training: FBI Worst-Case Exercise Tests Response

to Chemical Attack, page 94

Digital Billboard Initiative: Catching Fugitives in the

Information Age, page 101

PUBLIC/COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Counterfeit Cosmetics, Fragrances: Hazardous to Your

Health, page 1

Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: New Program Offers

Rewards for Information, page 12

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 1: Innovative

Approaches to a Serious Problem, page 13

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 3: Helping to Heal

Communities, page 15 

Help Us Find a Killer: American Contractor Murdered

in Iraq in 2009, page 23

New Top Ten Fugitive: MS-13 Member Wanted for

Double Murder, page 25
Child Predator: Help Us Identify John Doe 28, page 26

FBI Honors Community Leaders: Their Efforts to

Improve Lives Lauded, page 27

New Top Ten Fugitive: ‘Family Annihilator’ William

Bradford Bishop, Jr. Wanted for 1976 Murders, page 29

Advice for U.S. College Students Abroad: Be Aware of

Foreign Intelligence Threat, page 30

The Gangs of Los Angeles: Part 6: Working to Make a

Difference, page 31

Seeking Information: International Child Exploitation

Case, page 32

Have You Seen These Kids? National Missing Children’s

Day 2014, page 40 

Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: Trial Program Being

Expanded Nationwide, page 44 

Help Us Catch the AK-47 Bandit: Violent Bank Robber

Shot a Police Officer, page 76 

National Cyber Security Awareness Month: Security is

Everyone’s Responsibility, page 77 

Seeking Information: Help Identify Individuals Traveling

Overseas for Combat, page 78

New Top Ten Fugitive: Help Us Find a Murderer, page 95

Digital Billboard Initiative: Catching Fugitives in the

Information Age, page 101

PUBLIC CORRUPTION

A (Driver’s) License to Steal: Corruption in a San Diego

Motor Vehicle Office, page 16

Public Corruption Update: FBI Continues Efforts to Root

Out Crooked Officials, page 47

Violation of Public Trust: Corrupt Officials Jailed for

Abusing Justice System, page 60 

Corruption in a Small Texas Town: Investigation

Dismantles Family-Run Criminal Operation, page 67

RECRUITING

Most Wanted Talent: FBI Seeking Tech Experts to

Become Cyber Special Agents, page 102

Index

TECHNOLOGY

FBI Files: CJIS Digitizes Millions of Files in

Modernization Push, page 65 

Next Generation Identification: FBI Announces

Biometrics Suite’s Full Operational Capability, page 74

Most Wanted Talent: FBI Seeking Tech Experts to

Become Cyber Special Agents, page 102

TRAINING

FBI, DHS Offer Partners Terrorist Incident Response

Training: Coordination Among Agencies is Key,

page 35

Remembering Our Fallen Agents: Training Accident at

Sea Occurred One Year Ago, page 38

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 1: Joining Forces to

Meet the Challenge, page 55 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 2: Building

Partnerships That Last, page 56 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 3: Overcoming the

Language Barrier, page 57 

The Transnational Gang Threat: Part 4: Adding

Prevention to Intervention, page 58

WMD Training: FBI Worst-Case Exercise Tests Response

to Chemical Attack, page 94

WHITE-COLLAR CRIME

Counterfeit Cosmetics, Fragrances: Hazardous to Your

Health, page 1

Prepaid Funeral Scam: Fitting End to Multi-State Fraud

Scheme, page 5

Historic Insider Trading Scheme: Stock Manager Busted,

page 17

Investigating Tax Refund Fraud: FBI Works

Cooperatively with Federal Partners, page 22

The Exxon Valdez, 25 Years After: FBI Continues to

Support Environmental Crime Enforcement Partners,

page 24

Investment Fraud Scheme Uncovered: Members of

Military and Dependents Victimized, page 33 

Sophisticated Fraud Scheme Dismantled: Ringleader

Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison, page 36 

Investigating Student Aid Fraud: FBI Plays Supporting

Role, page 41

The Testing That Wasn’t: New York Man Falsifies Test

Data on Military Equipment, page 46

Bank Guilty of Violating U.S. Economic Sanctions:

Record Penalties Levied Against Global Financial

Institution, page 50 

Health Care Fraud Enterprise Dismantled: Ringleader

Operated Multiple Pharmacies, page 63 

Counterfeit Goods Smuggling Ring Dismantled:

Undercover Agents Infiltrated Massive International

Operation, page 64 

Investment Con Man Pleads Guilty: Fraudster Targeted

Medical Professionals, page 66 

A Case of Corporate Greed: Executives Sentenced in

$750 Million Fraud Scheme, page 68 

Vintage Fraud: Rare Wine Dealer Sentenced in

Counterfeiting Scheme, page 69 

Sweepstakes Fraud: Senior Citizens Targeted, page 73 

Egregious Case of Health Care Fraud: Cancer Doctor

Admits Prescribing Unnecessary Chemotherapy,

page 87

The Fraudster Who Faked His Own Death: Inside the

Aubrey Lee Price Case, page 99

Index

110 2014 The FBI Story 2014 The FBI Story 111

FBI OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20535

An FBI Miami Division diver comes up from the weed-infested waters of a pond in Florida

during a cooperative search with FBI Jacksonville’s Evidence Response Team.