Month: June 2021

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO—Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Richard Quinn is pleased to announce three individuals who helped the FBI with tips were presented with reward money.

On April 24, 2020, FBI St. Louis offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person seen in surveillance video setting fire to the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center. Through investigation and receipt of tip information from these individuals, law enforcement quickly identified Nicholas J. Proffitt as the suspect. On May 12, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Proffitt on arson and hate crime charges.

SAC Quinn commends each of the three recipients for doing the right thing stating, “These three individuals represent the best of what happens when the community works with law enforcement. Their actions serve as an inspiration and a reminder that good can conquer evil with the help of a courageous community.”

Thank you also to our partners at the ATF, Missouri Division of Fire Safety, and the Cape Girardeau Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI is partnering with the Chaldean Community Foundation to warn the community about the dangers of sextortion. As part of this awareness campaign, the FBI Detroit Field Office along with the Sterling Heights Police Department, a representative from the Warren Consolidated School District, and a behavioral health specialist from the Chaldean Community Foundation will take part in a Facebook live event on May 20, 2021, at 6:00 p.m.

The event can be accessed on the Chaldean Community Foundation Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chaldeanfoundation.

The FBI is seeing more and more cases involving sextortion, particularly of young kids—sometimes as young as seven or eight years old. The extortionist finds children and teens on social media, through gaming apps, or through other online platforms. He will either find victims who respond to attention from an adult, or he will pretend to be another child. Either way, he will groom the victim using flattery or gifts. Those gifts could be real or something as simple as virtual tokens or extra progress in a game.

Eventually, he convinces the child to send a naked photo—and one is all it takes. If the child tries to pull away, the extortionist will threaten the victim with exposure, telling the child that he will send the photo to friends and family or post it online. Over time, the extortionist continues to threaten while escalating demands, which can include the production of more explicit photos. He may even command that the child perform sex acts alone or with siblings and friends.

For too many parents, the thought is that it can’t happen to my child, and it can’t happen here. Unfortunately, it can on both counts.

What can parents do to protect their children?

Often children and teens are so concerned that they will get in trouble that they are reluctant to come forward. It’s up to you— the parent—to develop that open, honest line of communication. Start with some short conversations, and ask:

• When you are online, has anyone you don’t know ever tried to contact you?
• What would you do if they did?
• Why do you think someone would want to talk to a kid online?
• Why do you think adults sometimes pretend to be kids online?
• Has anyone you know ever sent a picture of themselves that got passed around school?
• What do you think can happen if you send a photo to anyone—even a friend?
• What if that picture were embarrassing?

Finally, consider using what you’ve just learned to start the conversation. “Hey, I heard this story on the news today about kids getting pressured to send pictures and videos of themselves to people online. Have you heard anything like that before?”

What to do if sextortion has already taken place:

If your child discloses that he or she is the victim of sextortion, report it to the FBI by calling 313-965-2323 or 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov.

If you are a victim and not ready to talk to the FBI yet, go to a trusted adult. Tell that adult that you are being victimized online and need help. Remember, you are not the one in trouble. Criminals will try to make you feel unsure, scared, or embarrassed. Your willingness to talk to a trusted adult, though, may just be the key to keeping this predator from hurting someone else.

More information: Students, parents, and educators can find more tools and information on the FBI’s website at https://www.fbi.gov/stopsextortion.

If you have questions about the Facebook live event, please contact FBI Community Outreach Specialist Mary Abouljoud (mjabouljoud@fbi.gov).

All media inquiries should be directed to Special Agent Mara Schneider (mrschneider@fbi.gov).

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters is pleased to announce the Michigan Muslim Community Council as the FBI Detroit’s Community Leadership Award recipient for 2020.

Annually, since 1990, each FBI field office presents the Director’s Community Leadership Award to an individual or organization in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the education and prevention of crime in their communities.

The Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) is a committed member of FBI Detroit’s multicultural engagement council and in that role has fostered dialogue between the FBI and Michigan’s large Muslim community. During the last year, the MMCC participated in virtual town halls during which leaders from the Muslim community and FBI Detroit discussed making communities safer by creating trust between law enforcement and the community. The MMCC also provided FBI information on COVID-19 schemes, elder fraud, and hate crimes to the Muslim community.

“The FBI’s mission is a heavy one: to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. And we can’t carry that weight alone. We can’t fully succeed without strong law enforcement, intelligence, business, and community partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters. “The MMCC has helped us learn and understand more about the people we serve and helped the community learn and understand more about the FBI. This is a key step in making our communities stronger and safer.”

In addition to its commitment to fostering open dialogue and encouraging relationships between law enforcement and Michigan’s diverse communities, the MMCC stepped up to assist law enforcement and first responders, health care workers, and the community at large throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the Holy Month of Ramadan overlapped with the early phases of the pandemic and the MMCC organized to provide delivery of halal meals to health care workers at hospitals in the metro Detroit area.

Additionally, MMCC led a humanitarian food relief effort spanning six counties and 12 cities in the State of Michigan that provided approximately 500,000 food boxes to more than 100,000 families. Hundreds of volunteers assisted with the no-contact distributions, including truck drivers, truck owners, students, professionals from various fields, elected officials, and law enforcement. These distribution events provided the FBI Detroit Field Office an opportunity to connect and engage with our diverse communities when it mattered most for our State.

“The FBI in Detroit is honored to be able to recognize and thank the MMCC for its service to the community and for helping the FBI better protect the people of Michigan,” said SAC Waters.

The commitment the MMCC has demonstrated to fostering open dialogue and encouraging relationships between law enforcement and Michigan’s diverse communities is laudable and worthy of this recognition. On behalf of the FBI Detroit Field Office, we are honored to present the Michigan Muslim Community Council with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2020.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

MINNEAPOLIS, MN—The FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office is conducting an investigation into the death that took place yesterday, May 17, in a courtroom at the Federal Courthouse in Fargo, North Dakota.

Following a guilty verdict and after the jury left the courtroom, 55-year-old Jeffrey S. Ferris of Belcourt, North Dakota, used an easily concealable instrument to take his own life. Mr. Ferris died in the courtroom. An autopsy is being conducted today at the University of North Dakota Forensic Pathology—Forensics and Autopsy Services facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Ferris had been found guilty of Reckless Endangerment, Terrorizing, and Use of a Firearm in Relation to a Felony Crime of Violence. The mandatory minimum sentence was seven years in federal prison. Mr. Ferris was found not guilty of eight counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.

The FBI’s responsibility in this investigation is to determine whether there was any violation of federal criminal laws. If any violations would be discovered, the matter would be turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota.

The U.S. Marshal Service is responsible for physical security of the Federal Courthouse in Fargo. Officials there will review their security procedures to ensure the safety of the courthouse family and those visiting the facility.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

INDIANAPOLIS—The FBI wants the public to be aware of an unemployment text scam targeting personal information. If you receive a text claiming to be from the Department of Workforce Development regarding unemployment benefits, do not click on the link. Clicking the link may allow scammers access to your personal data.

“The Department of Workforce Development will never send a text message to verify eligibility for unemployment benefits or to report issues with receiving benefits. Unsolicited text messages and emails containing links can be an attempt to obtain personally identifiable information,” said FBI Indianapolis Financial Complex Crimes Supervisory Special Agent Spencer Brooks. “Unless the message is from a known and verified source, you should never click on links in text messages or emails.”

More than $120,000 in legitimate unemployment benefits have been hijacked from Hoosiers through text and email scams.

“This is yet another example of the explosion of fraud related to COVID and we know hundreds of Hoosiers have been affected so far by this particular scam,” Brooks said. “We continue to work numerous cases with our federal and state partners to try to stem the flow of unemployment benefits into the hands of bad actors instead of those it rightfully belongs to.”

If you believe you may have already received and clicked on this type of text message, and possibly entered information into a fraudulent website, resources on how to protect your information can be found at: www.identitytheft.gov.

To learn more about identifying and protecting yourself from phishing attempts, go to: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams or https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/spoofing-and-phishing.

To report fraud, visit ic3.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.