Month: June 2021

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

JACKSONVILLE, FL—Rachel L. Rojas, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, announces the selection of Gilberto “Gil” Balli as the assistant special agent in charge (ASAC) of the FBI Jacksonville Resident Agency (RA) branch. Mr. Balli will oversee all operations in seven FBI offices in Daytona Beach, Ocala, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Panama City, Fort Walton, and Pensacola. Mr. Balli is the first to hold the ASAC-RA position, which was developed, in part, to help strengthen partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement executives throughout the FBI Jacksonville Division’s 40-county territory.

Mr. Balli previously served as a supervisory special agent for the FBI Dallas Field Office where he oversaw violent gang matters. Prior to that role, Mr. Balli led investigations into terrorism matters, public corruption, violent crime, organized crime and drug trafficking, and provided guidance and support for FBI undercover operations nationwide. Mr. Balli brings more than 24 years of law enforcement experience to the ASAC position, having first served as a Customs and Border Protection border patrol agent before joining the FBI in 1998. He has since held positions at FBI Omaha, FBI Dallas, and in the Counterterrorism Division at FBI headquarters, as well as served as assistant legal attaché (ALAT) in Bogota, Colombia, where he managed FBI equities in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

“I am excited and honored to have the privilege of serving my country in this new role,” said ASAC Balli. “After more than two decades of government service, I remain steadfast in my commitment to upholding the U.S. Constitution and protecting the rights of all Americans. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am more committed than ever to working side-by-side with our law enforcement and community partners to protect the communities of North Florida.”

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

The FBI Washington Field Office joins the observance of National Missing Children’s Day every year on May 25th, but we work every day to help bring missing children home to their families.

An unfortunate reality is that thousands of children are reported missing each year. The FBI works with our law enforcement partners, both domestically and internationally, to recover child victims as quickly as possible and help apprehend those responsible for taking them. Our Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) teams, made up of specially trained and experienced FBI personnel, provide immediate, on-the-ground assistance to state and local law enforcement in cases of child abductions and disappearances. The FBI also works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and contributes to international task forces that investigate crimes against children.

The FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia, is charged with investigating child abductions, as well as child exploitation and human trafficking.

“The FBI works daily with our law enforcement and private sector partners to locate missing children and juveniles,” said Supervisory Special Agent Barbara Smith. “Every minute counts when a child is lost or missing and it’s our goal to find these children as soon as possible so that they are not left alone to be exploited and preyed upon by criminals. Children are our most vulnerable population, and we are dedicated to assisting our law enforcement partners and locating missing children, as well as investigating some of the most egregious crimes against children.”

Because time is critical when a child is lost or missing, the FBI created the FBI Child ID App to help parents keep their children’s information readily available. The free app provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children on your smartphone. Users can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers to security or police officers on the spot if a child is missing or lost and can also quickly and easily email the information to authorities. The app also includes tips on keeping children safe, as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing.

Sadly, not every missing child is found. Information regarding missing children from across the country can be found on our website. If you have any information regarding one of these missing children, please call the FBI Washington Field Office at (202) 278-2000, or submit tips to 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) also maintains a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST.

RESOURCES

FBI Child ID App

Kidnappings and Missing Persons

FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Program

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

About Protecting Your Kids

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

The FBI Denver Division is requesting the public’s assistance to help locate a stolen vehicle and identify the assailants who violently attacked the truck’s owner around midnight on April 29, 2021. The incident occurred on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation near the entrance of the Weeminuche Construction Authority gravel pit located in southwest Colorado off U.S. 160 near the Four Corners Monument. This case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Denver – Durango Resident Agency and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Towaoc, Colorado.

The victim is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. The assault caused the victim to suffer a subdural hemorrhage (bleeding inside the head) and facial lacerations, resulting in significant blood loss as well as requiring stitches in multiple areas. Those responsible are believed to have fled in the direction of the intersection of U.S. 160 and U.S. 64 in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. Whoever is responsible is likely familiar with the area and may be linked to other crimes that have recently occurred in the Four Corners region. Investigators are asking the public for information related to this incident so they may arrest the person(s) responsible.

“We have seen too much violence in our communities in the Four Corners area. The FBI is responsible for investigating the most serious crimes in Indian Country and we, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these cases,” said Denver FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider. “We ask anyone with information about this violent attack on a community member to contact us.”

The stolen vehicle is described as a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado 2WD crew cab short bed with Arizona tag CAF1572. The VIN is 1GCGSAE30F1176700 and the truck has a cracked windshield, black marks on the driver’s side front fender, and an “#AztecStrong” sticker in the rear window.

An FBI poster with more details of the assault and robbery, and photos of a similar truck are available here: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/assault-and-vehicle-robbery-indian-country.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact the FBI Denver Field Office at (303) 629-7171, or submit a tip online at: tips.fbi.gov. You may also contact your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

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

The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and Denver Police Department need your help identifying an individual who robbed the Chase Bank located at 6160 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado, at approximately 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2021.

The suspect is described as a White male, approximately 40 years of age, and 5’5” in height, with a skinny to medium build and short, dark hair. He was seen wearing a patterned face mask, a black jacket with white writing on the front left-side, loose-fitting blue jeans, and black shoes with white soles.

Please be on the lookout for anyone matching the suspect’s description. Be aware of anyone similar who might have recently changed their spending habits or discussed coming into money suddenly.

Bank robbery is punishable up to a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the commission of the crime. The FBI continues to provide financial institutions with the best practices for security to make them less vulnerable to robberies.

If anyone has any information on the bank robberies above, or any bank robbery, please call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171; or you can remain anonymous and earn up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).

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

The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and Denver Police Department need your help identifying an individual who robbed the Wells Fargo Bank located at 1777 West 38th Avenue, Denver, Colorado, at approximately 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

The individual is described as a White male in his 50’s to 60’s, approximately 5’3” to 5’5” in height, with a medium build, and thinning blonde or gray hair. He was seen wearing silver-framed reading glasses, a blue medical mask, a tan and black bandana, and a blue or gray button-up shirt with loose-fitting blue jeans and dark-colored shoes.

Please be on the lookout for anyone matching the suspect’s description. Be aware of anyone similar who might have recently changed their spending habits or discussed coming into money suddenly.

Bank robbery is punishable up to a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the commission of the crime. The FBI continues to provide financial institutions with the best practices for security to make them less vulnerable to robberies.

If anyone has any information on the bank robberies above, or any bank robbery, please call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171; or you can remain anonymous and earn up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).