Month: October 2021

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

Phoenix, AZ — Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities. We know that, historically, hate crimes are underreported. To help our community recognize the importance of the issue and to encourage people to report incidents to law enforcement, the FBI in Phoenix is launching a hate crimes awareness campaign throughout the state.

The FBI continues to coordinate with local leaders from diverse communities to make sure these crimes are being reported. The campaign also includes paid advertising with:

• Billboards (Lamar and OUTFRONT) in Phoenix and Yuma
• Gila River Arena
• Radio ads (KTAR and KTNN/ Streaming platforms- Audacy, Pandora, iHeartRadio)
• Airport Advertising at TUC and FLG airports
• Newspaper web ads (AZCentral, The Daily Independent, AZ Daily Star, and the AZ Daily Sun)
• Social Media Ads (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter)

This Arizona effort ties with a national FBI awareness campaign that hopes to drive education efforts and increase reporting: “Protecting Our Communities Together: Report Hate Crimes”.

We are asking people to report potential federal hate crime violations by contacting us at one of the national tipline options: 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

2020 Hate Crime Statistics

The FBI recently released the 2020 Hate Crimes Report as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. In Arizona, 81 of 125 agencies voluntarily submitted data for this current 2020 report. The UCR program specifically defines a hate crime as a criminal offense motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias or biases against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity. In Arizona, there were 282 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 209 single bias incidents reported in 2019. Nationally, there were 7,554 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 7,081 single bias incidents reported in 2019.

Key Takeaways from 2020 Hate Crimes Report

The bias motivator in about 70% of Arizona incidents was race/ethnicity/ancestry. Victims perceived as Black were the racial group targeted most frequently. Religion was the motivator in about 13% of cases. Victims perceived as Jewish were the religious group targeted most frequently. Sexual orientation was the motivator in about 12% of reported Arizona incidents.

FBI Role in Investigating Hate Crimes

There are a number of federal laws that give the FBI the ability to investigate hate crimes. Those laws generally require some kind of criminal act AND a finding that the person committing the act did so because he/she was motivated by bias. The criminal act can include offenses such as murder, assault, arson, and it generally requires the use or threat of force or violence. For an incident to qualify as a federal hate crime, the subject(s) must have acted wholly or in part based on the victim’s actual or perceived status. This is generally consistent with state law. Under federal law, bias motivators include:

• Race
• Ethnicity
• National origin
• Disability
• Religion
• Gender
• Gender identity
• Sexual orientation

Anyone who has information about or believes they are a victim of a federal hate crime should contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

For more information on hate crimes, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/hate-crimes

For the FBI 2020 Hate Crimes Report: https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2020-hate-crime-statistics

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

Today, family members of fallen FBI Special Agent Martha Dixon stopped at the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office on their 330 mile bicycle ride from her engraved name in Washington, D.C. to her engraved name here in Pittsburgh. Martha’s Ride calls attention to her heroic sacrifice. The ride started in Washington, D.C. on October 4th and ended at the field office named after her on October 8th.

“We all walk into this building named after Ms. Dixon every day and remember the sacrifice she made,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall. “We are thankful to her family for continuing to honor her legacy.”

“Martha’s Ride honors the enduring legacy of a true American hero,” said Kevin Dixon, Martha Dixon’s brother. “Martha was unfortunately called upon to make the supreme sacrifice for her fellow Americans. Aside from a devoted agent, she was known for her love of her young nieces and nephews and for athletics. To keep her memory alive, the Martha Fund conducts the ‘Martha’s Ride,’ as well as a run in her name each spring as an homage to her athleticism. It also honors her love for kids by helping build playgrounds in the Pittsburgh area.”

Money raised from the ride will go to the Martha Fund, which has been building playgrounds in the Greater Pittsburgh area for more than 20 years. Martha Fund will make a meaningful donation to renovate this playground in Martha’s name.

Special Agents Martha Dixon Martinez and Michael John Miller, as well as Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Sergeant Hank Daly, were shot and killed inside the District’s police headquarters building on November 22, 1994. The gunman entered the “cold case” squad room, to which the agents were assigned, and opened fire with an assault weapon. Special Agent Martha Dixon Martinez was born in January 1959 in Pittsburgh. Several years after receiving her Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, Special Agent Martinez entered on duty with the FBI. Her first office of assignment was Knoxville, where she was the first female agent in the field office to be certified as a SWAT team member. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Pittsburgh Field Office was named in honor of Martha Dixon Martinez on November 20, 2001.

For additional information on Martha Dixon Martinez, please check out the following site: https://www.fbi.gov/history/wall-of-honor/martha-dixon-martinez.

For media inquiries please call (412) 396-9504 or e-mail cpolicicchio@fbi.gov.

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

The Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the North Olmsted Police Department announce the arrest of Brandon Thomas Kern, 27 years old, of Bayport, New York. Kern has been charged with traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

On October 7, 2021, a minor victim, age 14, and her mother made a police report with North Olmsted Police Department regarding online activity between the minor victim and Kern. The minor victim told law enforcement that she had been communicating with Kern for several weeks and believed Kern to be 16 years old until he told her he had rented a vehicle and would soon be in Ohio to have sex with her. The minor victim became frightened and told her mom about her online communications with this individual. Kern had threatened the victim with releasing inappropriate photos of her as a means to force her to meet with him.

At the time of filing the police report, Kern continued to communicate with the minor victim, arranging to pick her up at the library to which she could easily walk. North Olmsted Police officers instead met Kern and placed him into custody without incident.

Kern admitted to communicating with the victim and indicated that law enforcement officers would find rope, lube, and condoms in a nearby hotel room he had rented for the purpose of having sex with the minor victim.

Kern is to have an initial appearance in United States Magistrate Judge David A. Ruiz today, October 8, 2021, at 2 p.m.

This matter is considered an ongoing investigation and no further information outside of the federal complaint affidavit can be released.

Any questions regarding this press release can be directed to SA Vicki Anderson at 216-522-1400 or at vagregg@fbi.gov.