Category: FBI

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

The Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cleveland Division of Police, the East Cleveland Police Department, Willoughby Police Department, Brooklyn Police Department, South Euclid Police Department, Euclid Police Department, and Cleveland Heights Police Department are seeking assistance in identifying four individuals believed to be involved with nine known carjackings in the Northern Ohio area.

The following carjackings have been reported to law enforcement:

4/28/2021 at approximately 3:00 p.m. in Cleveland’s First District, in the area of West 117 and Bellaire.

5/12/2021 at approximately 11:30 a.m. an aggravated robbery of a vehicle in East Cleveland. A 2013 Honda Civic was stolen.

5/13/2021 at approximately 1:45 a.m., an aggravated robbery in Cleveland’s First District in the area of Triskett and West 127th. The suspect pointed a gun in the victim’s face and demanded the vehicle, a black 2020 Toyota was stolen.

5/14/2021 at approximately 12:10 a.m. in Willoughby a vehicle from the previous aggravated robbery was utilized in this aggravated robbery. The victim’s vehicle was bumped from behind, when the victim exited her vehicle to check for damage the suspect(s) pointed a gun in her face while another suspect placed the victim in a “bear hug”, all four suspects were verbally demanding, “we want everything”. A 2017 Toyota Rav4 and its contents were stolen.

5/14/2021 at approximately 11:33 a.m. suspects approached two women entering their vehicle after shopping in Brooklyn. The suspects grabbed one woman by the hair and threw her to the ground, a gun was observed by the victim. A white Dodge Durango was stolen.

5/14/2021 between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., a victim’s vehicle was stolen in Euclid. A handgun and a long gun were inside the vehicle and have not been recovered. A Hyundai Sonata with Alabama license plates was stolen.

5/15/2021 between 2:20 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., a vehicle was stolen in Euclid. The victim resisted the suspect’s demands for the vehicle and the victim was shot in the leg. The victim remains in critical condition at this time.

5/15/2021 at approximately 2:37 a.m., a vehicle was stolen in Cleveland Heights. During the theft of the vehicle and an off-duty police officer was shot at by the suspects. The off-duty police officer did not suffer any physical injuries.

5/16/2021 at approximately 2:25 a.m. an attempted carjacking was reported in Willoughby in the back of a hotel parking lot. Witnesses report gunshots were heard. Four black males and one black female with long blonde and brown dreadlocks were observed. All five individuals were seen fleeing the area in a gray sedan.

At this time, four of the stolen vehicles have been recovered in East Cleveland.

These four individuals appear to use a previously stolen vehicle to conduct each subsequent carjacking. Victims have been assaulted by being thrown to the ground, guns pointed in their face and one victim has been shot. These unidentified four individuals are considered armed and dangerous.

The four unknown suspects are described as:

• All four black males in their late teens/early 20’s in age
• One approximately 6’2” with ear length twists or dread style hair
• One individual with a skinny build, approximately 5’8” with a short, fade hairstyle.

Surveillance photos have been obtained of the suspects inside a local convenient mart and are attached to this press release. Individuals are asked to review these photos. If anyone knows the identity of any of these four suspects, contact law enforcement immediately. The FBI can be contacted at 1-877-FBI-OHIO. Tips can remain anonymous. Reward money is available for information leading to the successful identification and prosecution of the individuals responsible.

For questions regarding this press release, please contact SA Vicki Anderson at 216-522-1400 or at vagregg@fbi.gov.

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

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Canton Resident Agency’s Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Northern District of Ohio United States Attorney’s Office, announce the arrest of Brenton “Brent” Cronebach, Jr., age 55, of Dover, Ohio.

The complaint alleges a tip was received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children from Google. Google indicated that files depicting child pornography had been shared and downloaded by a cell phone and email address associated with the name “Brent Cronebach”. An investigation was initiated by the FBI’s Canton Resident Agency Crimes Against Children Task Force.

On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, a search warrant was executed at Cronebach’s residence located in Dover, Ohio. Cronebach acknowledged that he downloaded thousands of images depicting child pornography and those items were stored on flash drives. The flash drives were seized by investigators. An arrest warrant was obtained for Cronebach and he was taken into custody without incident at the conclusion of the search warrant.

Brenton Cronebach, Jr. has been federally charged with possession and transportation of child pornography. Cronebach appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Burke yesterday. Cronebach remains in federal custody and will have a federal preliminary detention hearing on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

Law enforcement is encouraging anyone that has a child that has interacted with Brenton “Brent” Cronebach, Jr. and they feel any of those interactions could have been sexually inappropriate or was an attempt to “groom” a minor for future sexual interactions to please contact the FBI at 1-877-FBI-OHIO. (1-877-324-6446).

Law enforcement considers this an ongoing investigation and information outside of the federal complaint affidavit cannot be provided.

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

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

The FBI Charlotte Division is offering a reward of up to $10,000 to help solve the death of a transgender woman in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The case is being investigated jointly with the Jacksonville Police Department as a homicide and potential hate crime. The Jacksonville Police Department and Crime Stoppers are offering an additional reward of up to $5,000.

Jenna’s body was found on February 24, 2021, near Ellis Boulevard and White Street. City workers were clearing the ditch area when they saw a body next to a creek. Whoever is responsible is likely familiar with the area where her body was discovered. Investigators are asking the public for information to determine what happened to her and to arrest the person(s) responsible.

“Jenna was a beloved member of the LGBTQ+ community and her absence has been felt by her friends and family members. We do not believe this was a random act. There is a strong possibility the person who did this, continues to work and/or live in the community. We believe someone has information to help us get justice for Jenna and her family,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert R. Wells.

If you have information regarding Jenna’s death, call FBI Charlotte at 704-672-6100 or Jacksonville Police Department Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273. You can remain anonymous.

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

Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities. The Bureau investigates hundreds of these cases every year, and we work to detect and prevent incidents through law enforcement training, public outreach, and partnerships with community groups. As part of its responsibility to uphold the civil rights of the American people, the FBI takes a number of steps to combat the problem of hate crimes. 

A hate crime is a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias. For the purposes of collecting statistics, the FBI has defined a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” Hate itself is not a crime—and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties.

Traditionally, FBI investigations of hate crimes were limited to crimes in which the perpetrators acted based on a bias against the victim’s race, color, religion, or national origin. In addition, investigations were restricted to those wherein the victim was engaged in a federally protected activity. With the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, the Bureau became authorized to also investigate crimes committed against those based on biases of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or gender.

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

Stephen Belongia, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Buffalo Field Office, announces that Mark Gestring, M.D., the director of the Kessler Trauma Center at University of Rochester Medical Center is the recipient of the FBI’s 2020 Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for his dedication and work providing extensive care and creative support to the Rochester community and its at-risk youth.

“In the FBI, our four guiding principles are people, partnerships, process, and innovation. And the vision of our agency is to be ahead of the threat,” said FBI Buffalo Field Office Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belongia. “What Dr. Gestring has done through his dedication, innovation, and creative work in the Rochester community aligns with these principles and the vision that we work towards every day in the FBI. Director Wray often says that the FBI is focused on the work, who we do it with, and who we do it for. Dr. Gestring’s energy and interests align with that premise. His hard work serves as the perfect definition of what the FBI’s Director Community Leadership Award stands for when we look to recognize the achievements and contributions of our community partners.”

Throughout the year, dedicated and selfless individuals and organizations make extraordinary contributions to their communities across the United States. And every year, the FBI honors the very best among them with its Director’s Community Leadership Award. Award recipients come from different backgrounds, different professional fields, and different parts of the country, and the issues on which they choose to focus vary greatly. But they all have the same motivation—a desire to reach out to those in need and make their communities a better place to live.

As the director of the Kessler Trauma Center at University of Rochester Medical Center, Dr. Gestring’s work is devoted to saving the lives of young gunshot and stabbing victims and ensures they receive support and services to help turn their lives around and keep them from returning to the ER. Dr. Gestring’s programs, such as the Rochester Youth Violence Partnership, Stop the Bleed, and a new training program about responsible gun-ownership, intersects with the FBI’s mission protecting the lives of people in the Rochester area by reducing the recurrence of violence and rescuing young people from crime; training citizens in Stop the Bleed bleed-control techniques to assist themselves or others nearby in an emergency; and by reducing the incidence of legally owned guns being stolen to commit crimes. He has long been known for his engagement with the community and its law enforcement and first responder organizations.

13th Annual Director’s Community Leadership Awards (DCLA) Nomination

Dr. Mark Gestring, the director of the Kessler Trauma Center at University of Rochester Medical Center, goes above and beyond saving the lives of young gunshot and stabbing victims from the Rochester community as a surgeon; he makes sure they receive support and services to help turn their lives around to keep them from returning to the ER with a potentially fatal wound. Through the programs Dr. Gestring founded and supports, such as the Rochester Youth Violence Partnership, Stop the Bleed, and a new training program about responsible gun-ownership, Gestring actively contributed to the safety and well-being of the Rochester community and its at-risk youth in 2020.

• The Rochester Youth Violence Partnership (RYVP) is a hospital-based violence intervention program co-founded by Dr. Gestring in which a network of agencies respond to young victims of gunshot wounds and stab wounds before they leave the hospital. The RYVP is a partnership headed by the University of Rochester Medical Center’s regional trauma center, which is directed by Dr. Gestring, and is supported by dozens of local nonprofit, government, and service-based organizations. Dr. Gestring initiated this program after noting he was treating some of the same youths for gunshot wounds on a recurring basis, and sometimes their last visits were fatal wounds. Gestring also meets monthly with the network of partners to discuss cases and pull resources from the room to help the youth remain on a violence-free path.
• Stop the Bleed is a program that trains people how to stop bleeding in a severely injured person, and under the direction of Dr. Gestring, thousands of people in the AOR, including members of the FBI Buffalo Citizens Academy Alumni Association, have been trained. In 2020, Dr. Gestring identified ways to continue training the community while adhering to guidelines related to COVID-19.
• Responsible Gun Ownership is a new initiative in 2020, which covers topics such as how to safely store firearms to prevent them from being stolen.

Dr. Gestring has intersected with the FBI’s mission by protecting the lives of people in the Rochester area by reducing the recurrence of violence and rescuing young people from crime; training citizens in Stop the Bleed bleed-control techniques to assist themselves or others nearby in an emergency; and by reducing the incidence of legally owned guns being stolen to commit crimes.

Dr. Gestring actively participates with FBI Buffalo on the Project Exile Advisory Board, which brings the community together with law enforcement of all levels and social-service agencies to keep illegal guns off the street.