Category: FBI

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Central Arizona Safe Trails Task Force Honored with Prestigious FBI Director’s Award

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

PHOENIX, AZ—The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office is proud to announce that 13 members of the Central Arizona Safe Trails Task Force (CASTTF) received the 2020 FBI Director’s Annual Award for Excellence on Thursday, April 29, 2021. The Director’s Award is considered the most prestigious within the FBI.

These awards offer the Director and other FBI officials the opportunity to recognize Bureau employees and others who make extraordinary contributions to their communities and to the successful accomplishment of the FBI mission.

The award for Distinguished Service to the Law Enforcement Community was given to members of the Central Arizona Safe Trails Task Force for their work in combating violent crime in Indian Country. In 2019, the Salt River Police Department reported that their violent crime rate dropped 56% which was directly attributable to the CASTTF’s proactive work in partnership with the Salt River Police Department.

Members of the Central Arizona Safe Trails Task Force who received the award include eight FBI employees, two Mesa Police detectives, a Mesa Police sergeant, a Salt River Police detective, and a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations.

“We are particularly proud of these individuals who have demonstrated remarkable leadership in helping protect our communities,” said Sean Kaul, special agent in charge of the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “Through sustained effort, innovation, and collaboration, the Central Arizona Safe Trails Task Force stands as a model of interagency partnership on behalf of their community.”

Since 2019, members of the Chandler Police Department and Gila River Police Department have joined the Central Arizona Safe Trails Task Force to further address violent crime in Indian Country.

(Photo of the 2020 Director’s Award for Excellence)

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FBI Tech Tuesday: Strong Passphrases and Account Protection

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

In honor of World Password Day on Thursday, May 6, 2021, the FBI is encouraging the public to strengthen their passwords/phrases and account protection.

Passwords are used for everything; we use them for our phones, computers, email, even financial information. Unfortunately, many use the same simple passwords, like 1234 or Password1, for multiple accounts. Simple passwords, even those with special characters, are easier for someone to crack.

Recent guidance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) advises that password length is much more important than password complexity. Instead of using short complex passwords, use passphrases that combine multiple words and are longer than 15 characters. For example TechTuesday2021Strengthen!

Strong passphrases can also help protect against personal data breaches.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a personal data breach is defined as a leak/spill of personal data which is released from a secure location to an untrusted environment. Also, a security incident in which an individual’s sensitive, protected, or confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen, or used by an unauthorized individual.

Arizona reported over a thousand victims of personal data breaches with losses of more than $2 million in 2020, according to IC3. It’s important to note that scammers obtain people’s information in many ways. Sometimes a victim will unintentionally give the scammer their passwords, other times, the criminal is able to crack the code.

The following tips may help protect you and your information from a breach:

  • Make sure, at the very least, that your email, financial, and health accounts all have different unique passwords and/or passphrases.
  • Make sure your password is as long as the system will allow.
  • Set up multi-factor authentication for your accounts.
  • Don’t allow password “hints”

If you believe your email or other smart device has been comprised, please contact FBI Phoenix at (623)466-1999. Victims are also encouraged to file a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov.

For more information on how to protect your voice and your devices, visit, https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/foreign-influence/protected-voices.

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FBI Media Advisory: Man Federally Indicted on Fraud Charges

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

On April 21, 2021, Frederick Stahmer, 54, was federally indicted on four counts of wire fraud. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation.

According to the indictment, the defendant obtained thousands of dollars from multiple investors in his business, Frederick Entertainment Inc. Frederick Entertainment Inc. was a concert and music promotion company in Oro Valley, Arizona, that sought to finance, produce, market, and promote music venues located around the United States. Stahmer lost his investors over $1 million in funds due to this scheme.

Indictments are only accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for Arizona at http://www.azd.uscourts.gov/ or on PACER https://www.pacer.gov/ , magistrate number: 4:21-cr-00793

The FBI would like to thank the Oro Valley Police Department and United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, for their work on this case.

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FBI Media Advisory: Man Federally Charged with Assault on a Federal Officer

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

On Monday, April 26, 2021, Kevin Stennis Gordon was charged in a criminal complaint filed in federal court for assault on a federal officer that occurred on April 24, 2021, at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, 3601 S. 6th Avenue, in Tucson. Gordon was taken into custody by the FBI on April 24, 2021.

Complaints are only accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for Arizona at http://www.azd.uscourts.gov/ or on PACER https://www.pacer.gov/ , magistrate number: 4:21-mj-04436

The FBI would like to thank the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police and the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona for their work on this case.

Per policy, the FBI does not release booking photos.

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Two Men Charged with Multiple Robberies Valley-Wide

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

PHOENIX, AZ—On Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Francisco Bejarano, 32, of Phoenix and Richard Pratt, 36, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, were federally indicted on a 13 count indictment which includes bank robbery and Hobbs Act robbery charges.

The indictment charges Bejarano with one count of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and two counts of bank robbery in connection with the following incidents:

  • January 22, 2021: Chase Bank, 9490 West Camelback Road, Glendale, Arizona
  • January 26, 2021: Chase Bank, 3502 West Bell Road, Phoenix, Arizona

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and Phoenix Police Department arrested Bejarano without incident on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Bejarano will remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

On Monday, April 5, 2021, the Goodyear Police Department, with assistance from the Phoenix Police Department and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, arrested Richard Pratt without incident in Goodyear, Arizona. He remains in federal custody following a detention hearing.

The indictment charges Pratt with one count of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, six counts of bank robberies, and five counts of Hobbs Act robberies in connection with incidents that occurred in the valley between January 21, 2021, and April 5, 2021, to include the following:

  • January 21, 2021: First Convenience Bank, 2020 North 75th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona
  • January 26, 2021: Chase Bank, 3502 West Bell Road, Phoenix, Arizona
  • February 5, 2021: Desert Financial Credit Union, 5845 West Bell Road, Glendale, Arizona
  • March 6, 2021: Family Dollar, 3555 West Van Buren Street, Phoenix, Arizona
  • March 18, 2021: Safeway, 5035 West Baseline Road, Phoenix, Arizona
  • March 23, 2021: Fry’s, 3949 East Chandler Boulevard, Phoenix, Arizona
  • March 26, 2021: First American Credit Union, 1001 North Pinal Avenue, Casa Grande, Arizona
  • March 26, 2021: Bank of America, 1691 East Florence Avenue, Casa Grande, Arizona
  • April 2, 2021: U.S. Bank, 16380 West Yuma Road, Goodyear, Arizona
  • April 4, 2021: Walmart, 2555 W. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, Arizona
  • April 4, 2021: Safeway, 3185 W. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, Arizona

No one was physically injured during the crimes.

The Hobbs Act is a federal statute that, among other things, prohibits robbery affecting interstate commerce (e.g., robbing a business).

This indictment is the result of the extraordinary collaboration and coordination of our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners. The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force would like to thank the Goodyear Police Department and the Phoenix Police Department for their outstanding work on this case, along with the Glendale Police Department, Chandler Police Department, Casa Grande Police Department, Apache Junction Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Arizona.

Indictments are only accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for Arizona at https://www.azd.uscourts.gov/ or on PACER https://www.pacer.gov/.

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is comprised of the Phoenix Police Department, Peoria Police Department, Scottsdale Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office FATE team, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and the FBI.

Magistrate Number: 2:21-cr-00292