Category: FBI

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

Press release available in both English and Spanish.

SAN JUAN, PR—Special Agent in Charge Joseph González, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) San Juan Field Office, announced the arrest of Sixto Raúl Colón-Espada (Colón-Espada).

Colón-Espada was charged under a complaint issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marshal D. Morgan, with violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) (felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition) for events that took place in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.

Colón-Espada faces charges for being found in possession of various firearms and ammunition during a legal search warrant conducted on September 9, 2021, by agents of the Ponce Division of Drugs and Illegal Firearms of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau. The subject was detained by police during the search warrant and arrested by special agents of the FBI Ponce Resident Agency on September 10, 2021.

This case is being investigated by the FBI San Juan Field Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico E. Giovannie Mercado from the Violent Crimes Section. The FBI would like to thank the Puerto Rico Police Bureau for their continued support to the FBI mission and their assistance on this case.

Tips and information assist the FBI and its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. Citizens with information are asked to contact the FBI San Juan Field Office at 787-987-6500, or to submit tips through the FBI’s Internet complaint portal at Tips.FBI.Gov.

Tipsters can remain anonymous.

The public is reminded a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty by a court of law. The U.S. government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Arresto de Sixto Raúl Colón-Espada

SAN JUAN, PR—El Agente Especial a Cargo de la Oficina de San Juan del Negociado Federal de Investigación (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés), Joseph González, anunció el arresto de Sixto Raúl Colón-Espada (Colón-Espada).

Colón-Espada fue acusados mediante querella, emitida por el Juez Magistrado de los Estados Unidos Marshal D. Morgan, por violaciones al Título 18, Código de los Estados Unidos, Secciones 922(g)(1) (convicto en posesión de un arma y municiones), por eventos que ocurrieron en Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.

Colón-Espada enfrenta cargos por encontrarse en posesión de varias armas y municiones durante la ejecución de una orden de allanamiento estatal llevada a cabo el 9 de septiembre de 2021, por Agentes de la División de Drogas y Armas Ilegales de Ponce del Negociado de la Policía de Puerto Rico. Colón-Espada fue detenido en el acto por agentes de la policía y posteriormente arrestado el 10 de septiembre de 2021 por Agentes Especiales de la Oficina de Ponce del FBI.

El enjuiciamiento de este caso está a cargo del Fiscal Federal E. Giovannie Mercado de la Sección de Crímenes Violentos y es investigado por la Oficina de Ponce del FBI. El FBI desea agradecer a los compañeros del Negociado de la Policía de Puerto Rico, por su continuo apoyo a la misión del FBI y su asistencia en este caso.

Las confidencias e información ayudan al FBI y a sus colegas federales, estatales y locales en el desempeño de sus funciones. Por ello, se le solicita al público que contacte a la Oficina de San Juan del FBI al 787-987-6500, o reporte confidencias a través de la línea de pistas (tips) del FBI, disponible en la página de Internet Tips.FBI.Gov.

Los querellantes podrán permanecer anónimos.

Se le recuerda al público que una Querella sólo contiene cargos y no es evidencia de culpabilidad. Todo acusado se presume inocente hasta que se pruebe lo contrario más allá de toda duda razonable. El Gobierno de los Estados Unidos tiene el peso de la prueba.

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

Director Christopher Wray has named J. William Rivers as the special agent in charge of the Cincinnati Field Office. Mr. Rivers most recently served as a section chief and the director of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Mr. Rivers joined the FBI as a special agent in 2002 and was assigned to the Washington Field Office to investigate counterintelligence matters. In 2006, he was certified as a technically trained agent and worked on WFO’s Technical Operations Squad to support investigative programs. He also served on the SWAT team as the technical coordinator and as a certified sniper.

In 2013, Mr. Rivers was promoted to supervisory special agent. He remained on WFO’s Technical Operations Squad and provided technical investigative support to criminal, intelligence, and national security squads. He supervised 20 other technically trained agents and served as a liaison to the Operational Technology Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington and to outside partners.

Mr. Rivers was promoted in 2015 to unit chief of the TTA Operations and Development Unit in the Operational Technology Division at Headquarters and was responsible for the success of the FBI’s technical investigative personnel.

In 2018, Mr. Rivers was appointed assistant special agent in charge of the Norfolk Field Office in Virginia. He was responsible for all criminal, cyber, and administrative programs. He was promoted in 2020 to section chief and director of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center. TEDAC is a multi-agency center that coordinates bomb-related evidence and intelligence collection for the U.S. government.

Mr. Rivers earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining the FBI, he was a project manager and engineer for a private general construction company in Kentucky.

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

Those of us who lived through 9/11 will always remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when the United States was attacked. As a new Justice Department official, I spent much of the day in a jam-packed command center at FBI Headquarters. There was a swirl of activity and emotion—concern for loved ones, anger toward those who attacked us, uncertainty about what might be next. But I will never forget the incredible sense of solidarity in that room. We were united in our resolve to find those responsible and determined to prevent another attack.

Now, two decades later, the threats have evolved, but the hard-earned lessons of September 11, 2001, still provide the playbook for confronting today’s challenges.

After 9/11, the country united behind a common purpose. We focused on disruption—gathering intelligence to stop bad actors before they could attack. All levels of government removed barriers that had stifled collaboration and prevented information-sharing. Federal agencies strengthened relationships with state and local partners, whose front-line observations proved essential. And with the backing of the American people, a generation of public servants answered the call to tackle the new terrorism threat.

As a result of changes made in response to 9/11—and thanks to a lot of hard work by the FBI and our partners and some good fortune—we have not experienced another large-scale attack from a foreign terrorist organization on American soil. But make no mistake: As the Islamic State attack and tragic loss of 13 brave American service members and nearly 200 Afghans in Kabul last month painfully reminded us, the threat has not disappeared. To the contrary, over the past 20 years, as technology advanced and the world became more interconnected, familiar threats transformed and new ones emerged.

Terrorist attacks once required extensive communications and planning—which took time and created leads for investigators to pursue. Now terrorism moves at the speed of social media. Foreign groups spread propaganda online to inspire lone actors to attack using easily accessible tools—as in October 2017, when Sayfullo Saipov, an alleged Islamic State supporter radicalized online, plowed a rented truck through a crowd on a Manhattan bike path, killing eight people and injuring more than a dozen others.

But the risk of online radicalization is not limited to foreign terrorist ideologies. An expanding array of radical beliefs is increasingly inspiring domestic terrorists. Racial and ethnic ideologies, anti-government and anti-authority sentiments, conspiracy theories and personal grievances—the extraordinary range of dangerous narratives circulated online compounds the challenge of identifying and stopping violent extremists.

In addition to making attacks harder to detect, technology has enabled new threats. Twenty years ago, a team of terrorists would have had to successfully execute a complicated plan with a bomb or other conventional weapon to try to cripple the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, New York, or shut down operations at Colonial Pipeline. But today, we have witnessed Iranian government hackers and ransomware criminals, respectively, do just those things from behind computers in safe havens abroad.

There is no question the threats have become more complex. Thanks to the dedication and sacrifice of the thousands of men and women who stepped up after 9/11, we know how to respond—by focusing on disruption, strengthening partnerships, and renewing a sense of shared responsibility.

Stopping the next attack remains the priority. But those who wish us harm continue to think of new ways to use technology against us. To guard against these ever-changing challenges, the intelligence and law enforcement communities have to innovate and think creatively.

As we learned after 9/11, collaboration is essential. Increasingly, that means law enforcement partnering with private citizens and companies. Interrupting fast-moving threats such as lone actors requires individuals to share information with the authorities when something seems amiss. Countering sophisticated cyberattacks requires companies to work with the FBI and not go it alone. Developing such relationships necessitates a joint commitment to building trust and improving communication.

Today’s realities demand recognition that we’re all in this together. The men and women of law enforcement are being asked to do more now than ever—at a time when their jobs are becoming increasingly dangerous. They need our support. To develop the next generation of those willing to run toward danger to protect others, we must rekindle the spirit of unity on display after 9/11.

As we mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we mourn the people we have lost, extend our sympathy to their families and loved ones, and express gratitude for those who sacrificed—both at home and abroad—to keep us safe. We owe it to them to recommit to the lessons learned through blood, sweat, and tears in the aftermath of 9/11.

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

The attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania shocked all Americans in the days and weeks that followed 9/11. For some, time and distance would allow those events to fade into history. For others, the sights and sounds of that day and those that followed are as vivid and impactful now as they were 20 years ago. Almost 3,000 people died on that day, and more have perished over time as a result of injuries and associated illnesses. In addition to losing New York Special Agent Leonard Hatton on 9/11, we have since lost 17 other FBI employees to diseases brought on by exposure to toxic materials.

The FBI had countless employees who served as first responders on 9/11 and thousands who deployed to the scenes over the next weeks and months. The resulting counterterrorism investigation was the largest in the history of the Bureau. Most people alive at the time can remember that exact moment they first heard about the attack. They remember seeing the images of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center. The gaping hole in the Pentagon. The crater in Pennsylvania. For some, these images are just memories—memories not forgotten, but perhaps muted by time.

For others, this 20th anniversary is a very personal event marked by powerful recollections from time spent on the front lines. These aren’t easy memories to relive, but they are an important touchstone for who we are and why we do the work we do. I offer to you the stories of four FBI Portland employees, including myself, who responded to the 9/11 scenes or who were inspired to find a way to join in service to our country.

You can view those videos here: (https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/portland/news/stories/remembering-911-portland-fbi-employees-share-their-experiences).

As we head into this anniversary weekend, I encourage all Oregonians to take a moment both to reflect on the lives lost and to consider how each of us can, in our own way, make a positive difference in our country’s future.

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

Director Christopher Wray has named Jermicha Fomby as the special agent in charge of the Jackson Field Office in Mississippi. Mr. Fomby most recently served as a section chief in the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington.

Mr. Fomby joined the FBI as a special agent in 2003 and was assigned to the Akron Resident Agency of the Cleveland Field Office, where he investigated criminal matters. In 2006, he transferred to the New York Field Office and investigated Albanian organized crime.

Mr. Fomby also worked major drug-trafficking, organized crime, and public corruption investigations. In addition, he was an instructor for an FBI program that trained foreign investigators in undercover work in public corruption and counterterrorism cases.

In 2010, Mr. Fomby deployed to the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and served as the executive officer in support of FBI international operations.

In 2013, he was promoted to supervisory special agent in the New York Field Office’s National Security Human Intelligence Squad. In 2014, he developed and led the Hudson Valley White Collar Crime Task Force in the Hudson Valley Resident Agency in New Windsor.

Mr. Fomby was assigned to the Inspection Division at Headquarters in 2016 and served as an assistant inspector and team leader. He was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the El Paso Field Office in Texas in 2018, responsible for the criminal, intelligence, administrative, and resident agency programs.

In 2019, Mr. Fomby was promoted to section chief in the Criminal Investigative Division at Headquarters, where he was responsible for strategic intelligence for several criminal programs. The next year, he served as chief of CID’s Violent Crime Section, responsible for gang, violent crimes, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation of children programs.

Mr. Fomby earned a bachelor’s from Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama; a master’s in organizational management from Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee; and a master’s in education from Seton Hall University in East Orange, New Jersey. Prior to joining the FBI, he served on active duty in the U.S Army.