Category: FBI

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

Immediately after the attacks, the FBI’s top job was to identify the attackers and prevent another incident. Experts in terrorism, evidence collection, and other specialties worked feverishly to determine what had happened and who was responsible. The FBI also coordinated with its partners in law enforcement and the intelligence community domestically and abroad as it launched its most ambitious investigation ever.

Within minutes, officials at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., activated the Strategic Information and Operations Center. By the end of the day, the FBI had established command posts for each of the three crash sites.

Thousands of agents interviewed witnesses and sources. They tracked down clues and tips worldwide to determine what had happened, who did it, and how future acts could be prevented. The FBI started identifying the 19 terrorists within hours.

Then-FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III broke with routine and based the massive investigation out of FBI Headquarters instead of a field office. The PENTTBOM Team—short for Pennsylvania, Pentagon, and Twin Towers Bombing—coordinated the investigation out of a basement office, where dozens of agents would build a case against those responsible. 

The case, which remains open, revealed extraordinary acts of courage and selflessness among the spectrum of responders. And it forever changed the way the FBI works with law enforcement and intelligence community partners to keep Americans safe in the U.S. and abroad.

“Because of that terrible day, starting in 2001 under the leadership of Director Mueller, the FBI transformed itself in ways that have made us stronger and better—and our country safer,” Director Christopher Wray said in 2019 during a visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.

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

COLUMBUS, GA—The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and indictment of those responsible for the murder of 12-year old Cortez Richardson.

Richardson was tragically shot and killed while riding in the back seat of his mother’s vehicle on Friday, August 13, 2021. The Columbus Police Department, who is investigating the murder, said the shooting happened near the intersection of Floyd Road and Luna Drive in Columbus.

The police investigation has revealed that the boy and his family were on their way home from dinner when their vehicle got caught between an exchange of gunfire between two other vehicles, a white sedan and a white SUV.

Police believe Richardson and his family were innocent victims of a dispute between the suspects in the two other vehicles.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the FBI Atlanta/Columbus Resident Agency at 706-596-9603 or the Columbus Police Department at 706-225-4363.

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

MEMPHIS, TN—The FBI Memphis Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee are encouraging the public to report hate crimes.

“Investigating hate crimes is the highest priority of the FBI’s Civil Rights program due to the devastating impact they have on families and communities,” said Douglas M. Korneski, special agent in charge of the Memphis Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “The FBI is committed to protecting the civil rights of all people, and we will aggressively pursue those who commit criminal offenses based on bias.”

“Criminal civil rights violations are high-priority matters for the Department of Justice and individuals committing these crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Acting United States Attorney.

Defining a Hate Crime

The FBI defines 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.”

How to Report

Anyone who has been the victim of a hate crime, or anyone who has witnessed a hate crime, is encouraged to report this information to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Information may be reported anonymously.

Help us fight hate in our communities together. To learn more about hate crimes, visit https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/hate-crimes and https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes

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

Janeen DiGuiseppi, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albany Division, announced Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) President Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson as the division’s 2020 recipient of the Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA). For more than two decades, the FBI has presented the DCLA to extraordinary citizens from around the country who share a willingness to lead, and whose work directly impacts the mission of the FBI. Each of the FBI’s 56 field offices nominates one honoree who has been a strong and engaging partner and has demonstrated outstanding contributions to their community through service.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson has made numerous contributions and accomplishments to the community served by the FBI’s Albany Division. Since becoming the 18th President of Rensselaer in 1999, she has led an extraordinary transformation of the campus through state-of-the-art research platforms that include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, and the Center for Computational Innovations, which houses the most powerful supercomputer at an American private university.

Beyond her transformational work on campus, Dr. Jackson is an outstanding partner to law enforcement agencies within the community. She partners with federal, state, and local law enforcement for various training exercises that are paramount in ensuring agencies can seamlessly work together to respond to acts of unthinkable violence.

Dr. Jackson is also a valuable member of the division’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Executive Board. Her extensive and impressive work within the intelligence community has had a tremendous impact on the mission of the FBI. “Dr. Jackson’s ability to recognize and comprehend national security threats that impact our communities and her commitment to creating a strong partnership between the FBI and Rensselaer has created a remarkable collaboration the Albany Division is lucky to have,” said SAC Janeen DiGuiseppi.

There are truly countless ways Dr. Jackson makes the community stronger and the Albany Division more impactful, and we are honored to recognize her partnership with this important award.

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

FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters provided the following statement after the execution of search warrants at Detroit City Hall and several other Metro Detroit locations this morning.

Earlier today, special agents and task force officers from the public corruption task force executed search warrants at Detroit City Hall and several other locations across Metro Detroit. The warrants were conducted as part of an ongoing public corruption investigation. As many of you know, the FBI is the primary federal agency responsible for investigating allegations of public corruption.

As such, any time an allegation of corruption is brought to our attention, we will collect all available facts and evidence. Once collected, it is our job to ensure they are reviewed in a thorough and impartial manner. The evidence will then be presented to the U.S. Attorney’s Office which will ultimately decide whether or not to prosecute.

While the FBI recognizes the public’s right to know what we are doing on its behalf, we have a responsibility to protect the integrity of our investigations. As importantly, we have a responsibility to protect the rights of individuals who may not have been charged with any crimes. If charges are ultimately filed, the substance of our investigation will become a matter of public record. Until that time, we will not be providing any additional information on today’s law enforcement activities.

Public corruption is the FBI’s top criminal investigative priority. Anyone with information relevant to this or any other public corruption matter is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips may also be submitted at tips.fbi.gov.