Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

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

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is seeking the public’s assistance to help identify the “Back Again Bandit” who is suspected of five bank robberies. The bank robberies took place at the same two banks, which is what earned him the nickname, “Back Again Bandit”.

The bank robberies occurred in Phoenix and Tempe. No one was physically injured.

Photos of the suspect and details of the bank robberies can be found here (click on the photos to enlarge): https://bankrobbers.fbi.gov/robbers-container/2021-01-04.5859034353

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspect should contact the FBI Phoenix Field Office at 623-466-1999, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. You may also contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377).

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.

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

The FBI, Philadelphia Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Mount Laurel Police Department, and Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office are seeking the public’s assistance as we continue to investigate the disappearance, 16 years ago today, of Danielle (Ottobre) Imbo and Richard Petrone, Jr.

They were last seen in the late evening hours of Saturday, February 19, 2005, leaving a bar on Philadelphia’s South Street for Rich’s black 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. An extensive investigation to date has generated some promising leads; however, neither they nor the vehicle have ever been located.

The investigation into Danielle and Rich’s disappearance remains open and active, with additional personnel currently assisting the case team in reviewing intelligence and interviewing individuals who may be able to help advance this case.

There is still a $50,000 reward for information on the couple’s whereabouts, or for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for their disappearance.

The reward is being administered by the Philadelphia Citizens Crime Commission. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to call the Citizens Crime Commission tip line at 215-546-TIPS (215-546-8477). Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Q. What were some of the early challenges to establishing the Office of Diversity and Inclusion?

Odom: One of the first things I did was to lobby to have diversity as a core value. Existing core values included respect, integrity, fairness, and compassion, among others. Initially, there was a little pushback, because some people thought diversity was encompassed in all the other values. Making diversity a core value elevated the office and made it relevant. Before, diversity was not thought of as mission-critical or really helping us to do better as an organization. We were able to demonstrate that diversity enhanced our ability to connect with the communities we protect and serve.

Q. The FBI has struggled to improve diversity, particularly among special agents, where 83.4% are white, 4.4% are Black, and 67% are men. The figures are slightly better for intelligence analysts and professional staff. How do you interpret that?  

Odom: It is frustrating. Our workforce is not that diverse. But we’ve also got to think about how we measure progress. And one of our big projects is a barrier analysis that looks at the entire employee lifecycle—from recruiting to promotion—to understand where we have roadblocks. There are barriers where individuals, based on their race or gender or ethnicity, are not going through those gates at the same rate. Our recruitment of women and minorities special agents has gone up significantly, but they don’t all show up at new agent training. We’ve got to look at where we’re losing people and then see what we can do to improve that process.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

The FBI is aware of Microsoft’s emergency patch for previously unknown vulnerabilities in Exchange Server software, attributed to the APT actor known by Microsoft as HAFNIUM. The FBI is working closely with our interagency and private sector partners to understand the scope of the threat. Network owners should immediately patch their systems.

Help us respond to victims and hold those responsible accountable. If your Exchange Server from Microsoft has been compromised, please contact your local FBI field office.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Director Christopher Wray has named M.A. “Mo” Myers as the executive assistant director of the Intelligence Branch at FBI Headquarters in Washington. Mr. Myers serves as the strategic leader of the FBI’s intelligence program, responsible for overseeing the FBI’s intelligence strategy, resources, policies, and functions.

Mr. Myers most recently served as the assistant director of the Insider Threat Office, the FBI’s central strategic coordinating component for all insider threat issues.

Mr. Myers began his career as an FBI agent in 1996 and primarily worked counterintelligence matters in the Miami Field Office. He conducted numerous complex counterintelligence operations, as well as extraterritorial operations with the FBI’s intelligence community partners. He also served on the Miami SWAT team from 1999 to 2004.

In 2004, Mr. Myers transferred to a counterintelligence squad in the Richmond Field Office in Virginia. He was promoted in 2008 to supervisory special agent over Richmond’s Field Intelligence Group and returned to the counterintelligence squad in 2010.

Mr. Myers was promoted to unit chief in the National Security Branch at Headquarters in 2011. Three years later, he was named the assistant special agent in charge of the intelligence and support services branch in the Oklahoma City Field Office.

In 2016, Mr. Myers was promoted to chief of the Instruction Section in the Training Division. The section is responsible for training new special agents, intelligence analysts, and staff operations specialists, and for providing instruction to National Academy participants.

He was named special agent in charge of the Memphis Field Office in Tennessee in 2018 and as the assistant director of the Insider Threat Office in 2020.

Mr. Myers earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree from Norwich University. Before joining the FBI, Mr. Myers was a state probation and parole agent in Columbia, South Carolina.