Source: United States Department of Justice News
Tampa, Florida – Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez (52, Mexico) today pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder monetary instruments and engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Hurtado-Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
Ocala, Florida – Dustin Shane Sandiford (31, Citrus Springs) has pleaded guilty to using a minor to produce child sex abuse images. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison. He had been indicted on June 30, 2021. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 21, 2022.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno is pleased to announce the selection of Hillwood, a Perot Company, as the Dallas Division’s recipient of the 2020 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA). SAC DeSarno recognized Ross Perot, Jr. on Thursday, August 19, 2021.
Mr. Perot serves as Chairman of Hillwood, a leading global real estate development company he founded in 1988. Since 2019, Hillwood has been a member of the Dallas Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) which enables public and private sector members to share intelligence regarding threats that may impact U.S. businesses and issues of national security.
Hillwood’s partnership during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic directly supported the FBI Dallas Division’s mission by providing infrastructure and real-time support to host the first virtual Dallas DSAC meeting. The virtual meeting increased awareness of the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape as DSAC companies and their subsidiaries moved to teleworking environments. The virtual session also allowed the FBI to describe Cyber Division’s role in thwarting criminal and nation state actors. Hillwood’s continual support has created strong liaison partnerships throughout DSAC and with other law enforcement professionals.
SAC DeSarno said, “Mr. Perot and the entire Hillwood team exemplify leadership through service in the North Texas Region and beyond. Hillwood’s commitment to supporting law enforcement, and their partnership with the FBI makes them the Dallas recipient of the 2020 Director’s Community Leadership Award.”
The Director’s Community Leadership Award was formally created in 1990 to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in America. Recipients of this award are recognized for their service above and beyond the call of duty to help keep America and its residents safe and are selected based on nominations from each of the FBI’s 56 field offices.
The award is given annually on behalf of FBI Director Christopher Wray and for the second year, a formal ceremony in Washington, D.C., was held virtually. Hillwood and recipients from across the country were honored by FBI executive management.
For additional information on the DCLA and this prestigious award, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/about/community-outreach/dcla.
August 19, 2021 – Ross Perot, Jr. (R) is presented with the 2020 Director’s Community Leadership Award by FBI Dallas SAC Matthew DeSarno (L). (Photo/Hillwood)
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities. Hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim—they are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community. We know that, historically, hate crimes are underreported. To help our community recognize the importance of the issue and to encourage people to report incidents to law enforcement, the FBI in Oregon is launching a hate crimes awareness campaign. This campaign starts on September 1st.
“Those who traffic in hate target the most vulnerable in our community based on how they look, what they believe, and who they love. The FBI has an important role in investigating these cases, but we know that we need help from our community partners both to encourage victims to come forward and to help identify these criminals,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon.
The FBI has been coordinating efforts with various leaders within diverse communities to identify and engage vulnerable populations through the channels and platforms that are most effective for any given organization. The campaign also includes paid advertising:
This Oregon effort ties with a national FBI awareness campaign that hopes to drive education efforts and increase reporting: “Protecting Our Communities Together: Report Hate Crimes”.
We are asking people to report potential federal hate crime violations by contacting us at one of the national tipline options: 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
2020 Hate Crime Statistics
This week, the FBI released the 2020 Hate Crime Report as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. In Oregon, 207 of 234 agencies voluntarily submitted data for this current 2020 report. The UCR program specifically defines a hate crime as a criminal offense motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias or biases against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity. In Oregon, there were 271 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 170 single bias incidents reported in 2019. In Oregon, there were 360 reported victims in 2020, and 242 reported victims in 2019. (Note: These victim numbers include both single bias and multiple bias incidents.) Nationally, there were 7,554 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 7,081 single bias incidents reported in 2019. Nationally, there were 10,528 reported victims in 2020, and 8,812 reported victims in 2019. (Note: These victim numbers represent single bias incidents.)
Key Takeaways from 2020 Hate Crimes Report
The bias motivator in about 70% of Oregon incidents was race/ethnicity/ancestry. Victims perceived as Black were the racial group targeted most frequently. Religion was the motivator in about 10% of cases. Victims perceived as Jewish were the religious group targeted most frequently. Sexual orientation was the motivator in about 10% of reported Oregon incidents. Gender identity was the motivator in about 3% of reported Oregon incidents. Raw UCR reporting is available on FBI.gov and through the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.
FBI Role in Investigating Hate Crimes
There are a number of federal laws that give the FBI the ability to investigate hate crimes. Those laws generally require some kind of criminal act AND a finding that the person committing the act did so because he/she was motivated by bias. The criminal act can include offenses such as murder, assault, arson, and it generally requires the use or threat of force or violence. For an incident to qualify as a federal hate crime, the subject(s) must have acted wholly or in part based on the victim’s actual or perceived status. This is generally consistent with state law. Under federal law, bias motivators include:
Anyone who has information about or believes they are a victim of a federal hate crime should contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
An unidentified man who robbed an Albuquerque bank last week is suspected of robbing a northeast Albuquerque credit union on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.
The latest robbery occurred at First Financial Credit Union, 831 Juan Tabo Boulevard NE, at approximately 4:36 p.m.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic or black male in his 30s to 40s, 5’10” to 6’0″ tall, weighing approximately 180 to 190 pounds, and with brown hair.
He wore a red baseball cap with a blue front, a white T-shirt over a blue long-sleeve shirt; blue jeans, a blue wrap-around mask, and white shoes.
The suspect entered the bank, lifted his shirt to display a handgun in his waistband to a teller, and demanded money.
He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and was seen heading north on Juan Tabo Boulevard on foot.
This individual is suspected of also robbing First Convenience Bank, 2266 Wyoming Boulevard NE, on August 24, 2021.
Anyone with information about these robberies is asked to contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300, or Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at (505) 843-STOP.
Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.
Information about other bank robbers wanted by the FBI can be found at bankrobbers.fbi.gov.
Bank robbery carries a possible prison term of up to 20 years. The use of a gun, other dangerous weapon, toy gun, or hoax bomb device during the commission of a bank robbery can be punishable by a prison term of up to 25 years.