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

The exponential growth was the result of the sudden expansion of FBI’s federal criminal jurisdiction since the court ruling on July 9, 2020, which reaffirmed the existence of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation. The landmark ruling, which determined that the U.S. government never disestablished the American Indian reservations there in the early days of Oklahoma’s statehood, reverted nearly 45% of the state back to Native American reservation land. That, in turn, transitioned criminal jurisdiction from the state back to the FBI.

The FBI investigates the most serious crimes in Indian Country, including murders, rapes, and child sexual abuse. In most of eastern Oklahoma, criminal cases that were handled by state and local authorities are now under federal jurisdiction—including closed cases that are being re-opened because of new questions about their jurisdiction. The expanded federal role has made the Oklahoma City Field Office one of the FBI’s busiest.

“The case volume that we are experiencing is unprecedented,” said Melissa Godbold, special agent in charge of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, which has borrowed special agents, intelligence analysts, victim specialists, and other professional staff from across the Bureau. Dozens of agents are on 90-day rotations to the region, working to ease the crush of cases and make sure criminals don’t slip through cracks during the transition. Victim specialists from around the country are on two-week deployments to Oklahoma City to ensure victims from cases old and new are tended to and provided resources the federal government is obliged to deliver.

‘It’s Our Every Day’

“The challenge for us is that we must provide this basic level of policing in the eastern half of Oklahoma, but we also have to ensure we are still doing all the things the American public expects the FBI to do,” said Godbold. “We’re investigating terrorism crimes, we’re going after spies, we’re making sure public corruption doesn’t go unpunished. So, it’s getting the base level of policing covered along with the top level of policing and making sure all of that happens at the same time.”

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

Judy Shepard, who with her husband, Dennis, co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation to honor their 21-year-old son who was killed in a hate crime in Wyoming in 1998, echoed the sentiment. She said that a better understanding of the gay community—and all marginalized communities—could lead to better communication and reporting.

“There’s a level of ignorance about how to operate in a community you’re unfamiliar with,” Judy Shepard said. “How the tendency may be to actually insult them rather than help them. There are nuances involved in all marginalized communities. All afternoon we’ve been talking about that. And I hope they recognize it, because it’s crucial to the victim’s family, and the victims themselves.”

These are the conversations the Civil Rights Unit hoped would be a starting point toward better understanding among the varied attendees. Ron Reed, chief of the Civil Rights Unit at FBI Headquarters, said giving local police better tools to investigate hate crimes—and a better understanding of federal laws—can pay dividends, even if it’s just learning how to talk to victims.

“It’s not the victim’s job to know what to tell us,” Reed said. “It’s our job as law enforcement to know the right questions to ask to get to the bottom of it.”

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

On the evening of Sunday, July 11, 2021, FBI agents, with the assistance of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and the Bozeman Yellowstone International Public Safety Office, made a probable cause arrest of Vincent Harry Kopacek, age 76, of Fredericksburg, Texas, on one federal count each of attempted sexual abuse of a minor, abusive sexual contact, and assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction. Law enforcement detained Kopacek as he checked in for his flight departing the airport in Bozeman.

On July 8, 2021, Kopacek was seated behind a 15-year-old girl on a flight from Austin, Texas, to Bozeman. According to the criminal complaint and court documents, Kopacek inappropriately touched the minor female before and during the flight. The victim documented the alleged abuse with her cell phone. After departing the airport, the victim reported the alleged contact to her family, who alerted authorities.

Kopacek had an initial appearance this morning in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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

The FBI Denver Field Office is aware of the arrest of four individuals at a hotel near the Major League Baseball All-Star Game venue. We are coordinating with the Denver Police Department (DPD) regarding this criminal matter. DPD is the lead investigative agency.

We have no reason to believe this incident was connected to terrorism or a threat directed at the All-Star Game. We are not aware of any threat to the All-Star Game events, venues, players, or the community at this time.

As is the case with many major special events, the FBI works closely with our law enforcement partners in preparation for and in support of public safety during these events.

We continue to encourage the public to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.