Category: FBI

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

Jackson, Miss. – Choctaw Police Department Officers Robert York and Jakob Waiter along with Neshoba County Deputy Mark Flake are the newest additions to the Mississippi Safe Trails Task Force (STTF).  Robert A. Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the Jackson Mississippi Field Office, administered the oath and stated, ““The implementation of the Mississippi Safe Trails Task Force ensures the FBI and partnering agencies work together to protect members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and investigate criminal activity with a federal nexus in and around the Reservation Communities in Mississippi. The Task Force is dedicated in keeping our tribal communities safe by working along-side our partners, training together, and offering resources.”
 

The FBI Safe Trails Task Force is a collaborative effort between the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in Indian Country. The STTF works with a variety of partners, including DEA, ATF, tribal, state, and local law enforcement.  The STTF has been a key part of the FBI’s partnerships in Indian Country for almost 30 years.  
 

In December of 2022, the FBI field office in Jackson gained approval to establish the Mississippi STTF.  In addition to the Choctaw Police Department and the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi’s STTF is comprised of officers from Leake County Sheriff’s Department, the City of Carthage Police Department, and the Jones County Sheriff’s Department.
“The Department of Justice has been working hard to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and other law enforcement partners in order to better address violent crime, the fentanyl crisis, and other public safety issues in Tribal communities,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi.

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

ATLANTA – Kimberly Johnson has pleaded guilty for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme spanning more than three years and resulting in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans based on fabricated documents and false information. Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted.

“The defendant and her co-conspirators brazenly manipulated the real estate lending process out of sheer greed,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan. “Criminals like Johnson, who engage in mortgage fraud, threaten the soundness of the real estate market in our communities. Our office is committed to prosecuting these bad actors who abuse the system for their personal gain and to safeguard the mortgage lending system for those who rely on this financial support.”

“Kimberly Johnson engaged in a massive mortgage fraud scheme, fabricating material documents on over 450 loans to falsely qualify individuals for loans they would not have otherwise qualified for,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jerome Winkle with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG).  “When individuals commit fraud against federally funded programs, it creates significant risks to the programs and limits the financial resources available to assist hard working individuals realize the American dream of homeownership. HUD OIG will continue to work with its prosecutorial and law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue those who seek to profit by abusing HUD-funded programs.”

“Ms. Johnson’s guilty plea is the result of our commitment to hold anyone who exploits the mortgage lending system for personal gain fully accountable,” said Edwin S. Bonano, Special Agent in Charge of FHFA-OIG’s Southeast Region. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration between our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the housing market and prevent fraud that undermines public trust.”

“The defendant in this case pleaded guilty for her role in altering and fabricating supporting documents in fraudulent mortgage loan applications, as part of a scheme that resulted in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans,” said Kyle A. Myles, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG), Atlanta Region. “The FDIC OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement colleagues to investigate those who commit fraudulent acts and threaten to undermine the safety and soundness of our nation’s financial system.”

“The FBI will vigorously investigate criminal offenses that impact the integrity of the residential mortgage market. In this case, Johnson had the duty to conduct business honestly but instead chose to engage in mortgage fraud, securing mortgages for individuals who otherwise would not have qualified for one,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We are proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the effort to prosecute anyone who engages in this type of misconduct.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Kimberly Johnson participated in a conspiracy in which homebuyers and mortgage brokers submitted fraudulent loan applications to induce mortgage lenders to fund mortgages. Johnson’s role in the scheme was to alter or fabricate the supporting documents for the loans, including bank statements, pay stubs and Forms W-2. Over the course of more than three years, Johnson helped approximately 450 homebuyers to commit mortgage fraud by obtaining loans for which they were unqualified. The fraudulent loan applications were submitted to numerous mortgage lenders, and some of the mortgage brokers who worked on obtaining the loans were part of the conspiracy. These fraudulent loans totaled approximately $161 million. Many of those loans have already defaulted.

Kimberly Johnson, 55, of Hampton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in a mortgage fraud scheme and, as part of her plea, has agreed to pay restitution to the victims of the conspiracy, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which insures many of the residential mortgages in the United States. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Prout is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

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

ST. LOUIS – The 25th patient of a Jefferson County, Missouri chiropractic office involved in a multi-million dollar disability fraud conspiracy was sentenced Wednesday as part of an ongoing fraud investigation. Six more patients are set for sentencing next year.

U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Donald Furrer, 67, to one year of probation. Prior to sentencing, Furrer repaid just under $462,000 that he received from the Social Security Administration’s Disability Trust Fund and private disability benefit insurance providers by falsely claiming to be disabled.

The two chiropractors who owned and operated PowerMed Inc., Thomas G. Hobbs and Vivian Carbone-Hobbs, are in federal prison, serving four-year prison terms. Hobbs was ordered to repay $4.3 million; Carbone-Hobbs was ordered to repay $16.4 million.

One employee, Christina Barrera, was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Another, Clarissa Pogue, was sentenced to five years of probation, including six months of house arrest.

Many patients worked at Anheuser-Busch. Some are spouses of other defendants. They have been sentenced in a range from one year of probation to the 15 month term of imprisonment imposed on patient Elizabeth Guetersloh. All were ordered to repay the money they reaped via fraud, ranging from $47,087 to more than $470,000.

James Ralston was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to repay more than $2.1 million. He was a former Anheuser-Busch union steward who referred his former co-workers and coached them as they falsified their disability applications.

Hobbs charged patients fees of thousands of dollars to prepare disability forms and coach them on how to lie about their ability to perform basic daily tasks such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting and taking care of their personal needs. According to evidence and testimony presented at the trials of Carbone-Hobbs, Barrera, Pogue, and Guetersloh, some patients were presented with a “Disability Package Pricing” sheet that listed the fees ranging as high as $8,600 for PowerMed to handle various disability claims options, including qualifying for Social Security disability, short-term disability, private insurance and insurance that would pay off auto or other loans. The total fees exceeded more than $13,000 for some patients.

Hobbs, who also falsely claimed to have a medical license, submitted fraudulent medical reports to support patient claims. He and Carbone-Hobbs also submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to health care benefit programs for medical services that were used to bolster those claims.

Although PowerMed patients claimed to be disabled and unable to work or do many of the basic functions of life, they travelled nationally and internationally, danced, hiked or rode roller coasters. Some bought new homes or second homes with the money.

“This investigation is ongoing, but has already resulted in convictions of 31 people, as well as the recovery of more than $6 million that will go to the Social Security Administration and the private insurers who were defrauded,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “This outcome would not have been possible without the dogged work by investigators.”

“Social Security disability benefits are intended for persons who are unable to work because they have a medical condition. Donald Furrer made false statements and misrepresentations to SSA to fraudulently receive disability benefit payments from SSA totaling more than $317,000. This sentence holds him accountable for his criminal behavior,” said Jason Albers, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector, Dallas Kansas City Field Division. “In this comprehensive investigation and complex prosecution of this case, involving multiple subjects and agencies, investigators and prosecutors have done exemplary work. I commend them all for their diligent efforts in this years-long process to bring forth justice.”

“When unscrupulous individuals lie to obtain disability benefits, they are taking away resources from those who truly need it,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Greg Heeb. “I commend our agents and the prosecutors who successfully unraveled such a large conspiracy to recover millions of dollars defrauded from taxpayers who fund this critical program.”

The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry, Dorothy McMurtry, Diane Klocke and Gwendolyn Carroll have prosecuted the cases.

Anyone who suspects fraud involving the Disability Insurance Benefit Program should contact the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General Hotline at: 1-800-269-0271 or https://oig.ssa.gov/report/. 
 

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Jurors in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday found a man from Carter County, Missouri guilty of a felony count of production of child pornography.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Clinton Rongey, 52, used the victim, who was three and four years old at the time, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse material. Rongey took more than 100 images of the victim between February and November of 2023.

Rongey is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29, 2025. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years.  

The case was investigated by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Hunter and Nathan Chapman are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

INDIANAPOLIS- 2024 Indiana congressional candidate, Gabriel Whitley, 27, of Indianapolis, has agreed to plead guilty to lying to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by fabricating contributions purportedly made to his campaign, “Honest Gabe for Congress,” for the purpose of falsely portraying that his campaign had significantly greater support and financial resources than it actually did.

According to court documents, Gabriel Whitley ran in the primary election for Indiana’s Seventh Congressional District and served as the treasurer of his campaign committee. Whitley admitted that he lied to the FEC in three separate reports about hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from supporters and loans from himself. Specifically, Whitley admitted that in October 2023, he falsely claimed that 67 people, whose biographical details he made up, had contributed approximately $222,690 to Honest Gabe for Congress. In January 2024, Whitley again falsely reported contributions from individuals whose biographical details he fabricated. Finally, in April 2024, Whitley falsified a $100,000 loan to his campaign.

Whitley faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He will have a change-of-plea hearing and a sentencing hearing to be scheduled at later times. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Brent Wible, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; First Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Childress for the Southern District of Indiana; and Special Agent in Charge Herbert Stapleton of the FBI Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Indianapolis Field Office is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Jacob R. Steiner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston of the Southern District of Indiana are prosecuting the case.

All defendants are presumed innocent until they plead guilty or are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

INDIANAPOLIS— Aaron Jason Strong, 47, a former Lieutenant with the New Castle Police Department, was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for using excessive force against people in custody and obstructing justice by attempting to deceive investigators.

On Oct. 4, 2024, a federal jury convicted Strong of three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of witness tampering. At trial, evidence introduced by the government established that Strong had intentionally used excessive force against people in police custody on multiple occasions.

“The severe sentence imposed on this former law enforcement official should send a clear message: ‘street justice’ has no place in 21st-century policing and violators will be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “The vicious and lawless abuse that Aaron Strong perpetrated has no place in modern law enforcement. This sentence reflects the senseless cruelty of the defendant’s conduct, the serious physical injuries inflicted on victims and the harms to society when those entrusted with public authority arrogate to themselves the power to mete out summary punishment.”

“Aaron Strong viciously beat, stomped, and shot three defenseless men with no lawful justification—causing serious injuries including a fractured spine,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “After good officers horrified by these abuses reported his actions, Strong lied in an attempt to cover up his crimes. The vast majority of police serve the public honorably, and when criminals like Aaron Strong violate their oaths and brutalize the public, an already difficult and dangerous profession grows even more so. Our U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice, together with our partners at the FBI and Indiana State Police, are committed to doing the work necessary to earn and keep the trust of the public. The serious prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that there are consequences for police brutality, because no one is above the law.”

Evidence presented at trial established that, in August 2019, then-Lieutenant Strong responded to another officer’s report of a foot chase. As Strong arrived, the suspect stopped running, put his hands up, said “I’m done” and lowered himself to the ground. As another officer approached to take the suspect into custody, Strong ran up and struck the suspect at least twelve times with a metal police baton, nearly striking a fellow officer. Other involved officers promptly reported the incident, and the Indiana State Police were called in to conduct an independent criminal investigation. During a meeting with the State Police investigator, Strong gave a false account of the incident in which he minimized his own use of force and exaggerated the danger posed by the suspect.

Strong was also convicted of using excessive force against two men being detained pending trial in a low-security annex of the Henry County, Indiana, jail. While assisting correctional officers with a dormitory search, Strong stomped on the head of a detainee who was complying with commands to lie on the ground. A few moments later, Strong approached a second inmate, who was kneeling, not moving, with his back to Strong, and shot him point-blank in the back with a less-lethal “beanbag” round, which Strong had been trained could cause death or serious bodily injury when used at short ranges. The impact from the round fractured the detainee’s spine.

The FBI Indianapolis Field Office and Indiana State Police investigated the case, with assistance from the New Castle Police Department. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter A. Blackett and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who prosecuted this case.

If you have concerns regarding Civil Rights violations in the Southern District of Indiana, you can now report them to our office via email USAINS-CivilRights@usdoj.gov or using our online form.

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Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

Director Christopher Wray has named R. Joseph Rothrock as the special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Office. Mr. Rothrock most recently served as the deputy assistant director in the Counterintelligence Division.

Mr. Rothrock entered on duty as an FBI special agent in 2006, assigned to the San Diego Field Office, Imperial County Resident Agency. During this assignment, he investigated transnational organized crime, violent crime, public corruption, and counterterrorism matters.

In 2012, Mr. Rothrock was promoted to supervisory special agent (SSA) and assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) at FBI Headquarters. Mr. Rothrock returned to San Diego in 2014 as an SSA working domestic and international violent crime, as well as crimes against children and victim services programs.

Mr. Rothrock was named assistant section chief for CID in 2019. He was later promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Branch at the Pittsburgh Field Office. In 2022, Mr. Rothrock returned to CID once more, this time as a section chief. Mr. Rothrock has been serving as the deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division since 2023. 

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Rothrock began his law enforcement career in 2001 as a police officer in Florissant, MO. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology and a master’s degree in business administration from Lindenwood University.

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

LOS ANGELES – The founder and chairman of Hightimes Holding Corp., the company that publishes High Times magazine, has agreed to plead guilty to joining a criminal conspiracy to pay more than $150,000 in undisclosed compensation to an analyst for an investment newsletter that touted its stock and assisted Hightimes in raising at least $6 million.

Adam Levin, 45, of Marina Del Rey, was charged last month with one count of conspiracy to tout securities for undisclosed compensation. In a plea agreement filed December 20, Levin agreed to plead guilty to that felony offense.

Levin is scheduled to appear January 14 in United States District Court to make his initial appearance in this case.

Levin is the fourth defendant to be charged in this scheme in which companies paid the analyst at “Palm Beach Venture,” an investment newsletter with subscribers nationwide. That analyst, Jonathan William Mikula – along with his associate, Christian Fernandez, who acted as a money launderer for the scheme; and Raj Beri, the CEO of a Beverly Hills company who brokered deals for undisclosed payments by other issuers, each received a portion of the payments. Mikula, Fernandez and Beri each pleaded guilty last year and are scheduled to be sentenced in July.

The payments made by executives such as Levin were in exchange for Palm Beach Venture publishing promotional pieces for securities offerings, according to court documents.      

Federal law requires full and public disclosure from anyone who has received payment – directly or indirectly – from an issuer for publishing, publicizing or circulating any advertisement or communication that describes the issuer’s security offered for sale.

According to Levin’s plea agreement, in 2020 and 2021, “Hightimes raised approximately $20 million from more than 10 investor-victims, with at least $6 million in investment proceeds associated with Palm Beach Venture’s promotion.”

In exchange for the favorable articles in the newsletter, Levin admitted he paid $150,000 via wire transfers, as well as tens of thousands of dollars for entertainment expenses.

To conceal the scheme, Levin entered into a sham “marketing agreement” and routed the payments through a Canadian bank to a shell company in Canada, according to the plea agreement.

Mikula then caused Palm Beach Venture to promote Hightimes’ securities offering on April 6 and September 23 in 2020 in articles that falsely stated, “Neither the Palm Beach Research Group nor its affiliates receive compensation for bringing this deal to you,” the plea agreement states.

Levin also admitted that he lied to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission when he denied knowing that he entered into a “pay-for-play arrangement.”

The FBI is investigating this matter.

The SEC filed a civil action against Hightimes that was resolved in 2023 with Hightimes agreeing to a cease-and-desist order and paying a penalty of $558,071.

Any investors who believe they are a victim of the crimes in this scheme are encouraged to go to https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/united-states-v-jonathan-william-mikula-christian-fernandez-and-amit-raj-beri for further information and updates regarding this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Adam P. Schleifer of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force is prosecuting this case.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

        WASHINGTON – An Arkansas man was sentenced to prison today after he pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

        David Camden, 45, of Tontitown, Arkansas, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, 12 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $7,000 in fines and restitution by U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.

        According to court documents, Camden traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election.  After the rally, Camden approached the U.S. Capitol building and entered the restricted perimeter near the West Front of Capitol grounds. There, Camden climbed a media tower assembled for the upcoming Inauguration and waved a flag.

        At approximately 1:20 p.m. – nearly twenty minutes after rioters initially breached the restricted grounds, Camden approached a bike rack barricade separating police officers from rioters on the Capitol’s West Front. Camden then yelled at officers and forcefully pushed a bike rack barricade into a line of U.S. Capitol Police Officers. In response, officers successfully repelled Camden’s advance and deployed a chemical irritant in Camden’s direction to preempt further aggression.

        After this incident, Camden remained on Capitol grounds and joined other rioters on the West Plaza. At approximately 2:11 p.m., Camden deployed a fire extinguisher toward a police line assembled to stop rioters from advancing on the Capitol.

        The FBI arrested Camden on July 1, 2024, in Arkansas.

        This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas.

        This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Little Rock and Washington Field Offices. Camden was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #286 on the FBI’s seeking information images. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

        In the 48 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,583 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 600 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

        Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

As colleges and universities across our area return for the spring semester, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office wants to advise our international student communities of a scam involving foreign government impersonators and encourage victims to report instances of this scam.

Since 2022, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office has seen an increase in criminal actors impersonating Chinese police officers to defraud the U.S.-based Chinese community, in particular Chinese students attending universities in our area.

“Through ongoing education and outreach with our partners in law enforcement and academia, we aim to reach potential victims of this scam,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “If you or someone you know has been affected by this scheme, we encourage you to contact our office. Every day, we are working to hold these scammers accountable and provide victims with the resources they need.”

To conduct this scheme, criminal actors tell victims they are under investigation for an alleged financial crime in China and need to pay to avoid arrest. The scheme typically consists of four phases:

• Criminal actors place a call to victims, appearing to be a phone number associated with a mobile telephone service provider, a large retailer, a delivery service, or the Chinese Embassy/Consulate. The criminal actors inform victims their personally identifiable information is linked to either a subject or a victim of a financial fraud investigation.
• Criminal actors then allegedly transfer the call to a Chinese provincial police department that is allegedly investigating the victims. A criminal actor posing as a Chinese police officer informs victims of the details of the alleged crime and may pressure victims to return to China to face trial or threaten them with arrest.
• Criminal actors direct victims to consent to 24/7 video and audio monitoring due to the alleged sensitivity of the investigation and/or to demonstrate the victims’ innocence. Victims are instructed not to discuss the details of the case, not to conduct Internet searches, and to report all their daily activities.
• Criminal actors instruct victims to wire a large sum of money to a Chinese bank account to prove their innocence or to post bail to avoid returning to China.

The FBI Philadelphia Field Office encourages victims or attempted victims of this type of scheme to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or your local FBI field office.

In addition, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office recommends taking the following actions:

• Report the activity to the payment service provider used for the financial transaction.
• Contact your financial institution immediately to stop or reverse the transaction. Ask the financial institution to contact the corresponding financial institution where the funds were sent.
• Report activity to your campus security or public safety office to elevate awareness within the student population.
• Submit an online report to the FBI at www.ic3.gov.

The FBI Philadelphia Field Office can be reached at 215-418-4000.

For more information, visit:

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Chinese Police Imposters Incorporate Aggressive Tactics to Target U.S.-Based Chinese Community

FBI Philadelphia PRC Police Extortion PSA — FBI

Transnational Repression — FBI