Category: FBI

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

Headline: FBI Seeking Information About Albuquerque Bank Robbery

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

Headline: Three Kansas City Men Indicted for Kidnapping, Murder

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that three Kansas City, Mo., men have been indicted for the kidnapping and murder of a victim they were attempting to rob.

Jonathan M. Bravo-Lopez (also known as “Jonathan Vravo,” and “Shadow”), 23, and Juan D. Osorio (also known as “Spexx”), 24, both of whom are citizens of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Mo., and Marco A. Sosa-Perea, 23, of Kansas City, Mo., were charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018.

Bravo-Lopez, Osorio and Sosa-Perea are charged together with one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of using a firearm to commit murder. The federal indictment alleges that they conspired to kidnap and attempted to rob a victim identified as “C.E.”, transporting him across state lines from Missouri to Kansas, on April 3, 2017.

According to the indictment, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio arranged to purchase $300 of marijuana from the victim; they traveled with Sosa-Perea to the victim’s residence on April 3, 2017. Bravo-Lopez and Osorio, armed with firearms, allegedly forced the victim into their vehicle and drove to Kansas. When they reached the 200 block of Donovan Road in Kansas City, Kan., the indictment says, the victim was forced out of the car, shot, and left to die on the side of the road.

Additionally, Osorio is charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Osorio allegedly was in possession of an Action Arms .45-caliber handgun on April 7, 2017.

Bravo-Lopez is also charged with illegally reentering the United States after having been deported.

Garrison cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Edwards. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.

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

Headline: Beaumont Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Kidnapping Girls After Theft in Sulphur

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Beaumont man was sentenced Tuesday to 120 months in prison for kidnapping two girls after stealing the truck they were in.

Henry Dwight Moore, 23, of Beaumont, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey on one count of kidnapping. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the October 11, 2017 guilty plea, Moore drove a black truck into a Lowe’s parking lot in Sulphur, La., on December 13, 2015. He stole a customer’s purse who had walked away from it to return a shopping cart.  A bystander saw Moore take the purse, and the bystander jumped into the back of Moore’s truck as he drove away. The truck’s engine died at one point, and the bystander attempted to confront him.  Moore got the engine started again and sped off, leaving the bystander in the truck bed. Eventually Moore stopped and the bystander got out. Moore then continued westbound on Interstate 10 in the rain. He lost control and struck the side of a Toyota Tundra truck.  After the accident, Moore’s truck died again, and he and the Tundra pulled over to the side of the road.  After the Tundra owner exited the truck and walked to the passenger side to inspect the damage, Moore jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off.  Inside the Tundra truck were the owner’s daughters ages 5 and 7.  Moore told the girls he was going to drop them off at a police station but instead abandoned the car and the girls on the side of the road in Orange, Texas. The oldest girl located her father’s cell phone and called 911 for help.

The FBI conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog prosecuted the case.

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

Headline: John Brown Named Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Field Office

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

Headline: FBI Teen Academy Accepting Applications from High School Juniors

SACRAMENTO, CA—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Sacramento Field Office encourages high school juniors attending class within the 34 counties the office serves to apply to upcoming Spring 2018 FBI Teen Academy. The full-day academy will be held on Friday, March 23, 2018, at FBI Sacramento Field Office headquarters in Roseville, California.

Students interested in the exciting, one-day program must log onto the FBI Sacramento Field Office’s Community Relations web page to download an application. Students must submit an application package, enclosing a completed application, signed release forms, and an essay—carefully following submission instructions—to be considered. Complete application packages must be received by mail, parcel delivery, or hand delivery at the FBI Sacramento Field Office headquarters no later than 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 22, 2018. Due to the need for original signatures, application packages are not accepted by fax or e-mail. The FBI Teen Academy offers students a unique view into the FBI and its mission, values, investigations, and partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement. Discussion topics may include cyber safety, terrorism, active shooter situations, cyber investigations, and civil rights investigations. Activities may include simulated experiences with the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, Special Agent Bomb Technicians, and within the Firearms Training System(FATS) room. Students also engage in candid conversations about online communication and its risks as well as lifestyle choices required to be eligible for careers at the FBI with FBI personnel.

“The FBI Teen Academy helps youth better understand how we protect the American people and uphold the constitution. We also share how the decisions they make today may impact education and career options in the future,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FB Sacramento Field Office. “Our goal is to provide students with useful information and valuable experiences they can share with others upon returning to their home and school.”

The FBI Teen Academy is open to all high school juniors attending any school—public, private, and home school. No minimum GPA or particular academic path is required. The full-day experience is offered at no charge to students, but families may incur travel costs if they live a significant distance away from FBI Sacramento Field Office headquarters. ###

Direct link to the FBI Teen Academy Application: https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/sacramento-spring-2018-teen-academy-application-121517.pdf/view

The 34 counties served by the FBI Sacramento Field Office are:

• Alpine
• Amador
• Butte
• Calaveras
• Colusa
• El Dorado
• Fresno
• Glenn
• Inyo
• Kern
• Kings
• Lassen
• Madera
• Mariposa
• Merced
• Modoc
• Mono
• Nevada
• Placer
• Plumas
• Sacramento
• San Joaquin
• Shasta
• Sierra
• Siskiyou
• Solano
• Stanislaus
• Sutter
• Tehama
• Tulare
• Tuolumne
• Trinity
• Yuba
• Yolo

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

Headline: Six Pittsburgh-Area School Districts Win Big

The FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association teamed up with the Penguins Foundation for FBI Pittsburgh’s annual HOPE (Heroin Outreach Prevention and Education) PSA Contest. Tuesday, six local school districts took home prizes at the Penguins game and even more knowledge about the dangers of opioid and heroin abuse.

The students were tasked with creating videos that raise awareness about the dangers of the increasing drug epidemic in our area. It has reached pandemic levels across Western Pennsylvania, impacting all walks of life, regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic boundaries.

That’s why the FBI Pittsburgh Division partnered with key community stakeholders, including educators, law enforcement, and treatment and rehabilitation facilities. The group is striving to formulate proactive solutions, particularly in the areas of education, prevention, and awareness.

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

Headline: FBI Media Alert: FBI Offers $1,000 Reward in Navajo Nation Homicide

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

Headline: Bloomington Man Receives 2017 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for His Efforts to Decrypt Ransomware as a Public Service

SPRINGFIELD, IL—Sean M. Cox, special agent in charge of the FBI Springfield Division, announced that Michael Gillespie, creator of ID Ransomware and Malwarehunters.com of Bloomington, Illinois, has been selected as the recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2017.

This special award, presented on behalf of the Director of the FBI, was formally created in 1990 as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating terrorism, cybercrime, illegal drugs, gangs, and other crimes leading to violence in America. Michael Gillespie is one of 56 individuals or organizations around the United States who will receive this award this year. Mr. Gillespie is being recognized for his public service, devotion and assistance to victims of ransomware in the United States and Internationally.

Michael first authored the website https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/in March of 2016. This website enables victims of ransomware to submit data such as ransom notes and encrypted file samples which are analyzed in an attempt to determine which strain the victim was infected with. In response, the victim is provided with information to where they can learn more about the particular strain of infection, including method of and keys for decryption if available. ID Ransomware receives upwards of thousands of submissions a day and can identify nearly 500 strains of ransomware.

In addition to having cracked and decrypted multiple ransomware strains himself, Michael is plugged into a network of leading cybersecurity experts with whom he collaborates to analyze the malware and discover means of decryption so that victims can avoid paying ransom and recover their data.

Michael also develops custom applications which he offers free of charge to victims to help them recover from ransomware attacks. Examples of these tools are RansomNoteCleaner, which removes ransom notes left behind after a ransomware infection, and CryptoSearch, a tool used to find files encrypted with ransomware. Michael is active on twitter (@demonslay335) and the forums of BleepingComputer.com where he interacts with victims to further ensure they are able to recover their data when possible.

Michael is married, and employed by Facet Technologies, Bloomington, Illinois, as a software analyst.

Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI, will present the Director’s Community Leadership Award to Mr. Gillespie during an official ceremony held at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., in April of 2018.

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

Headline: FBI Chicago Announces Recipient of Director’s Community Leadership Award