Scenario 3
Entity Correlation – Scenario 3
| Scenario 3 | Entity Correlation (Associates/Relationships) |
| Capability | Entity Correlation; Search (Person); Visualization (Mug Shots, Geographic) |
| Data | Incarceration Records |
| Crime | Bank Robbery |
| Functional Areas | Operational |
| Scenario |
An anonymous source telephones the FBI to identify a person responsible for a string of bank robberies in the Seattle, Washington area. Prior to this tip, the only fact known about the robber is that he worked with an accomplice because he always enters the passenger side of the getaway car. Because he was masked, the robber could not be identified and witnesses never had a clear view of the driver. The tipster identified the robber as James Bluefield. Investigators search N-DEx for Bluefield and find incarceration records on him from two previous prison sentences. The records identify his past cell mates. Investigators then use N-DEx to view the results geographically, associating Bluefield’s ex-cell mates with the area where the robberies occurred. N-DEx identifies four ex-cell mates now living in the Seattle area. Two of the four former cell mates Michael Brooks and Tony Green, met Bluefield in prison while serving time for bank robbery. Investigators show mug shots of Brooks and Green to bank employees. One employee recognizes Brooks as a customer she assisted with a loan inquiry the day before the robbery. |
| Outcome | Based upon this information, agents begin surveillance on Brooks’ residence and capture Bluefield when he shows up to visit Brooks. As a result of questioning both Brooks and Bluefield, police learn of another robbery being planned. |
| N-DEx Process that Allows Outcome | See diagram below. |
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The N-DEx Search capability provided the investigator with records on a suspect in a bank robbery. N-DEx takes advantage of previously submitted relationships (contained within a record) and identifies new relationships between entities (i.e. , people, places and things) using its Entity Resolution and Correlation capabilities as new records are processed when they are ingested. Subsequently, when records are searched, the user has access to all information on that entity (in this case, a person) and also has access to the relationships maintained within a record and relationships identified by N-DEx as it searches new records against all other records. In this case, the records contained related information on ex-cell mates as well as mug shots that helped further the investigation by providing additional information on one suspect and providing a link to another suspect.
