FBI Consolidating American Samoa Operations into Honolulu Office
| U.S. Attorney’s Office July 04, 2012 |
Vida G. Bottom, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Honolulu Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced today that all FBI operations and investigative efforts in the U.S. territory of American Samoa will be handled by the FBI office in Honolulu, Hawaii. The decision for this consolidation was made by the U.S. Congress, who cited budgetary reasons.
“The FBI is committed to continuing our investigations into issues of national security and federal criminal activity on American Samoa,” Bottom stated. “However, budgetary realities can no longer justify staffing an office on American Samoa full time.”
The Honolulu Division of the FBI conducts investigations on several islands in the Pacific, including Tinian, Rota, Kauai, Lanai, and Molokai, where no permanent FBI office exists.
The FBI’s American Samoa Office opened in 2006 as a satellite of the Honolulu Field Office. During that time, many high-profile public corruption, civil rights, and violent crime investigations have resulted in criminal convictions. The FBI’s office on American Samoa will be phased out gradually over the next few months as equipment and supplies can be moved to Honolulu.
American Samoa residents who wish to report criminal activity or national security concerns to the FBI should contact the Honolulu Field Office at 808-566-4300.