News Blog

Would-Be Terrorist Sentenced in Chicago

A federal judge has sentenced an Illinois man to 23 years in prison for an attempted bombing in 2010 near Chicago’s Wrigley Field that was intended to cause mass casualties and paralyze the community.

On that Saturday evening in September, while a concert was taking place at the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium, Sami Samir Hassoun placed a backpack that he thought contained a powerful bomb into a trash can on a nearby crowded street. The device was a fake—supplied by an FBI undercover agent—but had it been real, the effects would have been “horrific,” according to the judge who sentenced Hassoun yesterday.

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Cyber Criminals Using Photo-Sharing Programs to Scam Victims

If you are planning to buy a vehicle online, beware. Cyber criminals are posting ads on the Internet without pictures, providing photos only upon request. Sometimes these images are sent as attachments, other times as a link to an online gallery—but in either case, the photos can and often contain malware that infects the victim’s computer.

This malicious software will direct the victim to a fake website—run by the cyber criminals—that looks nearly identical to the site where the ad was originally seen. When the victim agrees to purchase the item and makes the payment, the criminals stop all correspondence, and the victim never receives the merchandise.

The FBI urges consumers to protect themselves when shopping online. Here are a few tips for staying safe:

• Be cautious if you lose an online auction but the seller contacts you later saying the original bidder fell through.
• Make sure websites are secure and authenticated before you purchase an item online. Use only well-known escrow services.
• Research to determine if a car dealership is real and how long it has been in business.
• Be wary if the price for the item you’d like to buy is severely undervalued; if it is, the item is likely fraudulent.
• Scan files before downloading them to your computer.
• Keep your computer software, including the operating system, updated with the latest patches.
• Ensure your anti-virus software and firewalls are current—they can help prevent malware infections.

If you have fallen victim to this type of scam, file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Read full IC3 alert | New E-Scams and Warnings webpage

Helping Wounded Warriors Continue to Serve

Sean Clifton was critically injured in 2009 during a raid in Afghanistan. During his recovery, he served as an intern in the FBI’s Cincinnati Division; today, he is a full-time Bureau employee. “Now I have another mission and another team to be a part of,” he said.

The FBI’s Wounded Warrior Internship Program places injured U.S. soldiers in assignments around the country that don’t interfere with their rehabilitation and recovery and that allow them to build a résumé, explore employment interests, develop job skills, and gain federal work experience. So far, more than 50 wounded warriors have participated in the program since the pilot began in March 2011, and 15 of those interns have since come on board as full-time FBI employees.

“My goal for the program is for every field office, every Headquarters division to have at least two wounded warriors working in their space,” said William McNeill, manager of our Wounded Warriors and Veterans Program and a 23-year Army veteran. “These service members still have so much more to give. They may not be able to serve in the capacity they first desired…but that sense of commitment and dedication is still there.”

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National Missing Children’s Day 2013

We need your help in rescuing the many kids who are far from home today. Please take a minute to look at all the faces above and on our Kidnapping and Missing Persons webpage and see if you can identify Crystal, Jaliek, Rolando, or any of the other children listed with their stories.

Also take a look at the faces of the children who have been kidnapped by a parent—Mohammad Hussain Metla, Jr. and the many other kids.

And we hope you’ll visit our Violent Crimes Against Children page to learn all you can about what a dangerous world it can be for our kids…and our Resources for Parents page to learn how to protect them in today’s world.

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Fallen Agents Remembered for Their “True Valor”

On May 21, 2013, the FBI saluted two special agents killed in a training accident as devoted husbands and fathers and as men of valor who “walked willingly into places most of us dare not go” while serving on the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT).

Special Agent Christopher W. Lorek, 41, and Special Agent Stephen P. Shaw, 40, died May 17 during a maritime counterterrorism exercise involving helicopters and a ship off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The agents were in the process of fast-roping from the aircraft onto the ship when the helicopter encountered difficulties. The agents tragically fell a significant distance and suffered fatal injuries.

At the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial Chapel at Quantico—together with family, friends, and colleagues of the two agents—Director Mueller heralded the men as members of an elite team that “assumes the greatest risk as part of their everyday job.”

Agent Lorek joined the FBI in 1996 in a professional support role. Two years later, he became an agent and headed to Milwaukee for his first field office assignment. He graduated HRT operator training in July 2008, and most recently, served on the team that rescued the 5-year-old boy taken hostage in Alabama.

“Intelligent, thoughtful, and always up for a challenge, with a ready smile on his face,” the Director said of Lorek, a native of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, who is survived by his wife and two daughters, ages 11 and 8.

Agent Shaw entered the FBI in 2005 and graduated from HRT operator training in November 2011. He earned recognition for his leadership skills and his willingness to take on even the most menial of tasks for the benefit of his team.

“He seemed to genuinely like and take an interest in everyone around him, regardless of rank or situation,” Director Mueller said. “He was quick to make you feel like you were his best friend…his brother.” Born in Santa Paula, California, Agent Shaw is survived by his wife, a daughter who turns 4 this week, and a son, age 1.

Trained in military tactics, HRT members put themselves in harm’s way to help safeguard the nation and to save lives, serving as federal law enforcement’s counterterrorism tactical team. 2013 marks the HRT’s 30th anniversary.

“True and unerring valor was a gift given to both Chris and Steve—a gift that was tested time and again, through their commitment to the FBI, to the Hostage Rescue Team, and to the citizens they served,” the Director said.

Director’s Remarks | Press Release | The Hostage Rescue Team

Tenth Anniversary of Unsolved Triple Murder in South Carolina

View Seeking Information poster

Ten years ago, on May 16, 2003, the Blue Ridge Savings Bank in Greer, South Carolina was robbed and three people were murdered. At a memorial service today in Greer, the victims—bank employee Sylvia Holtzclaw and husband and wife James and Margaret Barnes—were honored, and the FBI and its law enforcement partners reaffirmed their commitment and dedication to the case.

As we continue to remember the victims, we also continue to seek assistance from the public in solving this horrific crime. If you have any information that could help bring this killer to justice, please contact your nearest FBI office.

More information | Seeking Information poster | Related podcast

Director Testifies Regarding Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Request

Director Mueller was on Capitol Hill today speaking to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies about the threats faced by the nation—and addressed by the Bureau—as well as the resources needed to combat them.

While requesting a budget of $8.4 billion for fiscal year 2014, Director Mueller explained some of the key national security threats and crime problems—such as terrorism, cyber crime, financial and mortgage fraud, and crimes against children, to name a few—that the funding would help the Bureau to fight. The Director also described technology enhancements that the budget would allow, as well as budget offsets of $61 million.

“Just as our national security and criminal adversaries and threats constantly adapt and evolve, so must the FBI be able to quickly respond with new or revised strategies and operations to counter these threats,” Mueller said. “Looking forward, a key challenge facing the FBI will be maintaining its current capabilities and capacities to respond to these threats at a time when the budgetary environment remains constrained.”

Read full testimony

Combating Elder Fraud

In testimony today before a House subcommittee, FBI Criminal Investigative Division Deputy Assistant Director Joseph S. Campbell discussed the very important and rapidly growing problem of fraud against our nation’s seniors and what the FBI is doing to stop it.

“Senior citizens are most likely to have a ‘nest egg,’ to own their home, and to have excellent credit,” said Campbell. “Unfortunately, these are also many of the same qualities which make them so attractive to con artists.”

From reverse mortgage fraud schemes to telemarketing and Internet fraud to health care fraud and more, “fraud targeting our senior citizens exists in many forms, is creative in its approach, and can often leave our most vulnerable citizens with little to no savings to enjoy a time in life they’ve earned,” Campbell said. “The FBI, in partnership with our federal, state, and local partners is committed to identifying this threat where it exists and taking aggressive action in response.”

Read full testimony | More about elder fraud | Frauds from A to Z

Dozens Charged Nationwide in Massive Health Care Fraud Takedown

	Assistant Director Hosko speaks at press conference.

At a press conference in Washington, D.C. today, FBI Assistant Director Ron Hosko joined Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and other officials in announcing charges against 89 individuals—including doctors, nurses, and other licensed medial professionals—for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $223 million in false billing.

This coordinated operation was the multi-agency Medicare Fraud Strike Force’s sixth national takedown—thus far, nearly 600 individuals have been charged in connection with health care fraud schemes involving almost $2 billion in false claims in these national takedowns alone. Regionally, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine locations have resulted in charges against more than 1,500 people who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion.

The defendants charged today are accused of various health care fraud-related crimes, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes, and money laundering. The charges are based on a variety of alleged fraud schemes involving various medical treatments and services, primarily home health care, but also mental health services, psychotherapy, physical and occupational therapy, durable medical equipment, and ambulance services.

“We all feel the effects of health care fraud,” said FBI Assistant Director Hosko. “It leads to higher health care costs and makes it harder for seniors and those who are ill to get the care they need. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to preventing and prosecuting health care fraud at all levels.”

- Press release  
- Assistant Director Hosko’s remarks
- Attorney General Holder’s remarks
- Related New York press release
- Related Chicago press release
- Related Los Angeles press release
- Related Miami press release

IC3 Releases 2012 Internet Crime Report

Today, as part of its ongoing education and prevention mission, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its latest annual snapshot of online crime and fraud—the 2012 Internet Crime Report. While there is no end to the variety of cyber scams, the report highlights some of the most frequent ones from 2012; includes charts for each of the 50 states detailing demographic, complaint, and dollar-loss data; and provides tips on what to look for to avoid becoming a victim.

Full story | Press release | 2012 Internet Crime Report (pdf)