News Blog

Up to $200,000 Reward Offered in Murdered Texas Prosecutors Case

Today, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia. The couple was murdered March 30 in their home near Dallas.

At today’s press conference, attended by FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Diego Rodriguez, the governor also said that Kaufman County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the individual(s) responsible for the death of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on January 31.

In addition to supporting the investigations, the FBI has launched digital billboards throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Mexico encouraging tipsters to contact Crime Stoppers with any information (see above). Billboards have been donated by the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas, which includes Clear Channel Outdoor and Lamar Advertising, with additional space donated by Fairway and CBS.

Anyone with information helpful to investigators is urged to call Kaufman County Crime Stoppers at 1-877-847-7522 or submit an electronic tip on the Kaufman County Crime Stoppers website.

Governor Perry press release

Can You Crack a Code?

The cryptanalysts in our FBI Laboratory are pros at code-cracking…but it has been a few years since we have challenged you to give it a go.

We’ve done it a bit differently this time around, creating our first dot code. Good luck!

Read full story for answer and previous code quizzes

Newest Top Ten Fugitive is Now in Custody

Two weeks after being added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, Edwin Ernesto Rivera Gracias surrendered in El Salvador to FBI and Salvadoran officials and has been returned to Denver, Colorado to face the charges against him.

Rivera Gracias—a member of the violent Mara Salvatrucha gang (MS-13)—was wanted for the murder of a 69-year-old Colorado man who was dumped on the side of the road after being brutally beaten and stabbed.

“We appreciate the media and public’s assistance in providing useful information following the naming of Rivera Gracias as a Top Ten Fugitive,” said Steve Olson, acting special agent in charge of our Denver Field Office. “This outcome provides assurance for victims and prosecutors throughout the United States that those who commit egregious crimes will be pursued around the globe.”

FBI Denver press release | Original story

Hostage Rescue Team, Part 6: Mission in the Gulf of Aden

Satellite view of Somalia and the Indian Ocean. The Gulf of Aden and Yemen are seen to the north.

Early one morning in Nairobi, Kenya, information began flowing into the FBI’s legal attaché office there concerning the hijacking of a private yacht with four American passengers on board in the Gulf of Aden—perhaps the most pirated body of water in the world.

A Hostage Rescue Team operator temporarily stationed in Nairobi mobilized immediately—within hours, he was on his way to the scene off the coast of Somalia. Simultaneously, a crisis negotiator and former HRT operator was dispatched to a Navy destroyer that was shadowing the hijacked S/V Quest.

Events that unfolded over the next days were tragic—the Americans aboard the 54-foot pleasure boat were murdered by the armed Somali pirates—but the work of the HRT operators and other FBI agents helped make certain that those responsible for the crime were brought to justice.

Read full story

Giovanni Falcone Gallery Dedicated at FBI Headquarters

Director Mueller presents Maria Falcone with a smaller version of a plaque that honors the life of her brother and will hang in the newly dedicated Giovanni Falcone Gallery at FBI Headquarters.

Giovanni Falcone was an Italian prosecutor and judge, a courageous opponent of the Mafia, and a great friend of the FBI. He refused to be intimidated by those he sought to bring to justice. He once said, “My life is mapped out. It is my destiny to take a bullet by the Mafia someday. The only thing I don’t know is when.”

The “when” was nearly 21 years ago. And it wasn’t a bullet, but a roadside bomb detonated by Mafia hit men that killed Falcone, his wife, and three bodyguards as they drove near Palermo, Italy—payback for all the mafioso Falcone had put behind bars over the course of his career.

	Giovanni Falcone

And while he is dearly missed, he will always be remembered...not only for standing for what was right, but as one of the earliest advocates of international cooperation and partnerships in the fight against organized crime.

At a ceremony today in Washington, D.C., Director Robert Mueller was joined by numerous Italian and American government officials, friends, and colleagues as he dedicated a piece of the FBI Headquarters building to the memory of Judge Falcone.

Accepting a smaller version of the plaque that will hang in the Giovanni Falcone Gallery was Maria Falcone, founder of the Falcone Foundation—an organization that promotes legal education and respect among youth in the hopes that they will one day follow in her brother’s footsteps. Several Italian high school students accompanied Ms. Falcone and witnessed the kind of impact her brother and his work made on the Bureau and around the world.

As that plaque so eloquently states of Judge Falcone, his “unrelenting determination inspired millions with the hope that justice and the rule of law would one day prevail against crime and terrorism.”

- Director Mueller’s remarks at ceremony
- 2012 story marking 20th anniversary of Falcone’s assassination

UFOs and the Guy Hottel Memo

A single-page March 22, 1950 memo by Guy Hottel, special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office, regarding UFOs is the most viewed document in the FBI Vault, our online repository of public records.

It’s the most popular file in the FBI Vault, viewed nearly a million times over the past two years. Yet, it is only a single page, relaying an unconfirmed report that the FBI never even followed up on.

The file in question is a memo dated March 22, 1950—63 years ago last week. It was authored by Guy Hottel, then head of our field office in Washington, D.C. Like all memos to FBI Headquarters at that time, it was addressed to Director J. Edgar Hoover and recorded and indexed in FBI records. But the subject of the memo was anything but ordinary...

Read full story | FBI Vault

Reward Increased for Top Ten Fugitive Jason Derek Brown

Top Ten Fugitive Jason Derek Brown (photographs taken circa 2004)

The reward for Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Jason Derek Brown has been doubled—up to $200,000 will now be paid for information leading directly to the arrest of the 43-year-old wanted for murder and armed robbery in Phoenix, Arizona.

In making today’s announcement, Steven R. Hooper, acting special agent in charge of our Phoenix Division, noted, “The FBI relies heavily on the public’s assistance in cases such as this, and we believe the additional reward will result in increased tips and ultimately lead to the capture of this dangerous fugitive.”

Brown allegedly murdered an armored car guard in Phoenix in 2004 and fled with more than $56,000 in cash. Brown is 5’10” tall, 170 to 180 pounds, and has blond hair and green eyes. He is well educated, speaks fluent French, and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

If you have any information about Jason Derek Brown, call 1-800-CALL-FBI or your local law enforcement agency. Tips can also be submitted online.

Jason Derek Brown’s wanted poster | Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list

Today’s FBI: Facts & Figures 2013-2014

Our newly revised publication Today’s FBI: Facts and Figures 2013-2014—which provides an in-depth look at the FBI and its operations—is now available.

In addition to an overview and a brief history of the organization, the book is organized into the following topics:

• Intelligence: It helps us understand threats and vulnerabilities, shapes our decision making, and facilitates information sharing with partner agencies to better protect America.
• Investigations: From terrorism to cyber crime, public corruption, and more, this chapter looks at how and why we investigate cases and also provides examples of some of our investigative successes.
• People: The FBI consists of more than just special agents. Linguists, intelligence analysts, and scientists are just a few of the types of dedicated professionals that make up our robust workforce.
• Partnerships: Now broader and deeper than ever before, the relationships we have with our public, private, state, local, federal, and international partners are key to keeping our nation safe.
• Services: The Bureau doesn’t just solve cases and prevent attacks. We also provide a range of services—like training, victim assistance, and FBI Laboratory support, to name a few—to our partners and the general public.
• Accountability: The FBI has a wide range of authorities and is therefore subject to a series of checks and balances to ensure that we use them appropriately while staying in compliance with laws and regulations as well as remaining transparent and accountable to the American people.

Take a look to learn more and get better acquainted with the Bureau.

Today’s FBI: Facts & Figures 2013-2014 (pdf)

Note: Hard copies of this publication are not available for general distribution.

Rewards for Justice Program Offers $5 Million for al Shabaab Terrorists

The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $5 million each for information on al Shabaab terrorists Omar Shafik Hammami (left) and Jehad Serwan Mostafa.

A reward of up to $5 million each for information leading to the apprehension or conviction of two American citizens on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list was announced today by the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program.

Omar Shafik Hammami and Jehad Serwan Mostafa moved to Somalia in 2006 to join al Shabaab, the Somalia-based, al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization. Both are wanted for conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which includes their significant contributions to al Shabaab’s media and military activities. Both men are currently believed to be in Somalia.

Anyone with information about these individuals should contact the Rewards for Justice office in one of the following ways:

• www.rewardsforjustice.net
• RFJ@state.gov
• 1-800-877-3927
• Rewards for Justice, Washington, D.C., 20520-0303, USA
  

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Since its inception in 1984, the Rewards for Justice program has paid in excess of $125 million to more than 80 people who provided actionable information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of terrorism worldwide.

- Hammami: FBI wanted poster | Rewards for Justice poster
- Mostafa: FBI wanted poster | Rewards for Justice poster
- FBI Most Wanted Terrorists page
- Wanted by the FBI podcast

$5 Million Reward Offered for Stolen Gardner Museum Artwork

An empty frame in the Dutch Room of the Gardner Museum, where Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and A Lady and Gentleman in Black once hung.

On March 18, 1990, two men disguised as police officers gained access to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Once inside, they tied up the security guards and proceeded to steal 13 objects, including rare paintings by Rembrandt, Degas, and Vermeer, valued at approximately $500 million. The case represents the largest property crime in U.S. history.

At a press conference this afternoon in Boston on the 23rd anniversary of the theft, officials hoped to get the attention of those who might have or know the whereabouts of the 13 stolen works of art—including rare paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer—by publicly restating a $5 million reward.

For more information, including a story, press release, video, podcast, and gallery of the stolen art, visit www.fbi.gov/gardner.