Sex offender guilty of hacking Jaguars video boards, exploiting children sentenced to 220 years in prison
A St. Augustine man who was accused of multiple charges, including hacking the Jacksonville Jaguars video boards and possessing and producing child sex abuse material (CSAM), has been sentenced by a judge to 220 years in federal prison.
Former trooper sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for robbing several pharmacies in Columbia County
A former Florida Highway Patrol trooper was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for robbing a string of pharmacies in Columbia County in 2021 and 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida.
Man accused of locking a woman in a cell in Oregon faces rape, kidnapping charges in separate case
Court documents show that a man accused of abducting a woman in Seattle, driving her hundreds of miles to his home in Oregon and locking her in a cinder block cell is facing fresh charges of kidnapping and rape in a separate case involving alleged crimes two months earlier.
A man accused of locking a woman in a homemade cell had a handwritten plan and sketch, FBI says
The FBI says man accused of kidnapping a Seattle woman and holding her in a homemade cell in Oregon had a list that included a chilling reminder to go after women who wouldn’t be missed to avoid “any kind of an investigation."
FBI looks for more possible victims after woman escapes from cinder block cell in Oregon
Authorities say a man who posed as an undercover police officer kidnapped a woman in Seattle, drove her hundreds of miles to his home in Oregon and locked her in a cinder block cell until she bloodied her hands breaking the door to escape.
Court could reimpose Boston Marathon bomber's death sentence
The Supreme Court will consider reinstating the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, presenting President Joe Biden with an early test of his opposition to capital punishment. The case wont be heard until the fall, and its unclear how the new administration will approach Tsarnaevs case. The initial prosecution and decision to seek a death sentence was made by the Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president. AdBiden has pledged to seek an end to the federal death penalty, but he has said nothing about how he plans to do so. Even if the court were to reinstate the death sentence, nothing would force Biden to schedule an execution date.
FBI: Pipe bombs at RNC, DNC were planted night before riot
Steven D'Antuono, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington field office, speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Washington. (Sarah Silbiger/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Two pipe bombs left at the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees, discovered just before thousands of pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, were actually placed the night before, federal officials said Friday. The FBI said the investigation had revealed new information, including that the explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, the night before the riot. It is not clear whether that means the pipe bombs were unrelated to the next day’s riot or were part of the riot planning. AdThe FBI released additional photos of the explosive devices on Friday, including a photograph that showed one of the devices placed underneath a bush.
FBI, Justice Department leaders stay out of sight after riot
When Rosen spoke, he did it through a nearly four-minute prerecorded video released at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday by the Justice Department. Rosen has not once addressed Justice Department reporters since becoming acting attorney general late last month. Beyond those statements, Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi said, the department has issued “significant" amounts of information through the offices that are running it. Gerson, who became acting attorney general after Barr left the department at the end of George H.W. I was empowered to speak for the Department of Justice in the administration that I was in,” Gerson said.
FBI says it warned about prospect of violence ahead of riot
Federal prosecutors are looking at bringing significant cases involving possible sedition and conspiracy charges in last weeks riot at the U.S. Capitol. Nearly a week after the riot, officials said they were combing through mountains of evidence and vowed to aggressively seek out those who perpetrated the brazen attack on the U.S. Capitol. The statements by FBI and Justice Department officials on Tuesday were intended as both a defense of federal law enforcement preparations before the deadly riot and as a warning to participants. And they said that federal law enforcement authorities said that there was activity on Twitter, but that they weren’t expecting the level of violence they ultimately saw last Wednesday. Even without intelligence from law enforcement, there had been ample warning about pro-Trump demonstrations in Washington.
FBI says it warned about prospect of violence ahead of riot
Federal prosecutors are looking at bringing significant cases involving possible sedition and conspiracy charges in last weeks riot at the U.S. Capitol. Nearly a week after the riot, officials said they were combing through mountains of evidence and vowed to aggressively seek out those who perpetrated the brazen attack on the U.S. Capitol. The statements by FBI and Justice Department officials on Tuesday were intended as both a defense of federal law enforcement preparations before the deadly riot and as a warning to participants. A U.S. defense official familiar with the discussions said Tuesday that Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy was not notified about the FBI warning. And they said that federal law enforcement authorities said that there was activity on Twitter, but that they weren’t expecting the level of violence they ultimately saw last Wednesday.
FBI Jacksonville agents preparing for tumultuous election
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With the November election just two weeks away, the stakes are high — and so is the tension. The possibilities for corruption in the digital age are endless: from social media interference and misinformation to mail-in voting and ballot fraud. Obviously with COVID-19 now, pulling in mail ballots, mail fraud possibly.”The FBI is preparing for any and all possibilities. “We’ve had allegations of different types of crimes, voter fraud, ballot fraud,” said Hoffman, who could not discuss details about active investigations. If it’s found to be a possible federal crime, the FBI would get involved.
Scammers seize on US election, but it's not votes they want
It didn’t exist -- a clue the email was a phishing scam from swindlers trying to exploit the U.S. presidential election as a way to steal peoples' personal information. It’s not votes they’re after, but to win a voter's trust, personal information and maybe a bank routing number. Online grifters regularly shift tactics to fit current events, whether they are natural disasters, a pandemic or an election, according to Small. Now, the final weeks of a contentious election are giving scammers yet another opportunity to strike. And don’t reveal personal information over the phone.
FBI director says antifa is an ideology, not an organization
(Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers Thursday that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, delivering testimony that puts him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has said he would designate it a terror group. Hours after the hearing, Trump took to Twitter to chastise his FBI director for his statements on antifa and on Russian election interference, two themes that dominated a congressional hearing on threats to the American homeland. Trump tweeted that the U.S. would be designating antifa as a terrorist organization, even though such designations are historically reserved for foreign groups and antifa lacks the hierarchical structure of formal organizations. The FBI director said racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, have been responsible for the most lethal attacks in the U.S. in recent years. He responded on that front Thursday evening, tweeting: “But Chris, you don’t see any activity from China, even though it is a FAR greater threat than Russia, Russia, Russia.
McConnell: No room for new FBI building in virus aid bill
FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2017, file photo, traffic along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington streaks past the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters building. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he opposes inclusion of the FBI money and all other measures not related to the government's response to the virus. More than 150,000 Americans have died from coronavirus, millions are unemployed ... and Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump are more concerned about protecting Trump Hotel. "Some of the Virginia people want to build in Virginia and Maryland Democrats want the new FBI building built there,'' he said Tuesday before McConnell spoke, citing an earlier, failed proposal to move the FBI building from downtown Washington. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said he did not know why money for the FBI building was included in the virus relief bill.
Man pleads guilty to threatening to bomb Jacksonville abortion clinic
A 43-year-old South Carolina man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to threatening to bomb a Jacksonville abortion clinic. Federal law makes it illegal to threaten to blow up people and to lie to the FBI about bomb threats, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. Allen made several other calls to the clinic that day in an attempt to interfere with its ability to provide services. The FBI obtained toll records and subscriber information for the number used to make the bomb threat to the clinic and positively identified Allen as the caller, authorities said. In a voluntary and secretly recorded interview with the FBI, Allen falsely denied calling the clinic and stating that someone was coming to blow it up, authorities said.
Florida police K9 bitten by snake while searching for missing baby
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – A K9 assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a search for a missing baby was bitten by a water moccasin in the Everglades on Thursday. As investigators and officers were searching the area, Heidi Sievers, Forensic Investigator (FI) and K9 Phi’s handler noticed that K9 Phi was limping. “The Pasco Sheriff’s Office is thankful for the quick actions of BluePearl in K9 Phi’s care," the Pasco Sheriff’s Office said. “Their professionalism and communication with FI Sievers and Cpl. While K9 Phi is a working dog, he is also a part of not only the Pasco Sheriff’s Office family, but also FI Sievers’ family, as our K9s live at home in off duty hours.
Defense fires back in FSU professor's murder trial
He faced tough questions about whether the law professor's ex-wife's family was involved. asked DeCoste. asked DeCoste. asked DeCoste. The questions, asked by the judge on behalf of the jurors, suggest the jury will also ask tough questions among themselves once they get behind closed doors.
North Florida OB-GYN patient information may have been breached
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Patients of North Florida OB-GYN may have had their personal information breached via a virus cyberattack at the medical office earlier this year. A letter was sent out to all patients to notify them that the virus hack attack may have compromised electronic files containing personal or medical information. Patient information affected by the computer breach includes name, date of birth, Social Security number, employment information, health insurance and diagnosis and treatment information. According to the company, there is no evidence to date that any unauthorized person has actually viewed, retrieved, or copies any of medical or personal information. North Florida OB-GYN said the affected computer systems did not contain credit or debit card, or financial account information.
FBI wants to monitor social media for domestic threats in real time
The U.S. government needs "real-time access to a full range of social media exchanges" to better fight terrorist groups and domestic threats, the FBI said in its request for bids, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. This is not the first time the FBI has sought access to a wide array of social media data. In 2016, the agency announced it had hired the social media analysis company Dataminr to allow law enforcement to "search the complete Twitter firehose, in near real-time, using customizable filters." Social media platforms routinely provide data to law enforcement on specific individuals. Facebook declined to comment, but referred CNN Business to its existing app developer policies, which prohibit Facebook users' information from being shared with "unauthorized" parties.
As FBI warns of copycat attacks, Clay County trains school guardians
VIDEO: As the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned of copycat threats following two deadly mass shootings, the Clay County Sheriff's Office happened to be training school guardians for active... Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
As FBI warns of copycat attacks, Clay County trains school guardians
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - As the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned of copycat threats following two deadly mass shootings over the weekend, the Clay County Sheriff's Office happened to be training school guardians for active shooter scenarios. The FBI told its field offices in Jacksonville and across the country that it's concerned about people mimicking the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Because we want to stop the killing immediately.The training was not a response to this weekend's deadly shooting, but the countless mass shootings before it. The Sheriff's Office offers active shooter training for community groups and churches. The Sheriff's Office said it does these trainings frequently and anyone interested in participating should contact the agency.