News Blog

FBI Hosting Chat with Special Agent on Twitter

Visit the FBI’s Twitter @FBI

The FBI will host its first Twitter chat Wednesday, June 25, at 2 p.m. EDT to continue to highlight the issues of human trafficking and crimes against children. Special Agent Michael Harpster, chief of the Bureau’s Violent Crimes Against Children section, will field questions on the FBI’s Twitter account at twitter.com/FBI.

You can follow the conversation and submit questions using the hashtag #OCC8, which stands for Operation Cross Country VIII, the nationwide sweep last week that culminated in the arrest of 281 pimps and the recovery of 168 children.

Chats are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to participate.

- FBI on Twitter
- Submit questions and follow chat

50 Years Since Mississippi Burning

The burned interior of the station wagon that was discovered following the 1964 disappearance of three civil rights workers in Mississippi.

The June 1964 disappearance of civil rights activists Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman in Mississippi occurred during a pivotal time in our country’s—and the Bureau’s—history.

Full story

Libyan National Charged in Connection with 2012 Benghazi Attack

Ahmed Abu Khatallah, aka Ahmed Mukatalah, a Libyan national approximately 43 years of age, has been charged for his alleged participation in the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. Special Mission and Annex in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans—Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty.

Khatallah is in U.S. custody. Upon his arrival to the U.S., he will be promptly presented before a federal judge in Washington, D.C., and appointed counsel.

Full press release

Public Corruption Update

The vast majority of public servants who work at the local, state, and federal levels of government are honest and dedicated folks who strive every day to do the right thing for their constituents, their communities, and their country.

Unfortunately, there is a small subgroup of public servants who, whether elected, appointed, or contracted, are only concerned about a very specific constituency—themselves. And because this type of corruption strikes at the heart of government, eroding public confidence and undermining the strength of our democracy, the investigation of public corruption is the FBI’s top criminal priority.

Full story

Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: Trial Program Being Expanded Nationwide

Last year, 3,960 laser strikes against aircraft were reported. The FBI will offer up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of any individual who intentionally aims a laser at an aircraft.

After a successful trial program aimed at deterring people from pointing lasers at aircraft—by rewarding those who provide information about individuals who engage in this dangerous crime and aggressively prosecuting the perpetrators—the FBI is expanding the campaign nationwide.

Full story

GameOver Zeus Botnet Disrupted

More than a million computers are infected with GameOver Zeus malware globally, with roughly 25 percent in the U.S. More info

Today, the Department of Justice and the FBI announced a multinational effort to disrupt the GameOver Zeus botnet, believed to be responsible for the theft of millions of dollars from businesses and consumers in the U.S. and around the world.

Full story, legal documents, and more information

Bureau Initiative Focuses on Child Sex Tourism

Child sex tourism—people traveling to another country specifically to engage in illegal sexual conduct with children—is a very real issue that causes devastating and long-lasting psychological and physical consequences for victims. And the problem is growing. The U.S. State Department estimates that more than a million children are exploited each year in the global commercial sex trade. That’s in addition to the untold number of young victims of non-commercial sexual conduct.

But whether it involves commercial or non-commercial sex acts, the FBI—in conjunction with our domestic and international law enforcement partners—investigates U.S. citizens and permanent residents who travel overseas to engage in illegal sexual conduct with children under the age of 18. Since 2008, our Child Sex Tourism Initiative has employed proactive strategies to address the crime, including working with foreign law enforcement and non-governmental organizations to provide child victims with support services and to investigate and prosecute individuals engaging in child sex tourism.

Full story

Investigating Student Aid Fraud

It’s a yearly spring ritual: college-bound students, young and old, applying online for much-needed federal student aid in the form of grants or loans.

Unfortunately, a few unscrupulous individuals view Title IV Federal Student Assistance funding as a way to line their own pockets—not to get an education. According to a recent assessment by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, the number of aid recipients potentially taking part in criminal fraud rings is increasing.

And while the FBI doesn’t generally become involved these cases because of our necessary focus on counterterrorism, cyber crime, and other national security and major criminal threats, we do—as resources allow—assist our partners at the Department of Education and other agencies in rooting out some of the more egregious offenders.

Full story

National Missing Children’s Day 2014

In observance of National Missing Children’s Day on Sunday, May 25—which honors the memories of those who are lost and focuses attention on the issue—the FBI is highlighting the names and faces of the children listed on our Kidnappings and Missing Persons webpage and asking for your continued help to locate them.

Full story

Seeking Information on Suspected Serial Child Predator in Southeast U.S.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help to identify victims of suspected serial child predator Matthew John Coniglio. His female victims—some as young as 8 years old—may be unaware of what happened to them.

Coniglio, who committed suicide on April 20, 2014 following his arrest on child pornography charges, is known to have resided in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina over the past 15 years.

Videotaped evidence seized at the time of his arrest suggests that Coniglio drugged multiple young females who he subsequently molested and raped. At this point in the investigation, photographed victims are being identified and notified. Those who believe they may have been victims are encouraged to come forward—not only to aid investigators but potentially to seek services through our Victim Assistance Program.

A confidential questionnaire is available for anyone who thinks they may have been victimized by Coniglio or who may have information about his predatory behavior.

Press release | Confidential questionnaire | Seeking Information poster