Page 7 - Fbi

Trump assassination bid: What is US Secret Service, why is it under scanner

Donald Trump assassination attempt: Donald Trump narrowly escaped a bid on his life at an election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. He miraculously escaped with an injury to his right ear

Baltimore bridge collapse: Ship crew may leave US if they comply with probe

Crew members on the cargo ship Dali can head home as soon as Thursday under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them as part of investigations into the cause of the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. Attorneys had asked the judge Tuesday to prevent the roughly two dozen total crew members - all hailing from India or Sri Lanka - from leaving. Eight of the Dali's crew members were scheduled to return home, according to emails included in court filings. None of the crew members has been able to leave the U.S. since their ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns on March 26. Under the agreement, which was confirmed by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar during a hearing Thursday, the crew can return home but must be available for depositions. In the court filings, attorneys representing the City of Baltimore said the men should remain in the U.S. so they can be deposed in ongoing civil litigation to decide who is responsible

Baltimore port reopens 11 weeks after Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

The Baltimore port, one of America's largest shipping hubs, formally reopened on Wednesday, 11 weeks after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed when it was struck by a massive cargo ship mostly manned by Indians. The 2.6-km-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River collapsed on March 26 after the 984-foot ship Dali' crashed into it. The crew onboard the crippled ship included 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan. I made clear that my Administration would move heaven and earth to reopen the Port of Baltimore one of our nation's largest shipping hubs. Today, thanks to the tireless work by the men and women in the Unified Command, the full navigation channel is now open to all vessel traffic, allowing a full return of commerce to the Port of Baltimore, US President Joe Biden said in a statement. Disruptions from the March 26 bridge collapse have cost the Baltimore region's economy about USD 1.2 billion, said Anirban Basu, an economist with Sage Policy Group, a ...

Man suspected of operating 'world's largest ever' cybercrime botnet held

An international law enforcement team has arrested a Chinese national and disrupted a major botnet that officials said he ran for nearly a decade, amassing at least USD 99 million in profits by reselling access to criminals who used it for identity theft, child exploitation, and financial fraud, including pandemic relief scams. The US Department of Justice quoted FBI Director Christopher Wray as saying on Wednesday that the 911 S5 botnet a network of malware-infected computers in nearly 200 countries was likely the world's largest. Justice said in a news release that Yunhe Wang, 35, was arrested May 24. Wang was arrested in Singapore, and search warrants were executed there and in Thailand, the FBI's deputy assistant director for cyber operations, Brett Leatherman, said in a LinkedIn post. Authorities also seized USD 29 million in cryptocurrency, Leatherman said. Cybercriminals used Wang's network of zombie residential computers to steal billions of dollars from financial ...

Adversaries could use AI to spread disinformation about US elections: FBI

The FBI is concerned that foreign adversaries could deploy artificial intelligence as a means to interfere in American elections and spread disinformation, a senior official said Thursday, describing the technology as an area that's probably going to see growth over the coming years. The threat is more than theoretical given the prevalence of AI deepfakes and robocalls and the way such technology has already surfaced in politics. The official noted an episode in Slovakia early this year in which audio clips resembling the voice of the liberal party chief purportedly capturing him talking about hiking beer prices and rigging the vote were shared widely on social media just days before parliamentary elections. The clips were deepfakes. An incident in the U.S. involved robocalls impersonating President Joe Biden that urged voters in New Hampshire to abstain from voting in January's primary election. The robocalls were later traced to a political consultant who said he was trying to .

As China and Iran hunt for dissidents in US, FBI races to counter threat

After a participant in the historic Tiananmen Square protests entered a 2022 congressional race in New York City, a Chinese intelligence operative wasted little time enlisting a private investigator to hunt for any mistresses or tax problems that could upend the candidate's bid, prosecutors say. In the end, the operative ominously told his contact, violence would be fine too. As an Iranian journalist and activist living in exile in the United States aired criticism of Iran's human rights abuses, Tehran was listening too. Members of an Eastern European organised crime gang scouted her Brooklyn home and plotted to kill her in a murder-for-hire scheme directed from Iran, according to the Justice Department, which foiled the plan and brought criminal charges. The episodes reflect the extreme measures taken by countries like China and Iran to intimidate, harass and sometimes plot attacks against political opponents and activists who live in the US. They show the frightening consequences

Baltimore bridge collapse: FBI opens criminal probe, fourth body recovered

The investigation into the collapse will focus in part on whether the crew of the Dali left the port knowing the freighter had serious problems with its systems, the Washington Post reported earlier

FBI offers reward of $250,000 on arrest of Indian wanted for killing wife

The FBI is now offering a reward of up to USD 250,000 for information leading to the arrest of a 33-year-old "extremely dangerous" Indian national who is wanted in the US for allegedly killing his wife in 2015. Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, who was last known to be in the Newark area of New Jersey, is wanted for allegedly killing his wife Palak Patel by striking her multiple times with an object when they worked at a doughnut shop in Hanover, Maryland. Patel is on the FBI's list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives' and the federal agency announced a reward of up to USD 250,000 for information leading to his arrest. Initially, the FBI had offered a USD 100,000 reward for information about Patel. Patel has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and dangerous weapons with intent to injure, the FBI said in a statement. A federal arrest warrant was issued in the Maryland district court on April 20, 2015, after Patel was char

Apple refuses to help ED in unlocking Arvind Kejriwal's iPhone: Report

Indian agency made an informal request to tech giant after arresting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 21

Indian American indicted in a Ponzi scheme, victims asked to come forward

An Indian-American has been indicted by a grand jury in a Ponzi scheme with the FBI urging victims of the investment adviser in Texas to come forward. Siddharth Jawahar, 36, has been ordered imprisonment until sentencing by the court. The FBI on Wednesday said it is seeking potential Miami-area victims of Jawahar who has been accused of running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. According to the indictment, from July 2016 through roughly December 2023, Jawahar took in more than USD 35 million from Swiftarc investors but spent about USD 10 million on investments in companies. Jawahar used the money from new investors to repay older investors and to fuel an extravagant lifestyle that included flights on private planes, stays at luxury hotels and expensive outings at lavish restaurants, the indictment says. In 2015, Jawahar began investing the majority of client funds in a single investment, Philip Morris Pakistan (PMP), the indictment says, and eventually, 99 per cent of client fund

Former Jaguars manager who stole $22 mn from team gets 78 months in prison

A former Jacksonville Jaguars financial manager who pled guilty to stealing more than $22 million from the NFL franchise through its virtual credit card programme was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison Tuesday. Judge Henry Lee Adams Jr sentenced Amit Patel, 31, in US District Court in Jacksonville. Patel, wearing a charcoal suit and a burgundy tie, showed no emotion inside the packed courthouse as the punishment was handed down. Prosecutors said Patel has returned $1.89 million, leaving his restitution tab at $21,132,454.40 -- a figure the judge acknowledged he will never be able to pay back following a felony conviction. Patel pled guilty in December to one count of wire fraud and one count of making an illegal monetary transaction. The judge sentenced Patel to 78 months on each count, to run concurrently. It was the lowest number under sentencing guidelines. He also got three years of supervised release. Patel's lawyer argued for a lighter sentence Tuesday, asking for no mo

FBI, UK crime agency disrupt Lockbit's website used for ransomware payments

Law enforcement from 11 different countries took part in the operation, which seized 11,000 domains used by LockBit and its affiliates to facilitate ransomware, an FBI official said

Law enforcement agencies infiltrate, disrupt ransomware group LockBit

Law-enforcement agencies have infiltrated and disrupted Lockbit, a prolific ransomware syndicate behind cyberattacks around the world, Britain's National Crime Agency said Tuesday. The agency said it led an international operation targeting LockBit, which provides ransomware as a service to so-called affiliates who infect victim networks with the computer-crippling malware and negotiate ransoms. The group has been linked to thousands of attacks since 2019. Hours before the announcement, the front page of LockBit's site was replaced with the words this site is now under control of law enforcement, alongside the flags of the UK, the US and several other nations. The message said the website was under the control of the UK's National Crime Agency working in close cooperation with the FBI and the international law enforcement task force, Operation Cronos." It says it is an ongoing and developing operation that also involves agencies from Germany, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand a

Chinese hackers determined to 'wreak havoc' on US infrastructure: FBI chief

Chinese government hackers are busily targeting water treatment plants, the electrical grid, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure inside the United States, FBI Director Chris Wray told House lawmakers Wednesday in a fresh warning from Washington about Beijing's global ambitions. Underscoring the threat, the Justice Department and FBI announced just before the hearing that they had disrupted a botnet of hundreds of US-based small office and home routers owned by private citizens and companies and hijacked by the Chinese state hackers to cover their tracks and hide their origin as they sowed the malware. Speaking before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Wray said there's been far too little public focus on a cyber threat that affects every American". China's hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has co

Chinese hackers determined to wreak havoc on US critical infra: FBI

Chinese government hackers are busily targeting water treatment plants, the electrical grid, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure inside the United States, FBI Director Chris Wray will tell House lawmakers on Wednesday in a fresh warning from Washington about Beijing's global ambitions. Wray will say that that there's been far too little public focus on a cyber threat that affects every American, according to a copy of prepared remarks that he is to give before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. China's hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike, Wray will say. The comments align with assessments from outside cybersecurity firms including Microsoft, which said in May that state-backed Chinese hackers have been targeting US critical infrastructure and could be laying the technical ...

FBI arrests 3 in Florida on assault charges in Jan 6 insurrection

The FBI arrested three Florida residents on Saturday, the third anniversary of their alleged attack on Capitol police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Jonathan D. Pollock, 24; his sister, Olivia M. Pollock, 33; and Joseph D. Hutchinson, 27, were arrested at a ranch in Groveland, Florida, and will be arraigned on Monday, the FBI said in a statement. Groveland is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Orlando and about 45 miles (75 kilometers) north of their Lakeland homes. They had been indicted in April 2021. Jonathan Pollock had gone into hiding shortly after the attack. His sister and Hutchinson had been arrested in June 2021 and released on bond, but fled shortly before they were set to go on trial in Washington, D.C., last March. According to a 53-page indictment, Jonathan Pollock and Hutchinson are on video recordings repeatedly punching officers during the riots. Pollock is also alleged to have grabbed riot shields from officers, and he and Hutchinson are accuse

CBI, FBI discuss greater collab in tackling cybercrime, sharing evidence

FBI Director Christopher Wray met CBI Director Praveen Sood here on Monday where they discussed among things greater cooperation in cyber-related financial crimes and sharing of evidence in bringing criminals and fugitives to face justice, officials said. In an hour-long meeting that started with the arrival of Wray and other US officials at the agency headquarters around 02.00 pm, the two sides recognised the challenges posed by organized crime networks, cyber-enabled financial crimes, ransomware threats, economic crimes and transnational crimes. It was also decided that training academies of both the investigation agencies will share best practices with each other, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement. Wray arrived in the national capital on Sunday evening for a two-day visit during which he is also scheduled to meet top officials of Indian security and law-enforcement establishments, the official said. The meeting between Wray and Sood focused on "strengthening exchange of ...

NIA may take up Khalistani terrorist Pannun issue during FBI chief's visit

It is expected that Wray will meet officials of both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as well as NIA here in the national capital during his India visit, said sources

FBI seizes NY Mayor Eric Adams' electronic devices in criminal inquiry

A lawyer for Adams and his campaign said in a statement that the mayor was cooperating with federal authorities and had already "proactively reported" at least one instance of improper behaviour

Biden admin elevated hate crimes to national threat priority: FBI Director

The Biden Administration has elevated hate crimes to a national threat priority, a top US Government official has told lawmakers, stressing that the Jewish community faces nearly 60 per cent of all such religious-based assaults by every terrorist organisations across the spectrum. Speaking during a US Congressional hearing, FBI Director Christipher Wray told lawmakers that FBI is tackling the rise in hate crimes through a series of law enforcement efforts, including joint terrorism task forces, hate crime investigations, and intelligence sharing. "We are tackling both through investigations and outreach and intelligence sharing investigations, both through all 56 joint terrorism task forces. And on the hate crime side, we've elevated hate crimes to a national threat priority. We've done lots of outreach with the Jewish community, both nationally with organisations, he said. Wray said he has personally participated in any number of times and then each of the FBI field offices does as