EFTA01657969

From: NY [email protected]> To: Undisclosed recipients:; Subject: SITREP and Orange is the Color of the Day for Friday, May 9, 2025 Date: Fri, 09 May 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Importance: Normal Inline-Images: Outlook-jfiqrkOujpg It \I RI REAL! OF ISM rsTIGATION Go to New York Field Office News and Information Follow this site to get updates in your newsfeed. NEWLY LISTED EVENTS The 21st Floor, 26 Federal Plaza IOC will be closed for renovations from January 12, 2025 through May 2025. Please contact Crisis Management, MS-21 for alternate locations or with any questions. COLOR OF THE DAY Orange AIR QUALITY INDEX As of 7am mu Value of Index = 53 OZONE = 14 Daily AQI Color = Yellow Reference: AlrNow.gov NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Chance of showers with a low of 52. SIGNIFICANT NEWS EVENTS Director Patel Supports President Thump's FBI Budget Proposal After House Testimony Fox News (05/08, Chu, Arias) and the New York Times (05/08, Barrett) reported that Director Patel on Wednesday said he fully backed the Trump administration's proposed FBI budget after testifying to a House panel. "As I said today during my testimony, I am in full support of President Trump's budget, which fully funds the FBI and its critical mission. Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong and dishonest," Director Patel said following the hearing before the House Appropriations Committee. The article explained that the proposal, introduced last Friday, would cut the FBI's budget by $545 million as part of President Donald Trump's plan to slash government spending by $163 billion. "We cannot cover down on the mission at the levels that we would have to go to, which would be the 2011 levels, should all the budget cuts you just outlined be implemented," Director Patel said during his testimony. He also urged the panel to approve a budget that would combat what he described as increased levels of crime and terrorism across the country. Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, noted that the agency's deadline for submitting its spending plan for the current year had passed a week ago, and that lawmakers could not draft a budget without one. Asked by Murray when lawmakers would see the spending plan, Director Patel replied, "I don't have an answer." "I am doing the best I can," he added. "I can't make up answers: Murray called that response "insufficient and deeply disturbing: Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, pressed him on the expected release of more documents involving the financier Jeffrey Epstein, who hung himself in a federal Jail while awaiting trial on sex•trafficking charges. An earlier release of some material was met with derision by right•wing pundits and online influencers, who have long insisted that the government is covering up evidence of broader crimes committed by elites. "When do you think you'll have it done, Kash?" Kennedy asked. "I think in the near future, sir," Director Patel replied. "Like before I die?' Kennedy responded tartly. "Senator, we've been working on that, and we're doing it in a way that protects victims and also doesn't put out into the ether information that is irrelevant," he said. The Washington Times (05/08, Picket) added that Senator Murray clashed with Director Patel over accusations of weaponizing the bureau against President Trump's "perceived enemies". Director Patel denied the accusations, citing the FBI's achievements, such as 8,276 federal arrests and 3,000 firearms seized, and stated that he is not politicizing the bureau. WVNews (05/08, Staff Writer) reported that among senators who questioned Director Patel was Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). Capito directed much of her questioning toward the FBI's Criminal justice Information System facility in Clarksburg., know on April 17, you traveled to West Virginia to visit the CJIS facility; Capito told Director Patel. "I think It's amazing the work that they do out there. The employees out there really appreciated your visit. You've already mentioned that maybe some of the diffusing of some of the Washington, D.C. FBI would be going to, hopefully, into the Clarksburg facility. What was your impression when you were there; did they have the resources to do everything they need to do?" Director Patel responded: "My general impression aligns with yours. I was wildly impressed with the work that's done out there. It's the unsexy work that the FBI does on a daily basis, whether it's gun background checks, national criminal information background checks. State and local law enforcement relies on us, and every time they have a traffic stop, they're calling and adjudicate the individual they're confronting or when they're going to get a search warrant." Director Patel noted he would like to see further expansion of the facility's capabilities. "You can never have enough computer data being ingested," he said. "What I'm working on specifically to improve CJIS, which will improve the work that happens in every single state, is the reporting in data cycle from state and local authorities, because without that, CJIS doesn't work." Capito then asked about the agency's recruiting efforts, which Director Patel said have increased significantly, growing from an average monthly application pool of about 2,700 to about 5,700 per month for his first two full months as FBI director. WGME (CBS•13) (05/08, Staff Writer) reported that the FBI says it's ramping up its response to illegal marijuana grow EFTA01657969 houses in Maine. According to the article, Senator Susan Collins said hundreds of houses that authorities have spent years busting are connected to transnational Chinese criminal organizations. She asked Director Patel on Thursday what he's doing about it. "What we've done since I've taken this seat as director of the FBI is reprioritize assets to push out into the field, to cover down in not just pieces of Maine, but all of Maine: Director Patel said. "And when we finish this redeployment cycle, hopefully within the next six to nine months, we will not only just have the manpower in the field, but at headquarters, I've prioritized intelligence collection against the CCP that is directly tied to these marijuana grow houses!' Alabama Political Reporter (05/08, Staff Writer) reported that US. Representative Dale Strong questioned Director Patel about the Bureau's Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, highlighting Huntsville's growing role in national security efforts. Director Patel praised the FBI's facility at Redstone Arsenal, calling it the Bureau's "premier" training and operations center, and announced plans to relocate 1,300.1,400 more employees to the site over the next three years. The article noted that the FBI will require an additional $160 million for construction and 360 million for operations to complete and sustain expansion at Redstone's South Campus, with Patel stressing the importance of the location for interagency collaboration and training bomb technicians. Additional reporting on the story was provided by the Associated Press (05/08, Tucker), The Center Square (05/08, Sweeney), The Daily Beast (05/08, Forster, Adolphus), Daily Caller (05/08, Hutchinson), The Epoch Times (05/08, Stieber) (2), Fox News (05/08, Video), Gateway Pundit (05/08, Linebarger), HuffPost (05/08, Moye), The Hill (05/08, Polley), New Republic (05/08, Rashid), Reuters (05/08, Goudsward, Lynch), Roiling Stone (05/08, Bort), Roll Call (05/08, Tarinelli), and WABI (CW.5) (05/08, Staff Writer). FBI Probes New York AG James Over Mortgage Fraud Allegations Reuters (05/08, Staff Writer) reported that the FBI has opened a criminal investigation Into New York Attorney General Letitia James over mortgage fraud allegations. The allegations were sparked by a letter from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte, a Trump appointee, claiming James "falsified records" to obtain favorable loans. The article noted that lames' lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has called the allegations "baseless and long•dlscredited" and suggested they are an act of "political retribution" by President Donald Trump. The article highlighted that the investigation is being handled by the FBI's Albany office. Additional reporting on the story was provided by CBS News (05/08, Jacobs, may, et al.), Daily Caller (05/08, Richardson), Daily Mail (05/08, Poleo), Forbes (05/08, Bohannon), Fox News (05/08, Schemmel), The Guardian (05/08, Lowell), National Review (05/08, Lynch), Newsmax (05/08, Swanson), Newsweek (05/08, Gooding, Whisnant), New York Post (05/08, Doornbos, Campanile, Nesi), OANN (05/08, Mallory), Times Union (05/08, Lyons), USA Today (05/08, Chambers), the Washington Examiner (05/08, Deese), and the Washington Post (05/08, Jacobs, Rizzo, et al.). Alexander Brothers Face More Sex Crimes, Including Against Underage Girl The Associated Press (05/08, Staff Writer) reported that additional sex trafficking charges were brought Thursday in a New York court against two luxury real estate brokers and their brother. The charges were contained in a rewritten indictment filed by federal prosecutors against Oren Alexander, Tal Alexander and Alon Alexander. According to the article, the three brothers are being held without ball in a case in which prosecutors in Manhattan have alleged that they have spoken to more than 60 people who allege they were raped by at least one of the brothers. Oren Alexander and Tal Alexander were already charged with using their wealth and influence that they accumulated while selling high. end properties in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles to make it possible to rape and sexually abuse women from 2002 to 2021. No date was immediately set for the men to be arraigned. They previously had pleaded not guilty. The superseding indictment filed Thursday adds five new charges related to four alleged victims, including one female who had not yet reached adulthood when the offenses allegedly occurred. The New York Times (05/08, Kamin, Weiser) also reported on the story. California Man Gets 12 Years for Role in S38 Million Catalytic Converter Theft Ring The Epoch Times (05/08, McLaughlin) reported that a 33•year•old Sacramento man was sentenced May 6 to federal prison for his role in transporting thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines, laundering money, and other crimes. Tou Sue Vang was given a 12•year sentence Tuesday for his part in a familyrun theft ring, according to acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. According to the article, prosecutors say Vang, along with his brother Andrew yang and mother Monica Moua, bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and sold them to a buyer in New jersey for more than $38 million. Tou Vang, Andrew Vang, and Moua pleaded guilty Oct. 16, 2023, to conspiring to transport stolen converters from California to New Jersey. Tou Vang pleaded guilty to an additional 39 charges related to money laundering. "This takedown is the first of its kind in the nation and a major step forward in dismantling a catalytic converter theft ring," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the Sacramento Field Office. FBI Seeks Gunman in Deadly South Philadelphia Shooting From Last June WCAU (NBC•10) (05/08, Mitman) reported that officials in the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office have announced that their investigators are working with the Philadelphia Police Department in the hopes of tracking down a man sought in a deadly shooting that happened last year. On Wednesday, FBI officials said that their office is working to find Byshere Smith, 25, of Philadelphia for his suspected involvement in the June 26, 2025, shooting death of 21•year•old Saadlq Abdul•Aziz. According to police, Abdul•Azlz was shot in the chest and killed on June 26, 2024, in a shooting that happened along the 2200 block of South 23rd Street in South Philadelphia. New Video Emerges That Allegedly Shows Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Movements on Night of Idaho Murders The Independent (05/08, Cavalller) reported that on the night four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death inside their off.campus home, a white car prosecutors say was registered to suspect Bryan Kohberger was captured on video circling the house multiple times. According to the article, investigators say the white Hyundai Elantra was a critical due in their search for the suspect, which led them to Kohberger, who drove a white 2015 Hyundai Elantra. He was arrested six weeks after the November 13, 2022, killings and is set to stand trial this summer where he could face the death penalty if convicted. As Kohberger prepares to face a jury, never•before•seen surveillance video obtained by Dateline NBC emerged Thursday, which appears to track the movements of the suspect on the fateful night that rocked the small community of Moscow. The article stated that on an all•new, two•hour Dateline special that airs at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. C on Friday, material obtained by the news outlet, including cell phone tower data and phone records, allegedly maps out Kohberger's movements around the time of the killings. One of the documents indicated that an FBI cell phone expert said Kohberger's phone connected to a cell tower providing coverage within 100 meters of the rented off.campus house, NBC News reported. There were 23 visits over four months, all after dark, according to the records. Founder Of Celsius Sentenced To 12 Years For Fraud And Market Manipulation Reuters (05/08, Stempel) reported that Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former chief executive of bankruptcy cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network, was sentenced on Thursday to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty in December to securities fraud and commodities fraud. According to the article, Mashinsky's sentence was imposed by U.S. District judge John Koeltl in Manhattan, and is among the longest in a criminal case arising from the 2022 meltdown in cryptocurrency markets. Federal prosecutors said Mashinsky, 59, misled customers about Celsius' safety, EFTA01657970 and artificially inflated the value of Celsius' proprietary token Cel. A DOJ press release noted that U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI. WIRED (05/08, CNBC (05/08, Sigalos), Bloomberg(05/08, Dohnetsch), and the Verge (05/08, Roth) also reported on the story. Top FBI Cyber Official Expected to Leave the Bureau The Record (05/08, Matishak) reported that Bryan Vorndran, the FBI's assistant director of the Cyber Division, is expected to retire from the agency soon. The article explained that during his tenure, the FBI has expanded its anti•cybercrlme tactics to include incident response and imposing costs on adversaries. Vorndran's departure is due to his retirement eligibility, and it is not yet clear who will succeed him as the bureau's cyber chief. Continued Reporting: 60,000 RFK Assassination Files Released CBS News (05/08, Walsh, Cook, Kates) reported that the federal government published more than 60,000 pages of records on Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's assassination late Wednesday — the second tranche of documents to be released on the 1968 slaying. The releases were ordered by President Trump in January, with backing from the senator's son, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has claimed for years that his father's convicted killer Sirhan Sirhan might be innocent. According to the article, some of the newly published documents include witness interviews, FBI memos, Sirhan's mugshots, an interview with a gun store owner's wife who claimed to see Sirhan and transcripts of Los Angeles Police Department interviews with Shim. Many of the details shared in the files were already known. Newsweek (05/08, Plummer) also reported on the story. TRAFFIC ALERT Nothing to report. g6 Federal Plaza 23rd Floor Gym Closure Schedule• Facilities will close the 23rd floor Gym every Tuesday evening from 3:30 pm•12:00 am for cleaning. Men's and Women's locker room will be cleaned out the first Tuesday of the month and all items left in the locker room will be disposed of. Please direct any questions to Facilities at extension x3900. Federal Bureau of Investigation New York Division 26 Federal Plaza New York, NY 10278 Phone: (212) 380-1000 Email: Dureaskelbise KN/SS EFTA01657971