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Investigative Programs COUNTER TERRORISM The FBI Buffalo Counter Terrorism Program handles both criminal acts of terrorism investigations and sensitive intelligence investigations regarding domestic and international terrorism. A variety of resources are employed in an effort to prevent catastrophic terrorist incidents from occurring. Additionally, liaison at the local and national levels, and throughout the international arena, ensures these efforts are coordinated. In addition to conducting international terrorism investigations, FBI Buffalo is also charged with combating domestic terrorism. The FBI defines domestic terrorism as the use of force or violence by US based groups or lone individuals operating without foreign direction, for the purpose of coercing a government and/or civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives. Domestic terrorism investigations are aggressively pursued by Joint Terrorism Task Forces which operate in Buffalo and Rochester. These investigations remain a high priority within the FBI and are supported by the Domestic Terrorism Operations Unit at FBIHQ. FIG (Field Intelligence Group) "The mission of the Field Intelligence Group is to optimally position the FBI to meet current and emerging national security and criminal threats by proactively aiming core investigative efforts against threats to U. S. interests, creating and sustaining enterprise-wide intelligence solutions and human and technical capabilities, and providing useful, appropriate, and timely information and analysis to the FBI, homeland security, and law enforcement communities" BUFFALO CYBER CRIME TASK FORCE The Buffalo Cyber Task Force (BCTF) aggressively investigates crimes committed via computers including Cyber Terrorism, Online Crimes Against Children, Systems Intrusions, Internet Fraud, Theft of Trade Secrets, Software Piracy, and cyber attacks such as DoS attacks, trojans, worms, and viruses. The BCTF also supports investigations of traditional crimes using high tech means. VIOLENT CRIME PROGRAM The Violent Crime Program is responsible for investigating a wide range of criminal activity. Among the areas investigated by this squad are kidnapings, extortions, fugitives, bank robberies, crimes against children, and major thefts of interstate shipments. These investigations are often conducted in unison with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. ORGANIZED CRIME PROGRAM The Buffalo Division Organized Crime Program targets organizations involved in traditional and non-traditional organized crime activities. These activities include murder, arson, loan sharking, extortion, frauds, bribery, illegal gambling and illegal possession of stolen interstate property. Traditional organized crime groups would include groups such as La Costra Nostra (LCN). Non-traditional organized crime groups operating in Western New York include Eurasian and Middle-Eastern organized crime groups. The organized crime program also investigates labor unions who are involved in illegal activity. The Agents assigned to these matters use a wide-range of investigative techniques, but emphasize the use of informants, and the gathering of evidence through court-authorized electronic surveillance and undercover operations. The prosecution of the subjects of these investigations is often accomplished through the use of the RICO statute. GANG/CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE PROGRAM The Buffalo Division conducts gang investigations within the scope of the FBI National Gang Strategy which is to disrupt and dismantle the most violent gangs operating in Western New York. These investigations are conducted by the Safe Streets Task Force in coordination with the Buffalo Division's Field Intelligence Group (FIG). The FIG assists in identifying the major criminal organizations operating in Western New York. The majority of these investigations are complex, long-term, multi-jurisdictional cases which involve the entire spectrum of criminal activity. The Agents assigned to these matters emphasize the use of informants, and make extensive use of court-authorized electronic surveillance. The Buffalo Division regularly ranks in the top 25% of the nation in the use of electronic surveillance (wiretaps). The prosecution of these organizations is often accomplished through the application of federal racketeering statutes. WHITE COLLAR CRIME The Buffalo Division of the FBI has a robust program to redress violations of White Collar Crime (WCC). WCC is a top priority within the criminal program of the FBI and nearly 25% of all criminal resources nationally, are used to address WCC. WCC is defined as crimes where subjects use fraud, deceit, or trickery and not force or violence to obtain monies or other things of value from victims. Some common types of fraud worked in WCC, in the order of FBI priority are: 1. Public
Corruption PUBLIC CORRUPTION Public Corruption is the top priority of the FBI and the Buffalo Division. Public corruption is a breach of the public's trust and an abuse of the official position committed by federal, state and local officials and their private accomplices. By broad definition, a government official, whether elected, appointed or hired, may violate federal law when he/ she asks, or receives or agrees to receive something of value in return for influence in the performance of an official act. Such frauds include contract frauds, where a person or company secures a contract through providing free vacations or monies to a public official to gain the contract. Another example is law enforcement corruption, where an officer takes a bribe to avoid filing criminal charges. Public Corruption investigations are among the most sensitive investigations conducted by the FBI. Much is at stake for any public official and due to intense media coverage it is important to handle these investigations discreetly. The cases are opened only on authority of the Special Agent in Charge and only after coordination with the United States Attorney's Office. Public Corruption is the top criminal priority within the FBI due to the importance of ensuring integrity in government service and enforcing the honest services owed by public officials to our citizens. Public corruption undermines the integrity and faith of the public in good government. CORPORATE FRAUD/ SECURITIES AND COMMODITIES FRAUD With the collapse of ENRON, the FBI quickly rallied to address frauds that affect our financial sector. While the FBI had a long and strong tradition of successful prosecutions in Security and investment fraud matters, the onset of insider frauds brought the FBI into charging executives who used accounting frauds to "cook the books" to meet earnings expectations. These frauds have been aggressively pursued by the FBI. HEALTH CARE FRAUD Health care costs Americans in excess of $1 billion per year. It is estimated ten percent or $100 billion of those annual costs are attributable to fraud! The Buffalo FBI leads the Western New York Health Care Fraud Task Force, a multi-agency approach to redress the health care crimes which occur in Western New York. Along with our partners from The U.S. Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG); Internal Revenue Service; Postal Inspection Service; Department of Defense OIG; FDA OIG and other partners work crimes that impact the cost of health care and keep the system honest for every citizen. FINANCIAL INSTITUTION FRAUD The mission of the FBI in financial institution fraud is to identify, target, disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations and individual operations engaged in fraud schemes which target our nation's financial institutions, particularly in the area of check fraud, mortgage fraud, and identity theft. Additionally the FBI seeks to identify, undertake and promote prevention measures, where available, to reduce the opportunity for fraud to take place within the financial institution arena. MONEY LAUNDERING Money Laundering investigations target subjects who use various schemes to attempt to legitimize the proceeds of unlawful activities. Criminals whose activities result in financial gain, need to somehow make that money appear to come from a legitimate source or enter the banking system, so they have use of the monies without carrying or transacting large amounts of cash, which would draw unwanted attention. The process of placement, layering and integration of those criminally derived proceeds is called money laundering and is an important investigative matter within WCC ANSI The Awareness of National Security Issues and Response ANSIR PROGRAM The FBI is the lead agency for a variety of national security concerns. With regard to foreign counterintelligence activity, theft of U.S. technology and sensitive economic information by foreign intelligence services and competitors has been estimated by the White House and others to be valued up to a hundred billion dollars annually. It is therefore prudent and necessary that we provide information to those who are the targets of this activity. Critical infrastructure protection, both cyber and physical, is also a major focus of the FBI and the ANSIR program helps to identify these infrastructures and ensure that communication with the FBI is established. The Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) Program is the "public voice" of the FBI for espionage, counterintelligence, counter terrorism, economic espionage, cyber and physical infrastructure protection and all national security issues. The program is designed to provide unclassified national security threat and warning information to U.S. corporate security directors and executives, law enforcement, and other government agencies. It also focuses on the "response" capability unique to the FBI's jurisdiction in both law enforcement and counterintelligence investigations. Each of the FBI's 56 field offices has an ANSIR coordinator and is equipped to provide national security threat and awareness information on a regular basis to corporate recipients within their jurisdiction. FBI ANSIR Coordinators meet regularly with industry leaders and security directors for updates on current national security issues. Interested U.S. corporations and law enforcement agencies should provide their company name, company representative and position and address - as well as telephone and fax numbers - to the Buffalo Division of the FBI, attention ANSIR Program Coordinator. Arrangements can be made for an ANSIR Program presentation to groups ranging in size from 1-2 people to project-focused teams to large groups attending annual meetings. The ANSIR program focuses on the "techniques of espionage" when relating national security awareness information to industry. Discussing techniques allows us to be very specific in giving industry representatives tangible information to help them decide their own vulnerabilities. These techniques include compromise of industry information through "dumpster diving" where Foreign Intelligence Services and competitors may try to obtain corporate proprietary information, or listening devices which may be as simple as using a police scanner to tune in the frequency of the wireless microphone being used in the corporate boardroom. Through the ANSIR program and the discussion of techniques of espionage corporations are able to learn from the experiences of others enabling them to avoid adverse results. Along with awareness, the ANSIR program provides information about the FBI's unique "response" capability with regard to issues of national security. The FBI has primary jurisdiction for a variety of criminal and counterintelligence investigations which impact on national security. For instance, the recent passage of the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 opened up new areas of FBI response to the wrongful acquisition of intellectual property. It also encourages corporations to consider how best to protect their proprietary information or trade secrets from both domestic and foreign theft. OTHER FRAUDS The Buffalo Office also investigates a host of other fraud matters, including insurance frauds, telemarketing, mail and wire fraud, government program fraud, bankruptcy fraud, environmental crimes and antitrust matters.
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