Civil
Rights
The FBI is the only federal entity with responsibility for investigating
allegations of federal civil rights violations and
abuses. In pursuit of this mission, the FBI investigates
violence and hate crimes by individuals and/or members
of racist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan. The FBI
also investigates allegations of misconduct on the
part of law enforcement officers, including physical
abuse, infliction of summary punishment, and deprivation
of rights through fabrication of evidence. The Bureau
works with state and municipal law enforcement agencies,
prosecutors, and special interest/minority groups
to improve reporting of civil rights violations and
to design proactive strategies for identifying and
mitigating systemic police brutality.
Other areas of emphasis are as follows: 1) enforcing the Freedom of Access
to Clinic Entrances Act, which bars conduct that would obstruct access to reproductive
health facilities; 2) investigating discrimination in housing; 3) enforcing
the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; and 4) non-organized crime-related exploitation
(involuntary servitude) of women and children.
CIVIL RIGHTS CASE: JAMES CHARLES KOPP
On October 23, 1998, Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally wounded by a single gunshot
fired into his residence by an unknown sniper. Dr. Slepian ran a well-known
medical clinic that provided abortions and other women's health services. The
shooting was similar to shootings in Rochester, New York, and three Canadian
cities during the fall of 1997, in which abortion doctors were shot in their
homes. The FBI field office in Buffalo, along with the Amherst Police Department
and the New York State Police, immediately started an investigation into the
shooting.
James Kopp was charged in a federal complaint and subsequent indictment with
violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Unlawful Flight to
Avoid Prosecution, and firearms charges. On June 7, 1999, he was added to the
FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list. In the course of an extensive fugitive
investigation, the FBI used Title IIIs, substantial surveillance, and helpful
witnesses, and worked closely with a variety of other domestic and international
law enforcement agencies. These efforts led investigators to France, where
Kopp was arrested.
On June 5, 2002, Kopp was taken into custody at Le Bourget Airport in Paris,
France, by FBI Agents from the Buffalo Office and transported back to the United
States. Kopp was convicted of second-degree murder on March 18, 2003, and is
awaiting trial on a federal charge of interfering with the right to an abortion.
CIVIL RIGHTS: INVOLUNTARY SERVITIUDE AND SLAVERY
On February 28, 2001, the FBI Field Office in Honolulu began investigating
the Daewoosa Company, which operated a garment factory on American Samoa and
employed approximately 250 laborers from Vietnam. The investigation revealed
that upon arrival in American Samoa, victims' passports were confiscated by
company employees, and they were forced to work to pay off smuggling fees of
approximately $7,000. Daewoosa employees used threats, intimidation, and physical
force to maintain control over the victims. Some female employees were sexually
assaulted and forced to work as prostitutes, and those who became pregnant
were either forced to have abortions or forced to return to Vietnam.
On March 23, 2001, Kil Soo Lee was arrested in American Samoa by the FBI Honolulu
Field Office on charges of Involuntary Servitude and Forced Labor. Three subjects
have entered guilty pleas to date, and the trial of Kil Soo Lee is expected
in October 2002. FBI Honolulu is conducting a parallel investigation involving
the white-collar crime aspects of the investigation with the assistance of
the US Attorney's Office.
CIVIL RIGHTS: RACIAL DISCRIMINATION/ARSON
In January 2001, the Mantiwoc Police Department in Wisconsin asked the FBI's
Milwaukee Field Office to assist in investigating a hate-related arson case.
Their joint investigation uncovered a helpful witness who identified several
individuals responsible for the arson. The investigation also determined that
gasoline was used as an accelerant and that the fire was set at the only usable
door of the home. Eight family members narrowly escaped through a window, but
the residence was completely destroyed. According to the source, Andrew Franz
had said that he started the fire to "get rid of the Asians living there."
The investigation resulted in the identification and successful prosecution
of seven individuals. All were either convicted or pled guilty to federal civil
rights and arson charges and were all sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Andrew
Franz received 20 years in prison.
