News Blog

Who Said It? Women FBI Agents in Pop Culture

A scene from “The X-Files” television show, which featured agents investigating paranormal phenomenon.

It took a while for Hollywood and television to notice that FBI women special agents had come on the scene in 1972—and to think how they might work into old and new storylines. At first, in the early 1990s, the focus was on training and new agents…and on comedy—women trying by hook or by crook to make it in a man’s profession. Now you find our women agents portrayed in a variety of decisive roles in team environments—trying to locate missing persons, analyzing evidence, analyzing the criminal mind, and, of course, investigating paranormal activity and worldwide conspiracies. Take our quiz and test your knowledge of pop culture as it relates to women FBI special agents. This is part of our continuing series marking the 40th anniversary of female agents.

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New Genocide and War Crimes Website

A burial site on the outskirts of Kigali, Rwanda for some of the victims of the 1994 genocide. Photo courtesy of The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Kosovo…Rwanda…Srebrenica. These places will forever be associated with unspeakable, brutal acts of genocide and war crimes.

Today, in an effort to raise awareness about these crimes and the FBI’s part in helping to combat them, we’re announcing the launch of our Genocide War Crimes Program website. In addition to educating the public on our role, the website solicits information from victims and others about acts of genocide, war crimes, or related mass atrocities that can be submitted to us through tips.fbi.gov or by contacting an FBI field office or legal attaché office.

“Our ultimate goal,” says Special Agent Jeffrey VanNest, who heads up our Genocide War Crimes Unit, “is to ensure that perpetrators of these heinous crimes find no safe haven in the United States, or for that matter, no safe haven anywhere in the world.”

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Mortgage Fraud: ‘House King’ Was a Royal Con Man

When most people buy a home they are required to submit financial paperwork to banks, title companies, and others involved in the mortgage process. The case of the “House King” in South Florida illustrates how when fraudsters manipulate that system, lenders can lose millions—and innocent buyers and sellers also suffer.

The House King—Angel Puentes—used a classic loan origination scam to defraud three lending institutions out of approximately $10.5 million. Because of fraudsters like him, South Florida real estate was artificially inflated, and innocent people paid too much for their homes. When the market crashed, many of those homeowners were left under water—their property worth less than what they paid for it.

“Those are the true victims of this type of mortgage fraud,” said Special Agent Mark Soucy—“the legitimate South Florida residents whose home values were inflated because of these fraudulent transactions.”

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The Hoover Legacy, Part 4: The Evolution of U.S. Intelligence

Standing outside the White House on a sunny day in May 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower smiled as he pinned the National Security Medal on the lapel of one of its first recipients—FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

The medal had been created only two years earlier by President Truman to recognize individuals—civilian and military—who had made important contributions to national security in the field of intelligence. The honor has since been supplanted by the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.

Given that many Americans associate the early Bureau with chasing gangsters and solving murders and other violent crimes, it might seem unusual for a law enforcement leader to have been given such an award at that point in history. But Hoover, as it turns out, had played a key role in the evolution of the U.S. intelligence community and the transformation of the FBI into a national security organization.

Read full story | More FBI history

Insider Trading Enforcement Paying Off

Last week, an executive with a global pharmaceuticals giant headquartered in the U.S. was arrested for insider trading. He allegedly earned “substantial profits” by trading stock options using inside information about three companies his firm was looking to acquire before they were sold.

Insider trading is just that: the trading of securities or stocks by “insiders” with material, non-public information pertaining to significant, often market-moving developments to benefit themselves or others financially. These developments can include pending mergers and acquisitions, anticipated earnings releases, and product line developments.

Insider trading has been a continuous threat to U.S. financial markets and has robbed the investing public of some degree of trust that markets operate fairly. Through our investigations, the FBI is working hard to curb that corruption and help ensure fairness in the marketplace.

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Use of FBI’s Anti-Piracy Seal Broadened

Effective today, a new federal regulation governing the FBI’s Anti-Piracy Warning (APW) Seal authorizes use of this seal by all U.S. copyright holders, subject to specific conditions. Anyone wishing to use the seal—along with the mandatory authorized warning language—must obtain it directly from the FBI’s public website.

The purpose of the APW Seal is to remind media users of the serious consequences of pirating copyrighted works. Copyrighted works can include—but are not limited to—films, audio recordings, electronic media, software, books, photographs, etc. Use of the seal does not indicate that the FBI has reviewed or validated copyright interests in the particular work and does not provide greater legal protection to the work. It simply serves as a reminder of the Bureau’s authority and mission with respect to the protection of intellectual property rights.

FBI Anti-Piracy Warning Seal | 41 CFR Section 128-1.5009 (pdf) | Conditions/Prohibitions of Use

New Internet Scam

Example of monitor display when computer is infected with Reveton ransomware

There is a new “drive-by” virus on the Internet, and it often carries a fake message—and fine—purportedly from the FBI.

Known as Reveton ransomware, it’s described as drive-by malware because unlike many viruses—which activate when users open a file or attachment—this one can install itself when users simply click on a compromised website. Once infected, the victim’s computer immediately locks, and the monitor displays a screen stating there has been a violation of federal law.

The bogus message goes on to say that the user’s Internet address was identified by the FBI or the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section as having been associated with child pornography sites or other illegal online activity. To unlock their machines, users are required to pay a fine using a prepaid money card service.

Learn more, including what to do if your computer has been infected

A Sordid Scam

Digital camera as evidence in case

Some of the aspiring young models thought they were getting the chance of a lifetime when they showed up in South Florida to audition for a man they believed to be a legitimate talent scout. Instead, they were drugged and raped on camera—and the resulting videos were sold on the Internet.

The two men responsible for this depraved scheme—one a former police officer and the other a self-described porn star—were sentenced to 12 consecutive life terms in prison earlier this year.

“These are probably two of the worst offenders I have ever seen,” said Special Agent Alexis Carpinteri, who works in our Miami office. “There were many more victims than the multiple women who were represented at trial.”

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Celebrating 40 Years of Women Special Agents, Part 3

Agents at firearms training in the 1980s.

It was in 1972—40 years ago this year—that women were allowed to join the ranks of FBI agents, reversing a policy that had been in place since the 1920s. Their reminiscences several decades later reflect the diversity of their motivations, experiences, and achievements. Yet, as you read their stories, you can see that these early female pioneers wanted the same things—to serve their country, to make a difference, to be successful at what they did...just like the men.

“It was a wonderful experience. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. And you know, I hope in some small way, maybe I made it easier for women after me.”

That sentiment—shared by former Special Agent Linda Dunn, who served from 1973 to 1976—was echoed by many of the trailblazing women who signed up to be the first female agents in the modern era.

Their compelling and often moving stories can be found in a series of interviews of retired Bureau investigators—both women and men—conducted by the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI and posted on the website of the National Law Enforcement Museum.

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Seeking Unknown Suspect in Ripken Abduction

The FBI and law enforcement officials are seeking the public’s assistance in locating the person believed to be connected to the abduction of Violet Ripken—the mother of former Baltimore Oriole and Baseball Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken. On July 24, 2012, Ms. Ripken was taken from her home in Aberdeen, Maryland and transported in her own car through areas of Harford and Baltimore Counties before being returned to her residence unharmed early the next morning.

The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 5’10” tall, 180 pounds, with short brown hair and eyeglasses. If you have any information as to the identity or whereabouts of the suspect, who is featured in the surveillance video above, please contact authorities.

Wanted poster | Wanted by the FBI podcast | Aberdeen Police Department | Harford County Sheriff’s Office