COUNTERTERRORISM

The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over terrorist acts committed within the United States and against American citizens and facilities overseas. The FBI's Counterterrorism Division also collects, analyzes, and shares critical information and intelligence with the proper authorities to combat terrorism.

As an important component to this mission, the FBI investigates matters involving the use or threats to use weapons of mass destruction including biological, chemical, and nuclear threats.

In order to adequately respond to a potential terrorist threat, the FBI and other members of the law enforcement community coordinate terrorist-related matters through established Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs). By integrating the investigative resources of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, these JTTFs represent an effective response to the threats posed to U.S. communities by domestic and international terrorists. The Los Angeles Field Office has four JTTFs that are located in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Riverside, and Long Beach.

COUNTERINTELLIGENCE

The FBI is the only federal agency with a mandate to investigate foreign counterintelligence cases within U.S. borders. The FBI has the principal authority to monitor and neutralize foreign intelligence operations against the U.S. and to investigate violations of federal laws against espionage, misuse of classified data, and other criminal matters relating to national security issues.

CYBERCRIMES

The FBI plays two important roles in protecting cyberspace: 1) the FBI is the lead law enforcement agency for detecting and defeating cyber-based attacks against the nation's critical infrastructures by foreign adversaries and terrorists; and 2) the FBI works to prevent criminals, sexual predators, and those intent on malicious destruction from using the Internet and on-line services to steal from, defraud, and otherwise victimize citizens, businesses, and communities. Investigations can include unauthorized access (hacking) violations, denial of service attacks, Internet fraud schemes, malicious code (virus and worms), or copyright violations.

Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) Program

The FBI's ANSIR Program provides unclassified national security threat and warning information via e-mail to U.S. corporations, law enforcement and other government agencies. In concert with the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), ANSIR e-mail also provides advisories on the latest computer intrusion threat as well as timely notification on the latest computer virus.

The ANSIR Program has no membership; rather, individuals, corporations, government agencies and organizations which request FBI national security awareness information may receive unclassified awareness information via ANSIR Email or through presentations conducted by ANSIR Coordinators and other knowledgeable individuals arranged through the program. Presentations are given to both classified and unclassified audiences.

Interested individuals in corporations and government agencies can request unclassified awareness information via ANSIR e-mail by providing an e-mail address, name, position, company/agency name, address and telephone number to ansir@leo.gov.

Internet Fraud Complaint Center

The FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) serves as a clearinghouse for the receipt, analysis, and dissemination of complaints concerning frauds perpetrated via the Internet. It provides a single point of contact for consumers and businesses to file a fraud complaint via e-mail. The IFCC uses the complaint information to identify Internet crime trends, quantify fraud patterns, and to provide statistical data of current fraud trends.

If you have been a victim of fraud while conducting business or other activity on the Internet, you may file a complaint with the IFCC at www.ifccfbi.gov.

InfraGard

InfraGard is an information sharing and analysis effort serving the interests and combining the knowledge base of a wide range of members. It is a cooperative undertaking between the U.S. Government (led by the FBI and the NIPC) and an association of businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants dedicated to increasing the security of U.S. critical infrastructures. InfraGard provides a mechanism for the public and private sectors to exchange information pertaining to cyber intrusion matters, computer network vulnerabilities and physical threats on infrastructures. The goal of InfraGard is to enable information flow so that the owners and operators of infrastructure assets can better protect themselves and so that the United States government can better discharge its law enforcement and national security responsibilities.

If you would like more information about the InfraGard program in Los Angeles, please contact the InfraGard Coordinator via e-mail at InfraGard.LosAngeles@fbi.gov.

Crimes Against Children

As part of the FBI's Innocent Images National Initiative to prevent child pornography and child sexual exploitation committed via the Internet and on-line services, the Los Angeles Field Office formed a multi-agency task force known as the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (S.A.F.E.) Team. The S.A.F.E. Team investigates possession, production, and/or distribution of child pornography facilitated by an online computer, interstate travel for sexual activity with a minor facilitated by the use of an online computer, and sexual exploitation of children facilitated by an online computer.

If you have information about a website which publishes or promotes child pornography, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.ncmec.org.

If you have information about a minor who has been a victim of sexual exploitation or other type of criminal act, please contact your local FBI office or police department. The Los Angeles Field Office of the FBI can be reached at los.angeles@fbi.gov or at (310) 477-6565.

WHITE-COLLAR CRIME

The FBI investigates white-collar criminal activities, such as money laundering, securities and commodities fraud, bank fraud and embezzlement, environmental crimes, fraud against the government, health care fraud, election law violations, copyright violations, and telemarketing fraud. In the health care fraud area, the FBI targets systemic abuses, such as large-scale billing fraud and fraudulent activities that threaten the safety of patients. The FBI pursues financial institution fraud involving losses exceeding $100,000. In cases of telemarketing and insurance fraud, the FBI will generally become involved where there is evidence of nationwide or international criminal activities.

White-collar crimes are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and which are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or violence. These acts are committed by individuals and organizations to obtain money, property, or services, to avoid the payment or loss of money or services, or to secure personal or business advantage.

Public Corruption

The FBI investigates violations of federal law by public officials at the local, state and federal levels of government. These violations typically relate to bribery and misuse of office for personal gain by individuals in positions of public trust. In FY 2000 and FY 2001, FBI corruption investigations resulted in the conviction of 1,023 subjects.

CIVIL RIGHTS

The FBI is the primary federal agency with responsibility for investigating allegations of federal civil rights violations and abuses. This includes investigations of hate crimes perpetrated by individuals and members of racist groups and investigations into allegations of misconduct of law enforcement officers, including physical abuse and deprivation of rights through fabrication of evidence.

Other areas of emphasis include: 1) Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bars conduct that would obstruct access to reproductive health facilities; 2) discrimination in housing; 3) Equal Credit Opportunity Act; and 4) involuntary servitude of women and children.

VIOLENT CRIME

The FBI investigates crime problems that pose major threats to the integrity of American society, such as criminal street gangs, bank robberies, kidnappings, interstate transportation of stolen property and motor vehicles, assaults and threats of assault on federal officials, theft or destruction of government property, and fugitive matters.

Fugitives

The FBI is the primary federal law enforcement agency with statutory authority to investigate fugitive matters where the fugitive is wanted on state charges and has crossed state lines. The FBI also assists local and state law enforcement agencies in apprehending fugitives wanted in connection with violent crimes and substantial property loss or destruction who may have fled across state lines or left the country.

ORGANIZED CRIME

The FBI targets entire organizations responsible for a variety of criminal activities instead of focusing on individual crimes. The mission of the FBI's Organized Crime Program is to eliminate structured criminal groups that pose the greatest threat to American society. These criminal enterprises include traditional, well-entrenched organizations such as La Cosa Nostra and Italian Organized Crime, Eurasian Organized Crime, African Criminal Enterprises, and Asian Criminal Enterprises. The FBI's mission is accomplished through sustained, coordinated investigations and the use of racketeering charges also known as RICO.

Gangs

The mission of the FBI gang program is to identify, target, disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises in the form of violent street and motorcycle gangs. The Los Angeles Field Office, in conjunction with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, investigates major domestic violent street gangs through proactive, multi-agency, coordinated efforts.

The implementation and maintenance of task force components, such as the Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Force, allow the Los Angeles Field Office to address violent criminal street gang activity across a large geographic area.

Bank Robberies

The FBI is responsible for investigating robberies of federally insured financial institutions. More bank robberies occur in the Los Angeles Field Office territory than in any other FBI territory.

In 1992, there were 2,641 bank robberies in the Los Angeles Field Office territory. To address this surge in bank robberies, the Los Angeles Field Office and other law enforcement agencies dedicated substantial resources to investigate bank robberies, which resulted in a reduction of robberies during the following years. In 1999, there were 639 bank robberies in the Los Angeles area, which was the lowest number in three decades.

Drugs

The FBI investigates national and transnational drug organizations that manufacture, transport and sell illegal drugs. The mission of the Los Angeles Field Office drug program is to dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in the greater Los Angeles area. To accomplish this mission, three objectives must be met:

1) the organization's leaders must be completely incapacitated;
2) the organization's financial base must be thoroughly destroyed; and
3) the organization's drug supply network must be irreparably disrupted.

The Los Angeles Field Office has extensive liaison within the federal, state and local law enforcement community in regard to drug investigations. One tool used in the fight against the local drug problem is the Los Angeles Joint Drug Intelligence Group (JDIG), which is a multi-agency federal, state, military, and local law enforcement intelligence task force hosted by the FBI. The JDIG provides long-term operational and strategic analysis in the form of target profiles, cross-case analysis, and case support to law enforcement agencies.