Detective Chief Superintendent of Intelligence for New Scotland Yard, Lucinda Stubbs Woollcombe, meeting with ASAC Bill Priestap and SIA Albert Banke (far right). Photo credit: FBI

FBI Special Agents have welcomed their counterparts from Manchester, England and New Scotland Yard in London to New York for briefings and discussions concerning counter-terrorism activity.

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Fowler of New York’s Counterterrorism Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge (A/SAC) Lauren Anderson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Bill Priestap, Supervisory Intelligence Analyst (SIA) Albert G. Banke (all from New York’s Intelligence Division), FBI Assistant Legal Attaché (ALAT) from London Dan Morrison and other members of the FBI’s New York Office welcomed Detective Chief Superintendent of Intelligence for New Scotland Yard, Lucinda Stubbs Woollcombe, along with other detectives and members of New Scotland Yard and the Greater Manchester Police Department Counterterrorism Unit. The representatives of New Scotland Yard and the Greater Manchester Police Department Counterterrorism Unit visited the FBI New York Field Office for briefings and discussions coordinated by Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Michael A. D‘Alonzo. Topics of discussion included an overview of the FBI’s Intelligence Division as well as cooperation between the law enforcement agencies in both countries. ALAT Dan Morrison and Detective Superintendant Keith Surtees of New Scotland Yard provided a briefing to FBI Counterterrorism and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents.

Superintendant Keith Surtees reviewed the relationship between the different branches of United Kingdom law enforcement (Scotland Yard, MI-5 and MI-6) and the historic transition during the last 30 years. Superintendant Surtees noted the adjustments from the period of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) conflicts and the numerous car bombings in the 1970s and 80s. ALAT Morrison commented on the subway bombings in 2005 where he made the distinction that terrorists are “now indiscriminate, causing mass civilian casualties and seeking martyrdom.” This requires a change of focus for both the UK law enforcement and their global partners including the FBI. Morrison also discussed the CCTV camera system in Britain and its usefulness in preventing and solving terrorism and other crimes.

Detective Chief Superintendent Woollcombe welcomed the direct interaction with the FBI in New York, “Our relationship with the FBI is longstanding as we work together on countless cases all with the goal of keeping our countries safe. These visits only go to improve information and intelligence sharing on our joint efforts. I look forward to continued cooperation and coordination between our agencies in our common goal to protect our citizens.

SAC Fowler said, “Meeting with our partners from London improves cooperation between our organizations on a wide variety of issues. Many of our investigations focused on terrorism have an international nexus, and the best way to deter such activity is to work together with our partners from foreign nations to neutralize threats to our societies. We have a long established relationship with our partners at New Scotland Yard and the Greater Manchester Police Department and we will continue to work together to ensure the security of our countries and protection of our citizens.”

ALAT Dan Morrison and Detective Superintendant Keith Surtees Photo credit: Rebecca Callahan, FBI

A/SAC Anderson added, “I thought it was an excellent mutual exchange with Detective Chief Superintendent Woollcombe. I know she enjoyed meeting with us and took away some very useful information. We look forward to continuing our excellent relationship with everyone at New Scotland Yard as we move forward.”

ALAT Dan Morrison, Detective Superintendant Keith Surtees and Counterterrorism Supervisory Special Agent Michael A. D’Alonzo Photo credit: Rebecca Callahan, FBI

ALAT Morrison stated, “We have an excellent relationship with our law enforcement and intelligence agency partners in the United Kingdom and welcomed this opportunity to combine our teams in discussion of issues that affect both our countries and our citizens collectively. We look forward to strengthening and maintaining a collaborative relationship with our fellow law enforcement partners so that we may continue to fulfill our mutual objectives in safeguarding the infrastructure of our nations and eradicating threats from individuals and or groups that wish to do us harm.”

SSA D‘Alonzo noted, “The globalization of jihad and terrorist groups has made it absolutely vital that we all keep our intelligence as up to the moment and accurate as possible. That would be impossible without the constant coordination and assistance of our allies. This relationship with UK intelligence services is vital.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) Joseph Demarest added to the above statements by saying, “We partner every day on all types of national security and criminal matters. These visits will help to fortify our relationships with international intelligence and law entities who share our common goal of protecting both of our nation’s most valuable resources.”

The New York Office hosted the annual training conference for the FBI’s Art Crime Team. Established in 2004, the team is composed of 13 special agents, each responsible for addressing art and cultural property crime cases in an assigned geographic region. The Art Crime Team is coordinated through the FBI’s Art Theft Program in the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) located at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Art Crime Team agents receive specialized training in art and cultural property investigations and assist in art-related investigations worldwide in cooperation with foreign law enforcement officials and FBI legal attaché offices. The U.S. Department of Justice has assigned three Special Trial Attorneys to the Art Crime Team for prosecutive support.

Since its inception, the Art Crime Team has recovered more than 2,750 items of cultural property with a value exceeding $142 million. As a means of raising public awareness of art theft and its impact on the local community, the FBI Art Crime Team has identified the Top Ten Art Crimes. One such crime occurred in October 1995 in New York. It was reported that a $3 million Stradivarius violin had been stolen from the New York City apartment of Erica Morini, a noted concert violinist. Made in 1727 by Antonio Stradivari, the violin is known as the Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius. “This remains an open investigation in the New York office,” said Special Agent Richard Kolko.

Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, program manager of the Art Theft Program at FBIHQ. Photo credit: Rebecca Callahan, FBI

Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, program manager of the Art Theft Program at FBIHQ, said, “Our team of dedicated special agents is prepared to assist in art-related investigations worldwide. Art Crime Team agents have the specialized skills, knowledge, and experience that are requested by our law enforcement partners both nationally and internationally. We are proud of their accomplishments and look for continued support of our program and its objectives.”

Special Agent (SA) James Wynne from the New York Office has specialized in art crime investigations in New York for 23 years. He is widely regarded as the FBI’s most experienced and successful art crime investigator. During the conference today, SA Wynne noted, “Art Crime investigative skills are unique. This opportunity to meet with other members of our crime team program helps us refine our skills and combine ideas for continuing success.”

SA Matthew J. Bertron and Criminal Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge Belle Chen. Photo credit: Rebecca Callahan, FBI

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Joseph Demarest gave opening remarks at the conference and added, “The Art Crime Team shines a positive light on the resources and abilities the FBI has to offer and highlights our dedication to preserving historical and cultural heritage. Your specialties cannot be stood up overnight and we commend you for your talents and dedication.”

The FBI also maintains the National Stolen Art File (NSAF), a computerized index of reported stolen art and cultural properties for the use of law enforcement agencies across the world.

After two-and-a-half years of exhaustive investigation into more than 100 civil rights-era cold cases, the FBI has announced the next phase of their Cold Case Initiative: looking for the next-of-kin in 33 cases to let families know what happened to their loved ones and to possibly obtain additional investigative information.

If you’re a family member of one of the victims or think you may know the whereabouts of a family member, contact your local FBI office.

These cases—announced today in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by FBI Civil Rights Unit Chief Cynthia Deitle, along with cold case documentary filmmaker Keith Beauchamp—represent the last remaining investigations from our original list of 108 cold cases released in February 2007.

Special Agent Deitle

The FBI has done a tremendous amount of work since February 2007, locating victims’ families in 75 cases, enabling them to investigate and assess each one.

“Our agents have worked tirelessly, reaching out to victims’ families and interviewing witnesses, along with police officers, prosecutors, and judges,” says Deitle. “They’ve combed through old police records, grand jury transcripts, and court transcripts to piece together a story that may have happened decades ago.

Because of previous publicity efforts, Deitle adds, “We’ve also received tips and other help from the public, the media, academia, and our partners at organizations like the NAACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Urban League.”

To date, three of 108 cases have been referred for state prosecution. In other cases, there may be no charges filed because many involve:

• deceased suspects (47 percent of cases);
• individuals who were already tried in state court and can’t be prosecuted again in federal court because of double jeopardy;
• deceased witnesses and old evidence that’s been destroyed; or
• deaths that weren’t racially-motivated homicides (19 percent).

The FBI will continue to probe civil rights-era cases. Photo courtesy of Keith Beauchamp.

However, several additional cold cases have been prosecuted federally in recent years, including the 1964 murders of Henry Dee and Charles Moore. And we’re pursuing leads in other cases, including the 1964 murder of Frank Morris.

Among the 36 victims whose families we’re currently looking for:

Arthur James Hill: shot and killed in August 1965 in Villa Rica, Georgia during an altercation with a group of white men.

Clarence Horatious Pickett: beaten to death by a police officer in December 1957 in a jail in Columbus, Georgia.

Ann Thomas: sexually assaulted and shot four times in the head in April 1969 in San Antonio, Texas.

William Lewis Moore: a postal worker and former U.S. Marine shot and killed in April 1963 near Attalla, Alabama while marching to deliver a letter to the governor of Mississippi urging the integration of the University of Mississippi.

Ernest Jells: shot to death in October 1963 in Clarksville, Mississippi, by police after he allegedly pointed a rifle at officers attempting to arrest him for stealing a banana.

Once we officially close all 108 cases, we’ll continue to look into racially-motivated homicides from the civil rights era that come to our attention. Protecting the rights of all Americans—whether in 1959 or 2009—remains one of our top criminal investigative priorities.