FBI Updates Congress on Threats Involving Insiders

FBI Counterintelligence executive C. Frank Figliuzzi briefed members of a House subcommittee on our efforts to disrupt economic espionage activity in the U.S., which—based on our pending cases—has resulted in losses of more than $13 billion to the American economy. Figliuzzi highlighted two growing threats: the willingness of so-called insiders to steal trade secrets and other proprietary information and hand it over to foreign entities; and the illegal transfer of U.S. technology, which could potentially end up in weapons of mass destruction.

The hearing, titled “Economic Espionage: A Foreign Intelligence Threat to Americans Jobs and Homeland Security,” also featured officials from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Figliuzzi noted that the “partnerships represented at this hearing”—coupled with public awareness—are a vital component to combating economic espionage.