CBP Officers Find Wanted Probation Violator in St. Thomas

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands - A woman wanted by New York Suffolk County authorities was recently identified and arrested by Cyril E. King Airport U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers while traveling to Miami, Florida.

Mari Elizabeth Ahevonderae, 42, presented herself for inspection at the Cyril E. King Airport prior to boarding an American Airlines flight destined to Miami. CBP law enforcement databases revealed that Ahevonderae was wanted on a probation violation by the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Office in New York.

After confirmation of the outstanding warrant, Ahevonderae was allowed to travel to Miami International Airport where CBP officers arrested her and turned her over to the Miami-Dade Police Department for extradition proceedings.

“Customs and Border Protection is an agency committed to securing our borders, while at the same time cooperating with other law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of U.S. laws. CBP officers are always vigilant to detect individuals that have broken our laws and attempt to defeat our justice system,” stated Marcelino Borges, Director of Field Operations for Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.

The primary mission of CBP is anti-terrorism. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the nation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Commodities Trader Arrested for Threatening to Kill Government Officials

Vincent McCrudden, a former commodities trader, was charged in federal court today with two counts of transmitting threats to kill 47 current and former officials of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"), the National Futures Association ("NFA"), and the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC").1 McCrudden's initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge E. Thomas Boyle at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice; and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

According to the criminal complaint, which was unsealed today, McCrudden sent several e-mails threatening violence against employees of the CFTC and NFA. For example, on September 30, 2010, he allegedly sent an e-mail to an employee of the NFA stating that "it wasn't ever a question of 'if' I was going to kill you, it was just a question of when. And now, that question has been answered. You are going to die a painful death." In addition to sending threatening e-mails, the defendant posted threats on a website that he operated. On one of those website pages, the defendant invited others to "[g]o buy a gun" and take back the country and stated that he would be the first one to lead by example. On another page on his website, the defendant included an "Execution List" with the names of 47 current and former officials of the SEC, FINRA, NFA, and CFTC. That list included the chairperson of the SEC, the chairman of the CFTC, a former acting chairman and commissioner of the CFTC, the chairman and CEO of FINRA, the former chief of enforcement at FINRA, and other employees of the NFA and CFTC. The defendant wrote that "[t]hese people have got to go. And I need your help, there are just too many for me alone." Finally, the defendant posted a $100,000 reward on his website for personal information of several government officials and proof that those officials were punished. According to the complaint, McCrudden started making these threats shortly after the CFTC filed a civil enforcement suit against him in early December, 2010. The complaint alleged that McCrudden has been the subject of various enforcement or disciplinary proceedings at the NFA, FINRA, and the CFTC for several years.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment on each of the two counts.

"In this day and age, there is no such thing as an idle threat," stated United States Attorney Lynch. "Those who threaten injury or worse to the lives of others will be promptly investigated and vigorously prosecuted." Ms. Lynch expressed her grateful appreciation to the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, for its cooperation and assistance in the investigation. Ms. Lynch added that the government's investigation is continuing.

Assistant Attorney General Breuer stated, "The Department of Justice takes very seriously the allegations in the complaint against Mr. McCrudden that was unsealed today. Threats of death and violence against federal officials and employees for executing their duties are simply unacceptable."

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Fedarcyk stated, "Overt threats of the sort made by this defendant must be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. The threats were direct, extreme, and specific, vowing to kill securities regulators and encouraging others to do the same. The allegations, coming as they do during a period of national mourning in the wake of horrific violence done to public officials and others, are especially troubling."

Assistance was provided in this investigation and arrest by the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Suffolk County Police and the Port Authority Police Department.

The government's case is being prosecuted by Eastern District of New York Assistant United States Attorneys James McMahon and Christopher Caffarone and Trial Attorney Thomas Dukes of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section in the Department of Justice's Criminal Division. The Office of International Affairs in the Department of Justice's Criminal Division provided assistance in this case.

The Defendant:

VINCENT MCCRUDDEN

Age: 49

The charges announced today are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Public Safety Technology in the News

This recap of Public Safety Technology in the News is a service of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC), a program of the Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

Denver Deploys New Graffiti Surveillance System
Government Technology (11/15/07), News Report

The city and county of Denver, Colorado, in an effort to reduce the city's graffiti issue, have announced they will take part in a 30-day beta test of a newly released graffiti surveillance system. Law Enforcement Associates will provide eight Graffiti Cam units, along with training on installation and set-up and free 24-hour technical support to the Denver Police Department. Based on graffiti-related motions, the Graffiti Cam system is designed to inform law enforcement of graffiti crimes in progress. The system will provide law enforcement the chance to catch suspects in the act, as well provide video evidence for suspect identification.
www.govtech.com/gt/articles/186222

Future Cops: Police Use Tactical Technologies to Catch Criminals
FOXNews.com (11/27/07), Gene J. Koprowski

A suspect flees from the Los Angeles Police, but rather than getting involved in a dangerous, high-speed pursuit the police only follow for a few blocks. During that time, the police tag the car using a laser-guided GPS tracking system that launches a transmitter which attaches to the fleeing car. Once the car is tagged, police can then slow down and fall back, which encourages the suspect to slow down as well. The transmitter attached to the vehicle allows police to track the suspect in real-time using a wireless network. Once the vehicle stops, police can move in and arrest the suspect as he is exiting the car. This technology is being tested by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Suffolk County Police Department in New York. Now StarChase, LLC, the developer of the system, plans to move to the next phase and commercialize the product and hopes to have it on the market early next year.
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312953,00.html

System Lets Agencies in Area Share Data
washingtonpost.com (11/29/07), Mary Beth Sheridan

More than 60 Washington, D.C. area law enforcement agencies now have access to the Law Enforcement Information Exchange (LInX) system. LInX will allow these agencies to easily share crime reports and mug shots. Prior to the system's implementation, agencies had to make calls to other departments or actually visit the department to exchange information relating to suspects. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) launched LInX because of possible threats to naval installations, and hoped that the system would perpetuate communication between the various levels of law enforcement in an effort to protect and serve. Funding to establish the service came from NCIS and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Law enforcement will access LInX at no charge. At present, roughly 2,000 officers in the D.C. area have access, with that number expected to double before the end of the year. These officers can access 6 million mug shots and 14 million crime reports. NCIS has cre! ated similar systems in six other areas of the United States.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802401.html

Bowie Police Go High Tech
gazette.net (11/22/07), Megan King

In the past month, the Bowie (Maryland) Police Department has been able to scan more than 20,000 license plates using a new license plate recognition technology system. Since its installation on October 30, the system has alerted officers more than 300 times to violations such as stolen vehicle and suspended tags. The plates that the system scans are cross-checked against a database of statewide motor vehicle violations, as well as national criminal data. If a violation is found, the system notifies the patrol officer. The license plate scanning system allows officers to scan 5,000 plates during a 10-hour shift. The department purchased the system using donations from various businesses within Bowie, which amount to about 40 percent of the total cost of the system.
www.gazette.net/stories/112207/largnew172423_32363.shtml

Contagious Communications
Law Enforcement Technology (11/2007), p. 22, Jonathan Kozlowski

YouTube (www.youtube.com), the popular website that allows any user the ability to upload videos to the Web free of charge, can be a useful tool for law enforcement agencies seeking to improve communication with the general public and to share information with other agencies. The Broward County (Florida) Sheriff's Office is using YouTube to post public service announcements in conjunction with distributing printed materials to the community. The Office's most popular video, "Gone in 4 seconds," has been viewed almost 7 million times. The Franklin (Massachusetts) Police Department posted video of two suspects from store footage to YouTube and soon received a tip from another agency identifying the suspects. The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) is also using the YouTube site to post videos of missing children and educational materials.
www.officer.com/magazines/let/

Schools' Computer Flags Sex Offenders
Washington Post (12/4/2007), Ian Shapira

The Prince William County (Virginia) school system has implemented the V-soft security system to track school visitors and screen for sex offenders. The V-soft system, also known as Raptor, scans identification cards such as driver's licenses and compares the information against listings of sex offenders from across the country. The Raptor system is also in use in the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) school system and is credited with identifying three sex offenders and leading to one arrest.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120302027.html

Video-Conferencing Increases Security, Saves County Time, Money
The Daily Siftings Herald (11/27/2007), Donna Hilton

Clark County, Arkansas, is saving money by using video-conferencing to allow inmates to make their first court appearances without leaving the county jail. The system uses two television sets and two cameras, which allow the inmate and judge to communicate. With the new system in place, security is improved because prisoners do not have to be transported from the jail to the courtroom. The video-conferencing equipment was purchased by the Clark County Sheriff's Department and cost less than $1,000.
www.siftingsherald.com/articles/2007/11/27/news/news1.txt

FCC Awards Spectrum to Public Safety Group
ComputerWorld (11/27/2007), Donna Hilton

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has awarded the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. (PSST), a nonprofit group with members from various public safety organizations, the license for 10 MHz in the wireless spectrum considered to be valuable. The portion of the wireless spectrum awarded to PSST was abandoned by television in light of the congressional requirement to move broadcasts to digital by 2009. The PSST spectrum will be combined with an adjacent 10 MHz that will be auctioned off in early 2008. The winner will be required to establish a nationwide wireless network that will meet both public safety and commercial needs. Then, according to the FCC, PSST will establish a network-sharing agreement with the winning bidder, with PSST becoming the administrator for this network.
www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9048180