March 20, 2008

FBI SPRINGFIELD
http://springfield.fbi.gov

FBI Special Agent in Charge, Karen E. Spangenberg, Springfield Division , commended Officer Dustin Lingle of the Vienna Police Department today, for his contributions to the FBI Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force.  Most recently, Officer Lingle's efforts were instrumental in the conviction and incarceration of Justin Baker, who received a 40 year sentence to the Federal Bureau of Prisons and a 37 year sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections, for offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children.
The Baker investigation is a classic example of the benefits of combining resources and expertise to combat an identified crime problem.  The Vienna Police Department became the seventh agency to assign personnel to the FBI Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force, to leverage resources in the fight against cyber crime.  Members of the Cyber Task Force include:

• Carbondale Police Department;
• Crawford County Sheriff's Office;
• FBI;
• Illinois  Secretary of State Police;
• Marion Police Department;
• Mount Vernon Police Department;
  

The Cyber Task Force also works closely with the Illinois Attorney General's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  The FBI has Special Agents assigned full-time to NCMEC, to help coordinate incoming complaints.  By sharing specialized resources, expertise, intelligence and training opportunities, these law enforcement agencies are better positioned to effectively and efficiently focus investigative efforts, and avoid duplication of efforts.

Cyber Crime is a high priority for the FBI.  The Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force is responsible for investigating a wide variety of cyber related offenses, including computer intrusions/hacking, intellectual property rights violations, internet fraud, and crimes against children.  The task force is active in the Innocent Images National Initiative, designed as a proactive, multi-agency initiative to combat the sexual exploitation of children, facilitated by the internet.  Officer Lingle has attended specialized FBI Innocent Images training, learning advanced skills and methods to identify child predators on-line.
   
Mount Vernon Chief of Police Chris Mendenall said “we are excited to be involved with the FBI in the Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force.  We, as a law enforcement agency, have to move forward and fight crime not only in our city, but in Cyberspace.  The cyber crimes task force offers us the ability to combat these crimes with federally funded training, equipment, and resources.  With the partnership and resources of the FBI, our department is able to investigate criminals who operate globally, but effect our community locally.”

Johnson County State's Attorney Tricia Shelton noted, “in today's society, teamwork is crucial in the prosecution of sexual predators.  By working together, State and Federal agencies can better assess a case and determine where the perpetrator will be held most accountable.  Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the safety of our children.”

FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Dennis Passerman, who supervises the Marion Resident Agency of the FBI, said “it is important for us to build and maintain relationships with local and state law enforcement agencies to increase awareness of cyber crime trends and methods.  The Cyber Task Force is a resource center where federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies can come together to pro-actively investigate criminals who prey on our local community.  The law enforcement partnerships in Southern Illinois have proven to be very effective.”

Cyber crime complaints have been steadily increasing over the last five years.  The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) was established in May, 2000, as a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.  IC3 serves as a centralized complaint center for internet related criminal complaints.  IC3 receives, researches and refers cyber criminal complaints to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement agencies.  IC3 receives over 200,000 internet related complaints each year, including over 6,000 from Illinois residents.  These complaints are composed of a variety of fraud related matters, including auction fraud and credit card fraud, as well as complaints involving computer intrusions, spam, and child pornography.

Cyber related criminal complaints may be referred to the Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force at (618)997-6847, or the Internet Crime Complaint Center, IC3, at www.IC3.gov.   NCMEC also receives child exploitation complaints at 800-843-5678 and on-line at www.cybertipline.com. 
      
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