Terrorists bent on murder and destruction. Elected officials on the take. Cyber crooks hacking networks and emptying bank accounts. Fraudsters using scams old and new to pilfer billions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans.
The FBI worked thousands of investigations during 2009-from art crime to weapons of mass destruction violations, often in close concert with our partners. As the year comes to a close, here is a rundown of some of the Bureau's most significant cases.
In this first segment Part 1, we'll focus on our top investigative priority: protecting the nation from terrorist attack. The threat posed by extremists is real-and it continues to morph and evolve in new and dangerous ways, like most recently, the Christmas Day incident. Working with a range of local, state, federal, and international partners, we headed off a number of potential plots on U.S. soil.
Here are some of the top terror cases of 2009, in chronological order:
Georgia jihadists: With little more than an Internet connection and the radicalizing influences of overseas terrorists, two middle-class young men in Atlanta went from rhetoric to plotting jihad and were sentenced earlier this month. Details
David Coleman Headley: The U.S. citizen was arrested in October for planning terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper and two of its employees. New charges this month in this ongoing case allege he took part in the conspiracy surrounding the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Details
Somalia: In February, the FBI reported that young men from Minneapolis were traveling to Somalia to join extremists fighting for control of the country. One of those men became who was believed to be the first U.S. citizen to carry out a terrorist suicide bombing after launching an attack in Somalia. By November, 14 defendants were charged with recruiting people from the U.S. to train or fight on behalf of extremist groups in Somalia. Details
Najibullah Zazi: The 24-year-old Colorado resident was arrested in September, along with his father and another man, for conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S. citizens. Zazi traveled to New York City on September 10, 2009 "in furtherance of his criminal plans," according to the Department of Justice. Details
Attempted bombing of federal building: In September, a U.S. citizen was arrested in connection with a plot to detonate a vehicle bomb at the federal building in Springfield, Illinois. Details
Attempted skyscraper bombing: Also in September, a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen who espoused violent jihad was arrested for attempting to blow up a 60-story glass office tower in Dallas, Texas. Details
North Carolina takedown: In July, seven men, including a father and two sons, were charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and to wage jihad overseas. The heavily armed group trained in the U.S., raised money to support their training, and recruited and radicalized others. Details
Synagogue plot: In May, four people were arrested outside a New York synagogue and charged with planning to blow up Jewish targets and shoot down military planes. Details
Liberty City Six: In May, a Miami jury convicted five men of providing material support to al Qaeda and planning attacks on U.S. targets, including the Sears Tower in Chicago. Details
Ali al-Marri: In May, the al Qaeda "sleeper" operative working in the U.S. pled guilty to charges relating to his role in the 9/11 attacks. Details
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Part 1 focused on terrorism cases. This segment highlights some of the year's top cases from the FBI's other investigative priorities:
Espionage: In November, a former State Department official and his wife pled guilty to a 30-year conspiracy to provide classified military information to Cuba. (Preventing and exposing intelligence activities-spying-on U.S. soil remains one of the Bureau's top investigative priorities because it strikes at the heart of national security.) Details
Cyber heist: Also in November, four hackers were charged with masterminding the simultaneous theft of $9 million from 2,100 ATMs from around the world. They did it all in 12 hours, illustrating the global reach-and threat-of cyber crime. (The arrests illustrated the importance of global law enforcement partnerships.) Details
Public corruption: In August, former Louisiana Congressman William J. Jefferson was convicted of bribery, racketeering, and money laundering. In November, a federal judge sentenced the 62-year-old to 13 years in prison and ordered him to forfeit more than $470,000. Details on Jefferson's conviction and sentencing.
Operation Phish Phry: Nearly 100 people were charged in the U.S. and Egypt in October in one the largest cyber fraud phishing cases to date. The defendants targeted U.S. banks and victimized hundreds and possibly thousands of account holders by stealing their financial information and using it to transfer money to bogus accounts. Details
Operation Cross Country: As part of the FBI's Innocence Lost National Initiative, 100 children victimized through prostitution were recovered in two separate multi-city sweeps. More than 1,200 individuals-including 60 pimps-were arrested on state and local charges. Details on Cross County III and IV.
Operation Knock Out: The nation's largest gang investigation and prosecution underscored the growing gang problem in the U.S. and the negative impact gangs have on communities. The Los Angeles investigation involved more than 1,400 officers from more than 40 federal, state, and local agencies. By October, some 200 defendants had been indicted, and the case continues. Details
Pfizer fraud: In the largest health care fraud settlement in Department of Justice history, the pharmaceutical giant agreed in September to pay $2.3 billion to resolve charges of illegal and fraudulent promotion of its products. Details
Large-scale corruption: In July, 44 prominent political and religious leaders-including mayors, assemblymen, and rabbis from New Jersey and New York-were arrested in an early morning sweep and charged with political corruption and high-volume international money laundering. Details
Bernard Madoff: In March, the financier pled guilty to multiple counts of fraud and money laundering after bilking his clients out of billions of dollars. In June, the 71-year-old was sentenced to 150 years in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $170 billion to the government. Details on Madoff's guilty plea and sentencing.
Mortgage fraud: In April, indictments were announced in connection with the "Dream Homes Program." The program promised to pay homeowners' mortgages in return for an up-front fee that would be invested in profitable business ventures but turned into a $70 million nightmare for more than 1,000 investors. Details
