FBI agent lists priorities in Northern Ohio

The head of the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent in Charge C. Frank Figliuzzi recently spent an evening at the Bay Men's Club. As the featured speaker, Agent Figliuzzi illuminated the club's members with a talk highlighting the priorities of the FBI in the northern Ohio area. The 350-employee field office under his command covers northern Ohio from Toledo to Youngstown and extends down to north of Columbus.
During his talk, Figliuzzi listed the five top priorities of his division:
Priority One: Counter Terrorism.
Prior to to 9/11, white-collar crime had been the top focus of the FBI in our area. The Northern Ohio Task Force investigates areas of domestic terrorism — groups such as the Freemen and the New Black Panthers. Figliuzzi’s office recently took down six radical fundamentalists in Toledo who had links to al Qaeda. The group had been formulating a plan to kill U.S. soldiers overseas. “Although Cleveland has not had any terrorist cells, it has had financial supporters for terrorists,” he said.
Priority Two: Counter Intelligence.
The FBI investigates espionage against U.S. firms. Figliuzzi pointed to a recent case involving Lubrizol, a specialty chemicals manufacturer. Employees at the firm alerted the FBI about an employee who was logging an extraordinary amount of time at work. Upon investigation, the Bureau found that the employee was sending information about the company’s proprietary thermoplastic polyurethane formula to a South Korean competitor after his shift at the company. The employee was paid $10,000 each time he sent a section of the formula to the foreign company. He sent bits of the company’s formula seven times to the overseas competitor. The employee was arrested and charged with espionage against the U.S. firm. And what happened to Lubrizol? “To get the formula back, Lubrizol had to buy the foreign company,” explained Agent Figliuzzi.
Priority Three: Cyber Crime.
“The threat to our internet network is the scariest threat we have. Click on an attachment and all hell can break loose. Determining whether it is a foreign government or a 16-year old kid is the challenge,” said Figliuzzi.
Priority Four: Public Corruption.
We’re all familiar with the Cuyahoga County corruption investigation. The FBI has code-named their investigation “Operation Air Ball.” When asked why it’s taking so long, Figliuzzi responded, “Every time we turn a corner, there’s something else.”
Priority Five: Civil Rights
This area of investigation covers hate crimes and intolerance by police with regards to race. Mr. Figliuzzi, who has been an agent in various regions of the U.S., said the Cleveland area
“is one of the most tolerant areas of the country.”
Agent Figliuzzi also stated that even in this sagging economy the FBI is hiring. “Tell your sons and daughters that we have positions open and we’re hiring,” he said. “In fact, an analyst straight out of college will start at $60,000 per year.”