January 15, 2025 • 20 mins
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's mission is to protect the American People and Uphold the Constitution. A major focus is protecting civil rights and combating hate crimes. It's some of the most important work they do. My guest is Supervisory Special Agent Eric Field. He's in charge of the Cincinnati FBI field office's hate crimes/civil rights team. Learn how the FBI combats hate crimes and civil rights abuses, and how to report suspected cases, and why that is so important.
Click here for the FBI's website
Click here to report a suspected federal crime or civil rights abuse
1-800-CALL FBI [800-225-5324]
Click here for the FBI's website
Click here to report a suspected federal crime or civil rights abuse
1-800-CALL FBI [800-225-5324]
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome back. This is Iheartsincy. I'm your host, Sandy Collins.
If this is your first time hanging out with us,
this is the Tri State Public Affairs Show where we
spotlight individuals, organizations, and events that really make a difference
here in the Tri State. Today's guest works at the
FBI Field Office right here in Cincinnati, Supervisory Special Agent
(00:21):
Eric Field. He heads up the investigations into civil rights
violations and hate crimes here in the Tri State. Welcome
to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
So we met last spring at the FBI Citizens Academy
where I got to go through the class for I
think it was eight weeks and we got to learn
a lot about the FBI and the inner workings and
see things from a different perspective. And when you gave
your presentation on one of the big initiatives for the FBI,
I was really interested in that because it was an
(00:52):
area that I thought that a lot of people don't
know about and I wanted you to get that information
out there. So welcome to the show. I want to
talk about civil rights and I want to talk about
hate crimes.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, well, thank you for having men.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
That is again as you mentioned, as one of our
biggest priorities in the criminal branch, that is our number
two overall criminal priority is investigating civil rights matters and
that includes hate crimes.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
I think the average person wouldn't realize that the FBI
wouldn't necessarily care about a hate crime if it was
a in your town, that doesn't really matter to you.
You are concerned about hate crime period.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I mean a hate crime, and that is one of
the reason why I like to get out and do
these conversations as much as I can, is to get
that word out that we very much care about working
these hate crimes. It's violating someone's constitutional rights, and that
is the main goal of the FBI, especially in the
criminal branch, is to protect individuals constitutional rights. And a
hate crime, as you mentioned, it's It can start as
(01:49):
something small, where it's a traditional criminal offence, such as
in our sin and assault, even just evandalism with someone's property.
But what is based on a bias against a person's race, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, even disabilities. If it's based on that,
then that's what makes it cross the line into a
(02:11):
potential federal violation and a hate crime.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
So that's when we want to get involved.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
There seems to be a defensive posture in the face
of some people that feel like you're just trying to
make more of it than it is, or try to
make a political statement of some sort. What do you
say to that.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Hate crimes how we look at them, It's a message crime.
When an individual commits a crime, a violent act, an
act of force or threat of force against an individual
based on a bias. They're not trying to just attack
that one person. Say it's an individual who commits an
assault against a Jewish person because of their Jewish because
(02:50):
of their religion. It's more of an attack on an
entire community. It's meant to strike fear, not only in
the Jewish community, say here in Cincinnati, but nationwide or
even worldwide. So that is why we take them pretty serious,
because it's not just as a traditional crime it's going
to be just the assault against person a. This is
an assault against an entire community.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
How do you determine when something is a hate crime?
Where do you think it might be?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Again, it's getting out there in the public as much
as possible and making people aware, specifically local law enforcement,
what a hate crime is because it's typically going to
be that criminal, that traditional criminal offense, where it's going
to be an assault or a burglary or vandalism. Police
officers will go out there to investigate that specific crime,
(03:35):
and once they think there may be a bias involved,
that's when they'll call us and we will start investigating
to determine if there is a bias. That is the
unique thing about hate crimes is when you know that
assault occurs, you can prove save it's on video outside
of a bar. You can prove that person a attack
person b that's pretty clear to the jury.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
But what we would have to prove is we would have.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
To gather evidence and our federal prospcs uters would have
to prove the motive behind it, the bias a hate
crime did not occur. But for that bias, they're dislike
or hatred, they're preconceived negative opinion against group of people.
That's what turns it over from a potential state or
local charge to a hate crime.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
How busy is your office investigating hate crimes in Cincinnati?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
We are doing this right now.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
We are trying to get out to make to look
for more cases because we know there's more cases out there.
The FBI is determined that this is a very, if
not the most underreported type of crime out there, just
because people don't know how to report hate crimes. As
you mentioned earlier, people don't necessarily know what a hate
crime is, so they don't know to report it.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And if they get.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Attacked, if their house gets burglarized, they're just gonna Sometimes
they're just concerned with called nine to one as they
should and let the police handle that burglary.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
They don't really know if this was based on a bias.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
The FABI I wants to get involved, so we're out
there making as many groups aware as possible so they
can bring more cases to us.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I think the hesitation for somebody would be, well, I
think it's because of this about me, but I can't
prove it, and I don't want anybody to think I'm
just blowing smoke, you know what I mean, Whether they're
beaten up and they're a gay person, and then they said, well,
I think that guy did this because of that, or
if there's some retaliation for something that has happened to
(05:29):
you in the past from someone, it just seems like
they don't need to be afraid of proving the case.
They just need to tell you what happened and let
you guys figure things out.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah, that's absolutely true. We want to get all those
allegations from potential victims. Bring that information to us so
we can look into it and we can make that
determination whether it's a federal hate crime or it should
stay with our state and local partners and be just
that the original criminal offense.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Do you want people to actually send those into the
Cincinnati Field office. Should they go to their local police
and sheriff's department to make a complaint first.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
So if it's the assault, if it's the arson, if
it's immediate, they need to call nine one one first
because they are the immediate response the local police department.
But if they think it's based on bias, then please
report that to one hundred call FBI or FBI tip
stock of.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I'm seeking with Eric Field. He's a special agent here
in Cincinnati with the SINSII Field Office at the FBI.
We've been talking about a little bit about the hate
Crimes Initiative from the FBI and how laser focused the
organization is on trying to reach them and find justice
for victims. What about the civil Rights Division, you're also
well versed in.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
So the other Civil rights covers three different programs. It's
the hate crimes as we mentioned, and then colored law
and then Face Act. Color of law actually probably covers
two thirds of the cases that the Civil Rights Division works,
and that's going to be the classic examples of color
of law are excessive force from police officers or excessive
force of individuals in a prison setting.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
So color of law kind of describes the fact that
someone has sworn in, has some police powers, and they
have control over citizens.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
That's correct, and there's a misconception in the public that
there is some sort of because it's called color of law,
that there's a race element, but it is not a
race element at all. It is purely the color of
law is the authority they are given to them by
the government to arrest, to uphold the law, and if
they abuse that position is when when there's an excessive force.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
There's a lot of information now available to people with
the Internet and through YouTube about what your rights are
and what do you have to do if you're stopped.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
The best case is is too if if the police
officer pulls you over, respect them, listen to their commands
and and all will be.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Well, when do you have to comply? And when don't you?
And in my household, it was comply. And there's no
there's no gray area here.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
They have the badge, they have the they were given
the authority by the government to uphold the law. So
if they're if they believe that you have violated some
sort of state statute or local statute.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
You need to listen to them.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
And then if they did cross line setting wasn't proper.
There there's a potential excessive force or some sort of
abusive position afterward.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
But they need to listen to law enforcement.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
If you don't listen to them and you're fighting them
all the way, you're making it even tougher. You're probably
getting scuffed up in the middle of an arrest.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Then, and there's other charges involved right there, right.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
But but the whole point is is that if you
disagree with what's happening to you, the best solution is
to comply and go through the process correct absolutely, and
then let the judges work it out, let the sergeants
or the lieutenants or the special agents work it out
that yeah, that guy was wrong or.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Yeah that guy was right, right, and that's our system
set up. I mean, the whole judicial system that isn't
there for for a reason. We have our grand juries,
we have we have the judges, the prosecutors, the jury.
I mean, that's the whole process in place for this suffisode.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
What kind of civil rights actions do you investigate?
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Well, heye, crimes and color of law are those majority.
It's face Act is the third tier of the in
the civil rights branch, and that is freedom to access
of clinical entrances. The classic examples are the pro pro
choice and pro life clinics. We just don't see very
many of those anymore. I mean, we have not had
(09:31):
one in the year that I've been in Cincinnati. I
worked these violations for six years in Saint Louis prior
to come in here, and we did have one case
in that whole six years that I was in Saint
Louis years ago.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
There used to be a whole lot more all the time.
That's completely changed for sure. What drew you to this
particular area of law enforcement? And I'm talking about the
FBI first of all, and then this division because I
think you really enjoy what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I've always wanted to do this and I very much
enjoy it, so I'm by trade. Was my progression into
the FBI. My dad was friends with an FBI agent
in Erie, Pennsylvania, where I grew up, and I've always
enjoyed military and law enforcement, so I met with him
in high school and knew. I knew that was my
plan what I wanted to do. So I focused through
(10:17):
college what I wanted to do. I became a CPA.
I applied as soon as I could to the FBI.
I turned twenty seven in the FBI academy, so I've
been in for quite a while now, and luckily.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Because I had white.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Collar background, my first office, they assigned me to work
in white collar cases. So I started with mortgage fraud
and bank fraud and more of the classic white collar cases,
and then rolled that into public corruption. And then I
went to FBI headquarters to the Public Coruption Unit in
twenty sixteen, and there we partnered up with the Civil
Rights Unit. So that's where I got my first real
(10:53):
taste and learned the real importance of the Civil Rights Unit.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
So we did a lot of national trainings with that unit.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
I really learned what hame, what hatcrime was, and what
civil rights or the color of law violations were And
then luckily in Saint Louis, I supervised a public coruption
civil rights squad only right. I did that for four
years and then I actually stepped down because I missed
working cases very much. So I started working those violations
for another two years and then and then I had
(11:23):
the opportunity to come back here to supervise this squad.
And this is this is home for my wife, and
my parents and siblings are much closer to here.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
So where are you from.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
I'm from Erie, Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Okay, I think you said that. Sorry, I didn't catch
that when you said it the first time. That's an
interesting background. One of the things we learned in the
Citizens Academy is people who were all professional fields coming
into the FBI to become a law enforcement officer. So
you had accountants and dentists and things like that. So
(11:56):
tell people, if you would, how that works. How you
can have a specialty in something that's not related at
all to the FBI and still fit in at the
FBI as a special agent or someone else that's on
the staff that you need.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Yeah, so just a quick story. I mean, I was
talking to an individual. We actually did a hate crimes
presentation two weeks ago and a lady there said her
son was interested in the FBI. So I spoke with
him last week and he has a kinesiology degree and
he said, well, that give me into the FBI. Well absolutely,
it's we need that expertise to potentially work health care
fraud and other types of violations. So the type of
(12:35):
criminal investigations that we work are so broad that we
need the expertise of people from all walks of life. Really,
we need to be a very diverse workforce for us
to have that skill set to work these violations, because
the federal violations are very complex.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Lots of jobs in the FBI, but to be a
special agent to wear the badge, the minimum age is
twenty three, I'm told, and then the oldest is thirty seven,
So you've got about fourteen years there of your prime
right when you're healthiest. You don't have as many responsibilities, hopefully,
and you can move all around the world. How many
(13:13):
other places have you been?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
So I've lived outside Chicago and Northwest Indiana, and then
we went to Washington, d C. Saint Louis and then
here and with three boys, young kids. I'm here to stay.
We won't be moving again. But we have offices all
over the world. So if you're interested in becoming a
special agent with the FBI, you can go to one
office and if you're happy, you can stay in work
(13:36):
cases your whole career, which many agents absolutely love doing.
Or if you want to get into management, there's potential
to move move to other cities throughout the country. And
also there's many offices throughout the entire world.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I have several friends who are a LATS.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
In other countries right now, a LATS assistant legal attes.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Oh okay, I love all the little acronyms. That's one
thing I wish that we had seen back in the
previous century when I was in high school, and that
is I think the police came through, but that was
about it. There might have been some army recruiters or
military recruiters the on the periphery, you know, kind of like, oh,
(14:16):
they're here now whatever, but nobody really seemed to want
to engage with the students. I think that's when the
spark would probably really be sparked if you knew that
that was really a possibility. And the FBI has a
program to educate high school students in this area to
let them know, you know, what is offered through the FBI.
(14:37):
Can you go through into that a little bit.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
The Teen Academy which focuses on grade school and high school,
and then we have Collegiate Academy that focuses on the universities,
where we will get out and explain to them the
different roles that the FBI has. As you mentioned, there's
many roles in the FBI outside of being a special agent,
and we're always recruiting and looking for for the best
and brightest.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
We have a new administration coming in. How does that
affect the field offices? Are new initiatives brought down and
things like that, or.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
There may be new initiatives, But for the most part,
we have our role, We have our jobs. We know
what our jobs are like I supervised the public corruption,
civil rights, and white collar crimes. So we are going
to continue investigating and work in those cases.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Or your separate branch from the from the administration as well,
the third branch of government resent so supposed to be
co inequal parts of the government. Let's let's remember that
we get a lot of information from the FBI about scams.
What's the big scam concern right now?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
The big scam right now is pig butchering and other
cryptocurrency investment scams. So pig butchering is it's typically a widower,
male or female who is just looking for friendship or
companionship online, not necessarily a romantic relationship, and an individual
will we'll do their research and they'll find find this person.
(15:58):
They'll just become friends two or three month, four month,
however long it takes just to form a good relationship,
never romantic, not asking for money, and they the subject
here pretends are very well off and they make a
lot of money in cryptocurrency, and they sometimes they ask,
but sometimes they just wait for the victim to ask,
(16:20):
how do you make your money?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
How do I get involved?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
And then once that is set up, this person does
not think they're going to be a victim because they've
been friends for two or three months with this individual
and they start sending them money through cryptocurrency, and it's
through a complete show website that's completely made up. They
do a log in, use your name and password, but
it's all it's just all complete scam, and we are
losing in cryptocurrency scams. Another investment fraud like this, around
(16:47):
fifty four million dollars just in the Southern Distaco of
Ohio just last year. So we're trying to get out
to make as many people aware of this as possible.
If you don't know the person you know, it's typically
going to be. If it sounds too good to be true,
it is. And please don't send cryptocurrency to people you
don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Eric, I'll be honest with you, I've not heard very
much good about cryptocurrency at all though, just the words
bitcoin and all this. It makes me run the other
way because I'm not really clued in. You're not saying
that bitcoin that necessarily is bad, it's just these people
are using that.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
So it's just an easy way to try this for money.
Cryptocurrency itself is.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
You can't You can't trace it, is that right?
Speaker 3 (17:28):
We have ability to trace it, but it just is
able to move much faster than using the financial institution,
So it moves overseas much quicker. So yes, we can
trace it, yes we can. We can't investigate it, but
it's going to be typically individuals overseas do in these cases,
typically in Southeast Asia or Nigeria are the two main places,
and the money just moves over there too fast that
(17:50):
we have no way to get it.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
How do you tell if you're a woman then you're
or a man. Any red flags that you can give.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Us red flags that it's a scam. I mean, there's
oftentimes people believe a list celebrities are reaching out to
them and need money and want to move to the area,
moved to Cincinnati to marry them. When it's someone who
lives in Hollywood and is very well off, why would they.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
It just doesn't seem to marry them. Correct.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
We see that we have to convince a lot of
people that you know, X, a LIBS celebrity is not
actually going to.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Come here and marry them, but they're setting them money.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
And then there's a lot of individuals who meet their
future boyfriend, their future husband or wife or girlfriend right
this This.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Type of scam definitely works both ways.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
That they're working on an oil rig and they can't
get off and they need money to to get off
the oil rig because they're stranded, and they fly over here.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
That is a very classic classic scam as well.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
That's why they can't meet in person because they're working
on the oil rig and they ask them to send
them money and.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
The right where you can see them talking kind of
a thing too. I've heard that.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
They will sometimes do FaceTime if they can pass for it. Correct.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, So ladies, if he's on an
oil rig and he needs money, tell him to call
his X wife right because because it's it's it's likely
a scam. And I know it's very difficult to tell
those things. Eric Field, he's a special agent with the
FBI out of Cincinnati. Glad you're back here. Thanks for
teaching us so clearly and so well on hate crimes
(19:26):
and the civil rights.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Hate crimes is very important to me and very important
to the FBI, and we cannot do it alone.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
We need community groups. We need individuals to come forward.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
If they think a hate crime has been committed, please
call one eight hundred, called FBI or go online at
FBI tips dot gov and report to us.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We look at those. I have one agent specifically.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Her job is to work hate crimes all civil rights matters,
but she's very passionate about hate crimes as well, and
she goes on the tips website frequently and just looking
for potential new cases, and we're trying to be proactive.
But like I mentioned earlier, the FBI has determined these
are very very.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Underreported crimes, so we just.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Want more information to come in so we can better
assess what we have in our area.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Appreciate your service.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Thank you very much for having me coming up. The
loss was an opportunity to find new family traditions and
remember that just because we've lost someone doesn't mean they're
gone from our lives.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Next on iHeart Cincy
Welcome back. This is Iheartsincy. I'm your host, Sandy Collins.
If this is your first time hanging out with us,
this is the Tri State Public Affairs Show where we
spotlight individuals, organizations, and events that really make a difference
here in the Tri State. Today's guest works at the
FBI Field Office right here in Cincinnati, Supervisory Special Agent
(00:21):
Eric Field. He heads up the investigations into civil rights
violations and hate crimes here in the Tri State. Welcome
to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
So we met last spring at the FBI Citizens Academy
where I got to go through the class for I
think it was eight weeks and we got to learn
a lot about the FBI and the inner workings and
see things from a different perspective. And when you gave
your presentation on one of the big initiatives for the FBI,
I was really interested in that because it was an
(00:52):
area that I thought that a lot of people don't
know about and I wanted you to get that information
out there. So welcome to the show. I want to
talk about civil rights and I want to talk about
hate crimes.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, well, thank you for having men.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
That is again as you mentioned, as one of our
biggest priorities in the criminal branch, that is our number
two overall criminal priority is investigating civil rights matters and
that includes hate crimes.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
I think the average person wouldn't realize that the FBI
wouldn't necessarily care about a hate crime if it was
a in your town, that doesn't really matter to you.
You are concerned about hate crime period.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I mean a hate crime, and that is one of
the reason why I like to get out and do
these conversations as much as I can, is to get
that word out that we very much care about working
these hate crimes. It's violating someone's constitutional rights, and that
is the main goal of the FBI, especially in the
criminal branch, is to protect individuals constitutional rights. And a
hate crime, as you mentioned, it's It can start as
(01:49):
something small, where it's a traditional criminal offence, such as
in our sin and assault, even just evandalism with someone's property.
But what is based on a bias against a person's race, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, even disabilities. If it's based on that,
then that's what makes it cross the line into a
(02:11):
potential federal violation and a hate crime.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
So that's when we want to get involved.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
There seems to be a defensive posture in the face
of some people that feel like you're just trying to
make more of it than it is, or try to
make a political statement of some sort. What do you
say to that.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Hate crimes how we look at them, It's a message crime.
When an individual commits a crime, a violent act, an
act of force or threat of force against an individual
based on a bias. They're not trying to just attack
that one person. Say it's an individual who commits an
assault against a Jewish person because of their Jewish because
(02:50):
of their religion. It's more of an attack on an
entire community. It's meant to strike fear, not only in
the Jewish community, say here in Cincinnati, but nationwide or
even worldwide. So that is why we take them pretty serious,
because it's not just as a traditional crime it's going
to be just the assault against person a. This is
an assault against an entire community.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
How do you determine when something is a hate crime?
Where do you think it might be?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Again, it's getting out there in the public as much
as possible and making people aware, specifically local law enforcement,
what a hate crime is because it's typically going to
be that criminal, that traditional criminal offense, where it's going
to be an assault or a burglary or vandalism. Police
officers will go out there to investigate that specific crime,
(03:35):
and once they think there may be a bias involved,
that's when they'll call us and we will start investigating
to determine if there is a bias. That is the
unique thing about hate crimes is when you know that
assault occurs, you can prove save it's on video outside
of a bar. You can prove that person a attack
person b that's pretty clear to the jury.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
But what we would have to prove is we would have.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
To gather evidence and our federal prospcs uters would have
to prove the motive behind it, the bias a hate
crime did not occur. But for that bias, they're dislike
or hatred, they're preconceived negative opinion against group of people.
That's what turns it over from a potential state or
local charge to a hate crime.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
How busy is your office investigating hate crimes in Cincinnati?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
We are doing this right now.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
We are trying to get out to make to look
for more cases because we know there's more cases out there.
The FBI is determined that this is a very, if
not the most underreported type of crime out there, just
because people don't know how to report hate crimes. As
you mentioned earlier, people don't necessarily know what a hate
crime is, so they don't know to report it.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And if they get.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Attacked, if their house gets burglarized, they're just gonna Sometimes
they're just concerned with called nine to one as they
should and let the police handle that burglary.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
They don't really know if this was based on a bias.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
The FABI I wants to get involved, so we're out
there making as many groups aware as possible so they
can bring more cases to us.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I think the hesitation for somebody would be, well, I
think it's because of this about me, but I can't
prove it, and I don't want anybody to think I'm
just blowing smoke, you know what I mean, Whether they're
beaten up and they're a gay person, and then they said, well,
I think that guy did this because of that, or
if there's some retaliation for something that has happened to
(05:29):
you in the past from someone, it just seems like
they don't need to be afraid of proving the case.
They just need to tell you what happened and let
you guys figure things out.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah, that's absolutely true. We want to get all those
allegations from potential victims. Bring that information to us so
we can look into it and we can make that
determination whether it's a federal hate crime or it should
stay with our state and local partners and be just
that the original criminal offense.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Do you want people to actually send those into the
Cincinnati Field office. Should they go to their local police
and sheriff's department to make a complaint first.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
So if it's the assault, if it's the arson, if
it's immediate, they need to call nine one one first
because they are the immediate response the local police department.
But if they think it's based on bias, then please
report that to one hundred call FBI or FBI tip
stock of.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I'm seeking with Eric Field. He's a special agent here
in Cincinnati with the SINSII Field Office at the FBI.
We've been talking about a little bit about the hate
Crimes Initiative from the FBI and how laser focused the
organization is on trying to reach them and find justice
for victims. What about the civil Rights Division, you're also
well versed in.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
So the other Civil rights covers three different programs. It's
the hate crimes as we mentioned, and then colored law
and then Face Act. Color of law actually probably covers
two thirds of the cases that the Civil Rights Division works,
and that's going to be the classic examples of color
of law are excessive force from police officers or excessive
force of individuals in a prison setting.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
So color of law kind of describes the fact that
someone has sworn in, has some police powers, and they
have control over citizens.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
That's correct, and there's a misconception in the public that
there is some sort of because it's called color of law,
that there's a race element, but it is not a
race element at all. It is purely the color of
law is the authority they are given to them by
the government to arrest, to uphold the law, and if
they abuse that position is when when there's an excessive force.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
There's a lot of information now available to people with
the Internet and through YouTube about what your rights are
and what do you have to do if you're stopped.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
The best case is is too if if the police
officer pulls you over, respect them, listen to their commands
and and all will be.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Well, when do you have to comply? And when don't you?
And in my household, it was comply. And there's no
there's no gray area here.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
They have the badge, they have the they were given
the authority by the government to uphold the law. So
if they're if they believe that you have violated some
sort of state statute or local statute.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
You need to listen to them.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
And then if they did cross line setting wasn't proper.
There there's a potential excessive force or some sort of
abusive position afterward.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
But they need to listen to law enforcement.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
If you don't listen to them and you're fighting them
all the way, you're making it even tougher. You're probably
getting scuffed up in the middle of an arrest.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Then, and there's other charges involved right there, right.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
But but the whole point is is that if you
disagree with what's happening to you, the best solution is
to comply and go through the process correct absolutely, and
then let the judges work it out, let the sergeants
or the lieutenants or the special agents work it out
that yeah, that guy was wrong or.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Yeah that guy was right, right, and that's our system
set up. I mean, the whole judicial system that isn't
there for for a reason. We have our grand juries,
we have we have the judges, the prosecutors, the jury.
I mean, that's the whole process in place for this suffisode.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
What kind of civil rights actions do you investigate?
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Well, heye, crimes and color of law are those majority.
It's face Act is the third tier of the in
the civil rights branch, and that is freedom to access
of clinical entrances. The classic examples are the pro pro
choice and pro life clinics. We just don't see very
many of those anymore. I mean, we have not had
(09:31):
one in the year that I've been in Cincinnati. I
worked these violations for six years in Saint Louis prior
to come in here, and we did have one case
in that whole six years that I was in Saint
Louis years ago.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
There used to be a whole lot more all the time.
That's completely changed for sure. What drew you to this
particular area of law enforcement? And I'm talking about the
FBI first of all, and then this division because I
think you really enjoy what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I've always wanted to do this and I very much
enjoy it, so I'm by trade. Was my progression into
the FBI. My dad was friends with an FBI agent
in Erie, Pennsylvania, where I grew up, and I've always
enjoyed military and law enforcement, so I met with him
in high school and knew. I knew that was my
plan what I wanted to do. So I focused through
(10:17):
college what I wanted to do. I became a CPA.
I applied as soon as I could to the FBI.
I turned twenty seven in the FBI academy, so I've
been in for quite a while now, and luckily.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Because I had white.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Collar background, my first office, they assigned me to work
in white collar cases. So I started with mortgage fraud
and bank fraud and more of the classic white collar cases,
and then rolled that into public corruption. And then I
went to FBI headquarters to the Public Coruption Unit in
twenty sixteen, and there we partnered up with the Civil
Rights Unit. So that's where I got my first real
(10:53):
taste and learned the real importance of the Civil Rights Unit.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
So we did a lot of national trainings with that unit.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
I really learned what hame, what hatcrime was, and what
civil rights or the color of law violations were And
then luckily in Saint Louis, I supervised a public coruption
civil rights squad only right. I did that for four
years and then I actually stepped down because I missed
working cases very much. So I started working those violations
for another two years and then and then I had
(11:23):
the opportunity to come back here to supervise this squad.
And this is this is home for my wife, and
my parents and siblings are much closer to here.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
So where are you from.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
I'm from Erie, Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Okay, I think you said that. Sorry, I didn't catch
that when you said it the first time. That's an
interesting background. One of the things we learned in the
Citizens Academy is people who were all professional fields coming
into the FBI to become a law enforcement officer. So
you had accountants and dentists and things like that. So
(11:56):
tell people, if you would, how that works. How you
can have a specialty in something that's not related at
all to the FBI and still fit in at the
FBI as a special agent or someone else that's on
the staff that you need.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Yeah, so just a quick story. I mean, I was
talking to an individual. We actually did a hate crimes
presentation two weeks ago and a lady there said her
son was interested in the FBI. So I spoke with
him last week and he has a kinesiology degree and
he said, well, that give me into the FBI. Well absolutely,
it's we need that expertise to potentially work health care
fraud and other types of violations. So the type of
(12:35):
criminal investigations that we work are so broad that we
need the expertise of people from all walks of life. Really,
we need to be a very diverse workforce for us
to have that skill set to work these violations, because
the federal violations are very complex.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Lots of jobs in the FBI, but to be a
special agent to wear the badge, the minimum age is
twenty three, I'm told, and then the oldest is thirty seven,
So you've got about fourteen years there of your prime
right when you're healthiest. You don't have as many responsibilities, hopefully,
and you can move all around the world. How many
(13:13):
other places have you been?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
So I've lived outside Chicago and Northwest Indiana, and then
we went to Washington, d C. Saint Louis and then
here and with three boys, young kids. I'm here to stay.
We won't be moving again. But we have offices all
over the world. So if you're interested in becoming a
special agent with the FBI, you can go to one
office and if you're happy, you can stay in work
(13:36):
cases your whole career, which many agents absolutely love doing.
Or if you want to get into management, there's potential
to move move to other cities throughout the country. And
also there's many offices throughout the entire world.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I have several friends who are a LATS.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
In other countries right now, a LATS assistant legal attes.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Oh okay, I love all the little acronyms. That's one
thing I wish that we had seen back in the
previous century when I was in high school, and that
is I think the police came through, but that was
about it. There might have been some army recruiters or
military recruiters the on the periphery, you know, kind of like, oh,
(14:16):
they're here now whatever, but nobody really seemed to want
to engage with the students. I think that's when the
spark would probably really be sparked if you knew that
that was really a possibility. And the FBI has a
program to educate high school students in this area to
let them know, you know, what is offered through the FBI.
(14:37):
Can you go through into that a little bit.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
The Teen Academy which focuses on grade school and high school,
and then we have Collegiate Academy that focuses on the universities,
where we will get out and explain to them the
different roles that the FBI has. As you mentioned, there's
many roles in the FBI outside of being a special agent,
and we're always recruiting and looking for for the best
and brightest.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
We have a new administration coming in. How does that
affect the field offices? Are new initiatives brought down and
things like that, or.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
There may be new initiatives, But for the most part,
we have our role, We have our jobs. We know
what our jobs are like I supervised the public corruption,
civil rights, and white collar crimes. So we are going
to continue investigating and work in those cases.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Or your separate branch from the from the administration as well,
the third branch of government resent so supposed to be
co inequal parts of the government. Let's let's remember that
we get a lot of information from the FBI about scams.
What's the big scam concern right now?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
The big scam right now is pig butchering and other
cryptocurrency investment scams. So pig butchering is it's typically a widower,
male or female who is just looking for friendship or
companionship online, not necessarily a romantic relationship, and an individual
will we'll do their research and they'll find find this person.
(15:58):
They'll just become friends two or three month, four month,
however long it takes just to form a good relationship,
never romantic, not asking for money, and they the subject
here pretends are very well off and they make a
lot of money in cryptocurrency, and they sometimes they ask,
but sometimes they just wait for the victim to ask,
(16:20):
how do you make your money?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
How do I get involved?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
And then once that is set up, this person does
not think they're going to be a victim because they've
been friends for two or three months with this individual
and they start sending them money through cryptocurrency, and it's
through a complete show website that's completely made up. They
do a log in, use your name and password, but
it's all it's just all complete scam, and we are
losing in cryptocurrency scams. Another investment fraud like this, around
(16:47):
fifty four million dollars just in the Southern Distaco of
Ohio just last year. So we're trying to get out
to make as many people aware of this as possible.
If you don't know the person you know, it's typically
going to be. If it sounds too good to be true,
it is. And please don't send cryptocurrency to people you
don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Eric, I'll be honest with you, I've not heard very
much good about cryptocurrency at all though, just the words
bitcoin and all this. It makes me run the other
way because I'm not really clued in. You're not saying
that bitcoin that necessarily is bad, it's just these people
are using that.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
So it's just an easy way to try this for money.
Cryptocurrency itself is.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
You can't You can't trace it, is that right?
Speaker 3 (17:28):
We have ability to trace it, but it just is
able to move much faster than using the financial institution,
So it moves overseas much quicker. So yes, we can
trace it, yes we can. We can't investigate it, but
it's going to be typically individuals overseas do in these cases,
typically in Southeast Asia or Nigeria are the two main places,
and the money just moves over there too fast that
(17:50):
we have no way to get it.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
How do you tell if you're a woman then you're
or a man. Any red flags that you can give.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Us red flags that it's a scam. I mean, there's
oftentimes people believe a list celebrities are reaching out to
them and need money and want to move to the area,
moved to Cincinnati to marry them. When it's someone who
lives in Hollywood and is very well off, why would they.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
It just doesn't seem to marry them. Correct.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
We see that we have to convince a lot of
people that you know, X, a LIBS celebrity is not
actually going to.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Come here and marry them, but they're setting them money.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
And then there's a lot of individuals who meet their
future boyfriend, their future husband or wife or girlfriend right
this This.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Type of scam definitely works both ways.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
That they're working on an oil rig and they can't
get off and they need money to to get off
the oil rig because they're stranded, and they fly over here.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
That is a very classic classic scam as well.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
That's why they can't meet in person because they're working
on the oil rig and they ask them to send
them money and.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
The right where you can see them talking kind of
a thing too. I've heard that.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
They will sometimes do FaceTime if they can pass for it. Correct.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, So ladies, if he's on an
oil rig and he needs money, tell him to call
his X wife right because because it's it's it's likely
a scam. And I know it's very difficult to tell
those things. Eric Field, he's a special agent with the
FBI out of Cincinnati. Glad you're back here. Thanks for
teaching us so clearly and so well on hate crimes
(19:26):
and the civil rights.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Hate crimes is very important to me and very important
to the FBI, and we cannot do it alone.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
We need community groups. We need individuals to come forward.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
If they think a hate crime has been committed, please
call one eight hundred, called FBI or go online at
FBI tips dot gov and report to us.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We look at those. I have one agent specifically.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Her job is to work hate crimes all civil rights matters,
but she's very passionate about hate crimes as well, and
she goes on the tips website frequently and just looking
for potential new cases, and we're trying to be proactive.
But like I mentioned earlier, the FBI has determined these
are very very.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Underreported crimes, so we just.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Want more information to come in so we can better
assess what we have in our area.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Appreciate your service.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Thank you very much for having me coming up. The
loss was an opportunity to find new family traditions and
remember that just because we've lost someone doesn't mean they're
gone from our lives.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Next on iHeart Cincy
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