July 26 will mark the Bureau’s 118th birthday.

Thank you to the agents, analysts, and staff who’ve dedicated themselves to the FBI mission over the years—protecting the American people, upholding the U.S. Constitution, and working tirelessly to crush violent crime and defend the homeland from terror, cyber, and intelligence threats.

Visit fbi.gov/history to learn more about our last 118 years of service.

Check out fbi.gov/news to read stories, listen to podcasts, and watch videos that document the FBI’s efforts to ensure a safer future.

And visit fbijobs.gov to take the first step towards becoming part of our legacy.

The FBI plays a key role in combating violent crimes across our country—and in some cases, abroad—through our investigative work targeting gangs and criminal organizations, violent crimes against children, Indian Country crime, human trafficking and involuntary servitude, bank robbery, and jewelry and gem theft.

FBI investigators usually work in partnership with other law enforcement groups, often establishing task forces to concentrate resources and efforts. This round-up is only a partial list of recent FBI violent crime stories—for a full list, read more FBI violent crime news and press releases.

Vance Boelter Sentenced to Two Consecutive Life Terms Plus 40 Years Consecutive for the Stalking and Murder of Minnesota State Legislators
Vance Luther Boelter, 58, has been sentenced to two consecutive terms of life plus a consecutive 40-year term for the stalking and murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman and the stalking and attempted murders of Senator John Hoffman, Yvette Hoffman, and Hope Hoffman on June 14, 2025.

• Boelter previously pleaded guilty to six federal offenses, including stalking resulting in death, murder through use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during crimes of violence.
• According to court documents, Boelter acted alone, extensively researched his intended targets, and used disguises, firearms, and law‑enforcement‑style equipment to gain access to the victims’ residences. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offenses, the lasting physical and emotional impacts on the victims and their families, and Boelter’s admitted intent to target multiple elected officials.
• “Today’s sentencing is an important step toward healing for the families and community forever changed by this political violence,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “Minnesotans deserve to live in a state where their voices are respected and their safety is never threatened by those who try to silence democratic participation through fear. Vance Boelter believed his political opinions outweighed the voice and vote of every other Minnesotan. He was and is profoundly wrong. Minnesota’s law enforcement at every level rallied last June with one shared purpose: to protect our neighbors and defend the democratic values that hold our communities together. The FBI remains committed to using every resource at our disposal to uphold our democracy, defend the Constitution, and eradicate political violence.”
• Full press release

FBI Seattle and Partners Announce Results of Operation Red Card
FBI Seattle, together with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, are announcing the results of “Operation Red Card.” Through this multi-agency coordinated effort from May until July 2026, the Sound Regional Violent Crime Task Force has identified, located, and arrested some of the area’s most violent repeat offenders to support public safety in the Seattle metro area during the World Cup.

• Over the course of this initiative, temporary duty personnel were deployed to FBI Seattle, in addition to using existing Washington state-based law enforcement resources to serve warrants across partner agencies, arrest individuals wanted for serious crimes, and identify additional evidence to support successful prosecution.
• All together, 17 subjects were arrested without incident, two fugitives were returned to other states, and 12 firearms were seized.
• “To keep our communities safe during the 2026 World Cup and busy summer travel season, we worked with our law enforcement partners to identify these individuals as a high priority to locate, arrest, and get off our streets,” said FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington. “In addition to local subjects, this operation even captured armed fugitives from as far away as Colorado and California. The FBI doesn’t just investigate federal cases: we are also committed to protecting public safety by collaborating on local cases through personnel, intelligence sharing, and specialized technical resources in support of law enforcement partners across the state of Washington.”
• Full press release

Former FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Sex Trafficking
Donald Eugene Fields II, who was once on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for child sex trafficking, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

• Fields, 62, provided sexual access to a child in exchange for cash and other items of value from a friend and co-defendant, Theodore “Ted” John Sartori Sr., beginning when the victim was 14 years old. From the winter of 2013 through the summer of 2016, Sartori engaged in illegal sexual activity with the minor and provided Fields cash, a car, a motorcycle, Christmas presents and vacations.
• In the summer of 2016, Sartori financed a vacation to Florida and drove the victim there with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with her. Fields told the minor to engage in sexual activity with Satori.
• Fields was indicted on federal charges on December 7, 2022, after he failed to appear in Franklin County Circuit Court on pending charges there. He was arrested on January 26, 2025, after a traffic stop by police in Lady Lake, Florida, when officers learned that he was on the Most Wanted list. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to one count of child sex trafficking.
• Full press release

Two Street Gang Members Found Guilty of Murdering Victim Outside His Home During Mexican Mafia-Ordered Armed Robbery
Ysrael Jacob Cordova, 41, of Placentia, California, and Ricardo Valenzuela, 44, of Buena Park, California, each were found guilty of one count of murder in aid of racketeering activity (VICAR murder).

• According to evidence presented at a weeklong trial, the robbery was ordered by a Mexican Mafia member in charge of criminal activities in Orange County (O.C.), who was imprisoned at the Orange County jail at the time of the murder. He communicated the order to rob the victim to a Mexican Mafia member incarcerated in a different California prison, who in turn communicated the order to Cordova and Valenzuela.
• That same day, Cordova and Valenzuela were driven to the victim’s neighborhood in Placentia to rob him. Both Cordova and Valenzuela brandished long guns. Cordova shot and killed the victim.
• Full press release

Leader of Violent Extremist Terror Network “Cultists” Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
Kalana Limkin, 20, of Hilo, Hawaii, was sentenced to 10 years in prison (the statutory maximum) followed by 20 years of supervised release for possessing child pornography.

• Limkin, the co-founder and ringleader of an online violent nihilistic extremist (“NVE”) group known as “Cultists,” pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on February 13, 2025. The charge was part of a broader course of depraved conduct in which Limkin and Cultists members engaged.
• According to information presented to the Court at sentencing, Cultists became a well-known and highly recognizable brand within the larger NVE community in part due to the shock value of the content and activities within its servers and digital spaces. Cultists members collaborated to victimize children in a systematic attempt to trigger social collapse and topple the current world order.
• Limkin used Cultists to incite children to self-mutilate, broadcast sexual acts, and film their own suicides. By desensitizing them to gore and child sexual abuse material, Cultists groomed these minors for future violent behavior. Limkin showed one minor victim an image of a 5-year-old girl getting raped to desensitize her. He sent naked pictures of her to her friends and attempted to groom her by making her take nude photos of her younger siblings. Limkin extorted a third victim with her own sexual abuse material to convince her to commit suicide.
• Full press release