The Federal Bureau of Investigations investigates fraud, corruption and child pornography cases here on a regular basis, special agents said yesterday afternoon, but there is not a high rate of those crimes.

“It’s what’s happening, but there’s no need for alarm,” special agent Cyrus Kam told members of the Rotary Club of Northern Guam.

Club members asked Kam and special agents Scott Berkland and Joshua McKinney about the agency’s role in responding to the illicit drug trade on Guam.

Kam said the bureau only investigates drug cases that are connected to public corruption. The Drug Enforcement Administration handles most drug-related crimes, he said.

Club members also were concerned about the issue of human trafficking.

Kam said human trafficking is happening on Guam and it’s a priority of the criminal division of the bureau, along with other civil rights violations. But it isn’t an issue Guam’s residents should lose sleep over, he said.

Community outreach
Kam said the goal of the FBI’s outreach program in the community is to make sure residents are aware of what the bureau does.

There are 15 employees at the Guam branch of the FBI, working on national security priorities as well as criminal priorities, but they don’t have the same kinds of resources as offices in the states.

“We do the best we can with what we have,” Kam said, but resources are limited.

Available resources
The agents encouraged club members to call the bureau, even if they’re not sure if the FBI is the right place to address their concerns.

“If you’re sure it’s a federal crime, then I encourage you to call,” McKinney said.

Kam said the investigations the bureau is involved with aren’t disclosed to the public until they’re sent to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but the community is a valuable resource for their information- driven organization.

“The community is our eyes and ears, we rely on them to help us know what’s going on,” Kam said.
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I hope everyone on the island will be alert and call the police at the slightest suspicion. If it is not happening no harm done.

Hafa Adai

/SB