Pedro Hernandez knows "intimate details" about the disappearance and murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz, and that information is what makes the NYPD confident in their case against Hernandez. According to the Post, the details could include certain scars or birthmarks on Patz, or what the boy was wearing when he disappeared. "Pretty seasoned detectives are confident this is the guy based on information he had," a source says. "And the circle of people who know is very narrow. They’re not even telling other people in the unit.” But another source tells the Daily News that the FBI isn't convinced: “The bosses are very skeptical. They don’t believe him. He’s got mental problems and there’s no other evidence. They think we moved too fast.” more ›

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly issued a statement just after 6:30 a.m. this morning, "An individual now in custody has made statements to NYPD detectives implicating himself in the disappearance and death of Etan Patz 33 years ago. We expect to provide further details later today." According to the Daily News, the suspect, Pedro Hernandez, was picked up yesterday in Camden, NJ. more ›

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is glad that the latest underwear bomber was thwarted by the feds, but he'd sure like to be briefed on what that device was exactly made of. "This is the type of information quite frankly, that we need, we deserve, in the nation's biggest target," Kelly told NBC. Presumably Kelly added, "Hey did you know that we can probably shoot down aircraft? And that we have officers stationed in Abu Dhabi? Also: we're bigger than the FBI. Wanna see me do 50 one-handed pushups?" more ›

After four days of forensic of searching and digging in a SoHo basement, the search for evidence in the Etan Patz investigation appears to be winding down. No human remains have been found, but investigators tell NBC New York they did collect some hair samples, a piece of paper, and part of a wall with a mysterious stain on it. That so-called "stain of interest" was sent to an FBI lab in Quanitico, VA to determine if it's blood. An official tells the Wall Street Journal a second stain on a piece of concrete was discovered, but is not believed to be human blood. more ›

During the third day of investigating a Soho basement for any evidence related to the 1979 disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz, authorities have reportedly found a "stain of interest" on a wall. According to NBC New York, "It was while investigators were taking apart the basement floor and walls"—of 127 Prince Street—"that they found a 'stain of interest' on a drywall, according to law enforcement sources. Officers from the NYPD Emergency Services Unit used a chainsaw to cut out a piece of the wall, which is being preserved for analysis at the FBI Laboratory in Virginia. It's not clear how significant it is." more ›

Yesterday, the FBI and NYPD were seen removing pieces of concrete from the basement of 127 Prince Street in SoHo, as they continue their investigation into the 1979 disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz. The search was apparently spurred by comments from handyman Othniel Miller, now 75-years-old; he has hired a criminal defense lawyer who emphasized Miller was not involved: "Mr. Miller has been cooperating with this investigation for over 30 years. He has continued to cooperate on multiple occasions. And I am going to assist him in cooperating to the fullest extent possible." more ›

This morning the FBI has been spotted on Prince Street between Wooster and West Broadway. A tipster sent over the above photo, which shows what looks like a lot of younger, junior agents. There is also an Evidence Response truck on the scene. The FBI wouldn't comment on the case when we contacted them this morning. more ›

Today, the FBI and NYPD have resumed their investigation into the 33-year-old missing child case of Etan Patz. Etan was six years old when he missing while walking from his apartment on Prince Street to his bus stop two blocks away on Friday, May 25, 1979 and he was never heard from again. more ›

And after two years, we've got ourselves another solid daycare/drug den story. Yesterday the DEA recovered 122,000 illegal pills including Ecstasy, Percocet, Viagra and Xanax from four locations in the Bronx as part of a drugs-through-the-mail scheme. And, oh yeah, one of those locations was a home that also served as a day care center. After all, an important life lesson for tots is knowing your E from your Xanax. more ›

Yesterday, the FBI announced a new addition to its Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive List: According to the fed, former D.C. teacher Eric Justin Toth "is wanted for allegedly possessing child pornography in Washington, DC. It is alleged that in June of 2008, pornographic images were found on a school camera that had been in Toth's possession. Toth also allegedly produced child pornography in Maryland. Toth has often been described as a computer 'expert"' and has demonstrated above-average knowledge regarding computers, the use of the Internet, and security awareness. Toth has the ability to integrate into various socio-economic classes, and is an expert at social engineering. He possesses an educational background conducive to gaining employment in fields having a connection to children. Toth may advertise online as a tutor or male nanny." more ›

Sometimes Uncle Sam needs you to have coitus for your country, even if it turns out to be an utterly salacious waste of time. FBI informant Craig Monteilh AKA "Farouk Aziz" wondered if he was crossing the line when a woman he was monitoring wanted to have sex with him. "They said, if it would enhance the intelligence, go ahead and have sex. So I did," Monteilh told the Guardian. Is that the Patriot Act in your pocket or are you gonna wiretap that ass? more ›

The widow of a former New York City school teacher has been accused of scamming the city out of $218,000 in pension payments. Money which she to collected in her husband's name—for 20 years after his death [PDF]. Did we mention that Janie Tice and her late husband Hyman Rosenberg were, eh, high school sweethearts who wed in 1981 while she was an 18-year-old student and he was a 57-year-old teacher at the school of Art and Design? more ›

In a rare, on-the-record conversation about the NYPD, the FBI official in charge of Newark chastised the NYPD for undermining the FBI's counterterrorism efforts. Speaking to reporters at roundtable interview yesterday, Special Agent Michael B. Ward said the NYPD's surveillance efforts in Newark were actually counterproductive, and were sowing mistrust and resentment among the city's Muslims. This, in turn, makes it harder for FBI to glean effective intelligence from Muslims in the community, according to Ward. more ›

The Federal Bureau of Investigation may investigate claims that Republican Congressman from Staten Island Michael Grimm received illegal cash donations from the followers of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Tosef Pinto. An FBI official told the Wall Street Journal that the bureau is "gathering information" on the allegations, first reported in the New York Times but apparently noted by former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who said he informed the FBI of possible illegal activity in 2010. more ›

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that 36 people were charged with running a "systematic scheme to defraud private insurance companies of more than $279 million under New York’s no-fault automobile insurance law," calling it the "largest single no-fault automobile insurance fraud ever charged." How? By allegedly setting up over 100 fake medical clinics to bill insurance companies for imaginary injuries and treatments. more ›

Vanity Fair is publishing "The First-Ever Oral History of The Sopranos" in its upcoming issue, and one of the topics is the HBO's series' legendarily abrupt finale, which earned mixed reviews at first but is now considered as being groundbreakingly anticlimactic. James Gandolfini, Tony Soprano himself, says, "When I first saw the ending, I said, ‘What the f--k?’. I mean, after all I went through, all this death, and then it’s over like that?" more ›

Back in October, after a lengthy undercover operation, the FBI arrested eight current and former NYPD officers (along with four others) and charged them with crimes ranging from gun trafficking to conspiracy to smuggle cigarettes. In the last week four of those cops pleaded guilty in federal court, bringing the total guilty pleas so far to nine—six of whom were current or former members of the NYPD. more ›

Michael Douglas, for better or for worse, is best known as Gordon Gekko, the ruthless insider trader in Wall Street, whose lifestyle and power tempt an innocent named Bud Fox (played by Charlie Sheen). Gekko is, as Patton Oswalt pointed out, one of those characters who backfired, "Oliver Stone wrote Gordon Gekko to be the most ultimately evil guy, and then to his horror, everyone started going like, I’m gonna get my suspenders!" Now, Douglas is trying to right wrongs by doing a PSA about insider trading for the FBI: more ›

Nineteen years ago today, a bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center just after noon. Six people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. As History.com explains: "A crater 60 feet wide [was left], causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. The World Trade Center itself suffered more than $500 million in damage. After the attack, authorities evacuated 50,000 people from the buildings, hundreds of whom were suffering from smoke inhalation. The evacuation lasted the whole afternoon." more ›

After reports that he strong-armed $500K in mystical donations from the followers of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm has had to distance himself from his duties as a Mitt Romney surrogate. But yesterday he told supporters that this whole "impropriety" stink isn't so bad, compared to his other gigs as a Marine and FBI agent. "I’ve had people try to kill me. I’m going to dust myself off and I’m going to keep fighting for the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn.” more ›

The investigation into PS 243 teacher's aide and alleged child pornographer Taleek Brooks continues, and at least one good thing could come of it. Because Brooks was using P2P services to distribute child pornography his computer, which the FBI has in its possession, hopefully will lead to many more arrests. more ›

Brooklyn parents are still reeling over the revelation that Taleek Brooks, a teacher's aide at PS 243 (The Weeksville School), had been arrested twice this month for not only having but also producing child pornography—possibly inside the school itself. As the FBI started interviewing people today Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott stopped by for the second time in as many days. more ›

Marshall Curry has profiled NASCAR hopefuls and Newark Mayor Corey Booker (which earned him an Oscar nomination), and his latest, If A Tree Falls, follows the plight of Daniel McGowan, a former member of the Earth Liberation Front, a group that the F.B.I. once dubbed "America's #1 domestic terrorist threat." Curry traces McGowan's journey from his identity as the mild-mannered son of an NYPD officer to a radical environmental activist in the Pacific Northwest, carrying out arson in the name of the ELF, and back again. McGowan faces a life sentence plus 335 years for committing acts of terrorism, and his guilt is never in doubt. But the movie forces us to think about who a "terrorist" is, and how our society treats citizens who feel that they have no voice. more ›

Just a day after anti-piracy bills SOPA/PIPA were protested across the country and on the Internet, the FBI has shut down a popular file-sharing site, Megaupload.com. The NY Times reports, "According to a grand jury indictment, Megaupload — one of the most popular 'locker' services on the Internet, which lets users anonymously transfer large files — generated $175 million in income for its operators through subscription fees and advertising, while causing $500 million in damages to copyright holders." more ›

Over a year after the federal authorities raided hedge funds, the FBI has arrested three men as part of its insider trading investigation, including a Manhattan resident who wasn't home when they went to his home this morning. more ›

Hot off the heels of news that Staten Island men are amongst the most sensitive in the nation, some FBI documents have been unsealed showing that the borough's own Wu-Tang Clan is linked to guns, drugs, and murders. The report was obtained by blogger Rich Jones, who filed a FOIA request. According to the Daily News, the 93-page file is part of the late Russell Jones's file, aka Ol’ Dirty Bastard. more ›

Did you know that before this week, the FBI didn't recognize that men could be raped? Since 1927, rape has been defined by the FBI as the "carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will." But thanks to a new provision, that definition is finally being updated. "Rape is a devastating crime and we can't solve it unless we know the full extent of it,'' said Vice President Joe Biden, who worked closely with advocates on the issue. "This long-awaited change to the definition of rape is a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years." more ›