Month: July 2019

Quick, which writer invented the Church Lady Bandit?

How about the Droopy Drawers Bandit?

How about the Two-Hat Robber?

These are not characters from a cozy or the latest murder mystery. They were actually real people, though their nicknames were conveyed upon them not by some enterprising journalist, but by an FBI agent. Contrary to what you may have heard in Men In Black, FBI agents DO have a sense of humor that they’re aware of, and now-retired FBI Special Agent Harry Trombitas used his to humanize the bank robbers he was charged with catching.

Trombitas will bring those stories, and many more, to our next meeting, and we can’t wait to hear them!

Trombitas served in the FBI from 1983 until his retirement in 2012. He worked in Omaha, Nebraska, St. Louis, and New York before coming to Columbus in December 1991, and he served as spokesman for the Columbus office from 2003 until his retirement. Before that, he worked as a police officer and detective at Northwestern University and director of public safety at Creighton University. He has a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Ohio State and a master’s in counseling and psychology from Creighton, and is a lecturer in sociology at Ohio State. He is also the system vice president of security operations at OhioHealth and director of the Police Executive Leadership College for the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.

His wife of 40 years and his two children all graduated from Ohio State, so he’s clearly a Buckeye through and through.

Please join us Aug. 17 at the Old Worthington Library, 820 High Street, Worthington, at 12:30 for your chance to hear about Harry’s career and observations.

Now that summer’s kicked off, we’re diving in, ready to soak up all the info we can about cybercrime! How DO criminals surf the web and use the internet to steal and wreck havoc on people’s lives?    On July 20, from 12:30 – 2:30 at the Bexley Library, our guest speaker, Jessica Kim, will supply the answers.

Description:As the public employs emerging technologies to prosper and improve the quality of life, criminals target and employ those same technologies as instruments of crime.  Since the early 1990s, cyber crime, also known as internet and high-tech crime, has rapidly increased, posing grave threats and corresponding challenges.  This presentation will highlight the following topics:   Social media and online investigations Cryptocurrency: a primer and current issues Theft of intellectual property Cyberstalking Phishing and business email compromise Cyber crime cases and coordinating with DOJ Obtaining electronic evidence in criminal investigations Venue in cyber cases (including international challenges)   The presentation will also highlight how to identify and investigate a crime, who is involved, and what roles different players serve, including the criminal, law enforcement officers, and attorneys.

Bio: Jessica Kim is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Ohio, where she focuses on white collar crimes, public corruption, and cybercrimes.  Since December 2016, she has served as the district’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) coordinator for the Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton offices.  In 2018, Jessica was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions by a New Employee for exemplary work as an AUSA, including the landmark prosecutions of the district’s first two cyberstalking cases.  She was also awarded the Federal Bar Association’s 2018 Younger Federal Lawyer Award, a national award for government attorneys who have exemplified outstanding legal ability and commitment to the community.   Prior to joining the USAO, Jessica served as a law clerk to the Hon. G. Steven Agee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Hon. Edmund A. Sargus Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.  Jessica received her B.A. from Miami University in three years and her J.D., with high honors, from the Ohio State University.  Since 2014, she has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where she teaches white collar crime.  Jessica also currently serves as President of the Columbus chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

And as a preview for August, we’re sticking with the federal law enforcement theme. Retired FBI agent Harry Trombitas, former leader of the Columbus bureau of the Bureau, will join us Aug. 17. Let’s just shatter any illusions of a stuffy federal agent, though; this is the man who brought us the Droopy Drawers Bandit and other colorfully-named criminals! The location will be announced soon.  

No sunscreen needed for this meeting. Hope to see you July 20!   The BCW Board