In Seattle, agents dismantled a large street gang operation.
“The @FBISeattle office saw a major success as they investigated a large-scale street gang, which resulted in the collection of 23 firearms and over 9,800 grams in drug seizures. They are accused of using female couriers to transport pills in luggage from source in Arizona to Seattle and Baltimore airports,” Bongino explained.
PPP Fraud Meets Gang Activity
One of the more brazen schemes was uncovered in Florida.
“@FBITampa with our partners at DEA, USPS, DOL, and the Lakeland Police Department targeted a violent street gang called the Hood Boys. Friday, Twelve Lakeland, FL-based gang members were charged with paycheck protection program fraud,” Bongino revealed.
The gang allegedly scammed the federal government by filing fake loan applications, pocketing between $13,854 and $20,416 each. Instead of repaying, they pushed for forgiveness or simply defaulted.
The stolen money went toward car payments, liquor, clothing, and weapons. Prosecutors say the group has links to the notorious Sinaloa Cartel and was also moving meth and cocaine in Florida.
New Orleans Sees Major Cleanup
Bongino also praised the bureau’s work in New Orleans, where federal and local authorities teamed up to hit criminals hard.
“Collaboration between @FBINewOrleans and our partners to include ATF, U.S. Marshals, and the New Orleans Police Department, we all worked to remove illegal guns and narcotics off the streets of New Orleans. In these efforts, the operation resulted in 60 felony arrests, 31 narcotics seizure events, and an estimated removal of more than $39k in narcotics,” he reported.
Operation Totals and Child Recoveries
The scope of the operation is staggering.
“Since its inception in June, Operation Summer Heat has resulted in 6,328 arrests and the seizure of close to 1,700 firearms. We’ve also located or identified about 770 children,” Bongino said.
He added a note of resolve:
“These numbers will only continue to grow along with YOUR FBI’s dedication and vigilance. God bless America, and all those who defend Her.”
Hidden Files From the Comey Era
But Bongino didn’t stop there. He dropped another bombshell that could rock Washington. The deputy director said his office discovered files from former FBI Director James Comey’s tenure stored away in a room that had not been disclosed.
“I wouldn’t call it hidden, but hidden from us at least and not mentioned to us, and then we found stuff in there and a lot of it’s from the Comey-era, and we are working our damndest right now to declassify,” he told Fox News.
According to Bongino, some of the material was improperly handled.
“Once that gets done and that gets out there, and you read some of the stuff, we found that … was not processed through the normal procedure, digitizing it, putting it in FBI records. We found it in bags hiding under Jim Comey’s FBI, and you’re going to be stunned,” he warned.
A Reckoning Ahead?
The revelations paint a picture of an FBI under Bongino’s leadership pushing for transparency while cracking down on gangs, fraud, and cartels. But the mention of Comey-era files stashed away in bags could ignite another firestorm over what the bureau was hiding from the American people.
Bongino insists the bureau will press forward with the declassification process, but he admits some files are tied to other intelligence agencies, making the process more complex. For now, Americans are left waiting for what could be one of the most explosive disclosures in years.
