Kash Patel spent his First month as FBI director Cracking some of the Trump administration’s senior law enforcement priorities, including violent crime, gang activity and drug trafficking, while avoiding many of the high-profile controversies that lure other national security officials.
His early moves earned him praise from Congressional Republicans, who soon Praise Patel’s first few weeks in the officeincluding his swift move and sharing certain documents requested by most members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the bureau is actively working every day to find violent criminals, no matter where they are, and bring them to justice.” Patel told Fox News Digital.
He added: “Any success so far is an honor to the brave men of the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners who have done an amazing job in carrying out their mission.”
It was Patel’s earliest (and most important) victory after just five weeks of confirmation as FBI director.
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FBI agent next to the FBI logo. Getty and AP photos, illustrations by Fox News Digital. (AP/Getty image)
Arrest top MS-13 members
The FBI announced this week that it had arrested the top U.S. MS-13 leader, 24-year-old Josue Villatero Santos, the Salvador country.
Santos was arrested in Woodbridge, Virginia and charged with illegal foreigner possessing a gun.
Officials Tell Fox News this week Santos is one of the top three leaders of the MS-13 gang in the United States
U.S. Attorney General Bondi and Patel both watched the arrests, which were conducted at a nearby Tactical Operations Center.
In an interview with Fox News, Bundy praised the team for performing “clean, safe operations” and praised the FBI staff for one of the worst MS-13s on the streets this morning. ”
In this photo shared by the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, director of the National Intelligence Agency Tulsi Gabbard. (US Department of Justice.)
“The Most Wanted” Fugitive Arrest
Patel announced last week that the FBI has arrested three fugitives from the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list since January 20 – an achievement he said on social media is the result of good leadership and hard work for bureau staff.
The captured people include Arnoldo Jimenez, who was accused of murdering his wife in Burbank, Illinois in 2012. Donald Eugene Fields II was charged with charges of child sexual trafficking and child rape in federal and state courts, respectively; and Another MS-13 leader, Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, was arrested in Mexico last week and extraditioned to the United States, where he was charged with extortion, conspiracy, conspiracy, providing material support and resources for terrorists, Nalco terrorism plots and alien terrorists.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. (Reuters)
Prior to his arrest, Roman-Bardales had been a fugitive for nearly three years and was considered a founding member of the U.S. MS-13 leadership structure, where he helped direct the organization’s illegal activities in the United States, El Salvador and elsewhere for about 20 years.
Patel praised the arrest in an article on X, noting that the FBI’s success was “not accidental.”
“When you make good policemen good, that’s what happens,” he said. “This administration is providing resources for the new FBI and AG Bondi to do the job – we’re not going to stop.”
Narcotics suppression
The FBI under Patel successfully raided and arrested 22 members of the narcotics trafficking ring in Lubbock, Texas, believed to be linked to a violent drug cartel in Mexico.
The action came as part of Trump’s agenda for his second White House term when Patel and Bondi worked to combat drug and drug trafficking.
In an article on X, Patel praised the work of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, the Texas Law Enforcement Commission and the Drug Enforcement Bureau.
“These actions mean safer streets for American families,” Patel said. “And we’re just starting.”
More than 500,000 law enforcement officers serve as directors of the FBI
On March 8, 2025, hundreds of people protested outside the Tesla showroom. Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/lightrocket by Getty Images Photography) (Photo by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/Lightrocket via Getty Images)
Tesla arrests
The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice have worked together to crack down on a wave of intentional destruction against Tesla dealers, charging stations and individual Tesla cars, and Bondy described the action at a press conference earlier this month was “family terrorism” that could punish 20 years of “family terrorism.”
In recent weeks, individuals have been shooting and shooting Tesla cars and dealerships nationwide, destroying charging stations and engraving graffiti (including anti-Trump news).
These crimes prompted FBI and Justice leadership to pursue federal repression.
Recently, authorities announced federal charges Thursday against a 36-year-old Las Vegas resident who was accused of opening fire on a Tesla collision business in Nevada earlier this month. Video obtained by authorities showed a man burning Tesla with a Molotov cocktail, shooting bullets into a vehicle with an AR-30 rifle and spraying the word “resistance” onto a single car.
Las Vegas authorities described the crime as a “targeted” attack on Tesla facilities.
“As promised, violence and vandalism will not be tolerated, and now law enforcement officers are quick to take action to arrest individuals, including arson,” Patel said in a press release announcing federal charges. “Under the leadership of Attorney General Bondi, we will continue to conduct these investigations through all legal strength and bring anyone responsible for these attacks to justice.”
Terrorists’ money laundering stops
This week, the Justice Department announced a successful sabotage of a major cryptocurrency financing program that was believed to launder money to Hamas – a major victory for the FBI’s Counter-Terrorism Division and the Cyber Division and the FBI’s Albuquerke Field Office, which investigated the investigation.
According to the FBI and the Justice Department’s Department of Personnel, the terrorist group’s alleged financing circles controlled by Hamas have been used to launder more than $1.5 million in donors since October 2024.
Authorities say supporters are encouraged to donate to Hamas through encrypted group chats and a complex money laundering system.
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FBI Director Kash Patel is awaiting Muhammed Sharifullah’s extradition flight. (Ministry of Justice)
In total, the FBI seized $201,000 in cryptocurrency assets from the group, including $112,000 in exchange accounts under the names of three Palestinians living in Turkey and elsewhere under the names of Palestinians. An important success is because Hamas is increasingly accepting cryptocurrencies and crypto communications to better evade detection.
The U.S. Treasury Department believes that Hamas has used cryptocurrencies to launder money since at least 2020, leveraging the decentralized and unregulated nature of digital currencies.
These early victories are a signal of strength for the inning as it tries to get rid of unfair views on weaponization or politicization and key priorities under the Trump administration.
“The FBI and our law enforcement partners made several key moves in the first month, but the work was only started,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson praised Patel’s work performance, telling Fox News Digital.
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“Director Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have built an extremely strong FBI team dedicated to building a commitment to public trust, interacting with congressional partners to increase transparency and pursue violent criminals in every corner of the planet,” Williamson said.
“We’re just starting.”
Anders Hagstrom, David Spunt and Jake Gibson of Fox News contributed to the report.
