Card entries for deceased persons or persons aged 100 years or greater in La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Membership Index
| Tracking # |
1491814-001 1491814-000 |
| Submitted | March 6, 2021 |
| Due | March 22, 2024 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: T. McElwee
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
Entries (or "cards") in the La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Membership Index for all individuals acknowledged to be deceased or as having a birthdate falling on or earlier than December 31, 1920.
The above described subject is described as existing within the the FBI Central Records System (FBI-002) in a Notice published in the Federal Register, Vol. 63, No. 34, Friday, February 20, 1998; the specific reference to the Index is on page 8680 and describes it as follows:
"La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Membership Index. Contains cards on individuals having been identified as members of the LCN index. The cards contain personal data and pictures. The index is used solely by FBI agents for assistance in investigating organized crime matters. Active at FBI Headquarters and 55 Field Offices."
These records are releasable: the longstanding precedent of FOIA is that privacy interests for individuals are understood to be diminished post-mortem, and Bureau policy is to presume those with a birth date 100 years ago or earlier to be deceased. The full release of the requested records serves the public interest in understanding the history and evolution of the FBI's collection of intelligence with regard to racketeering organizations.
This request is made with intent to publish responsive records through MuckRock.com, a news outlet, and this should be categorized as a news media request.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
T. McElwee
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: T. McElwee
To: Initial Processing Operations Unit
From: T. McElwee
Re: FOIPA Request No.: 1491814-000 ("Subject: La Cosa Nostra (Individuals Acknowledged As Deceased or Having a Date of Birth On or Before December 31, 1920)
To whom it may concern:
On 4/12/2021, I received a response to my FOIA request stating, "additional records responsive to your subject exist. If this release of previously processed material does not satisfy your request, you must advise us that you want the additional records processed."
I hereby state in writing that I want the additional records processed.
-T. McElwee
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
You can download the files at:
**Please Note:**
The above link(s) are only active for 48hrs. After the link expires you will
have the option to reactivate the link(s) for an additional 48hrs. The max
renewal limit is two (2) times. Thereafter, the links can no longer be
accessed.
You can renew the download files by logging into the efoia system and clicking
the "Renew" button in the file list.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
An interim response, stating the request is being processed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 6, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #1491814-000.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Thank you for contacting foipaquestions@fbi.gov. Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.
Check the Status of Your FOIPA Request
If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-0] please enter [1234567-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-1] please enter [1234567-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@fbi.gov.
FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly
Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]
FOIPA:
Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:
FOIPA:
1234567-000
Case Type:
FOIPA
Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)
The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.
You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.
NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.
Estimated Dates of Completion
Requests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average approximately 104 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 853 days, large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,786 days, and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 2,500 days for processing.
Respectfully,
Public Information Officer
FBI - Information Management Division
200 Constitution Drive
Winchester, VA 22602
O: (540) 868-4593
E: foipaquestions@fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@fbi.gov>
Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at http://www.fbi.gov/foia
Please check the status of your request online at https://vault.fbi.gov/fdps-1/@@search-fdps Status updates are performed on a weekly basis.
Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.
COVID-19 Impact: RIDS resumed full staffing on April 12, 2021. Commensurate with the return of full staffing levels, RIDS will being increasing its FOIA processing production. While RIDS will make its best efforts to meet increased production goals, this increased production rate may be negatively impacted by COVID-19 workplace disruptions. As a result, estimated dates of completion for Freedom of Information Act requests were impacted and you can expect lengthened response timelines. Please note that these are estimates, and these timelines may change as this national emergency evolves. The FBI remains committed to fulfilling your FOIPA request in the timeliest manner possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
There are eFOIA files available for you to download.
From: T. McElwee
re: FOIPA Request No.: 1491814-001, Subject: La Cosa Nostra
I am returning your message and confirming my interest in receiving this material. There is also no need to reduce scope.
-TM
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Good Morning T. McElwee,
Thank you for the email confirmation concerning the scope reduction of this request. We have noted that you are still interested in the potentially responsive documents at this time.
We will move forward with processing without reducing the scope of this request.
Any future status inquires please go to foipaquestions@fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@fbi.gov>
Sincerely,
Negotiation Team
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Fbi.foipa.negotiation@fbi.gov<mailto:Fbi.foipa.negotiation@fbi.gov>
Status Checks: https://vault.fbi.gov/fdps-1/@@search-fdps<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__vault.fbi.gov_fdps-2D1_-40-40search-2Dfdps&d=DwMFAw&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=XBMMkObpUV4qgiRWe16ruf84MlE_zzfeACVcd84hmls&m=Aw62oYIKH07oNuehHecdHgLWMqlWFG0DYoQjNpzMHkhbi3BtoiHrci3yBRh212Wp&s=SdHEKbKopxbZbSeRluCcd86nmwJXks1SzF_CE3LxaTE&e=> | foipaquestions@fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@fbi.gov>
For additional information, please visit the www.fbi.gov/foia<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.fbi.gov_foia&d=DwMFAw&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=XBMMkObpUV4qgiRWe16ruf84MlE_zzfeACVcd84hmls&m=Aw62oYIKH07oNuehHecdHgLWMqlWFG0DYoQjNpzMHkhbi3BtoiHrci3yBRh212Wp&s=-aTlmvcM5Bk6Q7nyu9yDBhN3v2HmU3sGIZ7u9r2JLFg&e=> website.
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