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 U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

June 22, 2015

MR. JOHN GREENEWALD JR.

FOIPA Request No. : 1310599-001

Dear Mr. Gl\eeneWala:

This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Additional records which may have been responsive to your request were destroyed on 9/27/2009. Since this
material could not be reviewed , it is not known if it was responsive to your request. Record retention and disposal is
carried out under supervision of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Title 44, United States
Code, Section 3301 and Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations , Chapter 12, Sub-chapter B, Part 1228. The FBI
Records Retention Plan and Disposition Schedules have been approved by the United States District Court for the
District of Columbia and are monitored by NARA.

By letter dated 11/25/2014, all other records responsive to your request were reviewed and released to you .
The records you currently seek have already been properly reviewed and withheld pursuant to the provisions of the
Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts, Title 28, Sections 552 and 552A.

For your information, Congress excluded three discrete categories of law enforcement and national security
records from the requirements of the FOIA. See 5 U.S. C. § 552(c) (2006 & Supp. IV (2010) . This response is limited
to those records that are subject to the requirements of the FOIA. This is a standard notification that is given to all our
requesters and should not be taken as an indication that excluded records do, or do not, exist.

For questions regarding our determinations, visit the www.fbi.gov/foia website under "Contact Us."
The FOIPA Request number listed above has been assigned to your request. Please use this number in all
correspondence concerning your request. Your patience is appreciated .

You may file an appeal by writing to the Director, Office of Information Policy (OIP), U.S. Department of
Justice, 1425 New York Ave ., NW, Suite 11050, Washington , D.C. 20530-0001 , or you may submit an appeal through
OIP's eFOiA portal at http://www.justice.gov/oipiefoia-portal.html. Your appeal must be received by OIP within sixty
(60) days from the date of this letter in order to be considered timely. The envelope and the letter should be clearly
marked "Freedom of Information Appeal. " Please cite the FOIPA Request Number in any correspondence to us for
proper identification of your request.

Enclosed for your information is a copy of the FBI Fact Sheet and Explanation of Exemptions.

Sincerely,

~
David M. Hardy
Section Chief,
Record/1 nformation
Dissemination Section
Records Management Division
Enclosure(s)
 FBI FACT SHEET

primary functions of the FBI are national security and law enforcement.

• The FBI does not keep a file on every citizen of the United States.

• The FBI was not established until 1908 and we have very few records prior to the 1920s.

• FBI files generally contain reports of FBI investigations of a wide range of matters, including counterterrorism ,
counter-intelligence, cyber crime, public corruption , civil rights , organized crime, white collar crime, major thefts,
violent crime, and applicants.

• The FBI does not issue clearances or non-clearances for anyone other than its own personnel or persons
having access to FBI facilities. Background investigations for security clearances are conducted by many
different Government agencies. Persons who received a clearance while in the military or employed with some
other government agency should contact that entity. Most government agencies have websites which are
accessible on the internet which have their contact information.

• A criminal history summary check or "rap sheet" is NOT the same as an "FBI file." It is a listing of information
taken from fingerprint cards and related documents submitted to the FBI in connection with arrests, federal
employment, naturalization or military service. The subject of a "rap sheet" may obtain a copy by submitting a
written request to FBI , Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division , Record Request, 1000 Custer Hollow
Road , Clarksburg , West Virginia 26306. Along with a specific written request, the individual must submit a new full
set of his/her fingerprints in order to locate the record , establish positive identification , and ensure that an
individual's records are not disseminated to an unauthorized person . The fingerprint submission must include the
subject's name, date and place of birth . There is a required fee of $18 for this service, which must be submitted by
money order or certified check made payable to the Treasury of the United States. A credit card payment option is
also available. Forms for this option and additional directions may be obtained by accessing the FBI Web site at
www.fbi .gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/background_checks.

• The National Name Check Program (NNCP) conducts a search of the FBI ' s Universal Index (UN I) to identify any
information contained in FBI records that may be associated with an individual and provides the results of that
search to a requesting federal , state or local agency. Names are searched in a multitude of combinations and
phonetic spellings to ensure all records are located . The NNCP also searches for both " main" and " cross
reference" files . A main file is an entry that carries the name corresponding to the subject of a file , while a cross
reference is merely a mention of an individual contained in a file . The results from a search of this magnitude can
result in several " hits" and " idents" on an individual. In each instance where UNI has identified a name variation or
reference , information must be reviewed to determine if it is applicable to the individual in question.

• The Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS) searches for records and provides copies of FBI fi les
responsive to Freedom of Information or Privacy Act (FOIPA) requests for information. RIDS provides responsive
documents to requesters seeking "reasonably described information ." For a FOIPA search , the subject's name,
event, activity, or business is searched to determine whether there is an associated investigative file . This is called
a "main file search" and differs from the NNCP search .

FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FBI, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT

1/6/14
 EXPLANATION OF EXEMPTIONS

SUBSECTIONS OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, SECTION 552

(b )(I) (A) specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign
policy and (B) are in fact properly classified to such Executive order;

(b )(2) related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency;

(b )(3) specifically exempted from disclosure by statute (other than section 552b of this title), provided that such statute (A) requires that the matters
be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on issue, or (B) establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers
to particular types of matters to be withheld;

(b)( 4) trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential;

(b )(5) inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with
the agency;

(b)(6) personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

(b)(7) records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that the production of such law enforcement records or
information (A) could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, (B) would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial
or an impartial adjudication, (C) could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (D) could
reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of confidential source, including a State, local, or foreign agency or authority or any private
institution which furnished information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of record or information compiled by a criminal law
enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation, or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelligence
investigation, information furnished by a confidential source, ( E ) would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement
investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions if such disclosure could
reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law, or ( F) could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any
individual ;

(b )(8) contained in or related to examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the use of an agency responsible for the
regulation or supervision of financial institutions; or

(b)(9) geological and geophysical information and data, including maps, concerning wells.

SUBSECTIONS OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, SECTION 552a

(d)(5) information compiled in reasonable anticipation of a civil action proceeding;

U)(2) material reporting investigative efforts pertaining to the enforcement of criminal law including efforts to prevent, control, or reduce crime or
apprehend criminals;

(k)( I) information which is currently and properly classified pursuant to an Executive order in the interest of the national defense or foreign policy,
for example, information involving intelligence sources or methods;

(k)(2) investigatory material compiled for law enforcement purposes, other than criminal, which did not result in loss of a right, benefit or privilege
under Federal programs, or which would identify a source who furnished information pursuant to a promise that his/her identity would be
held in confidence;

(k)(3) material maintained in connection with providing protective services to the President of the United States or any other individual pursuant
to the authority of Title 18, United States Code, Section 3056;

(k)( 4) required by statute to be maintained and used solely as statistical records;

(k)(5) investigatory material compiled solely for the purpose of determining suitability, eligibility, or qualifications for Federal civilian employment
or for access to classified information, the disclosure of which would reveal the identity of the person who furnished information pursuant to
a promise that his/her identity would be held in confidence;

(k)(6) testing or examination material used to determine individual qualifications for appointment or promotion in Federal Government service he
release of which would compromise the testing or examination process;

(k)(7) material used to determine potential for promotion in the armed services, the disclosure of which would reveal the identity of the person
who furnished the material pursuant to a promise that his/her identity would be held in confidence.
FBI/DOJ