FBI Albany Briefing Handout / Tasking Package (Strategic Review of the Recalled IIR)

Package organized in tabs including electronic media reviewed, people identified for interview, personnel link chart, IIR dissemination and recall flow charts, IPPG sections, FBI Albany IIR #1 and #2 flow charts, pertinent electronic communications, log of direct communication between DAD Floris and DAD Ugoretz, the recalled IIR, and IIR recall statistics from 2019-June 2025 (p.1).

Review scope metrics: 21,456 FBINET emails, 24,289 Skype messages, 10,351 UNET emails, 692 text messages, 1,432 SCINET emails reviewed; totals 58,220 items and 103 accounts reviewed (OCR of counts approximate) (p.2).

Named personnel/offices: FITF (China CD), Criminal Investigative Division A/DAD Brian Cohen, Albany Field Office SAC Thomas Relford, Cyber Division DAD Tonya Ugoretz, CD DAD Nikki Floris, DI SC Kellie Hardiman, FITF SC Bradley Benavides, and various SIAs/CROs/ASCs (identities partly redacted) (p.4, p.11-12).

The IIR was recalled the same evening (25 Sep 2020); Sentinel record: "This report was recalled in order to re-interview the source"; ASC message: "the IIR has been recalled. Crisis averted!" (p.10, p.12).

SC Benavides stated "the NY and Albany FOs have pushed two IIRs in the past two days, neither of which should have gone out in my opinion," and asked FITF to craft language directing FOs to coordinate with FITF/HQ on election-related intelligence prior to dissemination (p.11).

The IIR at issue is FBI Albany IIR 4 212 7305 20 (the fraudulent-drivers-licenses/mail-in-votes report), disseminated ~7:23 a.m. on 25 September 2020 (p.11).

Timeline of 25 Sep 2020: FITF-China received the IIR at 10:19 a.m.; by afternoon CD DAD Floris and Cyber DAD Ugoretz were engaged; Floris emailed CID asking whether they were tracking the IIR ("Given the topic, this is obviously going to get quite a bit of attention"); Ugoretz replied "Thanks. This is fun."; DI SC Hardiman noted "another election related IIR went out... that is creating a stir" and that Floris wanted DI to work with FITF to push out guidance (p.11).

ASC stated it was "first contact with a source... It never should have gone out and we recommend an admin recall"; Floris noted she had raised with DI that "ALL election related IIRs having to come through HQ for review" (p.11).

Skype log (Floris-Ugoretz, 25 Sep 2020): Floris to Ugoretz "another fucking IIR went out re election security" and "4212 7305 20"; Ugoretz "oh crap" / "how's the sourcing on the new IIR?"; Ugoretz "Thanks. This is fun."; Floris "i don't even know what to say anymore," "im out of energy and brain power at this poitn" (p.13).

The recall itself was issued as a "SUBSTANTIVE RECALL" of IIR 4 212 7305 20, original DTG 2009251123Z, reason: recalled to re-interview the source; recipients directed to destroy all copies of the original (p.14-15).

Requirement lines cited: CHN2019A.II.B.7.3; CHN2019A.II.A.3.1; CHN2019A.I.A.3.2; RUS-ANARCHIST EXT-CD-SR-0978-20.1.C.4 and .1.C.2; Functional Code IFC2637; Topic FINT (p.15).

IIR source details: originating office Albany, squad AL-3 CI; country PRC and USA; source motivated by "a sense of indebtedness towards the United States after being granted asylum," and disapproval of PRC governance; source obtained the information from an identified sub-source in China claiming contact with unidentified PRC government officials; FBI opened the source 14 August 2020 and acquired the information 24 August 2020 (date of information masked for source protection) (p.15-17).

Internal debate (29 Sep - 2 Oct 2020): FBIHQ figures wrote the reporting should be backed up "with a minimum of the following information and treat it like it will be going in front of the President," citing "the conflict of this information to that of the wider USIC, the fact that it contradicts Director Wray's testimony to Congress, and the importance to the current administration"; and expressed skepticism "based on the portions regarding COVID that veer into conspiracy theories," including asking whether the subsource was "the same one who said that the Chinese Government had underground bases in Republican states to disperse Coronavirus" (p.19-22, p.26).

An Albany author objected (1 Oct 2020) that citing "the reporting would contradict Director Wray's testimony" implied a political reason for not disseminating, which "goes directly against our organizations mission to remain apolitical," and argued the IIR should at least be drafted and submitted to FBIHQ (p.25-26).

The alternative context statement the author proposed: "The acquisition of the source's information passed through a sub-source who claimed contact with unidentified PRC government officials, leaving the veracity of information questionable but is being reported due to the nature of the threat being discussed" — later reworded before release to "The source obtained the information from an identified sub-source who claimed contact with unidentified PRC government officials" (p.26).

Resolution: FITF-China did not want the IIR reissued; on 8 October 2020 the field agreed with FITF-China's assessment not to reissue and notified SAC Thomas Relford; a Sentinel record notes the IA deleted the draft IIR due to "Internal Coordination" on 15 October 2020 (p.27, p.30-31).

New guidance issued: RICU (28 Sep 2020) and DI Communication (30 Sep 2020) directed that CROs, handling agents, and EIAs coordinate with the appropriate HQ Division (notably FITF, Cyber, and/or CID's election teams) prior to disseminating IIRs on any information related to the 2020 elections (p.28-29).

FITF issued a lead to FBI Chicago (28 Sep 2020) to coordinate with CBP on whether any fraudulent driver's licenses seized by CBP were used to register to vote (p.28).

FBI Chicago/CBP response (5 Oct 2020): CBP does not maintain a list of names and addresses on counterfeit licenses; the majority of such documents "are procured by teens between the ages of 18 and 20 who then modify their DOB... to circumvent alcohol laws" (p.30, p.34).

Floris-OGA IM (undated within package): Floris states "we're pushing out a note today to all FOs that all election related IRs must come through FITF/HQ" and "i'm basically running a shadow government across the FBI at this point"; the OGA participant notes "The Director has the original in his book this AM" (referring to the recalled IIR) (p.32).

IIR recall statistics (per Sentinel, ~1,130 Recalls from 01/01/2019 to present): 2019=209, 2020=154, 2021=168, 2022=204, 2023=172, 2024=140, 2025=83 (to date); totals include 519 [administrative], 593 [substantive], 18 FISA-Compliance recalls (FISA-Compliance Recall introduced Feb 2020) (p.35).

Albany Field Office 2020 recall total: the only recall is 802I-AL-49205-INTELPRODS 207 — the SUBSTANTIVE RECALL of the Chinese fraudulent-drivers-licenses/mail-in-votes IIR (p.35).