FBI File FAQ

No. The FBI requires the use of their submission portal.

In my book, “Shallow Grave”, I mentioned that I use an email address to request FBI files. The FBI updated their process after the book was published, and the email address mentioned in the book is no longer an accepted submission method.

The FBI would know better than I would regarding your specific request, but I can tell you that my current experience is that the wait is well over a year.

Per the FBI FAQ: “You may check the status of your request online 24/7 at https://vault.fbi.gov/ by clicking on the “Check Status of Your FOIPA Request” link on the right side of the page. Statuses are updated once weekly.”

Yes. Email it to MilwaukeeMafia@gmail.com. Unless you tell me otherwise, I will assume it’s okay for me to post it on my website to share with other researchers.

The Vault is the FBI’s FOIA Library, containing 6,700 FBI documents and other media that have been scanned into digital copies for the public to view online.

The FBI’s list of deceased people (the FBI is aware of the death), and those deceased people have an FBI file.

• When submitting an FBI FOI/PA request for a deceased person, the FBI requires “proof of death”. This documentation is not required for people who are on the RIDS Dead List as the FBI already knows they are deceased.
• RIDS: Record/Information Dissemination Section.
  • The organizational sectoin within the FBI that receives and processes FOI/PA requests.

MuckRock has the 2019 RIDS Dead List. (The requester appealed their 2021 request for the RIDS Dead List as the FBI supplied the 2019 version without any updated information.)

You can also find the 2019 list on The Black Vault.

This is due to the file being reprocessed. Once I have a file and time has passed, I often submit a new request asking for the same record, but I specifically request that it be reprocessed prior to sending me the file. The purpose of this is that as time passes, people who were redacted in the original file are now deceased, so this allows the FBI to send me the file with that person’s name and information no longer redacted.

In short, the files will look very similar, but there are likely differences in what information is redacted by the FBI.

Links on my FBI Files page will take you to the file location. Files that I’ve personally uploaded are on Archive.org. Some of the links will take you to the FBI Vault – the FBI’s file storage.

Archive.org

Be sure to click the pages icon to see all .pdfs within the file. (Not all files have additional .pdfs.)

FBI files numbers have three parts:

• Classification number
• File location (Field office or HQ code)
• Unique file identification number

Examples:

• 92-MW-366
  • 92: Racketeer Enterprise Investigations. Title 18, United States Code. Section 3237
  • MW: Milwaukee Field Office
  • 366: Vito Guardalabene
• 87-MW-12789
  • 87: Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property (Heavy Equipment– Commercialized Theft). Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2311, 2314, 2315 and 2318
  • MW: Milwaukee Field Office
  • 12789: Top Thief Program
• 91-MW-2742
  • 91: Bank Burglary, Bank Larceny; Bank Robbery. Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113
  • MW: Milwaukee Field Office
  • 2742: Sherwood State Bank (10/30/1967)

Note: Milwaukee can sometimes be shown as MI instead of MW in documents within the FBI file.

From the FBI: “There are 56 FBI field offices located across the country. The bulk of FBI investigative work is conducted in the FBI’s field offices. They are led by either a special agent in charge or an assistant director in charge who answers to the FBI Director. Field offices are not considered FBI Headquarters entities.”

Additional information about the FBI Central Records System

Officially? Not that I know of. I created a list based on files I’ve reviewed, and references to other files within those files.

Whenever the FBI redacts information from the file, they cite which part of the FOIA law is being used as the reason for the information being redacted.

From the FBI:

“The Freedom of Information Act [5 USC 552], or FOIA, generally provides that any person has a right—enforceable in court—of access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions thereof) are protected from disclosure by one of nine exemptions. When a portion of a record is withheld from public release, the subsection of the FOIA law describing that exemption or exemptions may be found listed in the margin next to the space where the withheld text would have been found. The list below describes the type of material withheld under each subsection of the FOIA.

Exemptions:

(b)(1) (A) Specifically authorized under criteria 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 #12958 (3/25/03).
(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 that 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 that furnished information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of a 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 or 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.
(b)(9) Geological and geophysical information and data, including maps concerning wells.”

It depends.

I, unfortunately, do not have the availability to assist everyone who requests my help. Depending on my workload and other commitments and the type of help you need, I may be able to assist. I am very passionate about making public records available to the public, and if I have the availability, I will do my best to assist.

It is my preference that you review publicly available information on how to request records prior to contacting me as I am just one person.