WASHINGTON, July 8 — The FBI is tracking a surge in thefts targeting the construction sites of artificial intelligence data centers, with Director Christopher Wray overseeing a multi-agency push to disrupt organized crime rings that are stripping copper and equipment from these facilities. On the ground, the scene at several sites across Virginia, Oregon, and Texas has become all too familiar: chain-link fences cut, security lights smashed, and the guts of high-voltage electrical systems ripped out overnight.
The thefts are not random acts of vandalism, but what federal investigators describe as a coordinated campaign by Eastern European criminal networks. Wray, who has served as FBI Director since August 2, 2017, appointed by President Donald Trump, has made the protection of critical infrastructure a signature priority of his tenure.
In January 2025, he oversaw the FBI’s Cyber Division as it issued a formal warning about these specific criminal enterprises. The warning detailed how the rings were casing data center construction sites and returning to steal copper wiring and equipment. The scale of the problem has forced the FBI to coordinate with Interpol and local law enforcement agencies.
The bureau’s field offices in Virginia, Oregon, and Texas are now running joint investigations. The thefts are not just a property crime issue; they threaten to delay the rollout of AI infrastructure at a moment when both private industry and the federal government are racing to expand computing capacity.
A prosecutor’s lens on corporate crime
Wray’s background gives him a particular vantage point on this kind of organized theft. From 2003 to 2005, he served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, where his portfolio focused squarely on corporate fraud. That experience has informed his approach at the FBI, where he has been a vocal advocate for increased cybersecurity and physical security measures for the nation’s critical infrastructure.
The FBI’s response to the data center thefts draws on that same prosecutorial framework. Investigators are tracing the stolen copper and equipment through scrap metal dealers and online marketplaces, looking for patterns that link the thefts back to the same criminal networks.
The bureau has also pushed for better coordination between private security firms and local police, urging data center operators to harden their construction sites. Wray has testified before Congress on the need for federal funding to combat infrastructure theft, arguing that the losses go beyond the immediate value of the stolen materials. Each delayed data center, he has warned, represents a setback for American competitiveness in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Major cases under Wray’s watch
Wray’s tenure has been defined by a series of high-stakes investigations. The FBI handled the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, a case that exposed the vulnerability of the nation’s energy infrastructure to cybercriminals. The bureau also managed the federal response to the 2020 protests.
The data center thefts represent a different kind of threat — one that blends physical crime with implications for national security. The copper and equipment being stolen are not just commodities; they are the building blocks of the computing infrastructure that underpins everything from cloud storage to advanced AI models.
A single theft can set a construction project back by weeks, as replacement parts must be ordered and security protocols reassessed.
What to watch next
The FBI’s coordination with Interpol suggests that the investigation is reaching beyond U.S. borders. The Eastern European crime rings identified in the bureau’s January 2025 warning are known to operate across multiple countries, moving stolen goods through complex supply chains before selling them into global markets. The next phase of the investigation is likely to focus on those supply chains, with the FBI working to identify the buyers and brokers who are financing the thefts.
For now, the thefts continue. The FBI has not announced any major arrests, but the intensity of the investigation suggests that charges could be forthcoming.
Wray’s push for federal funding to combat infrastructure theft may also gain traction on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are increasingly aware of the economic and security costs of these crimes.
