SAN DIEGO, CA—In a first for the agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that it had arrested 56 individuals over the weekend who are suspected of involvement with as many as 214 unsolved murders across the United States. An additional 36 have been placed on watch lists. In a sting-like operation, the federal agents arranged and advertised a conference at the Hilton Hotel in San Diego, intended to draw the attention of people who murder strangers for pleasure or to serve some deep-seeded fantasy. Through media such as mailed flyers, television advertisements, and targeted social media ads, as well as word-of-mouth, the Bureau provided a schedule of tantalizing workshops and talks from some of the biggest names in the industry. For example, Joseph James DeAngelo, who is commonly known as the "Golden State Killer" was listed to give the Sunday morning plenary talk on "Avoiding Detection by Law Enforcement: 21st Century Challenges." Other listed presentations included "Choosing Your Target Demographic," and "Calling Cards History Will Remember." Special agents were skeptical at first that anyone would fall for their operation, especially considering the fact that DeAngelo has been in custody since 2018. "We thought this might be a longshot, and that it would just scream 'set up,'" admitted Christoper Wray, current director of the F.B.I. "Weren't we surprised to have about 110 people sign up in the first 24 hours!" Director Wray explained that he expected many of those who signed up were just interested in learning about serial killing, which is not a crime per se. He and the team assigned to the operation decided to make part of the conference registration process sending in clear fingerprints in addition to the $230 fee. "I was blown away by how many of them fell for that. It really made this whole thing a lot simpler." Wray related that there are only about 35 active serial killers at any given time in the United States, but they were hoping to catch some serial killers before they became active, and capture some who are retired but like to keep up on trends in the field. "For example, we nabbed one guy who'd been out of the game for 12 years, but was wanted in connection with at least 6 murders. He sent in his fingerprints just like a good boy, and even signed up for the Monday Morning 'Fun Run' the day after the conference. Of course, he's in jail right now while the prosecutors get the case put together." Director Wray cited this event as a glowing success and real boon for the image of the Bureau. "I can't believe this worked so well!" he commented. Although he would not give specifics, he stated that the bureau will begin looking into other, similar operations to capture other groups with concerning agendas, including arsonists, environmental terrorists, and white nationalists. "I'm thinking we might put together a cruise so we can keep a close eye on these flat-earth wackos," Wray stated. "Those morons will fall for anything."