By Allan Lengel ticklethwire.com WASHINGTON — A New York Times story is questioning the actions of the FBI in connection with the four-day standoff with pirates off the Somalia coast that ended with all four crew members aboard a 58-foot yacht being murdered. The Times reported that an F.B.I. hostage-rescue negotiator aboard the U.S.S. Sterett…
By Van Smith Baltimore City Paper BALTIMORE — Ronald Eugene Brown was a natural target for Baltimore narcotics investigators. The 6-foot-6-inch, 240-pound man, nicknamed “Truck,” had already served many years in prison for 1990s drug-dealing and robbery convictions, and his rehabilitation after getting out was, well, dubious. The 44-year-old had lost his low-paying job as…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com After presenting what may have been too complex of a case for the jury to digest the first time around, prosecutors in Rod Blagojevich’s corruption case moved Wednesday to drop three counts for the upcoming retrial, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The number of counts will now drop from 23 to 20….
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The FBI on Wednesday busted 17 Baltimore cops in an extortion scheme involving two brothers who own a car repair, the Baltimore Sun reported. The Sun reported that the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint alleging that the brothers paid the cops to arrange for their company to…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Mexican authorities say they have nabbed a suspect in the slaying of ICE agent Jaime Zapata in Mexico last week, the Associated Press reported. Another agent was wounded after being shot twice in the leg. The Mexican Defense Department issued a brief statement Wednesday but provided no details, AP reported. The…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Ex-New Jersey U.S. Attorney and current Governor Chris Christie tried Wednesday to put an end to speculation that he might make a bid for president as a Republican in 2012. Appearing on NBC’s Today show, Christie, 48, told Ann Curry: “There is no chance , zero chance, under any circumstances. Close…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — As part of an occasional snapshot of what’s going on at our nation’s airports, ticklethewire.com periodically publishes stats on activity at checkpoints. For the week of Feb. 14-20, the Transportation Security Administration reported that 19 firearms were found at checkpoints along with two “artfully concealed prohibited items.” Additionally, six…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — A splash of trouble is bubbling over at ICE. The Center for Investigative Reporting reports in the Washington Post that several several agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including the ex-head of its intelligence office, have been the target of an internal investigation into personal misconduct. The journalistic investigative…
