2012
Ex-FBI Agent Pleads to Passing on Inside Info to a Close Friend
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com An ex-FBI agent pleaded guilty Friday to obtaining information about an undercover law enforcement operation in Newark and giving it to a close friend, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark announced. In June 2011, Ivan Stantchev was asked by a friend to obtain confidential information in connection with four telephone numbers…
Prolific Retired-ATF Official Bernie La Forest Cranks Out His Third Novel
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Ex-ATF official Bernie La Forest is at it again. The prolific La Forest has just knocked out his third mystery novel, “A Matter of Lex Talionis,” the story of a Lt. Andre de Avilés, who heads the Detroit Police Department’s Intel Squad. Described as a forty-somethin’, ‘balls-to-the-wall” detective known for…
Google Defies FBI Attempts to Gain Cell Phone Passwords
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A defiant Google earlier this year refused to unlock a suspected pimp’s cellphone, prompting a potential legal battle with the FBI that could have sweeping ramifications, the Wall Street Journal reports. When the FBI can’t unlock cell phone information, such as texts, phone numbers and emails, it appears the agency is…
FBI Investigates U.S. Border Patrol Shooting Along Rio Grand River
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The U.S. Border Patrol acknowledged Thursday that an agent shot a Mexican citizen along the border. The patrol’s Laredo sector said in a statement that the shooting occurred after rocks were thrown at agents. “A weapon was discharged by Border Patrol. All appropriate authorities were notified and the shooting is under…
FBI Agent Convicted of Fraud May Get New Trial
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A Nashville FBI agent who was sentenced last year to four years in prison for wire and bankruptcy fraud may get a new trial after allegations of racial discrimination surfaced, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, the Tennessean reports. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said the case should be sent…
‘The Zombies Are Coming!’ Homeland Security Warns
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Homeland Security Department is urging citizens to prepare for a zombie apocalypse. No, really. It was the government’s way of injecting a little humor into helping communities prepare for emergencies. The idea is to prepare citizens for genuine disasters and emergencies, which would take the same sort of preparation to fend…
IG Says Justice Department Underreported Terrorism Statistics
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Office of Inspector General said the Justice Department misreported terrorism statistics to Congress, the Associated Press reports. The report, released Thursday, shows the Justice Department charged 544 people with terrorism-related crimes in the six years since the Sept. 11, attacks, not 512, as reported by the Justice Department, according to the…