2013
Eric Birnbaum Heads West to Become an SAC in FBI’s Los Angeles Division
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Eric S. Birnbaum, who served as chief inspector of the Inspection Division at headquarters, has been named special agent in charge of the Administrative Division in the Los Angeles office of the FBI. Birnbaum joined the FBI 1988 and was first posted in the Washington Field Office, where he focused on…
The FBI, Some Gay Murders and a Fingerprint Examiner Named Thurman Williams
By Greg Stejskal ticklethewire.com I was seated, facing Michael Lee Sprague as I interviewed him. We were on the same side of the table. As an FBI agent on the fugitive squad in the Detroit Division, I never liked having anything between me and the person I was interviewing. It was easier to observe body…
Column: The FBI, Some Gay Murders and a Fingerprint Examiner Named Thurman Williams
Greg Stejskal served as an FBI agent for 31 years and retired as resident agent in charge of the Ann Arbor office. By Greg Stejskal ticklethewire.com I was seated, facing Michael Lee Sprague as I interviewed him. We were on the same side of the table. As an FBI agent on the fugitive squad…
Justice Department Loses Another Top Official with Imminent Departure of Public Affairs Post
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Tracy Schmaler, head of the Justice Department’s public affairs office, is stepping down to join the private sector, the Washington Post reports. Schmaler, whose departure next month leaves another vacancy at the top level of the department, took a job for ASGK Public Strategies, a firm created by former senior White House…
Judge: Top FBI Agent in Seattle May Proceed with Age Discrimination, Hostile Workplace Lawsuit
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The special agent who oversaw the FBI’s Seattle office cleared a hurdle in her discrimination lawsuit against the bureau Thursday, the Seattle Times reports. U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled that Special Agent-in-Charge Laura M. Laughlin, 55, can proceed with her claims of sex discrimination and retaliation, the Seattle Times reported. Laughlin…
Savannah Police Department Under FBI Investigation Over Claims of Under-Reporting Crime
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI is investigating claims that the Savannah-Chatham Police Department is under-reporting or failing to report crimes, Savannah Now reports. Alderman Tony Thomas suggested in January that the department’s record-low crime levels are the result of officers failing to report many crimes, Savannah Now reported. Other council members said they had heard…
Al Capone an “Amateur” Compared to the FBI’s New “Public Enemy Number One”
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The head of a criminal enterprise in Chicago is far more violent and dangerous than mob boss Al Capone ever was, according to the FBI. To capture the elusive, vicious Joaquin Guzman Loera, the FBI said it has joined forces with the Chicago Police Department, naming Joaquin Guzman Loera “Public Enemy Number…