FBI
US Soldier Ditches the Army, Tried to Join Terror Group in Somalia
By Danny Fenster ticklethewire.com A former Army soldier was charged Monday in federal court in Greenbelt, Md., with attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab, the terrorist organization, the FBI said in a statement. Craig Benedict Baxam, 24, of Laurel, Maryland, was arrested on Friday, January 6, when he returned to his home state…
Mich. Boy Scout Camp Director Gets 95 Years for Child Porn
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com A 40-year-old director of a Boy Scout camp in Western Michigan got socked on Friday with a 95-year prison term in Grand Rapids federal court for child pornography charges. Specifically, Scott Allan Herrick surreptitiously videotaped boys as they were dressing in the locker room in the YMCA in Muskegon, and kept…
At FBI, Hope for Wounded Soldiers Returning Home
By Danny Fenster ticklethewire.com It was an IED that did it for Povas Miknaitis. After an initial deployment to Iraq in 2008, he was later sent to Afghanistan as a Marine rifleman. In Afghanistan, an IED blast sent shrapnel flying; some hit his arm and abdomen; larger pieces struck his face, shattering his jaw and…
ICE: Federal Immigration Program to Become Mandatory by 2013
By Danny Fenster ticklethewire.com Provisions which allowed local law enforcement officials more choices in complying with the federal Secure Communities immigration enforcement program will be “streamlined” or “eliminated,” bringing law enforcement groups in line with federal mandates, reports the LA Times. The information-sharing program between the FBI and local law enforcement, which allows the FBI…
Money Wasted in Cook County Police Program, Lawmakers Call for FBI Probe
By Danny Fenster ticklethewire.com Would you believe that federal money was wasted in Illinois’ Cook County, home of the city of Chicago? A report by the Department of Homeland Security claims that millions of dollars may have been wasted on a troubled $44 million county program that put faulty cameras in police cars, reports…
Sen. Schumer to DEA: Pharmacies Need More Protection
By Danny Fenster ticklethewire.com Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is concerned about American pharmacists. There have been about 1,800 pharmacy robberies in the past three years, he has said in calling for increased protection for pharmacists, reports UPI. Schumer blames the robberies on the increased ability to obtain highly addictive pain medications like Oxycontin, and in…
Book Review: Retired FBI Agent Writes About His Dealings with Mobster “Whitey” Bulger
By Pamela Reinsel Cotter Associated Press Retired FBI agent Robert Fitzpatrick tells his compelling story of trying to bring Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger to justice in “Betrayal,” written with Jon Land. Fitzpatrick’s career was filled with multiple commendations and promotions, and when he transferred to Boston in the early 1980s with orders to…
FBI Definition of Rape to Include Men for First Time
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com For 85 years, the official definition of rape did not include men. That’s changing. The FBI is changing that definition to include sexual assault of males, USA Today reports. “Under the current definition, established 85 years ago, many of the sex crimes alleged in the ongoing prosecution of former Penn State…