FBI
Head of Milwaukee FBI Office Is Reassigned After Refusing to Testify in Court
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Teresa Carlson, special agent in charge of the Milwaukee FBI office, was quietly reassigned to the agency’s headquarters after she refused to testify in a federal courtroom in Virginia, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Carlson is accused of trying to influence a subordinate’s testimony on whether the FBI refused to give an…
FBI to Review More than 2,000 Cases That Involved Hair Sample Evidence
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Hair samples are one popular way to obtain DNA evidence. But the FBI plans to examine more than 2,000 cases in which hair samples led to a conviction, McClatchy Newspapers reports. The FBI plans to examine more than 2,000 cases from 1985 to 2000. Some of those cases include people awaiting execution…
Toxicology Reports May Shed Light on What Killed Former ‘Whitey’ Bulger Witness
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Officials have not yet determined the cause of death of an alleged extortion victim of James “Whitey” Bulger who was found dead a day after learning he wouldn’t be testifying in the racketeering and murder trial of the suspected mob boss, The Boston Herald reports. An autopsy of Stephen M. “Stippo”…
Fed Judge Clears ex-FBI Agent Pete Norell Jr. of Wrongdoing
By Allan Lengel ticklethewrie.com An ex-FBI agent who pleaded guilty in 2010 to illegally accessing an FBI computer has been vindicated. Scott Schwebke of the Orange County Register reports that U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford ruled this month that ex-FBI agent Pete Norell Jr. was “factually innocent” of the misdemeanor charge he pleaded to….
FBI Advises Local Police to Keep George Zimmerman’s Gun, Evidence
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Sanford Police won’t return to George Zimmerman his gun and other evidence used at his murder trial after the FBI urged against giving back the weapon, The Orlando Sentinel reports. It’s a sign that the Justice Department is moving forward with an investigation into whether Zimmerman violated the civil rights of…
Senate Committee Approves Comey As Next FBI Director; Full Senate Vote Next
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com James Comey is closer to being the next FBI director. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously approved Comey, Obama’s choice to replace Robert Mueller, the USA Today reports. Now the Senate must approve the nomination of the former senior Justice Department official. The USA Today wrote that Comey is almost guaranteed…
Federal Review Finds As Many As 27 Problematic Death Penalty Convictions
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com As many as 27 people were convicted of the death penalty by exaggerated scientific testimony, an unprecedented federal review of old criminal cases shows, the Washington Post reports. The review found that FBI forensic experts may have mistakenly linked to defendants to the exaggerated testimony. In one case in May, the review…
Commentary: Frightening Questions Raised Over Drones Patrolling Border
Glenn Garvin The Columbus Dispatch Last month, when the Senate passed an amendment to its immigration-reform bill that included $46 billion to beef up border security, Sen. John McCain declared: “We’ll be the most militarized border since the fall of the Berlin Wall!” He didn’t know the half of it. Since then, documents released…