FBI
FBI Probes Source of Weapons Used by Gunman Who Killed 5 in Santa Monica
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com One big mystery behind the gunman who killed five people in Santa Monica is how he got his weapons. Federal authorities recovered two weapons from John Zawahri – a semiautomatic rifle and an old “black-powder handgun,” The Los Angeles Times reports. Authorities also are trying determine how he amassed a large collection…
Pennsylvania Justice Under FBI Probe Over Wife’s Referral Fees Involving Law Firms
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Seamus P. McCaffery is the target of an FBI investigation involving referral fees received by his wife, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. His wife and chief aide, Lise Rapaport, received 19 referral fees for connecting clients with personal-injury law firms, the Inquirer reported. One of those fees was for…
FBI: Bank Robberies Riding Two-Decade Decline, Smaller Payouts
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Bank robberies no longer have the glamour of Bonnie and Clyde. The FBI reports that there were fewer than 4,000 robberies in 2012, according to Fox 40 Sacramento. That’s compared to 9,400 bank robberies in 1991. Robbers also are taking off with less money, $7,600 per heist in 2012. By contrast, each…
ATF’s B. Todd Jones Faces Tough Questions Tuesday from Senate Judiciary Committee about
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Minnesota U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones’s nomination to head the ATF has become mired in congressional politics, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Nearly six months after he was mentioned as a candidate, Jones is expected to face tough questions from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I am looking forward to meeting…
NSA Debate Likely to Extend to Confirmation Hearings of James Comey
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com President Obama’s nominee to lead the FBI, James Comey, is likely to face scrutiny over government surveillance following the discovery that the NSA had access to virtually all Americans’ phones, The Wall Street Journal reports. That’s because Comey, a former prosecutor, is intimately familiar with surveillance. In 2004, Comey threatened to resign…
Pregnant Texas Actress Arrested for Allegedly Sending Ricin-Tainted Letters to President
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A pregnant Texas actress is accused of sending ricin-tainted letters to President Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and falsely accusing her husband of sending them, Fox News reports. During interviews with the FBI, Shannon Guess Richardson, 35, accused her husband of sending the letters and then later claimed he…
Abuctions by Non-Custodial Parents up 50 Percent in Last Year
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI is reporting a disturbing trend in non-custodial parents abducting their children to retaliate against the legal custodian. Instances of such abuse rose 50% last year, the FBI reported. The reasons vary from seeking revenge to trying to get the former partner back. “Unfortunately, the threat of violence – and death…
U.S House Approves Spending Increase in Homeland Security’s Budget, But Veto Looms
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com While many federal agencies are getting the budget ax, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved a nearly $1 billion increase in the Department of Homeland Security’s $39 billion budget, Reuters reports. The Republican-controlled chamber voted predominately along party lines, 245-182. But the budget plan faces a possible veto from President Obama…