FBI
Federal Agencies Rely More on Inaccurate Polygraphs During Criminal Probes
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Federal agencies are increasingly relying on polygraphs for suspects despite concerns about the tests’ reliability, reports Center for Investigative Reporting. Although Congress banned the exam in most of the private sector 25 years ago, 17 federal agencies, including CBP, use polygraph tests, CIR wrote. The National Center for Credibility Assessment trains polygraphers,…
FBI Agents Investigating Sen. Menendez Are Accused of Brow-Beating Two Maids for Information
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com FBI agents investigating claims that U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez was attending sex parties with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic are accused of brow-beating two maids for information, the Miami Herald reports. The maids are asking the Dominican National Police to investigate the FBI’s handling of them, saying they were illegally detained and…
Former Head of FBI’s Office in Buffalo Is Expected to Enter Mayoral Race in Buffalo
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Bernard Tolbert, the former head of the FBI office in Buffalo, is entering the mayoral race as a Democrat and will take incumbent Byron Brown, the Buffalo News reports. Tolbert, 64, is expected to soon file his paperwork for a campaign finance committee. A Buffalo native and FBI veteran, Tolbert has been…
New Head of FBI Office in Philadelphia Finds Inspiration from Old Photo of His Dad
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com When Ed Hanko took over as special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia office, he prominently displayed a photo of his father standing with about 60 other helmeted coal miners at a plant in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The weathered black-and-white photo on his bookshelf reminds Hanko of how hard…
Homeland Security Spied on Occupy Wall Street Protests in about a Dozen U.S. Cities
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A division of the Department of Homeland Security spied and kept records on the Occupy Wall Street protests, even when they were peaceful the Huffington Post reports. More than 250 records obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund show the federal government was keeping close tabs on protesters. “Taken together, the…
ProPublica Presents, Criminal Injustice: The Best Reporting on Wrongful Convictions
By Theodoric Meyer and Christie Thompson ProPublica In 1991, an unemployed printer named David Ranta was convicted of killing a Hasidic rabbi in Brooklyn. Last week, Ranta was released from the maximum-security prison in which he’d spent nearly 22 years, after almost every piece of evidence used to convict him fell away. The New York…
Special Agent in Charge of FBI Office in Buffalo Headed to Terrorists Screening Center
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Christopher M. Piehota, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Buffalo, will leave soon to become director of the Terrorists Screening Center in Washington D.C. , the Buffalo News reports. “To be honest, it’s one of the first lines of defense in our national security,” he said of the screening…
Victor Manuel Genera Has Eluded Authorities Despite Nearly 30 Years on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Victor Manuel Genera has been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list for nearly 30 years – longer than anyone in history. Who is he? Genera is accused of committing one of the largest cash robberies in U.S. history. In September 1983, Gerena allegedly stole $7 million from a Wells Fargo armored car…