News Story
Anonymous-Linked Activist Sent to Prison for Threatening FBI Agent, Sharing Stolen Data
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com An activist tied to the hacking group Anonymous was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of threatening an FBI agent and spreading stolen data. The Business Insider reports that Barrett Brown, who had faced more than 100 years behind bars, read from a lengthy statement before sentencing, saying…
IG: Justice Department Repeatedly Failed to Train Employees on Proper Off-Duty Conduct
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The problems with Justice Department employees getting drunk and acting out 20 years ago have not been sufficiently addressed and are failing to curtail boisterous off-duty conduct, the Inspector General found. The Washington Times reports that the department never followed through on recommendations from as far back as 1996 to adequately…
Are Drones the Drug Mules of the Future? DEA Says It’s Not Cost-Effective
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The recent discovery of a drone carrying methamphetamine near the U.S. border in Mexico has raised some eyebrows. But the DEA said drones will not become tomorrow’s drug mules because they are not cost-effective, the Los Angeles Times reports. “This method will only allow a small amount of drugs to be…
ATF Searches for Clues to What Sparked Mansion Blaze That Killed 6
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The ATF is looking for clues to determine what caused a mammoth fire that gutted an Annapolis mansion and is believed to have killed six people, including four children, on Monday. The Washington Post reports that two more bodies were found in the wreckage Thursday. The mother, Stacey Boone, posted on…
Microsoft Turned over Data on Charlie Hebdo to FBI in Less Than Hour
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Microsoft took less than one hour to provide the FBI with data connected to the Charlie Hebdo investigation, an attorney for the software giant said Tuesday, The Los Angeles Times reports. After concluding the request was “proper,” Microsoft gave the FBI the information in within about 45 minutes. Microsoft attorney Brad…
Republicans Mull Alternatives to Shutting Off Funding to Homeland Security
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The GOP is considering alternative ways to disrupt President Obama’s immigration than cutting off funding to the Homeland Security Department at a time when the nation is on high alert for terrorists, Politico reports. Republicans are exploring several options, including suing to overturn the president’s executive decision to prevent millions of…
FBI Finishes Investigation of Ferguson Police Shooting That Killed Unarmed Michael Brown
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI has wrapped up its long-anticipated investigation into the police shooting of unarmed Michael Brown in Ferguson, a U.S. official told the Associated Press. It’s not yet clear whether the Justice Department will pursue a federal civil rights case against former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. But legal experts and…
Border Patrol Fatally Shoots Drug Smuggling Suspect in South Texas
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Agents returned fire Wednesday morning and killed a drug smuggling suspect near Roma, Texas, the Associated Press reports. The incident happened after Border Patrol agents came under fire while investigating suspected drug smugglers in the desert, the agency said. The agency, which has pledged to be more transparent about agent-involved shootings,…