News Story
Top Criminal Prosecutor at Justice Department Is Leaving Following High-Profile Cases
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Mythili Raman, the Justice Department’s top criminal attorney, is leaving the agency next month following high-profile cases of corporate misdeeds, Reuters reports. Raman is a 17-year veteran of the department and once acted as chief after her predecessor, Lanny Breuer, stepped down last year. Raman said she’s not sure what’s next in…
Congressional Panel to Probe Discovery That FBI Was in Direct Contact with Osama bin Laden in 1990s
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A special congressional panel will investigate revelations this week that the FBI was in direct contact with Osama bin Laden in the early 1990s, the Washington Times reports. The agency’s close contact with bin Laden was never included in the official investigations of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but the Washington Times…
Homeland Security Is Shedding Air Marshal Jobs Because of Deep Budget Cuts
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Budget cuts have forced Homeland Security to reduce the number of Federal Air Marshals whose job is to protect aircrafts from terrorists, CNN reports, citing internal emails. The department declined to say how many marshals the department has lost in the past three years. Critics blasted the department for its secrecy surrounding…
ATF Agents Lost Track of Dozens of Their Own Guns, Reports Show
By John Diedrich and Raquel Rutledge Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ATF agents have lost track of dozens of government-issued guns, after stashing them under the front seats in their cars, in glove compartments or simply leaving them on top of their vehicles and driving away, according to internal reports from the past five years obtained…
FBI Was In Direct Contact With Osama Bin Laden in 1993, Knew He Was Financing Terrorism
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI had direct contact with Osama bin Laden in 1993 and learned that he was trying to finance terrorist attacks inside the U.S., according to the Washington Times. The information about the al Qaeda leader quietly emerged from an employment dispute case involving an FBI agent in 2010 and escaped the…
FBI Director Comey Says FBI is Hiring Again, Will Resume Training for New Agents
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Automatic spending cuts last year resulted in the elimination of more than 2,000 FBI jobs and a freeze on training for new agents. Now the FBI is ready to hire and restart training, the Washington Post reports. FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday that he’s authorized the opening of 700 positions throughout…
Robert J. Shields Becomes Head of FBI’s Milwaukee Office
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Robert J. Shields, who began his FBI career as a special agent in Chicago, is the newest head of the FBI’s Milwaukee office. The Associated Press reports that Shields, who most recently served as chief inspector at FBI headquarters, officially began his job Monday. He replaces Teresa Carlson, who was moved to…
Drug Traffickers Increasingly Taking to High Seas to Avoid Driving Across U.S. Border
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Drug smugglers are a stubborn bunch. When security is tight, smugglers find another way into the country. The Associated Press reports that drug traffickers are increasingly using boats to reach the U.S. They take the Pacific Ocean from Mexico and South America to California. Smugglers likely are finding the task easier too…