Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Undercover ATF agents renting a storefront had their energy shut off by the landlord because they exceeded their monthly allotment. The agents responded by getting the landlord’s account information and calling the electricity company pretending to be him, an internal investigation revealed, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Account statements were improperly taken…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com ATF Director B. Todd Jones’ first appearance before Congress wasn’t a pleasant one. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that congressional members from both sides slammed Jones over the agency’s blunders in undercover storefront operations. Some of the problems included using people with mental disabilities to promote undercover operations. Jones defended the agency,…
By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial The deputy director of the ATF told a congressional subcommittee last week that the agency is out of the business of undercover storefront stings for now after embarrassing revelations in this newspaper that illustrated how badly botched some of these operations were. Thomas E. Brandon told the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The ATF is under fire for botched storefront stings and other undercover operations across the country. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Inspector General Michael Horowitz opened an investigation into storefront stings in Milwaukee, Pensacola, St. Louis and Wichita, Kan. The agency is already under investigation for its handling of a controversial…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com ATF used some questionable tactics in investigations that included exploiting mentally challenged people, an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel showed. After reviewing thousands of documents, the paper found: ■ ATF agents befriended mentally disabled people to drum up business and later arrested them in at least four cities in addition…
