Emailing may be hazardous to your freedom

Brian Stacy of Los Alamos, N.M. was arrested Wednesday for allegedly sending emails threatening to murder U.S. District Judge John E. Conway in Albuquerque, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Authorities said Stacy has prior arrests for possession of an unregistered firearm and numerous probation violations one of which was for threatening a Federal Probation Officer.

The subject line of one email, according to an FBI affidavit, was “I’m going to kill you spick.”

Some of the text included: “a little faggot midget like yourself is dead you queer!” and “I kill people like you for fun.”

Michael Kortan (left) talking to ex-FBI Dir. Louis Freeh /fbi photo

WASHINGTON – Federal agencies on Tuesday tipped their hats to America’s Most Wanted, one day after Fox announced it was canceling the show after 23 years.

“For 23 years, John Walsh and the ‘America’s Most Wanted’ team have worked tirelessly to make communities across the country safer and more secure,” Michael Kortan, chief FBI spokesman said in a statement to ticklethewire.com.

“More than 550 fugitives sought by the FBI have been arrested or located as a direct result of their hard work, including 17 individuals who were on the FBI’s “Top Ten Most Wanted” list.”

Jeff Carter/facebook photo

“Few television shows have aired for so long. Even fewer have provided such a worthy public service, or have made such a lasting impact on the American public. John and his team have always understood the power of the people in helping to bring criminals to justice. Their tenacity, their unwavering dedication to victims of crime and violence, and their commitment to law enforcement will be missed.”

Jeff Carter, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, also praised the show, saying:

“America’s Most Wanted has been a valued partner for the U.S. Marshals Service for the 23 years that it’s been airing.  We’ve worked very closely with them over the years. They’ve been a real asset to us.”

Fox said that the show had not been profitable for quite a while.

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If you’ve got some extra doe, and you’re in to collecting things relating to legendary crime history, the U.S. Marshals Service has a deal for you.

The service is auctioning off the  belongings of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, swindler Bernie Madoff and crooked Democratic Party financier Hassan Nemazee.

CNN reports that the Unabomber’s belongings up for grabs include: driver’s licenses, birth certificates and checks; academic transcripts; typewriters, and “more than 20,000 pages of written documents, including the original handwritten and typewritten versions.”  Proceeds will go to victims.

CNBC reported that Madoff”s wine collection is being sold in an online auction through Morrell Company Fine Wine Auctions, and includes a case of 1982 Chateau-Lafite-Rothschild worth about $50,000.

And CNBC reported that the Marshals Service is asking $28 million for a Park Avenue apartment seized from former Democratic Party financier Hassan Nemazee. He got 12 years after pleading guilty to a Ponzi scheme involving $300 million in fraudulent loans.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Marshals Service has becoming increasingly involved in apprehending local and federal officials, which may explain in part why its deputies are increasingly being put in harms way, the website Talking Points Memo suggests.

In the past several weeks, two deputy U.S. marshals have been shot and killed during confrontations with wanted felons.

“The USMS has seven Fugitive Apprehension Task Forces around the country and another 75 Violent Offender Task Forces run by various regional USMS offices,” Ryan Reilly of Talking Points Memo reports.

“And the volume of state and local fugitives apprehended or cleared by the Marshals Service through a decade-old initiative has surged from just 15,412 in 2004 to 34,015 in 2007 and 73,915 in 2008. The number peaked at 101,910 in 2009 (likely due to apprehension and Fugitive Safe Surrender programs funded by stimulus funds) then dropped in 2010, when the agency captured or cleared 52,519 violent state and local felony fugitives. The USMS is planning to apprehend or clear 52,000 state and local felony fugitives in 2012.”

The website reported that up until a few weeks ago, the last deputy U.S. Marshal killed  in the line of duty was at Ruby Ridge in 1992.

Last week, deputy U.S. Marshal John Perry in St. Louis was shot and killed while trying to arrest someone. And last month, deputy U.S. Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller was killed in West Virginia.

By Allan Lengel

WASHINGTON – A U.S. Marshals Service prisoner transport plane taking off from Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport Tuesday morning and headed to various stops, had to return to Oklahoma after experiencing problems, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Airport spokeswoman Karen Carney told the Oklahoman that the MD-80 airplane returned after pilots noticed smoke in the cabin. There were no injuries.

Lynzey Donahue, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals Service, told the ticklethewire.com that the plane had more than 100 people aboard, most of whom were prisoners. She said the plane planned to stop at multiple destinations, but never made it to the first stop because of the problem.

For security purposes, she said, the agency was not disclosing the destinations of the plane.

By Allan Lengel,

WASHINGTON — An investigator for the the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington finds himself in trouble and on administrative leave just days before Christmas.

Maria Glod of the Washington Post reports that investigator Peter F. Rouse has been charged with making more than $1,000 in unauthorized charges between August and December of 2009.

The Post reports that Rouse has been with the Marshals Service for about 11 years and recently worked in Washington and previously in Arizona. He’s been on administrative leave since Tuesday.

A court affidavit said authorities became suspicious of Rouse’s charges, which appeared to stand out among other employees, the Post wrote.

An examination of his expenses showed he made charges on weekends and holidays when he wasn’t working “and quantities of gas pumped that exceeded the capacity of the Crown Victoria assigned to Rouse,” the Post wrote.

Read Criminal Complaint

Michele Leonhart/dea photo

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday gave the nod to Michele Leonhart to head the DEA and Stacia Hylton to head up the U.S. Marshals Service. The approval came by way of a voice vote on both presidential nominees.

The nominations now go before the full Senate for a final vote.

For Leonhart, who has been acting head of the DEA since 2007, the nod by the Judiciary brought her one step closer to getting the permanent post.

Some current and former DEA agents have complained that the Obama administration has been slow to push the confirmation through.

By Allan Lengel

WASHINGTON – Walk through any federal courthouse and it seems security is pretty tight.

Still, a Justice Department Inspector General report on courthouse security says federal judges and personnel could be at risk because of poor training, questionable contracts and broken security equipment, the Washington Post reports.

The Post’s Ed O’Keefe writes that the Justice Department report found “multiple district offices failed to detect mock explosive devices sent to them in February 2009 by agency officials as part of a test of local security procedures.”

The report  also said three unnamed federal district court chief judges expressed serious concerns about security procedures, the Post reported.

Jeff Carter, a Marshals spokesman, said the agency worked with the inspector general’s office on the investigation and is making changes recommended by investigators.

“We take these responsibilities seriously and realize there is always room for improvement and continue to make great strides in our efforts to protect the federal judiciary,” Jeff Carter, a Marshals spokesman told the Post via e-mail. “The Marshals Service is proud of our ability to ensure the safe and secure conduct of judicial proceedings.”

To read more click here.

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