By BEN PROTESS and PETER LATTMAN

Federal authorities announced insider trading charges against seven people on Wednesday, accusing them of earning nearly $62 million illegally trading on shares of Dell.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested four people across the country as part of the case, an escalation of the government’s aggressive insider trading investigation.

The three other people named in the criminal complaint — Spyridon Adondakis, a former Level Global technology analyst known as Sam; Jesse Tortora, a former Diamondback Capital Management analyst; and Sandeep Goyal, a former junior analyst at Neuberger Berman — are cooperating with the investigation.

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Read statement from head of NY FBI.

By Danny Fenster

A former homicide detective in St. Petersburg, Fla. was slapped with two years in prison for public corruption charges, the FBI announced on Wednesday morning.

Anthony V. Foster received the sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud to deprive the public of honest services on October 20, 2011. Court documents show that from 2009 to June 2011, Foster told a criminal source facing charges, who was secretly working with the FBI, that he would get hold of state judges and attorneys to give them positive information about the source in exchange for cash bribes.

Foster acknowledged in the plea that he met with the source on April 6, 2011, and received $7,075, then again on April 15, where he received another $325 and 40-inch flat screen TV, according to the FBI. Foster later called Assistant State Attorney of Hernando County, who was prosecuting the case against the source, giving positive information about the source’s involvement in various law enforcement investigations. Foster also encouraged other officers to call the attorney with similar claims.

By Danny Fenster

A fire at a suburban Chicago home may have been used to hide the murder of four people in the house, ATF agents have told the Associated Press.

A woman and three young relatives were found dead by gunshot in the home, presumably shot before the blaze began, according to the AP, possibly by a distraught boyfriend of the woman. Names are not yet being released of the perpetrator or the victims

Investigators believe the man shot the four early Tuesday, set the house on fire and then drove to another suburb, then turned his gun on himself, committing suicide.

A neighbor, Ann Bendera, described the family as friendly, often seeing them playing with the family dog in the front yard, and was shocked by the incident.

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The logo of the Los Zetas Cartel/baltimore city paper

Houston ATF agents hit a small jackpot recently when they raided the home used by a Mexican cartel member.

The local KPRC-TV reports that agents seized dozens of guns and 45 pounds of marijuana. Agents were lead to the home by Juan Garcia, who had been arrested after purchasing high-powered rifles at a gun show on New Year’s Eve. Garcia told agents he had shipped 250 weapons to the home in the past two years.

After agents found 26 rifles and $5,000 in Garcia’s trunk, he told agents he was a ranking member of the Zetas, a group of  former Mexican military servicemen that run one of the country’s most violent drug trafficking cartel. On January 4, Garcia led agents to the Houston home, where they seized 34 assault rifles, 21 AR-15s, 13 AK-47s and 45 pounds of marijuana, according to the KPRC report.

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By Danny Fenster

Seven Atlanta men, who were busted in a major crackdown on guns and drugs,  have been sentenced, ATF announced Tuesday. Sentences ranged from 12 months to 151 months.

The men were among 49 defendants indicted in Atlanta, the result of  an undercover ATF investigation that was known as “ATL Blaze.” Undercover agents had spread word that they were looking for arms and drugs, ultimately acquiring 257 handguns, 60 rifles, 46 shotguns, and 10 short-barreled “sawed-off” shotguns from the streets of Atlanta, according to the press release.

In all, 49 people were indicted on charges ranging from conspiring to commit a home robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful dealing in firearms without a license, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and aggravated identity theft, says the ATF.

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white house photo

Truthfully, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, didn’t come close.

Nonetheless, he was indicted by a D.C. federal grand jury on Tuesday for attempting to assassinate President Obama on Nov. 11.

A 17-count indictment against Ortega-Hernandez, who has been in custody since his arrest November 16, also includes charges that he assaulted federal officers with a deadly weapon and damaged federal property.

According to the government, Ortega-Hernadez drove his Honda Accord westbound in the 1600 block of Constitution Avenue NW around 9 p.m., stopped the vehicle just past the entrance to the Ellipse, and fired several rounds at the White House.

No one was injured.

FBI investigators examined the building and located several confirmed bullet impact points on the south side of the building on or above the second story residence area. Several bullets and fragments also were collected in the area near the impact points.

By Danny Fenster

The website Truthout has reported on some unflattering FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) practices Tuesday morning.

The site claims that the FBI regularly engages in the “blackballing” of files–returning a “no records” response to FOIA requests when in fact the records do exists.

An interesting story, particularly for those seeking FBI files.

To read more click here.

OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST:

• Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen ATF Badge (WOWK-TV)
• Two Kansas Police Officers Plead Guilty in FBI Sting (KCTV5)
• Pinkberry Co-Founder Arrested in Beating of Homeless Man (FOX)
• Search Warrant Details Inert Bomb Parts Found in Fla. Man’s Car (Tampa Bay Online)
• FBI: Mortgage Fraud a Growing Problem in Colorado (Colorado Springs Gazette)
• State and Local Officials to Meet at White House to Discuss Anti-Terrorism Tactics (AP)
• FBI Wants 142-Year for Russian Hacker Family Head (RT)