Rep. Chaka Fattah

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania and four associates were indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on racketeering conspiracy charges, accused of misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and charity and campaign funds.

The 58-year-old Democrat from Philadelphia was charged in a 29-count indictment along with lobbyist Herbert Vederman, 69, of Palm Beach, Florida; Fattah’s Congressional District Director Bonnie Bowser, 59, of Philadelphia; and Robert Brand, 69, of Philadelphia; and Karen Nicholas, 57, of Williamstown, New Jersey, the FBI announced Wednesday.

They are accused of bribery, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and numerous counts of bank fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a financial institution and falsification of records.

“As charged in the indictment, Congressman Fattah and his associates embarked on a wide-ranging conspiracy involving bribery, concealment of unlawful campaign contributions and theft of charitable and federal funds to advance their own personal interests,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell said. “When elected officials betray the trust and confidence placed in them by the public, the department will do everything we can to ensure that they are held accountable. Public corruption takes a particularly heavy toll on our democracy because it undermines people’s basic belief that our elected leaders are committed to serving the public interest, not to lining their own pockets.”

“These crimes and the subsequent elaborate cover-up constitute an egregious breach of public trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “It is the duty of the FBI, IRS and Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute those who violate this trust and put personal gain above public service.”

Some of the charges date back to Fattah’s failed 2007 campaign for mayor of Philadelphia. He and his associates are accused of borrowing $1 million from a wealthy supporter and concealing the funds with sham contracts.

Fattah also is accused of trying to pay down a $130,000 campaign debt by attempting to steer federal grants to the consult with whom he owed money by inventing a nonprofit.

Richard Baron

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Ohio Homeland Security lost its leader.

Richard Baron, executive director of the agency, died Tuesday following an illness, the Columbus Dispatch. 

Baron, 54, of Westerville, headed up security issues since September 2011.

Before taking the top Homeland Security job, Baron served 25 years with the State Highway Patrol and retired as captain in 2012. Prior to his State Highway Patrol job, Baron was a police officer and firefighter.

“He was an inspirational leader … a good man in every sense,” Department of Public Safety Director John Born said of his patrol academy classmate from 1987.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The FBI has arrested an alleged ISIS sympathizer who investigators say planned to detonate a nail-rigged backpack bomb on a Florida beach, the Guardian reports. 

Prosecutors charged 23-year-old Harlem Suarez of Key West with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the U.S.

Suarez attracted authorities because of provocative Facebook posts supporting ISIS.

“Be a warrior, learn how to cut your enemies head and then burn down the body learn how to be the new future of the world Caliphate,” Suarez allegedly posted.

Suarez appeared in a Miami court for the first time Tuesday and was held without bail.

Marshall Miller

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The criminal division of the Justice Department is about to lose one of its top-ranking officials.

The New York Times reports that Marshall L. Miller plans to step down as the criminal division’s second highest in command at month’s end.

The longtime federal prosecutor plans to take a job with New York University with plans to eventually join the private sector.

Miller served as the chief of staff of the criminal division’s leader, Leslie R. Caldwell, overseeing about 600 prosecutors who worked on cases ranging from public corruption to Wall Street misconduct.

“Marshall Miller is an outstanding attorney, a remarkable public servant and an unwavering advocate for the principles of justice,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said.

Miller plans to join the Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement at the New York University School of Law.

Photo by Steve Neavling

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The new head of the DEA says marijuana is “probably not” as dangerous as heroin, a position that was in contrast to his predecessor, the U.S. News & World Report. 

Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said the DEA would not prioritize marijuana enforcement, but emphasized that agents are still going to pursue pot cases.

“If you want me to say that marijuana’s not dangerous, I’m not going to say that because I think it is,” Rosenberg said. “Do I think it’s as dangerous as heroin? Probably not. I’m not an expert.”

He added: “Let me say it this way: I’d rather be in a car accident going 30 miles an hour than 60 miles an hour, but I’d prefer not to be in a car accident at all.”

Marijuana advocates praised Rosenberg for being less aggressive with marijuana than his predecessor, Michele Leonhart.

“This is not a matter of opinion,” Dan Riffle, director of federal policies at the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project, says. “It’s far less harmful than heroin and it’s encouraging that the DEA is finally willing to recognize that.”

Other Stories of Interest

• Alleged Leader of ‘Block Burners’ in Louisville Is Arrested by FBI
• Georgia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Trying to Provide Support to ISIS
• FBI Finds No Poison in Packages Sent to Oregon Sheriffs
• Former FBI Chief Calls for De-Escalation Training for Law Enforcement
• ATF Investigating Cause of Fire That Destroyed 141-Year-Old Church

Juan Emmanuel Razo

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Border Patrol officials are accused of ordering sheriff’s deputies in Ohio to release an undocumented immigrant who then murdered a 60-year-old woman, tried to kill another woman and attempted to rape a teenage girl, the Daily Caller reports. 

Juan Razo, 35, has been charged in the murder Monday of Margaret Kastelnick.

His crime spree allegedly began Monday morning with the attempted rape of a 14-year-old girl, followed by shooting another woman. The spree ended in the murder of Kastelnick at her home.

Razo, who has been in the U.S. for five years, was arrested following a shootout with police.

“Emmanuel Razo was secured while we spoke with Officer Rivera of U.S. Border Patrol, who later decided not to respond to take Emmanuel Razo into custody,” a Lake County sheriff’s deputy wrote in his report, according to WKYC. “[Razo] was warned not to return to this property. We cleared.”