David Johnson

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

David Johnson, who headed up the FBI’s San Francisco bureau, has been named the associate executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.

The job includes supporting the FBI’s cyber and criminal investigations, international operations, critical incident response, and victim assistance. He’ll also oversee the FBI’s development of cyber policy and strategy and serve as the Bureau’s operational lead of the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group (FELEG), an international coalition of law enforcement agencies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, an FBI press release said.

Johnson joined the FBI in 1991 in the San Jose bureau, where he worked violent crime, drug trafficking and investigations involving high-technology companies. He served as the case agent of the first economic espionage case ever to be prosecuted.

Throughout his 25-year career,  Johnson has held leadership positions in the San Francisco Division, the Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and the Salt Lake City Division, where he was the special agent in charge, according to a press release.

Dennis Hastert

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

Capping a shameful chapter for Congress, a federal judge in Chicago on Wednesday sentenced former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert to 15 months in federal prison, a punishment that was more severe than what prosecutors had recommended and one that clearly took into account the sexual abuse allegations, the Washington Post reports. .

Hastert,  74, a former wrestling coach in Illinois who rose through the ranks in Congress,  told  U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin that he was “deeply ashamed” to be in court and acknowledged that he “mistreated some of the athletes I coached,” according to a report by Matt Zapotosky of the Post.

Hastert, 74, who arrived in court in a wheelchair, did not plead guilty to any sex crimes, the Post reports The statute of limitations had run out.

But those allegations were an integral part of his crime.

He pleaded guilty to withdrawing money in increments to  avoid having to report it. The money was used to buy the silence of one of people he had sexually abused as a youth. 

Orlando Collins.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A body found inside a burned Kansas motel room after a shootout that injured three federal agents was identified as Orlando Collins.

Collins, who was wanted for several armed robberies, also started a fire that burned the Country Club Motel on Saturday night, WIBW.com reports. 

The coroner’s office said Collins died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Collins opened fire on federal law enforcement, shooting an FBI agent and two members of the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force.

The deputy marshals were treated and released. The FBI agent was still in the hospital in good condition Tuesday.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Law enforcement noticed last year that sex trafficking operations sprang up around World Cannabis Week in Colorado, where marijuana is now legal.

To curb the trafficking, local, state and federal law enforcement teamed up and arrested nine adults for trafficking and 26 adults for prostitution. The team also recovered five children, the FBI announced Tuesday.

The week began April 18 with large-scale events for tourists.

Of those arrested, 40% said they traveled from out of the state.

“Whenever an event draws people from around the world, you will see an increase in sex trafficking,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle. “The reality is major events will always have some organized criminal activity, including people who facilitate and profit from prostituting adults and children.”

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

There’s one sure way to get arrested while fleeing a robbery – hoping  a fence at the White House complex.

The Secret Service said that the man jumped a fence of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is a part of the White House complex.

“Initial investigation indicates the individual was fleeing from the scene of a robbery that occurred near the area of G Street and 17th Street N.W,” a Secret Service spokesman said.

The intruder wasn’t identified.

The White House was on temporary lock down.

Rapper YG

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Rapper YG said the Secret Service is harassing him and his label over a song entitled “FDT,” or Fuck Donald Trump.

“The Secret Service holla’d at the label,” YG told Spin in mild annoyance. “They asked to see the lyrics to my album… Because if I’m talking about [Trump] on my album, they’re going to try to take it off the shelves.”

The song is part of a yet-to-be-released album.

Los Angeles Police shout down the song’s video shoot in April.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Smugglers left behind a 2-year-old girl in Granjeno, Texas, where she was wearing a T-shirt with a phone number on it.

Border Patrol agents rescued the girl and apprehended 14 illegal immigrants who authorities believe had possession of the girl, KSAT.com reports.

The girl was from El Salvador, and her mother said a friend was supposed to bring her daughter to her.

“Smugglers are heartless criminals who have no regard for the lives of the people, no matter what age. This child was left in the hands of strangers to get smuggled across the border,” said Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla Jr. “This case shows how smugglers continue to prey on the most vulnerable, treating them as contraband, using them for personal gain.”

Other Stories of Interest

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• Second Judge Argues Evidence from FBI Hack Should Be Tossed
• Fourth Staten Island Cop Disciplined Amid FBI Corruption Probe
• FBI Offers $100,000 Reward for Missing Alabama Teen
• Ex-CIA Agent Loses Appeal Against Extradition to Italy