R. Justin Tolomeo

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

WASHINGTON — R. Justin Tolomeo, who served as an inspector in the Inspection Division of the FBI, has been named special agent in charge of the Milwaukee Division, the FBI announced on Monday. He’ll assume the new post in September.

 Tolomeo joined the FBI in 1998 and was first assigned to the Chicago Division, where he worked criminal matters, according to a press release.  In 2001, he transferred to the New York Division and investigated drug violations.

After Sept. 11, 2001, he  Tolomeo was assigned to international terrorism and intelligence matters. In 2007, he was appointed as assistant legal attaché in London overseeing counterterrorism efforts, the FBI said.

Tolomeo has held leadership positions in the New York and Philadelphia Divisions. Prior to the FBI, he served as a DEA agent  New York and as a criminal investigator in New Jersey.

Photo by Steve Neavling.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Black Lives Matter activists said FBI agents have been urging them not to protest at this week’s Republican convention in Cleveland.

The Washington Post repots that Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson asked President Obama to instruct the FBI to stop contacting activists ahead of the convention.

The Post reports:

Activists in Cleveland, San Francisco, New York, Minneapolis, and St. Louis have all told The Washington Post that they have been visited by FBI agents in recent days, which the activists consider an intimidation tactic.

One activist with Campaign Zero, the group co-founded by Mckesson, tweeted about a recent encounter he had with an FBI agent.

An activist in New York said an agent visited his home earlier this week.

“I don’t want to talk about particular groups here but there is a concern anytime there’s an event like this that people from across a spectrum of radical groups will be attracted to it,” FBI Director James Comey said during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing.

Stolen Charles Darwin letter is returned to the Smithsonian.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A handwritten letter by Charles Darwin was stolen from the Smithsonian Institution Archives about four decades ago, frustrating investigators and historians.

Then earlier this year, the FBI received a tip about the whereabouts of the letter written by the British naturalist and geologist known of his theory of evolution.

The artifact was return ed to the Smithsonian on May 26,

“Thanks to a tip from a member of the public, we were able to return this artifact to the care of the Smithsonian Archives,” Paul Abbate, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said in a statement. “It’s a privilege to return a piece of the history of science and exploration in the United States to the American people.”

Anne Van Camp, director of the Smithsonian Archives, said she’s relieved.

“This is an important event, as this type of crime is not easily detected, and it demonstrates how seriously the FBI regards our cultural heritage,” Van Camp said.

Eric Garner with his children, via National Action Network

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Despite concerns about the pace of the investigation into the death of Eric Garner, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio dismissed claims that the Justice Department is dragging its feet.

The mayor said he was notified by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch that the case was a top priority, but it also is complicated and requires meticulously obtained evidence, CBS reports. 

“No one is dragging their feet and we have to make sure the resolution afterwards is fair and just,” de Blasio said.

Garner died two years ago after police tried to arrest him for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. Garner told officers he couldn’t breathe after he appeared to be placed in a chokehold by a cop.

“The real issue in preventing these tragedies is working to make sure they don’t happen again in the future,” de Blasio said.

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• ATF Searching for AR-15 Style Rifle Used in Police-Involved Shooting

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The FBI is helping investigating the shooting deaths of three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge on Sunday.

The FBI New Orleans Division said its agents are on the scene “to assist our law enforcement colleagues,” The Times-Picayune reports. 

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch pledged federal resources to investigate.

”There is no place in the United States for such appalling violence, and I condemn these acts in the strongest possible terms,” Lynch said in a news release. “Our hearts and prayers are with the fallen and wounded officers, their families, and the entire Baton Rouge community in this extraordinarily difficult time.”

The FBI office in New Orleans said the bureau’s “focus is to help identify and bring to justice those who are responsible for this heinous act.”

Jason Earl Armstrong Jr.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The FBI is searching for a man accused of killing his wife, a Fort Bragg soldier.

Jason Earl Armstrong Jr. is wanted on a federal warrant charging him with murder in the death of Iris Armstrong in the couple’s Fort Bragg home in North Carolina on July 1, Fox News reports. 

The FBI also is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the husband’s arrest.

Armstrong is accused of stabbing and beating his wife to death.

“Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to her family, friends and loved ones during this very difficult time,” said Lt. Col. Jeremy St. Laurent, commander of the 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.