News Story
Court: FBI Didn’t Entrap Indianapolis City Councilman in Bribery Scheme
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A member of the Indianapolis City Council and former police officer cannot argue he was entrapped by the FBI for accepting bribes from an undercover agent, the 7th Circuit has ruled, Courthouse News Service reports. Lincoln Plowman came under scrutiny after developing a reputation for “questionable use of the power and influence…
Justice Department Takes Over Rep. Michael Grimm Investigation
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Justice Department is leading an investigation to determine if Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., a former FBI agent, violated the law when he solicited campaign cash from foreign nationals in exchange for helping an Israeli obtain a green card, USA Today reports. The House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to hand the probe…
Twitter, Facebook Help FBI Track Down Next Wave of Securities Fraud
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Agents searching for securities fraud rely heavily on social media such as Twitter and Facebook to find inside traders, Reuters reports. Agents said inside traders use advances in technology and social media to communicate. “I will tell you technology will play a huge part, social media, Twitter. Any kind of technology…
FBI to Search for New Name to Add to ‘Ten Most Wanted’ List
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com With the arrest of Jose “Joe” Luis Saenz from the FBI’s ‘Ten Most Wanted’ List, federal authorities will begin searching for a new name to add to the infamous list, ABC News reports. Special Agent Scott Garriola, a part of the Los Angeles team that helped arrest Saenz, said “there’s always a…
Courts Divided Over Searches of Cellphones
By SOMINI SENGUPTA New York Times Judges and lawmakers across the country are wrangling over whether and when law enforcement authorities can peer into suspects’ cellphones, and the cornucopia of evidence they provide. A Rhode Island judge threw out cellphone evidence that led to a man being charged with the murder of a 6-year-old…
End of the Road: Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Ex-Rep. William Jefferson’s Appeal
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com It looks as if it’s the end of the road for Louisiana’s ex-Rep. William Jefferson, who is in prison serving a 13-year sentence for a public corruption conviction. Bruce Alpert, the star reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, reports that the U.S. Supreme Court Monday refused to take the appeal…
Feds Probing the Violent Deaths of Dolphins in Golf Coast
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Federal authorities are investigating the violent deaths of at least six bottlenose dolphins along the northern Gulf Coast this year, CNN reports. The dolphins were shot and stabbed; in one case, jaw of one of the dolphins was cut off, according to CNN. The Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it a crime…
Court: Death Row Inmate Doesn’t Have Right to Access All Records Related to Case
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A Tennessee death row inmate has been denied access to FBI records that he says would overturn his 1998 conviction for the murder of a Memphis motel clerk, the Associated Press reports. A federal appeals court reaffirmed the FBI’s right to redact information under the Freedom of Information Act. The redacted records,…