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N.J. Gov. Christie Loads Up Administration With Former Fed Prosecutors
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Ex-Assistant U.S. Attorneys seem to have found a new home with New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie. The Asbury Press reports that Christie, who was the U.S. Attorney in Newark from from 2002 though 2008, has appointed more than two dozen former federal prosecutors to his administration or State Superior Court. Nearly…
New Head of Denver FBI Has Colorful, Global Experience
By Felisa Cardona Denver Post DENVER — James F. Yacone is a decorated combat veteran, an accomplished criminal investigator and a graduate of West Point, but he doesn’t like to brag. The walls in his office at the Denver FBI are nearly bare, with just a sampling of photographs from his military service overseas despite…
3 Somali Pirates Plead Guilty in Hijacking of Ship That Resulted in 4 American Deaths
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Three Somali pirates pled guilty Friday in federal court in Norfolk, Va., to leading the group that hijacked the S/V Quest in the Indian Ocean, which resulted in the death of four American crew members in February. “These men have admitted to pirating an American yacht and holding four U.S. citizens…
Congressional Leaders Extend Key Provisions in Patriot Act to Help FBI
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Congressional leaders breathed new life into the U.S. Patriot Act and a related law, and agreed Thursday to extend by four years several statutes that have give the FBI expanded surveillance powers, the New York Times reported. The Times reported that the agreement “allows investigators to get “roving wiretap” court orders…
A First: Ark. Man Convicted at Trial Under Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Law
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Federal prosecutors in Arkansas convicted a man Thursday of hate crimes, the first time a conviction was won at trial for violations of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was enacted in October 2009, the Justice Department said. Frankie Maybee, 20, of Green Forest, Ark.,…
DEA Seizes Weapons from ATF’s Controversial “Operation Fast and Furious”
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Authorities may soon want to rename ATF’s controversial “Operation Fast and Furious” gun program “Operation Very Big Headache.” The latest: CBS reports that DEA agents recently confiscated a stash of assault rifles in the Phoenix area linked to the operation, which encouraged gun dealers to sell to straw purchasers — all…
Book Review: Author Chronicles FBI Battle Against Terrorism Over the Decades
By Joshua Sinai The Washington Times Now that an elite American special-operations unit has ended the life of Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda’s charismatic leader and founder, the world’s most lethal and geographically dispersed terrorist organization is entering a new, uncertain direction. Although this momentous event occurred after the publication of Garrett M. Graff’s important…