By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com David Bowdich, special agent in charge of counterterrorism for the Los Angeles Division, has been named ticklethewire.com Fed of the Year for 2013. Bowdich, who is considered a rising star in the bureau, has been an agent since 1995. Bowdich earns the award for a variety of reasons. He’s well respected among…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Top ATF officials said they did nothing wrong by using people with mental disabilities in storefront stings nationwide, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The comments came during a meeting with The Arc, a disability rights group, that was outraged by the discovery that ATF agents used rogue tactics to conduct storefront stings….
By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Opinion There should be no question over whether Inspector General Michael Horowitz should expand his investigation into undercover storefront operations by the ATF to include rogue tactics exposed by a Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report investigation. An official with the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that Horowitz “can and should”…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com ATF used some questionable tactics in investigations that included exploiting mentally challenged people, an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel showed. After reviewing thousands of documents, the paper found: ■ ATF agents befriended mentally disabled people to drum up business and later arrested them in at least four cities in addition…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com DETROIT — The ATF is protecting art in Detroit. Arsonists struck the world-renowned open-air exhibit – the Heidelberg Project – at least seven times since May 2, burning down entire homes that are used as installations. The ATF on Thursday announced it was offering a $5,000 reward for the arrest and conviction…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com John Dodson said he’s barely hanging onto his job. The ATF agent blew the whistle on the botched gun trafficking scheme, “Fast and Furious,” and is the author of “The Unarmed Truth: My Fight to Blow the Whistle And Expose Fast and Furious.” Dodson said not enough people were held accountable. “Nobody’s…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Over the years, ATF, like other federal agencies, has had its scandals and controversies and challenges getting respect. It has battled the National Rifle Association, had to deal with morale issues and public criticism from within. NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports that the agency’s new leader B. Todd Jones,the former U.S. Attorney…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Things aren’t looking good for James Contreras, who was an ATF supervisor in Seattle. The Seattle PI reports that Contreras, 51, has been indicted on charges that he stole $19,700 from ATF from funds that were earmarked for undercover agents to buy guns and for informants. The feds allege that he…
