Jerry Seper

FBI arrests 5 men in alleged plot to blow up bridge near Cleveland

FBI agents have arrested five people in a suspected conspiracy to blow up a bridge near Cleveland, three of whom were identified by federal authorities as self-proclaimed anarchists who formed into a small group and considered a series of evolving plots over several months. Published May 1, 2012

Border agent won’t be charged in teen’s killing

The Justice Department and federal prosecutors in Texas say there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal charges against a U.S. Border Patrol agent who fatally shot a 15-year-old Mexican national along the Rio Grande near El Paso in June 2010. Published April 30, 2012

U.S. tags Guatemalan as a drug trafficker

Guatemalan national Horst Walter Overdick Mejia, described by U.S. law enforcement authorities as a "critical link" in the drug trade between Colombian producers and the violent Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas, has been named by the State Department as a "specially designated narcotics trafficker." Published April 12, 2012

‘Straw buyers’ plead guilty to dealing guns

The man who purchased two semi-automatic assault rifles found at the scene of the fatal December 2010 shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent just north of the Arizona-Mexico border pleaded guilty Thursday to two felony charges in the federal government's botched Fast and Furious gun-smuggling investigation. Published April 5, 2012

Weapons dealer Bout sentenced to 25 years in arms conspiracy

International arms dealer Viktor Bout, the so-called "Merchant of Death," was sentenced Thursday in federal court in New York to 25 years in prison following his conviction in a multimillion-dollar conspiracy to finance a fleet of aircraft to arm bloody conflicts and support terrorists worldwide. Published April 5, 2012

Treasury oversight of Solyndra loan was cut short

The Treasury Department's oversight role of a half-billion-dollar federal loan guarantee to Solyndra LLC was not sufficiently defined, the consultation that did occur was "rushed" and no records were kept as to how Treasury's serious concerns with the loan were addressed, a report says. Published April 5, 2012

Feared drug cartel leader gets 25 years

Once one of the most feared and dangerous drug traffickers in the world, Benjamin Arellano-Felix, who bribed government officials in Mexico and kidnapped and killed his enemies, was sentenced Monday in federal court in San Diego to 25 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $100 million gained through his lethal empire. Published April 2, 2012

ICE arrests 3,100 convicted criminal aliens in sweep

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) agents, as part of what the agency says is its commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, has arrested more than 3,100 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators in a six-day national "Cross Check" enforcement operation. Published April 2, 2012

Feds: Crips gang ran teen prostitution ring in Northern Virginia

The Crips, one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the United States, has spread its network of crime into high schools across the country, including Virginia, where gang leaders recruited young girls as prostitutes with promises of "lots of money" and then maintained their allegiance through beatings, threats, assaults and an endless supply of drugs. Published March 29, 2012

War surplus sought for U.S. security

Two Texas lawmakers, joined by 17 border sheriffs from Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, have asked Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta to authorize the shipment of surplus equipment being returned from the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to the border with Mexico as a matter of "national security." Published March 27, 2012

Medical device maker Biomet agrees to pay penalty of $22 million

Medical device maker Biomet Inc. has agreed to pay the government more than $22 million in penalties as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department to resolve improper payments by the company and its subsidiaries in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Published March 26, 2012

Lockheed to repay government $15.8M for subcontractor scam

One of the world's largest defense contractors, Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp., agreed Friday to pay $15.8 million to the U.S. government to settle allegations that it mischarged perishable tools used on numerous contracts, the Justice Department said. Published March 23, 2012

Scientist receives 13-year sentence in espionage case

A noted scientist who held sensitive and high-profile positions in the U.S. government, developed state-of-the-art programs in defense and space, and once worked at the White House in the Executive Office of the President was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in prison for attempted espionage, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax evasion. Published March 21, 2012

Fla. grand jury to investigate shooting of unarmed teen

Florida State Attorney Norm Wolfinger said Tuesday his office will convene a grand jury in central Florida to investigate the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager who was killed Feb. 26 in a gated community by a neighborhood watch captain. Published March 20, 2012

Texas sex trafficker sentenced to 30 years

A 36-year-old Texas man was sentenced Monday in federal court in Dallas to 30 years in prison followed by 30 years of supervised release on his guilty plea to conspiracy to traffic women for prostitution, including those involved in adult escort websites headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth as well as Boston and Washington. Published March 19, 2012

Justice Department: Record number of human-trafficking cases in 2011

The Justice Department has initiated more than 120 cases against human traffickers over the past year — a record — in what Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Thursday was a part of the department's commitment to prevent human trafficking, bring traffickers to justice and assist their victims. Published March 15, 2012

Inquiry slams prosecution of Stevens corruption case by Justice Department

Justice Department prosecutors bungled the investigation and prosecution of Sen. Ted Stevens, a probe that was permeated by the "systematic concealment of significant exculpatory evidence," in some instances intentionally, that would have independently corroborated his defense and testimony, a court-ordered report released Thursday says. Published March 15, 2012

Senators urged to review high court’s FOIA decision

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May that overturned 30 years of established Freedom of Information Act precedent by restricting what federal agencies can keep secret left exposed many different types of sensitive information, a senior Justice Department official told a Senate committee Tuesday. Published March 13, 2012

Man pleads not guilty in taking of hostages in Colombia

An accused member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia was arraigned Monday in federal court in Washington following his weekend extradition to the U.S. on charges of hostage-taking and terrorism. Published March 12, 2012

Republicans say court overreached in putting deportations on hold

A decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California to put several deportation cases on hold in light of Obama administration immigration directives was criticized Thursday by two senior Republican lawmakers who said the court ruling was an "overreach of its authority." Published March 1, 2012