Jerry Seper

‘String of failures’ cited in Fort Hood attack

An extensive investigation by a Senate committee says the Fort Hood massacre should have been prevented, but a "string of failures" by the FBI and the Army allowed a "ticking time bomb" to open fire at a crowded deployment center in the worst domestic terrorism ambush since the Sept. 11 attacks. Published February 3, 2011

Gang leader pleads to racketeering in D.C. area

A leader of a violent street gang tied to the attempted murder of two rival gang members and to the extortion of pimps trafficking prostitutes from Maryland into Virginia pleaded guilty Thursday to federal racketeering charges, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Published February 3, 2011

State Department worker guilty of stealing from U.S. Embassy

An employee of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was found guilty Wednesday in federal court in Alexandria of stealing nearly $250,000 that had been intended for the payment of the embassy's shipping and customs services, said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer, who heads the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Published February 2, 2011

U.S. indicts an Iranian on smuggling of metals

An Iranian citizen and resident has been indicted in federal court in Washington, D.C., on charges of illegally exporting and attempting to export specialized metals from the U.S. through companies in Turkey to Iran, including some firms involved in the production of ballistic missiles. Published February 1, 2011

Feds execute search warrants in cyber-attack probe

FBI agents on Thursday executed more than 40 search warrants throughout the United States as part of an ongoing federal investigation into recent coordinated cyber attacks against major companies and organizations. Published January 27, 2011

34 face gunrunning charges in Arizona

Federal grand juries in Arizona have returned multicount indictments in five cases against 34 persons accused of assisting Mexican drug-trafficking cartels with illegally smuggling firearms, including AK-47 assault rifles, from the U.S. to Mexico. Published January 26, 2011

HHS recovers over $4 billion in probes of fraud

U.S. government efforts in health care fraud prevention and enforcement yielded more than $4 billion during fiscal 2010, the highest annual amount ever recovered from people who attempted to defraud seniors and taxpayers, and from those who sought payments to which they were not entitled. Published January 24, 2011

FBI nabs 127 in ‘largest’ Mafia takedown

More than 120 suspects were charged in what Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called Thursday the "largest single-day operation" against the Mafia in U.S. history. Published January 20, 2011

25 arrested in Va. task force drugs bust

Twenty-five persons have been arrested by federal and local law enforcement authorities in Virginia following "Operation Bull Run," a two-year investigation that targeted both the sources of supply and the dealers in a multimillion-dollar cocaine and heroin operation. Published January 20, 2011

Holder celebrates MLK, recalls his values

The nation's top law enforcement official Sunday described the shooting earlier this month of an Arizona congresswoman as part of a "senseless rampage" that reminds all Americans that "our long struggle to end suffering, to eradicate violence and to promote peace" continues 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Published January 16, 2011

Justice Department losing terrorism prosecutor

The Justice Department prosecutor who led government efforts to prevent a number of serious security threats to the nation, including the attempted bombing of Times Square, the al Qaeda plot to bomb the New York subway system and the attempted detonation of a bomb aboard an airliner on Christmas Day 2009, announced his resignation Thursday. Published January 13, 2011

DeLay sentenced to 3 years in prison

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was sentenced Monday to three years in prison after his November conviction on money laundering and conspiracy charges in the illegal funneling of corporate cash to Texas political candidates in 2002. Published January 10, 2011

FBI: Violent crime, property crime on downward trend

The nation experienced a 6.2 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 2.8 percent decline in the number of property crimes from January to June 2010, when compared with data from the same time period in the prior year, according to FBI statistics released Monday. Published December 20, 2010

‘Toughest sheriff’ holding caroling contest for pre-trial prisoners

The self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" in America, Phoenix's Joe Arpaio, who cranked up his Christmas music machine for inmates last month, has scheduled a caroling contest for interested pre-trial prisoners - with the winner to receive a "real Christmas dinner for himself and his cell mates." Published December 20, 2010

ICE: D.C. drug plan tied to cartel

A federal grand jury in Washington has indicted nine people on charges of conspiring to sell large quantities of crystal methamphetamine in the nation's capital as part of an operation directed by drug-cartel bosses in Mexico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Wednesday. Published December 15, 2010

9 indicted in sale of Mexican crystal meth in Washington, D.C.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted nine people on charges of conspiring to sell large quantities of crystal methamphetamine in the nation's capital as part of a drug smuggling operation directed by cartel bosses in Mexico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Wednesday. Published December 15, 2010

Bandits who prey on illegals gun down Border Patrol agent

A U.S. Border Patrol agent attempting to arrest bandits who prey on illegal immigrants was killed during a gunfight about 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border near Rio Rico, Ariz., 60 miles south of Tucson. Published December 15, 2010

18 FARC members indicted on charges tied to hostage taking

Eighteen members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Washington on terrorism and weapons charges in connection with the taking of three U.S. citizens as hostages in Colombia. Published December 14, 2010

Judge voids part of Obamacare

In a major setback for the Obama administration, a federal judge in Virginia struck down as unconstitutional a key provision of the landmark health care law, saying that forcing all Americans to buy health insurance "exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power." Published December 13, 2010

Colombian drug bosses convicted in cocaine conspiracy

Two drug smuggling bosses aligned with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, have been found guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., of conspiring to import tons of cocaine into the United States, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer said Friday. The AUC is a Colombian paramilitary group designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization. Published December 10, 2010