Jerry Seper

CIA worker pleads to spying for Kremlin

A former high-ranking CIA employee now serving a 23-year sentence for conspiracy to commit espionage pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Portland, Ore., to new charges of conspiring to act as an agent of Russia and international money laundering, the Justice Department said. Published November 8, 2010

FBI-led raids rescue 69 child prostitutes

Sixty-nine children in 40 cities being used as child prostitutes were rescued over the weekend by a law enforcement task force headed by the FBI, which also arrested 885 people, including 99 suspected pimps. Published November 8, 2010

State Department official peeked at 500 passport files

A State Department employee pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to department officials in an investigation into her illegal access of hundreds of confidential passport application files, including the private files of more than 500 famous Americans without authorization. Published November 5, 2010

U.S. discovers long drug tunnel to Mexico

A U.S. law enforcement task force has uncovered a 600-yard-long tunnel connecting a warehouse in California with one in Mexico, saying nearly 30 tons of marijuana worth about $20 million was brought through it to the United States or was waiting to be hauled. Published November 4, 2010

Elections conducted with few incidents

The 2010 elections were carried out Tuesday without the overwhelming rash of campaign irregularities predicted by both sides of the political aisle, although there were scattered claims of voter fraud and voter suppression in several states and one formal investigation in Kansas into accusations of voter intimidation. Published November 2, 2010

Afghan raids net $60M in heroin

More than $60 million worth of heroin was seized by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents, along with U.S. military forces and Afghan and Russian law enforcement officers, during raids on four "clandestine drug labs" in northeastern Afghanistan, senior DEA officials said Thursday. Published October 28, 2010

Justice Department vows to stop intimidation of voters

The Justice Department on Wednesday vowed to thwart any efforts to intimidate voters at the polls on Tuesday and to ensure that the ballots of military voters are counted, as activists on both sides of the political aisle reignite their regular election-time tango over the dangers of voter fraud versus voter suppression. Published October 27, 2010

GAO: Border fence lagging, over budget

The Department of Homeland Security has "largely defined but has not adequately implemented" controls over a "virtual fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border promised for completion in 2009 and, as a result, the multibillion-dollar project is behind schedule and over budget, a government report says. Published October 24, 2010

GAO says ‘virtual fence’ along Mexican border over budget

The Department of Homeland Security has "largely defined but has not adequately implemented" controls over a "virtual fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border promised for completion in 2009 and, as a result, the multibillion-dollar project is behind schedule and over budget, a government report says. Published October 22, 2010

IG report hits FBI Sentinel program

Sentinel, the FBI's multimillion-dollar program to computerize investigative information and replace the bureau's paper-based system for record keeping, is two years behind schedule and $100 million over budget, a report said Wednesday. Published October 20, 2010

USCIS official’s transfer probed

The Office of Special Counsel is investigating the involuntary transfer of a top official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services who reported suspected "gross negligence and mishandling" of more than 600 certificates of citizenship and naturalization. Published October 19, 2010

Obama administration backs disputed mosque expansion

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division Tuesday came out in support of the construction and expansion of an Islamic mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., that local landowners and others have bitterly opposed. Published October 18, 2010

Mexican hit men stalk U.S.

Drug-smuggling gangs in Mexico have sent well-armed assassins, or "sicarios," into Arizona to locate and kill bandits who are ambushing and stealing loads of cocaine, marijuana and heroin headed to buyers in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security has warned Arizona law enforcement authorities. Published October 15, 2010

Violent, property crimes down despite economy

The number of violent and property crimes reported continued to drop last year despite significant declines in the nation's economy, according to a Justice Department report Wednesday, which put the numbers at their lowest levels since the survey began in 1973. Published October 13, 2010

Mexican official leading probe of Texan’s death reported killed

Law enforcement authorities in the United States and Mexico on Tuesday confirmed the slaying of the high-ranking Mexican state police commander who was overseeing an investigation into the fatal shooting by suspected pirates of an American tourist on a Texas border lake. Published October 12, 2010

Rights panel seeks testimony from Justice

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights wants Attorney General H. Holder Jr., to allow Justice Department employees to testify in its investigation of "deep-seated and shockingly common attitudes favoring racially-selective enforcement of the law" within the department's Civil Rights Division. Published October 11, 2010

IG blows the whistle on OSHA oversight

A federal government program aimed at protecting private-sector whistleblowers does a poor job of investigating complaints, and workers who are fired or blackballed after reporting violations rarely win restoration, according to a government report. Published October 4, 2010

Justice settles suit with Visa, MasterCard

A two-year Justice Department investigation has ended in a settlement with two of the largest U.S. credit card companies and, according to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., a bonus for consumers who might find a little extra money in their pockets. Published October 4, 2010

Texan wants Guard troops at states’ call

A Texas Republican who steadfastly has prodded the federal government to better secure the U.S.-Mexico border has introduced legislation requiring the Defense Department to make National Guard troops available to states on request. Published October 3, 2010

Justice IG: FBI cheated on test of rules

Hundreds of FBI agents, including the head of the Washington field office and several supervisors, cheated on a mandatory test of new procedures employees must follow when conducting investigations of U.S. citizens — the Justice Department inspector general said in the second critical report handed down against the bureau in recent weeks. Published September 27, 2010