Jerry Seper
Articles by Jerry Seper
GOP lawmaker acts to shield whistleblower
A Republican lawmaker has sternly warned Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. not to take any action against a high-ranking Justice Department official who told the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that the government's dismissal of a civil complaint against the New Black Panther Party was a "travesty of justice." Published September 26, 2010
Justice’s Panther pursuer to testify on case
The Justice Department section chief who recommended going forward on a civil complaint against members of the New Black Panther Party, and then was removed from his post and transferred, will testify on the case Friday. Published September 22, 2010
Lawmaker says pot policy bolsters border drug war
An Obama administration decision telling federal prosecutors not to target dispensers of medical marijuana in states that have legalized its use has helped finance a violent and expanding drug war along the U.S.-Mexico border, a senior House Republican charged this week. Published September 21, 2010
Internal report raps FBI’s probes of advocacy groups
The FBI investigated several advocacy groups on "factually weak" information, extended those inquiries "without adequate basis," improperly retained information on some groups, and wrongly listed others under terrorism classifications, according to a report. Published September 20, 2010
Couple indicted in nuclear weapons case
A former scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and his wife have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of communicating classified nuclear weapons data to a person they believed to be a Venezuelan government official and conspiring to participate in the development of an atomic weapon for Venezuela, the Justice Department said on Friday. Published September 17, 2010
Mexicans with gang ties arrested in Calif.
Twelve Mexican nationals with ties to a violent street gang in California have been arrested by a federal, state and local law enforcement task force as part of an anti-gang initiative known as "Operation Community Shield," led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The operation has accounted for nearly 400 arrests this year and more than 18,900 since it began five years ago. Published September 17, 2010
Justice IG probing Black Panther case
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division — in the wake of the New Black Panther Party case — is being investigated by the department's office of inspector general to determine whether voting section employees have been harassed for participating in specific investigations or prosecutions. Published September 13, 2010
Legal advocate asks court to side with Arizona’s alien law
The Washington Legal Foundation asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco on Wednesday to reject a challenge by the Obama administration to Arizona's new immigration law, calling it a "well-designed effort" to provide enforcement assistance to federal immigration officials. Published September 8, 2010
Justice sues Arizona in green-card ‘hurdles’
The Justice Department has brought yet another legal challenge against Arizona, accusing the Maricopa County Community College District in Phoenix of illegally asking foreign nationals to show their Permanent Resident Cards, or "green cards," before being offered jobs in the 10-college system. Published September 7, 2010
Minuteman chief deemed a threat
An Arizona court has ruled that an order of protection against Minuteman co-founder Chris Simcox sought by his estranged wife as part of a messy divorce case be continued "in full force," saying evidence shows that he committed an act of violence. Published September 5, 2010
Justice Dept. sues Arizona sheriff
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Thursday against "America's toughest sheriff," Joe Arpaio, accusing him, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and the county of refusing to fully cooperate in an investigation into allegations that he and his deputies are guilty of racial discrimination. Published September 2, 2010
Task force rounds up gangs in Tulsa, Okla.
The U.S. Marshals Service, working with state and local police in Oklahoma, has arrested more than 160 violent street-gang members in Tulsa in what federal authorities called a task force operation that will serve as a "nationwide model for similar initiatives" targeting gang-related violence across the country. Published August 29, 2010
Pleas cut drug smuggler’s time to 70 months
The woman who headed an international drug-trafficking organization that smuggled millions of Ecstasy pills and other drugs from Canada into the United States from 2002 until 2008 has been sentenced to 70 months in prison on her guilty pleas to drug-smuggling and conspiracy charges. Published August 25, 2010
Obama administration will appeal stem cell ruling
The Obama administration will appeal a ruling by a federal judge that temporarily blocks federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, the Justice Department confirmed on Tuesday. Published August 24, 2010
Thai court orders extradition of Russian arms dealer to U.S.
International arms dealer Viktor Bout, the so-called "Merchant of Death" named in February in a federal grand jury indictment in New York on charges of conspiring to finance an aircraft fleet to arm bloody conflicts and support rogue regimes worldwide, will be returned to the United States to stand trial, a court in Thailand ruled on Friday. Published August 20, 2010
Key Mexican drug cartel suspect extradited to U.S.
A drug cartel responsible for killing thousands of people in Mexico's border cities has been dealt another law enforcement setback with the extradition of a key player to the United States on charges of smuggling heroin, cocaine and marijuana into west Texas for later shipment to other parts of the United States. Published August 17, 2010
Arizona sheriffs call ICE chief’s visit a ‘stunt’
Two key sheriffs along the Arizona-Mexico border on Tuesday called a planned visit by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary John Morton a "political stunt" and described as "pathetic" Obama administration attempts to "cover up its inaction in protecting our borders." Published August 10, 2010
Agents’ union disavows leaders of ICE
The union that represents rank-and-file field agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has unanimously passed a "vote of no confidence" for the agency's leadership, saying ICE has "abandoned" its core mission of protecting the public to support a political agenda favoring amnesty. Published August 9, 2010
Lack of resources curtails ICE tracking of illegals
New guidance telling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to focus on apprehending terrorists and criminals has many of ICE's rank-and-file agents wondering who then is responsible for tracking down and detaining the millions of other illegal border-crossers and fugitive aliens now in the country. Published August 8, 2010
14 indicted in plot to aid Somali terrorists
The Justice Department unsealed indictments Thursday against 14 people - including seven U.S. citizens - charging them with providing money, personnel and services to a Somali-based terrorist group with ties to al Qaeda. Published August 5, 2010
