Jerry Seper
Articles by Jerry Seper
U.S. sanctions top members of MS-13 gang
Six members of the notorious El Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, which has which has sought to expand its influence throughout the United States, including the D.C. metropolitan area, were designated Wednesday by the Treasury Department as international criminals as the government seeks to cripple the gang's growing and dangerous operations. Published June 5, 2013
Deadline set for James Cole to detail Eric Holder’s recusal
Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole has until the end of business Friday to tell a House committee how and when his boss, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., recused himself in the Justice Department's subpoena of two months of telephone records of at least 20 reporters and editors at The Associated Press. Published May 30, 2013
House probes whether Eric Holder lied, wants explanation of ‘discrepancies’ about surveillance
The House Judiciary Committee opened an investigation Wednesday into whether Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. lied under oath in testimony about the Justice Department's surveillance of journalists, while the White House declared again that President Obama "absolutely" has confidence in Mr. Holder. Published May 29, 2013
Ex-Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo extradited to U.S.
Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo has been extradited to the United States to face charges of conspiring to launder millions of dollars embezzled from his government through bank accounts in his country, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele M. Leonhart announced Tuesday. Published May 28, 2013
Former Guatemalan president in U.S. court after extradition
Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo has been extradited to the United States to face charges of conspiring to launder millions of dollars embezzled from his government through bank accounts in his country, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele M. Leonhart announced Tuesday. Published May 28, 2013
Commander of drug cartel guilty of shooting ICE agents in Mexico
Julian Zapata Espinoza, a cell commander of the brutal Los Zetas drug cartel, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in the District to the killing of agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of his partner during a February 2011 daylight ambush on a major highway 250 miles north of Mexico City. Published May 23, 2013
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s friend confessed to 2011 murders before FBI shot him
A Florida man, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an FBI agent after he reportedly attacked the agent with a knife during questioning about the Boston Marathon bombing, implicated himself and bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a 2011 Massachusetts triple murder, law enforcement authorities said. Published May 22, 2013
Lawsuit claims IRS agents illegally seized medical records
A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in San Diego says 15 IRS agents illegally seized the medical records of more than 10 million Americans, including California judges and their families, members of the Screen Actors Guild and Major League Baseball players. Published May 21, 2013
Fast and Furious: U.S. Attorney sought to discredit agent by leaking documents
The U.S. attorney in Arizona leaked an internal memo to undermine a veteran Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent who was highly critical of the botched "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation, the Justice Department's office of inspector general said Monday in a report. Published May 20, 2013
Marshals lost track of terror suspects in witness protection
The U.S. Marshals Service lost track of two "known or suspected terrorists" being held by the federal government as part of its witness protection program, the Justice Department's office of inspector general said Thursday in a report. Published May 16, 2013
Holder has memory loss at hearing about AP investigation
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday described the leak about a foiled terrorist plot in Yemen to The Associated Press as a "very, very serious" matter that "put the American people at risk," but he did not remember when he recused himself from the investigation into it, did not put his recusal in writing and never told the White House. Published May 15, 2013
Federal task force takes down Medicare fraud racket
Federal law enforcement authorities have arrested 89 people, including doctors and nurses, in eight cities suspected of participating in Medicare fraud schemes involving more than $223 million in false billings. Published May 14, 2013
Attorney General Holder defends Justice Department subpoena power against news media
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Tuesday defended the Justice Department's use of its subpoena power to monitor the telephone records of editors and reporters at The Associated Press in a leak investigation, but said he was unaware of the details because he had recused himself from the leak case. Published May 14, 2013
Congress to grill Attorney General Holder over search of Associated Press phone records
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle were asking questions Wednesday about the Justice Department’s subpoena of telephone records involving editors and reporters at The Associated Press, with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. expected to be asked about the matter during an long-scheduled hearing before the House Judiciary Committee Published May 14, 2013
Justice Department seizes telephone records from Associated Press reporters
The Justice Department is not saying why it secretly seized the telephone records of reporters and editors at The Associated Press, but several people close to the department said federal authorities have focused on the news agency in an ongoing investigation into the source of leaks about a CIA operation in Yemen. Published May 13, 2013
Tunisian man indicted in visa ploy to foment terrorism
Federal authorities have charged a Tunisian man with fraud in applying for a work visa to remain in the U.S. to facilitate what officials said were acts of terrorism, to develop a network of terrorists in the United States, and to use this country as a base to support the efforts of terrorists internationally. Published May 9, 2013
Justice Department hiring request fuels bias complaints; 44 civil rights lawyers sought
Questions have surfaced over a Justice Department plan to hire 44 more attorneys for its Civil Rights Division, which has been accused of bias by members of Congress and been described in a government report as having deep ideological differences that have fueled disputes harmful to its operation. Published May 8, 2013
Arrest sweep nets 345 who fail to register as sex offenders
Operation Guardian, a three-year national initiative specifically targeting the country's most dangerous noncompliant sex offenders, ended Tuesday with the arrest of 345 people who failed to register with state authorities as required by law, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Published May 7, 2013
Treasury Dept. labels Sinaloa drug cartel members as narcotic kingpins
Eight high-ranking members of the Sinaloa drug cartel, who direct drug smuggling along a 375-mile area of the U.S.-Arizona border, were named Tuesday by the Treasury Department as narcotics kingpins — which targets them for multimillion-dollar fines and severe prison sentences. Published May 7, 2013
Woman who killed N.J. state trooper joins ‘Most Wanted Terrorist’ list
A woman convicted in the killing 40 years ago of a New Jersey State Police trooper as a member of the Black Liberation Army has been named to the FBI's "Most Wanted Terrorist" list — the first woman ever to make the list. Published May 6, 2013
