This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Crime

  • SFC James Robert Jones; Identity theft of fellow soldiers

    Chief Tango and Preston send us links to the story about Sergeant First Class James Robert Jones, who worked for the IG’s office at Fort Campbell, KY, is accused of stealing the identities of deployed soldiers as well as the identity of a deceased soldier to apply for loans. Of course, he says he’s not guilty;

    In an email to The Associated Press on Thursday, Jones said he is not guilty of the charges.

    “What I find the most disturbing and shocking about these charges is the allegations that I would use information from deceased soldiers to pull off this so-called scheme,” Jones wrote. “I am embarrassed and saddened for the government that they would stoop to a level of using a fallen soldier’s sacrifice in order to provide a dramatic element to their case.”

    Jones said he has been in the Army for nearly 20 years and was in the inspector general’s office at Fort Campbell for close to two years. Jones said he served in Afghanistan in 2010 and was wounded three times. A voicemail greeting on Jones’ cellphone included portions of the song “God Bless the U.S.A.”

    According to the article, he would make loans in other people’s names and then spend the cash. Twice he was successful in getting loans from the Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union and the Navy Federal Credit Union. He’s also facing charges of lying to federal investigators – CID and the Secret Service. I’d check on the thrice wounded thing, too, because it looks like he’s trying to set up a “the PTSD made me do it” defense.

  • F&F rifle used in murder of police chief

    The LA Times reports that the Justice Department has discovered that one of the rifles that the BATFE lost track of in the course of their Fast & Furious follies killed a Mexican police chief earlier this year;

    Luis Lucio Rosales Astorga, the police chief in the city of Hostotipaquillo, was shot to death Jan. 29 when gunmen intercepted his patrol car and opened fire. Also killed was one of his bodyguards. His wife and a second bodyguard were wounded.

    Local authorities said eight suspects in their 20s and 30s were arrested after police seized them nearby with a cache of weapons — rifles, grenades, handguns, helmets, bulletproof vests, uniforms and special communications equipment. The area is a hot zone for rival drug gangs, with members of three cartels fighting over turf in the region.

    A semi-automatic WASR rifle, the firearm that killed the chief, was traced back to the Lone Wolf Trading Company, a gun store in Glendale, Ariz. The notation on the Department of Justice trace records said the WASR was used in a “HOMICIDE – WILLFUL – KILL –PUB OFF –GUN” –ATF code for “Homicide, Willful Killing of a Public Official, Gun.”

    The LA Times articles says that hundreds of weapons were lost during the operation, but it was actually thousands. And most of those weapons are still in the hands of criminals.

  • Vigilant citizens subdue escaped rapist

    Preston sends us a link to the story and video of some alert citizens who spotted an escaped rapist in their general store near Columbus, Ohio. The result is captured in this video;

    After he was subdued they hogtied his ass so he could await the state troopers in total discomfort;

    Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Anne Ralston said she wouldn’t necessarily recommend detaining a violent criminal without the help of police, but Myers’ capture couldn’t have happened without an “aware public.”

    “We are thankful he is back in custody,” she said.

    Dude was real shitbag;

    He was convicted in 2010 of following a 45-year-old Akron-area woman home from a bar, then breaking into her house and raping her at gunpoint, according to The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland. He was arrested in his car near the woman’s house the next day.

    Myers, of Randolph, Ohio, was convicted in Summit County Common Pleas Court on two counts of rape, kidnapping, corrupting another with drugs, illegal possession of a firearm, aggravated burglary and menacing by stalking.

  • LAPD cops ambushed at the police station

    LA ambush

    Reminiscent of a hundred or so movies and video games, two plainclothes detectives were ambushed as they were returning to the their Wilshire Division police station. As they swiped their cards to unlock the gate, someone behind them opened fire, both officers were slightly injured. According to the LA Times;

    The response to Tuesday morning’s shooting was swift. A tactical alert was issued and a 25-block area in Mid-City was shut down. Some 200 officers cordoned off the area between Washington and Pico boulevards and Redondo and Rimpau boulevards as the search continued.

    Four K-9 teams were looking street by street while helicopters circled overhead and squad cars were parked every block or so. SWAT officers could be seen patrolling the area.

    You know what they should do? They should buy back some expended LAW tubes and buy back some rusty old guns from elderly residents and then parade the trash in front of cameras and make unsupported statements about how they’re stopping crime and protecting people from inanimate objects. That should cure their problem, and who knows, while standing in line at the buy back, the perp may show up and admit that he’s guilty and turn over the real criminal – the gun he used. Also, they should pass more laws against people who would never in their lives ambush cops. That’ll teach ’em.

  • “Washington, DC wanted some cases … I sent seven”

    The title above was indeed an IRS employee speaking about the recent IRS scandal.  You remember – that little “rogue employee” brouhaha where Tea Party and other targeted conservative groups submitting for tax-exempt status were deliberately slow-rolled or obstructed while liberal or well-connected political allies of the POTUS got expedited treatment?. 

    For full details, read the UK Daily Mail article.  It’s really quite interesting.

    The statement was made about events occurring at the IRS connected to the scandal in 2010.  While not conclusive, this – and other information in the article – suggests knowledge of the scandal by IRS higher-ups as well as possible central direction of same from DC.

    But remember – no need for anyone to pay much attention to this little flap.  It’s nothing anyone should worry about.  This was all the work of a couple of “rogue employees” acting on their own, remember?  The Administration said so, so it must be true.  Right?

    Yeah, right.  More like, “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

  • “Two Rogue Employees”, Eh?

    Originally the current Administration blamed the ever-expanding IRS scandal on the actions of “two rogue employees”.  Well, that number now appears to be just a little bit low.

    CNN is reporting that the true number might well be much higher.  Apparently the IRS has identified 88 employees who may have documents relevant to the unlawful selective targeting of conservative political groups based on ideological grounds.  The IRS has advised these employees to preserve all such documents for investigative purposes.  Disposition of such documents now will violate Federal records laws and could constitute obstruction of justice.

    How many of these 88 employees were active participants in the conspiracy and how many may have merely received documents relating to same is not yet known.  However, the sheer number of persons potentially involved – nearly 90 IRS employees, with perhaps more yet to be uncovered – is a strong indication that the original Administration position that the scandal was the result of the actions of “two rogue employees” is an utter canard.

    The large scope of document collection efforts is now cited by the IRS as the reason for delay in turning over relevant documents concerning the scandal to the House Ways and Means Committee.  The original deadline set by the Committee was May 21.

    Stay tuned.  This could get even more interesting.

  • IRS Scandal Update – 31 May 2013

    Another periodic update on that seemingly-endless IRS scandal:

    • The former IRS Commissioner at the heart of the scandal, Douglas Shulman, met with the POTUS a minimum of 157 times before he was “fired” due to the scandal left office.  This is almost twice as many times as the POTUS met with any other Cabinet official during that same period.  (Shulman’s boss, Treasury Secretary Gertner, met with the POTS less than 50 times during the same period; the Attorney General, Eric Holder, only 62 times.)   In contrast, the previous IRS Commissioner met once with the previous POTUS in four years.  That’s one helluva lot of meetings. I wonder what they talked about?
    • There are indications that at least five pro-Israel groups may have been targeted for IRS “attention” for political reasons – specifically, because they disagreed with the current Administration regarding aspects of US policy towards Israel.
    • It also is looking as if the IRS may well have targeted conservative groups and individuals more broadly than previously thought.  Substantial anecdotal evidence is now appearing that tends to support this theory.  Further, the Treasury Department IG official investigating the matter “recently acknowledged that he’s looking into other watch lists created by IRS employees.”
    • And, finally:  the IRS appears to have promoted one of those “rogue” employees directly involved in the political targeting of conservative groups.  Hey, that’s some serious discipline for violating the law!  That will certainly teach him a lesson!

    Gee – “watch lists” made up of people who would get additional IRS “attention” because they oppose the  POTUS or his policies.  That sounds familiar . . . where have I heard of that before?  What was it called . . . ?

    Oh yeah –  I remember.  That was about 40 years ago.  It was called the President’s “enemies list”.

    But remember:  nothing to see here, folks; move along.  “Pay no attention to the man behind the screen.”

  • Thursday feel good story

    WOTN sends us today’s feel good story about a woman in Gwinnett County, GA who stepped from her shower and encountered an Anthony Perkins imitator with a large knife. After a brief struggle the woman fell and injured herself;

    Police spokesman Edwin Ritter said, “The male was armed with a kitchen knife, a struggle ensued between the two of them. She fell in the bathtub injuring herself.”

    She briefly fought him away with a shower rod, but then he chased her into her bedroom. It was then that the woman grabbed her .22-caliber handgun and shot the intruder nine times, killing him.

    The woman is fortunate that she lived in Georgia and not New York where she could only have seven bullets in her magazine.

    From 11Alive;

    “As of now, this appears to be justifiable use of force,” Ritter said. “The victim is not expected to be charged with anything.”

    Ritter said Puentes took off, but only made it to the backyard before he collapsed. He was declared dead at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville.

    The woman was treated for minor injuries, but I guess she’s fine.