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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #731)
Drug War Issues

It's been a quiet week on the corrupt cop front, but we still have a pair of California cops who thought they were the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and an Oklahoma cop who couldn't keep his fingers out of the cookie jar--and some late-breaking news out of LA. Let's get to it:

In Los Angeles, two current and two former TSA screeners at LAX were arrested Wednesday by DEA agents and US marshals on federal charges they allowed large shipments of cocaine, meth, and marijuana to pass through security checkpoints. Current agents John Whitfield, 23, and Capeline Kinney, 25, and former agents Joy White, 27, and Naral Richardson,30, all face multiple federal drug trafficking conspiracy charges involving loads of four or more pounds of meth and 20 or more pounds of cocaine. It's unclear how they went down, but the DEA also reported it had taken one drug courier into custody and expected another one to turn himself in Wednesday.The four are accused of taking cash payments of as much as $2,400 to allow suitcases filled with dope to pass through X-ray machines at Los Angeles International Airport. All four are looking at up to life in prison.

In Alexandria, Virginia, a California police officer and a former officer were arrested last Tuesday as they showed up to deliver 27 pounds of marijuana. Selma police officer Frederick Sayles, 34, former Selma police officer Gabriel Sepeda, 38, and another man were arrested by DEA agents who were part of a task force with Alexandria police. All three are charged with conspiracy to import marijuana and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Additional charges might be pending, police said. At last report, all three men are being held without bond at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center. Preliminary hearings for them are scheduled for May 21.

In McHenry, Oklahoma, a McHenry police officer was arrested last Tuesday on charges he stole money confiscated during a drug arrest. Police discovered the money was missing during a routine audit and zeroed in on Officer Dale Hojnacki, 35. He is now a former officer, having resigned following his arrest, and he is charged with felony theft of more than $500. He was taken to the McHenry County Jail on a $15,000 bond. Silly officer! Only the state gets to take money in a drug arrest, not the state's agents.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Rwolf (not verified)

CISPA the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act if signed into law will allow——the military and NSA warrant-less spying on Americans’ confidential electronic Communications; any transmitted private information circumventing the fourth amendment. CISPA will allow any self-protected cyber entity to share with the Feds any person’s private information that might allegedly relate to a cyber threat or crime. Considering the U.S. Government’s current business relationship with telephone and Internet companies, it should be expected the feds would use CISPA to gain unprecedented access to lawful Americans’ private electronic communications. Almost every week news media reports corrupt police arrested for selling drugs, taking bribes and perjury. It is foreseeable that broad provisions in CISPA that call for private businesses / cyber entities to share with Spy Agencies confidential information will open the door for corrupt government and police to sell a corporations’ confidential information to its competitors, foreign government and others. CISPA provides insufficient safeguards to control disposition of (shared) confidential corporate / cyber entity information, including confidential information shared by spy agencies with private entities derived from spying on Americans. 

The recently House Passed Cyber Security Bill overrides the Fourth Amendment. Government may use against Americans in Criminal, Civil and Administrative courts (any information) derived from CISPA warrant-less spying.

CISPA will open the door for U.S. Government spy agencies such as NSA; the FBI; government asset forfeiture contractors, any private entity (to take out of context) any innocent—hastily written email, fax or phone call to allege a crime or violation was committed to cause a person’s arrest, assess fines and or civilly forfeit a business or property. There are more than 350 laws and violations that can subject property to government asset forfeiture. Government civil asset forfeiture requires only a civil preponderance of evidence for police to forfeit property, little more than hearsay.

CISPA (warrant-less electronic surveillance) will enable the U.S. Justice Department to bypass the Fourth Amendment, use information extracted from CISPA electronic surveillance) of Americans’ Web Server Records, Internet Activity, transmitted emails, faxes, and phone calls to issue subpoenas in hopes of finding evidence or to prosecute Citizens for any alleged crime or violation. If the current CISPA is signed into law it is problematic federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and private government contractors will want access to prior Bush II NSA and other government illegally obtained electronic records to secure evidence to arrest Americans; civilly forfeit their homes, businesses and other assets under Title 18USC and other laws. Of obvious concern, what happens to fair justice in America if police become dependent on “Asset Forfeiture” to help pay their salaries and budget operating costs?

Note: the passed “Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000” (effectively eliminated) the “five year statue of limitations” for Government Civil Asset Forfeiture of property: the statute now runs five years (from the date) police allege they “learned” an asset became subject to forfeiture.

If CISPA takes affect, allows (no warrant) electronic government surveillance of Americans, it is expected CISPA will be used by government not only to thwart cyber threats, but to aggressively prosecute Americans and businesses for any alleged crime: U.S. Government spy and police agencies; quasi government contractors for profit, will relentlessly sift through Citizen and businesses’ (government retained Internet data), emails and phone communications) to discover possible crimes or civil violations.

A corrupt U.S. Government Administration can too easily use CISPA no-warrant-seized emails, faxes, Internet data and phone call information) to target, blackmail and extort its political opposition; target any Citizen, corporation and others in the manner Hitler used his Nazi passed legislation that permitted no-warrant Nazi police searches and seizure of Citizens and businesses or to extort support for the Nazi fascist government. Hitler Nazi Laws made it possible for the Nazis to strong-arm German parliament to pass Hitler’s 1933 Discriminatory Decrees that suspended the Constitutional Freedoms of German Citizens. History shows how that turned out.

CISPA warrant-less electronic surveillance) has the potential of turning America into a Fascist Police State.

Fri, 04/27/2012 - 7:55pm Permalink

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