BlogWonks

In 2007, the US Department of State reported that some foreign diplomats are suspected of abusing the household workers they brought to the United States on A-3 or G-5 visas.

The US Congress directed the Government Accounting Office to determine the number of A-3 or G-5 visa holders who have alleged abuse by foreign diplomats with immunity since 2000 and to review the US government’s process for investigating these allegations.

The GAO was also directed to assess how the State Department ensures that its policies for issuing A-3 and G-5 visas are implemented correctly and consistently. The GAO analyzed documents, interviewed officials, and conducted fieldwork at four consular posts that issue large numbers of A-3 or G-5 visas.

The GAO identified 42 household workers with A-3 or G-5 visas who alleged that they were abused by foreign diplomats with immunity from 2000 through 2008, but the total number is likely higher. The total number of alleged incidents since 2000 is likely higher for four reasons: household workers’ fear of contacting law enforcement, nongovernmental organizations’ protection of victim confidentiality, limited information on some cases handled by the US government, and federal agencies’ challenges identifying cases.

For example, the State Department has several offices that receive allegations of abuse by foreign diplomats, but no single office maintains information on all allegations. The US government’s process for investigating alleged abuse of household workers by foreign diplomats is complicated by three factors.

First, immunity can pose constraints for law enforcement in collecting evidence. Second, the status of foreign diplomats can heighten their workers’ sense of vulnerability, causing the workers to fear cooperating with investigators. Third, the length of time it takes to obtain a legal opinion from State on the permissibility of using certain investigative techniques can hamper investigations.

According to the State Department, although some techniques are clearly prohibited by international law (such as searching certain diplomats’ residences), the permissibility of others under international law is less clear. In advising on the use of investigative techniques, the State Department considers legal and policy issues, such as reciprocity–assessing how US diplomats abroad might be affected by actions taken toward a foreign diplomat on US soil.

State Department officials may ask the Justice Department to provide information to help determine the permissibility of certain techniques, but the process of obtaining this information can be difficult and time consuming for Justice officials.

Although both State and Justice Departments have discussed creating a process to avoid delays, no formal actions have, thus far, been taken to establish one. Weaknesses exist in State’s process for ensuring correct and consistent implementation of policies and procedures for issuing A-3 and G-5 visas.

The GAO’s review of employment contracts submitted at four consular posts by A-3 and G-5 visa applicants showed that they often did not include State’s required components, such as a guarantee of the minimum or prevailing wage.

The GAO also found that officers at the four posts were unclear about or unfamiliar with certain aspects of State’s guidance. Few of the officers were aware that they should inform A-3 and G-5 visa applicants of their rights under US law during their interview. Some officers at the four posts also were uncertain about the reasons for refusing A-3 or G-5 visas. State is considering adding provisions to its guidance that would more clearly stipulate reasons for refusing these visas, such as if an A-3 or G-5 applicant seeks to work for a foreign diplomat who is linked to a pattern of employee disappearance, abuse allegations, or other irregularities.

However, the State Department has not reached internal agreement on these provisions and has set no timetable for doing so. State headquarters officials said they rely on individual posts to monitor implementation of A-3 and G-5 visa policies and procedures and do not routinely assess posts’ compliance

Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, the two Border Patrol agents shamelessly prosecuted by the U.S. government for shooting and wounding a Mexican drug smuggler, Oswald Aldrete-Davila, on February 17, 2005, have not been forgotten by many Americans — such as attorney’s from Judicial Watch — who are actively pursuing their release from captivity.

The two Border Patrol agents were sentenced to 11 and 12 years respectively. Meanwhile, Aldrete-Davila, who attempted to smuggle 750 pounds of marijuana into the U.S., was given medical treatment and immunity for his testimony against the railroaded border agents.

"Instead of giving these two dedicated law enforcement officers the ‘heroes treatment," they were arrested, tried and imprisoned. Americans who bothered to follow the news coverage of the case were, for the most part, shocked at the disgraceful treatment of Agents Compean and Ramos," said political strategist Mike Baker.

"You may disagree with me, but I believe the legal action taken against these Border Patrol veterans was the Bush Administration’s way of sending a message to all US Border Patrol agents: Don’t do your jobs. If you do, you’ll be punished," Baker suspects.

Former New York City police detective now owner of a Manhattan security firm, Sidney Francis is quite disturbed over the Ramos/Compean case, as well.

"This reminds me of the incidents when cops, who did their jobs protecting and serving the people of New York, would be singled out for punishment, harassment and loss of their jobs. Meanwhile, crooked, abusive cops would always find protection behind the so-called "Blue Wall," and never suffered for their transgressions," said Det. Francis.

"The message in the Compean/Ramos case seems to be: do your jobs and you’ll be punished. Ignore illegal aliens violating US laws and you’ll be rewarded with pay increases, promotions and other ‘goodies’ by cynical political leaders who favor an unbridled invasion of the US by millions of illegal aliens," he added.

Three weeks ago, Judicial Watch, a non-partisan, public interest law firm, filed a lawsuit against the Department of State to obtain documents related to the government’s decision to prosecute Ramos and Compean and to strike a deal with the criminal and drug trafficker Aldrete-Davila for his testimony against the two agents who intercepted him at the US-Mexican border.

According to officials at Judicial Watch, JD attorneys filed their original FOIA request on April 17, 2008. However, the US government failed to respond within the statutory 20-day period, forcing Judicial Watch attorneys to file their lawsuit.

This is the second FOIA lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch related to the jailed Border Patrol agents, according to the organization’s officials.

JD officials said they are essentially after:

Information pertaining to government deals that were made with the government of Mexico to bring Aldrete-Davila to the U.S. to testify.

Any internal communications between the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department related to the decision to permit the lawful entry of Aldrete-Davila into the U.S. for medical treatment and for meetings with government prosecutors.

Any and all records of the Diplomatic Security Services, a branch of the State Department, related to the shooting incident.

There is enormous public interest in this incident. Many people, especially conservative activists, suspect these Border Patrol Agents were railroaded by some within the federal government for simply doing their jobs. Given the controversy surrounding the case, Judicial Watch officials believe the more the American people know about what they view as a gross miscarriage of justice, the better.

Their lawsuit on behalf of the two jailed Border Patrol agents is only part of Judicial Watch’s legal battle with the US government with regard to border security and illegal aliens. For example, in the past, it obtained records from the Department of Homeland Security through the Freedom of Information Act that document 226 incursions by Mexican government personnel into the United States between 1996 and 2005.

Released to Judicial Watch, the records consist of annual intelligence summaries of "Mexican Government Incidents," compiled over a nine-year period. They were designated as "limited official use" by the DHS, requiring "special protection against unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure."

"How is it that our political leaders tell Americans they are do everything possible to secure our borders and protect our sovereignty, yet they hide and disregard reports of incursions by Mexican military and police personnel suspected of providing protection for drug and human traffickers?" asks Lieutenant Stephan Rodgers, a New Jersey detective bureau commander.

"In the Compean/Ramos case, the federal government actually punished law enforcement officers for attempting to stop an incursion by a drug trafficker. The American people are being lied to by government officials while at the same time being placed in harm’s way since many of these incursions are perpetrated by armed Mexicans," added the decorated police commander.

The public interest law firm Judicial Watch achieved national recognition during its legal battle with President Bill Clinton’s administration in the 1990s, especially with regard to allegations of political corruption.

JD continues such legal actions against suspected political corruption. For example, Judicial Watch filed separate complaints with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) and the Ethics Committee in the US Senate against Senator Barack Obama for allegedly accepting a ’sweetheart’ mortgage deal in 2005 that would not be available to the general consumer.

JD attorneys are also investigating Congressman Charlie Rangel’s involvement in a case regarding four rent-controlled apartments in New York City, and a decision by the Los Angeles County Superior Court in a taxpayer lawsuit to end Special Order 40, a Los Angeles Police Department illegal alien sanctuary policy (Judicial Watch, Inc. v The Los Angeles Police Department et. al, Case No. BC349040).

The Sunday morning news shows — on cable and broadcast television –covered the bitter-sweet farewell between arguably the two most powerful leaders in the world: President George W. Bush and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

While President Bush may have looked into Putin’s eyes and seen his soul, I’ve had — along with other pundits — the opportunity to cover Russian mischief throughout the world, and one must be cautious about speculating whether or not Putin even possesses a soul.

There is so much to write about Putin’s Russian government, that it’s difficult to be pithy and comprehensive at the same time. However, let’s just review a few news stories regarding our “friends” the Russians:

In the run-up to the war in Iraq, the Russians not only assisted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein with weapons, military advisors and materials, but they also provided Hussein’s military with the US-led coalition’s invasion plan. It’s believed they obtained the invasion plan from a “mole” in either Central Command (CentCom) or the Pentagon.

While appearing to be allied with the US in stopping Iran’s nuclear program and curtailing it’s military buildup, the Russians have been selling the Iranians weapons systems, arms and other military equipment.

Along with the Chinese and North Koreans, the Russians have been selling weapons systems and arms to Venezuela’s madman neo-Marxist President Hugo Chavez.

The Russian government has allowed racially motivated crimes to go unpunished and has even aided in violating the human rights of many Russian citizens. It’s also banned non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, from working within Russian.

At the close of 2006, the Russian’s expressed their anger over Vice President Dick Cheney’s accusation that President Vladimir Putin’s government is actively restricting the freedom of its own people while using its energy resources as “blackmail” to inhibit democracy in other countries.

Putin’s spokesman responded angrily to Cheney, saying it isn’t using energy (oil, natural gas) for political leverage and that the US should get used to Russia’s more active role in geopolitics.

At the time, the denizens of the US news media appeared to be quaking in their shoes. For instance, USA Today wrote, “Washington’s strongest rebuke of Russia yet comes at a tense moment in US-Russia relations as the White House pushes for Kremlin cooperation on Iranian nuclear issues and many Russians say their country has returned to a Cold War footing.”

However, Cheney didn’t back down and, in fact, he continues to voice his concerns over the Russian’s Bear’s insatiable appetite for political drama.  Cheney has repeatedly said, “In Russia, opponents of reform are seeking to reverse the gains of the last decade.”

In many areas of civil society — from religion and the news media to advocacy groups and political parties — the government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of her people,” he claimed during a press conference.

The blunt VP pointed to Russia’s difficult relations with three neighbors: Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. Experts on Russian politics and society have noted that Moscow punishes gas customers, such as Georgia and Ukraine, which follow a democratic path, while subsidizing the energy supply to autocratic allies such as Belarus. The bad guys get the energy, the good guys get the shaft.

“No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolize transportation,” Mr. Cheney said. “And no one can justify actions that undermine the territorial integrity of a neighbor, or interfere with democratic movements.”

The VP’s comments regarding territorial integrity were clearly aimed at Moscow’s support for separatist movements in Georgia and Moldova.

Moscow’s reaction was quick and bitter. “We cannot accept some statements today by Mr. Cheney,” Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said last night.

Russia has a right to defend its own interests, Mr. Peskov told USA Today, “The energy sources that Russia possesses must be used for our own people, not to help development of democracies in neighboring countries.” The West also confuses the actions of Russian companies with Moscow’s policy, the Kremlin spokesman added.

The argument between the two former Cold War adversaries was ostensibly about Russia’s energy policy and the democratization of former Soviet states, but tensions have been rising between the two countries on many other fronts in recent months, including the revelation the Russia sold Iran a state-of-the-art defense system designed to counter aircraft or helicopter attacks. The Russians are also believed to have sold Iran advanced missile technology.

Many Americans wondered why the United States appeared so reluctant to openly criticize Russia as the US tries to encourage support at the UN for action against Iran’s nuclear program. Russia refuses, however, to turn against one of its major trading partner, especially in the lucrative business of weapons sales to Iran.

At the time, liberal-left lawmakers in Washington were fearful that the US-Russian flap would have serious repercussions. Their response to Cheney’s comments was similar to that which President Ronald Reagan received when he called the Soviet Union “The Evil Empire.” How can the US call the Russians “evil?”

In fact, reading The Nation’s column on Cheney is proof the left believes the US is evil — that is Bush who is evil and Cheney who is evil — not Russia. Oh, how they miss the good old days of Stalin and his ilk, especially the New York Times which became Stalin’s and the Soviet Union’s biggest cheerleader in the United States.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org).  In addition, he’s the new editor for the House Conservatives Fund’s weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty. 

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.  He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com.  He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.   He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.  His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

Fleeing North Koreans — especially Christians — are finding that the Chinese are no big help in providing asylum from the brutality and state-sanctioned killing in North Korea.

Kim Jong Il’s government wields unrestricted power in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and his minions continue to run a de factor concentration-camp system that enslaves tens of thousands, including young children.

Periodically, it publicly executes people for offenses such as stealing state property or other “anti-communist” behavior. The North Korean people also secretly complain of the rising problem of government corruption and extortion by officials.  

While thousands of North Koreans seek asylum in China, it is believed by Human Rights Watch and other human-rights organizations that China actively contributes to the misery of North Koreans by arresting and forcibly repatriating the tens or hundreds of thousands of them — no one knows how many for sure — who live in hiding in China.

Once returned to North Korea, they face abuse, mistreatment, torture, incarceration and sometimes even death. These victims include women, some with children, who may be in de facto marriages with Chinese men.  Some of the worst torture and mistreatment is said to be perpetrated against North Korean Christians
 
Upon their return, North Koreans are punished under a penal code that defines leaving without permission as an act of treason punishable by death.

Yet Chinese government officials — no paragons of human rights — continue to routinely repatriate the North Koreans it finds, saying their plight is a “domestic matter” for North Korea.

This is a violation of Beijing’s duty as a party to the International Refugee Convention and Protocol: people who have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home are not to be repatriated. The Chinese government goes as far as refusing to give the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees access to the border area in order to investigate complaints. This is a bold act designed to coverup the atrocities committed against North Koreans.  
 
The North Korean government ranks among the world’s most repressive, and it respects hardly any basic human rights, according to human-rights experts. The worst treatment by the North Korean government appears to be reserved for those who profess their Christianity, according to the human-rights group Open Doors.

However, the brutal regime denies its citizens the freedoms of information, association, religion, organized political opposition and labor activism. The regime arrests and tortures them arbitrarily and runs large-scale prison camps for those who are accused of having committed a political offense.  
 
Just recently, the World Food Program’s Pyongyang office warned of yet another severe food shortage in the country, noting crop damage from flooding last summer. North Korea’s chronic food shortage, which in the 1990s deteriorated to a famine that killed an estimated one million people, along with the government’s severe repression against its citizens, drove thousands of North Koreans across the border into China, according to Human Rights Watch. 
 
As North Koreans in China continue to face the threat of arrest and forced repatriation, many of them take long and dangerous journeys across China to Southeast Asia, Mongolia and even Western Europe. Yet recently there have been signs that China is more aggressively attempting to arrest even the North Koreans who are simply trying to reach a third country.

According to a Bangkok Post article on Dec. 20, 2007, Thai officials hinted they would tip off Chinese officials on the whereabouts of North Koreans hiding in China before they could cross the Mekong River to arrive in Thailand, which has long been among the most friendly countries for North Korean refugees.  
 
In the past, activists or brokers helping North Koreans were often charged by the Chinese authorities with human smuggling, and the North Koreans were repatriated. According to Human Rights Watch interviews with recent escapees, the North Korean government has hardened its policy against those who cross the border without state permission, including “first-time offenders.”  
 
The government of China is facing its own human-rights problem with its treatment of the people of Tibet. Most nations in the free world have condemned the Chinese officials for their flagrant brutality.

As an emerging power and North Korea’s ally, China is in a position to help ensure real economic and social progress. But without those steps, statements like Qin Gang’s do nothing except demonstrate how grotesquely indifferent Beijing remains to the plight of ordinary North Koreans.  
 
North Korea is a nation cloaked in secrecy, yet enough information was garnered so that it has been topping the list of Christion persecutors for over five years, according to Open Doors.

In no other country in the world are Christians persecuted as severely as in the empire of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, the Christian group said.

Human Rights Watch http://hrw.org

To discover how you can help stop the persecution of believing Christians in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, please visit:
http://www.helpNK.com/. The web site contains information on religious persecution including an online petition to the US Congress.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he’s the new editor for the House Conservatives Fund’s weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

Christians living in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, have suffered government-sanctioned persecution since the brutal communist regime came to power.

However, according to a recent human rights report, North Korean Christians are experiencing more brutality and violence than at any time in history.

The Christian human-rights group Open Doors, based in Holland, reports that North Korea is number one on its annual World Watch List (WWL), which “ranks countries by the “intensity of persecution that Christians face for actively pursuing their faith.”

For the first time, North Korea received over 90 of the maximum 100 points given to the most serious persecutors of practicing Christians.

North Korea, a nation cloaked in secrecy, has been topping the list of Christion persecutors for over five years, according to Open Doors.

In no other country in the world are Christians persecuted as severely as in the empire of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, the Christian group said.

According to officials at Open Door, more Christians had been imprisoned last year than the previous year, and the persecution “is getting worse” by the day.

North Korea’s Stalinist system of implementing a Communist economy is based on “total devotion” of the individual to an ideology promoted by the late leader Kim Il Sung and his successor and son, Kim Jong Il, according to observers who visited the isolated nation.

Officials in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea see Christianity as a threat to their philosophy of state control. North Korean authorities, however, deny imprisoning, torturing and killing Christians in the same way they denied working on creating a nuclear weapon.

Open Doors’ International Director Johan Companjen said, “Christians in North Korea say they have become more courageous thanks to [the] prayers,” of fellow believers around the world.

“Perhaps that’s why more believers have been jailed,” he stressed.

To discover how you can help stop the persecution of believing Christians in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, please visit:
http://www.helpNK.com/. The web site contains information on religious persecution including an online petition to the US Congress.

Since September 11, 2001, the need to secure US borders has increased in importance and attracted greater public and Congressional attention.

The Department of Homeland Security has spent billions of dollars to prevent the illegal entry of individuals and contraband between ports of entry –government-designated locations where DHS inspects persons and goods to determine whether they may be lawfully admitted into the country.

Yet, while DHS apprehends hundreds of thousands of such individuals each year, several hundreds of thousands more enter the country illegally and undetected. The Customs and Border Protection directorate, a component of DHS, is the lead federal agency in charge of securing our nation’s borders.

The US Congress requested an examination of the DHS’s efforts on selected border security operations and programs related to inspecting travelers at US ports of entry, detecting individuals attempting to enter the country illegally between ports of entry, and screening of international travelers before they arrive in the United States and challenges remaining in these areas.

The GAO’s observations were based on products issued from May 2006 through February 2008. In prior reports, GAO has recommended various actions to DHS to help address weaknesses in the traveler inspection programs and processes, and challenges in training officers to inspect travelers and documents. DHS has generally agreed with GAO analysts’ recommendations and has taken various actions to address them.

The CBP has taken actions to improve traveler inspections at US ports of entry, but challenges remain. The CBP has stressed the importance of effective inspections and trained CBP supervisors and officers in interviewing travelers. Yet, weaknesses in travel inspection procedures and lack of physical infrastructure and staff have hampered CBP’s ability to inspect travelers thoroughly and detect fraudulent documents.

Also, the CBP is implementing an initiative requiring citizens of the United States, Bermuda, Canada, and Mexico to present certain identification documents when entering the United States. As of December 2007, actions taken to meet the initiative’s requirements include selecting technology to be used at land ports of entry and developing plans to train officers to use it.

In addition, the DHS has developed a program to collect, maintain, and share data on selected foreign nationals entering and exiting the country. As of October 2007, the agency has invested more than $1.5 billion on the program over 4 years and biometrically-enabled entry capabilities now operate at more than 300 ports of entry.

However, though allocating about $250 million since 2003 to exit-related efforts, DHS has not yet detailed how it will verify when travelers exit the country.

In November 2005, DHS announced the launch of a multiyear, multibillion-dollar program aimed at securing US borders and reducing immigration of individuals who enter the United States illegally and undetected between ports of entry. One component of this program, which DHS accepted as complete in February 2008, was an effort to secure 28 miles along the southwest border using, among other means, improved closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and radar.

The DHS plans to apply the lessons learned to future projects. Another program component, 370 miles of pedestrian fence and 300 miles of vehicle fence, has not yet been completed and DHS will be challenged to do so by its December 2008 deadline due to various factors, such as acquiring rights to border lands.

Additionally, DHS is unable to estimate the total cost of this component because various factors are not yet known such as the type of terrain where the fencing is to be constructed.

The CBP has experienced unprecedented growth in the number of its Border Patrol agents. While initial training at the academy is being provided, Border Patrol officials expressed concerns about the agency’s ability to provide sufficient field training. To screen international travelers before they arrive in the United States, the federal government has implemented new policies and programs, including enhancing visa security and providing counterterrorism training to overseas consular officials.

As the GAO previously recommended, DHS needs to better manage risks posed by a program that allows nationals from 27 countries to travel to the United States without a visa for certain durations and purposes.

Regarding the prescreening of international passengers bound for the United States, CBP has a pilot program that provides additional scrutiny of passengers and their travel documents at foreign airports prior to their departure. CBP has reported several successes through the pilot program, but has not yet determined whether to make the program permanent.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

Cecil “Cece” Suwal, the 23-year-old madam of an international prostitution ring run by her boyfriend, a 62-year-old Israeli widower named Mark “Michael” Brener, are at the heart of the scandal that brought down the governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer.

According to local cops in Cliffside Park, New Jersey — right across the Hudson River from New York City — Suwal and Brener ran the Emperors Club, an Internet-based call-girl operation from a high-rise co-op named the Briarcliff.

Cliffside Park police officers said Tuesday Suwal and Brener have lived together at the Briarcliff for about three years. Although the couple stayed off the police radar, a neighbor did call the police once in 2005 after allegedly hearing a female voice crying, “Daddy, please don’t hit me anymore, please daddy, don’t.”

According to the police report, Cliffside Park officers entered the premises, but after they determined that the cries came during role-playing sex, they departed and no charges were filed against them.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who was allegedly caught on an FBI wiretap arranging a $4,300 meeting with a call girl who worked for Suwal and Brener was one of their repeat customers. According to news reports, Spitzer paid Suwal and Brener more than $80,000 over the years.

Federal prosecutors said in court papers that large part of that money was spent on a “date” with a call-girl named Kristen on February 13, 2008.

But police investigators did not reveal how Suwal, a 2002 graduate of the Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ, came to meet Brener, who immigrated with his wife to the United States from Israel 20 years ago and lived in New Jersey. His wife is now deceased after fighting cancer for several years.

According to Cliffside Park cops, neighbors described Brener and Suwal — a “beautiful” young woman with light skin and dark curly hair — as a couple who were regularly seen together.

Police officers said that neighbors described Suwal and Brener as an unassuming and low-profile couple who avoided attention. While they allegedly made a fortune with their prostitution business, they didn’t live an ostentatious lifestyle.

According to federal prosecutors, between 2004 and 2008, the couple made more than $1 million, which they laundered in bank accounts with the names QAT Consulting Group and QAT International Inc. Brener handled the Emperors Club’s international operations, while Suwal handled criminal enterprise’s daily operations.

Prosecutors said that the young woman controlled the ring’s bank accounts, supervised its booking agents and reviewed applications from call-girls seeking employment.

Federal investigators said the investigation is ongoing and they are depending on many of the ring’s “johns” — including Eliot Spitzer, who resigned his position as governor of the Empire State on Wednesday — to help develop leads in the case.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

Somalia has lacked a functioning central government since 1991. In December 2006, the Ethiopian military intervened in Somalia to support Somalia’s transitional government, opening what many considered a window of opportunity to rebuild the country and restore effective governance.

The United States has been the largest bilateral donor to Somalia, providing roughly $362 million in assistance since 2001. Recently, the Government Accountability Office reviewed documents from U.S. and international organizations; interviewed U.S., United Nations (UN), Somali, and other officials; and conducted fieldwork in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Overall, the GAO analysts assessed U.S. strategy the desirable characteristics of an effective national strategy that the GAO previously developed.

Several challenges have limited U.S. and international efforts to stabilize Somalia. The international community, including the United States, is seeking to improve the security situation in the country, mainly by funding an African Union peacekeeping operation. However, a shortage of troops has hindered peacekeepers’ ability to achieve their mission.

In addition, the most recent attempt at political reconciliation was limited, in part because several important opposition groups were not involved. For example, while this key attempt resulted in resolutions to end the conflict and return all property to its rightful owners, these opposition groups denounced the resolutions, citing their lack of participation in drafting them.

According to many officials, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government lacks institutional structures and national acceptance, and these weaknesses have constrained U.S. and international efforts to establish the transitional government as a fully functioning central government.

To mitigate these challenges, the international community, including the United States, is taking steps that include encouraging all parties to participate in reconciliation discussions. While the international community, including the United States, continues to provide vital humanitarian and development assistance to Somalia, its efforts have been limited by lack of security, access to vulnerable populations, and effective government institutions. The international community’s humanitarian assistance to Somalia, which primarily consists of food aid, has not reduced the country’s acute malnutrition rates, which have remained above the emergency threshold in some parts of the country.

According to United Nations officials, however, malnutrition is the result of a combination of immediate and underlying causes, including insufficient dietary intake, inadequate health care, and inadequate water and sanitation services.

Ongoing insecurity constrains the international community’s ability to monitor its provision of humanitarian and development assistance to Somalia. Furthermore, U.S. officials’ inability to travel to the country has prevented them from independently monitoring assistance.

The international community’s plans to increase development assistance to Somalia depend on political progress and stability, which have not yet been achieved. U.S. strategy for Somalia, outlined in the Administration’s 2007 report to Congress on its Comprehensive Regional Strategy on Somalia, is incomplete.

While the Comprehensive Strategy addresses the components required of it by U.S. law, it does not include the full range of U.S. government activities related to Somalia, such as Department of Defense efforts to promote regional stability, and it does not reference other key U.S. government strategic documents for Somalia.

The Comprehensive Strategy does not fully address any of the six desirable characteristics of an effective national strategy, lacking information on necessary resources, investments, and risk management. A separate, classified report provides more information on selected U.S. strategic planning efforts for Somalia.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

In spite of all the talk in both houses of congress about revamping or restructuring the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), there’s a new Hurricane Katrina scandal brewing in Washington.

Several news organizations, including the Cable News Network (CNN), have uncovered irrefutable evidence that mobile-home trailers used to temporarily house thousands of victims of New Orleans’ devastating hurricane, and subsequent flood, were treated with a toxic substance known as formaldehyde.

For example, CNN ran a story on January 29 that accused FEMA of “twisting science” in a report they created for public consumption. The CNN news story cites an investigation being conducted of the trailers by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and that CDC scientists wish to conduct further tests of the formaldehyde-laced trailers.

The CNN report went on to state: “Almost 150,000 households have lived in FEMA trailers at some point since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. FEMA says about 40,000 families are still living in the travel trailers. Formaldehyde is a preservative used in construction materials like plywood. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a probable human carcinogen, according to the EPA Web site.”

CNN said, “The CDC, did an initial assessment for FEMA that wasn’t intended to address the long-term effects of extended exposure to formaldehyde.” “The original response focused on the acute health effects of formaldehyde exposure — to meet the urgent needs expressed by FEMA in its original request,” said the CDC statement.

“The initial consultation [was] intended to determine effective mitigation measures, and did not discuss long-term health impacts,” a FEMA statement agreed.

“One person [from the CDC] who came to us told us they wouldn’t write the report,” a FEMA spokesperson said. “That person was circumvented and another person at the agency agreed to write a report to say that levels of formaldehyde were safe for a couple of weeks.”

Another cable news organization — MSNBC — ran a story on July 25, 2006 that posed the question “Are FEMA Trailers Toxic Tin Cans,” but apparently there was no reaction to the news that formaldehyde was rampant throughout the makeshift trailer park in New Orleans.

Political strategist Mike Baker asked,”How come CNN reported this and there was no mention of this on Fox News? Is it possible that Fox News is avoiding this in order not to embarrass the Bush administration?”

But then Baker adds that FEMA was a poorly run agency during the Clinton Administration, as well. He points to FEMA’s response to Hurricane Floyd, a storm that devastated the Carolinas in 1995. “It took three weeks for FEMA to actually send help to those people in distress. In fact, Rev. Jesse Jackson complained on CNN that the Clinton Administration disregarded the suffering of thousands of people — black and white,” said Baker.

Political pundit and conservative strategist Rachel Marsden added, “Is it any wonder that poor people — especially African-Americans — have a strong distrust of government officials, especially at the federal level.”

She also finds it appalling that members of congress such as Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Olympia Snow (R-ME) want to take a failing bureaucracy and actually make it bigger. Marsden claims that these liberals wish to create a paramilitary organization that will enter states having an emergency.

“Remember the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? The federal cops entered New Orleans and disarmed law-abiding citizens thereby leaving them vulnerable to looters and thugs. Do we want those kinds of agents working for FEMA?” she asked.

According to CNN report seen on TV, people were complaining of eyes burning, choking, etc. while inside these FEMA trailers, even a CNN reporter said on TV he experienced similar eyes burning while covering the story.  Also, neighbors living near FEMA trailer storage area, when the wind blew from these storage areas toward their homes they could smell the formaldehyde, even though they lived blocks away.

CNN also reported that FEMA was selling these trailers to the public at 40 cents on the dollar, and then, after everyone was complaining about the formaldehyde odor, they wound up buying the trailers back.

“Can’t the government do anything right? How much did this blunder cost the taxpayers?” asked pundit Rachel Marsden.

“CNN also mentioned that these trailers, now rotting in storage lots, cost the government over $1.6 Billion,” she said/

In a Sun Herald article Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC) claims his state was a “bull’s-eye” for hurricanes. He pointed to a FEMA memorandum that warned agency employees of formaldehyde concerns in 2006.

“If FEMA knew health hazards [existed], why weren’t people in the trailers warned in ‘06?” he asked.

Carlos Castillo, a FEMA assistant administrator, told lawmakers the agency wasn’t aware of problems until May 2007. “We have a very active program to provide information to occupants of trailers,” he said, adding that trailer residents were hand-delivered information, according to the Sun Herald news story.

“When FEMA first began to receive reports about formaldehyde concerns from occupants of travel trailers, the response was on a one-by-one basis and was immediate. As FEMA came to realize the scope of the issues, the agency has been taking aggressive action to share information with the public and address concerns about formaldehyde,” according to government officials.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

There are 37 research reactors in the United States, mostly located on college campuses. Of these, 33 reactors are licensed and regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Four are operated by the Department of Energy and are located at three national laboratories. Although less powerful than commercial nuclear power reactors, research reactors may still be attractive targets for terrorists.

The US House of Representatives requested the Government Accountability Office to examine the basis on which DOE and NRC established the security and emergency response requirements for DOE and NRC-licensed research reactors, and to examine the progress that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has made in converting US research reactors that use highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium fuel.

The DOE developed the security and emergency response requirements for its research reactors using its Design Basis Threat — a process that establishes a baseline threat for which minimum security measures should be developed. These research reactors benefit from the greater security required for the national laboratories where they are located, which store weapons-usable nuclear materials.

The DOE also has concluded that the consequences of an attack at some of its research reactors could be severe, causing radioactivity to be dispersed over many square miles and requiring the evacuation of nearby areas. As a result, all facilities where DOE reactors are located have extensive plans and procedures for responding to security incidents.

NRC based its security and emergency response requirements largely on the regulations it had in place before September 2001. NRC decided that the security assessment it conducted between 2003 and 2006 showed that these requirements were sufficient. While it was conducting this assessment, NRC worked with licensees to improve security when weaknesses were detected.

However, GAO found that NRC’s assessment contains questionable assumptions that create uncertainty about whether the assessment reflects the full range of security risks and potential consequences of attacks on research reactors. For example, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) — a contractor NRC used to assist in performing its assessment — found that some NRC-licensed research reactors may not be prepared for certain types of attacks.

However, NRC disagreed with SNL’s finding. In 2006, NRC concluded that the consequences of attacks would result in minimal radiological exposure to the public. In addition, NRC assumed that terrorists would use certain tactics in attacking a reactor but did not fully consider alternative attack scenarios that could be more damaging.

The NRC assumed that a small part of a reactor could be damaged in an attack, resulting in the release of only a small amount of radioactivity. However, according to experts at Idaho National Laboratories and the Department of Homeland Security, it is possible that a larger part of a reactor could be damaged, which could result in the release of larger amounts of radioactivity.

The NNSA has made progress in changing from HEU to LEU fuel in U.S. research reactors but may face difficulty in converting some of the remaining research reactors. Since 1978, NNSA has converted eight currently operating U.S. research reactors, including two in 2006.

Also, the NNSA plans to convert 10 more U.S. research reactors by September 2014 — five of which are scheduled for conversion by 2009. However, NNSA faces difficulties in converting the remaining five reactors because these reactors cannot operate with the currently available LEU fuel. NNSA is now developing a new LEU fuel that will allow the remaining five reactors to operate.

But, according to NNSA, developing this fuel has been problematic, as early efforts experienced failures during testing. NNSA officials acknowledged that further setbacks are likely to delay plans to convert these research reactors.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

A chemist employed by a corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas, involved in researching, developing and supplying fire-proof coating and intumescent products has been indicted and charged with theft of trade secrets and computer fraud, according to United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle and FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew R. Bland.

Qinggui Zeng, a/k/a Jensen Zeng, 45, a legal permanent resident from the People’s Republic of China, was arrested by FBI agents on January 29, 2008, and ordered detained in federal custody pending further criminal proceedings.

The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Houston on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, charges Zeng with two counts of theft of trade secrets and one count of computer fraud. Zeng is expected to appear in federal court for arraignment on the charges on a date to be set by the court in the near future.

A “trade secret” is defined under federal law as including all forms and types of information — financial, business, scientific, technical, economic or engineering — that the owner has taken reasonable measures to keep secret, and that has independent economic value because it is not generally known or ascertainable by the public. A confidentiality agreement is an agreement signed by an employee promising not to disclose the confidential, proprietary or trade secret information belonging to his employer.

According to allegations contained in the indictment, Zeng was employed in January 2005 as a formulation chemist by a subsidiary of a worldwide paint and coatings company based in the Netherlands and headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company is a researcher, developer and supplier of an epoxy-based fire-proof coating and intumescent products. The company is the only manufacturing company in the world that had developed proprietary and confidential manufacturing techniques, processes and mixtures that could successfully fabricate an intumescent fire-proofing product which it marketed in interstate commerce. The company took reasonable measures to keep the information secret.

According to the federal indictment, Zeng allegedly signed a confidentiality agreement with his employer and was aware of his responsibility to keep and maintain the confidentiality of his employer’s proprietary interest in trade secrets. Between Nov. 1, 2005, and Jan. 29, 2008, Zeng is accused of accessing without authorization his employer’s protected computer system and obtaining the trade secret formula for the intumescent fire-proofing product with the intent to defraud his employer.

Zeng is accused of downloading the trade secret formula from the company’s database with the intent to convert the trade secret to the benefit of a person other than his employer on or about November 1, 2005, and again on Jan. 29, 2008, and concealing the formula in a box under the insulation in the attic of his residence.

The indictment also alleges Zeng formed his own business in October 2007 for the purpose of marketing intumescent fire-proofing coating.

Each count of theft of trade secrets carries a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine upon conviction. Computer fraud and abuse carries maximum punishment of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine upon conviction.

The investigation leading to the charges against Zeng are the result of an investigation conducted by the Houston office of the FBI. The case will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Bret Davis.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us

Congressman Richard G. Renzi, from Arizona’s first congressional district, and his associates James W. Sandlin, 56, of Sherman , Texas and Andrew Beardall, 36, of Rockville, Md., Renzi’s business associate were indicted by federal authorities on Friday, according to a Justice Department report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police

The indictment charges Renzi, a Republican, and Sandlin in 27 counts with honest services wire fraud, extortion and money laundering, and conspiracies to engage in these acts, based on Renzi’s active involvement in the sale of Sandlin’s property in Cochise County, Ariz. to a participant in a federal land exchange proposal.

The indictment alleges that Renzi and Sandlin previously owned land together in Kingman, Ariz. and that in 2003, Sandlin bought out Renzi’s interest for $200,000 and a note for $800,000. The indictment further alleges that in 2005, at a time when Sandlin still owed Renzi $700,000 in principal on the note, Renzi insisted that two separate entities doing business in Arizona purchase Sandlin’s property in exchange for his support on land exchange legislation.

The indictment also alleges that Renzi failed to disclose to either entity Sandlin’s $700,000 debt to him; that after the second entity purchased Sandlin’s property, Renzi failed to disclose to that group the $733,000 he received from Sandlin at the commencement and close of escrow in the spring and fall of 2005; and that Renzi failed to disclose to Congress his earnings from Sandlin in his 2005 financial disclosure statement.

Also, the indictment traces the manner in which Renzi and Sandlin used the alleged proceeds of the above unlawful activities for their own personal and business use.

The remaining counts of the indictment charge Renzi and Beardall with violations of federal insurance laws, by embezzling over $400,000 in insurance premiums from the trust account of the Patriot Insurance Agency, Inc., a business owned by the Renzi family in Santa Cruz County, Ariz., to fund his first Congressional campaign in 2001 and 2002, and by subsequently making false statements to influence state regulatory investigations.

“Public corruption creates a cynicism for government and unfairly stains legions of honest public servants,” said Alice S. Fisher, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division.

“These charges represent allegations that Congressman Renzi defrauded the public of his unbiased, honest services as an elected official. The Department of Justice will continue to enforce the laws that protect the integrity of our government. I want to thank the agents of the FBI and IRS, as well as the trial attorneys from the Public Integrity Section and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Arizona for their diligence investigating this case.”

“Among the allegations contained in the indictment, Congressman Renzi misused his public office by forcing a land sale that would financially benefit himself and a business associate, and in so doing, he betrayed the trust of the citizens of Arizona,” stated U.S. Attorney Diane J. Humetewa.

“This indictment demonstrates a commitment by the Department of Justice to root out public corruption wherever it is found. This commitment is grounded in a system of justice where all individuals, regardless of office or title, will be held accountable before the law, and which holds our elected leaders in whom we entrust great confidence to the very highest standards of ethical conduct. I want to thank the investigative agents of the FBI and the IRS, as well as the prosecutors whose combined work and dedication resulted in this indictment,” said Humetewa.

“For many years the FBI has had as one of its top investigative priorities corruption on the part of our public officials who are positioned within all branches of government,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge John E. Lewis.

“Regardless of one’s status or position, when a public official elects to betray the public’s trust for personal gain, the very core of how and why our system of government operates is immediately and negatively impacted. Restoring the faith and trust in how our government is supposed to operate, at all levels, is of paramount concern today as is evidenced by the present indictment and will continue to be one of the FBI’s chief concerns far into the future,” he said.

“As a part of the larger federal law enforcement community, agents of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division are dedicated to investigating and exposing serious financial crimes,” stated Andrea Whelan, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Division. “It is disheartening, however, when the outcome of our investigative work causes the American public to question the integrity of our elected representatives and our government in general.”

Convictions for honest services wire fraud and extortion each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both, and a wire fraud conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

Convictions for a money laundering conspiracy and concealment money laundering each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the money at stake, or both.

A conviction for the use by Renzi and Sandlin of the alleged proceeds, known as transactional money laundering, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the money at stake, or both. Convictions for false statements to an insurance regulator and misappropriation of insurance premiums each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both, and a conspiracy to commit these insurance offenses carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

This case’s arraignment hearing is set for March 6, 2008 in Tucson, Arizona.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In add