Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers

Monday, January 16, 2012

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The FBI with INTERPOLs help are Investigating an Alleged Fraudulent Scheme
McNabb Associates, P.C. (Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers)
Submitted at 3:36 PM January 16, 2012

Belfast Telegraph on January 16, 2012 released the following: Forged Irish passport linked to gold scam in Africa By Ralph Riegel and Tom Brady A forged Irish passport is at the centre of a 100m gold scam in West Africa being investigated by the FBI and Interpol. The passport in the name of a John Recketts was used in an elaborate ruse to dupe US investors out of millions of dollars in a fraud which ran for almost 12 months. The scam is believed to have been masterminded in Lagos, Nigeria, by a Nigerian gang, but the passport was forged from data obtained in Dublin. The number on the passport was the same as that of a valid travel document of an elderly woman resident in Dublin, but all other details were professionally forged. The elderly woman is understood to have been unaware of the fact her passport details had been stolen. The scam revolved around US investors being able to purchase unprocessed gold directly from a mine in west Africa. The gold was in mined form but the investors were told they could purchase it without any fees, charges or taxes being applied to it. The sum involved was more than 10m, but the investors stood to make up to 100m if the gold was successfully transported to Europe or the Middle East and processed. The US investors, all industrialists, had invested ?3m in setting up the export and security operation. But the scam was discovered when an Irish security team was hired to escort the gold out of Africa last autumn on their behalf. The security team became suspicious

when it was unable to make direct contact with the shipment organiser John Recketts despite spending more than three months in West Africa. When the group reported their suspicions to the US investors, the businessmen immediately withdrew and abandoned the Irish team in West Africa. Members of the security team one of whom confirmed the details to the Irish Independent only arrived back in Ireland last month having had to fund their own trip home. We were cut loose the minute they (the investors) realised what was going on they walked away. We had to pay all our own expenses and even our flights home, he said. The Irish team, which has done extensive contract security work in Europe and the Middle East, had been in West Africa from August to early December. The US investors have now complained to the FBI about the fraud. No John Recketts exists and corporate addresses supplied to the investors for firms in Benin, London, Burkina Faso and Togo are also fake. Last night, the Republics Department of Foreign Affairs said: We dont publicly comment on individual investigations of fraud or related matters. However, it is understood the Irish government has not yet been formally contacted by either the FBI or Interpol. It is not the first time forged Irish passports have been used as part of international criminal activity. Last year, a Russian diplomat was expelled from Dublin after a garda investigation found its intelligence service was behind the forgery of six Irish passports. The details from six genuine Irish passports were used on fake documents supplied to a Russian spy ring based in the

United States. The agents had worked undercover in the US for a decade before being caught in an FBI operation involving intercepted phone calls in June 2010. And in early 2010 an Israeli diplomat was expelled in retaliation for abuses of Irish passports by its agents. It followed revelations that forged passports had been used by Israelis, who were alleged to have murdered Hamas activist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a hotel in Dubai. In both the Russian and Israeli cases, the passports were those produced before the introduction of new design and security standards in 2005. The new biometric passport is regarded as one of the best in the world and includes a more secure personal details page. Douglas McNabb McNabb Associates, P.C.s Federal Criminal Defense Attorneys Videos: Federal Crimes Be Careful Federal Crimes Be Proactive Federal Crimes Federal Indictment To find additional federal criminal news, please read Federal Crimes Watch Daily. Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/ or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal. The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.

Attorney General Holder Speaks at the King Day at the Dome

(USDOJ: Justice News)
Submitted at 12:11 PM January 16, 2012

"Each year, we are provided with an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to Dr. Kings vision of racial and social equality; to revitalize his efforts to expand economic opportunity and promote civil

engagement; and to reaffirm our commitment to the values that were at the heart of his sermons, the root of his actions, the core of his character, and the center of his life: tolerance; non-violence; compassion; love; and above all justice," said Attorney General Holder.

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Former Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputy Agrees to Plead Guilty to Federal Corruption Charge
McNabb Associates, P.C. (Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers)
Submitted at 8:13 AM January 16, 2012

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on January 13, 2012 released the following: WASHINGTONA former Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputy was charged today with agreeing to accept $20,000 in bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Mens Central Jail, announced Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, and Andr Birotte Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California In a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Gilbert Michel, 38, was charged with one count of bribery of a public official. In a plea agreement also filed today, Michel agreed to plead guilty to the charge and to cooperate in an ongoing investigation. Michel, who resigned from the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department (LASD) in September 2011, was assigned to the

Mens Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. The criminal information charges that the LASD is a local organization which receives federal funds and that Michel, as deputy sheriff, was responsible for the care, custody, and security of inmates housed at the jail. In the plea agreement, Michel admits that he agreed to accept $20,000 in cash in exchange for smuggling contraband into the jail for delivery to an inmate. The contraband included a cell phone, cigarettes, and a note, which in jail parlance is called a kite. The charge of bribery of a public official carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Michel is expected to make his initial court appearance in this case on Jan. 17, 2012. The case against Michel is part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California in conjunction with the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division.

Douglas McNabb McNabb Associates, P.C.s Federal Criminal Defense Attorneys Videos: Federal Crimes Be Careful Federal Crimes Be Proactive Federal Crimes Federal Indictment Federal Crimes Detention Hearing To find additional federal criminal news, please read Federal Crimes Watch Daily. Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/ or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal. The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.