FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, met today with representatives of several privacy and civil liberties groups in a continuation of discussions surrounding the Bureau’s use of National Security Letters.
The leaders and representatives of advocacy groups had a chance to discuss with Director Mueller and the FBI’s General Counsel, Valerie Caproni, the Bureau’s continuing initiatives to strengthen internal controls designed to protect privacy and civil liberties.
Today’s meeting is part of a continuing dialogue aimed at reaching out to subject matter experts, including critics, who may give added value to the development of internal processes. The FBI’s goal is to maintain compliance with rules and law while effectively carrying out the FBI’s mission to deter and prevent terrorism. At the initial meeting in March, Bureau officials discussed the findings released by the Department of Justice Inspector General regarding the FBI’s use of National Security Letters and the actions taken by the FBI based on the Inspector General’s recommendations. At a follow up meeting, privacy groups were provided the draft proposal for improved internal guidelines. The advocacy groups provided valuable suggestions, many of which were incorporated into the final product.
“These are complex issues, and it’s important that we have an open and ongoing dialogue,” said Director Mueller. “We have worked hard to develop more transparency around our development of policy where privacy and civil liberties are concerned. We may not agree with the advocacy groups on every point, but the dialogue is valuable and their advice is important to us.”
Monday, July 09, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Judge Muzzling Attorneys at Mob Trial?
Attorney Joseph "The Shark" Lopez, who is representing Frank Calabrese Sr. in the Chicago Family Secrets Mob Trial, has agreed to provide us with updates on his observations and thoughts regarding the various court proceedings.
Today, Shark indicates that Judge Zagel has ordered him to tone down his comments to the media.
Today, Shark indicates that Judge Zagel has ordered him to tone down his comments to the media.
"Local court rules do not allow me to comment on the witnesses in this case. Somehow my first amendment got lost in the fray. Frank (Calabrese) Jr. is on stand, as Jeff Coen wrote, he made all kinds of allegations. The tapes will be played next week. It should be an intersting week. I can't wait until cross examination. At least three lawyers will ask him questions. It's sure to be a great week. Judge Zagel is moving the trial along and the prosecutors are moving witnesses in and out. As usual, I asked a gazillion questions last week. This week should be the same. Stay Tuned." - Shark
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Mob Testimony Better Than Any TV Drama
Friends of ours: Frank Calabrese Sr., Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra
Frank Calabrese Jr. says he was just a Holy Cross High School student when his father got him started in the family business by assigning him to help his Uncle Nick make the rounds to collect all the quarters taken in from peep shows at half a dozen adult bookstores.
The bookstores were owned by a guy named Vito, who got the idea the Calabreses were skimming -- which they were -- and decided to paint the quarters to help him get an honest count. Frank Calabrese Jr.'s father, alleged mob hit man Frank Calabrese Sr., didn't appreciate the tactic and confronted Vito, slapping him and telling him "not to worry," Frank Jr. told a federal jury Tuesday.
Soon thereafter, "Vito left and couldn't be found," said Frank Jr., who in short order was helping his "Uncle Joe" run the bookstores.
You hear for years about the big Family Secrets investigation of the Chicago Outfit and how a son helped make the case against his father by secretly tape-recording their conversations. You hear it so long it starts to become background noise, and then the son steps into the courtroom and you suddenly are witness to more real drama than any television show about the mob has ever captured.
Frank Jr. hobbled to the witness stand with the help of a cane in his left hand, necessitated by multiple sclerosis, with which he was diagnosed in 2000.
He is a big man with broad shoulders and a shaved head, imposing despite his illness and eyeglasses. He wore a striped golf shirt, which was untucked. And he is the spitting image of his father, who watched Frank Jr.'s first hour of testimony with seeming bemusement, a thin smile on his face that one could imagine concealed an urge to get up and slap his 47-year-old son. Frank Jr. said that's exactly what Frank Sr. did on more than one occasion after he stole and spent between $600,000 and $800,000 that he took from one of his father's hiding spots in the early 1990s.
Frank Jr. said he invested about $200,000 of the money into opening a restaurant, La Luce at Lake and Ogden, and a lesser amount on the Bella Luna Cafe on Dearborn. But he said he spent most of it on vacations and drugs. "I blew all the money. I just spent it all wildly," he testified, occasionally interrupting to take a swig from a bottle of Ice Mountain water.
His father figured out what had happened and came to Frank Jr.'s home in Elmwood Park to confront him. "He grabbed me by the arm and walked me down the street," Frank Jr. testified, admitting that he started to cry. "When I denied it, he cracked me in the head with an open hand."
After Frank Jr. confessed, his father told him he would have to find a way to pay the money back, because it actually belonged to mob boss Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra.
Soon thereafter, Frank Sr. went to the restaurant to check on his son and found he wasn't there. According to Frank Jr., his father then phoned him and instructed him to meet him outside a White Hen in Elmwood Park.
From there they drove to a garage in Elmwood Park where Frank Jr. said his father kept cars owned in other people's names that he used for his Outfit work.
Once inside the garage, "my father cracked me and started yelling at me," Frank Jr. testified. Then, Frank Jr. said, "He pulled out a gun and stuck it in my face and told me: 'I'd rather have you dead than disobey me.' "
"I started crying and hugging him and kissing him," Frank Jr. told the jury. "Help me. Help me," Frank Jr. said he pleaded. "I want to do the right thing."
His father relented. On the way back to the restaurant, though, Frank Sr. "punched me in the face . . . numerous times," Frank Jr. said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully cut off the line of questioning at that point and took it another direction, though likely to return to it in the days ahead as the younger Calabrese continues his testimony. Frank Jr. then told stories of the first two times he accompanied his dad on his mob enforcement rounds, including helping with the attempted firebombing of an Elmwood Park garage.
It is in the nature of men to want to bring their sons into the family business, I suppose, and therefore illogical to think it would be any different when the family business is crime. But logic has nothing to do with it.
Thanks to Mark Brown
Frank Calabrese Jr. says he was just a Holy Cross High School student when his father got him started in the family business by assigning him to help his Uncle Nick make the rounds to collect all the quarters taken in from peep shows at half a dozen adult bookstores.
The bookstores were owned by a guy named Vito, who got the idea the Calabreses were skimming -- which they were -- and decided to paint the quarters to help him get an honest count. Frank Calabrese Jr.'s father, alleged mob hit man Frank Calabrese Sr., didn't appreciate the tactic and confronted Vito, slapping him and telling him "not to worry," Frank Jr. told a federal jury Tuesday.
Soon thereafter, "Vito left and couldn't be found," said Frank Jr., who in short order was helping his "Uncle Joe" run the bookstores.
You hear for years about the big Family Secrets investigation of the Chicago Outfit and how a son helped make the case against his father by secretly tape-recording their conversations. You hear it so long it starts to become background noise, and then the son steps into the courtroom and you suddenly are witness to more real drama than any television show about the mob has ever captured.
Frank Jr. hobbled to the witness stand with the help of a cane in his left hand, necessitated by multiple sclerosis, with which he was diagnosed in 2000.
He is a big man with broad shoulders and a shaved head, imposing despite his illness and eyeglasses. He wore a striped golf shirt, which was untucked. And he is the spitting image of his father, who watched Frank Jr.'s first hour of testimony with seeming bemusement, a thin smile on his face that one could imagine concealed an urge to get up and slap his 47-year-old son. Frank Jr. said that's exactly what Frank Sr. did on more than one occasion after he stole and spent between $600,000 and $800,000 that he took from one of his father's hiding spots in the early 1990s.
Frank Jr. said he invested about $200,000 of the money into opening a restaurant, La Luce at Lake and Ogden, and a lesser amount on the Bella Luna Cafe on Dearborn. But he said he spent most of it on vacations and drugs. "I blew all the money. I just spent it all wildly," he testified, occasionally interrupting to take a swig from a bottle of Ice Mountain water.
His father figured out what had happened and came to Frank Jr.'s home in Elmwood Park to confront him. "He grabbed me by the arm and walked me down the street," Frank Jr. testified, admitting that he started to cry. "When I denied it, he cracked me in the head with an open hand."
After Frank Jr. confessed, his father told him he would have to find a way to pay the money back, because it actually belonged to mob boss Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra.
Soon thereafter, Frank Sr. went to the restaurant to check on his son and found he wasn't there. According to Frank Jr., his father then phoned him and instructed him to meet him outside a White Hen in Elmwood Park.
From there they drove to a garage in Elmwood Park where Frank Jr. said his father kept cars owned in other people's names that he used for his Outfit work.
Once inside the garage, "my father cracked me and started yelling at me," Frank Jr. testified. Then, Frank Jr. said, "He pulled out a gun and stuck it in my face and told me: 'I'd rather have you dead than disobey me.' "
"I started crying and hugging him and kissing him," Frank Jr. told the jury. "Help me. Help me," Frank Jr. said he pleaded. "I want to do the right thing."
His father relented. On the way back to the restaurant, though, Frank Sr. "punched me in the face . . . numerous times," Frank Jr. said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully cut off the line of questioning at that point and took it another direction, though likely to return to it in the days ahead as the younger Calabrese continues his testimony. Frank Jr. then told stories of the first two times he accompanied his dad on his mob enforcement rounds, including helping with the attempted firebombing of an Elmwood Park garage.
It is in the nature of men to want to bring their sons into the family business, I suppose, and therefore illogical to think it would be any different when the family business is crime. But logic has nothing to do with it.
Thanks to Mark Brown
Friday, July 06, 2007
America's Most Wanted and The Chicago Syndicate for 7-7-07
America's Most Wanted and The Chicago Syndicate have partnered on AMW's upcoming episodes for Fox.
Jimmy Trindade Missing: Jimmy Trindade was a “man’s man” who loved taking long fishing trips off the coast of Florida . But last year, during one of his regular voyages—he mysteriously disappeared. Police have offered a number of possibilities as to what could’ve happened—everything from Jimmy falling overboard to a case of modern day pirates. And now, his family and friends have asked for AMW to help. Tune in this week and join the search for Jimmy Trindade.
Riyad Mohamad Hamdan: Riyad Hamdan is a convicted sex offender who police say was apprehended back in 1994. But now, they say he’s violated his parole and could be molesting children again. This week, we need your help tracking him down before anyone else is hurt.
Kevin Murden: Police say an altercation in a Harrisburg , Pa. led to a full-fledged bar brawl. In the midst of which Kevin Murden allegedly shot a man. Now, months later, police are still on his trail.
David Block: According to cops, in 2002, David Block gave a 14-year-old a spiked drink and committed a horrible crime. A friend of the victim’s family, Block accompanied them during a Florida vacation. But while the family was away, Block allegedly raped their teenage daughter. Now, five years later, he’s still on the lam. This week, we hope to put an end to his run.
Elias Urioste: Cops say Elias Urioste committed a brutal crime last winter. He allegedly attacked a New Mexico man; shooting him, forcing him to drink gasoline, and then setting him on fire. Urioste is wanted for first-degree murder and this week, and with your help this week, we can haul him in.
Chanel Petro-Nixon: Do you remember what it was like to be 16? It's supposed to be one of the best years of a girl's life. But last year, Chanel Petro-Nixon's glory days were cut short. She disappeared on June 18th, and four days later, her body was found in a trash bag in the middle of her bustling Brooklyn neighborhood. Now, a year after the murder-- nobody's forgotten and we're not giving up until we find her killer.
Mark Petersimes: Petersimes is on the run after police say he broke off his monitoring device and busted out of a Dallas halfway-house. Considering his past sexual assaults convictions, cops think he has the potential to strike again. This week, we’ll do everything we can to bring him down.
Jennifer Nielsen: 22-year-old Jennifer Nielsen was a paper delivery girl for USA Today. She was also about to give birth to her first born child. But last month, her life came to a tragic end when she was brutally stabbed to death. Police found a knife at the scene but have been unable to identify a suspect. We’re banking on this week being the week somebody comes forward.
Mike Torres: Miguel “Mike” Torres and his girlfriend Barbara seemed like the perfect match. But according to police, Barbara had no idea that Torres was waiting until after they were married to reveal his dark, and violent side.
Jerry Ambrozuk: Ambrozuk spent 24 years on the run after allegedly crashing a rental plane in Montana and leaving his girlfriend to die. America ’s Most Wanted’s longest running fugitive was captured at his home in Texas last year, and now we have the update on his trial and the verdict.
Kelly Nolan: Kelly Nolan disappeared from a Madison , Wis. bar only a few weeks ago. Now family friends have a lot of questions, and this week, we’re going to do our best to give them some answers.
Jimmy Trindade Missing: Jimmy Trindade was a “man’s man” who loved taking long fishing trips off the coast of Florida . But last year, during one of his regular voyages—he mysteriously disappeared. Police have offered a number of possibilities as to what could’ve happened—everything from Jimmy falling overboard to a case of modern day pirates. And now, his family and friends have asked for AMW to help. Tune in this week and join the search for Jimmy Trindade. Riyad Mohamad Hamdan: Riyad Hamdan is a convicted sex offender who police say was apprehended back in 1994. But now, they say he’s violated his parole and could be molesting children again. This week, we need your help tracking him down before anyone else is hurt.
Kevin Murden: Police say an altercation in a Harrisburg , Pa. led to a full-fledged bar brawl. In the midst of which Kevin Murden allegedly shot a man. Now, months later, police are still on his trail.
David Block: According to cops, in 2002, David Block gave a 14-year-old a spiked drink and committed a horrible crime. A friend of the victim’s family, Block accompanied them during a Florida vacation. But while the family was away, Block allegedly raped their teenage daughter. Now, five years later, he’s still on the lam. This week, we hope to put an end to his run.
Elias Urioste: Cops say Elias Urioste committed a brutal crime last winter. He allegedly attacked a New Mexico man; shooting him, forcing him to drink gasoline, and then setting him on fire. Urioste is wanted for first-degree murder and this week, and with your help this week, we can haul him in.
Chanel Petro-Nixon: Do you remember what it was like to be 16? It's supposed to be one of the best years of a girl's life. But last year, Chanel Petro-Nixon's glory days were cut short. She disappeared on June 18th, and four days later, her body was found in a trash bag in the middle of her bustling Brooklyn neighborhood. Now, a year after the murder-- nobody's forgotten and we're not giving up until we find her killer.
Mark Petersimes: Petersimes is on the run after police say he broke off his monitoring device and busted out of a Dallas halfway-house. Considering his past sexual assaults convictions, cops think he has the potential to strike again. This week, we’ll do everything we can to bring him down.
Jennifer Nielsen: 22-year-old Jennifer Nielsen was a paper delivery girl for USA Today. She was also about to give birth to her first born child. But last month, her life came to a tragic end when she was brutally stabbed to death. Police found a knife at the scene but have been unable to identify a suspect. We’re banking on this week being the week somebody comes forward.
Mike Torres: Miguel “Mike” Torres and his girlfriend Barbara seemed like the perfect match. But according to police, Barbara had no idea that Torres was waiting until after they were married to reveal his dark, and violent side.
Jerry Ambrozuk: Ambrozuk spent 24 years on the run after allegedly crashing a rental plane in Montana and leaving his girlfriend to die. America ’s Most Wanted’s longest running fugitive was captured at his home in Texas last year, and now we have the update on his trial and the verdict.
Kelly Nolan: Kelly Nolan disappeared from a Madison , Wis. bar only a few weeks ago. Now family friends have a lot of questions, and this week, we’re going to do our best to give them some answers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)