Open Letter to U.S. Senator Charles E. Grassley Re: Misuse and Mismanagement of Federal Funds

July 2, 2008

The Honorable Charles E. Grassley – Chairman

United States Senator - Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6200

Dear Senator Grassley:

Through the years as a United States Senator you have made a name for yourself by fighting for the little guy and reminding the federal government about its accountability to the American people.

You are the Chairman of the Committee on Finance. In the words of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole, "One of the highest honors that can come to a member of the U.S. Senate is to serve on the Committee on Finance. The Committee on Finance has since its creation been associated with some of the most significant and most controversial issues in U.S. history."

I am one of those little guys that are fortunate to be able to write to you this letter, asking for your immediate intervention on the following issues. What you do in response to this letter will determine without any doubt whether our average hard working lower class American Citizen will be able to afford to take his/her children to their favorite theme park once a year, due to the increase of our fuel prices and/or buy the necessary basic foods to feed his children.

May I ask you to please look into to the following matters? :

Why has the “House of Death” with over 70 investigative reports and the issues addressed in those reports by Bill Conroy of Narco News been ignored by your Finance Committee? http://www.narconews.com/Issue54/article3134.html

Why do we have numerous similar and almost identical federal law enforcement domestic and international initiatives spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Customs & Border Protection (CBP), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF), to name a few? Some of the most recent enforcement initiatives:

Press Releases 08 - Congress Approves Merida Initiative - Statement by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza

Mexico City, June 27, 2008 - “The U.S. Congress passed a finalized supplemental budget bill that includes funding of the Merida Initiative. This historic step empowers President Bush to sign into law this important program to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Mexico to fight the drug trade and organized crime that impact both our nations.”

http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/releases/ep080627Merida.html

ICE’s OPERATION ARMAS CRUZADAS:

DHS Attache Alonzo Pena on Video Re: ICE’s Operation Armas Cruzadas

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v14017556sfkt8GKQ?rank=5&

“ICE is the leading U.S. investigative agency in this ongoing operation authorized to pursue arms export investigations. ATF, CBP and DEA are also involved as part of their participation within the established BEST teams strategically aligned along the U.S. and Mexico border. Mexican law enforcement officials are being trained this week at the Houston conference on how to retrieve and input information into the virtual task force database.” http://www.abogada.com/abogados/houston/lawyers/Armas_Cruzadas_Mexico_U.S._Weapons_Smuggling/

ICE and Mexican officials announce plans to identify and disrupt trans-border weapons smuggling networks Armas Cruzadas is a bi-lateral law enforcement and intelligence-sharing operation to thwart export of arms from U.S. into Mexico – June 9, 2008 http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/080609houston.htm

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico City’s Press Release on ICE’s Operation Armas Cruzadas

http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/releases/ep080609armas.html

ATF’s PROJECT GUNRUNNER:

ATF EXPANDS EFFORTS TO COMBAT ILLEGAL FLOW OF FIREARMS INTO MEXICO http://www.atf.gov/press/2008press/011608proj_gunrunner-rev.pdf

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico City’s Press Release on ATF’s Project Gun Runner

http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/texts/et080116eTrace.html

ATF’s Firearms Programs -- Integrated Violence Reduction Strategy

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reduces violent firearms crime by enforcing Federal firearms laws and regulations. ATF's Integrated Violence Reduction Strategy removes violent offenders from communities, stops illegal firearms trafficking, and keeps prohibited persons from possessing firearms. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/summary/10001093.2007.html

U.S. Attorney General’s GangTECC

The National Gang Targeting, Enforcement & Coordination Center (GangTECC) began operations in summer 2006 as the national anti-gang task force created by the former Attorney General. In accordance with the former Attorney General's directive, GangTECC is a multi-agency center designed to serve as a critical catalyst in a unified federal effort to help disrupt and dismantle the most significant and violent gangs in the United States. The senior investigators at GangTECC come from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Department of Homeland Security. These federal agents work in close collaboration with the Gang Squad prosecutors in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, and with the analysts and others at the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC). http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/gangtecc/

FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/nsb/wmd/wmd_home.htm

FBI’s Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime

News release: "Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced a new strategy in the fight against international organized crime that will address this growing threat to U.S. security and stability. The Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime (the strategy) was developed following an October 2007 International Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOC Threat Assessment) and will address the demand for a strategic, targeted and concerted U.S. response to combat the identified threats. This strategy builds on the broad foundation the Administration has developed in recent years to enhance information sharing, and to secure U.S. borders and financial systems from a variety of transnational threats."

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/018206.html

http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2008/ioc-strategy-public-overview.pdf

http://newhaven.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2008/nh051908.htm

FBI’s OPERATION CISCO RAIDER

“On Friday, FBI officials announced that following an investigation (code-named Operation Cisco Raider) regarding counterfeit network components produced in China, that were bought by the U.S. government, $3.5 million worth of fake devices were recovered.

The main concern with this entire situation was the possibility that the counterfeit network components may have enabled hackers to access government databases. Fortunately, as found in the investigation results, this was not the case. According to a Cisco spokesman, no dangerous counterfeit products were found as, with their illegally made products, the counterfeiters only seem to have targeted quick profits and no interest what so ever was shown in accessing U.S. secret information.” http://www.enews20.com/news_FBIs_35_million_Find_07827.html

FBI’s MS-13 National Gang Task Force

Based at FBI headquarters, the MS-13 National Gang Task Force combines the expertise, resources, and jurisdiction of federal agencies that investigate this violent international street gang. It focuses on maximizing the flow of information and intelligence, coordinating investigations, and helping state and local law enforcement improve operations and prosecutions targeting MS-13. The task force can be reached by calling (202) 324-5340. http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/ngic/violent_gangs.htm

FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center

To help curb the growth of gangs and related criminal activity, the FBI spearheaded the creation of the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) in 2005. A multi-agency effort, the NGIC integrates gang intelligence from across federal, state, and local law enforcement on the growth, migration, criminal activity, and association of gangs that pose a significant threat to the U.S. Its mission is to support law enforcement by sharing timely and accurate information and by providing strategic/tactical analysis of intelligence. http://thebosun.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/fbi-violent-gang-taskforce/

FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) - http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/080403.htm

Overview of the Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, April 2008

Senator Grassley, the above list is not conclusive by all means. For the sake of space and not to take too much of your time, I wanted to illustrate and expose some of the federal enforcement initiatives that allegedly are being conducted and coordinated by a multitude of federal law enforcement agencies. My question is: the FBI, DEA, ICE, CBP, ATF are working together, why the need to have “specific” and “individual” initiatives that requires federal funding to maintain and operate.

I reviewed some of the press releases issued by certain U.S. Attorneys after a particular federal enforcement operation was conducted such as the one I will post below. According to the press release, other federal agencies were involved in the enforcement operation. However, when I queried some of the names of the defendants arrested or the actual enforcement operation in the official websites of ICE, ATF, DEA, CBP and others, I cannot find any information matching the names of the defendants in these agencies’ websites, which it can only be explained by asserting that the alleged “task force initiative” was in fact am enforcement initiative by only one federal agency and a state and local law enforcement agencies. Press release follows:

Example of an FBI’s Arms Smuggling Enforcement Initiative in Action

U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Southern District of Florida 
99 NE 4 Street 
Miami, FL 33132
(305) 961-9000

May 12, 2008

NEWS RELEASE :

BROWARD MAN RE-INDICTED ON ARMS EXPORT CHARGES

R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announce that defendant Lance Brooks was charged by complaint with being an unlicensed broker of defense articles, in violation of the Arms Export Act, Title 22, United States Code, Section 2778. More specifically, Brooks was charged with knowingly and willfully brokering the sale of 150,000 rounds of .38 Jacketed Soft Point ammunition; 20,000 rounds of .380 Jacket Soft Point ammunition, and 100,000 rounds of .223 55grain Jacketed Soft Point ammunition to Jamaica, without first having registered with and obtained a license from the United States Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

This is the second time Brooks has been charged with arms export violations. Brooks, the owner/operator of Taylor and Associates, an arms brokering business in Lauderhill, Florida, was indicted on November 6, 2007, Case Number 07-60265-CR-MARRA, for violations of the Arms Export Act and other offenses. On December 20, 2007, Brooks pled guilty to exporting defense services from the United States without a license, and is currently on bond pending sentencing in that case.

On March 30, 2008, while Brooks was awaiting sentencing, a search warrant was issued for the search of a DHL package addressed to Lance Brooks, Taylor and Associates, in Lauderhill, Florida, from Firearms Coastal Security Branch, Paul Robinson in Kingston, Jamaica. A search of the package revealed an End User Certificate from the Ministry of National Security, Kingston, Jamaica, dated February 26, 2008 regarding the purchase of 150,000 rounds of .38 Jacket Soft Point ammunition, 20,000 rounds of .380 Jacketed Soft Point ammunition, and 100,000 rounds of Jacketed Soft Point ammunition from Taylor and Associates.

Further investigation confirmed that from October 2007 to March 5, 2008, Brooks was brokering the sale of defense articles to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Moreover, on March 3, 2008, the Jamaica Constabulary Force wire transferred the sum of $81,100.00 to Taylor and Associates to pay for the purchase of the ammunition.

Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Joint Terrorism Task Force members for their work on this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Walleisa.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

http://miami.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/mm20080512.htm

Other similar FBI’s enforcement operation:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   CRT WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008  (202) 616-2777 - WWW.USDOJ.GOV   TDD (202) 514-1888- MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ALIEN SMUGGLING CHARGES IN FLORIDA http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/May/08-crt-389.html

Senator Grassley, my understanding is that alien and arms smuggling and trafficking (non-terrorist) falls within the jurisdiction of CBP, ICE, and ATF.

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TURF PROBLEMS

Contrary to what the heads of the mentioned federal law enforcement agencies’ heads tell you and assure you, the reality is that billions of dollars are being misspent and misused in repetitive and duplicate enforcement initiatives. The truth is that only a bare minimal of information is being shared by the FBI, DEA, ICE, ATF, Secret Service, CIA (intelligence), and now the New York City Police Department who is looking more and more like a federal law enforcement agency.

For example, please refer to the four news reports dealing with the subject of “turf wars”:

Turf wars likely to erupt over DHS reorganization proposal

Government Executive by Greta Wodele National Journal July 22, 2005

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0705/072205nj1.htm

In New York, a Turf War in the Battle Against Terrorism

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 22, 2008; A01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102980_pf.html

ATF and FBI Having a Turf War

By John F. McManus - Created 2008-05-12-The John Birch Society

http://www.jbs.org/node/8054/print

Report: Governmental 'Turf Wars' May Put Nation at Risk

The Blotter Report August 20, 2007

A terrorism case in Miami, Fla. may have been jeopardized because of infighting between government agencies, according to a new joint report issued by the departments of Homeland Security and Justice.

A lack of information exchange between the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) threatened the investigation, according to the report. After the case was transferred to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the report says ICE field agents refused to interview a suspect and train the FBI agents. Four targets were eventually indicted, but the investigation of one other suspect had to be transferred to another team. http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/08/report-governme.html

Senator Grassley, I personally reviewed numerous press releases issued by all of the agencies mentioned in this letter. A common denominator is that the FBI for some reason (s) conducts any type of federal criminal investigation regardless if they are invading another federal agency’s turf. Although I don’t have factual and conclusive evidence to support my assertion, I believe that the FBI, ICE, ATF, DEA, CBP, Secret Service, CIA are not sharing information. It is one reason, I suspect, that we are seeing more and more an influx of individual enforcement initiatives by the above listed agencies.

Individual Questions to Senator Grassley by this Narco News Co-Publisher:

A recent scientific research study conducted disclosed that people in the United States are consuming more drugs and narcotics. Further, DEA reported that the agency has seen an increase of drugs in the USA. Please refer to the following link: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hovUpnhllEsX9vClXt86VxCmwo1A

If we are seeing an increase of drugs in the United States and an increase of drug consumptions only means that our drug smuggling initiatives are not working. This phenomenon may be contributed to the fact that our federal drug domestic policy, including ICE’s enforcement priorities have been basically solely immigration enforcement oriented. I don’t believe that DEA and the FBI can exclusively focus their enforcement investigative priorities to the investigation of international smuggling drug and money laundering investigation, a task which was conducted by the Legacy U.S. Customs Service.

What are you going to do to correct the above referenced current drug problem in the United States?

Why do you think and expect that the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) and the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency (ECIE) would conduct a neutral and impartial independent investigation or audit on other federal Inspector General’s? This group works for and is appointed by the president of the United States. Their loyalty is towards the Executive Branch and not the Legislative Branch.

Why the U.S. Congress allowed DHS’ Assistant Secretary Julie Myers to remain as the head of ICE, who almost every American Citizen knows that she is incompetent, not qualified to be in charge of ICE, as evidenced by a number of some very serious allegations filed against ICE. Her incompetence is compounded by her appointment of some inexperienced and young individuals to be part of her closest advisors?

Why is ICE’s special agent in charge (SAC) Roberto Medina, a Senior Executive Series (SES) manager after Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wrote to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff to remove Medina due to his unprofessional, non-courteous, and non-cooperative when dealing and working with other federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies? Medina was subsequently relocated (at tax-payer’s expenses) to his hometown of El Paso, TX where he is now the SAC and still an SES. Why, after allegations of criminal misconduct: lying under oath and perjury during an MSPB hearing, and other prohibited personnel practices, Medina was not investigated by the U.S. Treasury’s OIG or DHS’ OIG?

Why the then ICE’s SAC-Tampa, FL, Frank Figueroa, age 49 after getting arrested for masturbating for 10 minutes in front of a 16-year old girl in a shopping mall, was allowed to remain on the job (on paper) until he was allowed to retire at age 50 and keep his $100,000 annual pension? If an average working ICE non-supervisory special agent who had filed at least one complaint against ICE management, he/she, if had committed the same offenses as Medina and Figueroa, we would have been investigated and eventually fired. One particular black Legacy U.S. Customs Service’s Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Internal Affairs (AC) committed the same allegation as Medina did, except the black A/C was investigated and federally criminal indicted only to be found innocent by a federal trial jury.

Why is it that the U.S. Border Patrol workforce is comprised of only 1% of black agents?

I can probably help you answer the above question with the fact that Commissioner W. Ralph Basham, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while being Director of the U.S. Secret Service, was named as a defendant in a federal civil lawsuit of discrimination filed against him and the Treasury’s secretary for discriminating against U.S. Secret Service black special agents, while Jayson P. Ahern Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), was also the target of some serious sexual discrimination and harassment when he was a mid-level manager at the Legacy U.S. Customs Service in Florida in 1998. However, Ahern was subsequently promoted and relocated to the Legacy U.S. Customs Service’s HQ.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/organization/commissioner_basham.xml

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/organization/deputy_commissioner_1.xml

Why DHS and CBP have provided security assistance by utilizing CBP manpower and resources during the annual Super Bowl events, yet in 2007, the NFL rejected a U.S. Border Patrol ad? See:

CBP Makes Giant Contribution to Super Bowl Security
(02/04/2008) By Roger Maier, Public Affairs Specialist

The Super Bowl is a signature American event watched by hundreds of millions people in the U.S. and worldwide. The global stage shared by the New England Patriots and the New York Giants yesterday was thrilling for some, heartbreaking for others and thankfully uneventful for a group of U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who worked the game.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/highlights/super_bowl.xml

NFL rejects Border Patrol recruiting ad US Immigration Support – March 9, 2007

http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/newsletter/2007/mar_09.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251999,00.html

Are you going to tell all young black former U.S. soldiers who served in the Iraq war that they can apply for federal jobs but that it would be almost impossible to get hired by the U.S. Border Patrol, thanks to CBP commissioner Basham dislike of black people?

Why ICE, continue to use double standards when administering discipline? If you are an ICE supervisor or manager above GS-1811-14 and above you can engage in misconduct, unless of course if you get arrested by a local police officer who is not intimidated with the “flashing of the gold platted ICE federal badge” – chances are that the ICE employee will not get disciplined. However, if an ICE non-supervisor, working special agent known to have filed one or two complaints against management, ICE uses its Office of Professional Integrity’s special agents to investigate even a small infraction, causing thousands or millions of U.S. tax-payer’s monies in investigating in an effort to fire one and for all what ICE consider a “trouble maker.”

I believe you or your staffers got my point.

Senator Grassley, finally I would like to call to your attention an issue that you are also pretty much involved: the Federal Private Contracts. I only have one question for you that involves two major private corporations that for years have been “winning” federal contract awards (billions of U.S. tax payer’s monies) to help undeveloped countries around the world, but mostly in Central and South America countries. I am not privy as to how come these two big corporations always end-up “winning” the grants (federal contract awards) from federal agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Department of the State and others. The two companies in question are:

CHEMONIX INTERNATIONAL - http://www.chemonics.com/AboutUs/AboutUs.asp

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

http://www.ifes.org/home.html

http://www.ifes.org/staff.html

http://www.ifes.org/board.html

CHEMONIX INTERNATIONAL is staffed with some former USAID’s employees; the bulk of their federal contract winning awards comes from USAID (millions and/or billions of US tax-payer’s monies).

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) like CHEMONIX is staffed with former USAID employees, and also with former White House, and U.S. Congressional political appointees. Like CHEMONIX, IFES is the recipient of billions of dollars (U.S. tax-payer’s monies) in federal contracts from USAID.

A few news reports citing possible conflict of interest between CHEMONIX and IFES with USAID:

U.S. Contractors Reap the Windfalls of Post-War Reconstruction by Maud Beelman, Center for Public Integrity, Center for Public Integrity - October 30th, 2003 - http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=8910

# 11 The Scam of “Reconstruction” in Afghanistan in Top 25 Censored Stories for 2008

By Project Censored - http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/11-the-scam-of-reconstruction-in-afghanistan/

Winning Contractors U.S. Contractors Reap the Windfalls of Post-war Reconstruction by the Center for Public Integrity - http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/report.aspx?aid=65

AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION: Despite Some Progress, Deteriorating Security and Other Obstacles Continue to Threaten Achievement of U.S. Goals by the Government Accountability Office - http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05742.pdf and http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04403.pdf

Report Links Iraq Deals to Bush Donations by LARRY MARGASAK – Associate Press

http://www.resultsforamerica.org/calendar/files/Report%20Links%20Iraq%20Deals%20to%20Bush%20Donations.pdf

Winning Contractors by the Center for Public Integrity

http://www.publici.org/Content.aspx?src=search&context=article&id=65

Big Contracts Went To Big Donors - Watchdog Sees Links Between Contractors, Bush Admin. by CBS News - Oct. 30, 2003

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/30/iraq/main580998.shtml

Make Federal Spending Transparent by Roger Bate- Special to washingtonpost.com's Think Tank Town
Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Federal_Funding_Accountability_and_Transparency_Act

http://www.aei.org/events/filter.all,eventID.1528/event_detail.asp

You see, based on my formal job and training as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Office of Internal Affairs, U.S. Customs Service (1995-1999) and 25.6 years of working as a federal criminal investigator with INS, ATF, DEA, Customs, and ICE, plus 4 years as a city police officer in Lansing, Michigan, plus my experience as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CPP) certification granted by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), certification granted by the American Society for Industrial Security, I can accurately certify to you that the U.S. Congress and the new U.S. president and White House have an enormous problem that need to be fixed or we are running the risk of becoming eventually an undeveloped country, once all of our government funds have been misspent and misused.

I trust you will do the right thing and do something for us, the average little guys and girls and one of the things you can start considering is dismantling the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and restore all of the federal agencies under DHS to their original status, i.e., the Legacy U.S. Customs Service, ATF, and Secret Service under the U.S. Treasury Department and ask the only agency I trust to conduct an effective and professional investigation of DHS or at least ICE by the FBI under the guidance of an appointed U.S. special prosecutor.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Miguel A. Contreras, PhD, CPP, CFE