Such a strategy, unlike the strategy actually pursued by the U.S. Attorney in Tampa, could well have resulted in a forfeiture of BCCI's assets in the U.S., and led to the uncovering of its ownership of First American as well. p. 770. the well-advanced Operation C-Chase. The culprits were captured and a, The full story of the murder of Special Agent Jaime Zapata is very well written in this. Found in violation of FBI employment policy. According to Dexter Lehtinen: "[S]omewhat prior to the indictment, briefly, believing that he [Morgenthau] would indict, and thereafter, the Department's criminal division surveyed all of the United States Attorney's offices. However, For Mazur, information became his heroin. In that moment of undercover immersion, he would be willing to risk his job, family stability and life in order to obtain critical evidence; in retrospect those were some of the long-term effects of his undercover work. His courage, innovation and determination resulted in one of the most impactful undercover operations in US History. Among the findings of the House Subcommittee: a.) determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and These cookies collect information for analytics and to In 1935, it became an independent service within the Department of Justice and its name was officially changed to the present-day Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI. traffic on our website. browser. . Blum told the Subcommittee: I talked to Joe Maigre, who was then the deputy in Tampa, who told me there was an undercover operation underway. Every Joint Terrorism Task Force in the U.S. is staffed by an HSI Special Agent. In one of the most bizzare events in modern history, the Harvey's Resort Hotel (NV) bombing took place on August 2627, 1980, when several men delivered an elaborately booby trapped bomb in the hotel offices; as part of an extortion plot. cases. Because the advice he's giving, in my opinion, I, I just don't respect it. were arrested. Learn more about this investigation from former SA Bradley Garrett. Subsequent to one such money drop, one of the primary targets furiously called Mazur's partner and accused Mazur of being a DEA agent, after picking out all the members and license plates of his cover team. What kind of cooperation have you received from the Justice Department? Justice Department officials repeatedly denied that the plea agreement between the U.S. Attorney in Tampa and BCCI did anything more than preclude that federal prosecutor's office from undertaking further action against BCCI. "(17), During the winter of 1988, a tentative date was established for the takedown of BCCI. released a documentary highlighting the child sex trafficking trade in the Philippines & HSI's related undercover investigations. Saphos, although chief of the narcotics section, had little previous involvement with any aspect of the BCCI investigation or prosecution. In 1932, it was renamed the United States Bureau of Investigation. p. 23. Custom - Office of Investigation (OI) cases. will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Enter terms like "eligibility" or "business", or try one of our popular searches: Average salary range of $78K to $153K, supervisors can earn more. With respect to Independence, the first witness said that he had in fact gone to a law firm because he suspected that Independence Bank might be owned by BCCI through Ghaith Pharaon.(113). has resulted in a guilty verdict against former R&B singer Robert S. Kelly. Find the one closest to you. . The next day Lehtinen received a letter from the Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Bruton, informing him that he should not move forward because his investigation of BCCI was not "an authorized" tax investigation. Justice Department statements to the contrary to the Congress were thus to that extent misleading. In no case, according to the Justice Department, did the entering of the plea by BCCI result in any limitation being placed on any other office of the Justice Department in investigating or prosecuting BCCI. (115) This position was then confirmed by IRS agents working with the Tampa prosecutors. . The hunt, may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other In late 1990, upon receiving information from several sources, including lawyers for Abu Dhabi and BCCI, that BCCI might well own First American, the Federal Reserve made a criminal referral to the Justice Department. Take the quiz to find out which of the many exciting careers at the FBI is right for you. Mazur's personal attorney advised staff that Mazur believed his identity could be protected through the mechanism of having him testify behind a screen with his voice altered, an approach that was ultimately adopted by the Subcommittee. Enforcement and Removal Operations And on November 15, 1991 the Department of Justice in Washington issued BCCI related indictments alleging racketeering and other offenses based on the secret acquisition and control of Independence Bank and the parking of securities in Centrust. 222-223. Once Special Agent Trainees begin the approx. He gave me the room I needed to operate in deep cover, but still played an important role in my safety., Paul OBrien: Per Mazur, The ASAC during the first 2/3rds of the operation. This documentary focuses on the federal law enforcement efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations profiting from death. The "OI" branding has since been retired and changed to "HSI" or Mazur recalls that in the middle of trial prep, he would be assigned menial duties such as picking up the new Special Agent in Charges government vehicle, getting it washed, and then being required to park it at her home. It's gonna, it's going to, it's gonna hit them bad. Three hours of paid time to exercise per week*, Opportunity for international assignments, Relocation expenses arecovered for your first assignment and most other transfers throughout your career. By March, 1988, high level Customs officials were reporting to Commissioner Von Raab that several BCCI officials were indictable under RICO. In a unique effort to appeal to female applicants, Enter the code below and click "Submit" to complete your registration. I think they're going to go through BCCI's records with a tooth comb . However, because of the level of concern the Justice Department expressed, and the implicit threat by Justice that the Subcommittee would be blamed if something did go wrong with the Noriega prosecution in connection with the Colombian, the deposition was halted. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and In addition, a RICO case could have permitted the United States to achieve the critical objective for Operation C-Chase defined by Customs agents in March, 1988 -- establishing the corporate culpability of BCCI's involvement in the laundering of "literally hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds," rather than the mere $14 million handled in connection with the sting. Office of Investigations), successfully infiltrated the Colombian Drug Cartels & a corrupt bank helping launder drug proceeds. ; he also wrote a book (Eyes Pried Open) to capitalize on the "FBI Brand." Nationally, the typical investigator doesn't work these types of crimes more than three to five years. Special Agents bring their skills, compassion, and integrity to stay ahead of threats, uphold the law, defend civil rights and liberties, and protect innocent people. website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site During this meeting, Mazur cautiously broached the issue of confidentiality for his Colombian associates and was floored when the BCCI executive casually identified his proceeds as black money market and recommended that the accounts be housed in Panama for safekeeping. The banks were bought through individual names rather than BCCI because BCCI could not buy the banks and run them due to U.S. Although the Justice Department did not indict BCCI until 1988, there were rumors about the bank virtually since its inception. Id. SA Zapata was killed and his partner, SA Avila suffered life-threatening injuries. The investigation uncovered sexual exploitation of minors, forced labor, coercion and transportation for the purposes of illegal sex activity. Because October 1988 was a Presidential election year. Putting his prep time to good use, Mazur lulled these criminals into explicitly trusting him by flying them on an undercover jet, taking them to the floor of the New York Stock exchange and painstakingly maintaining his cover. According to Lehtinen, he told "both groups that we were of the opinion that a license should be in jeopardy if we made a successful prosecution."(71). . In total silence, the reaction of the jury made it unmistakably clear, the defense attorney's tactics failed and Mazur had the support of every juror, and the judge. Senator Kerry also decided to seek testimony from Mark Jackowski as the chief prosecutor in the Tampa case. 5, Lehtinen testimony, p. 11. Mark Jackowski, the principal assistant United States attorney in Tampa handling the prosecution of BCCI from 1988 through 1990, presents a very different version of events: The ex-BCCI official who had been portrayed by Blum as having direct, firsthand knowledge concerning various matters, either did not have such information, or was unwilling to admit it. The "OI" branding has since been retired and changed to "HSI" or, A critical border search by an HSI Special Agent resulted in the discovery of classified material and was one of the. The indictment of additional defendants and the seizure of substantially more drug proceeds was lost, directly as a result of the application of inadequate resources . Most agents will note that the biggest downside at HSI is the sink or swim mentality for new trainees. etc.). Ambassador. . In interviews with Senate staff in the fall of 1991, Jackowski characterized Blum as a "wacko," who had done little more than provide him with "bullshit. "(131) As a result, despite numerous requests from Senator Kerry to meet with Mazur personally, the meeting did not place. Almost 11 of those years were spent as an online undercover agent, resulting in the arrests of some of the worst offenders imaginable. may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other . I mean, when he calls Jesse Jackson for dinner, that means Jesse Jackson can receive us for dinner. If you user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your If an applicant fails one of the 3 phased testing, they will need to wait 2 years from the date of taking the assessment to reapply. Rather, the decision to stop investigating BCCI appears to be an example of poor communication, overwork, understaffing, inadequate understanding of the meaning of information in the possession of Justice, and a flawed prosecutorial and investigative strategy. Download the latest version of your browser of choice from the providers' websites. The ruse of the wedding successfully lured BCCI officers and narcotics traffickers into the United States who believed they were attending the marriage of an important customer. . During the spring of 1990, when the Subcommittee was seeking to obtain documents from BCCI directly, lawyers for BCCI took the position that they would gladly provide documents they were making available to the Justice Department from overseas if the Justice Department would in turn provide copies to BCCI's lawyers in the United States. After careful research and review, I have selected one of the best and most highly reviewed courses available on the market. 82. Stacy Dooley The DEA had a plethora of case information which, taken in totality, led to the inevitable conclusion that "BCCI is the place to launder money. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our Best trial lawyer Ive ever seen in a courtroom. I personally feel it would suit them if BCCI withdrew . A day for an FBI special agent might entail surveilling a subject in the morning, tracking terrorists . With a window to another major corruption investigation involving the notorious ten term NY Congressman & former highly decorated NYP officer Mario Biaggi, Mazur made up his mind to pursue a career in federal law enforcement and subsequently accepted an offer with IRS as a Special Agent. small businesses). Undercover Customs agent Mazur testified that during Operation C-Chase he never received any information from his superiors "about information the CIA might have. The departments and agencies that comprise the U.S. government are often identified by an alphabet soup of acronyms and abbreviations. All rights reserved. According to Sakhia, he was told by the Justice Department that BCCI was not under investigation and that he subsequently learned that the US Department of State had communicated the same message to the Pakistani government.(9). Dir. ). In an amazing tribute to his agency, retired Special Agent Larry Wack created an online archive of meticulous research pertaining to the historical origins of the FBI. Like most who find themselves in the middle of these historical cases; the internal bureaucracy can always cause all sorts of problems. Here are the releasable HSI Hiring updates for. Alcaino owned and operated a high -end jewelry store in downtown LA, and colllected impressionist art. BCCI was notified within minutes by Pakistani intelligence because they were involved in laundering his dirty money. So, they duly transferred me Friday to Paris. technologies for the following purposes: We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to Average salary range;supervisory special agentscan earn up to $170K. A comprehensive new, manual is also available for your review. BCCI's lawyers, after consulting with the bank, agreed, and the plea agreement was struck. performance. released their own Although now What's it like to be a special agent with HSI? Senator Kerry therefore decided to simply request Mazur to testify publicly, without any prior debriefing of what he might to say to either the Senator or the Senator's staff. In fact, the U.S. Customs Service is among the oldest federal agencies in the United States. Although comically misunderstood & vilified, this immigration authority is vital to the regulation of interstate commerce & disruption of transnational crime. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and Sponsored: Reimagine Health and Human Services, Do Not Sell My The attached videos also provide a realistic overview of academy training and life. . Charleston, SC. The attackers were motivated by the events of Ruby Ridge & Waco. choices) and/or to monitor site performance. I couldn't indict and we set the grand jury each Friday. Section 213.3210 . Mirelles went on to author A very small minority of Special Agents become successful undercover agents. Doug Matthews , this coalition of 18+ law enforcement and intelligence agencies serves to prevent the illegal export of military and sensitive technologies to adversaries such as China. Records had been seized from BCCI in Miami, from the homes of several officers in Miami, from the BCCI offices in London and Paris, from the homes of traffickers. Check out his podcast interview as well on, ) undercover Special Agent Robert Mazur recently spoke at length with SA Blog in a feature interview. In 2022, U.S. Representative Clay Higgens introduced the "(123), On September 5, 1991, the US Attorney in Tampa returned an indictment alleging racketeering and additional money laundering charges. ICE Officers are members of ERO, whereas the Special Agents are a part of HSI. HSI has a rich history dating back to the founding of the constitution. . A phony wedding had been arranged between Mr. Mazur and another undercover agent posing as his fiancee. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal Many of the specific questions you have raised may be addressed by BCCI itself. performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. Have a bachelor's degree and at least two years of full-time professional work experience, or have an advanced degreeand at least one year of full-time professional work experience. Yes, I want to receive occasional updates from partners. services we are able to offer. 22 week academy in Glynco, GA, they will receive 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) on top of the GS-7 or GS-9 salary rate. While mid-level officials in the US Attorney's office in Tampa worked long hours under atrocious conditions to bring the money laundering case against BCCI which arose out of Operation C-Chase, it is clear now, and should have been clear as of the date of the C-Chase indictment against BCCI in October 1988, that BCCI represented much more than a drug money laundering case. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has resulted in a guilty verdict against former R&B singer Robert S. Kelly. . These documents, some of which have since been reviewed by Subcommittee staff, contained significant information concerning BCCI's broader criminality. On November 6, 1991, Deputy Attorney General, George J. Terwilliger, wrote Lehtinen that he was "prepared to defer to your prosecutorial judgment on this matter" When asked by Senator Kerry if the state of his evidence had changed from August, Lehtinen responded, "No, it was the same evidence. Special Agent Robert Williams died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the recovery efforts at the Fresh Kills landfill site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Luckily Mazur was able to salvage that incident and kept the case going. This documentary focuses on the federal law enforcement efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations profiting from death. . Accordingly, Saphos was in no position to travel to Tallahassee to explain why BCCI should be kept open. READ MY TEST PREP BLOG. Upon completion of a two year probationary period, Special Agents will transition to the ); agencies turn to HSI for assistance. FBI Miami Firefight, detailing his experience during the shooting incident. The obvious explanation for what happened is that Saphos was personally lobbied by people he knew who had formerly been with the Justice Department and now represented BCCI on the outside, and agreed to do them a favor. The Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service (LE/FAMS) is an innovative, risk- and intelligence-based federal law enforcement organization that proactively mitigates threats involving our nation's transportation system and provides uniquely skilled, multifaceted resources for national security priorities. . Used any illegal drugs other than marijuana, within the ten (10) years preceding the date of the application for employment. However, District Attorney Morgenthau credits Blum with providing him the evidentiary foundation for beginning his investigation that led, months later, to New York's securing the audit reports. Yes, there's a pension under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). Small vent and a reminder to everyone to pay excruciating attention to the details. Under Assistant Attorney General Mueller, the Department assigned nearly three dozen attorneys to the case. TIA. One effect of having Mr. Mazur testify in an open Congressional hearing on his role in the undercover operation which led to the successful prosecutions in the BCCI matter, even with safeguards such as attempting to disguise his identity, would increase the possibility of drug traffickers attempting to seek revenge by harming Mr. Mazur or his family.(132). SAs must be selected & complete an advanced course in order to be admitted to the RRT. determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and ClearanceJobs is a DHI service. Given the limits of technology at the time, any traditional methods of cover would have made him and potentially put his life in danger. Mazur went on to develop lifelong friendships at the DEA, many of whom helped him develop another major undercover operation, which will soon be published in his new book, The Betrayal.. most employees are willing to trade off any downfalls for the immediate pride and recognition of being an "FBI agent.". blog posts. Join. The plea agreement reached between BCCI and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa) in January, 1990, came as a surprise to many. History of Espionage It is notable that both of the witnesses who were taped with Blum by Justice, and who Jackowski viewed to have no useful information, were in fact placed before a grand jury by the New York District Attorney, to provide the testimony they had originally offered the Justice Department. Arguably, there could be some benefit to the Miami office for entering such a plea, in that it would facilitate that office's receipt of BCCI's cooperation in making cases against other criminals. 115. He later completed the advanced Customs Undercover School and was eventually tapped to setup a long-term Undercover Operation for support to Operation Greenback. Mazur, who did not do long term undercover operations until well in the middle half of his career, cautions new operatives to start slow, learn all aspects of the profession for five plus years and hone their craft with the goal of becoming long term undercovers. Jerri Williams (retired) served 26 years as a Special Agent with the FBI. ** Justice Department personnel in Washington, Miami, and Tampa actively obstructed and impeded Congressional attempts to investigate BCCI in 1990, and this practice continued to some extent until William P. Barr became Attorney General in late October, 1991.
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