Jerry Seper
Articles by Jerry Seper
With bombs away, drug traffickers and illegal immigrants make their play
Crossing a bombing range doesn't seem to make sense at any time — but in the Southwest, the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range has become a key route for drugs and illegal immigrants looking to avoid detection as they make the trek into the U.S. Published August 1, 2013
Medical-device company exec admits to bilking shareholders of $400M
A former senior executive at a Texas-based medical-device company has pleaded guilty in a $400 million scheme to defraud the company's shareholders and members of the investing public by falsely inflating the company's earnings. Published July 23, 2013
Justice Dept: Florida’s disabled children unnecessarily put in nursing facilities
The Justice Department on Monday accused the state of Florida of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, saying 200 children with disabilities have unnecessarily been segregated in nursing facilities when they could be served in their family homes or other community-based settings. Published July 22, 2013
Man gets 11 years in Philadelphia mob crackdown
A crackdown on the Philadelphia mafia by federal authorities marked a key milestone Tuesday with the sentencing of Damion Canalichio to 11 years in prison in a racketeering conspiracy involving loansharking, extortion and illegal gambling — the 12th leader, member or associate of the city's La Cosa Nostra family to have pleaded guilty or been convicted in the investigation. Published July 16, 2013
Eric Holder asks for respect from protesters of George Zimmerman verdict
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Tuesday warned those planning to protest the acquittal of former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin to commit themselves "to a respectful, responsible dialogue about issues of justice and equality." Published July 16, 2013
Philadelphia mobster sentenced to 11 years as city cleans up crime
A crackdown on the Philadelphia mafia by federal authorities continued Tuesday with the sentencing of Damion Canalichio to 11 years in prison in a racketeering conspiracy involving loansharking and illegal gambling — the 12th leader, member or associate of the city's La Cosa Nostra family to have pleaded guilty or been convicted in an ongoing investigation. Published July 16, 2013
Los Zetas’ drug cartel boss, Trevino Morales, captured in Nuevo Laredo near border
The notoriously violent leader of the Mexico-based drug cartel known as Los Zetas, whose bloodletting and butchery had become its trademark, was captured Monday by Mexican marines near the border city of Nuevo Laredo, intercepted in a pickup truck containing more than $2 million in cash. Published July 16, 2013
Trayvon Martin’s family has little chance for recourse in court
While the reaction to George Zimmerman's acquittal in the Trayvon Martin killing resembles the backlash against the 1992 not guilty verdict in the Rodney King beating, legal analysts said there is little likelihood of another successful federal prosecution on civil rights or hate crimes charges. Published July 15, 2013
ICE: ‘Operation iGuardian’ arrests 255 suspected child predators
Two hundred and fifty-five suspected child predators were arrested and 61 victims of child sexual exploitation were identified during a five-week operation announced Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its Internet Crimes Against Children task forces across the United States and its territories. Published July 15, 2013
Former Border Patrol agents call Senate’s immigration plan ‘a huge waste of resources’
Deploying 20,000 more U.S. Border Patrol agents along the southwestern border as proposed in an immigration reform bill passed by the Senate would be "a huge waste of resources," according to former border agents, who say that money should be used to track down dangerous criminal aliens nationwide. Published July 11, 2013
Justice Department defends Fla. ‘peacekeeper’ rallies
The Justice Department on Thursday dismissed suggestions by a Washington-based watchdog group that it helped organize a "pressure campaign" last year against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Published July 11, 2013
Senate panel approves ATF nominee B. Todd Jones on party-line vote
The Senate Judiciary Committee, voting strictly along party lines, on Thursday approved President Obama's pick to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — setting up what could be a major Senate floor fight with Republicans. Published July 11, 2013
FBI director nominee Comey defends FISA court, surveillance in Senate hearing
James B. Comey Jr., a former George W. Bush administration official and now President Obama's nominee for FBI director, defended the approval by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of surveillance programs and dismissed arguments that the court was a "rubber stamp." Published July 9, 2013
Ruthless Mexican drug cartel recruiting in U.S.; Los Zetas looks to prisons, street gangs
A Mexican drug cartel known for kidnapping random civilians and beheading its rivals has expanded its operations into the U.S. Published July 7, 2013
Border Patrol stymied by other agencies, former agents say
With Congress vowing to secure the nation's borders as part of an immigration bill that proposes hiring 20,000 new Border Patrol agents, several former immigration officers say border agents have been inhibited in their efforts to patrol the Southwest border by other agencies. . Published July 3, 2013
Barry Diller ‘dismayed’ at government’s handling of his Coca-Cola acquisition
Media mogul Barry Diller, the Fox Broadcasting Co. creator who agreed this week to pay a $480,000 civil penalty to settle charges he violated premerger reporting requirements in acquiring voting securities of the Coca Cola Co., said Wednesday he was “dismayed” by the government’s handling of the case. Published July 3, 2013
Plan stresses cross-border cooperation
Continued cooperation with Mexico to address threats posed by the illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons and cash across the border, along with increased efforts to interdict drugs headed to the U.S., are the key elements of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's "Comprehensive Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy" released Tuesday. Published July 2, 2013
55 hospitals to pay $34 million for overcharging Medicare
Fifty-five hospitals in 21 states agreed on Tuesday to pay the U.S. government more than $34 million to settle allegations that the health care facilities submitted false claims to Medicare for kyphoplasty procedures, the Justice Department said. Published July 2, 2013
Barry Diller fined $480K over Coca-Cola acquisition
Media mogul and corporate investor Barry Diller, who created the Fox Broadcasting Company and headed Paramount Pictures, will pay a $480,000 civil penalty to settle charges he violated pre-merger reporting and waiting requirements when he acquired voting securities of the Coca Cola Co., the Justice Department said Tuesday. Published July 2, 2013
Medicare fraud trial ends with 4 convictions
A federal jury in Florida has convicted four people for their participation in a Medicare scheme involving nearly $70 million in fraudulent billings by a mental health care hospital, the Justice Department said. Published June 30, 2013
