Federal Bureau of Investigation

Karen Elaine Hanover, Accused Fraudster, Loses Appeal of FBI "Spoofing" Conviction

A couple months ago, this Navel Gazer allowed Karen Elaine Hanover, a Seal Beach real estate agent accused in federal court of running an investment fraud scam, to vent about what she claimed was misconduct by her prosecutor. She further alleged her victims had previously done to her what she was fo ... More >>

Andrew Stolper, Shamed Ex-Federal Prosecutor in Santa Ana, Launches Litigation Finance Firm in Irvine with Convicted Former FBI Agent

Has this ever happened to you? Someone tells you about a person you have never heard of before, then a couple days later the same name pops up from a completely different source.That happened to yours truly when it came to Santa Ana-based federal prosecutor Andrew Stolper.Make that former prosecutor ... More >>

FBI Arrests Another Alleged Pimp In Southern California Sex Slave Ring

If FBI agents are right, 38-year-old Roshaun Nakia Porter of Long Beach falsely advertised himself on various Southern California dating websites as an ultra-wealthy, mansion-living businessman anxious to find sincere love.  But for Porter (a.k.a "Kevin")--who didn't really own a home or c ... More >>

Lonnie Loren Kocontes Escaped Feds' Grip for Ex-Wife's Murder But Not OC Authorities'

The Orange County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's office sent out press releases and OCDA Chief of Staff Susan Schroeder appeared in front of television news cameras Saturday with the stunning revelation a former Mission Viejo attorney had been arrested and charged with strangling his e ... More >>

Kenneth Moore, Atiqullah Nabizada and Ahmed Tariq Asghari Held for Alleged Short-Sale Scams

The FBI is accusing three men of causing more than $10 million in losses to investors, homeowners and financial institutions through various real estate schemes.After searches of one man's Tustin home, another suspect's in Coto de Caza and a Santa Ana business, the FBI on Thursday took into custody ... More >>

Metallica Releases PSA To Help FBI Catch Fan's Killer

No one has ever mistaken heavy metal pioneers Metallica as the type to give a public service announcement. However, recently the band used their celebrity to take up a special cause--  help the FBI catch the a fan's killer. The band released a PSA in order to help uncover new information that c ... More >>

Susan SurfTone: Former FBI Agent, Surf Guitarist Coming to Long Beach

​Nothing cooler than a surf guitarist with a past--especially if, like Susan SurTtone, it's a past that involves Russian spies and such. According to Rebecca Haithcoat at our sister publication LA Weekly, In the early '80s, SurfTone (real name: Susan Yasinski) was an FBI agent in New York, chosen ... More >>

"Dying Son Bandit" Spins Sad Tale to Bank Tellers He Robs

​I hope the man dubbed by the FBI the "Dying Son Bandit" really does have a son who is dying.Wait, that didn't come out right. I don't hope anyone is dying. Actually, that applies to most people. But I hope the bank robber who tells tellers he is only taking cash from them because of his son's med ... More >>

Oytun Ayse Mihalik, Turkish National Living in OC, Accused of Funding Pakistan Terrorists

​Ah, Pakistan, that U.S. . . . ahem . . . ally with the homegrown terrorists trying to blow up American soldiers and citizens abroad. Let's us keep those special friends in mind while checking out this: Oytun Ayse Mihalik of La Palma has been indicted on federal charges of providing material suppo ... More >>

Juggalos: An Emerging Threat, According to the FBI

Meranda Carter/OC WeeklyBe afraid of these local juggalos; the FBI considers them a threat​There's a real threat here, folks, and it's just been validated by the FBI, who call Juggalos "a loosely-organized hybrid gang" in the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment. Previous to this report, we were o ... More >>

Calle 13

House of Blues

[UPDATED with Arrest of Joseph William Kipp:] Who Would Win in a Staring Contest: the "Stare Down Bandit" or the "No Band Bandit"?

​UPDATE, OCT. 7, 11:50 A.M.: The FBI has arrested the man they believe to be the "No Band Bandit" shown at right.He is Joseph William Kipp, 52, of Anaheim.Kipp is accused of robbing US Bank branches in Hacienda Heights and Santa Ana, showing a teller a gun in the latter job, according to FBI spoke ... More >>

[UPDATED with 'Triple Threat Bandit' Had Robbed Orange County Banks Before:] High-Speed Chase After Fullerton Bank Robbery

​UPDATE, SEPT. 15, 3:46 P.M.: The FBI was already on the lookout for the man arrested at the end of today's hour-long chase."Preliminary investigation shows it was the same individual today as the 'Triple Threat Bandit,'" says FBI spokeswoman Ari Dekofsky. Today, the man allegedly robbed Farm ... More >>

Was James "Whitey" Bulger an Active Senior in Orange County Before His Capture?

​Before James "Whitey" Bulger was captured in Santa Monica Wednesday night, the 81-year-old South Boston mobster may have spent some of his 16 years on the run in Orange County.Before last night, the only FBI-acknowledged, California sightings of Bulger and his companion Catherine Greig, 60, were ... More >>

Osama Bin Laden's Death Prompts Lively Orange Circle Celebration

FBIMost unwanted​Demonstrations against the Iraq war, abortion and limiting the right to choose have all be held in the middle of the Orange traffic circle in downtown Orange over the years.Last night, the Orange Circle became ground zero for an impromptu and boisterous celebration of the death of ... More >>

Racist OC Register Reader Fustercluck of the Day

​Headline: Groups Sue FBI Over Muslim SurveillanceComment by RAMJET2: It doesn't matter if the FBI is watching the muslim community. WE are watching the muslim community and where ever they go WE pay special attention to what they do, what they carry and how they are dressed. As Bill O'Reilly, Fox ... More >>

Hunt Heats Up for the Cooler Bandit

​Recognize the guy on the right? The FBI and several Southern California law-enforcement agencies would love ever so much to know who he is, as he has been linked to seven bank robberies in the region since August 2009.His last hit was the Jan. 15 robbery of a U.S. Bank branch in Long Beach. He's ... More >>

[UPDATED] Karen Elaine Hanover Accused of Impersonating FBI Agents With "Spoofing" Technology to Spook Clients Who Believed She was Scamming Them

​UPDATE, FEB. 10, 4:33 P.M.: United District Court Judge Robert N. Block in Santa Ana set Karen Elaine Hanover's bond at $75,000 this afternoon.Her post-indictment arraignment is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 24 at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana.

Watch What You Photograph in Newport Harbor Lest You Wind Up in an Anti-Terror Database

​Perhaps you've had family out from Idaho and taken them to the Newport Harbor area for a Balboa Bar and some sightseeing. Maybe they noticed the automobiles floating on water thanks to the Balboa Ferry and decided to snap some pictures of the scene with a cell phone camera.Those who take such pho ... More >>

"Pop the Lock Crew" Strikes Again!

​The Pop the Lock Crew has struck again!The three masked men tied to recent bank heists in Dana Point, Mission Viejo and Ladera Ranch are believed to be behind Tuesday's 5:40 p.m. robbery of the Wells Fargo at 28211 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel.

ACLU Seeks FBI Records on "Muslim Mapping"

​As part of a massive request for data under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today asked the FBI to turn over records related to the agency's collection and use of race and ethnicity data in Southern California communities.Th ... More >>

Rainbow Harbor Terror Attack is Just a Drill

​If you swing by Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach today and notice an unusually large presence of law enforcement types running around like chickens with their heads cut off, you are witnessing neither an actual terror attack nor filming of pick-up scenes for Monday night's 24 finale.

Craig Monteilh's Mosque Spy Stories Draw FBI Response

Photo by John GilhooleyFrom the Craig Monteilh Informant-Wear Collection.​The FBI provided a written response to a West Covina judge's decision to unseal court documents that an Irvine fitness instructor claims proves he was an FBI informant who spied on Southern California Islamic mosques and the ... More >>

Locals Among Dozens Caught Up in International Criminal Phishing Scheme

No, not that kind of fish fry. ​Congratulations, Orange County! Some of your residents were among today's arrestees in the largest cyber crime case of its kind. "Operation Phish Phry," the first joint cyber investigation between Egyptian law enforcement authorities and United States of ... More >>

Public's Interest in FBI Spying on Islamic Mosques in OC Cited in Lawsuit Seeking Surveillance Guidelines

Photo by John GilhooleyCraig Monteilh, a.k.a. Farouk Aziz​While the Senate Judiciary Committee peppered FBI Director Robert Mueller with questions today before about the guidelines the bureau operates under while spying on Islamic mosques in the United States, a San Francisco legal advocacy and ed ... More >>

FBI: That Cute Home for Rent Could Be Latest Nigerian Scam

​So, you know those Nigerian criminals of "We've got a $1 million check waiting from your long lost Nigerian prince uncle" spam e-mail fame? They've come up with a new scam, warns the FBI. You can't believe your good fortune--you find a rental home in a nice area through a Craigslist classifi ... More >>

ACLU Demanding That Feds Turn Over OC Mosque Spying Records

The case that erupted with ex-con man Craig Monteilh's confession that he's been spying on OC mosques for the FBI will hit local federal courts this afternoon, when the ACLU makes arguments asking for the release of all theJohn GilhooleyCraig Monteilh says he spied on the Islamic Center of Irvine fo ... More >>

Public's Help Sought in Nabbing the 'Hazmat Bandit'

The Orange County Bank Robbery Task Force is seeking the public's help in identifying an armed bank robber authorities have dubbed the "Hazmat Bandit" due to his attire: a white painter's jumpsuit, a white hat, boots and sunglasses.The unidentified man--described as white, in his fifties, with long ... More >>

Work-at-Home Scams Draw FBI Attention

Hot on the heels of the Welcome to the Poorhouse post that included shady work-at-home offers in the email inbox, the FBI posted a story today warning of the same. (Note to self: when Clockwork and the G-Men are in sync, time to weatherproof against frogs falling from the sky.)The FBI expands its wa ... More >>

More Groups Sign Statement Damning FBI for Spying on Mosques

FBI Director Robert MuellerThe National Lawyers Guild--last seen in Clockwork four hours ago in relation to a debate it is hosting at Chapman University concerning visiting professor John Yoo signing off on torture while advising the Bush White House--is doing some signing off of its own. It's joine ... More >>

Some Muslims Support FBI's Stand Against CAIR

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has an office in Anaheim, has been in the news (and on this blog) a lot lately following official confirmation that the FBI has been spying on the Islamic Society of Irvine mosque. CAIR and the Islamic Educational Center of Oran ... More >>

Muslim Groups Consider Breaking FBI Ties Over Irvine Case

Citing the highly publicized case involving an undercover informant who spied on an Irvine mosque, a coalition of U.S. Muslim organizations has announced it may suspend relations with the FBI."Muslim communities throughout the United States have made significant advances in promoting and contributin ... More >>

Rohrabacher on Torture: "Just hazing"

The House Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight held a hearing on detainee treatment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba yesterday. The meeting focused on a recent FBI report documenting abusive interrogation tactics toward prisoners at the facility. Present at the hearing w ... More >>

Against the Wall

Praying, eating and bowling with the most hated student group at UC Irvine

Tuesday's Headlines

Apologetic at gunpoint: The Oxford-shirt-and-khaki-pants-donning man known as the "Irreconcilable Bandit" held up his 16th bank Monday—a California National Bank in Newport Beach. He repeatedly apologized to the teller, saying he was going through "hard times" and needed the mon ... More >>

All your porn are belong to U.S.

That's not "us" in the post title, that's U.S.   As in the U.S. federal government.  Because according to a Cnet News story (found via TPMmuckracker.com), while your boss may never find out what you're really doing with your computer when you should be working, the feds just might. Th ... More >>

Happy Xmas (War is Over?)

It was a long fight-- a generational struggle, as President Bush might say-- but UCI Professor Jon Wiener has finally prevailed: the government agreed yesterday to release the last of the classified FBI surveillance files on John Lennon. For 25 years, Wiener, a historian who has written two books ... More >>

Letters

Comparing Rand to Kolasinski Would be Similar to Comparing the Revolutionary Marx to the Revolutionary Jefferson

Thats Noose to Him

Rohrabacher presses FBI about hangings

Case Un-closed

eRohrabacher revisits the Oklahoma City bombing

Dead End

Feds deny connection between CIA and ex-Laguna Beach cop and drug dealer. So why are his files secret?

Slammer Time!

Huntington Beach councilwoman faces federal case

Slammer Time!

Huntington Beach councilwoman faces federal case

Throwing the Book at Us

Long Arms of the Law

Mondo Washington

Psychic Friends

Was John Schmitz nuts? Or did mobsters run Orange County?

Raw Deal

The Few, the Proud, the Spies

Spying on civilians was part of El Toros mission

Tip-Toe Thru the Bureau

Paranoid FBI chief ordered Tiny Tim probe