Columbus, Ga. Sheriff's Office Celebrates Adoption of Alternative Fuels with Vehicle and Facility Tour

/PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office is hosting a media event to celebrate its transition to clean alternative fueling. The tour will feature the county's new propane Autogas vehicles and newly implemented propane Autogas fueling station. The Sheriff's Office will give a propane Autogas fueling demonstration, offer visitors the opportunity to look under the hood of a propane Autogas vehicle, and provide information about the impact this alternative fuel will have on the community.

Muscogee County is converting 20 sheriff's vehicles from gasoline to propane Autogas as part of the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program, an ARRA-funded alternative fuel project that will upfit a total of about 1,200 vehicles from Washington, DC to Louisiana. Currently, the county has 16 vehicles running on propane Autogas. The Sheriff's Office also plans to convert additional vehicles to Autogas beyond those funded through the grant Program as part of their alternative fuel initiative.

"We had been exploring alternatives to gasoline, and the opportunity to participate in this Program came at the perfect time and allowed us to jumpstart our clean fuel program," says Muscogee County Sheriff John Darr. "Using propane Autogas in our Sheriff's vehicles is beneficial for our community – it reduces harmful emissions, it's domestically produced, and it's going to save our county money on fuel costs."

The vehicle and facility tour will be held today, October 22 at 12:30 p.m. at 1011 Cusseta Road, Columbus, Ga. The event is open press, and local environmental, automotive and economic development organizations are encouraged to attend. Please contact Lt. Gifford Anthony at the Sheriff's Office at (706) 653-4225 if you would like to attend or learn more about the event.

Propane Autogas is the third most widely used fuel in the world, behind only gasoline and diesel. Yet with more than 14.6 million propane Autogas vehicles in the world, the United States drives less than 2 percent of them. "Alternative fuels are an undeniable part of the nation's future, and at Muscogee County we are excited to be a part of that evolution now," Sheriff Darr adds.

Force 911, a full-service law enforcement vehicle outfitter and a certified conversion center for the Program, is performing the vehicle conversions for Muscogee County. Alliance AutoGas – with founding partners Blossman Gas (the largest independent propane supply company in the nation) and American Alternative Fuel (alternative fuel vehicle systems specialists) – is training technicians to perform the vehicle conversions for the Program, installing the refueling stations and supplying the propane Autogas fuel.

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Retired Army Major Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Role in Bribery Scheme Involving DOD Contracts in Kuwait

A retired major in the U.S. Army today was sentenced to 57 months in prison for his role in a bribery scheme related to Department of Defense (DOD) contracts awarded in Kuwait, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division Christine Varney.

Christopher H. Murray, 42, a resident of Cataula, Ga., was also ordered by Judge Clay D. Land of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia - Columbus Division to pay $245,000 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release following the prison term.

Murray pleaded guilty in January 2009 to a five-count criminal information charging him with four counts of bribery and one count of making a false statement. According to the court documents, in 2005 and 2006, then-Major Murray served as a contracting specialist in the small purchases branch of the contracting office at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. As a contracting specialist, Murray was responsible for soliciting bids for military contracts, evaluating the sufficiency of those bids, and then recommending the award of contracts to particular contractors. In this capacity, Murray solicited and received approximately $225,000 in bribes from DOD contractors in exchange for recommending the award of contracts for various goods and services.

According to court documents, Murray returned to Kuwait in fall 2006, as a contracting officer, and solicited and received another $20,000 in bribes from a DOD contractor in exchange for the award of a construction contract. When confronted with evidence of his criminal conduct, Murray made false statements to federal agents investigating the matter.

This case is being prosecuted by trial attorney Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section as well as trial attorneys Mark W. Pletcher, Emily W. Allen and Finnuala Kelleher of the Antitrust Division’s National Criminal Enforcement Section.

The case is being investigated by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; the Army Criminal Investigation Command, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the FBI; and the Internal Revenue Service.

The National Procurement Fraud Task Force, created in October 2006 by the Department of Justice, was designed to promote the early detection, identification, prevention and prosecution of procurement fraud associated with the increase in government contracting activity for national security and other government programs.

Anyone with information concerning bid rigging, bribery or other criminal conduct regarding DOD contracts is urged to call the Defense Criminal Investigative Service at 800-424-9098 or hotline@dodig.mil; Army Criminal Investigation Division at www.cid.army.mil; or the FBI at 800-225-5324.

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Fort Benning Arsonist Sentenced

/PRNewswire/ -- Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and Fort Benning announced today the sentencing of a former Army civilian employee responsible for burning down the Fort Benning Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) building on Feb. 6, 2009. The Honorable Clay Land, U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia sentenced Shawana Topekia Pierce, 31, of Columbus, to 84 months (7 years) in federal prison, plus 3 years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $7.5 million in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.

"This was an attack on an institution of justice, having a significant community impact," said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Gant of ATF's Atlanta Field Division. "ATF, Army CID, and military police investigators brought to bear every available asset in our collective effort to investigate the fire and solve this crime. This investigation is a textbook example of agencies working together to solve a complex case in very short order."

"Today's sentencing should send a clear message to everyone affiliated with the U.S. Army, in or out or uniform, that if you perpetrate a crime against our Army or its people, or destroy government property, we will track you down and do everything in our power to bring you to justice," said Brigadier General Rodney Johnson, the Commanding General of Army CID. "We were fortunate to have such a tremendous working relationship with the ATF throughout this investigation and we were even more fortunate that none of our first responders or Soldiers were killed during this senseless act."

At the request of the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Command, ATF deployed its National Response Team (NRT) and special agents from ATF's Atlanta Field Division joined the investigation to work alongside CID agents and Military Police personnel. By Feb. 11, the team of investigators had officially determined the cause of the fire to be incendiary ("arson"), had secured a federal warrant for Pierce's arrest and took her into custody on the same day. Later that month, a federal grand jury formally charged Pierce for the federal crime of arson for her role in causing the destruction of the Ft. Benning SJA office building.

According to information presented in court and U.S. Attorney's Office officials who prosecuted the case, Pierce pleaded guilty to the charge on July 15, 2009 and admitted to burning down the facility. On February 6, Pierce traveled to Fort Benning and went to the SJA building, where she broke a window, entered the building and poured gasoline in different places. She also placed piles of paper on some desks. Pierce then placed two propane gas bottles inside the building and used a butane lighter to ignite the gasoline-soaked parts of the building, then departed.

The Fort Benning Fire Department, assisted by the Columbus Fire Department, responded to and suppressed the fire. The SJA building was completely destroyed. Two first responders, a fire fighter and a police officer, suffered smoke injuries during the fire and were treated at a hospital.

"The Fort Benning community really came together to reestablish legal services, immediately following the fire, which is a tremendous testimony to the team here," said Col. Tracy Barnes, Staff Judge Advocate. "But we still feel the effects today, since we are now operating out of four locations across post. Fort Benning also suffered an historical loss, since the SJA building was the second oldest building on Fort Benning."

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Man Arrested on Charges of Conspiracy to Assault Federal Officers and Employees

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta; and Federal Protective Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announces the arrest today of Michael Eugene Hale, age 38. Hale was arrested on Friday, August 7, 2009, at his place of employment, 5427 Veterans Parkway, Columbus, Georgia, by FBI Special Agents and FPS Agents, without incident. Hale was charged with a violation of Title 18, Section 115(b), Conspiracy to Assault Federal Officers/Employees.

On Friday, August 7th, 2009, Special Agents and Officers of the FBI, FPS, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Columbus Homeland Security Office and Investigators of the Harris County, Georgia Sheriffs Office executed a federal search warrant at 1285 Central Church Road, Midland, Georgia in connection with this investigation.

Hale is currently lodged in the Muscogee County Jail and will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Columbus, Georgia on August 11, 2009, for his initial appearance.

This investigation was conducted jointly by the above noted agencies and stems from an alleged threat to the Social Security Office at Columbus, Georgia.

The public is reminded that all persons are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Return of FBI Top Ten Fugitive Michael Jason Registe to Columbus, Georgia

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, and Chief Ricky Boren, Columbus, Georgia Police Department, announce the return of FBI Top Ten Fugitive Michael Jason Registe to Columbus, Georgia.

Michael Jason Registe, wanted for the July, 2007 double murders of Columbus State University students Bryan Kilgore and Randy Newton Jr. at Columbus, Georgia, was arrested by St. Maarten police officials in conjunction with the Antilles Director of Public Prosecution and through coordination with the FBI’s Legal Attaché, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Registe, accompanied by FBI agents as well as a Columbus, Georgia police officer, landed at Columbus, Georgia via government jet and, upon landing on U.S. soil, was turned over to local authorities for processing. Registe has been indicted by a grand jury and will now await arraignment on those state charges.

The public is reminded that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Columbus Lawyer Charged in 40 Count Indictment

Joseph D. Newman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Macon, Georgia returned a forty-count indictment against Columbus attorney, John Mark Shelnutt, age 46. He was charged with Conspiracy to Launder Money in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h), Money Laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 1956, Aiding and Abetting a Cocaine Conspiracy, in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Section 846, Attempted Bribery of a Federal Official, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201, Witness Tampering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512, Failure to File Cash Reporting Forms, in violation of Title 31, United States Code, Section 5331, and Making False Statements to an FBI Agent, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.

Newman, who is Acting U.S. Attorney on this particular case, stated that the indictment stems from a lengthy investigation of the Torrance Hill drug organization which operated in Columbus between 2004 - 2006. In that case, DEA agents seized over 270 kilograms of cocaine and more than $740,000 in cash. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia prosecuted the case against Hill and his conspirators, but recused their office from the current case due to a conflict.

The indictment charges that beginning in 2005 and continuing until 2008, Shelnutt participated in a conspiracy to launder proceeds of Hill’s drug organization. He is also charged with directly aiding and abetting Hill’s drug organization. Shelnutt was also charged in 31 substantive counts of money laundering, three counts of false statement, two counts of failure to file cash reporting forms, one count of attempted bribery, and one count of witness tampering. If convicted of the drug conspiracy charges, Shelnutt faces a statutory penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment and a $4 million fine. If convicted on the money laundering charges, Shelnutt faces a statutory penalty of up to 20 years and a fine of $500,000 on each count. Newman stressed that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Columbus, Georgia Offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. Rodney G. Benson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commended the agents that worked on this long-running investigation. Benson stated, “This investigation would not have been possible without the cooperation of the various participating agencies. This indictment demonstrates that no one is above the law."

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ATF Doubles Reward for Information on Fort Benning J.A.G. Office Building Fire

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today announced that they are offering an additional $5,000 for information that would assist investigators in determining the cause of the fire that occurred on Feb. 6, at the Ft. Benning Judge Advocate General (J.A.G.) Office building.

ATF is matching the $5,000 reward offered earlier by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) for information on the fire.

Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact CID at 706-545-8915 or e-mail CID at crimetips@conus.army.mil, or ATF's 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-888-ATF-FIRE (1-888-283-3473).

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ATF National Response Team Activated to Army J.A.G. Office Building Fire

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At the request of the United States Army, Criminal Investigation Command, the National Response Team (NRT) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with ATF special agents from the Atlanta Field Division, have entered into the investigation of a fire that occurred on the Fort Benning U.S. Army post. The fire occurred on Feb. 6, 2009, at the Judge Advocate General (J.A.G.) Office building. The J.A.G. office was approximately 10,000 square feet and was totally destroyed by the fire. The investigation is continuing.

The NRT arrived in town and began work at the scene today alongside military investigators in reconstructing the scene, identifying the origin of the fire, conducting interviews, and sifting through debris.

In 1978, ATF developed the NRT to provide resources to federal, state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at the scenes of significant fire and explosives incidents. The NRT consists of four teams organized geographically to cover the United States. Each team can respond within 24 hours to assist state and local law enforcement/fire service personnel in onsite investigations.

In addition to investigating hundreds of large fire scenes, the NRT has also been activated to scenes such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City federal building bombing and the 9/11 Pentagon crash site, as well as explosions at explosives and ammunition manufacturing plants, legal fireworks factories and illegal explosive device manufacturing operations.

The teams are each composed of veteran special agents who have post blast and fire origin-and-cause expertise; forensic chemists; explosives enforcement officers; fire protection engineers; accelerant detection canines; explosives detection canines; intelligence support, computer forensic support and audit support.

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Human Rights Advocates Face Six Months in Federal Prison for Nonviolent Direct Action Opposing the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC)

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, January 26, 2009, six human rights advocates will begin federal trials for carrying the protest against the School of the Americas onto the Fort Benning military base in Georgia. This school, re-named the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, is a controversial U.S. Army training school for Latin American soldiers. Each person faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine for this act of nonviolent civil disobedience.

The 6 were among the tens of thousands who gathered on November 22-23, 2008 outside the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia to demand a change in U.S.-Latin America foreign policy and the closure of the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC). The group peacefully crossed onto Ft. Benning in memory of those killed by graduates of the institution.

The "SOA 6" are:

Sr. Diane Pinchot, OSU, from Cleveland, Ohio
Theresa Cusimano, Denver, Colorado
Father Luis Barrios, from North Bergen, NJ
Al Simmons, from Richmond, Virginia
Louis Wolf, from Washington, DC
Kristen Holm, from Chicago, Illinois


The SOA/WHINSEC, a military training facility for Latin American security personnel located at Fort Benning, Georgia, made headlines in 1996 when the Pentagon released training manuals used at the school that advocated torture, extortion and execution. In spite of an aggressive international PR campaign and lobbying efforts on behalf of WHINSEC, support for the institute continues to erode. With over thirty-five Representatives who voted to continue funding the SOA/WHINSEC losing their seats in Congress in November 2008, human rights advocates have their sights set on pressuring the new Congress to permanently shut down the school in 2009. The last vote to defund the SOA/WHINSEC, in 2007, lost by a margin of only six votes.

The trial at the Federal Court in Columbus, Georgia will begin at 9am before Judge G. Mallon Faircloth, known for handing down stiff sentences to SOA/WHINSEC opponents. Since protests against the SOA/WHINSEC began 19 years ago, 237 people have served prison sentences of up to two years for nonviolent civil disobedience.

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Retired Army Major Pleads Guilty in Bribery Scheme Involving Department of Defense Contracts in Kuwait

A retired major in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty today (January 8) to charges of bribery and making a false statement arising out of his activities as both a contracting specialist and a contracting officer at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from 2005 through 2007, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division and Acting Assistant Attorney General Deborah A. Garza of the Antitrust Division announced.

Christopher H. Murray, 41, a resident of Cataula, Ga., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ga., to a five-count information charging him with four counts of bribery and one count of making a false statement.

According to the information, in 2005 and 2006, Murray served as a contracting specialist in the small purchases branch of the contracting office at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where he was responsible for soliciting bids for military contracts, evaluating the sufficiency of those bids, and then recommending the award of contracts to particular contractors. In this capacity, Murray admitted he received approximately $225,000 in bribes from DOD contractors in exchange for recommending the award of contracts for various goods and services.

According to the information, Murray admitted that when he returned to Kuwait in fall 2006 as a contracting officer, he received an additional $20,000 in bribes from a Department of Defense (DOD) contractor in exchange for the award of a construction contract. When confronted with evidence of his criminal conduct, Murray admitted he made false statements to federal agents investigating this matter.

Murray faces up to 15 years in prison on each bribery count, as well as a criminal fine of $250,000 or three times the monetary equivalent of the thing of value for each count. Murray also faces up to five years in prison on the false statement charge as well as a fine of $250,000. The maximum fines may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.

“Murray abused his position of trust by awarding contracts to those willing to pay him bribes,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich. “There are no more important purchases made by the federal government than those of goods and services used by our men and women in uniform. Procurement officers who sacrifice their positions of trust for the sake of personal enrichment can expect to be prosecuted.”

“The Antitrust Division will continue to vigorously prosecute those who commit bribery and other offenses, which deprive the U.S. military and, ultimately, U.S. taxpayers, of a competitive market,” said Deborah A. Garza, Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division.

“SIGIR vigorously continues to pursue investigations into allegations of fraud in Iraq,” said Stuart Bowen, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. “Maj. Murray grossly abused his position of trust, committing multiple acts of fraud for which he will now pay a just price. This successful investigation was part of ongoing cooperative efforts being carried out by SIGIR and our law enforcement partners.”

Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command said this guilty plea is just another example of how seriously his criminal investigators and the U.S. Army take these criminal acts of greed and how determined he and his special agents are to bring these people to justice. “People who do business with the U.S. military should know by now that if they violate the public’s trust and commit criminal acts, they will be caught by a team of highly-trained professionals looking for this type of criminality. We will not stand for it,” said Johnson.

“The American public expects military officers to behave in an aboveboard manner,” said James R. Ives, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “The vast majority of officers are disciplined, law abiding professionals who serve with honor. Duty, accountability, responsibility and integrity inspire their attitudes and actions. Officers who fail to live up to these standards erode public support for the military and undermine confidence in government. The Defense Criminal Investigative Service remains committed to working with the Department of Justice to ensure officials who betray the public trust are held firmly accountable.”

Today’s charges represent the Department’s commitment to protecting U.S. taxpayers from procurement fraud through its creation of the National Procurement Fraud Task Force. The National Procurement Fraud Initiative, announced in October 2006, is designed to promote the early detection, prosecution, and prevention of procurement fraud associated with the increase in contracting activity for national security and other government programs.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, which is headed by Chief William M. Welch II, and Trial Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher, Emily W. Allen and Finnuala Kelleher of the Antitrust Division’s National Criminal Enforcement Section, which is headed by Chief Lisa Phelan.

The case is being investigated by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; the Army Criminal Investigation Command, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the FBI; and the Internal Revenue Service.

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Eddie Milton Garey, Jr. Sentencing Affirmed

Maxwell Wood, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced today that on October 31, 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the prison sentence of Eddie Milton Garey, Jr.

In early September 2003, the Macon - Bibb County 911 Center received a series of disturbing calls from the same unidentified caller. Using several different cellular telephones and a computer generated voice, the caller tried to extort money by threatening to bomb and gas various locations throughout Macon, Georgia. On September 11, 2003, agents traced the calls to a local residence, and found themselves at the home of Garey.

Garey was tried in December 2004. On December 17, 2004, a jury in Columbus, Georgia found the defendant guilty of twenty-seven (27) charges arising from the bomb threats. On August 10, 2005, the Honorable Clay D. United States District Judge, imposed a sentence of 360 months imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.

On August 20, 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, sitting en banc, found that Garey properly waived his right to counsel when Garey announced that he represent himself.

The October 31 decision affirmed Garey's 360 month sentence. A panel of the appellate court found that Garey was appropriately sentenced under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, and that the district court properly found that Garey's offensive conduct was a federal crime of terrorism.

Agencies involved in the investigation included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Macon Police Department and the Bibb County Sheriffs Office. The appeals were handled by Elizabeth A. Olson and Elizabeth D. Collery, United States Department of Justice, Criminal Appellate Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Dean S. Daskal. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Tracia M. King, Jennifer Kolman and Harry J. Fox, Jr.

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Muscogee County Marshals Take Top National Honors in IACP Law Enforcement Awards

The Muscogee County Marshal’s Office has taken Second Place among the nation’s top law enforcement agencies in the prestigious National Law Enforcement Challenge judged by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). In an official ceremony conducted in Columbus by the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Director Bob Dallas presented the National IACP Award to Muscogee County Marshal Gregory Countryman on Wednesday, October 29th, at 10AM.

There were 560 entries from 30 states and Canada entered in the National IACP Law Enforcement Challenge. GOHS Director Bob Dallas said, “This means the Annual IACP Challenge has recognized the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office as a national winner among all competing law enforcement agencies from across the country. We’re honored to see the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office receive this Award in the IACP’s National Law Enforcement Challenge.”

Georgia’s Highway Safety Director will present the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office with an IACP National Second Place Award for the Special Law Enforcement Agency category in recognition of overall highway safety officer training, public information and education initiatives, innovative public safety programs, and highway safety enforcement efforts.

The actual IACP award will be presented to the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office at the National Highway Safety Awards Banquet on November 11th in San Diego, California.

“We’re delighted that Muscogee County will be one of eighteen Georgia law enforcement agencies recognized at the upcoming IACP Highway Safety Awards in San Diego,” said GOHS Director Bob Dallas. “Together, these fine law enforcement agencies from Georgia will receive a total of 20 National Law Enforcement Challenge Awards.” The Annual IACP National Law Enforcement Challenge is designed to recognize the efforts of law enforcement agencies that save lives on our highways by increasing safety belt usage, slowing down speeders and reducing impaired and aggressive driving.

“The Muscogee County’s Marshal’s Office was awarded for their local enforcement efforts in the Columbus area,” said GOHS Director Dallas. “I am truly proud of everything Muscogee County does to save lives in their community and on Georgia’s roadways. It’s gratifying to see this department recognized for their pro-active measures and excellence on the job.”

The Muscogee County Marshal’s Office is an active member of the GOHS West Central Traffic Enforcement Network called WCTEN. The WCTEN network covers Talbot, Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley, Stewart, Webster, Sumpter, Quitman, Randolph, Terrell, Clay, Taylor and Calhoun County traffic enforcement agencies.

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ATF National Response Team Activated to Georgia Mill Fire

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Response Team (NRT) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with ATF special agents from the Columbus Satellite Office and the Macon Field Office, of the Atlanta Field Division, have entered into the investigation of a large commercial fire at the request of the Columbus Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services. The fire occurred Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Bibb Mill located at 3715 First Ave., downtown Columbus. The NRT arrived today and will begin its work at the scene.

The 750,000 square foot structure was built around 1920 and holds significant historical value to the community. The approximate loss is estimated at $2 million. The Mill housed several businesses and a portion of the property was to be converted to a condominium community. There are no reported injuries at this time and the investigation is continuing.

In 1978, ATF developed the NRT to provide resources to federal, state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at the scenes of significant arson and explosives incidents. The NRT consists of four teams organized geographically to cover the United States. Each team can respond within 24 hours to assist state and local law enforcement/fire service personnel in onsite investigations.

In addition to investigating hundreds of large fire scenes, the NRT has also been activated to scenes such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing and the 9/11 Pentagon crash site, as well as explosions at explosives and ammunition manufacturing plants, legal fireworks factories and illegal explosive device manufacturing operations.

The teams are each composed of veteran special agents who have post blast and fire origin-and-cause expertise; forensic chemists; explosives enforcement officers; fire protection engineers; accelerant detection canines; explosives detection canines; intelligence support, computer forensic support and audit support. The teams work alongside state and local officers in reconstructing the scene, identifying the seat of the blast or origin of the fire, conducting interviews, and sifting through debris to obtain evidence related to the bombing/arson.

Further complementing the team's efforts are technical, legal and intelligence advisors. Moreover, a fleet of fully equipped response vehicles strategically located throughout the United States is available to provide logistical support.

This will be the NRT's second activation in fiscal year 2009 and the 660th activation since the inception of the NRT in 1978.

ATF is the federal agency with jurisdiction for investigating fires and crimes of arson. More information on ATF can be found at www.atf.gov.

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175 Alleged Gulf Cartel Members and Associates Arrested in Massive International Law Enforcement Operation

Today Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced that 175 individuals were arrested today and on September 16, 2008, on charges related to an international drug trafficking cartel in a coordinated enforcement action by hundreds of international, federal, state and local law enforcement officials throughout the United States and Italy. Including the operations announced today, a long-term investigation of one of Mexico’s largest drug trafficking cartels and its U.S. and international distribution networks has resulted in the arrest of more than 500 individuals in the United States, Mexico and Italy to date.

“Project Reckoning,” a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA, targeted the Mexican drug trafficking cartel known as the Gulf Cartel. Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano, and Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez. These individuals, each designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), have been indicted in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on charges that they conspired to import drugs into the United States from Mexico. A CPOT designation is reserved for significant narcotics traffickers who are believed to be the leaders of drug trafficking organizations responsible for the importation of large quantities of narcotics into the United States.

The Gulf Cartel is responsible for the transportation of multi-ton quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, and Mexico to the United States, as well as the distribution of those narcotics within the United States. The Gulf Cartel is also believed to be responsible for laundering multiple millions of dollars in criminal proceeds. Individuals indicted in the cases are charged with a variety of crimes, including: drug trafficking charges related to cocaine and marijuana; solicitation and conspiracy to kidnap; attempted murder; conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime; conspiracy to kill and kidnap in a foreign country; interstate and foreign travel in aid of racketeering; money laundering; and other related crimes.

To date, Project Reckoning has resulted in the arrest of 507 individuals and the seizure of approximately $60.1 million in U.S. currency, 16,711 kilograms of cocaine, 1,039 pounds of methamphetamine, 19 pounds of heroin, 51,258 pounds of marijuana, 176 vehicles, and 167 weapons. Project Reckoning, a 15-month investigation, combined into one centrally coordinated effort several multi-district enforcement operations that all involved individuals with close ties to the Gulf Cartel. Operation Dos Equis, Operation Vertigo, Operation Stinger, and Operation The Family, as well as numerous local operations combined to form Project Reckoning.

“By spreading dangerous drugs and resorting to brutal violence, international drug cartels pose an extraordinary threat both here and abroad,” said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. “The scope of the threat demands a deliberate and sustained response and the success we have had, such as the takedowns announced today, is due to the combined efforts of federal, state, local, and international law enforcement. Although I am pleased with the efforts so far, we cannot and will not rest on these successes. The threat posed by international drug cartels is too great. It will take all of us working together to prevail.”

“We successfully completed a hard-hitting, coordinated, and massive assault on the powerful and extremely violent Gulf Cartel,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “We have arrested U.S. cell heads, stripped the cartel of $60 million in cash, imprisoned their brutal assassins, and significantly disrupted their U.S. infrastructure. DEA will continue our relentless attack against this cartel, aiming to dismantle them and stop the violence they inflict on Southwest Border communities.”

“Metro Atlanta unfortunately continues to be a major drug distribution center for the Southeast and beyond. The DEA and our many other law enforcement partners continue to aggressively investigate all aspects of the drug trade,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia David E. Nahmias. “This major case is another example of their effective, coordinated efforts. The two cartel cells indicted in Atlanta acted like many shipping businesses, coordinating the transportation of truckloads of hidden drugs and millions of dollars in currency across the country and to and from Mexico. Through our sophisticated investigation and prosecutions, we have disrupted these organizations, seized large amounts of their poisons and proceeds, and now will work hard to lock up their members for many years to come.”

“This operation exemplifies the European vision of the international fight against drug trafficking,” said Dr. Nicola Gratteri, Italian Public Prosecutor for the Anti-mafia District Attorney's Office of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

These cases are being handled by attorneys in the Northern District of Georgia; Southern District of Texas; Northern District of Texas; Western District of Texas; District of New Jersey; Eastern District of Louisiana; District of New Mexico; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of North Carolina; Southern District of New York; and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Office of International Affairs. In addition, local prosecutions in this case will occur in the states of California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri.

The investigative efforts in Project Reckoning were coordinated by the Justice Department’s Special Operations Division, the DEA, FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. More than 200 federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies contributed investigative and prosecutorial resources to Project Reckoning through the OCDETF. Significant assistance was also provided by a coalition of international investigative agencies spearheaded by DEA offices located in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Italy, with assistance from foreign counterparts in each of those countries.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Top Ten Fugitive Michael Jason Registe Captured in St. Maarten

Registe, wanted for the July, 2007 double murders of Columbus State University students Bryan Kilgore and Randy Newton Jr. at Columbus, Georgia, was arrested by St. Maarten Police officials in conjunction with the Antilles Director of Public Prosecution and through coordination with the FBI's Legal Attaché, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Numerous tips were received by the FBI after the airing of an America's Most Wanted television segment featuring Registe. That ultimately led local St. Maarten authorities to the Belvedere section of Dutch St. Maarten where Registe was arrested at approximately 11:10 this morning, August 27, 2008, while at a guest house. SWAT entry was made and Registe was taken into custody without further incident.

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New Top Ten Fugitive - Suspect in 2007 Double Murder

Wanted by the FBI: A Georgia man wanted for his alleged participation in a 2007 execution-style double murder has been added to our Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, and we are offering a $100,000 reward for information leading directly to his arrest.

Michael Jason Registe, born in Fort Benning, Georgia, is believed to be 26 years old, but has used dates of birth ranging from 1982 to 1989. He is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds, and has a number of tattoos, including the cartoon character Yosemite Sam on his right forearm with the words "Stick Up Kid" underneath it.

The charges. On July 20, 2007, officers with the Columbus, Georgia Police Department arrived at the scene of a shooting, where they found two males inside a truck. Both had suffered execution-style gunshot wounds to the back of their heads. One of the victims died at the scene, and the other died shortly afterward. An investigation into the murders pointed to Registe, and arrest warrants were obtained charging him with allegedly committing the crimes. On July 23, 2007, a federal warrant was issued charging Registe with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He is also wanted by the Columbus Police Department on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault for a 2005 shooting in which the victim was severely wounded.

Registe is known to go by several aliases, including Michael Register, Michael Registe Jr., Jason Registe, Kareem Luke Penn, Hakeem Luke Penn, David Nathaniel Noland, and David N. Noland. He has ties to the United States Virgin Islands, specifically the island of St. Thomas.

Registe has several tattoos, including one showing the Yosemite Sam cartoon character with the words "Stick Up Kid" underneath (see far right photo).

We need your help. If you have information that you believe may be helpful to this investigation, contact our Atlanta office or submit a tip on our Tips and Public Leads webpage. Registe should be considered armed and dangerous.