Historic Footage Connected to Gardner Museum Burglary Released, FBI Seeks Public Assistance

The U.S. Justice Department released a video of some one who may be connected to the infamous unsolved Boston art museum burglary in 1990.  

BOSTON—Twenty-five years after the notorious burglary of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, law enforcement officials are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an unauthorized visitor to the museum the night before the theft. That person entered the museum through the same door as the thieves in the middle of the night, 24 hours before the theft.

“Over many months we have engaged in an exhaustive re-examination of the original evidence in this case. Our aim has been to ensure that all avenues have been explored in the continuing quest to recover these artworks,” said United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz. “Today we are releasing video images from the night before the theft—images which have not previously been seen by the public—with the hope of identifying an unauthorized visitor to the museum. With the public’s help, we may be able to develop new information that could lead to the recovery of these invaluable works of art.”

The video footage released today, captured by Museum security cameras 24 hours before the Gardner heist, shows an automobile pull up next to a rear entrance of the Museum. The car matches the general description of a vehicle that was reported to have been parked outside the Museum moments prior to the theft on March 18, 1990.

You can read the rest of the report and watch the video via the below link:

https://www.fbi.gov/boston/press-releases/2015/historic-footage-connected-to-gardner-museum-burglary-released-public-assistance-sought 

George Will: Gifted Writer Chronicles The 'Vocabulary Of Mutilation Of Mexican Drug Cartels'

George Will in his column in the Washington Post covers Don Winslow's crime thriller The Cartel and the war on drugs. 

Don Winslow, novelist and conscientious objector to America’s longest “war,” was skeptical when he was in Washington on a recent Sunday morning. This was shortly after news broke about the escape, from one of Mexico’s “maximum security” prisons, of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Guzman reportedly disappeared through a tunnel almost a mile long and built solely for his escape. Asked about this, Winslow, his fork poised over an omelet, dryly said he thinks Guzmán might actually have driven away from the prison’s front gate in a Lincoln Town Car. What might seem like cynicism could be Winslow’s realism. Fourteen years ago, Guzmán allegedly escaped from another “maximum security” prison simply by hiding in a laundry cart. With exquisite understatement, the Wall Street Journal reports that his recent escape raised “new concerns about corruption in Mexican law enforcement.”

You can read the rest of the column via the below link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-gifted-writer-chronicles-the-drug-cartels-vocabulary-of-mutilation/2015/08/05/7547f5c4-3ada-11e5-8e98-115a3cf7d7ae_story.html 

FBI: Cold Case Investigation Solves A Decades-Old Mystery

The FBI website offers a report on a cold case investigation.

Tonya Hughes was just shy of her 21st birthday on a spring day in 1990 when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Oklahoma City. She died five days later, but the investigation into her suspicious death led to a mystery—and a murder—that took decades to fully unravel.

That’s because Tonya Hughes was not who anyone thought she was—and neither was her husband, Clarence Hughes, who now sits on death row in a Florida prison.

“The FBI has been chipping away at this one,” said Special Agent Scott Lobb, who began working the cold case investigation in 2013 out of the Bureau’s Oklahoma City Division. “There were a lot of peculiar twists to this case.”

Tonya left behind a child, Michael Hughes. Her husband claimed he was Michael’s biological father, but shortly after Tonya died, Clarence gave Michael to Oklahoma state welfare officials and promptly disappeared. “He knew the truth would come out,” Lobb said, “and so he fled.”

The truth—discovered during the hit-and-run investigation—was that Clarence Hughes was actually Franklin Delano Floyd, a federal fugitive from Georgia wanted since 1973.

You can read the rest of the report via the below link:

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2015/august/cold-case-investigation/cold-case-investigation?utm_campaign=email-Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=fbi-top-stories&utm_content=456772 

DEA Announces Tip Line, Wanted Poster For Fugitive Mexican Drug Lord Joaguin "El Chapo" Guzman-Loera

The DEA released the below information:

WASHINGTON, DC – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced today a toll-free tip line where the general public in the United States, Mexico, Central  and South America can report any information that could aid in the apprehension of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman-Loera, who escaped a Mexican prison in July.

 The tip line will be managed by the DEA San Diego Division. In addition to the tip line, the public can email tips to CHAPOTIPS@USDOJ.GOV. In concert with the launch of the tip line, DEA has also released a wanted poster that contains the number, email address, and the U.S. State Department reward of up to $5 million for the arrest and conviction of Chapo. The poster can be found at DEA.gov. 

 “Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman-Loera has destroyed lives and communities throughout the United States and Mexico and his capture is a high priority for DEA,” said Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg.  “His escape poses a danger to the safety and security of both our countries.  DEA will continue to work closely with our Mexican counterparts and provide as many resources as possible to ensure his arrest.” 

 The tip line number in the United States is (844) 692-4101 and outside the U.S. the number is 001-844-692-4101.

Guzman-Loera was arrested on June 9, 1993, in Mexico on charges related to murder and drug trafficking and was sentenced to a 20 year prison term. However, on January 19, 2001, Guzman-Loera escaped from the federal maximum security prison in Jalisco, Mexico. While on the run from Mexican authorities, Guzman-Loera re-established himself as the top ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel and leader of the Mexican drug trade, becoming the world’s #1 fugitive and a Forbes-listed billionaire. He was rearrested on February 22, 2014, in a modest resort hotel in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. On July 11, 2015, he again escaped from Altiplano federal maximum security prison in the State of Mexico.

Guzman-Loera was in charge of the Guzman-Loera drug trafficking organization (DTO), which in turn, is part of the larger Sinaloa Cartel. Under the leadership of Guzman-Loera and his partner, Ismael Zambada-Garcia, the Sinaloa Cartel controls vast trafficking operations on an international scale, with the majority of its drugs being distributed to the United States. The Sinaloa Cartel bases its operations principally in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Sonora, Durango and Baja California, although it also has representation in several other states throughout the Republic. In addition to its distribution cells in the United States, the DTO transports drug shipments to Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa and Asia. Their organization smuggles multi-ton cocaine shipments from South America through Central America into Mexico. They are also involved in the manufacture, transport and distribution of methamphetamine and heroin. Additionally, the organization operates several large scale marijuana plantations in Sinaloa and surrounding areas. The Sinaloa Cartel organization relies on bulk currency shipments to move drug proceeds across the United States-Mexico border.

Guzman-Loera has been charged with drug trafficking and related crimes in several U.S. District Courts, to include the District of Arizona, the Southern District of California, the Western District of Texas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of New York, and the Southern District of Florida. The first U.S. indictment against Guzman-Loera was unsealed in San Diego on September 28, 1995, charging him and 22 members of his organization with conspiracy to import over eight tons of cocaine and money laundering.

Florida Resident Sentenced For Accessing And Removing Classified Information From Military Computers

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

Christopher R. Glenn, 34, a South Florida Resident, was sentenced on July 31, 2015, to 120 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra of the Southern District of Florida following his guilty plea for willful retention of classified national defense information under the Espionage Act, computer intrusion under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and conspiracy to commit naturalization fraud.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.

“Christopher Glenn exploited his position as a cleared military contractor and systems administrator to steal classified U.S. military secrets,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “In doing so, he violated the unique trust placed in him by the Department of Defense. Insider threats by trusted employees who exploit computer access are a significant danger to U.S. national security and this sentencing shows it will not be tolerated.”

“The defendant exploited and violated the special trust placed in him as a computer network system administrator working at a United States military base, in order to penetrate the computer system and steal classified materials,” said U.S. Attorney Ferrer. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute insider threats to national security and we will bring those violators to justice.”

According to court records, while working as a computer systems administrator at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras, Glenn accessed a classified Department of Defense network without authorization and removed classified national defense information from Department of Defense and U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM’s) Joint Task Force-Bravo, including intelligence reports and military plans. Glenn proceeded to encrypt the files and place them on an Internet-accessible network storage device located in his residence in Honduras.

Glenn also conspired with his wife, Khadraa A. Glenn, 28, to commit naturalization fraud for her benefit by fabricating fraudulent documents and submitting false statements and the documents to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Khadraa A. Glenn previously pleaded guilty to naturalization fraud conspiracy and was sentenced on Oct. 7, 2014.

Assistant Attorney General Carlin and U.S. Attorney Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, U.S. Army’s 470thMilitary Intelligence Brigade, U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigations Division, SOUTHCOM, USCIS, IRS-CI, the Department of Homeland Security and the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Del Toro of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Christian Ford of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. 

Navy Official: Not Ruling Out Charging Service Member Who Fired On Chattanooga Shooter

Foxnews.com reports on the possibility of charges against the brave naval officer who fired back at the Chattanooga terrorist. 

A Navy official told Fox News that punishing a lieutenant commander who used an unauthorized weapon to fire back at the Chattanooga gunman who shot and killed five service members could not be “completely ruled out,” and two high-profile former military officers, including presidential candidate Jim Webb, say the Navy is at least seriously considering charging the man.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/03/navy-official-not-ruling-out-charging-service-member-who-fired-on-chattanooga/

A Visit To The Philadelphia Museum Of Art's "Discovering the Impressionists" Exhibit

This past Friday my wife and I took our 11-year-old granddaughter to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the "Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting" exhibit.

We had a great day. It brought back memories of when we took our children to the art museum some years ago. My granddaughter was bright, curious and fun and she loved and the paintings, as well as the museum's grand building and spectacular grounds. And yes, she ran up the museum's steps like the Rocky character.

We saw the fine paintings of Monet, Manet, Degas, Legrand and others.

Below are some of the paintings we viewed:

We also visited the museum's other exhibits, including the Japanese tea house and the historical military armor:

You can learn more about the impressionists exhibit via the below link:

http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/813.html?page=2