APNewsBreak: Feds indict ex-Blackwater president (Gary Jackson)

[ProSense]

Source: Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. – The former president of Blackwater Worldwide and four other former officials at the embattled security firm were indicted Friday on federal weapons charges, partially the result of a raid two years ago by agents that rounded up 22 weapons, including AK-47s.

The indictment issued Friday charges Gary Jackson, who left the company last year in a management shakeup, along with four other former workers. The charges against Jackson include a conspiracy to violate firearms laws, false statements and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Also indicted were former general counsel Andrew Howell, former executive vice president Bill Mathews, Ana Bundy, who at one point had oversight of the firm's armory, and Ronald Slezak, who was hired to oversee documents related to the company's status as a firearms dealer.

The charges open a new front of the government's oversight of the sullied security company. Several of the company's contractors have previously been charged with federal crimes for their actions in war zones, but the company's executives have so far weathered a range of investigations.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_bi_ge/us_blackwater_probe_2

[safeinOhio]

1. When you see the words

"professional courtesy" use by any LEO, some one is going to get fired, arrested or put on leave. Professional courtesy is not allowed.

[Grand Taurean]

14. "Professional Courtesy" is quite commonly used

with LEO's. Just read their online blogs (policeone, officer.com, masscops(Massachusetts), etc...

[safeinOhio]

16. Mention those words to any chief or

Sheriff and just watch their reaction. While cops use the term all the time in their chatter and anonymous post, just like the term "throw down", you'll never ever hear them refer to it in a court, review board or in front of a respectable administrator. For this guy to use the term with a reporter shows he has taken few criminal justice classes and no graduate courses.

google the term

[No Elephants]

40. So, ask to speak with an Aries.

[Dogtown]

2. K&R n/t

[izquierdista]

3. Goldman Sachs, Blackwater

Come on Holder, let's see you do a hat trick.

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. Like

:thumbsup:

[Robb]

7. (kneels to pray)

"Rove."

[tinrobot]

32. "Cheney"

[robertpaulsen]

8. Please. For someone who no longer has an undisclosed bunker to hide in.

I'll keep my fingers crossed!

[No Elephants]

41. Meh. I bet he still has a bunker in an undisclosed location.

[Demeter]

11. Holder isn't onto GS Yet--Just the SEC, which is Civil, not Criminal

and there are fears that the fix is in, as well, and GS makes lemonade by shorting itself....

[No Elephants]

42. OMG! I just googled Securities Exchange Commision crime and look what came up first:

http://www.sec.gov/news/testimony/ts142000.htm

I don't remember hearing about organized crime involvement in Wall Street!

Wow. I was only looking for what happens after the SEC investigates and comes up with violations of securities laws.

[myrna minx]

17. From your fingers..

*Please* *Pretty Please*

[HereinDC]

38. I'm feeling a little better

about November Elections.

[Ian David]

5. About fucking TIME! n/t

[oasis]

6. Woo-hoo

:woohoo:

[supernova]

9. When are they going after Prince?

[nclib]

10. That's what I was wondering. n/t

[supernova]

15. Hi!

:hi:

[Demeter]

12. Ask Her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHYkRGUfcVE

[supernova]

13. Smartypants!

:P

[lib_wit_it]

52. Or him:

[dotymed]

22. Prince? Never.

He is a bona fide CIA agent with many get out of jail free cards, and they now have their scapegoat.

[dotymed]

24. 22 weapons including AK47's?

Wow! Eric Prince has weaponry, artillery probably a drone or two. Smoke and mirrors. Same as the old boss.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

39. (PRINCE) Blackwater founder to speak at Tulip Time luncheon May 5

can you believe it? I wondered if this were a bizarre joke.

Blackwater founder to speak at Tulip Time luncheon
April 14, 2010

A Michigan native whose security company was banned from Iraq after a 2007 shooting left 17 Iraqis dead will serve as guest speaker at the Tulip Time Festival Luncheon in Holland.

The Grand Rapids Press reports that life experiences and lessons learned while growing up in the southwestern Michigan city of Holland are among the topics that Erik Prince will discuss May 5 at DeVos Fieldhouse.

Prince is founder of Myock, N.C.-based Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, whose family fortune was made in the auto parts industry. His sister, Betsy DeVos, a former chairwoman of the Michigan GOP, is married to Dick DeVos, a Republican and Amway Corp. heir who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2006.

The State Department renewed Blackwater's contract in 2008.

Tulip Time Festival Luncheon tickets may be purchased on the festival's Web site or by calling 616-396-4221

http://www.freep.com/article/20100414/NEWS06/100414018/1322/Blackwater-founder-to-speak-at-Tulip-Time-luncheon

[ronnie624]

47. He alone will receive "professional courtesy". n/t

[katty]

18. great, now go after BW for all their other atrocities

[alp227]

19. Good to see evil evil corps held accountable today

First the fraudulent, money-skimming Goldman Sachs and then the violent, murderous Blackwater. Such a good day in America.

[Fire1]

20. Say it ain't so! Couldn't be! Impossible! This is supposed to

be "one of those promises 'broken.'"

ETA: :eyes:

[FirstLight]

21. So much for the friday news dump!

TWO legal actions against big corps in one day...oh GOD let there be MORE!
I'm sure each of us here at DU has our own personal list of who we'd like to see perp-walked....


*sigh* I'll just sit here and fantasize for a minute, 'kay?

[lonestarnot]

23. Gangstas and tugs.

:puke: K & R

[BunkerHill24]

25. Sweet Jebus Hallelujah!

kick...:kick:

&

Rec'd......

[niceypoo]

26. The American Zetas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Zetas">Los Zetas

[mbperrin]

27. PLEASE let this be big!

nt

[pjt7]

28. They are guity of this & a whole

lot more.

[mbperrin]

48. Yes, they are.

I'm hoping for a big prosecution, lots of civil action, fines, confiscation, and jail time.

[earcandle]

29. Eric Prince was the prez, not Gary Jackson. Eric stepped down. Is this inaccurate?

[Moosepoop]

31. Not inaccurate.

Prince was the founder, sole owner, chairman, and CEO. Jackson was president, a different and lesser title. He worked for Prince.

[earcandle]

49. Thanks. So Prince will not be responsible? Jackson will?

[BreweryYardRat]

30. I'm grinning like you wouldn't believe.

This is excellent news. Just a shame they can't stick a treason charge on the bastards.

[Soylent Brice]

33. YES!!

:applause:

[Hekate]

34. Mmmmmm. Popcorn, anyone? Yummers.

:popcorn: :evilgrin: :popcorn: :evilgrin: :popcorn: :evilgrin: :popcorn: :evilgrin: :popcorn: :evilgrin:

[Shining Jack]

35. K&R

Excellent.

[LuckyTheDog]

36. Freepers, of course, are defending Jackson

Link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2494811/posts

[RollWithIt]

37. For those so ready to criticize the Obama Administration.... only took 16 months...

To send the entire Blackwater leadership to the dock on Federal charges. And when you're indicted on Federal charges you go to jail.

[PinkFloyd]

43. One thing I never understood.

What was the point in contracting these guys when we're spending so damn much on military? From what I've heard they run amuck over there and cause problems that make our troops jobs harder and more dangerous anyway.

[Lerkfish]

45. plausible deniabiliy for commission of war crimes.

if you order mercenaries to commit atrocities, if caught, you still get to prosecute them and keep your government job.

that's why mercenaries were specifically verboten in the constitution, not that anyone pays attention to that old piece of paper.

[NecklyTyler]

44. We need to prosecute Gary Jackson to the fullest extent of the law so he will turn State's evidence

If we could get just one nut to crack, the whole Bush Administration could be sent to jail. When Jackson is looking at a conviction and hard time, he will sing like a bird against Rumsfeld and Cheney. Once the dike has been breached, Eric Holder will have witnesses to testify against the whole Bush cabal. The evidence list has been well chronicled here on DU ranging from torture to lying the country into war. It is high time Cheney is brought to justice for his conduct in Bush's illegal wars

[ensho]

46. great news - get the bastards

nt

[chill_wind]

50. Indicted.

Ahhh.....sweet music.

[silver10]

51. What in hell took them so long?