Who Watches The Watchers

Officer fired after trying to give phony insurance ticket to politician

"A state trooper who said he was 'cutting a break' to a speeding legislator has been fired because he decided instead to falsely cite the lawmaker for not having proof of car insurance. Trooper Charles Swindle, a six-year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol, is appealing his March 15 firing and says the state highway patrol has an unwritten policy of not issuing tickets to lawmakers who set the patrol’s budget, a charge the agency hotly denies but which raises new questions about whether politicians get favored treatment on Florida’s highways." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOfficer fired after trying to give phony insurance ticket to politician

Judge declares using Google Maps for driving directions illegal in California

"Judge Hamlin reasoned that the law's intent was to prevent all manual operation of the cellphone to curb distracted driving. Hamlin felt this even though Sprigg argued that when the original law specified voice calls, it was felt necessary to append the law to add texting to its purview. Using that example, if the law didn't specify the other operations it covered, then it shouldn't apply to those other operations. Hamlin's decision countered that there was no legislative history that demonstrated the bill's original supporters didn't want texting covered by the law originally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge declares using Google Maps for driving directions illegal in California

Disgraced French budget minister lied to Swiss bank over taxes

"Disgraced former French budget minister Jerome Cahuzac lied to a Swiss bank when it accepted his assertion that funds paid into his account had been declared to tax authorities, a newspaper report said Saturday. The Zurich-based Tages Anzeiger said the politician presented a 'bogus tax certificate' to the Julius Baer bank. Cahuzac — the minister responsible for cracking down on tax evasion until he resigned in mid-March — was charged Tuesday with 'laundering the proceeds of tax fraud' after he admitted to having the foreign bank account, following weeks of denials." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDisgraced French budget minister lied to Swiss bank over taxes

Massachusetts inspector general finds sloppy drug handling throughout closed state lab

"State investigators have found at least a half-dozen drug samples scattered about the state lab in Jamaica Plain, documents show, raising questions about the integrity of all testing where indicted state chemist Annie Dookhan worked. Investigators found a plastic bag containing 'a white rock substance' and test tubes 'containing unknown substances' in one supervisor’s ­office. They found pills taped to a lab bench cabinet and old samples, including marijuana submitted in 1996. The findings, in a confidential report by the attorney ­general, add fuel to defense lawyers’ arguments that virtually all drug tests done there since 2003 are suspect." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMassachusetts inspector general finds sloppy drug handling throughout closed state lab

IRS facing class action suit for medical records theft

"A HIPAA-covered entity of the Southern District of California announced today that it is suing 15 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents for 'an unlawful search and seizure conducted on March 11, 2011.' Courthousenews.com reports that IRS agents have been accused of improperly accessing and taking 10 million medical records, such as the personal health records of all California state judges. The covered entity, called John Doe Company, states that the IRS agents stole more than 60,000,000 medical records of more than 10,000,000 Americans, including at least 1,000,000 Californians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS facing class action suit for medical records theft

IRS facing class action suit for medical records theft

"A HIPAA-covered entity of the Southern District of California announced today that it is suing 15 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents for 'an unlawful search and seizure conducted on March 11, 2011.' Courthousenews.com reports that IRS agents have been accused of improperly accessing and taking 10 million medical records, such as the personal health records of all California state judges. The covered entity, called John Doe Company, states that the IRS agents stole more than 60,000,000 medical records of more than 10,000,000 Americans, including at least 1,000,000 Californians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS facing class action suit for medical records theft

Former Atlanta school superintendent and 34 others charged with racketeering in cheating probe

"The former superintendent of Atlanta’s public school system was among 35 people indicted on Friday in connection with a cheating scandal that dates back to 2001. Beverly Hall, former Atlanta Public Schools human relations director Millicent Few and other administrators were indicted on 57 counts of making false statements, along with five counts of theft, two counts of influencing a witness and one count of racketeering. A grand jury recommended bail be set at $7.5 million for Hall. She, along with her fellow defendants, is expected to turn herself in to authorities by Tuesday. Hall faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Atlanta school superintendent and 34 others charged with racketeering in cheating probe

TSA officer hits six colleagues after mistaking pepper spray for laser pointer

"Six security officers at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport landed in hospital after being hit by pepper spray — fired by one of their own. According to a report in the New York Post, quoting an unnamed source, an agent was 'playing around' with what he and other agents thought was just a laser pointer when it suddenly emitted spray. The TSA has suffered a series of embarrassing recent news reports, ranging from failure at Newark International Airport to detect a fake bomb carried by an undercover government agent, to complaints of overzealous searches." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA officer hits six colleagues after mistaking pepper spray for laser pointer

Ex-cop guns down wife after she filed horrifying domestic violence report

"A former Pennsylvania state trooper gunned down his estranged wife in the middle of a Philipsburg supermarket on Thursday and then turned his weapon on himself. Police said that Mark R. Miscavish, 51, who retired from the force in 2011, used a shotgun to murder his wife Traci A. Miscavish, who filed for divorce just days prior following a report of domestic violence on Jan. 23. Mark Miscavish was facing a prosecution over the incident, the AP noted. He allegedly became violent when his wife tried to intervene in suspected prescription drug abuse, throwing her to the ground and trying to tie her up with duct tape." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-cop guns down wife after she filed horrifying domestic violence report

NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake speaks at National Press Club – March 15, 2013

"Thomas Drake, a former Senior Executive at NSA who was charged under the espionage act after he blew the whistle on waste and fraud and illegal activity at the intelligence agency, spoke at a March 15, 2013 National Press Club luncheon. Drake's event was part of the club's celebration of Sunshine Week, a national initiative to underscore the importance of open government and freedom of information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake speaks at National Press Club – March 15, 2013