Federal Bureau of Investigation

How Did the FBI Determine the Juggalos Were a Gang?

By Paul T. Bradley For those among you who are "down" and perhaps for those who are not, you know that much brouhaha was made by the FBI's inclusion of Juggalos -- ie fans of Insane Clown Posse -- in their 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment. This, of course, put them in the same category as well- ... More >>

FBI: Red Mountain High School Graduate Tried to Bomb Bank; Thought He Had Connection to Taliban

A graduate of Red Mountain High School in Mesa is accused of trying to bomb a bank in Oakland, California, but his purportedly Taliban-connected partner was an undercover FBI agent.According to the FBI, 28-year-old Matthew Aaron Llaneza, now a resident of San Jose, California, wanted to make it look ... More >>

Arizona AG Tom Horne's Sex Scandal Scuttles Gubernatorial Bid

Ben Arredondo Scheduled to Plead Guilty in Bribery Case

A change-of-plea hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow in the bribery case involving state Representative Ben Arredondo, meaning he's scheduled to plead guilty.Arredondo was indicted in May on charges of bribery, fraud, attempted extortion, and making false statements for allegedly getting the tic ... More >>

Were Eight Law Enforcement Agencies Necessary for Recovering Old Book of Mormon?

Yesterday, we informed you that it took eight law enforcement agencies to track down a guy who stole a first-edition book of Mormon.Jay Linford's been pegged by Mesa police as the guy who lifted the 182-year-old Book of Mormon from the Rare and Out of Print Books and Art store, and he was arrested ... More >>

FBI's Ben Arredondo Bust Apparently Cracked Open a Bit by Talking Points Memo

Talking Points Memo has discovered some names behind the FBI's investigation into state Representative/former Tempe Councilman Ben Arredondo and others, which has so far led to Arredondo's indictment on charges of bribery, fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements.How did Arredondo end ... More >>

FBI Helps Nab 10 in "Bootlegging" Bust; One Man Faced Prison Time for Selling a 12-Pack of Natty Ice

When the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office announced yesterday that a six-month "bootlegging" investigation ended with 10 arrests, we were thinking it was a trip back to prohibition, involving Tommy guns, fedoras, and the phrase "G-Men."Nah, we checked out the criminal complaints, and it took six month ... More >>

Why Authorities Could've Prevented J.T. Ready's Murder Spree

Robert Fisher, Who's on FBI's "Most Wanted" List for Allegedly Murdering and Blowing Up His Family in Scottsdale, May Be in Arizona

Robert Fisher, one of the FBI's and Scottsdale Police Department's "most wanted" fugitives, may still be in Arizona, according to information relayed from the FBI.Fisher's accused of killing his wife and two young kids, then blowing up their Scottsdale home in April 2001.According to various media r ... More >>

Ralph Moreno, Unemployed Ex-Con on Food Stamps, Fights to Keep $76,000 in Cash Seized in Home by FBI

Ralph Moreno, an unemployed ex-con on food stamps, is fighting with the federal government to keep $76,000 in cash seized at his west Phoenix home by FBI agents.State records show that Moreno and his wife, Wilma, of 6629 West Coronado Road in Phoenix, haven't earned wages for at least 10 years, and ... More >>

"Bearded Bandit" Robs His Fifth Bank, He May Also Not Have A Beard

​A bank-robbery suspect the FBI's calling the "Bearded Bandit" has struck again, as has the FBI's bank-robber-naming department.The "Bearded Bandit" may have robbed five Valley banks, but whether he actually has a beard is up for debate.According to the FBI -- and the pictures it has provided -- t ... More >>

Maricopa Teen Caught With 500 Child-Porn Videos and Pictures After Year-Long FBI Investigation

Image: www.fbi.gov​A year-long child-porn investigation led FBI agents this summer to a Maricopa teenager with a personal stash of 500 videos and pictures of sexually exploited children.The case was outlined in court records filed yesterday by the Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office, which requests the ... More >>

Mexican Smugglers Exploit the Corrupt Reputation of U.S. Border Officers

Joe Arpaio, Will He Get the "Nogales Mayor Treatment" from Terry Goddard and the FBI?

Damn! We're in a tight spot! Where's Lisa Allen when I need her? Watching the footage of Nogales Mayor Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel and his father Octavio Garcia Suarez dragged before a judge in shackles and prison stripes after their arrests on charges of bribery, theft, fraud and mon ... More >>

Dog Beat Dog: To Pull Off the Biggest Pit Bull Fighting Bust in U.S. History, Investigators and Their Dogs Went Undercover

J.T. Ready Not an FBI Informant, He Says

Warrior4god13 J.T. Ready's accuser explains his desert "Bermuda Triangle" theory There've been a couple of oddball YouTube videos kicking around lately alleging that J.T. Ready, Arizona's best known neo-Nazi, is an FBI informant. One of them, put up by the YouTube channel HOLLYWOODILLUS ... More >>

"Hothead Bandit" Indicted on 25 Counts Following Alleged Bank-Robbery Spree

​A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 25-count indictment yesterday against a man dubbed "The Hothead Bandit" by the FBI's over-worked bandit-naming department.Timothy John Kestle, 55, of Litchfield Park, has been charged with 13 counts of armed bank robbery and 12 counts of possessing or us ... More >>

Another Valley Bank Robber Uses Bandages as Possible Disguise During Heist

​There's a new bank robber on the loose who bares a striking resemblance to one of our favorite, horribly-named bank-robbing "bandits."You may recall the "First-Aid Bandit," later re-named the "Band-Aid Bandit," who was arrested in January after a string of robberies stretching from Gilbert to Que ... More >>

Nigerian-Like Scam Hits Our Inbox--We Run for Cover!

Just about everyone we know who routinely plays around on the Net -- which is just about everyone -- has gotten a Nigerian scam letter.   ​You gotta know the deal: Someone has $30 million awaiting them in a Swiss bank, or something, but only if you fork over $3,000 or so to the cause. ... More >>

FBI Seeks "Mummy Bandit;" Yeah, the Dude Actually Dressed Up Like a Mummy

The Mummy Bandit​After coming up with a bunch of the dumbest bandit names we'd ever heard, the FBI's bandit-naming department has finally hit the nail on the head with the name of the latest bank-robbing buffoon.The federal fuzz is currently looking for "The Mummy Bandit" -- the man they bel ... More >>

"Chameleon Bandit" Sought by FBI for Five Bank Robberies

The FBI's Phoenix division "The Chameleon Bandit" hard at work​The FBI's bandit-naming department is at it again, and the latest bandit name is even dumber than yesterday's "no tricks bandit," who was shot last night by the Dirty Harry of the Scottsdale Police Department, as pointed out in ... More >>

"No Tricks Bandit" Sought by FBI for Four Successful Valley Bank Robberies

The "No Tricks Bandit"​ We figured it was only a matter of time before the FBI came up with a new, lame moniker for the man responsible for robbing four Valley banks in the last week and attempting to rob another on Tuesday.   We figured right.The FBI's bandit-naming department did ... More >>

Two Middle-Eastern Men Detained at Sky Harbor for "Speaking Loudly" and Watching The Kingdom on DVD

www.thedailyshow.com​Two Middle-Eastern men were detained by federal and local authorities Saturday night at Sky Harbor International Airport after passengers on their U.S. Airways flight told flight attendants the pair was "acting suspiciously."The men weren't running up the aisles screamin ... More >>

FBI Looking for "High Country Bandits" Believed to Have Robbed Six Arizona Banks

Surveillance footage from one of the banks hit by the "High Country Bandits."​Arizona's got a brand new pair of "bandits" that the FBI believes are linked to at least six bank robberies since October.The FBI is calling the bank-robbing duo the "High Country Bandits" because the majority of t ... More >>

Authorities Need Help Catching "The First-Aid Bandit" Suspected of Robbing Four Valley Banks

"The First-Aid Bandit"​There's a new bandit in town and authorities have given him what is possibly the least-cool moniker since the infamous "Salon Bandit." The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for the man it is calling "The First-Aid Bandit."Don't let the name fool you, this guy isn't ... More >>

Identity of Person Arrested in Murdered Nun Case Finally Confirmed; Thanks for Nothing FBI

Sister Marguerite Bartz​The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been entirely unhelpful in allowing the media to properly report just about anything regarding the nun murdered in New Mexico over the weekend.Last week the bureau told us the murdered nun's car was found somewhere in Arizona -- ... More >>

FBI Makes Arrest in Murdered Nun Case

The FBI announced this morning that it has made an arrest in the case of the nun murdered in New Mexico over the weekend -- and that's about it. Sister Marguerite Bartz​For some reason, the FBI is not revealing any details about the person arrested, other than the suspect was picked up early ... More >>

October 28 In Blogs: Vice Magazine, Circle of Food, Barry Goldwater, and Arpaio

​In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Feathered Bastard: Joe Arpaio Target of FBI Probe, Says Channel 5 in Report to Air Thursday Up on the Sun: Club ... More >>

Source: FBI Interested in SCA Case Involving Joe Arpaio's Office

  Just hung up from one of our trusty "Deep Throat" sources who tells us the FBI is highly interested in the Sheriff's Command Association case. Our source says New Times articles this morning about the men behind the SCA donations were forwarded to the local FBI office. An FBI a ... More >>

Bank Robberies on the Rise in Valley; Feds and Local Authorities Pledge to Work Cases Hard

The number of bank robberies in the Valley have doubled compared to the first few months of 2008, prompting authorities to pledge to work harder on the cases. From January to May 1 in 2008, robbers held up 44 Valley banks. In the same four months in 2009, they hit 88. There were 179 bank ... More >>

Phoenix Kidnappings: FBI's Role Minimal in Immigration-Related Cases

  The FBI is the nation's premier agency when it comes to kidnappings, right? Well, not in Phoenix, the so-called kidnapping capital of the country. The FBI decided years ago that it would try not to get involved when the kidnappings involve immigrants and human smugglers. Both the FBI and ... More >>

FBI to Focus More on Kidnappings and Other Southwest Border Crimes, says Holder

Just in time for our blog post today about the role of the FBI in the Phoenix kidnapping crisis comes a major announcement that the FBI will focus more on the problem as part of a strategy to combat cartel violence. In a statement made today during his trip in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Hold ... More >>

Phoenix FBI Office Gets Experienced New Boss, Nathan Gray

Nathan Gray, a veteran lawman with experience in counter-terrorism and big-time drug smuggling, has been selected to head up the FBI's Phoenix office. The FBI didn't put out a picture of Gray, but posted a bio of him today on its Web site. Gray previously worked here in 2002 as an assistant spec ... More >>

Hot Links: Immigrant Round-Up; Anti-Abortion Bill Floated; Stimulus Bill to Help Build Valley Infrastructure

Deputies catch dozens of undocumented workers in the immigrant round-up du jour at a maintenance facility at 19th Avenue and Lower Buckeye that contracts with the county. You knew they'd get around to it: Republican lawmakers craft an anti-abortion bill that's expected to fare better if it ... More >>

Outrun the FBI 5K Run/Walk

Bombshell: The explosive backstory in the Robert Ortloff murder trial may be more fascinating than the case itself

Snake on a Plane

Continental Airlines had a cold-blooded killer on board but refused law enforcement's pleas to land

G-man Jackoff: FBI Agent caught with pants down at UofA

FBI Raids Polygs

Federal agents descend on fugitive polygamist Prophet Warren Jeffs' followers with 66 subpoenas. Five were served

Too Close for Comfort

To Yaser with love.

Burn, Baby, Burn

'Stop urban sprawl!' 'Burn the rich!' 'An acre an hour is obscene!' Is it any wonder some are rooting for the arsonists?

The Art of Ordeal

Kidnaped, tortured and nearly killed in a Mexican hellhole, a Phoenix entrepreneur wants to teach others about the perils of doing business south of the border

Divorced From the Mob

He was a stool pigeon for the FBI. Now Anthony Perri says the feds made him the victim of a dirty double-cross.

Underwear Under Scrutiny

FBI subpoenas Posse Foundation records of sale of pink boxers

Trainspotting

Nearly three years after Amtrak's Sunset Limited was sabotaged near Buckeye, firefighters who rode to the rescue remain on the FBI's list of suspects

Flashes

Rescue Workers Grilled in Derailment Probe

Investigators check background of firefighter, repeatedly interview thosewho responded to wreck site

BRIAN KINGMAN'S BLUE PERIOD

THE FORMER OAKLAND A'S PITCHER GOT ENTANGLED IN THE THEFT OF A MILLION-DOLLAR PICASSO. EXCEPT IT WASN'T A PICASSO.

INNOCENT BYSTANDERS

THEY MET BY ACCIDENT AT SAGURO LAKE. A WEEK LATER, THEY WRER IN JAIL.