Federal Bureau of Investigation

Todd Fries Going to Prison for Decorating Home of Non-Paying Customers With Chemicals, Feces, Dead Animals, and Swastikas

Todd Fries, also known as Todd Burns -- the owner of Burns Power Washing in Tucson -- was shorted $200 for a power-washing job four years ago, because his customers didn't think Fries' employees did such a great job.Fries' response to this non-payment has earned him more than 12 years in federal pri ... More >>

Ben Arredondo Gets a Grand Total of Zero Days in Prison in Corruption Case

After all that, a federal judge sentenced former state Representative Ben Arredondo yesterday to zero days in jail.This, less than a year after being charged with bribery, extortion, and lying to FBI agents in a ticket-bribery exchange, then eventually pleading guilty to a mail-fraud charges, relate ... More >>

Arizona's Top Ten News Stories of 2012

All in all, 2012 hasn't been that bad of a year. Some good stuff transpired, and some of it happened because New Times' scribes made it happen. Usually to some very deserving recipients. The great H.L. Mencken said it long ago, and it still holds true today: "Journalism is to politician as dog is t ... More >>

David Horowitz Has Made Taunting College Students a Spectator Sport

Tom Horne Pleads "Not Guilty" on Fender-Bender, Avoids Friday Hearing

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has entered a plea of "not guilty" in Phoenix Municipal Court for his March fender-bender at the love nest of his state-financed mistress Carmen Chenal. That's the accident witnessed by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who had been dogging Horne over ... More >>

Alexander Fishenko's Houston Spy Network Shipped High-Tech Goods to Russian Defense Agencies, Feds Say; U.S. Commerce Department Fooled

The FBI has broken up a spy network based in Houston that "enhanced" the capabilities of the Russian military by exporting sensitive, U.S.-made electronics. Alexander Fishenko and 11 others have been charged with falsifying documents and generally fooling the U.S. Department of Commerce in the last ... More >>

Carl David Evans, Federal Prison Kitchen Supervisor, Arrested by FBI and Accused of Trading Food & Smokes for Sex With Inmates

Before performing oral sex on an inmate, prison kitchen supervisor Carl David Evans allegedly told the inmate he'd end up behind bars himself if they got caught. What a know-it-all. Evans, an employee at the Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix, 37900 North 45th Avenue, was arrested on Tues ... More >>

Raynaldo Rivera, Alleged LulzSec Hacker, Now Second Valley Man Arrested in Sony Hacking

See also: Alleged LulzSec Hacker Busted in PhoenixSee also: Arizona Department of Public Safety Hacked by LulzSecA second Valley man has been arrested and accused by the feds of hacking into Sony Pictures' computer systems as an alleged member of the hacking group Lulzsec.Raynaldo Rivera, a 20-year- ... More >>

David Kwiatkowski, Suspected of Infecting Patients with Hepatitis C in New Hampshire, Also Worked at Two Arizona Hospitals

A medical technician arrested last week for allegedly infecting at least 30 patients with hepatitis C in New Hampshire previously worked at two Arizona hospitals, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.David Matthew Kwiatkowski, 32, was arrested by federal authorities July 19, ... More >>

Soulfly and Fear Factory to Play The Gathering of the Juggalos

See also: FBI Report Officially Classifies Juggalos a Hybrid Gang; Arizona Boasts "Strong Juggalo Presence" See also: Seven Awesome Things About the Gathering of the Juggalos Last week we examined what the term "selling out" means in 2012, and concluded that it's hard for bands to make money off t ... More >>

Legislators Met With Lobbyist for Apparently Fake Company in Ben Arredondo Bust

Folks at Tempe City Hall weren't the only ones to meet with representatives of the apparently fake company believed to be set up by the FBI in its bust of state Representative/former Tempe Councilman Ben Arredondo.According to lobbyist filings with the Secretary of State's office, Mike Williams met ... More >>

Mike Williams, Lobbyist Allegedly Connected to FBI's Bust of Ben Arredondo, Is an Important Guy in Tempe

Talking Points Memo uncovered some details yesterday about the FBI allegedly using lobbyist Mike Williams as the middle-man between Tempe City Council members and a fake corporation in its bust of former city councilman and current state Representative Ben Arredondo.The question people may have is, ... More >>

Ben Arredondo Pleads Not Guilty; Judge Not Convinced of Need to Seal Evidence

State Representative Ben Arredondo pleaded not guilty (as expected) yesterday to charges of bribery, fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements.A motion to keep evidence in the case secret -- which revealed "other investigations," which are "both closed and ongoing" -- was denied.It's li ... More >>

Selective Service to Joe Arpaio: If You Have "Any Credible Evidence," Go to the FBI

​A couple weeks ago, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio sent a letter to the director of the Selective Service System, asking to let his "birther" posse play detective with President Obama's registration card.Arpaio laid out his whole stamp conspiracy-theory in the two-page letter, and demanded a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Threat Suspect Has A Bit of A History Dealing With Law Enforcement

​According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the gentleman pictured above is 35-year-old Clifton Dawayne Brooks -- the guy the sheriff's office says "threatened to kill" Sheriff Joe Arpaio.Arpaio and the FBI announced yesterday that the FBI's Portland, Oregon office raided the house Brooks ... More >>

Top Five Musician Arrests

Rapper DMX, after his arrest in June, 2004​As we reported yesterday,  Mic Todd, the bass player for metal band Coheed and Cambria, was arrested on Sunday at a venue in Massachusetts where the band was scheduled to play. Todd's alleged crime? He reportedly walked into a Walgreens, claimed he h ... More >>

Phoenix Hate Crimes Rise 125 Percent from 2006 to 2010

democraticunderground.orgYes, Confederate Arizona is alive and well...Recently obtained statistics from the Phoenix Police Department show that hate crime in Arizona's most populous city continues its upward trend, with a 17.4 percent jump in bias incidents from 2009 to 2010.The PPD reported 115 suc ... More >>

Cops Find 11 Kids in Phoenix Drop House. Three Alleged "Coyotes" Arrested

​Phoenix police have arrested three people -- and rescued 11 children -- after raiding a drop house last night.Cops were tipped off about the house by a woman from El Salvador who reported to the FBI that her three daughters had been kidnapped and were being held in Phoenix.Turns out, the woman pa ... More >>

Hiding In Plain Sight: Cops Finally Apprehend a Killer, Now 82 and Ailing, Who'd Been on the Lam for 22 Years

Burning Qurans, Flags, Bibles? The First Amendment Rules

~crystalina~ If the book burning was to be of Bibles instead of Qurans, would anyone have cared? All the sturm und drang of the past few days over a Florida pastor's plans to burn a pile of Qurans on September 11 may have paid off. The AP is now reporting that Pastor Terry Jon ... More >>

June 24 In Blogs: Andrew Thomas, Evil Dead, Erykah Badu, Cat Coa, and Jan Brewer

​​​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:

Cross-Dressing Bank Robber Hits Chandler Bank

www.ourbarbie.com​A bank robbery suspect turned a Chandler bank into a drag show yesterday, when he dressed like a woman while committing his heist. According to witnesses, the suspect -- wearing a black cotton knee-length summer dress with a purple shirt underneath and ... More >>

Saints Go Marching In

Indie flick gets its due ten years after the fact

Hot Links: Hit-and-Runs, Secret Santas, and Officers Fired

​A Gilbert woman is a suspect in four separate hit-and-run collisions Monday that involved six vehicles. The woman, 29 year-old Kristen Rowley, was driving on the 51 South approaching the I-10 when she struck the first vehicle. She continued east on the freeway and struck a second vehicle, then ex ... More >>

Navajo Nation Refuses to Turn Over Suspect in Murdered Nun Case

Sister Marguerite Bartz​The chief prosecutor in the case against a teen suspected of murdering a nun on the Navajo Indian Reservation last week is refusing to turn him over to federal authorities without an extradition request.Tribal police arrested the suspect, 18-year-old Reehahlio Carroll ... More >>

Vehicle of Murdered Nun Found in Arizona

Diocese of Gallup Sister Marguerite Bartz​ The vehicle of a New Mexico nun, who police say was murdered on Halloween, was found Monday in Arizona.The nun, 64-year-old Sister Marguerite Bartz, was found dead in her New Mexico home after she didn't show up to mass on Sunday.Bartz was serving ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Target of FBI Probe, Says Channel 5 in Report to Air Thursday

CBS 5's tantalizing promo for their Thursday report Set the DVR this Thursday night for KPHO CBS 5's 10 p.m. newscast, which will feature an eight minute mini-documentary on Sheriff Joe's abuses of power while in office. The award-winning team of producer Gilbert Zermeno and reporter Morgan Loew bo ... More >>

The Informant! Gets Cute With Massive Corporate Scandal and Blows the Story

How the MCSO Neglected a 14-Year-Old Rape Victim — and Went to Town on Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon

Joe Arpaio, J. Edgar Hoover and E.J. Montini

Just like Arpaio, J. Edgar Hoover loved dogs and compliant journalists I was up too late the other night watching a documentary on the National Geographic Channel about Hoover and his many, many sins. And aside from Hoover's reported penchant for getting himself up in drag, the& ... More >>

Jarrett Maupin II Pleads Guilty to Lying to Federal Agent; Resignation From School Board Part of Plea Deal

Image: Jeff Newton Jarrett Maupin II pleaded guilty today to a felony count of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement agent. Prosecutors are recommending probation for the former candidate for Phoenix mayor; his sentencing is scheduled for late July. U.S. District Court Judge Da ... More >>

Hot Links: Rep Endorses Dan Saban, Cards Eat Up Buffalo, FBI File Shows Evel Knievel True to Name, and Miley Cyrus' Sweet 16.

Shoot 'Em Up

Fighting the enemy over there

PHX Mayor Phil Goober Gordon and Gov. Janet Do Nothing Napolitano still shooting blanks on violent crime.

Meltdown

The Phoenix branch of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau is Exhibit A of this country's failed border policies

Feds Probe District 20

Whether there was vote tampering is not the most vital question for U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton to answer

Apocalypse How?

Jerry Brady predicts that al-Qaida will be coming to a power line near you

They'll Test Anything!

From Playboy to Pillsbury, state lab finds Arizona anthrax-free -- so far

Nightmare Allies

Jennifer Lopez and Vincent D'Onofrio are mad for each other in impressive but troubling The Cell

Rivera's Edge

After a year on the job, U.S. Attorney Jose de Jesus Rivera looks to be in the right place at the right time

Doctoring the Bills?

FBI investigates possible Medicare fraud in county health-care system

Fed Up

The Justice Department investigates the county sheriff's officeagain

Your Fiends and Neighbors

Clay Pigeons pokes and pries at country discomforts

Shadow Logic

More loopy fun from Scully and Mulder, with plot holes you could drive a spaceship through

Pen Pals

Crime Me a River

A Salt River rafter rides a torrent of legal and financial troubles

ARE THESE FOLKS REALLY A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY?

LOOK HOMEWARD ANGELCYCLE ICON SONNY BARGER KICK-STARTS LIFE AS A FREE MAN BY VIOLATING PAROLE

PLOYS IN THE ATTIC

A CON ARTIST IS ACCUSED OF STEALING RETIREE'S STRONGBOX, $250,000 CASH

THE GOVERNOR'S 800-POUND GORILLA