Responding to Organized Crime
1.
For this discussion, assume the role of a special agent with the FBI. You have been tasked by your agency and the DOJ prosecutor at the USAO in Los Angeles, California, to execute a federal search warrant on the leader of a multistate criminal organization, living in Los Angeles, who fraudulently obtained driver’s licenses and other documents such as student visas for illegal aliens and other ineligible individuals.
Credible information provided to you by a confidential informant states that a contract employee of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stole authentic forms that turned out to be central to the scheme. Additionally, he was assisted in his criminal enterprise by brokers he employed around the country in New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Virginia, and Georgia.
In preparation for this search warrant, conduct some research on organized crime task forces, agencies involved in responding to organized crime and evidence gathering strategies that may be specific to this crime. Address the following in your main post:
- Compare two evidence gathering techniques employed by law enforcement in organized crime cases of this type.
- Describe two challenges associated with the role of technology in the investigation and prosecution of organized crime cases.
- Assess two benefits of working in organized crime task forces, synchronizing efforts of federal, state, and local authorities in a multiagency approach to enforcement.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010). Organized crime. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/organized…
2
Introduction
The James “Whitey” Bulger case will give us a glimpse into a man who was eventually found guilty of federal racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, and 11 murders, after being hunted for 16 years by a plethora of local, state, and federal law enforcement. All of the tools discussed in the previous discussion were needed in the apprehension of one of the most ruthless killers the United States has ever known. Bulger was officially named on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list, at one point being designated the bureau’s second most-wanted man, behind only Osama bin Laden. A 1-million-dollar reward was issued for providing any information leading directly to his arrest (FBI, 2010).
Investigating and prosecuting organized crime is complex and can be wrought with serious ethical and policy questions. Many agencies responsible for responding to organized crime will employ different techniques, with the lead agency generally taking the lead on the SOPs and protocols. There are restraints on law enforcement in general, but perhaps even more so on those involved in proactive organized crime cases. These restraints are critical throughout the investigatory and prosecutorial process. All law enforcement agencies operate under significant constitutional constraints, predominantly the 4th (unreasonable searches and seizures), 5th (self-incrimination and due process), and 6th amendments (speedy trial and right to a lawyer). Additionally, there are jurisdictional limitations with local, state, and federal agencies attempting to cooperate, coordinate, and communicate with one another.
There will always be a degree of inefficiency, but the use of task forces does eliminate a great deal of these problems. However, countless hours can be spent trying to referee disputes and to understand the interplay of history and bad blood among law enforcement agencies, as was the situation with the notorious James “Whitey” Bulger case. Due to the nature of organized crime, law enforcement and prosecutors must also deal with the intertwining problems of corruption and informants. Informants are a necessary part of organized crime investigations and the prosecutor, law enforcement officer (the handler), and the informant are held to strict guidelines to protect the integrity of the case (Stern, 2012). Bulger presents a classic case for us to examine. Unbeknown to even his closest associates, Bulger was an FBI informant for 15 years. As an informant, he took full advantage of his ties to politicians and friendships with members of the police force, and perhaps most importantly, his handlers, the FBI.
Instructions
For this discussion, assume the role of one of the lead special agents with the FBI who worked on the James “Whitey” Bulger case. You are now tasked by your supervisor to prepare a presentation to present to agent trainees at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia. In preparation for this presentation, conduct some research on the James “Whitey” Bulger case.
Address the following in your main post:
- Appraise two evidence gathering techniques employed by law enforcement in the capture of James “Whitey” Bulger.
- Evaluate two challenges associated with the role of the FBI informants in the investigation and the prosecution of the case.
- Explain two benefits of working in an organized crime task force on the James “Whitey” Bulger case, synchronizing efforts of federal, state, and local authorities that led to his ultimate capture
3.
Instructions
For this discussion, you will focus on each of the competencies, and showcase your learning proficiency for each competency. In your main post:
- Discuss the importance of the learning you have experienced in the context of investigation concepts, legal implications, and evidence collection and documentation.
- Create a description of a situation that shows in a career context your application of what you have learned about investigation concepts, legal implications, and evidence collection and documentation.
Discussion Objectives
The competencies addressed in this discussion are supported by discussion objectives, as follows:
- Competency 1: Apply white collar and organized crime investigation concepts.
- Discuss the importance of the learning you have experienced in the context of investigation concepts for both types of crimes.
- Create a description of a situation that shows your application of what you have learned about investigation concepts.
- Competency 2: Analyze legal implications related to white collar and organized crime.
- Discuss the importance of the learning you have experienced in the context of legal implications for both types of crimes.
- Create a description of a situation that shows your application of what you have learned about legal implications.
- Competency 3: Employ best practice techniques in evidence collection and documentation in relation to white collar and organized crime investigations.
- Discuss the importance of the learning you have experienced in the context of evidence collection and documentation for both types of crimes.
- Create a description of a situation that shows your application of what you have learned about evidence collection and documentation.
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