John Ambrose, Former U.S. Marshal, Sentenced to Prison

A deputy U.S. marshal who was convicted of leaking secret information about a mob witness was sentenced today to four years in prison — a punishment a judge said is designed to deter others in law enforcement from ever contemplating similar crimes.

The marshal, John Ambrose, sat motionless as U.S. District Court Judge John F. Grady handed down the sentence to a courtroom filled with his family, friends and onetime colleagues.

Ambrose, who was convicted in April, had sought probation. His lawyer said his client lived for his job and his conviction has likely stripped him of any future in law enforcement.

Prosecutors had recommended he spend more than six years in prison.

Federal sentencing guidelines called for Ambrose, a 41-year-old father of four, to spend between 12 and 18 months behind bars, but Grady said that wasn’t nearly enough time. “There is really no mitigating circumstance in this case as far as the evidence is concerned,” Grady said. “What we’re dealing with here is a very serious crime . . . that has virtually no likelihood of detection.”

Ambrose in 2002 and 2003 worked stints in the federal witness protection program guarding mob turncoat Nicholas Calabrese, whose testimony in 2007 helped convict several mobsters in the landmark Family Secrets trial.

Ambrose was convicted of leaking information about Calabrese to a family friend, William Guide, who had done prison time with Ambrose’s late father after their convictions in the “Marquette 10” police corruption trial in 1983. In a twist, Grady was the judge in that case.

Prosecutors have said that Guide, who was never charged with any crimes regarding the younger Ambrose’s case, had known mob ties.

Authorities linked the leaks to Ambrose based on video surveillance of two mobsters talking at a federal prison in Milan, Mich., and overhearing the words “Marquette 10.”

They also say Ambrose’s is the only security violation in the history of witness protection program.

Ambrose’s lawyer, Frank Lipuma, told Grady that his client did have talks with Guide and even “shot his mouth off,” but that “there was never any intent” to harm the program.

After court, Lipuma said he will ask that Ambrose stay out of prison pending appeal. If Grady rejects that, Ambrose is to report to prison Jan. 26.

“I think he relied a little too heavily on the deterrence factor,” Lipuma said of Grady’s sentence. “Mr. Ambrose is not sorry for what he did because what is claimed that he did has been, from day one, overstated.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk said prosecutor took no joy in sending a law enforcement officer to prison. “It’s obviously a sad day,” Funk said. “However, we want to emphasize from our perspective the judge’s sentence was fair and just.”

Thanks to Chris Fusco and Natasha Korecki

Tweet

Il Divo - A Compelling Real Life Mafia Tale

You don’t have to understand the intricacies of Italian politics to wholeheartedly enjoy Il Divo (on DVD 10/27), a fascinating and thrilling portrait of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti.

Written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, the film stars a superb Toni Servillo, and won the jury prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. From the moment we first meet Andreotti (for some, his nickname is “Beelzebub”), with acupuncture needles sticking out of his face, hoping to cure his headache, you’ll want to try and understand this enigmatic figure who seems to always be at the center of power, corruption, scandal, and the mafia. There’s something downright Scorsese-like about this film, from its beautiful camera work to its deft use of music. We can guarantee you’ll never think of the Trio song “Da Da Da” quite the same way again.

Tweet

Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America

An undercover, six-month penetration of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, (CAIR) by a former federal agent under the guise of converting to Islam, is the subject of a book that came out on October 15, 2009.

Author P. David Gaubatz is a trained U.S. Department-trained Arabic linguist and counterterrorism specialist who as a federal agent had the government's highest security clearance. His co-author is Paul Sperry, a media fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, a former Washington bureau chief for Investor's Daily, and author of Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington.

The allegations in the book are supported by 12,000 pages of confidential CAIR documents and hundreds of hours of video captured during the undercover operation. In Muslim Mafia, the authors claim to reveal the well-funded efforts of the Brotherhood under the nonprofit guise of CAIR to support the international jihad against the U.S.

Gaubatz writes that his son gained the trust of CAIR's inner sanctum, working undercover as a devoted convert to Islam and exposed the entire factory fueling the wave of homegrown terrorism plaguing America.

U. S. lawmakers have called for an investigation into CAIR, citing evidence that the group is attempting to infiltrate congressional offices with interns. They include Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., Rep Trent Franks, R-Ariz., John Shadegg, R-Ariz., and Paul Broun R-Ga., are calling on the Department of Justice to share with Congress an executive summary of the findings that led the FBI to officially sever ties with CAIR.

Thanks to Martha R. Gore

Tweet