A man who allegedly robbed a Wood Dale bank on Thursday was arrested a short time after the heist and has been charged in connection with the robbery. EDWARD G. KLICH, 62, of the 3200 block of Peacock Lane in Rolling Meadows, was charged in a one-count criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court. The charge was announced by Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI and Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
The complaint alleges that the robber, later identified as Klich, entered the U.S. Bank branch located at 333 East Irving Park Road in Wood Dale just before noon on Thursday, approached a bank teller and made a demand for money. Law enforcement officers responding to the robbery noted a green-colored Buick in the area of the bank. Aware that a green Buick had been identified as the vehicle allegedly used in other recent bank robberies in the area, the officers stopped the vehicle following a brief pursuit and arrested the driver, Klich.
Klich was subsequently turned over to the FBI and appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier, who ordered him held pending his next Federal Bureau of Investigation – Chicago Field Office court appearance. Klich is scheduled to appear again in court on Monday, September 15, 2014, at 1:00 p.m.
Klich is suspected of being the Hooded Bandit, so named by the FBI for his habit of wearing hoods during the commission of robberies. The Hooded Bandit is suspected of carrying out at least eight bank robberies in the northwest suburbs dating back to a July 28, 2011, robbery of a Chase Bank branch in Rolling Meadows.
If convicted of the charge filed against him, Klich faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Spate of Dismembered Bodies Sign of Prison Culture on the Streets
Violent crime in Venezuela has taken a gory turn as a spate of dismembered bodies has turned up around the country, their detached heads and limbs often scattered far away.
Forensics analysts say six victims' body parts have been found in the past two months, a disconcerting trend in a country that already has 70 murders a day, according to researchers -- one of the world's highest homicide rates.
Police have also registered a recent rash of other macabre crimes: women stabbed to death by their partners; a man shot in the face while walking with his baby; and a son who slit his parents' throats.
Edgardo Buscaglia, a social policy expert at Columbia University in New York, said the brutal violence is the product of a government that has been "paralyzed in its capacity to confront the criminal networks operating in the country." He said the weakness of the Venezuelan state mired in economic woes ranging from rampant inflation to chronic shortages of basic goods -- has enabled foreign criminal networks to infiltrate the country, including from Mexico and Colombia, two nations plagued by ultra-violent drug crime.
Even Venezuelan Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez has acknowledged the gravity of the problem, condemning the "Colombianization" of organized crime. Rodriguez said police had dismantled 255 criminal networks and captured 13,000 criminals from May 2013 to August 2014, but that 92 "highly dangerous" gangs remained.
One victim was Yesenia Mujica, a 22-year-old student, whose dismembered body was thrown in a trash can in Caracas, where a group of homeless people found it. No one has been arrested in the case.
Criminologist Fermin Marmol Garcia told AFP that dismemberment tends to occur in cases of drug addiction or crimes of passion. In Venezuela, the practice was "unusual" in the past, but has grown more common recently, he said. Killers have also begun dumping their victims in a widening range of sites. "Criminals feel confident that the likelihood of being detained by the authorities with a body in the car is very low," Marmol said.
One theory for the increase in dismemberment crimes is that prison culture has permeated the street, bringing with it a brutal code under which "pranes," or prison gang leaders, and their entourage can condemn opponents to death and dismemberment for breaking their rules, Marmol said.
An alternative theory is that new youth gangs are striving to make their mark on a crowded criminal market by demonstrating their brutality and fearlessness, he said.
According to government figures, Venezuela has 39 homicides a year per 100,000 inhabitants. But researchers put the rate -- 100 percent higher -- at 79.
President Nicolas Maduro's government has faced mounting anger over crime and chronic shortages, which exploded into violent protests earlier this year. The South American country has the world's largest oil reserves, but is struggling to sustain its lavish subsidy programs and rigid foreign currency controls.
Roberto Briceno Leon, the head of Venezuelan Violence Watch, said the government had left a vacuum in the fight against crime. "We have a society with much more violence, aggravated by the absence of a state response to the situation, tremendous impunity -- 95 percent -- and criminals' noticeable awareness that nothing is going to be done to them," he told AFP.
Maduro's government has unveiled plans in the past five months to increase police patrols in the most violent cities and break up organized crime networks. But the new policies have had little visible impact so far.
Thanks to Jamaica Observer.
Forensics analysts say six victims' body parts have been found in the past two months, a disconcerting trend in a country that already has 70 murders a day, according to researchers -- one of the world's highest homicide rates.
Police have also registered a recent rash of other macabre crimes: women stabbed to death by their partners; a man shot in the face while walking with his baby; and a son who slit his parents' throats.
Edgardo Buscaglia, a social policy expert at Columbia University in New York, said the brutal violence is the product of a government that has been "paralyzed in its capacity to confront the criminal networks operating in the country." He said the weakness of the Venezuelan state mired in economic woes ranging from rampant inflation to chronic shortages of basic goods -- has enabled foreign criminal networks to infiltrate the country, including from Mexico and Colombia, two nations plagued by ultra-violent drug crime.
Even Venezuelan Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez has acknowledged the gravity of the problem, condemning the "Colombianization" of organized crime. Rodriguez said police had dismantled 255 criminal networks and captured 13,000 criminals from May 2013 to August 2014, but that 92 "highly dangerous" gangs remained.
One victim was Yesenia Mujica, a 22-year-old student, whose dismembered body was thrown in a trash can in Caracas, where a group of homeless people found it. No one has been arrested in the case.
Criminologist Fermin Marmol Garcia told AFP that dismemberment tends to occur in cases of drug addiction or crimes of passion. In Venezuela, the practice was "unusual" in the past, but has grown more common recently, he said. Killers have also begun dumping their victims in a widening range of sites. "Criminals feel confident that the likelihood of being detained by the authorities with a body in the car is very low," Marmol said.
One theory for the increase in dismemberment crimes is that prison culture has permeated the street, bringing with it a brutal code under which "pranes," or prison gang leaders, and their entourage can condemn opponents to death and dismemberment for breaking their rules, Marmol said.
An alternative theory is that new youth gangs are striving to make their mark on a crowded criminal market by demonstrating their brutality and fearlessness, he said.
According to government figures, Venezuela has 39 homicides a year per 100,000 inhabitants. But researchers put the rate -- 100 percent higher -- at 79.
President Nicolas Maduro's government has faced mounting anger over crime and chronic shortages, which exploded into violent protests earlier this year. The South American country has the world's largest oil reserves, but is struggling to sustain its lavish subsidy programs and rigid foreign currency controls.
Roberto Briceno Leon, the head of Venezuelan Violence Watch, said the government had left a vacuum in the fight against crime. "We have a society with much more violence, aggravated by the absence of a state response to the situation, tremendous impunity -- 95 percent -- and criminals' noticeable awareness that nothing is going to be done to them," he told AFP.
Maduro's government has unveiled plans in the past five months to increase police patrols in the most violent cities and break up organized crime networks. But the new policies have had little visible impact so far.
Thanks to Jamaica Observer.
Joanne Drayton, Author of "The Search for Anne Perry", Appears Tonight on Crime Beat Radio
Joanne Drayton, author of the The Search for Anne Perry: The Hidden Life of a Bestselling Crime Writer, appears tonight on Crime Beat Radio.
ACCLAIMED ON ITS PUBLICATION ABROAD, THIS ENTHRALLING BIOGRAPHY OF THE AWARD-WINNING AND BESTSELLING WRITER ANNE PERRY OFFERS UNPRECEDENTED INSIGHT INTO HER DUAL LIVES.
In 1994
, director Peter Jackson released the movie Heavenly Creatures, based on a famous 1950s matricide committed in New Zealand by two teenage girls locked in an obsessive relationship. The movie launched Jackson's international career. It also forever changed the life of Anne Perry, who at the time of the movie's release had achieved remarkable success as a crime writer but was publicly outed as one of the murderers, Juliet Hulme. A new light was now cast, not only on Anne's life but also on her novels, which feature gruesome and violent deaths and confront dark issues, including infanticide and incest.
For this biography, Joanne Drayton was given broad access to Anne Perry and her friends, relatives, colleagues, and archives. In a gripping narrative that alternates between the story of Juliet Hulme leading up to the murder and Anne's life and writing career afterward, Drayton illuminates both parts of Anne's life, while drawing parallels between Perry's own experiences and her characters and storylines. She also gives a riveting account of the outing and Anne's response. Anne Perry's books deal with miscarriages of justice, family secrets exposed, punishment, redemption, and forgiveness, and these themes are all the more poignant in light of her past. She has sold twenty-six million books worldwide and is published in fifteen different languages, yet she will now forever be known as a murderer who became a writer of murder stories.
For the writer's many fans, The Search for Anne Perry offers a rich new understanding of the girl Anne was, the woman she became, her compulsion to write, her books, and her view of the world.
Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Crime Beat presents fascinating topics that bring listeners closer to the dynamic underbelly of the world of crime. Guests have included ex-mobsters, undercover law enforcement agents, sports officials, informants, prisoners, drug dealers and investigative journalists, who have provided insights and fresh information about the world’s most fascinating subject: crime.
ACCLAIMED ON ITS PUBLICATION ABROAD, THIS ENTHRALLING BIOGRAPHY OF THE AWARD-WINNING AND BESTSELLING WRITER ANNE PERRY OFFERS UNPRECEDENTED INSIGHT INTO HER DUAL LIVES.
In 1994
, director Peter Jackson released the movie Heavenly Creatures, based on a famous 1950s matricide committed in New Zealand by two teenage girls locked in an obsessive relationship. The movie launched Jackson's international career. It also forever changed the life of Anne Perry, who at the time of the movie's release had achieved remarkable success as a crime writer but was publicly outed as one of the murderers, Juliet Hulme. A new light was now cast, not only on Anne's life but also on her novels, which feature gruesome and violent deaths and confront dark issues, including infanticide and incest.For this biography, Joanne Drayton was given broad access to Anne Perry and her friends, relatives, colleagues, and archives. In a gripping narrative that alternates between the story of Juliet Hulme leading up to the murder and Anne's life and writing career afterward, Drayton illuminates both parts of Anne's life, while drawing parallels between Perry's own experiences and her characters and storylines. She also gives a riveting account of the outing and Anne's response. Anne Perry's books deal with miscarriages of justice, family secrets exposed, punishment, redemption, and forgiveness, and these themes are all the more poignant in light of her past. She has sold twenty-six million books worldwide and is published in fifteen different languages, yet she will now forever be known as a murderer who became a writer of murder stories.
For the writer's many fans, The Search for Anne Perry offers a rich new understanding of the girl Anne was, the woman she became, her compulsion to write, her books, and her view of the world.
Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Crime Beat presents fascinating topics that bring listeners closer to the dynamic underbelly of the world of crime. Guests have included ex-mobsters, undercover law enforcement agents, sports officials, informants, prisoners, drug dealers and investigative journalists, who have provided insights and fresh information about the world’s most fascinating subject: crime.
Monday, September 08, 2014
The CIA tortured Al-Qaeda suspects "to the point of death"
The CIA tortured Al-Qaeda suspects "to the point of death" by drowning them in water-filled baths, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported on Monday, ahead of the publication of a US Senate report on interrogation techniques.
The paper quoted one security source as saying the torture of at least two suspects, including the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, went far beyond the waterboarding admitted by the Central Intelligence Agency.
"They weren't just pouring water over their heads or over a cloth," the paper quoted the source as saying, adding: "They were holding them under water until the point of death, with a doctor present to make sure they did not go too far."
A second source cited by the paper also spoke of the treatment meted out to Mohammed, who is in US military custody in Guantanamo Bay, as well as alleged USS Cole bomber Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, who is also being held at the detention camp on Cuba.
"They got medieval on his ass, and far more so than people realise," the source, said to be familiar with the still-classified accounts of the torture, was quoted as saying.
An upcoming report by the US Senate based on a review of classified CIA documents would "deeply shock" the public because of its graphic portrayal of the extreme interrogation techniques used by the CIA, a third source said.
The paper quoted one security source as saying the torture of at least two suspects, including the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, went far beyond the waterboarding admitted by the Central Intelligence Agency.
"They weren't just pouring water over their heads or over a cloth," the paper quoted the source as saying, adding: "They were holding them under water until the point of death, with a doctor present to make sure they did not go too far."
A second source cited by the paper also spoke of the treatment meted out to Mohammed, who is in US military custody in Guantanamo Bay, as well as alleged USS Cole bomber Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, who is also being held at the detention camp on Cuba.
"They got medieval on his ass, and far more so than people realise," the source, said to be familiar with the still-classified accounts of the torture, was quoted as saying.
An upcoming report by the US Senate based on a review of classified CIA documents would "deeply shock" the public because of its graphic portrayal of the extreme interrogation techniques used by the CIA, a third source said.
Completion of Project Elevate Gives Hope to Uptown’s Disabled Community
Uptown Baptist Church (UBC) hosted the grand opening of a new elevator on Sunday, September 7, 2014, at 10 a.m. For the very first time in a 35-year history, the historic church building will become accessible for the more than 3500 people with physical disabilities who live within rolling distance to its front door.
“UBC is dedicated to provide programs and services that meet the special needs of Uptown residents, including persons with disabilities,” said Rev. Michael N. Allen, UBC’s senior pastor. The grand opening event for Project Elevate is an extension of UBC’s ongoing ministry to meet the many challenges in Uptown. For over 30 years UBC members have fed the hungry, provided shelter to homeless women, and provided various immigrant groups with space to worship in their own language. More recently, the church has cooperated in “Gun Turn In” programs organized by the Mayor’s Office.
The unveiling of a new elevator at Uptown will highlight the church’s current initiative to more effectively serve those with physical disabilities. “Within walking distance of our church are over 3500 persons with disabilities, and they all have an individual story,” said Allen. “Just think about what an elevator could mean to seniors who are plagued by painful arthritis and others on the street who struggle to get up our stairs.”
On hand to help dedicate the new elevator will be David Ring, an internationally-known speaker born with cerebral palsy. After being orphaned at an early age, Ring was cast about from “pillar to post.” Life seemed worse than hopeless to Ring until his relationship began with Jesus Christ, who taught him self-respect and an acceptance of his physical challenges. Now Ring shares his story with over 100,000 people each year at churches, conventions, schools, and corporate events.
“UBC is dedicated to provide programs and services that meet the special needs of Uptown residents, including persons with disabilities,” said Rev. Michael N. Allen, UBC’s senior pastor. The grand opening event for Project Elevate is an extension of UBC’s ongoing ministry to meet the many challenges in Uptown. For over 30 years UBC members have fed the hungry, provided shelter to homeless women, and provided various immigrant groups with space to worship in their own language. More recently, the church has cooperated in “Gun Turn In” programs organized by the Mayor’s Office.
The unveiling of a new elevator at Uptown will highlight the church’s current initiative to more effectively serve those with physical disabilities. “Within walking distance of our church are over 3500 persons with disabilities, and they all have an individual story,” said Allen. “Just think about what an elevator could mean to seniors who are plagued by painful arthritis and others on the street who struggle to get up our stairs.”
On hand to help dedicate the new elevator will be David Ring, an internationally-known speaker born with cerebral palsy. After being orphaned at an early age, Ring was cast about from “pillar to post.” Life seemed worse than hopeless to Ring until his relationship began with Jesus Christ, who taught him self-respect and an acceptance of his physical challenges. Now Ring shares his story with over 100,000 people each year at churches, conventions, schools, and corporate events.
Sunday, September 07, 2014
DEA Museum, @DEAEdFoundation, Fall 2014 Lecture Series Commemorates 100 Years of Drug Law Enforcement
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act and the start of federal drug law enforcement in America! In honor of this important milestone, the DEA Museum will be hosting a series of public Museum Lectures this coming fall themed around the 100thanniversary. This series includes the DEA Museum’s first-ever off-site lecture program that will take place live at the AFFNA (Association of Former Federal Narcotics Agents) Conference in Naples, Florida on Friday, September 19th and be webcast live to the world via www.deamuseum.org
Mark your calendars for these three 100th Anniversary lectures that will help shed light on the important work of federal drug law enforcement agents in the days before DEA:
September 19, 2014, 11:00 AM Eastern – The Early Years: A Panel Discussion on the Era of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics
October 15, 2014, 2:00 PM Eastern – Standing in the Shadows: The Legacy of Harry J. Anslinger
November 6, 2014, 11:00 AM Eastern – Targeting the Mafia: FBN, Organized Crime, and Drugs
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Julio Estiven Gracia Ramirez Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping and Murder of DEA Agent Terry Watson
A Colombian man extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia pleaded guilty for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 20, 2013.
“Today’s guilty plea is an important step forward in holding those responsible for the murder of DEA Special Agent Terry Watson accountable for their heinous crime,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “DEA will not rest until all of those responsible for this tragedy face justice. Our thoughts and prayers continue for the Watson family, and DEA remains grateful for the dedicated U.S. and Colombian team of investigators and prosecutors.”
“Special Agent Watson gave his life in the service of his country, and we will do everything in our power to honor his sacrifice,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “This conviction is a critical step forward. But while this action represents the first measure of justice for his kidnapping and murder, it will not be the last. The Department of Justice will not rest until all those involved in this senseless act of violence have been held to account for their crimes. Our nation will never yield in the protection and defense of its citizens. And we will continue to demonstrate that anyone who seeks to harm an American will be found, will be prosecuted, and will be brought to justice.”
Julio Estiven Gracia Ramirez, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virginia to aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person and conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 5, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Gracia Ramirez admitted that he and his conspirators agreed to conduct a “paseo milionario” or “millionaire’s ride” in which victims who were perceived as wealthy were lured into taxi cabs, kidnapped and then robbed. Gracia Ramirez admitted that he targeted Special Agent Watson and picked him up outside a Bogotá restaurant in his taxi. Soon after, two conspirators entered Gracia Ramirez’s taxi, and one used a stun gun to shock Special Agent Watson and the other stabbed him. Special Agent Watson was able to escape from the taxi, but he later collapsed and died from his injuries.
“Today’s guilty plea is an important step forward in holding those responsible for the murder of DEA Special Agent Terry Watson accountable for their heinous crime,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “DEA will not rest until all of those responsible for this tragedy face justice. Our thoughts and prayers continue for the Watson family, and DEA remains grateful for the dedicated U.S. and Colombian team of investigators and prosecutors.”
“Special Agent Watson gave his life in the service of his country, and we will do everything in our power to honor his sacrifice,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “This conviction is a critical step forward. But while this action represents the first measure of justice for his kidnapping and murder, it will not be the last. The Department of Justice will not rest until all those involved in this senseless act of violence have been held to account for their crimes. Our nation will never yield in the protection and defense of its citizens. And we will continue to demonstrate that anyone who seeks to harm an American will be found, will be prosecuted, and will be brought to justice.”
Julio Estiven Gracia Ramirez, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virginia to aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person and conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 5, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Gracia Ramirez admitted that he and his conspirators agreed to conduct a “paseo milionario” or “millionaire’s ride” in which victims who were perceived as wealthy were lured into taxi cabs, kidnapped and then robbed. Gracia Ramirez admitted that he targeted Special Agent Watson and picked him up outside a Bogotá restaurant in his taxi. Soon after, two conspirators entered Gracia Ramirez’s taxi, and one used a stun gun to shock Special Agent Watson and the other stabbed him. Special Agent Watson was able to escape from the taxi, but he later collapsed and died from his injuries.
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