FBI Swarms My Neighbors House – Removes Boxes From House

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Damon

The FBI swarmed in on my neighbors house this morning located in Pahoa, Hawaii.

FBI

I first noticed something was going on when my dogs were barking loudly and I looked out my window and saw FBI Agents with large guns and bullet proof vests surrounding the house.  After the house was secured… they took off most of their clothes stating that they were FBI Agents.

FBI

One of the FBI Agents had a “Battering Ram” and I knew that something was about to go down so I grabbed my iPhone and started to take pictures.

FBI

I called Hawaii News Now Cameraman Darryl Lee and told him what was going on and that he might want to come check things out.

FBI

I asked Sergeant Scott Amaral what the heck was going on and he said he wasn’t able to comment on the matter, however, he assisted me in getting one of the FBI Agents to come out and talk with me for a few minutes.

FBI

They were inside the house for nearly two hours talking to the occupants of the house and then they started removing some boxes with what looked like some files in them.

FBI

I asked the FBI Agent that was sent out to talk to me about what was going on and he said he was not authorized to speak on the matter and gave me a number to the FBI’s media relations on Oahu.  I’ve tried calling the number several times and have left a message asking them to get back to me on the matter.

FBI

They were at the house for nearly two and a half hours before they packed up their stuff and left.  No arrests were made that I could tell of and only some property removed from the house.

FBI

It’s still a mystery to me as to why they were there… but I expect to find out soon enough since I gave an interview to Hawaii News Now.

Filed under: Big Island, Hawaii, Legal, Pahoa, Rumors, Security, Unexplained Phenomenon | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Eight In Connection With Big Island Gambling Business

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Damon

Vida G. Bottom, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Harry S. Kubojiri, Police Chief of the Hawaii Police Department, Kenneth J. Hines, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and Florence T. Nakakuni, United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, announced that law enforcement officers today arrested persons on the Big Island indicted by a federal grand jury in Honolulu on November 20, 2012, for operating an illegal gambling business and conspiring to do so.

Picture courtesy of KHON 2 News

Charged with those offenses are:

  • Eric Ford, age 45
  • Marlo Banasan, 34
  • Matthew Phillips, 39
  • Kendale Limahai, 47
  • Robert Bland, 35
  • Jonah Yardley, 37
  • Trevor Carter, 24

A Slot Machine shop in Hilo

The grand jury also charged Eric Ford and an eighth defendant, Barbara Ford, age 44, with 25 counts of structuring financial transactions for the purpose of evading federal reporting requirements, which include the filing of a Currency Transaction Report with the IRS by a financial institution in regard to any currency transaction over $10,000. All seven of the Big Island residents, everyone except Bland, now a resident of Arizona, were arrested today.

United States Attorney Nakakuni said that according to the indictment, Eric Ford operated an illegal gambling business from at least November 2009, until November 20, 2012, out of a water company business located in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The indictment alleges that the gambling operation consisted of sports betting and various gambling events, to include poker games and craps games, and used an offshore gaming website. The six other defendants, not including Barbara Ford, are alleged to have assisted Eric Ford in the taking of bets, collection of gambling debts, and payment of gambling winnings.

A Slot Machine shop in Hilo

If convicted of the gambling and conspiracy charges, each defendant faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count. Each of the structuring charges also carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations and each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case resulted from an investigation initiated by the Hawaii Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit. Through an established partnership among the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hawaii Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, investigators were able to uncover the breadth of the illegal gambling enterprise. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nammar is handling the prosecution.

Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Economy, Hawaii, Legal, State Affairs | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Man Stranded in Hawaii Over No Fly List HEADING HOME NOW

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Damon

Wade Hicks Jr. is now a free man.

Wade Hicks Jr.

34-year-old man from Gulfport, Miss., who was stranded in the islands this week after being told he was on the FBI’s no-fly list during a layover for a military flight from California to Japan is now heading home to Travis Air Force Base.

He uploaded this video stating that he got a call from Senator Thad Cochran’s office and that he had submitted papers stating he is FREE and Clear.

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Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Hawaii, Legislature, Military, National Affairs, Security, State Affairs, Transportation | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Hawaii Police Express Interest in Face Recognition Software

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Damon

I am so against this for so many reasons!  Can you imagine walking into Walmart and having them immediately identify you by your face?

The FBI recently announced that it will distribute free facial recognition software to law enforcement agencies following a pilot program of the system, reported Slate.com. Police will be able to use the Universal Face Workstation (UFW) program, which grants access to a central database of about 13 million images. Police departments will also be able to submit and enhance their own image files to be cross-referenced with existing images in the database to identify matches.

UFW, which was piloted in February in Michigan, is part of a $1 billion biometrics FBI program called Next Generation Identification, which will create a database for scars and tattoos.

The program is expected to launch within a few weeks, while full operational capability for facial recognition is scheduled for summer 2014, according to a statement from the FBI. Officials in Hawaii, Maryland, South Carolina, Ohio, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, Tennessee, Nebraska and Missouri have expressed interest in participating in the facial recognition pilot program.

Amid recent news like the WikiLeaks report on the national TrapWire system, some are concerned with privacy issues surrounding facial recognition technology, but the FBI insists such technology is only being used to supplement current biometrics, such as fingerprinting, to identify criminals.

“The Facial Recognition Pilot provides a search of the national repository of photos consisting of criminal mug shots, which were taken at the time of a criminal booking,” wrote Jerome M. Pender, deputy assistant director of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI, in a statement. “Only criminal mug shot photos are used to populate the national repository. Query photos and photos obtained from social networking sites, surveillance cameras and similar sources are not used to populate the national repository.”

Since the time of the statement, Pender was named executive assistant director of the FBI’s Information and Technology Branch.

The FBI’s Next Generation Identification program, of which the facial recognition system is part, is 60 percent deployed, according to a statement.

From Government Technology

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Filed under: Announcements, Environment, Hawaii, Legal, Rumors, Security, State Affairs, Technology | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Malware Monday – How Do I Know if My Computer is Infected?

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Damon

How Do I Know if My Computer Is Infected?

You can check to see whether your computer is infected by clicking on this link, which is run by DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG).

If the page is green, you’re in the clear. If it’s red, your computer is infected.

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Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Education, Legal, National Affairs, Rumors, Security, Technology | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Four Pipe Bombs Found in Puna Drug Bust Today

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Damon

Hawaiʻi Police Department Area I Vice Officers discovered four pipe bombs at an Ainaloa residence this morning (November 4), while executing a search warrant. Christopher Robinson, the 39-year-old resident, was arrested after officers discovered an indoor marijuana growing operation, crystal methamphetamine or “ice”, the pipe bombs, and other bomb making materials at his residence.

The pipe bombs were neutralized by a Marine Explosive Ordinance Team currently stationed at the Pohakuloa Training Area.

Officers seized a total of 253 marijuana plants, ranging in height from 6 inches to 4 feet, one and a half pounds of dried, processed marijuana, .2 grams of crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and “ice” pipes, digital scales, and ammunition.

Another male party, 44-year-old Randy Pascal, of Puna, was also arrested after he was located on the property.

The investigation was the result of information from the public regarding the possible construction of the pipe bombs and the marijuana cultivating operation.

Robinson and Pascal remain in custody as police continue their investigation.

Assisting Hawaiʻi Police Department personnel during the execution of the search warrant were members of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Hawaiʻi County Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team.

Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Hawaii, Legal, Puna, Security | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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