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TechnoratiFeds Raid Blackwater's NC Armory In Firearms Probe
Federal agents raided Blackwater Worldwide this week as part of an investigation into whether the private security company sidestepped federal laws prohibiting the private purchase of automatic assault rifles, the company said Thursday.
Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Blackwater's armory at its corporate headquarters in Moyock on Tuesday as part of the investigation. Court documents show that agents seized 22 guns as evidence from a vault dedicated to county authorities.
The company signed agreements in 2005 in which Blackwater financed the purchase of 34 automatic weapons for the Camden County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Tony Perry became the official owner of the weapons, but Blackwater was allowed to keep most of the guns at its armory.
Federal laws prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons, but allows law enforcement agencies to have them.
One of the 2005 agreements says the weapons will be kept under "lock and key" and doesn't describe whether Blackwater would use the guns.
"We believe all aspects of our contracts with the sheriff's office are lawful and proper," Tyrrell said, adding that the ATF has known about the arrangement for a long time.
Tyrrell also said federal authorities have known about the weapons for years and that investigators got a complete look at the company's cache in 2005 after two employees were fired.
Kenneth Wayne Cashwell and William Ellsworth "Max" Grumiaux were sentenced this year on gunrunning charges, but they were spared prison time after federal prosecutors asked a judge to approve a lighter sentence because of their ongoing cooperation in a weapons investigation.
Blackwater said it fired the men after finding they had been stealing from the company. Cashwell operated Blackwater's armory in 2005, Tyrrell said.
"When these guys were fired, we invited (ATF) in to do a full search of everything we possessed," Tyrrell said. "They did a full audit, and those weapons were there at that time."
She said it is not unusual for Blackwater to store automatic weapons because the company is licensed to sell, provide training on, or even manufacture firearms.
Both ATF and U.S. Attorney George Holding declined to comment.
The 2005 agreements give the sheriff's office unlimited access to the weapons, including 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters. But Perry has said his department has only used the AK-47s in shooting practice at Blackwater and that none of his 19 deputies are qualified to use them.
The 34 weapons are registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record to the Camden County sheriff. The AK-47s and five of the Bushmasters were stored and used at Blackwater while the remainder of the weapons were assigned to local deputies, Perry had said. Those numbers match with the guns listed on the search warrant receipt filed Wednesday.
The sheriff did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.
Blackwater is the largest private security firm in Iraq, and it has been under scrutiny as a federal grand jury in Washington investigates the company's involvement in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians. The firm is also under investigation for possible weapons smuggling allegations - violations the firm strongly denies.
Associated Press Writer Matt Apuzzo contributed to this report from Washington.
© 2008 Associated Press
10 Comments so far
Show AllThere are government workers who still believe in the rule of law. In these times, following the law can be an act of resistance and should be welcomed. I'll take the local police over Blackwater any day.
there is little law by mercenaries' standards, so the police connect is scary indeed, as blackwater, in an ideal republican world, would serve both as federally controlled police/support, and as corporate hires.
with te blackwater media buzz lately, there is little chance this was anything but for-public-eyes, as we know where blackwater stands relative to the feds (see: iraq & new orleans). i mean, i dont wanna stand up to these guys, as they are stone killers with heart-attack pills that u cant taste in yr drink, but indeed, this stuff is the far end of too-far, so fuk this shit.
as for automatic-weapons and county sheriffs/blackwater, yeah, thats pure nutso, only in the sense that the rifles they are talking about, set to automatic, are not for hitting a single-target. so dont stand in a crowd in any republican-future.
regard
Fine post speedtheplow. Chomsky and others are right when saying "our freedoms are under attack by psychopaths and tyrants".
I somewhat wonder if this Feds vs BW story isn't just a piece of bs sort of propaganda, given the extreme criminality of both.
And I don't see why law enforcement needs automatic assault rifles in civil society. If I was a police officer, then I sure hope that I'd remain against using these hell- and 'dumb animal'-manufactured weapons. I don't see any really possible or likely intent that is not to immediately and quickly kill when such weapons are used, and that's definitely NOT the way I'd want to go about law enforcement. And I was accurate enough with a totally non-auto. gun as a child, as well as very accurate with a mere and homemade slingshot at 30 and more feet in distance from the target(s), including when they were in movement, like flying through the air.
In any case, auto. assault rifles are instruments of murderers, imo. I don't think we need non-auto. rifles, but can tolerate these, while definitely not the auto. kind; while only being able to try to stay out of having any fired at me. They are too much the 'shoot first and ask questions only after it's too late to do so' sort of weapons.
I don't carry any kind of weapon; only a Swiss Army utility knife, which you would not want to use as a weapon, for the blades don't lock in place and you're likely to have them fold in on your hand or fingers, if you try to use these as weapons. It happens when using them strictly as utility knives too, but the use is not fast, so the blade folding in is felt before you really injure yourself; unless you're awfully slow to react. Utility knives with locking blades are better, but knives really meant for use as weapons should always have blades that lock in place.
I don't even accept sales of Rambo and other weapon knives made by [insane] manufacturers and only for profit, given there's really NO use for these knives. So I definitely don't find it acceptable for society to allow use of auto. assault rifles by [anyone]. I'd want to outlaw both and universally so; not even law enforcement being permitted to possess, much less use, any of these damn things.
A hunting knife, like for skinning animals obtained (shot or trapped) and killed, is one thing. A machete has its usefulness. But the Rambo, ... kind have no real, intelligent purpose. Sure, these all have very serious blades, but hunting and butchery knives, and machetes, are [utility] blades, while the Rambo, ... are not. I'd never want them for that purpose, and can't think of any reason why I would want one, so much less see any need. The money would be much better spent on healthy micro-brew.
I hate most marketing, and that's the way we get insane manufacturers manufacturing insane products.
Do not be concerned with this allegation, my Brethren. The Militias have the FULL support of all branches of government! Mr. Bush is Born Again to JESUS and will not steer us wrong.
These investigations are part of Checks and Balances procedures due to the widespread problem of discrimination against the Chickenpluckin' Christian Militias.
Hey Folks, step right up to the newest dog and pony show in town..it'll oly cost you a tank of gas (roughly $100.-) Step right on in, we have lots of room, step right on up! This is the "Biggest Show on Earth" and they're all paid by your TAXES!
Sorry, the armed helocopters, tanks and ships are in Iraq....but we do have a genuine "Shell Game" the guys learned it in a little town called Crawford!
In fascism there is no line between private corporations and the militarist state. There is no line between Blackwater and the Bush /Cheney junta. Was this raid an attempt at demonstrating some sort of division between the two? Naomi Wolf's "The End of America" lists 10 steps taken to close an open society, and creating a mercenary force or thug caste is one step. Bush is following all 10 steps to a tee, but as Chomsky says: we still live in an open society, and therefore we don't even have to be brave to speak and act against power. We only need to NOT be cowards. Our freedoms won't fight for themselves, and I don't have to tell you folks that our freedoms are under attack by psychopaths and tyrants .
SO! Either their..Blackwater's...Intelligence Devision...well..did it WORK? or did it NOT work?
If I were a private Corporation..lookingto hire some Sociopaths..i might take a second look ata company that claims o have CIA personnell..and DOES..and yet...CANNOT see a federal Raid coming...Hmmmmm..or..maybe..just MAYBE...they DID see it coming..? you think? I mean these guy's are all on the same team..they think alike..they act alike..they work within the same government agencies..the ol revolving door...so HOW IS IT THAT THIS WAS...A..."SURPRISE"?...IT AINT LIKELY!
Another aspec of this that bothers me quite allot..and is a pet issue of mine..and for which I have written NUMEROUS letters and placed NUMEROUS calls to my..ahem! "Representatives"..is the reality of the Police..in america..hiring..being trained by..and employing and BEING emplyed..by PRIVATE CONTRACTORS
This not only fly's in the face of BASIC CONCEPTS OF OBJECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT..BALANCED..(yeah.I know..duhhh..but..valid..) and FAIR...and how is this such and arrangement?
I want you all to write to your "reps"..we MUST have a "cooling off period" as well as a "no mercenaries in law enforcement" legislation drive..because do YOU want to be the one stopped at 3:am by a small town Sheriff that was a "SOFTENER" AT ABU GHRAIB? DO YOU WANT TO BE SUBJECT TO SEARCHES CARRIED OUT BY PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO DISREGARD HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN LIFE? PEOPLE THAT HAVE KILLED AND THERFORE RETAIN ALMOST NO.."NATURAL HESITAION TO KILL"? DO YOU?
i sure don't..we need a COOLING OFF PERIOD for ALL returning Vets..BEFORE THEY MAY ENTER LAW ENFORCEMENT JOBS..we also MUSt have a MORATORIUM ON ALL HIRNING AND CROSS USE OF MERCENARIES AND PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS IN AMERICAN POLICE AGENCIES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IN GENERAL..FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL...NO PRIVATE ARMIES...
I mean Puhh-Lease...Jeezis Christ...is this not PATANTLY OBVIOUS?
So..before the next NIGHTMARE OF POLICE BRUTALITY...KEEP THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS CLEAN OF KILLES, PTSD RIDDLED ACTION JUNKIES..AND PRIVATE SECURITY FREAKS WHO'S LOYALTIES LAY WITH THE BEST PAID OFFER...DUHHHH..
IT IS BETTER TO DIE ON YOUR FEET THAN TO LIVE ON YOUR KNEES...AN THAT AINT NO BOOL-SHEEIT...
a reasonable move for the feds to show (posture) scrutiny, but what??, playing with blackwater's inside links to some lil county law enforcement? thats a reasonable probe of mercinaries operational within our country? hahahhahahhhahahahahhahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahh.
The feds took A Capone down with income tax evasion. Where there's a will there's a way! Anything that pulls the plug on Blackwater is a plus, in my book!
Uh-oh! Heads are going to roll at ATF for this screwup. They've gone and messed with Bush's brownshirts.
It'll be interesting to see how much - if any - coverage this incident gets in the MSM.
jj