FBI Wiretaps Dropped Due to Unpaid Bills

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jgPRrAOa7_9-xd_LD8Ogt3ZXZ8JgD8U34BGG1

By LARA JAKES JORDAN – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Telephone companies cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time, according to a Justice Department audit released Thursday.

The faulty bookkeeping is part of what the audit, by the Justice Department's inspector general, described as the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. Poor supervision of the program also allowed one agent to steal $25,000, the audit said.

More than half of 990 bills to pay for telecommunication surveillance in five unidentified FBI field offices were not paid on time, the report shows. In one office alone, unpaid costs for wiretaps from one phone company totaled $66,000.

And at least once, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation — the highly secretive and sensitive cases that allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies — "was halted due to untimely payment."

"We also found that late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence," according to the audit by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine.

Telephone companies their money. The wire tapping is disgusting, I like how they use the word Surveillance instead of wire tapping.

bills paid.

GW Bush Ineffective in war, peace, democracy, and fascism.

I have to hope somehow the two are related. :rofl:

Too broke to violate the Constitution.....If the Congress and Supreme Court can't stop them, maybe this will.

:rofl:

Can you see how that might be upsetting?

:think:

One would think, wouldn't one, that if this was such a vital component of our anti-terrorist effort, someone somewhere along the line would have made sure that the bills got paid? We're blowing about $198,000 a minute on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (based on $2 billion a week), and for want of 20 seconds' worth of that time ($66,000), a wire tap gets shut down for non-payment.

This can be upsetting on so many different levels, it's hard to count them all.

...Who will be our Yakov smirnoff?

They listen on the phone, on the internet, in the bathroom...

:rofl:

Now that's karma.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

with unlimited eavesdropping time on nights and weekends.

:rofl:

:rofl:

:spray: :rofl:

:rofl:

:evilgrin:

I *love* it.
Sorry, this is one of life's little jokes about taking ourselves WAYYYYYYY to seriously.

Is let Bush continue to bankrupt the country?

THIS IS NOT, I REPEAT NOT FROM THE ONION



Yes fascists really should paid their bills, do they think the phone company was gonna break the law without getting paid for it?

Just dated myself with that one..

Too funny. Hey phone companies, you guys are jerks. You let them do what they want, but the Almighty Dollar Rules, eh?

and the telephone companies are getting scared at being involved with them especially if they give them the service for free

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/fbi-wiretap-cut.html


FBI Wiretap Cut Off After Feds Fail To Pay Telecom Spying Bills
By Ryan Singel January 10, 2008 | 12:48:31 PM


Some of the problems stemmed from telecoms billing multiple times for individual surveillance warrants -- which, in the case of Cox Communications, costs $1500 for a 30-day wiretap order. But telecoms also bill the FBI for internet connections and phone lines that connect the carrier's wiretap-friendly switches with the FBI's wiretap software system known as the Digitial Collection System.

Each field office has wiretap recording computers that are meshed together with all the other field offices and HQ through a secure fiber optic network operated by Sprint.

The Inspector General found that the FBI was often confused about whether to use confidential case funds or general HQ money to pay the telecoms, and were even so confused that when telecoms issued refunds, they sometimes sent the refunds back to the carriers.

In 2006, DCS 5000, the FBI's national security wiretapping software, captured 27,728,675 communication sessions, according to released FBI documents, but the document does not define what a "session" consists of. That year the FBI reported winning 2,176 FISA, or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, warrants from a secret court.

To learn more about the FBI's wiretap network and software, start with "Point, Click ... Eavesdrop: How the FBI Wiretap Net Operates" and find out even more -- including details on the FBI's cell phone tracking vans in "FBI E-Mail Shows Rift Over Warrantless Phone Records Grab."

is often like watching the Keystone Cops. And these are the people who are supposed to be keeping us safe? LOL

The big, bad FBI has been taken over by the Keystone Cops and Enron accountants?

What next, McHale's Navy? Gomer Pyle for the Joint Chiefs?

Am I allowed to be frightened and ashamed at the same time?

Great site! ;-)

It's the Cats from Brazil!

Great link slad! :rofl:

seeing any movie version. I wasn't disappointed in the movie, but the book was better. Of course!

Gregory Peck, :woohoo:

Rest in Peace Mr. Peck.

Date of Birth: 04/05/1916
Date of Death: 06/12/2003
Age at Death: 87


Rest in Peace Mr. Levin.

Ira Levin

Field: Literature

Info: Author of "The Boys from Brazil", "The Stepford Wives", "Rosemary's Baby" and other books

Date of Birth: 08/27/1929
Date of Death: 11/12/2007
Age at Death: 78

Cause of Death:
Heart attack

http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/lnames-nf/Levin+Ira

Feeling older tonight; many of my favorite actors and writers are gone. Wow.

:rofl:

Illegal NSA wiretapping is worth $$$ billions and billions! FISA warrant surevillance is small beans by comparison. No wonder most of the telcos wanted to get rid of warrants and hop right into The Program! Wiretapping everyone does wonders for the bottom-line. It's another way to loot the Treasury and a huge give-away to big GOP campaign contributors. This sort of thing almost defines corporate fascism, 21st Century American-style.