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FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

nytimes.com

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Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#301

Post by iugtmkbdfil834 »

jermaustin1 wrote: post #285
bitmasher9 wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we often underestimate the intelligence of the criminal population for two main reasons. 1. The dumbest ones are most likely to be caught and have their stories told. 2. Law Enforcement often gets frustrated at chasing the smarter ones and use illegal methods catching them and the real story doesn’t come out in court.

> the real story doesn’t come out in court. I'm not saying this hasn't happened, but any competent criminal defense attorney (like a SMART criminal would have) would go to town on illegally obtained evidence. I'm not saying cops don't do warrantless searches/taps/etc., to gather unofficial clues, but if they can't get real evidence that stands up under scrutiny, the criminal walks. I'm not sure if prosecution would m…

It is CIA. For better or worse, different rules apply.

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#302

Post by [deleted] »

m348e912 wrote: post #58
delichon wrote: post #15

A couple of weeks ago there was a story that the CIA raided the office of the director of the NSA and seized information regarding the CIA. Trump was in China at the time. About a week later the NSA director resigns. I waited for it to turn into a major story and get some kind of explanation, but silence. It seems like an extraordinary story and I don't understand why there isn't a hullabaloo. Did I hallucinate it? W…

There might be a mix up on the details. The FBI raided the home of John Bolton who was a former National Security Advisor for the first Trump administration. (not directly part of the NSA and definitely not the director of the NSA). Bolton has become a vocal critic of Trump since he was fired in Sept 2019. Trump's DOJ has a track record of prosecuting Trump's vocal critics. eg. Former FBI director James Comey and New…

[deleted]

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#303

Post by Aurornis »

fc417fc802 wrote: post #152
Aurornis wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not carry 600 lbs of gold bars out into the forest and bury them, then hope nobody thought it was suspicious to see someone carrying a shovel into the forest on any one of the trips necessary to do it?

A small plot of forested rural land without utility service doesn't cost much at all. Go car camping at your new private getaway for a few days. This isn't rocket science. Also if you drive out to a remote part of the US who is going to see you? There are some very empty places in this country. Not quite on the level of Canada or Russia but still.

> A small plot of forested rural land without utility service doesn't cost much at all. Go car camping at your new private getaway for a few days. This isn't rocket science.

Once someone is under investigation for something like this, they will look at everything.

If the person suddenly bought a small plot of rural land with no utility service that’s going to raise red flags.

As a secondary problem, once the investigators start asking you about it you have to lie to them, which opens you to more charges.

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#304

Post by yawpitch »

manarth wrote: post #211
nradov wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or a really cool scuba diving weight belt.

More like 20+ weight belts, you go underwater with a 280kg weight belt you're not coming back!

Technically that depends on how much water you and the gold displace.

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#305

Post by jonnybgood »

bandrami wrote: post #147
Radle wrote: post #118

From last November to March, the court papers say, Mr. Rush asked for, and received, “a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses.” Obvious plant nobody would be that stupid to store the valuables at home within the first six months after the „acquisition“. —— Also the CIA was unable to confirm his discharge with the navy earlier? As if people aren…

CIA recruits a lot of square pegs who didn't quite fit in to other parts of government

CIA recruitment is actually highly competitive. The best avenue to get to the top of the list when applying is if you have an “in”. CIA managers still do college campus visits, and for new college graduates who have done an interview with that individual and decide to apply that can use that person to get to the top of the list.

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#307

Post by Aurornis »

fc417fc802 wrote: post #172
nickphx wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

flock or any number of cameras that contribute to flock would see you.

They would see you driving out into the sticks to go camping for a few days. That's entirely normal isn't it? We haven't (yet) made it to the level of flock cameras on gravel logging roads.

> They would see you driving out into the sticks to go camping for a few days. That's entirely normal isn't it?

If someone has a history of taking a lot of solo camping trips it might not raise suspicions.

A common way criminals get caught is by suddenly doing something out of the ordinary. If the 50 year old guy who sits behind a desk and spends weekends at home with his family suddenly takes up a hobby of camping alone in one specific remote location and his trips coincide with each a acquisition of gold bars, the investigators monitoring him are going to be all over that.

I think everyone in this sub thread is imagining that he got all of the gold bars at once and could have made a single move to hide them all. He gathered these over many requests. Taking a solo camping trip every time you acquire something new is red flags all over the place.

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#308

Post by HlessClaudesman »

bitmasher9 wrote: post #283
Tangurena2 wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whenever you say "nobody would be that stupid" you have to pause and take a deep breath and realise that however dumb something is, there are for sure people who are stupid enough to do it. Long ago, I graduated from a police academy. One of the things taught was that crooks, while clever at finding ways to make money, are rather unclever ("stupid" if you will) at performing that task. Which is why so many are caug…

I think we often underestimate the intelligence of the criminal population for two main reasons. 1. The dumbest ones are most likely to be caught and have their stories told. 2. Law Enforcement often gets frustrated at chasing the smarter ones and use illegal methods catching them and the real story doesn’t come out in court.

Are you telling me that Luigi Manglone was not foiled by a eagle eyed McDonalds employee?!?

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#309

Post by hylaride »

iugtmkbdfil834 wrote: post #301
jermaustin1 wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the real story doesn’t come out in court. I'm not saying this hasn't happened, but any competent criminal defense attorney (like a SMART criminal would have) would go to town on illegally obtained evidence. I'm not saying cops don't do warrantless searches/taps/etc., to gather unofficial clues, but if they can't get real evidence that stands up under scrutiny, the criminal walks. I'm not sure if prosecution would m…

It is CIA. For better or worse, different rules apply.

It would not surprise me to learn you sign away certain rights to sign up - arguably the way it should be for such an organization.

Re: FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home

#310

Post by Aurornis »

einpoklum wrote: post #241
lionkor wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are some on hiking trails :)

Wow, it's really quite the panopticon you have there in the US. "Land of the free"...

Trail cams are set by individuals, hunters, and wildlife observers.

They’re used all over the world. It’s not “USA bad”. The government doesn’t have a network of trail cameras to monitor people on trails.

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