Case Studies
Counterfeit case yields 2 arrests
Chicago Tribune | February 24, 1984
FEDERAL AGENTS arrested a west suburban printer on counterfeiting charges and recovered as much as $300,000 in phony money, government sources said late Thursday. An 18-year-old La Grange youth also was arrested by suburban authorities in connection with passing the money, and as many as five more arrests were expected to be announced Friday, government sources said.
The printer, identified by Secret Service agents as Tom Adams of West Chicago, was arrested after he sold $15,000 worth of counterfeit $20 bills to an undercover informant, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court. Adams, of 1015 W. Bishop St., was charged with transferring and transporting counterfeit money after his arrest by Secret Service agents outside a Wendy’s restaurant in La Grange Saturday night.
HE WAS FREED on a $15,000 recognizance bond after being arraigned Sunday before U.S. Magistrate Joan Lefkow in Chicago. West suburban police subsequently arrested David M. Boland, 18, of 239 S. 9th Ave., La Grange, on misdemeanor theft charges after some of the bogus $20 bills turned up in Sugar Grove. Still under investigation is how the photographic plates and negatives were made and by whom, Federal sources said.
According to a federal court affidavit signed by Secret Service Agent Ronald McKenzie, Adams first met with the informant at a La Grange Park gasoline station at 9 p.m. Feb. 15. Federal agents said he gave the informant two small cardboard boxes and a red suitcase containing a total of $15,000 in counterfeit $20 bills, and offered to provide the informant with $300,000 to $350,000.
ADAMS TOLD the informant, who carried a hidden recording device that he originally printed $500,000 worth, but a large portion was “wasted,” the affidavit said. A second meeting was held Saturday night at Wendy’s, 21 N. La Grange Rd. While Secret Service agents watched unobserved, the affidavit said, the informant gave Adams a $1,500 down payment and was told he had two months to come up with “the rest” [which was not specified].
Sugar Grove Police Chief Neal Lippold said one phony $20 bill was passed at a liquor store and another, having the identical serial number, at a Convenient Food Store. Lippold said the liquor store owner jotted down the license number of Boland’s car after noticing that the $20 bill felt “too thin.”
U.S. ‘sting’ nets 30 here in stolen check, gun sales
Chicago Sun-Times | September 1, 1983
Federal authorities Wednesday began arresting 30 people on charges of selling stolen checks and guns to undercover agents who ran a six-month “sting” operation.
Investigators said they bought about 35 guns and more than $100,000 in stolen checks.
The checks were mostly government checks for public aid and Social Security benefits that had been stolen from the mail, investigators said.
Agents form the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Secret Service worked undercover as R&J Enterprises, a “security consulting” firm at 8010 S. Ashland.
Agents from the three agencies, assisted by Chicago police, began arresting suspects Wednesday morning.
The suspects were indicted Tuesday, but the indictments were suppressed until the majority of arrests had been made.
20 arrested
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheldon T. Zenner said 20 of those sought had been arrested by late afternoon and agents were searching for the 10 others.
The indictments charged suspects with sale and possession of stolen checks, illegal possession of a firearm and failure to register a firearm.
The operation set up shop six months ago and let word out that stolen checks and guns would be bought.
Checks usually were purchased for 30 percent of face value.
Investigators said they used video cameras with sound equipment to record the transaction in the store.
Among those being sought were some reputed members of South Side street gangs, including the El Rukns and the Disciples, investigators said.
Storefront operation
U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb said the storefront operation was in business from Oct. 1, 1982, through last March 31. He said the guns bought ranged from handguns to sawed-off shotguns.
“There were over 100 people that we have implicated in connection with this illegal activity over the six-month period,” Webb said.
“The worst offenders, meaning the ones that serious criminal histories or made multiple sales . . . have been indicted her in federal court.
“The other cases we are now reviewing with state authorities.
“We were flooded with business after we got operational. The majority of the 30 people that we have indicted . . . our intelligence sources advise us, are connected to either the El Rukns or Disciples street gangs.”
The case is expected to go to a federal grand jury next week.
Case Studies in Various Areas
Below are additional un-publicized case studies.
- Directed/managed 2000 domestic and international investigations performed in the private corporate security sector (Western Union)
- Identified a 700 member International money laundering group utilizing wire transfer services to launder $2.2M+. Launched a private/public effort to mitigate $1.5M in additional laundering activities.
- Spearheaded, directed, and brought to a successful conclusion a conspiratorial Ethics investigation involving 150+ employees (of a major financial institution)
- Developed/Created a Corporate Workplace Violence and Annual Security Awareness training program presented to 100+ management and 1500+ internal and vendor employees of a major financial institution.
- Directed extensive Security surveys and assessments for the domestic and international facilities of a major multinational Financial Institution.
- Directed criminal investigations at the public and private level that have resulted in recoveries, cost avoidance, restitution and / or loss mitigation of over $400 million
- Spearheaded and directed a Financial Institution Fraud investigation targeting officers and directors of 2 FDIC insured banks. The case, the first of its kind investigated by the Secret Service, resulted in Federal Grand Jury indictments charging bank directors with over $250,000,000 in fraud. All those indicted were convicted in Federal District Court.
- Directed a $250M Bank Fraud investigation resulting in the successful convictions of Bank Directors.
- Conducted an extensive undercover investigation resulting in the successful conviction of 120 suspect/defendants in Federal and State courts.
- Bank Fraud Investigation of a Director of a bank initially resulted in the immediate cost avoidance of $750,000. Investigation alerted other Board members that the fraudulent scheme had occurred over a 7-year period, had involved fraudulent documents with an aggregate total of $250 million and identified a previously unknown direct loss to the bank of $2.3 million.
- Managed the investigation of the Network Intrusion of a major Financial Institution with global operations. Mitigated and prevented the loss of $78,695,000. Coordinating with Foreign Law Enforcement counterparts, the international investigation culminated in the identification and arrest of foreign national suspects. My interview of one of the suspects resulted in a confession, identifications of additional co-conspirators, and the intrusion techniques utilized. Federal court convictions were obtained for the suspect in this case.
- Assisted and coordinated with Canadian Law Enforcement authorities in the identification of a Canadian citizen suspected of being the technical mastermind of a Canadian based Organized crime group responsible for trafficking counterfeit credit cards. The group victimized US and Canadian banks in excess of $100 million. Evidence uncovered resulted in the initiation of judicial action in Canadian and US courts and the recovery of approximately $100 million.
- Conducted numerous computer forensic examinations during the course of Presidential threat, counterfeit currency, counterfeit obligations, false identity, and child pornography investigations.
- Analyzed the tactical, weapons, and explosives capabilities of 50+ International Terrorist groups.
- Under stringent deadline requirements, managed and directed personnel assigned to prepare Terrorist group assessments, predict attack scenarios, assess target vulnerability, and recommend countermeasures and tactical avoidance for high level government officials.
- Developed an eight-hour Terrorist Group training seminar and presented regionally to law enforcement officials assigned to conduct Intelligence Investigations.
- Responsible for the planning and execution of security plans necessary for several National Special Security Events.
