Good
afternoon. Thank you for having me. I'm sorry Director Mueller
could not make it today. He very much wanted to be here, but
he had to appear today before the 9-11 Commission. Along with
his
apology, he sends you his very best wishes and his gratitude
for your support and your friendship.
It is good to be here among friends, and I would like to thank the Metropolitan
Crime Commission for all you do to help us do our jobs better. Martin and
Rafael thank you for your leadership and for your commitment
to making New Orleans
a better city.
Today, I
would like to speak with you about the FBI of today - the many
changes
the FBI has gone through over the past 2½ years, and where
I think the New Orleans office of the FBI is headed in the
immediate future.
As Rafael indicated, I currently serve as the Special Agent in
Charge of the FBI for the State of Louisiana. I have been in
NO for nearly ten months. I
can tell you that I view this assignment as one of the best I have had in my
career. NO is a wonderful and unique city; the people are friendly and polite;
and the food is fabulous. If I continue to experience the fine cuisine, I am
going to have to find a tailor to expand the waistline of my trousers.
I have served
in the FBI for more than 28 years. I have been assigned to five
field
offices and two tours of duty in WDC. I have seen
the FBI go through
many changes, but none as dramatic as in the past 2 ½ years. The FBI
is a new, and I believe, stronger and better organization. Some of the changes
have been slow to come. Change is difficult, particularly when you are changing
an agency which is nearing 100 years old and one with such a proud history.
Our change has been ambitious and all consuming. And our critics, particularly
in the WDC beltway, are many. However, Winston Churchill once admonished - "when
you are going through hell -- keep going." The FBI continues to move
forward.
Since September 11 the prevention of terrorist attacks has been the FBI's top
priority and overriding focus. While we remain committed to our other important
national security and law enforcement responsibilities, the prevention of terrorism
takes precedence in our thinking and planning. We have doubled the number of
agents devoted to terrorism bringing the total to approximately 2500. We have
quadrupled the number of strategy analysts at headquarters who are responsible
for producing an analytical product which is shared with policy makers, the
intelligence community, and our law enforcement partners.
These efforts have paid off. Over the last two years, the FBI and
our partners, both in the US and abroad, have identified, disrupted,
and neutralized more
than a hundred terrorist threats and cells. Worldwide, we have apprehended
almost 3000 Al Queda operatives. We have conducted more than 70 investigations
into terrorist money trails, and we have frozen more than $125 million in assets.
And most important, we have not fallen victim to another catastrophic terrorist
attack in the United States.
The FBI has made significant changes in our foreign
intelligence operations and espionage programs which are our second
operational
priorities. We have
built a nationally directed program for counterintelligence and established
speciality squads in each of our 56 field offices.
The cybercrime program is our third investigative priority and is again a nationally
directed program. In the past year we have opened more than 90 cybercrime investigations
involving privacy invasion, child pornography, fraudulent e-commerce activities,
and cyber viruses involving 84,000 victims worldwide and exceeding $162 million
in losses. These cases have resulted in 97 arrests and 64 separate indictments
for cybercrime offenses.
While terrorism
is our top priority and has redefined our mission, the FBI's
criminal
responsibilities remain an important part of
the work we do, and public
corruption remains the number one criminal program in the FBI. It is certainly
the number one criminal program in the NO office. It is said that money
is the root of all evil. While I don't know if that's true, it
is at the root
of most public corruption – whether legislative, regulatory, judicial
or law enforcement.
There is good reason for it being at the top of our list of criminal priorities,
and the reason is this: like you, we in the FBI believe that public corruption
is among the most serious of criminal violations. It is a betrayal of the
public's sacred trust. If allowed to grow, public corruption permeates all
aspects of
society and affects all other criminal priorities. And if allowed to spread
unchecked, public corruption can threaten the very foundation of democracy.
Theodore
Roosevelt said, "No man who is corrupt, no man who condones corruption
in others, can possibly do his duty by the community." Here Roosevelt
identified a truth at the heart of why public corruption is a serious threat
to the fabric of our society. Corrupt public officials are inherently compromised,
and that corrupt behavior can migrate into every facet of our society.
Regardless of their talents and their accomplishments, corrupt officials
break down
the order, confidence and trust of society. They allow illicit drugs and
weapons
to flow freely; organized crime to operate with impunity; and open the
door for terrorists who threaten our way of life.
To address the PC program in Louisiana, the New Orleans office
has two PC squads and my intention is to place a PC squad in
the Baton Rouge Resident
Agency
this summer. The New Orleans office has several ongoing investigations
and historically has made significant inroads into the public
corruption area.
Last year, as the 19th in size of our 56 field offices, the FBI in Louisiana
was 10th in public corruption indictments with 24, and number 6 in public
corruption convictions. Public corruption in Louisiana has been described
to me as epidemic,
endemic, and entrenched. No branch of government is exempt. Public corruption
investigations are among the most complicated, often requiring years of
effort to make a case. That is why working with our partners
in law enforcement
and civic organizations, like the Metropolitan Crime Commission, is essential
for
the successful prosecution of significant cases. Joint investigations with
federal, state, and local law enforcement counterparts are conducted whenever
possible. Investigations involving public officials must be coordinated
in order to ensure that we are able to address sophisticated
conspiracies using
the best investigative techniques.
Our strategy is to focus public corruption investigations on
the most corrosive criminal acts by public officials. I am
placing an emphasis on liaison
relationships and training to foster focused investigations that will
result in significant
prosecutions. Our message to those who think they are above the law is
that you cannot hide. No matter how long it takes, we will find you,
and once
the investigation is completed, the USA will prosecute you to the full
extent of
the law. Aside from deterrence, there are other benefits to these successes.
Devotion to the Public Corruption crime problem can lead to enhanced
FBI credibility, intelligence, and partnerships. Our recent
New Orleans Crime
Survey indicated
that the FBI is considered the only non-biased organization able to investigate
allegations of corruption without potential of reprisal. The respondents
to the crime survey expressed their support for the FBI continuing to
take the
lead in investigations of public corruption. It is a duty that we are
honored to fulfill, in cooperation with thousands of honest
Metropolitan area police
officers and attorneys who want to see these problems addressed.
In Louisiana, in regards to public corruption, you are either
part of the solution or you are part of the problem. I want
to thank the MCC
for being
part of the
solution. The CC has been instrumental in providing information, either
directly or indirectly, to the FBI. We have an outstanding partnership
with the MCC
and our concerns about PC in Louisiana are reflective.
I am currently discussing with Rafael the expansion of the MCC
beyond the New Orleans metropolitan area. We are considering
initiating a
statewide 800 number
to report corruption. This would be an asset for the entire state.
I suspect
the Crime Commission would garner the same public support throughout
the state as it has in the New Orleans area.
Some examples of our successes which are shared with the MCC
include an investigation which focused on the illegal issuance
of engineering
licenses
by the former
Chairman of the City of New Orleans Board of Examiners for operating
engineers. As a direct result of the investigation, more than 20
licenses were identified
as having been fraudulently issued either through a direct bribe
or through association with the Chairman. The City of New Orleans
Department
of
Safety Permits has conducted an audit of all existing engineering
license records
and has instituted new procedures to ensure that individuals who
hold licenses have demonstrated the proficiency to do so. This
case is an
example of
the partnership that the MCC has with the FBI. Some of the critical
information utilized in the investigation came from the MCC.
The MCC also provided information regarding the
Orleans Parish School Board.
Carl Coleman, the former Risk Manager for the School Board facilitated
the payment of approximately 4 million dollars to Jeffrey Pollitt
for the purpose
of repairs to several fire damaged schools. Coleman and Pollitt
have plead guilty in the Eastern District of Louisiana and admitted
to
bribe payments,
cash kickbacks and other acts in furtherance of the conspiracy.
There are additional ongoing Public Corruption investigations,
however I am not at liberty to discuss the cases at this time.
The FBI is a relatively small organization, but a determined
one. We in the FBI have committed ourselves to making the fundamental
changes
necessary
to combat the terrorists and criminals who target our country.
We have made
much
progress. We are on the right track. Today's FBI will meet
and defeat the threats against the security of our nation.
Our system of democracy rests on the belief in justice for
all. Citizens must have confidence that, while their government
may
make mistakes,
those mistakes
will be examined in the light of the day, and, in the end,
be made right.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak this afternoon. I
thank the Crime Commission for taking such a significant
role in
promoting an honest
governmental environment.
Your recognition that public and civic leaders have a responsibility
to speak out against public corruption is important to
the people of Louisiana.
I want to also thank you for recognizing the Agents who
dedicated many hours of their professional and personal
lives to the
Wrinkled Robe
investigation.
I look forward to meeting each of you, either this afternoon
or in the near future.