Jerry Seper

Saudi gets life term in Texas ‘jihad’ plot

A 22-year-old Saudi national was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Texas to life in prison in his June conviction on charges of attempting to build a weapon of mass destruction.

November 13, 2012

Holder mulls whether to continue second term in Obama administration

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., held in contempt of Congress in June after refusing to turn over documents in the failed Fast and Furious gunrunning investigation, told law students at the University of Baltimore on Thursday that he was unsure whether he would serve in the second Obama administration.

November 8, 2012

Mexican pot plans go up in a puff of smoke

A top aide to Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto says votes to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado and Washington state will force the Mexican government to rethink its efforts at trying to halt marijuana smuggling across the southwestern border.

November 8, 2012

Colorado, Washington blow smoke in feds’ face by OK’ing pot for fun

In passing amendments in Colorado and Washington state for the first time legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, voters may have placed themselves in the cross hairs of the federal government — which steadfastly has maintained that possession of the drug remains a federal crime.

November 7, 2012

Sandy blows a reprieve to illegals in U.S.

Citing the destruction of Superstorm Sandy, the Obama administration has waived immigration laws for illegal immigrants now in the United States, arguing that the immigrants' ability to maintain their lawful immigration status or obtain other immigration benefits may have been hampered by the deadly storm.

November 5, 2012

Justice Department to monitor elections in 23 states

The Justice Department said Friday it will deploy more than 780 federal observers and department personnel to 51 jurisdictions in 23 states for the Nov. 6 general election to enforce federal voting rights laws that guarantee all citizens access to the ballot box.

November 2, 2012

IG: Immigration courts ‘flawed,’ behind in caseloads

The federal court that hears immigration cases and administers the nation's immigration laws is "flawed" and has failed to keep up with pending cases despite an increase in the number of judges, a report said Thursday.

November 1, 2012

Two GOP senators criticize stimulus for battery company

Each job created with federal stimulus cash through the Obama administration's advanced battery manufacturing program cost more than $158,000 and many of them likely were temporary, according to an analysis released Wednesday by two senior Republicans.

October 31, 2012

Man pleads guilty to killing Border Patrol agent

A Mexican national charged in the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a December 2010 gunfight along the Arizona-Mexico border pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Tucson.

October 30, 2012

Report: ‘Fast and Furious’ failures at the top were ignored

The Justice Department has yet to confront widespread management failures in the botched Fast and Furious gunrunning investigation or to order operational changes that would prevent future "disasters" from occurring, two senior Republican lawmakers who first questioned the federal probe said Monday.

October 29, 2012

Reports of violent crime dips for 5th consecutive year

The number of reported incidents of violent crime last year dropped by 3.8 percent to 1.2 million, the fifth consecutive year that the total has declined, the FBI said.

October 29, 2012

Feds sue Mississippi for rights violations

The Justice Department has targeted Mississippi in a federal lawsuit claiming that the due process rights of children are "repeatedly and routinely" violated when arrested for minor offenses, accusing officials of operating a "school to prison pipeline" that singles out blacks and juveniles with disabilities.

October 24, 2012

Feds: Mississippi officials violate juveniles’ rights

The Justice Department has targeted Mississippi in a federal lawsuit alleging that the due process rights of children "repeatedly and routinely" are violated when arrested for minor offenses, accusing officials of operating a "school to prison pipeline" that singles out blacks and juveniles with disabilities.

October 24, 2012

‘Sequestration’ would weaken borders, lawmaker warns

More than 8,500 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement personnel face termination in January under the Obama administration's automatic spending cuts that take effect next year in a bid to attack the spiraling fiscal deficit.

October 23, 2012

Canadian terrorism suspect’s extradition OK’d

A Canadian judge has approved extraditing to the United States an Iraqi-born Canadian citizen who the Justice Department has charged with conspiring to kill Americans abroad, including five soldiers, and with providing material support to terrorists.

October 22, 2012

Former FBI agent indicted by federal grand jury

A former FBI agent was among three persons named in a federal grand jury indictment handed up Friday in Salt Lake City in a scheme to use the agent's official position to derail a federal investigation in exchange for a $200,000 cash payment.

October 19, 2012

South Korean firm accused of stealing Kevlar trade secrets

A federal grand jury has indicted a South Korean company and five of its executives on charges they conspired to steal from two other firms trade secrets about Kevlar, a high-strength fiber used in body armor for both law enforcement and military personnel.

October 18, 2012

Violent crime rises 18 percent nationwide

Violent crime in the United States rose by 18 percent last year, the first year-to-year increase in nearly two decades, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

October 17, 2012

Man guilty in plot to kill Saudi ambassador

Manssor Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court in New York on Wednesday in a scheme by members of the Iranian government to recruit a Mexican drug cartel to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States by bombing a Washington, D.C., restaurant.