FBI’s Year in Review: Top News Stories of 2007

01/05/07
Boston: Former House Speaker Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice
Thomas M. Finneran, the former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, pled guilty to obstructing justice by making false and misleading statements under oath. Full Story

01/12/07
Chicago: Deputy U.S. Marshal Charged with Illegally Disclosing Information on Protected Organized Crime Witness
Deputy U.S. Marshall John Thomas Ambrose, Supervisory Inspector on the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, was charged with revealing information relating to the status of a “made” member of the “Chicago Mob.” Full Story

01/19/07
Washington Field Office: Former Congressman Sentenced on Corruption Charges
Former Congressman Robert W. Ney was sentenced on multiple charges including honest services fraud and making false statement to the U.S. House of Representatives. Full Story

01/26/07
Jackson: Former Klansman Indicted for 1964 Kidnapping and Murder
James Seale, former member of the Ku Klux Klan, was charged with the kidnapping and murder of two African/American men: Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charlie Eddie Moore. Full Story

02/02/07
Atlanta: Former Coke Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Trade Secrets
Joya Williams pled guilty to conspiring to steal and sell the Coca Cola Company’s highly classified trade secrets. Full Story

02/09/07
New York: 19 Members of Bonanno Family Indicted on Racketeering Charges
Bonanno family acting underboss, acting consigliore, and 17 capos, soldiers, and associates were indicted on numerous charges including racketeering, illegal gambling, extortion, and narcotics distribution. Full Story

02/16/07
Houston: U.S. Citizen Charged With Training to Fight Jihad in Somalia
Daniel Joseph Maldonado, a.k.a. Daniel Aljughaifi, was returned from Kenya and charged with receiving training from a foreign terrorist organization to fight with Islamic extremist fighters in Somalia. Full Story

02/23/07
Miami: Four Police Officers Charged With Corruption
A two-year undercover operation resulted in the indictment of four Hollywood police officers on extortion and narcotics charges. Full Story

03/02/07
Atlanta: Head of Real Estate Investment Fund Indicted in $69 Million Ponzi Scheme
Gene A. O’Neal was charged with running a large scale Ponzi scheme through his real estate investment fund, Pinnacle Development Partners, LLC. Full Story

03/09/07
Boston: AttorneyIndicted for Possession of Stolen Art
Robert R. Mardirosian was indicted for possessing, transporting, and selling stolen paintings, including a Cezanne. Full Story

03/16/07
Los Angeles: Iranian Media Personality Sentenced in Visa Fraud Scheme
Henry Hossein Haghighi Heguman, a Farsi language media personality, was sentenced for orchestrating an immigration fraud scheme that filed fraudulent employment visa applications. Full Story

03/23/07
New Haven: Former Member of the U.S. Navy Indicted on Terrorism and Espionage Charges
Hassan Abujihaad, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, was charged with material support of terrorism and disclosure of classified information relating to national defense. Full Story

03/30/07
Newark: State Senator Indicted on Public Corruption Charges
New Jersey State Senator Wayne R. Bryant was indicted for unlawfully using his power and influence to directly lobby state agencies, high-level officials and others. Full Story

04/06/07
Boston: Pfizer Subsidiary Pleads Guilty to Offering Kickback; Agrees to Pay $19.68 Million Fine
Pharmacia & Upjohn Co., Inc., a subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc., agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $19.68 million criminal fine for offering a kickback. Full Story

04/13/07
Cincinnati: Indictment for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists
Christopher Paul, a.k.a. Abdulmalek Kenyatta, was charged with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and trained individuals in the U.S. in order that they might fight violent jihad overseas. Full Story

04/20/07
FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit Assists in Virginia Tech Shooting Investigation
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzalez pledged Department of Justice assistance to the victims of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. Full Story

04/27/07
Chicago: “The Bishop” Arrested for Mailing Pipe Bombs on Investment Firms
John P. Tomkins was arrested on criminal charges for mailing threatening letters to investment companies signed “The Bishop.” Full Story

05/04/07
Sacramento: Four Russians Indicted on Identity Theft and Fraud Ring
Four Russians were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, credit card fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen goods. Full Story

05/11/07
Philadelphia: Six Charged With Plotting to Murder US Soldiers at New Jersey Military Base
Five individuals were charged with conspiracy to murder members of the uniformed services and a sixth individual was charged with aiding and abetting. Full Story

05/18/07
Los Angeles: Top Ten Fugitive Arrested in Canada
Richard Steve Goldberg, one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, was arrested in Montreal. Goldberg was wanted in connection with various crimes against children. Full Story

05/20/07
New York: Doctor Convicted of Conspiring to Support al Qaeda
Rafiq Sabir, a Florida doctor, was convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to the al Qaeda terrorist organization. Full Story

06/01/07
Dallas: Businessman Admits to Defrauding Employer of more than $2 Million
Donovan Frank Laughlin, the General Manager of Wool Growers Central Storage Co., Inc., pled guilty to money laundering charges. Full Story

06/08/07
New York: International Arms Dealer Charged With Conspiracy to Kill Americans
Monzer Al Kassar, a.k.a. Abu Munawar, an international arms dealer, was charged with conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Full Story

06/15/07
Cincinnati: Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud
Police Officer James L. Cook with the Whitehall Police Department pled guilty to bank fraud for knowingly depositing a counterfeit check into his bank account. Full Story

06/22/07
Memphis: Operation Mainstreet Sweeper Results in Councilman’s Guilty Plea
Former Memphis City Councilman Rickey Peete pled guilty to receiving cash payments for securing city council approval for a real estate development project. Full Story

06/29/07
Philadelphia: Original Manuscript by Pearl S. Buck Recovered
The original typewritten and hand-edited manuscript of “The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck was recovered by the FBI’s Art Crime Team. Full Story

07/06/07
Houston: Former Police Officer Sentenced for Bank Robbery Scheme
Stephen Paul Presley, former Texas City police officer, was sentenced on charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Full Story

07/13/07
San Diego: Retired Rear Admiral Pleads Guilty
Retired Rear Admiral Jose Luis Betancourt pled guilty to prohibited representation of private party by former government employee before employing agency. Full Story

07/20/07
New York: Police Officer Charged in Narcotics Trafficking
New York City Police Officer Darren Moonan was charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and conspiracy to commit robberies of drugs from narcotics traffickers. Full Story

07/27/07
Honolulu: Individual Charged With Theft of Government Property
Joseph U.R.M. Elibosang was charged with theft of government property for selling at least 23 of the 34 bronze name plates stolen from the Pacific National Park, Asian Overlook in Guam. The plates bore the names of Guam citizens and U.S. soldiers who lost their lives in WWII. Full Story

08/03/07
Washington Field Office: British Airways and Korean Air Lines Plead Guilty and Agree to Pay $300 Million Each
U.K.-based British Airways Plc and South Korean-based Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd. have agreed to pay separate $300 million criminal fines for their roles in conspiracies to fix the pieces of passenger and cargo flights. Full Story