Exposed: American Police Force Is A Blackwater Front Group

[PatriotOne]

Hmmmmm....would this really surprise anyone if true?

Exposed: American Police Force Is A Blackwater Front Group

http://www.prisonplanet.com/exposed-american-police-force-is-a-blackwater-front-group.html

Prison Planet.com
Thursday, October 1, 2009

American Police Force, the paramilitary unit patrolling a small town in Montana, has been exposed as being a front group for the disgraced Blackwater, now called “Xe”.

Full story to follow, watch this space.

[PatriotOne]

I ran across the last name "Prince" when checking out the origins of the prison itself. I wondered if he was related to Erik Prince. I'll have to find where I saw it in the first place because I can't remember the guys first name now.

[Bruno]

Oh, this is getting interesting (and scary and outrageous)

[FunkBuddha]

More Info.

http://cryptogon.com/?p=10995

Interesting that the address for the West Coast Division matches the address of a medical marijuana dispensary.

[DapperDan]

If I were the people of that town, I'd be pissed!! A private group impersonating paid civil servants....fantastic!

[yokna7]

Is there any legitimacy to the assertion that Blackwater is basically a christian-extremist organization? I have not read the Scahill book yet, anybody?

[Razmear]

Just got an alert on the same thing from a local here.
First off the website AmericanPoliceForce.com is a HOAX site. It's been taken down but can be found in the Google Cache.
The contact phones come back to several different legitimate businesses (medical transcription, fence company, etc).
The rest of the story might be legit but the AmericanPoliceForce.com website is a deliberate hoax and uses the same logos as seen on the side of the police cars.

eb

[angelatc]

Brilliant, Snape - once again you've put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and as usual come to the wrong conclusion. - J K Rowling

Just because they are trying to pretend they're affiliated with Blackwater doesn't mean they are affiliated with Blackwater.

[pcosmar]

Oh, this is getting interesting (and scary and outrageous)

It will get more interesting if they are actually awarded the contract.
Yet to be seen, but worth keepin' an eye on.

[Razmear]

Here is a nice expose on the group:
http://mikeyounglaw.com/wp/2009/09/29/american-police-force-internet-scam/

I'm now guessing that this guy is trying to scam Hardin MT out of a large contract. The leader is a convicted felon and has a few bankruptcies under his belt.
This article also points out the 'virtual office space' that the company holds.

eb

[dannno]

Just because they are trying to pretend they're affiliated with Blackwater doesn't mean they are affiliated with Blackwater.

Ya, but that's like a Priest confessing to his congregation that he's affiliated with Satanism... why on earth would a Priest do that if it weren't true?

[Dionysus]

Is there any legitimacy to the assertion that Blackwater is basically a christian-extremist organization? I have not read the Scahill book yet, anybody?

That's my impression. Basically, they've fallen for that old trick that makes people feel part of an elite club. "Jesus taught love, but the secret is, he wants YOU to be his secret elite killing warrior. Er, so you can help him spread love." What a ******* joke! Might that not be a tool of ... SATAN?

YouTube - Dramatic Chipmunk - Church Lady Remix (Could it be SATAN?) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcjZtsFU5Z4)

[angelatc]

Ya, but that's like a Priest confessing to his congregation that he's affiliated with Satanism... why on earth would a Priest do that if it weren't true?


Why would someone pretend to be affiliated with a wealthy partner? You really don't get that?

[PatriotOne]

Just got an alert on the same thing from a local here.
First off the website AmericanPoliceForce.com is a HOAX site. It's been taken down but can be found in the Google Cache.
The contact phones come back to several different legitimate businesses (medical transcription, fence company, etc).
The rest of the story might be legit but the AmericanPoliceForce.com website is a deliberate hoax and uses the same logos as seen on the side of the police cars.

eb

The website is back online but they have changed some content. They aren't a hoax site, they are a front for Blackwater and Blackwater is now trying to claim otherwise since they have been outted. The cock roaches are scattering since they have had the lights turned on.

[PatriotOne]

Why would someone pretend to be affiliated with a wealthy partner? You really don't get that?

They didn't have to pretend...they ARE affiliated and that's why they were being worked with to get the contract. It's also why no one would tell the press who they were getting their funding from. Blackwater has too much bad press and communities are pushing back at having those creeps in their own backyard. Hence the front group.

[PatriotOne]

More Info.

http://cryptogon.com/?p=10995

Interesting that the address for the West Coast Division matches the address of a medical marijuana dispensary.

They couldn't very well give the address of Blackwater since they were trying to hide it as a front group for BW...hence the bogus address.

[pcosmar]

The rest of the story might be legit but the AmericanPoliceForce.com website is a deliberate hoax and uses the same logos as seen on the side of the police cars.



The logos on the side of the Police cars were put there by the AmericanPoliceForce.
The city has NO police force.
They have since removed them, But as far I I have heard these very real people have not been arrested. There are obvious crimes that are being ignored.
Start with "Impersonating a Police Officer" and then look at possible fraud.

There is also the very real chance that these folks are not in jail because they have some government protection.
That is disconcerting. :(

[Razmear]

Here is a research thread with everything you could want to know about APF
http://www.stealthfusion.com/forum/research/6176-dossier-american-police-force.html

eb

[PatriotOne]

Just got an alert on the same thing from a local here.
First off the website AmericanPoliceForce.com is a HOAX site. It's been taken down but can be found in the Google Cache.
The contact phones come back to several different legitimate businesses (medical transcription, fence company, etc).
The rest of the story might be legit but the AmericanPoliceForce.com website is a deliberate hoax and uses the same logos as seen on the side of the police cars.

eb

Someone needs to tell the American Police Force spokesperson because she thinks it's legit ;)

Job applicants overwhelm American Police Force Web site

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_b2f5900e-ad49-11de-8891-001cc4c03286.html

[ChooseLiberty]

Alex Jones reporting from HARDIN today

http://rss.infowars.com/20091001_Thu_Alex.mp3

[Dr.3D]

Alex Jones reporting from HARDIN today

http://rss.infowars.com/20091001_Thu_Alex.mp3

So far, it sounds like our stimulus dollars at work.

[WarDog]

Just remember this we have the high Moral ground.









Henry Kissinger's dream will come true if we lose the Moral High ground

Today, Americans would be outraged if UN troops entered Los Angeles to restore order. Tomorrow, they will be grateful." -- Henry Kissinger


"Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people."
Henry Kissinger (ex U.S. Secretary of State and ongoing agent for the ruling class. Living. Quote 1970)

“We will have world government whether or not we like it. The only question is whether world government will be achieved by conquest or consent.”
James Paul Warburg (monopoly banker in testimony before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Warburg was an agent of the Rockefeller-JP Morgan-Rothschild banking bloc and son of Paul Warburg, chief architect of the “Federal Reserve” Corporation, an unconstitutional private bank monopoly set up for cartel hegemony. February 17, 1950)

When no man is safe when freedom fails the best men rout in filthy jails why those who cry appease appease are hung by those they tried to please

[purplechoe]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ifOx0LPKy5B_0KAyPHyNTEqdQz6QD9B2JAIG0

"Montana AG launches probe of town's jail deal
By MATTHEW BROWN (AP) – 2 hours ago

BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana's attorney general has launched an investigation into a California company's plan to take over the city of Hardin's $27 million jail, following revelations that the company's lead figure is a convicted felon with a history of fraud.

Michael Hilton, who formed Santa Ana, Calif.-based American Police Force in March, came to Hardin last month promising to fill the city's never-used jail and build an adjacent military and law enforcement training center.

Hilton has a decades-long track record of fraudulent activities and spent several years in a California prison on grand theft charges. The native of Montenegro uses at least 17 aliases.

Attorney General Steve Bullock said Thursday he is asking Hardin officials for all documents related to their dealings with Hilton and American Police Force.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Michael Hilton showed up in Hardin, Mont., last week, presenting himself as an economic savior, the man who would take over the town's $27 million jail — empty since it was built as a development project in 2007 — and provide 200 new jobs in the process.

He wore a military-style uniform, and as a gesture to local law enforcement offered up the use of three Mercedes SUVs.

But the man who styles himself as a military veteran turned private sector entrepreneur and a California defense contractor with extensive government contracts also has another image, and that one is provided by public documents and interviews with associates and legal adversaries.

The record says that he is a convicted felon with at least 17 aliases, a string of legal judgments against him, two bankruptcies and a decades-long reputation for deals gone bad.

American Police Force is the company Hilton formed in March to take over the Hardin jail.

"Such schemes you cannot believe," said Joseph Carella, an Orange County, Calif., doctor and co-defendant with Hilton in a real estate fraud case that resulted in a civil judgment against Hilton and several others.

"The guy's brilliant. If he had been able to do honest work, he probably would have been a gazillionaire," Carella said.

Court documents show Hilton has outstanding judgments against him in three civil cases totaling more than $1.1 million.

As for Hilton's military expertise, including his claim to have advised forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, those interviewed knew of no such feats. Instead, Hilton was described alternately by those who know him as an arts dealer, cook, restaurant owner, land developer, loan broker and car salesman — always with a moneymaking scheme in the works.

Hilton did not return several calls seeking comment. American Police Force attorney Maziar Mafi referred questions to company spokeswoman Becky Shay.

When asked about court records detailing Hilton's past, Shay replied: "The documents speak for themselves. If anyone has found public documents, the documents are what they are."

Shay declined comment on Hilton's military experience.

Al Peterson, vice president of Hardin's Two Rivers Authority, which built the jail, declined to comment on Hilton's legal troubles. But authority attorney Becky Convery said Thursday that board members for the quasi-public agency were not aware of Hilton's past when they reached a 10-year agreement with American Police Force last month.

"It's never been raised with me because nobody on the board was aware of that," Convery said.

The jail deal is worth more than $2.6 million a year, according to city leaders.

The three SUVs Hilton brought to Montana have yet to be turned over to the city, which does not have a police force of its own but is considering forming one. At least one is being driven by Shay, a former reporter who abruptly quit her job at the Billings Gazette. She said Hilton offered her $60,000 a year to work for him.

Hilton has also pledged to build a $17 million military and law enforcement training center. And he's promised to dispatch security to patrol Hardin's streets, build an animal shelter and a homeless shelter and offer free health care to city residents out of the jail's clinic.

Those additional promises were not included in the jail agreement, which remains in limbo because US Bank has so far declined to sign off on the contract. The bank is the trustee for the bonds used to fund the jail.

A US Bank spokeswoman declined to comment, but Peterson was adamant the deal would be approved.

"It's a solid deal. That's all I'll say," he said.

A representative of a corrections advocacy group that has been critical of Hardin's jail and has investigated Hilton's past said city leaders dropped the ball.

"I'm amazed that city officials didn't do basic research that would have raised significant questions about American Private Police Force and Mr. Hilton's background," said Alex Friedmann, vice president of the Private Corrections Institute.

Hilton, 55, uses the title "captain" when introducing himself and on his business cards. But he acknowledged it was not a military rank.

He said he is a naturalized U.S. citizen and native of Montenegro. Aliases for Hilton that appear in court documents include Miodrag Dokovich, Michael Hamilton, Hristian Djokich and Michael Djokovich.

One attorney who dealt with Hilton in a fraud lawsuit referred to him as a "chameleon" with a reputation for winning people over with his charm.

His criminal record goes back to at least 1988, when Hilton was arrested in Santa Ana, Calif., for writing bad checks.

In 1993, Hilton was sentenced to six years in prison in California on a dozen counts of grand theft and other charges including illegal diversion of construction funds.

The charges included stealing $20,000 in a real estate swindle in which Hilton convinced an associate to give him a deed on property in Long Beach, Calif., ostensibly as collateral on a loan. Hilton turned around and sold the property to another party but was caught when the buyer contacted the original owner.

Hilton was paroled in 1995 but was back in prison eight months later on another offense.

After his release, he got entangled in at least three civil lawsuits alleging fraud or misrepresentation. Those included luring investors to sink money into gold and silver collectible coins, posing as a fine arts dealer in Utah in order to persuade a couple to give him a $100,000 silver statue, and, in the case involving co-defendant Carella, seeking investors for an assisted living complex in Southern California that was never built.

Carella said he was duped into becoming a partner in the development project and that Hilton used Carella's status as a physician to lure others into the scheme. He was described in court testimony as a "pawn" used by Hilton to lure investors.

Those involved with Hilton say he is an accomplished cook with a flair for the extravagant — wining and dining potential partners, and showing up at the Utah couple's house to negotiate for the silver statue in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes.

"This is the way we got taken," said Carolyn Call of Provo, Utah, who said she gave Hilton her family's silver statue to sell on the open market.

According to court documents, Hilton turned around and gave the statue to an attorney to pay for his services.

Two California attorneys said Wednesday that after learning of Hilton's latest activities they planned to follow him to Montana to seek payment on the outstanding judgments against him.

"Once I know that there is an asset or some sort of funds to go after, we'll go after it," said Call's attorney, Roger Naghash.

Associated Press writers Amy Taxin in Santa Ana and Greg Risling in Los Angeles, and researcher Barbara Sambriski in New York contributed to this report."

[WarDog]

HELENA - Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock launched an investigation Thursday into American Police Force, the California company founded by a Serbian immigrant with a lengthy criminal history that is seeking to run an empty 464-bed jail in Hardin.

Bullock sent a nine-page demand letter late Thursday afternoon to Becky Shay, the spokeswoman for APF and the company's only Montana employee.

Shay did not immediately respond to phone calls Thursday.

According to the document, Bullock is launching the civil investigation into APF over concerns that the company might be violating the Montana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act.

Among other things, Bullock demanded that the company provide proof for many statements about the company included on APF's Web site. The site says that the company frequently has contracts with the U.S. government and has operations in all 50 states.

Research into the company has turned up no record of APF contracting with the federal government. Bullock has requested that the company provide proof of its federal contracts and operations in other states.

Bullock also requested a copy of the contract between APF and Two Rivers Authority, the economic development arm of the city of Hardin, which built the jail two years ago.

The contract is reportedly a 10-year, multimillion-dollar deal with APF to run the jail.

Although Michael Hilton, the man behind APF, and local officials say the deal is as good as done, US Bank, the trustee for the bonds sold to build the jail, has never signed off on it.

Bullock further requested that the company disclose any lawsuits filed against the company or Hilton and provide the state with any correspondence between APF and any government agency that has accused the company of being deceptive.

Bullock also sent a letter Thursday to Gary Arneson and Al Peterson, leaders of Two Rivers Authority. Peterson could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Both letters were sent the day after the Billings Gazette and Associated Press reported that Hilton has an extensive criminal past with $1.1 million in outstanding civil judgments against him. Hilton, who has a long list of aliases, left his native Serbia in the 1970s and has served time in U.S. prisons.

Hilton uses the military title "captain," but said this week it does not refer to an actual military rank. Hilton has claimed he has military experience, but no record of such experience has been found.

Also on Thursday, Montana's three-man congressional delegation all said they have questions about APF, even as they support Hardin's efforts to drum up jobs for its people.

"Like many Montanans, Max is keeping an eye on the situation in Hardin," said Ty Matsdorf, a spokesman for Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.

Aaron Murphy, a spokesman for Sen. Jon Tester, also a Democrat, said Tester has "a lot of questions" about APF. "Hardin and all of Montana need to benefit from whatever's in store for the Two Rivers jail."

A spokesman for Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, said "important questions need to be answered," and added "any deal that creates jobs and economic prosperity without putting Montanans at risk is something Denny would support in any way he can."

Rehberg in May wrote a letter to state officials urging Montana to consider placing its own inmates at the jail if the state needed more prison cells.

http://www.missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_f9deb95a-aee3-11de-98ca-001cc4c002e0.html

Isolationism - the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.

[WarDog]

Notice they shut downed there commits




A sound banker, alas, is not one who foresees danger and avoids it, but one who, when he is ruined, is ruined in a conventional way along with his fellows, so that no one can really blame him." - John Maynard Keynes, 1931.

[PatriotOne]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ifOx0LPKy5B_0KAyPHyNTEqdQz6QD9B2JAIG0

"Montana AG launches probe of town's jail deal.

Hopefully it's not just damage control now. AG's are often used for damage control as opposed to actual investigations. The story has broke so something has to be done but.......

[revolutionary8]

The Hardin, MT detention center was apparently underwritten in part by Municipal Capital Market Groups, led by Michael Harling from Dallas, TX. http://www.nonewprisons.org/archive/HardinPrison.html (http://www.nonewprisons.org/archive/HardinPrison.html) "Harling recently pitched an immigrant family detention center in Willacy County [Texas] and advocated for a controversial jail privatization scheme in McLennon County, Texas. MCMG was a major player in the earlier Willacy deal that led to bribery convictions for two County Commissioners from Willacy and one from Webb County." http://www.texasprisonbidness.org/tags/michael-harling


Texas private prison developers pushing detention center on Tohono O'odham Nation
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 15:03 — Bob
A group of Texas private prison developers are behind a controversial proposal to build a detention center on Tohono O'odham Nation land near Sahuarita, Arizona. The group includes well-known prison developers, including underwriter Municipal Capitol Markets Group, design firm Corplan, and prison "consultant" Richard Reyes from Innovative Government Strategies.

While it appears the plan may be faltering under pressure from local opponents, the private prison developers still hope they will be able to build a detention center on the tribal land. A recent article in the Sahuarita Sun ("Public pressure crushed detention center," May 22nd) indicates that the initial location proposed for the facility has been withdrawn, but that "the northwestern part of the District has been mentioned as a possible site" alternative. According to an earlier article in the Arizona Daily Star ("Prison plan opposition grows," May 18), the proposed detention facility succeeded in uniting a diverse group of opponents,

Community activists, immigrant-rights advocates, tribal critics and local elected officials don't want to see a federal detention center built near Pima Mine Road on the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Opponents, including residents of Rancho Sahuarita and the Rev. Robin Hoover of Humane Borders, asked the Pima County Board of Supervisors last week for the county's help in stopping the prison's construction. The county's power lies only in raising questions and asking the federal government to require more study of the impact before signing off on the project. The county has no direct jurisdiction over projects built on sovereign Indian territory.

The private prison pushers are being called "the folks from Texas" by opponents of the prison, and they include people involved in Texas' most controversial prison deals. They include James Parkey of prison design firm Corplan and Chris Cuny of prison engineering firm Cuny Corp. Parkey sold the complicated and controversial bond deal that led to the Willacy County Detention Center. The Willacy facility was featured in an excellent expose by Forrest Wilder in the Texas Observer ("Jailbait: Prison companies profit as Raymondville's public debt grows," October 20, 2006).

Underwriting the proposed Arizona detention center is Municipal Capital Market Groups, led by Michael Harling. Harling recently pitched an immigrant family detention center in Willacy County and advocated for a controversial jail privatization scheme in McLennon County, Texas. MCMG was a major player in the earlier Willacy deal that led to bribery convictions for two County Commissioners from Willacy and one from Webb County. No company involved in the Willacy deal, including Corplan, MCMG, construction firm Hale Mills, or private prison operator MTC were ever indicted in the case - a bizarre situation where the bribe-takers were sent to jail, but the bribe-givers were never named.

Also in the mix is Richard A. Reyes, a former Webb County Commissioner and a "consultant" with Innovative Government Strategies out of Boerne, TX. Reyes reportedly received over $700,000 for his "consulting" role ("Doing Borrowed Time: The High Cost of Back-Door Prison Finance," Prison Legal News, November 11, 2008) in putting together the troubled prison financing deal in LaSalle County, Texas. County officials from LaSalle are still wrangling in court with private prison company Emerald Corrections over the Reyes' LaSalle arrangement.

Reyes was the subject of a San Antonio Current article called "The Buzz in Boerne" (the article is no longer on line, but we have a copy). It argued Reyes' La Salle deal was not as sweet as first sold,

Kendall County Judge Eddie J. Vogt said before the county joins the federal prison industry, it would closely scrutinize La Salle County, where Sean Chadwell, Encinal city councilman, has opposed the project from the beginning. He criticizes the private prison firms, the financial underwriters, and Reyes, who represented La Salle County in the Encinal project, for picking a "provincial" location as an easy target to dupe the taxpaying public into funding a for-profit detention center. "Prison companies come to town and say to the county, 'You borrow the money through a public finance corporation, which is an arm of county government. You can do that without a vote and you're not obliging tax money.' The logic is pretty sensible, and it enables poor municipalities to borrow money. The problem is in building something as big as a prison, where counties encounter all sorts of other costs."

Chadwell charges that La Salle County spent $50,000 in legal fees during negotiations and construction of the La Salle County Regional Detention Center. He says the county is hemorrhaging money to service debt and finance charges. "Any population that is less than a constant 420 prisoners is losing money," Chadwell said "It also puts a damper on future development, residential or commercial. The early promise is to spur economic development in town."

Encinal's water supply company has committed so much water to the federal detention facility that it only has 40 hookups for other residential or commercial developments in town. Chadwell says that rural economies all over Texas are making themselves dependent on incarceration. "It's happening all over the country, but Texas is especially bad. Once little places are solely dependent on prisons, you can't change that very easily."
This is certainly a troubled cast of characters Texas' private prison development industry has exported to Arizona. We'll keep you posted on developments. Best of luck to our Arizona friends working to expose the industry!


Proposed Raymondville Family Detention Center Being Pushed by Prison Developer
Fri, 07/18/2008 - 09:07 — Bob
While we've reported that one of the three new family detention centers proposed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement may end up in Raymondville, I hadn't seen this Valley Morning Story until recently. The story provides more details on the proposed Raymondville lock-up,

City officials are considering a proposal to build a 200-bed, $30 million detention center to hold illegal immigrant families.

Raymondville city commissioners sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to support a plan to build the detention center, City Manager Eleazar Garcia said Wednesday. "We haven't committed ourselves to anything yet, except we're interested and would like to know more about it," Garcia said.

Since the mid-1990s, Willacy County has built prisons and a detention center in the Raymondville industrial park. Already there are a 1,000-bed state prison, a 500-bed county prison, a 96-bed county jail and a 3,000-bed illegal immigrant detention center, the largest in the United States.
We've reported in the past on Raymondville's growing dependence on immigrant detention beds to survive economically. We've also reported that prisons do not create long-term economic growth, and that prison towns tend to scare away more beneficial industries. Of course, there are those that stand to benefit from a new detention center in Raymondville - prison developers and private prison operaters.

According to the article, one of those is Michael Harling of Municipal Capital Markets Group.

Michael Harling of Municipal Capital Markets Group in Dallas, which would work to finance the project, said it would create 200 jobs. Harling called the city to ask if officials would consider the project, Garcia said.

"They asked if the city would be supportive of putting it in the industrial park," Garcia said. The city would sell bonds to fund construction of the project, Harling said.

Federal revenue derived from holding illegal immigrants would pay off the bonds, Harling said. Garcia said the detention center would allow illegal immigrant parents to be housed with their children.

"It's not a detention center," Harling said. "It's a facility for holding families, for holding people who have not committed crimes."
http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=137594.240