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View Full Version : Disputed: that USDOE (SWAT) breaks down family's door for defaulted student loan?




tropicangela
06-08-2011, 07:25 AM
Video at link. http://www.news10.net/news/article/141072/2/Dept-of-Education-breaks-down-Stockton-mans-door


STOCKTON, CA - Kenneth Wright does not have a criminal record and he had no reason to believe a S.W.A.T team would be breaking down his door at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

"I look out of my window and I see 15 police officers," Wright said.

Wright came downstairs in his boxer shorts as a S.W.A.T team barged through his front door. Wright said an officer grabbed him by the neck and led him outside on his front lawn.

"He had his knee on my back and I had no idea why they were there," Wright said.

According to Wright, officers also woke his three young children ages 3, 7, and 11 and put them in a Stockton police patrol car with him. Officers then searched his house.

As it turned out, the person law enforcement was looking for was not there - Wright's estranged wife.

"They put me in handcuffs in that hot patrol car for six hours, traumatizing my kids," Wright said.

Wright said he later went to the mayor and Stockton Police Department, but the City of Stockton had nothing to do with Wright's search warrant.

The U.S. Department of Education issued the search and called in the S.W.A.T for his wife's defaulted student loans.

"They busted down my door for this," Wright said. "It wasn't even me."

According to the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General, the case can't be discussed publicly until it is closed, but a spokesperson did confirm that the department did issue the search warrant at Wright's home.

The Office of the Inspector General has a law enforcement branch of federal agents that carry out search warrants and investigations.

Stockton Police Department said it was asked by federal agents to provide one officer and one patrol car just for a police presence when carrying out the search warrant.

Stockton police did not participate in breaking Wright's door, handcuffing him, or searching his home.

"All I want is an apology for me and my kids and for them to get me a new door," Wright said.

News10/KXTV

Remember this?

AF posted about Dept of Ed purchasing shotguns (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?235286-Why-does-the-US-Dept.-of-Education-need-riot-guns&highlight=dept+shotguns)

WaPo reported on "why" (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/education-secretary-duncan/ed-department-buying-27-shotgu.html)


“The Office of Inspector General is the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of Education and is responsible for the detection of waste, fraud, abuse, and other criminal activity involving Federal education funds, programs, and operations. As such, OIG operates with full statutory law enforcement authority, which includes conducting search warrants, making arrests, and carrying firearms. The acquisition of these firearms is necessary to replace older and mechanically malfunctioning firearms, and in compliance with Federal procurement requirements. For more information on OIG’s law enforcement authority, please visit their Web site at : www.ed.gov/oig”

They pointed to fraud cases (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/ireports.html) and an "11-page document (http://www.ignet.gov/pande/standards/agleguidelines.pdf) from the Department of Justice with guidelines for the Offices of Inspector Generals within federal government department that have been given law enforcement authority. It provides detail about firearm training is to be carried out and under what circumstances authorized personnel can engage in law enforcement activities."

belian78
06-08-2011, 07:32 AM
Omfg seriously?!?! I mean, REALLY?!?! SWAT for a damn student loan!?!?!?

Mitt Romneys sideburns
06-08-2011, 07:35 AM
Someday Monsanto is going to send their private army to bust down your door for growing illegal tomatoes in your backyard.

aGameOfThrones
06-08-2011, 07:36 AM
There is no police state. Nope!

HOLLYWOOD
06-08-2011, 07:49 AM
Omfg seriously?!?! I mean, REALLY?!?! SWAT for a damn student loan!?!?!? Yes and the kicker... after they steal and assets to satisfy THEIR pockets... they throw you in jail and then, we serfs/mundanes have to pay the $30-40K a year to house them in jail. WTF? This whole system is so ass backwards.


Someday Monsanto is going to send their private army to bust down your door for growing illegal tomatoes in your backyard.Monsanto, Cargill, Post, & ADM, Own/Control the Department of Agriculture/USDA.

Carehn
06-08-2011, 07:53 AM
The red coats are going to learn not to treat people this way.

specsaregood
06-08-2011, 07:53 AM
Can anyone argue that we don't already have debtor's prisons?

tropicangela
06-08-2011, 07:55 AM
Added to OP

sailingaway
06-08-2011, 07:57 AM
Obama didn't pay off his student loans until he was going to run for President.

But then, a lot of rules don't seem to apply to him.

Carehn
06-08-2011, 07:57 AM
its on drudge now.

speciallyblend
06-08-2011, 08:02 AM
wtf

jkr
06-08-2011, 08:02 AM
The red coats are going to learn not to treat people this way.

+1776

bobbyw24
06-08-2011, 08:33 AM
Acting on orders from the U.S. Department of Education, a S.W.A.T. team broke into a California home Tuesday at 6 a.m. and reportedly roughed up a man — all because of his estranged wife’s defaulted student loans. She wasn’t there.

Yet, Kenneth Wright of the city of Stockton was grabbed by the neck by handcuffed before he and his three young children were put in a police car as the officers searched his house, he told ABC News10. He said he was in his underwear the whole time.

“They busted down my door for this. It wasn’t even me,” Wright told the local news station. “All I want is an apology for me and my kids and for them to get me a new door.”

News video at:

http://bcove.me/tbq1yqhz

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/06/swat-team-busts-into-house-over-student-loan-default/

bobbyw24
06-08-2011, 08:44 AM
Does he have a Fair Debt Collections Practices Act case?

falconplayer11
06-08-2011, 08:46 AM
"I hear them say 'Hit it', and I get ready to hit the door..." = hilarious! And very embarrassing for the federal government.

bobbyw24
06-08-2011, 08:49 AM
Make this viral.

Anyone here got student loans?????

jkr
06-08-2011, 09:07 AM
Make this viral.

Anyone here got student loans?????

140,000+

I wonder if they'll save me for last...



p.s. i became aware how bad i fed up while INschool so please no reminders.


i really don't know what to do, i am a slave

falconplayer11
06-08-2011, 09:16 AM
Rodney Balko just put it on his blog (the agitator). It's on Townhall.com.

Good job guys!

BrendenR
06-08-2011, 09:45 AM
140,000+

i really don't know what to do, i am a slave

Make sure that you get that consolidated into a fixed rate, if it's not already. If you've got a variable rate, when rates rise you're going to be in for a world of hurt.

Pericles
06-08-2011, 09:51 AM
One step closer to making the shooting start.

oyarde
06-08-2011, 10:05 AM
Make this viral.

Anyone here got student loans?????

Uh , thank God , no.

bwlibertyman
06-08-2011, 10:09 AM
I have some worth around 50,000. I guess I'll have to start paying on those soon...

Pericles
06-08-2011, 10:14 AM
Does he have a Fair Debt Collections Practices Act case?

Its not illegal when the government does it, yes?

jkr
06-08-2011, 10:18 AM
NOW can we abolish this "Department of Education"?


here is the line you were looking for.

freshjiva
06-08-2011, 10:27 AM
No words can describe this atrocity.

I am far more afraid of our own police than I am of Al-Qaeda or any of those tribals living in third world countries.

oyarde
06-08-2011, 10:27 AM
Dept of Education , another UnConstitutional evil tax tick agency . Abolish it today !!

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 10:29 AM
wtf
What? the? Fuck.
when you figure that out, you become a domestic terrorist.
;)

Nate
06-08-2011, 10:32 AM
Obama didn't pay off his student loans until he was going to run for President.

But then, a lot of rules don't seem to apply to him.

That tends to happen with CIA spooks.

MelissaWV
06-08-2011, 10:37 AM
There are various things that need pointing out.

1. If you're going to believe that the police can and should kick down the doors of thieves, well, why stop when the thief used the money to educate themselves? This is near the bottom of the slippery slope we're always warning people about. Most of the thieves that police attempt to kick down doors to apprehend have stolen far less than the amounts owed on these old student loans.

2. I hope this guy, when his wife got "estranged" from him, did get divorce papers separating their debt. That would make this 100% entirely the SWAT's fault, even if the police argues successfully that they had a right to kick down the offender's door. They didn't kick down her door. They kicked down his.

3. The guy probably didn't do what I mentioned above, because he sounds like a real mundane moron. All he wants is an apology. Really? REALLY?!?!? Your kids get to go through a "search," a quiet time-out in a squad car for SIX HOURS (it gets awfully hot around noon), and there's no mention of whether or not they were fed, given water, even given potty breaks... and an apology will fix it?

His "it wasn't even me" response backs that up. He'd be fine with his wife's door being broken down so they could snag her for her student loan offenses. He doesn't even understand what's wrong with his reasoning :(

Dr.3D
06-08-2011, 10:38 AM
So why the no knock search? Were they expecting the people to flush the money they would use to pay the loan, down the toilet?

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 10:42 AM
So why the no knock search? Were they expecting the people to flush the money they would use to pay the loan, down the toilet?

Where did that elephant come from,,,
and what is it doing in this room?
;)

oyarde
06-08-2011, 10:49 AM
There should be no such thing as a no knock search if no violent crime is involved ..... police should bear the resposibility of getting it right if they are looking for someone ...

swiftfoxmark2
06-08-2011, 10:52 AM
There are various things that need pointing out.

1. If you're going to believe that the police can and should kick down the doors of thieves, well, why stop when the thief used the money to educate themselves? This is near the bottom of the slippery slope we're always warning people about. Most of the thieves that police attempt to kick down doors to apprehend have stolen far less than the amounts owed on these old student loans.

2. I hope this guy, when his wife got "estranged" from him, did get divorce papers separating their debt. That would make this 100% entirely the SWAT's fault, even if the police argues successfully that they had a right to kick down the offender's door. They didn't kick down her door. They kicked down his.

3. The guy probably didn't do what I mentioned above, because he sounds like a real mundane moron. All he wants is an apology. Really? REALLY?!?!? Your kids get to go through a "search," a quiet time-out in a squad car for SIX HOURS (it gets awfully hot around noon), and there's no mention of whether or not they were fed, given water, even given potty breaks... and an apology will fix it?

His "it wasn't even me" response backs that up. He'd be fine with his wife's door being broken down so they could snag her for her student loan offenses. He doesn't even understand what's wrong with his reasoning :(

The debt was probably in his wife's name, not his, so a divorce wouldn't have mattered. Unless he signed for the loan with her, he is not liable for the debt. Well, that's the rule for private loans, but government tends to play by its own rules.

Also note that if you are delinquent on government loans, they will just garnish your wages without a court order, like what they do with delinquent income taxes. This woman probably escaped the system and they were hunting for her. She probably also was rude to the handler in this case. Never insult a bureaucrat to their face or you will deal with situations such as these.

Romulus
06-08-2011, 10:56 AM
What's the crime?

MelissaWV
06-08-2011, 10:58 AM
The debt was probably in his wife's name, not his, so a divorce wouldn't have mattered. Unless he signed for the loan with her, he is not liable for the debt. Well, that's the rule for private loans, but government tends to play by its own rules.

Also note that if you are delinquent on government loans, they will just garnish your wages without a court order, like what they do with delinquent income taxes. This woman probably escaped the system and they were hunting for her. She probably also was rude to the handler in this case. Never insult a bureaucrat to their face or you will deal with situations such as these.

I understand all of that, however your communal assets (or even individual debts) are numbered in most divorce proceedings. It's also the point at which a big red flag should go up to anyone tracking for collections purposes: if she doesn't have custody, and he has the house, and she is the offending party, then she doesn't live at the house. She lives somewhere else. Divorce documents are just the very big stop sign for people searching for one party or another. It can be logically assumed that they no longer live together.

specsaregood
06-08-2011, 10:59 AM
//

Brian4Liberty
06-08-2011, 10:59 AM
Someday Monsanto is going to send their private army to bust down your door for growing illegal tomatoes in your backyard.

Bill Gates will send MS-SWAT to your house....

Brian4Liberty
06-08-2011, 11:00 AM
This story is freaking outrageous. People need to be fired over this. How can we make that happen?

AGRP
06-08-2011, 11:00 AM
Is it legal for a private citizen to bust down the door of a federal agency for not paying?

angelatc
06-08-2011, 11:11 AM
BY the way, the original ink has been memory holed.

Dr.3D
06-08-2011, 11:12 AM
The Department of Education would like to know where you received your indoctrination as there appears to be a fault in your programming.

I guess that's why they hate private schools.

Brian4Liberty
06-08-2011, 11:16 AM
BY the way, the original ink has been memory holed.

Looks like they are playing hide the Weiner....

Here's some back-up links:

http://bcove.me/tbq1yqhz

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/06/swat-team-busts-into-house-over-student-loan-default/

bobbyw24
06-08-2011, 11:20 AM
Its not illegal when the government does it, yes?

I am guessing that there is some exemption or Sovereign Immunity argument.

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 11:33 AM
ABC has pulled the video, the story is still out.
http://www.news10.net/news/article/141108/2/Questions-surround-feds-raid-of-Stockton-home
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Feds-Send-Swat-Team-To-Bre-by-Rob-Kall-110608-10.html?show=votes

oyarde
06-08-2011, 11:35 AM
Lots at abc probably have delinquent student loans .

Travlyr
06-08-2011, 11:37 AM
ABC has pulled the video, the story is still out.
http://www.news10.net/news/article/141108/2/Questions-surround-feds-raid-of-Stockton-home
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Feds-Send-Swat-Team-To-Bre-by-Rob-Kall-110608-10.html?show=votes

Ha ha... news crews hiding news... lulz. That'll work ABC. What genius in your organization thought of that?

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 11:39 AM
Ha ha... news crews hiding news... lulz. That'll work ABC. What genius in your organization thought of that?

Kind of makes you question the whole "credible News Source" thing.

nvm, it was just a psychic tip,,nothing to see here.
;)

dannno
06-08-2011, 11:43 AM
Looks like they are playing hide the Weiner....


That game is fun. I learned it in college.

Krugerrand
06-08-2011, 11:55 AM
I'd chip in for the billboard if this guy asked for it:
http://i56.tinypic.com/34zftl3.gif

MelissaWV
06-08-2011, 12:07 PM
You might want to change it to "wife" if that billboard goes up....

dannno
06-08-2011, 12:08 PM
You might want to change it to "wife" if that billboard goes up....

No, he's Mormon.
















j/k obv

TexanRudeBoy
06-08-2011, 12:20 PM
http://www.news10.net/news/article/141108/2/Questions-surround-feds-raid-of-Stockton-home

"A U.S. government official confirmed for News10 Wednesday morning federal agents with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), not local S.W.A.T., served the search warrant. The official would not say specifically why the raid took place. He did say the search was not related to student loans in default.

He went on to say OIG is a semi-independent branch of the U.S. Department of Education that executes warrants for criminal offenses such as student aid fraud and embezzlement of federal aid."

Not to give any kind of support to the raid, but I hope his wife is at least suspected to have been involved in some form of fraud or crime. It wouldn't excuse the no knock SWAT raid, but I just really, really hope this was not for unpaid loans.

Krugerrand
06-08-2011, 12:36 PM
You might want to change it to "wife" if that billboard goes up....

http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/ecards/oopssorry/embarrassed.jpg

bobbyw24
06-08-2011, 12:38 PM
The videos of this story are being removed/disabled on some sites

MelissaCato
06-08-2011, 12:40 PM
OMG this is crazy ... do thy do this with past due library fee's yet ? :eek:

Romulus
06-08-2011, 12:40 PM
save the video!

bobbyw24
06-08-2011, 12:43 PM
Youtube has saved it


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8T9KgsmJTI

LisaNY
06-08-2011, 12:55 PM
dept. of ed now saying it wasn't due to default: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56530.html

Romulus
06-08-2011, 12:58 PM
Why didn't the man say it was about his wife? He never said such a thing - they held him for 6 hours in a car?

And why does the Dept of Education have a SWAT TEAM?

LisaNY
06-08-2011, 12:59 PM
Why didn't the man say it was about his wife? He never said such a thing - they held him for 6 hours in a car?

And why does the Dept of Education have a SWAT TEAM?

Oh I agree, in any case it's very scary. I hope he sues and wins.

Krugerrand
06-08-2011, 01:00 PM
dept. of ed now saying it wasn't due to default: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56530.html

Even if so - what case could they possibly have that a simple subpoena of evidence would not suffice? At the very MOST, scope the place out and go in when nobody is there. Why bust in on children?

RonPaulFanInGA
06-08-2011, 01:09 PM
Omfg seriously?!?! I mean, REALLY?!?! SWAT for a damn student loan!?!?!?

Wouldn't you feel pretty pissed off about some person borrowing thousands of dollars from you and then never paying it back?

(Not defending the SWAT raid.)

MelissaWV
06-08-2011, 01:11 PM
Wouldn't you feel pretty pissed off about some person borrowing thousands of dollars from you and then never paying it back?

I would. I would track that person down, and surely I might try to find a way to garnish their wages, and even to try to leverage some of their property to get it back.

I wouldn't, however, go after their family after it's obvious the person I want my money from has moved away. I wouldn't go after their spouse and children. I wouldn't trash their former residence. This, instead, is more of an organized crime tactic.

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 01:15 PM
Hamilton declined to comment on the specifics of the case because it is “an ongoing criminal investigation
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56530.html#ixzz1OiIZZSWa

Bullshit.
An "investigation" would have shown that she did not live there.

falconplayer11
06-08-2011, 01:16 PM
Youtube has saved it


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8T9KgsmJTI

Someone needs to save this video to their computer. It almost disappeared from the internet earlier today!

Romulus
06-08-2011, 01:42 PM
Its all over youtube now...

AFPVet
06-08-2011, 01:56 PM
Is it legal for a private citizen to bust down the door of a federal agency for not paying?

The Militia should.

Brian4Liberty
06-08-2011, 01:58 PM
Oh I agree, in any case it's very scary. I hope he sues and wins.

Unfortunately, that won't do anything to reverse the militarization of the Police. People need to be fired.

Pericles
06-08-2011, 02:05 PM
What's the crime?

That seems not to matter anymore:mad:

nate895
06-08-2011, 02:08 PM
The war on the everyday human being continues.

heavenlyboy34
06-08-2011, 02:37 PM
The war on the everyday human being continues.
qft. :(

Anti Federalist
06-08-2011, 02:46 PM
You guys are all a bunch of sensationalists and alarmists, getting people all riled up over dedicated officers just out there doing their job, holding the thin blue line and keeping you safe.

/s/ - gahh, even as sarcasm I could barely choke those words out...


Those who believe a police state can't happen here are poor students of history.

Every government, democratic or not, is capable of tyranny.

We must understand this if we hope to remain a free people. - Ron Paul 2004

amy31416
06-08-2011, 02:54 PM
So, let's assume the worst case scenario in regards to this woman they're looking for (hunting down). It's not about not paying back the school loans, this woman committed fraud...I don't know, let's say she lied on her loan applications, she took the money and didn't go to classes, never gave it to the school, and then she spent it on a case of Lunchables (tm.)

Even in that case, does that merit a no-knock raid by heavily-armed twats on a home with 3 children and an innocent male? Dragging him through the street in his underwear and detaining him for over 6 hours? Even if she was there, is any of it justified?

Of course it isn't! So who should pay for this abuse (if we lived in a just society.) The judge? The SWAT team who carried it out? The DOE?

I say all of 'em.

bobbyw24
06-08-2011, 02:58 PM
But Education Department Press Secretary Justin Hamilton said in a statement to The Lookout that the department "does not execute search warrants for late loan payments." He said the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) "conducts about 30-35 search warrants a year on issues such as bribery, fraud, and embezzlement of federal student aid funds." Hamilton said the department cannot comment on this particular case until the investigation is over, but did add that the claim the warrant was executed for late loan payment is untrue. The raid was related to a criminal investigation of Wright's wife.

The OIG lists some of its recent investigations on its website, including the case of a Boston man who was sent to prison last month for lying on a federal student aid form.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110608/us_yblog_thelookout/education-department-says-it-doesnt-send-swat-teams-after-loan-defaulters

MelissaWV
06-08-2011, 03:36 PM
I'm very confused as to what the desired result of the raid was. Apprehending the woman? That's not going to pay the loan back, though I guess they could confiscate her things and her bank account and try to make it up.

If that was the goal, perhaps they should have gone to the woman's residence.

tropicangela
06-08-2011, 04:10 PM
OIG put a couple of statements on its Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/EducationOIG

Expanding the comments shows that Jim Truther has questions waiting for responses.


U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General
In response to a number of media articles and blog posts concerning a recent OIG investigative operation, OIG has issued the following statement: OIG does not engage in the collection of student loans. We do not have a SWAT team. Our mission is to conduct criminal investigations related to the programs and operations of the U.S. Department of Education, which include the student financial aid programs.
about an hour ago


U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General
The OIG does not engage in the collection of student loans. Our mission is to conduct criminal investigations related to the programs and operations of the U.S. Department of Education, which include the student financial aid programs.
2 hours ago

tropicangela
06-08-2011, 04:21 PM
HuffPo Article: Department Of Education: Raid Of California Man's Home Was Not Related To Defaulted Student Loans (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/08/department-education-raid-default-student-loans_n_873272.html)

A lot of good comments.

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 04:23 PM
If that was the goal, perhaps they should have gone to the woman's residence.

Well they are still investigating.(kicking in doors)

Perhaps they will look for her at your house next. or mine.
Perhaps they will just keep kicking in doors till they find her.

some fine investigative work going on here.

Dr.3D
06-08-2011, 04:25 PM
Well they are still investigating.(kicking in doors)

Perhaps they will look for her at your house next. or mine.
Perhaps they will just keep kicking in doors till they find her.

some fine investigative work going on here.

Guess I need to get a stronger door.

AGRP
06-08-2011, 04:30 PM
They expect people to pay back loans when they major in worthless majors such as "ethnic studies?"

AGRP
06-08-2011, 04:38 PM
ABC has pulled the video, the story is still out.
http://www.news10.net/news/article/141108/2/Questions-surround-feds-raid-of-Stockton-home
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Feds-Send-Swat-Team-To-Bre-by-Rob-Kall-110608-10.html?show=votes

Whats was going on?

Were they seriously trying to retract this story? Just ABC?

Liveleak seems like a good place to put videos that wont get removed.

aGameOfThrones
06-08-2011, 05:50 PM
But Education Department Press Secretary Justin Hamilton said in a statement to The Lookout that the department "does not execute search warrants for late loan payments." He said the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) "conducts about 30-35 search warrants a year on issues such as bribery, fraud, and embezzlement of federal student aid funds." Hamilton said the department cannot comment on this particular case until the investigation is over, but did add that the claim the warrant was executed for late loan payment is untrue. The raid was related to a criminal investigation of Wright's wife.

The OIG lists some of its recent investigations on its website, including the case of a Boston man who was sent to prison last month for lying on a federal student aid form.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110608/us_yblog_thelookout/education-department-says-it-doesnt-send-swat-teams-after-loan-defaulters

So what I (/B) deserves a fucking twat team?

cindy25
06-08-2011, 06:05 PM
Youtube has saved it


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8T9KgsmJTI

someone posted it on youtube, but if TPTB ask youtube to take it down they say yes sir, and down it goes. its still there but I would suggest anyone who wants to keep this to download the youtube now. remember how they removed/banned Freedom Watch.

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 06:08 PM
Disputed???
What part?

aGameOfThrones
06-08-2011, 06:23 PM
Disputed???
What part?

This part I assume...


Hamilton said the department cannot comment on this particular case until the investigation is over, but did add that the claim the warrant was executed for late loan payment is untrue. The raid was related to a criminal investigation of Wright's wife.

pcosmar
06-08-2011, 06:26 PM
Hamilton said the department cannot comment on this particular case until the investigation is over, but did add that the claim the warrant was executed for late loan payment is untrue. The raid was related to a criminal investigation of Wright's wife.

Too bad they didn't investigate where she lived. or didn't live, as the case would be.

So the SWAT assault happened and only the "WHY?" is disputed.

tropicangela
06-08-2011, 10:47 PM
The news people were able to see the warrant. Wonder what it said.

HOLLYWOOD
06-09-2011, 10:10 AM
here... latest update from Reason

Question, How much did this terror operation cost the taxpayers?


http://reason.com/blog/2011/06/09/these-are-the-charges-that-req


These Are the Charges That Require the Department of Education to Send a Dozen Armed Agents to Kick Through Your Front Door (http://reason.com/blog/2011/06/09/these-are-the-charges-that-req)

Matt Welch (http://reason.com/people/matt-welch) | June 9, 2011
So what exactly were the suspected crimes that required the Department of Education to send a dozen or so armed men to execute a search warrant at 6 a.m. on the house of a man who was handcuffed for several hours in front of his three bawling pre-teen kids (http://reason.com/blog/2011/06/08/dept-of-education-swat-team-up) even though the target of the raid was allegedly his estranged wife who no longer lived there? Now we have a partial search warrant (http://www.news10.net/news/pdf/Ed-dept-Wright-warrant-060711.pdf) to tell us: Financial Aid Fraud, Conspiracy, Theft of Government Funds, False Statement to Government Agency, Wire Fraud. While some of those charges are classic prosecutorial multipliers, it seems likely given this list (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/ireports.html) of DoE Inspector General activities that the underlying charge will be more elaborate than mere trying to weasel out of loan payments.
Then again, take a good long look at that list of DoE prosecutions (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/ireports.html), and ask yourself, "Which of these crimes would require a dozen armed men barging down the door of a house where three young kids live?"

Here's how one of Kenneth Wright's neighbors described the scene (http://www.news10.net/news/article/141207/29/DOE-raids-Stockton-home-as-part-of-fraud-investigation) in Stockton, CA:
"They surrounded the house; it was like a task force or S.W.A.T team," across the street neighbor Becky said. "They all had guns. They dragged him out in his boxer shorts, threw him to the ground and handcuffed him." [...]
Her young daughter, Valerie, said she counted 13 agents and one Stockton police officer outside Wright's home.
"I felt really bad for those kids," said Becky about agents when they brought out Wright's three children. "They were crying really loud."
The trauma and property damage are plenty bad enough, but of course the real problem with militarized raids to execute search warrants for nonviolent crimes is that they're dangerous, to everyone involved.
And for those asking "What the heck is the Department of Education doing executing search warrants," the better question is: How many of the 30 or so presidentially appointed inspectors general (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_General#United_States) in the federal government actively take advantage of the full police power they were granted by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_Security_Act_of_2002)? By law, the Deptartment of Labor, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Tennessee Valley Authority and two dozen other federal agencies with OIGs can send a dozen armed agents to kick down your door. We are truly living in Radley Balko's world:

Bossobass
06-09-2011, 10:22 AM
So...

When the hell is SWAT gonna break down the doors to Goldman Sachs' offices?

Bosso

fisharmor
06-09-2011, 10:50 AM
but of course the real problem with militarized raids to execute search warrants for nonviolent crimes is that they're dangerous, to everyone involved.

And that's the part nobody ever really processes.
At some point these kids are going to grow up into young adults, and it's not going to take extensive psychiatric work for them to figure out why they can't sleep at night and consistently wake up crying and sweating.
Some of those kids aren't going to be total dumbasses, either.
Some might realize that this whole criminal justice system is based on revenge.
Some might take the lesson that revenge is an appropriate form of justice.
A couple might even read about some shit that went down in the DC area back in 2002, and they're going to realize exactly how safe it is for them to exact revenge.

These mouth-breathing SWAT monkeys are painting targets all over themselves and their successors.
These kids aren't going to grow up to be well-adjusted members of society.
They've been broken.
And it's pretty fuckin' obvious who broke them.

I find it all amusing in a sick sort of way. They fail to see what's happening in the Middle East so completely that they are now importing the problem.

oyarde
06-09-2011, 11:01 AM
Wouldn't you feel pretty pissed off about some person borrowing thousands of dollars from you and then never paying it back?

(Not defending the SWAT raid.)

Well , how can the Federal govt pretend to be angry for people trying to steal back what was stolen from the people ? Spending outside of article one , section eight is theft from the people....