Crimes of the FBI

THE SAN FRANCISCO office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has had problems for years. Local agents have been involved in all sorts of dubious activities, from spying on activists in the 1960s to hiding documents from the public in the 1970s and 1980s to the mess of the Judi Bari car bombing (see "The Judi Bari Bombshell," 5/29/02).

Now, as A.C. Thompson reports on page 17, there are allegations that a sting operation led by the local FBI was involved in what one lawyer calls "outrageous misconduct" that condoned or even supported the violent crime activities of a heavily armed northern California gang. Using an informant, the FBI "directed the delivery of firearms and drugs, approved plans to commit home invasion robberies, passed on authorizations for violence against out-of-favor gang members, encouraged violence to promote the gang's interests and eventually failed to prevent [a killing]," according to court papers filed in a criminal case.

The allegations have received very little press (only the Recorder, a local legal paper, has mentioned the story). And the evidence to support the charges hasn't yet come out in court. It's possible that some or all of the claims are exaggerated or can't be proved.

But the FBI has had serious problems controlling its undercover investigations elsewhere – just last month a former FBI agent in Boston was sentenced to 10 years in prison for collaborating with a mob boss. And if the allegations are even partially true, it's cause for major concern – particularly at a time when Congress has granted the FBI sweeping new powers.

The Justice Department inspector general needs to conduct a full, independent investigation of this case – known as Operation Black Widow – and make the results public as soon as possible. If Justice won't take it on, the Bay Area congressional delegation ought to demand an investigation by the appropriate oversight committees. In fact, Congress ought to take a hard look at the use of FBI sting operations, which have had limited success of late, at least in northern California – and may be creating serious problems.