Navy Seal Bickle Sentenced to 17½ Years in Prison

LAS VEGAS – The U.S. Navy SEAL who was convicted last fall of multiple felony weapons charges, including dealing in stolen firearms, was sentenced today to 17½ years in federal prison and three years of supervised release, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Nicholas Bickle, 34, of San Diego, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roger L. Hunt. Bickle was convicted by a jury in October 2011 of one count of conspiracy to unlawfully receive, transport, possess and transfer machineguns and stolen firearms and to deal in firearms; one count of dealing in firearms without a license; four counts of possession and transfer of machineguns; five counts of possession, concealment, sale and disposition of stolen firearms; one count of receiving, concealing and retaining property of the United States; and one count of transportation by and distribution of explosives to a non-licensee. The judge imposed a greater sentence because of the large number of firearms involved, the types of firearms involved, and because the firearms were stolen and trafficked. Judge Hunt also found that Bickle was a leader or organizer of the offense, and that Bickle had abused his position of trust in order to facilitate the offenses.

"The weapons trafficked in this case were not your ordinary firearms; rather, they were fully-automatic machineguns that likely would have ended up in the hands of criminals," said U.S. Attorney Bogden. "The defendant's conduct was serious, and the Court imposed a lengthy prison sentence that should serve as a deterrent to anyone who is considering trafficking in machineguns or other firearms."

"ATF works diligently with our law enforcement partners to ensure that illegal machineguns and explosives never make it to our streets," said Acting Special Agent in Charge John P. Lee. "Mr. Bickle abused the public trust inherent to the position of a Navy SEAL and today he paid the price."

The evidence at trial demonstrated that from about March 2009 to November 2010, Bickle, a Navy Seal, conspired with Richard Paul, 35,of Durango, Colorado, Andrew Kaufman, 37, and Omar Aguirre, 36, both of Las Vegas, to sell machineguns and other weapons possessed by Bickle when he returned from Iraq. The firearms included over 30 AK-47 type machineguns (some of which bore the markings or symbols of the Iraqi military forces) and multiple pistols previously procured by the United States for Iraqi security forces. Bickle transported the majority of the weapons to Nevada and Colorado where his co-conspirators sold them to others, including an undercover law enforcement agent who expressed the intent to smuggle the weapons to Mexico. Bickle received a substantial portion of the proceeds from the sales of firearms. Bickle was also convicted of unlawfully receiving and retaining government property (ammunition, explosives, grenades and optical sights) valued at more than $1,000, and unlawfully transporting and transferring approximately five pounds of C-4 explosives.

Aguirre, Paul, and Kaufman pleaded guilty prior to trial. Aguirre was sentenced in October 2011 to five years in prison. Paul and Kaufman are scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow, July 18, 2012.

The investigation was conducted by ATF, NCIS, and the LVMPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy S. Vasquez and Phillip N. Smith, Jr.

Former Civilian Contractor Pleads Guilty in North Carolina for Role in Scheme to Steal and Sell Military Equipment in Iraq

WASHINGTON – A former U.S. civilian contractor pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of North Carolina to conspiring to steal military generators in Iraq in 2011 and selling them on the black market, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

 David John Welch, 36, of Hope Mills, N.C., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt to a criminal information charging him with one count of conspiracy to steal property under the control of a government contractor.

 According to court documents, in 2011, Welch was the operations and maintenance manager of a U.S. government contractor on Victory Base Complex in Baghdad.  In this capacity, Welch had the ability to influence the distribution and movement of military equipment as well as U.S. government equipment.  In addition, Welch was in charge of overseeing the movement of generators from the compound to the Defense Reutilization & Marketing Office (DRMO).  In October 2011, Welch and a co-conspirator entered into a scheme to steal and later sell approximately 38 generators on the black market in Iraq to unknown co-conspirators by diverting these generators from the DRMO to an undisclosed location off-base in Iraq.

 After the generators were stolen from the compound, Welch’s co-conspirator provided him with four stacks of $100 bills, totaling approximately $38,600.

 At sentencing, scheduled for July 9, 2012, Welch faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release following his prison term.  As part of his guilty plea, Welch agreed to pay $160,000 in restitution to the United States.

 This case is being prosecuted by Special Trial Attorney Mark Grider of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, on detail from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  The case is being investigated by the FBI, SIGIR and the Major Procurement Fraud Unit of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Command.

FBI Counterintelligence National Strategy

Read the best FBI Counterintelligence book written by an experienced FBI veteran!

A Blueprint for Protecting U.S. Secrets

Espionage may seem like a throwback to earlier days of world wars and cold wars, but the threat is real and as serious as ever.

We see it—and work hard to counter it—all the time. It’s not just the more traditional spies passing U.S. secrets to foreign governments, either to fatten their own wallets or to advance their ideological agendas. It’s also students and scientists and plenty of others stealing the valuable trade secrets of American universities and businesses—the ingenuity that drives our economy—and providing them to other countries. It’s nefarious actors sending controlled technologies overseas that help build bombs and weapons of mass destruction designed to hurt and kill Americans and others.

In late October, in fact, we took part in a multi-agency and multi-national operation that led to the indictment of five citizens of Singapore and four of their companies for illegally exporting thousands of radio frequency modules from the U.S. Allegedly, at least 16 of these modules were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices in Iraq.

As the lead agency for exposing, preventing, and investigating intelligence activities on U.S. soil, the FBI continues to work to combat these threats using our full suite of investigative and intelligence capabilities. We’ve mapped out our blueprint in what we call our Counterintelligence National Strategy, which is regularly updated to focus resources on the most serious current and emerging threats.

The strategy itself is classified, but we can tell you what its overall goals are:

■Keep weapons of mass destruction, advanced conventional weapons, and related technology from falling into the wrong hands—using intelligence to drive our investigative efforts to keep threats from becoming reality. Our new Counterproliferation Center will play a major role here.

■Protect the secrets of the U.S. intelligence community—again, using intelligence to focus our investigative efforts and collaborating with our government partners to reduce the risk of espionage and insider threats.
■Protect the nation’s critical assets—like our advanced technologies and sensitive information in the defense, intelligence, economic, financial, public health, and science and technology sectors. We work to identify the source and significance of the threats against these assets, and to help their “owners” to minimize vulnerabilities.
■Counter the activities of foreign spies—whether they are representatives of foreign intelligence agencies or governments or are acting on their behalf, they all want the same thing: to steal U.S. secrets. Through proactive investigations, we identify who they are and stop what they’re doing.

One important aspect of our counterintelligence strategy involves strategic partnerships. And on that front, we focus on three specific areas:

■The sharing of expertise and resources of the FBI, the U.S. intelligence community, other U.S. government agencies, and global partners to combat foreign intelligence activities;

■Coordination of U.S. intelligence community efforts to combat insider threats among its own ranks; and
■Partnerships with businesses and colleges and universities to strengthen information sharing and counterintelligence awareness.

Focus on cyber activities. Another key element of our counterintelligence strategy, according to FBI Counterintelligence Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi, is its emphasis on detecting and deterring foreign-sponsored cyber intelligence threats to government and private sector information systems. “Sometimes,” he said, “the bad guys don’t have to physically be in the U.S. to steal targeted information…sometimes they can be halfway around the world, sitting at a keyboard.”

The FBI Counterintelligence National Strategy supports both the President’s National Security Strategy and the National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States.

Former U.S. Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Stealing Equipment in Iraq and Receiving Proceeds from Sale on Black Market

WASHINGTON - A former U.S. Army sergeant pleaded guilty today to conspiring to steal U.S. Army equipment related to his work as a non-commissioned officer helping to train Iraqi army personnel in Mosul, Iraq, in 2008, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Robert Ashley Nelson, 46, of San Antonio, Texas, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Primomo in the Western District of Texas to a criminal information charging him with one count of conspiracy to steal public property.   According to the court document, Nelson was deployed to Forward Operating Base Diamondback, Iraq, as the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the Ninewa Operations Command Military Transition Team.    This transition team helped train the Iraqi Army units stationed nearby.  

While serving in Iraq, Nelson agreed with a U.S. Army translator to steal eight generators from a lot on base that held various pieces of used equipment.   Once the generators were taken off the base, the translator arranged for them to be sold on the black market in Iraq.    Nelson admitted that he received half of the proceeds of the sales of stolen equipment, with approximately $35,000 of the money being wired to Nelson’s account by the translator’s brother.   In total, Nelson admitted receiving approximately $44,830 from this scheme.   The investigation into this conspiracy continues.

At sentencing, Nelson faces up to five years in prison, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release following a prison term.    Additionally, Nelson has agreed to criminal forfeiture of $44,830 to the United States.   Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2011, at 1:30 p.m., CDT before U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Trial Attorney Christopher L. Peele of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, on detail from SIGIR.   The case is being investigated by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigations Division and others.

Iraqi Police Training

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service


July 30, 2007 - Iraq's national police are in the second portion of a four-phase program to help them become a proficient, loyal law enforcement organization that serves all of Iraq's citizens, a senior U.S. military officer said today. The 25,000-plus-member national police organization falls under the Iraqi government's Interior Ministry as a "bridge force" between regular police and the Iraqi army, Army Col. Mark R. French, deputy commander for professional development and police training for the Civilian Police Assistance Team, told online journalists and "bloggers."

"Many of these forces have fought bravely; thousands have died in fighting the insurgents," French said.

Iraq's regular police perform routine municipal duties, while its armed forces are focused on external threats, French explained. The national police, he continued, serve as an auxiliary law enforcement agency that could be engaged to address internal threats to the nation, such as militia-generated violence against the central government and its citizens.

Today, most national police officers are stationed in Baghdad, helping U.S. troops during surge-related, anti-insurgent operations, French said. Smaller contingents are serving in Samarra and Balad.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry merged commando, emergency-response and other units to create the national police in March 2006, French said.

In summer 2006, U.S. Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., then-commander of Multinational Force Iraq, decided the national police weren't performing properly and needed an overhaul.

"At that time, General Casey directed a four-phase transformation program be initiated for the national police," French said. The first phase, he said, included an overall look at operations, including personnel and supply practices.

The second phase, being conducted now, is a month-long police training program for each national police brigade, French said. About 75 percent of the curriculum teaches students how to perform law enforcement duties in a democracy, he said, while the other 25 percent focuses on tactical skills such as patrolling, cordon-and-search operations, and conducting checkpoints. The program is slated to conclude about Oct. 10.

Phase Three consists of "Carabinieri-like" police training scheduled to start around Oct. 15, French said. The Carabinieri are Italy's famed paramilitary police force.

"Right now, this training is envisioned to last about 90 days," French said. "It's a leader-centric, train-the-trainer focus." The curriculum includes public order response, advanced investigation techniques, forensics, special weapons and tactics, and urban operations, he said.

The fourth phase, which has no start date planned, will consist of distributing newly trained national police officers to posts across Iraq, French said.

In the past, the national police have been accused of having anti-government militia members within their ranks, French acknowledged. Today, however, each national police member attending phase-two police training is vetted, he pointed out.

"They're checked against a Ministry of the Interior data base for criminal records or any history of sectarian militia activity," French explained. "We've culled out quite a few."

Corruption Ebbs as Iraqi Police Leadership Strengthens

By Tim Kilbride
Special to American Forces Press Service

April 19, 2007 – A firm commitment to professionalism and transparency from Iraq's political leaders are helping the country's growing civil security force perform well in "a highly challenging environment," a coalition training official said yesterday. British Army Brig. Gen. Rob Weighill, deputy commander of the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, told online journalists that, with 200,000 Iraqi police officers trained in the past two years, his organization is well on its way in its mission to "generate, train and sustain the Iraqi police forces," so that they can shape a security environment favorable to democratic establishment.

Iraq's overall civil security force - including local police, national police, and border, ports, highway and traffic patrols - is about 300,000 strong, Weighill said.

But sheer numbers are only a part of the game, Weighill explained. He said Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad Bolani has repeatedly made clear he values quality over quantity in building the force, particularly in relation to skills and rights training.

To ensure new police officers have the necessary capabilities to operate independently, police training has been largely standardized across Iraq's various police academies, Weighill said. He pointed to the Numaniyah police training center, southeast of Baghdad, as an example of how such facilities operate.

Numaniyah, Weighill said, has the capacity for 2,000 beds, roughly matched to the size of an Iraqi police brigade. Recruits who graduate the four-week program are typically sent out as a cohesive unit.

"They come, literally, straight out of Numaniyah, in brigade size, and get put into Baghdad, sitting alongside and working alongside their Iraqi police brethren" and the Iraqi army, Weighill said.

The general commended the "standard, tried, and now tested, police training program," but acknowledged room for further growth.

Respect for human rights remains a perpetual concern, Weighill said. Rights training has been a part of the Iraqi curriculum since 2003, but the issue has become increasingly germane amid Iraq's tide of sectarian violence, he said.

"This is an important aspect of their policing duty because it fulfills the vital requirement for them to understand and implement what it means to treat people fairly and with dignity and respect," the general said.

In the past, he noted, "a lack of leadership, a lack of training, and therefore an absence of support and trust between the police and the community" led to situations in which Iraqi police officers stood by while crimes were committed.

With a reinvigorated Ministry of the Interior, Weighill said, such behavior, along with more egregious cases of corruption, is no longer tolerated.

Minister Bolani "emphatically states he will not put up with corruption," Weighill said, noting that senior ministry officials have been removed in cases of nefarious activities.

The maturation of robust internal affairs and inspector general's offices within the ministry over the past two to three years has led to a swell of investigations within the force, Weighill explained. These offices are tasked with "identifying fraud, crime (and) corruption" and punishing perpetrators appropriately, he said.

In January, about 1,200 such cases were investigated by the inspector general's office alone, Weighill said.

"Contrary to popular belief - that is that the Ministry of the Interior and the Iraqi police are heavily infiltrated from the sectarian perspective - the work that I've done... would suggest otherwise," Weighill observed.

"Of course there are infringements of the law" and those are "dealt with in accordance with Iraqi law," Weighill said.

These examples of strong leadership from the ministry are crucial to maintaining professionalism throughout the ranks, Weighill said.

"Principally through police training, the leadership element within the Iraqi police, national police, is improving all the time," Weighill said. "If that leadership is strong, then by and large, the levels and frequency of criminality - whether it's taking bribes, whether it's involved in corruption, or indeed involvement in sectarian violence - tends to diminish."

To help ensure adherence to standards, ethics and protocol, the general said, the Iraqi police just conducted a full spectrum inspection of all 47 police stations in Baghdad.

The review highlighted that among other areas, police infrastructure, vehicles, and overall processes and procedures all need improvement, Weighill said, though he noted anti-corruption procedures are far tighter than in the past, especially relating to funding and personnel payments.

Management and administration of the police force stand to gain from the gradual introduction of digital information management systems, Weighill said. He predicted the systems could be in place by late 2008.

In the meantime, shortages of capacity within the police training regime have actually led to a temporary freeze on police recruiting throughout Iraq, Weighill said, though he characterized the hold as a positive sign.

"There's no shortage of volunteers," he said. "In fact, we've had to... place a three-month moratorium on recruiting simply because we don't have the capacity and the training establishments at the moment to deal with the numbers that are volunteering to join the police."

For the existing police training facilities and programs, progress is unlikely to be affected by the Iraq funding debate in Washington, Weighill said.

"We in the police are probably in a slightly better position than the Iraqi army," he said, "in so far as the money that is spent by the United States in support of the Iraqi police is a smaller proportion of those funds than is spent on the Iraqi army."
"What is interesting," Weighill added, "is that the Iraqi central government budget for the police in 2007 almost doubled from 2006, so actually the Iraqi government is contributing significantly to the way in which business is conducted."

That type of strong Iraqi government commitment is largely behind the steady improvement of the police force, Weighill said.

"I work on a daily basis in the Ministry of Interior building with people... who are becoming good friends," he said. They exert "an enormous amount of industry to try and ensure that the Iraqi police can operate and function effectively."

Weighill said close contact with the police force in his first two months in Iraq have reversed what were negative impressions of their capabilities and efficacy.

"I came out here with perhaps the view that prevails in the United Kingdom - I can't speak for the United States - which is that the Iraqi police are emphatically infiltrated with sectarian issues," Weighill said. "They're not trusted by the population, that they have difficulties in undertaking their tasks. I have found the opposite to be the case," he added.

"Pretty much every contact that I've had with the police is that these boys... and these women are doing a pretty good job in highly demanding circumstances," the general said. "And I think as you would say in your country, as far as I'm concerned, they're patriots."

(Tim Kilbride is assigned to New Media, American Forces Information Service.)

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