Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

I really should read my own blog.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

When we show up, we win.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Rofer on International Relations / Trump Buddy Tom Barrack Indicted As Foreign Agent

Trump Buddy Tom Barrack Indicted As Foreign Agent

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Tom Barrack was the chair of Donald Trump’s inaugural committee. He had been a Trump confidant and financial backer for some time, and thus not surprising he would get a job like that. Today he was arrested for acting as an agent of the United Arab Emirates and trying to influence the President in their favor.

From the Department of Justice press release:

According to court documents, between April and November 2016, Barrack served as an informal advisor to the campaign of the candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Between November 2016 and January 2017, Barrack served as Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Beginning in January 2017, Barrack informally advised senior U.S. government officials on issues related to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Barrack also sought appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including the role of Special Envoy to the Middle East. Barrack served as the Executive Chairman of a global investment management firm headquartered in Los Angeles, and Grimes was employed at the firm and reported directly to Barrack. During the relevant time period, Alshahhi worked as an agent of the UAE and was in frequent contact with Barrack and Grimes, including numerous in-person meetings in the United States and the UAE.

As alleged in the indictment, the defendants used Barrack’s status as a senior outside advisor to the campaign and, subsequently, to senior U.S. government officials, to advance the interests of and provide intelligence to the UAE while simultaneously failing to notify the Attorney General that their actions were taken at the direction of senior UAE officials. Barrack – directly and through Alshahhi and Grimes – was regularly and repeatedly in contact with the senior leadership of the UAE government. On multiple occasions, Barrack referred to Alshahhi as the UAE’s “secret weapon” to advance its foreign policy agenda in the United States.

Alshahhi and Grimes were also indicted. Grimes was also arrested, and Alshahhi remains at large. Barrack also made a big mistake:

On June 20, 2019, Barrack voluntarily met with FBI special agents. During the interview, Barrack allegedly made numerous false statements, including falsely denying that Alshahhi had ever requested that he take any actions on behalf of the UAE.

Barrack’s company, Colony Northstar, laid out plans to influence the government in a document. They expected to make a lot of money.

Back when Barrack was trying to influence Trump in favor of the UAE before and after the 2016 election, a lot was going on. Mike Flynn was working for Turkey and trying to set up something with Russia. Flynn was also working with Barrack on other deals. We are likely to see more come out about that as Barrack’s prosecution proceeds.

This is a big deal.

Coverage:

Daily Beast

CNN

CNBC

NPR

New York Times

Washington Post

Cross-posted to Nuclear Diner

Reader Interactions

137Comments

  3. 3.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    While sex is great, does it live up to the pleasure that is the thought of kindly-faced Trump sycophants going to prison?

  7. 7.

    Another Scott

    Someone wise once said, “follow the money.”  It’s still good advice.

    TFG and his enablers should be sweating more now.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Barrack’s company, Colony Northstar, laid out plans to influence the government in a document. They expected to make a lot of money.

    So, turning once again to the book of David Simon and Stringer Bell, they not only took notes on a mother-fucking criminal conspiracy, they made it into like a PowerPoint?

  11. 11.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    ? Allen Weisselberg- CAPTURED

    ? Thomas Barrack– CAPTURED

    ? Trump Organization– CAPTURED

    ? Roger Stone – GUILTY

    ? Michael Flynn – GUILTY

    ? Michael Cohen – GUILTY

    ? Paul Manafort – GUILTY

    ? Rick Gates – GUILTY

    ? Maria Butina – GUILTY

    ? George Papadopoulos – GUILTY

    ? Alex van der Zwaan – GUILTY

    ? Richard Pinedo – GUILTY

    ? Sam Patten – GUILTY

    ? Paul Erickson – GUILTY

    ? George Nader – GUILTY

    ? Chris Collins – GUILTY

    ? Nickie Mali Lum Davis – GUILTY

    ? Elliott Broidy – GUILTY

    ? Ghislaine Maxwell– CAPTURED

    ? Lev Parnas – CAPTURED

    ? Igor Fruman – CAPTURED

    ? Steve Bannon – CAPTURED/UNDER INVESTIGATION

    ? Konstantin Kilimnik – AT LARGE

    ? Rudy Giuliani – DISBARRED/UNDER INVESTIGATION

    ? Louis Dejoy – UNDER INVESTIGATION

    ? Jerry Falwell – RESIGNS/ILLEGAL PAYMENTS CUCKOLD SCANDAL

    ? Eric Trump – PLEADS FIFTH AMENDMENT

    ? Donald Trump – UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATOR/ TWICE IMPEACHED

    Only. The. Best. People.

  15. 15.

    trollhattan

    A gentle reminder to terrorists and normal people, maintain good relationships on the home front no matter what.

    One of the men accused of plotting to blow up the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento came within minutes of winning his release from jail Tuesday, but the deal fell through after his wife changed her mind about taking responsibility for him while he awaits trial.

    After a 70-minute Zoom court hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex Tse in San Francisco had agreed to allow Jarrod Copeland to be released and return to his Sacramento apartment, with the understanding that his wife, Sheila, would act as custodian and report any violations of his release terms to the court.

    Tse laid out the requirements — that Copeland remain detained at home, not have access to weapons, not use steroids and only have access to one electronic device — and was going to order Copeland’s release over the objections of a federal prosecutor and lawyer for the state Democratic Party who argued he is a danger to the community.

    But the deal blew up at the last minute as Tse questioned Sheila Copeland about whether she understood failure to report any violations could land her in jail. “Yeah, that’s a big responsibility,” she said.

    “It is a big responsibility,” Tse replied, and directed her and Copeland’s attorney, John Ambrosio, to talk about the matter offline during the video Zoom hearing.

    A few minutes later, the two reappeared on screen and Ambrosio told the judge that Sheila Copeland had changed her mind.

    “She’s a little bit nervous at this point,” Ambrosio told the judge while Jarrod Copeland watched by video from the Santa Rita Jail. “She is wanting to represent to the court that she’s not comfortable with the responsibility.”

    Instead, Ambrosio said, she wanted the court to find another suitable custodian to keep tabs on Copeland, meaning he will remain in custody until someone willing and able is found.

    The sudden reversal came after Sheila Copeland had told the judge that her husband’s alleged conversations with co-defendant Ian Benjamin Rogers about blowing up the Democratic Party building to protest the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was just talk.
    https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article252904013.html#storylink=cpy

    Also forever golden, “Is you taking notes of a criminal conspiracy?”

  20. 20.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @trollhattan:
    After a 70-minute Zoom court hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex Tse in San Francisco had agreed to allow Jarrod Copeland to be released and return to his Sacramento apartment, with the understanding that his wife, Sheila, would act as custodian and report any violations of his release terms to the court.

    Tse laid out the requirements — that Copeland remain detained at home, not have access to weapons, not use steroids and only have access to one electronic device — and was going to order Copeland’s release over the objections of a federal prosecutor and lawyer for the state Democratic Party who argued he is a danger to the community.

    WTF??? The wife he beats every M/W/F and forgives him every T/T/S??? Or maybe she is just one of the wives who thinks “boys will be boys.”

  28. 28.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cheryl Rofer: Wasn’t it the Qataris who bailed Jared out of 666 (come on, writers, don’t be so obvious) Fifth Ave? there was some trouble between Qatar and the gulf states that… went away around the same time?

  29. 29.

    Suzanne

    @OzarkHillbilly: I wish someone with more verbal acumen (and a stronger capacity for ridiculousness) would write some erotica about the Orange Crime Family and their orbit going to jail and other bad things. I just don’t know how to get the sex scenes in there.

  30. 30.

    Kent

    So which is the bigger blow to Trump today?  Tom Barrack getting indicted?  Or Tom Brady dissing and mocking him from the White House on national TV?

    Heh…

    I tend to think it is the latter.  He has plenty of indicted co-conspirators.  So many that it’s boring.  But only one future Hall of Fame quarterback is laughing at him on national TV.  That had to leave a mark.

  31. 31.

    Soprano2

    So, have any of the people rending their garments yesterday all over social media about how Garland sold us out apologized yet? And yeah, this is a big deal.

  32. 32.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Suzanne: Not here, the very thought makes my puke. Speaking of which, the dogs are sleeping on the job and now I have a mess to clean up.

  36. 36.

    Suzanne

    @OzarkHillbilly: Mmmm, no, the thought of, say, Ivanka being kicked out of every trendy spendy part of society and having to scrub hotel toilets for a living makes me… slightly elevated.

  37. 37.

    Barbara

    Lying to federal agents is just about the stupidest thing to do in the entire universe of potentially stupid criminal acts.  If you are asked a question by an FBI agent or for that matter a prosecutor there is at least a 50% chance they already know the answer through evidence you cannot contradict.  It’s like they are testing you just to see if they can make count one of the indictment a freebie.

    No doubt Barrack will have some cutesy defense, like, well, a PowerPoint presentation written by some guy isn’t the same as that guy telling me to do something.  No, it’s much fucking worse because it can’t be denied or remembered differently!

  39. 39.

    zhena gogolia

    @Soprano2: 
    That Garland thing smells of Russian influence to me. It pops up so mechanically on twitter, and has been for a while now.

  42. 42.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Suzanne: You mentioned “would write some erotica about the Orange Crime Family”…

    No thanx. For that matter I can skip thoughts of any kind of Ivanka.

  43. 43.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Barbara: 
    Don’t these morons ever get you never talk to a LEO without a lawyer present? You’d think Barrack, being man of means, would understand this

  49. 49.

    bluehill

    Interesting and abrupt shift in conservative vax messaging. I’m sure their adherents will come up with some rationalization why it’s different now, but whatever as long as they get their shots.

    Resistance to vaccines has been concentrated among Republican voters, and led by GOP politicians and various leading lights in conservative media. And that makes the past day or so one of the stranger stretches in recent pandemic politics.

    “Just like we’ve been saying, please take COVID seriously. Enough people have died. We don’t need any more deaths. Research like crazy. Talk to your doctor,” Fox News’s Sean Hannity said last night. “It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated.” Hannity’s “just like we’ve been saying” is doing a lot of work. He reportedly called the pandemic a “hoax” early on, and his colleague Tucker Carlson continues to cast doubt on vaccines, including on yesterday’s program. But Hannity is not alone now. His statement comes as several other major conservatives are speaking up too.

    Steve Doocy, one of the anchors of the network’s popular morning show Fox & Friends, has been advocating for vaccines, and tangling with co-hosts over it. “If you have the chance, get the shot,” he said yesterday. “It will save your life.”

    Ben Shapiro of The Daily Wire also told his followers today on Twitter, “Get vaxxed. I did. My wife did. My parents did.” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, a confidant of Donald Trump, today published a column praising the current president: “Six months into his administration, President Joe Biden should be applauded for making a huge dent in the COVID pandemic.” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, who had conspicuously declined to get a shot, offering dubious excuses, announced today that he finally got vaccinated this weekend.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/fox-news-conservatives-vaccines-sean-hannity/619510/

  52. 52.

    Roger Moore

    @Barbara: 

    Lying to federal agents is just about the stupidest thing to do in the entire universe of potentially stupid criminal acts.

    Just talking to federal agents when you think you might be under investigation is not the smartest move. Aren’t these people smart enough to let their lawyers do the talking for them in cases like these?

  53. 53.

    JPL

    Is it possible that Barrack will give the feds information implicating trump in the inauguration scam?

    I think that it’s just wishful thinking on my part.

  58. 58.

    Ohio Mom

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch:

    Thanks for this list! It’s like a list of golden oldies, full of songs I’d forgotten but the moment I see the names, it all comes back.

    I hope you’ll keep it updated and continue to share it with us.

  60. 60.

    bluehill

    @debbie: Tucker and Ingraham haven’t gotten on board with the new messaging. Maybe this is the new “fair and balanced” Fox. Or maybe they’re heading to OAN.

  61. 61.

    JaySinWA

    @debbie: I’ll take ol’ Tuck declaring his previous statements non operational even if he denies his previous statements meant what they meant or that he ever said them.

    Baby steps.

  63. 63.

    JPL

    @Suzanne: OT   Thank you for your ideas on entertaining a two year old.   I successfully returned him to his parents and new baby brother on Sunday.   My son is always appreciative of my help, but this is the first time he said it with tears in his eyes.   The DIL’s mom died of ovarian cancer in Jan.  Carter still likes to be picked up and because of her c-section, that won’t happen, but my son is home for awhile.

  68. 68.

    debbie

    @geg6:

    I don’t think Jonathan Chait is beloved around here, but this is good:

    Yet here was Brady, inverting the whole hierarchy. Biden is the winner, like Brady, and Winners now are guys who get called sleepy by the Losers for making a small mistake on the way to their triumph.

    Biden and Brady, together at the house Trump used to live in and hoped to never leave, basking in their winner-ness and laughing at Trump. Donald Trump would rather relive Election Night a thousand times than see this day.

  74. 74.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Remarks would probably be more accurate than speech, but it was at the airport as the family was leaving D.C.

  78. 78.

    VFX Lurker

    @Suzanne:

    I wish someone with more verbal acumen (and a stronger capacity for ridiculousness) would write some erotica about the Orange Crime Family and their orbit going to jail and other bad things. I just don’t know how to get the sex scenes in there. 

    I nominate the great Chuck Tingle. He’d find a way. ?

  80. 80.

    Suzanne

    @JPL:

    Thank you for your ideas on entertaining a two year old. 

    Any time, my pleasure.
    Right now, my two-year-old likes to sit on her potty chair, bare-ass naked, while playing with the iPad. It is amusing.

  81. 81.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Have you ever watched those YouTube videos of “1st amendment auditors” who film post offices, public schools, and other public places? They never understand Poster 7 and that they need the permission of the postmaster to film the interior of a post office. Also, they seem to think you can’t be trespassed from publicly accessible, government-owned property

  82. 82.

    Suzanne

    @JaySinWA:

    Oh I see, a B&D series with the family being unwilling subs. Still no sale. 

    Don’t judge me. I’m not a nice person.

  83. 83.

    JPL

    @Suzanne: I have a large square walnut coffee table that is over forty years old, and recently the DIL mentioned how strong the finish was.   Carter peed on it.

  89. 89.

    JPL

    @OzarkHillbilly: lol   I raised two and that was a first.   I’m going to get some bees wax and that should take care of it.

    The dog and the two year old have a love hate relationship.   If the grand imp whimpers the dog is the first one there, and the same goes for the imp making sure the dog is okay.   But later in the day they are like two jealous toddlers.  I figured out a routine, but I did think about posting and asking for your help.   It was storming and the power went out, and Carter was worried about Mr. Finch.   Why he calls him Mr. Finch, who knows.

  93. 93.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Megan Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka and Transgender activist, Leyna Bloom are all featured on the cover SI’s swimsuit issue!

    First rapper, first Japanese/American/Black woman and first Transgender woman to ever grace the cover.  Gorgeous pix.  All of them are also very cool and socially conscious even outside of their professions.  Well done SI. #ThisIsAmerica

    https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-07-19/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-megan-thee-stallion-leyna-bloom-naomi-osaka?

  94. 94.

    sab

    @Suzanne: I am a step-parent. They love me and I love them, a lot. When I was 25 there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to have kids. Circumstances having dodged me that bullet. Lately I thank God. I wasn’t up to it. Dogs and cats were my limit. I had major responsibility for a new baby sister when I was twelve. She was amazing. But we all grew up and Mom took over.

    Fending fleas lately, and a newly adopted cat who thinks his last mistress was better (she was and is, but her family sucked on mostly all issues of animal and child welfare: Food, shelter, vets, vaccines.)

    ETA Her cat is a sweety, but he needs to stop clinging 20 hours a day and then slashing madly when life disappoints betrays him. Kit, this stuffs happens.

  97. 97.

    Martin

    @Suzanne: It’s pretty good. He was one. I had just gotten home from work and laid down on the rug in my family room, and he toddled over to sit with me. So, he comes over, next to my head,  turns around and does one of those trust-fall kind of plops onto his butt. Well, he was a bit too close and he fell kind of on my cheek and slid down the side of my head. Oh, yeah, he had a massive blowout load in there which, when he landed on my cheek proceeded to very efficiently squeeze out the back of his diaper. I jumped up and grabbed him, and yelled to my wife for help. She comes in, sees the shit volcano that went up his back, and busts out laughing. I hand him over to her, and she takes him into the powder room to start cleaning this up still laughing her ass off. Now, I’m heading to another sink to clean myself up, and she’s annoyed, yelling for me to come help her, but I can’t hear because my left ear is completely impacted with shit, which is now starting to creep into my sinuses. She had no idea I had any on me.

    She comes into where I am, looks at me, as I’m trying to explain to her that my ear is completely filled with shit, its in my hair, on my glasses, etc. realizes the full magnitude of this event and she busts out laughing even harder such that she has to sit down.

    I had a bit of panic when I lost my hearing in one ear, but found the whole incident pretty fucking funny too.

  98. 98.

    persistentillusion

    @debbie:

    My eldest puked down her father’s turtle neck at an event.  She’s a delightful adult, but was a world-class puker as a child.

  99. 99.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: @Baud:

    So the FBI called me a few months ago about a former client, and asked me questions on a phone call.  Was it foolish of me to have answered their questions?

    Should a regular person without an attorney on speed dial, who did nothing wrong, not answer questions about someone else when the FBI asks them?

  104. 104.

    dmsilev

    @JaySinWA: I want to see Tucker advocating for vaccination with the dead tone of voice and facial expression of someone confessing their crimes in a Stalinist show trial or of TFG disavowing racist whatevers. Like there’s a metaphorical gun aimed at his head. Or a literal one; I’m not picky.

  106. 106.

    piratedan

    well I was wondering when the next chapter in “A Series of Unfortunate Legal Events” would begin to fall into place. Wondering idly if he’ll use the same crackerjack legal squad that has been so effective thus far.

  108. 108.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: Look at it this way.  The FBI told you that they were looking at a client of yours.  How do you know that is true?  And even if it is, you don’t know that they won’t use something you said against you later.  As a general rule, I don’t advise talking to law enforcement, and, if you must, keep the conversation to a minimum.  Don’t use jokes or sarcasm.  What goes into their notebook are your words, not your tone of voice.  They are not your friends.

  109. 109.

    mrmoshpotato

    @JPL:

    What’s up with Fox? Did the republicans finally discover they were on the short side of a losing issue? 

    They’ve been on that side since 1996.  My money’s on the threat of lawsuits, or their Trump trash base are dropping like flies.

    There’s no damn way these skidmarks miraculously found a moral compass.

  111. 111.

    Almost Retired

    Wow.  The comments on this thread degenerated from an informed discussion of an indictment of a major Trump associate, to reminiscences about toddler shit and puke. And some disturbing musings about Trump-themed porn, with the occasional S&M overlay.  How awesome is that!?!?

  113. 113.

    mrmoshpotato

    @JPL:

    I thought of that, but I’m not sure stupid is a valid defense. 

    You think Fox would try “We were stupid enough to believe a deadly, worldwide virus was a hoax, your Honor.” in court?

  115. 115.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: You make a good point about how do I know that what they told me is true.

    So what would I have said?

    That I’m not comfortable talking with you about this without an attorney?

    That I’m not comfortable talking with you about this until I have refreshed my memory about this client, because it was 4 years ago.

    I don’t know if you recall the “crazy” client that I talked about and vented about, but they were asking about her.  I finally walked away and tried to put her out of my head, which I apparently did quite successfully because I had forgotten many details.

  119. 119.

    Martin

    @WaterGirl: It went well. It’s kind of a bundle of emotions right now. Might need a day for that to settle down. There’s going to be  a big cry coming up, just not sure when.

  121. 121.

    WaterGirl

    @Martin: I can imagine that you would have a jumble of emotions.  As for a big cry, I recommend carefully choosing a movie that will let it all come out. :-)

    May I ask how much notice you gave?

  123. 123.

    Another Scott

    @Martin: I’m glad it went well.

    Change is hard, but change opens up all kinds of exciting opportunities.

    Best of luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  124. 124.

    persistentillusion

    @debbie: ​
      Both of mine had gag reflexes that started right about a quarter inch past the lips. My son was forever puking on dental hygenists. We had to change dentists. Which was ok because the dentist whose hygenist he puked on died of a cocaine overdose about a month later.

  125. 125.

    Martin

    @WaterGirl: I didn’t set a date because I thought that was deserving of a conversation. That’ll get set on Friday. Looking at Sept 1, and then vacation until it’s used up. That could move forward or back depending.

  127. 127.

    Zinsky

    I have been enjoying the summer and taking a break from Donald Trump renting large amounts of my inner mind for free.  As a result of that, I haven’t commented here much.  However, I sincerely think this takedown of Thomas Barrack could presage a tsunami of other Trump minions getting busted.  This guy might bring Jared Kushner into the scrutiny and that little weenie will sing like a songbird, if the Feds get him under the lights.  Donald Trump should pray he strokes out before the Russian oligarchs call in their debts or Cyrus Vance Jr. slams the doors of the Greybar Hilton behind him for good!

  129. 129.

    Procopius

    @Cheryl Rofer: Wasn’t the sequence Jared approached the Qataris requesting the “loan”, the Qataris looked and turned it down, Trump made his trip to the Middle East, then the Saudi and UAE blockaded Qatar and nearly attacked them (just in time remembering the huge American base there), and then the Qataris bailed him out, and now Saudi and UAE are talking with them? It didn’t get looked at very closely because our good friends and faithful customers, the Saudis, might not have looked as good as we like, but it did get mentioned at the time. Also, too, Jared.

  130. 130.

    Comrade Colette

    If TFG were to have given Barrack a pocket pardon, would that fact have been revealed to the FBI before he was arrested and charged? In other words, is it possible he has been given a preemptive pardon and we just don’t know it yet?

  131. 131.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    @Comrade Colette: ​  He’s in lock-up right now. DOJ asked for no bail as he’s a flight risk. His hearing is for bail is set for Monday. He’s going to be eating prison food for at least the next six days. If he had a get out of jail card, he would have presented by now.​

  134. 134.

    Procopius

    @WaterGirl: Did you at least ask them for their name and the office they were calling from? Then look up the phone number for that office, call there, and ask to speak to that agent? If not, how do you know who you were talking to? Also, according to a YouTube video from 2012, back then the US Code was 27,000 pages long. I’m sure it’s several thousand pages longer now. No one even knows how many felonius acts are described in it, but back then the estimate was 10,000. Nobody knows. You think you’re talking about a former client, but you may say something that they use to open an investigation into you. You think you’ve done nothing wrong. Did you know it’s a felony to receive a “short lobster,” a lobster smaller than a certain size? Have you ever eaten lobster in a restaurant? Are you sure it was the legal size?

  136. 136.

    WaterGirl

    @Procopius: They actually contacted one of my current clients.  She wouldn’t give them my number, but they gave her a number for me to call.

    So I dialed that number and asked for agent so-and-so.  It did seem weird that the person who answered the phone didn’t answer with anything like “Federal Bureau of Investigations, such-and-such division.  But I asked for the agent by name and they put me through.

    it did seem kind of unprofessional, but what do I know?

    They said they would likely be contacting me again, but it’s been months with no contact.  I guess I’ll know better if they ever call back.

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