Be Your Own Private Eye

According to the U.S. government , private investigation can be a job for everyone who knows anything there is to know about something. Accountants can be private investigators for firms that want to look at their auditing records. Scientists can be private investigators for science firms that might be faking their data. Former police officers can be private investigators and go after witnesses. Former government workers can also work for the government in investigating different acts, be they of terrorism or otherwise.

Not all the government’s work, however, in investigation, always end up in success. According to an article published in the Baltimore Sun, the CIA worked after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to set up a network in Europe of black stations, which would cater to spies by providing company fronts that would allow these spies to operate. The operation cost way too many millions of dollars to count, and about twelve front companies were set up. However, these had to be shut down, after studies and investigation show that the project was not well thought out, and was failing to deliver information and intelligence for the CIA on terrorist groups.

The closures have ended up curtailing the CIA’s need to expand its presence to overseas territories, as well as its aim to change the way that it deploys its spies. The front companies aimed at least to allow spies to pose as bank employees, consultants for major European firms, and other jobs that would show no ties to U.S. government intelligence. The plan was filled with problems, however, and became a source of dispute within the CIA. For one, the front companies were situated far from Muslim centers, as well as other significant targets.

According to CIA officials, the entire imbroglio is actually reflective of the CIA’s struggle to cope with the changing environment of espionage. The CIA is now looking for ways to regroup by designing a façade that would allow its spies to spend some time close to Muslim radicals and their cell groups, manufacturers of nuclear weapons and equipment, and other targets that are of high priority to the U.S. government. Although the aims are noble, progress is slow, and the CIA has no success to show for its efforts.

The front companies, officials say, were created and implemented from 2002 to 2004, with half in Europe not only because of the possible proximity of Muslim radical groups, but because it is easier for Americans to travel to and live in Europe.

According to a description of private investigators’ responsibilities and qualifications at the US government website, private investigators will often be required to have a license, and they will often be involved in long, tedious hours of investigation. Such activities may include running after criminals while stalking them or engaging in long hours of stakeouts; following people around and monitoring their activities closely; and gathering evidence after searching through databases and doing a lot of research. Such persons are not always from the military – they can work for law firms after retiring from their jobs in the legal arena; they can be accountants who know the ins and outs of bad auditing; they can be ordinary people.

Nevertheless, mass media can play a great role in propagating the over-glorified image of the over-active PI. The PI goes on car chases, eludes nefarious criminals, and dodges bullets on routine. According to Gary Tinker, however, this is all entertainment. In an article available through, Tinker acknowledges that indeed, PI’s have to work on surveillance videos and do stakeouts, but a lot of what mass media shows is often hype. Tinker goes against the glamour of shows such as CSI, where answers are obtained to difficult questions in about a few hours. It can take several days and months for a resolution, Tinker says.

Tinker was once a military policeman and used to work in military intelligence. He was recently appointed to the state licensing board of Kentucky, and is responsible for accrediting private investigators. In Kentucky, private investigators need to pass a state exam in order to obtain their license. The examination review book is over a hundred and eighty pages and is available online. It contains information on how investigators should act, the laws of the state and the federal government regarding investigation and privacy, and how investigation should be conducted. Once the exam is over and passed, aspiring private investigators should also pass a background check, give the state three copies of their fingerprints, and moreover, pay for insurance covering liability.

The state license for Kentucky has to be renewed once in very two years. Tinker says that he often encounters unlicensed investigators, most of them retired policemen, and who think that their law enforcement work will allow them to go on private investigation romps without the required license. Tinker is on the side of the law, however, and acknowledges that a former career in law enforcement is not an exemption.

The article also tells of more investigators and their experiences.

A former Engineer for aviation giant Boeing is being accused of being part of a years-long scheme of stealing classified information regarding the space shuttle program of the United States – and then sending the information to China. The former engineer, Dongfan “Greg” Chung, is a seventy-two year old who once worked for the company Rockwell International, before Boeing came in 1996 and took over the firm. Chung then worked for Boeing until 2006. He was arrested recently in his home in Southern California.

Chung is being indicted on over ten counts of conspiracy, lying to investigators, obstruction of justice, and economic espionage. If found guilty, Chung faces a sentence of over a hundred years in prison. Chung is a native of China, but he has already become a naturalized citizen of the U.S. He once held clearance for top security level work. His case comes in conjunction with that of an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense, who was recently indicted for sharing government secrets with two accomplices; the secrets eventually found their way to the Chinese government.

Government officials are very alarmed with the rise in espionage cases, and see them as threats to national security, as well as to the U.S.’ economic position. To date, the Justice Department has already at least six cases that involve efforts by China to acquire certain kinds of technology through espionage, including technology to enable night-vision equipment to operate on the battlefield, as well as smart missiles. For Chung, this meant passing on information to the Chinese government on transport planes, rockets, and space shuttles via another engineer based in China. His involvement in espionage dates to the late 1970’s, when China contacted him to do work as compatriot.

Chung’s case is only one of a few espionage cases in which private investigators are involved. In this case, many different private investigators may be called in to help resolve a case, especially since it has been decades since Chung started helping the Chinese government. Some private investigators may be tasked to trace documents and letters from the Chinese government in order to completely determine who it was in the Chinese government that was responsible for recruiting Chung. They may need to see the extent of Chung’s work as a spy, and they may need to look for more witnesses to support their case.

Private investigators have a lot of work that they could possibly do in order to improve their work on a case. They may be tasked to go after witnesses or observe certain people in order to add to the strength of a case. Their work may be as exciting as going after people, or as tedious as days’ worth of stakeouts.

China’s plans for world domination might sound like a plot for a Hollywood movie, but to tell the truth, the movie might just be real. In recent months, private investigation and government work have shown that China has plans to use industrial espionage to make their country an even greater military and industrial threat. China’s work has been much greater and more innovative than what the Soviets tried to do. The Soviets, for instance, did not have the supporting industries to enable it to copy U.S. innovations and accomplishments. They ended up making crude copies, and thus could not reach industrial heights the way their contemporaries across the Atlantic did.

The article goes on to say that it China is avoiding the errors made by the Soviets by allowing the West to penetrate into China’s businesses, as well as by sending students to the U.S. to study. Although some of these students will end up staying in the U.S., many of them will return to China and share their expertise. The article calls the China approach a “thousand grains of sand” which will involve trying to push the citizens overseas, with the hope that they can bring back knowledge; as well as employing people of Chinese descent in helping rebuild China through subtle spying techniques. While this approach is not new, imprudent exercise of it can be alarming.

According to the article, any Chinese citizens who come or go are subjected to scrutiny and interviews by the government. The government may ask students to bring back souvenirs, to report on the things that they see, and to “share” what they have learned. Diplomatic immunity, the article says, also works in favor of the Chinese: they offer cash in order to recruit spies, and give large financial incentives to people who can bring back Western knowledge to further China’s industrial hopes. However, they can only work to a certain extent made possible by copyright and patent laws.

In recent months, private investigation has turned up information on what the Chinese are doing in terms of recruiting people to help serve their military and industrial needs. Private investigators are well equipped to handle this case on all possible fronts and they may be tasked to spy on Chinese diplomats, people of Chinese descent, and even Chinese exchange students in order to see how information is being passed on. Of course, this may breed a good deal of paranoia in the general populace, so private investigation must likewise be subtle in checking on how Chinese immigrants and visitors are behaving and possibly working for their motherland.

Nacoe Brown believes that his conviction of a bank robbery is tainted because of missing evidence – and he believes that a now dead prosecuting attorney is responsible for it. The man who put him in prison is dead, and there can be no chance for the right retrial to take place. That dead man, Jonathan Luna, is still facing accusations long after his death, and Brown is not the only one to have raised hell. According to anonymous sources, an article reports that Luna had actually committed suicide, or may have died during a suicide attempt that was actually staged, and all because he had been involved in stealing nearly forty thousand dollars in evidence money.

Bill Keisling, who wrote a book on Jonathan Luna, is frustrated with these accusations. Both he and a private investigator, Ed Martino, have long been looking into the death of Jonathan Luna, and are adamant in their belief that Luna had nothing to do with the disappearance of the evidence money. Martino, for his part, is working on accessing records in the files of Jonathan Luna; he also reports that he is working with federal prosecutors and has already turns more leads over to them.

Nacoe Brown is serving out a sentence of a quarter of a century. A pastor’s son, Brown turned to a Christian rapper’s career after serving eight years in jail due to troubles as a teenager. He claims to be spiritual, but records show that when he ran into problems with his finances, he had to start robbing banks in order to keep himself and his business afloat. At his trial, prosecutors brought over $63,000 dollars into court as evidence, with some of the money in the original wrappers that they were taken in from the bank. However, about $38,000 of that money could not be traced. After the trial was finished, the money also disappeared.

This discrepancy, according to Brown, may hold the keys to his case. According to some anonymous investigators, the money was lost somewhere between the courtroom, and the evidence storage vault of the courthouse. Could Luna have been involved in the missing money? Or were the FBI agents involved in the case, who were in charge of handling the money, the ones who carried the blame?

Private investigators now have even more work on their hands to see where the money went, and who brought it there. According to private investigators are tasked with more than just stakeouts and evidence collection. They need to trace different documents, talk to witnesses, and even go through tedious days of following people if only to get more evidence to help them solve cases.

A well-marked date for the Yemeni court—February 16, 2008—was the date when a Saudi was sentenced to die along with an army officer from Yemen.  The Sanaa Court, which takes care of terrorism cases, was the one that handed down the sentence to the two spies.  Hamad al-Dhahouk was the Saudi soldier (who is of Yemeni descent) and Abdul Aziz al-Hatbani was the Yemeni army official. 

Dhahouk, a Saudi citizen who was revoked of his citizenship in 1995 is 50 and Hatbani who is 45 years of age were both present in the Sanaa Court when their sentence was announced.  An appeal is sure to be submitted according to the Defense lawyers.  The pair’s trial began in June of 2007 and they were being accused of handing out phony information while demanding for payment.

The prosecution pinned the pair down with the accusation that they gave out the alleged information to the Sanaa Egyptian embassy.  They also said that the two informed the embassy that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were both financing a terrorist center in Yemen which aims to do violence to tourists in Egypt.  The two also allegedly said that the Yemeni government is in full knowledge of this operation.

Dhahouk and Hatbani are not the only ones who have been condemned to die because of being spies.  Others, if lucky enough, do not get a death sentence but are thrown into prisons instead.  Still others are tortured into submission and confession.  Espionage has long been a risky profession; it is one career that needs well-trained professionals as well as the will to remain tight-lipped when caught. 

Although a risky occupation, it is a necessary part of making countries win battles in the past or allowing peace to constantly reign.  Just look at the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, Vietnam War, and even the famous American Revolution—they have all had a spice of espionage somewhere.  Nowadays, cyber espionage can be a tool for war or it can be a prying eye to an innocent citizen.  Anyone can now be a victim.

However the case of Dhahouk and Hatbani would end, espionage will go on for as long as there are separate countries.  When the world ceases to be divided, perhaps this line of work would end.  But for now, it is a necessity in the form of wiretapping, surveillance, honeypot or investigation.  Whatever form it takes, spying, once practiced professionally, could deter terrorism and all other acts of violence.

In a post-Cold War era and the age of terrorism and counter-terrorism, you’d think that we would have known exactly where the threat is coming from. Turns out it can come from another direction and in another form – old but very familiar. Yup, espionage is alive and well and it’s Chinese.

It’s not James Bond, folks.
Espionage as depicted in film and literature certainly carry with it some sort of romantic adventurism. Even the deadly bullets and life-extinguishing ballistic missiles seemed cool. Back when the CIA and their main counterpart, the KGB were in a who-blinks-first staring contest, much of the mystique seemed overly worked. Since glasnost and the rest of history, espionage somehow took a backseat, at least in the public’s consciousness.

That is, until recently, when an American was accused of sharing information regarding national defense to two Chinese men. The man, Gregg Bergersen, was an analyst for the U.S. Defense Department. The Chinese conspirators, furniture store owner Tai Shen Kuo and his employee Yu Xin Kang, apparently received information in exchange for money.

Should you be worried?
Before things get out of hand and you start looking towards the East with suspicion, consider a few things: turns out the information Bergersen gave to the Chinese duo was unclassified (read: available to the rest of us). The Chinese contact also appeared to be interested in a communication system that Washington seemed to share with Taiwan – hardly the type of information that puts fear in the hearts of men. In exchange for the information, Bergersen was paid for his thoughtfulness.

What the CIA says
In 1998, the CIA, along with other agencies, produced a report that declared information losses from the U.S. ‘were extensive’, particularly with the Energy Department. There have been classified information as well as unclassified and declassified material, not just to China but to other countries as well. Some of the extent of information loss was provided to the U.S. by one an ex-spy who defected.

Some years later, the Cox Report appears, declaring that there is some reason to be concerned. China has indeed stolen information about the design of advanced thermo-nuclear weapons. Although China is still developing similar weapons, it is expected that they would feature certain design elements taken from the stolen information.

So whom should we believe and should we be on our toes once again?

As things have been going, it’s a tough world when ideas (particularly about defense) are fair game. The right inclination paired with the right price can jeopardize and expose the most tightly-guarded secrets. It would be a huge mistake to assume that just because the Cold War is over that another one can’t be begun. Seems like yes, when it comes to the security and safety of what we love best, we still have to look over our shoulders. It’s not paranoia – it’s common sense.

America is not new to investigations done through wiretapping.  Just think of it this way—this country has many enemies as much as it has numerous allies.  To allay any fears on acts of terrorism or other evil plots, the country found it necessary to listen in to some telephone conversations. 

Innocent citizens felt that the government reached the point bordering abuse and, by then, the concern peaked to the release of FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) by the Congress about 30 years ago.   FISA gave birth to the FISA court which aimed to hamper abuses on government surveillances in the 70’s.

The FISA court ascertained that a warranty should be granted first by the judges before the surveillance team can set up any wiretapping.  Everything went on well until that fateful day of September 11, 2001.  The big question then was, why didn’t the intelligence community sense the impending danger?

Bush took immediate action by secretly setting up the ‘warrantless’ program for wiretapping.  This meant that the FISA court was no longer asked to give any permission (as the court did not have any idea of the existence of such a program!).  International phone calls and e-mails were filtered by Bush’s group for quite awhile before the information on their existence leaked.

Protests from several lawmakers have since ensued (Representative Loretta Sanchez, Senator Diane Feinstein and Junior Senator Barbara Boxer, among a few).  These lawmakers have all agreed that the FISA court must give out warrants before ‘any’ type of surveillance (Bush’s group included).  Representative Sanchez stresses that it only takes 3 hours to get a warrant from FISA and this is not asking too much. 

Other lawmakers take the other side of the coin.  They’d like to think that compromised privacy is a small price to pay when it’s safety that is being discussed.  It is true that intercepting phone or e-mail messages could be a deterrent to any acts of terrorism.  In fact, no terrorist acts have taken place since 9/11. 

But then, again, if the people who are allowed to do wiretapping become ‘undisciplined’ (even just for a second), wouldn’t that be like living in a glass house?  What would stop these people from prying into private conversations and personal messages?  Indeed, the intelligence community has done so much in protecting the country from further attacks but that shouldn’t be a license to become ‘peeping toms’. 

There is wisdom in the saying that there should be balance in all things.  FISA court could be that balance.  It could become the fulcrum that stabilizes what the intelligence people ask for (safety of the nation) and the concerned citizens’ plea (a life lived in privacy).

Philip du Toit is a former NIA agent who is allegedly caught in the middle of espionage activities.  He is believed to be a spy right in the middle of the City of Cape Town but this is not all that is intriguing to him.  He has, allegedly, confessed to being a pawn for some gangsters.  The Erasmus Commission of Inquiry has been presented with a document which contained the said information.  This Commission has probed tales of spy activities in the city council.  

Philip du Toit had a contract with the private investigating company named George Fivaz and Associates.  This same company employed the critical services of Voice Stress Analyser Riaan Braxton to be able to test the credibility of du Toit.  In his GFA addressed letter, Braxton stated that du Toit was speaking of the truth when he has denied ever intentionally or on purpose having a house bugged, a vehicle or venue which belonged to the Organized Crime Units.

Looking at a scenario such as this, sometimes espionage can be concluded as a game.  As a spy, you cannot be trusted and you trust no one.  Being a spy requires having ‘chameleon-like’ skills which makes you blend well with any given situation.  Even though spies are well-trained, there are still those who fall prey to either betrayal or wrong calculation of tactics.  When this happens, it is imperative for any spy to remain detached from any country or any organization.  He works for no one and belongs to none.

No matter how complex the game of espionage is, it still is being employed by those who need it.  How can spying be an advantage?  It can be advantageous when it is used for the protection of the majority.  A country could employ the services of its own citizen to spy for them.  For instance, wiretapping can be done to prevent any act of violence or terrorism within (or even outside) of any given country. 

Using espionage for evil can be very dangerous.  Such is what’s being alleged with Philip du Toit.  He has much vital information which the gangsters could use to do illegal businesses or even blackmail.  The traitorous act of a spy is the dirtiest trick of this type of trade.  Once a spy becomes a double spy and suddenly works for the enemy instead of his original ‘boss’, then this when the game starts to become murky.  Espionage, just like any skill, should be used for good and not for evil. 

Very few people know that in order for the intelligence community to be able to set up wire taps or any type of electronic gadgets to intercept messages that they would need to have a warrant.  In Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service is the one in charge of the country’s surveillance while the Federal Court takes care of the issuance of warrants for espionage.  This has been the setup since the 80’s.

Recently, though, leaders of the intelligence community are asking to be permitted to go beyond domestic monitoring up to the level of international espionage.  Their reason: if the ‘bad guys’ leave Canadian shore, then the threat could extend to the global community.  This is exactly what they feared when the intelligence group asked to spy on a foreigner and his nine Canadian comrades.

The Canadian Wiretapping Communications Security Establishment remains restricted from setting up any type of electronic ‘eavesdropping’ among Canadians.  This restriction results into situations that are not closely watched by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (or the CSIS) and the National Cryptologic Agency.  The CSIS is adamant in asking for a warrant for a telecommunications intercept and also an explanation from the Federal Court why their request remains denied.  Until now, the suspects remain unrevealed and any information regarding them remains vague. 

Looking at this issue, it is very hard to determine who is right and who is wrong.  Both the intelligence people and the Federal Court have their own points.  The Federal Court’s refusal to give out a warrant establishes the privacy of every Canadian citizen.  The intelligence community, on the other hand, has its own point, too.  With a warrant given to them to check on the suspects, they will be able to determine whether the suspects are a threat to national security or not. 

The 9/11 bombing in the US is believed to have happened because of the lack of surveillance.  Canada’s surveillance people should also be concerned whether the threat comes from their own people or from without.  The question should be asked: should they also look at Canadians as probable suspects, too?  When lives go to waste because of a worthless tragedy, turning a blind eye to persons of the same skin is not a justifiable act.

There have been long debates as to the two, opposing sides’ individual stand on the issue.  Which of these two could be more important?  Which of the sides exists for greater good?  Don’t guess, the discussion will just go on and on.