Air Marshals complain of Secret Service cronyism.

08-25-2006, 09:43 PM

Reference: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/....html#comments

This ABC News blog site has a series of stories about gross mismanagement of the Federal Air Marshal Service in which complaints about cronyism and mis-management on the part of top level officials abounds.

The interesting twist is that many of these officials are retired Secret Service managers.

A sampling: "The time has come to shine a little more light into some of the other dark corners of the Federal Air Marshal Service's senior management. John Magaw is the first person that should be looked at if one wants to understand how things got so bad at the Federal Air Marshal Service. John Magaw was the man appointed to lead and build up the newly established Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and its enforcement arm: The Federal Air Marshal Service. Few people understand that the Federal Air Marshal Service started out as a division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Civil Aviation Security.

When the TSA was created, the Air Marshals were removed from the FAA and placed under Magaw. This is where the problems started. In June of 2002 there were several short articles in USA Today about how the TSA and Magaw had “watered down” the stringent FAA hiring and training standards that had made the US Federal Air Marshals one of the most proficient and effective anti-terrorist organizations in the world.

Later, there were more articles about how the firearms standards for the Air Marshals had been lowered in order to meet a requirement for X number of Air Marshals by X date. Why all the problems all of a sudden? The answer is so ironic and simple, it’s almost hard to believe: The Air Marshal Service had been hijacked by a “good old boy network” composed of former and retired US Secret Service agents."

The author, who signs himself "HQ Federal Air Marshal", goes on to list 22 retired Secret Service agents who held management positions in the Federal Air Marshal Service and to make many more disclosures of alleged corruption and mis-management in the agency.

It is worth your time to read the entire blog.

08-26-2006, 02:44 PM

*** Following is only a partial list (public information) of the more than 80 former Secret Service cronies (non-flying "FAMs") that were surreptitiously appointed by Director Quinn, into high-level supervisory positions. But even more egregious, Quinn refused to appoint any of the original 33 Air Marshals into a headquarters high-level management position.

HEADQUARTERS

• FAMS Director Thomas Dewey Quinn - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Director Robert F. Byers - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Agency Spokesperson David M. Adams - (Former US Secret Service Spokesperson)

• FAMS Assistant Director John A. Novak - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Timothy J. Cahill - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Michael H. Weikert - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Raymond M. Dineen - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Colleen B. Callahan - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Assistant Director George Papantoniou - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Assistant Director Patrick F. Sullivan - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Assistant Director Arnold A. Cole - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS "Consultant Contractor" Kevin R. Houlihan - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

IN THE FIELD OFFICES

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Hedges - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Ted S. Hresko - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge James A. Fitton - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge James E. Bauer - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Greba - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Donzanti - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge Joseph D'Angelillio - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Charles E. Ortman - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Carl G. Wahl - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Larry Saez - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

These appointments were the first steps in creating an institution of loyal “yes men” who would support and implement all of Director Quinn’s policies –– without question.