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Letter: FBI destracted from major crime-solving

To the editor:

Over the past few weeks I’ve been following, with great interest, the FBI operation “Clean Sheets.” It occurred to me that while the FBI has been spending thousands of dollars hatching plans to turn three prominent and well-respected businessmen into criminals, some major issues have slipped their minds.

For one, the shocking murder of Krystal Steadman was in some part sparked by the child porn and fantasies that Soria would download off the Internet and ultimately act upon. This kind of activity is supposed to be monitored by the FBI and cracked down upon. There were also reports that came in regarding suspicious activity going on in Soria’s residential area during this time. It seems to me that instead of following up on genuine leads and busting real criminals, the tax dollar is spent on criminalizing the hardworking members of this community. One would question, isn’t there enough crime and criminals in Tahoe to keep the FBI busy? Can’t those tax dollars prevent some of these truly horrible events?



Secondly, let it not go unsaid that since 1997 when “clean sheets” commenced, the actual drug dealers in Tahoe have been thriving on a somewhat sidetracked FBI, who have been more interested in digging their own grave. This explains the reported increase in drugs at schools and among teen-agers recently. I urge you to go back and take a look at the front page of Jan. 26 (Tahoe Daily Tribune) and tell me that the two crime stories that appear, – one provoked and created by the FBI, the other would have been prevented by the FBI. If this doesn’t reek of gross FBI negligence, what does? A sting operation that cost money and countless hours that could have been used to prevent such crimes from happening. Could it be said that inevitably the life of an innocent child was not a concern of the FBI for the past three years while they focused on our innocent city officials?

My point here, is that what real criminals have been running amuck and having a field day, while our FBI have focused all their energy and talent on pushing three businessmen into crimes that they may not have otherwise committed? What is the real cost to the community of the FBI sting operation that has been funded by tax dollars? How is it that Chris Campion is able to increase his staff and ultimately fund a sting operation of this nature in 1997? Could he not get funding to prevent things like Internet child porn and drug traffic in our schools? It appears that the FBI, for the past 20 years, has only one goal, and that is to find “dirt” on the city government! This entire sting operation smacks of the same allegations made in the late ’80s during “Deep Snow” with Mayor Trupp.



One should ask what the FBI has in store for us in the year 2010? Will we find more “corrupt” businessmen, “fraud and laundering in redevelopment” or will the FBI be able to cultivate some fresh new criminals for us by then? Wouldn’t it be nice if the next time the FBI has a “Big Bust” to announce that it be about criminals they caught instead of created? I for one would feel safer living in the community.

Ryan McDonald

Short-term resident

Taranaki, New Zealand


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