Back the blue? Back the red?

This is going to be an analogy stretch, but let me ask a strange question… What do America’s cops have in common with America’s Republicans?

Answer?

Both are noble institutions that have developed malignancies. The difference is that the cancer in the Republican Party is much more advanced and is threatening the life of the host. Democrats experienced similar phenomena in the 70’s, but managed to recognize the disease and worked to eliminate or marginalize the bad actors.

Cops, on the other hand, have a chance. If those guys will simply recognize that there are bad actors within the ranks and do something about it, they can possibly salvage the host. To some degree they do just that… but not in this case.

The following story from the Orange County Register tells a tale of cops gone wrong, and as a sidebar it also provides more evidence of why cops should not be allowed the use of Tasers. (Are you still reading, RM?)

The evil that was inflicted on Kelly Thomas by some of Orange County’s finest was not detected and corrected from within by fellow officer; it was determined to be a heinous violation of law and human rights by those on the outside looking in. The Blue closed ranks to defend one of their own from the indefensible …

Orange County prosecutors charged a Fullerton police officer with murder on Wednesday, saying he launched a lethal assault on a homeless man with the words: “My fists … are getting ready to F*** you up.”

There are lessons to be learned here.

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Another one bites the dust

U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney
James T. Jacks

Northern District of Texas

FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS LOCAL
AMBULANCE COMPANY OWNER

Defendant Fraudulently Billed Government More Than $3.5 Million for Transferring Patients to Scheduled Dialysis Appointments

DALLAS — The owner/operator of Royal Ambulance Service, Inc. and First Choice EMS, Inc., Muhammed Nasiru Usman, was convicted yesterday afternoon by a federal jury on all 14 counts of a superseding indictment charging various offenses, including health care fraud and money laundering, related to a health care fraud scheme he ran, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. The trial began on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis. Two other defendants charged in the case, Shaun Outen, 32, of Aubrey, Texas, and David McNac, 35, of Dallas, pleaded guilty to their role in the conspiracy prior to trial.

“This verdict is the culmination of a concerted and joint effort by the HHS Office of Investigations, the FBI and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to quickly bring to justice those who prey on our poor and elderly for financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Mike Fields of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Dallas Regional Office.

Specifically, the jury found Usman, 50, of Arlington, Texas, guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, 12 counts of health care fraud and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. The conspiracy count carries a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each of the health care fraud counts carries a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Usman is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Solis on July 28, 2010. McNac pleaded guilty on April 22, 2010, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, 2010. Outen pleaded guilty on March 24, 2010; his sentencing is set for June 16, 2010.

When in business, Royal had offices in Dallas and DeSoto, Texas. First Choice EMS, Inc. was previously located in Carrollton, Texas. McNac worked as the director and/or manager of Royal and First Choice from April 2004 to July 2007. Outen served as the director of operations of Royal from August 2004 to October 2005 and then from May to November 2006, Outen served as an upper-level supervisor for Royal and First Choice.

Royal and First Choice primarily transferred patients on a non-emergency basis to and from dialysis treatments three times per week. The government presented evidence that Usman, Outen and McNac conspired to defraud Medicare and Medicaid by submitting fraudulent claims related to the transportation of dialysis patients. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants told Royal and First Choice employees to omit facts when documenting their transports of Royal and First Choice patients, such as whether the patients walked to the ambulance, in order to qualify the transports for reimbursement. Additionally, many of the companies’ records revealed that patients simply rode to their appointments in a captain’s chair in the back of the ambulance rather than lying on a stretcher. The government presented further evidence that Usman, Outen and McNac were responsible for submitting more than $3.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid through Royal Ambulance and First Choice EMS, resulting in payments of more than $1.2 million. 

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, the FBI, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s Office - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and IRS - Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Miller and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McCarthy are prosecuting the case.

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Rape

You may know who Erin Andrews is. I don’t. Or at least I didn’t until the news hit the wire that she was secretly videoed through the peephole of a hotel room, and the video was posted (of course) on the Internet. This apparently happened a few days ago, but I’m just hearing about it today.

Several emotions come to mind as I read and listen to the tales. Curiosity firstly, because I’ve learned that Ms. Andrews is supposed to be a looker; something I've confirmed by locating the photo below. To be honest, after seeing the photo I was tempted to surf for the video.

Then curiosity yet again because I wondered how anyone could actually video through a peephole from the outside looking in. I thought those things were meant to be secure.

Then came the revulsion and anger, because this woman was raped. You can call it voyeurism or something else if you please… I call it rape.

Now, finally, I feel satisfaction to learn that hackers are using the video as a Trojan to infect the PC’s of the curious, and relief that I didn’t succumb to my own curiosity.

From CBS:

Naked Video Of ESPN Star Used To Hack PCs

Hackers are using an illegally-taped peephole video that has naked shots of glamorous ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews as a lure to get click-happy web surfers to download dangerous malware to their computers, according to a computer security website.

Andrews has become a popular fixture on ESPN and the web as a vivacious and beautiful reporter. So much so, that someone used a peephole camera to record video of Andrews as she disrobed.

Naturally, the video went viral online and ESPN lawyers have been scrambling to shut down websites that post links to the material.

That means it's getting increasingly hard to find on the web, but that hasn't stopped the growing demand for it.

And it's that drive that hackers are plugging into, according to sophos.com, a website that sells security software, but also provides security news.

One version of the hack, fools surfers into clicking on what appears to be a CNN version of the video, according to Sophos. When users hit the play button they are presented with a pop up window warning them that their popup blocker has blocked the video player window and they must launch another player. Doing so doesn't play the video, but it does install a Trojan horse with which hackers can later attack the computer, says the site.

Both Apple and Windows computers are vulnerable, according to Sophos. It is not yet clear what effect the virus will have on computers or how widely it will spread.

Since the whole thing is kind of amateurish, the person or persons who actually shot the video may yet be caught. If that happens, I certainly hope they face the music. This was not just some childish prank.
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