Posted on 10/02/2009 11:28:59 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper
A sobbing spokeswoman for the secretive company occupying the Hardin jail welcomed an investigation by Montana's attorney general Friday and expressed concerns for her own safety amid rumors about her company.
Becky Shay, in a 45-minute, wide-ranging press conference during which she occasionally broke into tears, said the California-based American Police Force welcomed an information request made Thursday by Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock.
Meanwhile, an attorney involved in the project cut ties with APF Friday and a second company, once named as a subcontractor, denied any involvement.
Shay said she hadn't been formally served papers by the attorney general, who said he is concerned that APF might be violating the Montana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act. APF has reached a multimillion-dollar agreement with Hardin's economic development arm, Two Rivers Authority, to run the empty Hardin jail, built two years ago to house inmates under contract. She said she had read of Bullock's request in the news media.
Shay mentioned the attorney general's request almost as a two-minute side note in a press conference that revealed that the former Billings Gazette reporter and new face of APF fears for her safety.
"A lot of work I've done has been to calm down or at least try to counteract comments from people I consider to be fear mongers," Shay said. "What has happened in the interim, however, is those people's friends around the nation have been in contact with me or tried to access me. I realize I'm being pretty vague so that we don't support or incite these people. I don't want my words to be taken out of context to further inflame the tensions that I'm working under."
At that point, Shay began to cry. She asked TV media at the conference to turn their cameras off because, she said, "it's important to me that I do not appear as vulnerable as I feel."
APF officials, who rolled into Hardin last week in three black, Mercedes sport utility vehicles bearing faux police insignia and no license plates, have since departed, leaving Shay as the company's lone point of contact for all comers, including those reading dire motives into APF's insistent secrecy.
Shay said APF front man Michael Hilton plans to return to Hardin for a two-day job fair beginning Oct. 12.
Specifically, Shay mentioned Internet radio personality Alex Jones, of Austin, Texas. Jones, of infowars.com, was in Hardin on Thursday reporting on APF. Government and corporate takeovers of society are hot topics on Infowars. Jones indicated the Hardin situation was an example of the possibility of government or corporate takeover of a rural area.
Jones said Hardin's story involved a convicted felon, Hilton, landing in the middle of nowhere and taking over a large jail capable of serving a city of several hundred thousand people. The facility, empty since it was constructed roughly two years ago, has room for more than 464 beds.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Friday dismissed the notion of any secretive government scheme.
"I think a low-level card shark is not going to rise to the level to get some kind of government defense contract," the governor said.
Many of Jones' concerns about APF were no different than ones raised by the local press. He questioned the credibility of Hilton, a felon with 17 aliases, who has filed for bankruptcy and faces multiple fraud accusations in the California civil courts. And he questioned whether California-based APF was truly a private government contractor and security force as it suggests, but provides no supporting evidence.
Shay said alternative media reports sparked rumors that APF was stopping motorists in Big Horn County and ticketing them for not wearing seat belts. Earlier in the week, rumors stirred that APF had barricaded Hardin and wouldn't let anyone in or out.
The Two Rivers Port Authority, Hardin's economic development arm and the agency responsible for contracting the jail to APF, posted this message on its Web site earlier in the week:
"We welcome anyone to visit our town! There are no commandos in the streets. There is no fence or gate being built around Hardin. People are free to come and go as they please. APF is not running our town or our police force."
Hardin Mayor Ron Adams said Friday that despite his reservations about the project, he would still like to see it go forward so the jail can be filled.
Shay said the secrecy surrounding the APF - which has provided no information about its principles but suggests that it combats terrorism worldwide and performs everything from cruise ship security to covert pregnancy tests - has caused distractions interrupting everyday business in Hardin. Storekeepers take as many as 60 calls a day from outsiders wanting information about APF and the Hardin jail, Shay said.
If APF and Two Rivers don't reveal their information to the attorney general, they could face contempt charges, according to Bullock's office.
Maziar Mafi, a lawyer from Santa Ana, Calif., who served as the legal affairs director for American Police Force, said he wanted to see the project begin to move forward before he could continue his involvement.
"For the time, I'm pulling out," Mafi said. "I need to see more concrete action before I can be involved."
Mafi's involvement began last month. Hilton, who claims an extensive military background and uses the title "captain," initially described Mafi as a "major" in American Police Force. He later said Mafi was the company's president - although Mafi denied the role and said he had no military or security background.
Hilton also had claimed Allied Defense Systems would provide the uniforms for guards at the jail. On Sept. 30, an attorney for the Irvine company sent a letter to Hilton threatening a lawsuit over the use of the company's name.
Edward Angelino, chief executive of Allied Defense Systems, an Irvine, Calif.-based defense contractor, said his company met with Hilton.
"We checked his background, we checked his company. He's not an adequate person to do business with," Angelino said.
Shay said she was unaware of the move by Allied Defense Systems and had not spoken with Mafi directly.
Mafi guaranteed the Sept. 10 purchase of two Mercedes SUVs by Hilton as part of his plans for the jail. They were among three Mercedes that Hilton brought to Montana last week, saying he intended to turn over to Hardin for use by law enforcement.
A financing payment on at least one of the vehicles is now overdue.
Only one Mercedes remains in Montana. It's being driven by Shay, who said Friday that she intends to register it soon.
Associated Press reporter Matthew Brown contributed to this story.
nope, Montana’s seat belt enforcement is only secondary. If you get pulled over for another infraction and are not belted up, you can also be fined for that.
“Interesting” artwork on the walls.
Parking this link for future refrence.
Article with bio for Michael Hilton of American Police Force.
Not a pretty picture.
Well, knowing how obammy likes to get ahead of himself, this might be one of those phony companies started to show the anticedents for a company that will get the contract for obammy's civilian police force that will be 'just as big as our military,' according to obammy's pipe dream. You know, a jen-yoo-ine dog and pony show waiting in the wings to perform for the appropriate purchasing committee.
No duh, someone oughta explain to obammy how things work in the real world before he gets himself in a real jam. ;>
I have gone thru a whole roll of tinfoil over this story....Its really pretty simple; it (APF now APPF) is yet another scam in a long line of scams pulled off by Michael Hilton (who has a dozen aliases as shown on court records as well as outstanding monetary judgments against him for fraudulent activities) ...
Do you think there is any connection between obammy’s soon-to-be private police force and what seems to be this phony company waiting to place their bid?
Article with good history of this scene.
Our story goes back prior to 2006 when a Texas operator of private prisons convinced Hardin officials that there’d be money in building an operating a prison. Hardin’s economic development agency, The Two Rivers Authority, floated bonds to build the $27 million jail which was ready to open in July 2007. Only problem— no prisoners. None then, none now. In May 2008, Two Rivers Authority defaulted on those bonds. The Texas operator (CEC/CiviGenics) tried with no success to get contracts to house prisoners, and they ended their contract last January.
Since that time, Two Rivers Authority in Hardin has tried everything they can think of to get prisoners— not that everything wasn’t tried previously including putting in a bid (which was rejected) to house sexual offenders. There’s a rumor that this is going to be the location to house the terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. Forget it— in their desperation, Two Rivers thought of that already and were rejected out of hand by the state and feds. The jail is a minimum/medium security facility. Two Rivers had to do something... and that’s where our current saga begins.
...”
http://www.rollye.net/BLOG-2.html
What muslim was involved?
People like to ridicule Alex Jones. But some of what he does is good. I like his scrappy style. I never tune in show directly (on the internet?) but I liked to hear him on Coast
From Prison Legal News
...According to court records, APF front man Michael Hilton was named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles, CA in 2000 that included ten counts of fraud and conspiracy. The case resulted in a $1.4 million judgment against the defendants, including $339,950 against Hilton. In an unpublished ruling, the California Court of Appeals noted that “Hilton is a convicted felon.” One of Hilton’s co-defendants, Ivano Stamegna, also was identified in the court ruling as a convicted felon. Stamegna accused Hilton of using another defendant in the suit as a pawn and stated that Hilton was the “main perpetrator of the fraud.” At least three of the parties involved in this case, upon reviewing photos of APF’s Michael Hilton from news articles, confirmed that he is the same Michael Hilton who was involved in the civil suit. The case is Bentley v. Carella, Case No. YC035740, Los Angeles Superior Court; the appellate ruling is Bentley v. Carella, 2003 Cal.App.Unpub. LEXIS 8418 (Cal. App. 2d Dist. Sept. 4, 2003)...
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/21709_displayArticle.aspx
...The company’s recently-hired attorney, Maziar Mafi, is described on his website as practicing in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice, immigration, business law, litigations [sic] and criminal law. Although Mafi’s website states he “has a 100% success rate on appeals in state and federal courts including published opinion from United States Ninth Circuit,” a Lexis search of appellate court decisions indicates that of the three opinions in which Mafi is listed as counsel, he won one and lost two. The two appellate cases he lost: SALEHINASAB v. ZARRABI, 2003 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 2223 (Cal. App. 4th Dist. Mar. 7, 2003) and DAVIS v. HAMEDANY, 2005 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 2638 (Cal. App. 4th Dist. Mar. 23, 2005).
UPDATE: Attorney Maziar Mafi contacted PLN on October 2, 2009 and acknowledged the discrepancy on his website in regard to his successful appellate record. He stated the erroneous information had not been updated and his website would be corrected. Mr. Mafi indicated that he had lost only two appellate cases (the cases cited by PLN), and that he otherwise has a winning record on appeal. He also informed PLN that he no longer represents American Private Police Force as of September 30, 3009 (see separate PLN press release).
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/21709_displayArticle.aspx
I suspect that in any state, cops are compelled to go to a police academy.
People like to ridicule Alex Jones. But some of what he does is good.On today's local Austin program every third or fourth sentence in regards to this 'story' in Hardin MT was in error, come to find out, after I did some research on this subject; neither did Alex mention the Montana AG has now focused on this deal ... ALL ALex could rave about was how APPF (was: APF) was stopping people, was going to 'run the town and throw every body in the jail' and 'every Boss Hogg was going to make money'.
Ain't gonna happen; the adults are putting the kabosh on this ...
Alex Jones, Pin Head ConspiratorialistTM is still a shameless self-promoter in my book.
As far as I can determine American Police Force is not licensed in California as Private Patrol or Private Investigators. Their website is somewhat deceptive.Love that huge lie detector!
Reminds me of the battle of Athens 1946
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_(1946)
Damn, I hate to give Alex Jones credit for something. The self-important bastard still needs his ass kicked into next week, but give the devil his due.
APF sounds like a joke that accidentally turned into something serious, and quite unexpectedly. Like the Human Fund.
I hate to give Alex Jones credit for something. The self-important bastard stillEven a blind pig can find a corn cob once in while ...
LOL!
On tonight's news, Becky Shay said to the news reporter on camera, "Some underground talk show host from Austin, Texas stuffed a cell phone in my face and demanded me to tell everything I know".
Then that report cut to the press conference where she told reporters to turn their cameras off after an unknown reporter asked her where the source of funding was coming from. She turned her head and started blubbering.
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