American Police Force spokesperson Becky Shay holds a press conference to discuss the controversies that arisen around the deal between American Police Force and the Two River Authority.
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.
American Police Force spokesperson Becky Shay holds a press conference to discuss the controversies that arisen around the deal between American Police Force and the Two River Authority.
And the logo changed. And they got rid of Ravel's "Bolero" that played in the background. I thought that was creepy as hell.
BILLINGS - The jail in Hardin has been empty for about two years, but on September 4th officials with the Two Rivers Authority, the economic development agency that paid for the facility, signed a contract with a private police firm called American Police Force to fill the jail.
“I think it’s a great situation,” said Al Peterson the Vice President of Two Rivers Authority. “I have found these people to be wonderful community partners.”
The company’s website states the U.S. government is their biggest client, but an Associated Press search of two comprehensive federal government contractor databases turned up no record of American Police Force.
The Associated Press has raised questions about the legitimacy of American Police Force. Government contract databases show no record of the company, and security industry representatives and federal officials said they have never heard of it. However, representatives of security trade groups said added secrecy was prevalent in the industry and it was possible the company had avoided the public limelight.
The company’s Web site lists as its East Coast headquarters a building in Washington near the White House that holds “virtual offices.” A spokeswoman for the building said American Police Force’s application to use the address is pending, but incomplete.
The lead public figure for American Police Force, Michael Hilton, said more than 200 employees would be sought for the jail and a proposed military and law enforcement training center.
That would be a significant boost to Hardin, a struggling town of 3,500 located about 45 miles east of Billings. An earlier announcement that a job fair would be held during the last week never came to fruition.
Hilton also said he planned a helicopter tour of the region in coming days to look at real estate for a planned tactical military training ground. He said 5,000 to 10,000 acres were needed to complement the training center, a $17 million project.
In April 2009, Two Rivers Authority and the Hardin City Council started looking into housing enemy combatants currently detained in Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo), Cuba. A few weeks later (May 15th), a business called the American Police Force (”APF”) registers the domain name AmericanPoliceGroup.com. The next thing you know, APF is trying to contract to build a $27 million private jail and police training center.
BILLINGS - On Sunday morning, there were some visible changes to California-based security company American Police Force's website. What previously read "American Police Force" now uses the company's formal name "American Private Police Force."
Another notable change is the company's crest. The previous crest was a near copy of the Serbian Coat of Arms. On Friday, KULR-8 news first reported the Serbian government was looking into possible legal action against APF for using the crest.
The group's leader, Capt. Michael Hilton said the crest was a family emblem and he used it to honor his grandfather. APF Spokeswoman Becky Shay said she is not aware of any lawsuit from the consulate and Hilton made the change as, "the quickest thing he could to diffuse tension" with the old logo. She would not elaborate on exactly what those tensions were.
Along with changes to the company's image come changes to the potential contract with Hardin's economic development group Two Rivers Authority. Spokesman Al Peterson said board members will meet Monday afternoon to discuss the contract, which was recently looked over by an independent tax expert. Peterson said some of the language has been changed to ensure the bond, held by U.S. Bank, remains tax exempt.
If TRA board members approve the contract, it will still need to be approved by APF and U.S. Bank. Peterson added that the bond is a revenue bond; meaning residents of Hardin will never be responsible for paying it back. It can only be paid for by income from the Hardin Jail itself.
Monday's meeting will be open to the public, but it is up to the group's president to determine if there will be a public comment period. The meeting will start at 3:00 p.m. It is held at Hardin's City Hall. Shay said if TRA approves the contract, APF will move quickly to sign off as well.
I never thought of ridiculing him until he went after Michelle Malkin and later tried to 'splain himself to Noory.
A search for, "alex jones" "michelle malkin" noory
finds utube videos of Jones confronting Malkin. I have dial-up and have not seen them. I did hear the audio on George Noory's CoastToCoastAM.
Noory scolded Jones for his behavior. This was shortly after the Dem convention in Denver. I listened to the show that night.
Prior to this I just listened to Jones go after Bush, he was a virtual co-host with Noory he was on so often. Jones always had one thing or another on Bush and the international secret groups pulling the strings.
But after Jones at first admitted that he had gone overboard with Malkin he wound up blaming her! -- virtually saying that she threatened him. He claimed that she was accompanied by a mob of thugs shouting threats at him.
More recently Noory got angry with Jones, who rarely appears on the show now that Bush is gone, because Jones had posted a bogus interview with Obama -- er excuse me, Noory insists that everyone call him President Obama.
The next night Jones was invited on the show to explain himself. He said that yes there should have been a disclaimer but technical problems truncated it. He also blamed "over work" then went back to blaming technical problems.
I got no use for the guy anymore. Noory rarely mentions him now that Jones is zeroing in on Ob.. er, President Obama.
I will suggest however that some of the stuff Jones comes up with could have merit.
Just for you DUmmies who might be lurking in the thread. I know you are. All interested parties in this saga are Democrats: from the scam artist himself, to Becky Shay, the lawyer who left town, to the governor of Montana and Montana’s AG Steve Bullock. This ain’t president Bush’s fault or problem. Once it reaches the federal level, all branches of the government are run by Democrats. So the long trail from top to bottom is littered with Democrats.
Where you live you get an unavoidable large dose of Alex Jones so I get your animosity. I have nor heard his anti-Bush material. It was other stuff I liked.....Prior to that I though he was 100% useless
Thanks for the good information kcvl.
I don’t like it, whatever they are doing is just kinda creepy to me.
If Hilton is going to return through Wyoming, he might want to keep his head down. There’s a bench warrant out for his arrest.
Seems that on 15 August 2008, he was stopped on I-90 in Sheridan County, WY and issued a citation for driving on a suspended license. Subsequent to this, he failed to appear in court, per the instructions on the ticket.
The bench warrant was issued by Sheridan Circuit Court Judge John Sampson 01 September 2008 for Hilton’s failure to appear.
Yeah? You should see some of the blogging fights I am into with the Alex Jones collection of nitwits. What a bunch of morons. I knew this was a scam from the first moment the story broke.
Jones lost all credibility with me the day he joined hands with the 9-11 “truther” lunatics.
You gotta be kidding... a SECURITY/POLICE force spokeswoman... CRIED because things weren’t going her way?
They've already done that.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/
Great show btw.
SO what is with this Mafi guy? Anyone else find the name a least a LITTLE suspicious?
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