It was an afternoon that rocked businesses near Dean Martin and Flamingo. Local and federal law enforcement agencies swarmed in and served search warrants on Citadel Gun and Safe.
New information gives us an insight on the massive raid that up until now, authorities were tight lipped about. Turns out it was the Air Force Office of Special Investigations that led the raid.
“They went in there and did in fact find stolen air force military property that was stolen from Nellis Air Force Base,” says Linda Card with the Air Force OSI.
Metro lent a hand as well as the FBI, ATF, and ICE. The recovered material though would not have posed a danger to regular people, says the Air Force.
“It did not include weapons, guns, explosives of any kind, bombs, nothing like that. It was basic stolen military property,” says Card.
So basically AF CID assisted DOJ in a raid to re-claim stolen AF property.
While it is not common place, I don’t see a problem per say in this particular incident as the AF personnel did not take any law enforcement actions. Search warrants and probable cause affidavits were signed off by a local magistrate and executed by local LEOs.
According to the video AF CID personnel were unarmed and in their utilities, not raid kit.
So what’s the problem here? Ryder since you have commented please provide any additional info you have heard.
I am just curious because it’s not unheard of to have invesstigators from the military doing these things, especially if it is U.S MIL property involved.
Not directed at you, just in general. I wanted to get your comments/ thoughts because I know that you are keen on what happens in LV especially in the gun community.
According to some internet snooping I did, this guy was possibly set up.
When the Air Force OSI Special Agents in Las Vegas acted under the authority of the DoD/IG subpoena, they were enforcing federal law with the full weight of a federal district court subpoena. Only they could execute the subpoena, which explains why they were the lead agency. They appropriately asked for and received the assistance of other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
My only criticism of the situation is in how poorly Air Force Public Affairs officials addressed the media scrutiny. They easily could have explained the process as I have in this article, but chose instead to limit their comment. This type of insular reaction only breeds cynicism and confusion, and it fosters public distrust.
My problem with the raid is if you look at court filings that are publicly available, you’ll see that the owner of Citadel was already arrested in an undercover buy/bust, and agreed to cooperate, well before OSI and Metro did their public raid. There was no reason for the raid other than to generate headlines and make a spectacle, plus a chance for LVMPD to show off all their cool toys.
While all my information about CID and NCSI come from mostly TV shows, it was my understanding that they were Federal Agents like FBI, ATF and IRS so it’s not like Army Rangers or Navy Seals raided.
So are you saying that during the time of the second investigation he was buying and selling stolen government property at the direction of another law enforcement agency?
I’m saying that, according to court filings, he got busted and agreed to cooperate. Then he called his supplier, who got busted as well. A couple days after that, Metro and OSI, and I guess the ATF, did their dog and pony show raiding the shop. My point is he was already busted and cooperating, why are you rolling SWAT on his shop? The store owner isn’t even in jail right now, I dont think he ever went. The guy who was supplying him is still sitting in lockup though.
From what I know Rider is right on the money. Senseless waste of tax dollars but an opportunity to get suited up. The only thing this “raid” presented was an opportunity for an accident.
Thanks Rider, that’s an interesting read. I have no idea why they went in like they did. According the complaint they didn’t arrest or process him when they apprehended him the first time; maybe they went in like that because of the weapons i.e. the loaded .50 on a tripod.
Beats me, just thinking out loud.
When a “cooperator” calls a co-conspirator and says “they got me, watch out” any cooperation agreement is out the window and the cooperator goes down with anyone else. I love T-III’s. In this case, I’m sure that the co-conspirator flipped on the first guy. In conspiracy cases we always play the game of musical chairs. The first guy to cooperate gets the deal in exchange for testimony, the rest are fucked. Ari Force OSI is a CIVILIAN L.E. Agency, enforcing federal laws, mostly those under Title 18.
