Bob Hamer is retired from the FBI, having spent 26 years as a “street agent.” He has worked organized crime, gangs, terrorism, and child exploitation. Although he prides himself on a career of successful undercover assignments, he has served as case agent or co-case agent on some of the most significant matters investigated by the Los Angeles office of the FBI: the LA Mafia Family case, the Eddie Nash case (of Laurel Canyon Murders, John Holmes, Boogie Nights, Wonderland fame), and the July 4th shooting at the EL AL ticket counter at LAX.
He has received numerous awards throughout his career including the coveted FBI Director’s Award for Distinguished Service, four United States Attorney Awards for Distinguished Service, and numerous letters of commendation including one from then US Attorney Rudy Giuliani.
In undercover assignments lasting anywhere from several days to more than three years, Bob has successfully posed as a drug dealer, contract killer, residential burglar, fence, pedophile, degenerate gambler, weapons dealer, and white-collar criminal.
He has worked undercover against such diverse groups as the La Cosa Nostra, Sicilian Mafia, Mexican Mafia, Russian Mafia, Asian organized crime groups, and Los Angeles based street gangs. His successful infiltration of NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) resulted in the arrest of what one defendant called eight members of the “inner circle.”
Bob is a member of the WGA and has written for television. He has worked as the technical advisor for "The Inside and Angela’s Eyes" and has consulted for "Law & Order: SVU" and "Sleeper Cell." He also appeared as a guest on "Oprah." His first book, THE LAST UNDERCOVER: The True Story of an FBI Agent’s Dangerous Dance with Evil (Hachette Book Group, USA, Center Street Press) is now available.
A Marine Corps veteran, he is married and has two children.
bobhamer.net
Bob Hamer
The CIA and the Statute of Limitations
by Bob HamerI’ll try to make this short…last week I wrote about my concerns over the naming of a special federal prosecutor to re-examine the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques by the CIA. I have appeared on several radio shows since the article posted here at Big Hollywood and I was pleased to see over weekend former Vice President Dick Cheney say in a more articulate fashion almost every point I raised in the article EXCEPT one.
Today my point is the LAW. I touched on it briefly in the article but no one seems to be discussing the LAW. Many on the left and maybe even some on the right are applauding the decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to name a special prosecutor. I only have one question: What crimes were committed? Those supporting the decision to name a prosecutor say, “torture.”
The federal statute can be found in Title 18 chapter 113C of the Federal Criminal Code and Rules. Section 2340 defines torture. Section 2340A says: (more…)
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CIA Watch Your Back
by Bob HamerAmong my former associates at the FBI, New York Times bestselling novelist Vince Flynn is a favorite. His protagonist Mitch Rapp, a counter-terrorism specialist for the CIA, is the talk whenever Flynn releases a new political thriller. Possibly the highest compliment any FBI agent ever paid me was when he called me “the old, ugly, domestic version of Mitch Rapp.” I wear the accolade with pride. What makes Flynn’s novels so captivating is the authenticity of his writing. In fact, at least one novel came under scrutiny when it hit a little too close to home detailing our nation’s nuclear security efforts.
His latest novel “Extreme Measures” was released last fall but once again Flynn may end up just a little too real. I won’t give away the plot but Mitch Rapp finds himself in front of a Congressional committee explaining why he needed to employ “extreme measures” to protect this nation. Sound familiar? Attorney General Eric Holder named a federal prosecutor this week to examine the abuse of prisoners during interrogations by the CIA. I wonder if Mitch will be called as a witness. (more…)
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Ice-breaker Questions Courtesy of the Feds
by Bob HamerBack in the late seventies I spent four years on active duty in the Marine Corps. As my military obligation was nearing completion I began a job search in the private and public sector. I narrowed my public sector job hunt to the FBI and the CIA. The CIA responded first and the application journey was like a Robert Ludlum thriller. My first interview was in a large room with only two chairs. Seated across from me was a man with a scar from ear to ear. I envisioned him being garroted in some third world country–he had my attention. Apparently I impressed him enough to recommend me in the next step of their process. Multiple flights from California to D.C. using assumed names, paying for everything in cash, meeting in safe houses, and submitting to a variety of tests only added to the mystique.
Alas however, it was not meant to be. A major stumbling block was a personality test the Agency gave all Jack Bauer wannabes. Scoring applicants on a 0-10 scale…a zero meaning you could live on a deserted island for years, a ten meaning you had to be constantly surrounded by people…I scored a ZERO. Yep, a zero. The psychologist said in all the years of administering the test he had never seen “a zero personality.” Now, I admit I somewhat skewed my answers. I figured they were looking for paid assassins they could drop behind enemy lines and remain secreted for weeks. Wrong! The agency was looking for “threes” and “fours.” On occasion my wife still reminds me I have been rated a zero personality by the federal government. I actually think I’m up to a .5, maybe even a one, but needless to say I’m not really comfortable in public settings making small talk… unless I’m undercover (but then I’m a completely different persona and my criminal alter ego takes over). (more…)
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ObamaCare and the Post Office
by Bob HamerIn “The Last Undercover” I chronicle my three year infiltration of NAMBLA, the North American Man Boy Love Association. I allude to another undercover investigation but do not discuss it in detail because criminal prosecution is still pending. So while posing as a pedophile I also spent three years targeting a Chinese criminal syndicate. Since I only had one undercover cell phone, when it rang I didn’t know if I was supposed to be the lover of prepubescent boys or a macho international arms dealer. The FBI dubbed the investigation OPERATION SMOKING DRAGON and it was a great case. By the time we wrapped it up more than thirty federal indictments (with multiple defendants) were returned.
The investigation included charges of conspiring to sell surface-to-air missiles, the sale of counterfeit currency, clothing, and cigarettes. It also included counterfeit postage stamps…yep, the Chinese were counterfeiting our 37 cent postage stamp (I’m sure now they are doing the Forever Stamp but all my connections are in federal prison so I guess I’ll have to pay for them like everyone else). I obtained hundreds of thousands of the counterfeit flag stamps packaged 100 to a roll. One postal inspector told me it was one of their largest seizures ever. I say all that because last week I had an issue with the post office and my “celebrity” status apparently carried no weight. (more…)
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Book Review: Senator Jim DeMint’s ‘Saving Freedom’
by Bob Hamer
When I first met Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) in February of this year (full disclosure: we have the same publisher, Fidelis Books) I heard him say something that resonated…”We’ve been duped into believing government alone can solve our country’s problems. I believe often the government is the problem. America’s greatness is found in its people and its values not in its government…with every round of new regulation and increased spending our country slides further away from liberty and closer to socialism. ” He had my attention.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one recognizing his efforts to put his beliefs into action. The National Journal named him the Senate’s most conservative member and the National Taxpayer Union ranked him the number one senator for responsible tax and spending policies. (more…)
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An Open Letter to Speaker Pelosi
by Bob HamerMs. Pelosi:
I’ll make this brief because I know you are busy.
I wanted to remind you of the oath you first took in 1987 and reaffirm at the start of each new Congress. It reads:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
Maybe I am missing something but I read nothing about political parties, putting your interests above the nation’s, or putting your party’s interests above the nation. (more…)
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All the Tea Bags in China
by Bob HamerHad Hollywood been in charge of casting I would have never been offered the role…a white man targeting an Asian organized crime syndicate. But Hollywood and the bad guys didn’t understand my “motivation.” If I sold myself as a criminal I got to stay out of the FBI offices for the duration of the case. That’s a better incentive than any two-picture deal with promises of Red Carpet awards.
In the first few meetings I successfully convinced my targets I was “bad.” Thus began a three-year undercover assignment concluding with dozens of arrests for crimes involving surface-to-air missiles, counterfeit U.S. currency, fake Viagra, phony blue jeans, ecstasy, crystal meth, and an assortment of other contraband. But it all began with counterfeit cigarettes manufactured overseas. The bad guys were smuggling the illegal “name-brand” cigarettes into the United States. I guess the politically correct term would be “undocumented cigarettes,” but their activities avoided all kinds of federal and state taxes. Not only were the cigarettes fake but so were the tax stamps on each pack…made to resemble the stamps for whatever state where the fakes were to be sold. Their products were good. The packaging looked authentic and the tax stamps appeared real. (more…)
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The VP’s Tithe
by Bob HamerEarlier this week, UPI reported Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife released their 2008 tax returns and while the Second Couple had an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $269,256, they gave a mere $1,885 to charity. Not quite the Biblical standard of a tithe. According to a statement by the White House, the charitable donations are “NOT (my emphasis added) the sum of their annual contributions to charity. They donate to their church, among other contributions.” Then what is the sum of their contributions to charity? Inquiring minds want to know.
I realize many recent political appointees have had tax avoidance issues but no one has yet been accused of understating their charitable contributions. Even Turbo Tax encourages you to take full advantage of charitable contributions in several different ways, as I’m sure the Treasury Secretary can attest. But on the bright side, the Biden Family increased their charitable givings fifteen-fold compared to a decade ago. (more…)
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‘We Serve Too’: Some People Get It
by Bob HamerI recently saw “Brothers at War,” a powerful new documentary by Jake Rademacher. As I exited the theater I quickly put on my sunglasses. I’m sure it was just allergies…macho undercover FBI agents don’t cry…but my eyes were misting up. What really moved me were the deployment scenes. This documentary “got it.” I’m not sure Hollywood has captured the impact of a combat deployment on our military men and women and their loved ones.
Since April is the “Month of the Military Child” maybe it’s time we all “got it.” Living in San Diego, the news often covers units returning from overseas deployments. We attend a church where several young families are in the military and my wife is active in a group called MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)…no, we are long past the preschool stage but my wife is a “mentor” mom. Military families are represented in that group as well. As I’ve shared before, our Marine son, who is stationed on the East Coast, is deployed. Maybe because I was a Marine and our son is on active duty, we have taken an interest in families with deployed spouses. (more…)
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An Argument for States Rights
by Bob Hamer
Relax…this is not another NAMBLA story but give me a break. If you spent three years infiltrating a group of pedophiles you’d have a few stories serving as life lessons.
NAMBLA has a magazine but not a centerfold. If they did my nominee would be John from San Francisco. He was truly one of the more interesting characters I met at the Miami NAMBLA conference. Heavyset, in his late fifties, with his Mohawk hairstyle, a bad case of dandruff, earrings, shorts, and black knee high socks he made quite a fashion statement whenever he entered a room. John identified himself as a “gaythiest.” He had been to prison twice for child molestation and was caught a third time but for some unstated reason the victim refused to cooperate with the police. John admitted to being “out as a gay” and “out as an atheist” but “those things are different. You go around saying you like to run your hands through a little boy’s hair, or you like to kiss him or do other things like that, it doesn’t get the same reaction.” My only response is, “dah!” (more…)
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America’s Heroes
by Bob HamerDuring my undercover career in the FBI, I often reflected on a verse from the “Original Testament,” as Ron Silver liked to call it. Moses told Joshua, “The Lord himself will go before and be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be discouraged, do not be afraid.” Those words gave me strength as I prepared many times to enter the belly of the beast. In fact, while standing at a Times Square urinal preparing for my first NAMBLA meet, I repeated the verse to myself…not sure that’s a scene for the Big Screen regardless of your religious beliefs.
In the New Testament, Paul admonishes us to “pray without ceasing.” I never understood that verse until I had a son deployed to a combat zone. Now I find myself praying for my son, his men, and their families almost constantly. Our Marine son is at a Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan. They have no running water, no heat, and only on occasion, electricity. The other evening I received a short email from him. His battalion lost three more men over the weekend. It was difficult for me to sleep that night, knowing somewhere in this nation mothers and fathers, wives, and children were mourning the death of a loved one. (more…)
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Taxes: A Horse of a Different Color
by Bob HamerAfter spending twenty-six years in the FBI, many of those years in various undercover roles, I’m not a big fan of reality shows. I guess I have had my fill of “reality.” But I’m hooked on “Jockeys,” a new show on the Animal Planet. The show takes an inside look at the world of thoroughbred horse racing. A decade or so ago I spent six months undercover at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park targeting a group of men we believed to be fixing races. The case wasn’t nearly as successful as we initially hoped, but eventually we convicted five men of various federal violations, including two for race fixing.
The world of the track is interesting to say the least. It is perfect for a one-hour drama or a half-hour sitcom. If the USA Network is still seeking characters, they need look no further than the track. I doubt many CEOs when making investment decisions seek the advice of those earning a minimum wage. But I watched millionaires beg for information from grooms and hot-walkers in the hope these backside employees might have the inside scoop on a particular horse. I saw attendance climb around the first of the month as people admitted to me they were hoping to double their welfare checks. Gamblers who hadn’t won in years still bragged about a big bet they won decades earlier. Hope sprang eternal. (more…)
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North Korean Counterfeit And Few Seemed To Care
by Bob Hamer
As I recall, the words to Jim Croce’s song from the early seventies went something like this:
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pass counterfeit currency in old Las Vegas
And you don’t mess around with Jim
Maybe I’m wrong about the third line, but two weeks ago Chen Chiang Liu of San Marino, California learned the hard way from U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan you don’t tug on Superman’s cape and you don’t pass counterfeit currency in Las Vegas. (more…)
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Single Moms and NAMBLA
by Bob HamerWith a lot of smiles and an occasional out loud laugh, I read Ann Coulter’s latest book “Guilty.” Once again with her no-holds barred writing style she takes on some of America’s most sacred cows. You want controversy? How about a chapter titled, “Victim of a Crime? Thank a Single Mother.” As only Ann can do, she backs up her allegations with numerous, hard-to-refute statistics. Even considering Sir Winston Churchill’s quote, “Statistics are like a drunk with a lamppost: used more for support than illumination,” Ann’s argument is compelling.
I’m not a sociologist, a criminologist, or any other type of “ologist,” but I bring to the table twenty-six years of street experience as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During my career, I worked organized crime, gangs, terrorism, and child exploitation. I’ve seen society at its best and its worst, and I often viewed it from the inside. Many of my twenty-six years were spent undercover. I have successfully posed as a contract killer, drug dealer, fence, international arms dealer, degenerate gambler, and white collar criminal. But it was my last assignment, playing the role of a pedophile, that opened my eyes to a societal problem going beyond what Ann discusses in her book. (more…)
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