I personally know of these abuses firsthand and am one of the many Federal Air marshals that were retaliated against for speaking up and out. I have since been terminated on false grounds, while all of the inept cronies are put into key positions and exonerated of their egregious acts. The Management of the FAMs has created an environment of tyranny, discrimination, criminal behavior, gross mismanagement, and abuse of authority.

I am glad that it is coming to light, but what I cannot figure out is how the House Judiciary Committee knows this and has yet to hold anyone accountable. FAM management, largely comprised of retired US Secret Service Agents that are double dipping on taxpayers money, and they are some of the most politically well connected and corrupt bunch of thieves and criminals I have ever witnessed in government service. They flaunt the fact that they are politically well connected and have other members (retired USSS) slowly taking over as the heads of other federal law enforcement agencies.

They brag about how they will never be able to be convicted of any wrongdoing because their buddies are in charge of many of the OIG Agencies charged with investigating their actions. They have intimidated FAM into being quiet at the risk losing their livelihoods if they do not play along. They have enforced their threats by making examples of those that have spoken out anyway. They have hidden countless scandals and problems within the service by blatantly lying to congress and any other investigative agency and targeting whistleblowers.

They have hidden the fact that there are endless medical problems for flying FAMs, due to poor management, failure to follow proper aviation medical guidelines, and an overt effort to hide this fact. They have falsified official documents and threatened or fired FAMs that go on record about their health issues forcing many to fly sick. Some of these injuries are life-threatening; some are leaving FAMs in danger of permanent loss of physical function as they are being forced by management to fly despite their injuries and illnesses.

There have been countless assaults against FAMs by management. Most have gone unreported as the assaulted FAM fears being ousted as his complaints will only infuriate management and fall on deaf ears because of managements political connections.

FAM managers are falsifying their time and attendance sheets and using government vehicles for unauthorized reasons like going to buy lottery tickets, having affairs with civilian office staff, or to baseball games. FAM managers are crashing government vehicles and not reporting it, but having the vehicles fixed on their own illegally without reporting it.

Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I will not hold my breath on whether anything is REAL is done by Congress. I hope that the men and women of the Federal Air Marshal service that have given up their careers in other agencies Post 9/11to become FAMs, because they believed in the mission and wanted to truly serve the American People in the best way they could, are given Justice and the Whistleblowers get Vindication.

I don't know that much about the Air Marshal program, but it sounds as if the Texas (& southern in general) good-ol' boy system is alive and well in this administration. What I really want to know is WHY the news Media and some of you refer to our current war as the "war on terror"? Saddam (altho a bad, bad guy)had nothing to do with 9/11, none of the hijackers were Iraqi, we should have continued to search for and execute the REAL leader of the terrorists (Osama bin-hidin') instead of let Cheney & Co (the real power behind the throne) plan and pursue this war. I haven't lost a son like Cindy S., but I notice that her initial question of "Why?" are our children giving their lives, has still not been answered.

Mike, Your comment was as follows:

Sorry, I haven't heard any facts yet. Who's pointing fingers at who?! This just sounds like "waaaahhh, their attitude stinks, so therefore, they are corrupt..." Who punished the Air Marshals for addressing questions? What are the facts?
And why as usual is it Bush's fault?

I can say that I was sexually harassed by another employee via email (in black and white)over our "secure" domain and was told it would not be investigated.

A FAM manager cost the FAM Service over a 1/2 million dollars for his harassement to a subordinate and he never spent one day on suspension, nor lost his duty weapon and credentials and was never investigated. The Service just payed the employee. Your tax dollars!!!

I am currently employed with the FAM service and have documents to prove the illegal changing of timesheets by management (an official signed document by an employee).

I also have documents proving forged medical documents by medical staff just to keep a FAM flying.

Should I continue? They are breaking laws and policies daily.

When reported to IA (Internal Affairs, also retired Secret Service Agents) they stated the management did nothing wrong. The investigation took less than two weeks.

When we have issues concerning our safety and the flying public, we are told to "shut up and deal with it or find another job". Keep in mind we are out there every day, they are not and we want everyone to be safe.

Managers have made racial slurs using the "N" word and it was never investigated.

I'm sure you will see other issues as the FAMS hear of this post.

When does it stop and who will stop the constant harassement to all of us.

I also have other issues but do not wish to post them at this time.

Isn’t the adult, intelligent thing to do is to read the report first before starting to blame and crucify someone for the errors? I am getting just as tired of the media jumping the gun and trying to “direct/spin” public opinion as I am of the repeated lapse of responsible job performance by government employees – and that included all the politicians – Dem. Rep, or whatever they call themselves. It is impossible for only one man to be responsible for all the ills of government when we as a people repeatedly elect numerous individuals who are not qualified to perform the job in the first place and give them the power to control our lives through legislation as the mood hits them. Some call it politics – I call it “look in the mirror for the 1st person to blame” when things go wrong. If we all do our jobs – and abide by the laws already passed - a lot of the problems we deal with now on a daily basis would not be – would not have been created, will not be covered up, not spinned, not lied about, and we as a people would not have them to deal with each morning. It is time that all the name calling stops – and responsibility for our actions be accepted by all.

The problem is they transfered a managment team from the Secret Service an agency that had so much trouble with a us and them mentality. The thing is the team was ready for retirement and did so and took on another job, but did not keep up with the 20th Century Changes.

Time to get rid of these managers, when public affairs tells lies to the public and lies to his superiors and those who works around him, what is his words worth?

Retaliation umm torture for many, psychological warfare should have been their major! But they appear to be dazed and confused as they are using it on their own guys.

This is the most corrupt administration in the history of the US. Bush and his cronies have scooped up unmeasured power to control almost every aspect of American life. Surely the American people should have a clear understanding of why our kids are dying everyday in Iraq. The arrogance and corruption of this administration is something that history will judge very harshly. When the "Cold War" was going on the USSR was the villian of the world. It didn't take but one ignorant man from Texas to transfer that title to the US.

I am glad to see that this issue is finally coming to light. It is time that Congress acts upon this and removes all of the Secret Service cronies and investigates them and their activities. Why is it that these individuals were brought out of retirement to make over $200,000 each with NO KNOWLEDGE about the position to serve as supervisors and management personnel ? The salary for one of these cronys is enough to pay for three new active supervisors to replace them. Meanwhile you had qualified experienced active law enforcement and military veterans with extensive experience and superior educations like Masters and Doctorate degrees. Lets face the crony system runs the agency into the ground and the persons with the actual work experience continue to leave in droves, oh and TSA is worried about a high screener turn over? They need to dedicate the resources to keeping their experienced personnel in place by developing a career track and eliminating the waste associated witht the secret service cronys.

I'm just curious -- you current "marshals" and former air marshals -- are you by any chance union? Just wondered. Also, I don't know of many federal employees, even those of long tenure and high grade pay, who make 200K/yr. Get your facts straight! And, just so there's no confusion, a federal marshal and air marshal are NOT the same thing. Marshals are under the Dept of Justice and an air marshal would know the difference!

I congratulate Brian Ross,ABC News'Chief Investigative Correspondent, for bringing to light what we have not been able to do for fear of retaliation. Unfortunately, there are still individuals, such as "Sonya" posting dated May 16,2006, which believe we are simply whining and cannot provide proof. We can, and many have provided proof despite retaliations, but the corrupt agency officials have sealed the drum tight by marking ALL information as Official Use Only which its release would ensure our termination. The retired Secret Service officials who manage the FAM Service have the same ethics as many of the ENRON officials, the difference is that in the corporate world the criminals are indicted, but in the higharchy of government the "buddies" are allowed to simply retire (again). Once these officials retire (again), they take with them their large bonuses, but leave the taxpayers with the burden of paying for the many lawsuits these selfish individuals have prompted. If the general public really knew how alive and well the "good ol' boy" system is in government (regardless of party affliations), they would demand to know the entire truth behind the scandals.
Just ask yourselves, how did retired Secret Service Agents(seeking a second retirement) get control of the FAM Service and many of the OIG offices which investigate corruption allegations?
Thanks to the American public who is willing to listen and support those who cannot defend themselves.

As a former Federal Air Marshal and current Police Detective and Candidate for County Sheriff, I can say the Federal Air Marshal Service is actually become a criminal organization. Inexperienced management from the U.S. Secret Service, another agency plagued with internal corruption and extreme mismanagement has infected the heart and soul of the working Federal Air Marshal. The Federal Air Marshal Service whose ranks initially included Special Operators from the Armed Forces, Federal Agents, State Patrol Officers, and Police Swat team members is now comprised of former Prison Guards, Security Officers, and TSA Security Screeners. The Federal Air Marshal managers are all retired U.S. Secret Service with a direct connection to the oval office. They are known for protecting the President and Vice President, then looking the other way when they see criminal conduct rather then reporting the abuse. They have brought that mentality to the Federal Air Marshal Service and destroyed what could have been an elite law enforcement agency. Former Federal Air Marshal Director Thomas Quinn was directly linked to the Saudi Royal family and also ran his own private security business while employed by the Federal Air Marshals. I applaud Congress for investigating the Federal Air Marshals and look forward to criminal charges against Federal Air Marshal managers for crimes including Gross Malfeasance, Embezzlement, Theft of Government Property, and Contract Fraud to name a few.

The time has come to shine a little more light into some of the other dark corners of the Federal Air Marshal Service's senior management. John Magaw is the first person that should be looked at if one wants to understand how things got so bad at the Federal Air Marshal Service. John Magaw was the man appointed to lead and build up the newly established Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and its enforcement arm: The Federal Air Marshal Service. Few people understand that the Federal Air Marshal Service started out as a division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Civil Aviation Security.

When the TSA was created, the Air Marshals were removed from the FAA and placed under Magaw. This is where the problems started. In June of 2002 there were several short articles in USA Today about how the TSA and Magaw had “watered down” the stringent FAA hiring and training standards that had made the US Federal Air Marshals one of the most proficient and effective anti-terrorist organizations in the world.

Later, there were more articles about how the firearms standards for the Air Marshals had been lowered in order to meet a requirement for X number of Air Marshals by X date. Why all the problems all of a sudden? The answer is so ironic and simple, it’s almost hard to believe: The Air Marshal Service had been hijacked by a “good old boy network” composed of former and retired US Secret Service agents.

Before we continue, lets clarify a few things. In 2004, the House Judiciary Committee created the first real legislative definition of “Federal Air Marshal” when they began their investigation into the troubled service. They defined a Federal Air Marshal as a Federal law enforcement officer who is 1) Specially and specifically trained for the mission of preventing and stopping aircraft piracy; and 2) Performs those duties, and only those duties, on board an aircraft full time.

This means that other cross-trained Federal law enforcement officers in travel status, including regular Secret Service Agents flying in travel status, cannot and will not be considered to be “Federal Air Marshals” while they are flying on an aircraft. This is important because Quinn, Byers & Company have been padding and hiding the actual numbers of Federal Air Marshals from US Congressional lawmakers by including some or all of the “other” categories of flying federal law enforcement officers, into the total number of actual Federal Air Marshals, including the actual numbers of daily flights that they protect.

Another important fact is that the members of the executive management of the Federal Air Marshal Service belong to a Federal employment category known as the Senior Executive Service (SES). They are Federal appointee managers. These managers have never attended the specific and special air marshal training academies, nor do their duties involve flying on board aircraft full time. They consider themselves to be better than the “rank and file” air marshals, and they have refered to the rank and file air marshals as “bottom feeders” and “amateurs”.

They have also removed themselves from any entitlement to the anonymity and protections provided to Federal Air Marshals by the 2004 Intelligence Reform Bill, because Director Quinn issued internal memorandums stating that the 2004 Intelligence Reform Bill did not apply to Federal Air Marshals (even though the parts of the legislation were specifically created for the Federal Air Marshal Service).

Now where were we?

John Magaw was a former US Secret Service (USSS) agent. Magaw hired another former Secret Service agent by the name of Kevin Hoolihan to be TSA Undersecretary. Magaw then replaced the FAA's senior Federal Air Marshal with another former Secret Service agent by the name of Thomas Dewey Quinn, thereby making Quinn the Director of the Federal Air Marshal Service.

Quinn in turn hired Robert Byers (a former Secret Service agent) and made him the Deputy Director of the Federal Air Marshal Service, and together Quinn, Byers & Company began to “rebuild” the executive management of the newly established Federal Air Marshal Service by placing all of his cronies from the Secret Service into six-figured senior executive positions within the Federal Air Marshal Service ranks.

Over the course of a few months, Quinn, Byers & Company demoted or passed over every single one of the original 33 pre-911 Federal Air Marshals, and appointed former Secret Service agents to fill in almost every executive position in the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS).

Just who from the US Secret Service actually hijacked the Federal Air Marshal Service after 9/11? Well see for yourself –– the Cronies of the Quinn, Byers & Company read like a who’s who of the retired ranks of the US Secret Service:

*** Following is only a partial list (public information) of the more than 80 former Secret Service cronies (non-flying "FAMs") that were surreptitiously appointed by Director Quinn, into high-level supervisory positions. But even more egregious, Quinn refused to appoint any of the original 33 Air Marshals into a headquarters high-level management position.

HEADQUARTERS

• FAMS Director Thomas Dewey Quinn - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Director Robert F. Byers - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Agency Spokesperson David M. Adams - (Former US Secret Service Spokesperson)

• FAMS Assistant Director John A. Novak - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Timothy J. Cahill - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Michael H. Weikert - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Raymond M. Dineen - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Director Colleen B. Callahan - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Assistant Director George Papantoniou - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Assistant Director Patrick F. Sullivan - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Assistant Director Arnold A. Cole - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS "Consultant Contractor" Kevin R. Houlihan - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

IN THE FIELD OFFICES

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Hedges - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Ted S. Hresko - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge James A. Fitton - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge James E. Bauer - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Greba - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Donzanti - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge Joseph D'Angelillio - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Charles E. Ortman - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Carl G. Wahl - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

• FAMS Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Larry Saez - (Former US Secret Service Agent)

These appointments were the first steps in creating an institution of loyal “yes men” who would support and implement all of Director Quinn’s policies –– without question.

Anyone who had any kind of real world experience with counter terrorism or civil aviation security immediately opposed the changes that Quinn, Byers & Company were making to simply put bodies on aircraft, and Quinn and Byers systematically drove these people out of the executive ranks of the service.

The proof?

The problems that began leaking in USA Today in 2002 started almost to the day that Quinn, Byers & Company began their hostile takeover of the Federal Air Marshal Service.

The next step that Quinn and Byers took was filling in the middle management positions with still more loyal supporters to enforce Director Quinn’s policies. Quinn, Byers & Company hired hundreds of US Government retirees whose contracts start at $100,000 a year and go up from there –– and most of these retirees just happen to be “former Secret Service Agents”.

Quinn claims that the middle management is a “fair” mix of experience from many agencies. This is partly true. On the one hand many of the middle managers are retired from other agencies like the FBI, the Office of the Inspector General, the Veteran’s Administration, and the Social Security Administration.

But what Quinn isn't confessing is that these retiree’s had at one time or another been Secret Service Agents and had simply transferred to the other agencies when the Secret Service became too strenuous for them (an internet search of the terms “government watchdog organizations” will reveal that former USSS agents are taking over nearly every Federal agency, and that most of them are having the same types of problems as the Federal Air Marshal Service).

Quinn, Byers & Company had found a way to take advantage of a loophole in the Secret Service pension plan and a Federal employment category known as Excepted Service, and had hired an entire corps of mercenaries who would have absolutely no problem enforcing his insane and incompetent policies in the field.

The official explanation provided by Quinn and Byers was that the contract supervisors were hired as a temporary measure until replacements could be trained from the new Air Marshal ranks. So why are they still being paid in excess of $100,000 a year nearly four years later, and why have none of them trained their replacements yet?

In late 2002 John Magaw ran afoul of DOT Secretary Norman Mineta (DHS had not been created yet and the TSA was then still part of the DOT). Mineta did not approve of Magaw’s management practices and Magaw was fired / forced to resign. The allegations were widespread, but it is believed that Magaw was mismanaging and misappropriating government funds. Magaw immediately disappeared from government. Kevin Hoolihan (Magaw’s second in command) quietly resigned from the TSA shortly after Magaw for reasons that remain unknown.

What is known is that Hoolihan (a former Secret Service Agent and personal friend of Thomas Quinn and Robert Byers) was then hired by Quinn as a "private consultant to the Director of the Federal Air Marshal Service". In the time that Hoolihan has spent as a "consultant" he has billed the Air Marshal Service for an amount that is estimated to be close to 1 million dollars, for "consultation" on matters that he has no prior experience in, and which any one of the original 33 Federal Air Marshals is easily more knowledgeable about (not one of these original 33 Federal Air Marshals was placed in a position to make or dictate operational or administrative policies).

When Admiral James Loy (Magaw’s replacement) began questioning Quinn’s practices, Quinn, Byers & Company circumvented Loy and lobbied for the Federal Air Marshal Service to be moved out of Loy’s purview and into the troubled Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). When Loy left the TSA to become DHS Undersecretary, Quinn, Byers & Company did another evasive zig-zag and moved the Administrative and Personnel portion of the Federal Air Marshal Service back to the TSA, which had now been taken over by other “former Secret Service Agents”.

In fact, the Federal Air Marshal Service (prior to going back to TSA entirely) was the only Federal agency that had its internal operations and functions voluntarily divided between two completely different parts of the Federal Government.

Why?

It is believed that having things spread out in different parts of DHS meant that Quinn, Byers, & Company were the only persons that had all the details about (and control over) what was really going on in the Federal Air Marshal Service.

Many people simply cannot understand or believe how anyone could get away with the things that we have been hearing about at the Federal Air Marshal Service. It’s not so hard to understand once you realize that Quinn, Byers & Company have corrupted the entire institution. Anyone who would be in a position to question policies, procedures, budgets, and ethical issues, is actually part of a “stacked deck” consisting of loyal friends and past coworkers.

Everyone (the public, the media, and the rest of the government) knows that what Quinn, Byers & Company are doing is wrong. Some of senior managers will say, “Well, I didn’t know if that's accurate”. Others will say, “I was just following orders”. Still others (like Byers) will try to save their own hides one day after Quinn "retires" by saying “Yep. Things are not right. We see that now, and I’m ready to fix them”.

Too late Bob, you’re already tainted.

The other members of the executive management have had four years to put a stop to Quinn, Byers & Company, yet they too have done nothing, and that makes them just as guilty.

There is a word for someone (like a law enforcement officer) who has an official duty to take action (as in report, or “blow the whistle”) when confronted with wrongdoing, and through inaction fails to carry out that duty and allows wrongdoing to continue:

- Malfeasance -

FAM managers that were former Secret Service ABSOLUTELY make over $200,000 per year. Get YOUR facts straight. They collect a retirement of around 90K and then draw a FAMS salary of about 125K. It's criminal and a big con to the American people. Finally, you're right about the difference between FAMs and federal marshals. FAMs get paid more, have a higher clearance and don't sit in court and transport convicts.

Cindy, #1. You Don't WORK HERE. #2: They DO make that much. #3: We KNOW the difference between a US MArshal and an Air Marshal. So YOU get YOUR facts straight, and don't slander a Federal Agent unless you KNOW what you're talking about.

Why don't all the people whining about it, why don't you get off your butts and do something.

I'd like to address "Cindy" who seems to know more than Federal Air Marshals. "Cindy" seems to think that its impossible for any federal employee to be making $200,000 a year from the government. Well "Cindy", to be perfectly honest, you don't know squat.

It is FACT that the crony retired Secret Service agents in this agency are in fact making $200,000 and more a year from your government. How?

Well all federal employees who retire from the government are of course not allowed to just reapply for another federal job. That's a no-brainer right? Wrong!

The Secret Service negotiated a sweet deal back in the early 80's where they do not receive their retirement from the federal government, but instead from a retirement plan negotiated with the District of Columbia, therefore, after Secret Service Agents retire, they can turn right around and apply for yet another federal job at a full salary, while at the same time collecting their full pension from the government! No other federal employees in history have been allowed to do such a thing.

Most retired Secret Service agents take in approximately $75,000 a year in a retirement pension. Now add in their salaries with the Federal Air Marshal Service which START around $125,000 per year. When you add the two together, you get $200,000 and above these retired Secret Service agents are raking in each year.

This is the classic case of "double dipping". So I say to you "Cindy", maybe YOU should get YOUR facts straight before questioning the integrity of others who have been living this nightmare in this agency for the past 4 years.

Thank God this info is getting out! America wake up and demand the truth. It's your tax dollars at waste and it's the Secret Service good ol boy connection that is to blame. Tom Quinn I hope you sleep well and Director Brown..your four years as Deputy Chief Of Staff is going to be your end! Thank you ABC!!!

For anyone who thinks Rep. Sensenbrenner is simply grand-standing before the November elections: He beat his last opponent 66% to 32%

http://www.bipac.net/results_by_state.asp?g=AFPA&s=wi

OMG What are we going to do. I can tell you...NOTHING. Thats what the Bush administration has done and thats what will be done with this investigation. Mark my words..You will see.

I will post this as a still employed air marshal. The items in this discussion regarding the pay, the mistreatment, the lying, the cheating, the lack of respect is all true. In our office our acting SAC is former SS, our acting ASAC is former SS and no fewer then 2 of our ATSACs are former SS. The 2 that came in as ATSACs came in with absolutely no management experience and have proven it in their 4 years there so far. They are all spineless, coniving weasels that get off on sticking it to real cops. The sooner they all go the better.

As a flying Air Marshal I have personally witnessed the corruption and malfeasance expressed in the above posts. The good people who have attempted to stand up to this abuse have be the subject of "witch-hunts" and have had their families victimized. This includes FAM supervisors who came from other agencies (other than the Secret Service) who have worked for change but have been marginalized by the Secret Service "good ol' boy" network. And last but not least let's not forget the true victims in all this... the American public.