Wednesday, August 29, 2007

OAG's Open Government Mediation Program

Dear Attorney General McCollum,

I pasted in below a copy of my Florida Public Records request, dated December 16, 2006, that I sent to the State Attorney's Office in Panama City. I also faxed a copy. The USPS verified its delivery on 12/19/06 at 3:20 PM. On former Gov. Bush's suggestion I forwarded evidence of illegal electronic surveillance by the FDLE and Holmes County Sheriff's Dept. to my State Attorney. I never heard from SA Meadows; however, ASA Lewis eventually replied to my earlier FL PRR. The response that I received to my 12/19/06 PRR was totally inadequate, consisting only of some of my earlier correspondence while omitting material evidence that I had sent, such as a January 5, 2001 letter from William S. Rimes, WFEC Executive VP & CEO, and email from another party. There was also no mention of a VHS tape, a crucial piece of evidence, that I sent to SA Steve Meadows. Electronic surveillance experts described the recorded audio phenomenon as indicative of electronic surveillance. Furthermore, there's no indication that either Mr. Meadows or Mr. Lewis questioned former FDLE Commissioner Guy Tunnel, who was employed by SA Meadow's office at the time, as I requested (Former Gov. Bush had forwarded my complaint at the time to then FDLE Commissioner Tunnel). The SAO didn't supply anything that could even remotely be described as a case file, which would serve as the basis for Mr. Lewis' Dec. 6, 2006 letter.

I hope that you can help. If you need any additional information or have any questions, please contact me. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Joe Keegan
Bonifay, FL


CERTIFIED MAIL RECEIPT # 7006 0810 0005 0531 0903


PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST


December 16, 2006

State Attorney's Office
421 Magnolia Avenue,
Panama City, FL 32401,
Attention: Erica Field.
Fax: 850-747-5863

Pursuant to Article I, section 24, of the Florida Constitution, and Chapter 119, F.S, I am requesting a copy of my entire closed case file, which Mr. Lewis referenced in his letter, dated December 6, 2006. In his letter, dated December 6, 2006, Mr. Lewis wrote: "Dear Mr. Keegan, All inquiries by this office have failed to substantiate any of your claims. Absent any credible evidence this office is closing our file." I am requesting any and all documents, records, memoranda, correspondence, Internet emails, and notes and records from any telephonic discussions related to Mr. Lewis' "inquiries." I am requesting any and all records and memoranda regarding the State Attorney Office's review and findings of the VHS videotape that I submitted as evidence of illegal electronic surveillance by Florida law enforcement. In addition, I am requesting a check of the State Attorney Office's public contact databases, including Internet email, and requesting printouts of these records, i.e., intake forms, Internet email, and tracking documents for postal correspondence.

I will contact your office within one week to discuss when I may expect fulfillment of my request, and payment of any statutorily prescribed fees. If you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you.

Sincerely,


Joe Keegan
Bonifay, FL

Thursday, August 23, 2007

FBI FOIA

US Rep Jeff Miller wrote that he couldn't help with the FBI, so I filed two FOIA's with with the FBI: one with the Special Agent in Charge at the Jacksonville office (PRIORITY MAIL 0306 1070 0004 8123 0740) and the other with David M. Hardy, Chief, RIDS, in DC (EXPRESS MAIL EB 390615184). USPS Track & Confirm verified delivery of the later. However, I noticed that USPS Track & Confirm indicated two separate Acceptance times by Wassau Post Office: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I've never seen this before and inquired about it. Amber S, who I dealt with before, emailed a reply that my mail was delivered in DC. I emailed back that my question was, why two different acceptance times? I suspect that someone opened both envelopes. I've pasted in the text from my FOIA/PA Request to DC below. I hope that's what they receive.The other one was the same but addressed to the Special Agent in Charge at the Jacksonville FBI office.

Request for PersonalRecords under the FOIA/PA

Joseph Michael Keegan
Street Address.,
City, FL 32425
Daytime phone #
email address

August 21, 2007


David M. Hardy, Chief
Record/Information Dissemination Section
Records Management Division
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Department of Justice
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20535-0001

Dear Sir:


This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. Section 552) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. Section 552a)

I write to request a copy of all agency records relating to me. Please inform me if your index or indexes show that there are “See References” indicating that my name appears in files under captions other than my name, so that I can decide whether to have such files searched.

In order to help your search for these materials, I am including the following information. Other names that I have used: Joe Keegan. I mailed a complaint and request for help, dated June 4, 2007, under the name of Joe Keegan and signed by Joe Keegan to the FBI Jacksonville office charging the FDLE and Holmes County Sheriff’s Department with illegal electronic surveillance and harassment. I also mailed under the name of Joe Keegan and signed by Joe Keegan a June 14, 2007 supplemental evidence envelope. The USPS verified delivery of both Express Mail envelopes. In addition, I mailed subsequent follow up letters, dated July 14, 2007 FBI, to both the Jacksonville FBI Special Agent In Charge and Civil Rights Supervisor regarding the status of my complaint.

My date of birth is ____; my place of birth is ______, __; and my Social Security Number is xxx-xx-xxxx.

The following information may also be of use in locating and identifying my records: I phoned the FBI's Jacksonville office to report this violation of my civil rights and police misconduct on June 1, 2007. The secretary connected me to an agent. I briefly explained the situation to Chris (no last names, although I identified myself as Joe Keegan and my address as _________, and phone number xxx-xxx-xxxx). Chris asked if the pole was on the street. I made it clear that both poles are on private property. Chris said to summarize it in a page or two, attach some letters, and mail it to the attention of the Civil Rights Supervisor.

As you know, the FOIA requires that even if some material is properly exempt from mandatory disclosure, all segregable portions must be released. If all material covered by this request is withheld, please inform me of the specific exemptions that are being claimed; if material is being released with deletions, I ask that each deletion be marked to indicate which exemption(s) is (are) being claimed to authorize each particular withholding. In addition, I ask that your agency exercise its discretion to release information that may be technically exempt but where withholding would serve no important public interest.

I am prepared to pay reasonable fees for the material that I am requesting. However, I ask that if the fees will total more than $xxx.00 that I be informed before the fees are incurred.

In addition, the FOIA states that fees should be reduced or waived when release of information would be of benefit to the public. Since the release of files to the subject of those files is important for the protection of personal privacy in our society, I believe that the fees that would be incurred by this request should be waived, or, in the alternative, reduced. If you do not grant my request for a fee waiver, and if the copying fees will be more than $xx.00, I ask that provisions be made so that I can review the records I am requesting and to select those documents that I want copied.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please telephone me at xx-xxx-xxxx. I would be happy to discuss ways in which this request could be clarified or redesigned to speed the search for records.

As provided under the FOIA, I will expect a reply within twenty working days.

Under penalty of perjury, I hereby declare that I am the person named above and I understand that any falsification of this statement is punishable under the provisions of Title 18, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 1001 by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment of not more than five years, or both; and that requesting or obtaining any record(s) under false pretenses is punishable under the provisions of Title 5, U.S.C., Section 552a(i)(3) as a misdemeanor and by a fine of not more than $5,000.


Signature_____________________________________Date______________________

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Jeff Miller, Member of Congress

I received Jeff Miller's reply, dated August 14, 2007, to my request for help this past Friday, August 17, 2007. The text of the Honorable's communication appears below.

August 14, 2007

Dear Mr. Keegan:

Thank you for your letter regarding your concerns with the FDLE, Holmes County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I do understand your concerns regarding these matters and appreciate your bringing them to my attention.

In reviewing your correspondence, I see that you sent your concerns in writing to the FBI. This is the appropriate course of action to take. As a Member of Congress, I am not in authority to neither assist in nor take part in active agency investigations. When an agency receives such allegations, they have an investigative branch that examines the matter and takes action. This is akin to a judicial review and outside the legislative authority that I possess.

I am very sorry that I was unable to assist you. In offering help, however, I did want to be perfectly honest with you about how this situation limits by ability to assist in such matters. I am confident that if the agency finds merit in your allegations or have further questions, they will be in touch with you. Do understand that as a matter under the Privacy Act, the agencies may not be able to report back to you or even confirm any action taken.

If I can be of further assistance to you concerning other matters, please contact me. With warm personal regards, I am

Sincerely,

Signed Jeff Miller
Member of Congress

US Rep Jeff Miller

The USPS verified that my Express Mail envelope number EB39 0615 198US was delivered on 07/30/2007 at 11:02 AM in PENSACOLA, FL, 32503. The preceding item was a request for my Congressman to inquire as to the status of my complaint charging theFDLE and Holmes County Sheriff's Department with illegal surveillance and harassment. Earlier I had sent the Congressman a copy of the same VHS tape that I sent to the SAO. Based on that compelling VHS tape, US Rep Miller suggested that I contact my State Representative, which I did. I also provided the Congressman with additional evidence of my charges.



July 28, 2007

The Honorable Jeff Miller
4300 Bayou Blvd., Suite 13
Pensacola, Florida 32503


Dear Congressman Miller,

I’m requesting your help with a problem that I’m having with a federal agency. The USPS verified delivery of my June 4, 2007 FBI complaint (copy enclosed)and June 14, 2007 supplemental evidence (copy enclosed)letters to the FBI Jacksonville office. Both the Jacksonville FBI Special Agent In Charge and Civil Rights Supervisor failed to respond to my subsequent July 14, 2007 letters (copies enclosed) inquiring as
to the status of my complaint. Consequently, I’m requesting your help in obtaining a reply from the Jacksonville FBI to my complaint charging the FDLE and Holmes County Sheriff’s Department with illegal electronic surveillance and harassment.

All attempts to resolve this on-going egregious violation of US Constitutionally protected rights with Florida State authorities were met with stonewalling lies, and cover-up. There’s not only an inherent conflict of interest with the FDLE and SAO investigating my charges, but also there are no effective checks and balances within this system. Only unaccountability makes this arrogant abuse and violation of the US
Constitution possible.

As you suggested in your earlier letter, I phoned the Jacksonville FBI office and the FBI representative who answered the phone connected me with a FBI agent, who identified himself as Chris (he said that they don’t give their last names). I
identified myself and gave my address. Chrisdidn ’t question my veracity, but only if the devices were located on a public street or on private property. When convinced that they were indeed on private property, Chris instructed me to write a brief letter to the Jacksonville FBI Civil Rights Supervisor. I’m requesting your help in
getting a reply to my complaint from the FBI.

Former FDLE Agent Betty Romminger asked me: Why is this still going on? Good question. Why is this still going on? Is this an example of the “freedom” that our troops are fighting to protect in Iraq?

Sincerely,

Joe Keegan