Washington
Lawyers for Rep. Swalwell demand that FBI director halt any plan to release old investigative file
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Rep. Eric Swalwell demanded Monday that FBI Director Kash Patel immediately end any effort to release records from a decade-old investigation involving the California Democrat and a suspected Chinese operative that resulted in no criminal charges.
The cease-and-desist letter from the attorneys advises Patel that he would run afoul of both federal law and longstanding Justice Department policy if he moves forward with releasing records from the FBI’s investigative file. It seeks a response from Patel within three days confirming that he will comply with the demand, and warns that any further effort to publicize the files will result in legal action.
“The Congressman has never been accused of wrongdoing in that matter and your attempt to release the file is a transparent attempt to smear him and undermine his campaign for Governor of California,” said the cease-and-desist letter from Swalwell’s attorneys, Sean Hecker and Norm Eisen. “Your actions threaten to expose you, others at the FBI, and the FBI itself to significant legal liability. Indeed, disclosure of the investigative file would violate federal law in several respects.”
The Washington Post first reported that Patel had directed agents to review and redact files from the investigation in preparation for their release even though it is extraordinarily unusual for the Justice Department to publicly disclose records from criminal inquiries that do not result in charges. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday from The Associated Press but earlier told the Post that the FBI “prepares documents for numerous different reasons.”
The investigation concerned interactions that Swalwell had with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative who was reported to have cultivated ties with U.S. come into contact with Swalwell’s campaign as he was first running for Congress in 2012 and participated in fundraising for his 2014 campaign.
Federal investigators alerted Swalwell to their concerns and briefed Congress about Fang in 2015, at which point Swalwell says he cut off contact with her. He was not accused of wrongdoing and a House Ethics Committee investigation that was opened in 2021 closed two years later without any action.
Swalwell, who is running for governor in California, is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and served as one of the House managers in the second of two impeachments of Trump during the Republican’s first term. He has also openly clashed with Patel, who named Swalwell and dozens of other perceived adversaries of Trump in a 2023 book he wrote called “Government Gangsters.”
Ohio
Jury deadlocked in corruption trial of 2 former FirstEnergy execs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jurors in an Ohio corruption trial said Tuesday that they couldn’t reach a verdict in the case against two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives for their alleged role in a $60 million bribery scheme.
The jury in Akron said it was at an impasse in the trial of former CEO Chuck Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling. They were charged with felony corruption, bribery, conspiracy and aggravated theft for paying $4.3 million to the state’s future top utility regulator. The judge said she will consider a mistrial motion at a later time.
Prosecutors said Jones and Dowling bribed Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chair-to-be Sam Randazzo for legislative and regulatory favors. The defense had argued the payment represented an above-board legal settlement.
As part of a non-prosecution agreement in 2021, FirstEnergy had already admitted to underwriting the $60 million scheme in which former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder elected allies, secured power, passed the bailout bill and then used a dirty-tricks campaign to defend it from a citizen referendum.
Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering in 2023 for orchestrating the scheme. Lobbyist and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges got five years. Two political operatives who were among those initially charged pleaded guilty and a dark money group admitted in court to serving as a conduit for the cash. Randazzo and a different lobbyist who also faced criminal charges died by suicide.
Prosecutors had argued that Jones and Dowling bribed Randazzo in exchange for regulatory and legislative favors, most notably his work championing House Bill 6, a $1 billion bailout for two FirstEnergy-affiliated nuclear plants. The defense argued the $4.3 million payment represented an above-board legal settlement to Randazzo for services he provided to the Akron-based power giant.
The defense painted Randazzo as “a thief” and “a con man” who bore sole responsibility for the misuse of FirstEnergy money. Prosecutors said Jones and Dowling were savvy grown men who knew exactly what they were doing.
The highest profile witness to testify during the six-week trial was U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a former Ohio lieutenant governor who confirmed to jurors that he was present at a key Dec. 18, 2018, dinner between himself, then-Gov.-elect Mike DeWine, Jones, Dowling and Josh Rubin, who doubled as an advisor to the governor’s campaign and a lobbyist for FirstEnergy.
Rubin provided advice to the executives earlier that day on how to lobby DeWine to favor the company’s preferences to chair the PUCO, according to a text contained in the criminal complaint.
Rubin cautioned them not to mention to DeWine that they would be meeting Randazzo at his residence after the dinner. Later in the day, Randazzo texted Dowling a list of figures for the years 2019 through 2024, “Total 4,333,333.” “Got it, Sam,” Dowling replied. “Good seeing you as well. Thanks for the hospitality. Cool condo.”
The next day, Jones also texted Randazzo. “We’re going to get this handled this year, paid in full, no discount,” he wrote. “Don’t forget about us or Hurricane Chuck may show up on your doorstep! Of course, no guarantee he won’t show up sometime anyway.”
Randazzo replied, “Made me laugh — you guys are welcome anytime and anywhere I can open the door. Let me know how you want me to structure the invoices. Thanks.”
Utah
Lawyers for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk ask to delay hearing
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk have asked to delay a preliminary hearing scheduled in May, saying they need time to review an enormous amount of material and a bullet analysis that could contribute to his defense.
Tyler Robinson’s defense team said in recent court filings that an analysis from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a federal law enforcement agency, could not conclusively connect a bullet fragment recovered during an autopsy to the rifle found near the scene. The FBI is running additional tests, according to court documents.
The agency’s report has been kept private, but attorneys have cited snippets in other public filings that say the results were inconclusive.
The success of a forensic ballistics analysis largely depends on the size and condition of the bullet fragments. Experts are looking for unique, microscopic markings that are left on a bullet as it passes through the gun’s barrel. The scratches are like fingerprints in that no two firearms make identical markings.
The defense said in its motion that it may try to use the analysis to clear Robinson of blame during the preliminary hearing, while prosecutors aim to show they have enough evidence against him to proceed with a trial.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Prosecutors have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing and two unfired cartridges. Defense attorneys note that forensic reports indicate multiple people’s DNA was found on some items, which they say requires a more complex analysis.
Robinson reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.
Robinson is due back in court April 17 for a hearing on a defense motion to ban cameras from the courtroom.
California
Marine corporal accused of stealing and selling weapons from California’s Camp Pendleton
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A U.S. Marine who was an ammunition specialist at California’s Camp Pendleton is charged with stealing ammo and weapons, including a shoulder-fired missile system, and conspiring to sell them in Arizona, according to court documents.
Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas pleaded not guilty last Thursday in Phoenix to multiple charges including conspiracy to commit theft and embezzlement of government property, and possession and sale of stolen ammunition. A judge ordered him to be held in custody pending trial.
A message was sent Monday seeking comment from an attorney for Amarillas.
Federal prosecutors said Amarillas used his position as a technical specialist at the School of Infantry West to steal at least one Javelin missile system, thousands of rounds of military-grade ammunition and other weapons-related material between February 2022 and November 2025.
He’s accused of transporting the stolen material to his home state of Arizona, where he sold them to unnamed co-conspirators, who then resold the equipment to others, prosecutors said. Some but not all of the stolen weapons and ammo has been recovered.
A co-conspirator had a number for Amarillas saved in a cellphone under the nickname “Andrew Ammo,” court documents said.
“(I) have 2 launchers that (I) think you’d like, if you want to take a look tomorrow,” Amarillas texted to a co-conspirator in August, according to the criminal complaint. The text messages also included photos, including one of a portable Javelin missile system with a serial number that matched one that Amarillas had signed out from the military base near San Diego, the complaint said.
Some of the ammunition was purchased from co-conspirators by undercover officers, prosecutors said.
“The objects of the conspiracy were to steal property and ammunition from the U.S. military and sell stolen U.S. military property and ammunition to others to earn money,” said the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for Arizona.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service declined to comment on the Amarillas case, but said the investigation is ongoing.
“NCIS and our partners remain committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating any allegation involving the theft of military weapons and munitions to be sold on the black market,” Acting Deputy Assistant Director Jeff Houston said in an email on Monday.
In 2021, explosives went missing from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert. NCIS said at the time it was investigating the disappearance of explosives, but declined to provide details.
Lawyers for Rep. Swalwell demand that FBI director halt any plan to release old investigative file
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Rep. Eric Swalwell demanded Monday that FBI Director Kash Patel immediately end any effort to release records from a decade-old investigation involving the California Democrat and a suspected Chinese operative that resulted in no criminal charges.
The cease-and-desist letter from the attorneys advises Patel that he would run afoul of both federal law and longstanding Justice Department policy if he moves forward with releasing records from the FBI’s investigative file. It seeks a response from Patel within three days confirming that he will comply with the demand, and warns that any further effort to publicize the files will result in legal action.
“The Congressman has never been accused of wrongdoing in that matter and your attempt to release the file is a transparent attempt to smear him and undermine his campaign for Governor of California,” said the cease-and-desist letter from Swalwell’s attorneys, Sean Hecker and Norm Eisen. “Your actions threaten to expose you, others at the FBI, and the FBI itself to significant legal liability. Indeed, disclosure of the investigative file would violate federal law in several respects.”
The Washington Post first reported that Patel had directed agents to review and redact files from the investigation in preparation for their release even though it is extraordinarily unusual for the Justice Department to publicly disclose records from criminal inquiries that do not result in charges. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday from The Associated Press but earlier told the Post that the FBI “prepares documents for numerous different reasons.”
The investigation concerned interactions that Swalwell had with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative who was reported to have cultivated ties with U.S. come into contact with Swalwell’s campaign as he was first running for Congress in 2012 and participated in fundraising for his 2014 campaign.
Federal investigators alerted Swalwell to their concerns and briefed Congress about Fang in 2015, at which point Swalwell says he cut off contact with her. He was not accused of wrongdoing and a House Ethics Committee investigation that was opened in 2021 closed two years later without any action.
Swalwell, who is running for governor in California, is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and served as one of the House managers in the second of two impeachments of Trump during the Republican’s first term. He has also openly clashed with Patel, who named Swalwell and dozens of other perceived adversaries of Trump in a 2023 book he wrote called “Government Gangsters.”
Ohio
Jury deadlocked in corruption trial of 2 former FirstEnergy execs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jurors in an Ohio corruption trial said Tuesday that they couldn’t reach a verdict in the case against two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives for their alleged role in a $60 million bribery scheme.
The jury in Akron said it was at an impasse in the trial of former CEO Chuck Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling. They were charged with felony corruption, bribery, conspiracy and aggravated theft for paying $4.3 million to the state’s future top utility regulator. The judge said she will consider a mistrial motion at a later time.
Prosecutors said Jones and Dowling bribed Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chair-to-be Sam Randazzo for legislative and regulatory favors. The defense had argued the payment represented an above-board legal settlement.
As part of a non-prosecution agreement in 2021, FirstEnergy had already admitted to underwriting the $60 million scheme in which former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder elected allies, secured power, passed the bailout bill and then used a dirty-tricks campaign to defend it from a citizen referendum.
Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering in 2023 for orchestrating the scheme. Lobbyist and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges got five years. Two political operatives who were among those initially charged pleaded guilty and a dark money group admitted in court to serving as a conduit for the cash. Randazzo and a different lobbyist who also faced criminal charges died by suicide.
Prosecutors had argued that Jones and Dowling bribed Randazzo in exchange for regulatory and legislative favors, most notably his work championing House Bill 6, a $1 billion bailout for two FirstEnergy-affiliated nuclear plants. The defense argued the $4.3 million payment represented an above-board legal settlement to Randazzo for services he provided to the Akron-based power giant.
The defense painted Randazzo as “a thief” and “a con man” who bore sole responsibility for the misuse of FirstEnergy money. Prosecutors said Jones and Dowling were savvy grown men who knew exactly what they were doing.
The highest profile witness to testify during the six-week trial was U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a former Ohio lieutenant governor who confirmed to jurors that he was present at a key Dec. 18, 2018, dinner between himself, then-Gov.-elect Mike DeWine, Jones, Dowling and Josh Rubin, who doubled as an advisor to the governor’s campaign and a lobbyist for FirstEnergy.
Rubin provided advice to the executives earlier that day on how to lobby DeWine to favor the company’s preferences to chair the PUCO, according to a text contained in the criminal complaint.
Rubin cautioned them not to mention to DeWine that they would be meeting Randazzo at his residence after the dinner. Later in the day, Randazzo texted Dowling a list of figures for the years 2019 through 2024, “Total 4,333,333.” “Got it, Sam,” Dowling replied. “Good seeing you as well. Thanks for the hospitality. Cool condo.”
The next day, Jones also texted Randazzo. “We’re going to get this handled this year, paid in full, no discount,” he wrote. “Don’t forget about us or Hurricane Chuck may show up on your doorstep! Of course, no guarantee he won’t show up sometime anyway.”
Randazzo replied, “Made me laugh — you guys are welcome anytime and anywhere I can open the door. Let me know how you want me to structure the invoices. Thanks.”
Utah
Lawyers for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk ask to delay hearing
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk have asked to delay a preliminary hearing scheduled in May, saying they need time to review an enormous amount of material and a bullet analysis that could contribute to his defense.
Tyler Robinson’s defense team said in recent court filings that an analysis from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a federal law enforcement agency, could not conclusively connect a bullet fragment recovered during an autopsy to the rifle found near the scene. The FBI is running additional tests, according to court documents.
The agency’s report has been kept private, but attorneys have cited snippets in other public filings that say the results were inconclusive.
The success of a forensic ballistics analysis largely depends on the size and condition of the bullet fragments. Experts are looking for unique, microscopic markings that are left on a bullet as it passes through the gun’s barrel. The scratches are like fingerprints in that no two firearms make identical markings.
The defense said in its motion that it may try to use the analysis to clear Robinson of blame during the preliminary hearing, while prosecutors aim to show they have enough evidence against him to proceed with a trial.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Prosecutors have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing and two unfired cartridges. Defense attorneys note that forensic reports indicate multiple people’s DNA was found on some items, which they say requires a more complex analysis.
Robinson reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.
Robinson is due back in court April 17 for a hearing on a defense motion to ban cameras from the courtroom.
California
Marine corporal accused of stealing and selling weapons from California’s Camp Pendleton
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A U.S. Marine who was an ammunition specialist at California’s Camp Pendleton is charged with stealing ammo and weapons, including a shoulder-fired missile system, and conspiring to sell them in Arizona, according to court documents.
Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas pleaded not guilty last Thursday in Phoenix to multiple charges including conspiracy to commit theft and embezzlement of government property, and possession and sale of stolen ammunition. A judge ordered him to be held in custody pending trial.
A message was sent Monday seeking comment from an attorney for Amarillas.
Federal prosecutors said Amarillas used his position as a technical specialist at the School of Infantry West to steal at least one Javelin missile system, thousands of rounds of military-grade ammunition and other weapons-related material between February 2022 and November 2025.
He’s accused of transporting the stolen material to his home state of Arizona, where he sold them to unnamed co-conspirators, who then resold the equipment to others, prosecutors said. Some but not all of the stolen weapons and ammo has been recovered.
A co-conspirator had a number for Amarillas saved in a cellphone under the nickname “Andrew Ammo,” court documents said.
“(I) have 2 launchers that (I) think you’d like, if you want to take a look tomorrow,” Amarillas texted to a co-conspirator in August, according to the criminal complaint. The text messages also included photos, including one of a portable Javelin missile system with a serial number that matched one that Amarillas had signed out from the military base near San Diego, the complaint said.
Some of the ammunition was purchased from co-conspirators by undercover officers, prosecutors said.
“The objects of the conspiracy were to steal property and ammunition from the U.S. military and sell stolen U.S. military property and ammunition to others to earn money,” said the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for Arizona.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service declined to comment on the Amarillas case, but said the investigation is ongoing.
“NCIS and our partners remain committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating any allegation involving the theft of military weapons and munitions to be sold on the black market,” Acting Deputy Assistant Director Jeff Houston said in an email on Monday.
In 2021, explosives went missing from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert. NCIS said at the time it was investigating the disappearance of explosives, but declined to provide details.
