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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 14 June 2022
Sanctions sought against FBI over Civil War gold dig videos

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM contained multiple tons of
Associated Press gold."
The FBI either lied to a fed- A message was sent to the
eral judge about having FBI seeking comment Mon-
video of its secretive 2018 day.
dig for Civil War-era gold, The government's initial
or illegally destroyed the court-ordered release of
video to prevent a father- documents last month in-
son team of treasure hunt- cluded a geophysical sur-
ers from gaining access to vey commissioned by the
it, an attorney for the duo FBI that suggested an ob-
asserted in new legal filings ject with a mass of up to 9
that allege a government tons and a density consis-
cover-up. tent with gold was buried
The FBI has long insisted its at the site. The FBI used the
agents recovered nothing consultant's work to obtain
of value when they went a warrant to seize any gold
looking for the fabled gold found at the site at Dent's
cache. But Finders Keepers, Run, about 135 miles (220
a treasure-hunting compa- kilometers) northeast of
ny that led agents to the Pittsburgh, where legend
remote woodland site in says an 1863 shipment of
Pennsylvania in hopes of Union gold was either lost
getting a finder's fee, sus- or stolen on its way to the
pect the FBI found tons of FBI agents and representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.
gold and made off with it. Resources set up a base in March, 2018, in Benezette Township, Elk County, Pa. The agency has adamantly
After Finders Keepers be- Associated Press denied it found anything.
gan pressing the govern- The treasure hunters say the
ment for information about fering his evidence for bur- to be an FBI agent in front illegally destroyed respon- FBI has consistently stone-
the dig, the FBI initially said ied treasure.The FBI did not of a video camera at the sive videotapes in an effort walled.
it could produce 17 rele- say it had any video of the hillside dig site, with other to circumvent the FOIA's "For the FBI to now say it has
vant video files. Then, with- actual excavation, which agents in the background. disclosure requirements," no videotapes of the dig
out explanation, the FBI re- is what Finders Keepers is The trail-cam image was Weismann wrote. strains credulity and takes
duced that number to four. seeking. The treasure hunt- included in a legal filing She asked a judge to order this whole affair to the next
Last week, under court or- ers say they have evidence late Friday by lawyer Anne the Justice Department to level," Warren Getler, who
der, the agency finally re- the FBI indeed shot video Weismann, who represents pay a portion of Finders' has worked closely with
vealed what it said were of the dig — and they are Finders Keepers in its Free- Keepers legal fees to com- Finders Keepers, said Mon-
the contents of those four seeking sanctions against dom of Information Act pensate for the legal wran- day. "We have incontro-
videos — and it turns out all the FBI for what their lawyer lawsuit against the govern- gling over the videos, and vertible photographic evi-
had been provided to the cast as a blatant, bad-faith ment. hold the FBI accountable dence of them videotap-
FBI by Finders Keepers co- effort to mislead. The photo "suggests either for "covering up the results ing the dig and interview-
owner Dennis Parada him- On March 13, 2018, Para- the FBI has falsely claimed of its excavation ... that ing their operational leader
self, weeks before the dig, da's hidden trail camera to have no other respon- highly advanced scien- at the site. It raises a lot of
at a time when he was of- captured what appears sive videotapes or the FBI tific technology indicated serious questions."q

Justices rule against detained immigrants seeking release

By MARK SHERMAN tect their rights." solved.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The In recent years, the high The court ruled in the cases
Supreme Court has ruled court has taken an increas- of people from Mexico and
against immigrants who ingly limited view of immi- El Salvador who persuaded
are seeking their release grants' access to the feder- Homeland Security officials
from long periods of deten- al court system under immi- that their fears are credible,
tion while they fight depor- gration measures enacted entitling them to further re-
tation orders. in the 1990s and 2000s. view.
In two cases decided Mon- "For a while, it seemed Their lawyers argued that
day, the court said that like the court was going they should have a hear-
the immigrants, who fear to push back a bit. In ex- ing before an immigration
persecution if sent back treme cases, it would inter- judge to determine if they
to their native countries, pret a statute to allow for should be released. The
have no right under a fed- as much judicial review as main factors are whether
eral law to a bond hearing possible,"said Nicole Hallet, people would pose a dan-
at which they could argue director of the immigrants ger or are likely to flee if set
for their freedom no matter rights clinic at the Univer- free. The U.S. Supreme Court, Monday, June 13, 2022, in Washington.
how long they are held. sity of Chicago law school. Sotomayor wrote the Associated Press
The justices also ruled 6-3 to "Clearly now, the court is no court's opinion in one case
limit the immigrants ability longer willing to do that." involving Antonio Arteaga- case wound through the the provision of immigra-
to band together in court, The immigrants who sued Martinez, who had previ- federal courts. His hear- tion law that applies to
an outcome that Justice for a bond hearing are ously been deported to ing on whether he can re- people like Arteaga-Marti-
Sonia Sotomayor wrote facing being detained for Mexico. He was taken into main in the United States is nez simply doesn't require
"will leave many vulnerable many months, even years, custody four years ago, scheduled for 2023. the government to hold a
noncitizens unable to pro- before their cases are re- and won release while his But Sotomayor wrote that bond hearing.q