Thread: DHS employee investigated for possible plot of violence

DHS employee investigated for possible plot of violence

By Tal Kopan and Evan Perez, CNN
Updated 4:17 PM ET, Wed June 22, 2016

Washington (CNN)A Department of Homeland Security employee was arrested two weeks ago for carrying a gun onto DHS property without a license, according to court documents, but the agency is also investigating whether the man was plotting a violent attack.

Jonathan Wienke, 35, an analyst in the office of intelligence and analysis, was arrested on June 9 at the Naval Security Center on Nebraska Avenue in Washington after a search of him turned up a loaded .22 caliber revolver in his pocket, according to court documents.

At first, Wienke was stopped as part of routine random screenings at the entrance gate. DHS security agents found a folding knife, two-way radio, pepper spray, infrared camera, handcuffs and a breathalyzer in his backpack. The knife and pepper spray were confiscated and Wienke was allowed to go to his desk, according to an affidavit attached to a search warrant for Wienke's West Virginia residence.

An hour-and-a-half later, as a meeting of senior DHS officials was taking place across from Wienke's cubicle, law enforcement went to his desk and met him as he arrived shortly thereafter. Wienke denied having weapons on him, but a pat-down revealed a revolver loaded with hollow-point bullets in his pocket.

Wienke had a permit to carry a concealed weapon in West Virginia, but was not licensed to carry in Washington, according to the documents.

The arrest was first reported by NBC4 Washington.
Investigators believe that Wienke may have been plotting, possibly with another person, to carry out an attack on DHS, including possibly on senior officials that frequented and were housed in the highly secure complex where Wienke works. The officer signing the affidavit cited the infra-red camera, handcuffs, multiple handcuff keys, two radio devices and weapons Wienke had on him as evidence of such a threat.

"This provides probable cause to believe that Jonathan L. Wienke was conspiring with another to commit workplace violence, and most particularly may have been conspiring or planning to commit violence against the senior DHS officials in the building," wrote DHS investigator Eric Mann.

Mann also said that a law enforcement label on the pepper spray and the breathalyzer that Wienke were carrying suggest he or he and co-conspirators were planning to impersonate law enforcement officers.

In the search warrant for Wienke's residence, investigators said they were looking for more weapons, thermal imaging equipment, communications devices and paper trails for how Wienke acquired them, as well as any research on DHS personnel, potential targets, law enforcement paraphernalia and other evidence of a partner or broader plot.

Wienke was released from jail June 13 pending further proceedings. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington had no comment citing an ongoing investigation.

A DHS spokesperson said he has been placed on administrative leave during the pending the investigation.

One of the chief congressional watchdogs of DHS, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, expressed concern about the incident.

"Initial reports of this incident are very troubling, and my committee is looking into this serious matter," the Texas Republican said in a statement. "DHS has been in contact and we will continue to engage with the appropriate officials to gather all the facts."

Wienke and his attorney did not immediately respond to CNN request for comment.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/22/politi...-investigated/

Another Employee With a Gun Arrested at Homeland Security Headquarters

By Scott MacFarlane


For the second time in about a month, an employee is caught with a gun by security at Department of Homeland Security headquarters, Scott MacFarlane reports.

(Published 2 hours ago)

WHAT TO KNOW

• Security officers arrested Thomas Pressley, accusing him of carrying a 9-millimeter handgun in a leather handbag inside the complex.
• Pressley, a contractor who works in IT for the agency, has been ordered jailed in D.C. until his next scheduled court appearance Friday.
• Pressley’s arrest comes about a month after the arrest of Jonathan Wienke, another employee accused of carrying a firearm in the complex.

For the second time in a month, an employee has been arrested for taking a handgun on to the secured grounds of U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C.

According to police and court records obtained by the News4 I-Team, security officers arrested Thomas Pressley of Woodbridge, Virginia, Monday, accusing him of carrying a 9-millimeter handgun in a leather handbag while inside the complex.

• Feds Request Stay Away Order for DHS Employee Arrested

Pressley, a contractor who works in IT for the agency, has been ordered jailed in D.C. until his next scheduled court appearance Friday. He is charged with carrying a pistol without a license. Court filings did not detail what, if any, plea has been entered in the case by Pressley. His attorney did not immediately return requests for comment from the I-Team.

Federal government records specify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters complex on Nebraska Avenue in northwest Washington is among the most secured government facilities in the United States, rivaling the security apparatus of the White House and the Pentagon.

• Feds Investigating Whether Employee Was Plotting Attack on DHS Officials

“The weapon appeared to be fully functional, capable of being fired by a single hand, and designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive,” according to a police report.

The report also said, “The weapon also had a barrel length of less than 12 inches.”

• DHS Employee Found With Gun at HQ

Agency security located the handgun during a random employee screening, the report said.

“As a result of enhanced security and screening measures at the NAC, security officers detained a contract employee yesterday after they discovered a concealed firearm during screening," a DHS spokesman said. "The contract employee was subsequently arrested.

"While we currently have no information to suggest that this individual sought to cause harm, as discussed at a recent employee town hall, the safety of employees and visitors to DHS facilities is a top priority. The enhanced security procedures discussed at that meeting remain in effect, including increased levels of screening of employees entering the NAC.

And because we won’t hesitate to take every appropriate measure to protect our employees, our security professionals are evaluating what additional security enhancements may be necessary.”

Pressley’s arrest comes about a month after the arrest of Jonathan Wienke, another Homeland Security employee accused of carrying a firearm inside agency headquarters. Court filings from investigators said Wienke was found with a loaded .22-caliber handgun, carrying five hollow point bullets in June.

Wienke pleaded not guilty to a gun charge and is awaiting further court proceedings in the case.

But Wienke had more than a gun when he was searched on June 9, according to a request for court permission to raid Wienke’s home. A federal agent and security officers also found Wienke had a knife, pepper spray, thermal imaging equipment and radio devices.

And the feds said in the court filing that Wienke was found in his workspace, which is in close proximity to a meeting of senior agency officials the day of his arrest -- and that Wienke was aware of the meeting.
In the same court filing, the agent said there was “probable cause to believe Jonathan Wienke was conspiring with another to commit workplace violence and, more particularly, may have been conspiring or planning to commit violence against the senior DHS officials in the building.”

Another Employee With a Gun Arrested at Homeland Security Headquarters | NBC4 Washington http://www.nbcwashington.com/investi...#ixzz4EEhuKUP9

DHS Employee Accused of Taking Weapons to Work Had 19 Guns, 10,000-50,000 Rounds of Ammo at Home: Affidavit

By Scott MacFarlane

WHAT TO KNOW

• Jonathan Wienke was found with weapons by security officers at Homeland Security headquarters in June.
• A search of his West Virginia home found multiple illegal weapons, according to court documents.
• Authorities arrested Wienke in Pennsylvania Friday in relation to the search warrant on his house.

A Department of Homeland Security employee accused of taking weapons to work had 19 firearms and 10,000 to 50,000 rounds of ammunition at his home, according to new court filings.

Federal government analyst Jonathan Leigh Wienke, 45, is charged with illegally building a silencer on an unregistered pistol and having materials to build more silencers, according to the seven-count grand jury indictment.

The charges carry up to a 10-year prison term.

• DHS Employee Pleads Not Guilty to Gun Charges

Wienke has pleaded not guilty. He had no comment for News4 at his hearing last week.

Investigators seized the guns and ammo from Wienke's Martinsburg, West Virginia, home when executing a search warrant there in June, according to the affidavit. Agents also found items in the kitchen “consistent with those sometimes used to make improvised explosives,” but the items were not considered contraband and not seized.

• DHS Employee Caught With Gun, Knife at HQ Arrested

Wienke was found with a gun by security officers while he was on the job at agency headquarters on Nebraska Avenue in northwest D.C., according to court filings obtained by the News4 I-Team. A federal agent and security officers also found Wienke had a knife, pepper spray, thermal imaging equipment and radio devices, according to the request for court permission to raid his home about 75 miles from Washington.

The federal charges do not reference Wienke’s arrest at DHS headquarters. D.C. prosecutors said they are awaiting the decision of a grand jury before further action is taken in that case. Wienke previously pleaded not guilty in the D.C. case.

• Feds Request Stay Away Order for DHS Employee Arrested

The feds said in the court filing that Wienke was found in his workspace, which is in close proximity to a meeting of senior agency officials the day of his arrest, and that Wienke was aware of the meeting.

In the same court filing, the agent said there was “probable cause to believe Jonathan Wienke was conspiring with another to commit workplace violence, and more particularly may have been conspiring or planning to commit violence against the senior DHS officials in the building.”

• Feds Investigating Whether Employee Was Plotting Attack on DHS Officials

But last month, the department's chief security officer, Richard McComb, told a House homeland security subcommittee that there is "no indication" Wienke was "planning or conspiring to commit workplace violence."

According to the court filing, Wienke was chosen for a random security screening when he arrived at agency headquarters about 7:30 a.m. June 9. The feds, in their filing, said security officers found the knife, pepper spray, thermal imaging equipment and radio devices during the screening and seized them.

• DHS Employee Found With Gun at HQ

But he was allowed to proceed to his office by agency security, according to their court filing.

About 90 minutes later, before the meeting of the senior DHS officials near Wienke’s work area, security went to Wienke and asked him to undergo another screening, according to the court filing. During that screening, the feds found the loaded gun and the five hollow-point bullets, the filing said.

According to the court record, Wienke had a top-secret clearance inside DHS headquarters, a building which has 3,000 employees.

Initially he was charged with carrying a pistol without a license. He was placed on administrative leave from his job after his initial arrest, and a judge barred him from entering DHS headquarters while the investigation continues.

On July 11, another DHS employee was caught with a gun at headquarters.

Thomas Pressley, a contractor who works in IT for the agency, pleaded not guilty.

Source: DHS Employee Accused of Taking Weapons to Work Had 19 Guns, 10,000-50,000 Rounds of Ammo at Home: Affidavit | NBC4 Washingtonhttp://www.nbcwashington.com/investi...#ixzz4GDT0XQys