CleanUpATF.org has become aware that over the last 18 months, ATF PGA and Chief Counsel’s Office has consistently provided substantially misleading or patently dishonest answers in response to official Congressional inquiries. Many of these misrepresentations, once exposed and discredited have resulted in significant settlements involving aggrieved ATF employees. Nevertheless, deceptive testimony remains a routine tactic used by ATF to quell congressional concerns and extinguish any potentially threatening oversight activities, no matter how legitimate. In light of Congress’s current emphasis on transparency and accountability on the part of federal agencies, now is the time to contact your Congressional Representative when you become aware of unethical, obstructive or unlawful conduct on the part of ATF management. Other than the quiet payout of significant individual settlements, the managers and staff personnel directly responsible for perpetrating these reprehensible acts have suffered almost no adverse consequences. That needs to change. Remember that in order to be covered under federal “Whistleblower” protections, you must promptly notify your ATF chain of command that a congressional complaint has been submitted.
May 13, 2009 United States Senator Dianne Feinstein One Post Street, Suite 2450 San Francisco, Ca. 94104 Vincent A. Cefalu Request for congressional inquiry, intervention and meeting with Senator Feinstein: In April 2006 I requested that your office conduct an inquiry on my behalf related to Whistleblower reprisals, hostile work environment and discriminatory transfer practices by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, San Francisco Field Division. Your office conducted a preliminary inquiry. You were provided an untruthful and less than candid response signed by the Asst. Director of Public and Governmental Affairs, which at the time satisfied any concerns your office may have had. As I stated, the agency knowingly provided you blatantly false information at which time I advised your staff member of the misrepresentations, but could not inspire further inquiry. The attached document was provided to me based on a simple request for documents related to my own official government permanent change of station transfer. There are no classified materials contained in my transfer files and there is no justifiable reason to withhold information which is governed by GAO and agency policies. Since that time, a class action complaint alleging the same violations by the same managers, as well as widespread institutional practices has been filed by 8 Special Agents and/or Inspectors and clerical staff (who are a part of your constituency, as well as their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and children who are suffering the collateral effects of the abuses) in the San Francisco Field Division. The issues I originally raised have now escalated and are evidenced by the sheer volume of EEOC, OSC and OIG complaints currently facing ATF. I/we are also including a formal written attempt to internally resolve many of these disputes with ATF Senior management. (This document is signed by 16 current and former ATF Special Agents, and Supervisors, many of whom are also your constituents) Since my initial report to your office, millions of dollars of taxpayer funds have been paid out in needless settlements. Thousands of man-hours which could have been directed at southwestern border violence initiatives have instead been wasted on unnecessary internal disputes and abuses. ATF governmental affairs office in concert with ATF counsels office, has been shown through documentation described above as falsely reporting (without consequences) to yourself and other congressional members who have attempted to provide oversight of this Bureau. This Bureau with its rich and honorable history is now barely functioning and in some field divisions, is totally ineffective in its mission to reduce violent crime. There is a real and growing lack of faith in the leadership of this Bureau by the field. ATF's ethical standards are either non-existent or are regularly ignored by Senior Bureau management. This problem is growing, becoming more pronounced and is creating a public spectacle for our Bureau and our nation. With regards to the local impact, these abuses are so flagrant and destructive to the law enforcement community that we (the ATF employees that myself and Special Agent Jay Dobyns represent in the attached class action EEOC complaint) believe that the forced retirements of seasoned Agents, lack of credibility and the increasing disconnect between ATF management and the field, is only weakening ATF's ability to have any real impact on violent crime and firearms enforcement in the Northern California area. Senator Feinstein, you have been an advocate of law enforcement and a champion against violent crime. You have publicly supported efforts to increase transparency in government and openly questioned our (ATF's) apparent inability to interdict deadly firearms on their way to domestic and foreign criminals. We have the answers, and we are willing to be a part of the solution. We respectfully request to meet with you at your convenience and provide a detailed list of the mismanagement, waste fraud and abuse, unethical and illegal practices currently occurring within the Bureau nation wide. We ask that you initiate some oversight mechanisms to get our Bureau back on track, so that we can get back to the business of reducing firearms violence and regulating the industry with fairness and equality. Collectively we have spent our entire careers and lives serving as ATF Agents, and contrary to the position the ATF leadership will attempt to portray, we have served with honor and distinction. Many of the signatures on the attached proposal have perfected some of the most famous and successful investigations in the Bureaus history. Several have survived lethal encounters and have suffered great sacrifice out of love for this country and this Bureau. Our request is simple, hear us and decide whether or not congressional interest is warranted or not. We do not think that is too much to ask in exchange for a lifetime of physically placing ourselves between the criminals' firearms and the public. I/we may be reached 24/7 @ **********, at the above address or at Vcefalu@aol.com. Respectfully Submitted, Vincent A. Cefalu Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Attachments:
May 13, 2009 United States Senator Dianne Feinstein One Post Street, Suite 2450 San Francisco, Ca. 94104 Vincent A. Cefalu Request for congressional inquiry, intervention and meeting with Senator Feinstein: In April 2006 I requested that your office conduct an inquiry on my behalf related to Whistleblower reprisals, hostile work environment and discriminatory transfer practices by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, San Francisco Field Division. Your office conducted a preliminary inquiry. You were provided an untruthful and less than candid response signed by the Asst. Director of Public and Governmental Affairs, which at the time satisfied any concerns your office may have had. As I stated, the agency knowingly provided you blatantly false information at which time I advised your staff member of the misrepresentations, but could not inspire further inquiry. The attached document was provided to me based on a simple request for documents related to my own official government permanent change of station transfer. There are no classified materials contained in my transfer files and there is no justifiable reason to withhold information which is governed by GAO and agency policies. Since that time, a class action complaint alleging the same violations by the same managers, as well as widespread institutional practices has been filed by 8 Special Agents and/or Inspectors and clerical staff (who are a part of your constituency, as well as their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and children who are suffering the collateral effects of the abuses) in the San Francisco Field Division. The issues I originally raised have now escalated and are evidenced by the sheer volume of EEOC, OSC and OIG complaints currently facing ATF. I/we are also including a formal written attempt to internally resolve many of these disputes with ATF Senior management. (This document is signed by 16 current and former ATF Special Agents, and Supervisors, many of whom are also your constituents) Since my initial report to your office, millions of dollars of taxpayer funds have been paid out in needless settlements. Thousands of man-hours which could have been directed at southwestern border violence initiatives have instead been wasted on unnecessary internal disputes and abuses. ATF governmental affairs office in concert with ATF counsels office, has been shown through documentation described above as falsely reporting (without consequences) to yourself and other congressional members who have attempted to provide oversight of this Bureau. This Bureau with its rich and honorable history is now barely functioning and in some field divisions, is totally ineffective in its mission to reduce violent crime. There is a real and growing lack of faith in the leadership of this Bureau by the field. ATF's ethical standards are either non-existent or are regularly ignored by Senior Bureau management. This problem is growing, becoming more pronounced and is creating a public spectacle for our Bureau and our nation. With regards to the local impact, these abuses are so flagrant and destructive to the law enforcement community that we (the ATF employees that myself and Special Agent Jay Dobyns represent in the attached class action EEOC complaint) believe that the forced retirements of seasoned Agents, lack of credibility and the increasing disconnect between ATF management and the field, is only weakening ATF's ability to have any real impact on violent crime and firearms enforcement in the Northern California area. Senator Feinstein, you have been an advocate of law enforcement and a champion against violent crime. You have publicly supported efforts to increase transparency in government and openly questioned our (ATF's) apparent inability to interdict deadly firearms on their way to domestic and foreign criminals. We have the answers, and we are willing to be a part of the solution. We respectfully request to meet with you at your convenience and provide a detailed list of the mismanagement, waste fraud and abuse, unethical and illegal practices currently occurring within the Bureau nation wide. We ask that you initiate some oversight mechanisms to get our Bureau back on track, so that we can get back to the business of reducing firearms violence and regulating the industry with fairness and equality. Collectively we have spent our entire careers and lives serving as ATF Agents, and contrary to the position the ATF leadership will attempt to portray, we have served with honor and distinction. Many of the signatures on the attached proposal have perfected some of the most famous and successful investigations in the Bureaus history. Several have survived lethal encounters and have suffered great sacrifice out of love for this country and this Bureau. Our request is simple, hear us and decide whether or not congressional interest is warranted or not. We do not think that is too much to ask in exchange for a lifetime of physically placing ourselves between the criminals' firearms and the public. I/we may be reached 24/7 @ **********, at the above address or at Vcefalu@aol.com. Respectfully Submitted, Vincent A. Cefalu Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Attachments:
- Email (redacted) regarding PCS transfer of Special Agent Vincent A. Cefalu
- Letter from ATF to the EEO commission, related to Class complaint.
- Excerpt from WWW.Cleanupatf.org
- Proposal submitted to ATF Acting Director, Deputy Director and select members of the U.S. Senate.
