Lee Booth Properties Being Searched By U.S. Marshals

My favorite gun company-acquiring felon still isn't of interest to a corrupt North Carolina BATF, but he has at least drawn the attention of lawyers who believe Booth may have parts and equipment belonging to Pace Airlines.

His properties are being searched today by U.S. Marshals acting on behalf of the Pace bankruptcy trustee.

As I understand it, they are searching for parts that Booth claims he does not have that belong to the bankrupt airline. I suspect that one or two small parts would not be a big deal and could be written off as a legitimate accident, but if the Marshals discover substantial Pace materials, then he could be in a bit of trouble.

I'll update when I find out more.

Booth in Trouble?

I've been following convicted felon Lee Booth from the perspective of his seemingly illegal involvement with three firearms companies, the revelation of his status as criminal informant for the government that possibly kept him out of jail for his apparent gun crimes, and his recent arrest for assault with a deadly weapon.

What I haven't delved into to any great degree is the lawsuit against Booth regarding the demise of Pace Airlines (formerly Hooters Air), and missing equipment and parts related to the airline that some have speculated Booth has his hands on, all quite illegally.

It now seems something seems to be stirring on the Pace front, as Booth's property is about to be searched:

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge overseeing the case of Pace Airlines Inc. has ordered a hearing for 2 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the request by the bankruptcy trustee to review company property held by Lee Booth. The hearing is set for the Bankruptcy Court at 226 S. Liberty St. in Winston-Salem.

Edwin Allman III requested the expedited hearing to gain access to any facilities and warehouses owned by Booth or his company, Luft Spares Inc. Allman said he wants to inspect, photograph and inventory the contents. Allman has listed Booth as a co-owner of the defunct company along with William Rodgers Sr.

Booth said Friday that he has consented to the request and is arranging an inspection of his facilities next week.

Presumably, the Pace attorneys have serial numbers for the missing Pace Airline assets, which Booth has apparently denied having. If any of these assets turn up, or if the trustees turn up any evidence that proves he was in possession of these missing assets and made a profit on them, then I suspect he'll be in deep trouble.

Who knows? Maybe they'll even find some guns.

ATF Wouldn't Arrest Gun-Happy Felon, and So He Strikes Again

Anyone who has followed this blog, Pajamas Media, and the gun blog for any length of time knows that I've been investigating a felon by the name of Lee Franklin Booth since late last year. I've tried to warn that he's a dangerous criminal that needs to be put away. The federal government apparently thought he would be a useful criminal informant.

I guess that isn't a secret anymore, but the feds have refused to bring Booth down.

Well, such negligence has consequences, and Mr. Booth apparently took another crack at trying to kill someone in the past couple of weeks.

I'll report on this more as the story develops.

FBI Allowed Felons to Buy Gunwalker Weapons?

It sure looks like it.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time the Feds have turned a blind eye to felons buying guns, or even gun companies.

If they can use a criminal to make a case (as they did with Fast and Furious) or because they can use him as a criminal informant (as they did Lee Franklin Booth), then they certainly will.

Will Rand Bring Booth to Justice?

As regular readers of this blog and Pajamas Media know, I've been running down the story of Lee Franklin Booth since October of last year. My first story on the subject was Felons Can’t Own Guns. So How Did This Guy Acquire Three … Gun Companies?

It included enough details—including a photo of Booth holding two Detonics handguns in direct violation of federal law—to put Mr. Booth in prison for a very, very long time. Mr. Booth subsequently had an attorney contact Pajamas Media and I threatening legal action over the story, and even after a through vetting by lawyers, Pajamas Media determined there was nothing to retract, and only a three minor points to correct.

In short, we "had the goods" on Mr. Booth as best as we could determine. Our evidence came from interviews with multiple sources, and from legal documents.

Even pictures allegedly taken with Booth's own camera.

After the article was published, I pushed for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) to arrest Booth based upon the compiled evidence. The main office in Washington DC contacted the regional office in Charlotte, NC, and they were very anxious to talk to me... until they read the article. The same day, I received a curt return call from the agent, who told me they had "no interest" in pursuing the case.

I was stunned, to put it mildly, that a federal law enforcement agency was refusing to prosecute what appeared to be an open-and-shut case handed to them on a silver platter. When I could get no co-operation from the BATF (apparently they aren't interested in gun-runners if there isn't a cult to burn) I contacted state and local authorities, who very very interested in putting Booth behind bars... only to be stopped by the BATF.

The BATF had "launched an investigation" and as a federal agency, had precedence over the local and state authorities. But interestingly enough, sources claimed that the BATF had no interest in working with the state and local authorities, or in seeing their evidence. It seemed the "investigation" was merely a screening mechanism to keep other agencies at bay.

The BATF was protecting a convicted criminal linked to three gun companies.

It simply made no sense.

Then I found out that a BATF agent out of Charlotte was going forward with his own investigation of Booth, only to be blocked within his own agency. To put it mildly, it was looking like corruption or a cover-up, or a combination of the two.

Then the logic bomb hit. Booth was being protected.

It didn't take long for sources to confirm that Booth was a confidential informant for the federal government, the specific branch of which I have chosen not to reveal. Was is also apparently the correct tense to use, as Booth is apparently losing, or has lost his protected status as an informant.

Now that he is not longer apparently being protected, and evidence of his apparent criminality is easily obtained, I have high hopes that the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina with step in and bring this convicted felon back to trial.

U.S. Attorney Ripley Eagles Rand just stepped into the job in January of this year and if his office's press releases are any guide, he's done a heck of a job putting away perverts. I'd like to see Mr. Rand use his office to investigate and prosecute Mr. Booth, or at least order the BATF to close their "investigation" so that justice can finally, after long last, move forward.

Confirmed: Lee Franklin Booth is a Confidential Informant For the Feds

I mentioned on the 23rd of last month that I thought felon Lee Booth may be getting high-level federal protection that has kept local, state, and federal agencies investigating him at bay.

I can now confirm not only that Booth was a confidential informant that appears to have abused the system protecting him, but I can also name the federal agency that was sheltering him. I won't name the agency, however, to protect any agents or investigations that they may have underway.

Booth's CI status is under review, apparently due in no small part to his high-profile flouting of the law.

Now that his status is apparently about to be revoked, it seems that indictments could begin raining down upon him almost immediately after federal protection is lifted.

Justice may come slowly, but it does appear to be on the way.

Update: Further thoughts here.

Why Isn't Lee Booth in Jail Yet? A Theory

One constant theme in the saga of Lee Franklin Booth has been that the BATF is corrupt or incompetent for the way they are handling various allegations against Booth. For the beginning in October up until last week, I learned far more about this ex-con, his business contacts, his allies and enemies than I ever wanted to know about any one person, all to answer the question gnawing at me, "Why isn't he in jail?"

There seems to be roughly a half-dozen federal laws he's broken, and at least as many state laws. He has obvious patterns of behavior, and law enforcement on several levels were/are interested in him. He was ever allegedly found to be in the possession of firearms by the BATF several years ago, but they let him go.

How is it that he keeps getting away with everything, time and again?

From the very beginning I suspected his close friendship with an IRS CID agent was his ace-in-the-hole, and that the agent was running interference for Booth with the BATF in Greensboro (that agent broke the law on his own merely consorting with a convicted felon). But Booth's profile was raised very high by my investigative work, and Washington, DC itself called down the regional office in Charlotte to resolve the issue, which they did (as I recall) in less than a day. In retrospect, the fix was obviously in.

Law enforcement officers who have launched investigations into Booth have had their investigations blocked by the BATF. Even the BATF won't touch him. Since we know the BATF is investigating him on one hand (while blocking the investigation on the other), it suggests that he is getting federal protection somewhere upstream of the BATF.

To the best of my knowledge, only a handful of government agencies would have the kind of clout to stop the various law enforcement agencies interested in Mr. Booth, and they are Cabinet level. Considering the fields that Mr. Booth seems to be most interested in (arms and aircraft), the Department of Justice and/or the Department of Defense are the only agencies that might be helping him, and it is logical to assume they would only help him, if he was helping them.

Something is going on here, and I think this story is getting more interesting, every step of the way and I wouldn't be the least surprised if this is a case of history repeating.

Why Isn't Lee Booth in Jail Yet? A Theory

One constant theme in the saga of Lee Franklin Booth has been that the BATF is corrupt or incompetent for the way they are handling various allegations against Booth. For the beginning in October up until last week, I learned far more about this ex-con, his business contacts, his allies and enemies than I ever wanted to know about any one person, all to answer the question gnawing at me, "Why isn't he in jail?"

There seems to be roughly a half-dozen federal laws he's broken, and at least as many state laws. He has obvious patterns of behavior, and law enforcement on several levels were/are interested in him. He was ever allegedly found to be in the possession of firearms by the BATF several years ago, but they let him go.

How is it that he keeps getting away with everything, time and again?

From the very beginning I suspected his close friendship with an IRS CID agent was his ace-in-the-hole, and that the agent was running interference for Booth with the BATF in Greensboro (that agent broke the law on his own merely consorting with a convicted felon). But Booth's profile was raised very high by my investigative work, and Washington, DC itself called down the regional office in Charlotte to resolve the issue, which they did (as I recall) in less than a day. In retrospect, the fix was obviously in.

Law enforcement officers who have launched investigations into Booth have had their investigations blocked by the BATF. Even the BATF won't touch him. Since we know the BATF is investigating him on one hand (while blocking the investigation on the other), it suggests that he is getting federal protection somewhere upstream of the BATF.

To the best of my knowledge, only a handful of government agencies would have the kind of clout to stop the various law enforcement agencies interested in Mr. Booth, and they are Cabinet level. Considering the fields that Mr. Booth seems to be most interested in (arms and aircraft), the Department of Justice and/or the Department of Defense are the only agencies that might be helping him, and it is logical to assume they would only help him, if he was helping them.

Something is going on here, and I think this story is getting more interesting, every step of the way and I wouldn't be the least surprised if this is a case of history repeating.

ATF Agents/Auditors in North Carolina Stonewall Criminal Investigation to Protect Their Careers

Yeah, I'm still dogging this, and I'm not going to let it go.

Lee Booth of Greensboro, NC, is a convinced felon with current warrants out for his arrest, and is under investigation by multiple agencies for more crimes than I can list... which may be news to him.

I wrote about Booth's illegal involvement with three gun companies in a Pajamas Media article back in October.

Jerry Ahern (left) and convicted felon Lee Franklin Booth (right). Booth is holding two Detonics pistols, including Ahern's personal carry weapon. This photo was taken on January 6, 2007 using Booth's own Sony DSC-T5. Apparently photographic evidence, eyewitness testimony, and documentary evidence already in the court system from prior civil actions isn't enough to get the BATF to do their damn jobs.

What I haven't made public (until now) is the work I've continued on this case, including the development of key witnesses against Booth and his allegedly criminal enterprises, and the even more frustrating obstruction of justice being carried out by corrupt BATF agents and auditors hoping to cover their tracks and preserve their careers. If you think that Operation Fast and Furious was a mess in Arizona, I can assure you that is every bit as bad here in North Carolina, and far more petty.

There is reputedly physical and documentary evidence that exists to bring charges to put Mr. Booth in prison for many years, but BATF agents and auditors in Greensboro are stonewalling the investigation with the help of at least one BATF employee in Fayetteville.

I've kept my sources covered and will continue to do so, but will reveal some of what I know about the case in order to force the hand of corrupt government officials more intent on protecting their pensions than the citizens they are sworn to protect.

As part of a current BATF investigation being run out of the Charlotte office, the investigating ATF agent instructed other employees to pick up Form 4473s linked to Booth to be picked up from numerous gun stores in North Carolina.

One of the more crucial sets of documentation comes from Ed's Guns in Vass, North Carolina.

Records show that Booth has run literally hundreds of weapons through this particular store, including hundreds of Detonics pistols and an alleged "straw sale" of a .50 BMG sniper rifle from Booth's personal collection. According to sources, Booth is also alleged to have purchased gun parts from other stores, and is alleged to have been a frequent Saturday visitor to Caliber's Indoor Gun Range in Greensboro. All of these allegations are potential felonies, and most are easily proven by simply obtaining records from the locations in question.

But the agent in charge of the investigation has run into a stonewalling effort being orchestrated by local agents and auditors that failed to act upon numerous felony violations in the past due to their own incompetence and breaking of procedure. Sources indicate that BATF employees in Fayetteville that obtained the 4473s from Ed's Guns in Vass are refusing to provide those documents to the Charlotte-based agent in hopes of protecting the BATF agents and auditors in Greensboro.

The BATF SAC in Charlotte isn't happy about this investigation, and would be happy if this case would die a quiet death. Unfortunately for him, local, state and federal sources within law enforcement are tired of machinations designed to protect the incompetent within the BATF and enable a convicted criminal to avoid prosecution, and are willing to talk to the media (me) if it brings a little sunlight on this case.

The BATF has long had credibility problems. If they do not take steps to remedy the problems here in North Carolina, and quickly, their reputation is only going to get worse.

So, is Someone in Hot Water at the BATF?

After publishing Felons Can’t Own Guns. So How Did This Guy Acquire Three … Gun Companies? in October at Pajamas Media, I reached out to the BATF in an effort to try to understand why convicted felon Lee Franklin Booth hadn't been arrested for what appear to be clear violations of federal gun laws.

Several weeks later, after questions had reverberated from Washington, DC to the regional office overseeing the Carolinas, I was contacted by Charlotte-based BATF Special Agent and Public Information Officer (PIO) Earl Woodham on November 2.

I had a cordial 20-minute preliminary conversation with Agent Woodham outlining my concerns. He seemed to think that the regulatory end of the ATF had investigated Victory Arms before, but wanted to read the article. He said he was "getting hammered by a chain of inter-agency emails" and wanted to resolve the issue. At the same time, he understood that the Pardon of Forgiveness Booth was given would not allow him to possess firearms, and found that perplexing.

In that initial conversation—based upon my description of what we'd revealed—Woodham seemed to be of the opinion Booth had probably violated the law.

The cordial tone was gone from our next conversation, a very clipped and formal affair where Agent Woodham told me that after conferring with his colleagues (fellow BATF agents in Charlotte and Greensboro), that they had "no interest" in pursuing an investigation against Mr. Booth.

The abrupt shift in the official BATF response from Agent Woodham was stunning. I thought about his response, and wrote back to him in an attempt to clarify and understand the agency's position.

Good afternoon Agent Woodham,

I just want to make sure that I am accurately citing the BATF's position regarding Lee Booth and the allegations we've made against him in our Pajamas Media article and during our telephone conversations last week.

It is the BATF's position that Lee Franklin Booth is a convicted felon, and that his Pardon of Forgiveness does not restore his right to own firearms.

It is the BATF's position that the agency has looked into Lee Franklin Booth's business relationship with Detonics USA Industries, Inc,, Victory Arms, Inc, and the Victory Arms acquisition of Templar Consulting, and have found that while Booth is listed as a principle officer in these corporate entities in legal documents as CEO, and/or President, and that eyewitness testimony will reveal that he ran day-to-day operations of at least Victory/Templar out of a property that he owns, that this felon's involvement with these companies was not a crime, even though these associations appear to be in direct violation of 18 USC 923 and 18 USC 922(g) which both recognize Booth as clearly being a "prohibited person."

It is the BATF's position that a photo of convicted felon Lee Franklin Booth holding a pair of Detonics pistols, taken January 6, 2007 at 1:41:04 with a SONY DSC-T5 camera belonging to Lee Franklin Booth, witnessed by two individuals currently in possession of the photo, and willing to testify in a court of law that Booth both held and fired those firearms, is not worth additional investigation.

It is the BATF's position that the agency has no obligation to determine if Lee Franklin Booth illegally obtained a concealed carry permit in Guilford County, even though his attorney Dan Hardway of Angier, NC freely admitted Booth was issued a permit by the Guilford County Sheriff's Department in discussions with Pajamas Media legal counsel.

It is the BATF's position that all auditors and agents within the Greensboro, NC, BATF office followed the letter of the law and were not in any way influenced by Lee Franklin Booth's relationship with an IRS CID agent who administers the Victory Arms/Templar page on Facebook, and who restricted the public version of the site and his own personal Facebook page after the Pajamas Media article posted, even though he was never cited in the article.

It is the BATF's position that documentation amassed by the Pajamas Media legal team that apparently shows Booth in violation of federal and state laws, including an internal exhibit within Skipper and Detonics vs. Booth and Detonics Consent Order, Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction, labeled "Exhibit B," lists by serial number the 23 firearms Lee Franklin Booth took into his personal possession, is not something the agency is interested in reviewing, based upon the BATF's previous investigations into these allegations.

It is the BATF's position that their investigation into Lee Booth and his involvement is thorough, and that no further investigation is warranted.

Thank you very much for your time and clarifications on this matter. I want to document the BATF position precisely for my next article.

I then forwarded the same letter to BATF-Washington as well.

Agent Woodham never responded.

Someone else did.

On November 15 I spoke with Jan Kemp of the BATF Public Affairs office after being asked to call the agency's main number in Washington. I provided her with a copy of the above letter, and mentioned that I had questions I was trying to address regarding the kind of discharge Mr. Booth received from the Marines while in prison, and the status of the two Federal Firearms Licenses for Victory Arms. We also informed her of the expert analysis that confirmed the validity of a photo in the original article showing Mr. Booth literally gun in hand.

Two days later Ms. Kemp graciously wrote back to say that she was sorry, "but I don't have anything to tell you regarding this matter."

I wrote back:

Jan,

That is a very, very interesting response, and I do want to be fair in my characterization of it (nuance is lost via email very easily).

Is it the BATF's position that they do not owe the public an explanation for why field agents and supervisory agents in the Charlotte and Greensboro offices are purposefully declining to enforce clear and direct violations of criminal statutes in the case of Lee Booth, even though they agree (and I speak of Supervisory Agent Earl Woodham) he is a felon that cannot own guns?

Or are you saying that the BATF doesn't have anything to tell me because you do not comment on current investigations?

Ms. Kemp then replied, "ATF does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations." I've been told by various law enforcement sources that such a statement typically confirms the existence of an investigation. In this case, that might include an internal investigation of the Charlotte and Greensboro offices themselves.

It appears that before all is said and done, Lee Booth may not be the only person in hot water for his apparently criminal activity.

Expert Opinion: The "Felon With a Gun" Photo Is Real

I asked you yesterday whether or not you thought the purported photo of a felon holding a gun was real.

Those of you who responded, either in the comments or via email were convinced that the photo is real... and according to an expert I've contacted you are most likely correct.

Bob,

I have reviewed the photo you sent me showing two men win one apparently holding a pistol in each hand.

It is my opinion that there are no picture elements or artifacts consistent with manipulation of the photo in the area of the arms, hands, and pistols. The shadow patterns on the clothing are consistent with shadows produced by the pistols and they are consistent with the shadows on the ground. The light reflecting from the pistol surfaces are consistent with the scene illumination.

The photo does not appear to have been manipulated. The pistols appear to have been in the man's hands when the photo was taken.

Alexander Jason, CSCSA, CFPH
Senior Certified Crime Scene Analyst
Certified Forensic Photographer
www.alexanderjason.com

This analysis by Mr. Jason validates the two eyewitness accounts from the photographer and the other man in the photo, who claimed to have gone shooting with Lee Booth in a range near the North Carolina/South Carolina border.

BATF Supervisory Special Agent Earl Woodham told me last week on the phone that BATF managers had reviewed all the claims about Booth made in the Pajamas Media article, and that the were "not interested" in pressing charges again him.

I somehow suspect that something more is going on here than a felon holding a gun.

Is the"Felon With a Gun" Photo Real or Photoshopped?

In the comments of my most recent Pajamas Media article, a skeptic calling himself "L.Booth" questioned the validity of the photo accompanying the article, stating:

Notice the "photo" funny shadow on the big pistol, what is the big white blotch on the left sleeve………fun never ends.

The photo in question shows a man holding a pair of firearms... or does it? The comment provided by "L.Booth" seems to suggest that the photo used in the article was manipulated, or "PhotoShopped."

So let's put that claim to the test, by providing the photo and subjecting it to the scrutiny of Internet experts and laymen alike.

Below is the uncropped photo that the image in the Pajamas Media article was created from (click the photo for the full-size 2048 x 1536 image or follow this link).

Is the man in the photo really holding firearms...

...or is it faked?

Felon Gun Story Correction

Counsel for Lee Booth asked for a retraction of the Pajamas Media article, Felons Can't Own Guns. So How Did This Guy Acquire Three … Gun Companies?

Here are the corrections.

Gun Nightmare in Carolina [Updated with Corrections]

Update: Corrections to the Pajamas Media article have been posted.

In the dark fantasies of comic books, villains with pathological intent maniacally plot to build super-weapons to decimate cities, countries, and even planets. In Hollywood movies, the corrupt and evil plot to build cop-killing firearms to bring anarchy and chaos to our streets.

Imagine, if you can, a convicted kidnapper with additional arrests for communicating threats and simple assault acquiring not just a weapon or two, but an entire gun company while the federal government stood idly by.

Imagine that this same felon then started another gun company from scratch, and then used that company to acquire a third company that was licensed to build machine guns. Imagine further he was given a concealed carry license, and that local law enforcement and federal agents turned a blind eye to everything.

This isn't the plot latest reboot of the RoboCop or Lethal Weapon movie franchises, but the extraordinary alleged real-life story of Lee Franklin Booth, 51, a Greensboro, North Carolina resident with an incredibly checkered past.

If you aren't scared, you aren't comprehending the implications of my latest investigative report at Pajamas Media.

Update: Well... look who stopped by for a visit on their way to Pajamas Media.