What is the Status of the FBI's Investigation into Stolen County Files?

I was informed yesterday that the FBI Investigation into who stole county records is still open.........

"Where's the FBI on their investigation?"  

Curiously--this was a question that was asked of my by the State Attorney's Office  (SAO) two weeks ago when I spoke to them.  I was talking to the SAO about what I could/could not say with respect to the "No True Bill" that had been handed down by the Grand Jury earlier that week--- vindicating me of any wrongdoing surrounding stolen text messages from my phone.

At the time it seemed like a curious question for the State Attorney's office to ask of me---as the FBI investigation into who stole and unlawfully disseminated unredacted personal identification information from the county has been going on for just shy of one full year.  Actually, Tuesday the 11th will make one full year.

On the 11th if June last year--I met with the FBI and the County Administrator in my office where both Administrator Moreno and I signed blanket release forms allowing the search of all the county files the FBI had confiscated that day--"for evidence of any crime."  We both signed it on the spot. 

So why's the SAO asking me what the FBI is doing?  Surely that matter, the FBI's investigation into stolen county files, must have been concluded by now I thought?   

So I asked a question back of the SAO and did not really get a good answer.  "Has the investigation from the FBI not been given over to the State Attorney yet?"  I asked.   

I didn't get a good answer.

So I waited a couple of weeks.

Monday and Wednesday of this week I called my FBI POC, the investigator assigned to this.  I left a series of messages explaining to him that the county has a fairly significant hearing on Monday and "if

FBI

Some Submarines that disappear under the waves should never re-surface where they're easily spotted.....

The FBI stands for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the United States Justice Department.

They are the nation's premiere law enforcement agency.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw an individual on the beach in Perdido Key in District 1-- not too long ago-- with a "tank-top" style shirt and a hat that displayed the "FBI" letters.

"What's this all about?" I wondered to myself.  so as I strolled by on my way to a favorite fishing spot near public access #3--I got a closer look at this individual.  Not FBI. Not even close.

Imagine it, a guy in his sixties with stringy, bleach blonde hair (think of an unattractive, out-of shape Jeff Bridges' character in the Big Lebowski) and with so much back hair it could be parted with a brush, big old beer belly and wearing a tank top and hat that had big FBI letters but that actually, in smaller print below, had an inapprpriate, fake moniker 

Creepy, weird, and most of all, INAPPROPRIATE.  That was the sense I was struck with.  How inappropriate.  

It's kind of like how some people do inappropriate things with confidential, privileged information.  

Inappropriate.  

The difference is--the fake FBI t-shirt guy isn't doing anything wrong with his inappropriate garb.  People in positions of trust who do inappropriate things with confidential information which they possess, however, enjoy no protection under the 1st Amendment.

That's the difference. 

At my recent town hall in Beulah last week, an audience question came to me that reminded me of the creepy guy on the beach and things that are inappropriate.  The question was--paraphrased--"why don't you tell the citizens which companies you are looking to attract when you are doing economic development deals?"(you can see the question and answer at 1:23 of this video)

It's inappropriate--that's why.

We lost a significant economic development deal because people who knew better did wrong and released confidential information.  That was an ethical breach by a former employee's office.  It should never have happened because we are in positions of trust and we are guided by laws and rules and ordinances when we work with confidential information dealing with economic development--that's why we don't release it and we handle it carefully.

People that should have known better and should have learned a lesson from project Fisher didn't.

But the lessons learned remain.  

Don't do inappropriate things with unlawfully obtained, unlawfully maintained, and/or unlawfully disseminated information.  Bad ju-ju--INAPPROPRIATE.

maybe criminal?