Undercover Agent

A 52-year-old Annapolis man was charged with possessing child pornography yesterday in a federal indictment that culminated an FBI online sting operation investigating sex crimes against children.The case against Jeffrey D. Hooper of the 1800 block of Manor Green Court was based on an undercover federal agent's Internet conversations with him and the seizure of an extensive collection of child pornography videotapes and computer images from Hooper's home last month, according to court records.

Despite a prosecutor's protest that the sentence was unjustifiably light, a federal judge ordered yesterday that a German businessman be released after serving 2 1/2 months for crossing state lines to have sex with a minor in Maryland.Bodo Erwin Mueller, 33, was facing a possible 12 to 18 months under federal sentencing guidelines. He pleaded guilty last month in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to using the Internet to arrange a liaison with a 14-year-old boy.The "boy" was an undercover federal agent working online as part of "Innocent Images," the FBI's Internet sting operation that investigates sex crimes against children.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The explosive growth in methamphetamine use has a profound workplace effect.Do you work in a hospital? One of your co-workers may be an undercover agent. On on an assembly line? Ditto. Believe it. You are being watched. And it's not just because somebody in management wants to dig up some dirt. It's because there are obvious indicators of illegal drug use among your co-workers.A few weeks ago, a Kansas City-area manufacturer of food processing equipment lost more than one-tenth of its work force in a drug sweep.

In August, a rescue crew in Wichita, Kan., answered a 911 emergency call. A man named Joseph Martier had collapsed inside a dingy storage building at an isolated industrial park just outside town.Mr. Martier was unconscious from a drug overdose, but he recovered later at a Wichita hospital. It appeared to be just another drug-abuse episode -- except for the drug. It was fentanyl, a lethal "designer drug" that can be hundreds of times more potent than heroin.The near-death of Mr. Martier, 42, a Pittsburgh businessman now being held on drug charges, helped solve a lethal mystery that had vexed federal drug agents for a year.

WASHINGTON -- In one of the largest police corruption cases in Washington's history, a dozen officers have been indicted on charges that they took bribes to protect federal undercover agents who they thought were drug dealers and to help transport cocaine.The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury Tuesday, when the defendants were taken into custody. All 12 pleaded not guilty yesterday and were taken from the courtroom to a local jail, where they will be held pending hearings on whether they should be granted bail.

A federal grand jury has indicted the owner of a Cecil County hunting shop and two other men on charges of conspiring to sell four machine guns to an undercover agent.The grand jury in U.S. District Court in Baltimore handed up a nine-count indictment against James G. Hardesty, 54, who owns Tri-State Black Powder and Hunting Supplies in North East.Edward G. Miller, 33, of Elkton was charged in three counts of the indictment with conspiracy and unlawful transfer of machine guns, and Terry L. Caron, 33, of North East was charged in two counts.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Baltimore -- using an undercover agent with a sophisticated knowledge of chemistry and a bodybuilder's physique -- said it has smashed an organization that trafficked in large amounts of black- market steroids smuggled from Mexico.Use of the drugs by athletes, bodybuilders and even teen-agers to gain size and strength has increased sharply in recent years despite serious health risks and a recent federal law banning possession without a prescription.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the criminal convictions of Baltimore defense lawyer Neil W. Steinhorn and local pawnbroker Eugene Petasky, saying the trial judge did not err in making several rulings that affected evidence and the jury's verdicts.A three-judge appellate panel ruled, on one key issue, that authorities did not entrap Steinhorn when he laundered money through a Caribbean bank and converted stolen gold to cash through Petasky's Metro Brokers pawn shop on North Eutaw Street for an FBI informant and an undercover agent.

On Wednesday night, Jerome Okoye Onwuazor flew into Baltimore to pick up $225,000 an undercover federal drug agent offered to pay him.Upon arriving at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Mr. Onwuazor, a Nigerian living in New York, asked the undercover drug agent to drive him around because he wanted to pick up about 3 kilo grams of heroin that has just been imported into Baltimore.His first stop was Rapid Delivery Pizza in the 2900 block of Greenmount Avenue, but instead of getting a pepperoni and cheese, Mr. Onwuazor got a suitcase containing a kilo and a half of heroin, according to federal officials.

"Wiseguy" returns to the CBS lineup Saturday night with a two-hour episode loaded with cliches in its script, improbabilities in its plot, and a basic lack of imagination in its direction.By the way, it's also pretty good.This is the new, different "Wiseguy" that came about when original star Ken Wahl either asked to jump ship or was forced to dTC walk the plank, depending on whose story you believe.The original plan called for Wahl's Vinnie Terranova character to be around for a few episodes to make the transition to a new federal undercover agent, but the recriminations put the kibosh on that.

The Man's Book By Thomas Fink Little, Brown / 240 pages / $23.99 This "essential guide for the modern man," on sale May 6, is a compendium of stuff we guys ought to know in order to be credible. Such as: how to get a serious workout at home; rules of popular drinking games; essential shirts for the closet; knife-sharpening and meat-carving skills; and how to quantify beauty in women. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 By Tina Seeling HarperOne / 208 pages / $22.99 True, it's written by a woman (a Stanford University professor, no less)

Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller was acquitted yesterday of felony gambling and gun charges after being accused of running high-stakes card games at his house in Tallahassee, Fla. The six-member jury deliberated less than two hours before rejecting two days of prosecution testimony, nearly all of which failed to prove Fuller gambled or took a percentage of the pot. "I want to thank God, the person that controls my life," Fuller said. "I said from the word go that I was innocent. This turned out to be a bunch of mess."

The attorney for Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller told a Tallahassee, Fla., jury that the football player's status as a local celebrity is the reason why gambling and firearms charges were brought against his client, calling the charges bogus. The Florida state's attorney's office has brought numerous charges against Florida State University players over the years, but has failed to get a conviction. Fuller, who was a star at the school in the early 1990s, was arrested nine months ago after police entered his Tallahassee home and broke up a poker game with pots of thousands of dollars.

Look for reviews of films opening this week in the Today section. L'Auberge Espagnole This ensemble comedy is about students from a half-dozen European countries rooming together in Barcelona; the cast includes Romain Duris as a surprisingly unworldly Frenchman, and Audrey Tautou (Amelie) as the girl he leaves behind. R. Charles exclusive 2 Fast 2 Furious The sequel to The Fast and the Furious features Paul Walker's return as over-the-edge cop Brian O'Conner, who now must go deep-cover to win back his badge.

A 52-year-old Annapolis man was charged with possessing child pornography yesterday in a federal indictment that culminated an FBI online sting operation investigating sex crimes against children.The case against Jeffrey D. Hooper of the 1800 block of Manor Green Court was based on an undercover federal agent's Internet conversations with him and the seizure of an extensive collection of child pornography videotapes and computer images from Hooper's home last month, according to court records.

Despite a prosecutor's protest that the sentence was unjustifiably light, a federal judge ordered yesterday that a German businessman be released after serving 2 1/2 months for crossing state lines to have sex with a minor in Maryland.Bodo Erwin Mueller, 33, was facing a possible 12 to 18 months under federal sentencing guidelines. He pleaded guilty last month in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to using the Internet to arrange a liaison with a 14-year-old boy.The "boy" was an undercover federal agent working online as part of "Innocent Images," the FBI's Internet sting operation that investigates sex crimes against children.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The explosive growth in methamphetamine use has a profound workplace effect.Do you work in a hospital? One of your co-workers may be an undercover agent. On on an assembly line? Ditto. Believe it. You are being watched. And it's not just because somebody in management wants to dig up some dirt. It's because there are obvious indicators of illegal drug use among your co-workers.A few weeks ago, a Kansas City-area manufacturer of food processing equipment lost more than one-tenth of its work force in a drug sweep.

WASHINGTON -- In one of the largest police corruption cases in Washington's history, a dozen officers have been indicted on charges that they took bribes to protect federal undercover agents who they thought were drug dealers and to help transport cocaine.The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury Tuesday, when the defendants were taken into custody. All 12 pleaded not guilty yesterday and were taken from the courtroom to a local jail, where they will be held pending hearings on whether they should be granted bail.

A federal grand jury has indicted the owner of a Cecil County hunting shop and two other men on charges of conspiring to sell four machine guns to an undercover agent.The grand jury in U.S. District Court in Baltimore handed up a nine-count indictment against James G. Hardesty, 54, who owns Tri-State Black Powder and Hunting Supplies in North East.Edward G. Miller, 33, of Elkton was charged in three counts of the indictment with conspiracy and unlawful transfer of machine guns, and Terry L. Caron, 33, of North East was charged in two counts.

In August, a rescue crew in Wichita, Kan., answered a 911 emergency call. A man named Joseph Martier had collapsed inside a dingy storage building at an isolated industrial park just outside town.Mr. Martier was unconscious from a drug overdose, but he recovered later at a Wichita hospital. It appeared to be just another drug-abuse episode -- except for the drug. It was fentanyl, a lethal "designer drug" that can be hundreds of times more potent than heroin.The near-death of Mr. Martier, 42, a Pittsburgh businessman now being held on drug charges, helped solve a lethal mystery that had vexed federal drug agents for a year.