Hardin Jail

Bureau Of Prisons Shoots Down AP Report On Hardin As Gitmo Site

Justin Elliott | November 16, 2009, 12:20PM

Two Rivers Detention Center

The Bureau of Prisons is not looking at the empty jail in Hardin, Montana -- which was recently at the center of the American Police Force con -- as a potential site for Guantanamo inmates, contrary to an AP report today, a spokesperson for the bureau tells TPMmuckraker.

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Con Man

Another Hilton Lie? Work Of Art He Claimed Was His Own Bears Sticker Of LA Furniture Store

Justin Elliott | November 6, 2009, 4:43PM

A rendering of Mother Theresa handed over by Michael Hilton.

Perhaps we didn't give American Police Force chief Michael Hilton enough credit earlier this week when we reported on his excuse for not handing over works of art to help pay off a hefty fraud judgment in California. Now Hilton, who has admitted the APF deal in Hardin, Montana, was bogus, has allowed a courier for one of his victims to take the art from his Santa Barbara home.

But, as the Billings Gazette reports, Hilton's description of the works, which he claims are his only assets and include a rendering of Mother Theresa, was false:

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Con Man

Hilton: I'm Too Sick To Forfeit Self-Portrait For Auction

Justin Elliott | November 3, 2009, 9:40AM

Michael Hilton

The Billings Gazette in Montana has the latest from now-admitted conman Michael Hilton: asked to hand over four works of art to help pay a $700,000 judgment in a California real estate fraud case, Hilton claimed he had the flu and couldn't make it.

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Michael Hilton

Failed Hardin Sheriff Michael Hilton Wanted In CA

Alex Amend | October 29, 2009, 5:11PM

Michael Hilton

Michael Hilton, the shadowy figure behind the unsuccessful attempt to take over a rural Montana prison, failed to show in a California court Thursday in an unrelated years-old case about duping investors in an elder care home that was never built. A bench warrant has been issued. This from the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Captain" Michael Hilton first appeared on our radar when his private security firm, American Police Force, struck a deal to turn a 464-bed jail in Hardin, Montana, into a law enforcement training facility for operations as elaborate as defending cruise ships. The contract has since been canceled but Hilton apparently is still on the lam.

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American Private Police Force

Reporter-Turned-APPF Spokesperson Becky Shay Is Now On The Job Market

Justin Elliott | October 19, 2009, 9:54AM

Becky Shay

Becky Shay, the beleaguered spokesperson for the American Private Police Force who as recently as last week was a true believer in her company and its felon leader, never received a paycheck for her work and is now gunning for a job as the chief of the Hardin, MT, agency that made the jail deal with APPF in the first place.

The AP reported Friday, in an article that refers to APPF's Michael Hilton as a "con artist":

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American Private Police Force

The Unkindest Cut: Hardin Loses Its APPF Mercedes SUVs

Zachary Roth | October 15, 2009, 5:59PM

Michael Hilton

Did we just hear the death rattle of the Hardin-American Private Police Force deal?

The last two Mercedes SUVs that the mysterious private security contractor brought to the tiny Montana town have been taken back.

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American Private Police Force

Montana AG Suspends Probe Of American Private Police Force

Justin Elliott | October 14, 2009, 10:56AM

Michael Hilton

The attorney general of Montana has suspended a short-lived probe of the American Private Police Force, saying that "Captain" Michael Hilton's failure to answer the AG's questions "speaks volumes about his company's legitimacy."

Attorney General Steve Bullock released this statement last night:

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American Police Force

American Private Police Force Faxes One Page Non-Response To AG's Request

Justin Elliott | October 13, 2009, 3:50PM

Michael Hilton

In the least surprising development of the day, American Private Police Force has declined to answer the Montana attorney general's questions seeking information about its (supposed) business and (supposed) past clients.

Attorney General Steve Bullock sent a letter two weeks ago demanding the information, before the deal for APPF to run a jail in Hardin fell apart.

KTVQ in Billings reports:

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Private Prison Business

Behind Montana Jail Fiasco: How Private Prison Developers Prey On Desperate Towns

Justin Elliott | October 12, 2009, 3:14PM

Two Rivers Authority parade float, 6/27/09

With the unraveling of the deal for the shadowy American Private Police Force to take over and populate an empty jail in Hardin, Montana, it's pretty clear that the small city got played by an ex-con and his (supposed) private security firm.

But an investigation by TPMmuckraker into how Hardin ended up with the 92,000 square foot facility in the first place suggests that, long before "low-level card shark" Michael Hilton ever came to town, Hardin officials had already been taken for a ride by a far more powerful set of players: a well-organized consortium of private companies headquartered around the country, which specializes in pitching speculative and risky prison projects to local governments desperate for jobs.

The projects have generated multi-million dollar profits for the companies involved, but often haven't created the anticipated payoff for the communities, and have left a string of failed or failing prisons in their wake.

"They look for an impoverished town that's desperate," says Frank Smith of the Private Corrections Institute, a Florida-based group that opposes prison privatization. "They come in looking very impressive, saying, 'We'll make money rain from the skies.' In fact, they don't care whether it works or not."

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Hardin

APPF Backs Out Of Hardin Jail Deal

Zachary Roth | October 9, 2009, 6:01PM

American Police Force logo

The end has come...

Controversial private security contractor American Private Police Fore has officially backed out of a deal with Hardin, Montana, to run a local prison, APPF spokeswoman Beck Shay announced this afternoon. (Watch Shay's press conference here.)

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American Police Force

Early Agreement Said APPF Would Provide Hardin With Police Force For $250K

Justin Elliott | October 9, 2009, 10:04AM

APPF SUVs with 'Hardin Police Dept.' decal, 9/30/09

Here's a nice get by the Billings Gazette, which went to court to pry another document from the hands of Hardin, MT, officials on the town's deal with the shadowy American Private Police Force.

The August 18 agreement, signed by APPF's Michael Hilton and Hardin economic development chief Greg Smith, who resigned this week, makes clear that Smith wanted APPF to provide a police force for the town, which doesn't have its own department. Read the whole thing here.

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American Police Force

Anonymous APPF 'Investor' Comes Forward, Claims Jail Project Still Alive

Justin Elliott | October 8, 2009, 11:36AM

Just when we thought the American Private Police Force saga might be over, a putative APPF "investor" has come forward -- anonymously.

KULR in Montana reports on a "California man" who claims, under condition that his name not be used, that he is one of several private individuals who gave APPF money for the Hardin jail project.

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American Police Force

The Tragedy Of Becky Shay: Beleaguered APPF Spox Presses On

Justin Elliott | October 7, 2009, 6:36PM

Becky Shay

It's been a rough couple of weeks for Becky Shay, the spokeswoman for the American Private Police Force.

Amid it all -- the tearful press conference, the confrontations with a conspiracist shock jock who parachuted in from Texas, the media scrutiny of her abrupt career shift from Billings Gazette reporter covering APPF to the public face of APPF, and, above all, the persistent charges that her new company is a fraud -- Shay has kept her eye on the ball.

And, she told TPMmuckraker in an interview today, she's damn proud of it.

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Hardin

Hardin To Create Own Police Force -- But Pledges Not To Hire APPF

Zachary Roth | October 7, 2009, 10:02AM

American Police Force logo

We told you this week the contract between Hardin, Montana and American Private Police Force gave the shady security contractor the chance to take over the town's policing needs, in addition to running Hardin's prison. It appears to have been this potential law enforcement responsibility that led APPF to roll into town late last month in three Mercedes SUVs bearing the words "City of Hardin Police Department," setting off a panic that soon spread far beyond Hardin.

Now that the APPF deal seems to have been on hold, you'd think local officials might now be wary of doing anything that might re-open the police force issue. But yesterday, Big Horn County commissioners nonetheless went ahead and voted to allow the city to create its own police department - though only after making assurances that APPF won't get the job.

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Al Peterson

Did Hardin Official Benefit Personally From APPF Deal?

Zachary Roth | October 6, 2009, 1:38PM

Fmr. TRA Director Greg Smith

How did American Private Police Force convince the town of Hardin to put it in charge of a 464-bed prison, despite having essentially no proven track record with such projects? The complete answer isn't yet clear. But could the mysterious private contractor have dangled a job for the wife of a top city official to seal the deal?

Let's lay out the evidence...

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American Police Force

APPF's 'Major Security Firm' Parent Company: Does It Exist?

Justin Elliott | October 6, 2009, 12:49PM

Michael Hilton

One of the abiding mysteries of the American Private Police Force story is who, if anyone, provided the financial backing the private security company claims to have.

As the project unravels and more of APPF's claims are shown to be dubious, it seems like the key question is not who the parent company is, but: does it actually exist?

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American Police Force

Hardin, Montana, Puts Jail Deal With APPF On Ice

Justin Elliott | October 6, 2009, 9:08AM

Michael Hilton

Spooked by a man who turned out to be a convicted felon and who appears to have repeatedly lied on his way to acquiring a lease for an empty jail in Hardin, MT, town leaders yesterday put the deal with American Private Police Force on hold.

Last week, the state attorney general launched a probe of the deal that was pushed through by a man calling himself "Captain" Michael Hilton.

The AP reports on the Hardin board meeting yesterday that put a stop to the whole project:

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American Police Force

APPF's Dubious Story Gets Even More Dubious

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 6:46PM

We've known since last week that the story surrounding a deal that handed an empty jail in Hardin, MT, to shadowy private security company American Private Police Force just wasn't adding up. Today, it became still more clear that APPF has a lot of explaining to do.

Let's review the developments:

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American Police Force

Hardin Official: Unnamed But 'Highly Qualified' APPF Director Of Ops In Afghanistan Right Now

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 6:08PM

American Private Police Force has hired a director of operations for the Hardin jail project who will not be publicly named until next week but who is a "highly qualified" retired U.S. military person doing training in Afghanistan, a Hardin official tells TPMmuckraker.

"I've got his resume and it looks pretty nice," says Al Peterson of the Hardin economic development agency, which brokered the jail deal with APPF.

Peterson wouldn't say who the director of operations is, but confirmed it was not a Hardin local.

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American Police Force

APF Deal Let Shady Firm Provide Law Enforcement For Hardin

Zachary Roth | October 5, 2009, 4:57PM

The news that a mysterious private security contractor has been hired to take control of a prison in the tiny Montana town of Hardin has set off some outlandish conspiracy theories -- like the notion that the deal represents the first wave of President Obama's plan to "have all major cities locked down" by the end of October.

But one related concern -- that the contractor, now calling itself the American Private Police Force, could take over law enforcement duties for Hardin -- turns out not to be far-fetched at all. Indeed, the agreement that APPF -- at the time known simply as American Police Force (APF) -- signed with city's economic development arm, the Two Rivers Authority (TRA), specifically provides for that possibility.

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American Police Force

Another Blow To APPF's Credibility: Contractor Says Web Site Material Was Lifted

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 4:35PM

From Allied Defense Systems Web site

The head of a California defense contractor says that American Private Police Force brazenly copied information from its Web site and that it's considering legal action against APPF.

CEO Edward Angelino of Allied Defense Systems told TPMmuckraker that APPF's "Mike Hilton came to us for our help looking for supplies and equipment" for the mysterious project at an empty jail in Hardin, Montana.

After a bit of due diligence, Angelino deemed that Hilton and APPF were not fit to do business with -- but not before referring APPF to Allied Defense Systems' Web developer.

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American Police Force

APPF Lawyer Who Said Info Would 'Gradually Be More Clear' Quits

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 3:35PM

Attorney Maziar Mafi

Maziar Mafi, the California lawyer who had been variously identified as American Private Police Force's legal affairs director, president, and a "major" in the company, on Friday severed his ties to the Hardin, MT, jail project until he sees "more concrete action."

Mafi's practice, like APPF, is based in Santa Ana, California. As a specialist in personal injury, immigration, and business law, he had seemed an odd choice of counsel for a firm that claims to play a critical role in filling the United States government's "homeland security needs."

Mafi told the AP: "For the time, I'm pulling out. I need to see more concrete action before I can be involved."

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American Police Force

Scrubbed: APF Web Page That Claimed Ownership Of Blackwater Training Center Now Reads 'ETA Spring 2010'

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 12:31PM

We knew that American Police Force, the shadowy private security company that has taken over an empty jail in a small Montana town, has a history of making outlandish and flat-out bogus claims. And it now appears that the company is taking some of the criticism to heart.

The firm, which is now calling itself American Private Police Force (feel better?), has toned down -- ever so slightly -- some of its colorful Web site's claims. (Old version here, current version here.)

APPF has deleted a reference to a training facility which it had earlier claimed to control, but which is in fact owned by Xe, aka Blackwater,

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American Police Force

Hardin Official Fights 'Outlandish' APF Rumors

Zachary Roth | October 2, 2009, 5:32PM

A Hardin Montana official is trying to quell rumors that the town is "becoming a police state, having private paramilitary security forces, building gates at the town entrances, taking residents to the detention center that refuse to get swine flu shots, registering your firearms, and blocking off our main street," among other fears.

In a statement, Al Peterson of the city's economic development agency, the Two Rivers Authority (TRA), responds to fears stoked by Hardin's deal with American Police Force, a mysterious private security contractor, to provide prisoners for an empty prison in town.

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American Police Force

Montana AG Probing American Police Force Deal

Zachary Roth | October 2, 2009, 9:50AM

Could the party be over for American Police Force?

Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock is investigating the mysterious security contractor's deal to run an empty jail in the tiny town of Hardin, reports the Billings Gazette. And he doesn't appear to be messing around.

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Michael Hilton

"Captain" Michael? APF Official Admits Title Is Bogus

Zachary Roth | October 1, 2009, 3:33PM

Michael Hilton

Earlier we told you about Michael Hilton, the American Police Force official with a lengthy criminal record and a history of alcoholism, who inked a deal to have his mysterious security company take over a Montana jail.

And here's a hilarious little indication of just what kind of a Gatsby-esque character -- to put it very charitably -- Michael Hilton appears to be.

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Al Peterson

Hardin Official On APF Deal: "What Have We Got To Lose?"

Zachary Roth | October 1, 2009, 2:52PM

Michael Hilton

Michael Hilton, the American Police Force official who signed a deal to have APF take charge of a prison in Hardin, Montana, may have a lengthy criminal record and a history of alcoholism -- but everyone deserves a second chance.

That's the charitable view of Al Peterson, the Hardin economic development official involved in striking the deal with Hilton and APF.

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American Police Force

Montana Town Reassures Public On APF: "There Are No Commandos In The Streets"

Zachary Roth | October 1, 2009, 2:13PM

Fear and paranoia are running so high over Hardin, Montana's decision to put a shady private security contractor in charge of a local prison that the town agency behind the deal has posted a message on its website saying that "there are no commandos in the streets," and seeking to knock down other outlandish rumors.

A message on the website of the Two Rivers Authority, Hardin's economic development arm, reads:

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American Police Force

Reporter-Turned-APF-Flack: "I Made A Great Career Choice"

Zachary Roth | October 1, 2009, 12:07PM

Becky Shay

Reporters who go to work in public relations often encounter a bit of skepticism from their former colleagues (see Wolffe, Richard.) But that skepticism may be especially pronounced when the company on whose behalf the former reporter is spinning is a mysterious private security force that has won a contract to take over an empty jail and won't reveal the source of its backing, and whose leader shows up in town wearing a military-style uniform, offering three Mercedes SUVs for use by local law enforcement, and dragging a long criminal record, including jail time for fraud, behind him.

Meet Becky Shay, the American Police Force's new director of public relations. Shay had been a reporter for 20 years, and had been covering the APF story for the Billings Gazette. She filed her last story Thursday night, apparently without telling her editors that she had been in negotiations for a job with the company she was covering. Then she abruptly quit the paper and announced that she had signed on with APF.

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American Police Force

American Police Force Offers Fugitive Tracking, 'Covert Pregnancy Testing' and More!

Rachel Slajda | October 1, 2009, 11:24AM

When reading TPMmuckraker's coverage of American Police Force, the shadowy private security firm that's taken over a prison in Montana, you might wonder what other services APF offers. Surely, you think, they do more than run empty jails for mysterious reasons?

Indeed they do. According to its web site, the company offers a wide range of services, including "Check Your Mate" cheating spouses investigations, "fugitive recovery" for fugitives hiding in one of those pesky non-extradition countries and help if a loved one is kidnapped and held for ransom.

Or is it the other way around?

Our highly trained staff will discover information that fits your needs to get the answers you need. Some of our services include Kidknapping & Ransoms for ransom, INTL Air Marshalls, Security for convoys in Iraq, Pakistan + More!

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American Police Force

American Police Force Leader's Long Criminal Record

Zachary Roth | October 1, 2009, 11:17AM

American Police Force logo

The American Police Force, that mysterious security company that just took over an empty jail in Hardin, Montana, is looking shadier than ever.

Since yesterday, details have been emerging about the background of the man behind APF -- a California-based grifter, who has said he's a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Montenegro, and uses the name Michael Hilton.

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American Police Force

Mysterious Private Security Firm Gets Control Of Empty Jail In Small Montana Town

Justin Elliott | September 30, 2009, 3:16PM

American Police Force logo

A shadowy private security company that has no known clients but claims to have helped foreign governments combat terrorism and will protect anything from cruise ships to Pakistani convoys has taken over a jail in a small Montana town, with plans to build a law enforcement training facility on the property.

The state legislature is looking into the matter and residents of Hardin, MT, were alarmed last week when executives from the firm, American Police Force, showed up in the town, which does not have its own police department, with Mercedes SUVs bearing "City Of Hardin Police Department" decals.

And the town has had to tamp down reports on conspiracy Web sites that APF plans to impose experimental H1N1 vaccines on residents under threat of quarantine in the jail.

Under a lease signed with Hardin, APF, based in Santa Ana, California, and incorporated just six months ago, is now in control of a 400-bed detention facility the town built a few years ago but never used, a town official confirmed to TPMmuckraker today. The town reportedly stands to make over $2 million per year.

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