TPMMuckraker Greg Smith
Michael Hilton
Hilton Admits: I'm Broke And Had No Corporate Backing for Jail Bid
Zachary Roth | November 2, 2009, 9:57AM
Michael Hilton
"I'm out of the game. I'm done," Michael Hilton has told the Associated Press in a phone interview.
The California grifter had just testified in court that he's broke, is struggling to pay rent on his apartment, and recently borrowed money from his girlfriend. And he appeared to come close, perhaps for the first time, to admitting that he had deceived local officials in Montana about his effort to take control of an empty jail.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (16) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (5)Topics: American Private Police Force, Greg Smith, Hardin Montana, Michael Hilton
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":
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (7) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (5)Topics: American Police Force, American Private Police Force, Becky Shay, Greg Smith, Hardin Montana, Maziar Mafi, Michael Hilton
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.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (12) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: American Police Force, Greg Smith, Hardin, Hardin Montana, Michael Hilton
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...
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (19) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (5)Topics: APPF, Al Peterson, American Police Force, Becky Shay, Greg Smith, Hardin, Hardin Montana, Kerri Smith
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