CONTENTS 10. Correspondence to the Subcommittee from the Department of 11. Videotape demonstrating explosive devices_ 12. Photographs of explosive devices furnished by the Bureau of 13. Paladin Press catalog of explosives and demolition, etc.. 429 (1) 17. Summaries of organized crime and drug-related homicides in- 19. Photographs of violence in the Miami, Fla. area. 516 (1) 20. Additional photographs of scenes of violence in the Miami, 21. Three California cases concerning murder contracts pre- ORGANIZED CRIME AND USE OF VIOLENCE FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1980 U.S. SENATE, PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS The subcommittee met at 9 a.m., pursuant to recess, in room 5110, Dirksen Senate Office Building, under authority of Senate Resolution 361, dated March 5, 1980, Hon. Sam Nunn (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Members of the subcommittee present: Senator Sam Nunn, Democrat, Georgia; Senator James R. Sasser, Democrat, Tennessee; and Senator Jacob K. Javits, Republican, New York. Members of the professional staff present: Marty Steinberg, chief counsel; W. P. Goodwin, Jr., staff director; Michael Levin, deputy chief counsel; Raymond Worsham, investigator; Myra Crase, chief clerk; Mary Donohue, assistant chief clerk; Joseph G. Block, chief counsel to the minority; Howard Marks, Howard Shapiro, and Richard Shapiro, investigators to the minority; Lynn Lerish, executive assistant to the minority; Ira Shapiro, chief counsel, Governmental Efficiency and District of Columbia Subcommittee; Peter Levine, general counsel, Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee; Janet Studley, counsel, and Peter Roman, investigator, Federal Spending Practices and Open Government Subcommittee; Alan Bennett, counsel to the minority, Governmental Affairs Committee; and Steve Michaels, office of Senator Cohen. Chairman NUNN. The subcommittee will come to order. [Members of the subcommittee present at time of reconvening: Senator Nunn.] Chairman NUNN. This morning we have presentations by Hon. G. R. Dickerson, Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Department of Treasury; Mr. Edward M. Owen, Jr., Chief, Firearms Technology Branch, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Department of Treasury; and Robert F. Dexter, Chief, Explosives Technology Branch, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Department of Treasury. Mr. Director, if you will introduce the other people at the table, we would appreciate it. I know you have Mr. Steven Higgins, Mr. Phil McGuire, and Mr. Miles Keathley with you. If you could tell us their positions we could begin. Mr. DICKERSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Higgins is the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Mr. Keathley is the Assistant Director for Criminal Enforcement, and Phil McGuire is the Chief of our Investigations Division. Chairman NUNN. Thank you. If you will all stand and take the oath. Do each of you swear the testimony you will give before this subcommittee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. DICKERSON. I do. TESTIMONY OF HON. G. R. DICKERSON, DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY; EDWARD M. OWEN, JR., CHIEF, FIREARMS TECHNOLOGY BRANCH, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY; ROBERT F. DEXTER, CHIEF, EXPLOSIVES TECHNOLOGY BRANCH, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY; ACCOMPANIED BY STEPHEN HIGGINS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS; MILES KEATHLEY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT; AND PHIL MCGUIRE, CHIEF OF INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION Chairman NUNN. Before you begin, I want to thank you for your splendid cooperation with the subcommittee and for all of your help and assistance in putting together these hearings. You have gone out of your way to cooperate. We have had excellent communication with all of the people in your Bureau. For that we are grateful and we look forward to your testimony. Mr. DICKERSON. Thank you, Senator Nunn. I have submitted for the record a rather detailed statement of the ATF activities. If it is all right with you, I would like to summarize rather than read my entire statement. Chairman NUNN. Yes, sir. That will be fine. Mr. DICKERSON. Mr. Chairman, it is our privilege to appear before you to explain the role which ATF plays in the coordinated Federal attack on organized crime. Earlier this week you heard testimony from FBI Director William Webster and DEA Administrator Peter Bensinger. They described the ongoing law enforcement efforts against organized crime and trafficking which those agencies spearhead. ATF's criminal statutes include the Gun Control Act, the Explosives Control Act, and the new Cigarette Bootlegging Act. In the enforcement of these statutes, ATF also plays a major role against organized and violent crime. I might state in the beginning that cooperation among the agencies, between ATF and DEA, and between ATF and the FBI has never been better. Many of the cases that I discuss today will be cases worked jointly with those agencies and I think this cooperation has led to significant inroads against violent organized criminals. Mr. Chairman, the common denominator of organized crime is violence. This violence is inflicted upon society through the use of legal and illegal firearms, explosive devices used for assassinations and destruction of property, incendiaries used for arson, murder, and intimidation of persons resisting advances of the criminals. Examples of some of these weapons and destructive devices, commonly encountered in law enforcement have been prepared and are presented in this room for your information. Photographs of these exhibits are included in the blue notebook in front of you. We have also prepared a short videotape presentation of these devices in use. It graphically shows the destructive capability of many of the explosives used for criminal acts. Since in my subsequent testimony I will refer to these weapons and devices I would like at this time to play the tape for your review. This will take approximately 4 minutes, Mr. Chairman. Chairman NUNN. Go right ahead. [At this point, Senator Sasser entered the hearing room.] Mr. DICKERSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, violence and organized crime remain synonymous. If the motive of organized crime is profit the method is violence. And the tools used by organized crime are the ones that we have demonstrated here, automatic, sophisticated weaponry, as well as explosives, and incendiary devices. Organized crime today includes not only the traditional organized crime families but other groups such as narcotics syndicates, motorcycle gangs, ethnically organized groups, and other groups that I would categorize as hate groups. Through the statutes that ATF enforces, we maintain contact with this particular element of the criminal society and take an active role in the investigation and prosecution of professional criminals. Bombings, arson, and firearms violations are common to the range of crimes committed by the professional enforcers. ATF files include a total of 349 suspected professional contract killers and arsonists. They have been identified in ATF investigations as of February 19, 1980. These individuals are recognized as being professional criminals who have actively engaged in bombings, contract killings, or other violent acts intended to eliminate or intimidate competitors, gang members, informers, witnesses, union officials, noncooperative businessmen, police, prosecutors, and Federal officials. Let me give you some examples of the violence with which we deal. Several years ago in Cleveland, a series of violent explosions began occurring. Before ending, five individuals were killed by explosive devices. At the conclusion of the labor-oriented investigation which was conducted jointly with the FBI, 20 people were indicted and arrested. In Georgia, undercover agents were contracted to murder a district attorney and superior court judge by a well-known organized-crime figure, Burl Causey. Mr. Causey has received a 10-year sentence as a result of our investigation. I previously mentioned that cooperation had never been better between ATF and other Federal law enforcement agencies. I am particularly pleased with the recent efforts which have been undertaken jointly with the Drug Enforcement Administration. I meet regularly with DEA Administrator Peter Bensinger and our agents work closely |