Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to the NEA's controversial August 10 conference call encouraging artists to create work that promotes the Obama agenda. The documents consist of internal NEA correspondence, including emails involving disgraced former NEA Communications Director Yosi Sergant, who resigned over the scandal, and former actor and current Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Kalpen Modi. The emails newly document detailed White House involvement in the controversial conference call. (The Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs the AmeriCorps program, also was represented during the call.)

The following are excerpts from the email correspondence:

• August 10, 2009, 10:23 am: Email from Yosi Sergant to Kalpen Modi: "[The call is] organized by me...I'd ask you to come on and give the exact spiel you gave on Saturday. Walk them through the WH Arts Policy. They won't know it. Then I will take them into United We Serve and the NEA."
• August 10, 2009, 10:29 am: Email from Kalpen Modi to Yosi Sergant: "Oy. This would be awesome to be a part of. Let me know if you think it's going long, or maybe I can get someone from here to do it if I can't because of the Social Security mtg."
• August 10, 2009, 11:04 am: Email from Kalpen Modi to Yosi Sergant: "Let me see if we can move Social Sec by a few mins. Agreed, it would be great to be on the call and helpful for us also."
• August 10, 2009, 1:37 pm: Email from Yosi Sergant to Buffy Wicks, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement: "We have an important call at 2pm for UWS (United We Serve) and the Arts with my peeps. Indie producers around the country. Kal can't join the call. Any chance you can hop on for 5 minutes and intro with Nellie and I?"

While the names of the individuals on the conference call were redacted due to "privacy concerns," some of their titles were disclosed, including: Green Blogger, Publisher, Musician, Music Writer, Film/Marketing, Actress/Director, Marketing, Magazine, Marketing/Magazine, Event Producer, and Actress. These individuals were described by Sergant in an email as a "rad group, who can really get stuff done."

"These emails shed new light on a very serious Obama administration scandal. The NEA is supposed to foster the arts, not serve as a propaganda machine for the Obama White House. We will continue our investigation so we can provide the truth to the American people about this scandal."

Judicial Watch filed its original FOIA request on September 28, 2009, seeking the following information:

1. "Any and all correspondence between the White House and NEA Communications Director Yosi Sergant."
2. "Guidelines regarding the National Service Initiative."
3. "Guidelines regarding engaging in political activities."
4. "Guidelines and memos regarding the United We Serve campaign."

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it filed a taxpayer lawsuit against the Phoenix Police Pension Board, its five members, and City of Phoenix Chief of Police Jack F. Harris to stop the illegal payment of pension benefits to Chief Harris valued at approximately $90,000 per year. Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on October 28 with the Superior Court for the State of Arizona on behalf of taxpayers and residents of the City of Phoenix, including a number of active and retired members of the Phoenix Police Department.

According to Arizona law, if a retired member of the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System "subsequently becomes employed in the same position by the employer from which the member retired, the system shall not make pension payments to the retired member during the period of reemployment."

According to Judicial Watch's lawsuit, Chief Harris retired from the City of Phoenix Police Department "on or about January 19, 2007," and was subsequently rehired as "Public Safety Manager." However, Chief Harris continues to head the Phoenix Police Department. He not only uses the title of "Chief of Police," but he also wears the same uniform and has the same office at Police Headquarters as he did before his "retirement." Chief Harris is listed as "Public Safety Manager/Police Chief Jack Harris" on the Phoenix Police Department's organizational chart. Nonetheless, Chief Harris continues to take pension payments, contrary to the requirements of the law.

Judicial Watch previously requested in a letter dated August 27, 2009, that Arizona Attorney General Goddard take action to enjoin the payment of the illegal pension benefits to Chief Harris. However, Attorney General Goddard refused to take action, according to a September 26th letter from the Attorney General's Division Chief Counsel Donald Conrad. Arizona law empowers a taxpayer to institute an action if the taxpayer makes a written request to the Attorney General to institute such an action and the Attorney General fails to do so within sixty (60) days. As the sixty day period has passed without any action by the Attorney General, Judicial Watch is filing this Arizona taxpayer lawsuit to end "illegal payment of pension benefits to Chief Harris."

"Police Chief Harris' alleged double dipping is of deep concern to Arizona taxpayers who are outraged by this apparent waste of taxpayer funds. And certainly our tax-paying Phoenix law enforcement clients want to protect their pension fund. In the absence of leadership from Attorney General Goddard, Judicial Watch is happy to represent Phoenix taxpayers as they seek to enforce the rule of law against Chief Harris and the Phoenix Police Pension Board," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton issued the following statement today in response to allegations reported by The Washington Times that during the first nine months of his administration "President Obama has quietly rewarded scores of top Democratic donors with VIP access to the White House, private briefings with administration advisers and invitations to important speeches and town-hall meetings."

"This new Obama scandal is disappointingly reminiscent of the Clintons' scheme to rent out the Lincoln Bedroom to top Democratic donors in the 1990s. In this case, however, it appears the entire White House complex is for sale in the Obama administration. A number of federal laws could have been broken by this White House fundraising program. Attorney General Holder can demonstrate his independence by appointing a special counsel to conduct an independent investigation of these serious allegations. In the meantime, the Obama White House needs to respond to our and others' requests for information about White House visitors."

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Iran and China lead the world in stealing sensitive U.S. military equipment and technology according to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from the Justice Department's National Security Division. The documents include a report entitled, "Significant Export Control Cases Since September 2001," which was prepared by the Counter Espionage Section (CES), and includes the charges, investigative agency, defendants and disposition of each case.

According to the Justice Department report, which was labeled "For Official Use Only," Iran and China were cited for 31 and 20 violations respectively between September 29, 2001 and May 16, 2008. Among the "significant" cases listed by the CES:

• U.S. v. Eugene Hsu, et al. (9/21/01): Eugene Hsu, David Chang and Wing Chang were charged with "Conspiracy and an attempt to export military encryption units to China through Singapore." All received guilty verdicts however Wing Chang is still listed as a fugitive.
• U.S. v. Avassapian (12/03): Sherzhik Avassapian was a Tehran-based broker working for the Iranian Ministry of Defense when he attempted to "solicit and inspect F-14 fighter components, military helicopters and C-130 aircraft which he intended to ship to Iran via Italy." Avassapian pleaded guilty to issuing false statements.
• U.S. v. Kwonhwan Park (11/04): Kwonhwan Park was charged with "Exporting Black Hawk engine parts and other military items to China." Pleaded guilty and sentenced to 32 months in prison.
• U.S. v. Ghassemi, et al. (10/06): Iranian national Jamshid Ghassemi and Aurel Fratila were charged with "Conspiracy to export munition list items &emdash; including accelerometers and gyroscopes for missiles and spacecraft &emdash; to Iran without a license." Ghassemi and Fratila are at large in Thailand and Romania respectively. Justice is currently seeking their deportation.

In October 2008, the Department of Justice announced that criminal charges had been issued against more than 145 defendants in the previous fiscal year. Approximately 43% of these cases involved munitions or other restricted technology bound for Iran or China.

According to a Justice Department news release included in the documents released to Judicial Watch: "The illegal exports bound for Iran have involved such items as missile guidance systems, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components, military aircraft parts, night vision systems and other materials. The illegal exports to China have involved rocket launch data, Space Shuttle technology, missile technology, naval warship data, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or 'drone' technology, thermal imaging systems, military night vision systems and other materials."

"These documents show that Iran and China have concerted efforts to obtain U.S. military technology in violation of our laws," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "The Obama administration needs to maintain vigilance against the illegal efforts of enemies such as Iran to obtain our sensitive technologies."