Operation Flagship

Summary

Criminal Podcast Summary: "Operation Flagship"

Host: Phoebe Judge
Episode Release Date: December 13, 2024
Podcast Series: Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network
Description: Criminal explores stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or found themselves in the midst of moral dilemmas. In "Operation Flagship," hosted by Phoebe Judge, the episode delves into a high-stakes sting operation orchestrated by the U.S. Marshals in the mid-1980s to apprehend elusive fugitives through deceptive tactics.

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I. Introduction to Operation Flagship

In "Operation Flagship," Phoebe Judge recounts a meticulously planned sting operation by the U.S. Marshals Service aimed at capturing hard-to-find fugitives. The operation leveraged deception and allure, promising lucrative rewards to entice fugitives out of hiding.

II. Background: U.S. Marshals and the Formation of FIST

The episode begins by highlighting the challenges faced by the U.S. Marshals in the early 1980s. With budget cuts affecting the FBI's ability to track down federal fugitives, the responsibility shifted to the U.S. Marshals. In response, they established the Fugitive Investigative Strike Teams (FIST) in 1981, specializing in unconventional methods to apprehend fugitives.

III. Previous Sting Operations

Prior to Operation Flagship, the Marshals had already employed several innovative sting techniques:

• Boy George Contest (1984): A contest promising tickets to see Boy George and the Culture Club was a cover to arrest Robert Harris, a fugitive wanted for burglary. As Phoebe Judge narrates, "There wasn't a flat tire, there wasn't a television station, and there wasn't a breakfast with Boy George. The whole thing had been a sting" ([01:55]).

• Puno Airlines (1985): A fake airline was created to lure individuals with fraudulent free trips to the Bahamas, resulting in multiple arrests ([05:16]).

• Playboy Club Invitation: Invitations to a special event at a Playboy club ended with arrests conducted by undercover agents posing as Playboy bunnies ([06:35]).

These operations were part of broader efforts by FIST to creatively target fugitives without direct confrontation, deemed safer for both the marshals and the public.

IV. Planning and Execution of Operation Flagship

In 1985, Toby Roach, newly promoted to Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia, spearheaded Operation Flagship. The operation was conceived during a dinner conversation with his boss, Herb Rutherford, where Roach suggested leveraging the allure of NFL tickets to trap fugitives.

Roach explained, “We could have people for Redskin tickets and create a new sports video like ESPN or something like that” ([12:24]). This idea led to the creation of Flagship International Sports Television (FIST), another acronym for the Fugitive Investigative Strike Teams.

V. Involvement of CBS and Alan Goldberg

Alan Goldberg, a young television producer from CBS News working on the show West 57th, sought to gain insider access to one of these sting operations. Intrigued by the media attention surrounding the Marshals' tactics, Goldberg approached the U.S. Marshals, securing permission to film Operation Flagship ([13:46]).

Goldberg recounted, “They looked, they wanted the attention. They were getting a lot of great headlines around the country. And we came to them and said, look, we'd like to get inside one of your stings” ([14:12]).

VI. The Execution of Operation Flagship

Operation Flagship involved sending over 3,000 invitations to individuals promising free tickets to Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders) games and a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl XX. Recipients were instructed to RSVP for a brunch event at the Washington Convention Center.

As the operation commenced, CBS's Meredith Vieira acted as an on-site correspondent, capturing the unfolding events. Marshals created a festive atmosphere with cheerleaders (female police officers) greeting guests, while armed undercover cops were discreetly positioned throughout the venue ([18:09]).

Toby Roach emphasized the restrained approach: “We do not want any excessive force. Only the force necessary will be used in this operation” ([15:59]).

VII. Unforeseen Issues and Ethical Concerns

Despite meticulous planning, Operation Flagship encountered significant issues:

1. Misidentification of Targets:

   • Charles Watkins Error: One of the top ten fugitives, Charles Watkins, believed to be involved in a second-degree murder case, was mistakenly arrested. In a poignant moment, Watkins mistakenly identified himself as his son, revealing the error ([23:01]-[23:08]):

     Toby Roach: "That's not me."
     Toby Roach: "Do you know my name is Charles Watkins. He's my son, and I'm on this bus." ([23:03])

   • Lloyd Golden Misclassification: Another so-called top fugitive, Lloyd Golden, was actually wanted for narcotics sale, not more severe crimes like armed robbery ([23:22]-[23:34]).

2. Arresting Low-Level Offenders:

   • Out of the 94 individuals arrested, only a fraction were high-value targets. The majority were individuals wanted for misdemeanors, including traffic violations ([24:04]-[24:16]):

     Meredith Vieira: "Among the arrested, there was one attempted murderer, three escapees, and seven robbers. But 55 were wanted only on misdemeanors, including six traffic offenders."

3. Ethical Implications:

   • Alan Goldberg questioned the ethics of trapping individuals for minor offenses, stating, “You might have been arrested that day because you didn't answer a summons for a parking ticket. It could have been me” ([26:37]-[27:03]).
   • Stanley Morris defended the tactics as necessary and safe, asserting, “It's very safe for the public. I think it's the safest way to get dangerous criminals off the street” ([26:13]-[26:37]).

VIII. Aftermath and Evaluation of Success

The immediate aftermath saw operational success in terms of numbers, with 94 arrests reported. However, the quality of these arrests was questionable. Within three weeks, 72 of the 94 detainees were released, underscoring the ineffectiveness of the sting in targeting truly dangerous criminals ([27:16]-[27:16]).

Phoebe Judge summarizes the mixed outcomes:

*"Operation Flagship arrested nearly 100 people at a fairly inexpensive way without any injury. And those people, if we hadn't run, it would still be out on the street."_ ([24:43])

Ultimately, the operation was deemed flawed. While it achieved high arrest numbers, the majority were for minor infractions, leading to a reevaluation of FIST's strategies. By 1986, FIST operations were discontinued, and such large-scale undercover stings became a thing of the past.

IX. Conclusion: Legacy of Operation Flagship

"Operation Flagship" serves as a critical examination of law enforcement tactics that balance effectiveness with ethical considerations. The episode highlights the complexities of apprehending fugitives while respecting individual rights and underscores the potential consequences of prioritizing quantity over quality in criminal justice operations.

Phoebe Judge reflects on the operation's legacy, noting that while it temporarily disrupted the activities of certain individuals, its methodological shortcomings sparked debates on the appropriateness of deceptive practices in law enforcement.

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Notable Quotes:

• "We do not want any excessive force. Only the force necessary will be used in this operation."
  — Toby Roach [15:59]

• "You might have been arrested that day because you didn't answer a summons for a parking ticket. It could have been me."
  — Alan Goldberg [26:37]

• "It's very safe for the public. I think it's the safest way to get dangerous criminals off the street."
  — Stanley Morris [26:13]

• "Operation Flagship arrested nearly 100 people at a fairly inexpensive way without any injury. And those people, if we hadn't run, it would still be out on the street."
  — Toby Roach [24:43]

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Production Credits:

• Creators: Lauren Spohr and Phoebe Judge
• Senior Producer: Nadia Wilson
• Supervising Producer: Katie Bishop
• Producers: Susannah Roberson, Jackie Sajiko, Lily Clark, Lena Sillason, Megan Kinane
• Episode Producer: Sam Kim
• Mixed and Engineered By: Veronica Simonetti
• Fact Checking: Michelle Harris and Julia Harrison
• Illustrations: Julian Alexander
• Credits and Membership Information: thisiscriminal.com

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For those interested in exploring more about "Operation Flagship" and other captivating stories, tune into Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network. Stay updated by subscribing to their newsletter and following them on social media platforms.

Transcript

[Phoebe Judge]

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[Apple Pay Representative]

Paid partnership with Apple Pay. When you've got a gift list to finish, the last thing you want to do is take out your wallet a million times. Instead, pay the Apple way. With Apple Pay, you can pay with the phone you're already holding. Just double click smile at face ID tap and you're done. The people in line behind you, well, thank you. Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payment Services, llc, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer.

[Phoebe Judge]

In the fall of 1984, a television station in Hartford, Connecticut held a contest. If you won, you'd be picked up in a limo and taken to see Boy George and the Culture Club perform at the Hartford Civic Center. One of the winners was a 22 year old named Robert Harris. The television station said they would send a camera crew to film him getting picked up by the president of the station.

[Toby Roach]

Well, this is going to be an exciting day.

[Phoebe Judge]

After picking up Robert, the limo drove a few blocks and then suddenly it stopped. The driver said he had a flat.

[Stanley Morris]

Tire and the driver pulled over and we were filming this.

[Phoebe Judge]

This is Toby Roach. He organized the contest. A group of men surrounded the limo. They opened the car door and arrested Robert Harris. There wasn't a flat tire, there wasn't a television station, and there wasn't a breakfast with Boy George. The whole thing had been a sting. I'm Phoebe Judge. This is criminal. Robert Harris, the man who was arrested, was wanted for burglary and had been on the run for 17 months. The U.S. marshals had been having trouble finding him, so they came up with a way to get Robert Harris to come to them. At the time, Boy George was so popular, the Guardian described his concert tickets as rare as gold dust. And that gave a U.S. marshal named Toby Roach an idea he made up a fake television station modeled on MTV called WRock Video 66. He named the president of the station.

[Stanley Morris]

I am Detna, which is I am wanted spelt backwards.

[Phoebe Judge]

The U.S. marshals sent letters to relatives of Robert Harris, saying that a brand new television station was having the contest and that Robert Harris had been picked as the winner. Robert Harris wasn't the only target. There were a total of eight people arrested that day, all who believed they'd won tickets to see Boy George. Some of the U.S. marshals heard that when Boy George found out about the sting operation, he filed a complaint with the Department of Justice. He didn't want anything to do with it. The Boy George sting was one of a series of stings that were all organized by a special task force in the US Marshals. It was called the Fugitive Investigative Strike Teams. Nicknamed fist, they specialized in finding ways to get hard to find people to come to them. This wasn't always the US Marshal's job. For years it had been part of the FBI's job to track down federal fugitives. But the 1980 budget cut some of the FBI's funding and the Attorney General announced that the U.S. marshals would now take on finding fugitives. The U.S. marshals Service was first created in 1789 by Congress. As officers of the court, they served warrants and subpoenas and handled Federal prisoners through 1870, they also took the national census. In the 1800s, they filled in as law enforcement in western territories where there was no federal government. They enforced the Fugitive Slave act of 1850 and Prohibition in the 1920s. In the 60s, they were assigned to guard students integrating segregated schools. And in 1981, the Marshals Service created the Fugitive Investigative Strike Teams or or fist.

[Stanley Morris]

The fact that they're coming to us, basically we called it a rest by appointment only.

[Phoebe Judge]

In 1985, they created a fake airline in Miami called Puno Airlines. Puno means FIST in Spanish. The marshals made their own Punyo airline stationery and sent letters to the last known addresses of people they were looking for congratulating them on winning a free trip. It included a fake boarding pass to the Bahamas. They even set up a fake ticket counter in the Miami International Airport. Here's audio from NBC in 1985.

[NBC Reporter]

Last Thursday, Linda Cox of Miami, the woman with the hat, packed her bags for an all expense paid trip to the Bahamas after being notified her name had been selected at random by a new airline company. There was even a limousine ride to the airport off to the Bahamas for the weekend. But what Mrs. Cox didn't know was that the airline company was a phony and so was the trip. All set up by United States Marshals to lure hard to find fugitives out of their hiding places. And instead of being taken to the Bahamas. Mrs. Cox, wanted on bad check charges, was taken to jail.

[Phoebe Judge]

Oh, I don't believe this.

[NBC Reporter]

The marshals set up their phone.

[Phoebe Judge]

The sting resulted in 14 arrests. In another operation in Virginia, the marshals sent out invitations to a special event at a Playboy club. When they arrived, attendees were invited to board a black bus decorated with a giant bunny logo.

[Stanley Morris]

They were going to meet a bunch of Playboy bunnies and, you know, and hang out and get pictures taken and all that.

[Phoebe Judge]

When they got on the bus, they were arrested by undercover agents dressed like Playboy bunnies. More than once, the marshals set up fake delivery companies. One was called the Fist Bonded Delivery Service, which, according to the New York Times, sent out letters saying, quote, large packages worth $2,000 of undescribed goods were ready to be delivered. When people tried to claim the valuable packages, they were arrested. Toby Roach says that part of what was appealing about the sting operations was that they were less confrontational. They weren't going to people's homes, which he says was Safer for the U.S. marshals. One of the first large scale police stings in the United states happened in D.C. in the 1970s. They called it operation sting because the police officers, like the Paul Newman and Robert Redford movie the Sting, D.C. police worked with the FBI to try to do something about a recent increase in stolen office equipment. They rented a warehouse and pretended to be the D.C. outpost of a New York mob family and spread the word that they would buy stolen office equipment. And they paid good prices for all kinds of things. So good that one man went to a department store, bought a gun, and sold it to the undercover officers for twice the price. The police officers dyed their hair black and tried to talk with Italian accents, but they didn't speak Italian. They could say ciao and arrivederci, but they mostly just made up words. They served meatballs and would offer you a chianti or whiskey and then get your fingerprints off the glass. One officer introduced himself as Angelo Lasagna. Another was Rico Riccitoni. After a few months of doing this, the police threw a party inviting people they'd done business with to meet the head of the Bob family, who was actually just a police officer dressed up as the Don and sitting in a high back chair. So many people were arrested that night that the city jail ran out of space for everyone. One detective said, we played a game with them. We were romance the mob, the greatest thing that ever happened to them. After it was all over, the police received letters complaining about the way the officers represented Italian Americans. During the operation, one of the officers said, we meant no harm except to the thieves. The New York Times reported that it was plain that the police had had some fun. We'll be right back. Support for Criminal comes from Etsy. Choosing the right gift for someone can be a lot of fun. I recently received a very good gift, a print of an old agricultural booklet from the 1956 National Farming Forum. It's a black and white image of different varieties of potatoes, each one labeled. Etsy can help you find a totally original gift for everyone in your life with handmade, handpicked gifts from independent sellers. For example, you can order a customized T shirt covered in photographs of someone's pet. Or you can get someone a jean jacket with their name sewn across the back or a necklace engraved with their handwriting. Shop Etsy this holiday season to celebrate all of your favorite people for original gifts that say I get you. Etsy has it.

[Apple Pay Representative]

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[Phoebe Judge]

In 1985, U.S. marshal Toby Roach moved to Washington, D.C. he'd just been promoted to the Chief Deputy U.S. marshal for the District of Columbia. At the time, There were over 3,000 wanted persons in the D.C. area and over 5,000 outstanding warrants. Toby invited his new boss, a U.S. marshal named Herb Rutherford, over for dinner.

[Stanley Morris]

So he came over the house and we started talking football. So he was telling me, for the NFL, for the nfc, for the Washington Redskins, there was a seven year wait to get nosebleeds tickets.

[Phoebe Judge]

This gave Toby an idea.

[Stanley Morris]

I talked with him about the Boy George sting and that. And I said, you know Herb, we could have people for Redskin tickets and create a new sports video like ESPN or something like that. They would get a buffet brunch. And we joked around and said, oh, okay, let's do this on Monday, let's do this tomorrow.

[Phoebe Judge]

And they did it. They got to work on the biggest FIST operation yet. They called it Operation Flagship. They named their fake television station Flagship International sports television, another fist acronym. The marshal sent out more than 3,000 invitations offering free tickets to See the Redskins now called the commanders and a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl 20. To claim the tickets, you had to come to a brunch at the Washington Convention Center. The invitation included a phone number to rsvp. The Marshal set up a phone bank and waited for the calls to come in. As Toby Roach was preparing Operation Flagship, a young television producer named Alan Goldberg was working on a new CBS News show called West 57th.

[Alan Goldberg]

I read an article about sting operations that the U.S. marshals Service were conducting around the country. And they were getting a lot of media attention. And I thought, well, this is interesting. Maybe we could get inside one of these stings. And I reached out to the U.S. marshals Service, I talked to Toby, and sure enough, they were beginning their largest operation or sting in Washington, D.C. i.

[Phoebe Judge]

Mean, how did you get the Marshals to tell you about an upcoming sting? I mean, you'd think that that would be something that they wouldn't want anyone to know, right?

[Alan Goldberg]

They look, they wanted the attention. They were getting a lot of great headlines around the country. And we came to them and said, look, we'd like to get inside one of your stings. This is great for you. It tells the public that the U.S. marshals Service is out there chasing the bad guys. And so we sold them on that.

[Phoebe Judge]

Alan Goldberg and a CBS television crew were brought into Operation Flagship's phone bank room. The correspondent for the piece was Meredith Vieira.

[Meredith Vieira]

What do you guys think about all this?

[Toby Roach]

It's good operation.

[Alan Goldberg]

We wired everybody up. Phone calls came in.

[Toby Roach]

Flagship International Sports.

[Meredith Vieira]

Hold on.

[Alan Goldberg]

One of the marshals would take the information.

[Toby Roach]

Good afternoon, Mr. Cran. I received a letter from you for brunch on December 15. Yes, sir. Did it say that you had won two complimentary tickets to the Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals game? Yes, sir. Well, very good. Congratulations.

[Alan Goldberg]

And sure enough, you know, a good number of them called in and we captured it all on video and bring.

[Toby Roach]

Also some positive identifications so that we know you're the winner.

[Phoebe Judge]

About 160 people called to say they'd come to the brunch scheduled for December 15, 1985. Very early that morning, CBS filmed the.

[Meredith Vieira]

Marshals preparing Sunday, 5:30am Washington's convention center, the morning of the sting.

[Toby Roach]

We do not want any excessive force. Only the force necessary will be used in this operation. As always, going over the PA system. What's going to go over there is. Welcome to Flagship International. And now we have a special surprise. You're under arrest. Put your hands on your head. So unsurprise you're going. Remember, bandits are greedy. We're going to play on their greed. The hook has been, is already in. We want, now we want to sink the hook. And remember one thing, we're cops and we have to smile. Today. We don't normally smile at bandits. Today we have to smile. We have to kill him with smiles.

[Phoebe Judge]

The Marshal said that two of the fugitives who'd RSVP'd were on DC's top 10 most wanted list. Their names were Charles Watkins and Lloyd Golden. In 1983, Charles Watkins was convicted of second degree murder. While he was in the D.C. jail, he was somehow able to get a prison guard uniform. An escape. He'd been on the run for more than a year. Here's Toby Roach on the morning of the sting talking about Charles Watkins and Lloyd Golden.

[Stanley Morris]

Some of the people we got coming. We have two of the top ten fugitives here in dc. One's wanted for murder, another for armed robbery. So these people, even though it's going to be a carnival like atmosphere, we.

[Toby Roach]

Have to take them seriously.

[Phoebe Judge]

They'd been training for six weeks and had done three dress rehearsals.

[Stanley Morris]

We looked at it as a Hollywood production. That's the best way to describe it. We dressed the people at the dais in tuxedos.

[Phoebe Judge]

Marshals were brought in from all over the country, so there was no chance the guests would see someone who'd arrested them before.

[Stanley Morris]

When the fugitives came in, they were greeted by cheerleaders who were female police officers for the District of Columbia police or deputy U.S. marshals, you know, patting them on the back and the small of the back to make sure there wasn't a gun or a knife back there.

[Phoebe Judge]

Ellen Goldberg had two CBS crews filming everything downstairs.

[Meredith Vieira]

Under every black tie is a bulletproof vest. And sprinkled throughout the building are armed undercover cops.

[Toby Roach]

Congratulations.

[Alan Goldberg]

So we were just there. Part of the scenery, if you will.

[Toby Roach]

You're lucky today. Yes, I do.

[Alan Goldberg]

Here's your lucky day.

[Apple Pay Representative]

You don't even know it, do you?

[Toby Roach]

I'll see you in Zubo, Hawaii. Four tickets, big go, front row.

[Alan Goldberg]

It was easy for us to basically pose as a television crew. We were just part of the whole affair, right? And fortunately, nobody ever asked us, you know, who are you? That was always. That was kind of an ethical issue for us that we discussed before we went down. Like, if somebody actually asked us upfront, who were we with? What were we going to say? There was a video screen, there was a US Marshal who was in a tuxedo.

[Toby Roach]

We'd like to welcome you to the Flagship International Sports Television and Oracle celebration.

[Phoebe Judge]

His name was Louis McKinney. He wore a top hat and played the role of master of ceremonies.

[Toby Roach]

Congratulations on all your winners.

[Phoebe Judge]

There was an announcement that a car was parked illegally. This was the cue to the SWAT team to get into position outside of the door. Then they waited.

[Alan Goldberg]

There was a code word that we have a surprise for you. And when the SWAT teams in the background heard the, the, the, the key word, that's when they, you know, opened the doors and, and, and actually surprised them.

[Toby Roach]

Command all units. Trap has been sprung.

[Alan Goldberg]

And then when they, you know, picked them up and took him out into the hall and threw them down to the ground and handcuffed them, they realized, all right, this was, you know, this is something else. This was clearly a sting.

[Phoebe Judge]

The people arrested were put in buses waiting outside the convention center. A U.S. marshal described by the Washington Post as exuberant, said they were totally caught off guard. CBS reported that Operation Flagship arrested 94 people.

[Alan Goldberg]

The head of the US Marshal Service, the director, is a guy named Stanley Morris. And he announced to the media that they had this very successful sting operation and in fact had captured two top 10 fugitives.

[Phoebe Judge]

But then Alan Goldberg started to look at what they'd taped that day.

[Alan Goldberg]

What happens after any story is you go back and you review all of the footage. So while it all looked great, the truth was that it wasn't quite what they made it out to be.

[Phoebe Judge]

We'll be right back.

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[Phoebe Judge]

Reviewing his footage, CBS producer Alan Goldberg watched and rewatched the moment that one of the top 10 most wanted fugitives, Charles Watkins, was put onto a police bus. And he noticed Charles Watkins saying they had the wrong guy.

[Toby Roach]

That's not me.

[Meredith Vieira]

This is Charles Watkins, believed to be a D.C. top 10, a murderer.

[Toby Roach]

Do you know my name is Charles Watkins. He's my son, and I'm on this bus. I'm 50 years old. My son is 20. I'm Charles Watkins Sr.

[Phoebe Judge]

The marshals had arrested the wrong Charles Watkins.

[Alan Goldberg]

They had arrested the father instead of the son.

[Phoebe Judge]

The LA Times reported that later Charles Watkins Sr. Produced identification and convinced the police that they had the wrong man.

[Alan Goldberg]

And as we learned more and more about what happened that day, it became clear that while the marshals had trumpeted this sting operation as a huge success, that the results of the sting were not what they seemed.

[Phoebe Judge]

Alan Goldberg learned that the other top 10 fugitive, Lloyd golden, was not actually a top 10 fugitive either. He was wanted for the sale of narcotics, not armed robbery.

[Meredith Vieira]

Among the arrested, there was one attempted murderer, three escapees, and seven robbers. But 55 were wanted only on misdemeanors, including six traffic offenders.

[Phoebe Judge]

Alan Goldberg and his colleagues started looking more into the FIS program and re interviewed the director of the U.S. marshals, Stanley Morris.

[Meredith Vieira]

You told me marshals had apprehended two of the top 10 fugitives in Washington, D.C. what happened to those?

[Toby Roach]

We were wrong.

[Meredith Vieira]

Both cases?

[Toby Roach]

Yeah, both cases.

[Meredith Vieira]

Do you think that the sting operation in D.C. was a success or a failure?

[Toby Roach]

Oh, I think it was a success. I mean, it did. It did a number of things. I mean, it arrested nearly 100 people at a fairly inexpensive way without any injury. And we those people, if we hadn't run, it would still be out on the street.

[Phoebe Judge]

Alan Goldberg remembers thinking that Operation Flagship was supposed to focus on really big, quote, high value people. And so when he learned that it mostly brought in people with misdemeanors, he felt misled.

[Alan Goldberg]

This is a pretty big deal and a lot of trouble just to catch a lot of small fish. And I think for them to make as big a deal out of it wasn't completely honest, because again, when you're talking about parking violations and other minor offenses to be thrown to the ground and handcuffed and treated in that fashion, it does seem certainly excessive and I think you could argue unfair.

[Phoebe Judge]

Was this process totally legal?

[Stanley Morris]

Yes. You can use ruse and trickery to apprehend somebody, they came to us voluntarily. We didn't go into their houses or do anything like that.

[Phoebe Judge]

Whether it's legal, do you think it's ethical to trick people into something like this?

[Stanley Morris]

Well, it's not tricking. It's doing a ruse. It's not, you know, when you arrest them, you identify yourself who you are, and I think it's very safe for the public. I think it's the safest way to get dangerous criminals off the street.

[Alan Goldberg]

Do I think it's ethical what they did? Wow. I think the fact that a lot of the people that were arrested were petty. I don't even want to call them criminals. They were petty offenses. You know, you might have been arrested that day because you didn't answer a summons for a parking ticket. It could have been me.

[Phoebe Judge]

Three weeks after Operation Flagship, 72 of the 94 people who were captured had been let go. Here's how Alan Goldberg's 1986 CBS piece.

[Meredith Vieira]

Ended that day in December, the Redskins won their game but went on to lose the season. The same might be said of the Marshals.

[Phoebe Judge]

CBS reported that of the 10,000 people the marshals had arrested in the past four years of the FIST program, half were released within a week. In 1986, FIST operations came to an end. We contacted the U.S. marshals, and their historian told us that to his knowledge, undercover operations on this scale aren't done today. But he said the concept continued Criminalists created by Lauren Spohr and me. Nadia Wilson is our senior producer. Katie Bishop is our supervising producer. Our producers are Susannah Roberson, Jackie Sajiko, Lily Clark, Lena Sillason and Megan Kinane. This episode was also produced by Sam Kim. Our show is mixed and engineered by Veronica Simonetti, fact checking by Michelle Harris and Julia Harrison. Julian Alexander makes original illustrations for each episode of Criminal. You can see [e-mail] and you can sign up for our [e-mail] Newsletter. Please consider supporting our work by joining our membership program Criminal. Plus you can listen to Criminal this is Love and Phoebe reads a mystery without any ads. Plus you'll get bonus episodes. These are special episodes with me and Criminal co creator Lauren Spohr telling stories from the last 10 years of working together. And at the end of each episode we share things we've been enjoying lately. To learn more, go to thisiscriminal.com plus we're on Facebook and Twitter criminalshow and Instagram @ criminalpodcast. We're also on YouTube at YouTube.com criminalpodcast criminal is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Discover more great [e-mail] I'm Phoebe Judge. This is criminal.

[Vergecast Host]

2025 is going to be a huge year for the tech industry. AI is either going to take over or maybe kind of start to go away. Regulation is going to continue and change the tech industry, or maybe a new president is going to change his mind about how all that is supposed to work. We're going to get new gadgets and new apps and new social platforms competing for our time and attention and new information about what it means to be a person on the Internet and how we should be thinking about that. We have no idea what's coming next year, but on the Vergecast this month we've decided to speculate wildly. Anyway, we're spending our time trying to figure out what's coming next year, what isn't, and what it all means. All that on the Vergecast presented by Polestar.

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[Phoebe Judge]

You'Ve.

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