By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
O
n November 14th a grand jury in the Western District of Oklahoma issued a true bill indicting former Oklahoma City Police Officer Doug Williams for Obstruction of Justice, Witness Tampering, and Wire Fraud for allegedly being “…hired and paid to train customers how to conceal misconduct in other disqualifying information during Federal employment suitability assessments, Federal security background investigations, internal Federal agency investigations, and other proceedings.”
Williams proffers himself as a crusader having the hopes of eliminating polygraph examinations, informally known as lie detector tests, from government use in that fifty percent of truthful answers are deemed by polygraph operators to be lies. He maintains the website polygraph.com. Fees include one thousand dollars for his training locally and up to five thousand dollars for sessions in which air travel is requested of him.
In essence, Williams attests to the fact that innocent individuals are falsely accused of lying and that his service helps his customers bring out truthful answers. The website does not promise to assist customers to be successful in covering untruthful information.
Much of the indictment hinges upon the allegation that Williams defrauded the government by facilitating the employment of Federal employees who would otherwise not be eligible for their positions. The other is that Williams allegedly assisted government employees to obstruct the Federal government in official proceedings by conspiring to cover lies the customer would use in those proceedings. These activities reportedly were for hire and involved interstate commerce.
The government alleges in the indictment that Williams was targeted in an investigation where a Customs and Border Protection agent had as a job applicant omitted certain information during the hiring process. Williams informed the agent that he was wise to omit certain information and that he could assist him in passing the polygraph.
The government allegedly set up an undercover operation against Williams where an agent reportedly was paid to receive his service. In an apparent conflict of what was proffered on his website to assist in showing truthful answers, the indictment charges that Williams was concerned about the confidentiality to be maintained by the undercover agent by keeping quiet about the services offered and that he did not condone illegal operations. But later, according to the indictment, Williams then actively assisted the undercover agent in hiding a drug smuggling incident the agent was personally involved with.
A second undercover investigation, to digest, suggests that the undercover agent sought Williams’ services for incidents involving issues such as past events such as when the agent was employed by a sheriff’s office where he smuggled drugs to an inmate. The other was an illegal sexual encounter with a minor. Williams during this investigation was alleged to constantly remind the undercover officer to avoid telling him the nature of the crimes the agent supposedly engaged in and he repeatedly cut off the agent when the agent tried to ask him about these crimes. The indictment infers Williams, allegedly, was attempting to create a defense of plausible deniability and that he did not wish to discuss the matter for which the undercover attempted to seek his services. Williams was compensated for his involvement in the training.
The remaining counts reflect charges relating to Mail Fraud and Witness Tampering involving these incidents.
See attachment HERE for a copy of the Indictment.
In February of 2013 the home of Williams was searched by Federal agents and numerous items and records were seized. Contained within these records was alleged information on thousands of customers who sought Williams’ service. McClatchy news reported the names gleaned from the investigation, and another having a defendant named Chad Dixon, were used by the Federal government to establish a polygraph “watch list” of individuals.
Some of Williams’ supporters claim that Williams’ first amendment rights were violated in simply providing a training service, conveying information on how polygraph examinations are conducted, and that the indictment and previous investigations were attempts to shut down a practice the government deemed obstructive.
Williams authored a manual and DVD concerning polygraph examination titled: From Cop to Crusader.
By Darren Smith
Sources:
US Department of Justice
McClatchy DC
polygraph.com, Williams’ website.
Antipolygraph.org, blog.
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Doug – I hope that you tell them you want a trial. I doubt that that will ever let it happen. But, if I’m wrong, you’ll soon, be free and rich, and that will be the end of polygraphs. There is no better way to accomplish all of your goals. Good luck!
Doug is being charged with, basically, telling the public the emperor is naked. I wrote about this a while back. I suspect they really want to coerce a plea, because I can’t imagine this going to trial in front of a jury.
Here is the article I posted back in August 2013.
http://jonathanturley.org/2013/08/18/polygraphers-trigger-fear-response-in-federal-prosecutors/
We know that the CIA, SEALS, etc have been teaching their people how to get past polygraphy machines. How is this any different?
Paul, The only way it is different is who owns the football and makes the rules. “My football, my rules.”
The is a segment of the population that is going to fail the polygraph on a regular basis regardless as to how truthful their answers. I fall into that category. I took a polygraph for a job and the examiner thought I was toying with him because of my electronic responses. Even on some questions he knew were “True” he was getting “False” responses. I vowed to never take another polygraph. So far no one has asked. 🙂
Mr. Williams,
I thank you for commenting here and providing the readers with your perspective.
Darren Smith
If the lie detector is truly a device which can detect lies then the results in the exams shows that the person was not lying when administered the tests. So the counselor was teaching the person how to tell the truth as is evidenced by the results of the machine. The government would have not standing to bring an Indictment if their machine was not legit. I guess we need to call it a lying machine. I would differ with some of the commenters who frame this as a First Amendment right to free speech alone. It is the right to exercise free speech to petition your government for the right to remain silent. So it is First and Fifth. The prosecutor who brought this Indictment needs to shut the uckFay up.
This is simply an attack on my First Amendment rights to free speech. This
indictment is designed to punish and silence me because I have the audacity to
protest the use of the polygraph. Everything else I have to say, I have said in my book FROM COP TO CRUSADER.
Please buy this book and help me fight this important battle for free speech and more importantly to educate people about the abuses caused by the use of the insidious Orwellian instrument of torture – the “lie detector”.
Mike,
You’re right about the stress detection. True story- when took a polygraph for a security clearance with the FBI, I came up inconclusive on I had ever been convicted drunk driving. Easily verifiable right? So I took it again and passed. What changed? The first fraudster was the biggest ahole the planet has ever produced. I was a 22 year old recent graduate applying for a job and was treated like I was Osama bin Laden’s courier. The second guy smiled, treated me cordially, and actually apologized over the first guy. He knew the reputation of the degenerate from the other field office.
I turned down the job later when I realized i didn’t want my future career prospects determined by a pack lies that were open to interpretation of snake salesman (excuse me, polygraph examiner) and provided zero opportunity for review or protection from arbitrary withdrawal of my ability to work.
“So-called “lie detectors” have been shown repeatedly over the decades to detect stress only”
Aside from the fact that the polygraph does not do what is claimed, what exactly is wrong with preparing to do as wall as possible on any test – particularly one administered by the government.
I would argue that anyone has a legitimate interest in preparing prior to any test in order to perform as well as possible. I would also argue that interest is especially important in cases where the results of the test might reflect on employment or legal issues.
Further if you agree with me the individual has a right to prepare, then it is also legitimate to call upon others to aid in preparation for the test, and also legitimate for others to offer aid and support to prepare for the test.
Based on the discussion here, I don’t think I could convict in a case like this.
On the contrary I think that organizations administering such test should be required to advise test subjects of the equipment to be used, principles of operation, and common techniques used to ensure best performance during the test.
So-called “lie detectors” have been shown repeatedly over the decades to detect stress only, not lies, and there is no way to know what produces that stress: negative associations, recollections of past feelings of guilt, fear of evaluation or someone being able to “read one’s mind.” Their continued use is like reading the bumps on someone’s head to determine their intelligence. But when you want to believe it will solve “honesty” problems, it’s hard to let it go.
Lying is the American Way
If the undercover cop lied when luring this guy into these statements then the undercover cop is guilty of fraud. Fraud to induce false indictment. One cannot issue a True Bill of Indictment based upon the state’s fraud.
Well, then, barkin, there you have it, it’s another song. Somthing about fast and furious running around the tree trying to catch it’s tail but kept tripping over it’s head, “oh” 🙂
Indicted?? His stock just went up.
What are the odds that Gruber will ever face indictment even though he clearly admitted to purposely lying? He’ll never need to seek help pass a polygraph examination.
The Justice Department – Just as much of an Oxymoronic description of a Federal Agency as the C.I.A.
Darren, I am only 1/3 thru this thing and I am telling you they need to make a movie called Polygate out of it. 🙂 Such Language. Being a good girl growing up around those nice Ferguson Cops – I am truly shocked. 🙂 I am saddened they got him and put him through all that. Maybe – he really helped out that nice man Attorney General Eric Holder who holds things you know? He probably had something to do with it. 19. On or about October 1 7,2012, bye-mail message, Undercover A informed WILLIAMS that Undercover A intended to lie to investigators about his involvement in illegal smuggling and that, if the investigators learned the truth, Undercover A would likely be fired and prosecuted. During a telephone call that followed, WILLIAMS chastised Undercover A, saying: I told you I’m assisting you under the assumption that you are telling the truth, then you turn right around and say, “Yeah, just like I told you, I’m lying and I can’t and just like I told ya I’m lying.” What the f— do you think you’re doing dumbass? Do you think you have, do you think you have like a lawyer confidentiality with me? WILLIAMS continued, “And you should be smart enough to know that you don’t go around blabbing to everybody that you’re lying your ass off. You don’t dare tell DRS that, or they’ll throw you inj ail.” WILLIAMS told Undercover A, “I haven’t lived this long and f—– the go vernment this long, and done such a controversial thing that I do for this long, and got away with it without any trouble whatsoever, by being a dumb ass. ”
Your PDF FILE
I am not sure if there is a case to be made against showing people how to beat a test that is not used in courts to begin with. The DOJ just has too much time on its hands since it is not investigating any of the scandals under Obama.
George Costanza coached Jerry Seinfeld, but it didn’t work.
Polygraph and polygraph examiners are the real fraud.