By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
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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.
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