Witness Protection Question

Factual Questions
1

The talk about Social Security numbers got me wondering… when you join the Witness Protection Program, who assumes your debts?

Is the government going to pick up payments on my $1.3mil morgage on my villa in Monaco, or do I have to pay it off with the $27k/yr job the feds give me? (I’m assuming the gov’t would take control of the house and sell it to make the payments, but that’s still got to be a financial loss for them)

“I guess it is possible for one person to make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”

2

I would think that they would take care of erasing all your debts and everything else about the real you and help in creating another you.

Like the gov’t really cares about losing some money. It is not like they work for the money.

Jeffery

3

I hope StrTrkr777 is right, because the feds do have a simpler procedure available, namely, to just ignore the old debts. The bill collectors will never find you. I hope they do actually pay them as part of the deal.

4

I doubt the government does anythihng of the sort. The theory is that the old identity is GONE, never to reappear. Old debts would not come back to haunt he or she, so why bother to retain a perfect credit rating?

It also draws attention to the person who is protected. It’s not hard to access credit records - Wouldn’t it look suspicious if someone who vanished paid off all of his debts right before he vanished? Part of the appeal to being protected is the fact that people don’t KNOW you’re being protecteed. In a lot of cases, the person is assumed DEAD!

Also, most of the creditors would have something tangible to deal with - like a house or car - so they wouldn’t get too screwed in the deal. Since a lot of the people who would become protected witnesses with reassigned identities are people who made a living illegally, you’d figure that it’s hard to get many unsecured loans that way!

Yer pal,
Satan

5

I was gonna ask this but it’s here so I’ll just kick it to the top. Anyone have any more info to add?

6

CNN did a story on the Witness Protection Program recently stating that not as many people are availing themselves of the program. Apparently, mobsters aren’t in to payback anymore. Not good for business.

7

The TV/movie portraits of the WP Program is frightening - getting a new background for yourself must be hard enough but to teach it to children–must really be tough. Have you seen “Cover Me” something like that FBI guy takes his family into the business. It’s the WP Program a little off kilter.

I can’t remember reading or viewing much of anything about WP Program except as fiction.

Are you driving with your eyes open or are you using The Force? - A. Foley

8

Isn’t this a Hollywood myth? That is, the fake-the-death plot line to throw in a couple explosions in the film. I know this is pure speculation on my part, but I don’t see the government faking deaths to help someone disappear.

First of all, why would they need to go through all that trouble? Is the mobster APB that effective? Is the new identity so thinly created that it doesn’t stand up under scrutiny or searching? Or is it the case that (barring another plot device or the stupidity of the protected) once someone has a new identity they don’t need to worry about the mob’s constant vigilance? And wouldn’t the mob be a bit suspicious of someone’s death moments after the conclusion of the trial? Or if a gov informant died shortly after the Feds cracked down on the organization?

Next, I wonder about the capacity for the government to do this. Is there an Office of Fake Cadaver Procurement? Do Hollywood special effects technicians moonlight for the government? Wouldn’t it be easier and just as effective to file whatever paperwork is necessary to cancel Social Security numbers, etc?

And lastly, what if the government needs the witness again? Do they wait until after the trial and appeals process is over before giving the person a new identity? Seems an awfully long time to wait. If five years down the road Joe Mobster wins his appeal and the government is ordered to re-try the case, what then?

There are a few other minor points against the gov faking deaths, but those three are the ones I have the most trouble with. As I said, this is pure speculation on my part, so if anyone knows anything for certain (or has their own theory as to why the gov does fake deaths) share the dope.

As to the OP, another WAG here - Would the amount of debt held by a witness be part of the package? That is, wouldn’t the prosecutors have to decide if the testimony of the witness was worth that portion of the budget that it would cost the program to get the testimony? Or, what would stop the gov from arranging a debt consolidation loan for the witness? They would carry the debt with them in a new identity, albeit through different lenders. No loss to either the lenders or the government.

That is all I have to say for now. Thanks for listening,

Rhythmdvl

Once in a while you can get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right…

9

As for Special Effects guys working for the government the CIA just advertised an opening for one. They did an interview just recently (past week or two) with a former CIA costumes and disguises worker on one of the news programs about the job after the CIA advertised the opening. Incidently I find it kind of amusing that the CIA has an open enough recruitment system that it is getting PR from major news outlets.

10

If some bill collector can find me I would be pissed at the poor services given to me by the US Government. I suppose Mr. Mobster would probably be comin’ a knockin’ next.

Heck Sam Gravano left the Witness Protection plan. He was living somewhere in the Midwest (until he was arrested in a drug ring, he’s probably going to have his living expenses paid courtesy of the State Dept. of Corrections now).

A lot of people over-estimate the competancy of Drug Gangs and the Mobs thanks to that wonderfull world of Hollywood.

11

Question Answered!

Since no one here had the answers, I decided to take my problem to the top. Well, not the top since that’d be Cecil, but close to it. After sending off a letter to the FBI, I waited a couple of days for the following response:

The Secret Service handles matters such as these. You may consider contacting them.

Not much of an answer, huh? Well, obviously the FBI didn’t think so either and promptly sent me this second mail:

Please disreguard the e-mail that was just sent. In response to your question, the government makes arrangements with the individuals creditors.

While the person replying never said who ultimately foots the bill, the government or the witness, we at least know that CitiBank isn’t getting stuck with an unpaid Mastercard bill. That, I’m sure, will help us all sleep better at night.

P.S. Now the FBI probably has a file on me, so I hope you’re all happy.

“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”