U.S. Agencies Using Many More Undercover Investigations

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EXCLUSIVE Saturday, November 15, 2014 1:16 PM EST

U.S. Agencies Using Many More Undercover Investigations The federal government is using many more undercover operations in recent years, with officers from at least 40 agencies posing as business people, welfare recipients, political protesters, doctors and ministers to ferret out wrongdoing, records and interviews show. The practice provides a powerful new evidence-gathering tool, leading to more prosecutions. But it also raises concerns about civil liberties abuses and entrapment of unwitting targets. And it has led to hidden problems, with money gone missing, investigations compromised and agents sometimes left largely on their own for months or even years. READ MORE » http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/us/more-federal-agencies-are-using-undercover-operations.html?emc=edit_na_20141115