I have waited long enough and thought very carefully about what I am about to reveal to you about the "alleged" Hidro Tanker Memo that was "allegedly" signed by CMC Director Rudy M. Camacho.

I have "first hand" knowledge of this incident only because of my association with former Customs employee Mike Horner. I also knew what I had to do when I discovered that he may be lying for "personal reasons" to "control" the newsmedia. This is why certain Customs Stories were "killed" in order to protect the newsmedia liabilities. When I started to find these things out, then I realized that someone was lying about something. It wasn't me. I wanted to get the truth, one way or another.

I have already brought this information to the attention of Customs Internal Affairs Agents in San Diego and Customs Headquarters through the former and current Commissioner without any action. I have been told by Customs Internal Affairs Agents Russel Hixon and Dave Wales that: "We are moving forward with a criminal case regarding Mr. Horner................with your assistance Mr. Carman." I was also told by these "agents" that I was doing a very "Honorable" and "Correct" thing, but I was cautious and I also knew that all they wanted to do was go after Mike Horner and others who made serious protected disclosures. I was taking another chance at doing my job at the cost of losing my career.

Let me point out, that my "evidence" has never been "refuted", nor will it be "refuted" because I have told Customs Internal affairs and other government agencies the truth. They know this, and they will not challenge me except at great risk to themselves and damage the "trust" which has been broken to the People Of The United States by the U.S. Customs Service. They also will not challenge me unless they want to damage themselves on many corruption allegations I have made against Customs managers. They would rather do "damage control" and attack the "messenger".

I question the abilities and the true intentions of the Customs Service and it's Internal Affairs Units. It is apparent that they only want to know the truth if it benefits them or the agency. Otherwise, they do not know how to handle the real truth and to "correct" the problems that others have suggested over many years of service to the Customs Service like I have, as well as others.

I have been told numerous times that I would receive some sort of protection and that what I did to assist the Customs Service was "above and beyond what was expected of anyone". It was at great risk to myself and my family that I assisted Customs Internal Affairs, no matter what. I have been retaliated against and received "death threats" by others who may carry badges. It is time that everyone know the real truth about Mike Horner and Rudy M. Camacho.

I have been treated "unprofessionally" by Senior Customs Internal Affairs Agents by the names of Russell Hixon and Dave Wales as well as the I.A. SAIC out of the San Diego office. I was also receiving "Death Threats" without any protection from the Customs Service during this time of my "assisting" Customs in this very sensitive issue. I figure it was my duty to tell Customs Internal Affairs as soon as I knew something about what I knew because I had just found out that Mike Horner was not truthful to me or others in the Media.

I didn't want this to damage my "whistle-blower" case against Customs in any way what-so-ever. I also "collected" valuable information that I felt was necessary to assist Customs I.A. or "others" in the event Customs employees that I knew or talked with were not telling the truth. I was not going to "blindly" follow anyone no matter what. I was also very careful to ask questions and to double check information regarding sensitive "leaks" that occurred.

As soon as I started to discover "inconsistencies" in Mike Horner's stories, I started keeping notes and waiting until I was absolutely sure that I must take corrective action to report these things. You have to remember that I was also under constant attack by Customs management and Immigration employees that didn't really know what was going on. I was even told by a Customs Supervisor that she didn't believe that I talked to Customs Internal Affairs. or why haven't they (Customs Internal Affairs) arrested anyone yet? This type of comment was very stupid and could only try to illicit some sort of response from me. I refrained anyway.

One thing that I want to make clear, is that throughout this ordeal, I was lied to by Mike Horner and others who are still employed by the Customs Service. I still do not trust very many people now because of it. I was "manipulated" up to a certain degree but I have taken measures to protect myself.

It was apparent later on, that certain Customs employees and Mike Horner were only interested in their own personal gain and not the real cause of exposing corruption within the Customs Service. On the other hand, I want to commend the other Customs employees who did have good intentions and the needs of the Customs Service. No matter what, you must still report illegal activity and evidence of corruption. If you don't, then you are just as bad as the corrupt officials we are trying to weed out.

Anyway, to the last days regarding the 60 Minute interviews and the "alleged" "forged" document signed by Rudy M. Camacho.

There were many discrepancies with the "Hidro Tanker Memo". Unfortunately, Mr. Horner did not want to tell me a lot of things, so I had to "dig" at the right moment. Customs Internal Affairs couldn't do it. No body could! Only me.

I was in a perfect position to monitor and evaluate "limited" information. I figured I was going to get to disclose my allegations against corrupt Customs managers, but that was not the case. Mr. Horner "controlled" the media and he wasn't interested in any other Customs allegations accept his own. He even tried to take "ownership" or "plagiarize" my allegations as well as others. The only people I can blame is Customs because of how the employees are treated if they report illegal activity like I did.

There is specific evidence that Horner even "tape recorded' a lot of his conversations with U.S. government agents without their knowledge. I have provided this to Internal Affairs and they have done nothing!

I was "promised" many times by Russel Hixon and Dave Wales, that after my last disclosures in April 1997, they only wanted to know the truth. However once they had the truth, they still did "nothing". It is "possible" that either I was "set up" on a small incident, which I reported to the Customs Commissioner or the other Customs Inspectors just lied to save their own "butt". I was even willing to take a polygraph or chemical drug to show my sincerity in telling the truth. Nothing has happened to the others who lied. (Yet)

Around the time of the "memo" that Mike Horner had, I also had some questions about the discrepancies in the Customs emblem of the official Customs Stationary. I found this out too late because whatever Mike Horner was doing was already done. I tried to "understand" why there were some discrepancies and I looked through a lot of my own personal documents, reports and various awards that I had received from Customs.

When I found a few original Customs documents that I proved to be correct "originals", I then discovered that the original signature signed by Rudy M. Camacho was in perfect order, but that the Customs emblem was slightly obliterated in the center where the stars appeared in the "arch" of the center emblem. The stars were removed or gone because of a computer glitch or because of numerous photocopying.This document is still a good document, unless the Customs Attorney or employee "forged" his signature.

This puzzled me extremely since Mike Horner acted surprised when I pointed this out to him after he had already done something with "his" Hidro tanker memo.

My memos were from cash awards or evaluations that had been changed through the grievance procedure to "excellent" and was signed by Rudy M. Camacho. I even had some signed by Rex Applegate the assistant Customs Director in San Diego.

The real kicker is this. These memos all "appeared" to come from the same office at the Customs CMC Director's office laser jet computer printer. You could not have duplicated that "special" discrepancy unless you copied from someone else's personal memo or obtained another copy from the Customs CMC Director's office. Mr. Horner did not know this discrepancy to the best of my knowledge. I believe that someone else gave him the memo. It is because of my background in the Treasury Department and my expertise in recognizing "counterfeit" documents that I am making this known to you, as well as Internal Affairs.(Internal Affairs was told first!) All the information I have told Customs Internal Affairs still hasn't benefited me in the least. Otherwise, I would not be writing these reports and making further disclosures.

I also want you to know that there were several others in Customs who were asked to "sign" an affidavit to confirm the existence of this "memo" and it's authenticity in which Mr. Horner had possession. Afterwards, Customs Internal Affairs asked several other persons to sign an affidavit to the contrary. I was not one of those persons.

Prior to the "60 Minutes" story regarding the "memo", I was asked to find this alleged memo in another Customs office which Horner had specific knowledge about. I did not do anything because of the danger to myself and the sensitivity of what he was asking. Instead, Mr. Horner faxed me a copy of the "alleged" memo so I could look at it myself. Unfortunately, it was "sanitized" and the signature was "blacked" out as well as the "alleged" originators of the memo. This was later explained to me by Mr. Horner to protect certain Customs employees in case the "promised" protection was not fulfilled by the Customs Service, U.S. Attorney's office, or Senator Feinstein's office and the "60 Minute" producers and Mike Wallace. If the protection was not afforded, then some of the other Customs Employees were to "disavow" any knowledge of signing any affidavits for Mike Horner. Mr. Horner even made the same promises to me and said, "If it looks good sign it". It was very general and only claimed to be familiar with the memo and it's procedures of allowing "special treatment" of certain importers and there special cargo or perishable merchandise. I am very familiar with this and other similar types of Customs memos.

I have personally seen similar types of memos signed and "rough drafted" by the head of U.S. Customs District Director Alan J. Rappoport, for *Aceves Trucking Company (*prior violators) and the head of Mexican Customs named: "Monje". This would prove to anyone that it was a common practice and occurrance to allow "favors" for certain trucking companies by the Customs Service to enter and be waved through without inspection because of the District Director's authorization. (Remember the yellow laminated "get out of jail free" Camacho Cards possessed by drug smugglers and violators?, Former District Director Alan J. Rappoport did the exact same thing too!) I know, because I have personally caught people with these cards that were guilty of lying or smuggling. This is what former Customs "D.D." Alan J. Rappoport did with the Hidro Tanker trucks. He even allowed them to come into the country through the "non-commercial" traffic at San Ysidro "without" proper inspection for drugs.(Remember the 8,500 pounds of Cocaine at Otay Mesa?)

Mike Horner did not know about these "other memos" that existed to the best of my knowledge. If he did, then it was through someone else. I found copies of the "related" memos in the Import Specialist Branch files that I was specifically "ordered" to "purge" as far back as 5 years or more. I got to see a lot of files but, I was only following orders from Supervisors Patrick Talese and Stephanie Castro and other GS-12's. It just so happened that the Team I was assigned to dealt specifically with pharmaceuticals, drugs, chemicals, food items, jewelry, medical devices, just to name a few.( Maybe I was meant to find those memos?)

I have provided all this and more information to Internal Affairs without real cooperation or assistance. I have been lied to and told that everything I did would help my case against Customs. I believe that I was sincere, and Customs Internal Affairs and Management was not. They only wanted to shut Mike Horner up!

I think that no matter what happens to me, you can see for yourself what is really going on. You just have to be "open minded" and decide whether you want to ignore something or do your job and risk suffering the consequences of telling the truth and being retaliated against. There is a very strong message in these reactions by Customs Management. It clearly shows that you might stand alone some day when you have to make the ultimate challenges of reporting illegal activity when it might not be in the best interests of your career. I do not remember any "qualified exceptions to the rules" when reporting illegal activity or corruption by Customs personnel.

I was not approached by Internal Affairs. I approached them! They seem to make a big issue with that fact.(Who called who?) I still report illegal activities, but not through the local offices. I don't trust them. Especially after I was "asked" by Customs Internal Affairs Agents and SAIC's of Customs Internal Affairs to record the conversations of "certain" Customs employees or "former" employees.

When I later questioned the legality of this activity without the aid of a Court order signed by a Federal Judge, the SAIC of Customs Internal Affairs screamed at me on the phone and said, "I can't talk to you, call Special Agent Dave Wales!"

Needless to say, they all decided not to continue with that idea. I have even heard stories about how Customs Internal Affairs Agents were committing burglaries on the homes or residences of other Customs employees while they are at work. (Do you know who visits your residence while you're out protecting the United States from the likes of narcotics smugglers and dangerous fugitives and narco-terrorists ? I do. )

Sometimes I think Internal Affairs was collecting data and information for CMC Director Rudy Camacho and his "private" lawsuit against "60 Minutes". Otherwise, how could Rudy M. Camacho's attorney's get my "new unlisted" telephone number? When I moved, I.A. had the new number and I didn't give permission for Rudy Camacho to have it either.(I now have another new number, pending that one gets compromised)

More to come!