What ATF’s latest raid – two flashbangs but no arrests – says about the agency’s future
A Special Report.
by Lee Williams
ATF Special Agent Katie Rottman, a public information officer in Baltimore, claimed the convoluted case against Mark Manley and his family, which involved an early morning search warrant by more than a dozen heavily armed ATF agents who lobbed two flashbang grenades, is still an active investigation, according to a brief email exchange.
Rottman’s emails, which were the first received from an ATF Special Agent about the raid that occurred around 5 a.m., November 21st, came in response to messages sent to ATF supervisors after their botched raid targeted the Manley family.
“I received your inquiry about Mr. Manley. What questions do you have for me?” Rottman said in an email sent at 1:20 p.m. on Friday, Dec 27, 2024.
“What is he charged with? Who conducted the investigation? What were the nature of his charges,” we replied.
“No charges have been filed at this time. This is an ongoing investigation so that is all the information I can give. If you have any other questions, please let me know,” Rottman said in her email reply.
“Since no weapons were seized, isn't the investigation over? Mr. Manley believes he's not going to be charged,” we asked.
“As previously stated, this is an ongoing investigation and I cannot provide you with any additional details,” Rottman replied.
She did not reply to any further emails, which is not a surprise. The ATF doesn’t like talking about its raids, which always involve a massive use of force but little else.
Manley’s search warrant was most likely caused by someone outside of the family arrested by ATF, who told the agents he had a lot of guns, which is true. Manley estimated he owns more than 70 firearms, but all of them comply with Maryland and federal laws. He owns no full-autos, suppressors or destructive devices. The ATF learned this after threatening to blow open Manley’s gun safe, which he opened for the agents, who found nothing illegal.
After the botched search warrant, one of the agents who had told Manley’s wife he was the lead investigator, asked her for dimensions and other information about the doors and windows his team had destroyed, which he promised to replace. She did not reply.
The ATF’s flawed tipster must have also told agents that Manley was a convicted felon, who cannot lawfully possess firearms. Manley, while cuffed, told agents he had no felony record, which they quickly confirmed.
Neither Manley nor his family have heard anything from the ATF since the botched raid. They have started a Go Fund Me page, which so far has raised more than $36,000. They are also speaking with several attorneys.
ATF’s latest victim
The ATF has a lengthy history of botched raids.
In March, agents shot and killed Bryan Malinowski, executive director of the Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, in his home.
Agents were clearly spoiling for a gunfight when they went in during early morning hours, and they got one.
ATF has yet to comment officially on the March 19 killing, other to claim Malinowski fired first. But Malinowski’s family released a statement, which confirms what everyone already knew: It is extremely unlikely that the 53-year-old airport executive director knew he was trading gunfire with federal agents. It is far more likely Malinowski believed he was defending himself and his wife from armed home invaders.
“Bryan Malinowski was asleep but rose to the sound of the door crashing and located a firearm. His wife believed the noise must have been intruders and she fully believes her husband thought the same. He loaded a magazine into a pistol and emerged from the master bedroom into a hallway leading indirectly to the front entryway. He reached a corner in the hall and looked around it to see several unidentifiable figures already several steps inside his home,” Malinowski’s family said in the statement. “We do not know who shot first but it appears that Bryan shot approximately three times at a decidedly low angle, probably at the feet of the intruders who were roughly 30 feet away.”
Malinowski is not alone. Months earlier, ATF agents raided the Tuskahoma, Oklahoma home of Russell Fincher, who worked as a high school history teacher, a Baptist minister and a parttime gun dealer, just to make ends meet.
Fincher had a Federal Firearm License for three years, but he had no brick-and-mortar gun shop. He was what used to be called a “kitchen table FFL.” He sold most of his firearms at gun shows, including Wanenmacher's Arms Show in Tulsa.
On June 16, 2023, Fincher and his son were packing for a gun show in Tulsa when the phone rang. It was the ATF. They said they wanted to talk to him before he left for the gun show. Seven vehicles roared up to his home and disgorged a dozen ATF agents wearing tactical gear, armed with AR-15s.
“They called me out onto my deck and handcuffed me. My son was there and saw the whole thing. He’s 13 years old,” Fincher said. “They held me on the porch for about an hour. I was surrounded by agents. One by one, they yelled at me about what I was doing. In my mind I decided if they were going to beat me up over every little thing, I’m done. As soon as I said, ‘If you want my FFL, you can have it,’ one of the agents pulled out a piece of paper and said, ‘Well then sign here.’ He had made three copies in case I screwed one up. It was exactly what they wanted. I was shocked.”
As soon as Fincher relinquished his Federal Firearm License, the ATF began loading up his guns.
“I asked them why, and they said they were ‘evidence.’ I’d estimate they took $50,000 to $60,000 worth of guns,” Fincher said at the time.
ATF’s own history shows a complete disdain for the sanctity of human life. In addition to the scores of lives lost at Waco, a Deputy U.S. Marshal and Randy Weaver’s wife and son were killed during ATF’s Ruby Ridge fiasco. Their “Fast and Furious” scheme resulted in the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and hundreds of Mexican nationals, who were killed by the weapons ATF allowed to walk straight into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels.
Both David Koresh and Randy Weaver visited nearby towns frequently, as did Manley, Malinowski and Fincher.
A local police officer or deputy sheriff could have easily and safely arrested any of the men without incident, but when the ATF gears up and dons its tactical blinders, they lose sight of simpler and safer enforcement options.
Simple solution needed
While there are dozens of federal agencies likely to receive attention from President Donald Trump after he takes office in around three weeks, the ATF is different. Quite simply, they don’t know what they’re doing, but they have access to the same types of weapons and tactical gear other federal agencies use when they conduct raids and search warrants. As a result, even law-abiding Americans should fear the ATF.
The training course for ATF's Special Response Team is only two weeks long. Their poorly trained ‘operators’ are a threat to public safety, but they’re better trained than the agents who routinely kick doors and toss flashbangs like they’re cool.
Given their poor training and complete lack of professional leadership, if they’re allowed to continue their raids, it is only a matter of time before an ATF agent kills another innocent American in their home.
President Trump should keep this in mind when he decides what to do about his most lethal but most poorly trained and horribly led federal law enforcement agency, the ATF.
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Poor training, no accountability, a license to shoot people and get away with it. The ATF is a danger to Americans, not just to our basic civil liberties but to our very lives. I am fine with keeping guns out of the hands of criminals but we should accomplish that by locking the criminals up where they can't obtain firearms, not harassing law abiding citizens.
That group of cowboys is a thorn in the side of Law Enforcement. My guess is the case is open because ATF has yet to repair the damages to the Manley home. That case should have been slammed shut.