By CarpetHead
3/20/2025
Jack Sizzle asked about Hackie and Carson and what role the fads had in possibly witnessing the killing. Added the title to grab some eyes on this important question. This one got me thinking and its a lot to cover so to the blog we go.
Good one, Jack!
I'm going to push some truths out to you, that may make your suspicions worse, but also may help in understanding how things work(ed). Kevin is probably telling the truth when he says "Feds" were watching the hit. Now the part here to decipher (and he is being vague here) is exactly what "feds" he is speaking about.
We generally default to the FBI (to your point) but we need to understand that even then 4 or 5 Federal Agencies (FBI, DEA. ATF and Federal Task Forces that used a little of each) had active and open investigations going.
The fact is that these agencies are all silo'ed and firewalled off from each other.
In fact the "feds" each had their own informants at Death Row, and it was a running joke on the task forces that 1 guy was an FBI rat and another a DEA rat, and the one guy didn't know the other guy was an informant. They all laughed when they though about what would happen if they found out about each other.
At one point I asked Suge Knight if there was anyone who was NOT an informant working for him.
So Phil (who came in years later) was with FBI. He would not know (other than generally or what was in the public domain) what the other agencies are/were doing.
The other (painful) fact is that we have been shown over the last several years that these bureaucracies have their own kingdoms and DO NOT SHARE WITH EACH OTHER. This is fact.
The last PAINFUL fact, is that each agency has their own priorities and as crazy as it sounds, Jack, the ATF is not in the murder business. They are on assignment looking for drugs and guns. If someone gets killed and they are watching, it "has nothing to do with them"
This is the world we live in; you are presuming a nobility (which speaks well for you) within these Federal Agencies that unfortunately does not exist. You would presume if ATF saw a crime like a shooting, they would volunteer to step up and share what they know.
Nope. Their rationale (from agents I have interviewed)
A homicide is a "state matter" so they let the LVMPD bungle about;
A homicide is not necessarily a drug or gun matter; unless the person killed is on their radar, they don't care. May have been different if Knight was killed.
The same goes for ach of the agencies.
Also, agencies do not get promotions, advances, raises, or end of the year bonuses based on solving an old 30 year case (which is a state matter). They get bumped off the guns and drugs moved off the street NOW.
So, it is shocking but not surprising to understand that Phil Carson (who was late in the story) has little insight into the other agencies. He is a friend and will tell you that himself. There's no "fed card" he can play to get that information.
Moreover until Hackie is more clear on his handling, we can't know where to point our inquiry.
And based on the rejection of Phil's case at the FBI one can only believe that even if an enterprising Federal Agent at DEA of ATF would refer this matter, their bosses would be equally oppressing on the case.
Not a great situation but its unfortunately true. And sad.