Montana AG launches probe of jail deal (Hardin and the American Police Force )

Missoulian ^ | Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:45 pm | MATTHEW BROWN

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

In this Friday, Sept. 24, 2009 picture, Albert Peterson with the Two Rivers Authority stands outside an empty jail that Hardin, Mont. built for $27 million. The authority wants a California security company, American Police Force, to take over the facility. Michael Hilton pitched himself to the city as a military veteran turned private sector entrepreneur - a California defense contractor with extensive government contracts who promised to turn the rural city's empty jail into a cash cow. But now a much different picture of Hilton is emerging from public documents and interviews with his associates and legal adversaries. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

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Montana's attorney general launched an investigation Thursday into a California company that wants to take over an empty jail in the rural city of Hardin, following revelations that the company's lead figure is a convicted felon with a history of fraud.

Michael Hilton, who formed Santa Ana, Calif.-based American Police Force in March, came to Hardin last month promising to fill the city's never-used jail and build a large military and law enforcement training center.

Hilton has a decades-long track record of fraudulent activities and spent several years in a California prison on grand theft charges. A native of Montenegro, he uses at least 17 aliases.

Citing "significant concerns" about the city's dealings with American Police Force, Attorney General Steve Bullock asked Hardin economic development officials to produce by Oct. 12 all documents related to their dealings with the company.

His office made a similar demand of American Police Force, including information that would back up Hilton's claims of multiple defense contracts with the U.S government and other agencies.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well,....bout time.

[Cicero]

“Just the facts, Ma’am. I want nothing but the facts.”

[LucyT]

.

[liberty or death]

The Gov of MT needs 1000 more beds for MT prisoners but will not house them in Hardin. The dirty politics is on both sides and I, a resident of the area am sick of “outsiders” weighing in on something they only hear about from the left wing Billings press. I am not a defender of AFP but the Dems and Media of this area have played politics with this conservative town for too long.

[Candor7]

Fat in the Fire Ping!

[stylin19a]

check Peterson’s bank account for recent large deposits

[Parley Baer]

OK, it looks like some facts on this are finally starting to surface.

[XenaLee]

Never trust a company that has Bolero as their website theme song!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Looks like a nice town...you live near there?

[tubebender]

Will the real AFP please step forward...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

He claims to have an office in Santa Ana...which is here in Orange County.

[Fred Nerks]

His criminal record goes back to at least 1988...

I called the people of Hardin 'naive' - let me take that back. Stupid and complicit is more like it.

[liberty or death]

I live on the Bighorn river just outside of town.

The media would be stroking this deal if it had anything to do with our Dem Gov and Senators. Regardless of whoever APF is. You just would not know they existed if they were a left wing org.

[liberty or death]

What drives me nuts is that the left wing media in MT has marched in lock step with the (D) party to kill this prison. And then all I read on Free Republic is people who parrot the same media they despise.

I even hear the same crap from Canadian radio. It’s just stunning how this prison has become such a lightening rod nationally.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

We were spooked by what was going on...and not sure the Media has said that much....

Where is the guy (Hilton) getting his contract to house prisoners...?

From Obama?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

So the State of Montana refuses to use it because the city fathers are not Democrats?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

State of Montana needs prison space but doesn't seem to like this prison....nothing coming out about that....

It's another whole story yet to be told.

[liberty or death]

“They” the left wing Billings media are driving this story. That in itself is suspicious since everything our Gov and Dem Senators do is just plain old rubber stamped and unexamined. We here are sick of it and to see what goes on here on my favorite news site “Free Republic” so far saddens me.

[liberty or death]

This area is solid Conservative except for the Dem controlled Indian Reservations. That info alone will tell you why the left wing media in Billings is doing what they are doing.

I guarantee if this was a (D) operation you would not hear a peep outside of the acre it happened on.