shoo them away As mentioned in the chapter, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Frank, Christie, and Colleen Janssen were all provided with summaries of this chapter and asked to respond to the details of this reporting. The FBI declined to comment, except as specified below. The Janssen family did not reply to repeated attempts to seek their comments by telephone and mail. The sources used in reporting details of the Janssen case include interviews as well as documents from United States of America v. Kelvin Melton, Quantavious Thompson, Jakym Camel Tibbs, Tianna Daney Maynard, Jenna Martin, Clifton James Roberts, Patricia Ann Kramer, Jevante Price, and Michael Martell Gooden (nos. 5:14-CR-72–1; 5:14-CR-72–2; 5:14-CR-72–3; 5:14-CR-72–4; 5:14-CR-72–5; 5:14-CR-72–6; 5:14-CR-72–7; 5:14-CR-72–8; 5:14-CR-72–9), filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina Western Division; Affidavit in Support of Application for a Court Order Approving Emergency Interceptions, in the Matter of the Application of the United States of America for an Order Authorizing the Interception of Wire and Electronic Communications, no. 5:14-MJ-1315-D, filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina Western Division; United States v. Kelvin Melton, Criminal Case no. 5:14-MJ-1316, filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina; United States v. Clifton James Roberts, Criminal Case no. 5:14-MJ-1313, filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina; United States v. Chason Renee Chase, a/k/a “Lady Jamaica,” Criminal Case no. 3:14-MJ-50, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, and other court filings related to the alleged Janssen abduction. Details also came from Alan G. Breed and Michael Biesecher, “FBI: NC Inmate Helped Orchestrate Kidnapping,” Associated Press, April 11, 2014; Kelly Gardner, “FBI Now Investigating Wake Forest Man’s Disappearance,” WRAL.com, April 8, 2014; Alyssa Newcomb, “FBI Rescued Kidnap Victim as Suspects Discussed Killing Him, Feds Say,” Good Morning America, April 10, 2014; Anne Blythe and Ron Gallagher, “FBI Rescues Wake Forest Man; Abduction Related to Daughter’s Work as Prosecutor, Investigators Say,” The Charlotte Observer, April 10, 2014; Michael Biesecher and Kate Brumbach, “NC Inmate Charged in Kidnapping of DA’s Father,” Associated Press, April 12, 2014; Lydia Warren and Associated Press, “Bloods Gang Member Who Is Serving Life Sentence ‘Masterminded Terrifying Kidnap of Prosecutor’s Father Using a Cell Phone He’d Smuggled in to Prison,’?” Daily Mail, April 11, 2014; Lydia Warren and Associated Press, “Gang Members Who ‘Kidnapped Prosecutor’s Father and Held Him Captive for Days Had Meant to Capture HER—But They Went to Wrong Address,’?” Daily Mail, April 23, 2014; Ashley Frantz and AnneClaire Stapleton, “Prosecutor’s Dad Kidnapped in ‘Elaborate’ Plot; FBI Rescues Him,” CNN.com, April 10, 2014; Shelley Lynch, “Kidnapping Victim Rescued by FBI Reunited with Family,” FBI press release, April 10, 2014, https://www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/2014/kidnapping-victim-rescued-by-fbi-reunited-with-family; Scott Pelley and Bob Orr, “FBI Told How Its Agents Rescued a North Carolina Man Who Was Kidnapped by Gang Members and Terrorized for Five Days,” CBS Evening News, April 10, 2014; Marcus K. Garner, “Indictment: Kidnapping Crew Had Wrong Address, Took Wrong Person,” Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 22, 2014; Andrew Kenney, “Prisoner Charged in Kidnap Conspiracy May Have Had Phone for Weeks,” The Charlotte Observer, April 11, 2014; “Criminal Complaint Filed Against Kelvin Melton in Kidnapping Case,” FBI press release, April 11, 2014, https://www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/2014/criminal-complaint-filed-against-kelvin-melton-in-kidnapping-case; Colleen Jenkins and Bernadette Baum, “Two More Charged in Gang-Linked Kidnapping of N.C. Prosecutor’s Father,” Reuters, April 16, 2014; “McDonald’s Receipt Leads to Arrest in Wake Forest Kidnapping,” The News and Observer, April 17, 2014; “Prosecutor—Not Her Father—Was Intended Victim in Wake Forest Kidnapping, Officials Say,” The News and Observer, April 22, 2014; Patrik Jonsson, “N.C. Prosecutor Kidnap Plot: Home Attacks on Justice Officials on the Upswing,” The Christian Science Monitor, April 23, 2014; “NC Kidnapping Victim Writes Thank-You Letter,” Associated Press, April 29, 2014; Thomas McDonald, “Documents Detail Kidnapping Plot of Wake Prosecutor’s Father,” The Charlotte Observer, July 23, 2014; Daniel Wallis, “Alleged Gangster Admits Lying in North Carolina Kidnap Probe,” Reuters, August 29, 2014; Spink John, “FBI Team Rescues a North Carolina Kidnapping Victim,” Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 11, 2014.
Melton’s daughters Some observers of the Janssen case have suggested that authorities used a device known as a “stingray,” which can identify the precise location of a cellphone, in this investigation. The FBI, when asked about use of a stingray in this case, replied with a response the agency has provided about cell site simulators to other media requests: “Location information is a vital component of law enforcement investigations at the federal, state and local levels. As a general matter, the FBI does not discuss specific techniques used by law enforcement to obtain location information, as they are considered Law Enforcement Sensitive, the public release of which could harm law enforcement efforts at all levels by compromising future use of the technique. The FBI only collects and maintains information that has investigative value and relevance to a case, and such data [are] retained in accordance with controlling federal law and Attorney General policy. The FBI does not keep repositories of cell tower data for any purpose other than in connection with a specific investigation. The collection of cell tower records is only performed after required FBI approvals are received in the specific investigation, and only after the appropriate order is obtained from a court. If the records obtained are deemed relevant, the specific records are made part of the investigative case file. The FBI retains investigative case files in accordance with NARA-approved file retention schedules. If the FBI believes the use of any technology or technique may provide information on an individual where case law dictates that person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, it is FBI policy to obtain a search warrant.”
directed by Melton himself As noted in the chapter, the details regarding Kelvin Melton, Tianna Brooks (who also allegedly goes by the name Tianna Maynard), and other alleged kidnappers or those allegedly connected to the Janssen kidnapping are contained in court documents or interviews. At the time of writing, Melton, Brooks, and others implicated in this crime have been indicted, but have not gone to trial. Until a trial is conducted and a verdict rendered, allegations remain just that, allegations, and the crimes described in this chapter have not been proven in a court of law. In January 2016, Melton told a court that he was not responsible for the Janssen kidnapping. Other alleged kidnappers are also expected to deny responsibility or guilt. Melton’s attorneys, as well as Brooks’s attorney, were presented with synopses of all details in this chapter and asked to inquire if their clients, who are incarcerated on other charges or awaiting trial, wished to respond. Brooks’s lawyer did not reply. Melton’s lawyer, Ryan D. Stump, in an email wrote: “We are under a court order not to discuss the details of Mr. Melton’s case and what is contained in the discovery. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions, we are not able to make any comments on the case.”
predecessors decades before In response to a fact-checking email, a spokeswoman for the FBI said that the bureau’s system prior to Sentinel, in addition to using index cards, also used an electronic indexing system. Interviews with agents confirmed this, but said that the electronic system was often incomplete and thus unreliable.
rolled out Sentinel In response to a fact-checking email, a spokeswoman for the FBI detailed Sentinel this way: “Sentinel is a tool that manages records; it documents case activities and investigations, the information we own and produce. Sentinel provides a piece of the puzzle. It documents the FBI’s work products and is used in conjunction with information we collect or access through other partnerships in order to further data.”