RECRUITERS WERE SNARED IN STING

TUCSON, Ariz. - A dozen Army and Marine recruiters who visited high
schools were among those caught in a major FBI cocaine investigation,
and some were allowed to keep working while under suspicion, a
newspaper reported Sunday.

None of the recruiters was accused of providing drugs to
students.

The recruiters worked in the Tucson area. They were targets of a
federal sting called Operation Lively Green, which ran from 2001 to
2004 and was revealed last year. So far, 69 members of the military,
prison guards, law enforcement employees and other public employees
have been convicted of accepting bribes to help smuggle cocaine.

The Arizona Daily Star reviewed the investigation and court documents
and found that the FBI had allowed many military recruiters to stay on
the job even though they were under investigation.

Most of the recruiters pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in March.
Some honorably retired from the military.

Military officials say they kept the recruiters on the job because the
FBI told them to leave the suspects alone to avoid jeopardizing the
sting. The military said it also didn't know some recruiters were
under investigation, the newspaper reported.

A governing board member of the Tucson Unified School District, Judy
Burns, criticized the FBI for allowing the recruiters to stay on the
job so long.

Special Agent Deb McCarley said the FBI generally performed risk
assessments before deciding to keep suspects who work in public
positions on the job during undercover investigations.