In-case you missed last nights edition of our Chairman’s show, Politics 101 with Dan Gonzales, he dedicated the entire show to a $27 million dollar detention center that has been built in the small town of Hardin, Montana. The facility is called the Two Rivers Detention Center, and is to be operated by a private corporation called American Police Force. According to their Public Relations Director Becky Shay, who was a special phone guest on Mr. Gonzales’ program, the corporation was formed in California in February of 2009, and has a 10 year contract with the Two Rivers Authority to operate the facility. It will function as not only a detention center, but also as a training facility for Law Enforcement and Paramilitary forces (Emphasis added). The Two Rivers Authority was formed in 2004 by the City of Hardin as a Joint Public/Private partnership, according to their website. The two rivers detention center was built in 2006 using funds from a Revenue Bond offering, and was completed in 2007. Ms. Shay also added that A.P.F.’s intention to expand their operations into cities in multiple states within the United States.
The Two Rivers authority has applied for contracts to open the facility since its completion, including to house Guantanamo Bay detainees set to be displaced should the White House decide to follow through on a campaign promise to close that facility, but was denied. Montana Lt. Governor John Bohlinger endorsed a plan which included a sex offender treatment center, which Two Rivers applied for, and despite being the only entity to do so, were again denied. Montana State corrections officials have balked at the dormitory-style housing provided by the Two Rivers, rather, the state standard is a style with a maximum of two beds to a cell. As of now, payments due on the issued bonds have been paid through a reserve fund which will be required to be paid back once the facility is opened. The cost of the 464 bed facility works out to $58,128 per detainee which includes repayment of the original bond offering. According to Ms. Shay, the facility will hold only minimum and medium security detainees for a maximum period of one year.
Ms. Shay is an experienced journalist, having worked as a reporter for 20 years until she was hired as A.P.F.’s Public Affairs Specialist. While Ms. Shay seems to be a straightforward and accommodating spokeswoman, there seems to be many unanswered questions about A.F.P., and especially about the company’s leader, Michael Hilton. Ms. Shay indicated during the interview that Mr. Hilton was an employee of the company and not a principle, however, according to various other news reports, he has identified himself as the companies owner. To be fair to Ms. Shay, she is just beginning her career as their Public Relations Director, and she no doubt has her hands full trying to bring herself up to speed with her new employers, having been on the job a mere 6 days. However, it would appear that she is in the unenviable position of trying to answer a slew of questions about her company while being instructed to not divulge pertinent information regarding Mr. Hilton.
Mr. Hilton has a somewhat checkered past, according to the Billings Gazette, including multiple felony convictions for offenses including a 1993 conviction for grand theft. Public records from police and state and federal courts in California show that Michael Anthony Hilton, using that name and more than a dozen aliases over several years, is cited in multiple criminal, civil and bankruptcy cases, and was sentenced in 1993 to two years in state prison in California. Hilton pleaded guilty in March 1993 to 14 felonies, including 10 counts of grand theft, one count of attempted grand theft and three counts of diversion of construction funds, according to Orange County court records. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but it is unclear how much time he served. Court records in that case list his real name as Michael Hilton, but they also include the aliases Midrag Ilia Dokovitch, Midrag Ilia Dokovich and Michael Miodrag. Hilton, who speaks heavily accented English, has told reporters that he is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Montenegro, a country bordering Serbia, and once part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia. The same aliases and other similar ones, all with slightly different spellings, show up in many other court documents citing Hilton, including a May 2003 Orange County case in which Hilton pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Michael Hilton and his aliases are listed as defendants in various Orange County civil cases alleging fraud and breach of warranty, including a March 2000 case where he is accused of fraud, larceny, breach of contract and false pretenses. Court documents in that case allege that Hilton and others solicited investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the plaintiff for the creation of collectible Super Bowl commemorative coins. The complaint alleges that Hilton and others falsely told the plaintiff that the money would be used for the design and manufacture of the coins, and to pay for a National Football League license to produce them. In fact, the complaint states, no such license was ever issued by the NFL. Court documents show that the plaintiff obtained a 2001 judgment for $200,000 against Hilton, listing his aliases of Miodrag Dokovich and Midrag Ilia Dokovich. Hilton also declared Chapter 13 bankruptcy twice during a 15-month period. He filed under his real name, citing the alias Miodrag A. Dokovich, in November 2002, listing a Stanton, Calif., home address and a Fountain Valley, Calif., business address tied to the Belgrade Market Liquor and Deli. In February 2004, Hilton filed under his real name, citing the alias Miodrag Dokovich, and listing a Santa Ana, Calif., home address. He estimated his assets at less than $50,000, and listed as creditors only a credit union and his landlord. Both bankruptcy filings appear to have been intended to delay eviction proceedings against him. Under federal bankruptcy law, tenants are generally protected from eviction while they reorganize their finances.
Anh Q.D. Nguyen, a Garden Grove attorney, said in an e-mail that he represented Hilton’s landlord in an eviction case against Hilton that was filed in January 2004. Nguyen said that Hilton “filed an eleventh-hour bankruptcy petition in which my office successfully obtained relief from the bankruptcy automatic stay, in order to reclaim possession of the rented premises.” Hilton had also been named as a defendant in July 2002 as part of separate eviction proceedings before his bankruptcy filing that year. Hilton filed both bankruptcies without an attorney, paying less than $275 in filing fees for each. Both petitions were dismissed by the court after Hilton failed to provide necessary documentation, including a financial reorganization plan. Chapter 13 bankruptcies generally remain on personal credit histories for seven years, and show up on standard credit checks.
One must ask why a man whom has such a troubled financial past would be given the keys to a company such as A.P.F., which according to their website, has an international footprint in such activities as Police Officer and Security training, Special Forces training, fugitive recovery, kidnapping and ransom, convoy security, insurance fraud, undercover investigations, etc. You can find a full rundown of their proposed areas of expertise here.
Although Mr. Hilton has a well documented history in the criminal justice field, its rather unfortunate and troubling that while he is so obviously tight lipped about himself, the experience he has is at the wrong side of the law enforcement equation. One has to wonder how a man who cannot legally be around firearms can run a company such as this. This might explain his less than forthright nature.
I would also like to point out a rather troubling coincidence, if you will……
This is a picture of A.P.F.’s company logo

and this is a picture of the Serbian coat of arms

Now…. Having established a bit of the background behind the controversy surrounding the Two Rivers Detention Center, It must be pointed out that according to multiple eyewitness sources from Hardin, except for Ms. Shay, all other A.P.F. employees stationed in and around the facility are foriegn born, mostly eastern European men who conduct themselves in a very intimidating and less than friendly manner.
All known information regarding this story when combined with the company’s unwillingness to discuss exactly who their parent company is, despite much research performed by journalists seem to lead back to a very infamous and familiar name: Blackwater. Despite their unwillingness to discuss this possibility, it can be seen quite clearly that there is an undeniable connection between the two, including pictures taken of Blackwater employees in Blackwater Securiy equipment, including helicopters, on A.P.F.’s web-site as promotional tools for their services.
What this is beginning to add up to is the very real possibility of foriegn mercenaries establishing a forward operating base on American soil, with the expressed intent of expanding new bases all over our Republic. One must then ask, then, for what purpose?
I would like to thank Dan and Rich for their very hard work in bringing this very important inerview to us, and for your hard work and research in preparing to interview Ms. Shay. I would also like to thank Ms. Shay as well for being gracious enough to appear on the show, and answer the questions she did. You can see the entire interview in the “On Demand” section of http://www.wafs.tv America’s Free Speech Network.