Chicago Sun-Times

Midwest FBI chief’s gun, Rolex swiped after boozy night

- BY MITCHELL ARMENTROUT Staff Reporter Email: sesposito@ suntimes. com Twitter: @ slesposito

One of the FBI’s top Midwest counterter­rorism investigat­ors had his gun, Rolex and awad of cash stolen from his North Carolina hotel room after a night of drinking this past summer.

It happened early on July 10, when Special Agent Robert Manson met a woman at the Westin hotel bar in downtown Charlotte and took her back to his room, according to Jessica Wallin, a spokeswoma­n for the Charlotte-Mecklenbur­g Police Department.

By 6: 30 a. m., Manson noticed the woman was gone — along with his $ 6,000 6000 watch watch, .40- 40 caliber Glock and $ 60 in cash, according to the police report— which was filed by fellow agent Kevin Thuman because Manson was incapacita­ted by alcohol, the report says.

Manson, an FBI unit chief in the counterter­rorism division, oversees terror investigat­ions in the Midwest and Carolinas. FBI spokesman Andrew C. Ames said an internal investigat­ion was underway but declined to comment further.

Manson identified himself as an FBI agent to the responding officers, and he “was not acting in a law enforcemen­t capacity at the time” time,” Wallin said in an email.

The theft likely happened sometime between 2 a. m.— when the bar closes, according to the hotel’s website— and 5 a. m., the report says. Neither agent could name the woman suspected of making off with the goods.

Manson works at FBI headquarte­rs in Washington but was in Charlotte for training, sources told The New York Times, which first reported the fiasco on Thursday. The agents told police they had been drinking with women who said they were exotic dancers, the newspaper reported.

Agents are allowed to carry con concealed weapons while off- duty but not while “under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicati­ng or hallucinat­ory drug or substance,” according to federal law. It’s not clear where Manson left his gun.

Four months later, no arrests have been made in the case, Wallin said. Neither Manson nor Thuman responded Friday to requests for comment.

Anyone with informatio­n on the theft is asked to call ( 704) 334- 1600.

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