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Now-Notorious 'Private Investigator' in Seth Rich Case is Unlicensed in D.C.
Hat tip, DCist.com: Go Home Already: Very Unusual Crab Pulled From Chesapeake Bay
Now-Notorious 'Private Investigator' in Seth Rich Case is Unlicensed in D.C.
And Rod Wheeler, the Fox talking head, was fired from MPD.
JIM MCELHATTON MAY 31, 2017 1 PM
Rod Wheeler, the now-notorious Fox News commentator who characterizes himself as a private investigator and whose recent comments fueled conspiracy theories about the murder of former DNC staffer Seth Rich, isn’t even licensed to practice in D.C., and the website for his investigative firm has disappeared from the Internet. ... The former Metropolitan Police Department detective has steadfastly refused to answer questions from City Paper about whether he is a licensed private investigator in D.C., which, like many jurisdictions, has strict background and other regulatory requirements overseeing the businesses and individuals in the investigative field.
But it’s clear that the jurisdiction where the murder of Rich occurred has no record of a licensed investigator by Wheeler’s name. “MPD has not found any record of a person by the name of Rod Wheeler or Roderick Wheeler being licensed as a private investigator in the District of Columbia,” police spokeswoman Rachel Reid says via email. Inquiries to licensing officials and records in Maryland and Virginia turned up no records of a Wheeler license there either.
MPD declined to comment further, but sent along a link to the relevant code, which states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of detective, or operate, manage, or conduct a detective agency, for profit or gain, or to advertise or represent his business to be that of a detective, or that of conducting, managing, or operating a detective agency, without first obtaining a license so to do.”
City Paper began asking about Wheeler’s licensing status after his comments in a May 15 Fox 5 News story referring to Wheeler as a private investigator for the family of Seth Rich. Asked by the Fox 5 reporter about information to link Rich and Wikileaks, Wheeler said, “Absolutely. Yeah, that’s confirmed.”
And Rod Wheeler, the Fox talking head, was fired from MPD.
JIM MCELHATTON MAY 31, 2017 1 PM
Rod Wheeler, the now-notorious Fox News commentator who characterizes himself as a private investigator and whose recent comments fueled conspiracy theories about the murder of former DNC staffer Seth Rich, isn’t even licensed to practice in D.C., and the website for his investigative firm has disappeared from the Internet. ... The former Metropolitan Police Department detective has steadfastly refused to answer questions from City Paper about whether he is a licensed private investigator in D.C., which, like many jurisdictions, has strict background and other regulatory requirements overseeing the businesses and individuals in the investigative field.
But it’s clear that the jurisdiction where the murder of Rich occurred has no record of a licensed investigator by Wheeler’s name. “MPD has not found any record of a person by the name of Rod Wheeler or Roderick Wheeler being licensed as a private investigator in the District of Columbia,” police spokeswoman Rachel Reid says via email. Inquiries to licensing officials and records in Maryland and Virginia turned up no records of a Wheeler license there either.
MPD declined to comment further, but sent along a link to the relevant code, which states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of detective, or operate, manage, or conduct a detective agency, for profit or gain, or to advertise or represent his business to be that of a detective, or that of conducting, managing, or operating a detective agency, without first obtaining a license so to do.”
City Paper began asking about Wheeler’s licensing status after his comments in a May 15 Fox 5 News story referring to Wheeler as a private investigator for the family of Seth Rich. Asked by the Fox 5 reporter about information to link Rich and Wikileaks, Wheeler said, “Absolutely. Yeah, that’s confirmed.”
