A law enforcement expert weighs in on the investigative process and when we might learn of any charges.
A week later, it is still unclear why some 50 federal agents descended on a Phillipsburg home.
Authorities from the FBI, ATF and Homeland Security at 5:45 a.m. April 13 surrounded 487 S. Main St. in a raid that allegedly targeted white supremacists.
It has not been publicly revealed if anyone has been charged, or even detained. Spokespeople for FBI offices in Newark and Philadelphia confirmed they carried out "court-authorized activity" in Phillipsburg, but deferred further comment to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which has repeatedly declined comment.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation have said white supremacy was a focus but they weren't authorized to speak about it. The Aryan Strikeforce was active last year in the Warren County town, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which in February released its annual list of hate groups nationwide.
Sources: P'burg raid targeted white supremacists
The agencies aren't required to say anything publicly about the case, according to a DeSales University criminal justice adjunct professor. However, any charges should soon become a matter of public record.
"If they've arrested someone, the law requires that they be brought before a judge without unnecessary delay," said Seth Weber, the professor who worked for 26 years as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia, including time in the Allentown satellite office.
Before and after the raid
Before the raid, the FBI -- via information from a tip or through its own investigation -- had to show probable cause to a federal judge in order to obtain a warrant, Weber said.
As the search is carried out, he said, authorities can hold people temporarily to ensure they do not interfere. It's possible they could be charged immediately if, for example, there is a warrant for their arrest or there is something in plain view that constitutes a felony charge, like drugs or weapons.
The next step is for agents to review all the evidence they have collected, Weber said. That could include computers, photos, documents or any contraband found in the search and is "a time-consuming process for sure."
What authorities cannot do, he said, is detain someone while they comb through evidence for any potential crimes -- at least not without probable cause.
After that, a suspect will be charged either via a criminal complaint or indictment. The indictment, Weber noted, is not proof of guilt. It is a listing of charges for which the government has shown probable cause to a grand jury.
Except in rare cases when they are sealed by the court, any charges are a matter of public record. So far, there is no indication any charges have been filed.
Neither the FBI nor the U.S. Attorney's Office involved offered comment on the investigative process.
"Anything we can and do say can impact an investigation," said Special Agent Mike Whitaker, a spokesman for the FBI's Newark office.
Typical operation
Based on news accounts of the Phillipsburg raid, Weber said it appears to have been a straightforward search-and-seizure operation.
It's not unusual for federal agencies -- in this case FBI offices in two states and a U.S. Attorney's Office covering northeastern and central Pennsylvania -- to coordinate across jurisdictions.
"You can go anywhere in the United States that the case takes you to collect evidence or make arrests as long as the crime was committed in your district," Weber said.
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So what this case now comes down to is waiting for an indictment, which in some cases could take a week or a month. More complex cases, he said while citing allegations of political corruption in Allentown, can take more than a year before charges are filed.
Given what is known about last week's operation, Weber suspects more should become public soon. Neighbors told lehighvalleylive.com that they heard "an enormous bang." Though it was unclear if that happened during the raid or earlier, Weber speculated the case could be weapons-related.
"If it's an explosives case and they found a bomb or materials ... that's not going to take them very long" to indict, he said.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.