So Who Did This Ex-FBI Agent Piss Off?

The local arrest of a highly-regarded, retired FBI agent in Carmel on child pornography charges seems a little too difficult to swallow. Donald Sachtleben was arrested by federal authorities last Friday after a search of his home computer earlier this month supposedly turned up evidence that he possessed and distributed child pornography. Something doesn't smell right about his arrest.

Sachtleben is not just any retired FBI agent. According to Sachtleben's Linkedin site, he led investigative teams on some of the highest profile FBI terrorist investigations, including The Unabomber, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, the Nairobi embassy bombing, the attack on the USS Cole and the 9/11 United Flight 93 hijacked airliner that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He had to be among the elite of FBI agents to have worked on all of those high profile investigations in a management role.

Sachtleben is just 54 and retired from Indianapolis' FBI office in 2008 at age 50. Indianapolis doesn't seem like a place where a valued FBI agent would be assigned near the end of his tenure. Any FBI agents with ambition seek transfers out of the Indianapolis office. Sachtleben's attorney seems determined to put down any suggestion that his client's arrest had anything to do with his past work for the FBI and is not providing particularly helpful comments for his client:

Sachtleben's attorney Charles Hayes said that his client’s legacy stands alone from the allegations.

"We just want everyone to know that (Sachtleben) has served his country well with the FBI for 20 years. None of the allegations made by the government have anything to do with any of the things he's ever done for the FBI,” Hayes said . . .

"He certainly would know that one of the FBI's major projects is hunting down child pornography. So, I can’t imagine he did this while still working,” Hayes said.

"So, I can't imagine he did this while still working," his attorney told WRTV. Huh? His other attorney, Kathleen Sweeney, told the AP that he had entered a not guilty plea on Monday, but Hayes' comment makes him sound guilty. According to WRTV, Sachtleben is still behind bars at the Marion County Jail following his arrest last week, and a hearing is not scheduled until Thursday.