Oh lord, do we ever kid (though we can't wait until John Ashcroft Googles that and finds us. Hey, John, check out our coverage of Frameline 29!). It seems that the new 'powers' granted by the Patriot Act (which, of course, don't include finding Osama), have allowed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to turn up a Hayward man, Noor Alocozy, who wired an unspecified amount of money to Jack Idema in Afghanistan as part of an unlicensed remittance business. Idema (pictured) is the infamous freelance bounty hunter convicted of running a private prison in Afghanistan and torturing the inmates.

Best part? The response from Idema's lawyer calling ANG Newspapers patsies:

Meanwhile, Idema's lawyer, John Tiffany of New Jersey, when asked about the allegations that Idema received money from Alocozy's transfer service, said he believes ANG Newspapers is "being used" by federal agents running a smear campaign to discredit Idema.

While Idema awaits appeal in Afghani courts, Alocozy, who has been very cooperative according to reports (he had shut the business down in 2003) continues to operate his pizzeria in Hayward. The ICE, of course, says the investigation wouldn't have been possible without the new registration requirements for remittance businesses. Wait, the Patriot Act regulates business? Maybe some free-market fundamentalist swing-votes might keep the new version from passing.