Inside a former FBI operative’s epic legal fight

Back in 2006, when George W. Bush was serving his second term, the FBI launched an operation that, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), targeted mosques for surveillance. And 20 years later, that operation is still being examined in the courts.

Politico's Josh Gerstein, in an article published on March 1, stresses that the case has been a legal rollercoaster thanks, in part, to Craig Monteilh.

"Craig Monteilh has gone rogue — again," Gerstein reports. "The first time the undercover operative had a change of heart, years after the FBI deployed him to penetrate Southern California's Muslim community, his U-turn became a splitting headache for law enforcement and officials at the highest levels of the Justice Department. Monteilh's latest about-face may even be flummoxing the Supreme Court."

The Politico reporter continues, "This past Friday, the justices were set — for the fifth time — to discuss the latest twist in an epic legal fight Monteilh set in motion 15 years ago with his sensational claims that he was dispatched by the FBI to pose as Muslim and uncover possible terrorist connections at an Orange County, California mosque, the Islamic Center of Irvine. During that assignment, Monteilh had a falling out with the FBI and provided inside details that supported an ACLU lawsuit alleging that 'Operation Flex' violated the religious freedom and privacy rights of mosque-goers through audio and video surveillance. But now, Monteilh has also said that much of the information he gave to the ACLU was 'made up.'"

Monteilh, in the past, told the ACLU that he called himself Farouk al-Aziz when he pretended to be a convert to Islam, went to the Orange County mosque, and secretly recorded audio and video for the FBI.

"Monteilh's exposure of the sensitive undercover operation touched off a 15-year legal battle that's still burning," according to Gerstein. "Part of the case already reached the Supreme Court, in 2021. The fight is back before the High Court again as the Trump Administration asks the justices to toss out most of the case in order to protect state secrets. Monteilh, now 63, is eagerly awaiting the justices' next move, which could be announced as soon as Monday morning, (March 2). He's hoping they return the case to a lower court for a hearing where he can publicly air his grievances against both sides."

Monteilh discussed the case with Politico, saying that he doesn't "stand by" the information he gave the ACLU.

Monteilh told Politico, " The ACLU, they don't want me to say anything else that makes them look like we're in cahoots. The government, on the other hand, they're asserting state secrets…. Who's the guy in the middle right now with the puppet strings?"

Gerstein notes, however, that although Monteilh's "recent e-mails may be embarrassing for the ACLU," his "white-hot anger is reserved for the FBI."

Gerstein quotes Monteilh as saying, "The FBI has earned my vengeance."

"When Monteilh's story began to spill out in 2009," Gerstein reports, "he became the subject of gauzy profiles by news outlets eager to highlight another alleged excess in President George W. Bush's post-9/11 War on Terror…. With the Supreme Court set to act on his case soon, Monteilh is itching for a chance to return to the spotlight and settle his score with the FBI."