FBI officials bust Trump chief’s blatant effort to 'game the system'

FBI agents walk as protesters block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel from entering a building in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

President Donald Trump's FBI director was once called "brilliant." The president even predicted that Kash Patel would "go down as the best ever at that position. ... agents love this guy." But that's not what others are saying behind the scenes.

The Daily Beast's "Punch Up" Substack reported Thursday that Patel is being accused of "gaming the system."

Patel bragged on X that he's spent his time in the post capturing fugitives listed on the "Ten Most Wanted" list. But according to bureau officials, the list is "bulls——."

MS NOW has reported that right before agents arrest someone, Patel adds their name to the list.

"The FBI says it has captured eight Top Ten fugitives since Patel took charge in February 2025, compared with four during Biden’s presidency. Those eight spent a median of 37.5 days on the list before capture." In fact, seven of the fugitives that were added and then captured since Patel became the director spent an average of just 24 days on the "most wanted" list.

In two cases, two "most wanted" fugitives were added to Patel's list 73 minutes before they were captured in Mexico.

Robert D’Amico, a 26-year FBI veteran who investigated violent and organized crime, questioned the short timeline.

“I have never seen a sequence of events like that happen in 73 minutes,” D’Amico said. “Too many things have to happen in between. It could be 73 hours, not 73 minutes, and it still stinks.”

“That arrest was almost certainly already in motion. The listing didn’t produce it, and counting it as a Top Ten success inflates the numbers," he added.

Under Joe Biden's presidency, the "most wanted" fugitives captured spent an average of 482 days on the list. During the Biden years, the "add and capture" average was about 105 days.

Gregory Henderson Jr., for example, was on the run for three years. He was put on the top ten list on Aug 11, at 1:55 p.m. He was arrested the following day.

KaShawn Nicola Roper went on the list April 14 and was then arrested the next morning. In that case, the FBI claimed tips led to her arrest. In many cases, however, those who give tips that "lead to the arrest and conviction" can earn a cash reward. For the top ten, the baseline amount is $250,000, the website says.

Former Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi made it clear that data “speaks for itself.”

“The compressed time between placement on the list and capture smells like a strategy to game the system in favor of quick stats," he said.

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