ABC News Investigations of the Year

Dec. 27, 2010 — -- In 2010, the Brian Ross Investigative Unit aired more than 160 reports on Good Morning America, World News with Diane Sawyer, 20/20 and Nightline, published nearly 700 articles on the Blotter, and launched a new weekly show on ABC News Now and the web called "Brian Ross Investigates."

But 10 stories among the many the investigative unit reported this year stand out for their impact -- for the change they helped produce. Starting today, and continuing through Friday, the Blotter will reprise 10 different Ross Unit investigations that made a difference, from exposing a pattern of sexual abuse of young swimmers to raising questions which would lead prosecutors to subpoena a celebrity to testify at a war crimes trial to helping free a man from a Minnesota prison.

Today: Secret Bible verses on U.S. guns and a Senate aide with a troubled past.

Secret Bible Codes on U.S. Military Weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan

U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious "Crusade" in its war against al Qaeda, the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents.

An ABC News investigation found, however, that the U.S. military was violating its own rules by distributing thousands of weapons to U.S. troops that were inscribed with coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ.

In a story that was first published on the Blotter and broadcast on Nightline on January 18, ABC News revealed that rifle sights manufactured by a company called Trijicon are inscribed with the names and numbers of Bible verses from the books of revelation and Second Corinthians and the Gospels of Matthew and John.

Inscriptions like 2COR 4:6 and JN8:12 can be seen clearly on the scopes. Second Corinthians 4:6 reads: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Trijicon, which has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marines and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army, confirmed to ABC News that it inscribed the verse references on the scopes.

Immediately after the initial ABC News report, Trijicon said the objections to the inscriptions were being raised by "non-Christian" groups, while a representative of the U.S. military's Central Command said he didn't understand why the issue was any different from the "In God We Trust" motto on America money. A Marine Corps representative, however, said that the Marines were concerned about how the codes would be perceived, and said the Marines Corp would be meeting with Trijicon. Representatives of the New Zealand and Australian militaries, which had contracted with Trijicon for scopes, also indicated that they wanted the verses removed, and the British military said it was concerned about its own Trijicon scopes.

Impact: Within days, Trijicon announced that it would stop using the codes on scopes intended for the U.S. military, and that it would provide clients with kits to remove the Bible verses from existing scopes. The U.S. military said it would use the kits to remove the inscriptions from existing scopes already being used in the field in Afghanistan.

For two years, the man handling women's issues in U.S. Senator David Vitter's office was Brent Furer, a longtime Louisiana operative who was arrested in 2008 for brutally attacking his ex-girlfriend with a knife, and who had an open warrant for his arrest in Baton Rouge on a drunk driving charge.

An ABC News investigation revealed that Furer worked in the Louisiana Republican's Washington, D.C. office despite the accusations that he held a female friend against her will for 90 minutes, threatening to kill her, placing his hand over her mouth, and cutting her in the hand and neck.

Furer had pleaded guilty in 2008 to three misdemeanor charges, including threatening harm and destruction of property. Assault and weapons charges were dismissed. Vitter's office told ABC News that Furer had been disciplined for the 2008 allegations, but he said he had not been aware that Furer had previous infractions that included multiple arrests for drunk driving.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ABC NEWS REPORT

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS OF FURER AND THE VICTIM

Impact: Furer was forced to resign on June 23, the day the report appeared on the Blotter.

After the Blotter report and a broadcast report on Brian Ross Investigates, the issue became fodder for Vitter's reelection opponents. In July, when Vitter filed his papers to formally announce his reelection bid, Vitter was repeatedly asked by reporters to explain Furer's role in his office. The senator denied reports that Furer had been placed in charge of women's issues. When reporters sought an explanation for how, exactly, he sanctioned Furer for his arrest and conviction on three lesser charges, Vitter responded, "Next question."

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE BRIAN ROSS INVESTIGATES REPORT ON VITTER AND FURER

The ABC News report helped persuade retired state supreme court justice Chet Traylor to enter the Republican primary to challenge Vitter. "I got so many phone calls in the last week or two, they wanted another option," Traylor said. And it became fodder for political ads aired by Vitter's Democratic rival in the general election.

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