Judd's ID Discovered on Undercover Gun Investigation.

When I was doing undercover consumer investigations for the CBS TV affiliate Station KHOU TV in Houston, Texas, I worked with some Deputy Constables on illegal gun sales.

I had reports that some out-of-state (Oklahoma) men were showing up at flea markets (other parts of the country call them swap meets) selling handguns out of the trunk of a car.

I got some local Deputy Constables (In Texas they are similar to Deputy Sheriffs) to go with me undercover to catch the gun sales on tape.

The two Deputy Constables were dressed as regular Texans with Western Hats.� I was dressed in Levies and a jacket and my face had been bandaged and a splint was added to my nose, plus I had on sunglasses and a baseball cap.� All this was to disguise my face so no one would recognize me and blow our cover for the gun sting.� As you know I was on the TV news almost three times a week. The photographer was in a van setup to shoot the gun sales, my confrontation of the salesmen and the arrests.

The gun salesman had their car backed into the flea market line isle at about the middle.� Our van had a good location to video the gun sales out of the trunk of the car.� The two Deputy Constables and I had to walk from our pickup truck at one end of the flea market to about the middle.� As we walked down the main isle of the flea market toward the gun sales location one of the women in a booth said to her husband: "It looks like Judd McIlvain from TV was in an accident, look how his face is all bandaged up."� The two deputies turned to me and said you have to wait here, everyone will know who you are.� So I had to wait there until after the deputies made the arrests for the illegal gun sales.� I then tore off my bandages and raced up to get my confrontation interviews.� The photographer got good video and it made a great TV story.� Plus the deputies got about two dozen handguns off the illegal market.

Editor's Note:� Later the ATF Agents (Alcohol-Tobacco & Firearms Agents) told me the 24 hand guns had been shipped from the manufacturer to a dealer in Chicago, and apparently sold to the men who were selling them at the Flea Market in Northeast Harris County, Texas.�� I still don't understand why my heavily bandaged face did not disguise my identity.� Is my face that strange??

Filed September 4, 2005