2004 OPNET Raid of Wolfley & Basden Office Revisited: Records Reveal Money Laundering Case Remains Open
More than two decades after a high-profile drug task force raid on the Port Angeles law firm of Wolfley, Basden, and Hansen, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office records obtained by the Olympic Herald reveal that the money laundering investigation into the former business partner of current Superior Court Judge Brent Basden remains open.
The case file, detailing a multi-agency investigation into an alleged cocaine distribution and money laundering ring, explicitly lists Judge Basden’s long-time friend and former business partner, Lane Wolfley, as a “Suspect/Offender.”
A Case Not Closed
According to the incident report produced by the Clallam County Sheriff Department, the case is currently listed as “open-inactive.”
In an email correspondence regarding case status definitions, Sheriff Brian King explained to me that “Open Inactive” signifies a case that is “Not solved but investigative leads have been exhausted.” Unlike a case that has been””Closed” (non-criminal) or “Cleared” (solved), an open/inactive case remains legally alive.
The 2004 Raid and Suspect Status
The investigation, led by the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, reached a fever pitch on February 10, 2004, when agents executed a criminal search warrant at Wolfley’s office.
Wolfley publicly dismissed the raid at the time as “bizarre” and “ridiculous,” attempting to portray it as police overreach.
However, the official case report paints a darker picture. The document lists Wolfley as “Suspect/Offender” number 1, alongside convicted money launderer Paul Pendergrass and the alleged ringleader, Bernard “Pete” Barnes.
The investigation focused on crimes including money laundering and profiteering. The report details that investigators seized evidence directly linked to Wolfley, including an item described as “TAPE OF WOLFLEY’S VOICE MAIL,” which was logged into evidence on March 2, 2004.
The Basden Connection: Partners in Law and Defense
At the time of the raid and the alleged criminal activity, Lane Wolfley was a partner at the firm “Wolfley, Basden & Hansen,” practicing alongside current Superior Court Judge Brent Basden.
The records highlight a tangled web of legal representation within the firm involving the primary suspects of the drug ring. While Wolfley represented Paul Pendergrass (Subject #3), who was accused of laundering money for the cocaine ring, his partner Brent Basden represented the alleged drug supplier, Bernard Barnes (Subject #2).
Pendergrass eventually pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering, admitting he had been “reckless” in accepting large sums of cash from Barnes. Barnes was accused of supplying a Port Angeles cocaine dealer and organizing the arson of a witness’s home.
Despite the firm’s deep entanglement with the two primary figures of the criminal enterprise, and the designation of Wolfley as a suspect in the official police report, Basden and Wolfley remain close personal friends.
Lingering Questions
For twenty-two years, the “Open Inactive” status has hung over the case. The police report indicates that the case was never “Cleared by Arrest” regarding Wolfley, nor was it “Closed” as non-criminal.
Instead, it sits as an unresolved felony investigation involving a man who was listed as a suspect in money laundering activities—a man who was the business partner and is still a close personal friend of a current judge in Clallam County.