Vice News correspondent. She/her. Writer about incels (NYMag), yoga scams (NYT), cults (Vanity Fair).
Could GhostEzra take QAnon to an even more disturbing level?
The Daily Dot|4 minutes ago
GhostEzra is either the future of the QAnon movement, or a paid government plant sent to destroy it, depending on who you talk to.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ghostezra-telegram-fued-qanon/
Hillary Clinton Speaks Face-to-Face With QAnon Supporters in Borat's Spinoff Series
Inside Edition|48 minutes ago
The former secretary of state and presidential candidate spoke candidly, calling the conspiracy theories about her "hurtful."
https://www.insideedition.com/hillary-clinton-speaks-face-to-face-with-qanon-supporters-in-borats-spinoff-series-67199
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/finance/technology/qanon-slogans-disappearing-from-mainstream-sites-say-researchers/ar-AAKpkOy
Ron Watkins, of QAnon and 8chan infamy, launches AlienLeaks
The Daily Dot|21 minutes ago
Ron Watkins, the former admin of the far-right message board 8chan, has launched a new website aimed at procuring documents on aliens.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/alienleaks-ron-watkins/
A Houston cop, a baker and a florist: Meet the Texans charged in the Capitol riot
Houston Chronicle|26 minutes ago
FBI agents say she also appeared on Facebook posts and grainy surveillance video amid the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, wandering through the Crypt and Senate gallery with her North Carolina boyfriend, a QAnon devotee who ran a far-right boot camp. Her boyfriend …
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/A-Houston-cop-a-baker-and-a-florist-Meet-the-16205168.php
QAnon slogans disappearing from mainstream sites, say researchers
Reuters on MSN.com|40 minutes ago
Many phrases associated with QAnon have largely disappeared from mainstream social media, mostly because of the platforms' "belated efforts" to crack down on the conspiracy theory, researchers at a U.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/finance/technology/qanon-slogans-disappearing-from-mainstream-sites-say-researchers/ar-AAKpkOy
Michael Flynn: Covid Was A Distraction To Topple TraitorTrump
Crooks and Liars|57 minutes ago
Former Trump National Security Adviser and Trump-pardoned felon Michael Flynn went on a crazed QAnon conspiracy rampage where he claimed COVID was created to destroy Trump's re-election bid on Nov 3rd and as a way to control society.
https://crooksandliars.com/2021/05/michael-flynn-rants-covid-created-control
back to the gulag yaaay
yummy pills
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Former Minister of Government of Bolivia, Owner of Florida-Based Company, and Three Others Charged in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme
Two Bolivian nationals and three U.S. citizens were arrested on May 21, and May 22, in Florida and Georgia on criminal charges related to their alleged roles in a bribery and money laundering scheme. The former Minister of Government of Bolivia and another former Bolivian official are accused of receiving bribes paid by a U.S. company and individuals to secure a Bolivian government contract, and then using the U.S. financial system to launder those bribes.
According to court documents, Arturo Carlos Murillo Prijic, 57, Sergio Rodrigo Mendez Mendizabal, 51, Luis Berkman, 58, Bryan Berkman, 36, and Philip Lichtenfeld, 48, engaged in the bribery scheme between approximately November 2019 and April 2020. During that time, Luis Berkman, Bryan Berkman, and Lichtenfeld paid $602,000 in bribes to Bolivian government officials for the benefit of Murillo, the former Minister of Government of Bolivia, Mendez, the former Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Government of Bolivia, and another Bolivian government official. The bribes were paid so that Bryan Berkman’s Florida-based company would obtain and retain business from the Bolivian Ministry of Defense, specifically, an approximately $5.6 million contract to provide to the Bolivian Ministry of Defense tear gas and other non-lethal equipment. To promote the bribery scheme, Bryan Berkman, Luis Berkman, and Lichtenfeld then laundered the payments to Bolivian government officials through bank accounts in Florida and Bolivia and orchestrated the payment of $582,000 in cash for Murillo and Mendez.
All five individuals are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez; and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami office made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Gerald M. Moody Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli S. Rubin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx P. Calderón is handling asset forfeiture.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-minister-government-bolivia-owner-florida-based-company-and-three-others-charged
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/south-carolina-inmate-sentenced-federal-prison-role-military-sextortion-scheme
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of South Carolina
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
South Carolina Inmate Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Military Sextortion Scheme
Columbia, South Carolina — Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Wendell Wilkins, 32, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to money laundering, for his role in a scheme to extort and defraud military members that was operated out of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC).
Evidence presented to the court showed that, while serving a 12-year sentence in SCDC for attempted armed robbery and using smartphones smuggled into prison, Wilkins joined internet dating sites, posed as young women thereon, and began communicating with military members. Posing as young women and targeting military members, Wilkins sent nude photographs of young females to the military members and solicited nude photographs and other personal information in exchange. Wilkins, and others acting at his direction, then posed as the father of the young woman, claiming that the young woman was underage and that the military member was in possession of child pornography. Wilkins and others then threatened to have the military members arrested or dishonorably discharged unless they paid money.
Due to this extortion, service members transferred funds via Western Union and MoneyGram to Wilkins’ associates at Wilkins’ direction. From February 2016 through January 2018, Wilkins received at least $74,000.00 in extorted funds, which investigators traced to at least 25 military victims.
Wilkins was one of numerous inmates at SCDC prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina for participating in this scheme to extort military members. In total, more than 300 military members throughout the United States were victims of the scheme, and the amount of loss exceeded $350,000. Several military members committed suicide after falling victim to this extortion scheme.
United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Wilkins to 66 months in federal prison and 36 months of supervised release to be served after Wilkins completes his 12-year state prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Air Force Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command (CID), United States Marshals Service, South Carolina Department of Corrections, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart prosecuted the case.
“Nothing good comes from smartphones in prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart. “Inmates use them to commit even more crimes while behind bars. We hope this prosecution helps state officials eliminate and disable contraband phones in prison.”
“Mr. Wilkins deserves to be held fully accountable for his role in this reprehensible scheme to deceive and defraud our nation’s service members,” said NCIS Carolinas Field Office Special Agent in Charge Sean Devinny. “This sentencing should serve as a warning that NCIS and our law enforcement partners will use every resource available to ensure these criminal networks are destroyed. I would like to sincerely thank our partners for their continued dedication and assistance in keeping our service members safe.”
“Mr. Wilkins knowingly used deceit and trickery to prey on those who serve our nation. It’s unconscionable to think that the defendant perpetuated this years-long financial scam against servicemembers while already in prison for other criminal activity,” said Mona Passmore, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to unravel this and other complex financial and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the true source of their income and use the internet to mask their true identity. This additional federal felony conviction and federal prison term should have a strong deterrent effect against any other criminal activity Mr. Wilkins and others might consider pursuing.”
“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service stands committed to aggressively pursue and investigate organized criminals who target our service members and undermine their combat readiness and well-being,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “We hope this case demonstrates the resolve of DCIS and our law enforcement partners to uphold the integrity of the Department of Defense and protect our Warfighters.”
“The Office of Special Investigations (OSI) is committed to being a vital investigative agency aimed at finding the truth, thwarting all threats, and promoting unfailing justice for the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, and nation," said Special Agent in Charge Craig Hotaling, OSI Detachment 310, Joint Base Charleston, SC. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the personnel of the United States Air Force and Space Force."
"This case highlights the outstanding partnerships of OSI with our fellow law enforcement agencies to protect Department of Defense personnel," said Colonel Tamara Henderson, Commander, OSI Region 3, Scott AFB, IL. "OSI will continue to identify, exploit and neutralize criminal threats targeting the Department of the Air Force, Space Force, and the Department of Defense."
“Unfortunately, these scams are common,” said Edward LaBarge, director of the Major Cybercrime Unit, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID). “CID special agents will continue to aggressively pursue criminals who target our warfighters and their families in these types of schemes regardless of where they are in the world.”
“This is another example of how dangerous it is for inmates to have illegal cell phones,” said Bryan Stirling, Director of the S.C. Department of Corrections. “States need the ability to jam cell phone signals inside prisons so we can keep inmates from continuing their illegal activities.”
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Jersey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Former Bordentown Township Police Chief Sentenced to 28 Months in Prison for Lying to FBI
CAMDEN, N.J. – The retired chief of the Bordentown Township Police Department was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for lying to FBI agents who were questioning him about violating an 18-year-old man’s civil rights during an arrest, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Frank M. Nucera Jr., 64, of Bordentown, New Jersey, was convicted in October 2019 of one count of making false statements to FBI agents who were interviewing him about an arrest that occurred on Sept. 1. 2016. Nucera is also charged by indictment with one count of hate crime assault and one count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law; a mistrial was declared on those counts, and he is awaiting retrial.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
On Sept. 1, 2016, two Bordentown Township police officers responded to a phone call from the Bordentown Ramada, complaining that two teenagers had stayed in a room at the hotel without paying. The teens were listed in the indictment as “Civilian 1,” an 18-year-old African American teenager, and “Civilian 2,” a 16-year-old African American girl. After the officers arrived and questioned the teenagers, the situation allegedly escalated into a physical confrontation, with both teens attempting to resist arrest. The officers called for backup, and numerous officers, including then-Chief Nucera, arrived on the scene.
After Civilian 1 was handcuffed and was being escorted out of the hotel by police, Nucera allegedly approached him from behind and slammed the teenager’s head into a metal doorjamb. During a video recorded interview by FBI special agents, Nucera falsely stated multiple times that he did not touch Civilian 1 during the arrest.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Nucera to two years of supervised release. He also ordered that Nucera will not begin serving his sentence until the remaining counts are resolved.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges and today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Molly S. Lorber, Attorney in Charge of the Camden Office, and Senior Civil Rights Counsel R. Joseph Gribko.
The remaining two counts of the indictment on which Nucera will be retried are merely accusations, and he remains innocent unless and until proven guilty.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/former-bordentown-township-police-chief-sentenced-28-months-prison-lying-fbi
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Texas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Three charged in nationwide scheme to sell hundreds of thousands of fraudulent Texas paper tags
HOUSTON – Authorities are searching for two men indicted for using fictitious car dealerships to issue nearly 600,000 automobile paper tags and selling them on the internet without selling any cars, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery.
The charges allege the illegal tags pose a danger to the public and law enforcement because purchasers use them to avoid obtaining registration, safety inspections and liability insurance. They can also allegedly be used to hide their identities from law enforcement.
Houston resident Leidy Areli Hernandez Lopez, 39, is also charged in the scheme. She is in custody and expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam Sheldon at 2 p.m.
Octavian Ocasio, 49, New York, and Emmanuel Padilla Reyes aka Christian Hernandez Bonilla, 31, city unknown, are considered fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000.
A federal grand jury in Houston returned the 15-count indictment May 20 charging all of them with conspiracy and various counts of wire fraud.
According to the charges, the scheme involved the use of fictitious car dealerships to issue and sell hundreds of thousands of Texas temporary buyer tags without selling cars. The three also allegedly used email accounts to communicate with each other and to deliver the fraudulent tags to purchasers throughout the United States.
In Texas, used car dealers must have an independent GDN license to buy, sell or exchange used vehicles, according to the charges. To obtain such a license, applicants must access the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ (TxDMV) online eLicensing application portal to apply. Once an applicant obtains a GDN license, they can buy, sell or exchange used cars and create temporary buyer tags for the transaction through the TxDMV’s online eTag portal. The portal is web-based and password protected, and only licensed GDN holders can access it, according to the indictment. However, the GDN holder can create other users on their account to allow access to the portal to create and issue buyer tags.
There is no restriction on the vehicle, buyer or vehicle identification number inputted into the portal, according to the indictment.
According to the charges, these three knowingly participated in the scheme to issue and sell more than 580,000 fraudulent tags to buyers across the United States. They allegedly provided false information such as fraudulent identities, drivers’ licenses, lease agreements and business signs in the online application portal to obtain GDN licenses for fictitious car dealerships. The indictment further alleges they advertised the sale of Texas buyer tags on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram and used email to communicate and deliver fraudulently-obtained tags. They also received and shared proceeds from the fraudulent sale of Texas buyer tags via electronic payment services like Cash App and Zelle, according to the charges.
If convicted each faces up to 20 years in prison and a potential $250,000 maximum fine.
The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from Travis County Constable Precinct 3, Houston Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police and New York Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Adam Goldman are prosecuting the case.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/three-charged-nationwide-scheme-sell-hundreds-thousands-fraudulent-texas-paper-tags
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/massachusetts-man-pleads-guilty-distribution-child-pornography
epartment of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Hampshire
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography
CONCORD - Russell Graham, 41, of Lowell, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court to distribution of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about May 1, 2020, a Nashua police officer acting in an undercover capacity (UC) began investigating a website that allows users to upload and share videos. The UC identified a user whose profile indicated he enjoyed “teen porn” and the UC began communicating with the user, later identified as Graham. Between May 4, 2020, and May 11, 2020, Graham sent the UC numerous images and videos that depicted a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Eventually, the UC offered to help Graham get a job at a construction company and asked for his resume. Graham sent the resume to the UC which identified him. On May 22, 2020, the UC and Graham planned to meet in Nashua. Graham was arrested when he arrived. At the time of his arrest, Graham was carrying a cell phone which contained additional images of child pornography.
Graham is scheduled to be sentenced on September 1, 2021.
“Distributing child pornography is a serious federal offense,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “In order to protect young people from exploitation and seek justice for victims, we work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the criminals who distribute child pornography.”
“The distribution of images of child exploitation is a serious and disturbing crime that feeds a vicious cycle of re-victimization each time the illicit images are shared and traded on-line,” said William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent In Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, Boston. “Today’s guilty plea is yet another step toward preventing child predators from continually exploiting minor victims and the results of this case could only have been achieved through the tireless efforts and continued commitment of our great partners in the Nashua Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Hampshire.”
This matter was investigated by the Nashua Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgiana L. MacDonald and Kasey Weiland.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
https://web.archive.org/web/20210521030055/https://8kun.top/qresearch/res/13711708.html