Free Republic

A federal judge handling the re-trial of two men charged in connection to an alleged kidnapping plot of Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer decided Tuesday that information about the first trial, the acquittals of two other men and text messages with an FBI informant cannot be included as part of the evidence presented before the jury during the second trial slated to begin next month.

Security bodies in Israel and Turkey have warned of Turkish locals who have recently been enlisted by Iranian sources for the purpose of trying to woo Israelis with travel, guides, or tours in the city. One Israeli told Channel 12 News of how the system works: "We swapped phone numbers, and then he said, 'On the way back also, I'll take you. I can help you get back.' He contacted me some four times, 'Come, let's drink something together this evening.'" In an unusual step, the National Security Council this week published a detailed list of safety guidelines for Israelis...

Disturbing new video obtained by The Post shows demented Robb Elementary School shooter Salvador Ramos grinning as he holds up a bag of blood-soaked dead cats. The deranged 18-year-old gunman is seen smiling in the undated footage while sitting in the passenger seat of a pal’s car — holding up a clear plastic bag with at least two bloodied cats visible inside. [cut] The sicko was previously rumored to have had a fascination with dead cats and had threatened to kidnap, kill and rape girls who shunned him online. “The shooter was known for hurting cats,” said David Trevino Jr.,...

New details have emerged about 2016’s "October Surprise," during which the FBI found emails belonging to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on disgraced New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s laptop, with the FBI official who found the emails speaking out for the first time. FBI agent John Robertson, who worked in its New York office’s child sex crimes unit and was later cited (though not named) in Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s 2018 report on the handling of the investigation of Clinton's unauthorized private email server, spoke with the Washington Post’s Devin Barrett for his upcoming book, October Surprise:...

The only people pushing to do something big before Election Day resided in the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. On October 8, 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced shocking news: federal authorities had arrested several men for conspiring to kidnap and possibly kill her before Election Day. After indulging in a moment of self-pity, Whitmer quickly pinned the blame on President Trump, a man with whom Whitmer had engaged in a very public feud throughout 2020 over pandemic-related lockdowns. Trump, Whitmer claimed, fueled the rage of alleged white supremacists and right-wing militias responsible for the dastardly abduction plot....

In a shocking twist, a gaggle of white men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the weeks before the 2020 presidential election dodged convictions on Friday. After five days of deliberations, a Michigan jury acquitted Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta of several charges, including conspiracy, for what prosecutors said was a depraved scheme born out of anti-government anger at the Democratic leader’s COVID-19 restrictions. The jury, however, could not come to a consensus on the other two defendants and alleged ring leaders of the plot—Adam Fox and Barry Croft—and thus their cases may end in a...

A militia group planned to violently depose Michigan’s government and abduct Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), the FBI said in a federal affidavit filed Thursday. "Several members talked about murdering 'tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor," an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit, obtained by the Detroit News. "The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message." Federal prosecutors plan to make a fuller statement on the alleged plot later Thursday, according to the newspaper. At least five men have been charged in connection with the alleged plot,...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich (WOOD)--A federal jury continued its deliberations Friday in the trial of four men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The jury said Friday morning that it has come to a decision on some counts but was so far locked on others. The jury asked the judge how it should proceeed. U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker asked the jury to keep deliberating...

A 70-year-old man imprisoned for the 1976 kidnapping of a bus full of children has been approved for parole, according to spokesperson Joe Orlando of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Frederick Newhall Woods, 70, was one of three men who kidnapped 26 children and their bus driver in Chowchilla, a small city in Northern California's Madera County, more than 45 years ago. All 27 captives were taken to Livermore, more than 100 miles away, placed into a moving truck and buried alive in a quarry owned by Woods' father. The kidnappers then demanded $5 million ransom while...

A 4-year-old girl who went missing in New Mexico nearly 62 years ago has been identified as "Little Miss Nobody," a previously unidentified girl whose remains were discovered in Arizona, police announced Tuesday. Authorities identified the victim as Sharon Lee Gallegos, who was abducted on July 21, 1960. Police said Gallegos was abducted by a man and a woman while she was playing with other children in an alley behind her grandmother's house in Alamogordo, New Mexico. According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the couple had been stalking the girl for several days. Gallegos was dragged into...

A Northern California woman whose disappearance and mysterious reappearance set off a frantic three-week search more than five years ago was arrested Thursday on charges of lying to federal agents about being kidnapped and defrauding the state's victim compensation board of $30,000. Sherri Papini, 39, of Redding, was found in November 2016 after days of searching in California and several nearby states, with bindings on her body and injuries including a "brand" on her right shoulder. She had been reported missing Nov. 2. She told authorities at the time that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint by two Hispanic women,...

A girl who had been missing for two years has been found safe in a secret room under a staircase in Saugerties, New York, police said. Paislee Shultis was reported missing from her Cayuga Heights home in July 2019, when she was 4 years old, according to NBC 4. Police initially suspected the girl’s non-custodial parents, but did not bring charges. New York State Police found the girl over 150 miles away on Monday, acting on a tip that she was being hidden in the Hudson Valley town.

A defendant in the Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping case has moved to introduce evidence related to the use of federal informants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill breach, arguing that the FBI’s refusal to answer basic questions about such activities demonstrates a “consciousness of guilt” by the government. The Jan. 14 motion from Kaleb Franks comes as he and four other defendants seek to have their charges dismissed on entrapment grounds. With their trial set for March 8, an attorney for Franks has made numerous motions related to the FBI’s use of at least 12 informants in the...

Federal prosecutors say a key FBI informant in the alleged plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan was a “double agent” who was “working against the interests of the government” by trying to destroy evidence and prevent arrests. The confidential informant, Stephen Robeson, played a central role in the investigation that led to the arrest of 14 men for allegedly participating in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in October 2020. At the direction of his FBI handlers, Robeson reached out to potential targets, organized meetings, and paid travel expenses for people to attend such events. Now the government...

A self-proclaimed millionaire in the medical cannabis industry has been charged with holding a woman captive for weeks, beating her and carving the number '6' into her hand as a warning that she had six months to love him or be murdered. Ramone Marcio Martinez, 39, was arrested on Wednesday in Salt Lake City on police charges of aggravated kidnapping, assault and five counts of aggravated assault in the case, which is being classified as domestic violence. Police were alerted to the case when the woman texted a friend saying she was being held against her will, and 'begging for...

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A lead investigator in the alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pleaded no contest Monday to assaulting his wife, though he said he has no memory of it.Kalamazoo County prosecutors struck a deal with former FBI agent Richard Trask after his wife declined to cooperate further.Trask was accused of assaulting his wife at their Kalamazoo-area home in July. She had lacerations on her head and blood on her chest, arms and hand, sheriff’s investigators wrote.Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reacts to Enbridge lawsuit "I take full responsibility for my actions which caused pain and suffering to my...

Christian Aid Ministries, Charity in Haiti The Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries thanked God Thursday morning as it announced that the 12 remaining missionaries who were among 17 kidnapped by the notorious 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti have now all been released. “We glorify God for answered prayer — the remaining 12 hostages are FREE! Join us in praising God that all 17 of our loved ones are now safe. Thank you for your fervent prayers throughout the past two months. We hope to provide more information as we are able,” the international aid ministry said in a statement to The...

The U.S. State Department urged Americans to “depart Haiti now” before not even the government is able to help them leave as widespread fuel shortages triggered by growing violence in the Caribbean nation continued while 17 missionaries, including 16 Americans, were still being held hostage by a local gang demanding a $17 million ransom. “The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to make plans to depart Haiti now via commercial means. U.S. citizens should carefully consider the risks of traveling to or remaining in Haiti in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges,” a statement from the U.S....

The man accused of abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith from her family tent and holding her captive for 18 days had a doll room inside his house. Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, was arrested by WA Police after detectives raided his locked Tonkin Crescent home at 12.46am on Wednesday local time and found the little girl alone inside a bedroom.

Cleo Smith’s alleged abductor is set to be transported to a Perth prison today. Terence Darrell Kelly appeared at Carnarvon Magistrates Court for a special late-afternoon hearing on Thursday, facing multiple charges over the disappearance of the four-year-old, who was allegedly locked up in his home for 18 days, It is understood the 36-year-old is currently being remanded at a padded police cell in Carnarvon, after injuring himself twice while in custody. It is not yet clear whether Mr Kelly will be transported to Perth via road or plane at this stage, however The West Australian understands he will be...