#charging five felonies and one misdemeanor

[offender42085]

Post 1299

Austin S Hopp, Colorado inmate 194088, born 1994, incarceration intake May 2022 at age 28, scheduled for release October 2026

Assault

In May 2022, a former Loveland, Colorado police officer was sentenced to prison for assaulting Karen Garner, a 73-year-old woman with dementia, during a June 2020 arrest.

Austin Hopp was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections with three years of mandatory parole. He will also not be allowed to work in law enforcement anywhere in the future. 

Hopp accepted a plea agreement in March 2022, which allowed him to plead guilty to an amended charge of second-degree assault, a Class 4 felony, despite strong opposition from Garner's family. Hopp's original two felony charges and one misdemeanor charge were dismissed as part of the agreement. The plea agreement meant Hopp's potential maximum sentence dropped from 30 years in prison to eight.

4u

[theboywithburninghands]

The End. I’ll post a big mushy thank you post later since I’m posting this at work, but this is the end of the story. Hope it’s good! @fernstarsblog @noble-crimson

TW: Vomit, drugs, childbirth

Epilogue: Sweet Child O’ Mine

Upon first moving to Ediacara after collecting their dowry, Pomni and Jax moved into a small house near the town of Jezioro Niedźwiedź, or the much simpler to pronounce Bear Lake. As soon as the couple had unpacked completely, Pomni set to work learning Ediacaran. Jax was admittedly skeptical about her ability to learn such a complex language so quickly, and had in fact been a bit wary of moving to Ediacara at all due to the language barrier. Pomni studied the language for eight hours every day, and could speak and write it at a conversational level in about three weeks. By their fourth month, she was completely literate, shocking just about every prospective employer she met with her heavily accented yet completely accurate Ediacaran.

Pomni began her search for an occupation as soon as she spoke enough Ediacaran. It was rough going at first. Pomni may have been quite knowledgeable about law and been articulate, but she had little experience to actually put on paper. No diplomas or references, only cases she had helped her father with. She was offered at least four jobs as a secretary, but turned them down. Such a position would only make her depressed, being at the beck and call of a man…

But she hunted tirelessly, and eventually caught her first break as a stenographer for Bear Lake’s courthouse, specifically the misdemeanor accountability court. This was where soaks who had made a nuisance in public after a fifth too many of Ediacaran red wine ended up, or children who had pilfered sweets from a chemist’s shop, or frustrated citizens who wished to dispute moving violations and truancy notices.

Pomni remained quiet and kept a stern countenance, and, despite being fairly new to Ediacaran, made precious few mistakes. Magistrates and even the judges complimented her impeccable memory, being able to repeat back transcripts that she hadn’t gotten the chance to write down yet. Her penmanship was clean and she was unfailingly polite, even to the rare belligerent defendant.

Then came the day of a high profile felony case. A Dr. Kaczmarek had been arrested on charges of selling cadavers from the local hospital to a shady medical supply company. The usual stenographer for the felony court was abruptly hospitalized after an errant kick from a horse, developing a tremor in his hand that prevented him from writing as quickly. Pomni was asked to transcribe in his place. Although the judge was skeptical of her abilities, Pomni performed remarkably well, her affect cool despite the rapid-fire speech of the magistrates or mumbled testimonies of the witnesses. The court staff, impressed by her performance, brought Mrs. Krolik on for more high profile cases, and she soon became the court’s mainstay stenographer.

In her free time, Pomni had begun work on a novel. She initially thought of penning an autobiography, but she needed to be an established author first. No one would have any interest in the life story of a stenographer, even if her life was rather interesting. So, she began a novel. It was a character study of five children of a single mother and their lives from childhood to adulthood. She was still drafting the story, having to omit a good amount of unnecessary detail from just the first chapter alone. Luckily Jax was there to read through her drafts and offer constructive criticism while on the road to recovery.

As soon as they settled into their new home, Pomni put her husband back on the process of tapering him off of opium. They only had a single bottle of laudanum left and no easy way to get ahold of it anymore, so it would be the final dosage before completely excising the drug from his life.

His symptoms resumed after reducing his dosage from a single drop of opium to a half a drop. However, they were significantly less severe. He was weak and bedridden and struggled with body aches and cold sweats, but he had thankfully ceased vomiting and was at last able to get some sleep, although he woke frequently. Pomni cared for him, bringing him vegetables from the local market, not even attempting to cook them. It would have been dreadfully inconvenient to burn their new home down after just purchasing it.

Soon, he wasn’t on laudanum at all. After two weeks without poppy, he was up and walking about. His regular countenance returned come the third week. On that Friday, Pomni went to the edge of a bridge.

“Are you ready?” Pomni asked, holding his hand.

“I am,” Jax replied. He took the half full tincture bottle out of his jacket pocket. Jax looked for a long while at the small bottle that had ruled his life for the past five years. He lobbed the bottle over the railing. It plummeted thirty feet into the rocky gulch below, bursting with a splash on a boulder.

“Goodbye, cruel mistress. You’ll bewitch this soul no longer.” Jax said, giving a short wave to the gulch.

“Did you plan that little farewell or did it come to you just now?” Pomni asked with a smirk.

“Which would be more impressive to you?” Jax replied with a smirk of his own.

Jax took on a job as well to keep the pair from exhausting their savings. He quickly found one as an accountant for a trading company that had previously worked with Krolik International. Being the son of the founder, it looked quite good on a resumé, although he was careful to omit anything about recent goings on with the company.

Jax and Pomni saw Drexl Krolik for the final time a few days before their departure to Ediacara. They returned to the Krolik Estate to collect some of Jax’s belongings, and encountered two constables from Blackshell Bay speaking with Drexl in his foyer. Jax said nothing to his father, who said nothing in return. Pomni met her father-in-law’s eyes only once. Though his gaze was incensed, his eyes were drained of the fierceness they once held. Pomni and Jax had his belongings on the carriage within an hour, thanks to assistance from Zuzanna, who had put in her two weeks' notice and was planning to start a job at The Rooker Estate.

As for Jax’s brothers, he wrote to all three regularly. Altonicus and Kali, although they did not receive the funds necessary to open their pharmacy due to Drexl’s behavior, remained as stable as ever. Alton continued his work at the hospital, and Kali started a book club, which had around a half dozen regulars, including Mirella Shutnyk.

Osvaldo was elated to be living on Primum Peccatum, free to pursue his music career. His performance at the wedding put him on the map, and he began performing original compositions at other weddings, and he had been accepted into the prestigious New Hirnantian Choral Ensemble. He flubbed his first audition due to stage fright, but conquered his anxieties for his second audition. To help with the mortgage payments, he had accepted two tenants. Dawson, the son of Lawrence, Drexl’s former business partner, happily moved in with Osvaldo. The two of them became inseparable partners, often seen around town together, and the keen-eyed had spotted Osvaldo occasionally stealing a quick kiss from his larger companion. Assuredly in a platonic way.

The other tenant was Boone, who was allowed to stay with them on the conditions that he refrain from any churlish behavior and get an occupation that would help him pay for the house. It was slow going at first, Boone applying to many jobs in several different trades. Although he was politely declined positions at the fire brigade and The Gray Church, he found that he was a rather gifted editor. He got a job at a small ad agency, finding minuscule details to fix in ad copy or business documents. His ever-drifting focus was curbed somewhat by caffeine tablets prescribed to him by his eldest brother. He struggled, of course, and often found himself reprimanded at work, but remained steadily employed and was thus allowed to stay with his brother.

Pomni wrote to Mr. Kinger, Sister Ragatha, and Zooble regularly. When he remembered to respond, Mr. Kinger was thrilled to hear from his surrogate daughter, and Pomni gifted him several books on Ediacaran insects to add to his collection. Kinger said that Zuzanna was an excellent housekeeper, tidying up the dust and cobwebs while keeping his reams upon reams of notes and sketches untouched and in their place. Sister Ragatha was pleased to learn that Pomni had secured a job, chasing her dream to be a working lady just as the Gray Sister knew she could. She sent Pomni a string of beads to pray The 13 Steps should she ever feel the need to. Although Pomni remained agnostic, she kept the string in her handbag at all times. Zooble kept Pomni up to date with the goings-on at the Shutnyk Estate, and was always free to offer their candid yet insightful advice.

Although it took some time, two years to be exact, Pomni eventually decided to write to her parents. They offered their congratulations on her job acquisition, Vladimir remarking that he could have used her sharp eyes while working on some new cases, and, inevitably, told their daughter that they missed her terribly. Pomni missed them a bit as well, but was so busy with her career that she had precious little time off to come visit them. She assured them she would one of these days, but a major event occurred four years on that stopped her tireless work in its tracks.

Pomni awoke early one morning and was sick into the toilet, and remained at home to hopefully recover from her sudden stomach illness. When her symptoms returned the following morning, she sent a telegram to Altonicus inquiring what course of action to follow. Altonicus replied, politely as ever, if she and Jax had consummated their union recently.

Pomni was midway into asking what that information had to do with anything before she stood up straighter.

“Ohhhhhh blazes…” she whispered.

Four months on and Pomni’s belly had grown significantly. Jax was over the moon with excitement, and Pomni, while initially very hesitant, relaxed when she learned that she would be granted paid maternity leave in the third trimester. Her anxieties continued to smolder, however, when she remembered how many times her mother miscarried. She took the utmost precautions, moving as little as possible, eating very bland food and taking no medication apart from the prenatal vitamins the town’s doctor prescribed. By the seventh month, she was at home on leave, her belly firm and round and the tiny life inside it doing just fine, according to the hospital.

Leave was quite simple, as Pomni had a number of books to catch up on that she previously could not read due to not speaking Ediacaran, as well as her novel to chip away at. Jax had busied himself making preparations for the infant, clearing part of the house to serve as a nursery and reading countless childcare books. Pomni, as usual, did not require much attention, but did occasionally burst into tears or snap uncharacteristically at her husband, and she would sometimes burn with a physical desire she had never known before. It mortified her how unstable the developing life inside her made her act, and she would have been ashamed at acting so erratically had Jax not been his pleasant yet dry self.

Pomni told him one winter evening to please remove a pair of black leather gloves, as the scent was bothering her. Jax smiled.

“Why of course, my dear. In fact, I’ll see to it that I personally scour each and every surface these malodorous gloves have touched!”

Pomni silenced him by playfully lobbing a book in his direction.

Nine months in, Pomni’s water broke on the way to the restroom one morning, and she was rushed to the hospital. Labor proved to be an ordeal, as Pomni’s slight stature made the delivery process especially excruciating. Pomni said things to the doctors and nurses she hoped to never repeat to a single living soul, and it was the first and only time she repeated The 13 Steps, mostly because she wanted something else to focus on other than her entire lower body being torn asunder.

What felt like an eternity of suffering later, and there was at last a tiny voice crying out into the world. Pomni saw her child and the pain was instantly forgotten. Her child. Her baby. She was here.

Jax was the first to hold her after the doctor snipped off her umbilical cord. She was perfectly tiny, little more than a bundle of blankets and damp, blue-violet fur. Jax looked at her with a fondness Pomni had only seen on her wedding day. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked from his minutes-old daughter to Pomni, damp with sweat and rested atop five pillows.

“She’s beautiful, darling…” he said, gently handing her over to Pomni. Pomni feebly took her daughter into her arms, motherly instinct taking over as she rocked the infant to soothe her cries.

“Hello, Esther…” Pomni managed to say before drifting into slumber, equal parts relieved and exhausted.

—

“That’s it Esther, come to daddy!”

In the foothills of the Waga Mountains in Ediacara, on a grassy knoll, a red and white checkered blanket was spread out for a family of three. The father, a periwinkle-furred rabbit beastman, the mother, a petite human woman with shoulder length raven black hair, and their one-year-old daughter. The child’s fur was a deep, umbral blue, with twinkling green eyes like peridots. She had a small tuft of violet-black hair between her long ears, her cheeks, arms and legs still cushioned by baby fat. She wriggled about on the blanket until she was sitting up, clad in a small gray dress and puffy white bloomers.

“You can do it, dear! Up-up!” Jax said, patting his knees.

Esther rocked forward onto her hands and knees. She shakily rose onto her feet, pinwheeling her arms with a squeal and dropping into a crawling position again.

“There’s no need to rush her, darling. We should be cheering that she can stand for a little while.” Pomni said, smiling.

“Oh, I know.” Jax replied. “I was just so thrilled to see her come waddling towards me this morning. It was like she had forgotten that she was supposed to crawl. She dropped right to her hands and knees when I gasped.”

Esther babbled.

“Oh, I’m sorry Esther, I know you were just as shocked as I was.” Jax said to his daughter.

Pomni smiled, holding her squirming daughter in her lap as Jax reached into the basket. He took out a few tins of vegetables, a jar of puréed ham and potatoes, and a salmon filet.

Esther fussed, continuing to try and wriggle free from her mother’s arms.

“Now you be patient, young lady. Your papa went to a lot of trouble to make all this.” Pomni chided.

“Baba,” Esther said. That was her way of saying “papa,” as P’s were a bit difficult for her. It was also her first word, her second being “night night” and her third being “mama.” It came as no surprise to either parent, since Jax was by far the one who spent the most time with Esther. He quit his job to raise her at home full time, allowing Pomni to focus on her career while also saving them the trouble of paying for a nanny.

“So, just about everyone is on the way, eh?” Jax said. “I’m amazed they could even afford roundabout passes to Ediacara…”

“Kinger paid for them. I insisted he not, but he had already sent off the crowns by the time the letter got to him. I know Kinger has a considerable fortune, but he will run out of money eventually should he spend so frivolously…”

“Babaaa!” Esther cried.

“Yes, dear, on the way…” Jax stirred a teaspoon in the jar of puréed food and withdrew it, placing it into Esther’s mouth. “You’re fretting too much again, darling. Your family will get to see your daughter! And just how much she’s grown.”

“Baba,” Esther said. Jax gave her another spoonful of food.

“I do love it here, certainly… But if someone wishes to come visit us, it shouldn’t cost them an arm and a leg. Although, that’s true of most things…”

There was a flash of color on the endless, verdant expanse the family sat on. A mote of red on a quilt of green.

“I suppose that’s true, but he should really visit while he has- Pomni?”

Pomni looked at the blot of color. There was a glint, and she gasped.

“Pomni, dear, what is it?” Jax asked.

“Hold Esther a moment,” she said, standing up and running towards the red figure in the distance.

“Mamaaaa!” Esther cried sternly.

Pomni hurried down the knoll, just about running out of her shoes. Sure enough, coming into focus was a shapeman in a red tailcoat, clutching a black walking stick with a golf leaf tip. He had an enlarged pair of dentures where his face should be.

“You-” Pomni gasped. “You, how did you get here?”

The Gentleman in Red tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”

“I… I asked you, sir. How did you get here? What are you doing here?”

“Why I’m here to see you, Mrs. Shutnyk. I believe your friend Kinger Rooker issued everyone an invitation.” He held up a boat ticket.

“You… you came with them..? No, they’re not supposed to be here for a week! Sir, please…”

Pomni swallowed.

“I’ve been left pondering for years. The night at the church, when you defended me against Boone and Mr. Krolik… Why did you do it? Why?Could you… could you at least tell me your name?”

The Gentleman in Red put both hands on his cane and tilted his head to the other side.

“You look happy, Pomni.”

Pomni blinked. “I… I am happy? I’m-”

He nodded. “Then I shall move on. Enjoy the rest of your life, Mrs. Krolik.”

He kicked his cane, twirling it in his hand and walking away.

Pomni watched him leave. She wanted to run after him. But she understood. She laughed incredulously.

“Pomni, is everything alright?” Jax said, having had to walk to avoid not jostling Esther.

“Mama,” Esther scolded.

Pomni turned and looked her husband in the eye. She smiled.

“…Why, yes. Yes it is. Shall we eat?”

Fin

[mariacallous]

After returning home from the war in Ukraine, many Russian soldiers end up in court on domestic violence charges. However, even if convicted, they usually receive little more than a slap on the wrist. According to a new report from the independent outlet Verstka, Russian courts routinely give combat veterans the minimum sentence for crimes, often letting them off with small fines — equivalent to as little as $55 — for offenses like assault. Meduza shares an English-language summary of Verstka’s findings.

“My husband returned home from the war. But this isn’t my husband, he’s not the man I knew before. Sometimes it feels like he was killed. His body came back, but not his soul. He’s become irritable. Everything angers him. Me, the kids, and everyone around him.”

“[I’m writing] anonymously. I’m sick and tired of hearing: ‘When will they let my husband go?’ Mine’s on his third 30-day leave in eight months, and he drinks like there’s no tomorrow. He’s aggressive.”

Messages like these periodically appear in social media groups for wives, mothers, and daughters of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

More than a million men living in Russia have combatant or veteran’s status, including those who fought in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Syria. In the last two years, those fighting in Ukraine have joined their ranks.

From the early months of the 2022 invasion, human rights activists predicted that returning soldiers would trigger a surge in violence in the country. But whether this has actually happened is harder to determine. On the one hand, misdemeanor cases for minor assaults actually decreased, falling below 170,000 for the first time in seven years. On the other hand, the number of felony cases for battery has risen significantly: from 3,750 in 2019 to 13,241 in 2023.

Analysis of court verdicts and decisions across Russia shows that in the two years following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, domestic violence court cases involving combat veterans increased compared to 2020-2021. Moreover, this is by no means an exhaustive tally: Russian courts don’t publish all records, and many judges omit a defendant’s combat status from official paperwork.

In 2020-2021, magistrates reviewed at least 59 misdemeanor assault cases involving veterans. In 2022-2023, such cases nearly doubled to at least 104. District courts handled at least 33 federal assault cases where the defendants were veterans in 2020-2021, and this number almost doubled to at least 64 in 2022-2023.

Although judges seldom specify the combat zone, Verstka discovered that at least 19 men involved in these cases participated in the invasion of Ukraine. Both before and after the full-scale invasion, the vast majority of victims in these cases were women.

Getting off easy

In February 2024, a Russian magistrate’s court in annexed Crimea fined a veteran of the war in Ukraine for assaulting his wife and stepdaughter. The man told the court that his relationship with his wife deteriorated after he returned from the front and was diagnosed with cancer. According to him, his wife didn’t support him sufficiently during his treatment. He claimed that after he decided to leave, his wife attacked him and he pushed her away. “If I’d beaten her, bruises and scratches wouldn’t be the only injuries,” he told the court.

His wife gave a different account. She testified in court that her husband was habitually abusive and, that night, had threatened her with a knifing. The woman also alleged that her husband said he had “killed people like her and her daughter in Ukraine.” Doctors recorded five abrasions and 15 bruises on the woman’s arms, legs, and back. During sentencing, the judge took into account the man’s status as a combat veteran and his illness, and decided to issue only a fine.

In Tatarstan in November 2022, combat veteran Maxim Karasyov spent an entire night drinking. The next morning, he started throwing things at his wife. When she threatened to call the police, he pinned her down and tried to take her phone. She attempted to flee but was forced to return when she couldn’t open the gate. Karasyov, still drunk, then got into his car and drove off, allowing his wife the chance to call the police.

A district court fined Karasyov 7,000 rubles ($77). The judge explained the leniency of the sentence by referencing the defendant’s character, his two children, and the fact that he had fought in Ukraine.

According to Verstka’s findings, judges cited combat participation as a mitigating factor in 87.5 percent of felony battery cases and 61 percent of misdemeanor cases. The most common punishments handed out to combat veterans found guilty of domestic violence are community service, corrective labor, and probation. In all the cases Verstka analyzed, only one veteran was sentenced to imprisonment. Initially, he was given four months of community service for hitting a woman on the head, but due to an unserved sentence for robbery, he was sent to prison for two years.

For misdemeanor offenses, judges most frequently imposed a fine of 5,000 rubles ($55) — the minimum penalty provided by law. However, this money goes to the state, not the victim. In some cases, the court may not impose any penalty at all if it deems the case insignificant or if the defendant and the victim reconcile. In the cases analyzed by Verstka, judges twice terminated proceedings due to the “insignificance” of the case and three times due to reconciliation between the parties.

A question of cultural values

In a 2013 study, Russian psychologist Anna Ermolaeva found that soldiers returning from conflict zones are more prone to suspicion, impulsivity, anxiety, and extreme self-doubt compared to those without combat experience.

At the same time, not all men returning from war resort to violence against women. Stanislav Khotsky, a psychologist specializing in the treatment of people prone to aggression and violence, believes that a person’s prior values are a key factor in how that individual is shaped by their wartime experiences.

“If before gaining combat experience, their worldview included the possibility of using violence against loved ones, the chances of this increase,” he explains. “Why? Because veterans often experience an increase in their own aggression, which, in turn, raises the risk of them inflicting harm.” He asserts that with proper societal support, the risk of domestic violence in families with combat veterans can be mitigated.

Yulia Arnautova, the head of public relations at the advocacy group Nasiliyu.net (No to violence) concurs. “War is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can go through,” she says. “Traumatized people need comprehensive help — both psychological and psychiatric. They need to be made aware that they have a problem and that society is ready to help them.”

However, those working with returning soldiers emphasize that not all combat veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and warn against conflating PTSD with aggression. “The people I worked with who had PTSD weren’t violent toward their loved ones, as far as I know,” says Ilya Gimpel, a former psychologist at the state-funded Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation.

“It’s important to understand that the main factors creating an environment for domestic violence are societal traditions and certain mindsets that justify violence against women by invoking certain cultural norms,” Gimpel added. “And until we have laws that prohibit the promotion and justification of violence, this will continue.”

[beardedmrbean]

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Two men who used high-powered rifles to kill three wild burros in Southern California's Mojave Desert more than two years ago pleaded guilty on Monday to federal charges related to the shootings, prosecutors said.

The men wore tactical gear including night vision goggles as they targeted the burros in a remote area northeast of Barstow on Nov. 6, 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

John Feikema of Yorba Linda, California, and Christopher James Arnet of Loveland, Colorado, each pleaded guilty to one felony count of possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle and one misdemeanor count of maliciously causing the death of a burro on public lands, the statement said.

Wild burros are protected under federal law. They are also an iconic symbol of the American Southwest, dating to their days as pack animals during California’s Gold Rush.

Feikema, 36, fired at least four shots, while Arnet, 32, fired at least five, investigators said.

“One burro was shot near its spine towards its hind legs, which paralyzed the burro’s hind legs and caused the animal severe pain before it died. A bullet removed from that burro was fired from Arnet’s firearm,” the statement said.

The weapons, unregistered “AR-style” rifles, were seized at each man's house, prosecutors said. As part of their plea agreements, Arnet and Feikema agreed to surrender the guns, over 4,000 rounds of ammunition, night vision goggles and other tactical gear.

At sentencing set for July 8, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for the firearm violation and up to one year for the burro deaths, according to prosecutors.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Will Saletan at The Bulwark:

TO PROTECT DONALD TRUMP, the Republican party has turned against every institution that stood in his way: the press (“the enemy of the people”), the civil service (“the Deep State”), presidential elections (“rigged,” “stolen”), courts (for refusing to overturn the 2020 election), the House January 6th Committee (Democrats and “RINOs”), independent counsels (Robert Mueller, Robert Hur, Jack Smith), and law enforcement (for prosecuting the insurrectionists). Now another institution is trying to hold Trump accountable. Last week, a jury in Manhattan found him guilty of 34 felonies in his hush-money trial. So Republican elected officials are doing what allegiance to their leader requires: They’re attacking the jury. These attacks aren’t confined to the quirks of the case or the politics of Manhattan. Republicans are inventing reasons to reject any verdict against Trump. It’s an extension of what they’ve done since 2020: inventing reasons to reject any election Trump loses. Respecting juries, like respecting elections, is just another obsolete norm.

1. Trump did nothing wrong.

The best argument against the Manhattan case is that Trump committed misdemeanors—falsifying business records to hide his hush-money payments—but that those charges shouldn’t have been inflated into felonies by portraying the hush money, in the context of the 2016 election, as a secondary crime. That argument would be similar to what Democrats said about President Bill Clinton’s perjury to cover up a sexual affair in the 1990s: that he behaved immorally and misled a court, but his misconduct shouldn’t have been inflated into articles of impeachment. But that’s not what Trump and his party are saying about the Manhattan case. They’re denying that he committed any crimes or even that he had sex with Stormy Daniels. “Nothing ever happened,” Trump asserted at a press conference after the verdict. In a Fox News interview, he repeated: “I did absolutely nothing wrong. I mean, absolutely.” Congressional Republicans agreed. “He’s an innocent man who did nothing wrong,” Sen. Tom Cotton insisted on Meet the Press. “@realDonaldTrump did nothing wrong,” tweeted Sen. Marsha Blackburn. “The man did nothing wrong,” said Rep. Byron Donalds. “The only thing that Donald Trump is guilty of is being in the courtroom of a political sham trial,” said Sen. J.D. Vance. Anyone familiar with the evidence knows these denials are preposterous. Trump committed adultery with Daniels, paid for her silence to hide the tryst from voters, and—to cover up the coverup—disguised the payments in his business filings. Some of his conduct in the coverup implicated him in crimes. That’s why jurors, after hearing the evidence, convicted him. Republicans can’t accept that facts decided the case. So they’ve set out to discredit the jury.

[...]

2. All the jurors were Trump haters.

This is the GOP’s main line of attack. “Twelve New Yorkers decided they were Democrat partisans,” Sen. Ted Cruz scoffed on his podcast, trying to explain away the verdict. Rep. Jim Jordan called the jurors “12 partisans” and vowed that “the real verdict will be on Nov. 5, when 330 million Americans get to weigh in,” not “12 people from Manhattan.” On CNN, Sen. Tim Scott said the jurors couldn’t be trusted because “96 percent of Manhattan are Democrats.” Rep. Nick Langworthy argued that bias in the jury pool��invalidated the verdict: “This is a place where Donald Trump got five percent of the vote. There was no jury of his peers. It was a jury of his adversaries.” Hogan Gidley, Trump’s former campaign press secretary, told Newsmax, “The jury’s from Manhattan. They all hate Trump.” Manhattan is liberal, but these depictions of the jury are bogus. Trump’s lawyers vetted prospective jurors, weeding out those whose social media posts exposed them as Trump haters. One of the seated jurors said he watched Fox News. Another said he followed Trump on Truth Social. A third said she liked religious podcasts. One said he disagreed with some of Trump’s policies but agreed with others. Another said she appreciated that “President Trump speaks his mind.” The most common pattern among the jurors was a lack of strong feelings about politics.

It’s true that in 2020, Trump won only 12.3 percent of the vote in Manhattan, while Biden won 86.7 percent. But even with those lopsided numbers, it’s hard to pluck twelve jurors from a random sample of Manhattanites without including a Trump voter. By the time you’ve picked your sixth juror, the odds that your jury doesn’t have a Trump supporter are down to 45 percent. By the time you’re on the twelfth juror, the odds are down to about 20 percent. The most likely outcome, based on random probability, is ten Biden voters and two Trump voters. That’s why the jury’s unanimity matters. The vote on each felony count wasn’t 10–2. It was 12–0. All the jurors, including any who sympathized with Trump, found him guilty. But Republican lawmakers don’t care. They’ve gone right on smearing the jury.

[...]

3. Only fools or haters could have found Trump guilty.

The GOP’s jury denialism, like its election denialism, is unfalsifiable. If one allegation of ballot fraud doesn’t pan out, Trump and his allies move on to another. And if one or two jurors in the hush-money trial turn out to have been Trump voters, no problem: Republicans have concocted lots of other reasons to dismiss the verdict.

[...]

4. Nobody who respects this jury can be a Republican in good standing.

The GOP has transformed itself into a cult by ostracizing members who put any principle above loyalty to Trump. That’s what happened to Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who served on the January 6th Committee. And now it’s happening to members who acknowledge, even with major caveats, that the verdict in Manhattan deserves respect. [...] Contempt for the Manhattan jury—and for any other jury that convicts Trump—is now a core commitment of the GOP. 

Will Saletan wrote in The Bulwark on how the MAGA Cult (which at this point may as well be a large portion of the GOP) are espousing jury denialism as part of their war on institutions and public trust to protect convicted felon Donald Trump from accountability, branching out from their election denialism.

[jen4k2]

Here is a FACTUAL update on new Michigan gun regulations, and what you need to know.

The new laws are in three basic categories:

Universal background checks are required for the sale of all firearms

Safe Storage mandatory around minors, penalties for gun owner if minor uses their weapon for a crime, reducing price of safety tools

Creation of Extreme Risk Protection Order process (Red Flag Laws) and penalties for false reporting

A summary and direct links to the Public Acts (PA) and draft bills: https://www.michiganradio.org/tags/michigan-gun-laws

Personally, I think they're pretty sensible, and don't feel like arguing that point. This post is informational.  

Universal background checks are required for the sale of all firearms 

A background check is already in place for handguns, now it extends to long guns as well. It takes about 45 seconds to fill out the form, longer than it takes for the background check to come back, longer than it takes for you to pull out your Driver's License and check that you've remembered the numbers correctly. For private sales, go check the FBI NICS website, they have an online form (see again, "45 seconds") or a phone line.  

As someone who has worked extensively as a substitute teacher, let me just tell y'all... Background checks are no big deal.

Safe Storage mandatory around minors, penalties for gun owner if minor uses their weapon for a crime, reducing price of safety tools.

Now, responsible gun owners already practice safe storage when they live with minors. Here's some details:

People must lock up their firearms in the presence minors, someone under the age of 18.

A person could be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by not more than 93 days in jail, a fine at most $500, or both, if a minor obtains the firearm due to improper storage.

If that minor should hurt another person with that obtained firearm, a person could be guilty of a felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment, an up to $5,000 fine, or both.

Fines would jump to a potential 15 year prison sentence, up to $7,500 in fines, or both, should that minor kill another person with the obtained firearm.

More info here.

Safety equipment is exempt from MI sales tax, and (hat tip) our local Police Department gives away basic safety locks for free!  

Most reputable dealers give you a sturdy case with the sale of a pistol -- it already has a slot for a lock, and just the right size for a re-settable 4-digit combination lock.  Like this one (link):  

 If you don't have a case, there are a couple I recommend. If you want the best waterproof, REI has great prices on Pelican cases, while Harbor Freight has great prices on off-brand Pelican knock-offs (a review). Again, don't forget the combination lock (I like this one).

Alternatively, the price of fancy small safes has gone wayyyy down, my favorite range offers the VAULTEK LifePod for just over $100 -- it has a numeric key pad, it has a fingerprint sensor, runs off a 9 volt for years, and has a backup key -- and opens super fast.  

Creation of Extreme Risk Protection Order process (Red Flag Laws) and penalties for false reporting

This is similar to the Personal Protection Order process. But what if someone wants to abuse this law? In the 19 states it is already in place, this seldom happens. But, should someone try to weaponize the law, they can be charged with a misdemeanor, 93 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both! They do it again, the penalty is exponential -- up to four years in prison!  In order to be Constitutional, conforming to the requirements of the 5th & 14th Amendment of the Constitution, (see: "due process"), a Court procedure is detailed.  To obtain an extreme risk protection order, a complaint must be filed which show whether the person at issue (the respondent) can “reasonably be expected within the near future to intentionally or unintentionally seriously physically injure himself, herself or another individual by possessing a firearm.” Courts would be required to notify and give respondents a chance to argue against the order. If determined necessary, the respondent is required to either immediately or voluntarily relinquish guns within 24-hours of a judge issuing an order, else Law Enforcement would serve the order. A standard order would last one year, but can be appealed before then. The factors for granting an an extreme protection order would include:

A history of using, attempting or threatening physical force against another person or themselves, regardless of whether it involved a firearm

Evidence of a serious mental illness or emotional disturbance that could make them a danger to themselves or others

Past risk protection orders and any violations

A pretrial release, probation or any other injunctive order as part of their legal history

Any previous convictions, pending charge or juvenile delinquency petitions for assault, threats to a person or property or other state crimes

Any offense involving animal cruelty or abuse

Any evidence of recent “unlawful use of controlled substances” or excessive alcohol use

Any previous unlawful position, use, display or brandishing of a deadly weapon

Any evidence of obtaining or trying to obtain, within the previous 180 days of the filing, a deadly weapon or ammunition

Any additional information a court could find reliable, such as statements from the respondent or concerned family or household members

More on the bill here, and here.

Honestly, my biggest concern is that local police departments will fail to enforce Red Flag laws, as seen here, and here. 

Again, I think they're pretty sensible, and don't feel like arguing that point.  I'm more interested in hearing about people's favorite gear.

[follow-up-news]

A Virginia mother held liable for her 6-year-old son's shooting of his elementary school teacher this year was handed a two-yearsentence Friday on a state charge of felony child neglect. Deja Taylor, 26, could have faced as many as five years in prison but was given a shorter sentence by Circuit Court Judge Christopher Papile that includes two years of probation. Still, the judge's punishment was harsher than the six months behind bars suggested by prosecutors, who as part of a plea deal dropped a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm. Taylor must begin her state sentence after she finishes serving 21 months on a related federal charge. She pleaded guilty in June to a charge of using marijuana while owning a gun, which is illegal under federal law, and was sentenced last month. In addition, the mother is not allowed to have contact with her son, who's now 7, until he turns 18, reported NBC affiliate WAVY in Portsmouth. Friday's hearing winds down one aspect of the case, which stunned the city of Newport News, drew national attention to school safety and gun violence and prompted the ouster of the school's superintendent and an assistant principal. Authorities say first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner was intentionally shot on Jan. 6 by one of her students at Richneck Elementary School, where she escorted her panicked class to safety. A bullet ripped through Zwerner's left hand, rupturing bones before it lodged in her upper chest, leaving behind fragments. Three months after the classroom shooting, she filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district claiming administrators failed to listen to multiple warnings from staff and students that the child had a handgun.

[ivyjivy]

Ivy Style Values: The Blatant Dishonesty of John Burton

In the 15 months since officially announcing his takeover of the Ivy Style website, John Burton's tenure as the self-proclaimed “preeminent digital Ivy influencer” has had a decidedly mixed response from his audience. While a significant number of readers have complained about the site's quality (including a credible accusation of plagiarism), Burton claims to have "quadrupled the site’s monthly traffic" within the first year and has boasted that the Ivy Style Facebook page has an engagement rate "higher than GQ and Esquire's combined."

It is against this backdrop that the Bedford, New York resident launched the premiere episode of Ivy Style: The Podcast in December 2022 with a preposterous fabrication about his personal success.

At the one-minute mark of the first episode, Burton announced to the live audience gathered at J. Press's retail location in New York that the previous interview with Richard Press on his personal podcast (Home From Here Episode 17) was "heard by over four million people globally." Curious about this figure, particularly since it would rank Burton among the most successful podcasters of our time, I reached out to Radio Free Rhinecliff to verify his claim.

The response from station management on December 14, 2022 revealed that Burton's ratings claim was not only entirely false but grossly exaggerated, with the show having been streamed "approximately .013% of that number."

For the benefit of those not adept at quick calculations, .013% of four million is 520.

Just so there is no confusion about his stunning claim perhaps being some sort of joke, Burton stated several days later that the premiere of his Ivy Style podcast with Richard Press had already been "listened to over tens of thousands of times" in the initial hours after its launch. Given the numerous statements he's made boasting about his own success (as well as false claims that his show is a "top ten globally ranked podcast"), there is no reason to think that his boast was meant to be taken in jest.

Burton has since also falsely claimed that Home From Here was nominated for a Webby Award, even prior to the official announcement on April 4, 2023 when his program was not listed among the honorees. And in spite of his relatively meager audience, Burton has implausibly claimed that Spotify has already made him "an offer" for the podcast.

Digging even deeper, I found evidence that many of John Burton's claims over the years raise glaring concerns about the self-proclaimed influencer's dishonesty.

John Burton has used Radio Free Rhinecliff programming to lie about his criminal record

As previously reported on Reddit, John Burton Schepmoes was twice arrested and charged with counts of Grand and Petit Larceny following extensive investigation into his business dealings between 2015 and 2016. In addition to his convictions for these thefts, Burton was also convicted of Unauthorized Practice of Law, a misdemeanor in New York. After pleading guilty for the second time, the convicted felon was sentenced in 2017 to his second five-year term of probation (to be served concurrently with the first) and required to pay tens of thousands of dollars in restitution to his victims.

In spite of having pleaded guilty, Burton has since made numerous statements on Radio Free Rhinecliff programming over the past year suggesting, without any evidence, that he was unfairly or unjustly prosecuted. Additional claims by Burton also clearly imply, and in some cases unequivocally state, that he has since been vindicated and exonerated for his multiple felony and misdemeanor convictions.

These claims are entirely false.

In episode 30 of the program Talk To Allison, Burton explained to host Allison Chawla how, in spite of his claim that he was facing "52 felony counts" and "350 years" in prison (10:00 mark), neither his lawyer nor the probation officer he was later assigned could even tell him "what [he] did wrong" (46:04). Burton alleges his probation officer told him "I don't even understand what...you're here for" (46:30). To cast further doubt upon the charges, Burton stated point blank that he is "not a criminal" (47:00) in spite of the fact that he had pleaded guilty and was convicted on two separate occasions.

Burton also casts aspersions on his probation officer (47:45) by alleging that she had shown him "pictures of her friends in bikinis" during at least one of their meetings. Burton claims that he "tried for years to get into therapy" (48:07) during this process but wasn't able to do it, though he declines to provide any specifics when asked for details.

This is followed by an improbable story in which Burton is personally tasked with "spying on the homeless people" (48:40) while sleeping over at a church, which he insinuates was done at the behest of the officer(s).

Burton claims that the probation officer, who is implied to have been using an alias, did "all kinds of crazy stuff" and suggested that he keep in touch with her after he finished his probation (49:15). He later suggests that she did not live up to the "moral obligation" of her duties (50:30).

The overall implication of this hearsay regarding his experience is that (1) the officer believed he was innocent, (2) she did not take her professional responsibilities seriously, and (3) she was more interested in a personal relationship with him than any effort supporting rehabilitation.

Later on his own program (Home From Here Episode 2) with his partner Trish, he once again repeated his claim about facing 350 years in prison, with Trish stating that the charges also did not make any sense to her. She unequivocally claims that John “didn’t do anything” (32:50) and implies that the law enforcement officials assigned to his case were dishonest (33:15).

Though he has also implicitly disparaged the law enforcement professionals who investigated and charged him, John Burton does not explain or offer any suggestion as to why he would be the victim of such an extensive conspiracy.

During Home From Here Episode 18 with his teenage daughter (habitually referred to as "The Package"), Burton states that his legal problems "were clarified and rectified" (1:10). In Home From Here Episode 20, he discusses how he hasn't "dropped the outrage at that process happening the way it did" (10:50). Burton mentions his experience "from accusation to exoneration" (11:30) before saying that he is "still furious" about what happened to him.

In addition to his claims on Radio Free Rhinecliff, Burton has also referred to himself as a "vindicated dad" in one of his many Facebook posts promoting Home From Here. Burton once again alludes to this presumed exoneration in January 2023 by referencing "all the legal stuff that I got vindicated for."

Intrigued by his shocking narrative that he was wrongly accused and convicted but later exonerated, I contacted the Putnam County District Attorney's Office who confirmed that John Burton has unequivocally not been exonerated or cleared of any wrongdoing. On the contrary, an official with firsthand knowledge of the prosecutions stated that Burton "took advantage of many [people]" and that the District Attorney's office was committed "to stop him from continuing to victimize the people of Putnam County."

Burton’s purported exoneration is unsurprisingly also nowhere to be found in the database provided by The National Registry of Exonerations.

After being presented with evidence of Burton's deceptions, Radio Free Rhinecliff's Matthew Rosenberg stated on April 3rd that they would be “looking over everything” before responding. But the station ultimately never replied to clarify whether Burton’s numerous claims about his exoneration violated their stated policy regarding truthfulness ("Never knowingly lie, and avoid making emphatic declarations about things beyond your area of expertise").

Regardless of Radio Free Rhinecliff's lack of clarity regarding the enforcement of their own guidelines, Burton’s numerous deceits raise major doubts about his claims of innocence and the implicit disparagement of his accusers.

John Burton has falsely portrayed himself as a well-known mental health advocate

Burton has claimed to be "well known for his work in the advocacy of understanding and appreciation of all aspects of mental health" but there is scant evidence demonstrating that this is actually the case.

Though a LinkedIn profile connected to Burton claims that he studied Clinical Psychology at Columbia University from 1988-1993, upon providing the Office of the University Registrar with Burton's name(s) and birth date, I was informed that they were "unable to locate any information on this individual in [their] records."

Seeking clarity about the details of his purported Ivy League education, I made multiple attempts to reach Burton through the Press Inquiries contact on Ivy Style. Each of these requests was returned as undeliverable. After directly inquiring with Burton through his personal Facebook account, I was blocked without any response and prevented from making any further contact with him on the platform.

Aside from any concerns about a lack of professional training, Burton has also used the Radio Free Rhinecliff platform to share dubious advice regarding the treatment of mental health patients. Perhaps most controversially, Burton suggests to Allison Chawla that applying "the rules of dignity" (Talk With Allison Episode 30, 19:00) is a suitable replacement for the pharmacological treatment of mental health patients. It's not certain if Chawla, a self-described alternative therapist and life coach, endorses this particular method of treatment but she did not challenge or question Burton's suggestion that mentally ill people can "manage [their] own head" during the broadcast.

None of this is to say that patients should not be treated with dignity, or that psychiatric drugs are always indicated for those experiencing a mental health issue, or that patients should not practice some measure of self-care. But recommending self-treatment or the simple application of "dignity" in lieu of professional intervention could very well be dangerous to someone in the throes of a mental health crisis.

As for the claim that he is "well known" while it is certainly true that hosting a program for a "community radio" podcast network could in theory grant Burton some renown, there is not much to suggest that this is actually the case. At time of publication, Mixcloud (the online host for the station's on-demand programming) lists only 120 followers for Radio Free Rhinecliff, while the station's Facebook page indicates a similarly sized audience (244 likes and 301 followers). None of Burton's Home From Here programs are available for download or streaming on Radio Free Rhinecliff's Apple Podcasts platform.

Though it's already been established that Burton's previously referenced interview with Richard Press had been heard by only several hundred listeners, it was not for lack of trying. Over a two-and-a-half-week period, there were no less than six blog posts on Ivy-Style.com hyping Mr. Press's appearance on Home From Here. The relatively insignificant lack of support from the deluge of articles promoting the podcast also undermines Burton's claim that his website is a major source of traffic. Aside from his own specious claims, any suggestion that Burton's programs make him "well known" does not appear to be supported.

To underscore the gulf between Burton's claimed advocacy and the demonstrable impact that public service work often entails, one need only look at a former California State Senator who curiously also goes by the name John Burton. Unlike Ivy Style's John Burton, Sen. Burton is reasonably well known for his advocacy of support for at-risk homeless youth and those in the foster system through his non-profit John Burton Advocates for Youth. This coincidence is striking given that Ivy Style's John Burton has previously identified himself as someone who has spent time in foster care and experienced homelessness as a teenager.

Perhaps also relevant is the fact that in 2014 the personal homepage of Ivy Style’s Burton linked to an organization called the Camellia Network, which Sen. Burton himself had previously praised for its work with those in the foster system.

Though it's not clear if there was ever any official relationship established between the Ivy Style blogger and the Camellia Network, Burton's personal homepage identified and linked to this organization directly underneath his other work affiliations and accomplishments. The contextual placement arguably raises questions about whether Burton was trying to imply an official connection where one may not have existed.

As the non-profit is no longer an active enterprise, they could not be reached for comment.

Lack of popularity aside, let us accept the notion that Burton is an "advocate" for mental health. What does that mean exactly? That Burton thinks we should all take mental health seriously? That we should be kind to those struggling with mental health problems, and that we should treat them with "dignity"? These are hardly controversial concepts, or even novel ones. Burton's ideas do not seem to be particularly profound or even unique, and there is little evidence of notable achievements coming from his so-called advocacy other than the messages he claims to have received from people he's helped.

Though Burton is well within his rights to refer to himself as an advocate, a review of the evidence leads one to wonder if Burton is perhaps most interested in merely being seen as a mental health advocate. Whether or not this may be a calculated ploy to draw a clear line in the sand between himself and his own mental health struggles, I am hard pressed to think of any notable service that Burton is providing aside from his own "lip service."

John Burton’s press release boasts of numerous concerts and achievements that are entirely invented

Perhaps most absurd are the numerous claims made about Burton's success as an acclaimed musician in a press release dated from June 2020, in which multiple performances at world-class institutions are highlighted:

John Burton is a singer/songwriter from Rhinebeck NY. He has toured the entire United States and has been featured at Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, New York City Opera, and Juilliard. Burton blends compelling and hilarious storytelling of most unusual life with a folk-pop arpeggio guitar style and a “James Taylor baritone.” Burton’s concerts are musical and theatrical experiences, moving from a riveting account of depression and prison and fatherhood and love lived and lost to crushing folk ballads and bossa nova rhythms. Burton is the host of the nationally syndicated show Hohm From Here and the leader/producer of John Burton & the CoffeeHouse Band. He has performed An Evening With James Taylor & Friends all throughout the Northeast and is presently performing a two-year residency at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in Westchester, NY.

Upon inquiring with the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, an employee with the Hudson Valley venue confirmed that not only had John Burton not had a "two-year residency" during the time frame indicated, they haven't had any residencies since their founding in 2017.

Representatives from Juilliard and the New York City Opera also responded to indicate they had no record of Burton having performed with their institutions.

Though officials from Lincoln Center did not reply to my requests seeking information about Burton having performed at their facilities, an online search for performances in the Lincoln Center Theater archives dating back to 1985 did not yield any results demonstrating Burton had ever performed there.

Additionally, I was unable to find any evidence that Burton has performed "An Evening With James Taylor & Friends all throughout the Northeast," much less having "toured the entire United States."

While Burton did not respond to my inquiries regarding the performances, none of these esteemed venues or events were mentioned when host Allison Chawla asked about his live performance history on Talk With Allison (Episode 30, 3:45). Burton only noted that "the venues that [he's] performed at may not still be there" before naming "The Colony in Woodstock" and "some stuff in Tarrytown."

It goes without saying that the world-renowned Lincoln Center, New York City Opera, and Juilliard are all active endeavors.

It is also worth noting that the breathless commentary in the press release is not credited to any named individuals. It is simply labeled as praise from "critics." This effusive praise is nowhere to be found online outside of the press release itself.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the entire premise of John Burton's press release is also based on two significant lies. The first being that he would be releasing his "next album" (absent any evidence he ever released a first album), and the second being that his podcast (which did not even launch its first episode until over two years later in July 2022) was already being nationally syndicated on the Spotify platform.

Burton's so-called “next” album, which as far as anyone knows may never have even been recorded, remains unreleased.

It bears repeating that the major news John Burton's press release was announcing about his album, concert series, and podcast was entirely invented.

"Authenticity is admired and pomposity is the calling card of a dunce"

Apart from this seemingly endless series of brazen falsehoods, John Burton has also positioned himself as a "public figure" who has pontificated at length about his philosophy of "Ivy" values underpinning the style:

I am a person who values thought and work ethic. I understand the value and stability of classics, and I welcome a little rebellion to keep things moving. Morals are important to me, or less controversially put, being fair and decent is important to me. I am inclusive, I like music, and dependability is part of My Personal Tradition. Authenticity is admired and pomposity is the calling card of a dunce. I spend money on quality and won’t buy anything I can’t wear ten years from now. Manners matter, but because I think so much of thought, manners are reflexive. What things mean is as important as how things look, how things look is important too though. I am a good person.

Regardless of the noble attributes he has taken pains to equate with his Ivy Style brand, a review of Burton’s recent and past history inevitably suggests that he is not as concerned with these values as he is with burnishing his own reputation.

Perhaps most tellingly, Burton has all but confessed to a willingness to lie with his offhand admission to Allison Chawla that at some point in his life he "stopped caring what was true." The reasonable assumption given the weight of the evidence is that John Burton is not the celebrated figure whose writings “have been read and praised by hundreds of thousands” but a blatantly self-aggrandizing fabulist.

John Burton did not respond to requests for comment or clarification.

Trent Broughton is a freelance writer based in Seattle.

[coochiequeens]

Another man trying to make a name for himself, and some money, by harassing women the woke way.

A man who identifies as transgender and has a disturbing criminal record is suing a New York yoga studio for $5 million in compensation after he alleges employees asked to use the men’s restroom instead of the women’s. Dylan Miles, who uses the name Ali Miles, filed the discrimination suit against Chelsea Traditional Hot Yoga on May 15.

Using a mixture of masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to himself, Miles alleges that the personnel at Chelsea Yoga “deprived [him] of his civil rights because he is gay, undergoing a gender transition, and because Miles does not conform to … gender-based preferences, expectations, or stereotypes about how a man/woman should dress and conduct himself/herself.”

The incident is said to have occurred on May 4, when, at approximately 4:00 in the afternoon, Miles appeared at the studio to participate in a yoga class scheduled for the following hour. 

According to the suit, Miles proceeded to tell the manger and owner of the studio about his “gender status”, and stated that he “most closely aligned with female gender identity,” and that he would like to use the women’s restroom and locker room on the premises.

Management informed Miles that he would not be permitted to use the women’s facilities. However, after attending the yoga class, Miles proceeded to enter first the restroom, and then the women’s locker room. At this point, the suit states, “female patrons complained and yelled at Miles about Miles’ presence and use of the single-sex locker room and bathroom labelled Women, and they demanded Miles leave and cease using the facilities.”

He then alleges that while “feeling shame, humiliation, and frustration,” he was escorted to the facilities designated for men, and was therefore “forced to use a locker room and bathroom that was not most closely aligned with Miles’ gender.”

Miles believes he is entitled to financial compensation “in an amount to be determined at trial … not expected to be less than $5,000,000 … based upon their willful, extreme, wrongful, and outrageous conduct,” the court filing reads.

Liberal outlet The Daily Beast was first to bring details of the suit to public attention in a short article categorized as “discrimination” which used “she/her” pronouns for Miles, and declined to use a photo of him.

Yet despite his claim of victimhood, Reduxx can reveal that Miles has a history of stalking and harassment charges lodged against him in Yavapai County, Arizona, before he relocated to New York State. 

Dylan Miles, who calls himself Ali and identifies as a Muslim woman, was previously listed in court records as Dylan Peter Busa Miles, a name and past which can be corroborated with hand-drawn sketches he uploaded to his Facebook account.

One post from May 5, just one day after the incident Miles alleges took place at the yoga studio, depicts a frantic pencil sketch of a faceless figure and is captioned, “I sketched this while in custody in Yavapai County Jail. I hope to extrapolate it on a canvas soon.”

On October 26, 2022, Miles was found guilty of two counts of aggravated harassment per domestic violence, a class five felony, for instances dated in November 2021 and February 2022. 

He was also found guilty of disorderly conduct, harassment, threatening or intimidating, and false reporting to a law enforcement agency, which are all class one misdemeanors. 

He was placed on supervised probation for a period of three years and sentenced to 312 days in Yavapai County Jail, with credit added for the 132 days he had already been held there. Miles was also subject to a domestic violence assessment. Three counts of stalking with the fear of death against family or pets were dismissed by the court, as were three counts of threatening and intimidation with injury or damage to property.

The lawsuit against the Yoga studio is also not the first time Miles has launched a lawsuit complaining of “discrimination.”

Reduxx has located four other suits filed Miles alleging discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, all of which were filed in rapid succession during a two-month span last year.

In February of 2022, Miles filed a civil action for $75,000 in compensation against Sedona Soul Adventures, an Arizona-based business he had previously worked for. Miles alleged that the tourism company had wrongfully terminated his employment shortly after he was hired after subjecting him to “gender identity-based harassment and discrimination.” The suit was dismissed after an out-of-court agreement was reached between Miles and Sedona Soul Adventures.

On March 7 of 2022, Miles filed two separate civil actions — one against Planet Fitness and one against Bagel Point, both, again, on the basis of “gender identity-based harassment and discrimination.” In both, Miles represented himself, and failed to use consistent pronouns, often calling himself “Mr. Miles.” 

In his poorly-written civil action, Miles alleged that staff at a Planet Fitness threatened to sound the “lunk alarm” on him for entering the women’s facilities, and used a slur when referring to him. The “lunk alarm” is a large fixture seen at most Planet Fitness gyms intended to provide a humorous “warning” to those being too loud or obnoxious in the gym.

Miles also alleges that a member of the Planet Fitness staff named “Diamond” had tried to “coerce” him into going “straight sexually.”

Miles demanded compensation of $10,000,000 from Planet Fitness, but the suit was ultimately dismissed after he failed to file the appropriate paperwork and pay $402 in filing fees as requested by the court.

In his action against Bagel Point, a cafe in Brooklyn, Miles sought $75,000 in damages alleging he had been wrongfully terminated and subjected to verbal abuse on the basis of his gender identity. 

Miles had been an employee of Bagel Point for a short period of time, during which he claimed the owner, a Muslim woman, had referred to him using slurs and mocked his gender identity, as well as had crafted “unsubstantiated” complaints about his performance. The action, which was poorly written and rife with spelling errors, was dismissed by the court once again after Miles failed to file the appropriate paperwork and pay $402 in filing fees.

In his final action of 2022, Miles filed a lawsuit against the New York Presbyterian Hospital, once again claiming to have faced discrimination on the basis of his gender identity.

Reduxx reviewed the bizarre court records from the suit, during which Miles represented himself. Miles claimed that, while undergoing pain management treatment at the Hospital, specialists routinely verbally abused him and denied him proper care on the basis of his gender identity.

In one claim, Miles alleges that a pain management doctor at the hospital called him a “[sic] fagot” every time he injected him with trigger point pain medication.

In another, Miles alleged a separate anesthesiologist called him a “tranny faggot” while administering an epidural. 

Miles also asserted that doctors at the hospital had taken issue with his identity as a Muslim transgender woman, and that the hospital had a “scheme” to make him “suffer” with chronic pain.

Miles’ suit against New York Presbyterian Hospital was dismissed and an appeal was not filed.

Miles’ lengthy track record of filing baseless discrimination suits recalls a similar saga involving a Canadian trans-identified male who rose to international infamy after attempting to force local estheticians to provide waxing services to his male genitalia. 

Jessica Yaniv, also known as Jessica Simpson, is a trans-identified male from British Columbia who filed civil actions and human rights claims against dozens of people and businesses between 2018 and 2021 claiming discrimination on the basis of his gender identity. Amongst those Yaniv pursued for damages were multiple local salons owned by primarily immigrant women of Muslim or Sikh faith. It was later speculated that Yaniv had strategically pursued those salons in an effort to target women who would have had a religious objection to handling his male genitals or being alone in a room with him. 

Yaniv was later classified as a “frequent litigant” by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, which noted that Yaniv had a pattern of filing a large number of complaints and then withdrawing them when the respondent mounted a defense.

[benandstevesposts]

A Handwritten Note, "I'm Sorry And Won't Do It Again," - Not Enough - Will Justice Be Handed Down By The Court?

This report originated at the Atlanta Black Star By: Greg Hollis

On May 30, 2020, Jaleel Stallings suffered a brutal attack by Stetson and other officers during a protest over George Floyd’s death. Minneapolis was under curfew, and Stetson was part of a SWAT unit that set out in an unmarked van to enforce a nighttime curfew. 

Stetson and other officers — led by Sgt. Andrew Bittell, according to Minnesota Public Radio — fired 40 mm foam-tipped rubber bullets without warning at people spotted on the street past the curfew as they worked to protect local businesses from looting.

Stallings and three other men were shot at while sitting in a parking lot. He was hit in the chest and returned three shots back at the van with real bullets. No officer was hit when Stallings returned fire. The Army veteran also had a permit to carry the gun. 

“I thought I had been shot with a real bullet and was bleeding out,” Stallings later said in a police statement. 

He quickly surrendered once he realized it was officers shooting at him after he heard one of the officers say, “shots fired.” Stallings reportedly tossed his weapon, surrendered and got face down on the pavement with his hands in the air and not resisting arrest. 

Stetson hopped out of the van, repeatedly kicked Stallings in the face and head, and shouted “f—ing piece of s–t” at him. He also reportedly failed to use any commands.

The criminal complaint filed by Stallings and his lawyer says Stetson punched him and delivered knee shots to his face. At one point, Bittell reportedly held Stallings’ hands behind his back as Stetson struck him before Bittell yelled, “That’s it, stop!” Bittell also reportedly would claim falsely that Stallings was resisting arrest.

Stallings had several cuts and bruises on his face and a fractured eye socket. He also was charged with eight crimes, including the attempted murder of a police officer. 

In September 2021, Stallings was acquitted by a jury after body-camera footage and surveillance videos contradicted what Stetson wrote in the police reports. He was awarded $1.5 million in a settlement with the city in May 2022.

The now-former Minnesota police officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday, May 10, to assaulting a Black man five days after George Floyd was killed in 2020.

Justin Stetson, an ex-officer, pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony assault charge and a misdemeanor charge of misconduct of a public officer or employee. The felony assault charge has a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. 

The misdemeanor charge has a maximum sentence of one year and a $3,000 fine. Stetson was the only officer charged, and the guilty plea ensures he can’t work in law enforcement in Minnesota again.

Now a year later, Stallings gets more justice for his brutal attack. In addition to Stetson’s guilty plea, he issued a handwritten apology in court on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. He admitted that he “crossed the line” when he used excessive force against Stallings.

“Rarely, if ever do police officers plead guilty to using excessive force in the line of duty — and today, Stetson has admitted he did so under color of his official authority, in violation of the law,” Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison said in a statement sent to Associated Press.

Stallings didn’t buy the apology and disagreed with the plea deal. 

“As the innocent victim in this case, I will have served more jail time as a result of this incident than all of those officers combined,” Stallings wrote in a statement to the Minnesota Reformer. “At the very least, he should be convicted for the felony conduct that is captured on video… Instead, he is being offered the opportunity to walk away with more lenient terms than the average citizen would face for aggravated assault.”

He added that the plea deal would continue the cycle of abuse by “malicious officers.”

Prosecutors said they would push for Stetson to serve two years of supervised probation instead of jail time when he is sentenced in August. 

Stetson no longer has an active peace officer’s license in Minnesota. He also took a disability retirement last August and reportedly receives a pension of nearly $59,000. His criminal charges will not affect his pension.

Additional links referencing this report and similar reports can be found at the Atlanta Black Star, where this report originated. You can find them by clicking here.

(Because of the importance of the report's content, it was provided primarily complete. An informed community is a free community. Additionally, a group pushing to destroy a government by the people believes it never happen if it isn't reported. That is why authority hates news media. And it is why we push news reports like these with dedication!)

[reddeadreference]

Saint Denis Times No. 56

-Click here to return to the index for Newspapers-

This issue is available after completion of the mission: American Venom

(All article transcripts below the cut)

Articles marked with * are exclusive to this region’s issue.

Articles marked with ** are only there upon completion of the related mission.

Micah Bell Killed

FAMED GUNSLINGER. BETRAYAL ENDS HIS MURDERS. WANTED FOR BLACKWATER ROBBERY.

He was believed to be hiding in The Grizzlies for many years, emerging to sow mayhem and murder to fuel a life on the run. Micah Bell, one of the most notorious outlaws of the region and a former member of the infamous Dutch van der Linde's gang, was slain at his hideout. The train robber and desperado evaded authorities for years, during which time he killed two dozen men. He had sworn an oath to compatriots that he would never be taken alive.

Yet despite a concentrated effort by Rangers, Pinkertons and local law enforcement to bring Bell to heel, it appears as if he was completely taken by surprise by former gang members who have long accused him of treachery and theft of the ill-gotten gains from the Blackwater Robbery in 1899. Bell was without a doubt the most desperate outlaw at large in the area, striking terror into the hearts of carriage and stagecoach riders who have long feared his murderous reputation.

Several sheriffs had been elected in the country and each had vowed to bring Bell to justice. One, Sheriff Braxton Hefner, finally landed Bell in jail, where he was tried and sentenced to be hanged. Two days before paying the price for his crimes he broke jail and had been at large.

President Signs 1907 Immigration Act

RESTRICTS "IDIOTS, FEEBLEMINDED".

President Waxman signed an immigration act in order to prevent unsavory persons from entering the United States.

The new law, which went into effect immediately, excludes "All idiots, imbeciles, feebleminded persons, epileptics, insane persons, and persons who have been insane within five years previous; persons who have had two or more attacks of insanity at any time previously; paupers; persons likely to become a public charge; professional beggars; persons afflicted with tuberculosis or with a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease; persons not comprehended within any of the foregoing excluded classes who are found to be and are certified by the examining surgeon as being mentally or physically defective, such mental or physical defect being of a nature which may affect the ability of such alien to earn a living; persons who have been convicted of or admit having committed a felony or other crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; polygamists, or persons who admit their belief in the practice of polygamy, anarchists," from entering the United States.

Man Exposes Medical Frauds

AS CHARLATANS PEDDLE MARVELOUS CLAIMS. HIPPOCRATIC FAKERS PLAGUING SMALL CITIES.

It was hoped that with the spread of scientific knowledge, the scourge of medical quacks selling health and salvation from suffering would abate eventually. However, in towns and hamlets across the nation, the evolution of reputable physicians into swindles continues at rapid speed as each new break in scientific progress is announced.

A so-called doctor needs little more than a shingle to hang above his door and various potions and concoctions to peddle the ill, maimed and infirm, who are willing to part with their hard-earned money in hopes of prolonged health. Such is the crusade led by one man who has vowed to uncover the Hippocratic frauds who are preying on victims across the country. His name is Nigel West Dickens, a studied man of letters, botany, ornithology and the history of home medicine practiced throughout the ages.

He has begun demonstrations showing that sufferers of rheumatism, neuralgia, rickets, dysentery and scarlet fever can be cured of their maladies by use of a simple medicinal tonic. The response has been enthusiastic, and in more than one town the local doctor taken to task for peddling fraud cures. Mr. Dickens plans in the coming years to take his message on the road and root out charlatans and purveyors of false science.

Valentine Hotel Quarantine

MAN FEARED CONTAGIOUS. DISEASE OF THE BOWELS.

More death and discomfort comes as a result of disease of the bowels, from constipation, to diarrhea to dysentery than from almost any other cause. It can reflect a disorder of the liver, kidney derangements, a dyspeptic condition of the stomach, piles, or bad blood. No person knows the discomfort and agony of bowel disease more than Harville Presley, a resident at the Valentine Hotel for more than nine years.

Visited by numerous physicians and specialists, Mr. Presley scarcely leaves his residence at the hotel, one that he made permanent years ago once the onset of the disease began. The son of a wealthy mining family, Mr. Presley took refuge at the Valentine Hotel, feeling pain after eating at a church potluck supper.

The daily plague of sharp, spasmodic gripes of the bowels soon resulted in Mr. Presley living very much like a hermit, summoning doctors and literature and trying to diagnose the cause of his maladies. For reasons of safety, his room is under quarantine and other guests are placed in lodging in other areas of the hotel, so as not to be subjected to the auditory distress of his complaints.

A Gentleman's Sport

GOLFING SOARS IN POPULARITY. GENERATES A TIDY PROFIT.

Even before Columbus sailed for America, golf was soaring in popularity in the United Kingdom, so much so that archery and other sports that could defend the realm were falling out of favor. Concerned over national security, in 1491 Scotland decreed the sport unlawful for a period of time. In the United States, the lovely pastime could not be more popular, especially in California, a state devoted to entertainment and leisure.

Indeed this publication received a sunny dispatch from the 31st state that New Hanover's very own Edith Downes has developed and opened a brand new golf course to much acclaim and fanfare. She and her son Archie have, of late, ventured into several businesses out west, which is a very distant lifestyle from her past as a rancher's wife.

Cocaine Use to Require Prescription

The Governor of California has amended the Pharmacy and Poison Act making it a crime to sell opiates of cocaine without a prescription. The new ruling was protested by several vocal advocates and users of cocaine.

World's Fastest Steam Powered Car

SPEED RECORD BROKEN.

Steam powered automobiles are all the rage these days. Shovel in some coal, light the pilot, fill up the boiler with water, and in 20-30 minutes you are able to motor on out to your destination.

Mechanic Hershel E. Bennett has broken the land speed record in his amazing marvel of modern engineering, the Stratton Steamer. Modified from the consumer model from the Stratton Motor Carriage Company, he took it to a beach in Florida where a crowd cheered as he reach 127.66 mph, the fastest any human has traveled.

The Art of Angling by Jeremy Gill  

STEELHEAD TROUT.

No fish ignites the flame of angling in any true fisherman like the trout. A man must study the water and insects like a hawk, for trout are moody and will just as soon sit and watch an ill-picked fly float overhead. Once, while fishing with a senator, I stood with a sulky trout in my hands and informed it I intended to rip his brother and entire family from the water and watch them gasp for a breath.

The senator laughed and said he intended to use the same sentiment towards immigrants. What a leader he is. One day, I hope he runs for president. Fish for steelhead trout in lakes in the south. Try crickets.

Best of luck!

[offender42085]

Post 0538

Before he was sentenced, the defendant through his attorney said he was too nervous to speak in court...

Joseph Taylor Hughes, Kansas inmate 114259, born 1985, incarceration intake in September 2016 at age 31, released June 2024

Criminal Damage to Property, Domestic Battery, Aggravated Burglary, Robbery, Attempted Murder, Tampering, Obstruction of Justice, Perjury

In March 2016, Joseph Taylor Hughes, was convicted of brutally beating the mother of his two children at her south Topeka home in January 2015.  He was sentenced to 10 years and two months in prison.

The prison sentence was the maximum Hughes could receive based on Kansas sentencing law.

Shawnee County District Judge Nancy Parrish sentenced Hughes to five years and one month for attempted second-degree murder, two years and 10 months for aggravated burglary, and the remaining time for two felony counts of criminal damage to property and two counts of obstructing apprehension or prosecution.

Sentences for the remaining six felonies and two misdemeanors will run concurrently.

Rather than making a statement before he was sentenced, Hughes, who through his attorney said he was too nervous to speak in court, wrote a two-page statement handed directly to the judge.

In the letter, which wasn’t read aloud, Hughes apologized to his longtime girlfriend.

In the perjury and obstruction charges, three other people testified they either lied or were prepared to lie to clear Hughes of the assault charges. The witnesses said they had been given details of what they were to tell Hughes’ first defense attorney and a defense investigator.

Appeals of Hughes’ convictions were unsuccessful.  

3m

[neep-neep-neep]

what gets me is Kalief Browder (“the kid who stole 1 backpack”) suffered in Rikers and committed suicide two years after release didn’t need to be charged with 80 felonies to have his life destroyed how long till this man who championed the death penalty for the Central Park Five at least gets the Bernie Madoff treatment. Like how far can this go i need him dying in a cell not free not with his family who he doesn’t even have the capacity to love I need the last years of his life taken from him by the same criminal justice system that has ground comparatively innocent humans to paste and it’s not happening. He’s a symbol, just like the insurrection he tried to pull, of the way no white crime--murder, rape, treason, terrorism--is heinous enough to match a Black or Brown misdemeanor even an imaginary one. His freedom is a constant insult and he knows it and loves it

“The average US president has been charged with 1.54 felonies” factoid isn’t true. The average US President has been charged with 0 felonies. Donald trump, who has been charged with 71, is a statistical outlier and should not have been counted

[dankusner]

DALLAS Police officer pleads guilty

He faced assault charge from 2020 protests for injuring demonstrator

A Dallas police officer pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor assault charge for firing “less lethal” ammunition and wounding a demonstrator who lost an eye during the 2020 protests, court records show.

Sr. Cpl. Ryan Mabry, 38, was sentenced to two years deferred adjudication probation and must give up his license with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the state entity that certifies police officers, according to court records.

Mabry will not have a conviction if he successfully completes probation.

He waived his right to appeal, according to the plea deal.

He is at least the third Dallas SWAT officer to plead guilty to a criminal use-of-force case from demonstrations downtown after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd.

A Garland officer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge earlier this month and received a year of deferred adjudication probation.

Mabry’s plea deal means all of the known criminal cases against officers accused of use of force during the 2020 protests in Dallas are now closed.

Still, he and other officers face a civil lawsuit by demonstrators, which had been stalled pending the criminal cases.

Mabry’s attorney, Toby Shook, and a spokesperson for the Dallas County district attorney’s office declined to comment on his case.

The Dallas Police Department declined to comment on the case, but confirmed Mabry is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

Attorney Daryl Washington, who represents multiple demonstrators injured during the 2020 protests, said he believes the consequences should’ve been greater for the force used against his clients, but “we are pleased with the Dallas County district attorney’s office aggressively pursuing these cases.”

“The one great thing that comes out of this,” Washington said, “is the fact that they’re all gonna be held accountable for their actions.”

Mabry’s cases

Mabry was indicted in May 2022 on eight felony charges — six counts of aggravated assault by a public servant and two counts of deadly conduct.

He also faced three misdemeanor counts of official oppression.

As part of the plea deal, an aggravated assault charge was reduced to misdemeanor assault, which is punishable by up to a year in jail.

Prosecutors dismissed the 10 other cases against Mabry, court records show.

Aggravated assault by a public servant is a first-degree felony, punishable by five years to life in prison.

Mabry pleaded guilty only in a case involving Brandon Saenz, who has said he was peacefully protesting when he was hit in the face with less-lethal ammunition.

Mabry fired at a crowd, striking Saenz, after another man threw a water bottle at police, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit.

Saenz lost an eye and seven teeth, and the left side of his face was fractured.

Mabry was also one of three officers charged in a case involving David McKee, who held a cardboard sign and was backing away from officers — complying with police orders — when officers opened fire, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit.

McKee told investigators he was hit in his bicep, groin and thigh, an affidavit said.

On Monday, prosecutors dismissed the charges against Mabry in McKee’s case, as well as a separate one involving an unknown protester who was struck in the groin with less-lethal ammunition.

Body-camera footage showed Mabry laughed as he and another officer bumped fists afterward, an affidavit said.

He has been on paid administrative leave for more than two years, according to internal Dallas police records.

Now that the criminal case is over, police officials can determine whether he’ll face any internal discipline.

Washington, who represents Saenz and McKee, said they’ll both need lifetime treatment from their injuries.

McKee will likely never be able to have kids, he said, and Saenz continues to deal with the pain and nothing will “ever really put a smile back” on his face.

“Just the mental aspect of that has been very, very tough for me because here are guys who are not trying to harm police officers and they all end up injured,” Washington said.

Other 2020 protest cases

In August, former Dallas SWAT officer Melvin Williams pleaded guilty in the McKee case and was sentenced to three years deferred adjudication probation and required to give up his TCOLE license.

Garland police Officer Joe Privitt was also indicted on an aggravated assault by a public servant charge in the case involving McKee.

Privitt pleaded guilty Nov. 11 to a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault, which resulted in a one-year deferred adjudication probation sentence, court records show.

Cody Skipper, his attorney, said Privitt also had to surrender his state peace officer license, but now works in a civilian capacity with Garland police.

He said the community hurts from Privitt giving up his police license after more than 30 years, adding Privitt “had more character letters presented before the grand jury than I’ve ever seen in my career.”

He disputed that McKee complied with police orders, asserting McKee had a traffic cone to limit the effectiveness of gas canisters thrown by police into the crowd and wore gloves to pick up “hot incendiary devices.”

He called the case a “textbook political” move by the district attorney’s office and a waste of taxpayer money.

“Joe was just ready to put this behind him,” Skipper said.

“John Creuzot, even though he thinks he may have done Joe a favor by giving a misdemeanor, he wins, OK? You win. You get everything that you want. You have his full surrender. You can strip him of his license,” he said.

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in a written statement that Skipper presented his client’s version of what happened, “including that former officer Privitt and others were legally justified to shoot and injure citizens who were exercising their First Amendment rights.”

��Obviously, the grand jury, which is a panel of citizens chosen by elected district judges, disagreed,” Creuzot said.

“Each officer walked into a courtroom and told a judge that he was guilty. A plea of guilty speaks volumes.”

Garland police did not immediately provide comment about Privitt’s case.

Washington said the officers “had the absolute right to go to trial if they thought that what they did was justifiable.”

He said Privitt staying with Garland as a civilian employee shows municipalities aren’t willing to take necessary steps to hold police accountable.

“We never are ever gonna have any type of change in this system as long as people remain in denial,” Washington said.

“You cannot expect to enforce the law if you don’t believe that enforcing the law includes police officers.”

Earlier this year, Dallas SWAT Officer Broderick Valentine pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to deferred adjudication probation for shooting Zachary Montez Harvey in the groin with a foam baton round.

[beardedmrbean]

WASHINGTON – Hunter Biden, the president’s son, was indicted on charges he failed to pay his income taxes, Justice Department special counsel David Weiss announced Thursday.

The announcement came months after a plea deal over tax and gun charges collapsed. Under the agreement, which a federal judge rejected, Hunter Biden was set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018.

Biden is charged in a California federal court with three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanors. He engaged in a scheme in which he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed taxes from 2016 through 2019, and also evaded tax assessment for 2018 when he filed false returns, according to the indictment.

From 2016 to 2020, Biden spent money "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes," according to the indictment.

Separately, Weiss has charged Hunter Biden in Delaware with three federal gun charges, basically alleging he lied about using drugs when he bought a revolver in 2018. Biden pleaded not guilty to the charges Oct. 3.

"Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought," said Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, in a statement.

"Now, after five years of investigating with no new evidence -- and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full -- the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges when he had agreed just months ago to resolve this matter with a pair of misdemeanors," Lowell said.

Biden faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison if convicted on the tax charges, the Justice Department said in a press release. It noted that actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than maximum penalties.

Congressman Jason Smith, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement that the new charges further confirm the need for Congress to conduct an impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden "in order to uncover all the facts." The charges address years in which Hunter Biden earned millions of dollars by selling access to a family brand that was built on Joe Biden's political career, he said.

What are the tax charges?

While failing to pay his taxes, Biden allegedly spent millions on an extravagant lifestyle. In 2018, for example, he made about $383,000 in payments to women and spent about $151,00 on clothes and accessories, according to the charges.

Biden faces two felony charges of filing a false return and one felony charge of tax evasion. The six misdemeanor counts are for allegedly failing to file returns or pay his taxes when required.

Prosecutors have said Hunter Biden took in $2.4 million in income in 2017 and $2.1 in 2018 through Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, a Chinese-development firm, as well as domestic business interests and legal services.

Leo Wise, an assistant U.S. attorney, said at a July court hearing that an accountant prepared Biden's taxes both of those years, but his corporate and personal taxes were not paid. During this period, Hunter Biden made large cash withdrawals and covered other expenses like car payments on a Porsche, Wise said.

Hunter Biden told the court a "third party" paid the back taxes along with interest and fees pursuant to a personal loan he has not begun to repay.

Why did the judge reject the plea agreement?

Prosecutors had recommended probation for the two misdemeanor tax charges in the plea agreement, despite each carrying a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison. The agreement over the gun charge anticipated a pretrial diversion program that would wipe the charge off Biden’s record if he complied.

House Republicans called the agreement a “sweetheart deal” for lack of jail time.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected the deal because of a dispute between prosecutors and defense lawyers over what it meant. Biden's lawyers argued that he would be protected from prosecution in future cases, but prosecutors denied that.

[leroylawpa]

LeRoy Law: Florida DUI Penalties: Will a Second Offense Land You Behind Bars?

So, you've found yourself in a bit of a pickle with a second DUI offense in Florida. You're probably wondering if this means you'll be trading your comfy bed for a jail cell. As a West Palm Beach Dui Lawyer, I can assure you that you're not alone in this concern. Florida DUI laws and consequences are no joke, especially when it comes to repeat offenders.

Understanding the penalties for a second DUI offense is crucial. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles doesn't take these matters lightly, and neither should you. From license suspension to the possibility of jail time, the stakes are high. Let's look at the various aspects of Florida DUI second offense jail time and how it might affect you.

Important Tips for Second DUI Offense

Understand the severity of a second DUI offense under Florida DUI Laws and Penalties.

Consider the impact of a potential license suspension and the need for a hardship license.

Be prepared for mandatory DUI school and possible court-ordered treatment.

How Can I Help You?

With years of experience dealing with Florida DUI laws, I know the ins and outs of the system. I understand the anxiety that comes with facing a second DUI charge. My goal is to provide you with the best defense possible, ensuring that your rights are protected every step of the way. Whether it's negotiating for reduced penalties or fighting for your case in court, I'm here to help. For more insights, I invite you to read my blog post on Florida DUI second offense jail time.

What Are the Penalties for a Second DUI Offense?

Florida multiple DUI offense penalties are designed to be stringent, reflecting the state's commitment to road safety. A second DUI offense can lead to severe consequences, including hefty fines, extended license suspension, and even jail time. The penalties are influenced by factors such as your blood alcohol concentration at the time of arrest and whether there were any aggravating circumstances.

Fines ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, with higher amounts for elevated BAC levels.

Mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device for at least one year.

Possible jail time of up to nine months, or longer if aggravating factors are present.

Will I Lose My License?

License suspension is a common penalty for a second DUI offense. According to Florida DUI Administrative Suspension Laws, your license can be suspended for up to five years. However, you may be eligible for a hardship license, allowing you to drive for essential purposes like work or medical appointments.

Immediate license suspension upon arrest, pending an administrative hearing.

Eligibility for a hardship license after serving a portion of the suspension period.

Completion of DUI school and a substance abuse evaluation as prerequisites for license reinstatement.

What About Probation and Community Service?

Probation is often part of the sentence for a second DUI offense. This typically includes community service, which serves as a reminder of the impact of impaired driving. The court may also require you to attend DUI school and undergo a substance abuse evaluation, ensuring that you address any underlying issues.

Probation period of up to one year, with regular check-ins with a probation officer.

Mandatory community service hours, often totaling around 50 hours.

Completion of DUI school and any recommended treatment programs.

Is a Second DUI a Felony?

In most cases, a second DUI offense is treated as a misdemeanor. However, it can escalate to a felony if certain conditions are met, such as causing serious injury or death. The distinction between misdemeanor DUI and felony DUI is significant, affecting both the penalties and the long-term consequences on your record.

Typically classified as a misdemeanor unless aggravating factors are present.

Felony charges may apply if the offense involves serious bodily injury or death.

Felony DUI carries harsher penalties, including longer jail sentences and higher fines.

A Hypothetical Case

Imagine John, a resident of West Palm Beach, who was recently arrested for his second DUI offense. His blood alcohol concentration was slightly above the legal limit, and he was pulled over for erratic driving. John is now facing the possibility of jail time, a hefty fine, and a lengthy license suspension.

John's case highlights the importance of understanding Florida DUI laws and the potential consequences of repeat offenses. With the right legal representation, John could potentially reduce his penalties, focusing on rehabilitation and preventing future incidents. This hypothetical scenario underscores the need for a knowledgeable attorney to navigate the complexities of DUI law.

Key Takeaways

A second DUI offense in Florida carries significant penalties, including potential jail time.

License suspension and the requirement for an ignition interlock device are common consequences.

Understanding your rights and options is crucial for minimizing the impact of a second DUI charge.

FAQ

1. What is the jail time for a second DUI offense in Florida?

Jail time for a second DUI offense can be up to nine months, but this can increase if there are aggravating factors such as a high BAC or an accident.

2. Can I get a hardship license after a second DUI?

Yes, you may be eligible for a hardship license, but you must complete DUI school and a substance abuse evaluation first.

3. What are the fines for a second DUI offense?

Fines typically range from $1,000 to $2,000, with higher fines for elevated BAC levels or if minors were in the vehicle.

4. Is community service mandatory for a second DUI?

Yes, community service is usually required, often totaling around 50 hours as part of the probation terms.

5. Will I need an ignition interlock device?

Yes, installation of an ignition interlock device is mandatory for at least one year following a second DUI conviction.

6. Can a second DUI be considered a felony?

While typically a misdemeanor, a second DUI can be charged as a felony if it involves serious injury or death.

7. How does a second DUI affect my criminal record?

A second DUI conviction will appear on your criminal record, potentially impacting employment opportunities and other aspects of your life.

What are some good resources on Florida DUI second offense jail time?

Florida DUI Laws and Penalties - Comprehensive overview of DUI laws in Florida, detailing penalties, fines, and jail time for offenses.

Florida DUI Administrative Suspension Laws - Information on administrative suspension laws for DUI offenses, including license suspension procedures and requirements.

Florida Statutes Section 316.193 - The specific statute outlining the legal framework for DUI offenses in Florida, including definitions and penalties. Disclaimer: LeRoy Law tries to ensure the accuracy of this article. However, Florida Statutes change, case law changes, and as such, errors may occur. LeRoy Law assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions in this article. LeRoy Law encourages you to utilize our links to relevant Florida Statutes. Contact my office at [561-290-2730] if you have any questions or require legal assistance.