The FBI

[phkrause]

Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted US political parties because they were ‘in charge,’ memo says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol told investigators after his arrest that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen and that he wanted to target the country’s political parties because they were “in charge,” prosecutors said Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/pipe-bomb-jan-6-fbi-157854dadb81c4d7663553412fd19383?

[phkrause]

FBI says arson suspect targeted Mississippi synagogue because it’s a Jewish house of worship

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A suspect in an arson fire at a synagogue that was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan decades ago admitted to targeting the historic institution because it’s a Jewish house of worship and confessed what he had done to his father, who turned him in to authorities after observing burn marks on his son’s ankles, hands and face, the FBI said Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-synagogue-arson-jewish-south-0e489adc986bfaddd55662075bdb6443?

[phkrause]

FBI searches a Washington Post reporter’s home as part of a classified documents investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter’s home on Wednesday as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking home classified information, the Justice Department said.

https://apnews.com/article/fbi-washington-post-search-warrant-classified-documents-373bd02f4f9ea446dd71c1203da467f3?

[phkrause]

Former Olympic snowboarder on FBI’s most-wanted list is arrested in Mexico, faces drug charges

ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, a top FBI fugitive accused of moving some 60 tons of cocaine from Latin America into the United States annually and orchestrating several killings, was arrested in Mexico and then flown to California, officials said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/ryan-wedding-olympic-snowboarder-drug-ring-1ba939875022738f89e0822cb32f0176?

[phkrause]

FBI concluded Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t running a sex trafficking ring for powerful men, files show The FBI pored over Jeffrey Epstein’s bank records and emails. It searched his homes. It spent years interviewing his victims and examining his connections to some of the world’s most influential people. But while investigators collected ample proof that Epstein sexually abused multiple underage girls, they found scant evidence he led a sex trafficking ring serving powerful men, an AP review of internal Justice Department records shows. Read more.

Why this matters: The documents, which include police reports, FBI interview notes and prosecutor emails, provide the clearest picture to date of the investigation — and why U.S. authorities ultimately decided to close it without additional charges. While one Epstein victim made highly public claims that he “lent her” to his rich friends, agents couldn’t confirm that and found no other victims telling a similar story, the records said.     Investigators who scoured Epstein’s bank records found payments to more than 25 women who appeared to be models — but no evidence that he was engaged in prostituting women to other men, prosecutors wrote.   On Dec. 30, 2024, about three weeks before President Joe Biden left office, then-FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate reached out through subordinates to ask “whether our investigation to date indicates the ‘client list,’ often referred to in the media, does or does not exist,” according to an email summarizing his query. A day later, an FBI official replied that the case agent had confirmed no client list existed.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Prince William and Princess Catherine express deep concern for Epstein victims   Norwegian ambassador resigns as she faces scrutiny over contacts with Epstein   France's former culture minister resigns over Epstein-linked tax fraud investigation

[Hanseng]

1 hour ago, phkrause said:

FBI concluded Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t running a sex trafficking ring for powerful men, files show

I read a similar report on the APnews site today. This Epstein business reminds me of the McMartin nursery school debacle, years ago. Lives and businesses were destroyed, resources wasted, hysteria stoked. In the end, coached by mental health "professionals" it was determined that the children, nursery school age, fabricated the accusations of satanic ritual sexual abuse. These were really children, i.e., prepubescent kindergarteners. People are crying about the "children" Epstein supposedly abused and trafficked. They were not "children." Depending on the country or jurisdiction, they were well beyond the age of consent. In many countries of Asia and Europe, the age of consent is 14, 15. Japan, hardly a barbaric, backwards country, the age of consent is 13.

The unfortunate accuser of Mountbatten-Windsor was 17 years old, hardly a child. Apparently she was "groomed" before the "abuse" started. Grooming is simply being nice to someone, treating them well. Of course, when an actual child is involved, that's a different matter.  The word "raped" is tossed around, trivializing the experience of those who are actually, physically, violently, against their will, forced into a sexual act. That's rape. This young woman and her friends were not prepubescent adolescents. Very few, if any, were ,against their will, violently forced into anything. I favor the death penalty for actual rapists. ~50 years ago, when I was in junior high, sexual trysts among  14, 15 year olds were not unusual.  The girls themselves often put the word out that they were available. They didn't require "grooming."  Even primary school students were fooling around.

Epstein was obviously a popular raconteur. Some of the people being dragged into this mess were accompanied by their wives when they attended Epstein's soirees. Guilt by association is the order of the day. The media insists on keeping this garbage before the public, another good reason that "freedom of the press" should be reinterpreted. 

[Hanseng]

Another example of this kind of "journalism" was the Kavanaugh debacle. Accused of inappropriate behavior decades back, his accuser was called a "credible witness" by at least one of her attorneys. This description was aped by the press. Credible? Hardly. She had an alleged eyewitness to the abuse, yet he denied it ever happened. Many details she couldn't recall. It's certainly possible that the eyewitness lied in denying the event; nevertheless, her account is hardly credible when the only witness denies it happened. True to its rabble rousing agenda, the press continued to report on it.

She reported the experience to friends, not to the police. Fannie Bolton told J.H. Kellogg, possibly others, that E.G. White slapped her. Anyone take her seriously?  That she was eventually confined to an insane asylum really doesn't bear on whether Sr. White did, indeed, slap her. Maybe she did but there is no way to prove it. It is really nothing more than gossip. Perez Hilton dishes it all the time without the pretentiousness that accompanies "news outlets."

[Hanseng]

Deuteronomy 22 discusses sexual assault: If a man assaults a woman and she doesn't cry out, she is considered complicit in the act. If they are in a place where no one can hear her cries, the man shall be put to death. Rape is considered as murder with the accompanying death penalty. Women who claim rape but do nothing in the way of crying out are considered complicit. She would be put to death with the perpetrator, e.g., an incident occurring in a dressing room of a department store, where, presumably, there are other customers. In the case of an assault rather than an actual rape, one would presume that the woman is also expected to cry out.

Cosby would likely have been put to death, since he rendered the women unconscious. Weinstein, however, might be enjoying a drink on the beach somewhere, since his crimes occurred mostly in public places where the screams of a woman would have been responded to, if I recall the incidents correctly. 

[Hanseng]

23  If a damsel [that is] a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24  Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, [being] in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
25  But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:
26  But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; [there is] in the damsel no sin [worthy] of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so [is] this matter:
27  For he found her in the field, [and] the betrothed damsel cried, and [there was] none to save her.
28  If a man find a damsel [that is] a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29  Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty [shekels] of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

 

[Theophilus]

 

 

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[phkrause]

Beware V-Day scammers

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios The FBI is warning of a surge in AI-fueled romance scams this Valentine's Day weekend, Axios' Jason Lalljee reports. Cybersecurity expert Jonathan Frost tells Axios that scammers are "leveraging the capabilities of [generative AI] tools to create deepfake personas, hyper personalize convincing outreach, and exploit social media and dating apps." Among the scams: 🤩 Celebrity impressions: AI is making it easier for scammers to pose as celebrities in order to swindle their starstruck victims. Frost: "Fraudsters use AI-generated personas, recruit 'models' to enhance their deception, and even deploy deepfake videos and live video calls to build trust with victims." 🐷 "Pig butchering" schemes: Fraudsters pose as successful investors and encourage their victims to make investments — often in cryptocurrency. These scams often begin on dating or social media platforms, the FBI warns. 😢 Tragedy scams: Some scammers claim that either the victim or someone they love is sick, hurt, in jail or otherwise in trouble — and the scammer needs the victim's money to resolve the situation. A Maine woman lost $20,000 after starting an online romance with a man from Cuba who claimed he needed the cash to return to the U.S., the FBI says. 🛑 Experts urge people to "take a beat" when escalating online relationships. Pro tip from the FBI's Boston office: "Research photos and profiles in other online search tools to see if the image, name or details have been used elsewhere." Go deeper.

[phkrause]

FBI: DNA recovered from glove found near Guthrie home that appears to match glove worn by suspect

A glove containing DNA found about two miles from the house of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother appears to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door in Tucson the night she vanished, the FBI said Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-710d3acdef86d1c3935b94f58f763d72?

[phkrause]

FBI finds explosive residue in storage unit after 2 men are charged with lighting bombs in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI said Tuesday that it found explosive residue in a Pennsylvania storage unit as part of an investigation into two men charged with bringing homemade bombs to a protest outside the home of New York City’s mayor.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-protest-bomb-attempt-investigation-b8fbeb799715f5389409ca983f3f83af?

[phkrause]

🚨 Tensions high after 2 attacks

Via X The FBI is investigating two attacks within hours of one another yesterday as terrorist acts — and authorities are warning Americans there could be more as the war with Iran reignites tensions. Why it matters: President Trump has said he's not worried about Iran itself mounting a retaliatory attack on U.S. soil. But yesterday's targeting of a Michigan synagogue — and a shooting at Virginia's Old Dominion University — have officials on alert. The FBI says it's treating the attack on Temple Israel Synagogue in the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield as "a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community." DHS identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon. He was killed after ramming a vehicle into the synagogue. Authorities are also trying to determine why Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who they say opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University, had been released from prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State. The shooting left one person dead and two injured before ROTC students subdued and killed Jalloh.

[Hanseng]

13 hours ago, phkrause said:

ROTC students subdued and killed Jalloh.

Well done!

[phkrause]

FBI searches Virginia Senate leader’s office as part of corruption probe, AP sources say

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — The FBI searched the Virginia state Senate leader’s hometown office and her neighboring cannabis shop Wednesday, bringing into public view what two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press was a corruption investigation.

https://apnews.com/article/l-louise-lucas-corruption-fbi-virginia-redistricting-845b64e5f9df0beb5dbd10676f1be436?

[phkrause]

FBI offers $200,000 reward to catch ex-Air Force specialist wanted on charges of spying for Iran

The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the capture and prosecution of a former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist who defected to Iran in 2013 and was later charged with revealing classified information to the Tehran government. Monica Elfriede Witt, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2019 on charges of espionage, including transmitting national defense information to the government of Iran. She remains at large. Read more.