Free Republic

Nine U.S. House Democrats have asked the Justice Department to release American environmental lawyer Steven Donziger, who spent decades battling Chevron Corp over pollution in the Ecuadorian rainforest. The disbarred lawyer was handed a six-month imprisonment sentence in October for criminal contempt arising from a lawsuit brought by the oil company. The Democrats including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib on Monday said in a letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland that the lawyer was jailed for "petty contempt of court". "As the United States is a party to the District Court case against Mr. Donziger, we request that you...

Josh Hawley @HawleyMO Tonight while I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel. They screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door. Let me be clear: My family & I will not be intimidated by leftwing violence 11:13 PM · Jan 4, 2021 ShutDownDC @ShutDown_DC Tonight we dropped in at the home of @HawleyMO to encourage him to end his attack on democracy. Let's be clear, Hawley and his pals are doing real and serious damage to our democracy. And they're emboldening thugs like...

Portland Fire and Rescue officials are looking to question a person seen in surveillance footage apparently setting fire to a local restaurant. The suspected arsonist acted after the restaurant owner criticized vandalism in the area committed by Antifa. On November 23, a suspected arsonist set fire to Reo’s Ribs located in Portland’s Hollywood District, Breitbart News reported. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they observed smoke pouring out of the rear of the building and flames both on the interior and exterior.

Keith Raniere, the founder and leader of Nxivm, was sentenced today to 120 years in prison by United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis in federal court in Brooklyn. Raniere was convicted by a federal jury in June 2019 of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. The Court also imposed a fine of $1,750,000. At the sentencing hearing, the Court heard victim impact statements from 15 individuals, including “Camila,” the victim who was sexually exploited by Raniere when she was 15 years old. A hearing on victim restitution...

(ATLANTA) – Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued a warning to groups that are helping individuals move to Georgia solely for the purpose of voting in the January Senate runoffs elections. Groups that finance or organize such efforts are involved in conspiracy to commit voter fraud and could be charged under Georgia’s Racketeering Conspiracy laws. “Make no mistake about it, I will seek to prosecute those who try to undermine our elections to the fullest extent of the law,” said Raffensperger. “The integrity of our elections is paramount. Outside groups who seek to interfere with democracy in Georgia should be...

Union President James Cahill is accused of heading an organization which used its members’ influential union roles to engage in criminal activity. Cahill, who is President of the Albany-based New York State Building and Construction Trades Council (NYS Trades Council), is among 11 officials facing racketeering, fraud and bribery charges.

The Louisville cadre of Black Lives Matter activists sent a letter to many downtown businesses demanding they “diversify” their employees. But at least one Cuban-American business owner objected to the threatening tone of the letter and posted his displeasure on Facebook. Fernando Martinez owns a restaurant group with several Hispanic eateries. He accused BLM of using “mafia tactics” and explained his position. “There comes a time in life that you have to make a stand and you have to really prove your convictions and what you believe in,” Martinez wrote in a public Facebook post. “… All good people need...

Following Conviction for Racketeering Conspiracy HAMMOND- Luis Colunga, 27, of Hobart, Indiana, was sentenced, on July 17, 2020, by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon to 204 months in prison following his guilty plea to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity as a member of the Latin Dragons Nation street gang, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.“A 17 year sentence should send a strong message that gang activity and associated criminal acts will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II.  “Gang members should know that my office will continue to investigate and prosecute criminal gang activity as a...

Eleven defendants charged in Hawaii federal court with racketeering and other offenses Superseding indictment includes charges against Michael J. Miske, Jr. for the July 2016 kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser HONOLULU, Hawaii – Kenji M. Price, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, Eli S. Miranda, Special Agent in Charge of the Honolulu Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Tom Murdock, Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Josh Allen, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Office of the Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal...

A Tennessee business cancelled their catering job with police supporters after threats from the left. Shuford’s Smoke House says leftists threatened to burn down their business after the accepted an order from “Back the Blue” police supporters. One local business received backlash this week after they say they were falsely accused of making a political statement with the back the blue rally. Owners of Shuford’s smoke house say organizers of today’s Back the Blue contacted them to order food for the event. Shuford’s says they accepted the job because they believed it was another opportunity to offer their catering services....

You don't want 600 people to come here and destroy your business and burn it down".. The riot in Madison was inspired by the arrest of organizer Devonere Johnson for 'organizing' in a restaurant. The resulting violence saw statues toppled and a Democrat state senator beaten. Now the Feds have busted Johnson for blackmailing businesses. ... U.S. Attorney Scott Blader filed the charges against Devonere Johnson, alleging he threatened to bash windows of downtown businesses unless employees gave him money. Blader also alleges Johnson, 28, threatened to "shut down and destroy" another business unless Johnson and his friends were provided...

Fifteen defendants have pleaded guilty to-date for their roles in a transnational and multi-million dollar scheme to defraud American victims through online auction fraud.Four of the guilty pleas took place in the past 24 days before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew A. Stinnett of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.Bogdan-Stefan Popescu, 30, of Romania, pleaded guilty on June 11, 2020, to one count of RICO conspiracy.  According to plea documents, Popescu operated a car wash in Bucharest, Romania, where he managed coconspirators in the RICO enterprise.  From at least December of 2013, Popescu oversaw an operation...

The nightly democrat riots are starting sea to smoking sea.

These riots (not protests) spreading across the country, are fueled by Soros money and Antifa people. The violence is getting so broad spread that even dems are getting nervous about the backlash and trying to paint the protests as being directed by white supremacist right wingers and Trump supporters. Black ‘leaders’ are starting to disavow the protesters due to the backlash. A perfect time for President Trump to declare Antifa a domestic terrorist group and any leftist or democrat that disagrees will have to explain why they shouldn’t be designated so and instead say it is simply the fault of...

A superseding indictment was returned yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (Huawei), the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, and two U.S. subsidiaries with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).Brian A. Benczkowski, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Richard P. Donoghue, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christopher A. Wray, Director, FBI, announced the charges.The 16-count superseding indictment also adds a charge of conspiracy to steal trade secrets...

Four North Carolina members of the United Blood Nation (UBN or Bloods) street gang were sentenced in Charlotte, North Carolina, after pleading guilty to federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy charges, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney R. Andrew Murray of the Western District of North Carolina. Tyquan Ramont Powell, aka Savage, 24, of Charlotte, North Carolina, Lamonte Kentrell Lloyd, aka Murda Mo and Moo, 26, of Scotland Neck, North Carolina, Thomas Oliver, aka T.O., Recon, Rex, and Mr. Trippbadd, 34 of Gastonia, North Carolina were each sentenced...

As he entered a New Year’s even party at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort Tuesday evening, Rudy Giuliani stopped to talk to several reporters. During the course of his two-minute discussion with them, he laid out the high points of what he says was an organized plot by “the highest levels” of the Obama Administration to literally loot the Ukraine for millions during the Obama presidency. Giuliani, a former U.S. attorney, has spent the better part of the last year investigating the activities of Joe and Hunter Biden, along with other Democrat luminaries, as they relate to the Ukraine on behalf...

We who elected President Trump understood our elected officials and the Deep State were sandbagging Trump and self-dealing public funds. It was no secret that President Trump is no angel, unpresidential, blunt, and crude, and a disruptor. Trump was hired to drain the swamp. I watched this kabuki theater unfold over the last several years. Through my eyes as a shopworn gumshoe, I will explain what is happening. My investigative curiosity was first piqued by the ATF Fast and Furious scandal and continues through the recent House impeachment show trial. There is a common element running through all of these...

Breitbart News, citing an NBC investigative report, reported that Chinese students have some very easy ways of staying in the U.S. after they get their studies behind them.  Numerous U.S.-based companies that got Optional Practical Training (OPT) work permits for Chinese graduates have quietly closed their doors following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown and media investigations, according to a report by NBC Bay Area. “NBC’s efforts to contact officers at 14 suspicious companies [who got many OPT work permits] were met with a series of dead-end business addresses and disconnected phone numbers, ” said the NBC Bay Area report....

Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, November 15, 2019 Superseding Indictment Charges Former Precious Metals Salesman with Racketeering Conspiracy Three Others Previously Charged in Connection with Manipulation of Markets for Precious Metal Futures Contracts A former salesperson in the New York offices of a U.S. bank (Bank A) was charged in a superseding indictment filed yesterday and made public today for his alleged participation in a racketeering conspiracy in connection with the manipulation of the markets for precious metals futures contracts, which spanned over eight years and involved thousands of unlawful trading sequences, announced...