- Carlee Russell’s lawyer predicts charges as ex-boyfriend slams ‘disgusting’ kidnap hoax story The Independent
- Carlee Russell’s ex-boyfriend condemns kidnapping hoax Yahoo News
- Carlee Russell’s kidnapping hoax shouldn’t distract us from the real issue of missing women and girls | Jenice Armstrong The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Carlee Russell’s ex-boyfriend says he’s ‘disgusted’ with her for lying about kidnapping by Alabama interstate Fox News
- Carlee Russell Admits She Lied, Asks For Forgiveness And Prayers WCCB Charlotte
Tag Archives: hoax
Carlee Russell’s boyfriend was ‘blindsided’ by kidnapping hoax – New York Daily News
- Carlee Russell’s boyfriend was ‘blindsided’ by kidnapping hoax New York Daily News
- Carlee Russell’s lawyer predicts charges as ex-boyfriend slams ‘disgusting’ kidnap hoax story The Independent
- Carlee Russell’s kidnapping hoax shouldn’t distract us from the real issue of missing women and girls | Jenice Armstrong The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Crime Stoppers refunding $63,000 reward money as Carlee Russell awaits possible criminal charges AL.com
- Carlee Russell admits there was no abduction. Experts say the saga puts ‘real’ missing Black women at risk. Yahoo News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Carlee Russell update: Boyfriend begs public to stop bullying Alabama woman amid abduction hoax claims – The Independent
- Carlee Russell update: Boyfriend begs public to stop bullying Alabama woman amid abduction hoax claims The Independent
- There are thousands of unsolved cases of missing Black people. Carlee Russell’s unverified report is rare, advocates say CNN
- Carlee Russell’s boyfriend asks people to ‘stop bullying her’ amid suspicious abduction claims New York Post
- Johnson: Dear Black girls, they will believe you next time, no matter what Carlee Russell did, or why AL.com
- Carlee Russell’s Boyfriend Begs Trolls to Stop Bullying Her Online TMZ
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Hoax threats against schools across the state not just pranks
DURHAM, N.C. — After dozens of reports of active shooter situations on school campuses rolled across North Carolina on Thursday, law enforcement officers issued this reminder: Any threat against a school is not simply a prank. It is a felony.
From east in little Washington to west in Brevard County, North Carolina schools were targeted by false threats and deceptive calls. In no case was a threat actually found.
Lt. Patrice Bogertey, spokesperson for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, said, “It wasn’t an actual threat. There never was. We’re seeing that this is a trend throughout our state here recently.
“What this does to law enforcement, and any first responder, is it puts us on high alert because we don’t know that it’s a false threat until we get there.”
- In Fayetteville, when someone called 911 reporting students had been shot at Jack Britt High School on Rockfish Road. That report was also false, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
- Leesville Road Middle School in Raleigh was also on lockdown Thursday for about 10 minutes after a prank call that police received.
- In Charlotte, local media reported prank calls to four schools: Olympic High School, Mallard Creek High School, West Charlotte High School, and Northwest School of the Arts.
- The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office investigated a report of an active shooter at East Bladen High School.
- The Elizabeth City Police Department said threats were made Northeastern High School via an anonymous text.
- The Burlington Police Department responded to an incident at Williams High School. The school is currently on lockdown.
- WECT News reported New Hanover High School in Wilmington was also the victim of a hoax.
- WXII reported lockdowns at Wilkes Central and Williams high schools.
- A spokesperson from New Hanover said similar pranks calls have been placed at schools and government buildings across the country this week.
Durham police Lt. Quincey Tait said, “It’s a threat of mass violence is what it is. Even though it’s a hoax, it’s still a felony.”
Firefighters and police swarmed to Hillside High School in Durham in response to the report of an active shooter. That threat was quickly determined to be a hoax.
A mother whose children attend Hillside said she heard a Vance County high school was also on lockdown Thursday morning.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said several schools in his state were also targeted by a hoax and false reports about an active shooter on Wednesday.
• Credits
Copyright 2022 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Donald Trump news – live: Trump Twitter hoax undermines Elon Musk as Hillary Clinton demands legal costs for failed Russia lawsuit
Donald Trump says Twitter has become ‘very boring’ since he got banned
As Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter gives right-wing fans hope that Donald Trump will return to his former favourite platform, anti-Trump users are spreading a hoax claim that the former president has died.
Started by a comedian, the hashtag #TrumpIsDead has become a satirical attempt to show how the platform can be misused, inspired by Mr Musk’s sharing of a conspiracy theory about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband.
Back in the real world, Hillary Clinton and several of her former campaign aides are seeking to recoup more than $1m in legal costs incurred from failed Trump legal actions accusing them of fomenting false allegations of collusion between the Trump circle and Russian agents.
The case was brought by Mr Trump in March, but was dismissed by a US District Judge who derided it as nothing more than a “manifesto”.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also said that it will not block Senator Lindsey Graham from having to give evidence before the Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Clinton and aides seek legal expenses from Trump
Hillary Clinton has asked a federal judge to order former President Donald Trump and his attorneys to pay more than $1m in legal fees and costs to cover expenses she and several other defendants accrued defending themselves against a dismissed lawsuit claiming that they conspired to sink Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign by accusing it of colluding with Russia.
Mr Trump filed the suit in March under a civil version of a racketeering law, claiming that Ms Clinton and several other Democratic Party-aligned organisations conspired to undermine his campaign. The suit was dismissed in September by US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, a Bill Clinton appointee, who wrote that it amount only to a “manifesto.” Mr Trump is appealing the decision.
Andrew Naughtie2 November 2022 13:20
Trump’s latest Letitia James rant
Few public figures have so incensed Donald Trump as New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has brought a major fraud lawsuit against him and his business that’s now being heard in court.
As Ms James prepares for a re-election rally with Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton tomorrow, here’s Mr Trump’s most recent tirade against her:
Andrew Naughtie2 November 2022 12:50
Supreme Court won’t shield Lindsey Graham from Georgia election fraud grand jury
The US Supreme Court has declined to block South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham from having to give evidence before the Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury investigating former president Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
In an unsigned order with none of the nine justices dissenting, the court said it was not necessary to block a lower court finding that Mr Graham must honour a subpoena to give evidence before the grand jury because lower courts have already said he does not have to testify on matters relating to “informal investigative fact-finding” he engaged in as then-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Andrew Feinberg has the details.
Andrew Naughtie2 November 2022 12:25
What is the #TrumpIsDead hoax?
As postmodern internet stunts go, the spread of the #TrumpIsDead hashtag is a vintage example – an attempt not to convince people that the former president has in fact died (he hasn’t), but to show up the potential for Twitter to be grossly misused under the low-moderation philosophy of new buyer Elon Musk.
It’s also a chance for anti-Trump users to riff on some of the more ludicrous themes of the QAnon creed. As filmmaker Jeremy Newberger wrote: “My sources are telling me, in their humble opinion, that the MyPillow Guy has created a Trump stand in made from polyurethane foam and Sunkist soda #TrumpIsDead.”
Mr Musk himself briefly spread a conspiracy theory about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, though he deleted it after the inevitable outcry. Here’s more on the Trump hoax from our colleagues at Indy100.
‘Trump is dead’ hoax spreads rapidly on Twitter
Donald Trump is definitely not dead, despite what Twitter users might have us believe. A hoax about the former president having died spread quickly on the social media platform earlier this week. The hashtag #TrumpIsDead became one of the biggest trends on the site following false claims made on Tue…
Andrew Naughtie2 November 2022 11:57
Trump joins in on conspiracy theories about Paul Pelosi attack
The former president began airing the controversial remarks while calling in to the Chris Stigall radio show on Tuesday morning.
Johanna Chisholm listened in.
Andrew Naughtie2 November 2022 11:30
Jan 6 committee ‘in discussions’ with Trump attorneys over testimony
The January 6 select committee is “in discussions” with Donald Trump’s attorneys about having the former president testify under oath as part of their investigation into the Capitol riot, Rep Liz Cheney said during a panel discussion on Tuesday.
CNN reports that Ms Cheney said Mr Trump “has an obligation to comply” but no decision has been made about the format of any potential testimony. She made the remarks at an event concerning the threat of political violence taking place in Cleveland, Ohio.
“It’ll be done under oath. It’ll be done, potentially, over multiple days,” Ms Cheney said, adding that this is not a situation where the committee finds itself at the “mercy of Donald Trump.”
Oliver O’Connell2 November 2022 11:00
After storming the Capitol, the Oath Keepers went to Oliver Garden
According to court filings, one person present claimed that they could not remember much about the restaurant other than that it was a “far drive away” and that the server was “being a pain about wearing masks.”
Oliver O’Connell2 November 2022 09:40
Capitol Police: ‘Political climate’ requires more security for lawmakers
The chief of the US Capitol Police says his agency requires added resources to step up protection for lawmakers after last week’s brutal attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In a statement, Capitol Police chief Thomas Manger said his department had “engaged in a review” of the attack on Paul Pelosi by a hammer-wielding assailant who had allegedly sought to kidnap and assault Ms Pelosi, the longtime leader of House Democrats who is also second in the presidential line of succession.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell2 November 2022 07:40
Trump predicts Kanye West ‘will be fine’ and downplays his antisemitism
Speaking with conservative talk radio personality and podcaster Chris Stigall, the former president was asked about a number of current events and news topics, including the midterms and Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.
Mr Trump’s remarks on the disgraced rapper, whose slew of antisemitic comments saw him dropped by a string of companies with whom he collaborated, stuck out in particular.
Oliver O’Connell2 November 2022 05:40
Why Marcus Flowers insists he can defeat Trump favourite Marjorie Taylor Greene
The military veteran tells The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe why he could be the first Democrat to represent Georgia’s 14th congressional district in 30 years.
Oliver O’Connell2 November 2022 03:40
Musk first day owning Twitter leads to havoc and possible hoax
Twitter headquarters in San Francisco.
Adam Jeffery | CNBC
[Editor’s note: After CNBC published details of an interview with people who claimed to be fired employees of Twitter, several reports emerged suggesting it was a hoax. CNBC could not confirm the identities of the individuals.]
On Elon Musk’s first day in control of Twitter, a person who walked out of the company’s San Francisco headquarters and identified themselves as a data engineer there said they were just laid off. CNBC was not able to immediately verify the identity of that person and one other who made a similar claim.
One employee at Twitter, awaiting information about layoffs or projects, told CNBC they were in the dark for the most part. Musk was meeting with relatively low-ranking engineering managers, this person noted —a welcome gesture to some. Press reports before the deal closed said that Musk had planned cuts as deep as 75% of headcount.
Twitter did not respond to repeated requests for comment about layoffs.
Musk finally took over the company on Thursday, ending a months-long legal saga. The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO initially agreed to buy the company for $44 billion, but soon after tried to get out of the deal because he claimed Twitter was not forthcoming enough about spam accounts on the platform. Twitter has denied that and went to court to try to get Musk to complete the deal.
Prior to the original trial date earlier this month, Musk agreed once again to close the deal. The judge gave Musk until Friday at 5 p.m. to close the deal, or else set a new trial date.
On Thursday, several top executives departed the company, including CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal, CNBC’s David Faber reported. Twitter’s head of legal policy, trust and safety Vijaya Gadde was also fired.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
-CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
Northeastern University package explosion was a hoax carried out by employee, complaint states
CNN
—
A Northeastern University employee who told police last month he was injured by an exploding package fabricated the story and now faces charges in the hoax, according to a criminal complaint.
Jason Duhaime, who was the New Technology Manager and Director of the Immersive Media Lab at Northeastern University, has been charged by complaint with conveying false information and hoaxes related to an explosive device and making materially false and fictitious statements to a US Government agency, according to the complaint.
“Throughout the course of the investigation, we believe he repeatedly lied to us about what happened inside the lab, faked his injuries, and wrote a rambling letter directed at the lab threatening more violence,” Joseph Bonavolonta, FBI special agent in charge, said Tuesday.
Duhaime was arrested in Texas on Tuesday morning and will appear before a magistrate judge in the afternoon, US Attorney Rachael Rollins said.
CNN has reached out to his defense attorney for comment.
The report of an explosion September 13 led to an evacuation of the Northeastern campus in Boston, diverted law enforcement resources and caused panic, Rollins said Tuesday.
“His alleged actions diverted significant law enforcement resources away from essential public safety matters and caused fear and panic not only on campus but also in the homes of the families, friends and loved ones of Northeastern students, faculty and staff as well as the people who live and work near Northeastern’s campus,” she said.
According to the complaint, Duhaime, 45, called 911 to report he was injured by very sharp objects expelled from a plastic case he had collected from the mail room and opened in Northeastern’s virtual reality lab. Officials at the time said he suffered minor hand injuries.
He also told investigators he found a threatening note with the case that accused the lab of secretly working for Facebook and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg in a US government plot to take over society through virtual reality, according to the complaint.
However, investigators found the case and the letter had no signs of damage, and they discovered a document on Duhaime’s computer that was “word-for-word” the same as the threatening letter, the complaint states.
Authorities also said when Duhaime showed his “several small, superficial marks or bruises” on his forearms to the responding officer, he rolled up long sleeves that did not appear to have damage.
Further, a student who was in the lab during the purported explosion told investigators he did not hear any noises aside from Duhaime’s voice, the complaint states.
“Given the lack of any physical evidence and the fact that the Letter was found on a Computer in Duhaime’s office, the significant inconsistencies between Duhaime’s story and Student #1’s recollection of events support a finding that Duhaime is not being truthful,” the affidavit states.
Northeastern University issued a statement Tuesday saying Duhaime is no longer employed by the university.
“Northeastern would like to thank the professionals in the FBI, the US Attorney’s Office, and Boston Police Department for bringing this investigation to a close,” the university said. “Knowing what we know now about this incident, we would like to make it clear that there was never any danger to the Northeastern community. As always, the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority.”
An online bio for Duhaime on Northeastern’s website says he is a “new technology manager” who managed the Virtual / Augmented Reality and 360 immersive technology for the university.
Alex Jones lashes out at trial over Sandy Hook hoax claims
“Is this a struggle session? Are we in China?” Jones asked, referring to Maoist rallies where people were publicly humiliated, after an attorney for the plaintiffs, Chris Mattei, pointed out the victims’ family members in the courtroom. “I’ve already said I’m sorry hundreds of times, and I’m done saying I’m sorry.”
The fatal shooting of 26 people, including 20 children, sustained headlines for years on Infowars and other fringe websites that propagated the baseless assertion that the victims’ family members were “crisis actors” involved in a government “false-flag operation” designed to curtail Second Amendment rights. Jones has subsequently acknowledged that the massacre was “100 percent real” and that it was irresponsible to say otherwise.
Jones was ordered in August in a separate Texas trial to pay more than $45 million in damages to parents of a Sandy Hook victim. He lost the Connecticut trial after Judge Barbara Bellis ruled in November that he was liable by default after refusing to turn over financial records and other documents ordered by the court. Infowars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems LLC, filed for bankruptcy protection this year as the Sandy Hook families pursued civil litigation.
Though Jones was even-tempered for much of his testimony, he sometimes verbally jousted with Mattei. His own lawyer also struggled to stop him from providing elaborate answers when roused.
Bellis repeatedly asked jurors to leave the courtroom so that the scope of Jones’s answers could be discussed with the lawyers. The frequency of their departures led her to joke that they were getting their exercise for the day.
In the hours-long session, Jones used one of Mattei’s questions to plug the address of a website accepting cryptocurrency contributions. He also answered “no” to the question of whether his credibility was the most important thing to his audience, insisting that his focus was on “crushing the globalists.”
“Alex Jones is probably the most unsympathetic litigant I’ve seen in quite a long period of time,” said Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University.
“This is a case about punishment, deterrence and making people whole,” she said.
A representative for Infowars could not be immediately reached early Friday.
In one exchange, Mattei accused Jones of putting targets on Sandy Hook parents’ backs, in an apparent reference to his claim that they were crisis actors. The attorney referenced parents in the courtroom, calling them “real people,” to which Jones responded: “Just like all the Iraqis you liberals killed and loved.”
“You’re unbelievable. You switch on emotions, on and off, when you want. You’re just ambulance chasing,” Jones added.
The size and scope of damages awarded by the jury will be closely watched at a time of heightened concern about online misinformation and disinformation.
“It matters what these verdicts are because it tells us how much we think people are harmed by this type of speech,” Levinson said. “It tells us that this might be an effective way to try to shut down the Alex Joneses of the world.”
Details of the case — such as whether the jury is convinced that Jones’s false statements were deliberate lies — will help determine the type and the size of damages, said Eugene Volokh, a law professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.
“If you’re going to try to persuade the jury toward punitive damages, you’ve got to show that it’s more than just an honest mistake,” said Volokh, an expert on free-speech law.
An attorney for Jones had argued that damages should be limited and that the victims’ relatives had exaggerated the harm that his client’s false assertions had caused, the Associated Press reported.
Several relatives of the Sandy Hook victims took the stand this week to share stories of being forced to travel under false names for security purposes and being told they would go to hell by those falsely claiming the shooting was a hoax.
Jennifer Hensel, whose daughter Avielle was killed in the shooting and whose husband took his own life in 2019, testified that some conspiracy theorists said they believed that she helped fake the tragedy and that her child was still alive.
“God, if she were, wouldn’t that be amazing?” she said, her voice cracking.
The trial is set to resume Friday, and Jones is scheduled to continue testifying.
Alex Jones lashes out at critics at trial over Sandy Hook hoax claims
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Sept 22 (Reuters) – Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ignited a courtroom shouting match on Thursday, railing against critics as he testified in a trial to determine how much he owes families of victims who died in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, which he falsely claimed was a hoax.
Tensions boiled over after roughly four hours of testimony in the Waterbury, Connecticut courtroom, not far from Newtown, the town where the massacre took place. Jones fulminated against “liberals” and refused to apologize to a packed gallery of victims’ families.
“These are real people, do you know that Mr. Jones?” a lawyer for the families, Chris Mattei, asked.
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“Just like all the Iraqis you liberals killed and love,” retorted Jones, a Texas-based webcast host who is being sued because he said no one was killed at Sandy Hook and the families were merely actors. Many of his followers then tormented and threatened the families.
The defamation trial concerns only how much Jones and the parent company of his Infowars site must pay in damages for spreading lies that the U.S. government staged the killing of 20 children and six staff members as a pretext for seizing guns.
The testimony triggered a three-way shouting match between Jones, Mattei and Jones’ lawyer, Norman Pattis, who repeatedly objected to Mattei’s questioning.
After jurors left for the day, Judge Barbara Bellis told the attorneys that she would enforce a “zero tolerance” policy for disruptions and would hold contempt-of-court hearings for anyone who “steps out of line,” including Jones.
Jones also tested the judge’s patience after Mattei played a video clip in which he praised his followers for placing Infowars stickers around the Connecticut courthouse.
Infowars founder Alex Jones takes the witness stand to testify during the Alex Jones Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S., September 22, 2022. Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media/Pool via REUTERS
“Conservatives put up stickers and we’re bad, I know, we all need to go to prison,” Jones said in a mocking tone on the witness stand, prompting the judge to briefly clear the courtroom and hold a discussion with attorneys. Jones does not face any criminal charges.
The clip was played as Mattei presented evidence that Jones’ followers had harassed Sandy Hook families online and in person, including at memorials for victims.
Jones also acknowledged calling Bellis a “tyrant” after Mattei displayed an image posted on Infowars depicting Bellis with red lasers shooting from her eyes. He said he was not responsible for the post.
Bellis has largely barred discussion of politics and conspiracy theories at the trial.
Jones is also not permitted to dispute his liability for damages, after Bellis issued a default judgment last year because he repeatedly failed to comply with court orders.
Jurors must decide only what Jones and Infowars’ parent Free Speech Systems must pay the plaintiffs, who also include an FBI agent, for the pain and suffering they say he caused.
A month ago, the conspiracy theorist was hit with a $49.3 million verdict in a similar case in Texas, where Free Speech Systems is based.
Jones’ lawyers hope to void most of the payout, calling it excessive under Texas law.
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Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Amy Stevens, Mark Porter and Richard Chang
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Alex Jones set to take the stand in second Sandy Hook defamation trial over his false ‘hoax’ claims
It’s unclear what Jones will say in court, but he derided the court process during an appearance outside the courthouse on Tuesday, going as far as to refer to the judge overseeing the case as a “tyrant.”
The trial is taking place a month after a Texas jury determined that Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, the parent of the fringe media organization Infowars, should award two parents nearly $50 million.
Jones baselessly told his audience in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that the incident was staged. He has since acknowledged the shooting occurred, but only after the lawsuits were filed. He said in a 2019 sworn deposition that a “form of psychosis” caused him to make his false comments.
In the Connecticut case, where Jones is being sued by eight more Sandy Hook families, Judge Barbara Bellis issued a default judgment against the Infowars founder in November 2021 after he failed to comply with court orders.
Because the judge already ruled that Jones is liable, the jury is determining the amount in damages to award the plaintiffs. While the families have not specified a dollar figure, an attorney for the families asked jurors last week to “send a message” to the public with its decision.
Plaintiffs in three Connecticut lawsuits against Jones, including family members of eight school students and employees and one FBI agent who responded to the scene, have all been condensed into the trial that commenced earlier this month.
Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families has argued during the trial that Jones pushed the Sandy Hook lie because it was profitable.
Norman Pattis, Jones’ attorney, has argued that the claims made by the Sandy Hook plaintiffs are “exaggerated.” Pattis has also said the Sandy Hook families have “become partisans” and said the defense will argue the harm has been overstated “because they want to silence [Jones] for political reasons.”