- Mystery surrounds kidnap plot British millionaire’s girlfriend: Cops in Ecuador reveal bomb vest ‘she was made to wear by crooks’ was FAKE as they face questions over whether she will be arrested Daily Mail
- Ecuador investigates the kidnapping of a British businessman and former honorary consul ABC News
- UK millionaire businessman freed after being abducted by 15 men disguised as cops in Ecuador New York Post
- Kidnapped former British honorary consul rescued in Ecuador The Guardian
- Kidnappers of British millionaire in Ecuador ‘had police uniforms and dossier on him’ The Telegraph
Tag Archives: kidnap
Cher Accused of Hiring Men to Kidnap Her Own Adult Son, Court Documents Reveal – Rolling Stone
- Cher Accused of Hiring Men to Kidnap Her Own Adult Son, Court Documents Reveal Rolling Stone
- Cher’s Alleged Involvement in Her Son’s Kidnapping & Disappearance Has Been Revealed in Legal Documents Yahoo Entertainment
- EXCLUSIVE: Cher hired four men to kidnap troubled son Elijah Blue Allman from NYC hotel where he was trying to Daily Mail
- Cher hired men to kidnap troubled son Elijah Blue Allman from NY hotel as he tried to save marriage New York Post
- Cher Hired Four Men to ‘Kidnap’ Her Troubled Son Before Rehab Stint: Report The Daily Beast
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Man accused of attempting to kidnap 18-year-old at Target arrested, Montgomery County sheriff says – KHOU.com
- Man accused of attempting to kidnap 18-year-old at Target arrested, Montgomery County sheriff says KHOU.com
- Man arrested after trying to kidnap woman at Target store in East Texas, officials say KSAT San Antonio
- Man accused of attempting to kidnap 18-year-old at Target identified, Montgomery County sheriff says KHOU 11
- Police arrest 22-year-old suspect accused of attempted kidnapping at Montgomery Co. grocery store KTRK-TV
- Suspect in attempted kidnapping of woman in Montgomery County arrested at Conroe restaurant KPRC Click2Houston
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Carlee Russell’s lawyer predicts charges as ex-boyfriend slams ‘disgusting’ kidnap hoax story – The Independent
- 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
“Mom influencer” Katie Sorensen sentenced to jail for falsely claiming couple tried to kidnap her kids at a crafts store – CBS News
- “Mom influencer” Katie Sorensen sentenced to jail for falsely claiming couple tried to kidnap her kids at a crafts store CBS News
- ‘Influencer mom’ Katie Sorensen sentenced to Sonoma County jail KRON4
- Influencer Katie Sorensen gets jailtime for viral kidnapping hoax New York Daily News
- Ex-Sonoma County ‘mom influencer’ Katie Sorensen sentenced to 30 days in jail, 60 days work release The Santa Rosa Press Democrat
- Social media influencer who faked Petaluma kidnapping gets 90 days in jail KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Barry Croft Jr. sentenced in Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot
Barry Croft Jr., 47, of Delaware was described by prosecutors in a federal courtroom in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday as the “spiritual leader” and “the ideas guy” of the plot, which was ultimately undone after a sting that involved informants and undercover FBI agents who embedded with the group of men drawn together by their association with the armed, right-wing “Wolverine Watchmen” group.
Croft and his co-conspirator, 39-year-old Adam Fox of Michigan, were convicted by a federal jury after a second trial in August on two counts of conspiracy, while Croft also was found guilty of an additional weapons charge. Prosecutors depicted the two men as furious over covid-19 lockdowns and supposed “tyranny” by elected officials, and poured their anger into a violent plot they were eager to see grow into a bloody “revolution.”
The case has underscored the escalating threat of extremist violence, particularly from the far right, at a point of deep political division in the country. Federal prosecutors said the seriousness of the plot made a life sentence for the defendants appropriate. Croft’s defense argued that he was less involved than Fox and not viewed as a real leader among the group’s members.
Fox was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years in prison, while two more defendants pleaded guilty in 2021 and early 2022 and agreed to testify against Croft and Fox. Another two defendants were acquitted at their federal trial in April.
Fourteen people were eventually arrested by state and federal authorities in an October 2020 sting after investigators found the men had gathered weapons, trained and planned to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home in northern Michigan and detonate a bridge to disrupt her security detail and the law enforcement response ahead of the 2020 election.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Croft’s defense attorney Joshua Blanchard acknowledged the effect of the case on Whitmer, the public and elected officials, but said Croft’s role did not warrant a life sentence. He described his client as an isolated truck driver who lived in an echo chamber and descended down a “conspiracy rabbit hole.”
“The government has painted a picture, perhaps fairly, of Mr. Croft as a radical in the time leading up to the summer of 2020. He’s said some horrible, awful things. But I can tell the court a sober Mr. Croft finds those things difficult to listen to,” Blanchard said.
Nils Kessler, a federal prosecutor, argued that even more than his co-defendant, Croft embraced a “poisonous” ideology for which he still hasn’t shown remorse, highlighted by the fact that Croft has continued to give interviews from prison, and in one last night called the government “illegitimate.”
“He could at least admit the ideas are wrong, but he’s not because he still holds them,” Kessler said.
In explaining why he would not hand down a life sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker said no one was ultimately injured and no infrastructure was destroyed.
“The end of the conspiracy was never realized, thank goodness. And it was never going to be realized because law enforcement was never going to let it get that far,” Jonker said, in reference to the embedded agents.
But the judge also noted that Croft “was in a different tranche” than his co-defendants and was involved for a longer time in anti-government activities.
“I’m not persuaded that what we’ve seen is meaningful change yet from Mr. Croft,” Jonker said.
In court Wednesday, Croft declined to speak on the advice of his lawyers.
While Croft’s sentencing wrapped up the federal prosecutions of six defendants, several more alleged collaborators still face state trials. In October, three men were convicted in Jackson County Circuit Court of breaking Michigan anti-terrorism laws enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Joseph Morrison, 28; Pete Musico, 45; and Paul Bellar, 24, were sentenced to a minimum of 10 years, 12 years and at least seven years in prison, respectively, for aiding in the plan.
Five more men are awaiting trial on state charges in Antrim County, the northern Michigan area where Whitmer has a vacation home.
Athena Strand – latest updates: Suspect Tanner Horner’s Instagram posts emerge as kidnap and murder motive unclear
The devastated grandfather of murdered seven-year-old Athena Strand has said that he forgives the “psycho” FedEx driver accused of abducting and killing her – but also wishes he could have “5 minutes alone in a cell” with the suspect.
Mark Strand broke his silence in a heartbreaking Facebook post on Sunday after his granddaughter’s body was discovered around six miles from her home in Paradise, Texas.
Athena vanished from her home on Wednesday and an Amber Alert was issued the next day. Her body was discovered on Friday.
Police said that Tanner Lynn Horner, a 31-year-old FedEx truck driver, had confessed to snatching the little girl before killing her within an hour of her abduction. He is facing charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
No motive has been given and Mr Horner is not believed to have any connection to the little girl.
Following his arrest, the aspiring musician’s chilling song lyrics have emerged: “Sometimes I hear her cries. Silence is the dirtiest trick in life. If im so empty then why do I feel alive.”
Everything we know about FedEx driver accused of murdering Athena Strand
According to Wise County Jail records, 31-year-old Tanner Horner was booked at 2am on Friday on one count of capital murder of a person under 10 and aggravated kidnapping.
His bond was set at $1.5m.
Mr Horner has worked as an Uber driver, according to reports, and posted on social media about being a musician.
Here’s everything we know about the case:
Andrea Blanco6 December 2022 03:10
ICYMI: A timeline of Athena’s Strand disappearance and murder investigation
Athena was last seen alive at her home on the 200 Block of County Rd 3573 in Paradise, at about 5.40pm on Wednesday.
Her stepmother reported her missing around an hour later, sparking a massive search involving multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies who used canine units and helicopters with thermal imaging.
Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin announced at a late night press conference on Friday that Athena’s body had been found and a FedEx driver Tanner Horner had been arrested.
The suspect allegedly confessed to abducting Athena and murdering her about an hour later before disposing of her body, Mr Akin told reporters.
Andrea Blanco6 December 2022 01:40
Tanner Horner’s neighbours ‘shocked’ by accusations
Tanner Lynn Horner’s neighbours have shared their shock and horror at the news that he is suspected of killing Athena Strand.
The neighbours said that Mr Horner lived with his grandmother and mother in the west Fort Worth neighbourhood and that he would leave for weeks at a time before returning home.
Io Dodds6 December 2022 00:07
Mother of Athena Strand says her ‘princess’ was taken by a ‘cruel monster’
The heartbroken mother of Texas schoolgirl Athena Strand has described the suspect who allegedly confessed to her murder as a “sick, cruel monster”.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Athena’s mother Maitlyn Gandy wrote that she was struggling to describe “the pain and absolute anger” that she felt towards the alleged killer.
“My princess was taken from me from a sick, cruel monster for absolutely no reason,” she wrote along with a home video taken of Athena aged three.
“Athena is innocent, beautiful, kind, intelligent, and just the brightest, happiest soul you could ever meet. I don’t want her to be the girl known as the one murdered and discarded by a monster.
“I want everyone to know, every single person in this world, that this is my baby and my baby was taken from me.”
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has the story:
Andrea Blanco6 December 2022 00:05
Sheriff describes investigation as “one of the toughest”
In a late night press conference on Friday, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin announced that authorities had taken a FedEx contract driver into custody.
Investigators had determined that Tanner Horner, 31, had made a drop-off near the family home around the time Athena went missing.
Mr Akin said the driver had allegedly confessed to taking Athena and shown them where her body could be found, in a ditch around six miles out of Paradise.
They believed she had died within an hour of her abduction, but did not provide further details on how she was killed.
“It’s one of the toughest investigations I have been involved in because it’s a child,” Mr Akin said at the press conference, according to Fox4.
“Any time there’s a child that dies it just hits you in your heart.”
Andrea Blanco5 December 2022 22:40
Chilling song lyrics written by suspect accused of Athena’s murder
Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, is accused of snatching little Athena from her home in Paradise, Texas, before killing her and dumping her body in a ditch about six miles away. Police said that he confessed to the heinous crime and is being held on charges of capital murder and kidnapping.
Following his arrest, the aspiring musician’s dark song lyrics and disturbing social media posts have emerged.
In one Instagram post from December 2014, he wrote: “Sometimes I hear her cries. Silence is the dirtiest trick in life. If im so empty then why do I feel alive.”
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Andrea Blanco5 December 2022 21:14
Everything we know about Tanner Horner, the FedEx driver accused of abducting and murdering Athena
Wise County sheriff Lane Akin told reporters that the driver, 31-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner, had allegedly confessed to her abduction and murder.
Here’s everything we know about the suspect and the case:
Andrea Blanco5 December 2022 20:09
Grieving mother shares heartbreaking video of murdered 7-year-old’s sister sobbing
Athena’s mother Maitlyn Presley Gandy posted the video to Facebook on Monday, three days after her child was found dead in Paradise, Texas. The little girl was reported missing on Wednesday (30 November) and suspect Tanner Lynn Horner is now charged with her abduction and murder.
Ms Gandy explained that the video of her other daughter sobbing uncontrollably for her “sissy” was taken days before Athena went missing, as the seven-year-old was visiting her father in Texas. At the time, Ms Gandy said she assured the unconsolable girl that her sister would be back with them in Oklahoma soon.
“That video of [redacted] begging for her sissy was Sunday 11/27 when we thought sissy would only be gone a few days. I kept telling her, ‘it’s okay, we will see sissy soon,’ not knowing how twisted our lives would become,” Ms Gandy wrote.
The Independent has the story:
Andrea Blanco5 December 2022 19:05
Athena Strand’s grandfather says he forgives ‘psycho’ FedEx driver accused of abducting and murdering her
The devastated grandfather of murdered seven-year-old Athena Strand has said that he forgives the “psycho” FedEx driver accused of abducting and killing her – but also wishes he could have “five minutes alone in a cell” with the suspect.
“This flesh, this man that I am, is angry and I want 5 minutes alone in a cell with the psycho that took our Athena away from us, but there’s a soft gentle voice in the back of my head telling me I need to forgive him,” he wrote.
Andrea Blanco5 December 2022 18:23
Community wears pink in support of Athena
Area school districts will wear pink in support of Athena Strand, her family and the local community.
Athena’s mother’s Facebook page has also been flooded with comments and pictures of mothers and kids across Texas and the country wearing pink in tribute of the seven-year-old girl killed on Wednesday.
“I put my little girl in pink today for Athena. She said “my favorite color is pink too, we could have been friends” I’m praying so hard for you. And I’m so so sorry,” a mother wrote.
(Miatlyn Presley Godny)
Andrea Blanco5 December 2022 16:51
Suspect intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and “break her kneecaps,” San Francisco DA says
David Wayne DePape, the man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and violently attacking her husband, intended to kidnap her and possibly break “her kneecaps,” he said, according to court documents.
He told San Francisco police after his arrest that, “If Nancy [Pelosi] were to tell DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps,'” so that she would have to be wheeled into Congress.
Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Monday night that “Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.” Paul Pelosi was admitted the hospital after the assault and underwent what the speaker’s office described as a “successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.”
The suspect had targeted the Pelosi home to confront the House speaker, interim San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a press conference Monday. DePape allegedly forced his way through a rear glass door, making his way to the second floor of the home, where Paul Pelosi was sleeping. He then woke Paul Pelosi, who was clad in a pajama shirt and boxer shorts, and asked where his wife was, according to Jenkins.
Paul Pelosi then attempted to get to the elevator in the Pelosi home, Jenkins said, and asked to go to the bathroom, where he made a 911 phone call. The defendant then realized Paul Pelosi had made a phone call, Jenkins said. Two officers soon arrived, and when they did, they saw the defendant was holding a hammer, which he used to strike Pelosi, Jenkins said.
The FBI affidavit filed in the federal case against DePape also said that the San Francisco police “recovered zip ties in Pelosi’s bedroom and in the hallway near the front door of the Pelosi residence.”
Law enforcement officers also searched DePape’s backpack at the Pelosi residence and found “among other things, a roll of tape, white rope, one hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal,” the affidavit said. It stated that Paul Pelosi said he had never seen DePape before.
DePape, 42, is being charged with attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and threats to a public official and their family, Jenkins said.
Jenkins said investigators believe DePape intended to murder Paul Pelosi and that his actions were politically motivated. “What is clear, based on the evidence that we have thus far, is this house and the speaker herself were specifically targets of the defendant,” Jenkins said.
During the news conference Jenkins also called on leaders and citizens “to watch the words that we say and to turn down the volume of our political rhetoric.”
DePape was also charged Monday with federal counts of assault on the immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal official. He is scheduled to be arraigned in court in San Francisco Tuesday.
DePape also had a list of people he wanted to target, law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation have told CBS News. The sources said he may have been planning to attack more people, had he not been arrested after assaulting Pelosi.
— Rob Legare, Jeff Pegues and Gina Martinez contributed to this report
David DePape: Paul Pelosi suspect charged with attempting to kidnap House speaker
CNN
—
The man alleged to have attacked Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been charged with assault and attempted kidnapping following last week’s break-in at the couple’s San Francisco home, the US attorney’s office announced on Monday.
David DePape, 42, was charged with one count of “attempted kidnapping of a US official,” according to the US attorney’s office for the Northern District of California. That charge relates to Nancy Pelosi, who DePape told police he planned to “hold hostage,” according to an FBI affidavit also unsealed on Monday.
The attempted kidnapping charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
CNN has reported that DePape allegedly shouted “Where’s Nancy?” after breaking into their home.
DePape also was charged with one count of assault of an immediate family member of a US official with the intent to retaliate against the official. That charge relates to a crime allegedly committed against Paul Pelosi and carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The federal charges against DePape are in addition to state charges that may also be announced on Monday.
CNN reported earlier Monday that Paul Pelosi was interviewed this weekend at the hospital by investigators and was able to provide details of the attack, according to two law enforcement sources and a source familiar with the matter.
Among those conducting the interview were FBI and local law enforcement investigators.
The court filing related to the federal charges against DePape reveal the most detailed account yet of Paul Pelosi’s 911 call while the incident was unfolding.
“Pelosi stated words to the effect of there is a male in the home and that the male is going to wait for Pelosi’s wife. Pelosi further conveyed that he does not know who the male is. The male said his name is David,” an FBI agent said in a sworn affidavit that was unsealed Monday.
Paul Pelosi called 911 at 2:23 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, and police arrived at his house eight minutes later, according to the affidavit unsealed Monday.
“When the door was opened, Pelosi and DePape were both holding a hammer with one hand and DePape had his other hand holding onto Pelosi’s forearm,” the affidavit said. “Pelosi greeted the officers. The officers asked them what was going on. DePape responded that everything was good. Officers then asked Pelosi and DePape to drop the hammer.”
At that moment, DePape allegedly pulled the hammer away and swung it, striking Paul Pelosi in the head. Pelosi “appeared to be unconscious on the ground” after the blow, the affidavit said.
Paul Pelosi was later taken to the hospital and underwent a “successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” according to a previous press release from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. They said they expect Paul Pelosi to make a full recovery.
CNN has previously reported that Pelosi managed to keep the line open with 911, the dispatcher could hear a conversation in the background, and that Pelosi was talking in code to help the authorities understand what was happening.
“DePape was prepared to detain and injure Speaker Pelosi when he entered the Pelosi residence in the early morning of October 28, 2022,” the FBI agent said in the affidavit. “DePape had zip ties, tape, rope, and at least one hammer with him that morning.”
DePape has not yet had any court appearances related to the attack.
According to the criminal complaint filed in court, DePape confessed in an interview with local police that he intended to find the House speaker and hold her hostage.
The FBI affidavit filed with the complaint said: “DePape stated that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her. If Nancy were to tell DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps.’”
“DePape was certain that Nancy would not have told the ‘truth,’” the FBI affidavit said.
The affidavit further stated DePape told police that Nancy Pelosi was the “leader of the pack” of lies promoted by the Democratic Party. DePape told police that other members of Congress would see that there are consequences to their actions when Pelosi, with broken kneecaps, would get “wheeled into” the House chamber, according to the affidavit.
The interview was conducted by the San Francisco Police Department on Friday, the day of the attack, according to court filings. DePape was read his Miranda rights before he spoke with the police and confessed to his intentions to kidnap the top-ranking House Democrat, according to the filings.
The federal charges unsealed Monday also further debunk a conspiracy theory about the Pelosi attack that was previously shared on Twitter by its billionaire owner Elon Musk.
The conspiracy theory claimed, among other things, that Paul Pelosi knew his attacker. Musk tweeted a link to an article promoting the theory on Sunday, though he later deleted it.
The FBI affidavit, unsealed Monday alongside the federal charges, says Pelosi told a 911 dispatcher during his call that “he does not know who the male is” that invaded his home.
Furthermore, the affidavit said San Francisco Police Department officers interviewed Pelosi in the ambulance on the way to hospital, and he said, “He had never seen (David) DePape before.”
Earlier on Monday, San Francisco Police Department chief William Scott told CNN’s Ana Cabrera that Paul Pelosi didn’t know the suspect. The police chief said the wave of conspiracies about the case were “baseless” and “damaging” to the ongoing investigation.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
Three found guilty of aiding plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Whitmer
Oct 26 (Reuters) – Three men accused of aiding a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer were found guilty on Wednesday of taking part in a conspiracy that prosecutors ascribed to hostility over restrictions she imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A jury found Joseph Morrison, 28, his father-in-law Pete Musico, 44, and Paul Bellar, 23, guilty of gang membership, firearm violations and providing material support for terrorism.
They could each face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on December 15.
The three were among more than a dozen men arrested in October 2020 and charged with state or federal crimes related to the conspiracy. The group planned to break into Whitmer’s vacation home, kidnap her and take her at gunpoint to stand “trial” on treason charges, prosecutors said.
Seven of the accused, including Morrison, Musico and Bellar, have now been convicted by a jury or pleaded guilty to playing roles in the conspiracy.
After the verdicts, Whitmer, a Democrat who is up for re-election in November, said she was not disheartened by the evidence presented in the case, which highlighted the growth of U.S. political militancy in recent years.
“No threat, no plot, no rhetoric will break my belief in the goodness and decency of our people,” she said in a tweet. “And these verdicts are further proof that violence and threats have no place in our politics.”
The verdict, after two weeks of testimony in Jackson County Circuit Court, was a victory for state prosecutors who argued that the men on trial assisted two others who in August were found guilty in federal court of orchestrating the kidnapping conspiracy.
Defense attorneys argued their client did not know of a plan to kidnap the governor and that their actions were protected by the First and Second Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
After the verdict, the defense attorneys – all of them public defenders – said they were disappointed and had advised their clients to appeal.
Prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdicts.
In the earlier trial, Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were found guilty of plotting to abduct Whitmer from her vacation home. Their convictions followed a first trial earlier this year that ended in a hung jury, while two other defendants were acquitted during those proceedings.
The conspirators hoped that an abduction would lead to a violent uprising and instigate a civil war, prosecutors said.
Morrison and Musico were accused of hosting tactical training sessions on their property in a remote part of Michigan. Bellar was accused of providing plans for tactical maneuvers, coded language for covert communication and ammunition.
All three were members of a militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen, prosecutors said.
In September, a federal judge reduced the sentence of another accused conspirator, Ty Garbin, who pleaded guilty to participating in the plot after his testimony helped convict Fox and Croft. read more
Kaleb Franks, who also pleaded guilty to playing a role in the scheme, was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this month after serving as a key witness in the case against Fox and Croft.
Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Alistair Bell, Jonathan Oatis and Howard Goller
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