Tale as old as time, poor people convicted of a crime that was orchestrated by the FBI.
Three men convicted in a post-9/11 terrorism sting have been ordered freed from prison by a judge who deemed their lengthy sentences “unduly harsh and unjust”. The men had already served 14 years of a 25 year sentence for their role in a 2009 terrorism plot, but a little digging makes clear that these men weren’t the real criminals. The judge that ordered their release went as far as critiquing the FBI’s role in radicalizing these men in a plot to blow up New York synagogues and shoot down national guard planes.
Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerre Payen — three of the men known as the “Newburgh Four” — were “hapless, easily manipulated and penurious petty criminals” caught up 14 years ago in a scheme driven by overzealous FBI agents and a sketchy informant. The FBI used this informant, a man named Shaheed Hussain, to troll among the poorest and weakest of men for ‘terrorists’ who might prove susceptible to an offer of much-needed cash in exchange for committing a fake crime. The FBI and their informant tried to stir up these men with wild rhetoric and went on to choose the targets to attack, offer hefty payment, buy the defendants groceries, and provide the fake bombs and missile.
Citing concerns for the men’s health and her own qualms about the case, US district Judge Colleen McMahon cut the 25-year mandatory minimum sentences she imposed on them back in 2011 to time served plus 90 days. She said this would allow time for probation officials to prepare and for Payen’s lawyer to line up supportive housing for the man, who has a severe mental illness. These men weren’t randomly selected for this operation, they were tricked and entrapped by the FBI.
Just a cascade of terrible decision-making put together by the people purportedly looking out for America’s protection. Great work officers.
Side Items
Water Apartheid: Israeli occupation forces poured cement into water springs in the Al-Hijrah area, south of Hebron, to block the source of natural water and prevent Palestinians from using them in agriculture. As if filling water wells with concrete isn’t criminal enough, here’s some additional footage of Israeli apatheid-lovers spraying and filling Palestinian homes with sewage in retaliation for peaceful protests. The cruelty is the point folks
West Virginia Pipeline Ruling: The US supreme court has allowed construction to resume on the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is a project to transport fracked gas 300 miles through West Virginia and Virginia. Yesterday’s decision will be welcomed by the ultimate scumbag/West Virginia democratic senator Joe Manchin, the pipeline’s most high-profile fan. Manchin was involved in securing backing from the Biden administration for it during talks around the debt ceiling bill last month, despite obvious objections from environmentalists
Miami Police Acting Up: The head of the largest police department in the sorry state of Florida is in critical condition at one of the state’s hospitals after shooting himself on a busy interstate following a domestic dispute earlier this week. Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade police department, and his wife, Jody, had earlier been asked to leave the JW Marriott hotel in Tampa’s downtown, where he was attending a sheriffs’ association conference. According to the Tampa police department, officers were called to the hotel to investigate a report of a couple arguing and a man pointing a gun at himself. Incredibly, the officers were able to identify the man as Ramirez, but after talking to him and the woman with him, determined there was “no evidence of a crime or immediate danger” and left! After leaving the hotel, the 52-year-old Ramirez pulled over on the side of interstate 75 and shot himself in the head. Excellent work officers