Tag: arizona

Katie Hobbs accused of receiving Sinaloa cartel bribes

A California-based law firm has accused Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, Runbeck Election Services, and a slew of other election officials, mayors, judges, city councilman, and county supervisors in the state of receiving bribes from the Sinaloa cartel.

During a Thursday hearing before the Senate Elections and Municipal Oversight & Elections Joint Committee, the principal investigator for Harris/Thaler Law Corporation, Jacqueline Breger, presented their shocking findings, detailing how a money-laundering investigation in the midwest revealed alleged corruption in Arizona.

“In 2006, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa investigated the laundering of drug cartel monies through a complex series of single-family home purchases in those states,” Breger told the committee. “By 2009, numerous real estate agents, escrow companies and title insurers had been indicted, charged and convicted of racketeering. In 2014, our office was asked to review the case files and to determine whether monies from the sales of the properties had filtered to property purchases in Arizona, specifically in Maricopa and Pima County.”

The Sinaloa cartel is notorious for being led by the infamous “El Chapo,” the Mexican drug lord whose real name is Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, who was widely considered to have been one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world before his capture in 2016.

According to the investigator, it was concluded that several real estate agents in Iowa “had set up a laundering system in Arizona and thereafter had transferred the proceeds of sales to Panamanian Corporations.”

“In 2018, Mr. Thaler discovered, incidental to another matter, a series of trust deeds evidencing that cash laundering through single family residences in Arizona was pervasive and ongoing,” Breger continued. “With that, a new investigation began with the focus being on money laundering and related racketeering activities in Maricopa County and several other Arizona counties. The Harris/Thaler office currently represents several parties directly damaged by the racketeering activities.”

In the nearly 100-page report, Breger dug into the entire investigation, naming Dawna Rae Chavez, a resident of Mesa, Arizona, and her daughter, Brittany Rae Chavez, as “principal preparers of the documents necessary to effect the racketeering enterprises.”

“To date, more than 10,000 falsified documents have been recorded with the Maricopa County Recorder. We estimate that more than 35,000 warranty deeds/trust deeds evidencing fraudulent transactions exist in the database. 11. The number of falsified notarizations exceeds 15,000.  12. Dawna and Brittany’s participation in racketeering activities also includes facilitation of bribes to public officials, tax evasion, payroll theft, bankruptcy fraud, insurance fraud, and extortion,” Breger said. 

Keep reading

Serial Rapist Cop, Who Pulled Over Women to Rape Them at Night, Gets Insultingly Low Sentence

As the Free Thought Project frequently reports, when most people see police lights in their rearview mirror, the last thing they feel is “protected.” When a cop pulls you over, it most likely means you are about to be extorted for a victimless crime. However, if the cop in the story below was pulling you over, it meant something much worse than mere extortion. If you were a woman, it meant you were about to be kidnapped and raped.

As TFTP previously reported, Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper Tremaine Jackson, 43, was arrested on a whopping 61 charges of everything from kidnapping to sexual assault. The trooper, who’d been with the department for 13 years, is accused of pulling women over and sexually assaulting them.

As part of a plea deal, Jackson pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • Attempted kidnap with sexual intent
  • Unlawful imprisonment with sexual intent
  • Unlawful sexual conduct by a peace officer
  • Bribery with sexual intent
  • Fraud with sexual intent

This month, Jackson’s blue privilege shined through — despite the slew of charges and victims — and he was sentenced to just five years in jail.

The taxpayers of Maricopa County were held liable for his sick acts instead. The lawsuit states that Arizona should be held liable for the wrongful conduct of its officers, employees, agents, districts, divisions, and subdivisions.

Keep reading

WTH? Pinal County Elections Director Collects $25,000 Bonus After Reporting Inaccurate Results, Retires, Moves to Texas BEFORE Recount Discovers Hundreds Of New Votes For Abe Hamadeh

Pinal County Elections Director Virginia Ross, who oversaw the General Election discrepancies discovered in the recount of Abe Hamadeh’s race for Arizona Attorney General, reportedly collected a $25,000 bonus to run a good election, despite the significant errors and her failure to disclose the issues.

“Ross retired on Dec. 2, according to county spokesperson James Daniels, and moved to Texas the next day,” says the report below. Ross moved out of the state the day after she retired on December 2nd, and there is no publicly listed information for her. The recount was ordered by a court days later.

“If errors were known to the board, we would have not likely canvassed,” said County Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh.

This is likely why Katie Hobbs threatened County Supervisors who did not vote to certify the election with felonies and arrests.

The Gateway Pundit reported that Abe Hamadeh filed a ‘Motion for New Trial’ in the Mohave County Superior Court on Tuesday after the recount in rural Pinal County brought the margin of victory down to 280 votes. A state judge announced Democrat Kris Mayes beat Republican Abe Hamadeh by 280 votes in the race for Arizona Attorney General on Thursday, December 29.

Keep reading

Phoenix Allows NFL to Determine What Residents Can Display on Their Property During Super Bowl

The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) has called out the city of Phoenix for imposing free speech restrictions on residents in a “Special Promotional and Civic Event Area” (Clean Zone) leading up to and through the 2023 Super Bowl.

“By delegating unfettered censorship power to private entities, the city of Phoenix has launched a blatant attack on its own citizens’ free speech rights under both the U.S. Constitution and the Arizona Constitution. It’s simple: Phoenicians shouldn’t need to ask the NFL for permission to communicate with the public on their own private property,” said GI Staff Attorney John Thorpe in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.

The Sun Times reached out to the city of Phoenix for additional comments but did not hear back.

Thorpe sent a letter Tuesday to the city regarding this issue. He explained that under Resolution 22073, passed by the city, all temporary signage in the Clean Zone “not authorized by the NFL or the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee” (ASBHC) are restricted. According to Thorpe, these restrictions cover nearly all of downtown Phoenix and will be in effect until February 19th, 2023.

The city of Phoenix states that the final day to get any temporary sign applications approved is December 15th.

This ordinance has allegedly caused trouble for one Phoenician business and property owner, Bramley Paulin. The GI represents Paulin in this situation and shared that he reached out to potential partners about leasing and advertising but was rejected because of the city’s restrictions.

Aside from the aforementioned free speech violations, Thorpe argued that the city is also improperly delegating its government power. As established in Industrial Commission v C D Pipeline, the government “may not delegate its authority to private persons over whom [it] has no supervision or control.” Therefore, the city violates this by giving private entities, the NFL and ASBHC, regulation over private citizens’ free speech. Additionally, the city’s ordinance may violate the Equal Privileges and Immunities Clause and the Gift Clause.

Keep reading

Innocent Grandma Arrested, Brought to Jail for Feeding the Homeless

In a logical and reasonable world, acts of kindness should be spotlighted and celebrated. Those carrying them out should be praised and their actions should set an example for all to follow. Unfortunately, however, we do not live in a reasonable world and acts of kindness are oftentimes met with force, loss of freedom, and sheer tyranny — just ask 78-year-old Norma Thornton.

For much of her life, Norma has been dedicating her time to helping those in need. As she moved from city to city throughout her 78 years on Earth, Norma would befriend the homeless population in each town and feed them. She cooks homemade meals, cleans their laundry, helps them connect with social services, and more.

For decades, Norma has improved the lives of countless individuals who have found themselves down on their luck. But when she got to Bullhead City, Ariz., all that changed. Because Bullhead City officials are not reasonable, Norma was kidnapped by armed agents of the state and threatened with being thrown in a cage — for giving hungry people food.

In Bullhead City, tyrannical officials have deemed it a criminal misdemeanor—punishable by fines and even imprisonment—to share prepared food in a public park “for charitable purposes.”

Highlighting the sheer lack of reason and logic is the “charitable purposes” portion of this ordinance. Norma could invite 150 of her friends and relatives to the park, cook for them, and feed them all and she wouldn’t be in violation of any law. But if those friends are homeless, the act becomes charitable, and therefore illegal.

Luckily, the folks with Institute for Justice have taken up Norma’s case and they are suing the city over this cruel and inhumane law.

Keep reading

GOP Candidate Alleges Being Blackmailed to Drop Out of Race

An Arizona Republican congressional candidate alleges that he has been blackmailed into dropping out of the race in exchange for having Jan. 6, 2021, charges against his son dropped.

Jeff Zink, a Republican candidate in Arizona running for U.S. Congress, is challenging incumbent Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) who is running for reelection.

The district they run in includes much of Phoenix and is a Democrat stronghold. Zink said he has been campaigning in Phoenix, reaching out to Democrats and focusing on grassroots people.

Zink’s campaign focuses on community improvements, public safety, education, and freedom, especially defending the 2nd Amendment, according to his campaign website.

The challenged incumbent is a proponent of socialist policies and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Gallego suggested in a Twitter post in February to seize trucks that formed a convoy near Washington to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and redistribute the vehicles to other trucking businesses.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the most radical and influential coalition in the federal government with extensive ties to several major Marxist organizations, according to Trevor Loudon, an author and filmmaker who researches radical and terrorist groups and their covert influence on politics. Loudon is the host of EpochTV’s “Counterpunch” program.

Keep reading

It is Now Illegal to Film Near Police Officers in Arizona

Frequent readers of the Free Thought Project know that filming the cops is not a crime. Despite this being a widely known provision — held up with multiple court precedents — cops continue to violate the First Amendment protected right of citizens to film the police. Earlier this year, the Arizona House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would criminalize filming cops on the job, dealing a massive blow to First Amendment rights. The following month, the Senate passed it, and on Wednesday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed it into law.

On Sept. 24 it will be illegal to record the police in Arizona within an 8-foot distance.

Republican Representative John Kavanaugh, who is a former police officer, was the lead sponsor of the legislation. According to the new law, it is illegal “for a person to knowingly make a video recording of law enforcement activity, including the handling of an emotionally disturbed person, if the person does not have the permission of the law enforcement officer” and is within 8 feet of the cop.

Kavanaugh originally stipulated a 15 foot radius, however it was later amended after multiple objections. But for many, this is still too far.

As Valera Voce, points out, the law also classifies unlawful video recording of law enforcement activity as a petty offense, unless a person fails to comply with a verbal warning of a violation or has been previously convicted of a violation in which case an offense is a class 3 misdemeanor. A class 3 misdemeanor comes with a minimum of 30 days in jail. Finally, the bill explicitly declares that it “does not establish a right, or authorize any person, to make a video recording of a law enforcement officer.”

“It’s crazy thinking about that for a second. The video that led to the criminal conviction of the police officer who killed George Floyd would itself be a criminal act. And that makes no sense whatsoever,” attorney Dan Barr told FOX 10.

Keep reading

Woke Ariz. diversity activists falsely accuse black DJ of wearing blackface

Two local diversity advocates in Arizona are taking heat after calling a school district racist for hiring a DJ to perform in blackface — but it turns out the DJ was black. 

Stuart Rhoden and Jill Lassen — who specialize in diversity, equity and inclusion — lambasted the Scottsdale Unified School District’s Hopi Elementary PTA for its decision to hire Kim Koko Hunter, 56, a local black DJ, at a charity event.

Both Rhoden and Lassen, who are involved in diversity work in the school district, slammed the school after seeing a picture of Hunter, only to later learn his race, according to the Arizona Daily Independent. 

“The DJ that the Hopi PTA hire[d] was, in fact a Black man,” Hopi PTA president Megan Livengood wrote in response to Lassen in a message obtained by the outlet. “It is insulting that you feel myself or PTA condone racist behavior or encourage it by posting on social media.”

Keep reading

US Army & State Officials Facilitated Torturous Child Sex Ring by Ignoring Dozens of Complaints for a Decade

The US Army and the state of Arizona facilitated through inaction, a decade-long child sex abuse ring ran by a top civilian commander, David Frodsham. According to a report from the Associated Press this week, the Army and the state of Arizona missed or ignored multiple red flags over more than a decade, which allowed Frodsham to abuse his adopted children and other children for years, all the while putting national security at risk.

Before his arrest, Frodsham was the deputy commander of the Fort Huachuca Army base — a position he held after being kicked out of Afghanistan for deviant sexual behavior.

“I would not recommend placing him back into a position of authority but rather pursuing disciplinary actions at his home station,” wrote one commanding officer when recommending that the Army order Frodsham to leave his post at Bagram Airfield for his “deviant sexual behavior,” and return to Fort Huachuca.

Instead of discipline, however, Frodsham rejoined the Network Enterprise Technology Command, the Army’s information technology service provider, where he had served as director of personnel for a global command of 15,000 soldiers and civilians, according to the AP.

While running the child sex ring, the state and the Army overlooked nearly 20 complaints, and attempted complaints, of abuse, neglect, maltreatment and licensing violations that surfaced through Arizona’s foster system. Despite these complaints, the state allowed this monster to continue to foster, adopt and retain custody of their many children who were used in the sex abuse ring.

According to officials, Frodsham’s illicit child sex practices coupled with the fact that he held a top secret clearance, made him a target of of blackmail from foreign intelligence agencies and a vulnerable security risk.

Keep reading

State Passes Bill That Could Jail People for 30 Days for Filming the Police

Frequent readers of the Free Thought Project know that filming the cops is not a crime. Despite this being a widely known provision — held up with multiple court precedents — cops continue to violate the First Amendment protected right of citizens to film the police. Last month, the Arizona House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would criminalize filming cops on the job, dealing a massive blow to First Amendment rights. And this month, the Senate passed it.

It now moves to Governor Doug Ducey’s desk for signature, where it will become law.

Republican Representative John Kavanaugh, who is a former police officer, is the lead sponsor of the legislation. According to the bill, it is illegal “for a person to knowingly make a video recording of law enforcement activity, including the handling of an emotionally disturbed person, if the person does not have the permission of the law enforcement officer” and is within 8 feet of the cop.

Kavanaugh originally stipulated a 15 foot radius, however it was later amended after multiple objections. But for many, this is still too far.

As Valera Voce, points out, the law also classifies unlawful video recording of law enforcement activity as a petty offense, unless a person fails to comply with a verbal warning of a violation or has been previously convicted of a violation in which case an offense is a class 3 misdemeanor. A class 3 misdemeanor comes with a minimum of 30 days in jail. Finally, the bill explicitly declares that it “does not establish a right, or authorize any person, to make a video recording of a law enforcement officer.”

“It’s crazy thinking about that for a second. The video that led to the criminal conviction of the police officer who killed George Floyd would itself be a criminal act. And that makes no sense whatsoever,” attorney Dan Barr told FOX 10.

“We believe that this bill stacks the deck against the public check on officer misconduct,” Timothy Sparling, a lawyer and legislative advocate for Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week. Sparling argued that the bill leaves too much up to the discretion of the officers. “When officers have such wide discretion to determine, say, what is lawful conduct or what is unlawful conduct on the ground and that is not properly defined … it’s ultimately up to whatever the officer wants it to be,” Sparling said.

Keep reading