Tag: hoax

DERANGED Anti-Trump Leftist Charged with Hate Crime After Burning Cross With MAGA Hat on Top in Chicago’s Grant Park Released From Jail — Judge Only Bans Him From Possessing Wood or Kerosene

A 21-year-old anti-Trump activist charged with multiple felonies, including hate crimes, was released from jail Thursday after burning a cross in Chicago’s Grant Park and placing a Make America Great Again hat on top of it.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, what was initially hyped by Chicago officials, Rev. Michael Pfleger, and media as a racist “white supremacist” or KKK-style attack in Grant Park turned out to be the work of a deranged anti-Trump, anti-MAGA leftist.

On June 9, 2026, police and firefighters responded to a burning cross in Chicago’s Grant Park.

The incident prompted immediate backlash, and one local church offered a $10,000 reward to help make an arrest, and local officials were quick to blame the incident on racism and ‘white supremacists.’

Block Club Chicago reports that Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, who offered the reward,  noted, “Racism has always been a part of America’s DNA, and this week it has raised its head boldly and loudly,” Pfleger said in a statement.

“This bold rise of racism must be condemned by every race, faith community, and Chicagoan as was done with the swastika and treated as a hate crime.”

As it turns out, however, the cross-burner is an Asian man, Merlin Lu, 21, a University of Illinois Chicago senior, who burned the cross, adorned with a MAGA hat, to protest President Trump and MAGA.

Lu allegedly told police that “The greatest threat to the American people is [President] Trump, [Jeffrey] Epstein, their billionaire pedophile friends, and their MAGA Christian nationalist base.”

Now, the same Merlin Lu,  has been released back onto the streets by a Cook County judge after facing serious felony charges for torching a cross with a MAGA hat tied on top.

On Thursday, Lu appeared in Cook County court. Despite the gravity of the charges, multiple felonies targeting a protected class and using fire to intimidate, the judge refused to detain him. Lu was released pending trial (next court date June 22).

The judge’s tough-talking condition? Lu is prohibited from possessing fire-starting materials like wood or kerosene. That’s it.

Not held without bond. Not monitored aggressively. Just “don’t buy wood or kerosene,” as if this unhinged individual who openly frames Trump supporters and Christians as existential threats alongside pedophile billionaires will suddenly become harmless without kindling.

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The 2025-26 campus hate crime hoaxes: A complete roundup

As in years past, campus hate hoax incidents did not let up during the 2025-26 school year. From incidents that did occur but were not hateful, to crimes that likely did not happen, this school year saw plenty of hoaxes. 

And no, The College Fix is not talking about Ku Klux Klan rallies that were funded by the Southern Poverty Law Center so that they could fundraise off that reemergence of the KKK. If that did happen, it would certainly be wrong! 

Here is a roundup of the hate hoaxes of the past school year:

  • Just earlier this week, a University of Illinois Chicago student admitted to setting up a burning cross as a protest against Trump.
  • Virginia Tech professor claims to be victim of racist attack – after white teens clean snow off truck in front of his house. 
  • Journalist claims guy holding n-word sign is white – he was black.
  • Montana State University Chinese student writes anti-Asian messages, tries to blame Turning Point USA, gets sent to jail. 
  • Black University of Minnesota student blames conservatives angry about Charlie Kirk assassination for hoax threats.
  • Police conclude there was “no probable cause” that racist slurs led to brawling at a high school basketball game.
  • Student paints obscure cross on Northwestern University rock – LGBT activists call it “cruel behavior,” find a way to blame Trump. 
  • Purdue University basketball player says his family was subjected to racist slurs during University of Illinois game – school determines there is no truth to this allegation.
  • Kansas State University women’s soccer team plays songs with racial slurs, then gets the coach punished after she repeats the n-word to make a point. 
  • Nearly half of University of Iowa hate crimes are scribbles on a whiteboard.
  • Several campuses hit with fake active shooter alerts.

Seeking justice

In some cases, the accused fought back against fake racism claims.

  • High school teacher wins defamation lawsuit after seating chart comments.
  • White college student wins $3.2 million judgement over false racism claims from when he was a kid.
  • College student wins judgement over fake “blackface” allegations but still lives with repercussions.
  • University of Notre Dame beats back lawsuit from Chinese man who claimed Uyghur genocide claims defamed all of China and would inspire racism.

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Chicago Cross-Burning Incident Blamed on ‘White Supremacists’ was Carried Out by Leftist Anti-Trump/Anti-MAGA Protester

On June 9, 2026, police and firefighters responded to a burning cross in Chicago’s Grant Park.

The incident prompted immediate backlash, and one local church offered a $10,000 reward to help make an arrest, and local officials were quick to blame the incident on racism and ‘white supremacists.’

Block Club Chicago reports that Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, who offered the reward,  noted, “Racism has always been a part of America’s DNA, and this week it has raised its head boldly and loudly,” Pfleger said in a statement.

“This bold rise of racism must be condemned by every race, faith community, and Chicagoan as was done with the swastika and treated as a hate crime.”

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the police investigation “remains ongoing.”

“Like many Chicagoans across our city, we were deeply disturbed upon seeing the images which have emerged following this incident,” the statement said. “Hate has no place in our city. Every Chicagoan deserves to feel safe, protected, and respected while going about their day or enjoying our public spaces.”

Several members of the council’s Black Caucus learned about the incident Wednesday morning when asked about it by Block Club Chicago. Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) was initially speechless when a reporter showed him a photo of the burning cross.

“I can’t believe it’s 2026, we are still dealing with stuff like that … That’s the simplest I can put it,” Mitchell said.

As it turns out, however, the cross-burner is an Asian man, Merlin Lu, who burned the cross, adorned with a MAGA hat, to protest President Trump and MAGA.

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The Alien Autopsy Scandal: this fascinating tale of a bizarre DIY hoax hits Spinal Tap levels of hilarity

If you had to be interviewed on film, how would you hope to come across? Attractive, honest, a good egg? Or pathologically shifty, to the point that audiences want to throw their shoes at the screen? I found myself unlacing my Doc Martens this week, watching a documentary about the biggest hoax of the last century.

In 1995, a grainy film was released that purported to be of an autopsy conducted on a creature recovered from a crash site on military land in Roswell, New Mexico. The incident had long been hallowed in ufology, but no moving footage had ever been uncovered. You’ve seen it. Hazmat figures loom over a bulbous-headed humanoid, spreadeagled on the table. Its dead, oval eyes are black, mouth agape, belly distended. I saw the shocking footage again last night, or thought I did. It was actually my laptop screen going dark, after I fell asleep in front of Netflix.

Globally, news outlets heralded the footage as the most important ever recovered. The Alien Autopsy Scandal (Friday, 9pm, Sky Documentaries) playfully lets us into how it was actually created in a Camden flat in 90s London; the brainchild of two businessmen, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield. The pair employed a sculptor who worked on Doctor Who to create the alien, and a magician to shoot the film. Their homegrown ET was filled with a mix of animal organs including a lamb’s brain and pig’s pluck, which is why it all looked convincingly moist.

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SCOTUS Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Va. home targeted in ‘swatting’ hoax

The Fairfax County, Virginia, home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the latest target of a malicious “swatting” attempt, prompting a rapid law enforcement coordination that quickly exposed the emergency call as a hoax.

At approximately 9:02 pm on Wednesday evening, police received a call to their non-emergency line reporting active gunfire outside of the justice’s suburban residence.

Officers contacted security at the residence and quickly determined the report was a false call intended to swat the home. Swatting is the illegal act of making a false report of a violent or high-risk incident in order to trigger a heavily armed police response to an unsuspecting person’s address.

“Officers immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel assigned to the residence and quickly determined that the report was fictitious. No additional police resources were utilized,” the police department said. 

Barrett’s home has also previously been a focal point of chaotic demonstrations, drawing persistent crowds of abortion-rights activists following the High Court’s landmark 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) weighed in on the reports, characterizing the hoax as an attempt to get an innocent person killed, in this case, a sitting Supreme Court justice. He suggested the proper response will be putting the offender in prison for “many, many years.”

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OnlyFans “Hack” Hoax Likely Used To Push Malware-Laced Leak Checkers

A cyber threat actor advertised a purported database of 340 million OnlyFans-linked user records on a well-known cybercrime forum, asking for 0.313 BTC, or roughly $76,000, according to U.K.-based cybersecurity news site HackRead.

The alleged “340 million OnlyFans user mega leak” narrative ran rampant on X this past holiday weekend, garnering millions of views from several accounts, which were described as nothing more than an engagement trap.

HackRead pointed out that “conversations with the seller and a review of sample data suggest that the collection did not result from a direct breach or scraping of OnlyFans systems.”

HackRead noted that:

The seller advertised the database as containing usernames, names, email addresses, phone numbers, follower counts, likes, uploaded content statistics, account types, and linked social media profiles. The claims initially gave the impression of a direct platform breach or scraping incident.

However, the story changed after Hackread.com contacted the threat actor directly on Telegram. In private messages, the seller clarified they did not hack or breach OnlyFans. Instead, they claimed the database was built using information collected from previous data leaks and public sources, including breached records from platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify.

“We didn’t breach or hack OnlyFans,” the seller said in a message shared with Hackread.com. “We used existing breaches and leaks databases and matched with users of the OnlyFans platform.”

But that didn’t stop some X users from pushing the “OnlyFans is hacked” narrative.

As one X user pointed out, the hack story is “100% fake news,” and the “manufactured hoax is a masterclass in clickbait.”

The person said the “real trap” is that “hackers spreading these fake leaks are trying to panic you into downloading ‘leak checkers.’ The second you run those tools, they install infostealer malware, like Lumma Stealer, to steal your actual passwords.”

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HATE HOAX: North Carolina spray paint swastika vandal revealed to be black man charged with aiming gun at cars

A suspect drawing swastikas on property in Fayetteville, North Carolina, has been revealed to be a black man who has also been arrested on charges of pointing a gun at people and passing cars.

Taquon Jameek Vereen, 18, has been identified as the suspect who was caught on video spray painting the Nazi symbol on a building as well as other property.

He posted a $1,500 bond on Tuesday for the swastika incident. However, later that same day, he was arrested for pointing a gun at passing cars and people on the street. Police said that they got multiple calls about a black man pointing a gun at people on the street.

A police release read, “Upon arrival, officers located a male matching the description provided by witnesses. When the suspect observed the officers, he fled the scene on foot. Following a brief pursuit, he was located and apprehended without further incident along the 7500 block of Bridgeman Drive. A handgun was recovered at the scene.”

He is now being held at $2,500 bond for the charges related to pointing the gun at people on the street.

“Taquon Vereen was arrested and charged with Going Armed to the Terror of People and Assault by Pointing a Gun. Vereen is currently being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $2,500.00 secured bond,” the police statement added.

Vereen was arrested on May 6 for drawing the swastikas and was charged with two counts of damage to real property and second-degree trespassing.

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ABC Reporter Fabricated Trump Call, Made Himself The Focus After Assassination Attempt

President Trump has slammed ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl for what he calls outright dishonest reporting after Karl inserted himself into the story of the latest assassination attempt on the president.

Karl appeared on ABC’s This Week shortly afterward and claimed Trump had reached out to him personally. “My phone rang shortly after 7 a.m., my landline, George actually. A number that few people call and it was President Trump calling,” Karl told host George Stephanopoulos.

Karl further claimed that Trump “said at first he was calling to see if I was okay with what happened last night. ‘Are you OK?’ And then he reiterated many of the things he said in his press conference last night emphasizing the unity that he felt in that moment that he felt at the dinner before the shooting and certainly after with people who reached out to him… And he was quite firm about this: That dinner must be rescheduled.”

This week, Trump responded directly on Truth Social, blasting the claim as pure fabrication designed to center Karl rather than the president who had just survived another attempt on his life.

“Jonathan Karl, of ABC Fake News, made a statement that I called him early in the morning, the day after the assassination attempt, to ask whether or not HE was OK. No, this was a hit on ME, not HIM, and I didn’t make such a call, why would I do that?” Trump remarked.

The president added, “He called me, but I didn’t take his call — He just confirmed that to me when he called again. I would say that’s very dishonest reporting. He’s trying to make himself look important but, I’m not surprised, because it comes from ABC Fake News!”

This appears to be somewhat deranged behavior from a legacy media figure desperate to remain relevant. Instead of focusing on the security failures, the gunman’s motives, or the president’s resolve, Karl turned the story into a narcissistic fantasy about himself – the brave reporter Trump supposedly felt compelled to check on at 7 a.m. the morning after an attack aimed squarely at the commander-in-chief.

This latest episode fits a long pattern of tension between Trump and ABC News. Readers will recall our earlier coverage of Trump calling out Karl and other ABC figures for biased and obnoxious questioning.

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JPM Tried $1 Million Payoff To Bury Banker’s Sexual Assault Claims Before Daily Mail Bombshell

Why?

The Wall Street Journal has released a new report stating that JPMorgan reportedly offered former investment banker Chirayu Rana $1 million to settle his sexual assault, harassment, and racial discrimination claims against Hajdini before he filed the lawsuit.

Rana’s lawsuit was refiled on Monday after being withdrawn for a week. The lawsuit went viral after a Daily Mail report, which was later followed by a New York Post article citing sources who said the bank “found no evidence of wrongdoing” and Hajdini’s lawyer, who rejected the claims in the suit.

“The original lawsuit was not withdrawn,” said David Kramer, Rana’s lawyer. “After filing, the court clerk informed us that the suit required review and sign-off from the judge before being formally filed under a pseudonym. Upon signature by the judge yesterday, the suit was formally filed under a pseudonym.”

Rana alleges that Hajdini sexually assaulted him and that co-workers subjected him to racial harassment related to his Nepalese background.

JPM’s settlement offer was reportedly intended to avoid litigation and reputational damage. JPM maintains that the claims are baseless.

The report stated that Rana’s lawyers did not accept the $1 million offer and later countered JPM with a proposed settlement of $11.75 million.

Rana joined JPM’s leveraged finance team in May 2024, filed an internal HR complaint in May 2025, was placed on paid leave, and later left the bank. He then joined private equity firm Bregal Sagemount in October 2025 but was reportedly let go last month.

“If you don’t f— me soon, I’m going to ruin you… Never forget, I f—ing own you,” Hajdini allegedly said, as detailed in the suit. “If you don’t f— my brains out tonight, I’m going to sabotage your promotion.”

The lawsuit continued, “She then told Plaintiff to suck her toes, repeating that she would facilitate his promotion and bonus.”

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Bombshell sex harassment suit against Lorna Hajdini, JPMorgan branded ‘complete fabrication’ as John Doe is unmasked

A former JPMorgan staffer whom sources identified as Chirayu Rana has been accused of making fabricated sexual harassment claims against a high-ranking executive at the bank after an internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, The Post has learned.

Multiple sources told The Post that 35-year-old Rana, now a principal at investment firm Bregal Sagemount, is the man who brought the bombshell lawsuit against Lorna Hajdini earlier this week.

Rana’s suit, filed on Monday under the pseudonym John Doe, accused the 37-year-old executive director of turning him into her “sex slave” by drugging him with Rohypnol and Viagra and threatening to slash his bonus if he did not comply.

The Daily Mail broke the story on Wednesday evening, citing lurid details from a now-retracted court document that has been withdrawn for “corrections.”

The British tabloid, quoting the now-deleted court papers, reported that Hajdini, executive director on JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team, even turned up unannounced at Rana’s apartment and forced him to have sex.

Hajdini hit back in a statement issued to The Post via her lawyers: “Lorna categorically denies the allegations. She never engaged in any inappropriate conduct with this individual of any kind and has never even been to the location where the alleged sexual assault supposedly took place.”

Rana, who did not reply to The Post’s multiple requests for comment, claimed that the alleged coercion began shortly after he joined JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team in the spring of 2024.

He filed an internal complaint in May 2025, alleging race- and gender-based harassment and abuse of power, before trying to negotiate a payoff that ran into “millions” to leave the company, sources said.

The suit also named JPMorgan Chase as a defendant, accusing the bank of retaliation and failing to investigate properly.

Daniel J. Kaiser, the attorney listed on the New York County Supreme Court docket as representing “John Doe,” did not return The Post’s calls seeking comment.

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