Tag: north carolina

North Carolina Student Wins Massive Legal Settlement After School Accused Her of Vandalism Over Pro-Charlie Kirk Message Painted on Rock

A North Carolina high school student was accused of vandalism and investigated after she painted a pro-Charlie Kirk message on a rock on the school’s campus that has historically been used by students in this way.

Now the student is sitting on top of gigantic pile of money, having won a legal settlement over the way she was targeted for this.

There was absolutely nothing offensive in the messages she painted on the rock. The school only acted because the message was about Charlie Kirk. The student’s First Amendment rights were violated.

FOX News reports:

North Carolina student wins $95K after school accused her of vandalizing spirit rock with Charlie Kirk tribute

A North Carolina high school student has reached a $95,000 settlement with her school district after she was publicly accused of vandalism and told she was under police investigation. The controversy revolved around painting a campus “spirit rock” with a Bible verse and patriotic message in tribute to the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Fox News Digital has learned that a settlement was reached this week between the family of Ardrey Kell High School student Gabby Stout and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. Under the terms of the agreement, the school board will adopt a new free speech policy, issue a public statement expressing regret, and pay $95,000 to Stout’s legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

The settlement comes six months after the Stouts filed a federal lawsuit alleging rampant violations of the student’s First Amendment rights.

Stout told Fox News Digital the settlement ultimately clears her name.

“This settlement finally reinforces that I did nothing wrong, and the school system has to admit that publicly,” she said. “After I got permission to paint a message sharing my faith in God, school officials accused me of vandalism in front of my whole school and my entire community. Then they put me through an unfair investigation. They never should have treated me this way, and by saying they regret that I had this experience, they are finally acknowledging that publicly.”

This was an expensive lesson for the school.

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Chaotic car chase ends with ICE nabbing alleged foreign terrorist leader accused of holding wife captive

 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a Brazilian illegal immigrant, who authorities say previously served as the commander of two designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, after allegedly attempting to flee a North Carolina traffic stop while preparing to escape to Mexico.

Felipe Linares de Oliveira Dell Aquilla, known as “Don,” was arrested June 5 in Mooresville, North Carolina, after allegedly leading law enforcement on a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash before his arrest, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release obtained by Fox News Digital.

Federal authorities say Dell Aquilla was wanted in Brazil on charges of criminal association and extortion and had been preparing to leave the United States for Mexico.

Dell Aquilla previously served as a commander within the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), two Brazil-based criminal organizations that were recently designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the Trump administration, according to DHS.

“This arrest demonstrates the unwavering commitment of HSI to protect our communities from dangerous international criminals,” Mark M. Zito, special agent in charge of HSI in North and South Carolina, said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital.

“By removing a known leader of violent foreign terrorist organizations — wanted for serious crimes including criminal association and extortion — we have prevented further harm to innocent people here and abroad,” Zito said.

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Jamaican National in North Carolina Indicted for Brazen Sham Marriage Immigration Fraud — Used Fake Union to Fast-Track U.S. Citizenship Then Scam VA Disability Benefits by Claiming Phantom Husband as Dependent

A 26-year-old Jamaican national living in Charlotte has been federally indicted for a calculated, multi-year scheme involving sham marriage immigration fraud, lying under oath to obtain U.S. citizenship, and then using that fraudulently acquired status to improperly claim VA disability benefits by listing her never-cohabitating “husband” as a dependent.

Britney Sherene Curry entered the United States on a six-month B-2 tourist visa on August 27, 2015 and promptly overstayed it by more than a decade. Rather than face deportation, she allegedly paid a third party to arrange a fraudulent marriage to a U.S. citizen.

According to the Department of Justice, Curry and her “husband” met for the first time on their wedding day and never lived together before or after the marriage.

After the sham marriage, Curry became a lawful permanent resident. That status allowed her to enlist in the U.S. Army, which in turn let her apply for naturalization almost immediately, bypassing the normal three-year waiting period for spouses of citizens.

She allegedly lied under penalty of perjury on immigration documents about the legitimacy of her marriage. Once naturalized, she even petitioned for her mother to receive lawful permanent resident status.

Less than two years after enlisting, Curry received a medical discharge from the Army. She then filed for VA disability compensation and listed her sham husband as a dependent to boost her monthly benefits, despite never having lived with him and not having seen him since before she joined the military.

According to the DOJ, “Under federal statutes, Curry is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud and mail fraud charges, up to 10 years in prison on some of the immigration charges, and faces the possibility of being denaturalized. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.”

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BIG WIN IN N CAROLINA: Court Reaffirms “Never Residents” Cannot Vote – While Michigan SOS Benson Continues to Defy Constitution–Allows Individuals To Vote That Never Lived in State

Why are U.S. citizens born overseas to parents eligible to vote in a state where they’ve never lived?

That’s a question every American should be asking their state lawmakers.

Another question Americans should be asking is why would any lawmaker or secretary of state would be in favor of someone voting in their state who’s never lived there? Isn’t voting supposed to be about choosing the candidate who will best represent the US citizen living in their community, state or federal government?

In a significant ruling just days ago, Special Superior Court Judge Hoyt Tessener delivered a major win for election integrity in North Carolina. The court sided with Republican groups who argued that “never resident” voters — individuals born overseas who have never lived in North Carolina — should not be allowed to vote in any elections in the Tar Heel State.

This latest decision builds directly on previous rulings by the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 2025, during the hotly contested Supreme Court race between Democrat Allison Riggs and Republican Jefferson Griffin, the NC Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that “never residents” are not eligible to vote in state and local elections under the North Carolina Constitution. The court made it clear: only actual residents of North Carolina can vote in North Carolina elections.

The new Superior Court ruling goes even further by addressing federal elections, closing the loophole that Benson-style election officials have been exploiting nationwide.

Michigan’s Parallel Fight To Keep Inelligible Voters Allegedly Living in Foreign Countries from Voting In State and Federal Elections

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NC court rules state violated law by allowing nonresidents to vote in federal elections

The Republican National Committee celebrated a recent court ruling Wednesday that determined the North Carolina state board of elections violated the state constitution by allowing non-residents to vote in federal elections.

The Wake County Superior Court sided with the RNC in the ruling Tuesday after the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled last year that people who have never lived in the state cannot vote in state elections. 

The state stopped nonresidents from voting in state elections in the wake of the state Supreme Court ruling, but did not change its policies when it came to federal elections.

“This is a clear win for fair and lawful elections,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. “The court upheld the North Carolina Constitution and made clear that only North Carolina residents can vote in the state. The RNC will keep fighting to ensure only eligible citizens can vote.”

The court’s ruling does not impact voters who qualify under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which applies to U.S. citizens who previously lived in a state and are currently serving overseas.

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The White House Intervened to Get a $620 Million Deal for a Company Tied to Donald Trump Jr.

When the Pentagon announced a $620 million loan last year to a small North Carolina startup linked to Donald Trump Jr., defense officials and the company tried to tamp down suspicions of cronyism. 

The president’s eldest son said through a spokesperson that he wasn’t involved. The Pentagon said Trump Jr. played no role in the record-setting deal. And the startup’s founder told reporters that his company, Vulcan Elements, received no political favoritism.

But interviews and Defense Department records reviewed by ProPublica show that the request to loan hundreds of millions of dollars to the firm linked to Trump Jr. was made by Peter Navarro, a White House adviser to President Donald Trump and a friend of Trump Jr.’s.

Of the dozens of companies the Pentagon was considering funding at the time, Vulcan’s was the only deal initiated by a top aide to the president, said an official at the Pentagon who was not authorized to speak publicly.

After defense officials got the White House request, they asked Pentagon staff to move at an unusually rapid pace, said another person who was involved in the deal at the Pentagon but not authorized to speak about it. The staff worked late nights and with little sleep to get the loan through in a matter of weeks, the source said.

“The call came from the White House: We have to get this done,” the person said. 

The deal is one of many actions by the Trump administration that have helped companies in which the Trump family holds stakes. Government contracts and other benefits have gone to various Trump-linked companies, prompting allegations of self-dealing by Democratic lawmakers and good government experts. But ProPublica’s reporting on the Vulcan loan represents the first time the awarding of a contract from a federal agency has been directly linked to White House intervention.

The loan was a massive financial commitment from the Pentagon in its effort to fund companies that could help the U.S. reduce dependence on China’s critical mineral supply chains. The deal was a dramatic win for Vulcan, a North Carolina rare-earth magnet company launched just two years earlier. Estimates of its valuation grew tenfold after the deal was announced. It was also a win for Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm, which took a stake of undisclosed size in Vulcan about three months before the Pentagon announced the deal. 

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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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“BE QUIET!” — GOP Rep. Brad Knott Absolutely TORCHES Fairfax Soros-Backed Prosecutor Steve Descano After Child Predator Case Collapses: “You’re a COWARD!”

In a jaw-dropping, viral takedown during Thursday’s House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on the dangerous consequences of sanctuary policies, North Carolina Republican Rep. Brad Knott absolutely eviscerated far-left Soros-backed Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano for his disgusting decision to let a Honduran illegal alien child predator walk free after yanking a sleeping 4-year-old American girl out of her bed with the clear intent to sexually assault her.

Fox News reported last year:

On June 15, 2023, Fairfax County Police responded to a home in the 7500 block of Little River Turnpike after receiving a call reporting a burglary and an attempted abduction of a child.

When they arrived, the 4-year-old’s mother said she woke up when she heard her daughter crying and saw the window in her room had been opened. The child told her mother someone grabbed her and then ran away.

Investigators say a fingerprint led them to Baquedano-Rodriguez who was arrested the following day.

ICE officials said Baquedano-Rodriguez is a national of Honduras and described him as an “unlawfully present noncitizen.” They say he was first encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona on August 25, 2018.

“I’m traumatized to be quite honest with you. She is 4 years old,” the victim’s mother told FOX 5 in 2023. “It’s not that she’s not comfortable, but you can tell there are signs of trauma that’s left behind from this, and I’m going to have to get her some type of counseling as well as myself.”

Descano, the radical Democrat prosecutor who has been hammered all day by Reps. Jim Jordan and Brandon Gill for his office’s bias favoring illegal alien criminals over U.S. citizens, tried his usual weaselly excuses.

But Knott, a father of two young girls, wasn’t having any of it. He scolded the coward like a child and ordered him to shut up.

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Far-Left Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles ABRUPTLY RESIGNS Just Months After Reelection Following Tenure Marred by Brutal Light Rail Murder of Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska

Another Democrat-run city is in absolute chaos.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, the 73-year-old radical Democrat who has presided over the “Queen City” since 2017, dropped a bombshell on Thursday, announcing her immediate resignation effective June 30.

The nation’s 14th-largest city just handed Lyles another four years on the job in November 2025, but now she’s suddenly bolting for the exits, claiming she wants to spend more time with her grandchildren and “allow for new leadership.”

“Serving as Charlotte’s mayor has been the honor of my life,” Mayor Lyles said.

“I am proud of our record navigating various challenges, strengthening our economy, investing in our neighborhoods, and building a foundation for Charlotte’s continued success during a time of rapid growth. Now, it is time for the next phase of my life, to spend more time with my grandchildren and for someone new to lead us forward.”

“I am very proud of my record as mayor, but I also firmly believe that true leadership includes knowing when it is time to let the next generation of leaders take over,” she said.

“By leaving early, the voters will have more time to learn about their candidates. Our city is strong, our trajectory is positive, and now is the right moment for someone else to build on our progress from the past few years.”

“As in all things politics, I am sure there will be speculation as to why I am making this decision now. Simply put, I am going to spend time with my grandchildren. Like many of us, I have missed some moments with them and intend to not miss anymore!”

Sure, Vi. Or maybe it’s the mounting pressure from the horrific crime scandals, the backlash over her handling of the brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, and the reality that her far-left leadership has turned Charlotte into yet another failing blue-city disaster under Democrat rule.

In September 2025, the innocent Ukrainian refugee was viciously stabbed to death in broad daylight on a Charlotte light rail platform by a repeat-offender vagrant with a lengthy criminal record.

The graphic video of the attack was initially suppressed by local media, with Lyles herself publicly thanking outlets for not releasing the footage “out of respect for the family.”

Once the video inevitably surfaced online, the public outrage was explosive, forcing the Democrat mayor to backtrack as residents demanded accountability for the soft-on-crime policies that let dangerous transients roam free.

Lyles’ response? More excuses about “mental health” and “court system failures” instead of cracking down on the vagrants and criminals terrorizing her city. It’s the same Democrat playbook that’s destroyed cities from San Francisco to Chicago, and Charlotte under Lyles has been no exception.

Just months later, we reported how federal agents under President Trump flooded Charlotte to round up illegal immigrants, only for Lyles and her fellow radical Democrats to whine about “unnecessary fear” and cry that residents just wanted to “go about their lives.” Of course they did, the lives of law-abiding citizens who are sick of the chaos their leaders created.

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Almost Half the 3,500 Criminals Former NC Dem Gov. Roy Cooper Released Went on to Reoffend — and Now He’s Running for Senate

More than one thousand criminals who were released back into the streets on former Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D-NC) watch went on to reoffend, according to an analysis of those released.

Cooper’s administration released roughly 3,500 criminals back onto the streets during the coronavirus pandemic after being sued by the ACLU and the NAACP, which claimed it was cruel to leave inmates detained due to the risk of catching the illness.  At the time, Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, President of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, put it this way: “We cannot leave our brothers and sisters who are incarcerated — and who are disproportionately black and brown — to die behind bars during this global emergency.”

Then-Gov. Cooper ultimately signed a settlement, resulting in the release of these criminals.

However, Cooper, now vying for a Senate seat, placed the list of released prisoners sealed under court order. As his Republican challenger Michael Whatley explained to Breitbart News Daily, he sealed it so no one could see it, but assured North Carolinians that no violent criminals were released. The North Carolina legislature has since been able to secure that list, which shows that Cooper did, in fact, lie to his own people. He released murderers and rapists alike, and over 50 of the released criminals were serving life sentences.

Speaking of Cooper, Whatley said, “The fact is that he released 51 people who were serving life sentences at the time. The fact is that he released hundreds of violent criminals, rapists, pedophiles. I mean, it was, it was really a horrific list of people that he released at the time.”

And it gets worse.

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