We first heard about "Big Joe" in late March, when @ktbenner broke the story on the DOJ investigating Gaetz.
We immediately started reaching out. Surely, Gaetz's wingman's bestie knows something right?
Multiple sources confirmed that yes, "Big Joe" tagged along with Gaetz's buddy for years. They cohosted a radio show, partied together, and even worked together.
We've spoken to maybe a dozen people who knew them personally.
The crime and the subsequent investigation all proceeded in secret. Documents related to this incident are marked “CONFIDENTIAL.”
I know this, because I have them.
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My journey started at the federal courthouse in May. I discovered a case in which an undocumented kid was begging to be freed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
In the lawsuit, it mentions that the boy was sexually assaulted at the MercyFirst shelter on July 1, 2017.
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Sitting in a nearly empty immigration court on Tuesday, the judge called the next case. In walks a 4-year-old Honduran girl, her hair in a dozen braids each with a black bow. She refused to sit in the chair.
She preferred to sit next to me in the back.
1/x
The translator leaned over, telling her about upcoming court dates & the importance of attending -- or being subject to a deportation order in absentia.
Of course this little darling had no idea what was going on. She blew raspberries my way & giggled the whole time.
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The first time she responded to the judge was when she asked her age. The girl raised her right hand and four little fingers, then looked at me and smiled.