After Jan. 6, Thomas Caldwell, one of the defendants in the Oath Keepers conspiracy case, appears to have researched "relocating" to Costa Rica, Panama or the Bahamas online, per a new court filing from the DoJ.
Then, after he was arrested in February, Caldwell's email address was used to attempt to cancel an order for a .380 handgun "designed to resemble a smartphone." His purchase of that gun was used by prosecutors to argue for his pre-trial detention.
Caldwell later won bond and today's filing comes in response to a motion by Caldwell to modify his release conditions to allow him internet access. The government opposes that request except for allowing him to review evidence in his case.
Prosecutors also addressed Caldwell's recent attempt to "minimize" his role in the Quick Reaction Force by stating in a filing that he only brought a .22 rifle which he called a "beginner's gun" and "least lethal."
They note that Caldwell hid the rifle under a sheet when he brought it into the hotel in VA prior to Jan 6 and that it "was stored together with a cache of other weapons and ammunition and, once loaded, would have been capable of firing bullets that could kill or maim people"
Here, by the way, is a picture of the $550 pistol that looks like a cell phone that Caldwell purchased online and then requested a refund on:
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Twitter has refused to let US Marshalls serve a federal subpoena seeking information on the @ravagiing account, which is linked to cyber security firm Exeintel and, potentially, to an active FBI agent on the Michigan kidnapping case, a new filing shows.
That happened on Sept. 3. Curiously, Twitter suspended @ravagiing sometime on Sept 6 or 7. A spokesperson told me and @jvgarrison that it was for violating the company's ban evasion policy.
Here's more info on the subpoena and the strange circumstances around that account
This story revealing the USCP approved 6 permits on Jan 6 is hugely important not only for the findings but also b/c it used the courts to pry forth Congressional records not subject to FOIA — perhaps for the first time ever!
The Capitol Police is under the umbrella of Congress, which is not subject to FOIA. But Jason & @_LightLaw successfully cited the “common law right of access” to public records in federal court.
The implications could be significant.
@_LightLaw Congress has long hidden behind its FOIA exemption to keep records in the dark, hidden from press & the public. By getting these permit applications & related documents, @BuzzFeedNews may have cracked the door on that, potentially allowing massively more access. It's a big deal.
Before the start of today's Oath Keepers conspiracy case motion hearing, one defendant (unidentified) just whispered "I'm not going back to prison"
And another person (perhaps a lawyer?) replied "I know you're not"
Looks like it's going to be a live one today, folks.
Defendants Jessica Watkins, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Roberto Minuta & Joshua James are in the courthouse. All other defendants are listening/watching remotely, except David Moerschel, whose counsel said he believed his presence wasn't needed.
Harrelson has apparently gotten a new lawyer as of late Friday and since he's just joined the case, he's asking for a 30-day continuance.
"I spoke to the client, he said 'muddle forth as best as you can.'"
False alarm. The judge overseeing the Michigan kidnapping case has rejected the proposed supplemental jury questionnaire in favor of "normal voir dire."
Defendants in the case had asked to require prospective jurors to fill out the 29-page questionnaire, which covered a huge range of topics, including whether they were "satisfied" with Gov. Whitmer, whether they had feelings about masks, and whether they read BuzzFeed.
The defendants worried about their ability to get a fair trial from jurors that may be influenced by the large amount of publicity the case has generated. But Judge Jonker was unmoved, arguing that such a lengthy questionnaire might actually drive jurors to read the coverage.
NEW: A federal magistrate has granted a subpoena to Twitter for data for a right-wing troll account that appears to have tweeted about the Michigan kidnapping investigation before it was public.
Defense attys want to know if the account is linked to an FBI agent in the probe.
Until recently, the account, @Ravagiing, had identified its (unknown) holder as CEO of a cyber intel company called Exeintel. Agent Jayson Chambers appears to own a company by the same name. On Monday, attorneys asked to subpoena Twitter for more info. buzzfeednews.com/article/kenben…
After @jvgarrison and I wrote about the existence of the tweets, @Ravagiing changed the bio to exclude Exeintel. The account also deleted many of the tweets we identified (and maybe others)
Ty Garbin is being sentenced at this moment in the Michigan kidnapping conspiracy case.
Garbin is the only defendant to take a plea and cooperate. His attorney just asked the judge for a sentence of no more than 6 years.
Federal prosecutors previously requested 9 years.
"He is going to be a star witness" at the trial, currently scheduled for October, his attorney, Gary Springstead argued, noting how significant his cooperation — which helped land a second, superseding indictment in the case — has been.
Garbin just spoke to the court.
"I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Governor Whitmer and her family," he said. "I can't even begin to imagine the amount of stress and fear she and her family might have felt due to my actions and for that I apologize."