By Kylie Mason
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

TALLAHASSEE, Florida– On Wednesday, October 10th, 2018, what has been deemed the worst category 4 hurricane to hit the Florida Panhandle area in twenty years, devastated the communities in its path. Hurricane Michael touched down in Mexico Beach, Florida on Wednesday morning and has run to areas in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The 155 mph winds destroyed homes, caused over 900,000 buildings to lose electricity and eliminated all access by road. Massive flooding has damaged homes and displaced property hundreds of miles from the owners.

Since the severity of the storm has decreased, the United States Coast Guard have begun the slow process of search and rescue. Overnight, the Coast Guard has performed 10 missions to save 27 different people. As of present, 6 people have been found dead due to the debris that storm has caused. As crews throughout the state attempt to clear the roads blocked with thousands of fallen trees, officials are urging people to stay off the road. Residents of the area were told to stay in their rescue shelters and not return to home, which may not be there any longer.

One group of individuals at the forefront of the search mission are those individuals who were not able to evacuate pursuant to the warnings by public officially of the state. Due to a lack of socioeconomic ability, many residents of the Florida area officials to leave their homes. Additionally, those individuals who cited a lack of anywhere else to go, or lack of ability to go to a rescue shelter also stayed within their homes during the storm.

As of now, there has been no comment by the Florida government concerning the state of these individuals. Additionally, the Trump administration has not commented on the state of those displaced individuals.

No reports have been given regarding the number of residents affected by hurricane Michael, or how many residents have been relocated to temporary shelters. As there has been no solidified estimates of possible trapped, injured, or dead persons, there has been little information regarding the rescue efforts designed to target these specific populations.

As the Coast Guard and local rescue services continue clearing roads for emergency services to enter into more remote areas, the total individuals injured or dead increases.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Monster Storm Mauls US South-East – 11 October 2018

New York Times – Search and Rescue Begins Amid Ruins of Florida Coast – 11 October 2018

New York Times – ‘I Got Stuck’: In Poor, Rural Communities, Fleeing Hurricane Michael was Tough- 11 October 2018

NPR – Recovery Work Begins After Hurricane Michael Carves Through Florida Panhandle –  11 October 2018

By: Sarah Purtill
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

CONNECTICUT, U.S.A. – Two women from Terryville Connecticut have been arrested for stealing from an elderly woman who passed away April 5, 2018. 71-year-old Sandra Pelkey and 60-year-old Mary Jeannie Benedetto have been stealing from the victim for over 10 years totaling more than $800,000 USD.

Pelkey was the woman’s caregiver and Benedetto was hired to do the interior design of the victims home. They were described as a mother daughter duo in one article and a pair of sisters in another. But the pair raised eyebrows of a banker and the victims Merrill Lynch wealth management advisor. The victim no longer wished to discuss finances with her wealth management advisor. The bank and the Merrill Lynch employee noticed that some checks were being written for large amounts to the two women and notified police.

Police visited the home and the door was answered by the victim who was very confused. She indicated to them that Pelkey was her caregiver and Benedetto was hired to redo the inside of her home. Questions also came about over the purchase of a BMW because the victim no longer drives. The victim was under the impression that the car was just waiting to be delivered but it had been sold by Pelkey and Benedetto.

It was discovered that a hand written power of attorney was used to buy and sell the car. The victims daughter stated that the signature was in fact her mothers, but that the rest of the document was not in her handwriting. The victim has an alcohol abuse problem and her daughter believes that she was being encouraged to drink by the two women who used this to their advantage.

The police investigated the situation for nine months before any arrests were made. They discovered the abuse had been going on for ten years. However, they could only charge the pair with what had happened within the last five years because of the statute of limitations. Additionally, the police believe they discovered a second victim in New Haven and alerted the local police.

“Such victims lose faith in the world and the system that was supposed to protect them, for even if the perpetrators are caught and ordered to pay restitution, many offenders use any means necessary to avoid paying, often liquidating their assets and hiding them out of reach or declaring bankruptcy,” said Officer Hartman who worked on the case.

Benedetto and Pelkey are due back in court on May 4.

For more information, please see:

NBC Connecticut – Women Stole $800,000 from Elderly New Haven Woman: Police – 10 April 2018

New Haven Patch – $800,000 Stolen From Elderly Victim Over 10 Years: Ne Haven PD – 10 April 2018

WFSB – New Haven Elderly Woman Scammed of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars – 10 April 2018

CT Post – Police: Women Stole More Than $800k From Elderly Woman – 19 March 2018

By: Karina Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WICHITA, Kansas — On Monday, March 19, the trial began for the three Kansas militia members who attempted to bomb an apartment complex that houses Somali refugees.

Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright, and Curtis Allen—the ‘Crusaders’—each face charges of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy against civil rights for allegedly planning to detonate truck bombs in an apartment complex of Garden City, a small rural town in southwest Kansas, the day after the November 2016 Presidential election.  The ‘Crusaders’ are a splinter group of the militia Kansas Security Force with violent anti-government and anti-Muslim views.

In 2014, the International Rescue Committee opened an office in Garden City, Kansas, to resettle refugees from war-ravaged countries like Somalia, many of whom are Muslim, and many of whom found jobs within the local meatpacking industry.  Witnesses testified that the Pulse Nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, was the catalyst that shifted the Crusaders’ attitudes from ugly bigotry and complaints of “they’re taking our jobs,” to actual violent ideation and attempts at recruitment of other like-minded individuals.

Curtis Allen, who was in charge of writing the group’s manifesto to frame the terror attacks as a patriotic defense of the US Constitution against Muslim immigrants, also had prior convictions for domestic battery.  On October 11, Allen’s girlfriend called 911 to report he had beaten her, and the arresting agents found him illegally possessing two dozen firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition in his home.

Patrick Stein sought material support from an undercover FBI agent to acquire materials to make explosives.  He was arrested shortly afterwards by the FBI on October 14, 2016, after delivering to them 300 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer—which is the same raw material that was used by Timothy McVey in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. He regularly referred to Muslims as “cockroaches,” and had nicknamed himself “Orkin-man” in reference to the extermination company.

The alleged plan was to detonate truck bombs around the apartment complex and shoot the survivors afterward in an attempt to do the maximum amount of damage.

The three men were indicted in October 2016 and pled not guilty to the charges.

During the jury selection process, the defense team argued that the pool of jurors for the case was drawn from more urban areas close to the federal courthouse in Wichita, and that this selection would exclude rural and conservative jurors.  The presiding judge informed the defense attorneys that the surrounding area included rural jurors as well.  One of the defense attorneys told the judge that the difference in belief systems between rural jurors around Wichita is substantially different from that of the population of rural southwest Kansas.  The prosecution cited case law that finds groups of prospective jurors are not considered distinctive groups by geographic location.

The theme of the defense team’s argument has been that defendants were swayed to action by fake news on Facebook and undercover FBI involvement.  The defense team has also sought to suppress evidence of 28,000 pages of defendants’ Facebook material, including anti-Muslim posts, pro-Trump memes, and fake news stories.

According to the Huffington Post, one of the defense attorneys cross-examined an FBI agent and asked why the FBI did not inform local police about the possible attack so that the police could have warned the defendants against the attack.  “Hey knucklehead,” the attorney suggested the police say. “We know what you’re talking about. Knock it off.”

On redirect, the prosecution asked the FBI agent if it was standard procedure to respond for law enforcement officers to a plot to bomb buildings and commit mass murder by calling the suspect a “Knucklehead” and asking them to “Knock it off.”  The agent said it was not.

For more information, please see:

Huffington Post – White Militiamen Charged In Plot To Massacre Muslims Argue They’re Just ‘Knuckleheads’ – 11 April 2018

KWCH – Defense begins questioning, manifest read in Garden City bomb plot trial – 11 April 2018

The Philadelphia Tribune – Jury selection starts in bombing plot aimed at Somalis – 23 March

The Washington Post – Trial opens for Kansas men accused of plotting to bomb Muslims – 22 March 2018

Huffington Post – Trump Backers Charged in Anti-Muslim Terror Plot May Argue They’re Just Facebook Warriors – 21 March 2018

KCUR – Trial Starting For Kansas Militiamen Accused of Mosque Bomb Plot In Garden City – 19 March 2018

Chicago Tribune – Attorneys for men in plot to bomb Kansas mosque want Trump voters on jury – 4 January 2018

New York Magazine – The Plot to Bomb Garden City, Kansas – 12 December 2017