An 18-year-old man is accused of fatally shooting two U.S. Bank employees in Berea, Kentucky, before rifling through the teller drawers for cash and speeding off in his car.
Brailen Weaver of Covington, Kentucky, entered the bank at around 2:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, wearing a black mask and gloves, according to the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1033646042/BrailenWeaverAffidavit-Redacted?secret_password=6Pd48N8xJJIAk7EFw5t7#download&amp;from_embed">arrest affidavit</a>. Weaver shot and killed a male U.S. Bank employee right after walking into the branch and then gunned down a female teller before he searched through multiple drawers, the affidavit states.
The suspect fled the bank in a silver BMW sedan, which authorities tracked down after finding the same car listed for sale on Facebook by Weaver. Investigators then reviewed Weaver&#8217;s social media and found photos of him that matched the description of the suspect seen on the bank&#8217;s security cameras.
Weaver also posted a meme on Instagram just hours after he allegedly robbed the bank and killed two employees, according to the FBI. The meme depicts an alien holding a stash of $100 bills with the caption, &#8220;I pledge allegiance to da bag.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1088381" style="width: 483px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1088381" class="wp-image-1088381 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527-473x576.jpg" alt="" width="473" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527-473x576.jpg 473w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527-246x300.jpg 246w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Untitled-design-2026-05-01T152737.527.jpg 657w" sizes=" (max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px" />FBI</div>
On Thursday evening, authorities tracked Weaver to Somerset, Kentucky, which is about 40 miles southwest of Berea. A short time later, the FBI spotted Weaver&#8217;s vehicle on Interstate 75, and federal, state, and local law enforcement pursued the suspect in a high-speed chase.
The affidavit states that Weaver reached speeds of nearly 130 mph and dodged spike strips laid out in the road by law enforcement. The suspect eventually crashed as he was driving toward downtown Lexington, but escaped on foot. Authorities found a firearm in the suspect&#8217;s abandoned BMW. Weaver was finally arrested in downtown Lexington and faces federal charges of armed bank robbery and using/discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
&#8220;The perpetrator&#8217;s heinous actions were not only indefensible but cowardly,&#8221; <a href="https://www.wlwt.com/article/2-employees-killed-bank-robbery-berea-kentucky-suspect/71180865">said</a> Olivia Olson, the special agent in charge at the FBI&#8217;s Louisville field office. &#8220;While there is no longer imminent danger, we understand that the tragedy is far from over for the community. The only solace that we can offer is that this individual who valued a stolen dollar more than two human lives will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.&#8221;
The killings appear to be the first deadly shooting in a bank robbery in the United States since 2021, when a man <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndin/pr/gary-man-sentenced-2-consecutive-terms-life-prison">fatally shot</a> a security guard at a bank in Gary, Indiana, during an attempted robbery. In 2019, a 21-year-old man <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/former-prison-guard-trainee-is-sentenced-to-death-for-killing-5-women-at-a-florida-bank/">executed</a> five women at a SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida. In that shooting, there was no indication that the gunman intended to rob the bank.
Bank robberies in the United States are becoming increasingly uncommon as banks improve security and hold less cash at any given time, reflecting society&#8217;s shift to digital payments.

Bank robbery

FBI Reveals Robber Posted Chilling Instagram Meme After Killing Two Bank Employees

Banks

Crime

Kentucky

Robbery

Shooting

A federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden cut an illegal immigrant murder suspect loose, <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/04/30/activist-biden-judge-releases-violent-criminal-illegal-alien-wanted-murder">according</a> to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Bryan Rafael Gomez is wanted in his home country of the Dominican Republic for murder, DHS said Thursday. Despite having an active warrant, U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose ordered Gomez&#8217;s release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention on Tuesday.
“This is yet another example of an activist judge trying to thwart President Trump’s mandate from the American people to remove criminal illegal aliens from our communities,&#8221; Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
&#8220;Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS will continue to fight for the removal of criminal illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,&#8221; Bis said.
Gomez crossed the border illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, in 2022, DHS said. Border Patrol agents apprehended him at the time and subsequently released him into the country.
The Coordination of the Courts of Instruction of the National District of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, issued a criminal arrest warrant for Gomez for homicide on Jan. 24, 2023, according to DHS.
Officers with the Worcester Police Department arrested Gomez on April 4, 2026, for assault and battery, according to DHS. Local authorities honored an ICE detainer, handing Gomez over to federal immigration agents after he was released on $500 bail.
Gomez had filed a habeas petition, which is a legal challenge to his detention, and DuBose allowed for his release on &#8220;minimal release conditions,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2050200540835897432" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News.
Since President Donald Trump commenced his mass deportation campaign, illegal immigrants have found that habeas petitions are the best tool for getting released from ICE custody.
Immigrant detainees have filed more than 18,000 habeas petitions challenging their detention in federal courts since Trump&#8217;s second term began, ProPublica <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/habeas-petitions-immigrant-detentions-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in February. It’s more than the number of detention challenges filed over the last three administrations combined.
Scott Mechkowski, former ICE deputy field office director in New York, told The Daily Wire that Gomez&#8217;s case &#8220;isn&#8217;t an isolated incident,&#8221; adding that &#8220;hundreds of individuals with similar backgrounds (foreign fugitives) are arrested by ICE every year, only to be let go or stuck in a cycle of release and re-arrest.&#8221;
&#8220;During my time serving in ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations], we worked behind the scenes to remove thousands of threats like Gomez from our communities, all without seeking to draw attention to ourselves. These silent professionals put everything on the line to keep the public safe, but their efforts are undermined by rogue judges who prioritize activism over justice.&#8221;
&#8220;The result is a reckless endangerment of American lives, and it&#8217;s a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. The fact that judges are willing to release killers back into our communities is a betrayal of the trust we&#8217;ve placed in them to protect us.&#8221;
The habeas petitions move detainees’ cases out of the immigration court system and into the district courts, where judges are often much more favorable to the illegal immigrant, experts previously told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrants-found-a-new-way-to-get-released-from-ice-detention">The Daily Wire</a>.
Immigration lawyers often resort to filing habeas petitions after it becomes clear their clients either have no chance of getting bond from immigration judges or have been denied bond already.

Untitled design – 2026-05-01T094803.095

Biden-Appointed Judge Lets Illegal Immigrant Wanted For Murder Walk Free

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Joe Biden

U.S.

The suspected wannabe assassin who opened fire at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner last weekend is &#8220;not a danger to anybody,&#8221; his lawyer argued in court on Wednesday.
In a court filing, Cole Allen&#8217;s defense team argued that the gunman should be allowed to roam free as he awaits his trial, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/us-news/whcd-shooting-suspect-cole-allen-makes-absurd-argument-for-why-he-should-walk-free/">reported</a>. Allen&#8217;s lawyer also claimed that the suspect had no intention of carrying out a mass shooting since he was not carrying an automatic or semi-automatic weapon.
&#8220;Mr. Allen has no criminal history — not even prior arrests, which alone would rebut the presumption of detention,&#8221; his defense team wrote, adding, &#8220;The government’s rhetoric about a ‘mass shooting’ is also unsupported by its own proffered facts. Mr. Allen was not alleged to be holding an automatic or even semi-automatic weapon that are the hallmarks of the modern-day mass shooting.&#8221;
During a court hearing on Thursday, defense attorney Tezira Abe said Allen&#8217;s defense team was changing course and dropping its request to keep him out of detention &#8220;at this time.&#8221; Abe then asked the judge for Allen to be removed from his &#8220;safe cell,&#8221; where he&#8217;s remained isolated around the clock since being taken into custody. Allen, wearing an orange jump suit, was present for the hearing in the D.C. federal court on Thursday.
Allen ran through a security checkpoint inside the Washington Hilton last Saturday and fired one shot from his Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun before he fell to the ground and was detained by Secret Service and law enforcement agents, according to federal prosecutors. The gunman was also carrying a fully-loaded Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol and multiple knives.
Shotguns have been used in some of the darkest mass shootings in U.S. history, including by the gunmen at Columbine, the Aurora theater, and Washington Navy Yard.
In a manifesto that Allen sent to family members just before the attack, the gunman said he was targeting top Trump administration officials at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner and added that he would shoot any of the attendees or law enforcement officers who got in his way.
“I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” he wrote in the manifesto.
Three law enforcement sources told NBC News on Wednesday that Allen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bullet-that-struck-secret-service-agents-vest-now-traced-to-would-be-assassin?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bullet+That+Struck+Secret+Service+Agent%E2%80%99s+Vest+Now+Traced+To+Would-Be+Assassin">fired</a> the shot that struck a Secret Service agent after early reports suggested the agent might have been hit by friendly fire. The agent was protected by his bulletproof vest.
A Secret Service agent fired five times at Allen as he charged through the security checkpoint, but Allen was not hit, according to federal prosecutors. The gunman fell down and suffered a minor knee injury immediately after he breached the security checkpoint, the Justice Department stated.
Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Cole Allen/White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Lawyer Says WHCD Shooter ‘Not A Danger’ Because He Had The Wrong Gun

Courts

Donald Trump

shooter

White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Democrats melted down Tuesday over the second indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, blasting the charges as politically motivated and claiming they reflect a weaponized Department of Justice.
&#8220;Different Trump defense lawyer running the DOJ, same old story. Weaponized justice. Vindictive prosecutions. Catering to an audience of one. Perverting the rule of law, one enemy at a time,&#8221; Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) <a href="https://x.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/2049254370101858394?s=20">bemoaned on social media. </a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Different Trump defense lawyer running the DOJ, same old story.
Weaponized justice. Vindictive prosecutions. Catering to an audience of one.
Perverting the rule of law, one enemy at a time. <a href="https://t.co/9APAlbbuqj">pic.twitter.com/9APAlbbuqj</a>
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/2049254370101858394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) questioned the quality of the FBI investigation, calling it a <a href="https://x.com/tedlieu/status/2049243658054971565?s=20">&#8220;loser case.&#8221;</a>
&#8220;Did agents print out the seashells picture and look at it upside down? Send it for DNA testing? [Acting Attorney General Todd] Blanche is bringing this loser case again to kiss trump’s (sic) ass,&#8221; he wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is an asinine statement by <a href="https://twitter.com/DAGToddBlanche?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DAGToddBlanche</a>, that there was “a lot of work by law enforcement over the past year.”
Did agents print out the seashells picture and look at it upside down? Send it for DNA testing?
Blanche is bringing this loser case again to kiss trump’s ass. <a href="https://t.co/PQQxNUToJb">https://t.co/PQQxNUToJb</a>
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/2049235697316327479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker escalated the criticism, slamming President Donald Trump as an &#8220;authoritarian&#8221; and accusing his administration of stripping Americans of their rights.
&#8220;The president, on the other hand, is literally using the Department of Justice to take people to prison. He is indicting people and prosecuting people for no reason other than they are his opponents. So there&#8217;s a big difference in what each side is doing here,&#8221; Pritzker said in an interview with NBC.
&#8220;It may take us a couple of years, in fact, to go after people like Kash Patel, like Kristi Noem, like Tom Homan, like Greg Bovino, but we are coming after them,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Today on Meet the Press Now, JB Pritzker calls President Trump an &#8220;authoritarian, and if we are not pushing back every single day, then we&#8217;re doing it wrong.&#8221;
A few seconds later, Pritzker threatens Trump admin officials: &#8220;It may take us a couple of years, in fact, to go after… <a href="https://t.co/UxrRHq1L6R">pic.twitter.com/UxrRHq1L6R</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/2049241692373450788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
Mark Elias, a prominent Democratic attorney, warned the case signals a lasting shift at the Justice Department.
“We’re not talking about indicting a ham sandwich. We’re literally talking about indicting someone over seashells on the beach. Who knows what’s going to happen? Who knows who they’ll go after next?” Elias said on MSNOW.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 NOW: Leftist cheating election lawyer Marc Elias WARNS of possible DOJ RETRIBUTION if Democrats take power again
Elias is known for MASS SUING Republican laws that safeguard elections — and is also targeting Florida
VOTE AGAINST THEM IN NOVEMBER! <a href="https://t.co/tTyzPQrsFu">pic.twitter.com/tTyzPQrsFu</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2049253000321855991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
The outrage comes after a federal grand jury <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nced.227449/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">returned a two-count felony indictment and arrest warrant</a> against Comey, accusing him of making threats to kill or harm President Trump and transmitting those threats across state lines using social media.
The controversy centers on a provocative Instagram post shared by the former FBI chief last year. Comey’s photo showed seashells arranged to form the numbers “86” and “47&#8243; on a North Carolina beach. In the restaurant world, “86” generally means to take out or eliminate, and “47” was a presumptive reference to Trump, the 47th president of the United States.
In a <a href="https://jamescomey.substack.com/p/seashells?r=16z5v&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;triedRedirect=true">video posted to his Substack</a>, Comey denied any wrongdoing.
“Well, they’re back. This time, about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina Beach a year ago, and this won’t be the end of it, but nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go,” Comey said.
&nbsp;

Former FBI Director James Comey

Dems Melt Down Over Comey Indictment

Executive

Indictment

James Comey

Politics

The United States Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that Dr. David Morens, once a top aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci, was indicted for his role in hiding data on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morens, according to a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-senior-niaid-official-indicted-concealing-federal-records-during-covid-19-pandemic-0">press release</a> from the DOJ, was &#8220;charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.&#8221;
Morens served as a top adviser in the NIAID’s (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) Office of the Director for 16 years, from 2006-2022 — where Fauci served as the director from 1984-2022.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/fauci-unmasked">RELATED: FAUCI UNMASKED</a>
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement on the indictment, saying, &#8220;These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic. As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19. Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest — not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.&#8221;
&#8220;Circumventing records protocols with the intention of avoiding transparency is something that will not be tolerated by this FBI,&#8221; FBI Director Kash Patel added in a separate statement. &#8220;Not only did Morens allegedly engage in the illegal obfuscation of his communications, but he received kickbacks for doing so. If you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not stop until you face justice.&#8221;
At NIAID, much of the information the so-called &#8220;experts&#8221; had was funneled through channels that Morens either had access to or influence over, and the indictment alleges that he used that position to manipulate the data that eventually became public knowledge with regard to COVID-19 and its origins. Morens allegedly accomplished this in part by steering grant funding away from research that might support theories that strayed from the accepted narrative. He and others involved also allegedly conspired in writing to <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/22/us-news/explosive-emails-show-top-nih-adviser-deleted-records-used-secret-back-channels-to-help-fauci-ecohealth-evade-covid-transparency/">hide their efforts</a> to manipulate public data lest someone use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain access to it in the future.
&#8220;[I] learned from our foia [sic] lady here how to make emails disappear after I am foia’d [sic] but before the search starts,” Morens explained in a Feb. 24, 2021, email. &#8220;Plus I deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to gmail [sic].&#8221;
“[T]here is no worry about FOIAs. I can either send stuff to Tony on his private gmail [sic], or hand it to him at work or at his house,” Morens wrote in April of 2021. “He is too smart to let colleagues send him stuff that could cause trouble.&#8221;
In another email sent the same year, he advised the addressees to only send such communications directly to his Gmail account to avoid the extra hassle of forwarding and deleting them from his official accounts.
Even in June of 2020, Morens was eyeing the possibility that certain communications could potentially raise red flags. &#8220;We are all smart enough to know to never have smoking guns, and if we did we wouldn’t put them in emails and if we found them we’d delete them,&#8221; he wrote at the time.<iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/006T3IDuGH7D01ET64iu024a5HPHryXvn2g?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=8cfcc1ad-ba0c-4820-a397-31cc59dfbbf9&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=DOJ%20charges%20Fauci%20adviser%20as%20email%20trail%20could%20reopen%20COVID%20origin%20debate&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2F87c15e82-bded-489c-b40e-b660277b9b46.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&nbsp;
According to the DOJ press release, Morens could face up to five years in prison for the charge of conspiracy against the United States — as well as up to 20 years on each count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations. He could also face up to three years for each count of concealment, removal, or mutilation of records. His sentence, should he be convicted, would be determined by a federal judge following consultation of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The case was investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, and will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Bijon A. Mostoufi for the District of Maryland.

fauci_adviser

Fauci Adviser Bragged About Making COVID Emails ‘Disappear.’ The DOJ Just Indicted Him.

Top Fauci Adviser Indicted As 'Co-Conspirator' In Scuttling COVID Origins Data

Anthony Fauci

COVID-19

Department of Justice

Pandemic

The FBI and the Homeland Security Department executed raids in the Twin Cities on Tuesday morning, targeting numerous Somali-owned businesses as part of the Trump administration&#8217;s crackdown on fraud.
Federal agents obtained court-approved search warrants for more than 20 different locations in the Minneapolis area, Fox News <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2049107291681468871">reported</a>. Most of the search warrants are for businesses connected to Somalis, including the infamous Quality &#8220;Learing&#8221; Center that was at the center of controversy late last year.
&#8220;Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with our law enforcement partners executed criminal search warrants in Minneapolis relating to the rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers dollars,&#8221; the DHS <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2049111271866302695">said</a>.
No arrests were made in the early morning raids, but federal agents were seen taking photos and moving a portable file case inside a daycare in South Minneapolis, according to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-federal-agents-daycares-suspected-fraud/">CBS News</a>.
Minneapolis has been at the center of President Donald Trump&#8217;s anti-fraud task force after dozens of Somalis were arrested and charged with defrauding numerous Minnesota social programs since 2018. The task force, which Trump launched earlier this year, is spearheaded by Vice President JD Vance. Since taking over as fraud czar, Vance has zeroed in on 14 state programs in Minnesota, which include autism service providers and medical service transports that the administration believes are rife with fraud.
Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican Congressman and the House Majority Whip, said on Tuesday that Minnesota taxpayers are &#8220;grateful&#8221; for the Trump administration&#8217;s action.
“President Trump and his administration have made it crystal clear — our country will not tolerate waste, fraud, and abuse, and we are not going to allow people to take advantage of Americans’ generosity,&#8221; he said in a release. &#8220;Minnesotans and U.S. taxpayers across the nation are grateful.”
Tuesday&#8217;s raids are not the first time federal agents have been on the ground at suspected fraud sites in the Minneapolis area. In late December, Homeland Security Investigations agents conducted door-to-door <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-conduct-door-to-door-checks-at-suspected-minneapolis-fraud-sites">checks</a> at daycares and healthcare centers suspected of fraud. Those checks, however, did not include court-authorized raids of the businesses.
Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have been <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-committee-releases-explosive-testimony-revealing-minnesota-fraud-cover-up-by-governor-walz-and-attorney-general-ellison/">accused</a> of attempting to cover up the massive fraud scandal that has seen tens of millions of taxpayer dollars stolen from state government programs. The years-long fraud scheme included the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which received federal funding to provide meals to hungry children during the COVID pandemic but distributed little food and exaggerated its numbers.
In December, independent journalist Nick Shirley brought attention back onto Minnesota and Governor Walz with his reporting on Somali-owned daycares that received taxpayer dollars but appeared to have no children in their buildings.

ICE Minneapolis Shooting Sparks Anger And Deepens Divisions

New Wave Hits As Feds Raid More Minnesota Daycare Sites In Growing Fraud Scandal

Fraud

Minneapolis

Trump Administration

A Chinese computer hacker who stole research from the United States on COVID has been arrested, FBI Director Kash Patel has announced.
Patel said in a social media post early Tuesday morning that 34-year-old Chinese national Xu Zewei had been extradited to the United States to face charges for stealing research from American scientists and participating in a hacking campaign targeting thousands of United States organizations.
“The FBI and our great partners have arrested Xu Zewei — a PRC national and state-sponsored hacker — allegedly responsible for a massive cyber intrusion campaign in 2020 and 2021 stealing COVID-19 research from American institutions,” Patel posted on X.
“During 2020 and 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xu and his co-conspirators allegedly targeted and hacked U.S. based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting COVID-19 research &#8211; including key treatment and vaccines — accessing email accounts and more,” Patel added.
One example of the COVID hacking occurred before the United States and most of the rest of the world conducted shutdowns. Reports from American officials have concluded that COVID likely escaped from a Chinese lab.
Xu confirmed on February 19, 2020, to a Chinese intelligence officer that he had compromised the network of a research university in Texas, according to the indictment. On February 22, 2020, he was directed “to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the university,” according to the Justice Department.
Other targets of the hacking scheme included another university in Texas, a university in North Carolina, and a law firm with offices in Washington, D.C.
Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, on April 27, according to court documents, years after a bench warrant was first issued for him on November 2, 2023. Patel thanked Italian law enforcement for helping to locate and extradite Xu.
Patel said that Xu was also a contractor for the Hafnium cyber espionage group directed by Chinese officials that has “compromised nearly 13,000” American organizations.
“This case is a historic win for our cybersecurity efforts under President Trump, bringing bad actors who target American infrastructure to justice no matter where they try to hide,” Patel said.
The Justice Department alleges that Xu was directed to conduct the hacking by China’s Ministry of State Security’s Shanghai State Security Bureau.
Dan Cogdell, a lawyer representing Xu, told The Daily Wire that his team was still preparing their case.
&#8220;My team was only recently hired to represent Xu, so of necessity I don&#8217;t have a lot of information to share at this point. Xu entered a plea of ‘Not Guilty’ to all charges and we will return to Magistrate Bennett’s Ct on Thursday for the bond hearing,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Until that time, we will prepare in earnest to try and obtain a bond on our client’s behalf.&#8221;
He added that he wouldn&#8217;t elaborate more on what their defense strategy would be.
&#8220;In terms of the defense of the charges themselves, I tend not to share what our defenses are to the media-or anyone else. I’m no Nick Saban-but as far as I know, he never told the press what his game plans were for an upcoming football game. I think I will follow that lead here,&#8221; he said. 
Xu faces decades in prison after being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, and aggravated identity theft.
The Justice Department said that Zhang Yu, another Chinese national suspected of aiding in the hacking scheme, remains at large. A detention hearing for Xu is set for April 30.

MixCollage-28-Apr-2026-07-11-AM-3970

He Hacked America At Its Weakest Moment, And Now He’s Finally Facing The Consequences

China

Chinese Communist Party

COVID

Cybercrime

hacking

Italy

kash patel

A gruesome double murder case in Florida is now colliding with a first-of-its-kind legal battle over artificial intelligence, after prosecutors revealed that the accused killer used ChatGPT to ask a series of chilling, highly specific questions in the days surrounding the crime.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is now moving to fold the case into his ongoing criminal investigation into OpenAI, raising the prospect that the company behind ChatGPT could face legal scrutiny for how its technology is used in violent crimes.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of University of South Florida doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27. The two, friends from Bangladesh pursuing advanced degrees, vanished on April 16. Days later, investigators would uncover a trail of evidence pointing to Abugharbieh and a series of disturbing interactions with ChatGPT that are now central to both the murder case and the state’s broader probe into artificial intelligence (A.I.).
According to the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2026/04/26/usf-murder-case-missing-students/">Tampa Bay Times</a> report on the killings, Abugharbieh first turned to the chatbot on April 13, asking: “What happens if a human has a [sic] put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster?” When the program responded that it “sounds dangerous,” he followed up: “How would they find out?” The questions did not stop there.
A day before the victims disappeared, he asked: “Can a VIN number on a car be changed?” and “Can you keep a gun at home without a license?” After the killings, the queries didn&#8217;t stop. Prosecutors say he asked: “Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head?” and “Will my neighbors hear my gun?”
He also reportedly asked: “Are cars checked at the Hillsborough River State Park?” and later, as the investigation intensified, “What does missing endangered adult mean?” Those digital breadcrumbs, obtained by a court-ordered search warrant of the man’s phone, are now being examined alongside a growing mountain of physical evidence.
When investigators searched the apartment Abugharbieh shared with Limon, they found blood traces throughout the residence, including droplets leading from the kitchen to his bedroom and larger patterns consistent with what officials described as “human-sized” blood evidence. Under his bed, detectives recovered trash bags and duct tape.
In a trash compactor at the complex, authorities found Limon’s wallet, glasses, and identification, along with Bristy’s pink phone case and multiple items of blood-stained clothing. A receipt tied to Abugharbieh showed purchases of trash bags, cleaning supplies, and other materials shortly after the victims disappeared.
Surveillance and phone data placed him driving across Tampa Bay the night of April 16, mirroring the last known location pings from Limon’s phone. Prosecutors say he later returned to the area after midnight, near where Limon’s body was ultimately found — stuffed into black trash bags along the Howard Frankland Bridge, bearing multiple stab wounds. Investigators have said they do not believe Bristy is alive, though currently unidentified remains were later recovered nearby.
Against that backdrop, Uthmeier is now escalating the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-officials-investigate-chatgpt-openai-alleged-role-fsu-shooting-rcna267477">ongoing investigation</a> into OpenAI, arguing that the role of A.I. tools in cases like this cannot be ignored. Uthmeier’s office began probing after a separate Florida mass shooting in which the suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to research attack methods and timing. 
“We are expanding our criminal investigation into OpenAI to include the USF murders after learning the primary suspect used ChatGPT,” Uthmeier <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2026-04-27/uthmeier-expands-criminal-ai-investigation-to-usf-murders">announced</a> Monday.
In an exclusive statement to The Daily Wire, he made clear the broader implications: “A.I. is being used to create child sexual abuse material, advise kids on how to commit suicide, and carry out violent crimes. We need to know who knew what and when. This investigation is just the first step in determining if OpenAI is criminally liable for these heinous acts, and our office is expanding the investigation to understand the scope of ChatGPT’s role in the USF murders.”
Together, the cases are forming the basis of a novel legal theory: that A.I. developers could bear some responsibility when their systems are used to facilitate real-world violence. For now, Abugharbieh remains jailed without bond as he awaits trial. OpenAI has not publicly responded to the latest developments.
But as investigators continue to piece together both the physical and digital evidence, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: this case may not only determine the fate of a murder suspect, it could help define the legal limits of artificial intelligence in America.

ChatGPT

Killer Relied On ChatGPT To Cover Up His Crime. Here’s How The State Is Responding.

Artificial Intelligence

Chilling testimonies emerging from the Gaza Strip have uncovered a systemic campaign of sexual violence and coercion orchestrated by Hamas-affiliated clerics and officials. According to investigative reports and filmed testimonies, the terror group is allegedly using the rape of young boys and the sexual exploitation of vulnerable women as a tool of political control and recruitment.
The investigation by <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15758543/Gaza-families-say-children-raped-Hamas-affiliated-clerics-parents-intimidated-silence.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">The Daily Mail</a>, bolstered by footage obtained from Jusoor News, reveals a horrifying pattern of abuse within Hamas-run mosques. Young boys, some as young as nine and ten, describe being lured by religious figures under the guise of Koranic study, only to be sexually assaulted in mosque restrooms and upper floors.
One nine-year-old victim recounted being led away by a Sheikh who promised him &#8220;something nice&#8221; before undressing and raping him. A ten-year-old victim described similar &#8220;filthy things&#8221; being done to him by a cleric, an ordeal that only ended when a mosque attendant interrupted them.
Beyond the physical trauma, the abuse is reportedly used as a mechanism for blackmail. Hamza Abu Howidy, a writer who fled the enclave, explained that the phenomenon is so well-known locally that such predators are derisively called &#8220;Mosque Tennis players.&#8221; The victims are often coerced into joining the Hamas movement to prevent their abuse from being made public in a society where such topics are strictly taboo.
Parents who attempt to seek justice face immediate and violent retribution. One father from Khan Younis, whose son was left bleeding and bruised by a head Imam, was met with death threats when he confronted the perpetrator. &#8220;I’ll send Al-Qassam Brigades to you&#8230; We’ll just say you were an Israeli collaborator,&#8221; the Imam allegedly warned. The following night, armed militants arrived at the father&#8217;s home, threatening to &#8220;wipe his family off the face of the earth&#8221; if he spoke another word.
As these accounts of child abuse surface, a <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15732903/Women-living-Hamas-rule-Gaza-Mail-sexually-abused-terror-groups-fighters-forced-sex-return-food-aid.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">parallel story</a> of the systematic exploitation of women has also come to light. Human rights organizations estimate that up to 60,000 women in Gaza are currently vulnerable to sexual blackmail, particularly widows and those displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Testimonies describe &#8220;aid-for-sex&#8221; schemes where Hamas members and officials from affiliated charities demand sexual favors in exchange for food parcels, medicine, or small sums of money. One displaced mother, Noor, described seeking help from an Islamic charity only to be harassed by an elderly cleric. When she threatened to expose him, he reportedly replied: &#8220;You cannot expose me; I am the government here.&#8221;
Other witnesses described a &#8220;disgraceful&#8221; scene in Deir al-Balah where a group of Al-Qassam members were found taking advantage of a displaced widow inside a tent. Even members within the military wing expressed disgust, yet were ordered by leadership to remain silent to protect the group’s image.
&#8220;Hamas has lied about everything,&#8221; said Abdullah, a journalist currently in hiding. &#8220;They stole the aid, created the famine narrative, and take advantage of the most vulnerable while the West remains gullible.&#8221;
Despite the &#8220;shame culture&#8221; and the &#8220;iron fist&#8221; of Hamas rule, Gazans are increasingly breaking their silence. Investigators warn that as formal registration systems collapse, the exploitation of women and children is only worsening, leaving a generation of victims with no recourse for justice under a regime that uses sexual violence as a pillar of its authority.

International Red Cross

Hamas Accused Of Unspeakable Crime Against Young Boys As Method Of Coercion

Gaza

Hamas

Sexual Abuse

World

At least 13 people were killed and 17 wounded in an explosives attack in western Colombia on Saturday, a police source told Reuters, in violence authorities have blamed on dissidents of the FARC guerrilla group.
The attack took place on the Pan-American Highway in the El Tunel area of Cajibio municipality, about 35 km (22 miles) from Popayan, the capital of Cauca province, according to authorities.
Cauca Governor Octavio Guzman said on X the attack was one of several criminal actions reported in the province on Saturday.
&#8220;Cauca cannot continue to face this barbarity alone. We are facing a terrorist escalation that demands immediate responses. We demand forceful, sustained and effective action from the national government in the face of the grave public order crisis we are experiencing,&#8221; he added.
Presidential candidate Paloma Valencia, a member of the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party who is from Cauca, called the attack &#8220;terrorism&#8221; carried out by the dissident FARC faction, which rejected a 2016 peace deal.
&#8220;President Gustavo Petro&#8217;s government cannot continue minimizing the violence or dismantling the state,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We demand immediate action, full backing for our Armed Forces and police, and concrete results.&#8221;
Petro, a former rebel himself whose term as president is nearing an end, has pursued a &#8220;total peace&#8221; policy with guerrillas through negotiations and intermittent ceasefires.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Diego Ore; Editing by Alistair Bell, Rod Nickel)

Colombia

Explosives Attack In Colombia Kills Over A Dozen

Explosion

South America

The illegal immigrant who purse snatched then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem received a three-year prison sentence this week.
Chilean national Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, stole Noem&#8217;s Gucci bag, which had $3,000 cash, her passport, wallet, and government ID inside last April while she was having Easter dinner with family at the Capital Burger in Northwest Washington, D.C., authorities said.
After he serves his time, Bustamante Leiva will be subject to deportation, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/purse-thief-who-targeted-kristi-noem-sentenced-36-months-wire-fraud-and-first-degree" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Department of Justice.
It was his fourth theft in eight days, the Justice Department said. Before that, he was arrested in Utah in 2021 for shoplifting and in London in 2015 for a months-long theft spree, according to the New York Post.
He was also let go by authorities in New York City last March after allegedly stealing a fanny pack from a food cart. The victim of that crime, who was a legal immigrant, previously <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/28/us-news/illegal-migrant-accused-in-kristi-noems-purse-snatching-had-ny-arrest-warrant-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post that the suspect racked up $1,200 in credit card charges in just 20 minutes.
“That’s insane. I don’t know how he was let out after that without any reason,” the man said at the time.
“I mean, putting in so much effort and then coming to the States and experiencing something like that intrigued my frightened side,&#8221; he added.
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Bustamante Leiva pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2025, to three counts of wire fraud and one count of first-degree theft for his role in Noem&#8217;s purse-snatching.
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“Bustamante Leiva came to Washington illegally to prey on citizens of the District. He methodically targeted women at restaurants, stealing their purses, and monetizing the stolen cards within minutes,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement Wednesday.
“His pattern of theft ends here. He will serve his prison term and be deported,&#8221; she said.
After the theft, Bustamante Leiva went to a nearby restaurant, where surveillance cameras captured him holding Noem&#8217;s purse, wallet, and at least four of her credit cards, which he used to make a purchase, according to the Justice Department.
Police arrested the illegal immigrant on April 26, 2025, at a D.C. motel, where they found Noem&#8217;s purse and wallet, along with a gift card he had purchased with a stolen card and more than $3,000 in cash.
Bustamante Leiva entered the United States at the Orlando International Airport in August 2021. At the time, he was granted a visa waiver that allowed him to stay in the country until Nov. 13, 2021.
The Chilean national never left and overstayed his permission to remain in the country, making him an illegal immigrant.
Bustamante Leiva&#8217;s co-defendant Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana was sentenced on March 13, 2026, to 13 months behind bars and three years of supervised release for his role in one of Bustamante Leiva&#8217;s thefts. He is also expected to face deportation after serving his sentence.

Untitled design – 2026-04-24T100009.546

Hammer Falls On Illegal Immigrant Who Stole From Kristi Noem

Deportations

Kristi Noem

Two teenagers, including an 18-year-old girl, were arrested earlier this week and charged with plotting a major attack on one of the largest Jewish synagogues in Houston.
Authorities arrested 18-year-old Angelina Han Hicks of Lexington, North Carolina, on Wednesday and accused her of planning to &#8220;kill as many Jews as possible&#8221; in an attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-texas-synagogue-attack-plot-387b32d268fb0cd71c9415c418856a96">reported</a>. Hicks is accused of plotting the attack alongside two &#8220;male subjects.&#8221; The conspirators planned to murder Jewish worshipers by driving a vehicle through the synagogue on April 21, 2028, according to court documents.
It appears that one of the other alleged co-conspirators was also arrested earlier this week. The Houston Police Department announced on Thursday that a 16-year-old was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder in relation to &#8220;a threat directed towards certain Jewish institutions in our area.&#8221;
The Houston Police did not say the 16-year-old was arrested for a planned attack on Congregation Beth Israel specifically, but authorities in Texas&#8217; largest city said they learned about the threat on the same day Hicks was taken into custody in North Carolina. Court documents identified Hicks&#8217; alleged co-conspirators as &#8220;Teegan&#8221; and &#8220;Angel,&#8221; the Houston Chronicle <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/religion/article/houston-beth-israel-arrest-22221195.php">reported</a>.
Congregation Beth Israel, which also runs a school for pre-K through 5th graders, closed on Wednesday &#8220;out of an abundance of caution&#8221; after Houston police alerted the synagogue&#8217;s leadership to the threat. The synagogue reopened on Thursday.
The FBI <a href="https://x.com/FBICharlotte/status/2047385012278829223">said</a> that its Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force began investigating the alleged plot on Tuesday evening &#8220;after a tip to a North Carolina law enforcement agency.&#8221;
&#8220;This is an exceptional example of when you see something concerning, you say something to law enforcement,&#8221; the FBI added.
Hicks faces two felony charges of conspiracy to commit murder and felony conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon. Her bond was set to $10 million, with District Court Judge Carlton Terry saying on Wednesday that Hicks&#8217; detention is necessary to prevent her from getting &#8220;a chance to communicate with either of those [co-conspirators] or those who could relay a message puts lives at risk.&#8221; Hicks&#8217; lawyer said his client&#8217;s young age could be a major factor in her legal defense.
North Carolina prosecutors warned that while the alleged plot highlighted a date two years from now, there was &#8220;some concern that there could be an imminent event&#8221; targeting Congregation Beth Israel.
The arrests come as Jewish Americans face increased threats and just a month after a Muslim man in Michigan rammed his vehicle into the largest Jewish Reform synagogue in the United States in an attack that the Justice Department said was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-synagogue-terrorist-attack-was-directed-by-hezbollah-fbi-says">directed by Hezbollah</a>. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old Lebanese national, was killed after exchanging gunfire with security guards at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. One of the security guards was injured after he was struck by Ghazali’s vehicle, but no one else was harmed in the attack, which occurred near a daycare with dozens of children inside.

Jewish Synagogue/Angelina Han Hicks

Teens Arrested Over Plot To ‘Kill As Many Jews As Possible’ In Major Synagogue Attack

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