|
On Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 in the early morning my homes in Rachel, NV and in Las Vegas were raided by a joint force of FBI and USAF OSI. This happened without any warning. My gate and three doors were needlessly broken down and I in Rachel and my girlfriend in our Las Vegas home, two unarmed, innocent and fully cooperating senior citizens, were detained and treated in the most disrespectful way. My girlfriend was led outside and paraded down our street barefoot and only in her underwear in full view of our neighbors. I was dragged outside, handcuffed and only in t-shirt and sweat pants in sub-freezing temperatures.
Each home was searched by 15-20 agents in full riot gear, causing further damage in both homes. While the agents were searching my home I was severely interrogated outside by two agents. Despite my repeated requests for an explanation, I was only told that the search was related to images posted on my web site. To the best of my knowledge I am not sharing anything on my web site that cannot be found on dozens of other web sites and news outlet publications.
All my laptops, tablets, phones, backup drives, expensive camera gear and my drone were seized. With my computers I lost all my medical, financial and tax records, passwords, email, contacts, photos etc. The loss of my much needed medical and financial records as well as photos and other memories of my deceased parents is particularly troubling.
Even my cell phone was taken, leaving this senior citizen severely traumatized in a very remote location with a broken gate, two broken doors and no way to communicate or call for help. I repeatedly requested to be provided a phone for emergencies but was denied.
So far my expenses include $6,400 in legal fees, over $20,000 in seized property and $5,500 in damage. My girlfriend and I are both traumatized as a result of the raid and the treatment we were subjected to.
After the search was complete, I was finally handed a search warrant. It is missing the first 39 pages with the reason for the search and the case records are sealed. Therefore, I cannot look up the reason for the search or what, if anything, I am being accused of. I have not been charged with a crime nor have I heard back from the FBI, despite my and my attorney’s many attempts to reach out to the agent in charge. The FBI denied my claim to be reimbursed for the damage caused to my homes and my attorney advised me that it is unlikely that I will get my property back any time soon.
I have been a journalist focused on Area 51 and military aviation for over 20 years. I was even granted media credentials at Nellis AFB for their air show. I believe the search, executed with completely unnecessary force, was an attempt to silence me and meant as a message to silence the military aviation journalist community as a whole. I feel that my first and fourth amendment rights were violated by the baseless FBI raid.
The raid is an assault on the freedom of the press in general. A joint open letter from The NY Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El Pais referencing the case of Julian Assange recently states: "Obtaining and disclosing sensitive information when necessary in the public interest is a core part of the daily work of journalists."
I am an American citizen and a civilian who has never served in the US military. The receipt for seized property was signed by an agent of the USAF OSI. The OSI agent also seemed to lead my interrogation. However, the AF OSI has no jurisdiction over civilians, nor do they have the authority to take custody of property seized from civilians. That makes me question the legality of the seizure.
I am retired on a very modest fixed income. But within my means I intend to fight this blatant case of government overreach to make sure this injustice does not happen to other innocent Americans. If you would like to help this cause please visit my GoFundMe page. And if you happen to be an attorney who is not afraid to take on the government on a contingency basis, please contact me.
Thank you all! God Bless America!