New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:16 am

A couple details from yesterday's Reuters piece
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new- ... SKBN1KY10D


The two men and three women are all related as siblings or by marriage. Three are the adult children of a prominent New York City Muslim cleric who is himself the biological grandfather of nine of the children involved.

...

For now, the thrust of the government’s case remains 11 counts of felony child abuse filed against each of the defendants - Ibn Wahhaj and his wife, Jany Leveille, along with his brother-in-law and sister - Lucas Morton and Subhannah Wahhaj - and a second sister, Hujrah Wahhaj.

...

Lovelace said police at the time found weapons and ammunition in the vehicle. Authorities let the group go after Ibn Wahhaj explained he was licensed to carry the guns as a private security agent and that he and the others were en route to New Mexico for a camping trip.


cf. the Chris Hedges piece from 90's NYT that Captain Marginal posted above.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Jerky » Tue Aug 14, 2018 11:03 am

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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Thu Aug 16, 2018 4:20 pm

Updates:

(1) Investigators did a big search again on Tuesday, August 14th,
(2) Judge got a bunch of death threats and Wahhaj himself cannot be released on bail due to kidnapping charge,
(3) Investigators seized an RV and then destroyed the site on their way out (!!!), apparently on August 14th,
and (4) defendant Jany Leveille is a Haitian who ICE wants to deport.

And oh yeah.

(5) Tales of "miracles in the desert" that mostly just sound like mild heatstroke, but.

This will keep getting weirder, methinks.

1. Via: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/14/us/new-m ... index.html

8.14.2018 Taos County, New Mexico (CNN) For the first time in a week, investigators returned to the makeshift New Mexico compound where 11 starving children lived in squalor.

But this time, they know a lot more about what happened at the filthy site in Amalia, where the decomposed body of a young boy was found.
Investigators searched vehicles on the property on Tuesday, according to a law enforcement source close to the investigation.
As authorities return to the compound, four of the five suspects accused of abusing the children could be released on bond at any moment.


I'm assuming the NYC Imam father paid the bail in question? Anyone seen details on that front?

2. Via: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uproar-aft ... efendants/

Administrative court officials say State District Court Judge Sarah Backus was the target of threats via social media, email and telephone. One caller to the district court in Taos made a death threat, said Barry Massey, a spokesman for the Administrative Office off the Courts.

CBS Albuquerque affiliate KRQE-TV says court staff members told it they received more than 200 calls and emails Tuesday about the judge's decision.

...

Initiated by a statewide vote in 2016, New Mexico's bail reforms are modeled after similar changes made in New Jersey and under consideration in California that reduce the role of money as a means of ensuring court appearances or making release impossible for potentially dangerous suspects.

...

Suspect Siraj Ibn Wahhaj will remain in jail pending a warrant for his arrest in Georgia issued over accusations that he abducted his son, Abdul-ghani, from the boy's mother in December and fled to New Mexico.

Three other defendants - Lucas Morton, Subhannah Wahhaj and Hujrah Wahhaj - had yet to be released on Tuesday.

Attorneys for those four defendants say volunteers have come forward to provide a suitable place for them to live as legal proceedings move forward


3. Via: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/vi ... 25?v=railb

Following a court order, authorities seized an RV at the New Mexico compound where five adults are believed to have been abusing 11 children and training them for school shootings. An underground tunnel at the site where remains of a 3-year-old were found is now buried in rubble, as ammo and a bulletproof vest sit in piles of uncollected trash.


4. Via: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new- ... SKBN1L02DM

Jany Leveille, 35, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Taos County on Tuesday and must appear before a judge to resolve her immigration status, according to a statement by ICE.

“Leveille has been unlawfully present in the U.S. for more than 20 years after overstaying the validity of her non-immigrant visitor visa,” an ICE statement said.

Kelly Golightley, Leveille’s lawyer, declined comment.

Leveille moved to Brooklyn from Haiti in 1998 after their father died, according to her brother Von Chelet Leveille. She then moved several times between Georgia, Philadelphia and New York, following her separation from her first husband, Von Chelet Leveille said in a phone interview from Haiti.


5. Via: https://www.ajc.com/news/local/brother- ... rygBE9tRJ/

Brother: Atlanta family saw miraculous sights in New Mexico desert

Before his sister’s arrest, Von Chelet Leveille says he talked to her every day and she told him about incredible things happening on her secluded desert compound.

Leveille, 37, who lives in Haiti, even heard about the death of a 3-year-old boy there, believed to be a Clayton County child reported missing. He also said his sister Jany Leveille, 35, told him the child would soon come back to life as Jesus.

“At first,” the brother told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “it sounded ridiculous to me.”

But as weeks turned to months of the compound’s occupants watching the body, which had been placed in a tunnel, even the brother began to wonder if it would be true. It didn’t seem as far-fetched when he thought of the stories they’d been telling him — and the photos they sent — from the camp, such as the time a face appeared in the sky, or when the clouds took on the shape of a winged creature and they all cried.

...

The brother said the group is misunderstood.

“I don’t know my sister to practice any black magic,” he said in a phone interview from Port-au-Prince. He said she, like many Muslims, does believe black magic exists and doesn’t support it.

He said the group went to the desert because they no longer wanted to live as “American Muslims” in a society mostly populated by non-Muslims. They’d long lived in secular Atlanta and New York City, where Abdul-Ghani’s grandfather, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, runs a large mosque. The imam has said he was against the trip to the desert and tried to stop it.

Von Chelet Leveille said it was a recent trip to Saudi Arabia by the Clayton toddler’s father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, that made the group realize how different life can be living only among Muslims.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby dada » Thu Aug 16, 2018 5:37 pm

Even people I know with no experience spelunking rabbit warrens see how fishy this one is.

My take: Crazy op, heavy on the crazy, goes south because local cops don't know nothing about nothing, just doing their job. Calls go out.

Feds turn failed op into opportunity by using it to remind those of us who do have warren-spelunking experience, "yeah, we do this. what you gonna do about it?"

And what are we going to do about it. Fuck if I know. But the people I know who think it's fishy don't even know how to process the information.

So my summary: Intent of the op was psycho-shock tactics on the public at some future date. Instead, we get a bit of psycho-shock tactics on the general public today. Their way of salvaging the op, I guess.

Not saying op was by design or not. Just looking at it from a purely functional standpoint.
Both his words and manner of speech seemed at first totally unfamiliar to me, and yet somehow they stirred memories - as an actor might be stirred by the forgotten lines of some role he had played far away and long ago.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Mon Aug 20, 2018 3:13 pm

Via: https://www.koat.com/article/cyfd-child ... s/22769623

CYFD: Children taken in compound investigation will not enroll in public schools
A lot has happened in the two weeks since five people were arrested and 11 children were turned over to CYFD custody.

A lot has happened in the two weeks since five people were arrested and 11 children were turned over to CYFD custody. One noticeable change is that the media can no longer access the compound property because there is a gate and clearly marked no trespassing signs.

Four of the five people charged with child abuse remain behind bars at the Taos County Detention Center despite a judge granting them a bond earlier this week that would have set them free until trial.


"I think it's absolutely outrageous that they're still behind bars," Taos resident Jeff Northrup said.

Northrup stood on a downtown Taos street corner on Saturday with a sign that expresses his support for the judge's decision to grant bond.

"She did absolutely 100 percent the right thing. She followed the law as the law is written," Northrup said.

Others are not so happy about the decision to release the suspects .

The courthouse was locked down earlier in the week when the judge started getting threats.

Siraj Ibn Wahhaj won't be released because he is being held on child abduction charges out of Georgia.

....

In a private custody hearing Friday, the courts ruled the kids will remain in CYFD custody for at least the next 60 business days.

CYFD officials said they don't plan on enrolling them in public schools at this time due to safety concerns and the fact they are still evaluating the kids' mental state.


If you, too, were wondering "what the fuck manner of moonbat is marching around with signs for these people?" -- it turns out Mr. Jeff Northrup is a local character and prolific public nuisance. He's run for Mayor at least once and appears to be some kind of shitlib Fred Phelps.

https://www.abqjournal.com/488971/most- ... s-due.html

The most important takeaway: nobody is out on bail, and the premises went from demolition zone to closed off altogether.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby dada » Mon Aug 20, 2018 10:29 pm

Annoying street corner sign guy gets quoted, the "voice of reason." Could almost be from a "stories that should come from the onion" article, except the onion could never write this one.

And 'others are not so happy,' and making threats. Fair and balanced reporting, I tell you.

So what's up, they're released, but they're in jail. They getting debriefed, or something? Or is the story that it's for their protection. Yeah, protected alright. "Protected" the whole time, probably.

And the demolition site is on lock down. What can you say? Like the feds are on stage going "Come on, people, let me hear ya! can I get a wtf!" And everyone yells, "wtf."

It almost seems like the whole scenario is designed to generate outrage from top to bottom. Or they really just don't care. Not at all, because why should they? They can do whatever they want.

I don't know, just ranting. I think one of the points of this shock-tactic shit is to strike the viewer dumb. But I don't feel like internalizing it anymore. I ran out of wtf's a while ago, too.

Sixty business days, that's the best part I think. Business days. Yeah, monkey business.
Both his words and manner of speech seemed at first totally unfamiliar to me, and yet somehow they stirred memories - as an actor might be stirred by the forgotten lines of some role he had played far away and long ago.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:18 pm

Updates continue to trickle out.

Via: https://taosnews.com/stories/four-defen ... iled,51279

Fugitive charge dismissed, release granted for man held on Georgia abduction case
Motions to dismiss cases against three defendants filed, four defendants still in jail related to compound case

The 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Taos dismissed a fugitive from justice charge Thursday (Aug. 23) against a man accused of abusing 11 children at a compound in Northern New Mexico, clearing the way for the man's conditional release.

The dismissal came little more than a week after Taos District Court Judge Sarah Backus ruled that the defendant, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, and his four co-defendants, also charged with abusing the children, could be released on conditions.

If let out of jail, they have all been ordered to wear GPS ankle bracelets and be placed on house arrest. They cannot return to the compound, which was demolished last week, leaving them to find suitable housing elsewhere.

Meeting those conditions has been a challenge for three other defendants, who were still held with Wahhaj at the Taos County jail as of press time Thursday afternoon. A fourth was detained by immigration and customs agents last week.


Wahhaj's fugitive from justice charge stemmed from an arrest warrant filed in Georgia after he allegedly kidnapped his son, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, whose remains were found buried at the dwelling near the Colorado border Aug. 6.

Ron Olsen, deputy district attorney with the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Taos, stated earlier this month that Wahhaj would have to first address the New Mexico abuse case.

Wahhaj and his co-defendants – his wife, Jany Leveille, 35, Lucas Morton, 40, Subhannah Wahhaj, 35, and Hujrah Wahhaj, 37 – were also charged with criminal trespassing earlier this month for building their home on property they didn't own.

On Thursday, a judge ruled to alter prior cash bonds set in those cases, replacing them with $5,000 unsecured appearance bonds, removing another barrier to their release.

All five adults were arrested Aug. 3, when the Taos County Sheriff's Office and another state law enforcement agency raided the makeshift compound where they had lived with the 11 children.

Less than 24 hours after a Taos District Court Judge granted the defendants bail, Leveille, a Haitan immigrant, was detained by immigration and customs enforcement officers.

Earlier on Thursday, defense attorneys filed motions to dismiss the abuse cases filed against Subhannah Wahhaj, Hujrah Wahhaj and Morton, citing continued delays by state prosecutors and conditions of release that none of the four defendants had been able to fulfill as of press time Thursday.

The motions cite a court rule which requires the state to hold a preliminary hearing for defendants within 10 days of when they are placed in custody.

"If a preliminary examination is not held within the time limits in this rule, the court shall dismiss the case without prejudice and discharge the defendant," Hujrah Wahhaj's attorney, Marie Legrand Mller wrote.


We can expect to see some iteration of the Al-Taqwa network to reach out and provide local housing. Wahhaj Sr. is a man of means.

Via: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/l ... 07a5e.html

FBI contacted Taos County Sheriff’s Office about compound in May

TAOS — The FBI suspected as early as May that a missing Georgia boy was at a makeshift compound in Amalia, a tiny community near the Colorado border, according to newly released records from Taos Central Dispatch.

The child’s body was found at the site early this month, three days after a law enforcement raid prompted authorities to take 11 children into state custody and arrest five adults on suspicion of neglecting the children. The FBI did not participate in the raid and has not commented on its investigation.

Responding to an inquiry about evidence collected at the compound before it was demolished last week, FBI spokesman Frank Fisher said “it would be inappropriate” for the agency to comment while cases connected to the investigation are pending.

The May 14 dispatch report indicates Special Agent Dennis Suta, who works for the FBI field office in Atlanta, requested assistance from the Taos County Sheriff’s Office.

“Request for assistance from local authorities of a [3-year-old] child,” the dispatch report reads, “have reason to believe he’s in Amalia. Have an address and would like a deputy to assist. This case is out of Atlanta, Georgia.”

“What sort of assistance is required?” a Taos deputy asked.

“Assist with kidnapped child,” the dispatcher said.

Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said the FBI tracked the boy’s father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, after an arrest warrant was issued, accusing him of abducting his young son, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj.

Federal agents had watched the compound using aerial surveillance for an unknown number of months but never moved in on the property because of a lack of evidence, Hogrefe said.

The compound’s residents might have been in danger, the May 14 report says, with comments describing Siraj Ibn Wahhaj as potentially “armed and dangerous.” Deputies were warned not to broadcast chatter about the compound on the radio “as a precaution.”

Jason Badger, a resident who lives near the compound and owns the land where it was constructed, has said he submitted complaints earlier this year.

On June 8, a dispatch report shows, Badger complained that Lucas Morton, 40, a resident of the compound who owned property nearby, was trespassing on his land.

Badger “advised he needs assistance removing a squatter, Lucas Allen Morton, from his field,” a dispatcher said in the report.

The Taos County Sheriff’s Office said Badger had been advised to “get an eviction notice” before law enforcement would be able to take action.

The next dispatch report tied to the compound came Aug. 3, when members of the Taos County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance suited up for the raid. The move came after Georgia authorities notified Hogrefe of a Facebook message from a woman at the compound to a friend in Georgia, requesting food assistance and saying the group was starving.

Hogrefe has said the message gave his agency probable cause to search the property. Moving in sooner, he said this week, would have compromised the case.

“TCSO did this by the book,” Hogrefe said, “with lawful authority granted by a [search warrant] and with the best intentions.”

The final dispatch report is dated Aug. 13, when Jason Badger’s wife, Tanya Badger, called with concerns that the defendants in the case would return to the compound after District Judge Sarah Backus granted their release on bail.

Henry Varela, a spokesman with the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, which has placed the 11 children from the compound in foster homes, said the office had not received a complaint about the children’s living conditions prior to the Aug. 3 raid.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Mon Aug 27, 2018 10:59 am

Via: https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/two ... WHkFnVSQO/

Two people in a New Mexico compound in which children were allegedly trained to carry out mass shootings had Grady Memorial Hospital as a target, according to prosecutors.

Interviews with some of the 11 children removed from the compound this month said Jany Leveille and partner Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, who have metro Atlanta connections, intended to confront “corrupt” institutions or individuals, according to a document filed Friday in Taos County, N.M., and obtained by AJC.com.

“A specific ‘corrupt’ institution named by one of the children was Grady Hospital,” according to the document.

Leveille expressed her displeasure with Grady “due to treatment she and her mother received there,”the document said.

n Friday’s court filing, prosecutors in New Mexico are seeking to have them and three other suspects in the case held without bond.

On Aug. 13, a New Mexico state district court judge granted the suspects a $20,000 signature bond.

All are still in custody.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby elfismiles » Mon Aug 27, 2018 12:58 pm

Original link for that report Wombat posted above....

Duo tied to New Mexico compound planned attack on Grady hospital, documents show
Updated: Aug 26, 2018 - 1:31 PM
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlant ... /820684695

WITH DOCUMENTS!!!
https://media-beta.wsbtv.com/document_d ... ver1.0.pdf

LOCAL ARCHIVE:
20180825180805_12741159_ver1.0.pdf
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:13 pm

Via: https://www.koat.com/article/charges-di ... e/22863539

AMALIA, N.M. —
A judge ruled on Wednesday to dismiss all child abuse charges against three out of the five suspects in the Taos County compound case.

Lucas Morton, Subhannah Wahhaj and Hujrah Wahhaj had charges against them dropped, because the state violated the 10 day rule for a preliminary hearing, according to the judge.

They could be released as early as 2 p.m.

Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and Jany Leveille are still due back in court at 1 p.m. on additional child abuse charges surrounding the death of 3-year-old Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Cordelia » Thu Aug 30, 2018 11:10 am

^^^
“For whatever reason, the state did not obtain a preliminary hearing date within 10 days,” Aleksander Kostich, a public defender representing Morton, told The Washington Post. “It’s absolutely bizarre.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2 ... 61722dbcb0


DA loses two more attorneys, looks to fill gaps

Posted Thursday, May 4, 2017 8:00 am

By John Miller

Image
Eighth Judicial District Attorney's Office Chief Prosecutor Donald Gallegos has some spots to fill in his district.

Prosecutors David Thomas and Meghan Hasser move on from the Eighth Judicial District Attorney's Office at the end of this week, leaving just three attorneys to cover the three counties under the office's jurisdiction - Taos, Colfax and Union – a territory that spans 9,803 square miles.

In an update released Friday morning (May 5), Gallegos said he's already expecting to be "fully staffed" by the end of the month, with "experienced prosecutors" picking up where the exiting attorneys leave off.

https://taosnews.com/stories/da-loses-t ... gaps,40203



Oops, looks like after a year+ the D.A.'s new attorneys weren't yet up to speed to prosecute a high-profile criminal case being covered by national-international press.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:08 pm

Taos DA plans to refile charges against NNM compound defendants
DA responds to backlash over missed deadline

After his prosecutors missed a critical deadline in five high-profile child abuse cases dropped Wednesday (Aug. 29) in Taos District Court, 8th Judicial District Attorney Donald Gallegos issued a statement defending his office and assuring the public the cases will be reopened.

At this point, however, he's not sure how exactly his office will make that happen, according to his statement posted early Thursday afternoon (Aug. 30) on Facebook.

"We are assessing and will decide which avenue to pursue," Gallegos wrote. "What is important to known is that we will continue to pursue the prosecution of the cases."

On Wednesday, state judges Emilio Chavez and Jeff McElroy dismissed the cases filed against five adults arrested in a high-profile law enforcement raid of a compound in Northern New Mexico.

....

But on Wednesday, District Judges Chavez and McElroy ruled to drop all five cases after prosecutors failed to hold their preliminary hearings for the defendants in accordance with court rules in New Mexico, which impose a 10-day window for defendants who are incarcerated.

The original cases for all five defendants were dismissed without prejudice, leaving the DA with options. Gallegos said his office is currently looking at two: refile the charges or take the cases before a grand jury.

While Morton, Subhannah Wahhaj and Hujrah Wahhaj were released from jail yesterday, Leveille and Siraj Ibn Wahhaj continue to be held on other felony child abuse charges filed last Friday (Aug. 24).

In spite of their legal mistep, Gallegos stood behind prosecutors Tim Hasson and John Lovelace, who handled the dismissed cases.

"My staff has worked diligently, professionally and ethically and I am very proud of them," Gallegos wrote. "Additionally, all the agencies who have been involved in the investigation have done a good job of collecting evidence and discussing issues with us. There is still a great deal of information still coming in and we must review it all."

As to the heavy criticism he and his office have received since the missed deadline came to light yesterday, Gallegos asked the public to avoid vitriol and threats.

"Cussing and threatening the people involved will not accomplish justice and serves no useful purpose," he said. "Remember, you do not have all the facts. That will develop as the cases progress."


State government is such a mendacious shitshow of wasted time and stupidity it's always, sadly, possible to believe someone like Gallegos is just that dumb. Worth noting he's got priors on the "curious incompetence" front, though:

Via: https://taosnews.com/stories/donald-gal ... rney,21578

The decision to seek reelection came just months after Gallegos was accused of violating rules of professional procedure. A prosecutor in Gallegos office — Emilio Chavez (now a district court judge) — was accused of abusing subpoena power, and Gallegos was accused of improper oversight.

Both Gallegos and Chavez disputed the allegations, saying the subpoenas issued to phone companies with the approval of a judge fell into a legal gray area.

After months of back and forth, the New Mexico Supreme Court reprimanded Gallegos for his actions just weeks before the primary election.


Via: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nm-supreme- ... 76647.html

Opinion Number: NO. S-1-SC-35469
Decided: February 06, 2017

{1} This disciplinary action involves Respondents Emilio Jacob Chavez, Deputy District Attorney for the Eighth Judicial District, and his supervisor Donald A. Gallegos, District Attorney for the Eighth Judicial District. Over the course of two years, Chavez engaged in a pattern of issuing investigative subpoenas unconnected to court or grand jury proceedings. Gallegos authorized the issuance of a subset of the subpoenas, but was unaware of most of them.


Via:http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/state-high-court-censures-taos-da-prosecutor-turned-judge-over/article_a1add12a-e0b0-11e5-b720-4390826e3218.html

The New Mexico Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded a state district attorney and a prosecutor-turned-judge for their misuse of subpoena power.

The disciplinary cases against 8th Judicial District Attorney Donald Gallegos of Taos and former prosecutor Emilio Chavez stem from 94 subpoenas Chavez issued in 2012 and 2013 without the approval of a judge or grand jury to gather information in criminal investigations before charges were filed.

Gov. Susana Martinez last summer appointed Chavez as an 8th Judicial District Court judge, based in Raton, even after lawyers for the New Mexico Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Board filed disciplinary charges against him and Gallegos in October 2014, alleging they had violated several rules of professional conduct.

Attorneys for the board, which regulates the conduct of lawyers across the state, argued that the practice allowed prosecutors to skirt judicial oversight and fish for evidence.

Chief Disciplinary Counsel William D. Slease told justices Wednesday that the District Attorney’s Office issued the subpoenas in question to cellular telephone service providers, the state’s child welfare agency and an electric utility during the course of several criminal investigations.

“What we have is a direct abuse of subpoena power,” Slease said.

Such subpoenas were used to identify suspects in an armed robbery at an electric cooperative in Taos on April 10, 2013, but attorneys representing the suspects objected to the practice.

Quashing the indictment of one suspect, a district judge ruled Chavez “had no reasonable basis in law” to issue the subpoenas.

A complaint to the disciplinary board in that case led to an investigation, which turned up more subpoenas similarly issued by the District Attorney’s Office without the approval of a judge or grand jury before charges were filed. Several such subpoenas omitted information regarding the recipients’ rights, and one apparently connected to an investigation of marijuana cultivation forbid the recipient from disclosing that he or she had received the subpoena.

The disciplinary case resulted in two separate panels issuing conflicting findings and recommendations for the two men — one calling for dismissal of the charges and another recommending reprimanding Gallegos and censuring Chavez.

The case culminated with oral arguments at the state’s highest court Wednesday morning.

Attorneys representing Chavez and Gallegos previously argued that the use of subpoenas by prosecutors during investigations, such as the probe into the co-op robbery, is a legal gray area.

Moreover, they have argued that the subpoenas issued to cellphone companies, as well as other companies and government agencies, did not violate anyone’s privacy because those records belonged to the companies.

Their lawyers suggested the subpoenas were issued as a necessity to expedite criminal investigations in a rural area where grand juries convene only a few times each month.

“If the court determines Chavez made a mistake in his interpretation [of the law], that doesn’t mean he’s incompetent,” William F. Riordan, the lawyer representing Chavez, told the high court.

“The system worked” because information obtained through the subpoenas was suppressed by a judge, argued Ahmad Assed, the attorney representing Gallegos.

Riordan also suggested the court could address the subpoena power of prosecutors when the case of one suspect in the co-op robbery reaches the justices on appeal.

Meanwhile, Slease called on the court to censure Chavez and Gallegos to “speak to the issue of prosecutors taking these steps without any oversight.”

“Where does this stop?” he asked the court.

After nearly an hour of deliberation, Chief Justice Barbara J. Vigil described the case as raising “a very important issue this court needed to address” as she delivered a unanimous decision.

Vigil said the court was “impressed by the lack of any bad motive” by Gallegos and Chavez.

But the justices determined both men had violated the rule of professional procedure for attorneys that prohibits the use of “methods to obtain evidence that violates the legal rights of a third person.”

The court also determined Gallegos violated the rules of professional procedure by failing to properly supervise Chavez when he was issuing the subpoenas in question.

The reprimands are deferred and will be withdrawn after one year if the men do not violate the rules of professional conduct during that time.

The court also waived costs of the proceedings for both men.


Vigil said the Supreme Court will issue written opinions in the case, potentially elaborating on its stance regarding the subpoena power of prosecutors.

No one has been convicted in connection with robbery at Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, and two suspects are suing Chavez as well as a Taos Police Department detective in connection with the investigation.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby seemslikeadream » Fri Aug 31, 2018 9:36 pm

FBI arrests New Mexico compound members on new charges
Andrew Hay

TAOS, N.M. (Reuters) - Five residents of a New Mexico compound were arrested on Friday by the FBI for violating firearms and conspiracy laws in what one of their lawyers described as a “bad development” for the group, who are accused of planning anti-government attacks.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new- ... SKCN1LG2Y2
Mazars and Deutsche Bank could have ended this nightmare before it started.
They could still get him out of office.
But instead, they want mass death.
Don’t forget that.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:52 am

Via: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal- ... o-compound

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 14, 2019

Federal Grand Jury Returns Superseding Indictment against Five Amalia, New Mexico Compound Defendants
Defendants Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support in Preparation for Attacks on Federal Officials and Other Offenses

A federal grand jury sitting in Albuquerque, New Mexico returned a superseding indictment on March 13 charging Jany Leveille, 36, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 40, Hujrah Wahhaj, 38, Subhanah Wahhaj, 36, and Lucas Morton, 41, with federal offenses related to terrorism, kidnapping and firearms violations. The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the National Security Division, U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson for the District of New Mexico, Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge James Langenberg of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office.

These defendants were previously charged by indictment on Sept. 11, 2018, with a conspiracy relating to the possession of firearms and ammunition by an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States. The original indictment also charged Leveille with possessing firearms and ammunition as an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States.

The superseding indictment charges all of the defendants with participating in a conspiracy from October 2017 to August 2018 to provide material support and resources, including currency, training, weapons, and personnel, knowing and intending that they were to be used in preparation for and in carrying out attacks to kill officers and employees of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339A.

“The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to provide material support in preparation for violent attacks against federal law enforcement officers and members of the military,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Advancing beliefs through terror and violence has no place in America, and the National Security Division continues to make protecting against terrorism its top priority.”

“The superseding indictment alleges a conspiracy to stage deadly attacks on American soil,” said U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson. “These allegations remind us of the dangers of terrorism that continue to confront our nation, and the allegation concerning the death of a young child only underscores the importance of prompt and effective intervention by law enforcement. I commend the FBI, DHS, ATF, Taos County Sheriff’s Office, and the Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office for their ongoing diligence and outstanding work in identifying and disabling imminent threats of targeted violence. ”

“The defendants in this case allegedly were preparing for deadly attacks and their targets included law enforcement and military personnel, the very people who are committed to protecting all of us,” said Assistant Director McGarrity. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to uncover and put a stop to acts of terrorism.”

“During this lengthy and complex investigation, the safety of the community as well as that of the children at the Amalia compound has been our priority,” said Special Agent in Charge Langenberg. “Cases such as these sometimes take a while, but the FBI will never give up until justice is done.”

As alleged in the superseding indictment, these defendants conspired to provide material support in preparation for violent attacks against officers and employees of the United States. According to the superseding indictment, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and Hujrah Wahhaj gathered firearms and ammunition, and all of the defendants transported people, firearms, and ammunition across state lines and constructed a training compound where they stored firearms and ammunition. The superseding indictment further alleges that Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and Morton constructed and maintained a firing range at the compound where they engaged in firearms and tactical training for other compound occupants, and that Leveille and Morton attempted to recruit others to their cause.

The superseding indictment also charges Leveille, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, and Morton with conspiring to attack and kill officers and employees of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1117. It was a part and an object of the conspiracy that the defendants would kill officers and employees of the United States, specifically, Federal Bureau of Investigation employees, government officials, and military personnel.

The superseding indictment also charges Leveille, Hujrah Wahhaj, Subhanah Wahhaj, and Morton with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. According to the superseding indictment, they kidnapped a child under the age of eighteen in Georgia and transported the child to New Mexico, where they concealed and held the child, resulting in the child’s death.

The superseding indictment also includes the charges from the original indictment. All of the defendants are currently in custody awaiting trial.

Indictments are only accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The Albuquerque Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Taos County Sheriff’s Office, and the Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys George C. Kraehe and Kimberly A. Brawley and Trial Attorneys Troy A. Edwards, Jr. and David Cora of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.


Via: https://www.abqjournal.com/1485081/defe ... trial.html

Defendant in terrorism case found incompetent to stand trial
By Edmundo Carrillo / Journal Staff Writer
Published: Monday, August 10th, 2020 at 10:29pm

One of the defendants in a terrorism case out of Taos County has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.

Lucas Morton, 42, will now undergo treatment to attempt to gain competency, according to court documents.

Morton and four others – Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, Subhanah Wahhaj, Hujrah Wahhaj and Jany Leveille – are charged in federal court with conspiracy to murder an officer or employee of the United States, providing material support to terrorists, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and other charges.

The defendants were arrested in August 2018 while living with their 11 children, ages 1 through 15, in a makeshift compound in Amalia, near the Colorado border. The remains of 3-year-old Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj’s son, were later found on the property.

The group is accused of gathering weapons and ammunition and using the compound to train the children to carry out terrorist attacks on educational, governmental and law enforcement institutions.

According to an order filed last week by federal Judge William P. Johnson, Morton’s attorneys filed a motion in January to determine Morton’s competency. In February, the motion was granted and Morton was referred to the Bureau of Prisons for a competency evaluation.

In May Dr. Jessica Micono filed a report that says Morton suffers from a disorder that “significantly impairs his present ability to understand the nature and consequences of the court proceedings against him,” and determined he was incompetent to stand trial, the order says.

Micono recommended that Morton be committed to a federal medical center for restoration of competence and that his prognosis for restoration “appears to be positive.”

“Therefore, the Court hereby finds Defendant Lucas Morton incompetent and (is) committing him to the custody of the Attorney General for placement in a suitable facility,” Johnson wrote.

The order says the U.S. attorney does not object to Micono’s findings.

The five adults were initially charged with child abuse in state court after children at the compound were found to be malnourished. The charges were dismissed after Taos County prosecutors missed court deadlines. The defendants were later indicted on federal firearms charges in September 2018 and on terrorism charges in March 2019.

Abdul-Ghani reportedly suffered from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a condition that caused severe seizures, and was not given his medication.

The children told federal agents that Abdul-Ghani would be resurrected as Jesus and would identify the institutions to attack.


Dr. Jessica Micono has a podcast, "Psychology After Dark." Subject range is interesting and non-surprising.
https://www.psychologyafterdark.com/pod ... xperiments
https://www.psychologyafterdark.com/pod ... rtin-trial
https://www.psychologyafterdark.com/pod ... y-theories
https://www.psychologyafterdark.com/pod ... il-dorsett
https://www.psychologyafterdark.com/new ... -abduction

Note that the episode on aliens offers "Find information on hypnosis and false memories here" and links, of course, to the FMSF.

The quality of spook assets degrades further with every passing generation, but demand for their product remains constant.

Dr. Jessica Micono is a traditionally educated and licensed clinical psychologist whose expertise is in forensic psychology, psychological evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of criminal pathology. She has been diagnosing and treating criminal offenders since 2007. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Regis University where she teaches forensic psychology. She has a M.A. in Forensic Psychology and a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver.

Dr. David Morelos is a self-proclaimed “rogue scholar” with an unorthodox education in literature, philosophy and transpersonal psychology. He has spent the last 18 years working with criminal populations in both law-enforcement and substance abuse treatment roles. His expertise is in prisonization and men’s psychology. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology (transpersonal concentration) from Sofia University in Palo Alto, CA.
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Re: New Mexico / Siraj Wahhaj

Postby Wombaticus Rex » Fri Jul 08, 2022 11:15 am

AP wire, April 7th 2022

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A second defendant is invoking the right to a speedy trial in the 2018 raid on a squalid family compound in northern New Mexico that uncovered the remains of a 3-year-old boy and led to charges of kidnapping, firearms and terrorism charges, defense attorneys confirmed Thursday.

Subhanah Wahhaj, one of five defendants who have been incarcerated since the raid, gave birth to a child during her initial months in federal custody. She denies the charges against her and this week notified federal prosecutors and a judge in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque of her right to a trial within a reasonable amount of time after arrest.

“We filed the speedy-trial notice because it’s been (nearly) four years, and based on the evidence in the case we don’t think our client belongs in jail any more,” said Ryan Villa, a court-appointed attorney for Wahhaj.

Wahhaj was arrested in August 2018 along with her husband and three other adults from an extended family in a law enforcement raid at a ramshackle encampment in the remote desert surrounded by berms of used tires with an adjacent firing range. Authorities were searching for a sickly 3-year-old who had been reported missing by his mother in Georgia.

Sheriff’s deputies and state agents initially found 11 hungry children and a small arsenal of ammunition and guns. After days of searching, they recovered the decomposed remains of the 3-year-old in an underground tunnel.

Trial preparations have been largely suspended without a start date as the court addresses mental health concerns about four defendants. A new court filing indicates three defendants have been found mentally competent to stand trial — Subhanah Wahhaj, sister Hujrah Wahhaj and Haitian national Jany Leveille.

Evaluation and possible treatment is pending for Lucas Morton, the husband of Subhanah.

Subhanah also is the mother of four children taken into state custody during the 2018 raid.

Authorities have said the deceased child, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, suffered from untreated disabilities as father Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and his partner Leveille performed daily prayer rituals over him — even as he cried and foamed at the mouth. Authorities also said Leveille believed medication suppressed the group’s Muslim beliefs.

Forensic specialists determined the child died several months prior to the recovery of his body.

A grand jury indictment alleges Leveille and her partner instructed people at the compound to be prepared to engage in jihad and die as martyrs, and that one more relative was invited to bring money and firearms.

All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and providing material support to each other as potential terrorists by crossing state lines with firearms and training at the New Mexico compound.

The defendants have denied all charges. Defense attorneys have said their clients would not be facing terrorism-related charges if they were not Muslim.

Siraj Ibn Wahhaj also has protested trial delays.
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