Pic: DOJ worker allegedly spiked pregnant girlfriend's drink with abortion pill
In a press release on Facebook, the Parker County Sheriff's Office announced that the office's Criminal Investigations Division arrested 38-year-old Justin Anthony Banta, an employee of the Department of Justice's information technology department, on Friday as part of a 'capital murder investigation involving a pregnant woman.'
'The victim reported that her boyfriend intentionally added 'Plan C,' (commonly known as the abortion drug) to her drink in order to force her to have an abortion without her knowledge or consent,' the press release stated.
According to the Parker County Sheriff's Office, the female victim reported in September of 2024 that she was in a 'romantic relationship' with Banta when she found out she was pregnant. After the victim told Banta that she was pregnant, the 38-year-old suspect offered to cover the cost of an abortion and proposed ordering the abortion drug online; however, the victim told Banta that she wanted to keep the baby.
The press release explained that the victim had a sonogram on October 17 when she was roughly six weeks pregnant and was told by a doctor that her baby was healthy.
READ MORE: Democrats block bill protecting babies born alive during failed abortions
'Later that same day, the victim reported she met Banta at a coffee shop in Tarrant County, where she expressed her suspicion that Banta had secretly added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission, while they were at a coffee shop,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said.
According to law enforcement officials, the victim started experiencing 'heavy bleeding' and 'extreme fatigue' just one day after meeting Banta at the coffee shop, forcing her to go to an emergency room. The victim told law enforcement officials that she lost her baby on October 17 and claimed that the loss of her baby was caused by abortion drugs Banta allegedly placed in her drink.
The Parker County Sheriff's Office believes that Banta remotely accessed his cell phone, which was seized by law enforcement officials as evidence, and 'reset' the phone to delete 'crucial evidence related to the case.'
According to the press release, law enforcement officials obtained a felony arrest warrant for the 38-year-old suspect and booked him into the Parker County Jail on Friday. Banta has been charged by the Texas Rangers for capital murder and by the Parker County Sheriff's Office for tampering with physical evidence.
A picture of Banta has been shared on X, formerly Twitter.
🔎 Federal IT Employee Accused of Capital Murder After Allegedly Drugging Pregnant Girlfriend's Drink 💔
Parker County, TX – A months-long investigation has led to the arrest of 38-year-old Justin Anthony Banta, who is now facing capital murder charges after allegedly slipping… pic.twitter.com/L4EPW9O72I — Texan Report (@TexanReport) June 9, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
6 hours ago
5 years after Ohio's $60M bribery scandal, critics say more could be done to prevent a repeat
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Five years after a $60 million bribery scheme funded by FirstEnergy Corp. came to light in Ohio, expert observers say the resulting prosecutions, lawsuits, penalties and legislation haven't led to enough change and accountability to prevent politicians and corporate executives from cutting similar deals in the future. The scheme — whose prospective $2 billion-plus pricetag to consumers makes it the largest infrastructure scandal in U.S. history — surfaced with the stunning arrests of a powerful Republican state lawmaker and four associates on July 21, 2020. That lawmaker, former House Speaker Larry Householder, is serving 20 years in federal prison for masterminding the racketeering operation at the center of the scandal. Jurors agreed with prosecutors that money that changed hands wasn't everyday political giving, but an elaborate secret scheme orchestrated by Householder to elect political allies, become the House speaker, pass a $1 billion nuclear bailout law in House Bill 6 and crush a repeal effort. One of the dark money groups Householder used also pleaded guilty to racketeering. Householder and a former lobbyist have unsuccessfully challenged their convictions. Two of the arrested associates pleaded guilty, and the other died by suicide. Any hope that the convictions would have clarified federal law around 501(c)4 nonprofit 'dark money' groups or prompted new restrictions on those hasn't materialized, said former U.S. Attorney David DeVillers, who led the initial investigation. 'I think it's actually worse than it was before,' he said. 'Nationally, you have both Democrats and Republicans using these, so there's no political will to do anything about it.' Indeed, a study released in May by the Brennan Center for Justice found that dark money unleashed by the 2010 Citizens United decision hit a record high of $1.9 billion in 2024 federal races, nearly double the $1 billion spent in 2020. The vast majority of money from undisclosed donors raised into dark money accounts now goes to super PACs, providing them a way to skirt a requirement that they make their donors public, the study found. DeVillers said one positive result of the scandal is that Ohio lawmakers appear genuinely concerned about avoiding quid pro quos, real or perceived, between them and their political contributors. Anti-corruption legislation perennially introduced by Ohio Democrats since the scandal broke has gone nowhere in the GOP-dominated Legislature. Republican legislative leaders have said it is outside their authority to amend federal campaign finance law. The U.S. Attorney's office declined to discuss the investigation because prosecutions remain ongoing. Two fired FirstEnergy executives have pleaded not guilty on related state and federal charges and await trial. Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Samuel Randazzo, to whom FirstEnergy admitted giving a $4.3 million bribe in exchange for regulatory favors, had faced both federal and state charges. He died by suicide after pleading not guilty. Akron-based FirstEnergy — a $23 billion Fortune 500 company with 6 million customers in five states — admitted using dark money groups to bankroll Householder's ascendance in exchange for passage of the bailout bill. It agreed to pay $230 million and meet other conditions to avoid prosecution, and faced other sanctions, including a $100 million civil penalty by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. But FirstEnergy hasn't yet faced consequences from the state regulator. 'They never actually got penalized by regulators at the PUCO level,' said Ohio Consumers' Counsel Maureen Willis, the lawyer for Ohio utility customers. Testimony in four PUCO proceedings stemming from the scandal finally began last month after the cases were delayed for nearly two years, in part at the request of the Justice Department. They're intended to determine whether FirstEnergy used money for bribes that was meant for grid modernization and whether it improperly comingled money from its different corporate entities. FirstEnergy spokeperson Jennifer Young said it invested $4 billion in grid upgrades in 2024 and plans to spend a total of $28 billion through 2029. Young said FirstEnergy has redesigned its organizational structure, established a dedicated ethics and compliance office, overhauled the company's political activity and lobbying practices and strengthened other corporate governance and oversight practices. 'FirstEnergy is a far different company today than it was five years ago,' she said. The PUCO also made changes in response to the scandal. Chair Jenifer French told state lawmakers that ethics training has been enhanced, staff lawyers and the administrative law judges who hear cases now report to different directors to ensure legal independence, and she never takes a meeting alone. Ashley Brown, a retired executive director of the Harvard Electricity Policy Group who previously served as a PUCO commissioner, said the commission is the only state entity with the power to order FirstEnergy to return tainted cash — including the bribe money — to customers. That largely hasn't happened. He said the Ohio commission had vast power to hold FirstEnergy accountable for its misdeeds but hasn't conducted its own management audit of the energy giant, demanded an overhaul of FirstEnergy's corporate board or pressed for public release of FirstEnergy's own internal investigation of the scandal, whose findings remain a mystery. Shareholders won some accountability measures as part of a $180 million settlement in 2022, but they continue to fight in court for release of the investigation. Willis does, too. 'How do you allow a utility to operate a vast criminal conspiracy within the utility (with) consumer dollars, and you don't even look at what went wrong?' Brown said. PUCO spokesperson Matt Schilling reiterated that the commission's probes are ongoing. He said the panel has vowed to take its proceedings 'wherever the facts lead.' The portion of HB 6 that bailed out two FirstEnergy-affiliated nuclear plants was repealed in 2021, and $26 million was refunded to customers. The scandal investigation revealed that other power distribution companies got a lucrative payout of their own added to the bill in exchange for their buy-in: subsidies for two unprofitable Cold War-era coal plants. It wasn't until April that a law was passed repealing those subsidies. Until that takes effect Aug. 14, the charges cost Ohio ratepayers $445,679 a day — and it's unclear if or when they'll get that money back. A ticker on Willis' website puts the total they've paid at more than $500 million and counting.
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Fox News
'WHAT THE HELL IS THAT': Bill Melugin Reacts to Activist Judge Ruling to Block Trump Immigration Order
Bill Melugin, an Los Angeles-based correspondent for FOX News Channel, joined The Guy Benson Show today to break down the latest on immigration enforcement, including how Democrats continue to undermine Trump's ICE policies. Melugin detailed the staggering lack of attention from the left on violent crimes committed by criminal illegal immigrants, as many US congressman on the left continue to fight for alleged criminals like Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Bill also addressed activist judges blocking the administration's efforts to end temporary protections, and he also highlighted the reckless and partisan push from Democrats to ban ICE agents from wearing masks. Listen to the full interview below! Listen to the full interview below: Listen to the full podcast below:
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Senate confirms Joe Kent, ex-Washington candidate with extremist ties, to lead counterterrorism unit
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After a vote on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed former Washington congressional candidate Joe Kent as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent was confirmed for the counterterrorism post in a 52-44 Senate vote, with Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina representing the only Republican vote against the nominee, as first reported by the Associated Press. In a post on X following his confirmation, Kent said, 'It's an honor to serve our nation again & to be back in the fight against terrorism. Thank you President Trump & (Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard) for your confidence in my leadership. NCTC will relentlessly pursue & defeat our nation's enemies. In honor of the fallen, we fight on.' Human remains discovered inside abandoned U-Haul locker in The Dalles Kent, a retired Green Beret, recently lost back-to-back races in 2022 and 2024 against Democratic Representative Marie Glusenkamp Perez for Washington's third district stretching from Vancouver to the Centralia area. Some Democrats have warned against his extremist ties, including his support of unsubstantiated theories that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had a role in the January 6 insurrection, as reported by the Washington Post, noting Kent's previous ties to white supremacist Nick Fuentes during his failed bid for Congress. Now, Kent will be tasked with leading an agency that analyzes and detects terrorist threats. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now During the second Trump administration, Kent has served as a top aide to Director of National Intelligence Gabbard — who designated Kent as DNI's point of contact in the Signal group chat of government officials and Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg that shared plans for an attack against Houthis in Yemen, as reported by CBS News. In February, President Trump announced Kent's nomination for the counterterrorism role in a , stating, 'Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life. Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a Great American Hero, who was killed in the fight against ISIS. Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight. Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the world, to the cartels in our backyard.' In his new role, Kent plans to address Latin American gangs and other criminal groups connected to migration, according to AP. 'President Trump is committed to identifying these cartels and these violent gang members and making sure that we locate them and that we get them out of our country,' Kent said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in April. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
