Latest news with #DoJ
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
US journalist arrested and charged with possessing child sex abuse material
Thomas LeGro Thomas LeGro, an award-winning Washington Post journalist, has been charged for allegedly possessing child pornography on Friday, after being arrested following a search at his home, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Friday. According to a DoJ press release , videos depicting child sexual abuse material were found in LeGro's work laptop. "FBI agents executed a search warrant at LeGro's residence and seized several electronic devices. A review of his work laptop revealed a folder which contained 11 videos depicting child sexual abuse material," the Justice Department said. "During the execution of the search warrant, agents observed what appeared to be fractured pieces of a hard drive in the hallway outside the room where LeGro's work laptop was found," it added. The case against the Washington Post journalist was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood, a February 2006 initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Under, Project Safe Childhood, which is led by the US attorney offices, authorities at various levels (federal, state, local) locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Adidas Three Shorts With 60% Discount, Limited Stock Available Original Adidas Shop Now Undo Washington Post reacts In a statement, The Washington Post stated that it 'understands the severity of these allegations, and the employee has been placed on leave,' but declined to comment further. LeGro, 48, has worked at The Post for 18 years in two stints since 2000, was part of a Post team which won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2018 for coverage of the Senate candidacy of Roy Moore of Alabama. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Adani denies US bribery charges, highlights defence role in Sindoor, Dharavi revamp at AGM
At the Adani Group AGM 2025, Gautam Adani responded to US bribery allegations, defended the group's governance, and outlined its strategic roles from leading India's drone strikes in Operation Sindoor to transforming Dharavi into a global urban redevelopment model. He denied charges by the SEC and DoJ related to $265 million in alleged bribes, said the group has faced no indictment, and reaffirmed Adani Green's compliance. Show more Show less
HKFP
6 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
‘It has been so long': Hongkongers acquitted in 2019 protest cases face lengthy legal battle after gov't appeals
Chan Lok-sun, 31, appeared calm earlier this month when he heard he was found guilty of rioting for an event that took place almost six years ago in Hong Kong. His conviction came nearly four years after the same court acquitted him of the same charge. Chan and four others were accused of rioting and violating a mask ban during a demonstration in Wan Chai on October 6, 2019, as Hong Kong was embroiled in months-long pro-democracy protests and unrest over a controversial extradition bill. In December 2021, the five defendants were convicted of breaking the mask ban but acquitted of rioting. Chan was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail. 'I kind of thought of it as a win already,' Chan said in Cantonese as he recalled his rioting acquittal. But on the day of his release in February 2022, he and his co-defendants were taken back to court, where they were told the government had decided to appeal their rioting acquittal. In May 2024, the Court of Appeal sided with the government, overturning the five defendants' acquittal and sending their case back to the trial judge. When their case was heard again in March this year – almost five and a half years since the October 2019 demonstration – three of Chan's co-defendants had pleaded guilty instead. Chan and another co-defendant, 21-year-old Lam Hin-shing, contested the charge for the second time. 'It has been so long that I practically feel nothing,' Chan told HKFP in late May. Less than two weeks later, he was found guilty of rioting by the same judge who acquitted him. Chan was not alone. Many people charged in relation to the 2019 protests and later acquitted by the court face prolonged, additional legal proceedings following the government's appeals. One high-profile case was social worker Jackie Chen. She was initially cleared of rioting midway through her first trial in September 2020, but the Department of Justice (DoJ) successfully appealed the acquittal. She faced a retrial in December 2024, and four months later, she was convicted of rioting and sentenced to almost four years in jail. She is now appealing. Out of over 10,000 arrests linked to the 2019 protests, nearly 3,000 people had been charged as of April, according to police. About 2,400 were convicted of offences ranging from rioting and unlawful assembly to wounding and arson. In an emailed reply to HKFP's enquiry, the DoJ said it does not keep statistics on the total number of appeals against court rulings of the 2019 protest cases. It only disclosed that it had appealed in 26 cases for a sentencing review. The DoJ can lodge a sentencing review when it believes the sentence is too light or too heavy. In cases related to the 2019 protests, however, the DoJ has only applied for sentencing reviews because it wanted the court to impose heftier sentences, according to court news outlet The Witness. The years-long legal process could extinguish defendants' will to continue fighting their cases, two lawyers with experience representing clients facing retrials of their 2019 protests cases told HKFP. Meanwhile, the defendants continued to have their freedoms restricted by bail conditions, their lives disrupted by court proceedings, and a future hanging in uncertainty, said the lawyers, who requested anonymity to discuss court cases. 'Not surprised' In February 2022, near the end of his 10-week prison term, Chan planned to leave Hong Kong 'for a break' once he was freed. He tried to retrieve his passport, which was being kept at the court at that time, but did not succeed. He knew then that his case was not over, he said. The music producer-teacher had already lost a chance to go to Taiwan for education in 2021. At that time, he had received an offer to study music in Taipei but had to abandon the opportunity due to his trial. Although he said he was 'not surprised' by the government's decision to appeal his case, he acknowledged that, over the years that ensued, he had wanted to 'get it over with.' 'Many defendants would simply give in,' said one of the lawyers, whose client pleaded guilty after their acquittal was quashed and their case sent back to the trial court. 'They just want to put an end to the matter,' he said in Cantonese. In Hong Kong, following a successful appeal against an acquittal, the Court of Appeal may order the case to be retried – meaning that all evidence will be re-examined – or the verdict to be 'reconsidered' by the trial judge. The Court of Appeal may also order a judge to 'continue handling' the case after it points out the error made in the first trial. In cases related to the 2019 protests, there can be a long delay once the government appeals a court ruling, the lawyer said. He said that 'sometimes the delay is not due to the DoJ,' which acts as the prosecution, but added it could still be 'extremely severe' in length. While the offence took place in 2019 or 2020 and the first trial concluded within one or two years, an appeal and a possible retrial could drag on for several more years due to scheduling issues between the court, the prosecution, and defence lawyers, he said. 'As a matter of fact, the criminal justice system in Hong Kong is heavily overloaded,' the lawyer said. 'My observation is that they [the defendants] have entered a limbo during this delay because they cannot really do anything,' he added. 'For them, the clock is ticking.' Some feel they are losing their chance to pursue their dreams or build their careers. Chan was 26 when he was arrested in 2019 – already the oldest person in the case. The other four defendants were between 15 and 23 years old at the time of the arrest. Almost six years later, none of them could leave Hong Kong because of bail conditions. In March, lawyers for the three defendants who pleaded guilty told the court about the impact the case had on their lives. That included So Nga-yin, now 26, who had to abandon her dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher because of the court case. Following the government's appeal, So completed a master's programme for special education and hoped to become a behavioural therapist in the future, her lawyer told the court. Chan, who pleaded not guilty, changed track in his career and became an arborist as he awaited the results of the government's appeal. Caught in a dilemma Chan had considered pleading guilty in exchange for a greater sentencing discount after his acquittal was quashed. A defendant could see their sentence reduced by a third if they enter a guilty plea at the beginning of a trial. In a rioting case, a one-third discount could mean more than a year of sentence remission. However, in the case following a successful appeal against acquittal, changing to a guilty plea would not guarantee a sentencing discount as much as a third. The actual sentence reduction could vary from less than 20 per cent up to 30 per cent in past cases, the two lawyers said. Another factor is the length of the process, as a court could offer some discount due to the delay of the case following an appeal. 'That really is a calculation,' Chan said of his decision to plead not guilty for a second time. He believed he had a strong case against the rioting offence despite the Court of Appeal's ruling, betting on being acquitted again. 'Even if I lose, it will only be an extra few months in prison,' he said. Defendants facing a retrial are typically caught in the dilemma: choosing between pleading guilty for a quicker exit and defending their case again while withstanding the uncertainty of the court's decision, the lawyers said. According to an HKFP tally of rioting cases arising from the 2019 protests, the DoJ had appealed against the acquittal of at least 29 people. Only 11 had to face the charge again after their acquittal was quashed, and the rest were believed to have left Hong Kong. Among the 11 people, seven were convicted after they changed their plea to guilty following the government's appeals. Four of them were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 29 months to 33 months, while three are still awaiting sentencing. Three others who pleaded not guilty – Chan, his co-defendant Lam and social worker Chen – lost their cases. One defendant, Alice Tong, is seeking to take her case to the apex Court of Final Appeal (CFA). She has not entered a plea, and a hearing is expected in July. It is not uncommon for defendants facing retrials to 'face a lot of psychological stress,' said one of the lawyers. 'Each one of them found it really painful. For cases to drag on for five or six years, this should be a mitigation factor in itself.' Defendants may decide how to enter a plea to get the best possible outcome in court. 'As lawyers, we often say that a plea is fundamentally a decision made [by the defendant] for the court,' the other lawyer said. 'It is a separate matter from whether you have actually committed the offence or whether you think you have done wrong,' he added. 'It's about turning over a new leaf.' Key judgment Following a government appeal, the defendants face a more stringent court as it adjudicates public order offences such as rioting and unlawful assembly, the lawyers said. A key judgment that has changed how the courts handle rioting cases is the case of Lo Kin-man, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for rioting in 2018 over the Mong Kok unrest in 2016. Lo appealed against his conviction and took his case to the CFA. In 2021, the CFA upheld Lo's conviction and reasoned that a defendant could be held guilty for rioting if they were found to have encouraged the riot while at the scene. 'Mere presence at the scene of an unlawful or riotous assembly does not give rise to criminal liability. However, if the accused, being present, provides encouragement by words, signs or actions, he or she may be held to be 'taking part' and guilty as a principal or held to be an aider and abettor,' the CFA ruled in Lo's case. Before the top court's ruling, people accused of rioting had put up a defence that they were merely at the scene without conducting any acts that would constitute a 'breach of the peace' – a critical element in the rioting offence. 'The threshold [of conviction] has become much lower' since the CFA judgment, legal commentator Edward Wong told HKFP. The definition of participating in a riot has been expanded, he said, pointing out that in some cases, people wearing regular medical masks at the scene could be seen as encouraging the violence. 'The CFA also did not clearly define what constitutes more than mere presence; this opens room for interpretation for the lower courts,' he added. Chan was not seen to have confronted the police during the October 6, 2019, demonstration in Wan Chai, despite carrying defensive gear such as a gas mask and gloves. In the first trial in 2021, Deputy District Judge David Ko acquitted Chan, saying the court 'could not draw the only irresistible inference' that he had participated in the riot. After the Court of Appeal quashed the acquittal, Ko received the case again and allowed Chan to testify to explain why he was at the scene. Chan told the court in March this year that he was merely passing through Wan Chai to North Point on that day in October 2019 and was not aware of the protests nearby. He said he was caught in the clash between police and protesters before he was arrested. Three months after his testimony, on June 9, Ko overturned his previous ruling and found Chan was 'encouraging or abetting other rioters' through his presence. Speaking to HKFP before the verdict hearing, Chan said he could not predict the outcome of his case but reckoned he would be sentenced to around three years in jail if convicted. He and his four co-defendants will be sentenced on Wednesday. 'I once felt that my life had stopped because of this case, but it wasn't as bad on second thought,' he said. Reflecting on his life over the past six years, he tried to be positive. 'There are restrictions,' he said, 'but I don't think they are catastrophic.' Original reporting on HKFP is backed by our monthly contributors. Almost 1,000 monthly donors make HKFP possible. Each contributes an average of HK$200/month to support our award-winning original reporting, keeping the city's only independent English-language outlet free-to-access for all. Three reasons to join us: 🔎 Transparent & efficient: As a non-profit, we are externally audited each year, publishing our income/outgoings annually, as the city's most transparent news outlet. 🔒 Accurate & accountable: Our reporting is governed by a comprehensive Ethics Code. We are 100% independent, and not answerable to any tycoon, mainland owners or shareholders. Check out our latest Annual Report, and help support press freedom.
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First Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Unanswered questions about Trump's name in Epstein files
The suspicious suicides of Jeffrey Epstein and his main accuser Virginia Giuffre during Donald Trump's two terms remain unexplained read more A picture is worth a thousand words—sounds clichéd and stodgy, right? But what if a 25-year-old photo still triggers suspicions of complicity in sexual assault and orgies involving girls as young as 13-14 and the rich and powerful. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Donald Trump, his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, the late paedophile-rapist Jeffrey Epstein and his pimp-girlfriend and British-French-American socialite Ghislaine Maxwell in the same frame. The picture wasn't taken at Epstein's Little Saint James island, Palm Beach (Florida) mansion, New Mexico home, Manhattan mansion or his Boeing 727 (Lolita Express), where he abused minor girls as part of his widespread sex racket and 'served' them to the crème de la crème of society. The two couples were photographed at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, Palm Beach, on February 12, 2000. The 45th and the 47th POTUS was seen in several other pics with Epstein and Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year imprisonment for trafficking underage girls for his boyfriend between 1994 and 2004. That's 'One Big Bizarre Bombshell', especially after Trump's billionaire bosom bud Elon Musk dropped 'the really big bomb' on June 5 after their short yet torrid bromance. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' the world's richest man and former DOGE boss tweeted after the fallout over Trump's 'disgusting abomination', the One Big Beautiful Bill. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD ❗Time for a really big retreat and apology Tech Billionaire Elon Musk deleted the tweet where he claimed that Trump is in the Epstein files. — Wolf Brief (@wolfbrief_) June 7, 2025 He added, 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.' However, on June 7, the owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X deleted the tweet. Now, Musk regrets 'some of my posts about' Trump and feels 'they went too far'. Trump, though 'surprised' and 'disappointed', has also signalled burying the hatchet with Musk. On New York Post columnist Miranda Devine's podcast 'Pod Force One', the president said that he could reconcile and forgive Musk. Trump's name in the Epstein files, released in five batches last year upon a court order and the Department of Justice (DoJ) in one batch in February, is neither a secret nor a shocker. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk's allegation was without evidence. However, not all files have been made public, and the ones released/leaked or made public by the DoJ are heavily redacted. The avalanche of documents, released in January 2024, describing Epstein's chronicle of sexual abuse, contains the names of other affluent, influential and famous people, including politicians and celebs as well. The other A-listers include Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, late Stephen Hawking, Noam Chomsky, former CIA director William Burns, famous American criminal lawyer Alan Dershowitz, former Israeli premier Ehud Barak, the late Michael Jackson, former supermodel Naomi Campbell and several others. The papers released in 2024 stemmed from the hearing of the 2015 civil suit filed by Epstein's victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The documents also contain legal arguments, exhibits and depositions recounting allegations and descriptions of alleged crimes. Giuffre was one of the several minors hired as masseuses and trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell. What Musk hinted at in his tweet on Trump's name being mentioned in the Epstein files will remain a riddle unless the remaining documents are released unredacted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Besides, the mention of a particular name in the files doesn't mean the person was complicit in the sexual depravity. However, Trump's early association with Epstein and the mysterious deaths of two key figures, including the paedophile, in the sexual saga during his two presidencies raises questions. Trump's shady association with Epstein Money, women, power and status—Trump and Epstein bonded for almost two decades, starting in the '80s. The neighbours partied hard at Mar-a-Lago and dined at Epstein's Manhattan mansion. The upcoming realty tycoon and the wealthy financier often jetted together. According to flight logs, Trump flew on the Lolita Express seven times between 1993 and 1997, especially between Palm Beach and NYC. Inside Jeffrey Epstein's 'Lolita Express' – the private jet that the billionaire used to 'shuttle underage girls' — Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) July 12, 2019 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I've known Jeff [Epstein] for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,' Trump told New York Magazine in a 2002 interview. Cemented by their passion for money and women, the bond seemed unshakable until 2004, when the two playboys turned adversaries over a Palm Beach property called Maison de l'Amitie with Trump outbidding Epstein. By late 2007, Trump barred Epstein from visiting Mar-a-Lago. In June 2018, he was arrested after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. After Epstein was arrested for the second and final time in July 2019, Trump said in the Oval Office, 'I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, if witnesses are to be believed, what appeared to be a mere bonding between two powerful men had a filthy side. Giuffre, Epstein's main accuser, was only 16 when she was a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000 and was hired by Maxwell for massages. In her lawsuit, she alleged that Epstein raped her at Palm Beach and Manhattan. In October 2024, former Sports Illustrated model and Epstein's girlfriend Stacey Williams accused Trump of groping her in front of him in a 'twisted game' at Trump Tower in 1993, the year the future president married Marla Maples. Few days before the 2016 election, a woman mentioned as 'Katie Johnson' and 'Jane Doe' in court filings dropped her third suit accusing Trump of raping her during an orgy at Epstein's Manhattan home in 1994 when she was 13. She also cancelled a press conference at the last minute with her attorney Lisa Bloom saying that 'Johnson' received death threats. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One of the exhibits unsealed on January 8, 2024, contains explosive emails Epstein's victim Sarah Ransome sent to then-New York Post journalist Maureen Callahan in October 2016. Ransome claimed to have videos of multiple sexual encounters Clinton, Andrew and Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson had with her friend. According to one email, Ransome alleged that Trump had sex with 'many girls', including her friend, at Epstein's mansion. Strangely, Ransome wrote to Callahan in her final email that she wants to 'retract everything I have said to you and walk away from this'. Epstein's sudden, mysterious death In August 2017, exactly two months before his mysterious death, Epstein told American journalist and columnist Michael Wolff that he was Trump's 'closest friend' for 10 years. In a recording obtained exclusively by The Daily Beast, he told Wolff, who was researching his bombshell bestseller Fire and Fury, about Trump's proclivity for sex that included cuckolding his best friends. Epstein also claimed that 'the first time he [Trump] slept with her [Melania] was on my plane'. 🚨BREAKING: In a new leaked tape, Jeffrey Epstein says he was Donald Trump's 'closest friend' for 10 years. Epstein also revealed that the first time Donald Trump slept with Melania was on his 'Lolita Express' private — Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) November 3, 2024 It's been widely alleged that Epstein blackmailed several of his clients and friends after 'videorecording' their sexcapades and also threatening to leak their affairs, including that of Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates. According to Epstein's younger brother Mark, the paedophile had shocking information on Trump and the Clintons that could have disrupted the 2016 presidential election. 'If I said what I know about both candidates, they'd have to cancel the election,' he told Mark in 2016. In his book Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes, former 60 Minutes producer Ira Rosen recounts Maxwell telling him before the 2016 election that Epstein had videotapes of both presidents in compromising positions with women. It can't be a coincidence that around one month after he was arrested and charged with sex trafficking by federal prosecutors in July 2019, Epstein died under mysterious circumstances in his cell at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) on August 10, 2019. Was Epstein eliminated because of his ' Black Book', which contained 1,749 entries of 1,510 people, including around 40 members of royalty and European nobility and 12 high-ranking politicians and diplomats? Discovered by famous investigative journalist Nick Bryant in 2012, the Black Book was first published by Gawker, a non-mainstream media website/blog, in 2015. Unsurprisingly, the booklet and the published flight manifest of people on board the Lolita Express didn't get traction with the mainstream media. However, the 'Black Book' was under the media glare with Epstein's arrest in July 2019. There's a high probability that the influential persons mentioned in the booklet feared being implicated. 'If Epstein talks, there's gonna be a lot of powerful people who could go down,' Bryant told Vanity Fair in July 2019. He wondered why Epstein's house manager 'circled' the names of Trump, Barak and Dershowitz in the booklet. Within a month of his bail rejection, while prosecutors were building their case, Epstein was found 'hanging' from the lower bunker of his cell with his buttocks 1-1.5 inches above the ground. How many sheets do they provide a guy on suicide watch? This is Epstein's cell after his body was removed. — Kathy - Just a Patriotic American (@Kathy_Arizona) June 7, 2025 Epstein's death triggered strong suspicions of a homicide with Mark believing he was murdered. Within a week, a medical examiner termed Epstein's death a suicide with then-attorney general Bill Barr calling the situation a 'perfect storm of screw-ups'. In its 128-page report, the DoJ blamed 'long-standing operational challenges' for his death. Contrary to instructions, Epstein was left alone without a cellmate and taken off suicide watch despite his highly questionable earlier attempt to 'kill himself'. He was found on his cell floor with neck injuries on July 23. Later, he told his lawyers that his cellmate, former Westchester County cop Nicholas Tartaglione—found guilty of murdering four people in April 2023—tried to kill him. Then-Manhattan Federal Court Judge Richard Berman wrote to MCC warden Lamine N'Diaye that to his 'knowledge, it has never been definitely explained what the BOP [Bureau of Prisons] concluded about the incident'. In an interview with journalist Declan Hill on the Crime Waves podcast in December 2023, Mark seriously doubted the suicide angle. Jeffrey Epstein Files: It was murder. The evidence indicating that Epstein was killed. A review of thousands of pages of documents & exclusive interviews by my Investigations students @UNewHaven CrimeWaves Podcast#Epstein #EpsteinClientListhttps:// — Declan Hill (@declan_hill) January 2, 2024 Why would Epstein commit suicide if his appeal against the bail rejection was to be heard a few days later? He spent most of August 9 (Friday) with his legal team. 'Jeff was looking forward to defending himself against the charges,' he said. In fact, during the last meeting with his lawyers on Friday, Epstein was in 'great spirits', a source told the New York Post. 'Everyday, he was very positive and the night before, he was really positive,' the source said. 'I'll see you Sunday,' he told one of his lawyers. Epstein called someone around 7.40 pm on August 9. The MCC said that it was his mother—but she had died in 2004! Mark claimed to know the person, who was 'equally surprised to know Jeff killed himself'. The New York City pathologist said that it looked more like a homicide with the original certificate stating that the cause of death is 'pending'. A few days later, however, the chief pathologist, who wasn't present during the actual autopsy, termed it suicide. As the media devours the Epstein list. The results of an in-depth investigation by the Investigations Program @UNewHaven into his mysterious death in jail. Exclusive interviews with his brother, lawyer and sensational detailshttps:// #EpsteinClientList — Declan Hill (@declan_hill) January 4, 2024 Online pics of other suicide victims show the noose high up on the chin and behind the ears. But the mark on Epstein's neck was 'at the centre of his neck and straight back as if he was strangled with a rope'. Mark hired famous forensic pathologist Michael Baden, who was present during the four-hour autopsy. He saw something unusual. 'There were fractures of the left, the right thyroid cartilage and the left hyoid bone. I have never seen three fractures like this in a suicidal hanging,' he told CBS News 60 Minutes. 'Going over a thousand jail hangings, suicides in the New York City state prisons over the past 40-50 years, no one had three fractures,' Baden said. Besides, two nooses were found in the cell, but the one included in the autopsy report didn't appear to match the injuries on Epstein's neck. The ligature mark was in the middle of his neck, not beneath the jawbone, as common in a hanging. 'The forensic evidence released so far, including autopsy, point much more to murder and strangulation than the suicide and suicidal hanging,' he added. According to Mark, the fractures resembled injuries caused by a karate chop. 'I found out from Special Forces people that it is how they kill people. In this particular case, as if someone gave him a karate chop and garrotted him.' Several other questions remain unanswered. It was a crime scene and the body shouldn't have been touched until the coroner showed up. But Epstein's picture showed him in a hospital gown on a gurney, not the prison dress. Mark asked the following questions: Who decided to dress a dead body in a hospital gown? Why were the PCR and the 911 reports never found? Why were there no pics of Epstein's body inside the cell? Why did the camera that could have captured Epstein's cell door and the doors of other inmates on his tier malfunction on the night of August 9 and 10? Why did the two guards on duty on the second tier fall asleep? Why were the two unnamed guards present on August 10 not named? Who are they? Where are they today? Mark also pointed to the lack of lividity, the bluish-purple skin discolouration after death, on Epstein's legs. He was found hanging at 6.30 am. 'If he was hanging for two hours, he should have had blood at the back of his leg and buttocks. Blood settles in your body due to gravity because it is not being pumped. His legs looked clear.' Suspicious deaths of Giuffre, Maxwell witness Giuffre, the primary Epstein accuser who had told a court that he passed her around 'like a platter of fruit' to other men, including Andrew, suddenly died at 41 in Neergabby, Australia, on April 25. Shockingly, she apparently committed suicide, days after posting that she had 'four days to live'. Sharing her pictures from a hospital bed on Instagram, she wrote that her car was hit by a school bus, her kidneys failed and doctors told her she had 'four days to live'. However, in a post on X (then Twitter) in 2019, Giuffre had said she wasn't suicidal. 'I am making it publicly known that in no way, shape or form am I suicidal. I have made this known to my therapist and GP—If something happens to me—in the sake of my family do not let this go away and help me to protect them. Too many evil people want to see me [quieted].' Virginia Giuffre dead by suicide at age 41. There will never be justice will there? @AGPamBondi — Franklin (@FranklinTPotato) April 26, 2025 Giuffre's father, Sky Roberts, suspected that she was murdered. 'And then for them to say that she committed suicide, there's no way that she did. Somebody got to her. She was very strong and had too much to live for.' Giuffre's lawyer, Karrie Louden, also questioned the suicide and said that there was no proof she would resort to taking her life. 'We've got big question marks over it. 'She was in a lot of pain, but she was looking forward to things in the future. She wanted to renovate the house and all sorts of things like that.' Another Epstein victim whose court testimony was crucial in Maxwell's 2021 conviction died mysteriously from a reported accidental drug overdose in a West Palm Beach hotel room on May 23, 2023. Carolyn Adriano, 36, who had struggled with drug abuse after being sexually abused by a relative at four, told the jury during the Maxwell trial that the socialite had groped her and Epstein molested her up to three times a week during massages until she was 18. Adriano's mother, Dorothy Groener, told The Daily Beast that her daughter 'was ecstatic' before her death. Adriano, a mother of five, and her husband, John Pitts, had purchased a house in North Carolina a few weeks before her death. 'She was all set up for a whole new lifestyle,' Groener said, adding that she had messaged her recently about being free of drugs and alcohol. Though a toxicology report concluded that Adriano had methadone, fentanyl and alprazolam in her system when she died, Groener claimed that vodka bottles were found in the room, but she didn't have any alcohol in her system. 'Nobody's giving me any answers, and you know what? I'm over it. Because this is my daughter, and she deserves justice. She got to a point where she was turning her whole life around,' said adding that the police investigation 'shouldn't be closed'. 'I begged them; I sent them [the police] numerous messages. I've asked for them to make meetings, contact me, and to no avail.' The writer is a freelance journalist with more than two decades of experience and comments primarily on foreign affairs. He tweets as @FightTheBigots. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not reflect Firstpost's views.
Express Tribune
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US DoJ urged to investigate Hindu American Foundation as Modi's 'foreign agent'
The key feature of the Indo-Pacific strategy is to build the economic, defence and military muscle of India so that the South Asian country could effectively act as a counterbalance to China. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE Listen to article A major Sikh temple in the US has urged the Trump administration to investigate the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), accusing the Pennsylvania-based group of acting as a 'foreign agent' for the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Fremont Gurdwara Sahib, which serves 5,000 Sikh worshippers each week and is considered a central part of the global Sikh community, has asked the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to determine whether the HAF should be required to register as an agent of India, according to a report in The Guardian. The Gurdwara believes the group should be transparent about its activities, including any interactions with US lawmakers and connections to the Indian government. A spokesperson for the Gurdwara wrote in a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi that the HAF has facilitated meetings between foreign officials and US lawmakers, hosted foreign officials at its events, and publicly supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on both domestic and international matters. The HAF denied the accusations, insisting that it is a non-partisan charity with no ties to any foreign government or political group. The foundation also claimed that supporters of the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent Sikh state, have been behind a 'coordinated campaign' against the HAF. 'We are open to meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other security officials to discuss these false and harmful allegations,' the HAF stated. These claims come amid ongoing tensions between Sikhs pushing for an independent state and the Indian government. In recent years, there have been allegations that the Indian government has targeted Sikhs abroad, particularly after the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian advocate for Khalistan. The Canadian government has said it believes Indian agents were involved in Nijjar's death. Read more: Canada expels top Indian envoys in Sikh separatist killing row In the US, prosecutors have also alleged that an Indian agent was behind an attempt to kill a US-based Sikh activist. A recent investigation by Al Jazeera highlighted that the HAF, initially established to represent the Hindu community in the US, has increasingly supported the Indian government since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014. The group is accused of stepping up its political activities in favour of Modi's policies. Also read: Biden raised issue of Canadian Sikh's murder with Modi at G20, FT reports While the HAF has not been accused of supporting violence against Sikhs, the Gurdwara's letter calls for the HAF's actions to be investigated under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. If the DoJ determines that the HAF is acting on behalf of the Indian government, it would be required to disclose details of its activities, including any financial ties to India. The Indian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Read: Modi not invited to G7 summit in Canada What is the Khalistan movement? It wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan's independence in 1947 when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries. The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the late 15th century and currently has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs form a majority of Punjab's population but are a minority in India, comprising 2% of its population of 1.4 billion. Sikh separatists demand that their homeland Khalistan, meaning "the land of the pure", be created out of Punjab. The demand has resurfaced many times, most prominently during a violent insurgency in the 1970s and 1980s which paralysed Punjab for over a decade. A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards at her home in New Delhi. The army launched operations in 1986 and 1988 to flush out Sikh militants from Punjab. Sikh militants were also blamed for the 1985 bombing of an Air India Boeing 747 flying from Canada to India in which all 329 people on board were killed off the Irish coast. The insurgency killed tens of thousands of people and Punjab still bears the scars of that violence.
