Ukraine – Russia … not more of the last thread

[mtrycrafts]

This guy (John Mark Dougan) is a real piece of work.

>>>Mr. Dougan, 51 [former deputy sheriff in Palm Beach County, Fla.], who received political asylum in Moscow, is now a key player in Russia’s disinformation operations against the West. . . . Mr. Dougan has built an ever-growing network of more than 160 fake websites that mimic news outlets in the United States, Britain and France. . . . The fakes have recently included a baseless article on a fake San Francisco Chronicle website that said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had smuggled 300 kilograms of cocaine from Argentina. Another false narrative appeared last month in the sham Chronicle and on another site, called The Boston Times, claiming that the C.I.A. was working with Ukrainians to undermine Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign.<<<

Once a Sheriff’s Deputy in Florida, Now a Source of Disinformation From Russia

In 2016, Russia used an army of trolls to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. This year, an American given asylum in Moscow may be accomplishing much the same thing all by himself.

www.nytimes.com

The BBC has also reported on him. The Bugatti story apparently went viral.

>>>A network of Russia-based websites masquerading as local American newspapers is pumping out fake stories as part of an AI-powered operation that is increasingly targeting the US election, a BBC investigation can reveal.

A former Florida police officer who relocated to Moscow is one of the key figures behind it.

It would have been a bombshell report - if it were true.

Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, allegedly bought a rare Bugatti Tourbillon sports car for 4.5m euros ($4.8m; £3.8m) while visiting Paris for D-Day commemorations in June. The source of the funds was supposedly American military aid money.

The story appeared on an obscure French website just days ago - and was swiftly debunked.<<<

A Bugatti, a first lady and the fake stories aimed at Americans

A former US police officer runs an AI-powered network of misleading news sites turning its sights towards November.

www.bbc.com

Not sure of his case. Can he be prosecuted in absentia, put on the Interpol warrant?
I guess he will never leave Russia.

 

[Trell]

x.com

x.com

 

[Mr._Clark]

Not sure of his case. Can he be prosecuted in absentia, put on the Interpol warrant?
I guess he will never leave Russia.

I have not reviewed all of his fake news items, but it seems unlikely that they would support criminal charges. Offhand the only potential criminal charge that comes to mind is treason, giving aid and comfort to an enemy of the United States. However, the United States is not at war with Russia and it’s hard to imagine that treason charges based solely on speech would survive a First Amendment challenge even if the United States was at war with Russia.

Based on what I know right now there doesn’t seem to be a basis to charge him criminally.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have not reviewed all of his fake news items, but it seems unlikely that they would support criminal charges. Offhand the only potential criminal charge that comes to mind is treason, giving aid and comfort to an enemy of the United States. However, the United States is not at war with Russia and it’s hard to imagine that treason charges based solely on speech would survive a First Amendment challenge even if the United States was at war with Russia.

Based on what I know right now there doesn’t seem to be a basis to charge him criminally.

Then maybe we could block his re-entry into US forever as well as all his assets?

 

[Mr._Clark]

Then maybe we could block his re-entry into US forever as well as all his assets?

I take back part of what I posted previously. I still doubt that he could be criminally charged for the fake news websites, but he was previously indicted in Florida for extortion and wiretapping:

>>>He faces an arrest warrant in Florida — its records sealed by court order — on 21 felony charges of extortion and wiretapping that resulted from a long-running feud with the sheriff of Palm Beach County.<<<

He would undoubtedly be arrested if he returned to the U.S.

The government might be able to block his return if they conclude he's a security risk, but I suspect they'd prefer to let him in, then send him to the Greybar Hotel for nice long vacation of sorts.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I take back part of what I posted previously. I still doubt that he could be criminally charged for the fake news websites, but he was previously indicted in Florida for extortion and wiretapping:

>>>He faces an arrest warrant in Florida — its records sealed by court order — on 21 felony charges of extortion and wiretapping that resulted from a long-running feud with the sheriff of Palm Beach County.<<<

He would undoubtedly be arrested if he returned to the U.S.

The government might be able to block his return if they conclude he's a security risk, but I suspect they'd prefer to let him in, then send him to the Greybar Hotel for nice long vacation of sorts.

Thanks.
With that arrest warrant, perhaps an Interpol warrant is in order so he could not leave Russia and forced to enjoy the rest of his ife there.
Can they freeze any asset so he would have to find work there and get paid instead of living off of his US assets?

 

[GO-NAD!]

Thanks.
With that arrest warrant, perhaps an Interpol warrant is in order so he could not leave Russia and forced to enjoy the rest of his ife there.
Can they freeze any asset so he would have to find work there and get paid instead of living off of his US assets?

I hear the Russian army is hiring.

 

[Mr._Clark]

Thanks.
With that arrest warrant, perhaps an Interpol warrant is in order so he could not leave Russia and forced to enjoy the rest of his ife there.
Can they freeze any asset so he would have to find work there and get paid instead of living off of his US assets?

Keep in mind that all legal outcomes depend on the facts and the law. I have not attempted to exhaustively research facts that are publicly available, and I certainly do not have access to all facts and evidence presently known to law enforcement.

The NYT article states "He faces an arrest warrant in Florida — its records sealed by court order — on 21 felony charges of extortion and wiretapping . . ." It's hard to say what the evidence is in the Florida case.

According to this article he likely committed a federal crime by impersonating an FBI official:

>>>Dougan was not some hobbyist setting up a phony website from his basement somewhere. This was the same person who in March had targeted my boss by calling him and impersonating an FBI official — a federal crime that can carry up to three years in prison — and who had become well known to the FBI as a Russian operative who has produced some of the Kremlin’s most significant disinformation campaigns.<<<

The Fugitive Florida Deputy Sheriff Who Became A Kremlin Disinformation Impresario

John Mark Dougan fled to Moscow and orchestrated a global disinformation campaign featuring 167 websites and more than a dozen propaganda films.

www.newsguardtech.com

It appears to me that the arrest warrant in Florida was based on state criminal charges (I have not looked at the court records). Also, it's not clear to me how strong the evidence would be if he were to be charged with a federal crime for impersonating an FBI official. We're getting into very thin air in terms of the facts.

Offhand, I'm not sure what the requirements are for an Interpol warrant. To be honest, I'm not willing to spend hours researching the requirements. My best guess (emphasis on guess) is that one alleged federal crime, and the Florida case are not sufficient. I might be wrong, however, this is just a guess.

In terms of "freezing assets" I will assume for purposes of discussion that you are referring to asset forfeiture. This gets complicated because there are both federal and state forfeiture laws, and asset forfeiture comes in three "flavors," namely criminal civil, and administrative, resulting in up to six possible grounds for forfeiture.

Asset Forfeiture | Federal Bureau of Investigation

Asset forfeiture is a powerful tool used by law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, against criminals and criminal organizations to deprive them of their ill-gotten gains through seizure of these assets.

www.fbi.gov

In terms of whether or not any of the six possible forfeiture laws would apply to the jack*ss in question, there doesn't seem to be any way to know with any degree of certainty because we don't know all of the facts.

Having said that, here's my best guess (again, emphasis on guess). My rudimentary understanding is that civil forfeiture is typically easier to enforce. However, my understanding (this is not my area of practice, so my understanding is far from complete) is that it requires some showing that the assets in question were used in committing an alleged crime, or the assets were gained as a result of the alleged crime, even though a criminal conviction is not required.

Do we know if any of Mr. Jack*ss's assets fall into one of these categories? The short answer is "no." Speculating, he might have used a computer to commit the Florida crimes. If he owned a house in Florida and this was his base of operations, it could conceivably fall into one of these categories, but it seems like a stretch. He may have not owned a house there, and even if he did he might have sold it and moved any gains offshore. This is all just speculation.

The potential federal crime occurred after he moved to Russia so it seems unlikely that any assets he might still have in the U.S. would fall into one of the categories. But, again, this is all guesswork.

As a practical matter, it seems unlikely that Mr. Jack*ss has any assets in the U.S. that are worth seizing. From the NYT article:

>>>Mr. Dougan’s emergence as a weapon of the Kremlin’s propaganda war follows a troubled life in the United States that included home foreclosures and bankruptcy.<<<

But, there's still hope. He might do something that torques off the powers at be in Russia, and find himself falling from a balcony of a tall building.

As long as we're guessing about future outcomes, we might as well come up with one that has a happy ending.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I hear the Russian army is hiring.

Yes, now they are sending female inmates to the front line.

 

[Trell]

Yes, now they are sending female inmates to the front line.

And raped by their Russian comrade-in-arms, of course.

 

[GO-NAD!]

And raped by their Russian comrade-in-arms, of course.

That would be a change from raping the male recruits...

 

[mtrycrafts]

Keep in mind that all legal outcomes depend on the facts and the law. I have not attempted to exhaustively research facts that are publicly available, and I certainly do not have access to all facts and evidence presently known to law enforcement.

The NYT article states "He faces an arrest warrant in Florida — its records sealed by court order — on 21 felony charges of extortion and wiretapping . . ." It's hard to say what the evidence is in the Florida case.

According to this article he likely committed a federal crime by impersonating an FBI official:

>>>Dougan was not some hobbyist setting up a phony website from his basement somewhere. This was the same person who in March had targeted my boss by calling him and impersonating an FBI official — a federal crime that can carry up to three years in prison — and who had become well known to the FBI as a Russian operative who has produced some of the Kremlin’s most significant disinformation campaigns.<<<

The Fugitive Florida Deputy Sheriff Who Became A Kremlin Disinformation Impresario

John Mark Dougan fled to Moscow and orchestrated a global disinformation campaign featuring 167 websites and more than a dozen propaganda films.

www.newsguardtech.com

It appears to me that the arrest warrant in Florida was based on state criminal charges (I have not looked at the court records). Also, it's not clear to me how strong the evidence would be if he were to be charged with a federal crime for impersonating an FBI official. We're getting into very thin air in terms of the facts.

Offhand, I'm not sure what the requirements are for an Interpol warrant. To be honest, I'm not willing to spend hours researching the requirements. My best guess (emphasis on guess) is that one alleged federal crime, and the Florida case are not sufficient. I might be wrong, however, this is just a guess.

In terms of "freezing assets" I will assume for purposes of discussion that you are referring to asset forfeiture. This gets complicated because there are both federal and state forfeiture laws, and asset forfeiture comes in three "flavors," namely criminal civil, and administrative, resulting in up to six possible grounds for forfeiture.

Asset Forfeiture | Federal Bureau of Investigation

Asset forfeiture is a powerful tool used by law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, against criminals and criminal organizations to deprive them of their ill-gotten gains through seizure of these assets.

www.fbi.gov

In terms of whether or not any of the six possible forfeiture laws would apply to the jack*ss in question, there doesn't seem to be any way to know with any degree of certainty because we don't know all of the facts.

Having said that, here's my best guess (again, emphasis on guess). My rudimentary understanding is that civil forfeiture is typically easier to enforce. However, my understanding (this is not my area of practice, so my understanding is far from complete) is that it requires some showing that the assets in question were used in committing an alleged crime, or the assets were gained as a result of the alleged crime, even though a criminal conviction is not required.

Do we know if any of Mr. Jack*ss's assets fall into one of these categories? The short answer is "no." Speculating, he might have used a computer to commit the Florida crimes. If he owned a house in Florida and this was his base of operations, it could conceivably fall into one of these categories, but it seems like a stretch. He may have not owned a house there, and even if he did he might have sold it and moved any gains offshore. This is all just speculation.

The potential federal crime occurred after he moved to Russia so it seems unlikely that any assets he might still have in the U.S. would fall into one of the categories. But, again, this is all guesswork.

As a practical matter, it seems unlikely that Mr. Jack*ss has any assets in the U.S. that are worth seizing. From the NYT article:

>>>Mr. Dougan’s emergence as a weapon of the Kremlin’s propaganda war follows a troubled life in the United States that included home foreclosures and bankruptcy.<<<

But, there's still hope. He might do something that torques off the powers at be in Russia, and find himself falling from a balcony of a tall building.

As long as we're guessing about future outcomes, we might as well come up with one that has a happy ending.

Again, thanks. I must have overlooked that he was not yet convicted but decided to seek and get asylum in Russia before he could be arrested.
I suppose Interpole warrant can still be executed so that most likely he will never get a chance to leave Russia.

 

[Mr._Clark]

Hopefully this proves to be correct.

>>>Russia is unlikely to make significant territorial gains in Ukraine in the coming months as its poorly trained forces struggle to break through Ukrainian defenses that are now reinforced with Western munitions, U.S. officials say.

Through the spring and early summer, Russian troops tried to take territory outside the city of Kharkiv and renew a push in eastern Ukraine, to capitalize on their seizure of Avdiivka. Russia has suffered thousands of casualties in the drive while gaining little new territory.

Russia’s problems represent a significant change in the dynamic of the war, which had favored Moscow in recent months. Russian forces continue to inflict pain, but their incremental advances have been slowed by the Ukrainians’ hardened lines.<<<

U.S. Officials Say Russia Is Unlikely to Take Much More Ukrainian Territory

Russian forces continue to inflict pain, but NATO leaders gathering in Washington can say that their efforts to strengthen Ukraine are working.

www.nytimes.com

 

[highfigh]

Then maybe we could block his re-entry into US forever as well as all his assets?

I would think he converted as much of his possessions to cash before he left and bought Rubles but with the open borders, I think he could return and assume a different identity- after all, cops usually know someone who can make that happen.

 

[Trell]

 

[Mikado463]

Good for them ............

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/13/europe/poland-russian-missiles-ukraine-intl-latam/index.html

 

[GO-NAD!]

This may not bode well for Ukraine.
Republicans to Putin: We’re Done with Ukraine (thebulwark.com)

 

[Trell]

This may not bode well for Ukraine.
Republicans to Putin: We’re Done with Ukraine (thebulwark.com)

Reagan must be rolling in his grave.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Reagan must be rolling in his grave.

Very sad indeed. What is next, NATO, Europe?

 

[Mikado463]

This may not bode well for Ukraine.
Republicans to Putin: We’re Done with Ukraine (thebulwark.com)

yep and Vance only adds more 'fuel to the fire' ........