California man identified as source of threat to Wisconsin non-profit, charges possible
LA FARGE, Wis. (WFRV) – A California man has been identified as the alleged source of a threatening phone call made to a Wisconsin-based non-profit, and possible charges are under review.
Authorities say 23-year-old Gabriel Anthony Autio Ramirez of Santa Cruz, California, made a threatening call to leadership at OrganicEye, a La Farge area watchdog organization focused on oversight in the organic farming industry.
Boat capsizes on Wisconsin River, search for two missing boaters continues
Before the call in February 2024, the Vernon County Sheriff's Office had also received reports of threatening emails sent to the group in late 2023.
Working alongside OrganicEye's technical staff, investigators obtained and executed search warrants on two service providers. The information led detectives to Ramirez, who is employed by CCOF, the nation's largest USDA-accredited organic certifier.
The threats reportedly began shortly after OrganicEye filed a formal complaint against CCOF, alleging federal law violations related to conflicts of interest. CCOF has cooperated with the investigation and is not believed to be involved beyond Ramirez.
Brown County Tavern League significantly expands SafeRide program for 2025 NFL Draft
The case has been referred to the Vernon County District Attorney's Office. Ramirez has not been charged, but he could face felony charges for threats to injure and a misdemeanor for unlawful use of a telephone.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Vernon County Sheriff's Office at (608) 637-2123.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
University of Michigan dumping undercover security guards for 'unethical' behavior
The University of Michigan is terminating all contracts with outside firms to provide plainclothes security officers on campus. Interim President Domenico Grasso announced the decision in a note to the campus community Sunday, just days after media reports of Gaza War protesters being tailed. The London-based Guardian reported last week that in at least one case caught on video, a plainclothes security officer appeared to fake a disability by pretend he was hearing-impaired when he was confronted by a protester. "We recently learned that an employee of one of our security contractors has acted in ways that go against our values and directives," Grasso wrote. "What happened was disturbing, unacceptable, and unethical, and we will not tolerate it. Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus." The school didn't say what action the security contract took that was unacceptable, but said that an employee was no longer with the company. It also didn't say if the company would still provide uniformed security officers on campus. In a separate statement, U-M defended the use of such contractors to supplement its own officers, calling it "an industry-standard approach used widely across college campuses, sporting venues and medical facilities." The school said the security guards were hired to "keep watch over our campus and enable us to respond quickly to emergencies." The statement said that the school "does not surveil individuals or student groups, nor has it requested or authorized the surveillance of any students on or off campus." Several protesters disagreed, telling the Guardian that they were being followed. In his note, Grasso urged anyone who's witnessed inappropriate behavior by private security personnel to report it to the campus police or the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office. He said it would be promptly investigated. The Free Press left a message with the university seeking comment on any complaints it has received about private security personnel. The Free Press also left a request for comment with Amerishield, the parent company of Detroit-based City Shield, which provided the officers. Payment records from the Board of Regents show that between June and September of last year alone, the university paid Amerishield more than $851,000 for what it called "general goods and services." The U-M campus has seen repeated controversies over the Gaza War protests and the school's response to them. In May of 2024, the school broke up an encampment on the diag and several protesters were charged with crimes ranging from trespassing to resisting and obstructing police. Last month, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that she was dropping all charges against some of those protesters. The school's handling of the protesters has prompted multiple lawsuits, claiming the school violated the constitutional rights of protesters and fired some employees who took part. Detroit Free Press staff writer Andrea Souhari contributed to this report. Contact John Wisely: jwisely@ On X: @jwisely This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U-M dumping undercover security guards for 'unethical' behavior
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
SNAP Benefit Theft Explodes Across US
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit transactions have increased by a staggering 55 percent between 2024 and 2025, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. Why It Matters SNAP benefits are issued to more than 40 million Americans across the country, providing monthly cash benefits to help low- and no-income families buy groceries. However, the program has been mired by criminals targeting recipients, with more than $100 million in food assistance benefits reported stolen since 2023 when public records began. What To Know SNAP benefits are administered to recipients through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which are loaded with money every month to use in participating retailers. Like regular debit or credit cards, they are subject to scams such as cloning, phishing or skimming. Between the final quarter of fiscal year 2024 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, the total number of fraudulent SNAP transactions jumped from 444,553 to 691,604—an increase of 247,051, or 55 percent. It marks the largest jump in claims across a single time period since the USDA began publishing these records. Since the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, more than $102 million in stolen benefits has been replaced by the federal government, the dataset reveals. The new figures come as the USDA has vowed to crack down on SNAP benefit theft. The federal agency announced it had taken part in "targeted benefit fraud" operations in California in late April. Lawmakers in several states have also proposed action to stop SNAP fraud. In New York, a bill calling for EMV chips, which are used in credit and debit cards that make it more difficult to counterfeit or steal card information, to become standard on EBT cards has passed the state Senate. In Pennsylvania, SNAP users can now lock their EBT card through an app when not in use to prevent their benefits from being stolen. Late last year, the USDA ended the federal reimbursement of stolen SNAP benefits. For benefits stolen prior to December 21, 2024, these were in most cases reimbursed by the USDA, which funds the program. However, the funding required to repay theft victims was not approved by Congress in a continuing resolution passed by lawmakers in December. At the time, the federal agency said that "SNAP state agencies can choose to replace stolen benefits using state funds." In April, Representative Al Green, a Texas Democrat, introduced the SNAP Secure Act of 2025, which calls for the reinstatement of federal funding to cover food stamp recipients who have been victims of fraud and theft. What People Are Saying USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement on May 2: "Fraud will not be tolerated by the Trump Administration. I want to thank our hardworking law enforcement officers who work every day to ensure federal benefits are properly distributed and safeguard taxpayer dollars from criminals. President Trump is restoring law and order. At USDA we are fighting back against fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars and ensuring those who need and qualify for benefits, actually receive them." Representative Al Green, a Texas Democrat, said in a statement in April: "I intend to turn this legislation into a modified amendment to the next appropriations bill. If accepted, this legislation would ensure that those who have had their SNAP benefits stolen will be able to feed themselves and their families." What Happens Next? Whether SNAP thefts continue to rise at the same rate remains to be seen, with the next dataset likely to be published in the late summer or fall.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Argentine President Milei Cleared of Misconduct Over LIBRA Promotion: Report
Argentine President Javier Milei was cleared of wrongdoing over his promotion of the LIBRA memecoin in February, the Buenos Aires Herald reported on Saturday. A resolution issued Friday by the country's anti-corruption office argued that the president was speaking "as an economist and not a public official," when he shared news of LIBRA on X. The president's personal account "was created long before he was elected country president, and even before the beginning of his previous term as deputy," according to the resolution, signed by Alejandro Melik, the head of the country's anti-corruption office. Milei's post about the Solana-based memecoin promoted it as a project designed to help small and medium-sized Argentine companies raise capital. LIBRA surged to a market capitalization of around $4.5 billion. He deleted the post only hours later, saying that he had not been aware of the details of the project when he promoted it. In the ensuing sell-off, LIBRA crashed by 90%, wiping out over $4 billion in value. On-chain data from Nansen showed that 86% of traders lost a total of $251 million, with the remainder securing $180 million in profits. To make matters worse, it was revealed Libra's co-creator Hayden Davis bragged in text messages about his influence over Milei because of payments he had been making to Karina Milei, the president's sister and a powerful figure in his government.
