Latest news with #ReligiousFreedomRestorationActof1993
Newsweek
25-04-2025
- Newsweek
US Black Hawk Pilot Says He Has Religious Right to Sell LSD
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. A helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army has argued that he has the religious right to sell LSD on the dark web. Black Hawk pilot Kyle Norton Riester claimed in a civil lawsuit that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 allowed him to sell and take the hallucinogenic drug because his "sacramental use" of LSD was part of a communal "religious exercise." The government is currently investigating Riester for drug trafficking. He denies the charge, saying he was facilitating religious experiences for himself and his community, although he has admitted to selling LSD over the internet and has asked for injunctive relief from those accusing him of drug trafficking. Riester's religious freedom request for relief and his request to continue taking LSD while proceedings are ongoing were rejected by Judge Anthony J. Trenga this week. A lawyer for Riester has been contacted via email for further comment. An illustration shows a hallucinogenic drug. An illustration shows a hallucinogenic drug. Peter Hamlin/AP Illustration Why It Matters Religious liberty is a fundamental tenet of the U.S. Constitution, however, Trenga has ruled it does not stretch to selling illegal drugs via the dark web. Any consumption of a hallucinogenic drug is also a disqualifying factor for pilots, per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. What To Know Riester filed his case against Attorney General Pam Bondi and several other members of the Trump administration on April 3. The Virginia-based first lieutenant, who is currently serving on active duty with the 12th Aviation Battalion, has argued that he "is a sincere religious practitioner" whose religious practice of sacramental LSD consumption is being impeded by the defendants. An Army spokesperson told The Washington Post that Riester's discharge is pending and that he had been reassigned to administrative duties. Riester had his first experience with the Schedule I drug while attending the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He says this experience "was deeply religious and mystical in nature—allowing him direct communion with his creator." According to his court filings, Riester claims that he used to consume LSD with a group of other religious practitioners in person, but that became more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time of "desperate need," he felt "a moral and religious obligation to provide his co-religionists with Sacrament should they be unable to acquire Sacrament-grade LSD safely and securely," which is why he "adapted" to an online marketplace to sell LSD to his community. He used Bitcoin to facilitate these alleged transactions and has said he also believes Bitcoin to be sacred because of its "ability to facilitate transactions for the exchange of his Holy Sacrament to other co-religionists." His religion was not named in court documents or at Wednesday's hearing but Riester said his religious beliefs can be corroborated through Substack articles shared by him between 2021 and 2022. Those posts no longer appear to be available on Substack. His filings state that he sold LSD via the dark web between September 2022 and May 2024. This illustrative image shows a poster showing the seized website screen dark web site during a news conference in Pittsburgh on May 8, 2019. This illustrative image shows a poster showing the seized website screen dark web site during a news conference in Pittsburgh on May 8, 2019. Keith Srakocic/AP Photo His home was raided on August 5, 2024, where FBI agents found no evidence of the drug itself but did seize electronic items and demanded Reister take a urine test. He spent months collaborating with law enforcement officials after the raid and was given an April 4 deadline to take a plea deal. Riester argued that any plea that forced him to cease the use of LSD would be an infringement of his religious rights and would cause him to "suffer irreparable harm to his conscience and religious identity." Riester's lawyers argue that the government "has no compelling interest in enforcing the Controlled Substances Act against the plaintiff" because, according to their filings "LSD has been long-noted to have both a health and safety and abuse profile of a sufficient quality to negate any alleged 'compelling' governmental interest in enforcing the criminal provisions of the Controlled Substances Act." These arguments have been refuted by U.S. Attorneys who have said that Riester only claimed religious freedom grounds eight months after finding out about his drug trafficking investigation. They say that: "He did not sell LSD in the context of a religious gathering or ritual, or to people with whom he shared spiritual experiences; he sold LSD on the dark web, a forum designed to ensure the anonymity of its users. These circumstances strongly suggest that Plaintiff's distribution was a 'personal belief' and a 'choice that he made,' rather than a spiritual practice." The attorneys also dispute the idea that Riester was only selling LSD to religious practitioners. According to their suit, he sold LSD to a 15-year-old and an undercover law enforcement officer. They claim that Riester did not make any effort when selling the drug to ensure that it only went to religious practitioners. What People Are Saying Kyle Norton Riester court filings: "Plaintiff has primarily engaged in LSD use as part of a communal and intentional ritual, ceremony, and/or practice aimed at spiritual transformation and religious revelation preferring communal sellings which promote safety, reflection, and shared religious experience." U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia court filings: "Even if Plaintiff could show a sincerely held religious belief in distribution, courts have long recognized the government's compelling interest in preventing the diversion of controlled substances from religious to recreational users. "That risk is especially acute here, where Plaintiff solicited customers through the anonymous dark web and shipped at least 1,797 orders of LSD to users across the country. Indeed, the risk of diversion from Plaintiff's sales is more than theoretical—the government can prove that Plaintiff actually sold LSD to a minor as well as an undercover officer. The government can police the diversion of drugs on the dark web only by prosecuting those, like Plaintiff, who engage in it." What Happens Next As a result of his motions pleading religious exemptions, Riester missed the April 4 deadline to sign a plea deal drafted by the government, which would have resulted in him pleading guilty to a number of charges. He will now face a trial which is set to begin in July. Riester is also facing another court case in Texas over alleged money laundering.
NZ Herald
25-04-2025
- NZ Herald
US Army pilot sold LSD hundreds of times on dark web, prosecutors allege
Details of a drug-trafficking investigation usually would not be made public before an indictment, but Riester filed a civil lawsuit claiming his LSD sales were a sincere religious exercise protected under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. A judge on Wednesday rejected those arguments, clearing a path for prosecutors to file drug-distribution charges. Judge Anthony J. Trenga denied a request for a preliminary injunction to bar Riester's prosecution on religious grounds, finding that the Government has a public health and safety interest in preventing the sale of controlled dangerous substances. Assuming Riester's spiritual beliefs were sincere, Trenga said, 'it's far from clear that sincere religious belief would extend to the indiscriminate selling of LSD on the dark web'. Trenga had already denied two previous requests to stop the prosecution, finding that 'Riester's admitted selling of LSD on the dark web cannot likely be deemed sufficiently narrow and restrictive to ensure that only individuals of Riester's same religion, rather than recreational users of LSD, were accessing the drug'. Courts have found that the use of ayahuasca, peyote, marijuana or other psychoactive drugs in some cases is protected as a religious exercise when the trappings and rituals of organised worship are observed. The US attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a court filing that Riester 'did not sell LSD in the context of a religious gathering or ritual, or to people with whom he shared spiritual experiences; he sold LSD on the dark web, a forum designed to ensure the anonymity of its users'. 'He sold LSD on the dark web to anyone who was willing to pay,' Assistant US Attorney Kirstin O'Connor said at the hearing. Riester remained on active-duty status after admitting in court documents that he consumed and sold LSD, and continued to draw a paycheck, his attorney said. He was in dishonourable discharge proceedings and was granted pretrial release in the Texas money-laundering case, Lake said. An Army spokesperson told the Washington Post Riester's discharge was pending and that he had been reassigned to administrative duties and 'does not have access to classified material'. The US attorney's office declined to comment on the looming indictment. The prosecutor handling Riester's criminal case sat in the courtroom gallery for the hearing. Riester spent months collaborating with law enforcement officials after the FBI and other agencies searched his Springfield, Virginia, apartment in August. He was given an April 4 deadline to take a plea deal that could have landed him in prison for years, court records show. The arrangement would have required Riester to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute LSD and one count of LSD distribution. Lake declined to comment after this week's hearing. Riester allegedly used the screen name 'FiveEyeGuys' on one dark-web marketplace called Abacus, court records show. It's unclear whether that was a reference to the Five Eyes, an intelligence-sharing alliance between Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Also unclear is how Riester managed to hide his LSD religion, sales and income from his wife, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the same battalion who 'had no knowledge of and/or association with plaintiff's LSD-related religious activities,' according to Riester's sworn statements in his lawsuit. He denied flying helicopters while under the influence of LSD and acknowledged that his military service contract did not allow him to use controlled substances while on active duty. Riester claimed his prosecution could endanger US national security, stating in a public court filing that he had 'provided copious amounts of assistance to the FBI and Secret Service in their attempts to arrest and prosecute extremely dangerous and violent international Bitcoin, human, and fentanyl traffickers'. He also believes bitcoin is sacred because of 'the autonomy it gives visionary religious practitioners, such as himself' to facilitate the distribution of the 'Holy Sacrament' (LSD) to his spiritual fellows, Riester's attorneys said in a legal filing. His religion was not named in court documents or at the hearing, but the attorneys said Riester had discussed his belief system at length in Substack posts and podcasts over the years. In the money-laundering case, US officials alleged Riester and unidentified co-conspirators used a spoof email address to fraudulently obtain a US$285,000 wire transfer destined for a British company. Riester then converted the funds into cryptocurrency, according to the pending indictment in the Southern District of Texas. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges; that trial is scheduled to begin in July.
Washington Post
24-04-2025
- Washington Post
Army pilot sold LSD hundreds of times on dark web, prosecutors say
An Army helicopter pilot who federal prosecutors say shipped nearly 1,800 orders of LSD to buyers on the 'dark web' argued in court Wednesday that he has a religious right to sell the drug, deploying an unconventional legal strategy in an attempt to stave off his indictment. Kyle Norton Riester, a first lieutenant on active duty with the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, argued in legal papers this month that 'the Divine guidance and instruction he had received while communing with LSD' drove him to sell the hallucinogenic drug on dark-web marketplaces during the coronavirus pandemic. 'He felt compelled to dispense to co-religionists,' an attorney for Riester, George G. Lake, argued at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. 'His religion still compels him,' Lake said Wednesday as Riester nodded along. Federal prosecutors allege that the Black Hawk pilot, who has a security clearance, collected nearly $122,000 in LSD proceeds over an 11-month period. He shipped at least 1,797 orders from 2022 to 2024, they said, to buyers including a 15-year-old and an undercover law enforcement officer. Riester was indicted last year in a separate money-laundering case in Texas. Details of a drug-trafficking investigation usually would not be made public before an indictment, but Riester filed a civil lawsuit claiming his LSD sales were a sincere religious exercise protected under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. A judge on Wednesday rejected those arguments, clearing a path for prosecutors to file drug-distribution charges. Judge Anthony J. Trenga denied a request for a preliminary injunction to bar Riester's prosecution on religious grounds, finding that the government has a public health and safety interest in preventing the sale of controlled dangerous substances. Assuming Riester's spiritual beliefs were sincere, Trenga said, 'it's far from clear that that sincere religious belief would extend to the indiscriminate selling of LSD on the dark web.' Trenga had already denied two previous requests to stop the prosecution, finding that 'Riester's admitted selling of LSD on the dark web cannot likely be deemed sufficiently narrow and restrictive to ensure that only individuals of Riester's same religion, rather than recreational users of LSD, were accessing the drug.' Courts have found that the use of ayahuasca, peyote, marijuana or other psychoactive drugs in some cases is protected as a religious exercise when the trappings and rituals of organized worship are observed. The U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a court filing that Riester 'did not sell LSD in the context of a religious gathering or ritual, or to people with whom he shared spiritual experiences; he sold LSD on the dark web, a forum designed to ensure the anonymity of its users.' 'He sold LSD on the dark web to anyone who was willing to pay,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirstin O'Connor said at the hearing Wednesday. Riester remains on active-duty status after admitting in court documents that he consumed and sold LSD, and he continues to draw a paycheck, his attorney said. He is in dishonorable discharge proceedings and was granted pretrial release in the Texas money-laundering case, Lake said. An Army spokesperson told The Washington Post that Riester's discharge is pending and that he had been reassigned to administrative duties and 'does not have access to classified material.' The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on the looming indictment. The prosecutor handling Riester's criminal case sat in the courtroom gallery for Wednesday's hearing. Riester spent months collaborating with law enforcement officials after the FBI and other agencies searched his Springfield apartment in August. He was given an April 4 deadline to take a plea deal that could have landed him in prison for years, court records show. The arrangement would have required Riester to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute LSD and one count of LSD distribution. Lake declined to comment after Wednesday's hearing. Riester allegedly used the screen name 'FiveEyeGuys' on one dark-web marketplace called Abacus, court records show. It's unclear whether that was a reference to the Five Eyes, an intelligence-sharing alliance between Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Also unclear is how Riester managed to hide his LSD religion, sales and income from his wife, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the same battalion who 'had no knowledge of and/or association with plaintiff's LSD-related religious activities,' according to Riester's sworn statements in his lawsuit. He denied flying helicopters while under the influence of LSD and acknowledged that his military service contract did not allow him to use controlled substances while on active duty. Riester claimed that his prosecution could endanger U.S. national security, stating in a public court filing that he had 'provided copious amounts of assistance to the FBI and Secret Service in their attempts to arrest and prosecute extremely dangerous and violent international Bitcoin, human, and fentanyl traffickers.' He also believes bitcoin is sacred because of 'the autonomy it gives visionary religious practitioners, such as himself' to facilitate the distribution of the 'Holy Sacrament' (LSD) to his spiritual fellows, Riester's attorneys said in a legal filing. His religion was not named in court documents or at Wednesday's hearing, but the attorneys said Riester had discussed his belief system at length in Substack posts and podcasts over the years. In the money-laundering case, U.S. officials alleged Riester and unidentified co-conspirators used a spoof email address to fraudulently obtain a $285,000 wire transfer destined for a British company. Riester then converted the funds into cryptocurrency, according to the pending indictment in the Southern District of Texas. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges; that trial is scheduled to begin in July.
