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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.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Radical' federal judges 'will soon learn' consequences of bucking Trump's orders: official
The Trump administration said that "radical judges" will "soon learn that denying" President Donald Trump his "constitutionally granted authorities is a gross infringement of the law and will not stand on appeal" after a Bush-appointed judge blocked the administration from firing intelligence agency employees tied to DEI programs. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, a President George W. Bush appointee in Virginia, issued the preliminary injunction on Monday ahead of a 5 p.m. deadline issued by CIA Director John Ratcliffe for the agents to resign or be fired, allowing them to appeal and stay on the federal payroll. The injunction was part of a lawsuit filed by more than a dozen intelligence agents from the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who were found to be involved in, or working on, DEI programs in the department. Trump Doj, Education Dept Form Task Force To Protect Female Athletes From 'Gender Ideology' In Schools, Sports "The plaintiffs face termination without any suggestion of wrongdoing or poor performance," Trenga said after the ruling, according to Politico. "Simply requiring the government to follow its regulations is a minimal burden." The employees, who were abruptly placed on administrative leave in January, were facing termination as part of the Trump administration's effort, supported by Elon Musk, to eliminate DEI-related programs and initiate a large-scale government overhaul. Musk also visited the CIA headquarters on Tuesday to discuss his government efficiency program. Read On The Fox News App "These radical judges will soon learn that denying the Chief Executive his constitutionally granted authorities is a gross infringement of the law and will not stand on appeal," Trump administration spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. Concerned Parents Of Trans Kids Compared To 'Hate Groups' By Colorado Dem: Wouldn't 'Ask The Kkk' For Opinion "Ending the bigotry of DEI and ensuring the federal government runs efficiently might be a crime to Democrats, but it's in line with the law," he said. The 19 employees, who are unnamed, contended in their lawsuit last month that their roles in the DEI programs were "temporary assignments" and that they also had other responsibilities as intelligence officers. The lawsuit also states that "poor performance" wasn't a factor in their dismissal. The "imminent termination is therefore arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion," the lawsuit charges. Ban On Taxpayer-funded Sex Changes For Prisoners Sparks Dem Walkout In Georgia House Vote Trenga's written order also said the Trump administration must consider employees' "request for reassignment for open or available positions, in accordance with their qualifications and skills." The administration can still fire the employees but first has to present a "report" on the employees' appeals or reassignments to the judge. This injunction adds to a stack of injunctions and temporary restraining orders placed on several of President Donald Trump's executive orders. Trump issued an executive order last month penalizing law firm Perkins Coie for its representation of Hillary Clinton and its DEI policies by targeting the firm's government contracts and limiting access to federal facilities. Over 300 law professors and legal groups, including the ACLU and Cato Institute, filed briefs supporting Perkins Coie. In February, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of President Trump's executive orders aimed at banning DEI programs on university campuses. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser lobbed at least 13 lawsuits against Trump administration policies related to DEI, including the Health and Human Services' (HHS) termination of public health grants, and moves to defund the Consumer Financial Protection article source: 'Radical' federal judges 'will soon learn' consequences of bucking Trump's orders: official
Reuters
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US judge refuses to halt firings of CIA officers in DEIA programs
WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday refused to halt the firings of 21 CIA officers who were assigned to diversity, equality, inclusion and accessibility programs that President Donald Trump ordered eliminated, their attorney said. Kevin Carroll, who is representing the CIA officers, said that U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Trenga declined to issue a temporary restraining order to CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to stop the firings while the officers fight in court to keep their jobs. The plaintiffs include some CIA personnel who have worked for the spy agency for 19 years and will lose their jobs a year short of qualifying for their pensions, said Carroll. The ruling was expected to apply to 30 other CIA personnel who did not join the suit but like the plaintiffs face termination even though they were assigned to DEIA programs on a temporary basis. A Central Intelligence Agency spokesperson declined to comment. Trenga found that Ratcliffe has "sweeping statutory authority" to terminate CIA personnel if he determines it is in the national interest, said Carroll, a former undercover CIA officer. Carroll argued that the officers are not being fired for national security reasons. The judge had delayed the firings until Thursday's hearing in the first legal battle between U.S. intelligence officers and Trump's new spy chiefs over his January 20 directive ending all DEIA programs across the federal government. The 51 officers temporarily assigned to DEIA programs were placed on paid administrative leave two days after Trump's order. They were told to accept one of three options by 5 p.m. on February 20 or be fired: retirement by October 1, resignation effective on Tuesday, or termination on May 20, according to court papers. Carroll said he expected the government to ask Trenga to dismiss the suit.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court allows CIA to fire employees who worked on DEI
A federal judge has turned down a bid to block the Trump administration from firing intelligence officers who worked in DEI programs, but he prodded the spy agencies involved to try to find new jobs in the intelligence community for those being ousted. At a hearing Thursday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga said the laws and court precedents relating to intelligence agency employees give them little recourse in the courts if top officials decide that firing them is in the 'national interest,' even if they've worked for the government for a decade or more. 'In effect, they are at-will employees,' said Trenga, an appointee of President George W. Bush. The employees involved in the case are 19 intelligence-agency workers whom the administration identified as working on 'diversity, equity and inclusion.' President Donald Trump has sought to end DEI initiatives throughout the federal government. In their lawsuit contesting their firings, the workers say they had been temporarily assigned by their agencies to implement civil rights laws within the intelligence community. Their duties included advancing the hiring and promotion of underrepresented minorities. They say Congress appropriated money for the specific tasks they were carrying out. The workers allege that the firings violate two federal laws as well as the First and Fifth Amendments. But Trenga said CIA Director John Ratcliffe has 'uncabined discretion' to use the 'national interest' provision to strip employees of the ability to use any of the normal mechanisms to contest a firing. 'The regulations clearly state that there is no property interest in the employment they have,' the judge said. 'The ability of the director to terminate without respect to any other procedures is embedded in those regulations.' At an earlier stage in the case, Trenga briefly halted the firings while he heard further arguments. But on Thursday, he denied the workers' request for a temporary restaining order or preliminary injunction that would have extended the earlier block. The judge did extend until Monday the deadline for the 17 CIA employees and two Office of Director of National Intelligence employees in the case to accept the deferred resignation program the Trump administration offered to most executive branch employees. The judge also made clear that he found it bizarre and unwise that the intelligence agencies would cashier long-serving employees who just happened to be in DEI-related roles when Trump took office. 'If fairness and good judgment were the guiding principle, it would be an easy case,' Trenga said. During legal arguments that preceded the judge's ruling, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Barghaan contended that the national interest exemption is exceedingly broad and is not limited to national security concerns. Barghaan, a career lawyer who heads the civil division in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alexandria, also sought to put some distance between himself and the decision to ax the longtime workers. 'It's not my place here to defend the merits of the decision or the righteousness of it,' Barghaan said. 'I feel for the plaintiffs.' Barghaan's expression of sympathy was not well-received by some of the intellgence-agency employees who filed the suit and were present at the hearing. Two of them hectored him as he left the courtroom. 'You should be ashamed. You should really be ashamed of yourself,' one man called out at Barghaan as he waited for an elevator. 'That was really disgusting.' The government attorney did not respond. Trenga did not rule out future relief for the intelligence-agency workers. He suggested they might have valid legal claims if they aren't considered for other roles or if the administration maligns them by publicly linking their dismissals to Trump's repeated denunciations of DEI programs as corrupt. 'The court is certainly available for future consideration of this case as the facts unfold over the next several months,' the judge said. Trenga also said he thinks Ratcliffe could comply with the administration's anti-DEI policies and still allow the employees to transfer to other roles. And he emphasized CIA's regulations allow for an appeal, although he acknowledged that the appeal would likely go to the same officials who carried out the firings. After the court session, the workers' lawyer, Kevin Carroll, told reporters that he hopes the CIA will reconsider and allow the workers to move into other positions in government. 'We respect the court's decision,' Carroll said. 'I would certainly hope, given the judge's remarks from the bench, that Director Ratcliffe would consider allowing the plaintiffs to reapply for other jobs.' Carroll told plaintiffs after the session that he will consider an appeal, but that appeals courts rarely overturn a lower court's decision to deny an injunction at this stage of a case. The plaintiffs were identified by pseudonyms in public court files. In recent submissions, they variously described themselves as female, gay, Asian American, atheist, or over 40 years of age. Carroll said many of the workers are considering their legal options to pursue discrimination claims in connection with their firing.
