Howdy, MW reader! Here’s another monthly roundup for July 2024, featuring stories on the following:
- Bundy bankruptcy
- Virginia militias continue to engage local press
- Charges dropped against AmCon lead
And here’s last month’s update just in case:
[CONTENT WARNING: This Monthly includes some descriptions of alleged domestic violence. If you are sensitive to these descriptions, please ask a friend to summarize this post or skip over the section that follows news on the Virginia groups (section 3 below).]
Bundy Declares Bankruptcy
Patriot movement activist Ammon Bundy, who led the Bureau of Land Management takeover in Malheur and has been a fugitive since a court decision against him last year, declared bankruptcy this month.
In a video on July 17, Bundy said he believes a bankruptcy judge will discharge his $53 million debt by assessing it as an act of “political retribution”.
Virginia Media Reports on Militia, Activists Take Opportunity to Speak
On July 22, Virginia Public Media (VPM, an NPR and PBS affiliate in Virginia) published a piece on the status of Virginia militias. In the piece, they interviewed several militia activists, including members of a Virginia group that once called itself Boogaloo (but now shies from the word).
As part of the piece, reporters also interviewed one of the key organizers of the Virginia Mutual Assistance Group (VMAG). Though he only provides his first name in the piece, this former leader is likely the same former VMAG member who was arrested for bringing a firearm to a school board meeting in Gloucester last year. That July arrest (alongside other Boogaloo adherents) prompted an armed protest outside the T.C. Walker Education Center in August, a gathering led by Boog media darling Mike Dunn. The protest featured several members of the aforementioned Virginia Boogaloo group, including Russell “Duke” Vane, who the group would kick out over his alleged sketchy actions and whose home the FBI would raid in April of this year.
Domestic Violence Charges Dropped Against Prepper Lead
Missed from previous reporting, but Utah charged the leader of the American Contingency movement with domestic violence and then dropped the case against him within two months.
During the arrest, Glover, a former Green Beret, was charged with aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, 3 charges of domestic violence in the presence of a child leading to injury, and unlawful detention. A report from the state of Utah, where Glover resides, includes testimony from Glover’s girlfriend while she was in an emergency room receiving care for a broken wrist.
The court timeline is as follows:
- On May 1, Utah authorities arrest Glover.
- On May 4, Utah presses further charges against him for allegedly breaking a no-contact order. According to the arresting officer in the original case, Glover called a friend to relay messages to his girlfriend to pressure her to drop the charges.
- On May 6, Glover appears for a court date from detention.
- At a follow-up hearing on May 7, Glover’s girlfriend calls in from out of state and makes a positive character statement in his support.
- On May 8, Glover posts bail. Most of Glover’s thousands of dollars in bail was posted by the CEO of Black Rifle Coffee Company (or someone who shares his name).
- In late May, the court downgrades charges against Glover to misdemeanor level.
- In late June, Glover announces that the case against him was “officially dismissed”.
- In early July, he pleads not guilty.
- On July 9, a final hearing determines that Glover would pay a $300 fine and face probationary measures for 6 months. This is due to his breaking a no-contact order from his jail cell.
Since charges were dropped against Glover, he’s told his side of the story on several media channels. These include his channels and right-wing podcast channels. He has deleted some of his videos in the past couple of weeks.
Rapid Fire Other Stories
For their involvement in a 2021 standoff, a judge sentenced two members of the Rise of the Moors group following guilty verdicts in June. Sentences are as follows:
- Leader Jamhal Tavon Sanders Latimer: 3-5 years
- Member Steven Anthony Pereze: 18 months
Debate continues over Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s deputization of private citizens. On July 11, the NYT posted an op-ed asking if his group of 75 armed citizens constituted a militia. Patch reached out to Blakeman the following week and he confirmed that he anticipated “no change” to his policy in the future.
Further Reading:
- Alice Herman, writing for the Guardian, provides details into CSPOA and militia-friendly sheriff Dar Leaf’s re-election campaign