Category: Blaze Media
Ohio woman pleads guilty to horrific child sex abuse charges and bestiality — and will testify against her husband
An Ohio woman agreed to testify against her husband after they were arrested for creating and disseminating child sex abuse material as well as bestiality.
Prosecutors said the material was found after a search warrant was performed at Shawna Mayfield’s home in Warren based on a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a 30-year sentence in the plea deal in return for her cooperation.
Warren police said they found evidence that Mayfield had produced, created, and spread the child sex abuse material. She was arrested in August.
Two children allegedly told investigators that they were compelled to engage in sex acts by the woman.
“Additionally, the state found videos of the defendant performing sex acts with an animal, specifically a dog, and again,” prosecutor Gabe Wildman said, “while executing the search warrant in the final count, this defendant and her co-defendant had a marijuana grow on the premises that exceeded the statutory limits.”
Mayfield pleaded guilty to five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, eight counts of rape, one count of sexual conduct with an animal, and endangering children.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a 30-year sentence in the plea deal in return for her cooperation and agreement to testify against her 37-year-old husband, Justin Mayfield.
Her husband was charged with multiple counts of rape, one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, and one count of endangering children.
Prosecutors have offered him a plea deal that would put him in prison for 50 years to life. His attorney asked for less time in prison after noting that his wife had more charges against her but with a lower sentence.
RELATED: 21-year-old Texas man who allegedly sold child sex and bestiality videos turned in by relative
Justin Mayfield’s trial will begin later in January, and Shawna Mayfield will be officially sentenced later as well.
The man’s Facebook page listed him as a “digital creator,” according to WKRC-TV.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A red-state lawfare shakedown heads to the Supreme Court
The Republican Party claims to stand against lawfare — especially the obscene, rent-seeking variety that disguises itself as environmental justice. Yet that principle is about to be tested in a highly public and deeply embarrassing way.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on January 12 in Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish. Louisiana officials will face off against the Trump Justice Department and American energy producers in a landmark case over an attempted shakedown of oil companies for alleged responsibility for coastal erosion dating back to World War II.
Lawfare does not become acceptable because Republicans use it. And environmental shakedowns do not become conservative simply because they originate in a red state.
The basic claim is simple enough. Louisiana and several local governments have filed dozens of lawsuits alleging that oil and gas production over the last 80 years caused the erosion of the state’s coastline. But the structure and substance of these cases reveal something far more troubling.
Although the lawsuits were filed in the name of the state and its municipalities, control has effectively been handed over to politically connected plaintiffs’ lawyers — major donors who stand to reap enormous contingency fees. Through a so-called common interest agreement, the Louisiana attorney general’s office surrendered its obligation to independently assess the merits of the claims. In practice, the state abdicated its role to the trial-lawyer donor class.
That alone should raise alarms. The rest only makes it worse.
The lawsuits seek to impose liability for conduct that was lawful at the time and occurred as far back as eight decades ago. Ex post facto liability is fundamentally un-American, which is why almost no one attempts to defend it on the merits.
Even more awkward for Louisiana’s theory, virtually everyone outside the plaintiffs’ bar agrees on the primary cause of coastal erosion: decades of federal intervention by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which radically altered water flow in the Mississippi Delta. Louisiana once sued the federal government on exactly this basis. Now the same damage is somehow blamed on oil companies instead.
Because these claims reach back to the 1940s, they sweep in oil production carried out at the direction of the U.S. government to support the war effort — specifically the refining of aviation fuel for the military. It is a strange irony that after years of Democrat-led lawfare under the Biden administration, a red state has now delivered environmental litigation over World War II to the Supreme Court.
The hypocrisy is hard to miss.
The venue fight exposes the real game. Plaintiffs’ lawyers insist these cases remain in Louisiana state courts. The reason is obvious. Those courts are heavily influenced by the trial bar and have a record of staggering verdicts. Chevron was recently hit with a $745 million judgment in one such case.
Energy producers want the cases moved to federal court — not because victory is guaranteed but because federal courts are more likely to function as neutral arbiters. There is also a compelling jurisdictional reason: Much of the challenged activity involved federally directed wartime production. If any court belongs here, it is a federal one.
RELATED: America First energy policy is paying off at the pump
Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
This kind of forum shopping should look familiar. It mirrors the Democrats’ strategy during the Biden years — carefully selecting friendly state courts to pursue political outcomes they could not secure through legislation. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) and Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) appear to have absorbed all the wrong lessons from all the wrong actors.
This is the same playbook used by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) when she charged President Trump in state court for conduct governed by federal law. It is the same model California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) embraced when he partnered with trial lawyers to sue energy companies for billions over alleged climate harms.
Step back from the legal details and a larger problem comes into focus.
President Trump’s agenda prioritizes American energy dominance. His actions abroad reinforce that priority. Yet Republicans in Louisiana are not merely opposing that objective — they are using the very lawfare tactics they claim to despise to undermine it.
For voters trying to apply a consistent ideological framework, the whiplash is real. When red states start behaving like California, it is fair to ask whether America First has drifted from a governing philosophy into a monetization strategy.
Lawfare does not become acceptable because Republicans use it. And environmental shakedowns do not become conservative simply because they originate in a red state. If the right intends to oppose lawfare, it needs to oppose it everywhere — especially when its own allies are the ones doing the shaking down.
TEARS OF A CLOWN: Mamdani’s ‘Tenant Czar’ Cries, Bolts After $1.6M House Hypocrisy Question
Old social media posts come back to haunt the Mamdani pick… Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s newly installed tenant advocate, Cea Weaver, got emotional Wednesday morning as she ducked reporters’ questions about what critics are calling gentrification hypocrisy.
‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’: Footage Shows ICE Standoff With Women in SUV, Shots Fired [GRAPHIC CONTENT]
![‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’: Footage Shows ICE Standoff With Women in SUV, Shots Fired [GRAPHIC CONTENT]](https://hannity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255109935-300x200.jpg "Federal Agents Increase Immigration Enforcement In Minneapolis")
A dramatic video ripping across social media purportedly captures the moment an ICE agent opened fire on a 37-year-old woman after she tried to barrel her SUV into an officer’s path in Minneapolis, on Wednesday morning.
MINNESOTA ON EDGE: Tensions Boil Over in Minneapolis After ICE Shooting [WATCH]
![MINNESOTA ON EDGE: Tensions Boil Over in Minneapolis After ICE Shooting [WATCH]](https://hannity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255110553-300x200.jpg "Federal Agents Descend On Minneapolis For Immigration Enforcement Operations")
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in her vehicle during an immigration enforcement operation in southeast Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Tim Walz Suggests Prosecutor Who Indicted Somali Fraudsters Should Be Fired: ‘We Are Under Assault’
Minnesota governor Tim Walz (D.) suggested the federal prosecutor behind the Somali fraud convictions in the state should be fired, accusing him of “defamation” for providing an estimate of the total amount defrauded from Medicaid programs.
The post Tim Walz Suggests Prosecutor Who Indicted Somali Fraudsters Should Be Fired: ‘We Are Under Assault’ appeared first on .
United States Seizes Two Venezuela-Linked Oil Tankers, Including One Escorted by Russian Navy
U.S. forces on Wednesday seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela in coordinated operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, including one vessel that was traveling under escort from Russian naval ships, according to U.S. officials.
The post United States Seizes Two Venezuela-Linked Oil Tankers, Including One Escorted by Russian Navy appeared first on .
California Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Steyer Funds Pro-Hamas Group That Calls Cops ‘Pigs’
Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist running for California governor, bankrolls a left-wing nonprofit that refers to police officers as “pigs” and has spouted anti-Semitic tropes in defense of Hamas.
The post California Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Steyer Funds Pro-Hamas Group That Calls Cops ‘Pigs’ appeared first on .
‘Humiliation ritual’: What the FBI did to this whistleblower should terrify EVERY American
Telling the truth inside the federal government now comes with a price — and Steve Friend has paid it over and over again.
“I received news right before Christmas that you had been fired by the FBI,” BlazeTV host Steve Deace tells Steve Friend on the “Steve Deace Show.”
It all started when Friend was assigned to what he calls “the most important, highest-priority case in the history of the FBI” — January 6. This ultimately led to Friend becoming a whistleblower in 2022 when he saw the way the government was weaponizing the law to go after American citizens.
“What I found was that so few people who are currently in the employ of our federal government, in the employ of the FBI, were willing to actually stand by my side when I brought forward my concerns,” Friend tells Deace.
“And that resulted in my ultimate suspension and eventually having my security clearance suspended and permanently revoked,” he explains.
While Friend was promised that things would be different under the Trump administration, it hasn’t changed — and has ended in his termination from the FBI.
“I get a phone call Sunday night, December 7, from the FBI that says I am to report to work the following day. And I did. I reported to work Monday, December 8,” Friend tells Deace. “Was actually driven to Jacksonville. I was not the recipient of a gun because I didn’t have an active security clearance.”
“The FBI, in fact, told me they couldn’t assign me any work, and I had to be escorted around like a prisoner through the facility because they couldn’t allow me to have unfettered access to their facility. I didn’t have access to a computer, a cell phone,” he continues, noting that he did receive credentials and went to work the next few days.
“I had no insurance information, no back pay, and finally was told, ‘You have 400 hours of vacation time. Feel free to use it,’” he adds.
When Friend decided to use the vacation time to take his wife to Tampa for a Christmas event, he got a call asking him to come back to the office — to which he responded that he was out of pocket and couldn’t be there.
“They said, ‘Okay, come back on Monday.’ An hour later, got a text message from Caitlin Doornbos, a journalist from the New York Post, that said she was working on a story about the FBI planning to fire me and wanted a comment,” he tells Deace.
“So, apparently, the plan was in that they were going to bring me back as a sort of humiliation ritual to fire me, but they didn’t execute it properly because they leaked it to the media to besmirch my reputation before they had actually fired me,” he says.
“Wound up getting a termination letter signed, autographed by Kash Patel himself dismissing me as an FBI agent,” he continues, adding, “and then 90 minutes later, the New York Post dropped their story, and then MAGA Inc. influencer crowd went to work to try to besmirch me and say that I had issued some sort of a veiled threat to the director but somehow got a credential and badge 72 hours later.”
Want more from Steve Deace?
To enjoy more of Steve’s take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Nick Reiner’s high-powered attorney withdraws from case — but insists former client ‘is not guilty of murder. Print that!’
High-powered attorney Alan Jackson on Wednesday said he “had to withdraw” from the murder case focusing on his now-former client Nick Reiner, who is accused of murdering his parents — Hollywood icon Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70 — last month.
Jackson told reporters that “circumstances beyond our control — but more importantly beyond Nick’s control — have dictated that sadly it’s made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick.”
Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided if they will seek the death penalty.
Jackson added that he’s “legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why” he withdrew from the case but noted that he and his team “remain deeply, deeply committed to Nick Reiner and his best interests.”
The attorney also told reporters that “we’re not just convinced — we know — that the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case, Nick’s case” and that “we’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front. What we’ve learned — and you can take this to the bank — is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that! Print that!”
Nick Reiner did not enter a plea when he returned to court Wednesday and is now assigned a public defender, Kimberly Green, KABC-TV reported, adding that he will return to court Feb. 23 and remains in jail on no bail.
The New York Times said Jackson withdrawing from the case “may suggest that the Reiner family — Nick has two siblings — has distanced itself from [Nick] Reiner and his legal case, at least financially.
Nick Reiner, 32 — who faces two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders — in court spoke only when the judge asked if he waives his right to a speedy trial, saying, “Yes, I agree, your honor,” KABC reported.
Reiner was ordered to remain behind bars at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles without bail following his first court appearance on Dec. 17, when he wore shackles and a suicide prevention smock, the station said.
Reiner reportedly was removed from suicide watch ahead of his arraignment, KABC reported, adding that he could enter a not guilty plea by reason of insanity.
More from the station:
If Nick Reiner pleads not guilty next month, the case would normally head toward a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial. His mental competence for trial could also be a factor.
A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his severe struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, “Being Charlie,” that was very loosely based on their lives.
The Reiners were killed early in the morning of Dec. 14 and were found in the late afternoon the same day, authorities said, according to KABC.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that the couple died from “multiple sharp force injuries” but released no other details, the station said, adding that police have said nothing about possible motives.
The counts against Reiner come with special circumstances of multiple murders and an allegation that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife, KABC said, adding that the additions could mean a more severe sentence.
Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided if they will seek the death penalty, the station added.
Blood allegedly was found in a hotel room Nick Reiner checked into hours after arguing with his famed moviemaker father at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party, which took place Dec. 13.
Nick Reiner’s behavior alarmed guests at the party, the New York Times reported in a separate story, citing two attendees who asked not to be named in order to maintain relationships.
More from the Times:
Rob and Nick Reiner got into a shouting match at the party in West Los Angeles, said one of the attendees, who recalled Rob Reiner telling his son that his behavior was inappropriate. The attendee, who did not speak to the Reiners at the party, said that people seemed to be very aware of Nick Reiner’s history with drug abuse, which the family has discussed publicly.
Another attendee said that he did not witness the dispute, but he recognized Rob Reiner in the crowd and noticed the younger Reiner hovering at the fringes of the informal gathering. The guest said that he and other attendees were worried and that several people commented to him on Nick Reiner’s behavior, saying he looked anxious and uncomfortable in a way that deeply unsettled them.
The Reiners were upset and embarrassed about their son’s behavior at the party and expressed worries about his health, NBC News reported, citing another person.
What’s more, Nick Reiner was alleged to have interrupted a conversation involving comedian Bill Hader, NBC News added. When Hader told Nick Reiner that the conversation was private, the source told the news network that Nick Reiner appeared to pause and stare before “storming off.” Hader did not return a request for comment, NBC News also said.
Nick Reiner hours later used his credit card to check into the Pierside Santa Monica hotel around 4 a.m. Dec. 14, TMZ reported, citing sources with direct knowledge.
Eyewitnesses who saw Nick Reiner check into the hotel told TMZ he seemed “tweaked out,” but there were no visible signs that he had been in a violent confrontation, and there were no bloodstains or cuts on his body.
TMZ added that Nick Reiner’s reservation was for one day, but he never formally checked out.
When hotel staff entered Nick Reiner’s room later on the morning of Dec. 14, they found the shower “full of blood” and blood on the bed, TMZ reported, adding that the room’s window was covered by bedsheets.
TMZ said Nick Reiner was located and arrested about 20 miles away in Exposition Park, near downtown Los Angeles, around 9:15 p.m. Dec. 14; authorities were called for medical aid to the Reiner home around 3:30 p.m. Dec. 14, after which the bodies of the Reiner couple were found.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
