Category: Blaze Media
‘Horror movie come to life’: Man faces nearly 600 charges after 100 skulls and skeletons were allegedly found in his home
Police investigators said they were horrified to find more than 100 skulls and skeletons at the Pennsylvania home of a man who is now facing nearly 600 criminal charges.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced in a press conference Thursday that 34-year-old Jonathan Gerlach of Ephrata had been charged with 574 counts, including trespassing, abuse of a corpse, and theft.
‘It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this.’
Detectives had been on a stakeout at the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery and Arboretum in Yeadon Tuesday when they noticed that a car belonging to Gerlach had “numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat.”
They said they saw the man leaving the cemetery with a burlap bag and a crowbar. When he was detained and questioned, Gerlach admitted that he had stolen human remains from 30 grave sites.
They found far worse after raiding the man’s home.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home,” Rouse said at the press conference. “It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, who are trying to figure out if it is in fact one of their loved ones.”
Investigators are now trying to determine why Gerlach had been collecting the remains.
They are also investigating Gerlach’s involvement in a group on Facebook titled, “Human Bones and Skull Selling Group.”
Rouse said that some of the remains were hung up, some were pieced together, and skulls were found on the man’s shelf.
“Very simply, detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at,” Rouse said. “It’s going to be quite some time before we have a final answer.”
Gerlach is being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility on bail of $1 million.
RELATED: 4 people arrested over human remains scattered across New York, bail reform sets them free
“Rest in peace is rest in peace, and this is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings,” Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco said.
The cemetery was founded in 1855, according to a sign at the entrance.
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Somali terror group cashing in on your tax dollars? Minnesota’s childcare fraud whistleblowers warned about a decade ago.
Minnesota has faced intense scrutiny in recent weeks due to revelations of a widespread childcare fraud scheme, largely among local Somalis, that has allegedly drained millions of taxpayer dollars. However, the problem is far from new, as whistleblowers have been warning about this alleged rampant abuse for nearly a decade.
Yet, there has been little progress or accountability.
In May 2018, KMSP-TV released a scathing report alleging “massive daycare fraud” based on whistleblower claims. Scott Stillman, a former employee of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, told the news outlet that he warned his supervisors about these issues in a series of emails in March 2017.
Stillman, an upper management employee who spent eight years overseeing the state’s digital forensics lab, explained that he reported alleged fraud to the state’s DHS because he was concerned there was a “strong possibility” that defrauded taxpayer funds were being used against innocent civilians and the U.S. military.
‘Everyone who did this must be arrested.’
The alleged fraud pertained to the Child Care Assistance Program, which the federal government created in 1990 to help low-income parents afford childcare so they could work or participate in job training.
Stillman told KMSP he wanted the federal government to launch an independent investigation into the handling of day care and Medicaid programs, claiming the fraud reached $100 million or more annually. He also alleged that individuals in the state sent the fraudulent money to Somalia, where it was used to fund a terrorist organization known as al-Shabaab.
The local news interview prompted lawmakers to hold a hearing that same month.
“This is not a Minnesota problem,” Stillman testified. “It started in Minnesota, but we found an individual in our investigation who was teaching and training other states to do this, and it’s spreading out.”
“A federal investigation would reveal that there are other entities involved in this who may be receiving benefits from this fraud,” he said.
RELATED: The insane little story that failed to warn America about the depth of Somali fraud
Photo by Matt Roth for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Stillman’s testimony prompted the Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor in 2019 to issue a report in which auditors stated they could not verify the alleged $100 million in annual fraud and concluded they could not provide a reliable estimate.
However, they believed the fraud was greater than the $5 million to $6 million prosecutors were able to prove in several criminal cases where defendants were charged with felonies and ordered to pay $4.6 million in restitution for their participation in a childcare fraud scheme.
Auditors also said they could not substantiate Stillman’s claims that any of the alleged funds were making their way into the pockets of terrorist groups.
“On the other hand, we found that federal regulatory and law enforcement agencies are concerned that terrorist organizations in certain countries, including Somalia, obtain and use money sent from the United States by immigrants and refugees to family and friends in those countries,” the auditors wrote. “In addition, federal prosecutions have convicted several individuals in Minnesota of providing material support to terrorist organizations in foreign [countries].”
Federal and state officials have been concerned about Child Care Assistance Program fraud since at least 2013, the report added.
The auditor’s report referenced an August 2018 email from Jay Swanson, the then-manager of the CCAP Investigations Unit, in which he substantiated Stillman’s allegations.
“Investigators, as well as the Supervisor and Manager of this unit believe that the overall fraud rate in this program is at least 50% of the $217M paid to child care centers in CY2017,” he wrote in an email to then-Inspector General Carolyn Ham.
Swanson claimed that much of the “pervasive” fraud could be attributed to “large scale overbilling” by “many child care centers,” eligible mothers recruited by providers to receive cash kickbacks, fraudulent centers opening in the same location as a previous center that was ineligible for the program, and shell care centers that exist only to scam the program, among numerous other schemes and oversight gaps.
“In my opinion anyone who claims that Mr. Stillman was making false statements on this topic either has no knowledge of this situation, or is attempting to shift the focus of the conversation away from a very serious issue,” Swanson concluded in his letter to the inspector general.
During a December 2018 hearing before the state lawmakers, IG Ham disputed Swanson’s claim.
“I do not trust the allegation that 50% of CCAP money is being paid fraudulently,” Ham remarked.
The CCAP Investigations Unit also warned about rampant fraud, according to the 2019 auditor report. The unit’s manager stated that investigators “do not believe, despite the number of cases investigated thus far, that any real progress has been made regarding CCAP fraud.”
“Investigators regularly see fraudulent child care centers open faster than they can close the existing ones down,” the manager explained.
While Minnesota DHS officials did not dispute the existence of a CCAP fraud problem, they argued that $100 million in fraud, as Stillman had claimed, was “not a credible number.”
“We’re concerned about fraud and are aggressively pursuing it, but it’s not at that level. Funding for the Child Care Assistance Program for 2017 was $248.2 million,” the MDHS said in a statement in May 2018, responding to Stillman’s allegations.
RELATED: Anna Paulina Luna refers Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison for criminal charges: ‘May justice be swift’
Photographer: Simone Lueck/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Then-acting MDHS Commissioner Chuck Johnson reiterated that Stillman’s fraud estimate was not credible. However, he admitted he could not put a reliable number on the total fraud.
By the time the 2019 report was published, dozens of Minnesota residents and childcare centers had been charged with CCAP fraud.
Since these issues were initially brought to the MDHS’ attention, Minnesota has transitioned CCAP oversight and administration to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. When reached for comment concerning childcare fraud, MDHS directed Blaze News to contact DCYF. That department did not respond.
Minnesota’s long-standing childcare fraud issues recently gained national attention, thanks to journalist Nick Shirley’s on-the-ground reporting in December. This explosive coverage has ignited fierce criticism of the state’s Democratic leadership while shining a harsh light on broader oversight failures that extend beyond the CCAP.
This week, the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor released a performance audit highlighting grant issuance lapses in the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Administration, the department responsible for overseeing mental health programs and alcohol and drug abuse services.
Auditors aimed to assess whether the BHA had “adequate internal controls and complied with significant finance-related requirements related to oversight of grants.” Instead, they found that the administration had failed to comply with “most” of the tested requirements, concluding that it lacked sufficient internal controls over grant funds.
Some of the report’s shocking findings included nearly $300,000 in unsupported grant reimbursements, $915,000 in grant payments for work performed before fully executed agreements were established, $2.5 million in grants awarded without using a competitive bid process, and the improper use of single-source grants.
Additionally, auditors noted that, while MDHS and BHA staff were cooperative with the audit, they provided “a number of documents” that were “either backdated or created after our audit began.”
When reached for comment about the OLA report, Minnesota’s Department of Human Services provided an excerpt from temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi’s testimony at a Tuesday Legislative Audit Commission hearing.
During her opening remarks, Gandhi stated that she was “shocked” to learn that staff have provided auditors “anything other than an accurate representation of the work done.”
“With respect to the audit report, while it’s upsetting that DHS has findings in an area that we have placed concerted effort, the OLA’s report highlights the importance of the compliance work that is under way at the department. And the findings provide us with a road map for our focus going forward to continue strengthening oversight and integrity of behavioral health grants,” Gandhi said. “I take the report seriously, I accept responsibility for the findings, and I will ensure that DHS closes the findings.”
Eric Daugherty of Florida’s Voice reacted to the new “BOMBSHELL” report, stating that it confirms the MDHS “FABRICATED RECORDS and did not verify grant recipients, tried COVERING THEIR TRACKS, enabling massive fraud.”
He called on Gov. Tim Walz to immediately resign. Walz has already dropped out of his re-election campaign amid the state’s ongoing fraud controversy.
“Everyone who did this must be arrested,” Daugherty wrote.
It is not yet clear whether any of these reports will result in criminal investigations.
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VEEP VAPORIZES CNN: Vance Torches Media Mob for Framing of ICE Shooting — ‘Tell the Truth!’ [WATCH]
![VEEP VAPORIZES CNN: Vance Torches Media Mob for Framing of ICE Shooting — ‘Tell the Truth!’ [WATCH]](https://hannity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2254664428-300x200.jpg "US-POLITICS-BRIEFING-VANCE")
Vice President JD Vance unleashed holy hell on CNN Thursday, torching their “disgraceful” coverage of a deadly ICE shootout in Minneapolis that left a radical activist dead – and accusing the fake news giant of endangering America’s heroes in blue.
WATCH NOW: ICE Agent Involved in Shooting Previously Dragged 300FT, Hospitalized by Illegal Migrant Driver Last Year
According to a New York Post report, the ICE agent who opened fire in Minneapolis on Wednesday has a grim recent history:
Renee Good’s shooting won’t spark a ‘George Floyd 2.0’ — here’s why
Yesterday, in south Minneapolis, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation. Good allegedly weaponized her SUV in an attempt to ram and run over the agent who shot her.
President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have framed the officer’s actions as self-defense, while Democrat officials, most notably Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, have framed the incident as the unjustified and reckless killing of an innocent observer. They, as well as other Democrat officials, have publicly claimed that Good was merely trying to drive away, even though video footage captures the ICE agents being propelled backward from the impact of Good’s vehicle.
BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock says it’s clear Democrats are hoping to turn this into a “George Floyd 2.0.” On this episode of “Jason Whitlock Harmony,” Whitlock and contributors Shemeka Michelle, Dre Baldwin, and Virgil Walker explain why their plan is bound to fail.
Shemeka says it’s unlikely that Good’s death will be as politically profitable as Floyd’s. For one, Good is a “white woman,” she says, meaning her race automatically disqualifies her from being the ideal victim the left seeks to push its social justice wars.
“Number two, this happened during the dead of winter. I don’t know how many black people they’re going to get to go out and be in the streets for long periods of time,” she adds, alluding to the orchestrated, heavily funded, not-at-all grassroots movement that was BLM.
Whitlock speculates that if Good had been a black woman, a George Floyd 2.0 would still be an impossibility because the officer — out of fear of vicious backlash — would likely have refrained from shooting.
But Baldwin disagrees. “I think the ICE agent probably still would’ve shot had it been a black woman. I still don’t think it would be as big of a deal as George Floyd because George Floyd, if you looked at the video (just the 90 second clip that came out), he appeared completely innocent and not a threat,” he counters, “whereas this woman … was behind the wheel of a vehicle. … [Good] was playing offense in some way.”
Walker, however, notes that recent studies indicate that law enforcement is less likely to use deadly force when the perpetrator is black. Had Good been black, he thinks there might have been at least “a delay in response” from the shooting officer.
“At the end of the day, I think legally speaking, what prosecutors are going to be looking at, what people are going to be trying to determine is: At the time that the officer pulled the trigger, was the vehicle aiming at him in such a way that he would be directly hit? That’s the sliver that everybody is trying to figure out,” he adds.
In regard to the incident being escalated into a George Floyd 2.0, Walker says he highly doubts Good’s case has the makings of a BLM-level movement.
Want more from Jason Whitlock?
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Two people shot by federal officers in Portland only a day after lethal ICE shooting
A man and a woman were shot and injured by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Portland, according to local media reports.
The two people were transported to a hospital for treatment of their injuries, although their conditions were not released to the public.
‘We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. … As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.’
The incident comes only a day after a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after she tried to hit them with her vehicle, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Portland police said they responded to reports of the shooting at about 2:24 p.m. near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Portland said in a post on social media that it was investigating the incident.
DHS said in a statement that U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop that included a “Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring.” When the agents identified themselves, the driver “weaponized” the vehicle and tried to run them over.
“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” DHS added.
“Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident,” said Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat. “We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.”
City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney spoke about the two injured during Portland’s city council meeting.
“As far as we know, both of these individuals are still alive, and we are hoping for more positive updates throughout the afternoon,” she said.
RELATED: Trump team calls out ‘depravity’ of Jimmy Kimmel’s response to lethal ICE shooting
An ICE facility in Portland has been targeted by protesters opposed to the mass deportation operations, and some of the demonstrations have included violence.
Protests also ramped up in Minneapolis after the lethal shooting. The public schools were shut down for the rest of the week as a precaution.
Editor’s note: This article has been edited after publication to include a statement from DHS.
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Thug pulls gun in convenience store, but clerk also is armed — and isn’t having one bit of it
Memphis police released video showing what went down after a male pulled a gun during an attempted robbery in a convenience store Monday morning, WHBQ-TV reported.
Police said video shows a man dressed in a white hoodie starting to pull out a gun inside the Quick Check Store on Alcy Road near Perry Road around 10 a.m., the station said.
‘Criminals beware and think twice!’
But police said the armed male at that moment jerks back and runs away, WHBQ reported.
Police said the clerk fired a shot at the would-be robber and struck him, the station noted.
Later Tuesday, police released doorbell camera video showing the suspect unmasked and dressed in an orange sweatshirt running into a home, WHBQ reported.
The new video also zeroes in on some type of stain in the suspect’s chest area, the station said.
Police added to WHBQ that they’re still looking for the suspect, who’s described as between the ages of 18 and 22 and standing about 5 feet 5 inches tall with a tattoo over one of his eyebrows.
The station also said he was wearing black pants and black shoes as well as a red shirt underneath his white hoodie.
More from WHBQ:
Under Tennessee’s Stand Your Ground Law, the clerk was within their rights to shoot. It says any person is justified in using force if they reasonably believe there is an imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Pulling out that gun would enforce that “reasonable” belief.
The clerk had no duty to retreat or try to get away but could, as the law states, stand their ground.
Those with information about the suspect’s whereabouts are asked to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH, the station said.
Commenters under WHBQ’s Facebook post about the incident did not hold back:
- “I bet he won’t go back to that store to try and rob it,” one commenter stated.
- “Good job store clerk,” another user added.
- “Need more of this type of news,” another commenter declared.
- “Criminals beware and think twice!” another user noted.
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