Category: Conservative Review
Illegal alien steals from SNAP program in massive fraud scheme
As more than 40 million Americans prepare for a disruption to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program handouts amid the Democrat-led government shutdown, a member of a fraud conspiracy related to SNAP has been brought to justice.
On October 15, an Italian illegal alien living in Oregon was sentenced to federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
‘By siphoning millions of dollars in government funds intended for food-insecure households, this illegal criminal alien proved to be one of the worst of the worst.’
Over the course of 14 months between August 2023 and October 2024, Giovanni Spirea, 29, and his co-conspirators purchased over 120,000 pounds of groceries using electronic skimming devices to steal SNAP benefits.
“Spirea shared stolen account information with other members of the organization, who, along with him, used the stolen benefits to purchase large quantities of infant formula, energy drinks, and other SNAP-eligible nonperishable food items from grocery stores … and through websites associated with grocery stores offering curb-side pickup,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The stolen items were then sold on the black market, the DOJ added.
RELATED: Democrats’ shutdown blame game backfires — even Jake Tapper calls them out on SNAP benefits
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spirea and his co-conspirators operated in Oregon, Washington, and California. The estimated value of the stolen goods is $2.4 million.
“By siphoning millions of dollars in government funds intended for food-insecure households, this illegal criminal alien proved to be one of the worst of the worst,” said April Miller, Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting special agent in charge.
“Protecting government-funded programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program isn’t just about preserving funds — it’s about safeguarding trust in a vital lifeline that millions of families depend on to put food on the table,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford. “Today’s sentencing should deter perpetrators from defrauding American families and the federal government for personal gain.”
Spirea was sentenced to two years in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $61,874.32 in restitution. Sixteen others were charged in the conspiracy.
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Immigration raid at New Jersey warehouse busts illegal aliens, arresting 22% of workforce
Federal immigration agents executed a raid of a New Jersey container freight warehouse that resulted in the arrest of dozens of illegal aliens, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
‘DHS is committed to maintaining the highest levels of security and accountability within bonded facilities to protect both US commerce and the public.’
Activists arrived on the scene to protest as federal agents conducted the arrests, WCBS-TV reported. They claimed that most of those taken into custody were packers for the international shipping company.
Local reports indicated that DHS agents initiated the workplace inspection at a facility owned by Savino Del Bene, a logistics company headquartered in Italy.
The sweep resulted in the arrests of 46 illegal aliens, approximately 22% of the on-site workforce, a DHS spokesperson told Blaze News.
RELATED: Soros-linked protesters to host ‘rally/vigil’ at Home Depot over ICE raids
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“The operation is part of DHS’ ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with customs and immigration regulations, safeguard the integrity of the supply chain, and verify that warehouse operators are adhering to all applicable security requirements,” the agency spokesperson said. “DHS is committed to maintaining the highest levels of security and accountability within bonded facilities to protect both U.S. commerce and the public.”
RELATED: ICE officer shoots at driver who tried to run over agent during vehicle stop in California, DHS says
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The spokesperson noted that the 46 illegal aliens will remain in DHS custody pending immigration proceedings.
Blaze News reached out to Savino Del Bene for comment.
This marks the third raid in Middlesex County in the past few months. Federal agents detained 15 employees from a wine and spirits warehouse in July and another 29 workers from a freight warehouse in August.
Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner stated that the town was not notified about the recent immigration enforcement actions.
“My police department had no idea that ICE was in our town at 6:30 in the morning last Sunday,” Hohenleitner stated, referring to the unrelated arrest of Ruperto Vicens Marquez, a longtime restaurant owner. Hohenleitner accused federal agents of wrongfully arresting Marquez, who, according to KABC-TV, has a valid and recently renewed work visa.
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Alleged shoplifter caught on video brutally beating 18-year-old supermarket employee who confronted him: ‘Senseless’
An alleged shoplifter in a North Carolina supermarket was caught on surveillance video brutally beating an employee who confronted him.
Detectives from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are working to identify two individuals involved, WBTV-TV reported.
‘When we have self-checkouts, it just presents an opportunity for people who are not doing the right thing, thieves, to take items and commit crimes.’
Police told the station the physical attack took place Oct. 20 at the Food Lion in the 2200 block of Park Road in Charlotte.
Two people were in the self-checkout area of the supermarket attempting to steal items when an 18-year-old Food Lion employee confronted them, Detective Ashley Phillips told WBTV.
Surveillance video showed one of the alleged shoplifters speaking with the employee and then walking with the employee into a back room, the station said.
Another surveillance camera captured the attack in the back room. Video shows one of the suspects grabbing the employee in the neck and chest area and slamming the employee against a large container against a wall, punching the employee, and then appearing to stomp the employee on the floor.
Surveillance video then shows the two alleged shoplifters leaving the Food Lion with the stolen items following the beating, WBTV reported.
“It’s unfortunate. Any act of violence is senseless,” Phillips told the station. “When we have self-checkouts, it just presents an opportunity for people who are not doing the right thing, thieves, to take items and commit crimes.”
Phillips added to WBTV that employees who witness illegal activity in the workplace shouldn’t attempt to intervene.
“We want to suggest to everyone that is in a store working as an employee, just step back and observe, then collect as much information as you can and call 911 so that way police can respond, and you don’t have to interfere with someone committing a crime,” she noted to the station.
Phillips added to WBTV that she’s hopeful someone will recognize the alleged shoplifters through the surveillance videos and still images: “They’re very clear. I’m hoping that someone will see it and call it in. We get some good tips, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Those with information about the Food Lion incident are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600, the station said, adding that tipsters can remain anonymous and receive a cash reward if they have information that leads to an arrest. Community members can also submit tips about crimes through the P3 Tips app, WBTV noted.
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‘Unfit for the gavel’: House GOPs sound off on Judge Boasberg, stand with senators in calling for impeachment
House Republicans are ramping up the pressure on activist judges in the wake of the bombshell findings about Operation Arctic Frost.
The revelations concluded that former President Joe Biden’s FBI targeted conservative groups, private citizens, and even sitting senators. One recurring name in a thread of surveillance scandals is James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who greenlit the subpoenas that targeted Republicans.
‘It is clear that Judge Boasberg has abused his judicial authority for weaponized political purposes.’
In light of his involvement, a growing number of House Republicans are standing with outraged senators in calling for his impeachment.
“It is clear that Judge Boasberg has abused his judicial authority for weaponized political purposes,” Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana told Blaze News. “His unconstitutional blocking of President Trump from making America great again and involvement in Arctic Frost are reason enough to remove him from the bench. Impeachment hearings should begin immediately.”
RELATED: ‘Not. One. Story.’ Liberal news outlets’ silence regarding Biden’s ‘enemies list’ is deafening
Photo by DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images
“A judge waging lawfare against elected senators of the United States and weaponizing their power for political gain should be impeached,” Republican Rep. Mark Harris of North Carolina told Blaze News. “Full stop.”
Republican Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas took matters into his own hands and introduced articles of impeachment against Boasberg to “hold him accountable for his attempt to undermine the will of the people.”
“Radical activist Judge James Boasberg continues to weaponize his judicial authority and target his political opponents,” Republican Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas told Blaze News. “Judge Boasberg facilitated the egregious Arctic Frost scandal where he equipped the Biden DOJ to spy on Republican senators. His lack of integrity makes him clearly unfit for the gavel.”
Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma called Arctic Frost a “Watergate-level scandal,” saying the only way to restore faith in the legal system is to impeach activist judges like Boasberg.
“Under a directive from Special Counsel Jack Smith, the Biden DOJ spied on almost every major conservative group — including the Trump campaign and the RNC,” Brecheen told Blaze News. “This is a Watergate-level scandal for which accountability must be had. We must take all the steps available under law to pursue justice and restore the American people’s faith in our legal system. This starts with beginning the impeachment process for any corrupt judges involved in this scandal.”
RELATED: Damning new docs reveal who’s on Biden admin’s ‘enemies list,’ expose extent of FBI’s Arctic Frost
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Gill’s fellow Texan Republican Rep. August Pfluger also railed against Boasberg’s involvement in the surveillance effort, calling for an investigation. Pfluger likewise joined Brecheen to urge Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Jack Smith and “every single Biden-era DOJ bureaucrat” who partook in this scandal.
“Jack Smith’s ‘Arctic Frost’ investigation into President Trump, Republican lawmakers, and conservative groups has turned out to be exactly what we expected: an unconstitutional political witch hunt,” Republican Rep. August Pfluger of Texas told Blaze News. “The weaponization of our nation’s top law enforcement agency to target political opponents is unacceptable, especially in the United States.”
“These individuals must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law — and we will ensure this kind of blatant corruption never happens again.”
The House has the sole authority to introduce articles of impeachment for a judge, and just a simple majority is needed to pass them. Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, 219-213.
Editor’s Note: This article was update to include a statement from Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen.
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Republicans torch Obama judge over his role in Biden FBI’s ‘partisan vendetta,’ demand impeachment
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other Republicans are seeking the impeachment of U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, the Obama appointee who apparently helped the Biden FBI spy on Republican lawmakers’ phone records.
During a press conference on Wednesday regarding the latest insights into the FBI’s Arctic Frost operation, Cruz called on the House to impeach Boasberg, stating, “Judge Boasberg put his robes down, stood up, and said, ‘Sign me up to be part of the partisan vendetta against 20% of the Republicans in the Senate.'”
‘This order is an abuse of power.’
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) underscored that what Boasberg “did to Senator Cruz and maybe other senators absolutely — and I don’t say this lightly — absolutely is worthy of impeachment proceedings. There has to be accountability.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) published documents earlier this month detailing how the Biden FBI sought private cellphone records from at least nine Republican lawmakers during Arctic Frost — an operation that set the stage for at least one case brought against President Donald Trump by former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s special counsel, Jack Smith, whose appointment was ruled unconstitutional.
Grassley released additional documents this week showing that Smith and his team subpoenaed records for over 400 Republican individuals and entities as part of what the Iowa senator called a “fishing expedition.”
Cruz — whose Senate office hardline and cellphone records were reportedly targeted — suggested on Wednesday that the indiscriminate targeting of conservatives was “egregious” and that the secret subpoenaing of lawmakers’ communication records was executed “in complete contravention of the Constitution, of separation of powers, of the Speech and Debate Clause, of free speech, of basic rights and property.”
The Texas senator produced a court order apparently indicating that Boasberg barred AT&T from informing Cruz that his phone data was being collected by the Biden administration. The prohibition was to remain in effect for at least one year.
RELATED: Damning new docs reveal who’s on Biden admin’s ‘enemies list,’ expose extent of FBI’s Arctic Frost
Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The order reportedly stated as cause that “the court finds reasonable grounds to believe that such disclosure will result in destruction of or tampering with evidence, intimidation of potential witnesses, and serious jeopardy to the investigation.”
“I can tell you there is precisely zero evidence to conclude that I am likely to destroy or tamper with evidence or to intimidate potential witnesses. Zero evidentiary basis for that,” stressed Cruz. “This order is an abuse of power. This order is a weaponized legal system.”
‘Boasberg is that radical leftist judge who is out of control.’
Cruz admitted that he had not yet seen the subpoenas for the other senators but speculated “Judge Boasberg printed these things out like the placemats at Denny’s, one after the other.”
The Texas senator noted that if a litigant makes a claim for which there is no factual basis, “that litigant is subject to sanctions in federal court — and if a judge signs an order reaching a factual conclusion for which there is zero evidence whatsoever, that judge is abusing his power.”
Blaze News has reached out to Boasberg for comment.
‘Who is Boasberg?’
“Now who is Boasberg? Boasberg is that radical leftist judge who is out of control, who has been issuing nationwide injunctions, one after the other, trying to stop President Trump from carrying out his mandate from the voters,” said Cruz.
Boasberg has worked ardently in recent years to earn the label “radical leftist.” For instance, he:
- ordered in August the release of a woman accused of repeatedly threatening Trump’s life;
- temporarily blocked summary deportations of apparent Tren de Aragua terrorists by the Trump administration under the Alien Enemies Act;
- tried unsuccessfully to hold Trump administration officials in contempt for deporting illegal aliens to El Salvador;
- kept Kevin Clinesmith — the former FBI attorney who, according to the DOJ, fabricated evidence to support a surveillance application to the same FISA court, lying about Carter Page’s past cooperation with the CIA — out of jail; and
- mandated a right to Medicaid for able-bodied adults without work requirements.
The demands that Boasberg face accountability for his involvement with the FBI’s Arctic Frost “fishing expedition” come just months after Attorney General Pam Bondi slapped him with a misconduct complaint for allegedly “making improper public comments about President Trump and his administration.”
This is also not the first time that Republicans have called for his impeachment.
After ordering the Trump administration not to deport suspected members of the Tren de Aragua terrorist organization, President Trump called for Boasberg to be impeached, suggesting in a March 18 post on Truth Social that Boasberg was a “radical Left Lunatic of a Judge.”
That same day, Republican Rep. Brandon Gill (Texas) introduced articles of impeachment accusing Boasberg of attempting to seize power from the executive branch, thereby interfering with the will of the American people; jeopardizing the safety of the nation; and engaging in actions that prioritize political gain over the duty of impartiality owed the litigants in the case.
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National Review’s Unfortunate Attack On Phyllis Schlafly Gets Conservative History All Wrong
In the publication’s 70th anniversary issue, the magazine undercut its own important legacy by attacking one of the right’s biggest icons.
Boasberg’s Senate Spying Gag Order Violated Federal Law
Boasberg is one of many low-court judges who have shown themselves to be lawless political actors whose jurisprudence is hostile to a functioning republic.
Places To Visit In D.C. Unaffected By The Government Shutdown
If you’re at a loss for what to do in Washington during the shutdown, or if you’re looking for off-the-beaten-path places to visit once the government reopens, check out this list.
Parents, grandparent arrested after body of their 7-year-old boy is found stuffed inside freezer, police say
Residents of an apartment complex in Southern California were horrified to after the remains of a 7-year-old boy were found stuffed inside a freezer of their neighbors’ unit.
Deputies were called on a welfare check to the apartment at the complex on Euclid Avenue in Lynwood on Tuesday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
‘This is an unimaginable and horrific tragedy. … My heart breaks for what the other children in this home must have experienced.’
After finding the remains, police arrested 25-year-old Destiny Harrison, the boy’s mother, on suspicion of committing murder.
They also arrested his father, 25-year-old Daniel Monzon, and his grandmother, 46-year-old Ana Zarceno-Carcamo, on conspiracy to commit murder.
The couple had three other children living in their home, and they were taken into protective custody. The children were 16 years, 13 years, and 9 months old.
Police said they were still investigating the incident and offered few details.
“This is an unimaginable and horrific tragedy,” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said. “I stand ready to support the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as they investigate this child’s death. My heart breaks for what the other children in this home must have experienced, and it’s critical that our Department of Children and Family Services do everything possible to support them and keep them safe in protective custody.”
Neighbors told KTLA-TV they were shocked by the report and said they had seen no signs of trouble from the family.
“To me she seemed like a normal person,” said a neighbor who did not want to be identified. “The whole time she was here, she was walking her dog right here, and that’s about it.”
“Once I found out it was a kid, I was literally driving home with my gut going crazy,” said Christian Torres, who lives near the location of the incident. “It hurts when you hear about these cases, but when you live them and they’re so close to you, it’s a whole different thing.”
RELATED: Remains of 4 dead infants found abandoned in recently vacated house, police sources say
Another resident, who only wanted to be identified as Mia, said no one heard anything.
“That’s traumatizing to know that kid had to suffer like that,” she told KTLA. “A lot of people are trying to figure out what family did this. … How did we not know? How did other people not know? There are thousands of people living around here, and none of us heard a thing or even saw anything on any of the kids.”
The three suspects are being held on $2 million bail each.
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Jay Jones Claimed $500,000 Fundraising Haul Showed Grassroots ‘Momentum and Enthusiasm.’ It Actually Came From a Single Dem PAC.
Jay Jones boasted that the $500,000 he raked in just 24 hours after his Oct. 16 debate was “a clear sign of momentum and enthusiasm”—but that funding can be attributed entirely to a single political action committee centered on electing Democratic attorney general candidates like himself.
The post Jay Jones Claimed $500,000 Fundraising Haul Showed Grassroots ‘Momentum and Enthusiasm.’ It Actually Came From a Single Dem PAC. appeared first on .
