Category: Fox News
Church worker pretended to be ICE agent to extort $500 from massage therapist, police say
The safety director at Gateway Community Church of Webster, Texas, is looking for a new job after his arrest for allegedly pretending to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
Donald Doolittle, 58, pulled out an ICE identification card after getting into an argument over payment with a Houston massage therapist and threatened to have her taken away, according to an affidavit.
Mayans paid him the money, and he allegedly sent her a text saying that she would not hear from ICE agents.
The masseuse, identified as Rita Dumont Mayans, said she showed him a temporary visa.
“He demanded she Zelle him $500, or he would take her away and she would never see her family or children again,” a magistrate said at his court hearing.
Mayans paid him the money, and he allegedly sent her a text saying that she would not hear from ICE agents. He also allegedly told her to delete the texts.
Police were notified about the incident the next day when Mayans spoke to officers at a luncheon.
When he was interviewed by police, he denied being at the business or getting a massage, but security video contradicted his statements.
Doolittle was charged with impersonating a public servant.
RELATED: Man intentionally hit 13-year-old with truck, impersonated officer to kidnap him, says LAPD
The church said Doolittle was fired from his position. The affidavit said that he had worked there for 10 years.
“Upon learning of these allegations on Saturday night, we took immediate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of our congregation and community,” reads a statement from the church.
Bond was set for Doolittle at $10,000.
Critics of ICE agents wearing masks have warned that others could impersonate them in order to harm innocents. The Trump administration has argued the coverings are necessary to protect agents from threats, especially from the far left.
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Eric Swalwell sues Trump administration over alleged privacy violations
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California is suing a Trump administration official for allegedly violating privacy rights in order to seek prosecution of the president’s political enemies.
Swalwell, who is running for the governorship of California, filed a 19-page federal civil lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.
Swalwell alleged in his lawsuit that the charges against him were filed ‘at a critical juncture in his career.’
The housing official referred Swalwell to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage and tax fraud.
“Pulte’s brazen practice of obtaining confidential mortgage records from Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac and then using them as a basis for referring individual homeowners to DOJ for prosecution is unprecedented and unlawful,” the lawsuit alleged.
Swalwell also posted a statement on social media.
“Today I have filed a civil lawsuit against FHA director Bill Pulte for violating the Privacy Act and First Amendment,” he wrote.
“Director Pulte has combed through private records of political opponents. To silence them,” Swalwell added. “There’s a reason the First Amendment — the freedom of speech — comes before all others.”
Pulte was instrumental in the charges that were brought up against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Those charges were dismissed by a federal judge on Monday, but the Trump administration vowed to appeal.
Swalwell alleged in his lawsuit that the charges against him were filed “at a critical juncture in his career: the very moment when he had planned to announce his campaign for Governor of California.”
Pulte also helped bring criminal referrals against Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff (Calif.), as well as Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook.
CBS News said the Federal Housing Finance Agency did not respond to a request for a comment.
Swalwell added a quote from novelist George Orwell: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
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