Judge temporary freezes payments from Trump administration’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’
U.S. President Donald Trump greets guests during the Congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Virginia on Friday ordered a temporary freeze on any payments coming from the Trump administration’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as she considers arguments in a lawsuit brought by a former Jan. 6 prosecutor to block the fund permanently.
The order from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema specifically bars the administration “from taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund,” including transfers of money or consideration of claims from individuals who may argue they are victims of political persecution.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference joined by members of his prosecution team as he comments on the outcome in the retrial of former film producer Harvey Weinstein on June 12, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, has pledged to remove imposter accounts tied to scams that were recently flagged by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, following a phone call between the two parties this week, the DA’s office told ABC News Friday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week accused Meta of failing to remove imposter accounts that Bragg said pose as organizations like Catholic Charities to offer fake immigration services that scam money from unsuspecting victims.
“These imposter accounts have led to tens of thousands of dollars of fraudulent transfers,” Bragg said in a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding the company take action after requests to remove false profiles were declined.
“Scammers frequently target immigrant populations because they are perceived to be, and often are, more vulnerable to fraud and in need of a specific type of legal assistance,” Bragg wrote.
In some instances, scammers create public Facebook accounts that mirror real accounts belonging to pro bono legal services organizations, Bragg said. In others, they create WhatsApp profiles posing as immigration lawyers associated with those same organizations, frequently using the names and logos of legitimate organizations to give the appearance of credibility.
“Your company has made representations about the importance of the safety and security of your platform for its users,” Bragg’s letter to Zuckerberg said. “If you sincerely wish to protect the safety of your users from fraud, we urge you to take necessary, proactive steps.”
In a statement issued in response to Bragg’s letter, a Meta spokesperson said, “Account impersonation violates our policies, and we take action against people and groups that attempt to misuse our platforms. We’re committed to engaging constructively with all levels of government, law enforcement and cross-sector partners to tackle this industry-wide challenge.”
Bragg is the latest prosecutor to go public with criticism of Meta for failing to protect the public from criminals lurking on its social media platforms. New Mexico recently won a $375 million civil case that held Meta liable for failing to police its sites for child predators, and a jury in Los Angeles found Meta, along with Google, liable for a 20-year-old woman’s social media addiction.
: Louisiana State trooper police car parked on street (ablokhin/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Officials in Louisiana reached a tentative $4.8 million settlement on Tuesday evening with the family of Ronald Greene, sources told ABC News. Greene was a 49-year-old Black motorist who died on May 10, 2019, after an encounter with Louisiana State Police, where he was beaten and shocked with stun guns following a high-speed vehicle chase.
A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday morning that a settlement, which was first reported by the Associated Press, has been reached over Greene’s death, but said that the terms cannot be discussed since the negotiations are ongoing.
“LSP is unable to discuss the terms of the settlement at this time, as the process has not yet been finalized,” LSP Public Affairs spokesperson Lt. Kate Stegall said.
Greene was pursued by police after failing to stop for an unspecified traffic violation, leading to a car chase near Monroe, Louisiana. Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, said that authorities initially told the family that Greene died when his car crashed into a tree, but body camera footage released amid public pressure nearly two years after his death showed his violent encounter with police.
The settlement would resolve a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed in May 2020 by Greene’s family against the Louisiana State Police.
According to Louisiana state law, the settlement would need final approval from the state legislature before it is finalized.
Five Louisiana law enforcement officers initially faced state charges for their roles in Greene’s deadly arrest, but several charges were dropped or reduced in this case.
Federal prosecutors informed Greene’s family in January 2025 that the Department of Justice had declined to seek federal charges in this incident.
The Homeland Security sign off of South Elizabeths Rd is seen on February 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging the Trump administration has been sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government.
According to the complaint filed in Washington, D.C., many Iranian asylum seekers are pro-democracy protesters, members of religious minorities, or members of the LGBTQ community who seek refuge in the U.S. “because of the grave dangers they face in Iran.”
“Disclosing their confidential information to the Iranian Government violates the asylum seekers’ confidentiality rights, puts those who are subject to removal to Iran, directly or through chain refoulement via third countries, at risk of persecution, torture, and death following their arrival in Iran, and endangers their family members and acquaintances who may still be residing in Iran,” the group said in the complaint.
More than 100 people have been deported to Iran during the Trump administration, according to the IALDF.
The group wrote in the complaint that while the U.S. government may coordinate logistics with receiving countries, federal regulations prohibit the sharing of information that would “reveal or infer that the individual to be removed had applied for asylum.”
“Disclosing their confidential information to the Iranian government violates federal regulations requiring confidentiality, endangers their family members and acquaintances who may still be residing in Iran, and puts those who are subject to removal to Iran at risk of persecution, torture, and death following their arrival in Iran,” said Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group that is representing the IALDF.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and a representative of the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
The complaint alleges that the Trump administration has continued to share confidential information during the current war between the U.S. and Iran. The group claims the two governments held monthly meetings to share the immigration files of Iranians in ICE custody, including final orders of removal and applications for asylum.
While the monthly in-person meetings reportedly stopped before the war began on Feb. 28, the group alleges that ICE has “continued to mail or hand deliver document packages to the Iranian Interest Section.”
The complaint also alleges that Iranian officials have met with dozens of detainees at ICE facilities.
“Many of the Iranian detainees did not consent to meet with the Iranian Interest Section officials but were required to do so by ICE,” the filing says.
“According to Iranian detainees who met with an Iranian Interest Section official, the official had knowledge of their immigration cases, including the details of their asylum applications,” the suit said. “These nonconsensual meetings with the Interest Section official solidified the detainees’ belief that they had been identified to the very same repressive government that they had fled.”
The IALDF is asking a federal judge in Washington to block the government from providing confidential information to the Iranian government and to appoint a special master to review the files of Iranian detainees that have already been shared.
