Suspect pleads not guilty in alleged murder-for-hire plot against Donald Trump
U.S. Justice Department
(NEW YORK) — A Pakistani national with ties to Iran pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges alleging he attempted to commit an act of terrorism and murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
The suspect, Asif Merchant, was ordered detained pending trial during the hearing in Brooklyn federal court.
Coincidentally, Merchant’s arraignment came the same day a different man — 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh — appeared in a Florida court to answer firearm charges connected to an unrelated apparent alleged attempt on Trump’s life.
Merchant was indicted on federal charges in August, after being previously arrested and charged by complaint the month prior. If convicted of the charges contained in the indictment, he faces up to life in prison.
ABC News has reached out to his attorney for comment.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate Iran’s efforts to target our country’s public officials and endanger our national security,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement following the indictment. “As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans.”
After spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan in April and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme to kill Trump, the complaint alleged. That person reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source, according to the indictment.
Merchant sought to hire hitmen who could carry out the assassination of Trump and others, the indictment alleged. Merchant allegedly explained his plot involved multiple criminal schemes: stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; planning a protest; and killing a politician or government official, the indictment alleged.
Merchant met with the purported hitmen — who were in fact undercover U.S. law enforcement officers — in New York, according to the indictment. He allegedly told them they would receive instructions on who to kill either the last week of August or the first week of September, after Merchant had departed the U.S., according to the indictment.
After Merchant paid the $5,000 to the “hitmen,” the indictment quoted one of them saying, “Now we’re bonded,” to which Merchant allegedly responded, “Yes.” The undercover officer then stated, “Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this,” to which Merchant allegedly responded, “Yes, absolutely,” according to the indictment.
(NEW YORK) — A new Instagram filter will allow Jackson Hole visitors to interact with nature while keeping a safe distance from wildlife.
Every summer season, when school is out and the weather is warm enough to explore preserved land around the country, images circulate of people attempting to get too close to wildlife, often to snap a picture with the unsuspecting animal.
The occurrence is so prevalent that in 2023, Yellowstone National Park issued a message to tourists who spot wild animals: “Leave it alone and give it space.”
Tourism experts are now getting creative in finding ways to encourage visitors to keep their distance from wildlife, even docile-seeming giants like bison.
Visit Jackson Hole has launched the “Selfie Control” filter, an Instagram filter that will warn guests when they are getting too close to comfort.
Users can search for the filter on Instagram and then navigate through the animal options to the type of wildlife they are looking at, according to the tourism board.
If the live animal appears bigger than the icon featured on the filter, it means the user is too close. Once visitors move back to the appropriate distance, they can take a photo and tag @visitjacksonhole before sharing as a Story or in-feed post.
The tourism board decided to create the filter after noticing a “really big increase” in human-wildlife encounters, Crista Valentino, executive director of the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board, told ABC News.
The increase in interactions is likely stemming from a rise in the number of visitors, but Valentino believes that the emergence of smartphones and social media may have contributed to the growing trend of too-close calls between visitors and wildlife as well.
“Many of them are coming without the information of knowing and understanding that these are wild animals, that this is not a zoo, and that these animals need space,” Valentino said.
In May 2023, a video of a woman filmed standing precariously close to a fully grown bison went viral. Although the bison seemed unperturbed, nature experts warn against misjudging their slow, calm nature to mean that they can interact with them, Valentino said.
The tourism board has witnessed people take their children and place them on top of the 3,000-pound animals or get dangerously close to them for the perfect shot, she added.
“And if you get between a mom and a baby moose, that mom will very quickly close that gap and defend its young,” Valentino said.
In addition to the potential for the humans themselves to get hurt, after interactions with humans, wildlife can sometimes be put down because they are rejected from their herd, Valentino said.
National Parks visitors are required to stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife, including bison, elk and deer, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Each violation can result in fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail, according to the National Park Service.
“For professional photographers and amateurs alike, it’s hard to tell if a moose or bison is 25 or 100 yards away just by ‘eyeballing’ it, especially when you’re in a place like Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park with sprawling, wide-open spaces,” said Erik Dombroski, chair of the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board.
Similar incidents occur in Australia, another country known for its natural wonders.
Last year, professional photographers in Australia urged national parks visitors to stop messing with the numbats, a marsupial that lives in the western part of the country. The number of numbats is dwindling, with less than 1,000 estimated to still be living in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Visit Jackson Hole reminded guests that staying the appropriate distance is more than a suggestion — it’s a requirement. The filter will help visitors to avoid creating dangerous situations for themselves or others, Valentino said.
“We’re hoping to really see those those negative interactions decline,” Valentino said.
(LOS ANGELES) — Charges were announced Monday against four men in connection with the fatal shooting of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor in May.
Robert Barceleau, 18, was charged with one count of murder with special circumstances and personal use of a firearm, one count of attempted robbery with personal use of a firearm, and one count of grand theft with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who announced the charges at a news conference. The DA alleged Barceleau shot Wactor one time in his chest.
Sergio Estrada, 18, was also charged with one count of murder “with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm”; one count of attempted robbery “with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm”; and one count of grand theft “with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm,” the DA announced.
Leonel Gutierrez, 18, was charged with attempted robbery and grand theft with an allegation of a principal armed with a firearm.
Frank Olano, 22, was charged with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, as well as receiving stolen property and being an accessory to murder.
If convicted, Barceleau faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Estrada faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Olano faces five years and eight months in prison, and Gutierrez faces four years and eight months in prison if convicted.
Barceleau is being held without bail; Estrada is being held on $2,070,000 bail; Olano is being held on $1,080,000 bail; and Gutierrez on $120,000 bail. They will be arraigned on Aug. 29.
Gascón said at Monday’s news conference that he was “committed to seeking justice for Mr. Wactor and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”
“The loss of this talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world, is deeply felt by all of us,” Gascón said. “Mr. Wactor’s work and presence touched the lives of many, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and the entire community who mourn this devastating loss.”
All four suspects have “very lengthy criminal records” and were allegedly affiliated with a gang, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Ryan Rabbett said at the press conference.
Wactor, 37, was fatally shot “without provocation” in the early morning hours of May 25, after he ended his shift at a bar and was walking to his car, according to police. Police said the suspects had his car “raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter.”
Just before he was shot, Wactor had been with a female co-worker, and he immediately stepped in front of her to try to protect her, according to his family and friends.
“They had a mask on and they pulled out a gun,” Wactor’s friend, Colin Flynn, told ABC News. “And from what I understand, Johnny literally stood in between himself and his colleague. And the shooter just pulled the trigger and ran away.”
Following an extensive search, police announced Thursday they had arrested four suspects in the actor’s death.
After the arrests, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that “we must ensure that those who are responsible for this brazen and heinous act are held fully accountable.”
For months, family and friends of Wactor had pushed for arrests to be made in the case.
“I’m here because one of the best men — if not the best man — I’ve ever known, was tragically and brutally taken from this earth,” Wactor’s friend, Micah Parker, said at a news conference in June. “He was taken from his mother, his brothers, his extended family, his friends and his fans.”‘
In a press conference last week, Wactor’s mother, Scarlett Wactor, urged the mayor and district attorney to strengthen the criminal justice system.
“It needs to start with LA. People watch you from across the country. And this is where change needs to start,” she said.
Scarlett Wactor told reporters how the loss of her son has affected her.
“I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but grief is my constant companion,” she said.
(NEW YORK) — The former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her home after she called 911 to report a prowler was the subject of a complaint alleging inappropriate conduct following a 2022 arrest, according to Sean Grayson’s disciplinary paperwork obtained by ABC News.
A woman arrested by Grayson stated that he asked her to remove drugs from her vaginal area in front of him and another officer when he was employed with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, according to police records. Grayson worked at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office full time from May 2022 until he resigned in April 2023. He was hired in May 2023 by the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office, where he remained until he was fired following the Massey killing.
“I went to do as he had instructed me to do feeling very afraid and forced to do such action,” the detainee stated in her complaint against Grayson. “The C.O., Aaron (Female C.O.) stopped me and informed officer Grayson that I was not to do that in front of them because they are male officers.”
According to the report, the female officer then took the woman away from the male officers, so the detainee could attempt to extract the narcotics, but she was not able to retrieve them. The detainee was then transported to a hospital to have the drugs removed.
The woman then claimed that when she was on a hospital bed “completely exposed” during the procedure, Grayson flung the curtain back, causing her to be visible to him and, what she believed were two other male officers, before the doctor immediately shut the curtain and told the officers not to enter again.
“I knocked on the door and walked into the room,” Grayson claimed in a police report, explaining that he entered to deliver a plastic evidence bag for the extracted narcotics. “As I entered the room I observed [name extracted by ABC News for the former detainee’s privacy] laying on the bed fully clothed in a gown and with a blanket on her.”
Grayson stated in the report that when police originally told the woman to remove the drugs, he handed her a plastic glove and asked her to extract the narcotics. A “female jailor” then took the woman “into the jail” to attempt to remove the narcotics, according to the former deputy.
“In conclusion of this I was never in physical contact with [name extracted by ABC News],” Grayson stated. “I was never alone with [name extracted by ABC News]. I did not talk to [name extracted by ABC News] alone at any point.”
Grayson resigned in “good standing” from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office to join Sangamon County law enforcement before the complaint could be officially investigated, according to a police record.
The former deputy has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody.
A review by Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.
Grayson’s job with Sangamon County was one of six different police jobs he held over the past four years.
Miller, Grayson’s boss at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, expressed concerns over Grayson violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports while discussing his mishandling of a traffic case, according to audio files previously obtained by ABC News.
Prior to his time in public law enforcement, Grayson was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News. The U.S. Army, citing the Privacy Act and Department of Defense policy, said it is prevented from releasing information relating to the misconduct of low-level employees or characterization of service at discharge.
ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to both charges. He paid over $1,320 in fines and had his vehicle impounded as a result of the 2015 incident. In 2016, Grayson paid over $2,400 in fines, according to court records.
Grayson and a second, unnamed deputy responded to Massey’s 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at her Springfield home.
Body camera footage shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door.
Grayson responded, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”
Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”
Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson then shouts at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, at which time Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.
Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office last week.
“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who hired Grayson, will be retiring later this month, he announced Friday in a statement.
“As elected leaders, we must always put the overall good of the community above ourselves; and I will not risk the community that I swore to protect. For this reason, I am announcing my retirement as Sheriff of Sangamon County, effective no later than August 31st,” Campbell said in the statement.
