Saturday, August 18, 2018

“Today In The Information Battlespace”

OFF THE WIRE
https://youtu.be/ET_b78GSBUs
Maria Chapa Lopez, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, above, released an unusually half-assed press release today titled, “Sixteen Individuals, Including Several Members Of The Pagans Motorcycle Club, Charged For Conspiring To Distribute Methamphetamine.”
Think of those sixteen words as a movie logline. For the time being, that is almost all the government is willing to say. Other than that the press release headline is 16 words long, it is hard to find a connection between what seem to be three overlapping cases and the Pagans.
In the press release, the Department of Justice reports the unsealing of three indictments. The multiple indictments are blatant attempts to try some defendant’s multiple times for the same offenses

Indictments

One indictment is a case called USA v. Barbara Caylor-Hernandez, aka “Barb,” aka “Barbie” and others. Barbie’s codefendants in that indictment include Ramiro Fraire-Chavarria, Michael Babin, Melanie Kerr, Keith Simmons, Carla Ray, Spencer Burkard, Robert Foster, Daniel Barbarino, Andrew “Yeti” Shettler, Brian “Sledge” Burt and Lawrence Sann. Everybody except Sann is accused of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Sann only conspired to distribute five grams. They are all facing life in prison except Sann, who could be sentenced to 40 years.
A second indictment charges Keith Kirchoff, Michael “Clutch” Andrews and Shettler with conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Kirchoff allegedly carried a gun while he allegedly talked about doing his alleged two ounce drug deals.
And, according to the press release, a third indictment has been returned against Cindy Bledsoe, Jason Stringer and Andrews. Bledsoe and Andrews are accused of plotting to get their hands on 50 grams of crank to sell. There is no indication whether this is the same drug plot Andrews is charged with in the second indictment. Stringer is accused of trying to get his hands on five grams of meth.

Pagans

The press release was issued before the third indictment was filed – if there is actually a third indictment. And there is no mention of the Pagans or any other motorcycle club in either of the two filed indictments.
Although the word “Pagans” does not appear a single time in either of the indictments accessible to the public, the press release declares, “According to the indictments, the defendants conspired to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine to individuals and groups in the Middle District of Florida, including to members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, an outlaw motorcycle gang.”
And the headline about the case in this morning’s Daytona Beach News-Journal shouted “Volusia, Flagler, Daytona Pagan’s motorcycle gang members rounded up in federal meth bust.”


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