EXCLUSIVE: FBI Informant Tells All, Pt 2
Bill Fulton, one of two undercover FBI informants in the recent Alaska Militia Trial I covered, continued his in-depth interview with me. After recounting the circumstances of his association with US Senate candidate Joe Miller, and the controversial arrest of a local reporter by his security company at a Miller campaign event (while working undercover), we were ready to begin talking about the Cox investigation and the trial. This portion of the interview discusses how Fulton began his company Drop Zone, his association with the FBI, and the beginning of the investigation of Cox, and other members of the militia….
Militia Leader Cox Gets 25 Years
“Well, this proves one thing. Schaeffer Cox can still draw a crowd.” Reporter Michael Carey made the observation while sitting next to me on a wooden bench in the lobby outside Courtroom 2 in the federal courthouse in Anchorage this morning. It’s true. At the end of the day, Cox will be sentenced to 25 years, 10 months in prison, and his new lawyer will reveal the results of a recent psychological evaluation that diagnoses him for the first time as a paranoid schizophrenic, with paranoid personality disorder, and delusional personality disorder. But as the day begins, the courtroom is…
High Drama at Militia Sentencing
Today is the sentencing for the Salcha couple accused of conspiring to murder a judge and his family, and IRS agents as they anticipated seizure of their home due to a tax dispute. Lonnie Vernon is also being sentenced for his role in the “2-4-1 Militia trial” with co-defendants militia leader Schaeffer Cox, and militia Major Coleman Barney. Lonnie Vernon plead guilty of conspiring to murder the judge in exchange for the dismissal of many of the charges against him. Of all the characters in this tale, Lonnie Vernon is the most volatile and angry, and Karen Vernon is the…
Militia Defendant & Wife Will Change Plea
Lonnie Vernon, one of three defendants in the recent 2-4-1 militia trial, and his wife Karen, are currently charged with an alleged plot to murder a federal judge overseeing a tax case against the couple. According to court documents filed on Thursday, they will be changing their pleas on Monday in U.S. District Court. Of the eight counts against them, it is unclear which plea(s) they will change. There were eight counts filed against Lonnie Vernon including charges of conspiracy to murder federal officials, threatening to murder family members of a federal judge, conspiracy to possess an unregistered firearm and…
Militia Trial – The Verdicts are In
After six weeks of listening to testimony, and weighing the evidence, the jury in the case of the United States v. Schaeffer Cox, Coleman Barney, and Lonnie Vernon has reached a decision in all but one of the charges against the three. I entered the courtroom, after almost two weeks out of state. I’d been following the reports of the trial closely, and was glad to be able to be here for this important day. Schaeffer Cox looks ashen, and is wearing a charcoal grey suit jacket and white shirt, open at the collar. Coleman Barney’s brow is deeply…
Militia Trial: Cox’s 2nd in Command Testifies
FBI informant Bill Fulton was the star of the show on the last day of court this week, no doubt about that. But, we shouldn’t overlook the rest of the witnesses because there were some good ones. The morning started with motions from the defense, which the judge resolved by mid-morning. I wrote about that HERE. Next up were a string of witnesses for the defense, beginning with Mr. Harold M. Hume, Jr. of Fairbanks who was completely adorable, and I basically wanted to adopt him as my grandpa. He’s actually probably closer to being the age of my dad,…
Militia Trial – FBI Informant Bill Fulton Speaks
Next up for the defense: Bill Fulton This is the one I’d been hoping for. Insider turned state’s evidence for immunity Michael Anderson, FBI informant for leniency in another case JR Olson, and FBI informant Bill Fulton were the three big witnesses for the prosecution. Or so we thought. It turned out that the prosecution did not call Fulton as a witness. This seemed rather odd. Why not call your own informant as a witness? There were disturbing tales of Fulton’s behavior. Nobody seemed to like him. He was described as abrasive, a drunkard, nasty, violent and mean. Michael Anderson…
Militia Trial: FBI Informant Testifies
What an interesting day in court, in which we find out that one Mr. Bill Fulton, (now disappeared, and formerly of the Drop Zone military surplus store) has one giant potty mouth. I’m guessing his mother wasn’t an “open up, here’s the bar of soap” kinda gal. Monday’s only witness for the afternoon session was JR Olson, one of two FBI informants in the case, and someone whose testimony I’ve been eagerly awaiting. He is “an unsavory character with a checkered past” as my grandmother would say. You might even call him a “ne’er do well.” And in exchange for…