Lynn Packer
Tim Ballard’s First O.U.R. Wingman: The Legend of Steven T. Cass
For added articles overlaying OUR, please go to ACJ Investigates- Derailed: Operation Underground Railroad
Editor’s Notice: Lynn Packer is an award-winning investigative reporter, authorized guide and creator of “Lying for the Lord: The Paul H. Dunn Stories“. Lynn graduated from Utah State College with a level in broadcast journalism. He served in the USA Military from ’68 by means of ’70 in Vietnam, as a tv information anchor and producer for the Armed Forces Vietnam Community (AFVN) Quang Tri detachment. He was awarded the Bronze Star. For 15 years Mr. Packer reported for KSL Tv Information in Salt Lake Metropolis. For ten years Lynn was an adjunct professor instructing journalism at Brigham Younger College and the College of Dortmund.
We’d prefer to thank Mr. Packer for his service, dedication and contributions to journalism and ongoing quest for the reality.
All of it started with a single sentence.
Till now the determine of Operation Underground Railroad’s high, undercover operative was stored secret. Code-named “Batman,” he claims to have arrange all of the Utah nonprofit’s first little one intercourse slave rescues in Latin America. Now, for the primary time, Batman is unmasked, his face and identify revealed. He talks about his work with OUR founder and CEO Tim Ballard who, Batman says, was a “actually good man” till being “destroyed” by “fame and cash.” However he additionally says Ballard is “harmless” of any suspected prison misconduct and {that a} associated, prison investigation into OUR has been closed with out motion and is lifeless regardless of press stories on the contrary.
As Lynn Packer was interviewing the witnesses who declare to have seen and heard multimillionaire Gavin Dixon boast about his “get out of jail free card”, a video that purportedly exhibits Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes snorting cocaine off a stripper, I started archiving seven years of Lynn Packer’s Rambo Reyes stories from the now unpublished Packerchronicle over to American Crime Journal.
Within the article Rambo Reyes & O.U.R.: The Colombian Rescue Mission, Lynn Packer wrote,
“Making an attempt to decipher who truly spearheaded the raid is nearly like Abbot and Costello, of their comedy routine, making an attempt to determine who’s on first. ABC Information supplied a bit extra element: “The operation was a joint effort between the U.S. authorities, the Colombian authorities, and two NGO’s, in accordance with ICE.” From ABC viewers realized that the U.S. and Columbian governments headed the operation as a joint effort with two NGOs or non-governmental organizations: O.U.R. together with Breaking Chains from San Diego“
Inside days, a person figuring out himself as Steven T. Cass writes to us,
“I’m the founder and CEO of Breaking Chains…additionally Batman within the OUR movies/films. I’ve learn all of your articles on this mess. Not completely satisfied that Breaking Chains was introduced into it as we’re each clear and I’ve by no means taken a wage in 16 yrs..We solely have 2 folks on wage world extensive they usually get 500 a month. Anyway a number of the inside works like fundraising and Org crap with Tim and workforce I do not know on. I’m an evangelical so by no means allowed contained in the mormon click on facet of this. I did nonetheless do their first 5 ops…actually alone Tim and the donors arrived 48 hours earlier than day of..however I did all of the operation work to set issues up myself. I by no means agreed with bringing in civilians or hollywood peeps...”
The message would go on to speak about drug use and gross sales, dressing up as Batman, his significance in O.U.R.’s starting, however his main difficulty was “that Breaking Chains was introduced into this mess”… or was it?
Over the course of the following two weeks, Cass would go on a harassment campaign in what may very well be solely described as within the picture (and eloquence) of his messiah, Donald John “The Baptist” Trump and his prophet, Tucker “the Snowflake” Carlson. Whereas his emails turned extra erratic, weird and incoherent one factor was clear, he needed recognition. He felt O.U.R. had robbed him. Whilst you might imagine he’s simply one other anti-First Modification Evangelist making an attempt to beat Lynn Packer and I into submission, it’s clear his solely aim was to sellout O.U.R. by pretending to their ally. The primary e mail was crucial of Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad, he takes a swipe on the LDS Church after which begins to “set the document straight”. Over the course of the following two weeks, Cass appeared to devolve and have become unhinged, half his emails had been crucial of Ballard and O.U.R., the opposite half gave the impression to be pandering to Ballard himself. Steven would go from threatening prison and civil “costs” for the one point out of Breaking Chains, all the way down to spewing hate fueled conspiracies and typical Evangelical right-wing white nationalist propaganda.
Steven Cass’s conduct is shameful and disturbing. A rising development of radicalized people who really feel as if they’ve been “left behind” by the system and society. In actuality, Steven T. Cass simply wasn’t that essential nor the main focus of our stories. Just because he wasn’t the main focus and O.U.R. “turned grasping and went Hollywood”, he determined to try to extort, harass and try and intimidate us. He made it clear his solely aim was to “drive us to report his phrase and model of occasions”, whereas we bash Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad and make him out to be the honorable god-fearing hero.
Completely disgusting.
In a single e mail he’s complaining about Catholics and begs for Lynn to “ship me your hyperlinks to tales you’ve executed on let’s say the sexual abuse that’s epic within the Catholic church”.
The very subsequent e mail (which was minutes later), Cass is affected by “white Christian persecution” or what we name Snowflake. He finishes the message with what solely might be interpreted because the “wealthy Jewish media” conspiracy, “with Zuckerberg and a few massive “information” orgs get away with it…however they’ve paid 100’s of thousands and thousands in damages..when attainable Biden can pay Mr. Rittenhouse..These orgs have staffs of attorneys to guard them from liable. I anticipate neither of you do and if we convey circumstances in opposition to your in your lies..Chapter is coming.”
Simply hours after Cass despatched an e mail fantasizing about President Biden having to pay Kyle Rittenhouse “thousands and thousands in damages” (which isn’t how defamation works), each Kyle Rittenhouse and his protection legal professional Mark Richards railed in opposition to the right-wing, Proud Boys and outstanding figures within the GOP, particularly Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and Donald Trump. The particular person they criticized and blamed probably the most for Rittenhouse being related to the white supremacy and the Proud Boys?
Rittenhouse’s first set of attorneys, L. Lin Wood and John Pierce. L. Lin Wooden and Tim Ballard each appeared at a number of occasions collectively this yr.
In an interview with Enterprise Insider-
Rittenhouse mentioned he was “arrange by my former legal professional who was fired due to that, for placing me in conditions like that with folks I don’t agree with.”
A photo of Rittenhouse with a member of the Proud Boys (a right-wing group) circulated the web in January 2021, however the 18-year-old says he was unaware of his affiliation and that his former lawyer John Pierce arrange the assembly at a Wisconsin bar.
Not less than three Republican members of Congress have prompt they need Mr Rittenhouse as an intern. North Carolina congressman Madison Cawthorn – who also told his followers to “be armed, be harmful, and be ethical” – supplied {the teenager} an internship through Instagram story.
Arizona congressman Paul Gosar said on Twitter that he would arm-wrestle Florida congressman Matt Gaetz for “dibs” on Mr Rittenhouse as his intern. Mr Gaetz told conservative cable community Newsmax that his workplace “could attain out to him and see if he’d be fascinated with serving to the nation in extra methods”.
“They’re elevating cash on it and you’ve got all these Republican congressmen saying, ‘Come work for me.’ … They need to commerce on his celeb and I feel it’s disgusting,” Mr Richards advised Insider.
Former president Donald Trump celebrated his acquittal, and his son Donald Trump Jr tweeted, after which deleted, an offer from a gun rights organisation to ship Mr Rittenhouse an AR-15-style rifle, together with a card in “help of Kyle”.
Richards referred to as Trump Jr “an fool”.
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