FBI Agent Richard Trask OIDV Case:
Bodycam video shows takedown of FBI agent in Whitmer kidnap plot
WOOD TV8 News
Dec 19, 2021
"Do not turn your volume off on this case. OK? Keep it on the whole time."
Keep an eye on Agent Richard Trask's criminal case. I wouldn't be surprised if this is pled down under MCL769.4a - Michigan's Lautenberg Amendment/Domestic Violence Gun Ban Loophole for law enforcement and officials charged with any act of domestic violence less than murder. Trask is the lead FBI agent in the investigation of the Governor Whitmer kidnapping plot.
If Trask pleads under MCL 769.4a: 1) Stiffest punishment would be 12 months probation; 2) Conviction would be expunged at end of probation period; 3) Trask would be able to return to position with FBI as he would be allowed to use a firearm, despite DV conviction.
FBI agent in Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnapping bust fired amid allegations he beat wife after swingers' party
Defense for men facing trial in kidnapping plot seek extension to investigate conduct of other FBI agents
FOX News
September 13, 2021
https://www.foxnews.com/us/fbi-agent-michigan-whitmer-kidnapping-bust-fired-beat-wife-swingers-party
The lead FBI agent credited with thwarting a plot to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer no longer works for the bureau – and a news report claims he was fired after allegedly beating his wife following the couple’s attendance at a swingers’ party.
Special Agent Richard Trask, 39, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was fired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation last week. A spokesperson has only confirmed that he no longer works on FBI matters, but declined to provide details pending further review, WWMT reported.
Citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter, The Detroit News reported that Trask was fired over allegations he smashed his wife's head against a nightstand and choked her after a dispute stemming from their attendance at a swingers' party in July. Trask is awaiting trial on assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder in connection to the incident. He faces 10 years in prison if convicted.
Defense attorneys for those charged in connection to Whitmer's alleged kidnapping plot have used Trask's arrest to raise questions about other FBI agents who were working the case. On Wednesday, they asked a judge to delay the trial by 90 days to give them time to investigate conduct of other FBI agents.
Trask, who moonlights as a personal trainer, had become a known face in the case, previously testifying in court proceedings for five men awaiting federal trial scheduled to begin on Oct. 12. Prosecutors have since moved to remove Trask as a witness, citing profanity laced social media posts in which Trask criticized former President Donald Trump, The Detroit News reported.
When the kidnapping case was filed in October 2020, Whitmer, a Democrat, pinned some blame on Trump, saying his refusal to denounce far-right groups had inspired extremists across the U.S. It added even more heat to the final weeks of a tumultuous election season. Trump had earlier urged supporters to "LIBERATE" Michigan from stay-at-home coronavirus mandates.
Trask’s firing comes after a sixth man facing federal charges in the kidnapping plot pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison last month. In his plea agreement, Ty Garbin admitted he and the five other men trained at his property near Luther, Michigan, constructing a "shoot house" to resemble Whitmer’s vacation home and "assaulting it with firearms."
The government, noting Garbin’s exceptional cooperation, asked U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker to give him credit for helping investigators reinforce their case against his co-defendants.
FBI agent, 39, investigating Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot is fired two months after he was arrested for 'beating his wife over a disagreement at a swingers party'
Daily Mail
September 12, 2021
- The FBI has fired Special Agent Richard Trask, 39, a key figure in the case against 14 men who allegedly plotted to kidnap the Michigan governor
- The announcement comes two months after he was arrested and charged with attacking his wife at home following a disagreement
- He is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm, less than murder
- Trask was released on a $10,000 bond and faces up to 10 years in prison
- Last week, prosecutors also decided not to use his testimony after his social media posts emerged calling former President Donald Trump a 'douchebag'
- Meanwhile, the defense is trying to delay the trial, claiming they need more time to sort through evidence and investigate the other FBI agents involved
An FBI agent who has played a key role in the prosecution of more than a dozen 'militia' members who plotted to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been fired from the agency, two months after he was arrested for allegedly beating his wife.
Richard Trask, 39, was involved in the prosecution of a group of far-right 'militia' members, claiming in court documents that they plotted to kidnap the Michigan governor and dump her in a lake over her strict COVID mandates.
But in July, Trask's reputation started to take a nosedive when he was arrested for assault with intent to do great bodily harm after he allegedly beat his wife in their home following a disagreement at a swingers party.
Trask, who was also moonlighting as a personal trainer, has since pleaded not guilty to the assault.
It is unclear whether his superiors at the FBI were aware he had another job.
Then just last week, prosecutors decided to omit his testimony in the case against one alleged militia member after his social media posts came to light, revealing he once referred to former President Donald Trump as a 'douchebag f****** reality tv star.'
By Saturday, federal officials confirmed to The Detroit News he is no longer employed by the bureau.
They would not confirm what the basis of Trask's firing was.
Trask was arrested on July 18 for allegedly beating his wife, after they attended a swinger's party in Kalamazoo, where they lived.
Trask's wife said that they had several drinks at the party, held at a hotel in Oshtemo Township.
She did not like the party and they argued about it on the way home
The argument allegedly turned physical when Trask climbed on top of her in bed and repeatedly smashed his wife's head against a nightstand, leaving her bloody.
She attempted to grab his beard to free herself, and he began to choke her around the neck and throat, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Detroit News.
She ultimately grabbed Trask's testicles, which ended the altercation, the document notes, and Trask left their Oshtemo Township home in her vehicle.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office said Trask's wife had cuts to the right side of her head and 'blood all over chest, clothing arms and hand,' as well as 'severe' bruising to her neck and throat.
Trask, a gym owner who has worked for the FBI since 2011, was tracked down in the parking lot of a supermarket on Main Street in Oshtemo Township, near Kalamazoo.
He is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm, less than murder. Trask was released on a $10,000 bail and is prohibited from carrying a firearm.
Trask has worked on cases involving espionage, terrorism and domestic extremism investigations.
Last year, he made headlines for leading the case against a group of militia members, known as the Wolverine Watchmen, who had planned to kidnap Governor Whitmer.
He and other prosecutors claimed in their affidavits that, through a militia group member who became an informant, federal agents became aware that the men were plotting the 'violent overthrow of certain government and law enforcement components' and taking 'violent action' against state governments that they believed were violating the United States Constitution.
Among these plans, was one to kidnap Whitmer in retaliation for her 'uncontrolled power' amid the pandemic.
The group allegedly met for several months to plan out how they would kidnap the governor, including using a boat to flee with her and leaving her in the middle of Lake Michigan, and engaged in tactical training, learning how to make bombs.
By last September, Trask wrote, the plan began to unravel after the FBI informant introduced an undercover agent to the group, posing as an explosives expert.
Trask testified in federal court that 'several members talked about murdering "tyrants" or "taking" a sitting governor.'
'The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread the message.'
Fourteen men with far-right ties have since been arrested in the plot.
Five of the men face a range of charges including kidnapping and weapons of mass destruction conspiracies. They face up to life in prison if convicted.
Another eight people have been charged in state court with crimes related to the kidnapping plot and threats to overthrow the government.
One of the accused, Ty Garbin, 26, has since pleaded guilty to the kidnapping conspiracy. He was recently sentenced to 75 months in prison.
Trask's firing comes one week after prosecutors decided not to use his testimony in one conspirator's trial after several of his social media posts emerged, revealing that he called former President Donald Trump a 'douchebag f****** reality tv star.'
In one March 28, 2020 post, he wrote: 'As someone whose wife works in the hospital, I hope you burn in hell along with your douchebag f****** reality tv star. His ego is going to kill a lot of people and anyone who supports him is a dumbass.
'That is what you get when you elect an egotistical/narcissistic maniac to the top office. He needs people to be nice to him or he won't help.
'F*** you douche.'
Meanwhile, other federal agents involved in the case are being scrutinized for alleged wrongdoing, including FBI Special Agent Jayson Chambers, who owns a cyber intelligence company, Exeintel, which tweeted about the investigation months before it was publicly reported.
It wrote on October 7: 'Don't worry Michigan, I told ya, a lot more coming soon.'
Just a few hours later, Buzzfeed reported, the members of the militia group were arrested.
Then the next day, as the news of the arrests began to spread, it tweeted again: 'I told ya ahead of time, Michigan.'
Chambers and the FBI declined to comment on the matter to Buzzfeed, which first reported on the tweets on August 26, but five defendants who have accused the government of entrapment asked a federal judge last week to subpoena Twitter over the account.
The attorneys said the Twitter data would help determine if 'a government agent is in control of a Twitter account which was tweeting confidential details about the investigation' and whether 'the agent had a financial interest in the outcome of the investigation.'
The filing also argued the development was further evidence that the defendants should be entitled to records from Chambers' cellular phone and those from another FBI agent, as well as a key confidential informant.
Michael Hills - who represents defendant Brandon Caserta, has also alleged that an FBI agent instructed an informant to lie and delete text messages that would reveal that the agency furthered the kidnapping conspiracy, and asked the court to order prosecutors to produce communications between agents and informants.
And in May, state prosecutor Greg Townsend was reassigned from the case after the Michigan Attorney General's Office discovered potential ethics concerns in a murder and arson case he prosecuted in 2000.
A spokesperson for the state attorney general told the Detroit Free Press Townsend was 'reassigned from his docket with the Department of the Attorney General performs a comprehensive audit of his work.'
A trial in the case against the five militia-men is set to begin on October 12, but their lawyers have asked for a 90-day delay to further investigate the FBI agents involved in the case.
They claim they need time to probe the government's use of at least a dozen confidential informants and undercover investigators, and have noted that trial preparation has been marred by voluminous evidence - including two terabytes of information provided by the government in late August.
'The timing and organization of the discovery productions have created significant problems for the defense in preparing for the current trial date,' they wrote in a court filing obtained by the Detroit News last Wednesday.
Among the evidence, they said, is more than 1,000 hours of surveillance and audio recordings - much of which is duplicative, and some of which are missing information.
The defense lawyers hired a court reporter to transcribe about 25 hours of the recordings but it is a slow process.
'It is not likely that the scope of the work, as currently defined can be completed prior to the final pretrial conference on September 23,' they claimed.
And adding to the defense's apparent headache - their military tactics expert quit on August 30, citing pretrial publicity.
'The defense attorneys as a group have been trying to replace this expert, but as of this writing, only have leads, but no commitments.'
The prosecution must respond to the request by Wednesday, and US District Judge Robert Jonker will consider the request on September 17.
Agent charged with assaulting woman no longer works on FBI matters
WWMT News - Channel 3
September 11th 2021
DETROIT — An FBI agent charged with assaulting a woman no longer works on FBI matters, according to a representative of the bureau.
Richard Trask was arrested after an incident at his Kalamazoo-area home in July. He was charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.
The incident was subject to internal review, according to Special Agent Joseph Lupinacci in Detroit.
Until the review was finished, Lupinacci said steps had been taken to ensure Trask no longer worked on FBI matters. He said the FBI couldn't provide more information until after the review was complete.
Trask was the lead agent in the case surrounding an alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
After his arrest, attorneys attempted to raise questions about the integrity of other FBI agents involved in the case.
Trask faces 10 years in prison if convicted.
Lead FBI Agent in Whitmer Kidnap Plot Is Fired After Swingers Party Incident
The Daily Beast
September 11, 2021
One of the lead FBI agents who helped foil a plot to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was fired this week, the latest twist for a team seemingly mired in impropriety.
Special Agent Richard Trask, the case’s public face who has testified in five conspirators’ cases, was fired two months after he allegedly beat his wife, The Detroit News reported Saturday.
Trask is the latest law enforcement official in the case to face scrutiny since the kidnapping plot became public last year. State and federal officials charged 14 men with far-right ties in the plot to kidnap Whitmer. One has since pleaded guilty.
Trask was charged in July with assault with intent to do great bodily harm after an alleged altercation with his wife. According to police, he and his wife had drinks at a swinger’s party in Kalamazoo County. Trask’s wife later said she didn’t enjoy the party, which led to an argument about it on their way home, according to The Detroit News.
The verbal argument later turned physical as Trask allegedly climbed on top of her in bed and repeatedly bashed her head into a nightstand, according to The Detroit News. She then reached for his beard to subdue him, but police said Trask grabbed her throat with both hands and proceeded to choke her. Trask stopped after she grabbed him by the testicles, the outlet reported. He then left their home.
The FBI confirmed to the paper that Trask was no longer with the bureau but did not say why he was fired. It came a week after prosecutors elected not to use Trask’s testimony in one conspirator’s trial after social media posts revealed Trask called former President Donald Trump a “douchebag f*cking reality tv star.”
His firing comes as other law enforcement officials involved in the case have been embroiled in controversy in the last year, including leaks about the investigation and unethical actions in past cases.
A BuzzFeed News article last month revealed a Twitter account that appeared to tease the investigation months before it was publicly reported. Its bio indicated it was run by the CEO of a cyber intelligence company called Exeintel—a firm owned by FBI Special Agent Jayson Chambers, one of the agents on the case, government records showed.
Chambers and the FBI declined to comment on the matter to BuzzFeed, but five defendants who have accused the government of entrapment asked a federal judge last week to subpoena Twitter over the account.
In May, state prosecutor Greg Townsend was reassigned from the case after the Michigan Attorney General’s office indicated potential ethics concerns in a murder and arson case he prosecuted in 2000. A spokesperson for the state attorney general told the Detroit Free Press that Townsend “was reassigned from his docket while the Department of Attorney General performs a comprehensive audit of his work.”
The trials for the five defendants charged with federal crimes will begin on Oct. 12, though their lawyers have asked for a 90-day delay to further investigate the FBI agents involved in the case.
FBI fires Whitmer kidnap case agent amid wife beating allegations
The Detroit News
September 11, 2021
The FBI has fired one of the lead agents credited with thwarting a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after he was charged with beating his wife following a swingers party, The Detroit News has learned.
The firing of Special Agent Richard Trask earlier this week comes amid questions about agent misconduct and whether as many as 12 informants were driving the alleged conspiracy.
Trask was fired, according to a source familiar with his case, while awaiting trial on a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and allegations he smashed his wife's head against a nightstand and choked her after a dispute stemming from their attendance at a swingers' party in July. Trask also was moonlighting as a personal trainer and it was unclear if his superiors at the FBI were aware or had approved the job.
The basis of Trask's firing were unclear and FBI spokesman Mara Schneider would only confirm Saturday that Trask is no longer employed by the bureau.
Trask's lawyer could not be reached for comment immediately Saturday.
Trask, 39, of Kalamazoo, was the public face of the FBI in the Whitmer investigation. He testified in court proceedings for five men awaiting trial in federal court on a range of charges, including kidnapping and weapons of mass destruction conspiracies.
Earlier this month, prosecutors revealed they had decided not to use Trask as a witness during the Oct. 12 trial. The decision was announced as they referred to social media posts in which Trask called former President Donald Trump a douchebag and "piece of s---."
“They’re slicing him out,” said lawyer Michael Hills, who represents accused kidnap plotter Brandon Caserta of Canton Township. “They’re not calling him.”
Trask's arrest came as defense lawyers started to reveal a trial strategy that involves suppressing evidence, attacking the work of FBI agents and claiming FBI informants entrapped men accused in the conspiracy.
On Wednesday, defense lawyers asked a judge for a 90-day trial delay, saying they need more time to prepare and investigate the conduct of FBI agents who thwarted the alleged conspiracy
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