Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Let there be snark.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

People are complicated. Love is not.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Infrastructure week. at last.

The willow is too close to the house.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

You cannot shame the shameless.

T R E 4 5 O N

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

You are here: Home / Politics / America / The Trials of Snack Team 6: The Embezzling!

The Trials of Snack Team 6: The Embezzling!

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Slide1

While the Prosecution has rested in the Trial of Snack Team 6 and the Defense has begun to present their case, including calling Franklin Graham to the stand, we have news relating our intrepid heroes that originated outside the courtroom. The Idaho Statesmen is reporting that Brandon Curtiss, the leader of the Idaho III% Militia, took $2,901 of donations meant to assist four Idaho III% members who have been charged in the 2014 Bundy family led Bunkerville standoff (h/t: TPM). As a result 36 members of the Idaho III% Militia have resigned because Curtiss has allegedly taken this money and spent it on a variety of items that have absolutely nothing to do with funds to assist the four of his members and their families as they wait for their upcoming days in Federal Court.

The group’s PayPal account was in Curtiss’ name. PayPal records show Curtiss paid $295 on Aug. 7 to Rollin Smoke Diesel, an Indiana company that supplies aftermarket parts that allow pickups with diesel engines to produce thick clouds of black smoke in what has become a fad in some areas. The next day, the company credited $13 back to the account.

On Aug. 8, the account was billed $30 from Mister Car Wash in Nampa. Other payments that month for which the business purpose wasn’t clear include $37.50 to Adele’s Storage in Clarkston, Wash.; $30 to Spyfly.com, an online company that provides criminal records, personal financial information and contact information for people; $18.55 to a Taco Bell in Ontario, Ore.; and $71.59 to a Maverik store in Fruitland, where Curtiss resides.

That same month, the Mountain West Bank statement shows a $98.44 charge for an Idaho Parks and Recreation camping reservation and a $5 iTunes music download. There were also $292 in gasoline and food charges in Winnemucca, Nev., and Roseville and Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 3 and 4, along with an Aug. 3 Walmart purchase in Sacramento.

By Sept. 13, the bank account showed a balance of $12.58. Six days later, the account was closed. It’s unclear whether 3% of Idaho has another existing bank account or what financial resources it still has.

Also, Curtiss appears to be a general, all around deadbeat. He was fined for not paying the Workman’s Comp premiums earlier this year for his Bail Recovery Agency, the Sons of Liberty Fugitive Recovery Service.

Tune in tomorrow for more updates. Same Bundy time, same Bundy station.

(I am not sure if it is kosher to mix Roman numerals with a % sign. But that’s how these guys do their name/symbol. I apologize if this is shaatnez.)

Reader Interactions

185Comments

  1. 1.

    LAO

    The defense is expected to re-call Sheriff Ward tomorrow and…Ammon Bundy himself. I’m literally beside myself, I may not be able to sleep tonight.

    Thanks for the update Adam.

  10. 10.

    Adam L Silverman

    @efgoldman: If you remember he was with Nevada Assemblywoman Michelle Fiore when they were trying to talk the last four holdouts out of the refuge.

  15. 15.

    Origuy

    I’m never gonna get this test written. Adam, you made me look up the history of the percent sign. The earliest form appears in 1350 as “p100”, so it comes in after the adoption of Arabic numerals. It may not be shaatnez to use with Roman numerals, but it’s certainly anachronistic.

  27. 27.

    aimai

    When you look into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back. Every time I read anything about the Bundys or Trump these days I get a gorgeous picture of Reagan and an advertisement urging me to share some of his glory by paying some money to have my email account be [email protected].

  30. 30.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    @joel hanes:

    You see a lot of that crap here in rural northern California. Always a big passenger truck, always driven by a white bubba age 18-45. Always makes me think the same thing: I’m sorry about your tiny weenie.

  34. 34.

    LAO

    @Felonius Monk: criminal defendants choose whether to testify, the government can’t call them as witnesses. That being said, Ammon is expected to take the stand on Monday.

  38. 38.

    Hungry Joe

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: “If you can’t trust Donald Trump … ” reminds me of a classic episode of “Maverick.” (Although probably every episode of “Maverick” is a classic.) A banker, a pillar of the town whose motto is “If you can’t trust your banker, who can you trust?” steals Bret’s (James Garner) late-night poker-winnings deposit. Bret spends the rest of the episode in a rocking chair, whittling. Townspeople keep coming up to him, laughing and saying, “You get your money back, Mr. Maverick?” Bret would just say, “I’m working on it.” Meanwhile, he’d set up an elaborate counter-scheme. The last shot, as I remember it, was the banker just figuring out he’d been taken as the stage with Bret aboard leaves town, the rocking chair still rocking. It was called “A Shady Deal at Sunny Acres,” and I bet I haven’t seen it for 40 or 50 years. THAT was television.

  39. 39.

    Corner Stone

    @Felonius Monk: Can you imagine being a dildo that was *too embarrassed* to testify to what you had done and seen? I mean, that’s your entire purpose for existing and you’re reticent to talk about it?
    The horror. The horror.

  41. 41.

    Felonius Monk

    @LAO: I’m laughing ’cause you read my mind. You knew exactly who I was referring to. And, yes, I do know that the prosecution can’t call them as witnesses, but they could testify in their own defense. But that would probably be a big mistake, so I’m sure it will happen.

  51. 51.

    Soylent Green

    It’s a tall order but I’m going to try to get into the courtroom on Monday, when the Angel Moroni is scheduled to testify.

  52. 52.

    Felonius Monk

    @p.a.:

    Do you have to agree to testify before denying the court’s right to, uh, courtify?

    Good question for our crack legal team. If Bundy takes the witness stand in his own defense, is that a tacit admission that he recognizes the authority of the court?

  53. 53.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    the Defense has begun to present their case, including calling Franklin Graham to the stand

    Franklin Graham?? What, what?

    This entire thing is unbefuckinglievable.

  54. 54.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @p.a.: If you agree to testify, you’re subject to courtification and cross examination. And you admit, intentionally or not, that you’re subject to the jurisdiction of the court. Period. The end. IMO; I’m sure Bundy’s able counsel disagrees.
    Since criminal defendants aren’t required to testify, they shouldn’t. For their own good.
    They don’t always agree with their counsel on that point. LAO can also tell you that this is a bad idea for those defendants.

    @LAO: Ahem. Some of them are. Very good.

  57. 57.

    Felonius Monk

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    but, please – for the love of god – no clowns.

    You might be in the wrong thread here, Omnes. We are talking about the Bundys — the Wild West’s Biggest Clown Extravaganza. :-)

  63. 63.

    Villago Delenda Est

    What? The guy was embezzling? I’m shocked, shocked. Quick, queue up the Casablanca clips at YouTube!

  70. 70.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @Hungry Joe:

    Have you ever seen the Henry Fonda-Joanne Woodward movie A Big Hand for the Little Lady?

    If not, you must.

  71. 71.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Felonius Monk:
    As I recall, the Bundys themselves were not tending to the herd. The problem that got them originally in trouble is that they let the cattle wander around on government land, and do not take care of them in any way, just going out and shooting one occasionally for meat which they sell for cash. They are free-loaders par excellence, avoiding the IRS, animal cruelty and food safety regulations, and using government land without paying for it.

    EDIT – And aren’t the cattle themselves an illegal crossbreed that’s dangerously aggressive?

  73. 73.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):

    Do they allow cell phones (or tablets) in the courtroom? Last time I was in court, five or six years ago, they collected everybody’s* cell phones in the lobby of the county courthouse.

    * “Civilians,” presumably not attorneys actively working a case.

  82. 82.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @LAO: I was just messing with you. I certainly got a lot of practice, because defendants won’t listen. Some counsel were dumb, also, too. Unlike you.

  83. 83.

    LAO

    O/T: so, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m in the process of adopting a dog and I just got off the phone with a dog walker. She now, legitimately believes I’m crazy. I’m afraid she’s going to reject me as a client.

  90. 90.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Only if, when he falls down, his new driveway is angled down to the street.

    Actually, I’m pretty sure that was in his mortgage paperwork. Because, Cole.

  91. 91.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    OT, but this seems like it’s a BFD. America’s Newspaper (read and sold in every public space in America) has seen enough.

    USA Today – Trump Unfit For the Presidency Read the list of reasons why. I don’t think anything negative about Trump published in media so far approaches their thoroughness and concise argument as to why. They went all in.

  92. 92.

    Pogonip

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Don’t move to Ohio. There’s an aggressive-clown epidemic going on there. Not to mention All Fuckeyes, All The Time. (I’m sure each individual Buckeye is a nice young man, but FOOTBALL IS A FUCKING RELIGION OUT THERE. No wonder the clowns cracked up.)

    Pardon my French.

  97. 97.

    Soylent Green

    If you want the Malheur trial play-by-play, the go-to joint for comprehensive Bundy talk is a forum called The Fogbow, where a number of stalwart souls have been reporting the daily proceedings. I discovered this site only recently but it’s a treasure trove.

  98. 98.

    Prescott Cactus

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):

    If you agree to testify, you’re subject to courtification and cross examination.

    IS it really courtificationing if you’re just telling your side ? Telling the man you “done no wrong” has to be done.

    You don’t get to pick where you play every ballgame. Feds have home field today so he’s got to courtify. Should he wait sixty or 70 years from now, when he’s a free man, to tell the man “he done no wrong” from the Garden room of Malheur Nursing Home?

    If he does testify during an official courtification, must he self “in crumb inate” himself during cross examination or can he reach for a fifth?

  100. 100.

    LAO

    @Pogonip: I asked a million questions about her qualifications (as a trainer not a dog walker) and then asked if I could text her questions about training the puppy. I’ve never adopted a puppy before so I’m worried about how much attention she’ll need and I don’t want to “ruin” this dog by encouraging bad habits.

  101. 101.

    Mary G

    Does anyone besides me feel skeptical about Graham’s testimony that two FBI negotiators had tears running down their faces after he nobly got the last person to surrender?

  102. 102.

    Miss Bianca

    OMFG, he spent money that was supposed to go to a “militia members defense fund” on ROLLING COAL for his truck?

    You can’t make this shit up. You can’t make this shit up. You can’t make this shit up. You can’t make this shit up…

  105. 105.

    Adam L Silverman

    @hovercraft: I’m pretty sure Instaputz isn’t a member of their editorial board, he just has a regular column with them. Though suspended for another three weeks or so.

  106. 106.

    Adam L Silverman

    @efgoldman: No, no, and no. But, as I’m sure Snack Team 6’s attorney will tell you, there is some question as to the Federal government’s ability to make those kinds of rules.

  110. 110.

    BruceJ

    “Sons of Liberty Fugitive Recovery Service” Weren’t the actual Sons of Liberty kinda fugitives themselves at one point?

  111. 111.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Corner Stone:

    Just flipped to the game. Man, they look like minions in a Grade B ’60s sci-fi movie. I’m trying to concentrate on the bright side that a few years ago they got rid of the helmet on the cartoony dolphin on the helmet logo. Worst one since New England’s “squatting Patriot.”

  118. 118.

    Ken

    A sovereign-citizen militia leader, whose business consists of locating people who are wanted by the court system? Self-reflection is not his strong suit.

  121. 121.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @gogol’s wife:

    It is a very tightly argued comprehensive rundown of his bullshit – the best I’ve seen yet. Although they don’t endorse Clinton, they do, because anyone with half a brain understands that she’s the only alternative, and they admit, in no uncertain terms, that there’s no “both sides” to his outright incompetence. I’m rather shocked to see this, frankly.

  134. 134.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Baud:

    It stands out as a stark, no bullshit, no weasel words, no “both sides are bad” truth bomb, read by the masses. They didn’t mince words, and they don’t want this shit normalized. There are lots of people (somehow) still persuadable – I listened to them today in my office, here in Massachusetts. This is a BFD, for people who will be going into the voting booth and in that moment of quiet and privacy, will at the last moment vote for Hillary against Trump, because the USA Today editorial board tells them they’re not alone in their uneasiness about how awful Trump is, and might be. I give them major props.

  135. 135.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    Adam, this is O/T from the Bundys, but I wanted to ask you: I noticed that US flags were flying at half-staff today and didn’t know why. Searched and discovered that President Obama had ordered flags at federal establishments to fly at half-staff in honour of Shimon Peres.

    Firstly, the ones I saw were not a federal buildings, such as the USPS, but at city/county/private locations (library, big shopping center). Nice of them. Secondly, does this happen often, flying the Stars and Stripes at half-staff as a mark of respect to a foreign (former) leader? I figure you can pull the protocol and history, and save me the heavy googling.

  138. 138.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @gogol’s wife: To me, these people are failing in their responsibility as citizens of a democracy. They have the right to participate in choosing the country’s government and they’re refusing to do it. They’d rather “send messages.”

  140. 140.

    burnspbesq

    @Corner Stone:

    aren’t students at University of Texas already engaging in this civil disobedience?

    Yes. The hundreds of burnt orange dildos were glorious to behold. Every undergrad should have a dildo in his/her school colors. Except Clemson.

  141. 141.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @gogol’s wife:

    They couldn’t get unanimity about endorsing Clinton – they have never endorsed a candidate. They got unanimity about Trump. I accept their statement as being offered in good faith.

  142. 142.

    Pogonip

    @LAO: She’s probably just fed up with helicopter “pet parents.”. You might want to explain that you’re new to this dog thing and that’s why you had so many questions. It’s worth a try.

  144. 144.

    raven

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch:

    WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Obama announced he was heading to Jerusalem to attend Shimon Peres’ funeral and ordered flags flown at half-staff, a rare honor for foreign leaders.

    In a proclamation late Wednesday, Obama said he ordered flags to fly at “half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions” through sunset Sept. 30.

  148. 148.

    Uncle Cosmo

    Only a matter of time before this trial is rendered into a musical named (of course) Les Malheureuses…

  149. 149.

    Adam L Silverman

    @SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch: So the determination is, as you’ve noted, a prerogative of the President for Federal and international dignitaries and a state or territorial governor for a state level dignitary. This has been done for a number of foreign notables/leaders: Churchill, Sadat Rabin, Mandela, Pope John Paul II, and several others. President Obama specifically did not order half staff for Margaret Thatcher…

    Here’s the rules for flying a flag at half staff:
    http://www.usflag.org/nff.half.staff.html

    Flag Etiquette

    Half Staff Displays

    From the Nov.-Dec. 1994 National Flag Foundations “Standard Bearer” Magazine.
    This article remains the copyrighted material of the National Flag Foundation and is presented here by permission.

    Flying the flag at half-staff is an area of flag etiquette that most people want to make sure they get right. It is also an area for which the road to error is routinely paved with good intentions. With that in mind, we offer this refresher course as the all-important intersection where knowledge meets benevolence.

    FLYING THE FLAG AT HALF-STAFF: The pertinent section of the Flag Code says, “by order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possesion, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law.

    In the event of the death a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the Governor of that state, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff.” The code also includes other related details including the specific length of time during which the flag should be displayed at half-staff, in the event of the death of a “principal figure”(e.g., 30 days for the death of a sitting or former President, 10 days for the death of a sitting Vice-President,etc.).

    GOOD-FAITH MISUNDERSTANDINGS: Although the code is actually pretty clear, confusion continues to occur. For example, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno recently ordered the American Flag flown at half-staff on all U.S. Department of Justice buildings, in honor of several DEA agents who had died. While NFF understands this gesture, the Flag Code does not give Attorney General Reno the authority to issue that order. Closer to NFF’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania home, Mayor Tom Murphy ordered all flags flown at half-staff to honor the victims of a plane crash. Here again, a well-intentioned gesture, but one for which no authority exists. NFF points out these “good-faith misunderstandings” not to criticize or embarrass anyone, but rather to head off a growing trivialization of this memorial salute, and to preserve the dignity and significance of flying the U.S. flag at half-staff. To any readers who may think that NFF is insensitive for raising these breaches of etiquette, please be assured that our motives are pure. We grieve these human loses deeply; however, we believe proper respect for our flag must be maintained – no matter the circumstances.

    We owe that respect to our living, our dead and our flag.

  154. 154.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: I like *some* clowns. The clowns in my circus troupe, for example. But some of them are scary and creepy, to be sure. One of them, a guy named Arthur who used to show up at random events when I was a kid, scared the piss out of me. When I heard about John Wayne Gacy, I wasn’t surprised – I was only surprised he wasn’t named Arthur.

  156. 156.

    Anne Laurie

    @LAO:

    I asked a million questions about her qualifications (as a trainer not a dog walker) and then asked if I could text her questions about training the puppy. I’ve never adopted a puppy before so I’m worried about how much attention she’ll need and I don’t want to “ruin” this dog by encouraging bad habits.

    Admitting you don’t know better than the professional is probably a positive, to be honest.

    And to be snarky, if she really thinks you’re nuts, she can use her walking stints as an excuse to keep an eye on the puppy!

  157. 157.

    Pogonip

    @LAO: P.S. as you probably noticed when following Walter’s adventures, a dog can change quickly. So even when–oops, if–your dog picks up a few irritating habits you can most likely train them out of him in a few weeks. Or, the easier approach, unless it’s something really bad like Pooping On The Floor, let it go. Most people have irritating habits too. Why expect a dog to be better than you?

  158. 158.

    Soylent Green

    Here in Portland the Poot Corner horse abuser was back with us earlier this week, forcing his terrified horse to negotiate downtown traffic. (Poot Corner is what we call the corner of the city park across from the Hatfield courthouse where the Bundy symps have been resting their butts for three weeks dutifully waiting for passersby to indoctrinate.) The daily national outpouring of support for what I call the Hole-in-the-Head Gang varies between two and five guys. There’s usually at least one Finicum fetishist present.

    Here’s another video of the idiot horseman trying to cross the Hawthorne Bridge a block from the courthouse.

  161. 161.

    LAO

    @Anne Laurie: to be fair, she sounded more amused than annoyed. I internalize everything. Also, I’m just not sure how I went from looking for an adult dog to a puppy.

  162. 162.

    SiubhanDuinne, liberal mob enforcer bitch

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I do remember that Mandela and the Pope were honoured with lowered flags. Churchill too, of course. Did not know that there was a specific decision not to fly the flag at half-staff for Baroness Thatcher.

    Thanks for the nice long explanatory link. You always come through :-)

  164. 164.

    LAO

    @Pogonip: A valid point. My last dog (she was 2 when I adopted) had been starved by her prior owner and she never believed that there’d be a next meal. She was an absolute nightmare around food till the day she died.

  170. 170.

    Miss Bianca

    @Soylent Green: Parade horses who have been specially trained can handle crowds and traffic and loud noises. But I wouldn’t take your average range horse into the city like that. That guy’s just begging to get thrown and trampled.

  171. 171.

    Ken

    @burnspbesq:

    Proof that he prefers martyrdom to acquittal.

    Or that, in the sad little drama playing in his head, he imagines his impassioned statement will cause the judge to order an immediate acquittal and the disbandment of the Federal and all State governments.

  173. 173.

    Pogonip

    @LAO: And who could blame her? Not me.

    Puppies are a blast BUT a lot of work, even if the pup’s just going to be a pet and not a working dog there’ll be lots of training!

  174. 174.

    Pogonip

    @Soylent Green: Really? I hadn’t heard that. It surprises me; metal horseshoes have been around for centuries. We always pet the police horse if the rider agrees; next time I’ll inquire about shoes.

    Xmas carriage rides are popular around here and those horses also clop-clop in metal shoes.

  177. 177.

    Hob

    @LAO: Yeah, I expect she is used to even more extreme worrywart behavior from intense dog people, especially new dog owners. I wouldn’t worry about it unless she has no sense of humor at all – which would be pretty unusual for anyone in that line of work; dogs and silliness go together.

  179. 179.

    joel hanes

    @Mary G:

    skeptical

    I think if I were expecting
    within the next half hour
    to have to follow the order
    “kill these crazy people”
    and by some miracle some other nutball said the right crazy things
    to make that order unnecessary
    I would quite possibly be weeping

  181. 181.

    Lawrence

    $18.55 worth of Taco Bell? Somebody’s hungry. I love me some Taco Bell but that’s a five dollar lunch. Aren’t these the same guys who are afraid of Taco trucks? Eighteen bucks worth of Arby’s or Maid Rite would seem more fitting.

  183. 183.

    Hob

    @Omnes Omnibus: I meant the owners. Dogs are goofy; dog people may or may not be goofy, but will often be silly, especially when it comes to finding ways to worry about the ultimate best way to make everything just right with their dogs. I say that as one of them, even though it’s been a few years since I had a dog. Every dog walker, trainer, vet, etc. that I ever interacted with undoubtedly had to make more allowances for my own psychological quirks than for the dog’s.

  184. 184.

    Hob

    @Soylent Green: Thanks for the Fogbow link. I’m unlikely to follow it regularly— Adam’s updates and the occasional David Niewert column are about as much of that stuff as I can handle— but it seems like a fun and well-informed crowd. Plus my inner 7-year-old is very amused by referring to “patriots” as “poots”, which I hadn’t heard before.

  185. 185.

    Hob

    I also like the Fogbow’s policy of setting aside a whole subforum for right-wing trolls (and people who want to talk to them) to play in to their heart’s content, and naming it “FEMA Camp 7 1/2”.

    Unfortunately the whole site seems to be recovering from being hacked at the moment…

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