(NEW YORK) — As an upstart chief prosecutor in perhaps the most prestigious legal office in the country, Rudy Giuliani in the mid-1980s made use of a novel way to quell the scourge of New York organized crime — leveraging a brand new, little-known federal statute called Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations.
Using RICO, as it’s known, Giuliani managed to charge dozens of mobsters with seemingly unrelated crimes, all under the umbrella of one overarching scheme. At the time, it was a revolutionary use of federal law and it later served as a model for state and federal prosecutors around the country.
As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Giuliani’s successful prosecutions of New York’s storied crime families made him a media darling and launched Giuliani’s political career. But now, four decades later, Giuliani finds himself on the other side of his own legal legacy — facing Georgia state criminal RICO charges in the Fulton County district attorney’s case against his longtime boss, former President Donald Trump, and 18 of his allies.
“This is perfect, perfect irony,” said Anthony Cardinale, a veteran defense attorney who represented “Fat Tony” Salerno, the former head of the Genovese crime family, in 1986. “Giuliani is going to be sitting in a courtroom, pray to God … forty years after he started bringing these exact types of cases.”
The indictment of Giuliani, filed Monday in Georgia, marks the latest inflection point in his arc from star prosecutor and renowned New York mayor to among the most polarizing of Trump’s legal advisers.
According to prosecutors in Fulton County, Giuliani aided Trump in perpetrating a sweeping effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, including by making false statements to state election officials and contributing to the harassment of two election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
Responding to the indictment, Giuliani said it was “an affront to American Democracy and does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system.”
“It’s just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime,” Giuliani said in the statement.
For years, Giuliani promoted himself as the godfather of the RICO statute. In 1983, when he took over the U.S. attorney’s office in New York’s Southern District, Giuliani set out to crack down on the city’s infamous organized crime families, whose violent tactics and illegal enterprises plagued the streets of New York.
To do so, he and his team of assistant U.S. attorneys — which included a young Michael Chertoff, who would go on to become Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security — needed to find a way to pursue the bosses pulling the strings, not just the foot soldiers perpetrating the actual criminal conduct.
“It was really [Giuliani’s] brainstorm,” John Savarese, a prosecutor who worked under Giuliani in the 1980s, said in the Netflix docuseries, “Fear City.” “He wanted to use RICO in a way that it had never been used before.”
During his failed first New York City mayoral bid in 1989, Giuliani sought to capitalize on his reputation as a fearless prosecutor to score political points, touting his use of RICO to hold powerful mob bosses to account.
”Using [RICO] against the [organized crime] commission, that was an idea that no one had until I developed it and went down to Washington and started talking about it,” Giuliani told the New York Times in 1989. “And I came to the [U.S. attorney’s] office with it.”
Giuliani was elected mayor of New York City in 1994.
Now, in the Fulton County case, Giuliani has been charged by a prosecutor who herself has used her state’s RICO Act to great success in her prosecution of defendants ranging from school teachers to street gangs. Since taking over as Fulton County district attorney, Willis has praised the versatility of the statute to “tell the whole story of a crime.”
The Fulton County DA has charged Giuliani, along with Trump and 17 others, with violation of the Georgia RICO Act as part of what the indictment calls “a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.”
Twenty-four years ago, when Giuliani’s critics cast doubt on his claim to being the first to use the RICO statute as he had, Giuliani bristled. In its 1989 story on Giuliani, the New York Times pointed out that RICO had been in use for years as a strategic tool, citing FBI officials who said they had already undertaken investigative efforts aimed at bringing RICO charges before Giuliani became U.S. attorney.
Giuliani, according to the paper, pushed back on those assertions.
“Absolutely, totally not true,” Giuliani said at the time. “Those people are now trying to recreate a good idea.
(ATLANTA) — After a two-and-a-half-year probe, a Fulton County grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 others on charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
It marks the fourth indictment of the former president, who already faces federal charges in the special counsel’s Jan. 6 and classified documents probes, as well as the Manhattan DA’s hush money case. Prior to Trump, no former or current president had ever been indicted.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Aug 15, 5:35 AM EDT
Indictment an ‘affront’ to democracy, Giuliani says
Rudy Giuliani, who served as a personal attorney for President Donald Trump, said the indictment handed up on Monday evening amounted to “an affront to American Democracy.”
The indictment would do “permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system,” Giuliani, who was charged as an alleged co-conspirator of the former president, said in a statement.
He added, “It’s just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime. They lied about Russian collusion, they lied about Joe Biden’s foreign bribery scheme, and they lied about Hunter Biden’s laptop hard drive proving 30 years of criminal activity. The real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly.”
Aug 15, 12:38 AM EDT
Indictment centers on RICO charges
The 98-page indictment centers on racketeering charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
It charges 41 counts, 13 of which Trump faces, and alleges that Trump made 13 false statements in his effort to overturn the election results.
Aug 15, 12:28 AM EDT
Defendants include numerous attorneys associated with Trump
In addition to Trump, those charged include his one-time personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, attorney John Eastman, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, attorney Jenna Ellis and attorney Sidney Powell.
The remaining defendants are Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Cathleen Latham, Scott Hall and Misty Hampton aka Emily Misty Hayes.
Aug 15, 12:13 AM EDT
Indictment alleges 161 acts as part of racketeering charges
The indictment alleges 161 acts as part of the efforts to overturn the state’s election results. They include press conferences and social media posts that themselves might not be crimes, but are being charged as part of the overarching enterprise.
Aug 14, 11:53 PM EDT
Co-defendants worked in ‘furtherance of the conspiracy,’ indictment says
The indictment describes how several of the co-defendants, including Kenneth Chesebro, Michael Roman and James Shafer, worked together from Dec. 11, 2020 through Dec. 25, 2020, in several states including Georgia and Arizona, to commit acts “in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
The alleged acts include Shafer reserving a room at the Georgia State Capitol in Fulton County, Georgia to gather “Trump presidential elector nominees,” and Chesebro sending emails to Roman regarding Trump presidential elector nominees in other states.
The indictment also describes how the co-conspirators allegedly communicated with the Trump campaign about the Trump electors.
According to the indictment, Rowan instructed an individual associated with the Trump campaign to “distribute information related to the December 14, 2020 meetings of Trump presidential elector nominees in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to other individuals associated with the campaign and co-conspirator 4.”
On Dec. 13, 2020, Chesebro sent an email to Giuliani outlining the “multiple strategies for disrupting and delaying the joint session of congress on January 6, 2021,” the indictment says.
The alleged enterprise “falsely accused” Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman of committing election crimes, the indictment says.
Members of the alleged enterprise traveled out of state “to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit,” it says.
Aug 14, 11:34 PM EDT
Indictment spells out alleged ‘false elector’ scheme
The alleged enterprise, including “several” of the defendants, created “false Electoral College documents” and recruited individuals to cast “false Electoral College votes” at the Georgia State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, and then transmitted those votes to the president of the U.S. Senate, the U.S. archivist, the Georgia secretary of state, and the chief federal judge in Atlanta, the indictment says.
“The false documents were intended to disrupt and delay the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, in order to unlawfully change the outcome of the November 3, 2020, presidential election in favor of Donald Trump,” says the indictment.
Aug 14, 11:24 PM EDT
Indictment alleges 30 unindicted co-conspirators
In addition to the 19 defendants listed in the indictment, as many as 30 unindicted co-conspirators were involved in the criminal scheme, according to prosecutors.
“The Defendants, as well as others not named as defendants, unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere,” the indictment says.
The indictment says “several” of the defendants made false statements to Georgia officials, including the secretary of state and Speaker of the House of Representatives, and “corruptly solicited [them] … to violate their oaths to the Georgia Constitution and to the United States Constitution by unlawfully changing the outcomes of the November 3, 2020, presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.”
Aug 14, 11:19 PM EDT
Meadows, Giuliani among those charged
Among those indicted were some of Trump’s closet advisers, including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump’s one-time personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Aug 14, 11:12 PM EDT
Trump, others ‘joined a conspiracy’ to overturn results, says indictment
“Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump,” the indictment’s introduction says.
“That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states,” it says.
Aug 14, 11:04 PM EDT
Trump, 18 others charged in 2020 election probe
Former President Donald Trump and 18 others have been indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, according to court documents.
Aug 14, 10:00 PM EDT
Indictment returned in Georgia election probe
A Fulton County grand jury has handed up an indictment related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, according to multiple sources.
A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis declined to comment.
Aug 14, 6:00 PM EDT
Former lieutenant governor at courthouse to testify
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is at the courthouse waiting to testify before the grand jury.
Duncan had said he was originally asked to testify Tuesday, indicating his testimony was moved up.
In a tweet, journalist George Chidi said he was sitting with Duncan at the courthouse.
“I’m sitting with Geoff Duncan, waiting to go,” Chidi, who was also asked to appear before the grand jury, wrote in the tweet.
Aug 14, 2:40 PM EDT
Multiple witnesses spotted, testifying before grand jury
Multiple witnesses have been spotted and testified before the Fulton County grand jury today, including two former state lawmakers.
Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan testified today, she told local outlets as she left the courthouse, saying she testified for about 40 minutes.
Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen also testified, according to a statement.
“Today, I testified in front of the Fulton County Grand Jury,” the statement said. “When I took my oath of office in 2017, I swore my allegiance to our Constitution and promised to protect and defend our State and our country. On December 2020, when Rudy Giuliani and the former President’s legal team appeared before the Georgia House of Representatives, I upheld my oath and told the truth in the face of false testimony about our elections.”
“Today, I reaffirmed my allegiance to our State and country — by exercising my patriotic duty as a U.S. citizen and telling the truth under oath,” she continued. “As a former lawmaker, I respect the separation of power and the crucial role that our judicial system plays in protecting our democracy by holding everyone accountable, even powerful individuals.”
Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling, who spoke exclusively with ABC News’ Jon Karl over the weekend, was also spotted in the courthouse by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin, Will Steakin, Laura Romero and Richard Elliott
Aug 14, 2:12 PM EDT
Journalist’s testimony moved to today, he says
Journalist George Chidi, who previously said he was asked to come before the Fulton County grand jury to testify on Tuesday, now says his testimony has been moved up and he has been asked to come in Monday.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Chidi said there was a “change of plans.”
“They’re moving faster than they thought,” he wrote.
Chidi previously said he was present as a reporter in December 2020 at the Georgia state Capitol, where a slate of so-called “alternate electors” were allegedly meeting as part of a plan that prosecutors have said was intended to keep Joe Biden from amassing 270 electoral votes when the votes were certified on Jan. 6.
Aug 14, 11:40 AM EDT
Trump attacks DA Fani Willis on social media
Former President Donald Trump on Monday launched a string of familiar attacks against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday as Willis is expected to begin presenting her election interference case to a grand jury later today.
In three all-caps posts on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump attacked Willis over her investigation, blasted media leaks, specifically urged “someone” to tell the grand jury he did not interfere in the election while continuing to make false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Aug 14, 10:08 AM EDT
A timeline of the criminal probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia election results
On Jan. 2, 2021, former President Donald Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed to win the state in the 2020 election.
The now-infamous phone call helped spark a criminal investigation launched the following month by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looking into the efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso and Olivia Rubin
Aug 14, 7:43 AM EDT
Key players in Georgia probe include officials, lawyers and 16 ‘fake electors’
Who are the key players in the criminal probe into former President Donald Trump’s alleged election interference?
Some are local officials, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who certified the state’s election results, and District Attorney Fani Willis, who is expected to bring the case before a grand jury as soon as Monday.
Others were working with Trump during or after the election, including his former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, both of whom appeared before a special grand jury.
And there were also 16 “fake electors” who allegedly participated in a scheme to overturn the state’s election results were notified that they were considered targets in the criminal investigation, prosecutors in court documents last year.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso
Aug 14, 6:39 AM EDT
Fulton County DA expected to begin presenting case Monday, sources say
The Fulton County district attorney who has been probing former President Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia is expected to begin presenting the case to a grand jury on Monday morning, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The presentation from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office comes after a two-and-a-half-year probe into the matter.
A spokesperson for the DA declined to comment.
This grand jury that will hear the case is a typical grand jury that has been seated for weeks and has heard other cases unrelated to the Trump probe.
It is not immediately clear how long the presentation will take.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Aug 14, 7:05 AM EDT
Who is District Attorney Fani Willis?
Many eyes are watching Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as her investigation into alleged efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia nears its end and a potential fourth indictment looms for Trump, who denies all wrongdoing.
A charging decision is imminent. Willis is expected to present her findings to a grand jury this week.
“I would hate to have Fani Willis after me,” Judge Jerry Baxter told ABC News. “She is a superb trial lawyer and the real deal.”
(ATLANTA) — After a two-and-a-half-year probe, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has signaled that charges could be coming against former President Donald Trump and others allegedly involved in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
If Trump is indicted in the probe, it would mark the fourth indictment of the former president, who already faces federal charges in the special counsel’s Jan. 6 and classified documents probes, as well as the Manhattan DA’s hush money case. Prior to Trump, no former or current president had ever been indicted.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Aug 14, 10:00 PM EDT
Indictment returned in Georgia election probe
A Fulton County grand jury has handed up an indictment related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, according to multiple sources.
A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis declined to comment.
Aug 14, 6:00 PM EDT
Former lieutenant governor at courthouse to testify
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is at the courthouse waiting to testify before the grand jury.
Duncan had said he was originally asked to testify Tuesday, indicating his testimony was moved up.
In a tweet, journalist George Chidi said he was sitting with Duncan at the courthouse.
“I’m sitting with Geoff Duncan, waiting to go,” Chidi, who was also asked to appear before the grand jury, wrote in the tweet.
Aug 14, 2:40 PM EDT
Multiple witnesses spotted, testifying before grand jury
Multiple witnesses have been spotted and testified before the Fulton County grand jury today, including two former state lawmakers.
Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan testified today, she told local outlets as she left the courthouse, saying she testified for about 40 minutes.
Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen also testified, according to a statement.
“Today, I testified in front of the Fulton County Grand Jury,” the statement said. “When I took my oath of office in 2017, I swore my allegiance to our Constitution and promised to protect and defend our State and our country. On December 2020, when Rudy Giuliani and the former President’s legal team appeared before the Georgia House of Representatives, I upheld my oath and told the truth in the face of false testimony about our elections.”
“Today, I reaffirmed my allegiance to our State and country — by exercising my patriotic duty as a U.S. citizen and telling the truth under oath,” she continued. “As a former lawmaker, I respect the separation of power and the crucial role that our judicial system plays in protecting our democracy by holding everyone accountable, even powerful individuals.”
Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling, who spoke exclusively with ABC News’ Jon Karl over the weekend, was also spotted in the courthouse by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin, Will Steakin, Laura Romero and Richard Elliott
Aug 14, 2:12 PM EDT
Journalist’s testimony moved to today, he says
Journalist George Chidi, who previously said he was asked to come before the Fulton County grand jury to testify on Tuesday, now says his testimony has been moved up and he has been asked to come in Monday.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Chidi said there was a “change of plans.”
“They’re moving faster than they thought,” he wrote.
Chidi previously said he was present as a reporter in December 2020 at the Georgia state Capitol, where a slate of so-called “alternate electors” were allegedly meeting as part of a plan that prosecutors have said was intended to keep Joe Biden from amassing 270 electoral votes when the votes were certified on Jan. 6.
Aug 14, 11:40 AM EDT
Trump attacks DA Fani Willis on social media
Former President Donald Trump on Monday launched a string of familiar attacks against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday as Willis is expected to begin presenting her election interference case to a grand jury later today.
In three all-caps posts on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump attacked Willis over her investigation, blasted media leaks, specifically urged “someone” to tell the grand jury he did not interfere in the election while continuing to make false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Aug 14, 10:08 AM EDT
A timeline of the criminal probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia election results
On Jan. 2, 2021, former President Donald Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed to win the state in the 2020 election.
The now-infamous phone call helped spark a criminal investigation launched the following month by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looking into the efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso and Olivia Rubin
Aug 14, 7:43 AM EDT
Key players in Georgia probe include officials, lawyers and 16 ‘fake electors’
Who are the key players in the criminal probe into former President Donald Trump’s alleged election interference?
Some are local officials, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who certified the state’s election results, and District Attorney Fani Willis, who is expected to bring the case before a grand jury as soon as Monday.
Others were working with Trump during or after the election, including his former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, both of whom appeared before a special grand jury.
And there were also 16 “fake electors” who allegedly participated in a scheme to overturn the state’s election results were notified that they were considered targets in the criminal investigation, prosecutors in court documents last year.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso
Aug 14, 6:39 AM EDT
Fulton County DA expected to begin presenting case Monday, sources say
The Fulton County district attorney who has been probing former President Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia is expected to begin presenting the case to a grand jury on Monday morning, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The presentation from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office comes after a two-and-a-half-year probe into the matter.
A spokesperson for the DA declined to comment.
This grand jury that will hear the case is a typical grand jury that has been seated for weeks and has heard other cases unrelated to the Trump probe.
It is not immediately clear how long the presentation will take.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Aug 14, 7:05 AM EDT
Who is District Attorney Fani Willis?
Many eyes are watching Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as her investigation into alleged efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia nears its end and a potential fourth indictment looms for Trump, who denies all wrongdoing.
A charging decision is imminent. Willis is expected to present her findings to a grand jury this week.
“I would hate to have Fani Willis after me,” Judge Jerry Baxter told ABC News. “She is a superb trial lawyer and the real deal.”
(MAUI, Hawaii) — Dozens of people have been killed in the devastating Maui wildfires that also left thousands of structures — including homes, businesses and cultural centers — destroyed.
The fires crept up on residents and tourists of the Hawaii island of Maui on Aug. 8, as a perfect storm of strong winds and dry conditions left Maui vulnerable to what state officials say has become the deadliest natural disaster in the state’s history.
Here is how the disaster turned deadly, slowly blazing through several separate parts of the island.
Monday, Aug. 7: Maui faces high winds
The National Weather Service recorded incredibly high wind gusts across Hawaii, with a high-wind warning issued by the organization for portions of Maui County through 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Some regions would go on to face wind gusts up to 67 miles per hour throughout the week, which officials say fueled the strength of the wildfires across the island.
Maui has been in a drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System, which also created the perfect storm for the incoming blazes.
Tuesday, Aug. 8: The blazes begin
12:20 a.m.: Just after midnight, a brush fire was reported in the Kula area in the central part of Maui, according to officials. This would become the Upcountry Maui wildfire.
6 a.m.: In the early morning hours, around 6:30 a.m., a brush fire of about three acres was reported around Lahainaluna Road, which passed through this historic town of Lahaina in West Maui.
9 a.m.: The fire in Lahaina was declared 100% contained just before 9 a.m., according to Maui County officials.
“Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been enclosed by a control line,” the Maui County website states.
3 p.m.: Officials report the perimeter of the Upcountry fire has spread about 1,000 acres and reached as far as Kualono Place near the Kula Lodge.
An afternoon flareup of the Lahaina fire forces the closure of Lahaina Bypass.
Residents from both regions continue to evacuate, as both the mayor and local fire officials urge caution.
“The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house,” said Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea. “Burning airborne materials can light fires a great distance away from the main body of fire.”
9:45 p.m. Mayor Richard Bissen issued an emergency proclamation in response to the fires.
The Pulehu/Kihei fire in the southern part of Maui also begins Tuesday.
Aug. 9
West Maui is without power and has no landline or cellphone service.
3:00 p.m. Firefighting crews are continuing to battle the Lahaina, as well as fires in the Pulehu/Kīhei and Upcountry areas.
3:30 p.m.: A federal team arrived in Maui and is on the ground in Lahaina to assist with search and rescue efforts amid the active Lahaina fire. Early reports show six lives lost, but the toll was expected to climb.
“This is a deeply somber day,” said Mayor Bissen. “The gravity of losing any life is tragic. As we grieve with their families, we offer prayers for comfort in this inconsolable time.”
Aug. 10
10:30 a.m.: The Lahaina fire was reported to be 80% contained, after the Fire Department reported progress in fighting all three fires across Maui.
The Pulehu fire was reported to be 70% contained, “after heavy equipment was used to create firebreaks through the night,” according to Maui officials.
A containment percentage for the Upcountry fire remained pending.
Officials announced the death toll had risen to 55 people.
Aug. 11
3 p.m. Officials announced the Lahaina fire is 85% contained, the Pulehu/Kihei fire is 80% contained and the Upcountry Maui fire is 50% contained.
6:10 p.m. A Kaʻanapali fire reported above Puʻukoliʻi at 6:10 p.m. was reported to be 100% contained before 8:30 p.m.
The death toll rose to roughly 80 deceased.
Aug. 12
The fire in the Puʻukoliʻi and Kaanapali region was extinguished, impacting one acre.
Meanwhile, firefighting crews fought to extinguish flare-ups in the Lahaina and Upcountry fires, both of which had destroyed dozens of structures combined.
The Pulehu/Kīhei fire was declared 100% contained Saturday.
The death toll rose to 93.
Aug. 13
The Upcountry fire is deemed 60% contained, impacting an estimated 678 acres.
The Lahaina fire was deemed 85% contained, impacting an estimated 2,170 acres.
The Pulehu/Kihei fire was 100% contained.
By this time, the Pacific Disaster Center states that an estimated total of 2,719 structures were exposed to the Lahaina fire — 2,207 structures were damaged or destroyed, and 2,170 acres burned. Of the buildings exposed to the fire, 86% were classified as residential, according to the center.
In Kula, the center reports at least 544 structures have been exposed, with 96% of them being residential.
The fires have cost billions of dollars in damage, state Gov. Josh Green said in a press conference Sunday.
(ATLANTA, Ga.) — The #StopCopCity protesters have collected more than enough signatures to move its referendum campaign forward in an effort to get the city to repeal the lease it has with the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed “Cop City” by critics.
Organizers have collected roughly 80,000 signatures to get the fate of the center on the November ballot, more than the 70,000 signatures — or 15% of Atlanta’s registered voters — that’s required per the state code.
The training center, which is intended for specialized training for both law enforcement and fire department service workers, has been the center of controversy in the Georgia city.
Critics argue it will cause a greater militarization of the police and exacerbate environmental damage to the South River Forest.
City officials assert the facility could improve policing.
“This training facility will not only help boost morale, retention and recruitment of our public safety personnel, but will give us physical space to ensure that our officers and firefighters are receiving 21st century training, rooted in respect and regard for the communities they serve,” said then-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in 2021 at the start of the project.
A judge has extended the deadline needed for protesters to gather signatures, while also denying the city’s efforts to halt the referendum petition.
The city argued the petition’s signatures did not meet residency requirements of those who signed, and that an extension of the petitioning period is disagreeable, according to the court document. “This remedy rewrites the state statute and city ordinance—a power this Court does not have,” the appeal reads.
Mary Hooks, National Field Secretary for the Movement for Black Lives, told ABC News the referendum campaign hopes to reach 100,000 signatures by Aug. 21.
“There’s a question of democracy here, as well, in the ways in which people’s voices have been silenced, how our leaders have betrayed us,” Hooks said in an interview.
“There’s this big question … about police violence and excessive force, and coming out of 2020 — some of the largest uprisings we’ve seen — and this was the city’s response to that,” she continued.
The Atlanta City Council approved funding for the construction of the proposed police and firefighter training facility in June despite a majority of opposition by attendees during an hourslong council meeting on the vote.
Organizers of the referendum petition say city officials are failing to listen to local opposition of residents.
Mayor Andre Dickens called the approval “a major milestone for better preparing our fire, police and emergency responders to protect and serve our communities” in statement following the vote.
ABC News has reached out to the Atlanta Police Foundation, the mayor’s office and the Atlanta City Council for comment.
ABC News’ Alex Ederson contributed to this report.
(HELENA, Mont.) — A group of young people from Montana won a major climate case on Monday after arguing the state failed to protect their right to a clean environment by continuing to use fossil fuels.
The ruling determined that a provision in Montana’s Environmental Policy Act violated the right to a clean environment, which is guaranteed under Montana’s state constitution, by promoting the continued use of fossil fuels.
The court said a provision in the law that prevented the state from considering the climate impacts of energy projects is unconstitutional.
“In a sweeping win for our clients, the Honorable Judge Kathy Seeley declared Montana’s fossil fuel-promoting laws unconstitutional and enjoined their implementation,” Julia Olson, chief legal counsel and executive director of Our Children’s Trust, said in a statement.
Sixteen Montana youths between the ages of 5 and 22 sued the state, the governor, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the state’s public commission office and other state departments in 2020 over Montana’s fossil fuel-based energy system, citing scientific evidence that burning fossil fuels is contributing to global warming that already causes them harm, according to the lawsuit.
The judge’s order cited the scientific facts presented by expert witnesses that there is overwhelming scientific consensus the Earth is warming as a direct result of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from burning fossil fuels. It also laid out evidence that Montana’s temperatures are expected to increase and that increased impacts of climate change, such as heat waves, have adverse impacts on young people’s mental health and quality of life.
Judge Kathy Seeley wrote that Montanans have “a fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, which includes climate as part of the environmental life-support system.”
“Youth plaintiffs have experienced past and ongoing injuries resulting from the state’s failure to consider [greenhouse gas emissions] and climate change, including injuries to their physical and mental health, homes and property; recreational, spiritual and aesthetic interests; tribal and cultural traditions, economic security and happiness,” Seeley said.
The decision is based on a unique provision in the Montana Constitution that guarantees citizens a “clean and healthful” environment. At least three other states — Pennsylvania, New York and Hawaii — have similar constitutional language.
There are similar challenges underway in those states, and the Montana decision will likely be appealed.
Effective immediately, Montana officials will be required to consider the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions when making decisions for oil, gas, coal and other energy permitting. Currently, state law forbids them from considering those impacts.
“As fires rage in the West, fueled by fossil fuel pollution, today’s ruling in Montana is a game-changer that marks a turning point in this generation’s efforts to save the planet from the devastating effects of human-caused climate chaos,” Olson said in a statement. “This is a huge win for Montana, for youth, for democracy and for our climate. More rulings like this will certainly come.”
Another youth climate case against the Hawaii Department of Transportation is scheduled to go to trial in Hawaii next summer.
(WACO, Texas) — Cecily Aguilar, who pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three other charges in the 2020 murder of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, confirmed Monday.
“Our hope is that today’s sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years,” U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said in a statement. “Ms. Aguilar’s actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made. I’m grateful for our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case, as their dedication was essential in bringing this defendant to justice.”
Aguilar faced sentencing in Waco, Texas, for her role in the 2020 murder of Guillén. Aguilar, who pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three other charges, faced a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Aguilar was indicted in 2021 on 11 federal charges of assisting her then-boyfriend, Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, in corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating and concealing the body of Vanessa Guillen, in an attempt to prevent Robinson from being charged for bludgeoning Guillén to death with a hammer in the armory of the Fort Cavazos military base in April of 2020. Her remains were discovered two months later.
When authorities attempted to approach Robinson in 2020 after cellphone records revealed Robinson was the last person in contact with Guillén prior to her murder, Robinson died by suicide. Aguilar was quickly arrested and charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence, and was indicted 12 days later.
(LAHAINA, Hawaii) — Without taking a beat, the culinary world sprang into action to help survivors on Maui in the wake of the deadly wildfires that tore through the historic harbor town of Old Lahaina, and with it, lives, businesses and homes.
As restaurant owners, chefs, food truck operators, suppliers, farmers and others asses the damage from the fifth-deadliest wildland fire in U.S. history that displaced thousands, they have quickly tapped into what comes as second nature in hospitality: serving others.
Culinary community on Maui mobilizes to help feed fire victims
Local food nonprofits, culinary programs and restaurants have pooled their resources to continually prepare food and distribute meals to those in need.
Chef Hui, a Hawaii-based group of local cooks and food service providers throughout the islands, set up a food and meal distribution hub at the University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC) Culinary Arts facility in Kahului with volunteers from World Central Kitchen, Common Ground Collective and local chefs, some of whom lost their own restaurants in the wildfires.
After “an overwhelming response” to the Chef Hui Maui Wildfires Emergency Relief Volunteer Form, the group said on Instagram that it collected contacts who are “on the ground in Maui and those of who would like to help on neighbor islands and outside of Hawai’i, as well, with plans to aggregate responses and call on you when we are ready to activate.” It also set up a Chef Hui Maui Hospitality Relief Fund “to directly aid restaurant and hospitality workers and their families,” the group said.
Celebrity chef Lee Anne Wong, who moved to the island in 2019 to open Papa’aina at the Pioneer Inn, was among those to announce the tragic news that she lost her restaurant to the flames on Wednesday.
“Heartbroken. There are no words for the devastating loss and tragedy that is unfolding on Maui,” she wrote alongside before and after photos on Instagram. “Thank you to all who have reached out to me personally and to @papaainamaui. Historic Lahaina has been my place of business for the past three years and the Pioneer Inn became my second home on Maui … My culinary community, my friends, my people, I know you all want to help and there is already movement and response from several organizations, as soon as I find out more will share. Stay safe out there.”
Since then, Wong has mobilized to help cook at the UHMC culinary facility and has posted numerous updates on her Instagram Stories to help spread the word on what’s needed, from containers and supplies to volunteers, and other helpful information for those on the island.
On Sunday, Wong shared a video to Stories in the kitchen with fellow Maui-based chef and restaurateur Sheldon Simeon, owner of Tiffany’s Maui and Tin Roof Maui, giving a glimpse behind the scenes as they prepared large-format meals and shared updates for other chefs and vendors to get involved.
“I know all of our friends and ohana on the other islands want to see how they can help,” Wong said in the video alongside chef Simeon. She reminded followers they do not want new visitors to come to Maui in an effort “to save all of our available space and housing for those who have been displaced,” but did ask “chefs, farmers, vendors” to help from afar.
“Go ahead and make food over there on your islands in your kitchens, freeze ’em and ship ’em right here to the college,” she said. “We are looking for hearty, nutritious [foods] like stews. Things that we can heat and serve.”
The “Top Chef” Season 1 and 10 alums, respectively, have continually posted local resources on their social pages for followers to support Maui during this time of need.
She also requested supplies from businesses and restaurants “on this side of the island” when they ran out of food containers and hot cups at Maui College, reminding those who could drop off or donate materials that “anything counts.”
Chef Robynne Maii, a Honolulu native and owner of Fête Restaurant, encouraged diners to come for “lunch, snacks or dinner” on Wednesday, Aug. 16, when they will donate 100% of the entire sales that day to the staff at Wong’s former Lahaina eatery.
“Our hearts are heavy with the destruction on Maui… Like so many in Lahaina, our good friend, Chef @leeannewong lost her restaurant @papaainamaui. Her staff lost not only their jobs, but most lost their homes,” she wrote on the restaurant’s Instagram. “This Wednesday, the 16th, we will be donating 100% of our entire sales of the day to the staff @papaainamaui.”
As chef volunteers continue to spread the word on social media, the message for support has stretched far beyond the Pacific islands.
The Southern Smoke Foundation, a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry, chimed in on Instagram to announce its support for Hawaii and help get funding for those in need on Maui.
“We’re here to help. Tens of thousands of Hawaiians employed in the food and beverage industry are at tremendous risk as a result of the wildfires devastating the island,” the foundation wrote on Instagram. “If you are in F+B and impacted financially by wildfires, please apply for emergency relief funding through Southern Smoke Foundation. Whether you have experienced displacement, property damage, have medical needs, or another financial issue because of the fires, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for assistance. We offer an anonymous process, provide no cap on funding, and can send funds as soon as possible. And we are here for you now and during rebuilding.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Survivors of the deadly wildfires on Maui shared some of their stories and memories of Lahaina with ABC News in the wake of the devastation that transformed a buzzing, beautiful seaside town into an unrecognizable gray landscape.
ABC News’ Becky Worley met three families from Lahiana, where residents have been allowed back to check on their homes and assess damages, now displaced and living with family on other parts of the island.
The Kahahane family consists of three generations, including young children now using a tent in the front yard of a family member’s home.
“I feel so displaced being out here, because they need an education but I don’t know where?” Ashley Kahahane said. “Is it bad if I don’t send them right away to school?”
For the Brillante and Pasalos household, with 27 people all from one Lahaina home, many of the younger children don’t understand the scope of this tragedy.
The Jose family reflected on how special Lahiana was before the fires decimated the historic West Maui town full of working-class families.
“We when we greet people, we don’t even say ‘hi,’ we call them aunty and uncle, brother, sister,” Marfie Jose told ABC News. “So even if they’re not even our family, that’s how much respect we have for each other, for our community.”
She added there is “so much love with everyone in Lahaina” and that she is “so proud of our Lahaina.”
But those happy days with their vibrant community are now in the past.
“It was joy and laughter … now it’s all gone. We’ve seen pictures and it’s just gray, like no color. It doesn’t look like what we know,” Jose said holding back tears. “Lahaina, it’s just gone.”
Georgette Kahahane told ABC News that she’s grateful they have some place to stay.
“We have some shelter, which some people don’t. In some ways not as bad off as others,” she said. “It’s kind of hard to talk about it because we know they are suffering.”
“Yesterday, I heard the Lahainaluna song playing on the radio and I started to cry,” Kahahane said of the melodic island tune that describes Lahaina’s pristine seaside sunsets and sunrises.
As these local families reflect on what and who have been lost in the state’s deadliest natural disaster, they are holding on to a place that is now nothing but memories. But they all feel Lahaina is in their hearts and hold that history close.
Carole Hartley is seen here in an undated file photo. — Courtesy Hartley Family
(NEW YORK) — Devastating wildfires that erupted on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 8 have claimed the lives of at least 96 people while many more remain missing, according to authorities.
Officials on Maui have repeated warned that the death toll is expected to rise as they work to contain the active blazes and assess the damage.
Here’s what we know about some of the victims:
Franklin Trejos, 68
Franklin Trejos, 68, died in the historic town of Lahaina on Aug. 8, his friend Shannon Weber-Bogar confirmed to ABC News.
Trejos, who was originally from Costa Rica, had been living for several years with Weber-Bogar and her husband, Geoff Bogar, at their home on Maui. When the inferno began in Lahaina, Trejos and Bogar stayed behind to try to save the house and help their neighbors, Weber-Bogar said.
Eventually, Trejos and Bogar tried to escape in separate cars. Bogar’s car wouldn’t start, so he broke a window to get out and was later rescued by police and taken to a local hospital. The next day, Bogar returned to find Trejos’ remains inside another car on top of their beloved dog, a 3-year-old golden retriever named Sam, according to Weber-Bogar.
Trejos’ niece Kika Pérez Grant told ABC News that her uncle, whom she called “Frankie,” was a “huge animal lover” and would always think of others before thinking of himself.
“And so even in his very last moments, he thought to protect,” Pérez Grant said.
“He was just a loving man. He was a free spirit, he was an adventurer, a nature lover, an animal lover, an artist,” she added. “He was just a great person to be around. Energetic, he had so much gusto.”
Pérez Grant also recalled her uncle’s great smile and love for chocolate milk.
“He was such a wonderful human,” she said. “The best uncle, brother and friend.”
Trejos was very close to his older sister, Pérez Grant’s mother, who has been living with stage 4 breast cancer. He always worried about her and “checked in on her quite often,” according to Pérez Grant.
“She never imagined losing her brother,” Pérez Grant said of her mother. “She always thought she would pass first.”
Trejos would have turned 69 in September.
“This has been a tragic and heartbreaking loss for our family,” Pérez Grant told ABC News “To know that he must have been so scared or to imagine him suffering, there are no words.”
Carole Hartley
Carole Hartley died in Lahaina on Aug. 8, her sister Donna Hartley confirmed to ABC News.
Carole’s body was found by her longtime partner Charles on their property there. The couple were separated as they tried to flee the flames, Donna said.
Charles told Donna that he and Carole were about to get in their truck when it exploded in front of them. He said he told Carole to “run” and he thought she was in front of him running but he never saw her again, according to Donna.
Charles survived but suffered third-degree burns. He returned to their property on Aug. 12 to find human remains alongside Carole’s watch and dental bridge, Donna said.
“It has to be her remains,” Donna told ABC News. “Nobody else has been at our house.”
Donna, who lives in Alabama, said she has struggled to sleep ever since and has been having nightmares.
“I have dreams my sister is on fire,” she said.
Donna described her sister as a “beautiful” person.
“She had a heart of gold and she cared about other people more than herself,” she added. “She was always that way.”
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik, Stephanie Wash and Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.
