National

(LOS ANGELES) — As calls grow for the Menendez brothers to be released from prison, the incoming Los Angeles County district attorney says he has a lot of evidence to review before showing his support.

Nathan Hochman won last week’s election for DA, beating incumbent George Gascón in a landslide, will take office in December. The election came weeks after Gascón announced his recommendation that the Menendez brothers be resentenced and eligible for parole immediately.

Hochman questioned the motivation behind Gascón’s decision to support resentencing so close to the election.

“Part of the problem with the Gascón timing of his decision is there’s a cloud over that credibility. Is it a just decision, or was it just a political ploy?” Hochman said.

“There will be no cloud over whatever decision I do,” he added.

Gascón denied his decision was politically motivated, telling ABC News, “I believe that they should be released and they should be released cleanly within the law.”

“I base my decision in the review of 30 years of … information about their behavior, as well as a very thorough understanding of what they were convicted of and the elements of the crime,” Gascón said. “So my decision was appropriately based.”

The infamous case dates back to 1989, when Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, shot and killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in the family’s Beverly Hills home. The defense claimed the brothers acted in self-defense after enduring years of sexual abuse by their father, but prosecutors alleged they killed for money.

The first trial, which had separate juries for each brother, ended in mistrials. In 1996, after the second trial — during which the judge barred much of the sex abuse evidence — the brothers were convicted and both sentenced to two consecutive terms of life without parole.

As Gascón’s appeal for the brothers’ resentencing makes its way through the courts, Hochman — who is set to take office on Dec. 2 — said he plans to read through the new alleged evidence, trial transcripts, confidential prison files and interviews with family, lawyers and law enforcement.

“What these files say is too important an issue to delegate to somebody else. I need to actually do the work myself,” he told ABC News.

The next hearing in the resentencing case is Dec. 11. Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, said he’ll “work as expeditiously as possible,” adding, “If we need some additional time to formulate our position, I’ll ask the court for it.”

“I’m not going to ask for delay, just for delay’s sake,” he added. “We’ll ask for the minimal amount of time necessary to do this work, because we owe it to the Menendez brothers, we owe it to the victim family members, we owe it to the public to get this decision right.”

The brothers’ case was propelled back into the spotlight this fall with Netflix’s release of a scripted series and a documentary — and now a new generation is calling for their release.

“If you decide this case based on just reviewing a Netflix documentary, you’re doing a disservice to the Menendez brothers, to the victims’ family members, to the public,” Hochman said.

The Menendez brothers have three possible paths to freedom.

One path is through resentencing. Gascón announced last month that he was recommending the brothers’ sentence of life without the possibility of parole be removed, and they should instead be sentenced for murder, which would be a sentence of 50 years to life. Because both brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, with the new sentence, they would be eligible for parole immediately, Gascón said.

The DA’s office said its resentencing recommendations take into account factors including the defendants’ ages, psychological trauma or physical abuse that contributed to carrying out the crime and their rehabilitation in prison. Gascón praised the work Lyle and Erik Menendez did behind bars to rehabilitate themselves and help other inmates.

The second path is the brothers’ request for clemency, which they’ve submitted to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The third path is their habeas corpus petition, which was filed last year for a review of new evidence not presented at trial.

One piece of evidence is allegations from a former boy band member who revealed last year that he was raped by Jose Menendez.

The second piece of evidence is a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin eight months before the murders detailing his alleged abuse. The cousin testified about the alleged abuse at trial, but the letter — which would have corroborated the cousin’s testimony — wasn’t found until several years ago, according to the brothers’ attorney.

The next hearing on the habeas corpus petition is set for Nov. 25.

ABC News’ Alex Stone, Jenna Harrison and Ashley Riegle contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — Four individuals were arrested Wednesday for allegedly attempting to defraud their insurance companies by claiming a bear had damaged their vehicles — when in fact it was a person in a bear costume attacking the cars.

The suspects were all Los Angeles-area residents, according to a statement released Wednesday afternoon by the California Department of Insurance.

The suspects varying in age, were Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale; Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village.

The statement said that all four were charged with conspiracy and insurance fraud.

Suspects claimed on Jan. 28, 2024, that a bear entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost and caused interior damage, according to the Department of Insurance. They provided video footage of the incident, stating that it had occurred during their visit to Lake Arrowhead.

Upon reviewing the footage, the Department of Insurance said that it suspected fraud. Officials said that they believed right away that the bear in question was actually a person in a bear costume.

Initiating an investigation — named Operation Bear Claw — the department learned that two other claims had been filed to different insurance companies with similar details: the same location and the same date.

Similar to the claim that originally drew the unit’s attention, the two other reports stated that a bear had attacked their cars: a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, according to the statement.

Each of the two other claims had submitted video footage as part of their evidence. And in both of those videos, the department said it believed that they were looking at the same bear costume.

However, the department said that it sought an outside opinion on the case before making a final determination. Investigators reached out to a biologist from the California Department of Wildlife, who then independently reviewed the evidence for Operation Bear Claw.

The biologist stated that “it was clearly a human in a bear suit,” according to the statement.

Authorities were able to execute a search warrant for the people involved in the alleged insurance fraud scheme.

Officials confirm that a bear costume was found in one of the suspects’ homes.

At the time of the arrests, officials reported that the insurance companies had already paid out some of the claims, totaling $141,839.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(OWASSO, Okla.) — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Wednesday that Owasso Public Schools in Oklahoma has “entered into an agreement to remedy violations of Title IX” concerning sexual harassment in its schools following the February death of LGBTQ+ student Nex Benedict.

The OCR states that its investigation of the Owasso Public Schools district, which was announced in March, found “repeated instances over a three-year period in which district staff received notice of possible sexual harassment, yet district staff did not explain the process for filing a Title IX complaint or promptly contact a complainant.”

According to the OCR, those instances included reports that multiple students were subject to repeated sex-based slurs, harassment and physical assault; that a male student hit and made unwelcome sexual comments to a female sixth-grade student; an elementary school student was subjected to repeated harassment described as sexual; and a teacher was accused of grooming female students on social media by sending more than 130 messages about their appearance and requesting photographs.

The OCR also found several violations related to LGBTQ+ youth in district schools, including reports that some students were called slurs and subject to other bullying behavior.

The district had only conducted two formal Title IX investigations in the last three school years and produced “limited records” regarding those two matters, the OCR said.

After Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student, died by suicide following a physical altercation in an Owasso High School bathroom, the district still failed to take steps to implement Title IX regulations, according to the OCR.

“As a result, OCR found that the district’s pattern of inconsistent responses to reports it received of sexual harassment – infrequently responding under Title IX or not responding at all – rose to the level that the district’s response to some families’ sexual harassment reports was deliberately indifferent to students’ civil rights,” read the OCR’s statement.

The resolution agreement between the Department of Education and Owasso Public Schools details a long list of remedies the school must implement to address the stated violations. They include requiring schools to inform parents of affected students about the process for filing a Title IX complaint and the supportive measures available to students.

The agreement also requires schools to not only issue anti-harassment and nondiscrimination statements, but also to provide Title IX training to students and staff, conduct sexual harassment climate surveys in the district, implement adequate record-keeping processes for Title IX complaints and revise its Title IX processes to ensure compliance.

“Owasso students and their families did not receive the fair and equitable review process from their school district guaranteed to them under Title IX; at worst, some students experienced discrimination Congress has long guaranteed they shall not endure at school,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon in a statement.

“The district has signed a robust agreement to assure that students who attend school in the district will be afforded their rights under Title IX, including the right to file a complaint, learn about and receive supportive services individualized to their needs, and benefit from federal nondiscrimination protection when they experience harassment,” the statement continued.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Federal authorities are offering a $25,000 reward in connection with a series of arson incidents involving ballot boxes in Washington state and Oregon during early voting last month.

The FBI said Wednesday it is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect sought in three incendiary fires.

The agency is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect responsible.

The first incident occurred on Oct. 8 in Vancouver, Washington, when a ballot box was set on fire between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, the FBI said.

Then, on Oct. 28, ballot boxes in Vancouver and Portland were set on fire between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, the FBI said. Hundreds of ballots were damaged in the Vancouver incident after a fire suppression device failed to work properly, officials said.

In all three incidents, an “improvised incendiary device” was placed on the ballot drop boxes, the FBI said.

The Portland incident was captured by a surveillance camera, including a vehicle driven by the suspect believed to be responsible for these crimes, the FBI said.

In a roughly 3-minute video released by the FBI, a vehicle can be seen stopping next to the ballot box, located on a sidewalk. The driver appears to light an item and pass it through the driver’s window, then drives away. Almost immediately after the vehicle departs, the ballot box begins smoking, then briefly sparking. Fire suppressants prevented further damage and protected nearly all the ballots, according to elections officials.

The vehicle was described by the FBI as an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan, dark in color, with dark wheels and a light-colored interior. It does not have a Volvo logo on the front grill, the FBI said.

“At the time of the October 28, 2024, incidents, the vehicle also displayed a fraudulent temporary Washington license plate on the rear and no front license plate. The plate, which is not associated with a Volvo, may no longer be on the vehicle,” the FBI said.

The driver of the vehicle was described by the FBI as a white male, approximately 30 to 40 years old, with thinning hair.

“It is believed that he may have some experience with metal work and welding,” the FBI said.

The incendiary device used in the initial incident had “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” on it, two sources familiar with the ongoing investigation previously told ABC News. The two subsequent devices carried the slogan “Free Gaza,” according to the sources.

One of the sources told ABC News it was unclear whether these markings reflect the views of a pro-Palestine activist — or if it was an individual trying to manipulate existing divisions in the U.S.

ABC News’ Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A Bronx man who helped Daniel Penny restrain Jordan Neely on a New York City subway car last year ”jumped in and tried to help” so Penny could release his chokehold, according to the man’s testimony Wednesday at Penny’s manslaughter and negligent homicide trial.

Eric Gonzalez, who is seen on video holding Neely by the wrist, boarded the subway at Broadway-Lafayette and noticed Penny holding down Neely “with his legs around his waist and his arm around his neck.”

Gonzalez testified he did not know why Penny, a former Marine, was restraining Neely but he heard people yelling for police to be called. He also said he noticed “Jordan Neely’s clothing was that of a vagrant, as if he was homeless, dirty, ripped off.”

Gonzalez said he waved his hands in front of Penny’s face to get his attention.

“I said, ‘I will grab his hands so you can let go,’” Gonzalez told the jury. “Just giving him a different option to hold his arm — well, to restrain him until the police came.”

Asked by prosecutor Dafna Yoran to clarify, Gonzalez said: “If I held his arm down, he could let go of his neck.”

“And why is it you wanted him to let go of his neck?” Yoran asked. “Didn’t think anything at the moment. I was just giving him an alternative to let him go,” Gonzalez responded.

The testimony came as the trial entered a fourth week. Penny has said he put Neely in the chokehold to protect subway riders.

Prosecutors said it would have been “laudable” except Penny held on too long, well past the point when Neely posed any kind of threat.

Gonzalez said he saw Neely’s body go limp and let go of him before Penny did the same.

“I tried to shake Jordan Neely to get a response out of him, feel for a pulse, and then I walked away,” Gonzalez said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The Rainbow Youth Project, a national LGBTQ advocacy group, typically fields about 800 calls a month on its crisis outreach hotline. In just 10 days, as the 2024 presidential election came to a head, the organization told ABC News it received roughly 5,400.

Organizers say they were prepared for calls to spike given that the LGBTQ community — and specifically the transgender population — has been a subject of debate in this election cycle. But they weren’t prepared for the overwhelming call volume.

Some callers had to wait on hold over the weekend for operators — something they’ve never had to do before, Executive Director Lance Preston said in an interview. Callers weren’t just from the LGBTQ residents in need themselves; Preston’s staff were fielding calls from parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors and others asking how they can help their community members.

“I think it’s been a wake-up call for a lot of people,” Preston said in an interview.

The Rainbow Youth Project is not alone; LGBTQ hotlines nationwide are seeing massive surges amid the fallout of the election, as LGBTQ Americans and their loved ones search for answers, reassurance and guidance about future LGBTQ rights in America.

The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization, said it saw an overall crisis outreach volume increase of nearly 700% on Nov. 6, compared to the weeks prior.

“It’s just a general sense of fear, a sense of panic from young people who are reaching out; youth reporting feeling hopeless or helpless about what’s to come,” said Mandy Paul, a senior manager of crisis services at the Trevor Project. She listened to concerns about anti-LGBTQ discrimination, the fate of transgender health care access, and whether LGBTQ policies in Project 2025 — a conservative presidential wish list — would be implemented.

The LGBT National Hotline, another crisis outreach center, told ABC News it has received five times the typical call volume: “It’s been all hands on deck. Here, it is coming from all over the country. However, we are definitely seeing more calls coming from red states, though it’s not a huge amount more than blue states. The fear is from all over the country. It is all ages,” said Aaron Almanza, the program’s executive director.

The Rainbow Youth Project found that typically about 19% of its callers will screen positive for suicidal ideation. Now, for the month of November, that’s up to 31.6% of callers screening for acute mental health crisis with a specific notation of suicidal ideation.

As communities process what the recent elections mean for themselves and their loved ones, counselors and operators urge those who are feeling lonely, confused, helpless or scared to reach out to community members who can be supportive during this time — even if that support is from an LGBTQ hotline. Organizations say they often field calls from rural areas with less local in-person resources like LGBTQ advocacy groups.

“Right now we need to find each other, because that local support is going to be hugely important for us to move forward,” said Almanza.

Paul, who has been at the Trevor Project for six years, found that youth just “want to be heard and supported,” and has called upon allies to be a source for LGBTQ residents during this time.

“We hear that time and time again — it’s just wanting a place where they can share their fears, share, maybe the first time they’re sharing what their identities are in a place that they feel safe to do so.”

Preston encourages those who are experiencing despair to focus on the progress the LGBTQ community has made in recent years. A 2020 Pew Research Center study found that 72% of Americans believe homosexuality should be accepted, compared with just 49% in 2007. Additionally, Pew found that 64% of Americans favor laws that protect transgender individuals from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces.

As a gay man who came out in the ’80s amid the fight for anti-employment discrimination policies and marriage equality, Preston notes the amount of progress that LGBTQ advocates have lobbied for in recent years: “We’ve been there. We know how to do this. We’re going to be your voice if you can’t be your own voice.”

States nationwide have seen an increase in legislation and political rhetoric related to the LGBTQ community in recent years. In the 2024 legislative session, the American Civil Liberties Union tracked a record-breaking 532 anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures — only about 46 of those have passed into law, with roughly 351 bills defeated.

Some of the most prominent legislative proposals included restrictions on transgender youth health care, trans participation in sports, pronoun changes in schools and classroom content on gender and sex. President-elect Donald Trump has said he will embrace these restrictions during his presidency, calling it “transgender insanity” and declaring that gender is “determined at birth” in his Agenda47 policy proposals focused on schools.

Trans high schoolers make up 3% of the high school population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Critics of this legislation said the rhetoric and legislative attacks will increase discrimination facing a small, marginalized community.

“I also want our LGBT+ youth to know that there are millions and millions of people fighting for their right to survive and thrive, and there is an expansive community of LGBTQ+ folks and allies who are shoulder to shoulder with them, and we simply will not give up,” said Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Two people were killed and four remain in the hospital from an explosion at a manufacturing facility in Louisville, Kentucky, officials said.

The “hazardous materials incident” was reported Tuesday afternoon at a Givaudan Sense Colour facility, a natural food coloring plant, according to the Louisville Metro Emergency Services.

First responders were initially told by the business that all employees were accounted for, officials said Wednesday. But then a second victim was found buried in rubble late Tuesday evening after crews went back to the scene upon guidance from the business that someone was likely still there. It took three-and-a-half hours to remove that victim from the rubble, officials said.

“We are deeply saddened to share the news that two of our team members lost their lives in this accident,” Givaudan Sense Colour said in a statement.

The University of Louisville Hospital said it received seven patients with injuries including burn and blast wounds. All those injured are employees of the plant, officials said.

Four people remain hospitalized on Wednesday, all in stable condition, officials said.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, officials said.

Drone footage taken by Louisville ABC affiliate WHAS showed extensive damage to the facility.

Residents within two blocks of the facility were evacuated, officials said. A shelter-in-place order was also issued for those within a 1-mile radius of the facility but it has since been lifted, officials said.

Air monitoring is clear at this time, officials said.

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(MOSCOW, Idaho) — Parents of the University of Idaho victims are speaking out on the two-year mark of the gruesome quadruple homicide as they await the trial for their children’s suspected killer.

For victim Kaylee Goncalves’ parents, one of the devastating milestones this year is Kaylee’s younger sister, Autumn, turning 21 — the age Kaylee was when she was killed.

“Early on, [Autumn] just said, ‘What am I going to do when I’m older than Kaylee?'” Kristi Goncalves recalled. “You should never be older than Kaylee, but yeah, you will be and, and that’s coming.”

“It should be an exciting, fun time for her to go out with all of her sisters and go do something fun. But somebody does this to your family, it robs you of all kinds of different things. And birthdays are a huge part of that,” Steve Goncalves told ABC News on Tuesday.

For the mom of 20-year-old victim Ethan Chapin, two years “seems like a long time ago,” but “also feels like yesterday.”

Ethan Chapin was a triplet and his sister, Mazie, and brother, Hunter, also attend the University of Idaho.

“The two will graduate college in May, and we could not be prouder of everything they’ve accomplished,” Stacy Chapin said in a statement.

“We continue to heal and miss Ethan as we work diligently to find the silver linings in the worst circumstances,” she said.

Bryan Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle at the girls’ off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was sleeping over at the time.

Kohberger, who was a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, was arrested in December 2022. His trial date has been pushed back to Aug. 7, 2025.

For the Goncalves, the last two years felt like a “standstill” in the courts.

Two months ago, Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County, where the crime took place and the defense argued jurors wouldn’t be as impartial, to Idaho’s capital city, Boise.

Kristi Goncalves said, “I feel like now that we’ve moved it down to Boise, as much as we didn’t want that, that was the right choice. And I’m glad that it, you know, in hindsight that it happened, and I feel like things are going to start moving, although it still seems very slow.”

Kohberger is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

If convicted, Kohberger could face the death penalty, though his defense is arguing for the death sentence to be taken off the table.

The Goncalves family said they support the death penalty in this case, highlighting the limitations that sentence would pose on Kohberger’s life in prison.

“It’s more about, honestly, the 23 hours of confinement, and not being able to be enrolled in college education and being able to further his career and his influence on society,” Steve Goncalves said.

On Wednesday night, the University of Idaho community will gather for a vigil to honor the four slain students.

“Together, we’ll honor their legacy by sharing memories, writing notes, and gathering in a place dedicated to all Vandals we’ve lost,” the student government said.

ABC News’ Kayna Whitworth contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(Belton, Mo.) – The homes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were burglarized last month, according to police reports.

Four officers were dispatched to a home in Belton, Missouri, just after midnight on Oct. 6 after a man called, “indicating a residence had been broken into,” according to a report from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

The police report does not mention Mahomes by name, but the address matches Mahomes’ home from public records.

The report did not indicate whether anything was stolen.

Police in Leawood, Kansas, are investigating a burglary the following day, on Oct. 7, at an address that matches where Kelce lives.

The burglar arrived just after 7:30 p.m., caused $1,000 in damage to a back door and fled with $20,000 cash, according to the police report. The crime was reported the next day, according to a 911 call log and a police report.

The timing means Kelce’s home was broken into while the Chiefs were hosting the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football — a game Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was attending.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — A Secret Service agent tasked with protecting former President Barack Obama knowingly and repeatedly breached his duties while trying to woo a love interest — and living a double life, according to a new memoir by the agent’s former girlfriend.

In “Undercover Heartbreak: a Memoir of Trust and Trauma,” Koryeah Dwanyen describes a series of potential security lapses, including a time when she said she was invited to join the senior agent at the Obamas’ beachfront property in Hawaii in 2022 while they were away.

He had already sent her “several photos” of the house a week earlier, and suggested a tour, according to the book.

“No one will know. If anything, I’m the one who could get in trouble,” says the agent in the memoir, where he is given the pseudonym “Dale.”

He then tried to get her to fool around in the first lady’s bathroom, according to Dwanyen.

“We should have sex in Michelle [Obama]’s bathroom, like a mile-high club,” Dwanyen claims he said.

The senior agent’s alleged violations of fundamental regulations prompted an internal investigation by the Secret Service.

The self-published memoir was released on Oct. 28, adding another reputational shiner to the agency after a major security lapse in the summer led to calls for operational reform.

The Secret Service had faced intense scrutiny since a gunman attempted to assassinate Donald Trump while the former president campaigned at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. That incident, which prompted the ouster of the agency’s director, was called a “historic security failure by the Secret Service” in an independent review by the Department of Homeland Security.

“The U.S. Secret Service’s top priority is ensuring the safety and security of our protectees, and any actions that compromise this commitment are addressed with the utmost seriousness,” Anthony Guglielmi, the agency’s chief of communications, told ABC News.

Guglielmi confirmed that an incident matching the book’s Hawaii anecdote had occurred – and that upon finding out, a probe was launched and the agent involved was ultimately fired.

“On Nov. 6, 2022, a Secret Service agent involved in protective functions brought an individual who did not have authorized access into a protectee’s residence without permission,” Guglielmi said. “As soon as the Secret Service became aware of the incident, the agent involved was immediately suspended and after a full investigation, terminated.”

“Although the protectees were not present at the time of the incident, these actions were an unacceptable violation of our protocols, our protectees’ trust and everything we stand for,” he continued.

The former agent and prominent character in the book did not respond to requests for comment from ABC News.

According to her memoir, Dwanyen first met the Secret Service agent while he was assigned to the security detail of the Obama family and while she was vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard in 2022.

He said that he was divorced and had been for nearly a decade, Dwanyen said.

As their relationship developed, the author said, so did her concerns about the man that she had fallen for. She would later come to find out that the agent was still married, according to the book.

“There were major red flags — breaches of trust and of his job,” the author said in a phone interview with ABC News. “One of my friends has joked, ‘You were a walking national security risk.’”

Finally, Dwanyen said, she sent an email to his boss outlining her fears related to the agent’s safety — as well as his family’s and her own.

She wrote that, by then, she had met the agent’s boss “several times” in Hawaii, and she explained that she had his “direct contact information” from emails that the agent had shared with her.

The agent’s boss immediately set up an exhaustive interview with agents in the Inspection Division of the Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Dwanyen told ABC. The meeting would last “nearly four hours,” she wrote in her book.

“They realized that not only had ‘Dale’ shared photos of the Obamas’ house, but he had also brought me there,” Dwanyen wrote. She “showed them photos on my phone to corroborate what I was saying,” scrolling through “pictures of Alicia Keys’ house, Steven Spielberg’s boats, Melinda Gates, Tyler Perry and Amal Clooney.”

“He was really oversharing,” Dwanyen recalled one of the agents saying.

The agent told her “personal tidbits he should not have,” Dwanyen said on the phone with ABC News. Those “tidbits” he shared spanned across protectees, she said: ranging from information about background on Mike Pence — whom the agent had been assigned to during his vice presidency under Trump — to details about the Obamas.

“I knew their code names. I knew what day Orange Theory was, what day [Michelle Obama] had private tennis lessons and when her personal trainer came,” Dwanyen said. “Things that I should not have been privy to as a civilian.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.