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(NEW YORK) — Last September, as former President Donald Trump was mounting his reelection bid, he posted a “big announcement” to his Truth Social media platform: “Introducing Border911,” he declared, promoting a tax-exempt charity led by his former Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief, Tom Homan.

“Join us in making it HUGE!” Trump urged his more than six million followers.

The mission of Homan’s charity, Border911, is to “educate” swing voters about the threats that have allegedly streamed across the Southwest border under President Joe Biden’s watch, so those voters “make the right decision” in November’s election, according to public statements from Homan, a longtime Biden critic whom Trump has vowed to put in charge of an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration if reelected.

Border911 is planning to embark on a 12-stop tour of battleground states to “convince” independent and Democratic voters that border security should be their “number one” factor on Election Day, Homan said on a podcast two weeks ago.

“And that’s what we need. Trump’s going to win,” he added.

The charity, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, pitches itself as “a group of the most distinguished border security experts,” including Border Patrol veterans Mark Morgan and Rodney Scott, and Fox News contributor Sara Carter. It has been promoted across conservative media, and some high-profile Republicans in Congress, including the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., have publicly offered their support.

But an examination of Border911 by ABC News has revealed extensive ties to prominent conspiracy theorists who pushed false claims about the 2020 presidential election, and has raised questions over whether Border911 is supporting Trump’s candidacy in a way that amounts to illegal intervention in a political campaign.

Despite a federal prohibition on 501(c)(3) organizations favoring or opposing candidates for public office, Border911 appears to have used its clout as a tax-exempt charity to push for Trump’s reelection, the experts said.

That’s ironic coming from a group “advocating for strict enforcement of the U.S. immigration laws,” said Lloyd Mayer, a law professor at Notre Dame University who specializes in nonprofit organizations.

“You’re big ‘law and order,’ but you’re [potentially] breaking the law yourself,” Mayer said.

In response to an inquiry from ABC News, Homan said any problematic messaging was “unintentional,” and that “We are making changes quickly to ensure we stay in compliance with [federal] rules.”

He referred any other questions to an attorney working with Border911, Steve Lentz, who told ABC News that Homan has never run a charity before and is still “learning how things work in this space.”

‘What they mean is Trump’

In two weeks, on April 4, Border911 is holding its first “major fundraiser” at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, with appearances by Trump himself, some of his top advisers, and a slew of other “Trumpers,” as Homan called them. Tickets are tax-deductible, ranging in price from $1,200 to $5,000 each.

Lentz, Border911’s general counsel, told ABC News that Border911 sent an email to the current White House inviting Biden as well, but the invitation wasn’t accepted.

“Let’s celebrate with [Trump] and help Border911,” Homan said on a recent podcast.

According to Mayer, none of that would be problematic if it all weren’t linked to efforts to influence the presidential election — especially now that a Trump-Biden rematch has been secured.

Federal laws “absolutely prohibit” 501(c)(3) organizations from publicly expressing any support for or opposition to any candidate for public office — and voter education efforts “with evidence of bias” against one candidate or in favor of another clearly violate that prohibition, IRS guidelines say.

As Homan has described it, Border911 is heavily relying on the Mar-a-Lago fundraiser to fund the charity’s nationwide tour of battleground states, which he said will “educate” people to “vote for border security” on Election Day.

Lentz insisted such rhetoric is just “presenting a position” and “not saying, ‘So therefore go vote for this guy.'”

But according to Mayer, Homan’s own public comments and Border911’s website have made clear what the Border911 team means when they say “vote for border security.”

“What they mean is Trump,” Mayer said. “All you have to do is look at [their] materials.”

Over the past several months, the top of Border911’s website has prominently featured a Border911-branded video with a clip of Homan saying, “No one did more to secure this country than Donald Trump; I’m a Trump guy.”

The video was removed this week, after ABC News asked Homan about Border911’s activities. It was replaced with a flyer announcing Trump’s confirmed attendance at the Mar-a-Lago event.

In Border911-branded videos on the website — sprinkled among dire and lengthy warnings about threats crossing the border — members of the Border911 team have blasted Biden’s record as “disgusting,” “insulting,” and “illegal,” while praising Trump’s record.

“I’m hoping to God in January 2025, we’re going to have somebody back in the White House that’s going to let [Border Patrol agents] do their job,” Homan says in one video, which was removed Thursday from the website.

“We all wake up every day pissed off at what this administration has done to the security of the United States,” Homan says in another Border911-branded video still on the website.

Until this week, when ABC News began asking questions, the website’s online “shop” sold a T-shirt emblazoned with the Border911 logo and one of Homan’s mottos: “Trump comes back. I come back. We fix this [expletive]!”

The T-shirt alone was “across the line,” but everything else contributes to even more unlawful “political campaign intervention without a doubt,” Mayer said.

Dan Kurtz, a partner with the New York-based law firm Pryor Cashman who represents nonprofit organizations, agreed that Border911 has been “unequivocally” violating the law, saying charities shouldn’t “intervene in a campaign with tax-free money.”

“It’s not one of these things where you can do only a little [intervening],” Kurtz said. “You can’t do any.”

Mayer said the IRS is usually hesitant to take enforcement action in such politically-sensitive cases, but he wouldn’t rule it out, especially once the election is over, and he said understanding what Border911 is doing still matters: Defying a law enacted by Congress can undermine “the rule of law,” and potential donors might want to know about it, he said.

“I wish they would have done some things differently,” Lentz conceded to ABC News. “I would rather there be no reference to a candidate, to any elections, anything like that.”

Lentz said his staff “will be scrubbing everything in the days to come to make sure that there’s nothing that even inadvertently looks like an endorsement of any candidate.”

‘Treasonous’?

There is no dispute that — as an entire page on Border911’s website illustrates — key border-related numbers have surged to record levels since Biden took office, with more than 7.5 million migrant encounters along the Southwest border, nearly two million more border-crossers reportedly detected but never captured, and at least 340 migrants caught with names matching known or suspected terrorists on a government watchlist. Americans, meanwhile, are dying from fentanyl overdoses at unprecedented rates.

Echoing Trump, Homan has called Biden and his administration “treasonous,” accusing them of deliberately letting violent criminals, human traffickers, terrorists and fentanyl flood into the United States for political gain.

But Biden administration officials reject such rhetoric, insisting that, with limited resources, they’re focusing on the border-crossers they believe pose the greatest threat to Americans.

Government statistics show that only a tiny fraction — less than 2 percent — of those who reached U.S. borders in the past three years had any kind of criminal record, and the vast majority of them involved nonviolent crimes, such as driving under the influence or previously entering the country illegally.

Administration officials note that the U.S. intelligence community has seen no credible evidence suggesting foreign terrorist organizations want to send operatives into the United States through Mexico, and that the government watchlist reportedly sometimes flags people who only have indirect or family connections to terrorism.

Officials also insist that 90 percent of the fentanyl coming into the country is not being smuggled across an unmanned border — it’s coming through ports of entry hidden in cars or trucks.

‘People trust charities more’

Homan spent more than three decades in law enforcement, and Lentz described him as “passionate” about border-related issues. Homan is known to choke up in public when speaking about victims of human traffickers or drug smugglers that he’s come across.

As Homan tells it, Border911 is a charity he launched last year because he had grown so concerned about the growing threats.

“I woke up one morning and I decided, ‘How are we going to take this government back? How can we get the right guy in the White House?'” he said on a podcast two weeks ago when discussing the start of Border911. “I took my own money … I built the program, built the website.”

But there’s more to Border911’s story.

Border911 was borne out of the America Project, the self-proclaimed “America First organization” that helped spread misinformation about the 2020 presidential election and still raises funds to support what it calls the “political hostages” arrested after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Founded by two conspiracy theorists — former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne and Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn — the America Project launched its own “Border911” tour in 2022, featuring Homan and other “experts” warning friendly audiences about what it called the “invasion at our Southern border.”

Then last year, with Homan looking to be part of something singularly-focused on border security, the America Project “graciously” gave Homan “the intellectual property rights to Border911,” according to Lentz.

Homan filed applications with the U.S. government to trademark Border911’s logo and obtain IRS recognition as a 501(c)(3) charity. He also began building a new website for Border911.

Mayer said organizations often seek 501(c)(3) status because tax-deductible donations make it easier to raise money, and because it offers “a little more credibility.”

“People trust charities more,” he said.

Lentz said Homan hasn’t mentioned the America Project when discussing the start of Border911 because his time there was a “brief” moment in his “whole history” of advocating for tougher border security.

Border911 still maintains what Lentz called a “very collegial relationship” with the America Project, which recently issued a press release promoting the Mar-a-Lago fundraiser and saying it is “proud to stand with Border911.”

Border 911 also maintains relationships with other known election deniers, whose false claims of a stolen presidency are regularly amplified by Trump’s reelection campaign and many of its supporters.

Mark Finchem, who two years ago unsuccessfully tried to become Arizona’s secretary of state with claims of a stolen 2020 election, said in a recent interview that he’s helping Homan with Border911, though he didn’t offer details. And Ben Bergquam, a right-wing media personality who wears T-shirts calling himself “Ultra Extreme MAGA” and declaring “Trump Won,” is also “part of our team unofficially,” an official Border911 “team” member said in December.

According to the Border911 website, the charity has eight “partners,” including the company MyPillow, whose CEO, Mike Lindell, is facing a $1.3 billion lawsuit for accusing Dominion Voting machines of helping Biden steal the 2020 election. Lindell has denied wrongdoing.

“Mike Lindell and the Border911 team are people of action. Support us both,” said a MyPillow ad posted to Border911’s Facebook page last November.

Another Border911 “partner” is the America First Warehouse, a so-called “patriotic” event venue and TV production studio that claims “Trump won handily” in 2020 and that America is “under assault from the leftist Marxists who seek to impose a totalitarian, new-world order.”

Lentz said neither Homan nor Border911 is “interested in that discussion” of a stolen election.

Asked why Border911 is affiliated with so many who are, Lentz said the charity is just “trying to invite the biggest group that they can.”

‘There will be a (c)(4)’

There is another type of tax-exempt charity — a 501(c)(4) organization — that can intervene in elections and even lobby members of Congress, but donations to 501(c)(4) organizations are not tax-deductible.

Lentz said he and Homan are in the process of getting a separate entity registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(4) organization, so the Border911 team can use it to participate in those political activities.

“There will be a (c)(4) eventually,” he said.

In the meantime, Lentz said he is going to focus on ensuring the 501(c)(3), officially called the Border911 Foundation, is only used for education.

“They understand now that they can’t endorse a candidate either overtly or covertly,” Lentz told ABC News.

Anything improper that may have happened “is inadvertent, it’s not intentional. And Tom is very committed to cleaning it up,” Lentz said. “As a former law enforcement officer, he wants to follow the [law].”

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(TULSA, Okla.) — No charges will be filed in connection with a fight that Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict was involved in a day before they died, the Tulsa County district attorney said Thursday.

Benedict, a member of the 2SLGBTQ community, got into a physical fight with several other students in a bathroom at Owasso High School on Feb. 7.

“From all of the evidence gathered, this fight was an instance of mutual combat,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said in a lengthy press release. “I do not have a reasonable belief that the State of Oklahoma could sustain its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt if charges were presented for prosecution.”

Benedict died by suicide on Feb. 8, according to an autopsy report summary released last week by the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The full report will be released on March 27.

Kunzweiler said the medical examiner’s report noted that “superficial injuries” consistent with the fight were visible, “but none of which caused or resulted in death.” The autopsy did not find “any evidence of an internal injury” that resulted in death, he said.

“An important part of the Owasso Police Department’s investigation was the discovery of some brief notes, written by Benedict, which appeared to be related to the suicide,” Kunzweiler wrote. “Although the notes do not make any reference to the earlier fight or difficulties at school, the parents indicated that Benedict reported being picked upon for various reasons while at school.”

The Benedict family lawyers have no comment at this time following Kunzweiler’s decision.

Following the news of the DA’s decision, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis released a statement. 

“Time and time again, leaders in Oklahoma have showed that they don’t value Nex’s life, or the lives of other Indigenous and 2STGNC+ (Two Spirit, transgender, and gender-nonconforming+) students. Everyone from Superintendent Walters and Owasso High School to the unaccredited-since-2009 state Medical Examiner’s Office, the District Attorney, and Owasso Police Department have failed Nex Benedict and failed us all,” Ellis said.

“It is critical that an independent investigation is completed and the truth about what happened to Nex, and what all marginalized youth in Oklahoma schools endure, is brought to light. We will never stop seeking justice for Nex and we will never stop holding leaders accountable to serving their communities fairly and with compassion,” she continued.

Kunzweiler said that those involved in the fight were juveniles and had been “antagonizing each other” in the days leading up to the altercation. Based on witness accounts, Benedict poured water over two girls in the bathroom after “comments were directed about how Benedict laughed” and the fight lasted less than one minute, he said.

During an interview with police from the hospital in the hours after the fight, Benedict said that they had poured water on students who were making fun of the way they and their friends laughed and dressed, footage previously released by the Owasso Police Department shows.

“We were laughing and they had said something like, ‘Why do they laugh like that?’ And they were talking about us in front of us,” the teen said in the 21-minute video about the students they had an altercation with. “And so I went up there and I poured water on them. And then all three of them came at me.”

In the ensuing physical altercation, Benedict said they “threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser. And then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground … beating the s— out of me.”

“And then my friends tried to jump in and help but I’m not sure, I blacked out,” Benedict said.

Benedict was nonbinary and went by they/them pronouns, according to Benedict’s family. 2SLGBTQ includes Two Spirit, an umbrella term used to describe a third gender in Native and Indigenous communities. Sue Benedict, their mother, is a registered member of the Choctaw Nation.

Anti-LGBTQ bullying and violence have been the center of conversation in the aftermath of Benedict’s death, as Benedict’s family called for action and answers concerning the bullying they say the student faced in school.

Following the release of the autopsy report summary last week, the family called on education officials and lawmakers to “come together to prevent any other family from having to suffer through the heartache now borne by Nex’s loved ones.”

“Reforms creating school environments that are built upon the pillars of respect, inclusion and grace, and aim to eliminate bullying and hate, are the types of change that all involved should be able to rally behind,” the family said in a statement released through their lawyers.

The Department of Education has opened an investigation into Owasso Public Schools following a complaint from the Human Rights Campaign related to such concerns.

The school district has said that bullying “in any form is unacceptable.”

“We take reports of bullying very seriously and have policies and procedures in place to address such behavior,” the school district said in a past statement.

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.

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(AUGUSTA, Ga.) — Two juveniles who escaped from police while being transported to a youth detention center in Augusta, Georgia, are back in custody after allegedly knocking out a deputy on Thursday, according to authorities.

The two teenagers, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, were being transported to the Augusta Regional Youth Detention Center when authorities say they overpowered a Jenkins County Deputy and managed to escape into the woods early Thursday afternoon. According to ABC affiliate WJBF-TV, the teens had been in court.

The two individuals were able to obtain the deputy’s .45-caliber handgun, Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office officials say, shooting three rounds in the officer’s direction.

The officer was rendered unconscious due to the physical attack.

“The deputy is safely recovering,” Sheriff Alfonzo Williams of the Burke County Sheriff’s Office said.

Burke County Sheriff’s Office deputies worked with the Georgia State Patrol in the search for the teens.

Both the teens were eventually found on the side of Knight Road and taken back into custody, officials said.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to all participating law enforcement agencies and the community for their unwavering support and collaboration. Together, we prevailed in safeguarding our community,” Williams said, adding, “Today, the collective experience of law enforcement and our resources across the state brought about a successful resolution.”

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(LOS ANGELES) — A suspect has been arrested on a kidnapping charge for allegedly hijacking a Los Angeles public bus with a BB gun and forcing the operator to drive before crashing into a hotel, police said.

The incident began around 11:10 p.m. PT on Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles, when the suspect boarded the Metro bus, according to police and transit officials. No passengers were on the bus at the time, according to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The suspect — Anai Lindsey of Nevada — allegedly made verbal threats to the driver then reached into his waistband as if he had a gun and said, “Just drive!” police said.

The bus driver tried to make a left turn when the suspect allegedly grabbed the steering wheel, causing it to hit several vehicles, police said. One of the vehicles was occupied, police said.

The bus ultimately crashed into the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The suspect fled on foot but was later arrested, authorities said.

Police recovered a BB gun from the sidewalk in front of the bus, LAPD said.

The bus driver and an individual in the occupied vehicle were transported to a hospital, authorities said. The bus driver has since been released while the other victim remains hospitalized in stable condition, police said Thursday afternoon.

Lindsey has been booked on kidnapping and is being held on $100,000 bail. It is unclear if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Police have not released any details on a possible motive.

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(NEW YORK) — Lincoln University of Missouri’s President John Moseley has been reinstated to his position after a third-party investigation found “no claims of bullying by the University President can be substantiated” after Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey, a university alum and vice president of student affairs, died by suicide on Jan. 8, according to a Thursday university announcement.

Candia-Bailey accused Moseley of bullying, harassment and discrimination in a letter obtained by ABC News following her death. Moseley volunteered to be placed on paid, administrative leave after the school’s Board of Curators opened an investigation into the allegations.

“There is not a lot I can say about the independent report and its findings, but I am grateful to the Board of Curators for their faith in me and their vote of confidence,” said Moseley in a statement Thursday. “The Board advised me of the report’s findings a week ago, and I’ve had time to reflect and to discuss my future and that of the University with my family and members of the Lincoln University community. I care deeply for this University, its mission, our students, staff and faculty and I look forward to returning from administrative leave to resume my duties as President.”

In a letter dated Jan. 8 addressed to Moseley and obtained by ABC News, 49-year-old Candia-Bailey, who is Black, said she experienced months of harassment, bullying and differential treatment from her white colleagues while working under Moseley and his administrative leadership.

Candia-Bailey began working at Lincoln University, a historically Black university in Jefferson City, Missouri, in May 2023. She received a termination letter on Jan. 3. The letter stated that she was terminated for cause, including allegations of insubordination in allowing an ineligible student to work, allowing ineligible students to obtain a discounted housing rate and failing to adhere to confidentiality requirements in a grievance matter filed by two of her subordinates.

In her letter to Moseley, Candia-Bailey cited a meeting she says the two had: “I couldn’t even finish the meeting because you didn’t hear me. I left in tears. You intentionally harassed and bullied me and got satisfaction from sitting back to determine how you would ensure I failed as an employee and proud alumna.”

Following her death, Lincoln University’s Board of Curators announced plans to “engage a third-party expert to fully review potential personnel issues and concerns recently raised regarding compliance with the University’s established policies and procedures,” read a statement sent by the university to ABC News.

Students and alumni called for Moseley’s resignation after the incident, as well as offering a list of demands concerning student involvement and advocacy for personnel issues that they expressed at an open Board of Curators forum, according ABC affiliate KMIZ-TV.

The Board of Curators called the administrator’s death “tragic.”

“As a Board, we are committed to make certain the mental health of Lincoln University employees is a priority and that every employee is always treated with dignity and respect,” said Board of Curators President Victor Pasley.

The investigation team was led by attorney Ron Norwood at Lewis Rice LLC, who is a member of the governing board and was the past board president of an HBCU.

The investigation states that Candia-Bailey’s claims that she was bullied by President Moseley were “unsubstantiated.” The Board of Curators said the investigation considered thousands of pages of documents and dozens of hours of interviews with Lincoln University employees and leaders.

“No witnesses reported that they had ever witnessed President Moseley engage in bullying – and all denied having ever personally felt bullied by President Moseley,” the statement from the Board of Curators read.

Some former students of the university are also calling for a separate investigation.

“Her last words to us, when we asked her ‘how can we help’ she said, ‘pray for me, I love you all and do not let them sweep this under the rug.’ We are going to make sure that other Black females do not have to suffer things that they have endured,” Nell Cheatham, Lincoln University attendee, told ABC News in a recent interview.

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.

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(NEW YORK) — Two squatters are wanted for murder after they allegedly killed a woman who walked in on them living in her mother’s New York City apartment, police sources told ABC News.

The victim, Nadia Vitel, a 52-year-old woman from Spain, came to the U.S. to prepare her mother’s Manhattan apartment for a family friend, sources said. The Kips Bay apartment had been vacant for the last few months after Vitel’s mother died, sources said.

When Vitel went inside, she found a man and a woman living there, the sources said.

A struggle erupted, and it appears Vitel was thrown into a sheetrock wall, sources said.

The two suspects then allegedly stole Vitel’s Lexus and drove to New Jersey and then Pennsylvania, where they crashed near Harrisburg, sources said.

On March 14, Vitel’s worried son, who hadn’t heard from his mother in two days, accessed the Kips Bay apartment with the superintendent and other relatives, and found his mom’s body, sources said. Vitel’s body was in a duffel bag in a closet, with her foot sticking out of the bag, sources said.

Vitel died from blunt force trauma to the head and her death was ruled a homicide, officials said.

The two suspects remain at large.

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(BOISE, Idaho) — An inmate who escaped from an Idaho hospital with an accomplice who opened fire on the correction officers transporting him in a “brazen” attack have been captured, Boise police said.

The Idaho Department of Correction inmate, Skylar Meade, and shooting suspect Nicholas Umphenour were located in the Twin Falls area around 2 p.m. MT Thursday, according to Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar.

They were taken into custody following a short vehicle pursuit, Winegar said.

State police are investigating two homicides that may be tied to this incident, according to Lt. Colonel Sheldon Kelley from the Idaho State Police. The homicides occurred at separate locations and involved two men, he said. Their cause of death has not been released.

The manhunt began early Wednesday, following what authorities described as a planned ambush. Meade had been transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise Tuesday night for treatment after engaging in “self-injurious behavior,” according to Idaho Department of Correction director Josh Tewalt.

As correction officers were preparing to transport him back to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, an individual “attacked and fired” at the officers, striking two, Boise police said.

A third corrections officer was shot by a Boise officer who responded to reports of an active shooter inside the hospital’s emergency department, Boise police said. The officer fired his weapon at an armed individual near the entrance who was determined to be an Idaho Department of Correction officer, police said.

Investigators ultimately determined that Meade and his accomplice fled in a gray Honda Civic, just prior to Boise officers arriving, police said.

Umphenour is an “associate” of Meade, police said. The two, at one point, were in the same housing unit while at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution and were linked by “both having membership with the Aryan Knights,” according to Tewalt. Umphenour was released from custody in January, Tewalt said.

Amid the manhunt, officers on Wednesday obtained a warrant for Umphenour’s arrest on two charges of aggravated battery against law enforcement and one charge of aiding and abetting an escape, police said. The warrant has a $2 million bond.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers were sentenced to decades in prison during hearings in federal court in Jackson this week for their roles in the torture of two Black men, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Four of the former officers were sentenced earlier this week, while the last two were sentenced on Thursday.

Former Rankin County sheriff’s deputy Brett McAlpin was sentenced on Thursday to about 27 years in prison, while former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield was sentenced to 10 years.

McAlpin and Hartfield are part of a group of former law enforcement officers who had dubbed themselves the “Goon Squad” for their willingness to use excessive force, according to the DOJ.

All six pleaded guilty to a total of 16 felonies related to the racially motivated torture and sexual assault of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, as well as a subsequent plan to cover up their crimes.

Former Rankin County sheriff’s deputy Christian Dedmon was sentenced to 40 years in prison during a hearing in federal court in Jackson on Wednesday for his role in the torture of Jenkins and Parker, as well as the assault of another man during an incident in December 2022 during a traffic stop.

According to federal prosecutors, Dedmon was the organizer of both attacks has received the harshest sentence so far.

“I want to tell them I’m sorry for what they went through, what they are going through,” Dedmon said during the sentencing hearing, per WAPT. “If I [could] take every bit of it back, I promise I would.”

Malik Shabazz, the lead attorney representing victims Jenkins and Parker, told ABC News in a statement following Dedmon’s sentencing that “history was made today in Mississippi.”

“The 40-year prison sentence given to ‘Goon Squad’ member Christian Dedman by Judge Thomas Lee for the sick and serious crimes committed against our clients Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker made history today,” Shabazz said. “All of these ‘Goon Squad’ sentences are sending a serious message to all rogue police and other ‘Goon Squads’ all over America, that justice is coming to you.”

Earlier on Wednesday, former Rankin County sheriff’s deputy Daniel Opdyke was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison for his role in the incident.

Opdyke cried during the sentencing, according to WAPT, and said that his time in prison so far has helped him reflect on “how I transformed into the monster I became that night.”

“The weight of my actions and the harm I’ve caused will haunt me every day,” Opdyke told the victims. “I wish I could take away your suffering.”

Former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies Hunter Elward was sentenced on Tuesday to 241 months, or about 20 years, while Jeffrey Middleton received a 17 1/2-year sentence for his role in the incident, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.,”These defendants will spend 20 years and 17.5 years in prison for their heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on Tuesday following the first round of sentencing.

“The Justice Department will hold accountable officers who violate constitutional rights, and in so doing, betray the public trust,” his statement concluded.

In their guilty pleas, the six former law enforcement officers admitted to breaking into a home where Jenkins and Parker were residing without a warrant after a white neighbor reported that the men were staying with a white woman and alleged “suspicious” activity. They then proceeded to arrest the two men “without probable cause” that they committed any crimes, according to the DOJ.

Some of the defendants were part of a group of shift officers who called themselves “The Goon Squad” because of their “willingness to use excessive force and not report it,” according to charging documents. The group was summoned by Dedmon to the home where Jenkins and Parker were residing, according to the DOJ, after McAlpin asked him to investigate.

During the incident, the officers beat Jenkins and Parker, mocked them with racial slurs, sexually assaulted them with a sex toy, forced them to strip naked and shower together and shocked them with Tasers for roughly 90 minutes while handcuffed, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. Jenkins was also shot in the mouth by Elward, per the DOJ.

Following the incident, the two victims faced false charges for months, according to the DOJ, stemming from the officers’ plan to cover up their actions by tampering with and planting evidence, including drugs and a gun.

ABC News has reached out to the officers but requests for comment were not returned.

Jenkins and Parker, along with their attorney Shabazz, told reporters on Monday that they have been struggling with the enduring trauma of the brutal attack. Following Elward’s sentencing on Tuesday, the two men told Jackson ABC affiliate WAPT that justice had been done.

Elward, who pleaded guilty to the most serious charge in the indictment — discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence — stood up in the courtroom and apologized to the victims, according to WAPT, saying, “I hate myself for it. I accept my responsibility.”

Parker stood up and told Elward that he forgives him, and later that afternoon told WAPT that while he forgives “what is done,” Elward “still did what he did and he has to be punished.”

Asked if he also forgives Elward, Jenkins told WAPT, “I don’t know. No, no, because if he wouldn’t have got caught, he’d still be doing the same thing.”

The charges the officers pleaded guilty to include civil rights conspiracy, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. They also pleaded guilty to similar state charges and are awaiting sentencing in the state case. State sentences will be served concurrently.

Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke also pleaded guilty to three additional federal felony offenses related to a separate incident that took place on Dec. 4, 2022, per the DOJ.

The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the incident in Feb. 2023, along with the FBI, amid outrage from the community and as attorneys for Jenkins and Parker filed a notice of claim for a $400 million federal lawsuit.

“It’s in court, and we’re fighting,” Shabazz told ABC News on Monday when asked about the status of the lawsuit.

In an October 2023 response to the complaint obtained by ABC News, the officers denied the allegations alleged in the lawsuit.

ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.

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(HOOVER, Ala.) — An Alabama woman who lied about her kidnapping was ordered to pay nearly $18,000 in restitution and sentenced to probation during a court appearance on Thursday, ABC News has confirmed.

Carlee Russell was charged with two misdemeanors for making false statements to police in July. She told authorities she had been kidnapped after going missing for two days, then subsequently admitted to police through her attorney that there was no kidnapping and she made it up, the Hoover Police Department said. Her disappearance had sparked a nationwide search involving local and federal law enforcement, police said.

Russell pleaded not guilty in October to false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident. A municipal judge at that time found her guilty of the charges and recommended that she spend a year in jail and pay nearly $18,000 in restitution.

Russell’s legal team found the restitution fair but appealed the conviction in an effort to avoid jail time. A state trial was set to begin this week but was removed from the docket and Thursday’s plea hearing was scheduled instead.

During the hearing Thursday, Russell pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 12 months supervised probation, community service and evidence of continued mental health counseling, and she must pay $17,974.88 restitution to the city of Hoover.

Russell called 911 on July 12 to report a toddler on Interstate 459 in Alabama, a day before her disappearance, police said. After she returned home on July 15, she told police that she was taken by a man and a woman when she stopped to check on the toddler that she reported on the highway, police said. Investigators did not find any evidence of a child walking on the side of the road, police said.

While investigating her kidnapping claim, police determined that the then-25-year-old searched on her phone for Amber Alerts, bus tickets and the movie “Taken” — the 2008 movie starring Liam Neeson about a father’s quest to save his daughter from kidnappers — hours before she went missing, according to Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis.

In a statement provided to police by Anthony in July, Russell acknowledged that “there was no kidnapping.”

“My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any help in this incident. This was a single act done by herself,” the statement said.

“We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward. Understanding that she made a mistake in this matter, Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers,” the statement continued.

When announcing the charges in July, Derzis said Russell’s actions caused “panic and disruption” and “opened wounds for families whose loved ones really were victims of kidnappings.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall also said at the time that it wasn’t a “victimless crime.”

“There are significant hours spent, resources expended as a result of this investigation and not only that, but the many men and women who are civilians who wore those yellow vests on a hot afternoon and evening looking for someone they thought was abducted, trying to be of assistance,” Marshall said.

Derzis expressed “frustration” that Russell could only be charged with misdemeanors and called on state legislators to add an enhancement to the law when someone falsely reports a kidnapping or another violent crime.

Alabama state legislators have since proposed a bill that would make false reports to law enforcement that claim imminent danger a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Those convicted of the crime would also be ordered to pay restitution and serve any prison sentence day-for-day. The state House and Senate have yet to vote on the bill.

Following Russell’s sentencing on Thursday, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office said Thursday they are “disappointed, but not surprised” that she didn’t get the requested jail time.

“Current law provides a weak penalty for false reporting and fails to account for situations, like Ms. Russell’s, that result in a significant law enforcement response,” Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for the Alabama attorney general, said in a statement. “Fortunately, the Governor will soon receive our legislation to increase penalties for false reporting when an imminent threat is alleged and will expand the amount of restitution that can be sought. The next time law enforcement resources are needlessly wasted in this manner, the offender will be forever labeled a felon.”

ABC News’ Deena Zaru and Dhanika Pineda contributed to this report.

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(CHICAGO) — Chicago officials and community members are grieving the loss of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins who police say was fatally stabbed while trying “to protect his mother” in a domestic violence incident.

Crosetti Brand, who Perkins’ mother has an order of protection against, allegedly broke into their home and stabbed both Perkins and his mother on March 13, police said. The boy’s mother, identified at a fundraiser for the family as Laterria Smith, was critically injured in the attack. Her 5-year-old son was also in the home at the time.

Brand was out on parole while still serving a 16-year sentence for a home invasion and currently has three orders of protection violations against him, according to police.

Brand has been charged with murder, attempted murder, home invasion with a dangerous weapon, armed robbery, domestic battery, and more in connection with the incident.

ABC News could not immediately reach an attorney for Brand.

“An 11-year-old boy lost his life brutally. A woman, stabbed brutally in a domestic attack. Where is the outrage for this family?” said Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling at a press conference. “Let’s focus on the victims.”

“An innocent child’s life was taken to try to protect his mother, far too soon, and a mother was attacked in what should have been the safest place for her, which was her home,” said the Cook County state attorney Kimberly M. Foxx.

Perkins was called “an exceptional young man, respected by his peers and admired by his teachers,” according to a fundraiser hosted by the Peirce Elementary School community and his dance school, Gus Giordano Dance School.

The boy was known for his love of dance and performance, playing lead roles in several school plays, according to the post.

In a separate post, Gus Giordano Dance School shared videos of Perkins dancing, and said he “gave joy, happiness & light to everyone.

Perkins loved “spending time with friends, playing sports, and performing. His infectious laughter and kind heart touched the lives of everyone he met,” the fundraiser post read. Vigils were held at the family’s apartment complex in his honor.

Smith is said to have worked at Perkin’s school, and had “made a lasting impact on the lives of students, supporting them in their daily activities and fostering a sense of belonging.”

The incident has highlighted how to improve the handling of domestic violence cases in the city. Officials say Brand had a history of domestic violence.

“We have to protect these victims,” said Snilling. “We cannot wait until the tragedy happens to decide we’re going to do something about it.”

Alderperson Andre Vasquez said he and other officials need to look into “what more can be done to support victims, survivors of domestic violence,” at a Friday press conference.

“This is something that we know if we don’t get ahead of domestic violence issues everywhere, there may be other cases,” he continued.

Foxx said the crime “shocked our city to its core.”

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