Cheesesteak militia

— NO CHEESESTEAK FOR YOU… Border vigilante Jim Benvie could be facing a whole lot more trouble after he invited a militia to face off against Black Lives Matter protestors at a cheesesteak shop where he worked in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

BACKGROUND… Benvie has been out of jail while awaiting sentencing after he was convicted earlier this year on federal charges of impersonating a Border Patrol agent. He’s been living in a halfway house in Albuquerque as part of his release and working at Filling Philly’s Cheesesteaks.

Television station KOB-TV reported this week that Benvie invited armed members of the New Mexico Civil Guard militia to the restaurant to provide security during a Black Lives Matter march that took place near the shop over the weekend. That led to confrontations between the militia and the marchers, and police had to get involved, according to the station.

DON’T MESS WITH THE BOSS…  Now, the co-owner of Filling Philly’s has told The Informant that Benvie has been fired from the restaurant over the incident and that more repercussions could be on the way. She also said that the incident has ruined her business because it has brought calls for a boycott.

Co-owner Marcy Sanner shared a series of emails with The Informant on Wednesday that showed Benvie’s case manager at the halfway house has been investigating his behavior and intends to use the information to have Benvie thrown back in jail while awaiting sentencing.

The case manager, Patrick Herrera, did not return a phone call seeking comment on Wednesday. But in emails forwarded to The Informant by Sanner, the case manager described Benvie as having an “accountability issue” at the halfway house and promising that Benvie “will be taken into custody.”

MAJOR KEY… A key to Herrera’s investigation, according to the emails, is that Benvie told the halfway house staff that he was working until midnight on Sunday evening. Sanner, however, was able to forward copies of timecards to Herrera that showed Benvie clocked out at 5:17 p.m. that day.

Herrera thanked Sanner for forwarding copies of the timecards. “That will hold that he was involved in the protest which violates his conditions to his charges he had when he was put in our Halfway House,” Herrera wrote.

BENVIE GOES DARK… Benvie did not respond to a text message or Facebook message seeking comment from him on Wednesday. His Facebook page, where he describes himself as a “political prisoner” and where he normally posts frequently, was last updated on Monday.

WHAT THE FEDS SAY… A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service in Albuquerque ran a check on Wednesday and said Benvie was not in federal custody. As of Wednesday evening, there had been no new court filings in Benvie’s case.

Also on my radar…

— STALKING CASE DROPPED… Florida prosecutors on Tuesday dropped a stalking case against white nationalist Augustus Invictus. He had been arrested in April on suspicion of stalking his estranged wife while he was out of jail and awaiting trial in South Carolina on charges of domestic violence and using a gun in a crime against her. The stalking case in Florida was enough to land Invcitus back in jail in South Carolina for allegedly violating the terms of his release. He has been in jail ever since.

The new developments in Florida likely mean that Invictus has a better chance of being released in South Carolina. Last month, a judge denied a request from Invictus to be let out of jail again while awaiting trial. The judge said at the time that he wanted more information about the case in Florida and that Invictus could ask again to be released in the future.

— BANNER DAY… Four men who hung up a banner that read “Hitler was right” from a railroad bridge in Arizona over the weekend were cited by local authorities for trespassing. The banner was promoting the neo-Nazi group Folkish Resistance Movement. Phoenix’s KPNX-TV was the first to report that the men had received citations. A spokesperson with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office later told The Informant the men were Andrew Skabelund, 28; Jacob Zink, 37; Patrick Kraft, 34; and Matthew Tijerina, 31. Skabelund has written for the group’s website in the past.

— TENSION IN WEATHERFORD, TEXAS… The Informant reported on Tuesday that the founder of the white nationalist group Patriot Front had been arrested in Weatherford, Texas, on a minor charge. It turns out he may have been there because Weatherford, about 60 miles west of Dallas, was the site of a tense situation in late July between protestors who supported and opposed the removal of a Confederate monument in the city. At least three people were arrested, including a man who allegedly pointed his rifle at a crowd. Now, one local group, Parker County Progressives, is warning of the possibility that there could be more tension this coming Saturday, and it is encouraging people to stay away from the area. The Informant will be keeping a close eye on Weatherford that day.

— NEXT WEEK… On Wednesday, a former member of the neo-Nazi group The Base is set to plead guilty to vandalizing a synagogue in Wisconsin. Yousef Omar Barasneh has already signed a plea agreement. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

— NAZI SALUTE… “Couple arrested on suspicion of hate crime, vandalism after video captured racist confrontation in Torrance” (KTLA-TV)

— NAZI LEADER SPEAKS… “Neo-Nazi Terror Group Atomwaffen Division Re-Emerges Under New Name” (VICE)

— BIG TECH… “20 States Warn Facebook To Do Better At Fighting Hate And Discrimination” (Forbes)

— BOOK REVIEW… “‘Life of a Klansman’ Tells Ugly Truths About America, Past and Present” (New York Times)

— PAINT CRIMES… “Couple seen painting over BLM mural in Contra Costa County pleads not guilty to hate crime charges” (Nexstar Media Wire)

— BRUTAL ATTACK… “Cuomo, city leaders ratchet up focus on alleged hate crime assault of transgender man” (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

— IN FLORIDA… “Police searching for man accused of yelling homophobic slurs, throwing frozen water bottles at man at Orlando restaurant” (WFTV-TV)

— MODERN HATE… “Anti-Semitic Zoom bombers disrupt local observance of Jewish day of mourning” (The Dallas Morning News)

— PROUD BOYS AND MORE… “New York Young Republican Leader Has Ties To Far-Right Extremists” (Angry White Men)

— POLITICAL RACE TO WATCH… “Washington Republicans nominate cop with ties to 'Patriot' movement for governor's race” (Daily Kos)

— THE THREAT IS REAL… “Terrorism Experts Say QAnon Conspiracy Theory a Threat to National Security” (VICE)

— TROUBLE IN GERMANY… “Body Bags and Enemy Lists: How Far-Right Police Officers and Ex-Soldiers Planned for ‘Day X’” (New York Times)

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