DOJ Preps Charges Against Former ABC News Producer - Rolling Stone

More than seven months aft ABC shaper James Gordon Meek was the taxable of a melodramatic Federal Bureau of Investigation raid, an indictment is being prepared by the Department of Justice to contiguous to a expansive jury, according to 2 sources acquainted with the matter. The FBI had been tracking Meek for suspected transgression enactment unrelated to his enactment arsenic a writer agelong earlier the April 27 raid, according to those sources arsenic good arsenic 2 others. Additionally, caller details person emerged surrounding the matter. Rolling Stone has learned that the FBI seized astir a twelve physics devices belonging to the Emmy-winning investigative writer during the predawn raid of his Arlington, Virginia, home, aft which Meek abruptly resigned from ABC via email.

The FBI has antecedently confirmed that the bureau had been “conducting court-authorized law-enforcement activity” connected the greeting of April 27 astatine Meek’s address. Meek’s lawyer Eugene Gorokhov says, “I cannot remark connected immoderate pending investigations, but immoderate decisions that request to beryllium made close present are wholly wrong the government’s discretion.” 

The Department of Justice is said to beryllium taking other precautions fixed Meek’s presumption arsenic a journalist. The investigation, details of which are not publically available, is moving astatine a deliberate gait that is emblematic for a high-profile subject, sources say. Complicating matters, the FBI allegedly recovered classified accusation connected Meek’s laptop pursuing the seizure, aggregate sources say. The alleged possession of classified worldly would stay a abstracted matter, 2 of those sources add, and would apt not effect successful transgression charges.  

The national-security investigative shaper often worked connected stories that progressive delicate materials and sourcing. He was champion known for heavy dives that included a bid of reports connected a 2017 ISIS ambush successful Niger that near 4 American Green Berets dead. His reporting, which poked holes successful the Pentagon’s authoritative communicative of what truly happened during the botched mission, was adapted into the 2021 feature-length documentary 3212 Un-Redacted for ABC’s sister institution Hulu.

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On Oct. 18, Rolling Stone first reported connected the raid of Meek’s location – a top-floor flat successful the upscale Siena Park analyzable successful suburban Washington, D.C. Meek tendered his resignation to a supervisor via email, citing idiosyncratic reasons, 1 time aft the raid, which helium ne'er disclosed to ABC. Sources accidental ABC was unaware of the raid until months aft it happened. Meek’s lawyer declined remark connected that point. In a motion that the raid was unrelated to his enactment arsenic a journalist, the web was ne'er asked by Meek to supply ineligible assistance, according to an ABC root adjacent to the situation. (A quality outlet would typically backmost a writer facing authorities scrutiny of their newsgathering activities, specified arsenic allegations of possession of classified materials, fixed the archetypal amendment implications of specified matters.) But the origins of the Meek probe had thing to bash with classified materials, sources say. The April 28 resignation was the past clip the web heard from its erstwhile prima producer, the ABC root says. (Meek, present 53, moved retired of his Siena Park flat soon aft the raid and is surviving with his parent successful suburban D.C.)

How Meek appeared connected the FBI’s radar successful the archetypal spot remains murky. Theresa Carroll Buchanan, a national magistrate justice successful the Virginia Eastern District Court, signed disconnected connected the hunt warrant the time earlier the raid. Rolling Stone spoke with witnesses to the raid, which featured an bonzer magnitude of firepower including an armored tactical conveyance known arsenic a Lenco BearCat G2 arsenic good arsenic an estimated 10 heavy equipped agents. But the feds person go progressively cautious erstwhile serving warrants. In 2021, 2 of the bureau’s agents were killed and 3 were wounded portion targeting the location of a Florida man, marking the deadliest time for the FBI since 1994.

For immoderate 3 decades, Meek broke large stories including the Army’s coverup of the fratricidal decease of Pfc. Dave Sharrett II successful Iraq astatine specified outlets arsenic APBNews.com and the New York Daily News earlier landing astatine ABC, wherever helium was a fixture successful the close-knit satellite of nationalist information bushed journalists. But his neighbors and those who worked intimately with him implicit the years picture Meek arsenic thing of a closed book. Krystin Poitra, who lived successful an flat adjacent to Meek’s for much than a decennary and parked her car adjacent to his SUV, says contempt regular exchanges with her neighbour she had nary thought what helium did for a living. Many erstwhile colleagues referred to him arsenic a “military fanboy” fixed that helium touted his connections successful the precocious ranks of the equipped forces. And helium near the tract of journalism for 2 years to articulation the unit of the House Committee connected Homeland Security for then-chairman Peter King of New York.

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But idiosyncratic details astir the divorced begetter of 2 girls stay elusive, with immoderate exceptions, similar Meek telling colleagues that helium was inspired to screen coercion cases aft his relative perished successful the Oklahoma City bombing successful 1995. Reporter Janon Fisher, who worked with Meek astatine some APB and the Daily News, tells Rolling Stone that his erstwhile workfellow was an aggravated antheral who appeared to beryllium portion of the alleged straight-edge subculture whose adherents eschew intoxicant and drugs and was a instrumentality of the D.C. set Fugazi.

“He was a bully workfellow but a spot standoffish astatine times,” Fisher adds. “He ne'er spoke loosely astir his idiosyncratic life. I ne'er got thing from him. You usually get immoderate accusation from idiosyncratic during conversation. There’s an speech backmost and forth. And it conscionable seemed similar helium wasn’t helium wasn’t giving overmuch back. He was conscionable precise guarded that way.” 

Meanwhile, Meek’s trajectory from investigative prima newsman to a headline-grabbing enigma has go a blistery taxable successful Hollywood. In the months starring up to the raid, Meek was finishing up enactment connected a publication for Simon & Schuster titled Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise successful Afghanistan, which helium co-authored with Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret. Several top-tier accumulation companies, including Brad Pitt’s Plan B (Moonlight) and producers similar Dana Brunetti (Captain Phillips), had been vying for the rights to Operation Pineapple Express, which was softly acquired by Basil Iwanyk (Sicario). Sources accidental Meek had been moving constituent connected negotiations but past abruptly chopped disconnected communications. “He was texting and doing Zoom calls each day, and past helium conscionable stopped,” says 1 idiosyncratic progressive with movie rights negotiations. Sometime successful the spring, Simon & Schuster mysteriously scrubbed Meek’s sanction from each property materials for the publication arsenic good arsenic successful astir instances wrong the publication itself, successful which helium played a cardinal relation successful the communicative arsenic a writer who helped American-trained commandos flight Afghanistan amid the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal successful 2021. (Meek is included successful the quality database successful the book.) A Simon & Schuster typical declined comment. 

“He contacted maine successful the spring, and was truly distraught, and told maine that helium had immoderate superior idiosyncratic issues going connected and that helium needed to retreat from the project,” Mann told Rolling Stone. “As a feline who’s a combat seasoned who has seen that benignant of strain — I don’t cognize what it was — I honored it. And helium went connected his way, and I continued connected the project.”

The publication became a New York Times bestseller, but sources accidental its cinematic prospects present bent successful the equilibrium arsenic the Meek relation has resurfaced.  

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Ultimately, galore of his colleagues are perplexed by the funny substance of Meek, an esteemed writer who present appears to beryllium successful superior ineligible jeopardy. But 1 idiosyncratic who worked intimately with Meek connected 3212 Un-Redacted described him arsenic shrouded successful mystery, a antheral who operated professionally with a level of secrecy that was atypical adjacent for a newsman covering delicate subjects. He often kicked each but 1 oregon 2 staffers retired of the country during communicative meetings.

Another idiosyncratic who worked connected the movie says Meek was good connected successful the quality community, but thing other astir him stood out. Adds the source: “Everything astir this lawsuit is shocking and unsettling.”