John Tighe
John Tighe (blogger) | |
---|---|
Nationality | US |
Interests | • NXIVM • Clare Bronfman • Keith Raniere |
Blogger who investigated powerful sex abuse religious sect. When he published his findings, he was framed and convicted to 5 years jail. |
John Tighe is a blogger, based in Saratoga Springs, New York State. After he began publishing stories about the cult NXIVM, his family experienced increasing harassment, In 2013, Tighe was convicted to 5 years jail on what appears to be framed evidence.
NXIVM was later exposed as involved sex trafficking, forced labor and racketeering.[1] NXIVM's founder, Keith Raniere was arrested by the FBI in 2018.[2]
Contents
NXIVM
Saratoga Springs has been a "Gangster's Paradise" since the days of Prohibition in the 1920s.[3] Several NXIVM members had links to these organized crime families.
Tighe showed up at NXIVM events to take pictures. He published a list of properties NXIVM bought, a list of tax liens involving members of NXIVM, and a list of NXIVM coaches, which was a closely guarded secret. He exposed Rainbow Cultural Garden as an unlicensed daycare operation and an unlicensed school. He revealed that some of the nannies were in the U.S. illegally. He wrote about fake marriages NXIVM set up and other illegal immigration activities.[4]
In 2011 he was contacted by a whistleblower telling of child abuse in the cult. Tighe gave his evidence, including a taped interview and the passwords to his website, over to the police.[4]
Harassment
He received death threats. Tighe and his family's cars and homes were broken into. They were served with cease-and-desist letters. His car was driven off the road. A man was caught going through his bag and phone at Victoria Pool and when caught, began to masturbate in front of his wife.[4] After being released in 2018, he threatened by "a steroid-fueled bodybuilder".
Arrest
On October 23, 2013, Tighe’s residence was raided by New York State Troopers led by Senior Investigator Rodger Kirsopp. At the same time, troopers were raiding two other NXIVM critics’ homes: Toni Natalie and Joe O’Hara, to seize the computers of three people who allegedly accessed NXIVM’s website. Tighe, Natalie and O’Hara did not steal anything. They did not destroy anything. They allegedly went on the password-protected website.[4]
Several months after his computers were seized, Tighe was arrested. They “found” child porn on one of his computers, but never said which one.
Frank Parlato points out discrepancies in the case: "Aside from the fact that there was never another computer trespass case investigated with this kind of manpower by the NYSP before, a few curious things came out of the matter. First, Kirsopp arranged to have John’s computers destroyed as soon as he had entered a guilty plea. How many other cases of possession of child pornography that have been investigated by the NYSP only involved only one downloaded e-file on one of the alleged perpetrator’s computers that was accessed only once? [It would seem logical that a perverted child porn viewer creates many files, downloads more than one, and accesses them more than once.] How many other cases of possession of child pornography that have been investigated by the NYSP involved no file-sharing by the alleged perpetrator?"[4]
References
- ↑ https://www.vox.com/2018/4/25/17275930/allison-mack-smallville-actress-sex-cult-nxivm-dos-prison-arrest-sex-trafficking-keith-raniere
- ↑ https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Leader-of-Secret-Upstate-New-York-Group-Charged-with-Sex-Trafficking-477966643.html
- ↑ https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2021/08/gamblers-and-gangsters-of-saratoga/
- ↑ a b c d e https://frankreport.com/2022/01/05/nxivm-target-blogger-john-tighe-finally-breaks-silence-to-tell-story-after-five-years-in-prison/