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{{short description|American holocaust denier and radio host}} | |||
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'''Harold "Hubert" Turner''' is an ] radio ] host from ], ] sometimes labeled a ] <ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.adl.org/learn/news/Suprem_Urge_Bomb.asp|title=White Supremacist Radio Host Urges Bombings, Assassinations|date=2005-03-22|accessdate=2007-01-01|publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> and supporter of violence against minorities and government officials.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/turner_own_words.htm|title=Hal Turner in His Own Words|date=2006-04-06||accessdate=2007-01-01|publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> His program, ''The Hal Turner Show'', is broadcast from "Metropolitan New York, New York" via the Internet on Wednesday evenings. He is also the owner and operator of the Turner Radio Network. Alleged to be formerly a homosexual according to postings on an AOL discussion forum<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050620/blumenthal|date=]|title=Hannity's Soul-Mate of Hate|author=Max Blumenthal|work=The Nation}}</ref>, Turner is married to Phyllis Turner, has one son, and identifies himself as a ]. | |||
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| name = Hal Turner | |||
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| birth_name = Harold Charles Turner | |||
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|3|15}} | |||
| birth_place = ], U.S. | |||
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| occupation = Radio host | |||
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'''Harold Charles''' "'''Hal'''" '''Turner''' (born March 15, 1962) is an American political commentator and convicted ] from ], ]. | |||
Turner's viewpoints typically encompass ]<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.halturnershow.com/RedCrossRecordsProveHolocaustWasFraud.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607135103/http://www.halturnershow.com/RedCrossRecordsProveHolocaustWasFraud.html | archive-date=2007-06-07 | title=Official records from international Red Cross prove "holocaust" was fraud | publisher=www.halturnershow.com | date= 4 June 2007 | access-date =2009-07-15}}</ref> and ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hal Turner|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/hal-turner|access-date=2021-08-29|website=Southern Poverty Law Center|language=en}}</ref> and have included calls for ] of government officials. In August 2010, he was convicted for making threats against three federal judges with the ] ], for which he spent two years in prison. | |||
==Hal from North Bergen== | |||
Turner is an independent media personality and occasional candidate in various state elections although he hasn't run since 2000. Before launching his own talk show, Turner was a regular caller (known simply as "Hal from North Bergen") to conservative ]'s and ]'s talk shows on ] radio in ]. | |||
Turner has sporadically hosted ''The Hal Turner Show'', usually on ] station ], since 2002, as well as a corresponding ], which has changed ] frequently and has spread ]es and ]. | |||
In 2000, Turner sought the local ] nomination for election in his local ] district but lost to Democrat ] and six other candidates (including another Republican, Theresa de Leon). <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?id=NJ13&cycle=2000|title=Congressional Races|accessdate=2007-01-01|publisher=Center for Responsive Politics}}</ref> Afterward, Turner had a reported "]", deciding the political system was rigged against ] men (de Leon is ]) and abandoning all ties to the ]. | |||
==Early life== | |||
Turner was also the campaign manager for ], who is Jewish, in a number of campaigns in New Jersey in the 1990s according to various sources including . Turner has made monetary contributions to the Sabrin campaign as recently as 2000, according to the ]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?20020212929|title=F.E.C. IMAGE 20020212929 (Page 13 of 25)|accessdate=2007-01-01}}</ref> | |||
Turner was born in ] and raised in ] and from age five in ], where he attended ].<ref>, '']'', March 20, 2000. Accessed November 26, 2019. "Turner was born in Jersey City and lived in Union City until he was five years old, when his family moved to Ridgefield Park, where he was raised and attended high school."</ref> Prior to working on radio, Turner worked as a driver and a salesman.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2003/fall/40-to-watch?page=0,7|title=40 to Watch: Leaders of the Radical Right|newspaper=Southern Poverty Law Center |access-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229181336/http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2003/fall/40-to-watch?page=0,7|archive-date=2010-12-29|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==Early career== | |||
That same year, he started ''The Hal Turner Show'' by renting time on ] and the ''Turner Radio Network'' to distribute programming by other white nationalists via ]. Turner is no longer on WBCQ and does a live radio show from his living room once a week. Archives of the radio show are available for contributing members. | |||
Identifying himself as "Hal from North Bergen", Turner became notable in ] circles as a frequent caller to and supporter of ] radio talk show hosts ] and ].<ref name=Hannity>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/hannitys-soul-mate-hate|last=Blumenthal|first=Max|date=2005-06-03|publisher=The Nation|title=Hannity's Soul-Mate of Hate|access-date=2015-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518081436/http://www.thenation.com/article/hannitys-soul-mate-hate|archive-date=2015-05-18|url-status=live}}</ref> Turner parlayed this fame into a role as the northern New Jersey coordinator for ]'s 1992 presidential campaign. | |||
Turner claims he established a friendship with Sean Hannity,<ref name=Hannity /> on whose radio program he had once been a frequent presence.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/hannitys-soul-mate-hate?page=0,1|last=Blumenthal|first=Max|date=2005-06-03|publisher=The Nation|title=Hannity's Soul-Mate of Hate (page 2)|access-date=2015-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518081500/http://www.thenation.com/article/hannitys-soul-mate-hate?page=0,1|archive-date=2015-05-18|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, while Hannity and ] of the ] were debating ]'s association with ], Shabazz asked Hannity if he should "be judged by (his) promotion and association with Hal Turner". Hannity began to say that he didn't know Turner, but then said he was someone he had banned from his radio program ten years before. Turner subsequently gave an account of their association on his website, in which he said of Hannity's response: "I was quite disappointed when Sean Hannity at first tried to say he didn't know me. In fact, Sean does know me and we were quite friendly a few years ago."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/bffhannity|author=Hal Turner|date=2008-03-23|title=About Sean Hannity and Me|access-date=2012-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129095117/https://myspace.com/bffhannity|archive-date=2015-11-29|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/23/sean-hannity-confronted-o_n_92961.html|author=Jason Linkins|date=2008-03-23|title=Sean Hannity Confronted Over His Relationship With Neo-Nazi Hal Turner|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=2008-05-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608023424/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/23/sean-hannity-confronted-o_n_92961.html|archive-date=2008-06-08|url-status=live}}</ref> ], Program Director of WABC, disputed the account, which described a friendship developing between Turner and Hannity in 1993, three years before Hannity was actually hired at WABC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newshounds.us/2008/03/23/neo_naziwhite_supremacist_hal_turner_confirms_friendship_and_kinship_with_sean_hannity.php|author=Ellen|date=2008-03-23|title=Neo Nazi/White Supremacist Hal Turner Confirms Friendship And Kinship With Sean Hannity|publisher=News Hounds|access-date=2012-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211094702/http://www.newshounds.us/2008/03/23/neo_naziwhite_supremacist_hal_turner_confirms_friendship_and_kinship_with_sean_hannity.php|archive-date=2012-02-11|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==The Hal Turner Show== | |||
Turner's radio program originates from a studio in his home. It and his website both were shut down temporarily in 2004 due to personal financial difficulty. His website returned in November 2004, and he re-started his radio show in June 2005. His site received more than 2.8 thousand page loads in its first year back on the web. | |||
Turner became a talk radio host, joining fellow regular callers Frank from ] and John from ] to start the program ''The Right Perspective''. Turner left the program in 2002, citing artistic differences. In 2002, Turner became a solo host, purchasing a time slot on ] radio station ], over which he broadcast for approximately four years. On WBCQ on March 22, 2004, he left the show "after harshly criticizing his supporters, listeners, and WBCQ."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://schedule.wbcq.com/main.php?fn=show_program&id=50 | title=Annotated WBCQ Program Guide | publisher=WBCQ | year=2004 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005111651/http://schedule.wbcq.com/main.php?fn=show_program&id=50 | archive-date=2008-10-05 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The show lacked financial support<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldofradio.com/dxld4123.txt|title=Stopped broadcasting on March 22, 2004 from WBCQ|access-date=2008-05-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516083851/http://www.worldofradio.com/dxld4123.txt|archive-date=2008-05-16|url-status=live}}</ref> and Turner had health problems,<ref>Turner was in the hospital a number of times in 2003 and 2004 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419033632/http://www.frn.net/vines/Forum1/HTML/000877.html |date=April 19, 2012 }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=August 2009}} leading to the temporary closure of his website and show.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} | |||
Turner has been criticized by the ] for saying, "I advocate using extreme violence against illegal aliens. Clean your guns. Have plenty of ammunition. Find out where the largest gathering of illegal aliens will be near you. Go to the area well in advance, scope out several places to position yourself and then do what has to be done."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?aid=49|title=Extremists advocate murder of immigrants, politicians|author=Buchanan, Susy and Holthouse, David|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=2006-03-30|accessdate=2007-01-01}}</ref> | |||
==Activism and assault claims== | |||
Turner was interviewed by a number of news outlets in 2005 after it was revealed the FBI interviewed him following the murders of the mother and husband of federal district judge ]. Two years earlier, on his worldwide shortwave show, Turner stated that a decision made by Lefkow against the ] made her "worthy of being killed". After the judge's family was murdered, Turner posted a photo on his website of Judge Lefkow with the Headline "GOTCHA!".{{fact}} | |||
In ], Turner sought the ] nomination for election to the ] from New Jersey's 13th congressional district. He received 18.6% of the vote, losing to Theresa de Leon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?id=NJ13&cycle=2000 |title=Congressional Races| publisher=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227100229/http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?id=NJ13&cycle=2000|archive-date=2006-12-27|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.njelections.org/election-results/2000-primary-elect-house-candidate-tallies.pdf|title=Official List Candidate Returns for House of Representatives For June 2000 Primary Election|date=17 April 2008|work=njelections.org|publisher=New Jersey Secretary of State|page=14|access-date=13 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822222239/http://www.njelections.org/election-results/2000-primary-elect-house-candidate-tallies.pdf|archive-date=2012-08-22|url-status=live}}</ref> Turner has identified himself as the "Chairman of the Republican Party of Hudson County, NJ Corp," a group which has no connection to the official ] Republican Party recognized by the state and national party. According to news reports, Hudson County Republican officials have stated that Turner's party is a "paper corporation with little or no membership".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.getnj.com/onlygameintown/turnervazquez.shtml |title=GET NJ - Hudson County Hate Monger Hal Turner Faces Purple Heart Veteran Jaime Vazquez in Court<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212203032/http://www.getnj.com/onlygameintown/turnervazquez.shtml |archive-date=2006-12-12 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
In response to an October 7, 2005, ] against a white student by a Black student at ], Turner, working with the ] group ], organized a rally which he called a "rally against violence".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ulsterpublishing.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=356782|title=Woodstock Times: "Turning our backs in unity Kingston falls into line behind mayor's call to SPURN white supremacist rally"|access-date=2007-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523014201/http://www.ulsterpublishing.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=356782|archive-date=2006-05-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> He characterized the rally as both "pro-white" and "against violence".<ref name=DailyFreeman-rally>{{cite news | url=http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1769&dept_id=74969&newsid=15534522&PAG=461&rfi=9 | title=Supremacist vows KHS rally | publisher=] | year=2005 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927121105/http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1769&dept_id=74969&newsid=15534522&PAG=461&rfi=9 | archive-date=2007-09-27 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The victim's mother chose not to attend the rally.<ref name=DailyFreeman-rally />{{Dead link|date=November 2015}} In response, local residents, including political and religious leaders, organized a number of "Unity Rallies" with a tolerance theme.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.ulsterpublishing.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=356782 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523014201/http://www.ulsterpublishing.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=356782 | archive-date=2006-05-23 | title=Turning our backs in unity Kingston falls into line behind mayor's call to SPURN white supremacist rally | publisher=] | date= 2005-11-18 | first=Paul | last=Smart | access-date =2009-07-15}}</ref> When the rally occurred on November 19, 2005, Turner and the National Vanguard attracted approximately 50 demonstrators, compared to the 100 counter-demonstrators.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/turner_051117.htm | title=Hal Turner, White Supremacists Exploit Tensions in Kingston, NY | publisher=] | year=2005 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527012820/http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/turner_051117.htm | archive-date=2009-05-27 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Turner called for the attacker to be charged with a ], but the case resulted in the perpetrator being indicted as an adult with two ] counts: ] and attempted assault instead.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://dailyfreeman.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=15749825&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=8 | title=KHS teen indicted for assault, not hate crime | publisher=] | date=December 14, 2005 | first=Mary | last=Fairchild | access-date=2009-07-15 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1769&dept_id=74969&newsid=15534522&PAG=461&rfi=9 | title=Supremacist vows KHS rally | publisher=] | year=2005 | first=Paul | last=Kirby | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927121105/http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1769&dept_id=74969&newsid=15534522&PAG=461&rfi=9 | archive-date=2007-09-27 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Turner routinely goes after federal, state, and even local officials by exposing their home addresses and even publishing leaflets that citizens can print locally, to show their unhappiness with judges whose decisions they disagree with. | |||
On April 12, 2006, Turner had a physical altercation with Jaime Vazquez, a former ] deputy mayor and a member of the Jersey City Council, who was the Jersey City Commissioner of Veterans Affairs at the time. ''The North Bergen Reporter'' quoted Turner as saying "(t)he ] are breaking the law, and people like me should break the law as well by shooting them down." In response, Vazquez picketed with a sign reading "Hal Turner — shoot me! ] and ] like you are cowards."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2408387/article-Battle-with-NB-white-supremacist-continues-Former-JC-Councilman-Vasquez--controversial-host-Hal-Turner-get-into-physical-altercation |title=The Hudson Reporter - No charges in case of ex-councilman v. white supremacistNorth Bergen judge rules Turner, Vazquez not guilty<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2016-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109024520/http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2408387/article-Battle-with-NB-white-supremacist-continues-Former-JC-Councilman-Vasquez--controversial-host-Hal-Turner-get-into-physical-altercation |archive-date=2010-11-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was followed by a physical confrontation, during which Vazquez suffered a back injury and a fractured wrist. Turner and Vazquez later filed criminal charges against each other. On July 16, 2006 ] Municipal Court Judge Joseph Romano found both men to be equally credible and thus neither criminally liable.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2408387/article-Battle-with-NB-white-supremacist-continues-Former-JC-Councilman-Vasquez--controversial-host-Hal-Turner-get-into-physical-altercation | title=No charges in case of ex-councilman v. white supremacist | publisher=] | date=July 16, 2006 | first=Jim | last=Hague | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109024520/http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2408387/article-Battle-with-NB-white-supremacist-continues-Former-JC-Councilman-Vasquez--controversial-host-Hal-Turner-get-into-physical-altercation | archive-date=2010-11-09 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Broadcasting and website issues== | |||
In 2002, Turner started broadcasting, but quit the show in July 2008<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2008/winter/extremist-media | title=Racist Radio, Newspaper Close Up Shops | publisher=] | date=Winter 2008 | access-date=2011-04-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415115547/http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2008/winter/extremist-media | archive-date=2011-04-15 | url-status=live }}</ref> and resumed broadcasting it in April 2009 as the Turner Radio Network. In August 2008 his website also closed. Although he retained a ], it was shut down by his host, ]'s ], for violations of ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-hal-turner-to-surrender-0611,0,5413334.story | title=Right-Wing Blogger Hal Turner Surrenders To Capitol Police | publisher=] | date=June 11, 2009 | access-date=2011-04-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009103313/http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-hal-turner-to-surrender-0611,0,5413334.story | archive-date=2012-10-09 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===Origin of China eminent domain hoax=== | |||
=="Rally against violence"== | |||
In February 2009, Turner posted an article on his blog entitled: "FEDS GRANT ] AS COLLATERAL TO ] FOR U.S. DEBTS!" claiming that a secret agreement had been made to allow China to physically take U.S. land, in the event of a U.S. default.<ref name="FEDS GRANT EMINENT DOMAIN AS COLLATERAL TO CHINA FOR U.S. DEBTS!">{{cite web | url=http://halturnershow.blogspot.com/2009/02/feds-grant-eminent-domain-as-collateral.html/| title=Hal Turner Show | access-date=2009-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302062835/http://www.halturnershow.blogspot.com/2009/02/feds-grant-eminent-domain-as-collateral.html |archive-date=2009-03-02}}</ref> The story created "hundreds of identical Internet replications" according to ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/domain.asp | title=Snopes: Feds Grant China Eminent Domain | publisher=] | date= March 2009 | access-date =2011-04-15 |quote=... the story appears only in the blog of former radio host Hal Turner ... and in hundreds of identical Internet replications.}}</ref> | |||
===Anonymous website raid=== | |||
On ], ], Turner received a permit from the city of ] granting him permission to stage a "Rally against violence". The rally was organized in response to the assault of a 14-year old white student, seriously injured by an older black student at Kingston High School. The white student's injuries required several reconstructive surgeries, and Turner made much of the suffering of the child on his radio show, often even engaging the child's mother on the air, to discuss her sadness and outrage; while Turner occasionally implied that the black boy "did not face any sanction" on his radio show, the 16-year old was in actuality charged as an adult with two felony counts, assault and attempted assault.<ref name=DailyFreeman-assault>{{cite web|url=http://dailyfreeman.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=15749825&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=8|title=KHS teen indicted for assault, not hate crime|accessdate=2007-01-01|date=2005-12-14|author= Fairchild, Mary|publisher=DailyFreeman.com}}</ref> | |||
Turner stated that in December 2006 and January 2007 individuals who identified themselves as members of the group ] took Turner's website offline, costing him thousands of dollars in ] bills. On January 19, 2007, Turner sued ], ], 7chan, Abjects ] network, and other websites for ]. On January 22, 2007, he lost his plea for an injunction. In February 2007 4chan responded to the lawsuit. In April 2007, the judge asked the parties to submit information to schedule proceedings. However, Turner failed to respond. Mail from the court to Turner was returned as "Undeliverable". The judge dismissed the case in December 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-njdce/case_no-2:2007cv00306/case_id-198438/ | publisher=Justia | title=Harold C. "Hal" Turner v. 4chan.org | access-date=2007-07-27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420131458/http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-njdce/case_no-2:2007cv00306/case_id-198438/ | archive-date=2008-04-20 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===FBI informant=== | |||
One of Turner's central assertions was that the attack was racially motivated, and that the local government was asymmetrically enforcing "]" laws. According to the mother of the victim, the assailant referred to the victim as a "]" prior to the assault.<ref name=DailyFreeman-rally>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1769&dept_id=74969&newsid=15534522&PAG=461&rfi=9|accessdate=2007-01-01|title=Supremacist vows KHS rally|author=Paul Kirby|date=2005-11-08|publisher=DailyFreeman.com}}</ref> A grand jury investigated the incident, and found that race was not a factor in the assault.<ref name=DailyFreeman-assault></ref> Nonetheless, Turner aggressively pursued his "Rally Against Violence" by appealing to "pro-whites" with unsubstantiated allegations of black students terrorizing white students throughout the high school in the town; Turner claimed to have received a barrage of emails from "students in that high school that tell me these things are so terrible that they are afraid to go to (school)", marketing the appeal of the rally jointly not only to white supremacists, but also to anyone who misperceived the rally as indeed a rally "against violence."<ref name=DailyFreeman-rally></ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.national-socialism.us/archives/266|title=Media do not agree about Hal Turner’s Kingston Rally|accessdate=2007-01-01|date=2005-11-20|publisher=national-socialism.us}} '''(Warning: Neo-Nazi site, might be illegal to view in Germany and other countries)'''</ref> While the victim's mother at first suggested that she would attend the event, she ultimately declined, indicating that she is "not a racist".<ref name=DailyFreeman-rally></ref> | |||
Turner was a paid informant for the ] (FBI) for several years, supplying information about ] groups to federal agents.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/north_bergen_blogger_accused_o.html | title=North Bergen blogger accused of threatening federal judges is held without bail | publisher=] | date=August 10, 2009 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814125838/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/north_bergen_blogger_accused_o.html | archive-date=2009-08-14 | url-status=live }}</ref> The original allegations that Turner acted as an informant for the FBI surfaced in 2008 after unidentified ] claimed on Turner's website's forums that they had read email correspondences between him and an FBI agent, apparently his ]. This led to a discussion on a ] website on January 10, 2008, in which Turner revealed that he was quitting political work, ending his radio show and separating "from the 'pro-White' movement". The FBI has declined to comment on the matter.<ref name="FBIinformraid">{{cite news|first= Mark|last= Potok|title= FBI's Use of Neo-Nazi Informant Knocked|url= http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=880|work= ]|publisher= ]|access-date= 2009-08-26|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090817194832/http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=880|archive-date= 2009-08-17|url-status= dead}}</ref> The ]<ref>{{cite news|first= Brentin|last= Mock|author2= Potoc, Mark|title= Virginia Developer is USA's Loudest Neo-Nazi|url= http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=877|work= ]|publisher= ]|access-date= 2008-03-26|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080313210144/http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=877|archive-date= 2008-03-13|url-status= dead}}</ref> and the ] reported on the emails that "a neo-Nazi Website had posted material reportedly found by the hackers, including alleged exchanges between himself and law enforcement agents which indicated that Turner had been providing information to them."<ref>{{cite news|title= Hal Turner Claims to Leave Movement After Accusations of Being an Informant|url= http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/hturner_claim.htm|publisher= ]|date= 2008-01-18|access-date= 2008-03-26|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080505084811/http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/hturner_claim.htm|archive-date= 2008-05-05|url-status= dead}}</ref> | |||
On July 28, 2009, in a ] courtroom, Turner's defense lawyer said that Turner worked as a paid informant for the FBI.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/radio-host-denies-threatening-federal-judges.html | title=Radio host denies threatening federal judges | publisher=] | date=July 28, 2009 | access-date=2009-07-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731024430/http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/radio-host-denies-threatening-federal-judges.html | archive-date=2009-07-31 | url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2009, '']'' published an investigative report on Turner's "complex" relationship with the FBI and Federal ], noting that all parties broke off contact at several points.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/Records_show_feds_used_ultra-right_radio_host_for_years.html | title=Records show feds used ultra-right radio host for years | publisher=] | date=November 29, 2009 | access-date=2009-12-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202065420/http://www.northjersey.com/news/Records_show_feds_used_ultra-right_radio_host_for_years.html | archive-date=2009-12-02 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The ] organization ], which has had numerous dealings with Turner, was brought in to help educate concerned residents about Turner. The Kingston School District and the mayor urged local citizens to stay home and avoid the rally. ], a militant youth ] organization, mobilized a few dozen ]s to confront Turner directly, and did so with the backing of dozens more from the community. A heavy police presence and federal agents throughout the city prevented the group from gaining direct contact with Turner, although later they did stage a mini-protest outside the home of a friend of Turner's, "]" Jim Leshkevich of nearby ] ]. Leshkevich was the one who first alerted Turner to the Kingston assault. | |||
Turner's information led to the arrests of the ] militia, with Turner's FBI handler serving as the prosecution's witness.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/2615285501.html?FMT=ABS&date=Mar+22%2C+2012 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713153233/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/2615285501.html?FMT=ABS&date=Mar+22,+2012 | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 13, 2012 | title=Defense in Hutaree militia trial asks for a mistrial | publisher=] | date=March 21, 2012 | access-date=2012-04-26 }}</ref> | |||
An after-school rally, organized by a 15-year old Kingston High School student, was planned to occur the Friday before the Rally against Violence. The county legislature unanimously passed a resolution "urging Participation in Tolerance Day" at its ] session. | |||
Michael A. Orozco, Turner's lawyer said, "I don't think he was a racist. He was doing a lot of those things at the behest of the FBI."<ref name="WalksFree">{{cite news | url=http://www.salon.com/2012/10/09/shock_jock_neo_nazi_walks_free/ | title=Shock jock Neo-Nazi walks free | publisher=] | date=October 9, 2012 | access-date=2012-10-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014044221/http://www.salon.com/2012/10/09/shock_jock_neo_nazi_walks_free/ | archive-date=2012-10-14 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Ultimately, about fifty supporters attended the rally. Others, including the mother of the victim whose injuries prompted the rally, complained they were not allowed access to the protest area although this is unconfirmed since she made a public statement stating she was not going to attend. Instead, they were directed to an area designated for counter-demonstrators. Accounts from the local media suggested anywhere from 300 to 400 counter-demonstrators. Despite threats to return if the black student never faced hate crime charges, Turner never came back to Kingston. | |||
===Return to radio=== | |||
==Fight with Former Jersey City Deputy Mayor Jaime Vazquez== | |||
On October 7, 2015, Turner returned to radio for the weekly, two hour ''Hal Turner Show'', broadcast on ] station ] and over the internet.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.wbcq.com/?p=907 | title=The Hal Turner Show returns to WBCQ | access-date=2015-10-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027224412/http://www.wbcq.com/?p=907 | archive-date=2015-10-27 | url-status=dead }}</ref> For a time in 2015, Turner promoted another broadcast over "Superstation 95," a ] station in the New York City area. The show aired until February 1, 2017, and then resumed on July 5, 2017, eventually adding two more shortwave affiliates, ] and ]. Turner stated at the end of March 2019 that he had run out of funds to keep the show on WBCQ and WRMI. An associated fundraising appeal was a success, and Turner expanded his broadcast to a daily show. | |||
==Threats against judges and political figures== | |||
On April 12, 2006, Turner had a physical altercation with Jaime Vazquez, a former Jersey City Deputy Mayor and member of the Jersey City Council, and current Jersey City Commissioner of Veterans' Affairs. Commissioner Vazquez, a disabled, ]-awarded Vietnam veteran, was conducting a protest in front of Turner's house in response to Turner's hiring an airplane to carry a banner with an anti-Mexican slur over a political rally at Jersey City's Liberty State Park. Turner had alleged to have said at the rally; ''"The illegal immigrants are breaking the law, and people like me should break the law as well by shooting them down."'' Vazquez was wearing a sign that stated: ''"Hal Turner -- shoot me! Racists and bigots like you are cowards."'' Turner confronted Vazquez and a fight ensued, in which Vazquez hurt his back and fractured his wrist.<ref>UPI Wire ''The Post Chronicle'' ], ]</ref> | |||
Turner has a history of making threats against various public figures.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.adl.org/learn/extremism_in_the_news/White_Supremacy/hal_turner_threats_10305.htm | title=Hal Turner and His Supporters Threaten Officials and Other Targets of Their Hate | publisher=] | date=October 3, 2005 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604092036/http://www.adl.org/learn/extremism_in_the_news/White_Supremacy/hal_turner_threats_10305.htm | archive-date=2011-06-04 | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2005, Turner publicized the names of three federal court judges who handled lawsuits involving ], a white supremacist convicted of soliciting the murder of a federal judge.<ref name="adl">{{cite news|title= White Supremacist Radio Host Urges Bombings, Assassinations|url= http://www.adl.org/learn/news/Suprem_Urge_Bomb.asp|publisher= ]|date= 2005-08-22|access-date= 2008-02-16|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080424023947/http://www.adl.org/learn/news/Suprem_Urge_Bomb.asp|archive-date= 2008-04-24|url-status= dead}}</ref> Turner posted the judges' names and addresses on his Web site.<ref name="adl"/><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403063027/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/02/national/02chicago.html |date=2015-04-03 }} ] March 2, 2005</ref> | |||
On December 6, 2006, Turner announced on his website: | |||
Turner and Vazquez filed criminal charges against each other, but a Municipal Court Judge of the North Bergen Municipal Court subsequently found neither man criminally liable on July 16, 2006. Per Judge Joseph "Jay" Romano ruling: | |||
<blockquote>We may have to ASSASSINATE some of the people you elect on Nov. 7! This could be your LAST ELECTION CHANCE, to save this Republic ... Sorry to have to be so blunt, but the country is in mortal danger from our present government and our liberty is already near dead because of this government. If you are too stupid to turn things around with your vote, there are people out here like me who are willing to turn things around with guns, force and violence. We hope our method does not become necessary<ref>Staff {May 5, 2011} '']''</ref></blockquote> | |||
''"Frankly, I find both witnesses to be credible. I find both witnesses to be vehement in espousing their views and because their views diverge, there has to be some tension. Who pushed who is something this court cannot determine beyond a reasonable doubt." ''<ref>Jim Hague Hudson Reporter/NorthBergenReporter.com ], ]</ref> | |||
Since the announcement was made, Turner has had difficulties finding a host for his website. He alleged that his website has been the target of ] attacks, and subsequently filed a ] lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://halturnershow.blogspot.com//2006/12/my-web-site-has-been-turned-off.html|title=Hal Turner Show}}</ref><ref>]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031553/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/020707dnnathate.1ae2563.html |date=2007-09-30 }}. February 6, 2007</ref><ref> (defunct as of 11-07-07)</ref> | |||
==Feud with prank callers== | |||
On April 4, 2008, Turner encouraged violence against ], school superintendent Paul Ash for establishing a new curriculum supporting ]. On his website, he stated: | |||
On ], ], during the call in portion of his talk radio show, Turner came under the barrage of numerous prank phone-in calls.{{fact}} Turner was under the impression that the attacks had originated from an ] network after an ] listener gave him a tip, mentioning websites such as ], ], and ] as responsible for the pranks. Turner wrote on his web page that he would pursue the prank callers and take legal action if necessary.{{fact}} He had also vowed to post a list of phone numbers in which he believed belonged to the pranksters. Subsequent postings encouraged his regular listeners to use ] to find the homes of these individuals and to use their own form of ] on them, specifically: beating to death, and throwing firebombs into these individuals' homes and then to slit their throats when they and their family come out of the house because of the smoke.{{fact}} Two days later on ], Turner posted a <!--http://www.halturnershow.com/CrankCallerList.html--> partial list of phone numbers of people who he believed were the prank callers. Via the comments page, regular listeners began to translate the posted numbers into actual addresses. {{fact}} | |||
<blockquote>I advocate parents using FORCE AND VIOLENCE against Superintendent Paul B. Ash as a method of defending the health and safety of school children presently being endangered through his ] indoctrination into deadly, disease-ridden ] lifestyles.<ref name=metrowest> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411151242/http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/state/x2084320886 |date=2008-04-11 }}</ref></blockquote> | |||
The list was apparently taken down, but as of December 24, 2006, the list was placed online again after alleged threatening calls were made to Turner's family members. | |||
He went on to provide Ash's personal information, including his address.<ref name=metrowest/> Fourteen months later, on June 2, 2009, Turner posted on his blog | |||
<blockquote>Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed. Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty. A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions.</blockquote> | |||
]After a period of being offline, on December 27th, 2006 Turner's website redirected to the FBI's homepage. | |||
The site again went down for another period and was later brought back up featuring a new article, claiming that one of the persons responsible for the pranks and Denial of Service attacks on his page (supposedly an Australian or New Zealander poster) had mailed him his name and address and dared him to do something to him. Allegedly, Turner used his contacts to attack him physically. Along with the article, a picture of a young man with blood on his face was posted. These claims were soon proved false, as the picture was in fact obtained from (on the second page of a search for "bloody face"), and originally belonged to a ] site . The article was taken down soon afterwards. | |||
The next day Turner posted information on how to find Chief Judge ] and Judges ] and ].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/06/blogger-threatened-to-murder-judges-feds-say/ | title=Blogger Threatened to Murder Judges, Feds Say | publisher=] | date=June 24, 2009 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721104932/http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/06/blogger-threatened-to-murder-judges-feds-say | archive-date=2009-07-21 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
During his December 27th show, Turner announced that the attacks to his web site had cost him several thousand dollars in bandwidth and legal fees, and that he may have to take his show off air due to lack of funds. As of December 28, halturnershow.com redirects to a ] containing a message from Turner that the blog is the new home of halturnershow.com, and that the show will continue. Moreover, the message claims the feud was instigated by pedophiles upset with Turner's stance that pedophiles should receive the death penalty. | |||
] | |||
On the 1st of January, 2007 Hal claimed on his blogspot to have caught two of the DDoS perpetrators. | |||
Both claims are false, as Hal admitted on the phone that both claims were about one person, who has not been contacted by the federal agency, or charged for anything. | |||
=== |
===Arrests, trials, and conviction=== | ||
On June 3, 2009, Turner was arrested in New Jersey and charged with inciting injury to two politicians in ] and a state ethics official.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-web-turner-arrestjun04,0,7073648.story|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100608122810/http://articles.courant.com/2009-06-04/news/hc-turner-arrest.artjun04_1_radio-host-hal-turner-beastly-government-officials-state-ethics-office|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-06-08|title=Radio Host Hal Turner Charged With Inciting Injury To Two Connecticut Lawmakers|last=Altimari|first=Daniela|date=2009-06-04|publisher=Hartford Courant|access-date=2009-06-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_12513294 |title=N.J. man charged in threats against legislators |last=Dixon |first=Ken |date=2009-06-04 |publisher=Connecticut Post |access-date=2009-06-04 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The warrant issued was for inciting his website's readers to "take up arms" against the officials.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/police_nj_blogger_called_for_a.html|title=Police: N.J. blogger called for attack on police|date=2009-06-03|agency=Associated Press|access-date=2009-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611145809/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/police_nj_blogger_called_for_a.html|archive-date=2009-06-11|url-status=live}}</ref> Two weeks later, Turner was re-arrested on June 24, 2009, at his New Jersey home for making threats against the judges of the ] in ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/06/blogger-arrested-in-threats-on-federal-judges.html | title=Blogger arrested in threats on federal judges | publisher=Chicago Tribune | date=June 24, 2009 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627104912/http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/06/blogger-arrested-in-threats-on-federal-judges.html | archive-date=2009-06-27 | url-status=live }}</ref> When he was arrested, FBI officials seized 200 rounds of ammunition as well as three handguns and one shotgun. In the federal case, Turner was denied bail.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/06/court_bombshell_200_rounds_of.html | title=200 rounds of ammo, hollow-point bullets seized from hate blogger Turner's home | publisher=] | date=June 25, 2009 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629053734/http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/06/court_bombshell_200_rounds_of.html | archive-date=2009-06-29 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/northbergen/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1246515925264120.xml | title=Turner denied bail and judge says: Next stop, Chicago | publisher=] | date=Jul 1, 2009 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605141908/http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/northbergen/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-0%2F1246515925264120.xml | archive-date=2011-06-05 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
On ], ] a message was posted on his blog stating that he is "as of now, DEFEATED", and that his site was shut down by the datacentre hosting it due to the disruption the attacks were causing to their network. He also posted a list of all IP addresses he claims were involved in the attacks on his site. However, he soon edited the blog post to state that his show will continue to be aired on the radio even if presently unavailable on the Internet, and his intention to rebuild his Internet presence with better hosting services. | |||
On June 30, 2009, the website for Turner's blog was shut down and replaced with a notice stating that the site had been taken down by Turner's family, directing interested parties to a blog for the Family of Hal Turner, with entries by his mother.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://family-of-hal-turner.blogspot.com/ | title=Family of Hal Turner | publisher=] | date=July 2009 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117182738/http://family-of-hal-turner.blogspot.com/ | archive-date=2010-01-17 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
It was quickly noted that Turner's server was NOT turned off, but only issuing an http redirect to halturnershow.blogspot.com. | |||
====''United States v. Turner''==== | |||
{{Wikisource|United States v. Turner (Sentencing Memorandum)|Government's Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America vs Harold Turner}} | |||
On July 28, 2009, in the case of ''United States v. Turner'' in Chicago, Turner pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill three federal appellate judges there and then sought his release from custody, saying he had been an informant for the FBI.<ref name="FBISource">{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGjfCkbb0lJpx4RYiwNr1BrjYgnAD99NMMHO0 |title=Lawyer: Man accused of judge threat was FBI source |agency=Associated Press |date=July 28, 2009 |access-date=2009-07-28 }}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The judge gave Turner ten days "to produce concrete evidence of Turner's help to the FBI or federal marshals."<ref name="FBISource"/> | |||
On August 11, Turner was denied bail again. The judge cited the fact that Turner, from his prison cell, recorded and posted on the internet a telephone conversation that included the names of his arresting FBI agents. The judge said that Turner's act "tells me something about the disposition of Mr. Turner."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1709890,CST-NWS-blogger11.article | title=Man accused of threatening judges was a paid informant for the FBI | publisher=] | date=August 11, 2009 | access-date=2009-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814112644/http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1709890,CST-NWS-blogger11.article | archive-date=2009-08-14 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
His lawyer said the defense would use "Turner's background as an FBI informant" and argue that he was "trained by the FBI" as "an ]" to incite people.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-web-hal-turner-0819aug19,0,1700724.story | title=Blogger arrested in threats on federal judges | publisher=] | date=August 18, 2009 | access-date=2009-09-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821175313/http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-web-hal-turner-0819aug19,0,1700724.story | archive-date=2009-08-21 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref> | |||
{{cite news | |||
|url = http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/2009/11/upcoming-cases-test-scope-of-online-speech-protection.html | |||
|title = Upcoming trials test the boundary between 'true threats' and hyperbolic on-line speech | |||
|date = 2009-11-24 | |||
|author = Kathleen Bergin | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091205101837/http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/2009/11/upcoming-cases-test-scope-of-online-speech-protection.html | |||
|archive-date = 2009-12-05 | |||
|access-date = 2009-12-02 | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In late October 2009 Turner was freed on $500,000 bond, and was ordered not to use a computer or any device that can access the Internet.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1256279109115490.xml | title=Hate blogger Hal Turner is free on $500G bond but cannot access the internet | publisher=] | date=October 23, 2009 | access-date=2009-11-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605184434/http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-4%2F1256279109115490.xml | archive-date=2011-06-05 | url-status=live }}</ref> His trial started on November 30, 2009, and ended on December 4, 2009, with the defense opting not to call any witnesses.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/120309_Both_sides_rest_in_trial_of_North_Jersey_shock_jock.html | title=Both sides rest in trial of North Jersey shock jock | publisher=] | date=Dec 3, 2009 | access-date=2009-12-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829143613/http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/120309_Both_sides_rest_in_trial_of_North_Jersey_shock_jock.html | archive-date=2012-08-29 | url-status=live }}</ref> After two hours of deliberation, the jury announced it was deadlocked.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/120409_Jury_deadlocked_in_case_of_North_Bergen_shock_jock_Hal_Turner.html | title=Jury deadlocked in case of North Bergen shock jock Hal Turner | publisher=] | date=Dec 4, 2009 | access-date=2009-12-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208024656/http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/120409_Jury_deadlocked_in_case_of_North_Bergen_shock_jock_Hal_Turner.html | archive-date=2009-12-08 | url-status=live }}</ref> Three days later the judge declared a ], and a ] was set for March 1, 2010.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/hate-blogger-mistrial/ | title=Mistrial in Case of Hate Blogger Charged With Judge Threats | publisher=Wired | date=Dec 7, 2009 | access-date=2009-12-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091210210308/http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/hate-blogger-mistrial | archive-date=2009-12-10 | url-status=live }}</ref> This second trial, overseen by ] judge ], was moved from the ] to the ]: since the prosecution was to call the three judges to the stand, the defense felt that Turner would not get a fair hearing if the trial was conducted in the same city where the judges worked.<ref name="marek225">{{cite news|url=http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202444630931&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=National%20Law%20Journal&pt=NLJ.com-%20Daily%20Headlines&cn=20100226NLJ&kw=7th%20Circuit%20judges%20may%20testify%20in%20retrial%20over%20Web%20threats&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1|title=7th Circuit judges may testify in retrial over Web threats|last=Marek|first=Lynne|date=February 25, 2010|work=]|access-date=26 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607105922/http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202444630931&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=National%20Law%20Journal&pt=NLJ.com-%20Daily%20Headlines&cn=20100226NLJ&kw=7th%20Circuit%20judges%20may%20testify%20in%20retrial%20over%20Web%20threats&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1|archive-date=2011-06-07|url-status=live}}</ref> A mistrial was declared on March 10.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/internet-radio-hosts-case-ends-in-mistrial/ | work=The New York Times | title=Internet Radio Host's Case Ends in Mistrial | first=A. G. | last=Sulzberger | date=2010-03-10 | access-date=2010-05-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314075447/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/internet-radio-hosts-case-ends-in-mistrial/ | archive-date=2010-03-14 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
In August 2010, his third trial began and on August 31, after three days of testimony, the jury found Turner guilty.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-13/justice/newyork.turner.conviction_1_hal-turner-federal-judges-chief-judge-frank-easterbrook |archive-url = https://archive.today/20120707093709/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-13/justice/newyork.turner.conviction_1_hal-turner-federal-judges-chief-judge-frank-easterbrook |url-status = dead |archive-date = July 7, 2012 |title = Jury finds shock jock Hal Turner guilty of threatening judges |publisher = ] |date = Aug 13, 2010 }}</ref><ref name=HudsonReporterYIR>"Local shock jock sentenced to almost three years in prison", '']'', December 26, 2010, page 13</ref> On 21 December 2010, he was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Upon completion of his sentence, he was barred from participating in Internet or satellite radio programming for three years.<ref name=HudsonReporterYIR/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/122110_Shock_jock_Hal_Turner_gets_33-month_prison_sentence.html |title=Shock jock Hal Turner gets 33-month prison sentence |publisher=NorthJersey.com |date=Dec 21, 2010 |access-date=2010-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224105803/http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/122110_Shock_jock_Hal_Turner_gets_33-month_prison_sentence.html |archive-date=2010-12-24 |url-status=live }}</ref> In his sentencing memorandum, U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald made the following comment: | |||
<blockquote>For years, Turner has engaged in a campaign of intimidation against public officials and private citizens alike. Even Turner's arrest in this case failed to deter him. Turner continued his tactics by using intimidation against a key witness in the government's case against him. All the while, Turner has displayed defiance and no regret for his actions. Turner remains utterly incapable of acknowledging the genuine fear experienced by his innumerable victims – that is, except when ''he'' is the victim of a perceived threat. Turner has committed a serious crime, engaged in witness intimidation, lied repeatedly under oath, and has shown no regret whatsoever.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheatingfrenzy.com/turner119.pdf |title=Government's Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America vs Harold Turner, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 09 CR 650 |access-date=2010-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708141441/http://www.cheatingfrenzy.com/turner119.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-08 |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote> | |||
After his conviction, Turner was incarcerated in the ],<ref>''United States of America vs Harold Turner, Government's Sentencing Memorandum'' 2010</ref> and was later moved to the ].<ref name="NorthJersey.com">{{cite web |url = http://www.northjersey.com/news/North_Bergen_shock_jock_Hal_Turner_says_he_is_a_terrorist_target_in_federal_lock-up.html |title = North Bergen shock jock Hal Turner says he is a terrorist target in federal lock-up |publisher = NorthJersey.com |date = May 18, 2011 |access-date = 2011-05-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522183625/http://www.northjersey.com/news/North_Bergen_shock_jock_Hal_Turner_says_he_is_a_terrorist_target_in_federal_lock-up.html |archive-date = 2011-05-22 |url-status = live }}</ref> In May, he sent letters to '']'' saying he is one of 38 people housed in ] in the prison Terre Haute with terrorists, like ], and fears for his life once fellow prisoners find out he was a government informant.<ref name="NorthJersey.com"/><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index.ssf/2011/05/daily_poll_was_the_government.html |title = Was the government right to assign Hal Turner to a prison unit with notorious terrorists? |publisher = ] |date = May 18, 2011 |access-date = 2011-05-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522174101/http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index.ssf/2011/05/daily_poll_was_the_government.html |archive-date = 2011-05-22 |url-status = live }}</ref> | |||
During his incarceration, Turner declared bankruptcy, and his wife filed for divorce.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.wfsb.com/news/27323892/detail.html| title=Blogger In Court On Threatening Charges| publisher=]| date=March 25, 2011| access-date=2011-04-14| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411004025/http://www.wfsb.com/news/27323892/detail.html| archive-date=2011-04-11| url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
In August 2011, Turner filed an appeal for his conviction. He claimed that the government "failed to substantiate the charge" and asked to be released pending the appeal.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/North_Bergen_shock_jock_Turner_appeals_conviction_for_threatening_judges.html | title=North Bergen shock jock Turner appeals conviction for threatening judges | publisher=] | date=August 23, 2011 | access-date=2011-04-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001182852/http://www.northjersey.com/news/North_Bergen_shock_jock_Turner_appeals_conviction_for_threatening_judges.html | archive-date=2012-10-01 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
====''Connecticut v. Turner''==== | |||
In July 2009 the Connecticut case was handed to a division of the state court that handles more serious matters.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/20090714_ap_njbloggersviolencecaseinconncontinued.html |title=NJ blogger's violence case in Conn. continued |publisher=] |date=July 14, 2009 |access-date=2009-07-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718051927/http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/new_jersey/20090714_ap_njbloggersviolencecaseinconncontinued.html |archive-date=July 18, 2009 }}</ref> In early February 2011, Turner appeared in a Hartford court for the ''Connecticut v. Turner'' pre-trial hearing on three counts of inciting injuries to persons.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/02/north_bergen_shock_jock_hal_tu.html | title=North Bergen "shock jock" Hal Turner in Connecticut tomorrow for hearing on charges he encouraged violence against lawmakers | publisher=The Jersey Journal | date=February 15, 2011 | access-date=2011-03-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219112617/http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/02/north_bergen_shock_jock_hal_tu.html | archive-date=2011-02-19 | url-status=live }}</ref> The three felony counts Turner faced each carried one to 10 years in prison.<ref name="BloggerWants"/> | |||
In late February 2011, the federal government reported that e-mails "show it appears Turner plans to pursue judicial and law-enforcement officials after he's released from prison." On February 2, Turner wrote "when I get out, I'm gonna go after some 'problems' and take care of them in a manner that will be horrific."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-02-28/u-s-wants-to-destroy-convicted-blogger-hal-turner-s-guns.html| title=U.S. Wants to Destroy Convicted Blogger Hal Turner's Guns| publisher=]| date=February 28, 2011| access-date=2011-03-15| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306184738/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-02-28/u-s-wants-to-destroy-convicted-blogger-hal-turner-s-guns.html| archive-date=2011-03-06| url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
On March 25, 2011, Turner appeared in Hartford asking the court to be allowed to change his attorney, telling the judge, "I have no confidence in his ability to defend me."<ref name="AttorneyChange">{{cite news| url=http://www.wfsb.com/news/27323892/detail.html| title=Blogger In Court On Threatening Charges| publisher=]| date=March 25, 2011| access-date=2011-03-28| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411004025/http://www.wfsb.com/news/27323892/detail.html| archive-date=2011-04-11| url-status=dead}}</ref> The judge reluctantly allowed him to change his private attorney for a public defender citing Turner's unusually bad year.<ref name="AttorneyChange"/> On April 7, with a public defender at his side, Turner pleaded not guilty and the case will go to trial.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/blogger-charged-with-encouraging-violence-against-conn-lawmakers-is-taking-his-case-to-trial/2011/04/07/AFR5XNxC_story.html | title=Blogger charged with encouraging violence against Conn. lawmakers is taking his case to trial | newspaper=] | date= April 7, 2011 | access-date =2011-04-10}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> | |||
In July 2011, Turner's public defender asked for the case to be dismissed, saying Turner's statements were free speech and that Connecticut courts did not have jurisdiction because his threats were made in New Jersey.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/07/north_bergen_hate_blogger_hal_1.html | title=North Bergen hate blogger Hal Turner set to argue case in Connecticut should be dismissed on free speech grounds | publisher=] | date=July 24, 2011 | access-date=2011-07-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017080428/http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/07/north_bergen_hate_blogger_hal_1.html | archive-date=2012-10-17 | url-status=live }}</ref> Prosecutor Thomas Garcia responded that Turner himself wrote that his intent behind the writing was to "foment direct action" against the lawmakers "personally."<ref name="BloggerWants">{{cite news | url=http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-ap-ct-blogger-threatsjul26,0,4986941.story | title=Blogger wants Conn. 'take up arms' charges tossed | publisher=] | date=July 26, 2011 | access-date=2011-07-24 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
In September 2011, Turner asked Judge ] for permission to represent himself after disagreeing with his public defender, John Stawicki, about defense strategy.<ref name="AttorneySelection">{{cite news | url=https://www.courant.com/2011/09/08/blogger-who-allegedly-incited-people-to-injure-officials-will-act-as-own-lawyer/ | title=Blogger Who Allegedly Incited People To Injure Officials Will Act As Own Lawyer | publisher=] | date=September 8, 2011 | access-date=2011-07-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813192133/http://articles.courant.com/2011-09-08/news/hc-hartford-harold-turner-trial-0909-20110908_1_harold-hal-turner-beastly-government-officials-jury-selection | archive-date=2012-08-13 | url-status=live }}</ref> Judge Schuman agreed, but Stawicki remained as stand-by counsel.<ref name="AttorneySelection"/> That same week jury selection began.<ref name="JurySelection">{{cite news | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=14466232 | title=Jury Being Chosen in 'Take up Arms' Blogger Trial | work=] | date= September 7, 2011 | access-date =2011-07-24}}</ref> | |||
On September 16, 2011, after three hours of deliberation, Turner was found not guilty of "felony inciting injury to people and misdemeanor threatening."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/jjournal-weeklies/index.ssf/2011/09/north_bergen_blogger_wins_acqu.html | title=North Bergen blogger wins acquittal on Connecticut charges | publisher=] | date=Sep 23, 2011 | access-date=2011-09-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129095117/http://www.nj.com/jjournal-weeklies/index.ssf/2011/09/north_bergen_blogger_wins_acqu.html | archive-date=2015-11-29 | url-status=live }}</ref> After hugging his family, Turner was "escorted back into custody" to continue serving his sentence in the federal case.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.courant.com/2011-09-16/news/hc-hal-turner-trial-0917-20110916_1_beastly-government-officials-police-department-or-court-harold-hal-turner | title=Jury Gets Case Of Blogger Charged With Threatening State Lawmakers | publisher=] | date=September 16, 2011 | access-date=2011-09-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530233908/http://articles.courant.com/2011-09-16/news/hc-hal-turner-trial-0917-20110916_1_beastly-government-officials-police-department-or-court-harold-hal-turner | archive-date=2013-05-30 | url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Turner was released from prison on October 5, 2012.<ref name="bop">Harold Charles Turner, inmate # 30057-050; {{cite news | url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=30057-050&x=73&y=13 | title=Inmate Locator | publisher=] | year=2011 | access-date=2015-10-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920174738/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=30057-050&x=73&y=13 | archive-date=2012-09-20 | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist|2}} | |||
<references/> | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* | * (Turner's current site as of 2021) | ||
* | * archived at ] | ||
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* | * | ||
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* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708141441/http://www.cheatingfrenzy.com/turner119.pdf |date=2011-07-08 }} | |||
* | |||
{{Anonymous and the_Internet}} | |||
* | |||
{{white nationalism}} | |||
* | |||
{{Historical revisionism}} | |||
* ] entry on Turner, comparing him to ] | |||
{{Alt-right footer}} | |||
* ] detailing Turner's stormy relationship with other ] in the wake of the Lefkow killings | |||
* | |||
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{{Authority control}} | |||
===About the feud with prank callers=== | |||
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Hal}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 15:39, 29 September 2024
American holocaust denier and radio host
Hal Turner | |
---|---|
Born | Harold Charles Turner (1962-03-15) March 15, 1962 (age 62) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
Occupation | Radio host |
Harold Charles "Hal" Turner (born March 15, 1962) is an American political commentator and convicted felon from North Bergen, New Jersey.
Turner's viewpoints typically encompass Holocaust denial and white supremacy, and have included calls for assassination of government officials. In August 2010, he was convicted for making threats against three federal judges with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, for which he spent two years in prison.
Turner has sporadically hosted The Hal Turner Show, usually on shortwave radio station WBCQ, since 2002, as well as a corresponding blog, which has changed URLs frequently and has spread hoaxes and fake news.
Early life
Turner was born in Jersey City and raised in Union City and from age five in Ridgefield Park, where he attended Ridgefield Park High School. Prior to working on radio, Turner worked as a driver and a salesman.
Early career
Identifying himself as "Hal from North Bergen", Turner became notable in American conservative circles as a frequent caller to and supporter of WABC radio talk show hosts Bob Grant and Sean Hannity. Turner parlayed this fame into a role as the northern New Jersey coordinator for Patrick J. Buchanan's 1992 presidential campaign.
Turner claims he established a friendship with Sean Hannity, on whose radio program he had once been a frequent presence. In 2008, while Hannity and Malik Zulu Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party were debating Barack Obama's association with Jeremiah Wright, Shabazz asked Hannity if he should "be judged by (his) promotion and association with Hal Turner". Hannity began to say that he didn't know Turner, but then said he was someone he had banned from his radio program ten years before. Turner subsequently gave an account of their association on his website, in which he said of Hannity's response: "I was quite disappointed when Sean Hannity at first tried to say he didn't know me. In fact, Sean does know me and we were quite friendly a few years ago." Phil Boyce, Program Director of WABC, disputed the account, which described a friendship developing between Turner and Hannity in 1993, three years before Hannity was actually hired at WABC.
Turner became a talk radio host, joining fellow regular callers Frank from Queens and John from Staten Island to start the program The Right Perspective. Turner left the program in 2002, citing artistic differences. In 2002, Turner became a solo host, purchasing a time slot on shortwave radio station WBCQ, over which he broadcast for approximately four years. On WBCQ on March 22, 2004, he left the show "after harshly criticizing his supporters, listeners, and WBCQ." The show lacked financial support and Turner had health problems, leading to the temporary closure of his website and show.
Activism and assault claims
In the 2000 US congress election, Turner sought the Republican Party nomination for election to the United States Congress from New Jersey's 13th congressional district. He received 18.6% of the vote, losing to Theresa de Leon. Turner has identified himself as the "Chairman of the Republican Party of Hudson County, NJ Corp," a group which has no connection to the official Hudson County Republican Party recognized by the state and national party. According to news reports, Hudson County Republican officials have stated that Turner's party is a "paper corporation with little or no membership".
In response to an October 7, 2005, assault against a white student by a Black student at Kingston High School, Turner, working with the white nationalist group National Vanguard, organized a rally which he called a "rally against violence". He characterized the rally as both "pro-white" and "against violence". The victim's mother chose not to attend the rally. In response, local residents, including political and religious leaders, organized a number of "Unity Rallies" with a tolerance theme. When the rally occurred on November 19, 2005, Turner and the National Vanguard attracted approximately 50 demonstrators, compared to the 100 counter-demonstrators. Turner called for the attacker to be charged with a hate crime, but the case resulted in the perpetrator being indicted as an adult with two felony counts: assault and attempted assault instead.
On April 12, 2006, Turner had a physical altercation with Jaime Vazquez, a former Jersey City deputy mayor and a member of the Jersey City Council, who was the Jersey City Commissioner of Veterans Affairs at the time. The North Bergen Reporter quoted Turner as saying "(t)he illegal immigrants are breaking the law, and people like me should break the law as well by shooting them down." In response, Vazquez picketed with a sign reading "Hal Turner — shoot me! Racists and bigots like you are cowards." This was followed by a physical confrontation, during which Vazquez suffered a back injury and a fractured wrist. Turner and Vazquez later filed criminal charges against each other. On July 16, 2006 North Bergen Municipal Court Judge Joseph Romano found both men to be equally credible and thus neither criminally liable.
Broadcasting and website issues
In 2002, Turner started broadcasting, but quit the show in July 2008 and resumed broadcasting it in April 2009 as the Turner Radio Network. In August 2008 his website also closed. Although he retained a blog, it was shut down by his host, Google's Blogger, for violations of terms of service.
Origin of China eminent domain hoax
In February 2009, Turner posted an article on his blog entitled: "FEDS GRANT EMINENT DOMAIN AS COLLATERAL TO CHINA FOR U.S. DEBTS!" claiming that a secret agreement had been made to allow China to physically take U.S. land, in the event of a U.S. default. The story created "hundreds of identical Internet replications" according to Snopes.
Anonymous website raid
Turner stated that in December 2006 and January 2007 individuals who identified themselves as members of the group Anonymous took Turner's website offline, costing him thousands of dollars in bandwidth bills. On January 19, 2007, Turner sued 4chan, eBaum's World, 7chan, Abjects IRC network, and other websites for copyright infringement. On January 22, 2007, he lost his plea for an injunction. In February 2007 4chan responded to the lawsuit. In April 2007, the judge asked the parties to submit information to schedule proceedings. However, Turner failed to respond. Mail from the court to Turner was returned as "Undeliverable". The judge dismissed the case in December 2007.
FBI informant
Turner was a paid informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for several years, supplying information about right-wing groups to federal agents. The original allegations that Turner acted as an informant for the FBI surfaced in 2008 after unidentified hackers claimed on Turner's website's forums that they had read email correspondences between him and an FBI agent, apparently his handler. This led to a discussion on a neo-Nazi website on January 10, 2008, in which Turner revealed that he was quitting political work, ending his radio show and separating "from the 'pro-White' movement". The FBI has declined to comment on the matter. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League reported on the emails that "a neo-Nazi Website had posted material reportedly found by the hackers, including alleged exchanges between himself and law enforcement agents which indicated that Turner had been providing information to them."
On July 28, 2009, in a Chicago courtroom, Turner's defense lawyer said that Turner worked as a paid informant for the FBI. In December 2009, The Record published an investigative report on Turner's "complex" relationship with the FBI and Federal U.S. Marshal Service, noting that all parties broke off contact at several points.
Turner's information led to the arrests of the Hutaree militia, with Turner's FBI handler serving as the prosecution's witness.
Michael A. Orozco, Turner's lawyer said, "I don't think he was a racist. He was doing a lot of those things at the behest of the FBI."
Return to radio
On October 7, 2015, Turner returned to radio for the weekly, two hour Hal Turner Show, broadcast on shortwave radio station WBCQ and over the internet. For a time in 2015, Turner promoted another broadcast over "Superstation 95," a pirate radio station in the New York City area. The show aired until February 1, 2017, and then resumed on July 5, 2017, eventually adding two more shortwave affiliates, WRMI and WWCR. Turner stated at the end of March 2019 that he had run out of funds to keep the show on WBCQ and WRMI. An associated fundraising appeal was a success, and Turner expanded his broadcast to a daily show.
Threats against judges and political figures
Turner has a history of making threats against various public figures. In 2005, Turner publicized the names of three federal court judges who handled lawsuits involving Matt Hale, a white supremacist convicted of soliciting the murder of a federal judge. Turner posted the judges' names and addresses on his Web site.
On December 6, 2006, Turner announced on his website:
We may have to ASSASSINATE some of the people you elect on Nov. 7! This could be your LAST ELECTION CHANCE, to save this Republic ... Sorry to have to be so blunt, but the country is in mortal danger from our present government and our liberty is already near dead because of this government. If you are too stupid to turn things around with your vote, there are people out here like me who are willing to turn things around with guns, force and violence. We hope our method does not become necessary
Since the announcement was made, Turner has had difficulties finding a host for his website. He alleged that his website has been the target of denial of service attacks, and subsequently filed a pro se lawsuit.
On April 4, 2008, Turner encouraged violence against Lexington, Massachusetts, school superintendent Paul Ash for establishing a new curriculum supporting homosexuals. On his website, he stated:
I advocate parents using FORCE AND VIOLENCE against Superintendent Paul B. Ash as a method of defending the health and safety of school children presently being endangered through his politically-correct indoctrination into deadly, disease-ridden sodomite lifestyles.
He went on to provide Ash's personal information, including his address. Fourteen months later, on June 2, 2009, Turner posted on his blog
Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed. Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty. A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions.
The next day Turner posted information on how to find Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook and Judges Richard Posner and William J. Bauer.
Arrests, trials, and conviction
On June 3, 2009, Turner was arrested in New Jersey and charged with inciting injury to two politicians in Connecticut and a state ethics official. The warrant issued was for inciting his website's readers to "take up arms" against the officials. Two weeks later, Turner was re-arrested on June 24, 2009, at his New Jersey home for making threats against the judges of the United States Court of Appeals in Chicago. When he was arrested, FBI officials seized 200 rounds of ammunition as well as three handguns and one shotgun. In the federal case, Turner was denied bail.
On June 30, 2009, the website for Turner's blog was shut down and replaced with a notice stating that the site had been taken down by Turner's family, directing interested parties to a blog for the Family of Hal Turner, with entries by his mother.
United States v. Turner
On July 28, 2009, in the case of United States v. Turner in Chicago, Turner pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill three federal appellate judges there and then sought his release from custody, saying he had been an informant for the FBI. The judge gave Turner ten days "to produce concrete evidence of Turner's help to the FBI or federal marshals." On August 11, Turner was denied bail again. The judge cited the fact that Turner, from his prison cell, recorded and posted on the internet a telephone conversation that included the names of his arresting FBI agents. The judge said that Turner's act "tells me something about the disposition of Mr. Turner."
His lawyer said the defense would use "Turner's background as an FBI informant" and argue that he was "trained by the FBI" as "an agent provocateur" to incite people. In late October 2009 Turner was freed on $500,000 bond, and was ordered not to use a computer or any device that can access the Internet. His trial started on November 30, 2009, and ended on December 4, 2009, with the defense opting not to call any witnesses. After two hours of deliberation, the jury announced it was deadlocked. Three days later the judge declared a mistrial, and a retrial was set for March 1, 2010. This second trial, overseen by Western District of Louisiana judge Donald Walter, was moved from the Northern District of Illinois to the Eastern District of New York: since the prosecution was to call the three judges to the stand, the defense felt that Turner would not get a fair hearing if the trial was conducted in the same city where the judges worked. A mistrial was declared on March 10.
In August 2010, his third trial began and on August 31, after three days of testimony, the jury found Turner guilty. On 21 December 2010, he was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Upon completion of his sentence, he was barred from participating in Internet or satellite radio programming for three years. In his sentencing memorandum, U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald made the following comment:
For years, Turner has engaged in a campaign of intimidation against public officials and private citizens alike. Even Turner's arrest in this case failed to deter him. Turner continued his tactics by using intimidation against a key witness in the government's case against him. All the while, Turner has displayed defiance and no regret for his actions. Turner remains utterly incapable of acknowledging the genuine fear experienced by his innumerable victims – that is, except when he is the victim of a perceived threat. Turner has committed a serious crime, engaged in witness intimidation, lied repeatedly under oath, and has shown no regret whatsoever.
After his conviction, Turner was incarcerated in the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, and was later moved to the Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute. In May, he sent letters to The Jersey Journal saying he is one of 38 people housed in Communication Management Unit in the prison Terre Haute with terrorists, like John Walker Lindh, and fears for his life once fellow prisoners find out he was a government informant.
During his incarceration, Turner declared bankruptcy, and his wife filed for divorce.
In August 2011, Turner filed an appeal for his conviction. He claimed that the government "failed to substantiate the charge" and asked to be released pending the appeal.
Connecticut v. Turner
In July 2009 the Connecticut case was handed to a division of the state court that handles more serious matters. In early February 2011, Turner appeared in a Hartford court for the Connecticut v. Turner pre-trial hearing on three counts of inciting injuries to persons. The three felony counts Turner faced each carried one to 10 years in prison.
In late February 2011, the federal government reported that e-mails "show it appears Turner plans to pursue judicial and law-enforcement officials after he's released from prison." On February 2, Turner wrote "when I get out, I'm gonna go after some 'problems' and take care of them in a manner that will be horrific."
On March 25, 2011, Turner appeared in Hartford asking the court to be allowed to change his attorney, telling the judge, "I have no confidence in his ability to defend me." The judge reluctantly allowed him to change his private attorney for a public defender citing Turner's unusually bad year. On April 7, with a public defender at his side, Turner pleaded not guilty and the case will go to trial.
In July 2011, Turner's public defender asked for the case to be dismissed, saying Turner's statements were free speech and that Connecticut courts did not have jurisdiction because his threats were made in New Jersey. Prosecutor Thomas Garcia responded that Turner himself wrote that his intent behind the writing was to "foment direct action" against the lawmakers "personally."
In September 2011, Turner asked Judge Carl J. Schuman for permission to represent himself after disagreeing with his public defender, John Stawicki, about defense strategy. Judge Schuman agreed, but Stawicki remained as stand-by counsel. That same week jury selection began.
On September 16, 2011, after three hours of deliberation, Turner was found not guilty of "felony inciting injury to people and misdemeanor threatening." After hugging his family, Turner was "escorted back into custody" to continue serving his sentence in the federal case.
Turner was released from prison on October 5, 2012.
References
- "Official records from international Red Cross prove "holocaust" was fraud". www.halturnershow.com. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- "Hal Turner". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- "What makes Hal Turner run?", The Hudson Reporter, March 20, 2000. Accessed November 26, 2019. "Turner was born in Jersey City and lived in Union City until he was five years old, when his family moved to Ridgefield Park, where he was raised and attended high school."
- "40 to Watch: Leaders of the Radical Right". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
- ^ Blumenthal, Max (2005-06-03). "Hannity's Soul-Mate of Hate". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - Blumenthal, Max (2005-06-03). "Hannity's Soul-Mate of Hate (page 2)". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - Hal Turner (2008-03-23). "About Sean Hannity and Me". Archived from the original on 2015-11-29. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
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- Smart, Paul (2005-11-18). "Turning our backs in unity Kingston falls into line behind mayor's call to SPURN white supremacist rally". Woodstock Times. Archived from the original on 2006-05-23. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
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- Fairchild, Mary (December 14, 2005). "KHS teen indicted for assault, not hate crime". Daily Freeman. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
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- "The Hudson Reporter - No charges in case of ex-councilman v. white supremacistNorth Bergen judge rules Turner, Vazquez not guilty". Archived from the original on 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
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- "Racist Radio, Newspaper Close Up Shops". Southern Poverty Law Center. Winter 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
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... the story appears only in the blog of former radio host Hal Turner ... and in hundreds of identical Internet replications.
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- "Hal Turner Claims to Leave Movement After Accusations of Being an Informant". Anti-Defamation League. 2008-01-18. Archived from the original on 2008-05-05. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- "Radio host denies threatening federal judges". Chicago Breaking News Center. July 28, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- "Records show feds used ultra-right radio host for years". The Record. November 29, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- "Defense in Hutaree militia trial asks for a mistrial". Detroit Free Press. March 21, 2012. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
- "Shock jock Neo-Nazi walks free". . October 9, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
- "The Hal Turner Show returns to WBCQ". Archived from the original on 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
- "Hal Turner and His Supporters Threaten Officials and Other Targets of Their Hate". Anti-Defamation League. October 3, 2005. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ "White Supremacist Radio Host Urges Bombings, Assassinations". Anti-Defamation League. 2005-08-22. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- Haunted by Threats, U.S. Judge Finds New Horror Archived 2015-04-03 at the Wayback Machine New York Times March 2, 2005
- Staff {May 5, 2011} "Conservative Radio Host Announces 'Assassination' Schedule For Members Of Congress..." HuffPost
- "Hal Turner Show".
- Dallas Morning News. Hate-talk radio host down in mouth Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. February 6, 2007
- Hal Turner's blog (defunct as of 11-07-07)
- ^ Lexington superintendent threatened by radio host - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News Archived 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
- "Blogger Threatened to Murder Judges, Feds Say". Wired. June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- Altimari, Daniela (2009-06-04). "Radio Host Hal Turner Charged With Inciting Injury To Two Connecticut Lawmakers". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2010-06-08. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
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- ^ "Local shock jock sentenced to almost three years in prison", Year in Review: The Hudson Reporter, December 26, 2010, page 13
- "Shock jock Hal Turner gets 33-month prison sentence". NorthJersey.com. Dec 21, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- "Government's Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America vs Harold Turner, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 09 CR 650" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- United States of America vs Harold Turner, Government's Sentencing Memorandum 2010
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- ^ "Blogger wants Conn. 'take up arms' charges tossed". Hartford Courant. July 26, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
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- Harold Charles Turner, inmate # 30057-050; "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
External links
- HalTurnerRadioShow.com (Turner's current site as of 2021)
- www.halturnershow.com (defunct) archived at Archive.org
- Blog with updates on his status
- Follow-up interview with The Nation: "Max Blumenthal Probes Hannity's History With Talk Radio's 'Angry White Men' -- and Fanning the Flames of Racial Politics"
- Anti-Defamation League: "Turner in his own words"
- Southern Poverty Law Center: "The Host of Hate: Harold C. Turner"
- Government's Sentencing Memorandum: United States of America vs Harold Turner Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
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