Militia Leader Accused Of Extorting Members Using Cartel Name Will Plead Not Guilty

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Another reich winger following dear leader's example in separating followers from their money

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James Russell Bolton Jr., the leader of a small militia in Eastern Washington who’s accused of extorting his own militia members in an elaborate scheme involving a phony Mexican cartel, will plead not guilty, his lawyer told TPM in an email Wednesday.

In a series of police reports obtained by TPM, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office laid out the Coen brothers-esque story behind the accusations against Bolton. In a series of ominous letters, a man going by the name “Alessio Don De Grande” demanded thousands of dollars from members of the militia Bolton led — the Stevens County Assembly — and threatening violence if they did not comply.

In one particularly violent chapter recounted to police, Bolton allegedly pushed a fellow militia member down a flight of stairs onto the concrete floor below, leaving a large cut in the man’s head, and then attempted to wrap a plastic bag around the man’s head.

After his alleged would-be victim convinced Bolton to stop the attack, Bolton allegedly claimed his wife Kim had been kidnapped. He allegedly asked the man for money to help pay his wife’s supposed ransom. A few days later, as the man recovered, he and other militia members received an email from Bolton saying that he was skipping town.