Originally published at National Justice.
The US government’s war on political dissent has been covered extensively by mainstream media in regards to policy, but few tell the stories of those personally impacted by the Department of Justice’s blatant disregard for basic civil liberties and due process.
In one stark and ongoing example, a decorated Navy veteran who comes from a family that has served their country in World War II and Vietnam has had life was turned upside down for engaging in lawful political activism.
Details of this case have been provided to National Justice in hopes of bringing attention to his family’s plight.
Antifa Doxers and Mysterious Identity Theft
It all begin in March 2020, when anarchists doxed Joseph Berger of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania in response to his participation in a community protest against the use of the local public library to host Drag Queen Story Hour. A 2019 poll featured on Lehigh Valley Live found that 71% of people said they opposed the event.
Soon after being doxed, Berger began receiving threatening messages from Telegram accounts using “Terrorwave” aesthetics, associated with the “Siege” subculture, that sent him photographs taken of him at a public venue and claimed to have his personal information.
According to evidence reviewed by National Justice, the likely doxer was Paul Minton, a Philadelphia Antifa organizer who in 2001 was convicted of participating in a homicide, but was able to take a no jail plea bargain after serving as a cooperating witness.
Then in May 2020, following this encounter, Berger’s identity was stolen and cyber criminals attempted to open up fraudulent credit cards in his name.
When the harassment, likely from anarchists, escalated to this point, he contacted the Bethlehem Police Department to investigate the crime.
When Berger followed up with the detective on his case — an email exchange provided to National Justice — he was told that while they had a lead on who was trying to use his credit card information, COVID manpower shortages meant that they were having difficulties getting a warrant.
But Berger believes there may be more to the story than meets the eye after realizing he was being investigated by the FBI. It is possible that this may have been a trick to get him to hand over his bank account information without a warrant. This incident is the subject of a “Right to Know” request he has recently petitioned for.
DHS and FBI Raid His Home
As things quieted down, two FBI agents showed up at his door the following October. The Bergers did not answer, but their doorbell camera caught the two agents slinking around on their front porch. After this encounter, in January, a full blown Department of Homeland Security and FBI joint operation raided the home.
Video of this last raid was provided to National Justice.
In the footage, local police fooled Berger’s mother into believing somebody had called 911 and there was an emergency. When she opened the door, police and federal agents stormed through the door and strong armed the elderly woman. The agents in question then covered up the Ring camera using one of their masks.
The raid was so theatrically over the top that it even made the news on The Morning Call.
According to Berger, the search warrant was over solvent traps — a perfectly legal tool to catch oil from firearms while they are being cleaned.
The ATF has publicly suggested that solvent traps are legal as long as users do not alter them. But in the last year, the FBI and DHS have been capitalizing on this legal gray area to punish people for political reasons.
The January search warrant was not only authorized to look for solvent traps, but also “white supremacist literature,” meaning that the gun technicality was nothing more than an excuse. During the raid, federal agents seized a playing card game that features images of Nazi soldiers on them, all of the firearms in the home, and a computer.
The US Attorney overseeing this entire debacle has not charged Berger or his family for the solvent traps, but is also refusing to talk to their legal counsel.
The FBI continues to pester Berger and his acquaintances. In one recent incident, agents questioned a relative on what Berger’s personal views on gay and transgender issues are, clearly showing that the government’s interest is primarily political. Agents have also visited Berger at his work. The goal appears to be to create pressure on Berger until he agrees to an “interview” with the fishing feds, which he does not have an obligation to do.
The whole experience has racked up enormous legal fees for the working class Berger family, who are currently battling in court to get their property back and preparing retainers for whatever tricks may be up the prosecutor’s sleeve.
If you are interested in supporting them in their legal fight, send money to their Bitcoin address here: bc1qs5qrjqjwurlxcreway6j0awn9d0f3fsek7u337