Criminal Justice

Does a Justice Department indictment document say the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) organized the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and paid $300,000 to transport people there? No, that's not true, but it's complicated: The indictment states that one person did receive $300,000, but that SPLC paid that out over nine years. It also says they "arranged transportation…

Did "Biden body double" AJ Barron flip and cut a deal to testify about acting on behalf of the then-sitting president? No, that's not true: The tale originated from America's Last Line of Defense (ALLOD), a network of satire sites. Lead Stories found no record of anyone named AJ Barron publicly claiming to be a Biden body double. The claim…

Does a video from the Epstein Files show Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, in a private helicopter at an airport? No, that's not true: There is no evidence this video came from the Department of Justice (DOJ) public release of "Epstein Files". None of the social media posts with the video contained a file number from the release. Additionally, Doug…

Did various politicians and celebrities all hand down a "verdict" for a "$120 million ultimatum" to former President Barack Obama over repayments related to Obamacare? No, that's not true: Several such stories naming people as diverse as Jeanine Pirro, Jim Caviezel, Kid Rock and Stevie Nicks issuing the same "ruling" were posted by a network of foreign-run Facebook pages. The…

Was Decarlos Brown Jr., accused of killing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, a foreign national who "came in through open borders," as Donald Trump said during the State of the Union address? No, that is not true: Brown was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from West Mecklenburg High School. Because he was born in the United States, he is…

Did CNN report that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who "un-alived" Minnesota nurse Alex Pretti and claimed "self-defense" was found "not-guilty"? No, that's not true: A search across the network's website did not show any CNN story saying that happened. Talking to Lead Stories, CNN's spokesperson said that the claim is false. As of this writing, none of the…

Is the business featured in a recent video by Dr. Mehmet Oz related to hospice and home care fraud in Los Angeles? No, that's not true: The business is a family-owned and operated bakery and market and there is no evidence that implicates the business in any fraud prosecution or to the hospice and home care industry. Several other businesses…

Does a viral screenshot of a headline claiming Michael Byrd "pocketed" $190 million in HHS funds for an "unaccredited" daycare in Maryland show the current state of the article? No, that's not true: The Gateway Pundit website made several changes to the headline and the article over time, now pointing out $190 million is the total of all Federal child…

Was a Catholic nun fatally stabbed in Croatia by an "unnamed migrant man" in late November 2025? No, that's not true: Sister Marija Tatjana Zrno is alive. Police concluded she stabbed herself and they were investigating her for filing a false crime report. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on December 1, 2025. It read:…

Does a video show the final verdict being handed down in the trial of Decarlos Brown for the killing of Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed while riding a train in Charlotte, North Carolina? No, that's not true: This video montage was originally posted on Instagram with a caption suggesting that it was a hypothetical outcome, "This an idea of…