Criminal Justice

Was a 19-year-old girl in Texas sentenced to "96 years in prison" after traveling across state lines to gain access to an abortion procedure? No, that's not true: The social media account that shared this post is a satirical one. Furthermore, Texas law enforcement officials did not publicly announce such an arrest and conviction, and no reputable media outlet covered…

Does a video of a congressional hearing show a Democratic congresswoman from California saying she believes pedophilia is an identity and not a crime? No, that's not true: Katie Porter's remarks were about the use of false narratives on social media that label LGBTQ individuals as pedophiles because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. The claim appeared in a…

Did the Brazilian military kill the leaders of the Red Command cartel in early December 2022, and prepare to "take over" the country? No, that's not true: The article circulating on social media that makes these claims contains multiple factual inaccuracies and recycled false claims. The claim appeared in an article published by thegatewaypundit.com on December 5, 2022 (archived here.)…

Does a birth certificate or a Social Security number turn a person into the property or a ward of the state? No, that's not true: The claim misrepresents the nature of a highly publicized case in New Zealand in which the judge ruled that a baby should receive a needed blood transfusion so doctors could perform heart surgery despite his…

Was "even the media" prosecuted during the 1945-46 Nuremberg trials of Nazi Germany's leadership and "put to death for lying to the public"? No, that's not true: This claim misrepresents the purpose of these historical legal proceedings, which set a precedent for holding individuals accountable for crimes against humanity. As the archives show, even those defendants who had a history…

Did actor Tom Hanks' name appear on the flight list of a private jet owned by Jeffrey Epstein, the U.S. financier who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges? No, that's not true: Hanks' name does not appear on the flight logs for Epstein's plane, which have been in the public domain since 2015.…

Did David DePape go to the Pelosi house for gay sex and drugs? No, that's not true. FBI charging documents for David DePape state that he told investigators he wanted to hold House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "hostage" and "break her kneecaps" when he encountered her husband Paul in the home. According to the documents, DePape never mentioned gay sex or…

Was Martin Luther King Jr. "killed by his doctor" and "not the bullet" that wounded him? No, that's not true: The official autopsy confirms that King's cause of death was a fatal gunshot wound. The claim that King was killed by his doctor, not by James Earl Ray, is an old conspiracy theory. The claim appeared in a Facebook reel…

Was actor Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in "The Lord of the Rings" movies, arrested for child sex crimes? No, that's not true: Contrary to the claim that Wood was arrested by the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, the Posse Comitatus Act forbids the military from enforcing civilian law. The claim was posted on a satirical website that…

Did Illinois pass a real "PURGE" law? No, that's not true: A recently enacted law does not allow all crimes to be legal for one night, the plot of the Hollywood horror flick "The Purge." The state did pass a law that would eliminate cash bail for certain crimes, but judges have the final say over whether or not defendants…