The Trinidad 40 – Another Drug War Failure!

In December of 2013, a four month drug sting conducted by the Trinidad, Colorado, and Raton, New Mexico Police Departments, culminated in the arrests of 40 people for various counts of distribution of controlled substances. Immediately, several individuals began professing their innocence, with two out of the forty individuals arrested, in jail at the time of the alleged crimes.

Over the next several months, all of the cases were quietly dismissed. Shortly thereafter, the American Civil Liberties Union became involved, and immediately started dictating the narrative. The story told was directly beneficial to the agenda of the ACLU. Now hear the truth!

“The Trinidad 40 – Another Drug War Failure!” Information Page

The Truth

On March 9th, 2014, Shock Justice released “The Trinidad 40 – Another Drug War Failure!” in an effort to assist Danika Gonzales, in fighting felony charges brought forth by District Attorney Frank Ruybalid of Las Animas and Heurfano Counties. I knew Danika Gonzales, my first cousin, a probation officer, to be an honest, upstanding member of society.

Read The Original Story Here

The next day Paid Confidential Informant for District Attorney Frank Ruybalid and the Trinidad Police Department, Crystal Bachicha, contacted Shock Justice. Crystal Bachicha, a convicted felon was later convicted of perjury in this very case.

District Attorney Frank Ruybalid released this informants name on January 13, 2014. Crystal Bachicha later admitted to contacting the Shock Justice website when questioned on the stand by Public Defender Christian Griffin.

This is Crystal Bachicha’s first message to Shock Justice.

Read the full email exchange here.

This email exchange lasted for approximately 6 days.

I started forwarding these emails to Public Defender Christian Griffin and Danika Gonzales on 3/13/2014.

Immediately this bogus drug sting started to disintegrate. Subsequently, all cases were quietly dismissed. In August of 2014, Shock Justice removed all relevant information from this website.

The American Civil Liberties Union then came in and took Danika Gonzales’ case, along with one other falsely accused member of “The Trinidad 40.” The news stories followed shortly thereafter.

Visit our News Stories Page for more info.

I felt strongly that justice would be served with “the nation’s premier defender of liberty and individual freedom,” the American Civil Liberties Union, on the case.

I was walking away. I was satisfied with the outcome of my efforts. I did this out of love, without any expectation of reward or compensation. The only thing that I asked of my cousin, was that she protect me.

Everything went to plan until the eleventh hour when the American Civil Liberties revealed themselves for what they truly are.

ACLU Client Breaches Confidentiality Agreement

In May of 2015, I was contacted by the Plaintiff, Danika Gonzales, in the federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the City of Trinidad, CO by the American Civil Liberties Union. She informed me that the City of Trinidad introduced, into her federal civil rights lawsuit, a file containing a sealed investigation, with false allegations against myself, Jesse Ray Breedlove, the proprietor of this website, by none other than Confidential Informant Crystal Bachicha.

Danika Gonzales stated and actually read several of the alleged emails that I supposedly sent to Crystal Bachicha. The following, is information relayed directly to me, by Danika Gonzales.

1. There is a sealed investigation targeting Jesse Ray Breedlove, the Shock Justice website, and Danika Gonzales for her participation in releasing this website.
2. This sealed investigation contains several supposed emails from Jesse Ray Breedlove to Crystal Bachicha, alleging a bribery scheme by me, with my immediate family as the money behind the scheme.
3. Charges were recommended for Danika Gonzales.

Danika Gonzales did not disclose if charges were recommended against myself, Jesse Ray Breedlove.

I asked how this information was obtained and she told me that during discovery, her attorneys, specifically requested any information pertaining to the Shock Justice website.

The Betrayal

I asked Danika if she was going to dispute the false allegations against me, and she said, “I’m not going to go against the advice of my attorneys.” At which point I told her that this will not stand.

So started the journey to clear my name. Whatever efforts that I made to clear my innocent cousin’s name, will pale in comparison to the efforts that I now make to clear my name and expose the fraudulent, corrupt, anti-American agenda of the ACLU.

I was angry from the moment that my cousin told me that she was not going to dispute these false allegations against me. I wanted to clear my name. I was not going to be left holding the bag, after all of the good work that I had done for justice in Trinidad. Only to have the anti-American Civil Liberties Union come in and literally throw me under the bus as they raped and pillaged the taxpayer, without any consideration for civil liberties or justice, whatsoever.

My cousins betrayal hit like a ton of bricks. I could not believe that she would leave me in such a predicament. How do I possibly clear my name? Where do I start?

There is a sealed investigation targeting me, behind a confidentiality agreement, she has this information, and rather than demand that this file be unsealed, she defers to her fraudulent attorneys and keeps this information buried.

It was clear that Danika was not going to do right by me. She was going to take the money and run, and leave me in the lurch, after everything that I had done for her. I do not know why she breached her confidentiality agreement if she was going to betray me. It was the right thing to do, but she most definitely regrets that decision now.

Not only did my cousin betray me and not keep her word to protect me, but the very group that claims to defend civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union, did exactly the opposite. They buried this file, signed a confidentiality agreement, and skipped town in the middle of the night.

This troubled me deeply. I knew that Danika wanted to tell her story. There was no reason for a confidentiality agreement. I could not believe that the American Civil Liberties Union would do such a thing. This is the worst thing that could have happened for justice in America, or is it.

I am only aware of this sealed investigation targeting me because Danika chose to breach her confidentiality agreement. I strongly believe that Danika wanted to, and did ask her attorneys to dispute these false allegations. The ACLU forced Danika to choose between doing the right thing and the money. They had their own agenda and she chose the money. The American Civil Liberties Union manipulated her into accepting a settlement that was most beneficial to the ACLU and their related attorneys.

I started questioning the ACLU long before Danika provided me with this information. The ACLU did not even contact me as part of their investigation. If they even did an investigation.

So the time passed, as I contemplated on how to move forward. Due to some personal issues, I had to place this project on the back burner.

The Appearance Of Impropriety

In December of 2015, KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP, filed a second federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Trinidad. This is the moment that I realized why the ACLU proceeded the way that they did in Trinidad.

Let me take you back to the beginning of my involvement in this case. In February of 2014, I was visiting Trinidad when Danika initially told me about her case.

I knew that I could leverage the information about the two people that were in jail at the time of the alleged crimes. So I offered to make a website to expose this injustice.

Danika talked with her family and decided to move forward.

I started putting the website together as Danika was providing as much information as possible. I put over 200 man hours into the initial website, including research, redacting documents, and the actual development of the website.

I released the website in March, exchanged emails with Crystal Bachicha for about 6 days, forwarded the information, and then sat back and watched.

From the moment that I got involved, Danika and I were in contact somewhat regularly. One day, she contacted me and asked if I would research David Lane, of KILLMER LANE & NEWMAN, LLP. She was in contact with his office and was exchanging information.

I proceeded to do research on David Lane and his law firm. I informed Danika that he seemed to be a well-respected civil rights attorney and we discussed his prior affiliation with the ACLU.

Several months passed until the American Civil Liberties Union came along, and took her case, I didn’t think anything of it.

Over the next few months, I spoke with Danika sporadically.

The news stories started to come out right before the ACLU filed their lawsuit. This was great news for Danika. Only one thing was missing, there was no mention of Shock Justice in any news story. I removed all of the information from the website in August of 2014, but Danika and the ACLU had this information and many, many people had visited the site while it was active.

I thought it was strange that a significant fact of this story was not being reported. I wasn’t too concerned, because everything was moving in the right direction for Danika. Then she contacted me in May of 2015 with the information about the sealed investigation. As I reflected back, I realized that Danika’s contact with me started to slow shortly after the ACLU took her case.

I knew something was strange at the time, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I knew that a competent investigation should have contacted me about the significant information that I provided. The ACLU did not contact me at any time.

So I started digging. I went to the ACLU of Colorado website and there it was, in capital letters. Two of the staff attorneys, Rebecca T. Wallace and Sarah H. Neel, previously worked at, you guessed it, KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN LLP. Mari Newman of KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN LLP, is a current board member of the ACLU of Colorado, as David Lane was a previous board member of the ACLU of Colorado. The ACLU of Colorado and KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN LLP are one in the same.

If the ACLU and KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN LLP were aggressively defending civil liberties and doing the right thing, they would not find themselves under an appearance of impropriety. But the ACLU buried a file containing false allegations by Crystal Bachicha. False allegations by Crystal Bachicha is the reason that the ACLU got involved in Trinidad in the first place. The ACLU was not protecting civil liberties.

The question was obvious, “Did the ACLU of Colorado conspire with KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN LLP to use the federal court system to defraud the tax-paying citizens of Trinidad, Colorado?”

Again, there was no reason for there to be a confidentiality agreement in this case, Danika wanted to tell her story and hold people accountable.

Betrayal Complete

I knew that my cousin’s betrayal was complete when KILLMER LANE & NEWMAN, LLP contacted me on 6/24/2016, seven months after they filed their lawsuit.

This is the email that I received from Casey Denson of KILLMER LANE & NEWMAN, LLP.

I was offended to say the least. The part that offended me the most was Casey Denson’s statement about holding the police accountable. If the police were going to be held accountable, the ACLU would have done it. For her to have me believe that KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP is going to hold the police accountable is not only an insult to my intelligence, but a lack of respect for honest, ethical, and professional law enforcement officers.

If the ACLU and KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP did conspire to use the federal court system to defraud the tax-paying citizens of Trinidad, then these two groups have nothing but contempt for the law.

I have to believe that KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP already settled this lawsuit. There is only one reason for KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP to contact me now, a cover-up.

Danika Gonzales did not contact KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP, Danika contacted her handlers with the ACLU who in turn contacted KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP.

KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN LLP does not need information from me. They already have it. If Danika provided them with the email exchange between Crystal Bachicha and myself when she was in contact with them in 2014, then they have serious questions to answer. Whatever information Danika did not provide to KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN LLP, was provided by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.

The Threat

Shortly after Danika revealed the existence of this sealed investigation, I received a call from Danika Gonzales’ family member, issuing threats.

Rather than show gratitude for what I had done for Danika, I was receiving threats from her camp because I wanted to clear my name.

I do not take kindly to threats.

The contact and the threat from Danika Gonzales’ family member can only be considered as tampering with a witness. They know full well that there is a cover-up going on, and I’m the only witness willing to speak out.

The main concern that I have is, did this threat come directly from the American Civil Liberties Union and/or related attorneys?

The actions of District Attorney Frank Ruybalid, the Trinidad Police Department, Judge Leslie J. Gerbracht, and the cover-up by the City of Trinidad, namely City Attorney Les Downs and the Trinidad city Council have directly placed my family in danger.

In order to clear my name, I have to expose the ACLU and related attorneys. The American Civil Liberties Union has the motive and the means to keep me from exposing them for what they really are, a fraudulent, corrupt, anti-American organization. And the City of Trinidad is directly providing the ACLU with my personal information.

The ACLU of Colorado was recently involved in a scandal involving one of their own. ACLU of Colorado Board Member Loring Wirbel posted on Facebook to Trump supporters, “If you are voting for him I will have to shoot you before election day”, Link To Story. Colorado Springs police say his post is covered by free speech and they do not intend to investigate. You can read the weak response from the ACLU of Colorado here.

I take all threats seriously, but if this is the rhetoric coming out of the ACLU of Colorado, I will not stop until these people are held accountable. This whole organization must be investigated.

Above The Law

How can the ACLU of Colorado act in such a duplicitous manner with total disregard for any consequences? This organization is supposed to be leading in the defense of civil liberties and individual freedom. What the ACLU did in Trinidad, Colorado is a shame and all too obvious.

Is this group so powerful, and do they have such vast connections that they can do whatever they want? Do they feel that they are above the law?

There is a good chance that the ACLU of Colorado will not be held accountable for their actions. They have deep connections. But their strongest protectors may be President Obama and Vice President Biden. The Public Policy Director of the ACLU of Colorado is Denise Maes. Before joining the ACLU in 2011, she was Director of Operations for Vice President Joe Biden and before that she was General Counsel for the Office of Administration under President Barack Obama.

How involved was Denise Maes in the Danika Gonzales case?

Who else is protecting the American Civil Liberties Union in Colorado? How many judges in Colorado actively, support or advocate for the ACLU from behind the bench?

Is the American Civil Liberties Union above the law?

Duplicity of The American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union is a duplicitous organization. They market themselves as the “nations premiere defender of civil liberties and individual freedom,” but behind closed doors they do the exact opposite.

Legal Director Mark Silverstein is as duplicitous as they come. Giving interviews denouncing the use of Crystal Bachicha as a confidential informant, and then burying a sealed investigation with false allegations by Crystal Bachicha, is the very definition of duplicity.

These are Mark Silverstein’s words about the bogus drug sting of 2013 and Crystal Bachicha (link, link):

“To this day, nobody in authority has publicly come out and apologized to the people who were wrongfully arrested”

“We hope this lawsuit will stop what has been a custom practice of using unreliable snitches,… There really needs to be better control and supervision when police chose to use informants.”

Read his words carefully. The ACLU never had any intention of holding anyone accountable.

In 2003, Legal Director Mark Silverstein was involved in a case called the “Spy Files” (link, link). Here is a small excerpt.

“The ACLU filed a class action in state court to challenge the Denver Police Department’s custom and practice of spying on peaceful protesters, maintaining the “Spy Files” and disseminating information from the files to third parties.”

Here are a couple of Mark Silverstein’s statements regarding the “spy files.”

“Sunlight is good, and disclosure furthers the public interest.” – Mark Silverstein, Legal Director of the ACLU of Colorado

“These kind of practices have the potential to harm people’s ability or willingness to freely express criticism of government policies, chilling free speech.” – Mark Silverstein, Legal Director of the ACLU of Colorado

The City of Trinidad disseminating a file with my personal information to third parties (the ACLU, related attorneys and plaintiffs) without my knowledge is the reason that the ACLU brought suit against the Denver Police Department for the “spy files.”

Duplicity at it’s finest.

The Executive Director of the ACLU of Colorado, Nathan Woodliff-Stanley is also guilty of duplicity. With the confession of Crystal Bachicha, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado had a tremendous opportunity to hold this police department and the offending officers, accountable for civil rights violations. They received a declaration that the actions of the defendants were unconstitutional. Did they use this declaration to hold the guilty parties accountable? No, they used this declaration to extract and justify whatever settlement that they received, sign a confidentiality agreement and then skip town in the middle of the night.

At the same time that the ACLU and related attorneys were raping and pillaging the tax-paying citizens of Trinidad, Executive Director Woodliff-Stanley released a story on 12/4/2014, on the Huffington Post titled “Fix the Police! Accountability Needed in Law Enforcement.”

The American Civil Liberties Union consciously, and with malice, decided not to hold the police accountable in Trinidad. They couldn’t mess this up unless they tried. Claiming one stance in public and then doing the opposite behind closed doors, nothing short of absolute duplicity.

Front Seat To Injustice

When I first decided to help my cousin, I knew that I may face some negative ramifications. I was fully prepared to take on this injustice at all costs.

Knocking down this injustice was a nice addition to my civil rights resume, even though only the people surrounding this bogus drug sting, knew of my true efforts. The ACLU tried to wipe my efforts away, they even convinced Danika and her camp that I had nothing to do with this.

I was confident in the outcome from the beginning. I knew that the truth mattered. What I did not realize at the time, was that the ACLU was exposing themselves as a fraud and a criminal organization.

The ACLU did not like the fact that I was able to dismantle this drug sting and achieve the results that I did. I was able to demonstrate that 1 person with a computer and desire to do good can make a huge difference.

By helping my cousin from the beginning, I had a front row seat to most of what was going on, not to mention the part that I played. I had a lot of information about this case. So as the ACLU was spinning their web, I was in the background.

Burying the file against me with false allegations by Crystal Bachicha, would be easy for them to cover. Even if I did find out about this file, the ACLU would be able to explain this away, fairly easily. They would have probably just ignored me.

But as the appearance of impropriety revealed itself, the fact that the ACLU and Killmer, Lane & Newman, LLP, may possibly be engaged in a conspiracy to defraud, added a level of consequence that they will have trouble avoiding.

I could not believe that the “great and mighty” American Civil Liberties Union would lay down right before me, and fully expose herself.

What the ACLU did not realize, or took for granted, was the fact that I possessed the truth. They were using the information that I gleaned to rape and pillage. I knew that I could leverage this information, for justice, at the right time.

The Cover-Up

Why would the City of Trinidad and the ACLU sign a confidentiality agreement with each other? What are they protecting?

Danika’s breach did not only expose the fraudulent ACLU, but also revealed the full-blown cover-up by the City of Trinidad, namely City Attorney Les Downs and The Trinidad City Council.

The civil rights violations and misconduct of the bogus drug sting were bad enough, but the cover-up only compounds the error. The City of Trinidad has more than likely settled two federal civil rights lawsuits, both with confidentiality agreements. What is the City of Trinidad hiding?

What concessions did the City of Trinidad and the ACLU make to each other?

Did City Attorney Les Downs know beforehand, that KILLMER, LANE & NEWMAN, LLP was going to file suit against the City of Trinidad? Les Downs obtaining a confidentiality agreement with the ACLU was definitely beneficial to the cover-up.

If justice was served, and this local government in Trinidad, Colorado, was open and transparent, there would be no reason to question what happens behind closed doors. But with the admitted civil rights violations, and a full-blown cover-up being perpetrated by the City of Trinidad, you can only question what goes on behind closed doors.

Five out of 13 attorneys directly involved in this bogus drug sting, cover-up, and/or lawsuits, either graduated(4) from, or is a current adjunct professor(1) at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Does 5 out of 13 attorneys from one school mean that there is collusion or a conspiracy? It may or may not, but it only increases speculation when the Trinidad City Attorney, Les Downs, is one of the five.

The bottom line should be, was justice served?

Do the citizens of Trinidad have any idea what their city officials are doing?

Was Justice Served?

Whatever happens behind closed doors becomes irrelevant if the outcome of the people’s business is truth and justice.

When those in positions of trust, betray that trust, and are not held accountable, there can be no justice.

What is the final outcome of the bogus drug sting, cover-up, and related fallout in Trinidad?

• Police Misconduct
• Prosecutorial Misconduct
• Admitted Civil Rights Violations
• Only 6-9 (not verified) out of 40 members of The Trinidad 40 have filed Suit for, or received, Reparations
• Duplicity of the American Civil Liberties Union
• Appearance of Impropriety by the ACLU and Related Attorneys
• a Full-Blown Cover-Up by the City of Trinidad
• and Absolutely Zero Accountability

Do you think justice was served?

Journalistic Integrity (Media in Colorado – Watchdog Or Lapdog?)

Any competent media outlet could have exposed this injustice.

Several news media outlets reported the original story. They named the individuals implicated and some have displayed photos of the alleged defendants. These organizations have a responsibility to investigate and report the truth. There has been no competent correction or follow-up of these articles.

Read this article by Corey Hutchins released on 12/5/14. Westword Investigation Catches Colorado Cops – And Local Media – In A Tough Spot (CJR – Corey Hutchins)

**UPDATE** 9/1/16 Corey Hutchins has been contacted by and is fully aware of the Shock Justice website. As his story stands, it is highly hypocritical.

“Media responsibility is a term for the belief that mass media have a basic responsibility to help strengthen and support democratic processes. Although this is a subjective concept, and hard to define, arguments have been made for newspapers, television, radio, and perhaps types of Internet communication to act as a government watchdog, as a gatekeeper and instrument to disseminate necessary information, and more popularly, as a reflection of cultural interests and trends.” – Source: Wikipedia

Is there any journalistic integrity or media responsibility in Colorado?

Visit our Journalistic Integrity page for more information.

Truth About The ACLU

If the American Civil Liberties Union was truly dedicated to defending and protecting civil liberties, they would have acted on behalf of all of The Trinidad 40. How does the ACLU decide which cases to take, and not take, when there are so many that have been a victim of injustice?

In 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union completed their Leading Freedom Forward campaign, This campaign raised over 400 million dollars from the American people. Where did this money go? How can an organization collect this much money from the American people and have no accountability?

The ACLU took 2 cases out of 40. They didn’t even represent the two individuals that were in jail at the time of the alleged crimes. The American Civil Liberties Union could have easily mustered the resources to serve justice for all of the victims of this injustice in Trinidad.

Possibly the greatest display of duplicity of the American Civil Liberties Union, is in how this organization treats the American Veteran and US Armed Forces member. This organization left at least one American Veteran, “struggling to survive” in the aftermath of the bogus drug sting in Trinidad. The very person, willing to give his life to protect freedom and justice. How many American Veterans were part of The Trinidad 40?

The ACLU had a great opportunity to hold individuals in positions of trust accountable for their actions and strengthen civil liberties, not only in Trinidad, but across the nation.

There has still been no mention of the final disposition of this case. The ACLU isn’t going to tell you.

The Trinidad 40

Citizens of Trinidad

About Me

I’m just a simple man that had a duty to help a loved one in need. My actions to assist my innocent cousin were honorable and just. I am, and have always been willing to accept responsibility for my actions.

I believe in truth, justice and accountability. Without these, the United States of America will never reach her true potential.

I believe that honest, ethical, and professional law enforcement officers are heroes. Read my “Open Letter to Law Enforcement Officers” here.

I did everything that my cousin asked of me. I was even walking away without any benefit to myself. However, I refuse to accept a sealed investigation targeting me in Trinidad for doing the right thing.

My family has paid a heavy toll for my efforts to assist my cousin and now clear my name. When my cousin betrayed me, I had a hard time justifying what I had done.

As I was mounting this effort, I found my justification. I found my answer in two words, in an email that I received while this injustice was playing out. Read that email here.

This is My America, where there is absolute corruption and where nobody is held accountable.

Please share this story.

Jesse Ray Breedlove

Read More about me here.

Must Read

The Trinidad 40 Information Page
“The Trinidad 40 – Another Drug War Failure!” Original Story
Confidential Informant Email Exchange
Journalistic Integrity or media responsibility?
Failure of the Colorado Freedom Of Information Coalition
Attorney Accountability Page
Mr. Padilla
Letter to City Attorney Les Downs
Letter to Judge Leslie J. Gerbracht
Letter to Judge Terry Ruckriegle