In all the recent hoopla over the arrest and recent conviction of American jihadist Michael Curtis Reynolds, the former Montana Judge who lured him to a sting operation, after contacting Mr. Reynolds in an online jihadist website, has become news herself.
In the early morning hours, while her family is still asleep, the former Montana judge goes online and assumes the identity of a Muslim extremist, in order to strike up conversations with actual terrorists and, she hopes, ferret out their plans to harm the United States and its allies.
Then the 38-year-old former Miss Congeniality and married mother of three feeds the intelligence she gathers to the FBI.
Her moonlighting as a volunteer terrorist hunter has brought down two suspects in the United States so far, including Michael Reynolds, an unemployed ex-con found guilty in federal court in Scranton last week of offering to help al-Qaida blow up U.S. pipelines and refineries.
Mr. Reynolds is a rare exception as most of Rossmiller's work has been focused on overseas suspects. By her count, she’s given the FBI more than 200 "packets" of information on such things as terrorism trends, potential targets, as well as potential suspects, and because of her work, at least eight people have been arrested, she said.
"It's all about trying to make a best guess of what the intentions of any individual might be," Rossmiller said. "If they just want to be loudmouths, I leave them alone. They're not worth my time."
She doesn’t draw a salary and says she doesn't want one, saying, "Being a judge, I saw paid informants all the time, and I did not want that label on me. It's not about money," she said. "It's about doing what's right because I can."
To date, the FBI has reimbursed her about $30,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, but she said she’s spent far more than that on her terrorist-hunting.
In the early morning hours, while her family is still asleep, the former Montana judge goes online and assumes the identity of a Muslim extremist, in order to strike up conversations with actual terrorists and, she hopes, ferret out their plans to harm the United States and its allies.
Then the 38-year-old former Miss Congeniality and married mother of three feeds the intelligence she gathers to the FBI.
Her moonlighting as a volunteer terrorist hunter has brought down two suspects in the United States so far, including Michael Reynolds, an unemployed ex-con found guilty in federal court in Scranton last week of offering to help al-Qaida blow up U.S. pipelines and refineries.
Mr. Reynolds is a rare exception as most of Rossmiller's work has been focused on overseas suspects. By her count, she’s given the FBI more than 200 "packets" of information on such things as terrorism trends, potential targets, as well as potential suspects, and because of her work, at least eight people have been arrested, she said.
"It's all about trying to make a best guess of what the intentions of any individual might be," Rossmiller said. "If they just want to be loudmouths, I leave them alone. They're not worth my time."
She doesn’t draw a salary and says she doesn't want one, saying, "Being a judge, I saw paid informants all the time, and I did not want that label on me. It's not about money," she said. "It's about doing what's right because I can."
To date, the FBI has reimbursed her about $30,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, but she said she’s spent far more than that on her terrorist-hunting.
A volunteer undercover terrorist hunter for the FBI! How cool is that?!
That is cool
ReplyDeleteIsn't it though?
ReplyDeleteI commend her volunteering her time like that. We owe people like that a great debt...and I'm sure there are others like her out there.
I also apprecaite the people in groups like "Perverted Justice" who bag pedophiles in online stings.