“Facts don’t matter, that’s the perception of the situation, and the world is going to act on that basis.” — The “Gaped Crusader,” November 26, 2011.

In December 2011, an anonymous Brett Kimberlin supporter calling himself the “Gaped Crusader” boasted of the harassment of five people. Two of them, Mike Stack and myself, were SWATting victims in late June and early July 2011:

The targets include Brett Kimberlin critics and SWATting victims.

The methods include “outing” people’s identities; posting their home addresses; and creating (phony) civil and criminal liability. The Gaped Crusader attributes each atrocity to Neal Rauhauser or his associate Brett Kimberlin (who runs the Occupy for Accountability blog that published pictures of my house).

The Gaped Crusader thought he was making these observations anonymously. But he made mistakes, many of which are listed in this post — which reveals extensive evidence connecting the Gaped Crusader to Brett Kimberlin associate Neal Rauhauser.

The evidence includes (among other things) common topics of obsession; common unique catch phrases; admission by both of a particular trip at a particular time; characteristic method of formatting emails; and my personal favorite: a shared IP address.

IP ADDRESS

Normally I’d show you all the other similarities before I showed you the IP evidence, but the IP evidence discussion really helps reveal this guy’s true nature, right out of the gate — because it shows the “Gaped Crusader” talking about my wife.

Here are three comments the “Gaped Crusader” left on my site:

Note the middle comment, linking a post about my wife, and promising it is the first of many. Here is the post titled “Mrs. Patterico”:

The link to “Christi Frey” goes to a press release at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s web site, detailing a case that was handled by my wife. This link shows that the “Gaped Crusader” had investigated my wife.

The words “nice house” link to our address. That shows that the “Gaped Crusader” had investigated our home address.

Take a look at that IP address that this creep used to leave comments on my blog: 67.221.255.15.

Neal Rauhauser used that IP address to leave a comment at the “Qritiq” blog. The “Qritiq” blog is pro-Rauhauser and pro-Kimberlin, and is filled with lies, defamation, and anti-Patterico sock puppets. Yesterday she published a post advising people about where they could complain about me to my office. Qritiq has called Rauhauser her “hero.” Rauhauser probably felt perfectly safe posting there.

What he didn’t realize is that the proprietor had given posting privileges to SWATting victim Mike Stack. And, because Stack had administrative privileges over his own posts, comments left on his posts were emailed to Stack — including IP addresses.

Whoops! Looks like you messed up, Neal!

This is a screenshot of an email that Stack forwarded to me in December 2011, with the information on Neal’s IP address:

Let’s take a closer look at that IP address:

Let’s look at those together:

I took the IP — 67.221.255.15 — and plugged it into my comment software . . . and found comments from the Gaped Crusader.

As Tyler Durden might say: I am Patterico’s complete lack of surprise.

Because those of us who had watched Neal for months already strongly suspected that the Gaped Crusader was Neal Rauhauser. Because there is so much other evidence tying Rauhauser to the vile Gaped Crusader account.

NEAL RAUHAUSER’S TOPICS OF OBSESSION

Let’s look at that “Mrs. Patterico” post above. See how the Gaped Crusader said that Steve Cooley’s 2010 political opponent should prosecute me for various unnamed alleged crimes? Steve Cooley’s 2010 opponent was Kamala Harris, the Attorney General of California. And guess who also urged people to ask Kamala Harris to investigate me? If you guessed Neal Rauhauser, you’re paying attention!

On July 12, 2011, Rauhauser encouraged Daily Kos readers to file complaints against me with California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

The “California Supreme Court Complaint” in question is Brett Kimberlin’s frivolous State Bar Complaint against me — a complaint which (among other things) accused me of discriminating against the disabled by writing about Kimberlin’s status as a felon, which he claims is a “disability.” I am told Rauhauser’s associate Kimberlin filed frivolous criminal charges against me with Kamala Harris.

Odd how the Gaped Crusader (and Kimberlin) share Rauhauser’s belief that I should be prosecuted by Kamala Harris.

Rauhauser also shared the Gaped Crusader’s creepy focus on my wife. Three days after I was swatted, Rauhauser wrote a post titled “Patterico’s Penalization” that made bizarre accusations about me, claiming I “worked with a cyber-stalker named Seth L. Allen.” In that post, Rauhauser publicized Kimberlin’s State Bar complaint against me — and asked readers to get a picture of my wife. Rauhauser also suggested that a private detective stake out Seth Allen’s apartment:

But Rauhauser and the Gaped Crusader were obsessed with more than just my wife, or getting Kamala Harris to prosecute me. Let’s focus on the screenshot that opened up this post, and look at the Gaped Crusader’s targets in that disturbing post:

The names there are Mike Stack, Seth Allen, me, Aaron Walker/Worthing, and Sean Tompkins (who I believe is an online acquaintance of Stack’s). It turns out Neal Rauhauser is obsessed with the very same people.

Robert Stacy McCain and I have both previously posted about a bizarre, paranoid rant that Neal Rauhauser sent to law enforcement officials, making crazy allegations about an “ISR cell” (ISR stands for “Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance”) supposedly headed by Andrew Breitbart. Here (.pdf) Rauhauser explains the contents of the nutty CD that he sent to law enforcement:

Look at the objects of Rauhauser’s obsession. You’ll recognize the same names from the Gaped Crusader screenshot: Mike Stack, Seth Allen, Patrick Frey (me), Aaron Walker aka Aaron Worthing, and Sean Tompkins.

Rauhauser hates Mike Stack so much, he sent Stack a cease and desist letter — addressed, as it happens, to 30 Mallard Court, Three Bridges, New Jersey.





Above: two screenshots from the beginning and end of a letter from Neal Rauhauser to Mike Stack

That is not Mike Stack’s address. But it is the address that Mike Stack’s SWATter gave New Jersey police in Stack’s June 23, 2011 SWATting call.

Let’s look at some of the other names on Rauhauser’s Enemies List — people he hates enough to mention in a CD sent to law enforcement attempting to implicate them in phony crimes. As you can see, those names include (among others) HB Gary (which was headed by Aaron Barr); Rauhauser’s Twittergate enemy Michelle Lessick aka ZAPEM; and a guy named Tom Ryan.

Was the Gaped Crusader obsessed with any of these other enemies of Neal Rauhauser’s? If you guessed “yes,” that means you’re really getting the hang of this! Here is a screenshot with complaints about Stack, me, Sean Tompkins, HB Gary and Aaron Barr, Tom Ryan, and Aaron Worthing:

Here’s another post that falsely claims that Aaron Barr and Tom Ryan “coordinate” with me:

For the record, I have never met, spoken with, or corresponded with Aaron Barr or Tom Ryan in my life.

As for ZAPEM/Lessick, the Gaped Crusader mentioned her in a post that also mentioned Seth Allen, Stack, me, Kamala Harris, and Steve Cooley:

That post, dated December 16, starts out mentioning a John Dean column about cyberbullies:

Which is interesting, since Neal Rauhauser mentioned the very same article on the same day, in a comment at the Qritiq blog:

Rauhauser later said he was so taken with the article that he made notes on it.

It’s also important to note that, like the Gaped Crusader, Rauhauser is obsessed with Weinergate. This is important, because SWATting victim Mike Stack was never much of a Brett Kimberlin critic, but he was a high-profile participant in the monitoring of Anthony Weiner’s Twitter account, and frequently noted Weiner’s penchant for following young girls with that account. Last summer, I also had a significant role in various stories having to do with Weiner’s communications with young women. Indeed, before I was SWATted, I was threatened by email, and the threat ostensibly had to do with my publication of Weiner’s communications with Gennette Cordova. That email was sent to me (and Ace of Spades) the same night Mike Stack was SWATted: June 23, 2011.

And Neal Rauhauser, like the Gaped Crusader, is a “Weiner Truther” who has insinuated that I was behind a plot to bring down Anthony Weiner. Just look again at the screenshot above asking people to have Kamala Harris investigate me for my alleged “involvement in the stalking of Congressman Weiner.”

BOTH CLAIMED I CUT A DEAL FOR PHONY IDS IN WEINERGATE

Indeed, the Gaped Crusader and Rauhauser don’t just share a generalized theory that I was somehow behind a set-up of Anthony Weiner. They both have a specific theory about what I did — and the theory is the same for both of them.

At the Daily Kos, Rauhauser speculated that I arranged for the fake driver’s license used by the alleged mother of Nikki Reid:

The fake driver’s license employed by Pamela Reid, the fake mom of the fake teenage girl Nikki aka @starchild111, was from California. Presumably a Deputy D.A. from that area, where immigration problems are common, would know and perhaps be engaged in plea bargains with people who can manufacture documents.

Similarly, the Gaped Crusader speculated:

Would a Los Angeles county prosecutor have seen a driver’s license forging case or two? Probably. Could they cut some nice deal for a third time offender, say getting a license and a woman to voice Patricia Reid so they could set up Tommy Christoper to take the fall for the fake teen girl entrapment effort? Yeah, that sounds doable, doesn’t it?

MORE OBSESSION WITH WEINER AND KIMBERLIN CRITICS

And again, in a post titled “Straight Outta Compton,” the Gaped Crusader once again talked about Kamala Harris, Steve Cooley, Aaron Worthing, me, Seth Allen . . . and Anthony Weiner. See here, here, and here:

It isn’t hard to imagine former Congressman Anthony Weiner sitting at home with his lovely wife Huma Abedin, not saying anything, but with a grim little smile on his face as he watches all this unfold.

Similarly, in a post called “Free Speech and Accountability” we see this:

The Gaped Crusader also mentioned the “Threat Management Unit” — another name for the District Attorney’s “Stalking and Threat Assessment Team,” or STAT. This came up in a post again mentioning Steve Cooley:

Note again the constant accusations that I was involved in “stalking” and “smearing” Brett Kimberlin (a partner in Velvet Revolution) and Anthony Weiner. But right now I am interested in the mention of our stalking unit. Because Brett Kimberlin filed a complaint against me with our stalking unit. And that unit was a particular obsession of Neal Rauhauser’s.

Guess who else mentioned the same team? Alicia Pain, the person who threatened me before I was SWATted:

Well what can I say? If you really want to bring me to justice, I encourage you to do so. Here is the best number to call: Stalking and Threat Assessment Team (STAT)

Inside line: X[redacted] or (213) 974-[redacted].

A comment by “OccupyOngsHat” at the Qritiq blog encouraged Qritiq to report me to the same anti-stalking unit. The commenter claimed that this would result in “lulzy lulz”:

Oddly enough, the comment was left using the same IP used by the Gaped Crusader and Neal Rauhauser: 67.221.255.15:

CHARACTERISTIC PHRASES

The Gaped Crusader, like Rauhauser himself, loves to speak in the idiom of 4chan-style hackers. Everything is “epic” and “lulzy” and there are a billion references to “lulzcows” and Encyclopedia Dramatica and the like.

Even in this blizzard of inanity, a couple of comparisons stand out for me.

“THE BUTTHURT IS FLOWING THICK AND FAST”

In one post, the Gaped Crusader said the “butthurt is flowing thick and fast”:

That’s not a real common phrase. Yet, in a post as Stranded Wind at Daily Kos, Rauhauser said “the butthurt is flowing thick and fast”:

Note who is named as having “paid dearly” for their role as “Weinergate perps”: me and Mike Stack.

The two SWATting victims from 2011.

I should note here that a) Stranded Wind is a well-known alias for Rauhauser, and b) this Stranded Wind post was published on July 27, 2011 — long before my SWATting was made public. (I mentioned it publicly weeks ago, and even Ron Brynaert did not mention it in public until August 2011.)

By the way, Rauhauser could not avoid talking like a teenaged hacker even in the materials he sent to law enforcement. In the “ReadMe” text document included to explain the contents of the disk, Rauhauser wrote things like this:

Swatting call – purportedly someone swatting Mike Stack. Google this, lots of butthurt flowing, claims he was cuffed at gun point?

You can just picture an FBI agent interviewing Neal: tell me more about the “epic lulz” and the “butthurt,” Mr. Rauhauser.

IRON TROLL/MENTION OF 4CHAN, SOMETHING AWFUL, AND ENCLOPEDIA DRAMATICA — IN THAT ORDER

In Rauhauser’s complaint to law enforcement about alleged harassment by Mike Stack, he mentions a harassment contest called “Iron Troll”:

This account, with some sixty thousand followers, is a major news outlet for Anonymous. It should be noted that the Anonymous community is currently running “Iron Troll” – a contest involving computer, phone, and real life pranks.

The Gaped Crusader also mentioned “Iron Troll” in a post titled “Getting Kamala Harris After Porn Mooks”:

That alone isn’t much — but it gets more interesting.

Take a look at Gaped Crusader’s mention of 4chan, Something Awful, and Encyclopedia Dramatica, in that order — and then reflect on an email recently published at The Trenches that Rauhauser wrote to lefty Twitter activist Shoq:

I have been sorely tempted to point him out to various actors – a guy like this, he could really produce some high quality entertainment for 4chan, Something Awful, Encyclopedia Dramatica, etc.

Weird, huh? Even weirder is that Rauhauser listed these three entities in exactly this order as Stranded Wind, back in June 2011:

Anonymous doesn’t have a tree structure, it’s a loose coalition of warring tribes. Each node has its own culture and methods. Some of them are from 4chan, some from Something Awful, some from Encyclopedia Dramatica, and a few dozen other sites that are less well known.

Hmmmm.

TALKING ABOUT MY “DISCHARGE”

4chan hackers don’t commonly use the term “discharge” to refer to someone being fired. But both the Gaped Crusader and Rauhauser fantasized about the “discharge” of yours truly.

In a July 4, 2011 entry titled “Patterico’s Penalization” (published 3 days after my SWATting), Rauhauser wrote:

Discharge, disbarment, and public ridicule ought to be Frey’s lot in life if what appears to be going on, based on this small analysis, is truly the explanation for the events surrounding Weinergate.

Similarly, in late November 2011, the Gaped Crusader was very excited about the possibility of “discharge” and (he believed) impending criminal charges for me:

Can discharge and criminal charges be imminent for Los Angeles assclown D.A. John Patrick Frey?

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

CALLING ME “PADDY”

Neal, writing as Stranded Wind, enjoyed calling me “Paddy” as he threatened me:

Oddly enough, so did the Gaped Crusader, in a post talking about subpoenaing my boss Steve Cooley to ask him questions about my blogging:

Or this post, which called me the “capodecina of the Breitbart crime family” — and once again called me “Paddy”:

Incidentally, the term “lulzcow,” used by Rauhauser in that creepily threatening post from the Daily Kos in July 2011, was also used by the Gaped Crusader:

There’s just one “tell” after another, isn’t there?

USE OF ROMANIAN

On November 21, 2011, OccupyOngsHat rendered the Anonymous slogan in Romanian:

The Gaped Crusader blog has Romanian all over it:

Neal at Occupy the House talked in Romanian:

Just two hours before he surrendered that account to other Occupiers:

I could go on and on here, but I think you get the point. Rauhauser and Gaped Crusader both used the “x noun is x” trope. Gaped Crusader had a post titled “Butthurt Moderator is Butthurt,”, while Neal, tweeting as “Occupy the House,” would tweet things like “Ineffective troll is ineffective.” Both talked about “Anonymiss” — a group of women hackers Rauhauser has claimed to lead. They both are fans of the Qritiq blog. Both talk about “porn mooks” and “e-lawyers” and PornWikiLeaks and Donny Long . . . And so on and so on and so on.

VISIT TO ROCKAWAY BEACH

In a December 8, 2011 comment at the Kid Kenoma blog (see here and here) Rauhauser talked about visiting Rockaway Beach:

Similarly, the Gaped Crusader talked about making a visit to Far Rockaway and Broad Channel — which, along with Rockaway Beach, are areas on the Rockaway Peninsula of Queens.

I took the screenshots of the Gaped Crusader post about his visit to Far Rockaway on November 26, 2011 — almost two weeks before Rauhauser spoke at Kid Kenoma about his visit to Rockaway Beach.

Anthony Weiner represented the Rockaway Beach area.

CHARACTERISTICALLY INDENTED EMAILS

I already posted about this, but I’d hate to leave it out of this more comprehensive post. Here is a typical Rauhauser email, in which Neal demonstrates his penchant for lawfare. The background: on a publicly available Flickr account, Neal Rauhauser posted multiple shots of shoes, feet, more shoes, more feet, shoes on cats, feet, and shoes. (Sample here.) This prompted Mandy Nagy to joke on Twitter about Neal having a foot fetish, which in turn prompted this email, in which Neal threatened to sue Mandy for claiming he had a sex life of any kind at all:

Don’t insinuate that he has a sex life or he’ll SUE!!!!

Anyway, here is an email from the Gaped Crusader. Note the similar indenting style:

As I indicated previously, I owe a debt to Brooks Bayne for catching that subtlety.

Perhaps an even more important email is this one, which provides the quote that began this post. In it, the Gaped Crusader responds to Mandy Nagy’s claim that the facts show she has done nothing wrong. The bottom, indented paragraph is the Gaped Crusader:

That line is important: “Facts don’t matter, that’s the perception of the situation, and the world is going to act on that basis.” That’s Neal Rauhauser’s view of the world, as expressed by the Gaped Crusader.

CONCLUSION? NO, THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

This post is foundational for much of what comes in the future. In future posts I will introduce to you other sock puppet accounts with similar obsessions, writing styles, and IPs, such as the “LulzShack” account that seemed to know about my SWATting months before it was made public. I will show you how certain “moby” trolls at my site leave racist and sexist comments, with IPs from similar blocks as the Gaped Crusader, Alicia Pain, and LulzShack. There will be further evidence in these posts relating to the SWATtings of myself and Mike Stack.

Neal Rauhauser spent a solid year lying about me. Now the time has come for me to tell the truth about him.

Stay tuned.