Defendants charged with Racketeering, Domestic Terrorism

ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced the indictment of 61 people in Fulton County following a multi-agency investigation into the violence that has occurred at the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center and other locations. All 61 defendants have been charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Several of the defendants are also facing separate charges of Domestic Terrorism, Attempted Arson in the First Degree, and Money Laundering. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants are members of Defend the Atlanta Forest, an anarchist, anti-police, and anti-business extremist organization. They are alleged to have conspired together to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by conducting, coordinating, and organizing acts of violence, intimidation, and property destruction in Fulton County, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and other states. Of the 61 defendants who have been indicted, only 13 are from Georgia.

“As this indictment shows, looking the other way when violence occurs is not an option in Georgia,” said Carr. “If you come to our state and shoot a police officer, throw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, set fire to police vehicles, damage construction equipment, vandalize private homes and businesses, and terrorize their occupants, you can and will be held accountable. We will not waver when it comes to keeping people safe, enforcing the rule of law, and ensuring those who engage in criminal activity are vigorously pursued and aggressively prosecuted.”

This investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in partnership with the Atlanta Police Department (APD), the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS), the DeKalb County Police Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The criminal acts of those named in this indictment have placed public safety personnel and members of the community in danger,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “This major step is a testament to the GBI’s commitment to protecting the citizens of Georgia. We will continue to work with the Georgia Attorney General’s Office and our local and federal partners to hold any person who seeks to harm the lives of others accountable.”

Named Defendants

The Attorney General’s Prosecution Division presented evidence to a Fulton County Grand Jury, resulting in the indictment* of the following 61 defendants on Aug. 29, 2023.

  • Jack Morgan Beamon, 22, of Athens, Georgia
  • Max Jacob Biederman, 25, of Tempe, Arizona
  • Timothy E. Bilodeau, 26, of Boston, Massachusetts
  • Emma Katherine Bogush, 25, of Bethany, Connecticut
  • Andrew Darnell Carlisle, 32, of Decatur, Georgia
  • Francis M. Carroll, 23, of Kennebunkport, Maine
  • Amin Jalal Chaoui, 29, of Richmond, Virginia
  • Brooke Elaine Courtemanche, 27, of Wooster, Ohio
  • Colin Patrick Dorsey, 42, of Blue Hill, Massachusetts
  • Julia Caroline DuPuis, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Ariel Caitlin Ebaugh, 22, of Locust Grove, Georgia
  • Lillian Pearl Ellis, 30
  • Madeleine Feola, 22, of Oberlin, Ohio
  • Ivan James Ferguson, 23, of Henderson, Nevada
  • Phillip Allen Flagg, 29, of Worchester, Massachusetts
  • Maggie June Gates, 25, of Bloomington, Indiana
  • Nadja Geier, 24, of Nashville, Tennessee
  • Priscilla Christine Grim, 49
  • Sonali Gupta, 32
  • Luke Edward Harper, 27, of Lake Worth, Florida
  • Serena Abby Hertel, 26, of Los Angeles, California
  • Marianna Elizabeth Hoitt-Lange, 25, of New York
  • Thomas Webb Jergens, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Hannah Margaret Kass, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Marlon Scott Kautz, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Ayla Elegia King, 19, of Worchester, Massachusetts
  • Katie Marie Kloth, 36, of Schofield, Pennsylvania
  • Madeleine Gunther Kodat, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Zoe C. Larmey, 26, of Nashville, Tennessee
  • Ana Gypsy Lee, 39, of Gainesville, Georgia
  • Dimitri Roger LeNy, 25, of France
  • Spencer Bernard Liberto, 30, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Mattia Luini, 31, of New York, New York
  • Matthew Ernest Macar, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Adele Garrett MacLean, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia
  • James Lee Marsicano, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Grace Taylor Martin, 23, of Madison, Wisconsin
  • Kayley Cheryl Meissner, 20, of Madison, Wisconsin
  • Emily Murphy, 37, of Berkley, Michigan
  • Timothy A.R. Murphy, 26, of Rockport, Maine
  • Tyler John Norman, 39, of Blue Mountain, Wisconsin
  • Leif Kingfisher Nicholas Novak, 31, of Tucson, Arizona
  • Ehret William Nottingham, 22, of Fort Collins, Colorado
  • Nicholas Dean Olson, 26, of Bennington, Nebraska
  • Alexis Achilles Papali, 49, of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
  • Geoffrey Parsons, 21, of Baltimore, Maryland
  • Savannah D. Patterson, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Kamryn Durel Pipes, 27, of Baton Rouge, Lousiana
  • Victor Enrique Puertas, 46, of Provo, Utah
  • Christopher Reynolds, 32, of Ohio
  • Fredrique Robert-Paul, 35, of St. Pascal, Canada
  • Arieon T. Robinson, 22, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Teresa Yue Shen, 32, of New York, New York
  • Abigail Elizabeth Skapyak, 24, of Savage, Minnesota
  • Caroline Hart Tennenbaum, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Geneva Rose Tilbury, 25, of Kansas City, Missouri
  • Abeeku Osei Vassail, 23, of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Leonard Zen AKA Leonardo Zen Voiselle, 21, of Macon, Georgia
  • Samuel Clemens Ward, 26, of Mesa, Arizona
  • William Budden Warren, 31, of Decatur, Georgia
  • Sarah Wasalewski, 35, of Pennsylvania

Racketeering

The indictment lists 225 incidents in which the defendants are alleged to have worked together to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

These alleged incidents include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • On July 5, 2020, members of the group attacked DPS headquarters by throwing rocks and hurling a Molotov cocktail through the window, resulting in the injury of two employees and the building catching fire;
  • On May 17, 2022, defendants threw Molotov cocktails and glass bottles at police officers;
  • On Dec. 13, 2022, defendants threw fireworks at firefighters and EMTs, damaged an APD vehicle, and cut the safety rope of an arborist working in one of the trees on the site;
  • On multiple occasions, members of the group torched and caused other damage to buildings and construction equipment, including excavators and bulldozers, owned by contractors associated with the project and then claimed responsibility for the destruction;
  • Members of the group used the Scenes Blog to call for a “Night of Rage” to occur on Jan. 21, 2023, during which defendants committed arson and property damage and attempted to break into 191 Peachtree, where the offices of the Atlanta Police Foundation and other businesses are located;
  • On March 5, 2023, a member of the group punched a police officer and an organized mob attacked other law enforcement who were guarding the site and the crowd proceeded to set construction vehicles on fire;
  • On July 3, 2022, at least one member of the group vandalized historic Ebenezer Baptist Church;
  • On multiple occasions, members of the group harassed and intimidated law enforcement, including traveling to the home of a State Trooper; and
  • On multiple occasions, members of the group harassed and intimidated contractors and construction workers for their roles in the project, including trespassing on and destroying their property in Georgia, Florida, New York, Oregon, Michigan, and Minnesota.

Domestic Terrorism and Other Charges

The following defendants have also been charged with one count of Domestic Terrorism for allegedly attempting to commit the offense of Arson in the First Degree with the intent to destroy and disable critical infrastructure, including APD vehicles, a bank, and 191 Peachtree Street tower, to intimidate the City of Atlanta on Jan. 21, 2023.

  • Nadja Geier
  • Madeleine Feola
  • Emily Murphy
  • Francis Carroll
  • Ivan Ferguson

The following defendants have also been charged with one count of Attempted Arson in the First Degree for allegedly traveling to the City of Atlanta during a “Night of Rage,” possessing accelerant and a lighter, and attempting to break into the 191 Peachtree Street tower on Jan. 21, 2023.

  • Nadja Geier
  • Madeleine Feola
  • Emily Murphy
  • Francis Carroll
  • Ivan Ferguson

The following defendants have also been charged with 15 counts of Money Laundering for allegedly conducting financial transactions with the intent to promote Criminal Trespassing, while knowing that the moneys involved in said transaction represent the proceeds of Charity Fraud, from Jan. 10, 2022, through March 11, 2022.

  • Marlon Kautz
  • Adele Maclean
  • Savannah Patterson

A copy of the indictment can be found Download this pdf file. here .

*Members of the public should keep in mind that indictments contain only allegations against the individual against whom the indictment is sought. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and it will be the government’s burden at trial to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the allegations contained in the indictment.