4 chapters across the catalog
The 2009 Newberg Sting is examined via an HBO documentary, detailing how the FBI targeted four impoverished men in New York for a manufactured terror plot. The hosts discuss how the bureau used a paid informant to offer $250,000 and luxury items to a Walmart clerk to induce participation in a fake bombing scheme. They argue this case serves as a blueprint for how the government creates "domestic violent extremists" for political and budgetary gain.
Details emerge regarding Shahed Hussein, an FBI informant on the lamb from fraud charges who was tasked with recruiting "terrorists" in Newburgh, New York. Hussein targeted a destitute community with 30% unemployment, offering massive financial incentives to individuals who had no prior history of radicalism. The hosts reflect on the post-9/11 era where questioning such government tactics was branded as unpatriotic.
The FBI's targeting of James Cromitie, a low-level marijuana dealer making $14,000 a year, is detailed as the centerpiece of the Newberg Sting. Informant Shahed Hussein spent months pursuing Cromitie, eventually offering him $250,000, a barbershop, and luxury cars to participate in a plot involving Stinger missiles. The hosts argue that such massive financial inducements in impoverished neighborhoods constitute clear entrapment.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) provides a critique of the Newberg Sting, labeling it a "manufactured" event designed for media consumption. Witnesses at the local mosque describe the informant as a suspicious "blowhard" who was ignored by most congregants until he found a vulnerable target. The hosts discuss how the media works with three-letter agencies to create "scoops" that fuel public fear and justify government expansion.
