Russian disinformation sites linked to former Florida deputy sheriff, research finds (What we are up against) [View all]

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Russian disinformation sites linked to former Florida deputy sheriff, research finds


A new report from a media watchdog connects John Mark Dougan, who now lives in Russia, to scores of fake news sites.
A selfie of John Mark Dougan at the beach with the ocean in the background

The report links John Mark Dougan to more than 150 websites designed to look like legitimate news outlets.John Mark Dougan via Facebook

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fake-news-sites-florida-deputy-sheriff-russia-rcna154315

May 29, 2024, 9:00 AM CDT
By Brandy Zadrozny

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The websites, with names like DC Weekly, New York News Daily and Boston Times, look similar to those of legitimate local news outlets and have already succeeded in spreading a number of false stories surrounding the war in Ukraine. Experts warn they could be used to launder disinformation about the 2024 election.

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The rumor about Zelenskyy’s buying yachts was later promoted by Republican members of Congress, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

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What specific support Dougan receives from Russia is unclear. In May, the cybersecurity company Recorded Future reported a “realistic possibility” that the network receives strategic guidance, support or oversight from the Russian government. In March, The New York Times reported that the fake local news ring “appears to involve remnants” of the Internet Research Agency, the troll factory created by the late Putin associate Yevgeny Prigozhin to influence the 2016 presidential election. Previous reporting on Dougan and his more dubious claims — including that he was in possession of leaked documents from murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich and secret tapes belonging to Jeffrey Epstein — suggests Dougan may be pursuing wealth, clout or operating from some other motive in addition to a state-sanctioned political agenda.

Dougan was an early creator of fake websites. After he resigned from his job as a sheriff’s deputy in Palm Beach County, Florida, and was fired months later from a subsequent one in Windham, Maine, over sexual harassment claims, he built a network of websites that focused on what he claimed was widespread corruption in Windham, naming local police and town officials in articles. He also reportedly launched a campaign doxxing thousands of federal agents, judges and law enforcement officers, posting their home addresses and salacious allegations online. By 2015 he was operating several websites with official-sounding names like DCWeekly.com and DCPost.org, which hosted made-up articles. In 2016, he fled to Russia following an FBI raid of his home to evade charges linked to his doxxing efforts.

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There is a lot of information about this guy on line, reading the rest of this is must read!