PHILADELPHIA, PA – A woman whom authorities say is responsible for torching two police cruisers during riots that transpired in Philadelphia is now facing federal charges, according to reports.
Proving once again that while certain cities may have proverbially calmed down, investigators aren’t turning a blind eye to felonies committed back in May.
Officials say that Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal was among those engaged in riotous acts on May 30th in Philadelphia, alleging that she set two police vehicles ablaze during the chaos that ensued within the city.
Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal deserves a fair trial & if found guilty needs to be prosecuted to the maximum extent Allowed by the law & there should be no bail because some Anarchist left-wing @dnc will pay her bail! Great job @FBI, Bravo! Normal @gop USA wants law not Anarchy!
— Alan B Patterson MD (@AlanPattersonMD) June 19, 2020
Investigators pointed to the existence of photographic and video evidence of Blumenthal retrieving a piece of wood covered in flames from one police cruiser, and then placing that burning wood into a police SUV which cause the vehicle to catch fire.
Reportedly both the initial cruiser and the SUV were subsequently destroyed from the flames as a result.
U.S. Attorney William McSwain commented on the alleged acts carried out by Blumenthal:
“We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office fully support the First Amendment right of the people to assemble peaceably and to petition their government. But torching a police car has nothing to do with peaceful protest or any legitimate message.”
The 33-year-old suspect in federal custody is facing a possible sentence of 80 years in prison, accompanied by up to three years of supervision and a fine of up to half a million dollars.
McSwain issued a stern warning to those who thought they may have gotten away with criminal acts during the riots within the past four weeks:
“Anybody who engaged in such acts can stand by to put your hands behind your back and head to federal prison. We are coming for you.”
Solid work by @FBI: A #Philadelphia woman was #arrested & #charged after she allegedly set 2 #police vehicles on fire during protests over the #GeorgeFloyd‘s death.#FBI found Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 33, through her @Etsy purchases & @LinkedIn profile.
https://t.co/p1TvTnoDDG— Liz Goldenberg (@newstruthliz) June 19, 2020
ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge John Schmidt stated that the agency will continue to work in finding individuals responsible for acts of arson, likening such displays as ones that “terrorize” communities:
“Everybody deserves to be safe from violent criminals utilizing dangerous methods to destroy our neighborhoods and property. ATF will always work with our local, state and federal partners to investigate and arrest the criminals who choose to use arson to commit their crimes and terrorize the public.”
These dumb commies keep outing themselves with tattoos and now custom-made T-shirts from Etsy 🤣😆 This Antifa arsonist here faces 80-years in a federal prison https://t.co/u5sbTpTi0F
— ✭ Wayne Dupree ✭ (@WayneDupreeShow) June 19, 2020
This particular investigation was a collaborative effort between the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, the Philadelphia Police Department and the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office.
Meaning that with all the aforementioned agencies and their resources, identifying more criminal acts that transpired during the riots is inevitable.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw relayed such a sentiment during the announcement of the charges against Blumenthal:
“We are privileged to have worked, and will continue to work, with our partners in law enforcement to investigate, identify and hold accountable the persons who committed these unlawful acts.”
What led authorities to her is actually quite remarkable investigative techniques.
The first clue stemmed from footage captured by a news crew helicopter that was covering the destruction on May 30th, to include the torched police vehicles. Through that footage obtained, they were able to identify a general outline of the suspects race, gender, and outfit.
From there, investigators found an image of the same suspect on Instagram present at the riot, while being able to hone in on an image of a distinct tattoo on her right forearm.
Then, police obtained 500 photos from a photographer present during the riots and protests and found another image of the suspect, wearing a specific shirt that read “Keep the immigrants, deport the racists.” That was no ordinary shirt – as it happened to be a custom one sold on the website Etsy.
FBI tracked down white woman who set cop cars alight by tracing the t-shirt to Etsy | Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 33, faces two counts of felony arson for her role in setting ablaze two Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) vehicles on May 30 https://t.co/7pbRhMuCgB
— Reformed Bully (@ReformedBully) June 18, 2020
That’s when police ventured to the Etsy webstore and happened to find a five-star review for a purchase of that very shirt from someone who resided in Philadelphia, which led to a online Etsy profile called “Alleycatlore” which held a display name toting “Lore-Elisabeth.”
It was through looking into LinkedIn that investigators managed to find a profile for Lore-Elisabeth linking to a massage therapist company that hosted videos of none other than Blumenthal with that distinct tattoo that police identified in photographic evidence obtained earlier.
After obtaining all the aforementioned, a subpoena was delivered to Etsy that confirmed the shirt worn by the arson suspect was indeed sold and shipped to Blumenthal. Now that is some awesome police work.
While the Justice Department’s release was specific to Blumenthal’s alleged criminal activity, the recurring notion throughout the release was that the feds are coming after all who were using the protests to engage in violent acts and crime.
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