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FBI fires back at claims it released Crooks' body for cremation days after Trump assassination attempt
The FBI has fired back at claims by a GOP congressman that the agency released the body of Thomas Matthew Crooks for cremation just 10 days after his assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.
The agency says it refutes allegations by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who says that when he requested to view Crooks’ body on Aug. 5, nobody on the ground in Butler knew it had been handed back to the suspect’s family on July 23. Higgins said the revelation “caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact.”
Higgins is looking into the deadly July 13 incident as part of a bi-partisan congressional task force and made the claims in a stunning preliminary report which is highly critical of the FBI’s investigation into the matter. Higgins says the releasing of the body, and other claims of bad practice leveled at the FBI, amounts to an “obstruction to any following investigative effort.”
The FBI has snapped back against claims it released Thomas Matthew Crooks’ body for cremation just 10 days after the assassination attempt on former President Trump. Former President Donald Trump, left, Thomas Matthew Crooks, bottom right, GOP congressman Clay Higgins, top left. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images, main, Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, top right, Fox News, bottom right.)
An FBI spokesperson tells Fox News Digital that any suggestion the agency is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination “is inaccurate and unfounded.”
The agency said that Crooks’ body was released to his family after coordination with the coroner’s office as well as state and local law enforcement partners “in keeping with normal procedures.”
Higgins, a former police captain, said that he visited Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month to investigate the crime scene and that when he asked to view Crooks’ body, he discovered that it “was gone.”
BUTLER RESIDENTS STILL FURIOUS ABOUT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, SAY MORE THAN INCOMPETENCE TO BLAME
“My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact . . . the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after J13 [July 13],” Higgins writes in the report sent to task force chairperson Mike Kelly, R-Pa.
“Nobody knew this until Monday, August 5, including the County Coroner, law enforcement, Sheriff, etc,” Higgins writes. “Yes, Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the Coroner, and he would have never released Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI.”
Higgins doubled down on his claims late Friday in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“My report states the precise truth, which is that the coroner released Crooks body to the family for cremation only after the FBI had specifically authorized the coroner to release Crooks’ body to the family for cremation.”
Furthermore, Higgins writes in his preliminary investigatory report that the coroner’s report and autopsy report are both “late,” and as of Aug. 5, they were a week late.
Higgins says that the problem with him not being able to examine Crooks’ body is that he won’t know for sure if the coroner’s report and the autopsy report are accurate.
“We will actually never know. Yes, we’ll get the reports and pictures, etc., but I will not ever be able to say with certainty that those reports and pictures are accurate according to my own examination of the body,” Higgins writes.
As well as the release of Crooks’ body, Higgins also panned the FBI for releasing the crime scene after three days, “much to everyone’s surprise.”
Higgins said they did this despite it being common knowledge that Congress would be investigating the shooting, which resulted in Trump being struck in the ear. Crooks killed highly regarded local firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was trying to shield his daughters from the gunfire, while two other victims suffered life-threatening injuries but are expected to make a full recovery.
LIFE-SIZE SCULPTURE OF ‘FIGHTING’ TRUMP MADE FROM NAILS UNVEILED AT ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SITE
“They had to know that releasing the J13 crime scene would injure the immediate observations of any following investigation,” Higgins writes.
Higgins also alleges that the FBI cleaned up biological evidence from the crime scene, which he says is “unheard of.”
“Cops don’t do that, ever,” Higgins writes.
But the FBI also hit back against those claims, telling Fox News Digital that the crime scene was released to the property owners in phases and that “nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation.”
The FBI also says it arranged for the cleaning of the location where Crooks died, which is in keeping with standard procedures.
“The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting, and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence,” the FBI says in the statement. “The FBI continues its painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting, and we remain committed to maximum transparency as we continue to brief Congress and publish information for the public regarding the ongoing investigation.”
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
The preliminary report also sheds more light on the shocking event that could have plunged the nation into a political crisis.
Higgins heaps praise on local law enforcement, particularly the Butler County Emergency Services Unit (ESU), who he says were professionally deployed and commanded.
However, one concerning point highlighted was that the Secret Service did not retrieve radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County’s tactical command, even though they had been reminded to do so by Butler County tactical command the day before and the morning of the shooting, Higgins says.
He also discovered that before July 13, the Secret Service had never assigned a counter-sniper team to a former president, including Trump.
Higgins said Crooks fired off eight shots, and that all eight casings were recovered and are allegedly in proper possession of the FBI. He said that Crooks’ position on the roof of the gar building provided him with excellent concealment from the northern counter-sniper team due to the foliage and branches of two trees.
A screenshot image from James Copenhaver, one of the victims critically wounded in the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump, shows a figure, likely Crooks, moving across a rooftop just minutes before gunfire rang out at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (James Copenhaver)
The ninth shot was fired by a Butler SWAT operator from the ground, about 100 yards away from the AGR building. The shot hit Crooks’ rifle stock and fragged his face and shoulder area from the stock breaking up. Higgins believes this shot damaged the buffer tube on Crooks’ rifle, meaning that the rifle would not fire after his eight shot.
“The SWAT operator who took this shot was a total badass; when he had sighted the shooter Crooks as a mostly obscured by foliage moving target on the AGR rooftop, he immediately left his assigned post and ran towards the threat, running to a clear shot position directly into the line of fire while Crooks was firing 8 rounds,” Higgins writes.
Higgins writes that Crooks “went down” from his firing position when shot 9 was fired, recovered after just a few seconds, and “popped back up.”
The tenth, and final shot, was fired by the southern Secret Service counter-sniper team, which entered the left mouth area and exited the right ear area.
Officers surround Thomas Crooks on the AGR roof after countersnipers killed him. (Butler Twp Police Dept.)
Higgins also says that Crooks did not use a ladder to scale the roof and ruled out a possible second shooter being on top of the water tower. Videos circulating online show a dark figure or a shadow on the water tower, but Higgins says that ESU Commander Edward Lenz had cleared the tower with a drone that morning.
He also says that a window below Crooks’ firing position on the roof of the AGR building did not open and never did open after videos online suggested a “muzzle flash” had come from it.
“The ‘muzzle flash’ from inside that window was either a digital fabrication or an iPhone light or iPhone camera flash reflected from the glass of the widow,” Higgins writes.
Higgins said he has yet to take a deep dive into how Crooks came to be a shooter or how he manufactured a remote trigger bomb.
“I have not investigated the life and actions of Thomas Matthew Crooks outside of his actions on J13. But I will. We will. We’re just getting started, Mr. Chairman.”
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The provocative painting seemed like an authentic work by Andy Warhol, depicting a nude man and woman gazing at each other with colorful shading around their bodies.
But the piece was a well-disguised counterfeit, among more than 200 fakes of works by artists like Banksy, Picasso and the Native American painter Fritz Scholder, which sold for a total of more than $2 million. Many of the works were made by an artist in Poland, and commissioned by a father and daughter living in New Jersey.
On Tuesday, the father and daughter, Erwin Bankowski and Karolina Bankowska, pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Brooklyn to running a scheme to sell the counterfeit works.
The duo “painted themselves as purveyors of fine art while selling lies on canvas to unsuspecting collectors,” Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, said in a statement.
Federal guidelines call for a prison sentence of 33 to 41 months for each defendant. Both Mr. Bankowski and Mr. Bankowska are citizens of Poland and face deportation after serving their sentences. They are set to be sentenced on Aug. 5.
Todd Spodek, a lawyer for Ms. Bankowska, 26, said his client had accepted responsibility for her crimes. Jeffrey Chabrowe, a lawyer for Mr. Bankowski, 50, said his client also accepted responsibility and had “made a terrible decision to support his family.”
Counterfeit art schemes date back thousands of years. Many forgers in recent decades have pulled off their operations by faking a work’s provenance, or documented ownership history, which elite art collectors check to determine authenticity.
Famous art forgers include Wolfgang Beltracchi, a German man who says he painted in the style of more than 100 artists, and Mark Landis, who has donated numerous fakes to dozens of museums. Two art forgery rings in Thunder Bay, Ontario, manufactured thousands of fake paintings presented as works by Norval Morrisseau, one of Canada’s most celebrated Indigenous artists.
Mr. Bankowski and Ms. Bankowska went to great lengths to conceal their efforts. In addition to creating the fake provenances, sometimes by using forged stamps from art galleries, they told buyers that the pieces were from art galleries that had since closed, prosecutors said. That made it harder for buyers to verify that the pieces were real.
The pair’s collection included splotchy pieces, often with strong political overtones, that were sold to reputable galleries and auction houses around the United States. One fake of a work by Banksy, the anonymous British street artist, that protested the Iraq War sold for $2,000. A knockoff of a painting by Raimonds Staprans, a Latvian American visual artist who died in January, sold for $60,000.
Mr. Bankowski and Ms. Bankowska also sold works that they claimed were made by Native American artists, earning a rarely used federal charge: the misrepresentation of Indian goods and services. One of the counterfeits was a fake of a landscape by Richard Mayhew, a painter of Black and Native American heritage; it sold for $160,000, prosecutors said.
Mr. Spodek, who has represented many people accused of elaborate scams, said his clients had taken great care to ensure the knockoffs looked authentic. He said the replicas that the father and daughter commissioned were “identical” to the originals.
“It’s not just selling on eBay,” Mr. Spodek said.
Food News
If it closes, the nearest 99 Restaurant locations to Boston will be in Revere and Quincy.
A beloved New England chain restaurant’s last Boston location may close as developers eye the lot around it for future apartments at Charlestown’s Bunker Hill Mall.
Universal Hub first reported the news that the 99 Restaurant on Austin Street could shutter as part of a proposal to replace much of the site with a six-story, 240-unit apartment complex.
A spokesperson for the restaurant said the 99 has been at its 31 Austin St. location for 33 years.
“We are aware that the owners of Bunker Hill Mall property are considering a redevelopment of the entire site, and as such, we are exploring our options to remain in this community far into the future,” a spokesperson said. “We will continue to serve our loyal guests in our current location as long as our lease remains in place.”
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The property owner, New England Development, originally proposed a plan in 2021 that would build apartments around the 99 in a U-shape design, according to previous documents and members of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council who spoke to Boston.com. But the neighborhood council development chair Nancy Johnson said the community had a hard time envisioning that design.
Since then, a key zoning change has reshaped the project. In late 2023, the Boston Planning Department changed the Bunker Hill Mall site’s zoning from neighborhood shopping to mixed-use, clearing the way for residential builds. New England Development now proposes replacing the 99 entirely, with construction to be finished by 2028.
In a statement, New England Development said the restaurant “will remain in operation through at least the end of 2026.”
“The residential development, which adheres to zoning, will provide needed housing, and also complement and support the existing grocery and commercial uses with no reduction in parking for those businesses,” the statement read.
In a March meeting, some public comments opposed the project because of the likely shuttering of the 99.
“The 99 is one of the few family-friendly restaurants in Charlestown,” said one commenter. “We have celebrated numerous end-of-season sports events there. We need these kind of community spaces in Charlestown.”
Residents also raised broader concerns about the development, including parking and the potential loss of retail in addition to the 99. It isn’t immediately clear which stores will stay. A draft project impact report filed this year indicates redevelopment would only be considered after the “expiration of long-term retail leases.”
But along with zoning changes, Boston’s planning department approved a modification to the urban renewal plan to allow for the residential build. Johnson said the community is worried it could mean less retail stores at the site, which is the opposite of what the community wants.
The Bunker Hill Mall currently includes a Whole Foods, CVS, an Ace Hardware, and other stores. The 99 and a Dunkin’ are the last remaining restaurant spaces on site — the 99 being the last full-service option. The mall previously housed a Papa Gino’s and a Friendly’s.
The Charlestown Neighborhood Council expressed frustration mostly with the Boston Planning & Development Agency over the lack of a community process during the 2023 zoning change and a subsequent update to the site’s urban renewal plan.
“We want our neighbors and other residents to have good, affordable housing that’s safe and well-made,” Johnson said. “But you have to plan for the future, and a neighborhood is going to need retail spaces.”
The 99’s long history in Charlestown includes a 1995 shooting that killed four people. More recently, the chain has maintained a loyal following: It topped a Boston.com reader poll in 2020 and drew a wave of praise from readers in 2024 reacting to a Reddit post declaring the chain was underrated.
If the Charlestown location ultimately closes at the Bunker Hill Mall site, the closest 99 locations to Boston proper would be in Revere and Quincy.
A judge Tuesday sentenced the last of three defendants in the fatal 2024 stabbing of a mentally ill man at an abandoned Pittsburgh house.
Carlena Wells, 20, was sentenced to 2½ to 5 years in prison on a conspiracy to commit aggravated assault charge in the March 2024 death of Marc Kovach, 37.
Police said Kovach, who was schizophrenic, was beaten and stabbed, then his corpse was hidden under the porch of an empty West End house.
Attorney Thomas N. Farrell, who represented Wells, said his client is autistic. He asked Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Simquita R. Bridges to help rehabilitate Wells by sending her to a group home with around-the-clock care.
Prosecutors pushed back.
“Her role was admittedly less than anybody else’s but that doesn’t change the fact that a family is left without a son,” Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney John Fitzgerald said.
While Bridges opted for incarceration, the victim’s older sister said the three people involved in the killing did not face adequate justice.
“Even if she did not kill my brother, she stood there and watched and did nothing,” Misty Kovach, 46, of Port Vue, said while speaking during the sentencing. She criticized the defendants’ sentences.
Dominic Johnson, now 21, Wells’ boyfriend at the time of the attack, negotiated a guilty plea in April 2025 to third-degree murder and conspiracy, according to police and court records. Bridges sentenced him to 13 to 26 years in prison.
Just three months later, Logan Smetanka, also now 21, negotiated a guilty plea on conspiracy to commit third-degree murder, court records show. Bridges sentenced him to 4 to 8 years in prison.
Attorneys for both men declined comment Tuesday.
Police initially said the crime unfolded on March 16, 2024, when Johnson was hanging out with Kovach in a home on Steuben Street. Johnson attacked Kovach for touching Wells, according to a criminal complaint.
At least two witnesses whom police did not identify in court records told authorities they were present during the attack.
One witness told police that Johnson and Wells were “stomping” on Kovach at the house, the complaint said. Investigators said they were told by a witness that Johnson and Smetanka knocked Kovach unconscious. Johnson then dragged an unconscious Kovach toward the porch of the house, according to the complaint.
Pittsburgh police were dispatched to Steuben Street five days after the crime when someone called 911 to report a body. Responding officers found Kovach dead in a dried pool of blood under the front porch of the home, the complaint said.
He had been stabbed multiple times in the abdomen. Kovach was lying face-up on the ground, with a black jacket covering his chest.
Misty Kovach told TribLive Tuesday that her younger brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia after he started growing increasingly paranoid while studying at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Smoking marijuana appeared to exacerbate his mental health issues, she said. Marc Kovach, one of three children, was involuntarily committed to a hospital for mental health treatment at least once, his sister said.
Misty Kovach said she helped her brother get an apartment in Glassport. The family, however, did not know where he was living at the time of his death.
Farrell, Wells’ attorney, told the judge his client “had a rough life, a very difficult life.”
Wells herself briefly apologized to Kovach’s family.
“I just want to say I do feel remorseful for what I’ve done,” Wells said. “I’m just sorry.”
“My brother was mentally ill and we really didn’t figure that out until a couple years ago,” Misty Kovach said on the witness stand. “He also had a rough life. But he did not hurt people. That’s not an excuse.”
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