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Former model recalls Jeffrey Epstein abuse at private island, speaks out after his death: 'My life spiraled'

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Former model recalls Jeffrey Epstein abuse at private island, speaks out after his death: 'My life spiraled'

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Lisa Phillips had big dreams of becoming a top model when she encountered Jeffrey Epstein.

The cover girl, who said she was abused by the late convicted sex offender on his private island, is speaking out candidly in a new podcast, “From Now On.” It aims to raise awareness of human trafficking and how it can impact anyone.

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“It took me many years to get to this point,” Phillips, now a model scout and agent in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital. “I struggled with the confusion of what happened to me years ago.”

EPSTEIN GRAND JURY RECORDS RELEASED, DESCRIBE TRAFFICKER’S NETWORK FOR ‘GROOMING’ UNDERAGE GIRLS

Lisa Phillips is speaking out about meeting Jeffrey Epstein. She claimed the late financier sexually abused her on his private island. (Brett Erickson)

“But as soon as I started speaking to other survivors, I started realizing that my story from so many years ago was the same as those – both the underage girls from Florida and the older girls that were 18-25,” she shared.

Phillips began modeling when she was 16 years old. By 19, she was already heading to fashion capitals, like London and Paris, making her mark. At age 21, she found herself in New York City, where she had booked a photo shoot in the British West Indies. 

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It was there that a fellow model told her about an island nearby – Little Saint James.

“We had an extra day,” Phillips recalled. “She said, ‘Let’s get out of here. Let’s do something. I have a friend, a really good friend. He’s amazing. He owns an island close by. Let’s see him. He said he would send us a boat, and we could hang out over there.’”

Lisa Phillips is seen here heading to Little Saint James. (Courtesy of Lisa Phillips)

The women boarded a boat and headed to the island. When they arrived, there were other women already there swimming in a pool and “enjoying themselves.” 

At first, everything seemed “fine,” said Phillips. They had “a wonderful dinner” before Epstein approached them and introduced himself.

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Lisa Phillips detailed her story in the podcast “From Now On.” (Courtesy of Lisa Phillips)

“He was very charming,” she recalled. “He was that type of man who just locked into you and made you feel very special, very safe and so interested in who you were as a person. I never had that attention from a man, not even from my father, expressing that much interest in everything that I was talking about, what I was doing, what my aspirations and goals were.”

“I always remember that he made me feel really special… That’s what he did for everybody.”

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Jeffrey Epstein’s former home on the island of Little Saint James in the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Emily Michot / Getty Images)

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However, things took a turn “pretty quickly,” she claimed.

That same night, a woman casually approached her, saying that Epstein wanted a massage. A confused Phillips said she did not know how to give one. The woman nonchalantly told her to “just chill.” After assuring her, Phillips followed the woman’s lead. She felt safe with her.

Phillips claimed that the massage turned into Epstein sexually assaulting her in the room. 

“That was the cover I shot the day I went to the island,” Lisa Phillips told Fox News Digital. (Courtesy of Lisa Phillips)

“It wasn’t a straight, ‘Let me pull you into a room and abuse you,’” said Phillips. “He eases into things, like, ‘It’s just a massage, right?’ The girl went along with it and brought me into the room to do this massage with him. It was a slow thing that escalated into abuse. The whole process was very confusing to me.”

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Lisa Phillips said she returned to New York City feeling very confused and “filled with shame.” (Courtesy of Lisa Phillips)

“I was on an island,” she said. “I wasn’t in a house where I could say, ‘Excuse me, I need to leave,’ and grab my stuff. I was far away from home on an island I should never have been on.”

Phillips later learned that multiple women, like her, alleged that they were assaulted by Epstein under the guise of a massage.

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Lisa Phillips said things took a turn quickly on the day she met Jeffrey Epstein. (Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

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She returned to New York City filled with shame.

“After that, my life spiraled,” Phillips admitted. “I started doing drugs and drinking… I felt like I was tarnished, or something was wrong with me that I didn’t stand up for myself… And everybody looked up to Jeffrey at the time. 

“During those years, he wasn’t a playboy who hung out in the scene. People talked about him highly. When I would bring up his name to people, they would say, ‘We love Jeffrey. He did this for me. He got me a visa. He introduced me to my husband. He put me through school.’ It was always these big things that he did for people. That was confusing for me.”

Lisa Phillips has a podcast, “From Now On,” which aims to educate listeners on sexual abuse and human trafficking. (Brett Erickson)

Phillips also pointed out that the incident occurred in the early 2000s, long before the #MeToo movement where victims of sexual abuse came forward publicly with their accounts. At that time, she said, “You would never speak out about somebody like that with that kind of power.”

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Phillips said she “suppressed” the shame and confusion she felt as Epstein portrayed himself as a mentor wanting to help.

“Nobody talked about the creepy massages and what was happening,” she said. “It was all hush-hush… He was influential, and he was manipulative. He groomed you to believe that he was your mentor.”

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Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender registry on March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters on July 10, 2019. (New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via REUTERS)

In 2006, Epstein was arrested over allegations that he had hired teenage girls to give him sexualized massages at his Florida home. 

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Two years later, prosecutors allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program then quietly started rebuilding his network of influential friends, with the help of his socialite former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

After a series of Miami Herald stories about the plea bargain that deprived Epstein’s victims of justice, federal prosecutors in New York revived the investigation and charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Epstein reportedly created and maintained a “vast network” and operation from 2002 “up to and including” at least 2005 that enabled him to “sexually exploit and abuse dozens of underage girls” in addition to paying victims to recruit other girls.

Prosecutors said that victims would be escorted to a room with a massage table where they would perform massages on Epstein.

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At the time of Epstein’s arrest, prosecutors said they found a trove of pictures of nude and seminude young women and girls at his $77 million Manhattan mansion. They also say additional victims have come forward since the arrest. He pleaded not guilty.

Jeffrey Epstein is seen here with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now serving her sentence at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

On Aug. 10 of that year, Epstein was found dead behind bars. He was 66. The cause of death was suicide. 

When Epstein killed himself in jail, prosecutors charged Maxwell with facilitating his illicit sexual encounters and participating in some of the abuse. The 62-year-old was convicted and is serving a 20-year prison term.

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Phillips said that while she hated her abuser, she cried after learning of his death.

Lisa Phillips admitted she cried after hearing of Jeffrey Epstein’s death, something that confused her. (Brett Erickson)

“I didn’t know why,” she explained. “He was a bad guy, but I had good thoughts about him too… I just had this emotional breakdown of confusion. But if he was still alive, I probably would’ve had way too much fear to speak out. I probably would have never spoken out. But… I was willing to finally talk about what happened to me. I needed answers.”

Phillips went on to testify in a 2022 civil case involving another Epstein accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, USA Today reported. She also filed as a Jane Doe under the Adult Survivors Act, citing abuse by an Epstein associate. According to the outlet, she received a settlement in a case involving JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Epstein accusers.

“The pain is in the numbers,” she explained. “You can go through some type of abuse and deal with it on your own… but when you start hearing about other women who had the same experiences with Jeffrey and others, it does something to your psyche,” she said. 

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JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S SEX TRAFFICKING ACCOMPLICE GHISLAINE MAXWELL LOSES APPEAL

David Boies, representing several of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims, center, arrives with Annie Farmer, second right, and Virginia Giuffre at federal court in New York on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019. Epstein, a convicted pedophile, killed himself in prison earlier that month while awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and trafficking minors for sex. (Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“… And when I started speaking to the other survivors, that’s where I felt validation… That’s when I felt safe to talk about my experience without people shaming me. I wasn’t alone.”

Today, Phillips hopes her podcast will provide a platform for other victims who are healing, like her.

“I want people to know that there’s a place where you can come and be heard,” she said. “I also want to educate people on how to advocate for themselves, and look out for red flags while you’re building your career. Because this can happen in any kind of business.”

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Lisa Phillips wants her podcast to be a “safe space” for other victims of abuse to share their stories without fear. (Brett Erickson)

“I feel different today than I did yesterday,” she reflected. “It’s getting better. But I’m ready to start speaking out. And I’m ready to help others speak out, too.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Virginia prosecutor’s record on violent offenders scrutinized after illegal immigrant charged in mom’s murder

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Virginia prosecutor’s record on violent offenders scrutinized after illegal immigrant charged in mom’s murder

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A prosecutor in Virginia is facing criticism after a Fairfax County Police Department officer warned the county’s commonwealth attorney about a criminal illegal immigrant who has racked up over 30 arrests before allegedly killing a mother.

Abdul Jalloh, 32, was charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly stabbed a mother to death while at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Feb. 23. Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano’s office, however, was warned several times about how dangerous Jalloh is, and dismissed many of his previous criminal charges.

Jalloh’s case is far from the only controversial actions by Descano’s office, which even includes a plea deal with a murder suspect that allows him the chance at freedom.

POLICE WARNED PROSECUTORS 3 TIMES ABOUT VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BEFORE HE ALLEGEDLY KILLED VIRGINIA MOTHER

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Here’s a list of controversial cases handled by Descano’s office:

Abdul Jalloh

Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a Virginia bus stop.  (Fox 5 DC)

Jalloh, 32, was charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly stabbed a mother to death while at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Feb. 23. The victim, 41-year-old Stephanie Minter, was found dead with multiple stab wounds to her upper body, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Jalloh has a violent rapsheet dating back to 2014 and includes over 30 arrests with several charges dismissed by Descano’s office.

Jalloh was arrested the next day while he was allegedly trying to steal from a liquor store when an employee called 911. Officials said Jalloh came to the U.S. illegally in 2012 from Sierra Leone under the Obama administration.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer on Jalloh in 2020, and he was later issued a final order of removal allowing him to be deported to any country other than Sierra Leone. Despite that order, he was not deported.

A police major for the Fairfax County Police Department even warned Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano about Jalloh on at least three separate occasions, according to emails obtained by WJLA.

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In one email to Fairfax County Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jenna Sands, the police major said Jalloh “is one of the repeat (and violent) offenders” that they had discussed before. 

TRAVIS COUNTY DA FACES RENEWED ‘SOFT ON CRIME’ CRITICISM AFTER CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED WITH MURDER

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano speaking at an event. (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)

“I wanted to get your background on why he is out so soon and ask if his prior suspended sentence (of I believe 5 years) was pursued by your office? Unfortunately, based on MTV Station’s numerous dealings with him, it is not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again. My role of keeping the public safe, prompts me to follow up on his status,” the major wrote.

A Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the office “was aware of Jalloh’s criminal history and shared police concerns about potential future dangerousness. That is why our Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney personally handled these cases.”

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The spokesperson added that prosecutors “will often explore many different pathways to successful prosecution, but, at the end of the day, our decisions are constrained by what testimony is available and what is legally permissible and practicable in Fairfax courts.”

Joshua Danehower

In 2022, Joshua Danehower was arrested for the murder of Gret Glyer. (Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office)

In 2022, Danehower was charged with Gret Glyer’s murder. According to WUSA 9, Glyer, who owned the donation platform DonorSee, was shot 10 times as he slept next to his wife on June 24, 2022. 

Prosecutors alleged Danehower killed Glyer because of an obsession with his wife. The suspect allegedly became fixated with her after a church function, and according to her family, the two had gone on a date about a decade ago.

Danehower was given a plea deal by Descano’s office, which found him not guilty by reason of insanity in February.

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DHS RIPS DEM-RUN COUNTY AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERER RELEASED: ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’

Virginia law requires Danehower to be sent to a psychiatric hospital, where his status will be evaluated on an annual basis for the next five years, then every two years afterward. If he’s deemed no longer a threat to himself or others, he’d have an opportunity to be released from the psychiatric hospital.

Heather Glyer, the victim’s wife, said while on the witness stand, “I was robbed of my life partner.”

“My kids were robbed of their father,” she added.

Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron

Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron pleaded guilty to lesser charges. (DHS)

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In January 2025, according to a report by former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Ramos-Giron, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, choked his ex-wife during an argument and pulled out a knife.

He was charged with felony abduction by force, felony strangulation, and misdemeanor assault and battery against a family member after the incident, but Descano’s office allowed him to plead to lesser charges of misdemeanor battery and brandishing a bladed weapon.

In a statement released by Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Deputy Chief of Staff and Public Information Officer Laura Birnbaum, according to the report, the plea agreement “achieved the outcomes that the victim wanted.”

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However, when the victim spoke with 7News, she refuted Birnbaum’s statement, saying she didn’t agree to the plea deal.

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“He’s dangerous,” she said, fearing another violent incident would happen.

“If I die, who is going to take care of them?” the victim asked, referring to her children.

Ronnie Reel

Ronnie Reel accepted a plea deal by Fairfax county prosecutors. (Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office)

In July 2021, Reel was arrested on charges of sexual penetration, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual battery against a minor, according to the Fairfax County Times.

During Reel’s trial on Sept. 13, 2022, Chief Judge of the Fairfax County Circuit Court Penney Azcarate ruled that the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office had missed an evidentiary deadline, meaning confessions, including a call from Reel to a defendant’s mother where he allegedly confessed, as well as other evidence and witnesses couldn’t be used in court.

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According to the outlet, that meant the case would rely on the victim’s testimony entirely.

As a result, Reel was offered a plea deal and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery and was sentenced to one year in prison, but was released on time served. He also wasn’t required to register as a sex offender, according to FOX 5.

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The mother, who asked to be identified as Amber, told FOX 5 the case has had a big impact on her son.

“I was really upset. This is my child, this is my baby,” she said while crying. “And he got no justice. So he continues to see me cry and everything. He held his own, he stayed strong. He’s always trying to be strong for mom.”

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“He was confessing every little detail that he did, and it was making me sick to my stomach,” she added. “It was horrible. He literally confessed to me why he did it.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

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MIKE DAVIS: Virginia returns to the Confederacy with a seditious conspiracy against ICE

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MIKE DAVIS: Virginia returns to the Confederacy with a seditious conspiracy against ICE

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Immigration enforcement is a core federal power. Under Article I of the Constitution, Congress has the duty to write our federal immigration laws. Under Article II, the President has the duty to enforce them. States cannot meddle and certainly not obstruct. Unfortunately, many Democrat states, especially Virginia, are on a deadly collision course with the federal government.

American voters gave President Trump and the Republican-led Congress a broad electoral mandate to reverse the disaster the Biden-Harris border policy caused in every state in America by mass importing as many as 20 million illegal aliens, including the worst of the worst around the world. 

Activist judges and other Democrat politicians and election deniers have done everything they can fathom to thwart Trump’s constitutional duty to expel these dangerous illegal aliens.

TRUMP URGES DHS, ICE TO PUBLICIZE ARRESTS, SAYS CRACKDOWN IS ‘SAVING MANY INNOCENT LIVES’

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The latest example is Virginia, which is passing a series of unconstitutional laws that would dangerously and illegally obstruct ICE. These proposals include criminal penalties, meaning that state law enforcement would attempt to arrest and jail ICE agents for simply doing their jobs. 

This effort is seditious, insurrectionist, extremely dangerous and blatantly unconstitutional. For the sake of the Republic, the Justice Department must immediately and aggressively quell this Virginia seditious conspiracy.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Davis Spanberger laughs aloud during a ceremony in a Virginia court in Richmond. (Mike Kropf-Pool/Getty Images)

Fairfax County District Attorney Steve Descano is the Soros puppet Democrat prosecutor in the DC suburb, an uber-wealthy Democrat enclave that is an albatross around Virginia’s neck. Abdul Jalloh is an illegal alien who invaded our country in 2012. Jalloh settled in Virginia and began wreaking havoc on the good citizens there, racking up a whopping 30 arrests. These included one for rape and four charges for stabbing Americans. 

Yet, thanks to the willful ineptitude of Fairfax County’s Democrat regime, Jalloh only had one felony conviction. He violated his probation, spent three months in jail and went free because of a deal between his lawyer and Descano’s office. Sanctuary jurisdictions like Fairfax County do not notify ICE when detaining or releasing illegals like Jalloh, who had a final order of removal from 2020. 

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Police in Fairfax repeatedly warned Descano’s office via email that Jalloh’s release would endanger the public, but the pleas fell on deaf ears. Earlier this week, Jalloh allegedly stabbed to death 41-year-old innocent mother Stephanie Minter at a bus stop.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger ran as a moderate Democrat. But after her inauguration this year, she immediately showed her true leftist colors. She issued an order prohibiting cooperation between state officials and ICE. 

Several anti-ICE bills await Spanberger’s signature: (1) a prohibition against ICE arrests at courthouses (where these alleged dangerous criminal illegals visit daily); (2) a prohibition against ICE arrests within 40 feet of polling places (where illegals violate federal criminal laws by voting); and (3) criminal penalties for ICE agents who wear masks (because they don’t want to get doxxed and killed).

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)

If Spanberger signs these unconstitutional state laws, the Trump Justice Department should immediately sue and seek to enjoin them in court. A Virginia federal judge should issue an injunction, following the lead of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which fully stayed California’s unconstitutional prohibition against ICE agents’ use of masks.

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But civil enforcement is not enough. Virginia Democrat officials plotting to arrest ICE agents for doing their jobs (seditious conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 2384) — and especially those who cause the arrests (insurrection under 18 U.S.C. § 2383, assault, kidnapping, harboring, conspiracy, and more) — must go to federal prison for their serious federal felonies. If anyone gets killed in a deadly standoff between these new Virginia confederates and ICE, these Virginia Democrat officials must face felony murder charges.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS UNLEASH ON VCU NURSE FIRED OVER ‘HEALTHCARE TERRORISM’ ENCOURAGING HARMING ICE AGENTS

Former President Biden and his missing-in-action border czar Kamala Harris allowed millions of illegal immigrants, including the most violent and dangerous criminals in the world, to pour across our borders. Trump is doing everything in his power to fulfill his broad electoral mandate and undo the damage by arresting and deporting these illegals.

Virginia’s proposed laws do not merely prohibit communication between state officials and ICE; rather, they criminalize federal law enforcement actions that are plainly within the scope of federal immigration enforcement power.

Abdul Jalloh has racked up over 30 arrests since entering the U.S., according to officials. (DHS)

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States do not have to help ICE by, for instance, providing law enforcement resources to assist in ICE apprehensions of illegals. But states certainly cannot subvert or obstruct these federal efforts. This is especially true of Virginia’s attempt to arrest ICE agents in the line of duty, which could justify their use of deadly force.

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Virginia’s attempt to subvert and obstruct federal law must fail. We fought the Civil War because the Confederacy, headquartered in Virginia, sought to nullify federal law with respect to slavery. Today’s Virginia Democrats are reverting to their confederate roots. 

Just as the federal government did during the Civil War and for a century after when segregationist states continued their efforts to nullify federal law, the federal government now must stand strong against Virginia’s sedition and insurrection. The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution makes plain that federal law is supreme in areas where the federal government has authority.

If Virginia gets away with effectively nullifying federal immigration enforcement, other states can nullify any other federal law that it finds distasteful. Let’s hope Abigail Spanberger comes to her senses and vetoes this insanity. If she does not, the federal government must use all tools at its disposal, including the Insurrection Act of 1807 and other federal criminal statutes, to preserve federal law. 

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Virginia state officials must go to federal prison for engaging in seditious conspiracy, insurrections and other very serious federal felonies. Anything less would threaten the existence of the Republic.

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South Carolina pastor describes evacuating members from Middle East after war broke out during Israel trip

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South Carolina pastor describes evacuating members from Middle East after war broke out during Israel trip

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Dozens of members of a South Carolina church are finally back in the United States after Operation Epic Fury left them stranded in Israel for nearly a week after their flight was supposed to depart.

Forty members of Calvary Chapel Summerville landed in Israel on Feb. 20 for eight days of exploration in the Holy Land. 

The group was set to fly home on Feb. 28 and had arrived at the airport three hours before their scheduled departure when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran. The attack prompted the closure of Israel’s airspace and the group had to evacuate the airport.

“It felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders and I just prayed and prayed and prayed and asked God to give me wisdom,” said Vic Carroll, pastor at Calvary Chapel Summerville in South Carolina.

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TRAVELERS STRANDED IN DUBAI PAYING HUGE SUMS TO FLEE ON PRIVATE CHARTER FLIGHTS AMID OPERATION EPIC FURY

Members of Calvary Chapel Summerville visit Al-Khazneh in Petra. (Melanie Carroll)

Carroll said the group had to shelter-in-place in Israel, going in and out of bomb shelters for several days. He then had to face the decision of the group staying or taking a bus to Jordan to have a shot at getting a flight back to the United States.

“We ultimately, you know, made the decision between what was bad and what was worse. I thought the worst would be to stay,” the pastor said. 

“We were instructed that if a siren goes off while we were on the road, the bus would pull over, we would all need to get on the ground, lay on the ground face-down for at least 10 minutes until the threat was gone, and then be on our way,” he continued.

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STATE DEPARTMENT USES PATRIOTS TEAM PLANE TO EVACUATE AMERICANS FROM MIDDLE EAST

The members of Calvary Chapel Summerville sightseeing in the Holy Land. (Melanie Carroll)

Fortunately, that did not happen and the group made it to the airport in Jordan to hop on a flight out of the Middle East Thursday morning.

Before the flight, Carroll said it was frightening, but their faith was greater than their fear.

“We’re just having to trust that we’re making the right decision, and this is our only option to get home, so we [were] just trusting in God,” he said.

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AMERICAN STUCK IN MIDDLE EAST ESCAPES IN RACE TO REACH CRITICALLY ILL HUSBAND IN CALIFORNIA

The group returned to the U.S. on Thursday night, landing at JFK in New York.

Melanie Carroll, the pastor’s wife, texted, “We are so thankful!!!!! It’s surreal!!” 

Melanie and Vic Carroll while visiting The Holy Land. (Kailey Schuyler)

The unexpected extension of the trip caused the price tag to increase significantly. Melanie created a GoFundMe, writing, “The path to get us home between lodging, flights and transfers will be upwards of $2500 per person.”

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The group was able to raise their goal of $100,000 in less than three days.

Melanie said the group is continuing to pray for everyone trying to get out of the Middle East. 

Nearly 24,000 Americans have returned to the U.S. after fleeing the Middle East since Operation Epic Fury began last week, according to the State Department.

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