West
Oregon mistakenly registered hundreds more voters without proving citizenship
Officials in Oregon announced Monday that they have identified an additional 302 people on the state’s voter rolls who didn’t provide proof of citizenship when they were registered to vote.
The announcement comes just two weeks after officials in the Beaver state said 1,259 possible noncitizens have been registered to vote since 2021, bringing the total number of mistaken registrations to 1,561.
The mistakes occurred in part because Oregon passed a law in 2019 allowing some residents who aren’t citizens to obtain driver’s licenses. And the state’s so-called “Motor Voter” law, which took effect in 2016, automatically registers most people to vote when they seek a new license or ID.
OREGON MISTAKENLY REGISTERED NEARLY 1,260 POSSIBLE NONCITIZENS TO VOTE, DMV ADMITS
Oregon residents drop off their ballots near the Multnomah County Elections building in Portland on Nov. 3, 2020. (Ankur Dholakia/AFP via Getty Images)
The improper voter registrations stem from clerical errors at the state DMV.
On Monday, the DMV released an “After Action Report,” which identified errors in its processes that led to the mistakes, with Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade then directing county elections officials to inactivate all 302 voter registrations.
Griffin-Valade and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, both Democrats, called for an independent, external audit of the motor voter system in a joint statement.
“Thanks to the swift action of elections officials, I have full confidence that these new errors will not impact the 2024 election,” Griffin-Valade said. “The DMV’s After Action Report raises serious concerns about this important part of our voter registration system. The first step in restoring the public’s trust in Motor Voter is a transparent review by a neutral third party operating under strict government auditing standards.”
Tina Kotek, then the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, speaks with members of the media before casting her ballot on Nov. 2, 2022, in Portland. (Getty Images)
DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said the agency believed two weeks ago that it was confident it understood and had reviewed all records at risk of error.
“We have since learned this confidence was misplaced based on new information outlined in this announcement and after-action report and for this, we are sorry,” Joyce said in a statement. “DMV will follow the Governor’s directed actions and remains committed to continuous learning, corrective action, transparency and accountability.”
Griffin-Valade has ordered her office’s elections division to immediately hire a new Motor Voter oversight position, according to the statement. And she has instructed the division to establish a documented process for performing regular data checks with the DMV and update the administrative rules governing the Motor Voter system.
She said the Oregon Elections Division will work with the 36 county election officers to determine if any of the erroneously registered voters have previously cast a ballot. Every registered voter in Oregon is sent a ballot in the mail and the state had an 81.97% voter turnout rate in 2020. President Biden beat former President Trump comfortably in the 2020 election, winning the state by more than 380,000 votes.
RNC BLASTS WALZ ADMIN’S NONANSWER ON HOW NONCITIZENS MADE IT ONTO MINNESOTA VOTER ROLLS: ‘NO HYPOTHETICAL’
Of the 302 additional cases, 178 were due to people from the U.S. territory of American Samoa being misclassified as U.S. citizens, the DMV report said.
However, under federal law, people from American Samoa are U.S. nationals, not citizens, and don’t have the same right to vote. Another 123 records stemmed from the previously identified clerical error, but weren’t included in prior reviews due to a newly identified software issue. And one case was caught by the DMV’s new quality controls.
Griffin-Valade’s office says they are doing everything they can to prevent the 302 mistakenly registered voters from receiving a ballot, but cannot guarantee that all 302 ballots will be removed before they are mailed. Her office is putting in place a process that will ensure those ballots are not opened or counted.
Of the 1,259 possible noncitizens identified last month, 10 mistakenly enrolled individuals went on to cast a ballot, according to Oregon’s secretary of state, although at least one became a citizen before voting.
Officials in the state announced Monday that they have identified a further 302 people on the state’s voter rolls who didn’t provide proof of citizenship when they were registered to vote. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
A DMV audit found staff may have accidentally selected “U.S. passport” when presented with a foreign passport, or “U.S. birth certificate” when given a foreign document, triggering voter enrollment.
The DMV said its drop-down menu has now been rearranged so “U.S. passport” is no longer the first, default option. Staff must also enter the state and county for all U.S. birth certificates and respond to a prompt when passport information is entered confirming that the documentation is accurate.
About half of all states, as well as Washington, D.C., have implemented automatic voter registration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But there have been numerous allegations of improper enrollment in states without automatic registration too.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in August that officials have purged 1.1 million ineligible names from the voter rolls since the 2020 presidential election.
Ohio’s secretary of state referred 138 noncitizens believed to have voted in previous elections to the state’s attorney general for possible criminal charges.
And a conservative watchdog group is suing Arizona’s Maricopa County for allegedly failing to remove more than 35,000 people who did not provide proof of citizenship.
Fox News’ Hannah Ray Lambert and Anders Hagstrom, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this story.
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New Mexico
Ted Maher, convicted in billionaire’s arson death in Monaco, reinvents himself & orders hit on estranged wife
Carlsbad, New Mexico, a small city dwarfed by a vast, dirt red desert, was home to Jon Green in 2017. That was the year a routine medical exam would become a turning point for him and his doctor, Kim Lark.
Erin Moriarty: The very first day when he walks in, how would you have described him?
Dr. Kim Lark: Smiling, happy, wanted to talk. Just kind of made you feel comfortable.
Months later, they began texting, then dating.
Dr. Kim Lark: He liked everything that I liked. … We started skiing together. We started riding bikes together.
A missing checkbook and stolen dogs
Early in their relationship, Kim says, Green told her about his troubled past — that he had been falsely accused of arson more than 20 years ago causing the deaths of two people, including a billionaire banker in Monte Carlo.
Dr. Kim Lark: I believed him at first. I kind of believed his side of the story.
She says she wanted to believe the best about the new man in her life.
Dr. Kim Lark: He said all the right things. … He did all the things that I needed my best friend to be.
By the time they married on Valentines Day 2020, they’d already settled into a comfortable life. Kim had a lucrative medical practice, an $800,000 retirement account tucked away and a home on 4 acres outside of town.
Erin Moriarty: At that time, did you realize what he was capable of?
Dr. Kim Lark: No, I had no idea.
Molly Forster, a documentary filmmaker and CBS News consultant, has spent years reporting Green’s story for a new series streaming on the EPIS online platform.
Molly Forster: I think he’s motivated by money … motivated by power.
She says the man who calls himself Jon Green has led a life of deception.
Molly Forster: He’s been able to fool a lot of people and caused … a lot of trauma.
Trauma that would eventually crumble their marriage in just a few years, says Kim.
Dr. Kim Lark: Just because he’s so willing to lie, cheat, steal …
In April 2022, Kim noticed her checkbook was missing.
Dr. Kim Lark: And that’s when the bank called me and said, hey, did you write this check?
She learned that her husband – seen on bank security footage – was trying to cash thousands of dollars in checks by forging her name at banks all over town. Kim filed for divorce and changed the locks on her house. About a month later he stole something from her that mattered a lot more than money.
Erin Moriarty He’s kidnapping your dogs?
Dr. Kim Lark: My dogs and my vehicle, yeah.
Storm, Zero, and Felony are not only precious pets, they’re extremely valuable, highly-trained search and rescue dogs, says Kim. And she is their trainer.
Dr. Kim Lark: And we have a really special bond. My dogs are with me 24/7.
For years, Kim and her canine companions have assisted FEMA during national disasters, and law enforcement at crime scenes.
Dr. Kim Lark: He could’ve taken anything … except my dogs.
And Zero was pregnant at the time.
Dr. Kim Lark: I really was scared to death.
Kim believed her estranged husband might have taken the dogs to Texas, and she found someone there who could help. Abel Peña had 26 years with the FBI before he retired and founded a non-profit called Project Absentis to help find missing people.
Erin Moriarty: What is the difference between looking for missing people and missing dogs?
Abel Peña: Dogs don’t maintain a … a paw print online. It’s more challenging to try and find dogs.
It was more than a month before he got a good tip, and it wasn’t about the dogs, but about Green himself. On June 13, 2022, Peña called law enforcement for help staking out a parking lot in San Antonio. Shortly after Green arrived in a BMW, authorities arrested and charged him with forgery and larceny. He had changed his appearance, shaving his head.
Abel Peña: I ran over to the vehicle, looked in the back windows to see if the dogs were there … um the dogs were not there.
But Peña had another lead and headed to a nearby house belonging to the aunt of one of Green’s friends.
Abel Peña (with Moriarty outside the house): I knock on the door and I’m greeted by an older woman. … she was like, “I know why you’re here. Come on in.”
He found Kim’s dogs in a back bedroom. By then Zero had multiplied — there were now eight puppies in a box.
Erin Moriarty: And how did you feel?
Abel Peña: I was ecstatic.
Peña took all 11 dogs to his house and waited for Kim to arrive.
Dr. Kim Lark: My girls were so happy to see me. I was so relieved.
Abel Peña: … It was a fantastic ending.
Kim was so thankful, she named one of the puppies, Abel, after the man who had found them.
Erin Moriarty: Did you think at that point, you had it all behind you?
Dr. Kim Lark: Yes.
The forgery and larceny charges landed Jon Green locked up in the Eddy County Detention Center in Carlsbad, where he met Greg Markham, who was detained on drug charges.
Erin Moriarty: Was he angry with Kim?
Greg Markham: Oh, he was furious with her.
Markham says they bonded over a chessboard.
Greg Markham: I played chess with him every day. Got to know the guy. … He kept asking me if I knew somebody that could kill his wife.
Markham says he saw an opportunity to make Jon Green his pawn.
Greg Markham: And I was like, “you know what, man, I can’t find anybody. I’ll do it. How do you want it done?”
Erin Moriarty: So … you promised to kill his wife?
Greg Markham: I said, “Oh, yeah man, I’ll do it. I’ll do it for you.”
Erin Moriarty: Were you going to?
Greg Markham: No! No!
Markham says he’s a con man — not a hit man — and was never serious about killing Kim Lark.
He desperately needed bail money, he says, to save his own dog Atlas from being euthanized.
Greg Markham: I’ve been living on my own. It’s me and my dog …
Greg Markham: I gotta convince this guy … to bond me out so I can go take care of my dog, make sure he’s OK.
He says Green paid for the bail.
Greg Markham: Once he was convinced that I was gonna do it, he wouldn’t stop talking about it. … He was … “Let’s talk about it again. What are you gonna do?”
Markham says Green had a specific way he wanted his wife to die. He concocted a lethal plot to poison Kim, forcing her to drink water laced with fentanyl to look like an overdose.
Greg Markham: Yeah, I was supposed to mix up fentanyl pills … and make sure she drank the whole water bottle.
If she refused, says Markham, Green’s grisly plan was to aim a gun — not at Kim — but at her beloved dogs.
Greg Markham: And … she’ll do whatever you want done.
Jon Green fiercely denies all of it and was determined to fight the charges against him — as he had before in another courtroom on another continent. Twenty-six years earlier, a roaring inferno engulfed a Monte Carlo penthouse killing a billionaire and his private nurse. At the fiery center of that mystery was the very same man — with a very different name.
Ted Maher and the firey deaths in Monaco
Sun-drenched, laid back Carlsbad, New Mexico, isn’t the only place where this man made headlines.
It isn’t the first time he was accused of a major crime. And Kim Lark is not the only woman who loved him.
It was 2002 when I first met Heidi Wustrau.
Heidi: I’ve saved every rose he gave me.
Erin Moriarty: Every rose he’s given you since you’ve known him?
Heidi: Yeah.
She was married to the man who would one day become Jon Green. His name then: Ted Maher. That name would become known around the world. The couple lived in New York and had two children together, meeting in nursing school.
Erin Moriarty (2002): What kind of nurse is he?
Heidi: He’s a neonatal intensive care nurse.
Ted told her about his time serving as a Special Forces Green Beret. He seemed defined by intensity and compassion.
Heidi (2002): He always put others first. … He was just so loving, so caring. … You know, and I wanted someone like that.
His compassion was on display in the summer of 1999, in the neonatal unit where Ted worked, when two grateful new parents connected him to the job of a lifetime.
Heidi (2002): To take care of a rich banker who we never heard of. … To be his private nurse. He had Parkinson’s disease.
Edmond Safra was that rich banker. And he wasn’t just regular rich. He was one of the richest men on earth. The bank? Safra owned it, living with his elegant wife Lily in a penthouse above a bank branch in the Monte Carlo district of glittering, diamond-sized Monaco, tucked along the exclusive French Riviera.
Heidi (2002): Obviously, we’ve never seen the world, you know, like that.
So, when Safra made the offer, Ted couldn’t refuse, says Heidi, despite having to leave his family.
Heidi (2002): We thought … this is just temporary, and we have the rest of our lives to get together afterwards.
It was that October when Ted Maher’s fascinating new job brought him to Monaco.
Heidi (2002): It was just a different world he kept saying. … He liked it. He liked Mr. Safra very much. They got along well.
Maher sometimes worked the night shift, at times with nurse Vivian Torrente. Along with his private-duty nurses, Safra also kept a personal security force for protection.
Heidi (2002): We didn’t know who this man was. It was all new to us.
Then came Dec. 3, 1999.
Heidi (2002): I was getting the kids off to school in the morning as usual. And I got a phone call … and it was Ted’s sister, who sounded upset and crying. … She asked me to turn on the news.
DAN RATHER (1999 CBS News report): Two masked men armed with knives invaded the Riviera penthouse of Edmond Safra.
It was a startling report about intruders and a fire in the Safra penthouse. Just five weeks after her husband left for Monaco, the billionaire who brought him there and nurse Vivian Torrente were dead. Autopsies would determine they had both died from “smoke poisoning.” And Ted was wounded and bloody.
Ted would tell authorities a story that would be discussed and debated for years. He said that intruders broke into the penthouse, attacked and stabbed him. That he scrambled to get help, while his boss took shelter in a bathroom.
Ted says he lit a small fire with a candle and paper towels in a trash basket thinking the fire department would respond quickly.
Heidi (2002): He knew the smoke detectors were direct access to the fire department, so he wanted to set that off.
Back in New York, Heidi was worried, and she contacted Safra’s office. She wasn’t surprised at what she heard.
Heidi (2002): They said that Ted was indeed a hero that night. … I said that’s Ted.
And within hours Heidi headed to Monaco.
Heidi (2002): I was to go straight to the hospital to see Ted.
Erin Moriarty: Did you?
Heidi: No.
Instead, soon after arriving, Heidi says she was intercepted by police.
She had been told that Ted acted like a hero. That was about to change. As police questioned her, Heidi says it became clear they thought her husband might be a killer. She alleges they took her passport and used it as a weapon against Ted.
Heidi (2002): When my passport was taken they brought it to Ted to get him to confess for this. And he was told then that I was strip searched and tortured, and I would not be allowed to leave the state of Monaco back to our family.
She said that threat caused Ted to falsely confess. He would now say there were no intruders. That he had taken a knife and that he had stabbed himself to make it look like he had tried to save his powerful boss from attackers.
Heidi (2002): They’re saying he gave himself a lidocaine injection prior to stabbing himself.
Erin Moriarty: And lidocaine, what, deadens –
Heidi: Would numb it.
And Heidi says the confession he signed was written in French, which Ted did not understand.
Heidi (2002): I feel they wanted a nice clean ending to this, quick. … It would be good for the state of Monaco to have their citizens feel safe.
Ted was locked up, charged with “arson” — an intentional act — leading to the deaths of Safra and Torrente. He faced life in prison if convicted at trial.
Heidi (2002): This is someone I — I know. I know he didn’t do this.
Was Ted Maher framed?
With the strike of a match, Ted Maher’s dream job went up in smoke. Two people were dead and Ted was now being blamed.
Heidi (2002): I’ve known him now 13 years. He would never hurt anyone.
DAN RATHER (1999 CBS News report): Monaco’s chief prosecutor says an American male nurse confessed to starting the fire that killed Safra and another nurse …
The death of Edmond Safra exploded into a sensational story that would fascinate authors Jennifer Thomas and her husband Bill Hayes.
Bill Hayes: If you saw this on the screen … you’d be going this — none of this makes sense. This doesn’t happen.
There were allegations — none of them substantiated — that might have supported Ted’s original claim about intruders. Talk that Safra had enemies, that he had been the victim of a Russian mob hit.
Bill Hayes: Safra had an awful lot of connections to Russia.
And rumors were inflamed by a suspicious discovery. Heidi told us that the night of the fire, Safra’s private force of security guards were, oddly, not on site.
Erin Moriarty (2002): Was that usual?
Heidi: Unheard of.
There were also whispers about Safra’s stylish wife Lily.
Jennifer Thomas: The rumors about her and her previous husbands.
Lily had been married four times — with one other husband also deceased, prompting more conjecture.
Jennifer Thomas: She’s rumored to be a black widow who has inherited a lot of money from her husbands.
But police believed Ted was responsible for two deaths. It would take three long years to bring Ted to trial. And in that time, Heidi was only occasionally able to speak to Ted from his prison on the Mediterranean Sea.
TED MAHER (prison phone call): I’m not an arsonist or a murderer. It goes — it goes against everything that I’ve done in my — in my entire life. …
Heidi (2002): I try to be strong because I know he needs my strength too. …
TED MAHER (prison phone call): Never forget this Heidi, never, I – I love you.
HEIDI: I love you.
TED MAHER: The — the happiness of — of a man in, in his life, Heidi, doesn’t consist of — of — in my absence but in, in what I retain and hold in my heart. …
Heidi (2002): I just wish this wasn’t my life.
New York lawyer Michael Griffith joined Ted’s defense team; Griffith had made a name for himself defending Americans abroad. Ted Maher became a client — and a tough one.
Erin Moriarty (2002): Let me go through some of the odd things about this case. Is there any evidence, other than what Ted said initially — any evidence of two intruders? …
Michael Griffith: There is no evidence that I know of of any intruders.
Instead, Griffith would argue that Ted did what the authorities said: he stabbed himself and set the fire. But that he never intended for anyone to die. That he was just trying to make himself look like a hero.
Michael Griffith (2002): Ted is the fireman who started the fire. Firemen who start fires do it not to hurt people, but to save people. …
Erin Moriarty: Are you saying that you believe Ted actually did start the fire, cut himself to make himself look like a hero?
Michael Griffith: I believe that’s what Ted did. …
Erin Moriarty: Did he actually tell you he did this himself?
Michael Griffith: Well, yeah. He told me that — that he did this to himself. And that’s the basis of our defense.
Griffith contends that no one would have died that night if police and firefighters had gotten to the victims faster. It took them about two-and-a-half hours to reach Safra and Torrente. But authorities say they got to the scene in minutes but had to be careful and slow their response because Ted told them there were violent intruders inside.
Marc Bonnant: He’s totally liable of the circumstances that he created.
In 2002, attorney Marc Bonnant spoke to “48 Hours.” He represented Safra’s widow, Lily. He says the rumors about her are false.
Marc Bonnant: Not only it’s not true, obviously, it is scandalous.
Marc Bonnant: Lily is devastated by what happened.
In November 2002 Heidi traveled to Monaco as the trial began. Ted was facing possible life in prison.
Erin Moriarty: Do you think your husband will get a fair trial in Monaco?
Heidi: Not at all.
Erin Moriarty: Why not?
Heidi: They have the reputation of Monaco on the line, and they would never risk that.
She wasn’t happy when Ted testified that there had been no intruders and that he had in fact stabbed himself. And she was furious that Griffith allowed Ted to take the blame for something she believes he didn’t do.
Erin Moriarty (2002): Heidi believes with all her heart, Ted didn’t do this. That he’s being forced to say he did it. … I mean what’s the truth here?
Michael Griffith: Well, all I know is that Ted is my client. I know what Ted has told me. …
Heidi (to Griffith): He was told this is the best way to go. …
Michael Griffith: Heidi, I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is I’m doing my job based upon what my client’s told me. And I guess you’re going to have to –
Heidi: And this is our life.
Michael Griffith: This is your life.
Heidi: This is Ted’s life.
Michael Griffith: Right.
Ted Maher was convicted of arson, leading to the death of two people. He was sentenced to 10 years. But to Heidi, it was the end of life as she had known it.
And then, in January, just seven weeks after the trial, Ted called Heidi from outside the prison.
Heidi (2003): Ted said, “It’s me, I’m out.”
He had cut the metal bars, scaled down the prison walls, and escaped.
Heidi (2003): I said, “you’re joking,” and he says, “no, I’m out.” … He asked for money, and I said no, and he got angry at me.
Ted’s freedom was short-lived. The next day, he was back in custody. Heidi was furious that he would risk so much, including having his sentence extended. She says her faith in Ted had run out.
Heidi (2003): I don’t need him, and I don’t want him. … I did the best I could to bring him home, but now it seems like he’s doing his own job of screwing up.
Heidi filed for divorce. As for Ted, he was released in 2007. When he landed at JFK, the woman who had believed in him was nowhere to be found. But Ted would eventually find others in his corner — those authors Jennifer Thomas and Bill Hayes. Together with Ted, they would write “Framed in Monte Carlo.” Ted was back to insisting that while caring for Edmond Safra, he was attacked by violent intruders.
Jennifer Thomas: What they had accused him of doing didn’t make any sense why anybody would do that in the first place. And so, everything he said made perfect sense when he told us the story.
What Thomas and Hayes found intriguing was a report in a French newspaper. According to Le Figaro, at an unrelated hearing, a judge who served on Ted Maher’s case had claimed Ted’s sentence had been predetermined before the trial even began.
Erin Moriarty: And in your mind, the real story is this guy was set up?
Bill Hayes: 100 percent.
Back in the States, Ted was alone. Steady work was tough to find — especially if your name was Ted Maher.
Erin Moriarty: And that new name?
Jennifer Thomas: Jon Green.
The alleged plot to kill Kim Lark
In his first 10 years back in the United States, Jon Green tried to shed his alter ego, Ted Maher of Monaco. He found a new job driving trucks and began a new romance with Dr. Kim Lark, who he went on to marry in 2020. But the marriage crumbled and in 2023 Green found himself facing a new charge – solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
Det. Garrett Silva: Dr. Lark is a big name in this town. She’s well known by a lot of people.
Green was still behind bars for forging those checks and stealing the dogs, when Detective Garrett Silva of the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the alleged plot that Green made with his jail mate Greg Markham to murder Kim.
Det. Garrett Silva: Greg Markham was hired by Jon Green to kill his wife.
It was a charge that Green vigorously denied when investigators interviewed him in September 2023.
INVESTIGATOR: On harming Dr. Lark, is there anything that we need to be aware about … for her safety and … or yours?
JON GREEN: No, absolutely not. None.
INVESTIGATOR: I think you know where we’re going with this.
JON GREEN: You think that I’m gonna have somebody harm Kim? … Absolutely not.
But authorities weren’t persuaded. Jon Green’s trial began on March 3, 2025. Prosecutor Martin Wolfson called his star witness Greg Markham to the stand.
MARTIN WOLFSON (in court): Mr. Markham, did Jon Green instruct you on how you should carry the murder out?
GREG MARKHAM: Yes in great detail.
Kim Lark took us through the house where it was supposed to happen.
Erin Moriarty: What’s he supposed to do?
Dr. Kim Lark: Turn off the power to the house.
Greg Markham: I’ve been an electrician for 19 years. … I knew how to do that.
Erin Moriarty: And where was he gonna be?
Dr. Kim Lark: He was supposed to be hiding in the carport. …
Greg Markham: Well, he said … she’s kind of pretty frail, you’re a big guy …
Markham says he was supposed to overpower Kim and grab the gun she kept in the center console of her car.
Dr. Kim Lark: Apparently, he was going to bring me into the house …
Dr. Kim Lark: He told him … how to control my dogs.
Erin Moriarty (to Markham): Show it to me …
Greg Markham (motioning): So you’re raising your hands up as high as you can get. And you yell “down” as — as loud as you can and slam your hands down and then dogs stop, and they won’t move until given another command.
According to Markham, Green also told him where he could find Kim Lark’s safe.
Erin Moriarty: … you would only know that if somebody told you that, right?
Dr. Kim Lark: Right.
Erin Moriarty: There’s no way you would.
Dr. Kim Lark: Yeah.
But defense attorney Blake Dugger told the jury Greg Markham is no angel and that they shouldn’t believe a word he says.
BLAKE DUGGER (to jurors): One of the greatest powers you have today is the power to judge someone’s credibility.
Blake Dugger: Greg Markham is an individual, uh, with a checkered past who really um tried to take advantage and did take advantage of Jon Green.
But the state presented evidence they said proves Greg Markham was telling the truth — a diagram Markham made with similarities to the interior of Kim’s house. He testified Jon Green had detailed it to him as part of the murder plot.
Greg Markham: He described the long hallway beside the back door.
And prosecutors had evidence that Green was in a hurry to get money to pay Markham for the hit: jail calls between Green and author Jennifer Thomas, who was managing his finances while he was behind bars. Green called her multiple times asking her to wire $2,500 to an intermediary. First he said he wanted the money to buy a trailer, but his story kept changing.
JON GREEN (Jan. 30 jail call): Would that be a pain for you to do?
JENNIFER THOMAS: … There’s many ways I can send money to him.
JON GREEN: Alright.
Thomas eventually did what Green asked, but she was stunned when she learned that prosecutors believed the money was really partial payment in a murder for hire.
Erin Moriarty: You had gotten the money for him.
Jennifer Thomas: I was freaked out!
She said she and Hayes were relieved when the DA decided they had not knowingly done anything wrong. Blake Dugger insisted his client didn’t either, arguing even Greg Markham’s diagram wasn’t damning because it could have been cooked up after a casual conversation with Green.
BLAKE DUGGER (in court ): It is not a crime for a man to proudly describe how his house looks to other people …
Jon Green didn’t testify and Dugger didn’t call any witnesses believing that prosecutors had failed to prove their case. After just two days, it was in the jury’s hands.
Blake Dugger: I was feeling good. I was feeling good.
Jon Green aka Ted Maher speaks to “48 Hours”
The jury deliberated for only about an hour. They convicted Jon Green of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
Dr. Kim Lark: His lying has finally caught up with him.
Judge David Finger sentenced Jon Green – aka Ted Maher – to nine years in prison. With time served, he’ll be out in less than three.
For nearly 25 years, we’ve had questions for Ted Maher. New Mexico authorities barred our cameras from the prison, but in March 2026, Ted’s attorney Blake Dugger arranged a video visit with him and Ted allowed us to interview him.
Erin Moriarty: Did you try to hire someone to kill your wife?
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: No, I did not. … Absolutely not.
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: I shouldn’t be here, but unfortunately, I am here …
Once again, Ted says he was framed — he would never instruct someone to hold a gun to a dog’s head he says, And he claimed that he only gave Greg Markham the $2,500 to help rescue Markham’s dog — not to murder Kim.
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: You don’t pay somebody $2,500 to kill anybody. That is absolutely ridiculous.
But how then did Markham seem to know so much about the layout of Kim Lark’s house?
Markham made us a diagram too, and we compared it to the house itself. It wasn’t exactly a match, but there were disturbing similarities.
Erin Moriarty: It shows where the power source is.
Dr. Kim Lark: Right. …
Erin Moriarty: And where the safe was? Is that right?
Dr. Kim Lark: Yes.
Erin Moriarty (video call): He did a drawing of her house. How would he have those details if you didn’t give it to him?
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: That drawing was not all, at all there, uh 100% factual.
Ted echoed what his lawyer argued in the trial: whatever Markham knew about the home’s layout came from innocent conversations.
Ted Maher aka Jon Green (video call): I explained how I had re-put, done electrical panels. And I talked about how I took out a bookcase to put a safe at a high level, so she wouldn’t have to bend down.
In fact, he told us he was a doting husband devoted to making life easier for Kim.
Erin Moriarty (video call): You said you loved Kim Lark …
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: I still love her!
He admitted he forged her signature on a check, but said, as the marriage crumbled, he had no income and needed money. And he said he had a right to the dogs since his divorce settlement with Kim hadn’t been finalized yet.
Ted Maher aka Jon Green (video call): Those dogs were still community property ma’am.
Just like he once claimed in Monaco, he told us he’s an innocent and fundamentally good man — taken advantage of by others.
Erin Moriarty (video call): As you sit here today, do you feel responsible for Edmond Safra’s death?
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: No, I don’t.
But the couple who once believed Ted Maher’s proclamations of innocence now wonder what really happened on the December night in Monte Carlo that ended with the deaths of a billionaire and his nurse.
Jennifer Thomas: There is a chance in my mind now that he did orchestrate that.
Bill Hayes still believes Ted told the truth about intruders attacking him that night. But Hayes and Thomas agree that when it comes to Ted’s plot to kill Kim Lark – the plot they say he sucked them into – he is guilty as charged.
Jennifer Thomas: … I feel betrayed.
Bill Hayes: I would want to know why, why you lied …
And while we may never know thew whole truth for sure, we found evidence that Ted had hedged one of his most basic claims which he repeatedly made over the years.
Erin Moriarty: Were you, in fact, special forces and a Green Beret?
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: I went through all three phases …
Erin Moriarty: You’re saying you went through the training …
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: I finished the three programs.
Erin Moriarty: Come on, Ted … don’t double talk here.
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: I never was assigned to a unit at the Green Berets.
Erin Moriarty: So, you never served as a Green Beret.
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: I served … I went down into special forces … Yes, I did.
If Ted Maher didn’t give us a straight answer, the Army certainly did, telling us “There is no evidence that Theodore Maher served in the special forces.”
Dr. Kim Lark: He’s a thief, he’s a liar, a con artist …
And Kim Lark says she’s worried she hasn’t seen the last of him.
Dr. Kim Lark: When he gets out, I’ll be in trouble.
Erin Moriarty: Does Kim Lark have a reason to be scared of you?
Ted Maher aka Jon Green: No, absolutely not.
Det. Garrett Silva: There’s no telling what he may do.
Detective Garrett Silva, who helped piece the murder solicitation case together, was promoted to sergeant with the K9 unit. He told us that if he were in Kim’s position, he would keep a dog by his side for protection. And that’s exactly what Kim Lark is doing.
Dr. Kim Lark: I don’t trust anybody. I’m always on alert …
She told us Ted has demanded money as part of their divorce and she’s infuriated. Kim admits that anger can be lonely, but anyone who knows Kim knows, with her dogs, she’s never really alone.
Erin Moriarty: Kim, do they follow you everywhere?
Dr. Kim Lark: Yes.
Erin Moriarty: Oh my god that makes me laugh.
Dr. Kim Lark: Dogs just want to be with you all the time.
Erin Moriarty: And you can trust them!
Dr. Kim Lark: Yes. Yes.
Erin Moriarty: OK.
Jon Green, aka Ted Maher, appealed his conviction and was denied.
He is scheduled for release in 2029.
Produced by Josh Yager, Mead Stone and Jamie Stolz. Michael Loftus, Emily Wichick Hourihane and Chelsea Narvaez are the field producers. Anthony Venditti is the content research manager. Mead Stone, Grayce Arlotta-Berner and Michael Baluzy are the editors. Lauren Turner Dunn is the associate producer. Dylan Gordon is the associate producer, archives. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.
Oregon
This Is The Friendliest Small Town in Oregon
James Denny named Sublimity in 1852 after one look at the scenery, and the view still earns it. Green farmland meets the foothills of the Cascades and the streets stay short enough that the local baker knows you by the second visit. Saint Boniface Catholic Church anchors the town with a Carpenter Gothic steeple from 1889. Silver Falls State Park sits 10 miles east and is Oregon’s largest state park, with ten waterfalls along a single loop trail and old-growth Douglas firs over 300 feet tall. Together those four things explain why Sublimity earns the friendliest-small-town title in Oregon.
Sublimity’s History In A Nutshell
Native American trails and mountain streams crisscrossed what would become Sublimity well before settler arrival. The area worked as a small trading post and then a pioneer gathering place by 1852, when a post office opened and James Denny named the town after the surrounding scenery. The first school went up in 1856, followed by Sublimity College in 1857. The town was larger then than it is now. The Civil War triggered a sharp population decline as settlers returned east to fight and many farms were abandoned. New residents brought the farms back to life by 1874. Four years later a grid was laid out across twenty blocks, and Sublimity officially incorporated in 1903.
Downtown Sublimity
Downtown holds plenty for an afternoon stroll. On South Center Street, K’s Coffee runs deep couches and good coffee for sitting and chatting. PanezaNellie Breadstick Shoppe on NE Starr Street covers baked goods including pizza slices. The Wooden Nickel on North Center Street sells homemade bread and fresh produce from local farms.
After meeting a few of the regulars in the shops, walk over to 375 SE Church Street for Saint Boniface Catholic Church. The church was built in 1889 in the Carpenter Gothic style with a 110-foot steeple, and the grounds include the historic St. Boniface cemetery on one side.
Outdoor Activities
Silver Falls State Park is the area’s outdoor answer. The park sits 10 miles east of Sublimity and is Oregon’s largest state park at around 9,200 acres. It sits in the state’s temperate rainforest zone with waterfalls and old-growth trees. A $10 day-use parking fee covers hiking trails, picnic sites, biking paths, and camping access. The Trail of Ten Falls is the headliner, a 7.2-mile loop that passes ten waterfalls. The trail stays open year-round, runs at its fullest in spring, and pulls fall foliage crowds in October.
Beyond the falls, the 6-mile Catamount Trail handles mountain biking through dense forest. Tree Climbing at Silver Falls offers guided climbs up the park’s Douglas firs, some of which top 300 feet. The campground along South Fork Silver Creek has 43 tent sites, 14 cabins, and 48 electrical sites, with ice and firewood for sale plus restrooms and showers on site. Smith Creek Village offers another stay option with cottages, cabins, and lodges plus amenities like TVs and kitchenettes.
Sublimity Events
Back in town, the calendar carries several events that double as introductions to Sublimity residents. National Night Out is one of the town’s signatures, held in partnership with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Vendors, food, and live music fill Church Park, with the event also raising awareness for community-police ties.
The other anchor event is the Night of Twinkling Lights and Tree Lighting on the first Saturday in December. The Light Parade is the headliner, with locals decorating their floats or vehicles and parading through town to City Hall, where Santa lights the town Christmas tree. The parade then moves to the fire department for photos with Santa. The next morning, people return to the fire department for the annual Candy Cane Breakfast with biscuits and gravy. The Sublimity Harvest Festival in September is the other big event, with monster trucks, pull events, an entertainment tent, and a row of vendors.
Where To Stay In Sublimity
Sublimity has a way of stretching a quick visit into a two-day stay. The Bridgeway Inn and Suites offers continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi for the overnight crowd. The Rodeway Inn and Suites is the other option, with free breakfast, Wi-Fi, a pool, and a fitness center.
Why Sublimity Earns The Name
Sublimity walks the walk on friendliness. The local baker treats you like family before pointing you to the next shop for whatever else you need. A sidewalk hello can turn into the best conversation of the week. Whether you are cheering at a monster truck event or watching Santa light the town tree, the unpretentious warmth this place runs on gets harder to find anywhere else.
Utah
Video: Utah couple biking 4,000 miles for their 40th wedding anniversary – KSLTV.com
Washington state to New Jersey in a little more than three months; this ride would be the most ambitious Bliss and Robert Sawyer attempted.
The Saratoga Springs couple began road biking seriously about 25 years ago. One long haul at a time, they rode all over the country and all over the world, taking their bikes to the UK, Norway and Switzerland.
Read more: https://ksltv.com/?p=909537
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