An explosive report from The Post Millennial's editor-at-large Andy Ngo and journalist Eva Knott details how a San Diego Antifa member who was charged with multiple felonies allegedly has a close relationship with an investigator for the San Diego Public Defender Office and they allegedly worked together in obtaining information to intimidate witnesses and victims.
Jesse Merel Cannon, 32, who was one of 11 alleged Antifa members charged in December 2021 with felony conspiracy and felony assault for attacking supporters of former President Donald Trump and bystanders in Pacific Beach, California, has an alleged romantic relationship with Leah Rose Madbak, 29, an investigator for the San Diego Public Defender Office, according to Ngo and Knott.
According to court filings, San Diego County deputy district attorney Will Hopkins filed a three-page declaration requesting a protective order in December 2021 and made allegations stating: "I am also aware that Jesse Cannon is or was romantically involved with Leah Madbak who works as an investigator for the San Diego Public Defender Office."
Hopkins pointed to a "very real threat to the safety of the witnesses, investigating officers, and victims in this case should the Defendants be allowed to have carte blanche access to do whatever they wish with the discovery materials from this case."
Judge Eugenia Eyherabide granted Hopkins the request.
The Jan. 9, 2021, Antifa attack in Pacific Beach was allegedly organized by members of both Los Angeles Antifa and San Diego Antifa, making it the first-time members of Antifa from different cells have been charged with conspiracy in the US.
Authorities recovered three guns, ammunition, body armor and drugs when eight of the suspects were arrested following an investigation by a multi-agency task force, which included agencies in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Escondido, according to Newsweek.
Hopkins said in his declaration that his office found "gigabytes of data that the Antifa cells or 'affinity groups,' to which the defendants belong," collected on their targets. Those targets include police officers, witnesses, victims, elected officials and "even their own members who have fallen out of favor," according to San Diego Reader.
Addresses, vehicle plates, and surveillance images of targets and their families were among the material found through search warrants. According to the district attorney's office, Antifa began intimidating victims and witnesses two days after the first set of defendants were arraigned on Dec. 6, 2021.
"I know recently social media accounts associated with several of the defendants posted pictures of people they believed to be the victims in this case…in an apparent attempt to intimidate or dissuade them from testifying," the prosecutor explained.
According to Hopkins' declaration, an Antifa defendant violently targeted a public official outside his home while another victim was intimidated so they wouldn't cooperate with the investigation.
Madbak, the San Diego Public Defender Office investigator, is accused by Hopkins' office of having "administrative privileges for several Antifa based social media accounts," according to TPM's Ngo and journalist Knott.
Hopkins alleged that Madbak and Cannon, her alleged boyfriend, "have posted police reports and intentionally disseminated potentially harmful information in an attempt to dox their targets."
According to Ngo and Knott, one of the Antifa Twitter accounts (@SDagainstFash) cited by Hopkins had posted photographs and names of assault victims after the charges were announced. They also asked their followers to essentially help them dox targets, asking them to submit "photos of attendees and vehicles...for archive and research purposes." The account also helped to organize the riot and wrote, "Y'all know what to do. We'd recommend arriving no later than 10 if you plan to go. Travel in groups," according to the San Diego Reader.
Cannon pleaded not guilty to five felonies, including conspiracy to riot, multiple assault charges, and unlawful use of teargas and will appear back in court on Aug. 8.
Madbak has scrubbed her employment information.
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