What Karen Read's Acquittal Really Exposed & How Romance Scam Compounds Built a Global Crime Empire
PDS Published 06/19/2025
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Three years, two trials, and one very popular HBO docuseries later, Karen Read [Reed] is finally free.
Right, if you need a refresher, she’s the Boston woman accused of murdering her boyfriend by hitting him with her car while drunk. [Image]
And if you still don’t remember this case, don’t worry, cause we’re gonna go through the broad details, then look at what just happened.
Right, so first, the characters: we’ve got Karen Read, a now 45-year-old financial analyst and adjunct professor, and her boyfriend John O’Keefe, a then 46-year-old cop at the Boston Police Department. [Image]
Then second, the events: starting on the night of January 28, 2022, when the couple had been dating for about two years. [Image]
Now what both sides agree on is that they went out drinking in the suburbs of Canton that night. [Quote, find “suburb”]
Then, shortly after midnight, Read dropped O'Keefe off at the home of his colleague Brian Albert, where other cops were gathered. [Image and Quote same link, find “gathering”]
And finally, at around 6 a.m., Read and two other women found him lying unresponsive in the snow outside Albert's house. [Same quote]
With him later pronounced dead, his official cause of death being blunt impact injuries to the head and hypothermia.
But that’s pretty much where the agreement ends, and the disagreement begins.
Because the police alleged that after she dropped him off, Read, in a drunken rage, backed her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe, then drove away, leaving him to die in the snow.
And as evidence, they cited drops of blood, a broken cocktail glass and shards from the car's taillight they’d supposedly found at the scene. [Quote same link, find “cocktail”]
So they charged her with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.
But Read pleaded not guilty, maintaining that she only came back to Albert’s house to look for O’Keefe after he didn’t return home or answer his phone. [Image]
And instead, she pointed the finger at O’keefe’s fellow cops, accusing them of beating him during a fight inside Albert’s home, then dumping his body in the snow. [Quote same link, find “beat him up”]
With her explaining the broken taillight in one of two ways.
Either (1) it shattered when she hit O'Keefe's parked car while exiting his driveway as she left to look for him. [Image]
Or (2) the state police broke it after they seized the car, then planted the evidence at the crime scene to frame her. [Same asset]
So this trial unfolded last year, and both sides rolled out their arguments.
With Read’s lawyers calling up forensic experts who testified that O'Keefe's injuries and the damage to Read's car were inconsistent with a collision. [Quote,
As well as claiming that injuries on O’keefe’s arm were indicative of dog bites, suggesting that he had been attacked by Albert's German shepherd. [Same quote]
Then, on the other side, the prosecutor brought up evidence that the couple’s relationship was rocky, including admissions by Read herself that she supposedly saw O’Keefe kissing another woman and that she sent flirty texts to an ATF agent whom O’Keefe knew. [Quote, find “flirt”]
As well as angry texts and voicemails that Read sent to O'Keefe after dropping him off.
But Read claims that she sent those because he wasn’t answering and she believed he was “screwing around” with a former romantic partner who allegedly lived down the street from Albert’s house. [Quote same link]
With her lawyers painting a much different picture in general, of a loving and affectionate relationship.
And the wildly differing stories could be seen in arguments over one particular moment the morning after O’Keefe died.
With a responding officer claiming that at the scene, Read repeatedl cried, “I hit him! I hit him!” — an apparent admission of guilt. [Quote same link]
But Read counters that what she actually cried was, “Did I hit him? Could I have hit him?” [Same quote]
Also, the defense accused the other side of sloppy policework, pointing to officers scooping up blood samples in borrowed plastic cups and not even searching Albert’s home before selling it in 2023. [Quote, find “plastic cups”]
But they say it wasn’t just sloppy; it was also malicious.
With Read’s lawyers accusing Michael Proctor, the lead investigator on the case, of having personal ties to certain cops inside Albert’s home, and having a vendetta against Read.
And key here were text messages he reportedly sent to a group chat the night after O’Keefe’s death saying:
“There will be serious charges brought on the girl ... She’s a whack job c---. Zero chance she skates. She’s f——.” [Quote]
Then, when someone wondered whether the homeowner would “receive some s---” for O’Keefe’s death as well, Proctor reportedly said:
“Nope. Homeowner’s a Boston cop too.” [Quote same link]
Plus, the defense also pointed to an internet search made by Jennifer McCabe, Albert's sister-in-law and O'Keefe's friend, for “how [misspelled as ‘hos’] long to die in cold.” [Quote]
Something which the defense claimed was searched early in the morning, before O’Keefe was found.
But the prosecution claimed that the search was actually made later in the morning, after O’Keefe was found, and in fact at the request of Read herself.
So needless to say, that first trial was deeply contentious, and it ended in a mistrial thanks to a hung jury.
But then, days later, the defense told the judge that five of the jurors came forward after the fact to say that actually, all of them had agreed on a not-guilty verdict for the most serious charges: murder and leaving the scene.
And that the only charge they were deadlocked on was the lesser one of operating a vehicle under the influence, stripped of the manslaughter component.
So Read's lawyers appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing that she couldn’t be retried on those charges the jury supposedly agreed on.
But the courts weren’t convinced, and so the second trial began in April of this year.
But in the meantime, national attention on Read’s case absolutely exploded.
With HBO releasing a docuseries that attracted millions of viewers, Read’s supporters and skeptics alike debating whether she was guilty in Facebook groups and Reddit threads, and Read herself giving interviews to media outlets.
[Clip, 00:22 - 00:36] Caption: “I have nothing to hide. My life is in the balance, and it shouldn’t be. And I believe sunlight is the best disinfectant, and that’s been our team motto since inception.”
Also, Michael Proctor, who was a key witness during the first trial, was conspicuously absent during the second.
And that because in March, he was dishonorably discharged after the State Police Trial Board found him guilty of unsatisfactory performance and consumption of alcohol on duty. [Quote, find “discharged”]
So although the underlying facts were pretty much the same, the two trials just felt very different.
And each side gave their closing arguments, with the prosecutor saying:
[Clip, 01:18:10 - 01:18:16; Clip, 01:19:28 - 01:19:42, 01:20:03 - 01:20:08] Caption: “She got drunk. She hit him. She left him to die. It’s that simple. … Ms. Read, when she chose to drive back at mr. O’Keefe in that night with a 6,000-pound Lexus, and that anger, 75%, whether she meant to hit him or not, didn’t mean to kill him, she hit him. … She doesn’t even have to know she hit him. But she did.”
And then the defense attorney firing back.
[Clip, 01:12 - 01:27; Clip, 01:59 - 02:06; Clip, 00:02 - 00:09; Clip, 01:20:11 - 01:20:15] Caption: “This case was corrupted from the start. It was corrupted by biases and conflicts and personal loyalties that you heard about, and most fatally it was corrupted by a lead investigator whose misconduct infected every single part of this case from the top to the bottom. … On full display you saw the lengths to which some, some police officers will go to to protect their own. … There was no collision. There was no collision. There was no collision. … The truth is: Karen Read is not guilty.”
And now, after multiple days of deliberation, the jury has delivered their verdict.
Karen Read is guilty.
… Of operating a vehicle under the influence.
With them finding her not guilty on the other, most serious charges, meaning in essence, she’s been exonerated.
With the judge handing down a sentence of one year of probation, which is nothing compared to the life in prison she was facing.
So when Read emerged from the courthouse victorious, the mood was ecstatic.
I mean, by the roar of the crowd, you would think that Taylor Swift just walked out on stage. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:05 - 00:08; Clip, 00:38 - 01:08] Caption: “I just want to say two things. Number one is I could not be standing here without these amazing supporters who have supported me and my team financially and more importantly emotionally for almost four years. And the second thing I want to say is no one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have, than I have and my team. Thank you.”
And that’s it; she didn’t say anything else, didn’t take any questions, just went back to her life.
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Iran just bombed an Israeli hospital and now Israel is vowing vengeance – and all of this as Trump’s reportedly approved attack plans on Iran.
Right, Israel’s air defense system has been intercepting most of the missiles Iran has been hurling its way, but of course, it’s not 100% effective.
And so today what we saw was three buildings being hit, including the largest hospital in southern Israel. []
Though according to Iran, the hospital wasn’t their intended target.
Rather, it claims it was going after military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital.
But either way, Israel’s Health Ministry service says 71 people were left with only minor injuries, []
This likely because the missile hit an old surgical inpatient building, which had been evacuated in recent days.
But still, you had Israeli President Isaac Herzog tweeting this morning, calling the attack a “war crime,” and declaring that Iran’s supreme leader “can no longer be allowed to exist.” [][]
As well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “We will make the tyrants from Tehran pay the full price.” [] []
But with all that, we’ve seen a lot of people calling those words viciously hypocritical given Israel’s unrelenting assault on hospitals in Gaza.
With people like Hasan Piker, for example, tweeting: “timeline is lit up w israel defenders finally speaking up about a hospital being bombed, after spending the last 20 months defending the bombing of every hospital in gaza.” []
Right, many pointing out that of the 36 hospitals in Gaza, 19 are completely shut down and the other 17 are only partially operational. []
NBC also noting that in recent weeks, Israeli’s bombings on hospitals in Gaza have risen to their highest level so far this year.
And while Israel has consistently maintained that Hamas is using hospitals for military purposes, []
Organizations like the UN have said Israel hasn’t provided enough evidence proving that.
But either way, according to NBC, “the wider health system, including ambulances, field hospitals and clinics, has been attacked more than 700 times since the start of the war, killing at least 900 people and injuring more than 1,000.” []
With the death toll across all of Gaza climbing to 55,000 over the last 19 months, according to its health ministry.
But as the war between Israel and Iran now enters its seventh day, everyone’s still waiting to see if Trump is going to throw the U.S. directly into the mix.
Right, this week, he’s been saying stuff like “I may do it, I may not do it… nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
But according to the Wall Street Journal, Trump told senior aides on Tuesday that he’s now approved attack plans on Iran. []
However, he’s reportedly holding off on pulling the trigger to see if Tehran will abandon its nuclear program first.
The BBC adding that Trump’s specifically considering striking an underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo. []
But there’s pretty fierce debate about whether the U.S. could actually destroy the site, with some defense officials worried a U.S. bomb wouldn’t be able to strike deep enough.
And to throw even more uncertainty into the mix, just this morning, Trump posted on Truth Social:
“The Wall Street Journal has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!”[]
But for now, that’s where we are headed into the weekend.
If you want to stay up to date, I’m going to be covering any updates we see on my main TikTok, @philipdefranco so make sure you’re checking there to stay in the loop.
PDS Debt is offering a free debt analysis. It only takes thirty seconds. Get yours at PDS Debt.
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America’s most notorious conspiracy theorist is accused of an illegal conspiracy of his own.
Of course, I’m talking about Alex Jones, the man who was ordered to pay nearly 1.5 billion dollars to the families of Sandy Hook victims a few years ago. [Image]
That after two lawsuits in which he was found to have defamed them by claiming the school shooting was a hoax and the victims were all actors.
But Jones has maintained that he’s completely broke, that he has no money to pay the damages awarded to the plaintiffs.
In fact, as the dollar amounts were read out, he sarcastically hooted and cheered from behind his computer. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Will insert clip]
But now, U.S. bankruptcy trustee Christopher Murray has filed three lawsuits accusing Jones of hiding some five million dollars that the families are rightfully owed.
Saying that the conspiracy theorist went to “extraordinary lengths” to transfer the assets to his family members, including his ex-wife, his father, and his kids’ trust.
So for example, he allegedly sent some 1.5 million dollars in cash to his wife, claiming she was owed the money under a premarital agreement. [Quote, find “1.5”]
But according to Murray, that agreement was never actually ratified. [Same quote]
Then, Jones allegedly sold part of a Texas ranch to his father for just 10 dollars, back-dating papers to make it appear as if it happened years earlier than it really did. [Same quote]
As well as allegedly giving more than 500,000 dollars in cash to his father, trying to pass it off as "reimbursements," and gifting the man three luxury vehicles. [Same quote]
But Murray says that transfer "was so disorganized and harried" that Jones didn't even know which cars they were. [Same quote]
Also, he allegedly gave two condos worth some 1.5 million dollars to a trust for his children, which he argues is unreachable by his creditors. [Quote same link, find “condos”]
But Murray says he never actually transferred one of the condos to the Trust. [Same quote]
So Murray argues that all of this amounts to what he calls a scheme "bearing the classic hallmarks… of actual fraudulent intent.” [Quote same link]
Saying, “This mad dash to transfer property out of his name […] is indicative of the Debtor's actual intent to hinder, delay, and defraud his creditors when he transferred that property.” [Quote same link]
Which is why Murray’s asking a federal judge to compel Jones to return the assets to his bankruptcy estate so they can eventually be distributed to the families.
But by law, if he wants one, Jones can request a jury trial to determine whether he intentionally hindered, delayed, or defrauded those creditors.
Meaning we just might get another Alex Jones courtroom clown show, so get your popcorn ready.
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Big Tech may have the power to cripple the online scam industry, but it’d rather just make more money instead.
At least, that’s according to an investigation published in MIT Technology Review –
An investigation drawing on the testimonies of several workers from inside the scamming industry, as well as, of course, anti-trafficking experts and technology specialists.
With the team behind the story finding that major tech companies, including social media platforms, dating apps, and messaging services?
They’ve given the fraud business the means to become industrialized.
Along with a little help from major cryptocurrencies and even Elon Musk’s Starlink.
And according to the investigation, there’s plenty they could be doing to stop it – but they’re not.
And with that, the scams we’re talking about? They’re often referred to as “pig-butchering” scams – with the basic idea being you gotta fatten your victim up before taking them to the slaughter.
Or, in other words, you gotta spend time gaining their trust by forming romantic and other close relationships with them.
And then, take them for everything they got.
Though, with that, I will say, Interpol and other experts advise against the use of the term “pig-butchering” out of concern that it dehumanizes and stigmatizes victims – as well as dissuades them from speaking up.
And so from here on out I won’t be using it in this video.
But what I will say is that while the full scale of this type of fraud is hard to estimate, it is undoubtedly massive.
In 2024, for example, researchers at UT Austin published a study estimating that the criminal organizations that run these operations have stolen at least $75 billion from victims around the world since 2020.
With another big, key point here being that these scammers? They’re often victims as well.
Right, in 2023, for instance, the the United Nations reported that HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people had been trafficked to work as online scammers in Southeast Asia – with this whole business mostly being run by Chinese criminal groups.
And with that, as more has come about about the exploitation and brutal treatment of these workers, the issue has really come into the global spotlight –
But that’s also because the groups behind these scams had in the past primarily targeted Chinese victims – but are now increasingly targeting English speakers all around the world.
Notably, with some saying the pandemic “supercharged” the industry.
Right, there were simply more people isolated and alone to rip off, as well as more people out of work who might be persuaded to try scamming others—
Or who were vulnerable and ended up being trafficked into the industry.
One South Asian man going by Gahvesh (Guh-vesh), for example? He had reportedly held down a job in the tourism sector until COVID-19 came along.
And a couple years years later, he was instead working as a day laborer to support himself and his father and sister, with him saying:
“I was fed up with my life…I was trying so hard to find a way to get out.” []
So with that, one day in 2022 when he was scrolling through Facebook, it seemed like his prayers had been answered.
Right, a company in Thailand was apparently looking for English-speaking customer service and data entry specialists.
The monthly salary was fifteen-hundred dollars, which was far more than he could earn at home, and the post also claimed meals, travel costs, a visa, and accommodation would be included.
With Guh-vesh saying: “I knew if I got this job, my life would turn around. I would be able to give my family a good life.” []
And with that, he sent his resume to a Telegram contact number.
With an HR rep replying and having him demonstrate his English and typing skills over a video call.
With Guh-vesh noting it all felt very professional, and adding:
“I didn’t have any reason to suspect.” []
So he flew to Bangkok.
And a few hours later, he was in the back seat of a Jeep with a young Chinese woman being driven to a city on the border with Myanmar.
With him then being marched through pitch-black fields by flashlight to the side of a river, where a boat was waiting. []
And finally, ending up at the gate of a huge compound surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire. []
And this compound? It’s actually one of the most infamous scamming hubs in all of Southeast Asia.
It’s known as KK Park and it’s in the Myawaddy (Myah-wuh-dee) township of Myanmar (Mee-an-mar) – with satellite imagery showing how in just a few years it has grown from almost nothing to now include dozens of large buildings.
But in any case, Guh-vesh, he handed over his phone and passport, he was given a batch of iPhone 8s –
With him saying he had to pass through airport-style metal detectors when he went in or out of the office –
And that armed men patrolled the buildings and guarded the compound. []
Also claiming that yawning was banned, that bathroom breaks were limited to two minutes at a time –
And that he himself was once beaten because he broke an unwritten rule against crossing your legs while working. []
And beyond that, we know from other reporting that people inside these compounds have been subjected to torture, sexual violence, and other cruel treatment.
But with all that, Guh-vesh? Thankfully, he managed to scrape together enough money to buy his freedom, getting dumped back in Bangkok without his passport along with about a dozen others –
Eventually getting help from an anti-trafficking nonprofit by the name of International Justice Mission, or IJM.
With the guy who heads up the group’s operations in Thailand saying about the whole situation:
“Private-sector corporations are, unfortunately, inadvertently enabling this criminal industry.”
And adding: “The private sector holds significant tools and responsibility to disrupt and prevent its further growth.” []
And so let’s unpack that.
To start, to be fair, the tech sector has of course implemented some anti-scam tools and policies.
But experts reportedly claim these measures largely focus on the downstream problem, meaning the losses suffered by the victims of the scams.
And they say that this approach overlooks the other set of victims, people like Guh-vesh, and ultimately has little impact on the overall industry. []
And with that, also claiming that tech companies could certainly be doing more to crack down, saying that even relatively small interventions could make a big difference. []
For example, a Wired investigation published in February found that scamming networks appeared to be “widely using” Starlink in Myanmar.
With the outlet identifying eight known scam compounds where hundreds of phones had used the service more than 40,000 times in just a few months. []
Also identifying photos that appeared to show dozens of Starlink satellite dishes on a scamming compound rooftop. []
And with all that, Starlink requires a subscription and is able to geofence its services, so it seems like it’d be easy enough to cut off the internet since
I mean, after all, its terms of use say that SpaceX may terminate Starlink services to users who participate in “fraudulent or illegal” activities. []
And in fact, the company has previously limited access in areas of Ukraine under Russian occupation.
But as of recording, we haven’t had any acknowledgement or indication that they might do the same here.
But even with that, just knowing the locations of scam compounds, which Starlink data could potentially help find? That might allow Apple, for example, to step in.
And that’s because workers often rely on iPhones to make contact with victims, and these have to be associated with an Apple ID. []
With Eric Heintz, a global analyst at IJM, explaining:
“[If] you have an iCloud account with five phones, and you know that those phones’ GPS antenna locates those phones inside a known scam compound, then all of those phones should be bricked. The account should be locked.”[]
And adding:
“This isn’t like the other trafficking cases that we’ve worked on, where we’re trying to find a boat in the middle of the ocean,”
“These are city-size compounds. We all know where they are, and we’ve watched them being built via satellite imagery.” []
But with all that said, it’s actually the very beginning of the scam recruiting process that Big Tech could arguably make the biggest impact.
Right, in particular, Facebook is reportedly the most common entry point for people recruited on social media –
Typically through ads posted in job seekers’ groups.
With anti-trafficking experts noting the phony advertising tends to follow formulaic templates and use common language –
And that they in fact routinely report the ads to Meta and point out the markers they have identified. []
Which should help the platform’s AI systems flag and delete content that break the law or violate the companies’ own policies.
Which, I will say, is something Meta already does.
Right, just last November, for example, the company claimed it had purged 2 million accounts connected to scamming syndicates over the previous year.
But of course, experts say that Facebook continues to be used in recruiting.
And new ads keep appearing.
But with that, similar to recruitment ads, fake profiles on dating apps tend to follow patterns that should set off alarm bells.
Right, for example, they use photos copied from existing users, other social media platforms, or even made by AI. []
And then there’s the scammers’ behavior.
They swipe too fast, spend too much time logged in, and most of them rely on pre-written scripts to reach out to targets.
All of which should reportedly make it fairly easy for platforms to detect these signs and either stop accounts from being created or make the users go through further checks.
But again, scammers? They’re still swiping.
And once they develop a relationship on social media or a dating site, they’ll often move the conversation to a private messaging app like WhatsApp.
And there, it’s a little tricker, right, because there’s a greater expectation of privacy.
And it’s end-to-end encrypted, so Meta couldn’t even read the content of messages if anyone thought that was a good idea.
That said, however, it reportedly still should be possible for the company to pick up on odd behavior.
With Jason Tower, the Myanmar country director at the United States Institute of Peace, asking, for example:
“If you have an account that is suddenly adding people in large quantities all over the world, should you immediately flag it and freeze that account or require that that individual verify his or her information?”
With him also adding there:
“The vast majority of these companies are doing the minimum or less.”
“If not properly incentivized, either through regulatory action or through exposure by media or other forms of pressure … often, these companies will underinvest in keeping their platforms safe.” []
And in fact, to that point, social media companies like X, Meta, and others have laid off hundreds of people from their trust and safety departments over the past few years.
And then, more recently, Meta rolled back its moderation and fact checking efforts.
With this being seen as a sign of a major shift at least partly brought about by the election of Donald Trump, who has also opposed greater content moderation.
Even promising to take action against foreign governments if they introduce measures that could “inhibit the growth” of American companies or force them to moderate online content.
Also, notably, he’s been especially supportive of deregulating crypto –
Even issuing a number pardons for high-profile white collar crooks connected to the industry.
And crypto’s not really something we touched on here, but importantly, it’s become vital to scamming and organized crime in general.
And that aside, there’s even more Trump has done that has people in this space worried.
For example, his dismantling of U.S.A.I.D.? It reportedly ended programs working to help people trafficked into scam compounds.
And in fact, in February, CNN reported that EVERY SINGLE ONE of the agency’s anti-trafficking projects had been halted.
And notably, all of this is at a time when there’s a whole other set of reasons tackling online scamming is gonna be getting more challenging –
And that’s artificial intelligence.
Right, recently, reports have come out about using AI-powered “face swap” technology and voice-altering products to impersonate their characters more convincingly.
WIth Gabrielle Tran, a senior analyst at the Institute for Security and Technology, saying:
“Malicious actors can exploit these models, especially open-source models, to produce content at an unprecedented scale.”
“These models are purposefully being fine-tuned … to serve as convincing humans.” []
So ultimately, it’s pretty hard to imagine this situation getting better anytime soon.
And really it seems like it might just get a whole lot worse.
And on that happy thought, I gotta pass the question off to you.
What are your thoughts on all this?
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