(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Where in the world is Thomas Rousseau, the leader of the right-wing nationalist group Patriot Front?
Multiple parties suing Patriot Front want to know the answer to that question, accusing Rousseau and another member of going “underground.” Though Rousseau continues to make regular podcast appearances and statements on Patriot Front’s Telegram channel, plaintiffs in civil litigation say they can’t find him.
“Patriot Front has no known physical address and operates as a semi-clandestine white nationalist organization online. And Defendant Rousseau and Defendant [Trevor] Valescu’s whereabouts are likewise unknown, despite Plaintiffs’ best efforts to locate them,” stated two North Dakota non-profit organizations last week, in a lawsuit against the Patriot Front for allegedly defacing local shops owned by immigrants.
“Plaintiffs have retained private investigators to identify Defendants Rousseau and Valescu’s locations for service but have not succeeded. Defendants Rousseau and Valescu appear to have gone underground to avoid public scrutiny of their actions (and likely to avoid service in similar lawsuits pending against them),” said the groups, the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and the Immigrant Development Center.
Likewise, a black man suing the Patriot Front for allegedly assaulting him—allegations the group’s attorney has vehemently denied—also says he can’t find Rousseau.
That plaintiff, Charles Murrell III, said on Nov. 2 that he sent a process server to Rousseau’s Texas address, but found that his home was listed as for sale. The process server found another address in Texas associated with Rousseau, and unsuccessfully attempted to serve him at least four times there, according to Murrell.
Both the North Dakota groups and Murrell filed motions to serve the Patriot Front and its members via email. A judge allowed the North Dakota groups to do so in an order last week, while the judge in Murrell’s case has not yet ruled on the matter.
The Patriot Front did not respond to a Headline USA inquiry seeking a response to the plaintiffs’ allegations.
Rousseau, who recently had a criminal case against him dismissed in Idaho, has already defaulted in yet another lawsuit involving the vandalism of a mural honoring black tennis star Arthur Ashe.
Meanwhile, the Patriot Front looks to be having its own difficulty in serving a man who infiltrated and doxxed the group. In that case, several Patriot Front members said last month that they can’t locate the infiltrator, alleged Antifa member David Capito, who apparently changed his name to Vyacheslav Arkadyevich Arkhangelskiy last year.
“Plaintiffs have had concerns that Mr. Capito would be difficult to track down based upon information and belief as to his recent name change and the potential for evading service based upon the Complaint allegations of his use of false identities,” said the members, who sought a time extension to serve Capito.
A judge granted the Patriot Front members a time extension to serve Capito. They have until Feb. 21.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
