(Ken Silva, Headline USA) In August 2020, an FBI undercover agent code-named “Red” unsuccessfully tried to foment a plot to assassinate Colorado’s attorney general. The next month, an FBI undercover agent with the same code-name and physical description played a major role in the conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
After reviewing audio recordings and other information, three people involved in the Whitmer case have concluded that the “Red” in Colorado is the same person as Michigan “Red,” whose real name is special agent Timothy Bates.
Indeed, in both cases, “Red” is described as 6 feet 2 inches tall with facial hair and a tattoo sleeve going down his arm. “Red” was also introduced to BLM activists and militiamen alike as an ex-military, outlaw munitions expert. And moreover, “Red” took each of his targets on surveillance car rides.
The information about Colorado Red and the short-lived association plot was recently revealed in a new podcast, “Alphabet Boys,” which details how the FBI infiltrated the BLM movement.
According to Alphabet Boys, an FBI informant introduced Red to a BLM activist who had expressed interest in assassinating Colorado’s attorney general. Red and the activist met in August 2020, and then went on a car ride to surveil the AG’s home—but the activist suspected Red of being a fed, and never contacted him again.
The next month, “Red” would figure prominently in the Whitmer case, attempting to goad militia members into buying explosives in the weeks before they were arrested. Former Whitmer defendant Brandon Caserta met Red in person and said he listened to his voice “hundreds of times” on audio throughout his legal proceedings.
After listening to the Alphabet Boys, Caserta—who was exonerated of all charges—said he’s 100-percent certain that Colorado Red and Michigan Red are one in the same.
“I’m only 10 minutes in. I don’t need to go any further. That’s Red—100 percent,” he said.
Likewise, the family of Adam Fox—who was convicted in the Whitmer plot—thinks it’s the same person. Fox’s family has heard audio of Bates, and watched him testify against Fox.
“Literally the minute I heard the voice I knew it was him,” said Fox’s sister, Gabrielle, whose last name Headline USA is withholding for privacy reasons. “I am in complete agreement with Brandon: That sounds just like Red.”
Fox’s mom, Christina, added, “It does sound like him.”
Not only does the Colorado Red’s voice sound the same as Bates, according to Caserta and Fox’s family; he also matches the same physical description.
A video obtained by Alphabet Boys creator Trevor Aaronson purportedly shows a tattoo sleeve on the agent’s arm—but doesn’t capture his face. One of Aaronson’s sources reportedly described this Red as about 6 feet 2 inches tall with a goatee.
When asked to describe Michigan Red, Caserta provided similar information.
“He has one [tattoo] sleeve … and it’s on his right arm. And it’s all black and white. He has no color tattoos, whatsoever. And then, when he grows a beard, he grows a long, grayish-white beard,” Caserta said. “And he’s bald. And he’s probably 6 feet 2 [inches tall] and in really good shape.”
Moreover, Caserta noted that the Colorado Red had the same cover story and modus operandi as Bates.
“His M.O. is essentially the same as it appears to be in this podcast. He’s an ex special forces guy—the guy who can get the good shit; the ‘no fuck around guy,’” said Caserta, referencing how Red was introduced to BLM protestors. “It’s the same role he played in our case.”
Additionally, “Red” engaged in similar activities in Colorado and Michigan. In Colorado, he went on a car ride with a BLM protestor to surveil the attorney general’s house, while in Michigan he took Fox on a car ride to supposedly examine a bridge that the plotters were going to detonate as part of their getaway.
Headline USA presented some of the above similarities to Alphabet Boys creator Trevor Aaronson, who replied that he has indeed considered the possibility that Colorado “Red” is also Michigan Red. However, Aaronson said he couldn’t find enough solid evidence to report the similarities.
“I think there’s a chance it’s the same agent,” he said. “But I have not seen enough evidence yet to make that call.”
Unfortunately for Aaronson and others, the evidence that could directly prove whether the two undercover Reds were the same person remains under court-ordered secrecy. Caserta said he had access to recordings during his legal proceedings, but now that evidence is held by defense attorneys, who could be disbarred if they release the sealed material.
Furthermore, two other people who could potentially identify Red—Fox and Barry Croft—are incarcerated in supermax facilities that are specifically designed to prevent inmates from talking to media.
The FBI, for its part, did not respond to an email query about the matter.
Questions about Red and the FBI’s role in fomenting violence in both right- and left-wing movements could ostensibly be answered by the House Weaponization Subcommittee, which was formed specifically to investigate federal agencies that target political dissidents.
But despite touting itself as the next “Church committee”—a reference to a 1970s-era congressional body that uncovered illegal FBI undercover operations—and despite the fact that Fox and Croft were sent to supermax immediately after they recorded messages for Congress, the Weaponization Subcommittee has yet to comment on the matter.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
