Michael Volpe Investigates (private feed for sbmotheroftwo@gmail.com)

The Unknown Episode 54: defending Aaron Burr

Note: the interview with Dennis Brennan is above. Current EventsRichard Luthmann and I were back for the 54th edition of The Unknown. In the current events segment, we talked about a slew of important US Court of Appeals decisions, monopoly action with Google and NASCAR, Trump firing on smuggling ships in Venezuela, and Pete Hegseth wanting to honor more Confederates. Find the full segment below. I previously wrote about the What the Hales segment. Burr: MisunderstoodAfter that, we brought historian Dennis Brennan on the show. He is author of the book: D.C. Swamp Strikes Back: Aaron Burr, Donald Trump and Their Similar Battles.In it, Dennis took a contrarian view, defending someone long viewed a villain, Aaron Burr. Dennis argued that far from being a villain, Burr was the first victim of the DC swamp and the lawfare which President Donald Trump faced from 2021-2025. Burr’s historic fate was sealed when he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel on July 11, 1804. Hamilton wasn’t an iconic founding father, and the architect of the US financial system.He also was a media mogul, starting the NY Post. His allies, Dennis told us, went to work, and Burr’s historical reputation was cooked. The duel started with a war of words which escalated until Hamilton felt his honor was at stake and he challenged Burr to the duel. Burr served in the Revolutionary War before working his way through the New York State political hierarchy. Alexander Hamilton married into one of the four families who set the political agenda in New York. Burr was an outsider who infiltrated New York politics, a la Donald Trump. The rivalry formed. Richard noted that the duel didn’t take place in their native New York state, where it was illegal, but across the state border in New Jersey where it was. Hamilton missed, Burr didn’t, and Hamilton was dead. With it, Burr’s political career and historic reputation. Later, Burr was tried for treason, for purportedly conspiring to raise armies to fight the US. We spent a lot of time going over the evidence of this case with Dennis. He said that Thomas Jefferson and his cronies had a lot to do with pushing forward a weak case against Burr, a Jefferson rival. “They didn’t have any evidence that he (Burr) took any steps to further the conspiracy,” Dennis told us, “The idea was, he was going to Louisiana and meet up with his friend for- they were forming an army supposedly.” “There was an alleged meeting,” Dennis continued.The evidence, he further stated, came largely from Burr’s friend, James Wilkinson, who turned against Burr. Wilkinson had a reason to color his testimony, since he was working for Jefferson’s administration. Burr, to his dying day, said he went to Louisiana to help the country and try and make a deal with Spain. US Supreme Court Chief Justice, who presided over the two treason trials, said the elements of conspiracy weren’t met. While found not guilty in a court of law, Burr was found guilty in the court of public opinion, and in particular, the historical court. Burr faced numerous trials by his political enemies, similar to President Trump. For that reason, Dennis Brennan thinks he should be viewed as the first person to take on the DC swamp. Check out the full episode below. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelvolpe.substack.com/subscribe

Shock claim: Chicago mom says three attempts on her life have been made.

The charges made in Usha Karri’s pro se lawsuit are “fantastic,” according to an attorney with the US Department of Justice (USDOJ).In this lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois, Usha alleged that three attempts were made on her life, and that judges, lawyers, and other court actors were involved. The allegations are hard to believe until you consider that it is court record that one attempt was made on her life by her ex-husband, Venkatesh Bhogireddy. (Note, Bhogireddy was convicted of attempting to kill her uncle, Seedaram Ganisetti, however, the initial indictment included an attempt on her life as well.)Bhogireddy is in federal prison, and he’ll be there until 2029, but family court in Cook County, Illinois continues to adjudicate their child custody case. In 2019, Bhogireddy approached an individual who became a confidential informant (CI)and asked to help find a hitman. The CI approached the government, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) sent in an undercover agent. Instead of hiring an actual hitman, Bhogireddy wound up enlisting an undercover ATF agent who posed as a motorcycle gang member named “Joe.”“I would offer that Mr. Bhogireddy might consider himself lucky that he found an ATF agent instead of an actual killer when he was deciding how to respond to the frustrations that he was considering in his personal life,” Wood said.A jury found Bhogireddy guilty in 2021 of five separate counts. But in explaining her sentence Friday, Wood noted that Bhogireddy had hatched one plot, involving one individual, carried out over a period of months — and if combined into one count, she could have given him no more than 10 years.That foiled attempt, Usha’s lawsuit argued, set the stage for two more attempts. While Bhogireddy awaited sentencing, the lawsuit stated, the family court was busy as well. The judge in the custody case ordered that Dr. Stephanie Bonza be appointed; Dr. Bonza did not respond to an email for comment. Dr. Bonza’s task was to assess if it was a good idea for Venkatesh to have video calls with his children in jail. Lynn Wypych is the guardian ad litem on this case, and she didn’t respond to a voicemail for comment at her office. Jami Buzinski of Davis Friedman is Bhogireddy’s attorney, and she declined comment when reached at her office. Seetaram and Usha explained that this initial directive- as asinine as it is- was then transformed. By the end of the year, Dr. Bonza was trying to assess Usha not Bhogireddy. This new assessment, not ordered by the court, coincided with the federal sentencing for Bhogireddy. Usha argued in the lawsuit that the unauthorized assessment was really an attempt to stop her from testifying at the sentencing. Usha and Seetaram told me that they believe that this bogus assessment would have been used to jail or commit Usha where she’d be murdered. It’s certainly a fantastic claim, except one attempt on both their lives is documented. They said this attempt was thwarted by a separate federal lawsuit which led to Dr. Bonza recusing herself. In 2024, the family court was at it again. This time, the court ordered Usha to pay half the GAL fees, despite an Illinois stating that GAL fees can only be charged based on an “ability to pay.” Usha said she was on public aid, and worse yet, the court refused to enforce its own order to collect over $70,000 from Venkatesh in back due child support. As Usha stated in her lawsuit, she was ordered to pay the fees in five business days, and a hearing was scheduled, where she was required to attend in person. Usha and Seetaram told me they both expected her to be jailed at this hearing and then killed in jail. That was stopped by the current federal lawsuit, which stayed the proceedings. This lawsuit was dismissed by US Federal District Judge Lindsey Jenkins. Usha has since appealed and filed a motion to reconsider. That has continued to pause the family court proceedings, but Seetaram said a hearing is scheduled for October 20, 2025. Is that when the murder plot will finally materialize? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelvolpe.substack.com/subscribe

Megan Fox called me a "legend"

Note: The rest of the podcast will be released later. It was an action packed What the Hales segment in The Unknown podcast today. We revealed that my former friend Megan Fox once called me a “legend.” It’s a far cry from her manufactured insults, like the last thing she told me early in 2025. I do not associate with nor do I respond to scumbag victimizers like youMegan was referring to my ex-girlfriend, who she knew about since 2022. Megan, who didn’t respond for a comment for this article, didn’t always feel that way; in fact, I doubt she genuinely thinks I’m a scumbag now. Megan was one of the first people I called when I got custody in 2023; strangely, she didn’t call me a scumbag victimizer then, even though I got custody from the person she now thinks I victimized. How could she when only four years ago she referred to me as a “legend?”That colorful comment came after I got a dirty guardian ad litem (GAL) she was covering, Trina Nudsen, to give me a comment. Scummy GALs rarely comment, but I decided to use misdirection. I sent her and another scummy GAL, Elaine Pudlowski, a group email. I got Ms. Nudsen to comment, a difficult endeavor with scummy GALs. It took me four years to get Ms. Pudlowski, the other person on the email, to comment. It was a vanilla comment, but a comment nonetheless, and the reason for the high praise. Our relationship used to be one of mutual respect and admiration. Then, she hooked up with Jeremy Hales, and no one, not even me, could stop her gravy train. People weren’t allowed to criticize Hales; they weren’t even allowed to appear with those who criticize Hales. In December 2024, I was scheduled to appear on Miltown’s Best to talk about the MacDaddy affair with Bruce Matzkin. Matzkin was Megan’s nemesis, and so was Dave from Miltown’s Best. That was enough to end the friendship. See below for Dave defending himself against the smear he’s a “harasser, etc.” It’s sad, and what she did is indefensible. The anecdote is important for another reason. The email I sent to Ms. Nudsen and Ms. Pudlowski was similar to the emails I sent to Jeremy Hales. His response was to threaten to intercede in my child custody case and to call the cops. Megan used to support aggressive journalism, like the emails to Nudsen/Pudlowski. I don’t think she has weighed in, but she definitely has not condemned Hales for calling the cops. It’s another example of her hypocrisy. Update: Last night, Megan and TUG discussed me, with Megan calling me a “terrible journalist. He cannot spell.” She didn’t expand on how she made that determination, or why she chose to work with me for a year. She also didn’t explain how that squares with calling me a “legend.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelvolpe.substack.com/subscribe

The surreal conservatorship hearing in California

Thursday August 28, 2025, was supposed to be the day when Gabriella Fields finally regained control of her mother’s life after a ten-year nightmare. Instead, inside the courtroom of Riverside California Judge Chris Harmon there was more frustration for Gabriella. IntroductionGabriella was there on her petition to become her mother’s, Elli Biro, conservator. This is all necessary, Gabriella previously told me, because a decade ago she was given bad advice by the California Public Guardian’s Office (CPGO) encouraging Gabriella to put her mother into conservatorship. CPGO, conveniently enough, was made Elli’s conservator for about six years before relinquishing control to Gabriella’s niece who was relieved of her duties earlier this year. Gabriella was in Judge Harmon’s court to ask to be made Elli’s conservator. To the layman, this makes sense. Who better to take care of Elli than her daughter?Courts rarely work on logically or quickly. Judge Harmon continued the hearing because not everyone was served on time and other parties, namely CPGO, wanted to respond. They made it clear that they would oppose Gabriella’s petition, arguing that a previous elder abuse restraining order (EARO) was one reason. I spoke with Gabriella about this bogus EARO last week. While Judge Harmon pushed off the hearing’s agenda until October 30, 2025, fireworks remained. The audio of the hearing is below. Ellie Biro’s abuseJudge Harmon asked for updates, and immediately the court learned that Elli was taken to the hospital for over a week due to substandard care at the facility she was placed in. Not to worry because Elli had already been moved. “Our client has been moved to a different facility from the one that she was at previously.” Elli’s court appointed attorney noted. “I understand that Ms. Fields has reached out to me recently on a number of occasions, in her view I think, inadequate care at the facility. I’m not a doctor so I can’t speak to that either way.”Gabriella told me that she was forced to call an ambulance and have her mom taken to the hospital, where she spent more than a week, due to this incident.“I ended up calling 9-1-1 because again my mother again was lying in a fetal position, and she refused to eat food.” Gabriella said during the hearing. More than that, the care at the new facility, she told me, is just as bad. Below is part of an email she sent to CPGO. After visiting my mom today, she is inside a "SHORT-TERM" skilled nursing home, that is designed for an Elder to Recover after surgery.It was clearly stated that my mom Elli Biro is "Going Great" she did not have surgery she was only at the hospital from August 17, 02025 - August 26, 2025 because it was stated that she did not eat and or drink???Today she has no clothes was laying naked under a blanket, with her naked arm out, her naked hand out, naked shoulder and her naked arm pit out.Why is Elli Biro in a skilled nursing home when she did not have a surgery and she is sleeping and once again not able to wake up. That just seems like pure neglect.Is it because you found a CHEAP OPEN BED to put my mom into, so you chose to take it. How it that acting in my mom's best interest Mr. Adams (PG's attorney) Please explain.AND per Public Guardian's Attorney George Adams, it is the responsibility to make sure my mom's needs are met and that her well-being comes first BECAUSE TODAY at Menifee lakes POST ACUTE, Menifee, CA is not to like at or in, it an acute recover center SHORT TERM for those who actually medically require it.This is a place to recover, and my mom has nothing to recover from, so why is she exactly is she inside this place as you stated Mr. Adam my mom's best interest is the only thing that once should be concerned with and i assureyou that you also would not put your child, wife, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa any loved one there, and right next to the mortuary.Elli is all alone, sleeping NAKED with food from breakfast that was not really eaten on her tray. It was stated in court that my mom's best interest is the only thing that matters, please explain.And Aurora it really is your job to provide diapers for my mom as your PG attorned stated and you told me that it was not your job.Mr. Adams made it very clear that you are responsible in providing diaper to my mom and clothes would be great as well. This is not a PROPER PLACEMENT for my mom, it appears that it was an open CHEAP BED for you to place her into.AND that is just so wrong to do to our Elders and to my mom ELLI BIRO.Please advise.During the hearing, Gabriella noted that CPGO bureaucracy kept her from visiting her mom for three days while she was in the hospital August 17-26. “Not that I’m aware of your honor. I’m happy to discuss visiting with my client. It sounds like the hospital was preventing the visit.” The CPGO lawyer stated in the hearing. “There shouldn’t be anything legally keeping you from visiting her, and I’m sure it’s in your mom’s best interest that she have (sic) contact with you.” Judge Harmon stated in the hearing. The CPGO lawyer also complained that Gabriella got Elli’s medical records.“They (hospital staff) gave them to me,” Gabriella told me. “Why the secrecy?”The DPOA and conservatorshipA legal fight broke out in the hearing over the durable power of attorney (DPOA). Gabriella insisted that the DPOA continued to give her the power to make medical decisions, while CPGO and the Judge said no: the conservatorship reigned. I spoke with Becky Harber, a guardianship victim and advocate, who said she was surprised to learn after the hearing that the Judge was right. She called it bad law. She said in the “states that I am aware of” a DPOA or a medical directive supersedes a guardianship ruling. She said in her home state, Georgia, it’s a crime to ignore a medical directive, and a hearing is necessary to override it. Check out my interview with Becky. Not so in California.“The first thing that I noticed would be that the judge was trying to sweep it all underneath the rug and avoid what Gabriella was saying.” She told me. “I assumed she was correct, but then it would be after Gabriella and I talked after the hearing that she herself discovered that in California the law differentiates so much than any other states, or the states that I’m familiar with.” Continuance, continuanceIt was also revealing that Gabriella’s case was continued. Her case was part of a cattle call of probate cases in Judge Harmon’s court that day. Each one I witnessed was continued. The business before the court was not settled in any of the cases I witnessed that day. This was something another court watcher noticed as well. Jodee Sussman has fought a bruising multi-year probate battle in Orange County, California, where she recently had a huge victory in the appeals court. Check out the recent segment from The Unknown about this victory. Jodee told me by text message, “In ours, it was by design to wear us out. Actually, there was episode of So Help Me Todd that had Sandra Bernhard on it. She wanted her attorney to continue, continue until the other side gave up.”Jodee was referring to the episode entitled: The Queen of CourtsJudge Harmon shuts it downGabriella continued listing more problems with her mother’s situation, until Judge Harmon shut down the hearing. He refused to let her continue, so I asked her what she would have said if she was allowed. Gabriella said she wanted to point out that the court appointed attorney still hadn’t spoken to her mom as of the hearing.As a result, he didn’t take a position on Gabriella’s petition to be conservator. She also told me the attorney for CPGO didn’t have her mom’s medical records, despite having more than a week to gather them. “How do you not have that,” Gabriella asked me rhetorically. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelvolpe.substack.com/subscribe

The Unknown Episode 53

Note: the current events segment is above. The other two segments are split below. Richard Luthmann and I were back for the 53rd edition of The Unknown. Current EventsIn the current events segment, we agreed on nothing, and that’s because I believe in the first amendment and small government, while Richard is MAGA. He favored President Trump’s executive order threatening to jail flag burners, despite numerous US Supreme Court cases stating that flag burning is covered by the 1st amendment. Richard argued that Trump’s executive order was a signal to the current US Supreme Court to revisit the issue. Rich also loves the idea of federal troops in Chicago, despite policing being a local issue. The tenth amendment should apply, but Trump loves to declare emergencies and use extraordinary power like he did with the Aliens and Enemies Act. What the HalesIn the What the Hales segment, we talked about another police force doing Jeremy Hales’ bidding. In July, his neighbor, Michelle Preston, went to Levy County, Florida Sheriffs to report an alleged false report he made. Neither of us could understand how the Levy County Sheriff’s Deputy determined that if the State of Florida was the victim, it would be up to the state to report. Who would report; wouldn’t the Levy County Sheriff’s Department count as a state agent? Once again, Hales got away with a potential crime. Check out the full segment below. Family Court and other investigationsIn the final segment, we both ran through some of our investigations, including Rich hoping to confront one time friend turned nemesis, Ron Castorina, and a very important appeals court ruling in California. We also detailed my recent interviews with Gabriella Fields and Stefanie Shepherd. Both described anecdotes which suggest that cases are routinely fixed in their respective areas. Check out the full interviews below. We ran through Rich’s recent article entitled: Mainstream Media’s Journalistic Treason: The Family Court Cover‑Up.The article argued that the mainstream media has failed family court victims by refusing to cover their stories. Protective parents, mostly mothers, who plead for media attention are often met with indifference or skepticism. In some cases, they’re painted as “disgruntled exes” or conspiracy cranks. This media apathy – or outright bias – has real consequences: it enables the corrupt court cartel to continue operating in darkness. As Weigel warned, reporters who stay silent are “complicit in the fraud model,” effectively handing abusers a victory through their silence.By abdicating their watchdog role, mainstream outlets have become enablers of the very abuse and injustice they are supposed to expose.Why the silence? Critics point to the “swampy” ties between big media and the legal establishment. Family court corruption is not a comfortable beat – it implicates judges, lawyers, and even politicians. Many media organizations rely on legal advertisers or are funded by wealthy donors connected to the bar. Challenging the family court system means upsetting powerful interests.As the Bassi incident highlighted, even a non-profit news outlet can be pressured by “advertisers and donors” to quash a story. It doesn’t take a detective to suspect that major outlets face similar pressures. Trial lawyer associations and influential law firms pour money into campaigns and media sponsorships, cultivating a public image of the court system that omits its dirty secrets.The result is a kind of willful blindness. National newscasts devote hours to political drama and petty scandals, but have scarcely mentioned that American family courts separate children from fit parents for profit. Even when confronted with ironclad evidence – parents jailed without due process, court officers caught taking bribes, children handed to abusers – the big outlets largely look away or couch the issue as “he said, she said.” This negligence has not gone unnoticed.This is something I have talked about for over a decade. This group of manipulators is bold and brazen because it knows the media will have no appetite for any story of this kind, but will deem it a case of “he said/she said” and a private matter best left unchronicled.Along with the reasons I gave in the article above, family court is ripe for a defamation lawsuit, and it doesn’t fit the liberal/conservative paradigm. As a result, it generally does not appeal to pet issues of most MSM journalists. I have a less cynical view now. In the last five years, the MSM has shown far more willingness to cover these issues, something I talked about in 2022. Pro Publica has covered numerous family court cases. When SB 1372 in Arizona, which bans reunification camps, was being debated, the issue received local and national coverage. My interview with Tori is below. The task forces in Idaho and Arizona have also received local coverage. While local coverage remains lacking, I think the media is in the middle of a revolution embracing these stories. Check out the full segment below. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelvolpe.substack.com/subscribe