Two days following the Sandy Hook Shooting, Jonathan Lee Riches, a convicted felon out of West Chester, Pennsylvania, drove to Newtown, Connecticut and, like something straight out of a Flannery O'Connor story, appeared at a memorial site claiming to be "Jonathan Lanza," the fictitious uncle of shooter Adam Lanza. Riches then posed for photos and made false statements to journalists, many of which (like the one about Lanza being prescribed antipsychotic drug Fanapt to treat his supposed schizophrenia) were widely reported. Riches' true identity was revealed after his parole officer became aware of his travels thanks to the YouTube videos that Riches released to document his time in Newtown. Riches, under the terms of his probation (he originally served 10 years for conspiracy and wire fraud), is not allowed to leave Pennsylvania's Eastern District judicial boundaries and he will now be forced to return to federal court for a probation revocation hearing. More »
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