Kamala Harris' support for bail helped put repeat offenders back on the streets

Kamala Harris helped a controversial bail fund raise millions of dollars that it spent in the name of “social justice” to get violent criminals back on the streets – only to find that some of them committed further crimes, including murder.

Among the criminals released: a twice-convicted sex offender who allegedly abused more women before being rearrested, and a man who inflicted traumatic brain injury on a victim after being released from prison while awaiting trial for another aggravated assault.

Following the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, which sparked unrest across the country, the Minnesota Freedom Fund received support and donations from several celebrities, including Seth Rogan, Justin Timberlake and Cynthia Nixon.

Harris, then a senator in California, also asked her supporters for donations in a tweet in June 2020.

“If you can, donate now to the @MNFreedomFund to help pay bail for protesters on the ground in Minnesota.” Harris wrote.

The fund, founded in 2016, raised $41,655,560, according to its 2020 tax returns – a huge windfall compared to previous years, when it took in annual donations between $100,000 and $230,000, according to public records.

The capital injection enabled the group to increase bail amounts from $1,000 a day to over $100,000 a day to release criminals, a report said.

Criminal investigators point out that high bail funds can undermine the system itself, and say Harris – herself a former prosecutor and district attorney in California – should know better.

Hannah E. Meyers, a policing expert at the Manhattan Institute, told the Washington Post: “The value of the bail system is that it provides leverage and ensures that someone accused of harming the community does not do it again before trial.”

“For most people, the thought of losing their own money or the savings of their loved ones is a big incentive not to reoffend. Bail funds disrupt that dynamic because, people being what they are, no one cares all that much about losing strangers' money.”

Meyers also noted that the amount of bail is set at the discretion of the judge and should be financially reasonable for the person before him. She also pointed out that people who have already been convicted are much more likely to reoffend.

“Advocates of radical bail reform often try to obscure these very different levels of risk between releasing serious repeat offenders and low-level or first-time offenders.”

Since 2016, MFF has paid $21.2 million in bail and $4.8 million in immigration bonds, releasing 2,537 people from pretrial detention and 463 from immigration detention, according to statistics on its website.

A Minneapolis crime watchdog group that monitors the fund's bail initiatives and crime in the city called Harris' support of the group “irresponsible.”

“It was ridiculous for Kamala Harris or any other government official to promote an organization like the Minnesota Freedom Fund, considering she only sent that tweet on June 1, long after it was obvious that our city was being burned and looted by protesters,” said the group's leader, who asked not to be identified for security reasons.

“The fact that Harris' tweet has still not been deleted, nor has she called out MFF's irresponsibility in bail-ing dangerous offenders, even after all the controversy and evidence of the harm MFF has done to Minnesota, is proof that she cares more about criminals than law-abiding citizens.”

When asked about the complaints and criticism of its initiatives to rescue some violent criminals, the group told the Post on Tuesday that it is “a local nonprofit organization run by a volunteer board.”

“We received an unprecedented level of support following the murder of George Floyd and have used that support in the years since to advance our mission,” said Noble Frank, the group’s communications director.

Despite the huge cash influx, MFF reported a loss of $6.7 million in its most recently available federal filings for 2022.

Here are cases where releasing criminals on bail has resulted in a public safety disaster:

CHRISTOPHER BOSWELL

According to local website Alphanews.com, the Minnesota Freedom Fund paid $350,000 in cash for the release of Christopher Don Boswell in 2020.

At that time, he had already spent nearly 16 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of rape.

When he was released on bail, Boswell faced 10 charges, including attempted rape, sexual assault and kidnapping of two women, according to local news reports.

No record of the outcome of these charges could be found, suggesting they were dropped. The Post is awaiting a response from police on this case.

In 2022, Boswell was accused of dealing meth and beating his then-girlfriend, as well as forcing her to perform oral sex on another man while raping her, according to charges the state brought against him.

The charges also describe an incident in which Boswell allegedly forced the girlfriend out of the car on the way to a liquor store and forced her to her knees while firing a gun in an attempt to scare her.

He then ordered the woman to get back into the car, where he fired another shot out the window and said, “Now I could have killed you twice,” court records show.

Boswell, now 41, was convicted last year of first-degree sexual assault, promoting prostitution, stalking and assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the 2022 incidents.

According to court records, he is scheduled to be released in 2042.

GEORGE HOWARD

In the summer of 2021, the Freedom Fund released George Howard on bail while he awaited trial on domestic violence charges.

Less than a month later, Howard was arrested for murder on suspicion of shooting another man, Luis Martinez Ortiz, in a DUI incident on a Minneapolis freeway.

Several hours after Crime Watch Minneapolis posted a tweet condemning MFF for bailing Howard out on domestic violence charges—he was ultimately convicted of disorderly conduct in the case—the nonprofit appeared to have changed its mind.

“MFF believes that every person arrested by law enforcement is innocent until proven guilty. And if a judge finds them liable, they should not have to wait in jail just because they don't have the same income or access to resources as others,” the tweet said. The tweet was later deleted and a new statement posted.

“The killing of Luis Martinez Ortiz is an undeniable loss and tragedy for the entire community,” the new tweet said.

“We have heard from you and have revised this statement as our previous statement did not acknowledge this profound loss, and for that we apologize.”

Howard, also known as Ricco Lamont Passmore (50), pleaded guilty last year and is scheduled for release in 2031.

LIONEL TIMMS

Lionel Melaki Timms, now 36, was released by MFF on $10,000 bail after being charged with third-degree aggravated assault causing substantial bodily harm on a bus in Bloomington in July 2020.

Timms allegedly begged and repeatedly hit a passenger who refused to give him money. Court documents show that Timms suffered a broken nose, a swollen eye and numerous abrasions and had to be treated in hospital.

A month later, Timms was arrested again for assault after reportedly kicking a victim in an alley, causing head trauma, a skull fracture and a brain hemorrhage.

Commenting on the news of the second attack, the MFF said it was “deeply saddened” by the attack on a “popular and highly respected member of our community”.

They also attempted to shift the blame to local authorities, saying: “We paid his bail after initially ensuring that Mr. Timms received accommodation and other necessary support… Delays in the government's processing of his release prevented him from receiving this assistance, setting the stage for the tragedy that followed.”

The Hennepin County District Attorney's Office filed an additional charge of third-degree aggravated assault against him in connection with the incident.

Both cases were consolidated and Timms was found guilty of aggravated assault in 2021 and sentenced to five years in prison, court records show.