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Updates on Timo Miller and Kenneth Miller

Thanks to Scott W. for alerting me to a new post at Kenneth Miller's site. Pastor Kenneth Miller had a rough couple of months being transported around the U.S. in shackles so that he could be given the "opportunity" to testify at the Zodhiates trial. He refused to do so (as I previously reported). He now seems hopeful that perhaps additional time won't be put onto his federal sentence for his refusal. (He says, "Until negotiations between the U.S. prosecutors and another party are completed, I'm not free to comment much. But it appears unlikely that I will face further charges, praise God!" which seems to be a reference to the charge of criminal contempt that the judge told him he could face.)

While he was being dragged from pillar to post, he actually ran into missionary Timo Miller (the two men are not related) in a prison in Youngstown, Ohio. (Question: Why was he taken to a prison in Ohio in the course of being transported back and forth from Florida, where he is serving his sentence, to Buffalo, New York? Yeah, I don't know, either.) One of the most moving parts of his post is about his meeting with Timo Miller. Remember a couple of facts as you read this: Timo Miller actually cooperated with the prosecution against Ken Miller back in 2011 to the extent of giving a videotaped deposition that was used against Ken Miller in his trial. Timo then returned to Nicaragua, where his wife was having a baby. He did not return to the U.S. to testify in person at the trial, and it is partly on that basis that U.S. prosecutors have now arrested him. (Because he didn't "cooperate fully.") Still, that was his response to the demand that he testify. Ken Miller, in contrast, has refused repeatedly to testify against anyone else as a matter of conscience and has faced the possibility of having time added to his sentence in federal prison as a result. Meanwhile, Timo Miller has just spent weeks in dungeon conditions in Nicaragua before being extradited to the U.S. Ken Miller got Timo Miller involved in this whole case in the first place, asking him to help Lisa and Isabella, which is the reason for what Timo Miller is going through. When the two men met, this is how Ken Miller reported it:

While on the rec yard on[e] day at Youngstown Ohio, I saw coming toward me a kind, bearded face. To my great surprise, it was Brother Timo Miller! We had a joyous meeting! We slept in different units, but for two days we were able to converse over meals and at the rec yard. Of course we didn't talk about the legal case, but we were able to comfort and exhort each other in the Lord and pray together. That was a huge encouragement to me!!

Could anything be more moving? No hint of recriminations on either side. Just mutual love and encouragement in the Lord. These are true heroes of the faith. These are our Christian prisoners of conscience in the 21st century, right here in the U.S.

This piece says that Timo Miller's lawyer was talking about possibly trying to get him a plea bargain. No further word on whether that will be possible.

This piece (I have no idea how this blogger gets his information) says that Timo Miller looked to be in good health at his arraignment, so he seems to have recovered from his harrowing time in prison in Nicaragua.

Timo Miller's family has set up a giving page for people to help with their expenses. His wife is apparently considering returning to the U.S. Is that wise? I hope she would not be arrested for whatever help she gave to Lisa Miller in Nicaragua.

The "Continue to Give" page contains a jaw-dropping allegation about Timo's surprising arrest in Nicaragua. Remember, the Nicaraguan government doesn't have an extradition agreement with the U.S. government, and they had never shown the slightest previous interest in arresting Timo for his help in the so-called "international kidnapping" involving Lisa Miller and her daughter Isabella. So his dramatic arrest in August was inexplicable, as was his being held virtually incommunicado for nearly two months.

Both the U. S. government and Interpol denied any involvement. However, despite their denials, it was eventually revealed that the U. S. had used Interpol to arrest Timo under the false charges of producing child pornography and running a prostitution ring.

If our government actually did that to get the Nicaraguans to arrest him, it is despicable. It would explain the facts, though. I don't know where this information came from to his family.

Continue to pray for all three of these men, including Philip Zodhiates, who awaits his sentencing hearing in January.

By the way, if anyone can confirm or disconfirm this, I would appreciate it. I "have been told" (sorry for the passive voice) that it appears to be unprecedented for the U.S. federal government to prosecute mere assistants in international parental "kidnappings." Yes, parental "kidnapping" is sometimes prosecuted and is a federal crime. And yes it is legal to prosecute someone for assisting in such a "crime." But it looks like, when it's a custody dispute and a parent leaves the country with the child, the U.S. federal government may never before have pursued and prosecuted people who merely helped the parent--by purchasing a plane ticket, driving the parent and child to the Canadian border, meeting them off the plane in a foreign country, assisting them to start a new life in the other country, and the like. If this is really the first time that such prosecutions have been made (and here we have three such prosecutions all in connection with a single case) that argues a degree of special vindictiveness of the prosecution surrounding this case that is really terrifying. Legal, strictly speaking, but terrifying. (I'm sure it is not legal to promulgate patently false charges via Interpol to get a man extradited.)

And don't forget: Janet Jenkins (the lesbian who wanted custody of the child in the case, though unrelated to her) is just waiting for the go-ahead for a civil suit against all parties, after all the criminal prosecutions have been carried out. Heaven forbid that she should leave Timothy Miller, Kenneth Miller, or Philip Zodhiates, or their families, any financial assets with which to start a new life after they get out of the federal pen after serving sentences for helping Lisa and Isabella escape her.

May God protect all of the innocent.

Here is a post I wrote on this case some time ago, from which you can follow links back, if this whole case is new to you.

Comments (10)

May God comfort and strengthen all those involved, and vindicate the decision made to save Isabella from a terrible situation.

There is a pious legend that the martyrs in glory still bear some mark of how they died (as Christ bore his precious wounds on his glorified body). Their wounds, while considered a mark of shame in this world, bear eternal testament to the privilege of testifying to the Name with their very blood.

I hope to see Pastor Miller in glory, and I hope (?) he will have a chain on his arm, for while he has not been called upon to sacrifice his blood, he has in many ways given up his life (for a while) in testimony to Our Lord.

May God bless him and his family, as well as the other men and women who have assisted in helping Lisa and Isabella. May all the angels and saints, especially Our Lady, bring them divine assistance in this difficult time.

Thank you, Lydia, for all of the updates on this case.

On his site, Pastor Miller said that he and his wife and children had been contemplating moving to Ireland (I didn't know whether Northern Ireland or just Ireland) before all of this happened. He was especially sad that this is now out of the question, permanently. Presumably this is partly because they will be ruined financially, but I'm guessing it is also because foreign countries won't give a long-term residence visa to a convicted felon. So he's lost that dream, permanently. He's missed his daughter's wedding, and during this past two months he missed his mother's funeral. They did permit him to listen to his mother's funeral over a phone connection. Plus I don't know how he will support his family when he gets out if Janet Jenkins prevails in her personal lawsuit. Or even if she doesn't (legal fees, etc.).

These people really have in a sense "lost their lives"--certainly their lives as confident, self-sufficient, safe American citizens. I think often of their wives and pray for them. I don't know about Zodhiates, but both Timo Miller and Ken Miller have quite a few children.

Lydia,
I'm the editor of the anonymous blog on which you commented. Ironically it's often been difficult for me to comment on my own blog, and this is one of those days. Here's my response:
I'm connected, mostly by bulk email subscription, to people close to the interested parties. All those who contribute information on this story do so with the understanding that it will become public. However, especially since this is an anonymous blog, I don't see any reason to identify them by name each and every time.

Of course. I wouldn't ask you to do so, and thanks for the updates.

Do you have any idea what the provenance is of the claim that the U.S. govt. brought fake child pornography charges against Timo Miller to induce the Nicaraguans to arrest him? Is it, "One lawyer told another lawyer" or...?

I'm rather concerned about the safety of Joanna Miller if she were to come to the U.S. She has not been indicted, so perhaps she would not be arrested, but she did in some sense help Lisa by having her and Isabella live in her home for a time after they went to Nicaragua, and it sounds to me like that might be technically criminal under the laws in question.

Lydia,
There's a brand-new Timo update at the bottom of my previously linked post.
TLDR: he was convicted and will remain in prison/s until sentenced March 23.
As for Joanna and the kids, plans are in place to move them to be near Timo once it's settled which state the feds will keep him in. And no, they have nothing on her. All the incriminating emails (thank you, NSA) were in his name. The child porn charges are what she was told by her contacts in the Nica penal system; officially, Timo's is just another case of Desaparecidos.

Regarding sentencing, 3 years is what Ken Miller got. Since this is a plea bargain, we can expect less than that for Timo, and he already has several months of time served over the past 5 years; I wouldn't expect more than one additional year. Keep going back to my Timo's Trial post for any updates.

I just received word from a lawyer that she was able to get hold of the public court docs in the plea bargain. Looks like the possible minimum is one year, but that would have to be recommended by the government in consideration of his cooperation. Between now and March? (Grrr.) Possible max. is 5 years (unlikely). I'll see if I can find a way to post the court docs.

try PACER. www.pacer.gov. You will need a credit card.

You're a better source than Pacer. :-)

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