Fla. white nationalist wanted bond in York SC kidnap case. Here’s what the judge said.
A white nationalist who spoke at a deadly rally in 2017 will remain in a York County, S.C., jail without bond after being accused of kidnapping his wife and kids at gunpoint.
Augustus Sol Invictus has been in the York County jail for a month, after being extradited by Rock Hill police when he was arrested Dec. 30 in Florida. He is charged with kidnapping, domestic violence, and possession of a gun during a violent crime.
Invictus, 36, said in a previous court hearing he is innocent and will be cleared of the charges. Invictus was in court Friday morning but did not speak.
Prosecutors and Rock Hill police say Invictus held a gun to his wife’s head Dec. 12, then kidnapped her and took her and their children, ages 1 and 2, to Jacksonville, Fla. The wife then escaped before talking to police in Florida and Rock Hill, Rock Hill officers said.
The Herald is not naming the wife.
However, the wife spoke in court Friday. She claimed that Invictus physically abused her. She called Invictus a manipulator who seeks followers of his ideologies.
“He has calculated, violent and manipulative intentions,” the wife said in court.
Police and prosecutors said in court Friday that Invictus’ online postings and political views, coupled with the violent criminal charges, show a potential for violence toward the victim and public. The postings include threats of violence, and being a decision-maker in who lives or dies, Det. Matt Beach of the Rock Hill Police Department said in court.
York County assistant public defender Jeff Zuschke, Invictus’ lawyer, said in court the Internet material from Invictus is solely an “online persona” and had no bearing on public safety.
Zuschke also said there was no forced abduction in December when the couple left Rock Hill in separate vehicles without rancor.
“It’s his word against hers, after all kinds of crazy accusations,” Zuschke said in court.
Zuschke also said Invictus is a public figure because of Invictu’s political activities. He is a former Florida Senate candidate.
“Ther’es no place for Augustus Invictus to hide,” Zuschke said in court.
Judge Dan Hall said testimony presented Friday makes it difficult to distinguish between Invictus’ online persona and reality, so he denied Invictus bond..
“We live in a world where it is very difficult to distinguish between online persona and reality,” Hall said.
Invictus has a nationwide ability to travel because of his political activities which makes him a flight risk, Hall said.
Invictus faces as much as 55 years in prison if convicted of all charges, South Carolina law shows.
No trial date has been set.
‘Unite the Right’ rally speaker
Invictus spoke at the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. One woman was later killed and several people were hurt when James Fields rammed his car into a crowd.
Invictus has acknowledged that he is friends with white supremacists and, though he denied his affiliation then, was praised and credited by white nationalist leader Richard Spencer as writing the first draft of the Charlottesville statement, according to the Miami Herald.
Invictus ran for Senate in Florida in 2016 as a libertarian. During his Senate campaign, Invictus drew attention for his claim that he killed a goat and drank its blood in a pagan ritual, the Miami Herald reported.
Now an Orlando-area attorney, Invictus runs The Revolutionary Conservative, a website marketed as an alternative to conservative media that “play the victim” and calls for a violent uprising, the Miami Herald reported.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 11:07 AM.
