JoCo schools warn against "disruption" of student protests | Hospital Floyd? Leftists advocate for WakeMed police murder suspect | Cary alien arrest: "business owner" or thief?
No. 152 — Nov. 23-Nov. 29, 2025
Illegal alien arrested in Cary: “Business owner” or thief?
Immigration agents seized a Raleigh business owner. His wife is 8 months pregnant. - N&O
DHS Continues to Catch the Worst of the Worst During Operation Charlotte’s Web - Press Release
One of the illegal aliens arrested during the Customs and Border Protection operation last week made it to a federal press release on the “Worst of the Worst,” while the News & Observer profiles that same illegal immigrant as a “Raleigh business owner” with a pregnant wife and family.
Moises Benitez-Diaz was detained at the Lightbridge Academy construction site in Cary, where “US citizen” Fernando Vazquez was also briefly detained after reportedly refusing to tell agents where he was born in a successful attempt to allow his father and other illegal aliens at the job site to escape, as covered in last week’s issue.
Like Vazquez, Benitez-Diaz’s father was also an illegal alien, with Benitez-Diaz being brought over from Mexico as a first-grader; Benitez-Diaz began to work at a Raleigh construction company to support his mother and seven younger siblings when his father was arrested by immigration enforcement in 2018.
However, due to the laxity of that immigration enforcement (including in granting Benitez-Diaz’s father permanent residency after several months in custody), Benitez-Diaz was able to continue in the construction profession, eventually starting Capital Roofing & Construction in 2020.
Two years later, Benitez-Diaz was charged with two counts of felony larceny, with the arrest warrant being served six months later in June 2023.
Although confirming that he was charged with this crime, the News & Observer disputes the characterization by DHS of Benitez-Diaz as a “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for felony larceny and previously arrested for possession of stolen goods,” given that Benitez-Diaz was not convicted after his guilty plea, but instead got the charges dismissed by completing a pretrial diversion agreement.
According to the dismissal document filed in August 2023, Benitez-Diaz “has agreed to plead guilty to the following charges: [?] diversion.”
Wake County DA Lorrin Freeman confirmed that Benitez-Diaz “was offered a diversion for first-time offenders on a misdemeanor possession of stolen property and completed all terms at which time all charges were dismissed.”
Benitez-Diaz’s wife told the N&O that the charges were related to a machine Benitez-Diaz took from a work-site and sold, with permission, though employees later told law enforcement that no such permission was given.
However, the explanations relayed by the News & Observer do not appear to account for the fact that Benitez-Diaz was arrested again ten months after the felony charges were disposed by the Fuquay-Varina Police Department for possession of stolen goods, according to Wake County arrest records. It is not clear whether or not this arrest was related to the same incident, or what resolution occurred.
(The DHS press release has since been modified to read “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, previously arrested for felony larceny and possession of stolen goods.”)
Benitez-Diaz also appears to have been cited at least twice in Wake County for operating a vehicle without a license, a common occurrence for illegal aliens in the State of North Carolina.
Although Benitez-Diaz was eligible for the criteria of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, he failed to apply before the unilateral executive action by President Obama was put on hold by a federal judge ruled it was illegal in 2021.
According to the article, Benitez-Diaz is currently seeking citizenship on the basis of a U visa which his wife received earlier this year.
The nonimmigrant U visa, intended for the victims of certain serious crimes, was labeled “susceptible to fraud” in a 2022 audit by the Office of the Inspector General, with prosecutions including an employee of the Siler City Police who was arrested earlier this year.
Nigerian scammer convicted of involvement in scamming $2.8+ million from Apex homebuyer, etc.
Nigerian romance scammer found guilty of defrauding Triangle man - N&O
Nigerian Man Convicted in Federal Trial of Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy - Press Release
Saheed Sunday Owolabi, 34, of Nigeria has been convicted by a federal jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina for conspiring to perpetrate cyber fraud schemes against Americans including the infamous “romance scam” for which his country is known, as well as defrauding $120,768.17 by posing as the attorney for an Apex homebuyer.
Although the indictment against Owolabi and three co-conspirators (one Nigerian and two American) was filed in June 2022, Owolabi was not arrested until July 2024 after he had arrived in the United States on a spousal visa four months prior.
One of the co-conspirators, Derrick Donahue Davis, was himself deceived by Owolabi, believing that the over $2.8 million in stolen funds he helped launder was on behalf of “Kyra Carter,” one of the fictional female identities belonging to another Nigerian co-defendant, Stephen Olaitan Ojo, whom Davis had met on a dating app in 2018. (Ojo remains at large, having conducted his alleged role in the scamming while living in Turkey.)
According to a press release by the EDNC U.S. Attorney’s Office, Davis came to the attention of law enforcement when one of his accounts was the recipient of a $120,768.17 wire payment from a victim attempting to purchase a home in Apex, believing it was required to avoid a delay in closing after the Nigerian scammers used “unauthorized access to information” about the transaction to successfully spoof an email from the victim’s attorney.
Davis plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft, and was sentenced in 2023 to 60 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, and $100,000 forfeiture.
A fourth co-defendant, Gary McLeod, plead guilty to making false statements, and was sentenced in 2023 to three years of probation with 18 months home detention as well as shared liability with Davis for $10,822.64 in restitution.
Owolabi was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, and faces up to 40 years in prison at his sentencing in January.
Supporters of suspect in WakeMed police officer’s murder rally at first court appearance
Man accused of killing officer appears in court, family says ‘release the video’ - Spectrum News
Suspect in WakeMed Garner officer shooting released from hospital, taken to jail - WRAL
Loved ones of Garner man charged with killing WakeMed officer demand video release - N&O
Man charged in WakeMed officer’s death appears in court, father calls for release of video - ABC11
Man charged in shooting death of WakeMed Garner officer appears in court - CBS17
Benji Martin Jr., 29, has sufficiently recovered from the gunshot wound he sustained in the “struggle” that took the life of a WakeMed police officer earlier this month to be transferred to the Wake County Detention Center and make an initial appearance on the charge of first degree murder in court on Monday.
Martin’s family and supporters gathered outside the courthouse to call for the release of surveillance footage from the hospital, echoing the words of Martin’s attorney in an motion regarding the preservation of evidence.
The press conference included self-described “national political activist” and “millennial/Gen Z racial equity expert” Rev. Rev. Gregory Drumwright, who “served as minister” to the family of George Floyd during the trial of Derek Chauvin in connection with Ben Crump, an attorney known for inflaming racial tensions with his representation involving well-known incidents involving black individuals such as Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, and George Floyd. (Crump has also been involved local cases such as the taser death of Darryl Williams and the DWI-suicide of Tyrone Mason.)
A flyer encouraging supporters to attend, whose distributors included antifa-affiliated Triangle Radical Events and Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub, portrayed Martin as “stand[ing] accused of a crime eyewitnesses maintain he did not commit.”
Although no such witnesses appear to have been referenced by his attorney or his family, his defense did describe Martin as “seeking treatment for mental anguish” after the loss of an unborn child, while Drumwright characterized him as an “unarmed, nonviolent individual who has no criminal history.”
While no video has yet to be made available to the public by investigators, recordings of 911 calls related to the incident have been released, including one in which the caller referred to “a patient that is tripping out bad,” and described Martin as fighting with Smith while gunshots rang out in the background.
A fundraising campaign for Martin’s family has received over $15k in donations, and a petition calling for the release of the footage has attracted over a thousand signatures.
Previous Coverage:
On-duty policy officer fatally shot at WakeMed hospital (No. 149 — Nov. 8, 2025)
Friends claim alleged WakeMed shooter was “kind” and “gentle” (No. 150 — Nov. 15, 2025)
Protest Watch
School anti-ICE protests continue, but not in Johnston County?
In addition to the thirteen demonstrations at eleven local public schools listed in last week’s report, at least one additional walkout protest occurred at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability in Durham, with video showing students chanting “F--- ICE” and waiving foreign flags as they marched through the halls of the school, with adults watching and recording from the sidelines.
On Monday, students followed suit at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School and Green Level High School in Cary followed suit, according to coverage by ABC11 and video/images shared by a school teacher, respectively.
Although left-leaning school districts like Durham, Wake, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro may support (or at least tolerate) these student protests, Johnston County Public Schools appears to have taken a different tack, with social media users sharing screenshots of a messages from school administrations indicating that a student protesting would either result in a 3-day suspension or an unexcused absence:
We have recently learned that some students plan to organize a protest during the school day. An organized protest would be considered a disruption to the school environment and according to the JCPS Student Code of Conduct will result in a 3-day suspension. Maintaining a safe an orderly learning environment throughout the school day, as well as protecting instructional time, is very important.
Therefore, students wishing to protest rather than participate in school are required to follow the checkout procedures. Students who choose to leave campus for this purpose must do so without disruption to the learning environment in an orderly and respectful manner. Any absences for this purpose will be coded as an unexcused absence under Johnston County Public Schools policy.
There is a disputed report that whether at least one off-campus student protest did occur in Johnston County.
Congresswoman joins Wendell protest for release of detained alien
Dozens hold rally calling for the release of Wendell woman detained by border patrol - ABC11
Residents gather for protest of Wendell woman’s detainment by Border Patrol - WRAL
On Saturday, “close to 100” demonstrators, including Congresswoman Deborah Ross, gathered in the Wendell Town Square to call for the release of Fatima Issela Velasquez-Antonio, one of the illegal aliens detained by immigration enforcement last week.
In addition to Ross, speakers at the rally included Wendell’s State Representative James Roberson (D), as well as Rep. Phil Rubin (D-Wake) and North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton.
Although the protesters would like to “Bring Fatima Home” to Wendell, the federal government seems intent on returning her to her home country of Honduras, where she spent the majority of her life before she reportedly crossed the border illegally as an unaccompanied minor at the age of 14.
Velasquez-Antonio was arrested last week at a jobsite in the Raleigh area, and is being held at a detention center in Georgia.