Claim:
A judge named Howard Gates was exposed for corruption and subsequently arrested after insulting U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Rep. Jasmine Crockett or White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Rating:
Rating: False
In late March 2025, claims that a federal judge named Howard Gates was exposed for corruption and subsequently arrested circulated on social media. Variations of the rumor spread across the internet on platforms such as Facebook (archived) and YouTube (archived).
While the circumstances of the judge’s alleged firing remained consistent across the claims, the person allegedly responsible for the judge’s arrest varied. The most persistent rumor was that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was involved, while others named Rep. Jasmine Crockett or White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
However, all variations of the claim are false. There is no evidence that these events ever took place.
According to Ballotpedia, a website that “includes neutral, accurate, and verifiable information on government officials and the offices they hold,” a judge named Howard Gates does not exist.
The images, video and narration used to share the claim were generated using artificial intelligence, and similar language and images were used for each variation regardless of whether it featured Bondi, Crockett or Leavitt.
A sampling of the video posted to a YouTube channel with 219,000 subscribers, Elite Vault, returned a 97.1% chance of AI content on the AI detection platform Hive Moderation.
(Hive Moderation)
Elite Vault features numerous AI-generated claims regarding fictional court appearances of major political figures and variations on claims of corruption and arrests, and the channel’s official description admits to the fabrication of the stories it posts. The “About” section reads: “All content on this channel is purely fictional and created for entertainment purposes only. Any similarities to real-life events are purely coincidental.”
The claims gained steam as Bondi made media appearances commenting on the administration of President Donald Trump clashing with federal judges over the ongoing deportations as a result of the president’s executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act.
That order addressed a gang called Tren de Aragua, which CNN described as “a transnational criminal gang that originated in a Venezuela prison” that “has slowly made its way south and north in recent years.” However, a federal judge temporarily halted deportations, eliciting a response from Trump and his allies.
Bondi appeared on Fox News and said of the rulings, “The Supreme Court will get involved. This is an out-of-control judge, a federal judge, trying to control our entire foreign policy, and he cannot do it.”
Snopes previously fact-checked a similar claim pertaining to Bondi, debunking the false story that a judge punished her for wearing a cross necklace.
Sources:
– YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/live/APHo7bea_p4. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
“Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua.” The White House, 15 Mar. 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/invocation-of-the-alien-enemies-act-regarding-the-invasion-of-the-united-states-by-tren-de-aragua/.
Izzo, Jack. “Unpacking ‘Hysteria’ Over Venezuelan Gang Members Allegedly Taking Over Colorado Apartment.” Snopes, 5 Sept. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/09/05/colorado-apartment-venezuelan-gang/.
“Judge Warns of Possible ‘consequences’ after DOJ Pushback on Questions about Deportation Flights.” NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-administration-pushes-back-judges-request-answers-deporation-fli-rcna197050.
“Judges Stand Firm as Trump Ramps up Attacks on Judiciary.” NBC News, 21 Mar. 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/judges-stand-firm-trump-ramps-attacks-judiciary-rcna197287.
News, A. B. C. “‘Nazis Got Better Treatment,’ Judge Says of Trump Administration’s Alien Enemies Act Deportations.” ABC News, https://abcnews.go.com/US/appeals-court-hear-arguments-deportation-alleged-venezuelan-gang/story?id=120094673. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
“Pam Bondi Sends Stark Warning to Rep. Jasmine Crockett over Alleged Elon Musk Threats: ‘Tread Very Carefully’ | Fox News Video.” Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/video/6370426836112.
“Search.” Ballotpedia, https://ballotpedia.org/Special:Search. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Weffer, Rafael Romo, Belisa Morillo, Laura. “This Is the Dangerous Venezuelan Gang Infiltrating the US That You Probably Know Nothing about but Should.” CNN, 9 June 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/09/us/tren-de-aragua-venezuela-gang/index.html.
