Jack “Ziz” LaSota, a born-and-raised Fairbanks resident and the alleged leader of a cult-like group of transgenders linked to multiple fatalities across the country, was arrested in Maryland on Feb. 16.
Authorities said LaSota was taken into custody along with Michelle Zajko, 32, another member of the group sought in connection with the Jan. 20 death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland in Vermont.
According to the Allegany County Sheriff’s Department, LaSota, 33, faces multiple misdemeanor charges, including trespass, having a handgun in a vehicle, and obstructing and hindering. He has, however, not been charged with murder or accomplice to a murder.
As far as Must Read Alaska can research, LaSota may have had no direct hand in the string of killings associated the the group, but is being seen by authorities as the cult leader who has used his influence to get others with unstable mental states to act.
LaSota were booked at the Allegany County Detention Center. He is scheduled for bail hearings at Allegany District Court on Tuesday.
Zajko has been linked to the acquisition of a firearm used by another member of the group, Teresa Youngblut, who was arrested following a vehicle stop that escalated into a deadly shooting, resulting in Maland’s death. In addition to her connection to the Vermont incident, Zajko is also a person of interest in the December 2022 murder of her parents in Pennsylvania.
LaSota maintained a blog called sinceriously.fyi, which is no longer available. His Facebook account is still active here.
He left Fairbanks to become a graduate student studying computer hardware engineering in San Francisco, before dropping out of college to pursue game development. He goes by aliases “Ziz” and “Andrea Phelps,” and describes himself as a “Vegan Transgender Anarchist Rationalist.” He appears to have transitioned into a female mimic.
LaSota bought a decrepit tugboat from a man in Ketchikan and took it to the Bay Area to create a communal living situation for others under his influence. He was cited several times by authorities. Ultimately the boat sank.
According to this account, “On November 15, 2019, LaSota participated in a protest at a CFAR alumni reunion alongside Danielson, Emma Borhanian, and Somni Leatham. The group arrived in a box truck, shuttle bus, and Toyota Prius, using the vehicles to block the entrance and exit while dressed in black-hooded robes, black gloves, black silicone shoe covers, and Guy Fawkes masks. Two individuals carried walkie-talkies, one wore a body camera, and another carried pepper spray. Deputies found a written protest plan at the scene.
“The protest resulted in their arrest on suspicion of felony child endangerment, false imprisonment, and conspiracy, as well as misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, wearing a mask while committing a crime, and trespassing. A SWAT team and helicopter were deployed after reports that one of the individuals might have a gun, though no weapon was found. According to Danielson’s later account, the group experienced severe mistreatment while in custody, including alleged sexual assault, physical abuse, and denial of food and medical care.”
“On November 19, their bail was lowered from $50,000 to $10,000 after the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office reduced two of the felonies to misdemeanors. LaSota subsequently posted bail.”
In November 2021, LaSota and the other protesters filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Sonoma County, Westminster Woods, and others regarding the 2019 arrest. The following year saw a series of mysterious disappearances and apparent deaths among the plaintiffs.
On Sept. 7 of that year, LaSota’s family published an obituary announcing their death in a boating accident on Aug. 19. They filed for a death certificate.
Court filings detailed that LaSota had reportedly fallen from a boat into San Francisco Bay, with witnesses describing a Coast Guard search that yielded no body.
By 2022, he was found at a crime scene, apparently not dead.
LaSota’s father teaches at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is the Democrats’ appointee to the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
Entitlement culture breeds mentally unstable individuals who form into groups, and create political alliances. These groups are Progressive, dangerous, and surprisingly, enjoy deep roots in your public sector unions.
“…used his influence to get others with unstable mental states to act.” Unstable mental states? We’re talking a high percentage of Liberal Democrats here.
If there’s a silver lining in this for Mr. LaSota it would be that considering where he’s heading it’s probably a good thing that he already likes the d.
Cosplay homosexuals rec’d so much special consideration under the prior admin and that it was deemed wrong to call them what they are is curious.
I’m slow to get over intentionally wrong behavior though and am still reeling from George Floyd’s death being blamed on Derek Chauvin who eventually was stabbed multiple times in prison, no doubt by another misinformed gentleman. Travesty, really.
Suzanne, does Zajko have XY DNA? If so this person is a he no matter what he pretends to be. As for LeSota, it appears the acorn does not fall far from the tree.😵💫. Thanks for your coverage of this disgusting story which is not being widely reported.
I don’t know the answer about Zajko’s XY chromosomes. I have seen “her” mugshot and believe the person to be a biological male who is posing as female. – sd
Sounds like Mr. Dan LaSota needs to be promptly removed from office until an investigation can be completed.
Helping his psycho son evade capture by playing along with the fake boating accident is a criminal offense.
Suzanne, please don’t feed the alligators using the plural “they/them/their” to refer to an individual. In spite of all the howling from the transmaniacs, “they” is and has always been a plural pronoun. I realize the singularization of this word is almost always done by the original writer, but as that article gets cited and republished it just perpetuates the insanity. At the very least, how about using the increasingly ironic (sic) to notate the poor grammar.
I don’t see where I have done that, unless in q quote somewhere. – sd
“On Sept. 7 of that year, LaSota’s family published an obituary announcing their death in a boating accident on Aug. 19.”
Isn’t it acceptable for you to “(sic)” into quotes excerpted from other articles?