Domestic violence report, lawsuit threats, video complicating Augustus Invictus-Libertarian Party bonds

Augustus Invictus

Update: On Friday morning, about 12 hours after this story was originally posted, the Libertarian Party of Florida Chairman Char-Lez Braden issued the press release Augustus Invictus said he wanted, retracting statements made in a 2015 press release that had accused Invictus of supporting eugenics and state-sponsored murder. The new release indicates the party found Invictus had disavowed eugenics on several occasions prior to the original release, and that “state-sponsored murder” is ambiguous. The full text of the LPF press release is added to the bottom of this story.

Faced with new allegations of domestic abuse including sexual battery, Libertarian Party lightning rod and avowed ultranationalist Augustus Sol Invictus has been both lashing out at his “enemies” for what he calls slander and pursuing a deal he says will heal his reputation and his relationship with the party.

Invictus, who ran as a candidate for the Libertarian Party of Florida’s U.S. Senate nomination but lost in the primary, was accused in a March 21 report filed with the Edgewood Police Department by an unidentified woman. She said that during their 15-month relationship that ended early this year he repeatedly verbally, physically and sexually assaulted her, and even held a gun to her and threatened to kill her.

The allegations come at a time when Invictus is almost simultaneously trying to repair both his reputation and his relationship with the party, and launching a self-described war against his enemies, including against some in the party he says are out to destroy him, with an anger-filled video he posted on Facebook.

The police report allegations include her description of a March, 2016, incident in which she alleged, “Mr. Invictus got angry, beat her until her eyes were shut, dragged her into the closet and put a gun to her head, asking her why he shouldn’t just kill her … A similar incident happened again in January/February 2017 where he dragged her into the closet and put a gun to her head, beat her and attempted to suffocate her. This went on for several hours. explained that he then proceeded to sexually assault her.”

Of the unidentified woman who filed the report, police redacted her name and other information from released copies.

“The police report is 100 percent false,” Invictus replied to FloridaPolitics.com.

Invictus insisted the woman — as well as another woman he would not name — were part of a conspiracy that included at least a couple of people within the Libertarian Party of Florida. This included the man who defeated him in the August U.S. Senate primary, Paul Stanton, and the party’s former state chairman, Adrian Wyllie.

In the video posted on Facebook, Invictus threatened to sue for slander.

No charges were pursued against Invictus as a result of the police report because the incidents allegedly occurred in another jurisdiction — Altamonte Springs. Edgewood police urged the complainant to seek an injunction against Invictus and to re-report the allegations to the Altamonte Springs police. A recent check of Orange County Clerk of Court records and the Altamonte Springs Police Department indicate she had not done either yet.

Libertarian Party leaders declined to talk to FloridaPolitics.com about Invictus, the police report, or discussions with him, except to note they are in mutually-agreed-upon mediation regarding complaints and demands he has made to the party.

Stanton and Wyllie each denied any conspiracy and said they do not know the woman who filed the report. Both dismissed his claims, though both acknowledged they are unhappy that he is still in the party, or that anyone pays attention to him.

“It’s typical of the kind of lunacy he comes up with,” said Wyllie, who resigned as LPF chairman last year over Invictus’ standing and candidacy.

“It’s ridiculous,” Stanton said. “He’s just making fantastical, bizarre claims, just like he did in the primary, just like he always does. I think a lot of us are getting tired of it.”

Invictus is the Orlando-area lawyer who made his fame by defending neo-Nazis in criminal court cases. Then, as he ran for the U.S. Senate, publicized his penchant for behaviors like drinking goat blood or writing journals while on LSD.

Since then he’s charged that opponents — he blames anti-fascist groups called “Antifa” — have been threatening him, disrupting or preventing his rallies and appearances, and resorting to violence on some occasions. He also claims his family is being targeted. He has young children. And he claimed police are harassing him too, saying he was pulled over and harassed by deputy sheriffs in South Carolina this week for no reason.

He blames a news release the party issued in 2015 disavowing some of his political and philosophical positions. That release, he charges, falsely accused him of believing in eugenics and state-sponsored murder, and helped spread a false allegation that he is a white supremacist.

He has been demanding the party publicly retract those statements, and last week filed notice that he intended to sue the party for defamation. That led to the offer of mediation.

He told FloridaPolitics.com the mediation is over, and that the party has agreed to his demands, with just legal details to be worked out. He said he’s expecting the party to issue a news release soon, retracting things it said about him in the 2015 news release. And he believes that will solve some of his problems.

“We’re all very motivated moving forward to having this resolved so we can move on with our lives,” he said. “I expect it is going to clear my name in a big way. Of course, it won’t solve all my problems, but a correction of the original false allegations are going to clear my name in a big way.”

He said he is expecting total vindication, and that it would be an embarrassment to Stanton, who he said was the only key LPF official still opposing him.

Stanton, who is on the LPF executive committee, said whatever the party does, it does not mean that most of its members don’t dislike Invictus.

“Unfortunately, there is a small segment in the party that does support him. It is very troubling. However, the vast majority of the Libertarian Party both in Florida and outside Florida finds him to be appalling, to say the least,” he said.

Stanton said the police report reinforces his worst concern.

“Augustus Invictus advocates violence toward and subjugation of vulnerable people,” Stanton said, noting that’s what the police report says he did to the woman. “That is entirely antithetic to the Libertarian message of peace and nonaggression.”

In the Facebook video posted last week, Invictus vowed vengeance and made references to violence. However, in talking to FloridaPolitics.com, he downplayed those references as largely metaphorical about hardball politics.

He also said the vengeance he promised against the Libertarian Party of Florida would be waived when the news release he wants is issued.

In the video, he announced his “William Tecumseh Sherman” scorched-earth campaign against his enemies.

“The Antifa, the crooked cops, the Libertarian Party, the slanderers, the traitors, they all are finding out as we speak that my patience has run dry. I am setting fire to every goddamn thing in my path,” he declared in the video.

“Nothing will satisfy my anger now.”

Charging that they have involved his family, he warned: “I will involve your families. I will attack your reputations. I will authorize my people to attack your events. I will let my people know where you live.”

On Friday morning the Libertarian Party of Florida Chairman

The Libertarian Party of Florida (LPF) has conducted a review of a press release regarding Augustus Sol Invictus that was published on October 5th, 2015, and has concluded that it exceeded the mandate of the executive committee as discussed in its monthly meeting on October 4th, 2015.

The LPF, in accordance, has withdrawn this press release. Further, two items regarding “eugenics” and “state-sponsored murder” are mentioned in the press release. For example, “unwillingness to reject eugenics”, “call for eugenics”, and so forth.

Upon review of current information, the LPF concluded that Mr. Invictus, has on at least one occasion before the press release and several times after, disavowed government eugenics programs. And the item of “state-sponsored murder” is ambiguous.

Finally, the LPF would like to note that Mr. Invictus has always been a member in good standing, is a past Chair of the Libertarian Party of Orange County, a sponsor of the 2016 and 2017 LPF State Conventions, as well as a dedicated volunteer on the Legislative Review Committee.

uthorize my people to attack your events. I will let my people know where you live.”

On Friday morning the Libertarian Party of Florida released the following statement to the press:

The Libertarian Party of Florida (LPF) has conducted a review of a press release regarding Augustus Sol Invictus that was published on October 5th, 2015, and has concluded that it exceeded the mandate of the executive committee as discussed in its monthly meeting on October 4th, 2015.

The LPF, in accordance, has withdrawn this press release. Further, two items regarding “eugenics” and “state-sponsored murder” are mentioned in the press release. For example, “unwillingness to reject eugenics”, “call for eugenics”, and so forth.

Upon review of current information, the LPF concluded that Mr. Invictus, has on at least one occasion before the press release and several times after, disavowed government eugenics programs. And the item of “state-sponsored murder” is ambiguous.

Finally, the LPF would like to note that Mr. Invictus has always been a member in good standing, is a past Chair of the Libertarian Party of Orange County, a sponsor of the 2016 and 2017 LPF State Conventions, as well as a dedicated volunteer on the Legislative Review Committee.

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].


One comment

  • Agent156

    April 7, 2017 at 10:46 am

    “penchant for”
    the goat’s blood thing was once. ONCE. this is not a “penchant for” by any stretch.
    as for journalling while on acid, you are woefully naive. most people who drop acid at some point scribble out a written account of their thoughts and experiences. this is not uncommon or bizarre in the slightest.
    would it kill you to just once report unbiasedly? you have done nothing but fan the flames of hate and fuel misconception of Mr. Invictus since his senate campaign. seriously, you need to grow the fuck up and quit with the piss-yellow journalism and cowardly jabs.
    shithead.

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