White nationalist activist Augustus sol Invictus, whose birth name is Austin Gillespie, and his father John Gillespie were both arrested on separate charges.
Invictus was arrested earlier this year on charges of kidnapping, “high and aggravated” domestic violence, and possession of a firearm while committing a violent crime after he allegedly choked his wife, held a gun to her head, and forced her to accompany him to Florida with him. According to The Informant, a South Carolina judge threw out the kidnapping charge and allowed Invictus to leave jail with a $10,000 bond despite Invictus’ wife begging that he stay behind bars for her and her children's safety. The judge’s order required Invictus to not contact his wife.
Invictus was arrested after violating both the no-contact condition for his release and a protection order forbidding Augustus from contacting his wife until February 2021, according to an affidavit for an arrest warrant provided to Right Wing Watch. The affidavit states that Invictus’ wife swore in a written statement that Invictus made contact with her at a park and made “daily third party contact” with her demanding to see their children. In one instance, according to the affidavit, Invictus sent a text message to their daughter instructing his wife to bring their children to the park “or else,” and in another, he told their children that their mother was a “whore” because she had a conversation with a stranger.
The affidavit states that Invictus’ wife estimated that he contacted her “20 plus times” through their daughter since his release from jail in attempts to harass her. Additionally, officials obtained messages from Invictus’ phone in which he sent photos of his wife’s vehicle and license plate to others in an effort to locate her and was “tracked driving in circles,” likely searching for his wife’s residence.
Right Wing Watch has sent a records request to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and will follow this story as we receive more information.
Invictus's arrest was proceeded by his father's. The elder Gillespie, who worked as a criminal defense attorney in Central Florida, was arrested Saturday after agreeing to pay for sex with a law enforcement agent posing as a 16-year-old girl, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. Investigators claimed that Gillespie was “using his law firm to recruit women into prostitution” for as long as 20 years, according to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.
According to an arrest affidavit provided to Right Wing Watch, authorities wiretapped several of Gillespie’s phones and intercepted several calls that “led Agents to believe John Gillespie was in fact prostituting out several females from his residence.” When an undercover officer posing as a 16-year-old girl was introduced to him, Gillespie agreed to feature the her in “adult web-camming and prostituting her out” and to pay $100 to have sex with her. Orlando Sentinel reported:
“Evidence demonstrates Gillespie would initiate women he represented on criminal charges into prostitution or exchange sex acts for legal fees,” the agency said. “Gillespie provided the women with illegal drugs, posted them on-line as escorts, arranged the prostitution dates and allowed them to use his Melbourne home for the acts of prostitution.”
John Gillespie was arrested Saturday in Orange Country, Florida, on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He is being held without bond.
