Several threads have mentioned James Alefantis and how he supposedly dropped out of college but did little to research those years. Here is a look into those years, which as no surprise to me, was riddled with questionable associates, run-ins with the law, and debauchery.
It appears as though Alefantis began attending James Madison University in the Fall of 1993 and by the end of his first year had already gotten in trouble in the typical college fashion. The Breeze, the local student run paper, publishes the happenings of the University including police reports.
The April 28th, 1994 Edition had in its Court Files (Page 11) a report on Alefantis receiving a Public Drunk and Fake ID charge. The Breeze Archive
Student James A. Alefantis, 19, of McLean, charged with possession of a fake ID and drunk in public on Oct. 24, 1993, was found guilty of both offenses on April 14. For the first offense, he was fined $50 and charged $26 in court costs. For the DIP, he was fined $15 and charged $26 in court costs. His case is being appealed.
The next mention of Alefantis in the Breeze comes in March of 1996, where he is served a Bench Warrant for payment failure. The Breeze, Page 3 Archive
Student James A. Alefantis, 21, of McLean, was served a bench warrant at the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity house for failing to pay fines at 1 am. March 14.
Being served at the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity indicates he was a member of the fraternity, as Fraternities are going to be the ones coordinating and hosting the parties, not a random student at JMU.
This begins the decline of Alefantis' college career; the point where he realized he wasn't any "good at college" and shortly drops out following the next brush with the law. These next reports come from behind a paywall, therefore the whole story isn't told from the brief description, but one can put the pieces together to get a bigger picture of what happened by redo-ing the searches. Search Service
- November 25, 1996, the Daily News-Record of Harrisonburg, Va (The Local Town in which JMU is found) reports of three men arrested on drug charges. Screenshot
Drug Charges. Three men -- James A. Alefantis, 22, Edward Comstock, 21 and Cyrus T. Morrell, 21 -- have each been charged by the Harrisonburg Police Department...
- April 28, 1997; Daily News-Report publishes report on city police raiding targets involved with gambling and drug rings. It involved Two JMU Fraternity Houses, which if you search "Alpha Chi Rho" this article comes up. Screenshot
Two JMU Frat Houses, Three Other Locations Hit. City Raids Target Gambling, Drugs By DEREK BARR News-Record Staff Writer Authorities Friday busted what they called a "very significant" drug-trafficking operation involving James Madison University, raiding two fraternity houses and three other city locations.The arrests also cracked a gambling operation that handled "thousands of dollars" in sports betting, Harrisonburg Police Department Capt. Dan Claytor said in announcing the busts. He said officers were still rounding up...
- May 4, 1997; Followup article on the Drug Bust. Screenshot
Hauling It In. Authorities Display City Drug Raid Bonanza, But Say There's Plenty Of Work Left To Do By DEREK BARR News-Record Staff Writer Authorities Monday unveiled a wealth of drugs, cash and other items garnered in a big bust last week on and near the campus of James Madison University. But they say the area's drug problem is far from over.The arrests Friday targeted a drug- trafficking organization and an illegal sports betting operation, primarily involving JMU students. Twelve...
- May 19, 1997; More arrests associated with Ring published Screenshot
Two More JMU Students Nabbed By Drug Force By DEREK BARR News-Record Staff Writer Two more James Madison University students have been arrested in connection with the busts last month of a drug trafficking ring and illegal sports betting operation, a RUSH Drug Task Force official said Monday.Mark McKercher and Scott Trieshman, both 21 years old and residents of 116 S. High St. in Harrisonburg, were picked up May 1, said Rockingham County Sheriff's Department Deputy...
- And in the same newspaper, an update on the gambling ring. Screenshot
Files Give Gambling Ring Info. JMU Outfit Allegedly Posted Lines, Odds By DEREK BARR News-Record Staff Writer James Madison University students charged with running an illegal gambling operation used an answering machine daily to post lines and odds on different sporting events, court files indicated.The gambling ring was busted last month by authorities in a major raid that also targeted several alleged drug traffickers. Harrisonburg Police Department Capt. Dan Claytor said at the time that the gambling...
- Lastly, Sept 8, 1997; the Daily News-Report mentioned more arrests and it is revealed that hallucinogenic mushrooms were one of the involved drugs related to the bust. Screenshot
Two More Plead Guilty In Drug Case. By DEREK BARR News-Record Staff Writer Two more men arrested as part of a drug bust in April involving several James Madison University students pleaded guilty Thursday in Rockingham County Circuit Court.Nicholas P. Courtney, 20, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty to distributing psilocyn (hallucinogenic mushrooms). As part of a plea agreement, charges of distributing psilocyn at JMU, conspiring to distribute psilocyn and conspiring to distribute psilocyn at JMU were dropped, court files...
All of these arrests related to the drug bust stem from the same fraternity that Alefantis was allegedly a member of, and one can see that it appears as though Alefantis was arrested on drug charges only a few months before the huge drug bust goes down. Being exposed to these individuals, it can be argued Alefantis could've obtained the skills necessary to run an illegal operation successfully.
Apart from this revelation, the Fraternity Alpha Chi Rho had many issues throughout the 90s, culminating in their expulsion before the new millennium. Alefantis being served a Bench Warrant leads to suggest that he was in charge of the social aspect or risk management of the fraternity at some point during his college vacation, as many fraternities have a position for these. Here are just a few incidents that occurred during Alefantis' time period at JMU. Search Site
- Minutes from AXP spark campus stir Breeze
The excerpt is a first-person account that insinuates, in vulgar terms, that a rape and a gang rape were committed by some AXP members.
A non-student reportedly was found hyperventilating and vomiting blood in front of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity house at 12:57 a.m. Sept. 23
There are many more examples one can find by searching the Breeze Archives. This brief insight into Alefantis' early life demonstrates that archives can help elucidate material previously thought unsearchable by search engine. His history can help reveal clues, trends, potential leads to associates, and evidence if people take the time to search.
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vanievilgenius ago
I think this lead could be extremely important. I actually always thought Alefantis's name felt a little too perfect (like he is probably a spook and it's not his real name). Maybe I was wrong about that. Or maybe this is where you will find out one way or the other. Great work OP.
smudgepotforever ago
That's his real name. I and others have traced the family genealogy.