This is Cagney Richards story. This spans four states and the government is actively covering it up!
Cagney Richards is a brilliant, accomplished woman who studied abroad in Austria, built a promising future and dreamed of one day changing the world for the better. What began as a friendship quickly unraveled into a chilling story of trafficking, abuse, child murder, substantiated child abuse and neglect and institutional betrayal across multiple states.
Her story isn’t just about a violent partner. It’s about what happens when every system – police, courts, child protection, even shelters, abandons the person trying to survive.
Today, with Cagney’s permission, we begin publishing her case in full: court records, police reports, safety plans, FOIA responses, text messages, protection orders, and more – every document except those involving children or graphic violence.
This is her timeline. This is the evidence. This is the truth they tried to bury.
A Timeline of Abuse, Loss, and Systemic Failure
(with evidence)
Summer 2013
While studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria, Cagney met Dominique online. They would grow a friendship in the next few years.
December 2015
Dominique traveled to New Orleans to see her, declaring his love. A spontaneous ride for food turned into a 14-hour drive to Chicago.
January 4, 2016
They arrived in Chicago.
January 10, 2016
Dominique proposed.
January 11, 2016
Just one day later, he called the police claiming Cagney was a “friend overstaying her welcome.”
July 2016
At around six months pregnant, Cagney lost her 1st baby due to abuse. Dominique wrote a letter to their deceased child and promised therapy. He never followed through.
2017
Cagney married him and became pregnant again.
Spring 2018
She gave birth to her second child. They moved to Crown Point, Indiana. Cagney made multiple police reports asking for help. She was dismissed, mocked, and blamed.
December 2018
She was raped on the day her mother was buried.
January 22, 2019
Exactly one month after her mother’s death, Cagney learned she was pregnant again. Physical abuse escalated into frequent chokeholds.
November 2020
She discovered child sexual abuse material on Dominique’s computer. Instead of investigating, police referred her to a shelter and told her to get her kids checked out if she had concerns.
December 2020
Indiana DCS substantiated child abuse and neglect. Still, no prosecution followed.
February 26, 2022
Cagney escaped Indiana with her two surviving children and her dog.
March 2, 2022
She returned briefly to retrieve her cat. Dominique claimed he had lost his wallet and called the police. They forced her to leave despite video of him holding her and the children hostage. Once she informed him in the video she was recording for the FBI, Crown Point Police defended him.
June 15, 2022
Cagney obtained a protection order. She was told Indiana police would not enforce it.
Summer 2022
She lived in transitional housing in Bloomington, Indiana.
August 2022
Cagney relocated to Michigan.
July 2023
Dominique’s felony from a previous marriage was expunged despite military-mandated anger management and Cagney’s years long abuse reports.
September–October 2023
Indiana DCS contacted Michigan CPS to interview her children about events from early 2022. Michigan determined the children needed a safety plan that prohibited unsupervised contact with Dominique.
December 2023
Cagney moved from a house to an apartment in Michigan.
January 25, 2024
Her car was remotely shut off.
April 18, 2024
She filed her first court motion in response to a divorce case Dominique had filed in secret. She had never been served and had not lived in Indiana since 2022.
Despite this, Indiana courts refused to prove jurisdiction.
May 2024
Cagney learned her evidence was being struck from court filings. She never received discovery. Two attorneys she hired did nothing beyond filing appearances. She was being silenced while jurisdiction was being manufactured and hidden within delays.
December 18, 2024
Dominique’s attorney openly admitted to opening Cagney’s mail to track her, a federal offense, while she had a protection order in place.
December 19, 2024
An Indiana court issued a bench warrant for Cagney for failure to appear, claiming she lied about her address even though her Michigan residency was documented and known.
January 6, 2025
A Guardian ad Litem called Michigan police to conduct a welfare check on Cagney.
February 19, 2025
She was marked as a no-show in court even though she had attended the pretrial conference via Zoom.
May 2, 2025
Indiana halted the GAL investigation and continued asserting jurisdiction it had never lawfully established.
May 6, 2025
Cagney filed a federal civil rights lawsuit (Northern District of Indiana, Case No. 2:25-cv-00206) detailing civil rights violations, systemic abuse and cover-up.
May 16, 2025
She applied for Michigan state assistance. The pressure of legal proceedings and stalking had caused her to lose her job.
June 11, 2025
Judge Gretchen S. Lund dismissed her federal case without reviewing the evidence, citing “judicial immunity” for Magistrate Lisa Ann Berdine despite Berdine lacking jurisdiction. This is a procedural loophole to protect their own while appearing to give her opportunity to present her case.
Why We’re Telling Her Story
Because no one else will.
Because Cagney did everything right – reported, fled, documented, filed and was punished at every turn.
Because her case is not isolated. It’s a terrifying example of how courts, police, child services, and the legal system collude, intentionally or not, to retraumatize survivors and protect abusers.
We are publishing the evidence. We are naming names. We are asking you to see what happens when a system designed to protect, becomes the abuser.
📁 Full Archive Coming Soon
We are uploading Cagney’s unredacted court documents, police reports, DCS records, and federal filings – excluding violent video or any material involving minors. A full index and exhibit list will be updated regularly. Stay updated by subscribing to our Substack!
🎥 Video and Audio
Select audio recordings, redacted for safety, will be published with context and transcripts.
📣 Support & Share
Follow @Expose and Reform on Telegram, TikTok Expose_N_Reform, and X @Expose_N_Reform tag #JusticeForCagneyRichards to help share her story.
✍🏼Sign her petition on Change.Org here at Justice for Cagney Richards!
✍🏼Sign our petition to end Human Trafficking and Whistleblower Suppression!
Due to the government actively digitally suppressing evidence as soon as we post it, we ask you to please make copies and post. They have shadow-banned our X and fully banned our original account on TikTok and Reddit.
Take a look here:
This isn’t just about one survivor. It’s about changing a system that breaks the very people it claims to protect.
No need to spy, we can tell you now this case is #Global.
This will be #History!
Don’t believe us, even AI knows this what Cagney is doing is phenomenal!
We asked 3 different #AI to review #CagneyRichards case and evidence.
Here’s what Grok, Perplexity_AI & ChatGPT app had to say:
1. Grok: https://x.com/i/grok/share/CU4UYGC5WDxuWbBTZb5WPyudb
2. Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/case-title-richards-v-richards-IZrVRWGkReS2ZNl083Zvzg
3. ChatGPT: (read below)
🔍 Summary of Key Legal Findings:
📄 Federal Complaint Review – Filed May 6, 2025
Cagney Richards v. Dominique Richards et al.
- Filed pro se with thumb drive exhibits.
- Alleges:
- Civil rights violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
- Conspiracy to obstruct rights under § 1985(3).
- RICO conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d).
- TVPA civil trafficking remedy under 18 U.S.C. § 1595.
- VAWA confidentiality violations under 24 CFR § 5.2007(c).
- FOIA/Privacy Act violations.
- Damages sought: $100+ million total + injunctive relief barring Indiana’s jurisdiction.
Complaint Content:
- Details a multi-state history of abuse, child endangerment, law enforcement failures, and judicial retaliation.
- Explicitly names judges, attorneys, Crown Point PD, and others as participants in systemic retaliation and trafficking concealment.
- Seeks jury trial, relief for civil rights violations, and federal intervention.
⚖️ Dismissal Order – Judge Gretchen S. Lund, June 11, 2025
Status:
- In forma pauperis request denied
- Complaint dismissed:
- With prejudice for all monetary claims against Magistrate Lisa Berdine (judicial immunity).
- Without prejudice for all other claims (failure to state claim, lack of jurisdiction, or frivolousness).
Reasoning:
- Domestic Relations Exception: Judge alleges Cagney is trying to “remove” her family court/divorce case to federal court. Court says this falls outside federal jurisdiction.
- Judicial Immunity: Cites Stump v. Sparkman to dismiss all claims against Berdine as immune from monetary or injunctive relief.
- Failure to State a Claim: Court finds:
- Other allegations are conclusory and lack “facial plausibility” per Iqbal/Twombly standard.
- Federal question and diversity jurisdiction not established.
- References to police misconduct and mail theft deemed too vague or unsupported.
- Procedural Outcome:
- Deadline to amend and refile in forma pauperis: July 7, 2025
- If no amendment filed: case will be closed without notice
📌 Legal Analysis: Is the Dismissal Defensible?
🔴 Procedural Due Process Violations:
- No hearing held
- Evidence (thumb drive) not reviewed
- No reference to TVPA, RICO, VAWA, or FOIA claims raised in the complaint
- Pro se complaints must be liberally construed (Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519 (1972)). This was not done.
- The court mischaracterized the complaint as removal of a divorce proceeding—when in fact it alleges independent federal claims.
⚠️ Frivolousness Misapplied:
- The complaint clearly states federal civil rights, trafficking, RICO, and agency misconduct—all within federal jurisdiction.
- Even if not perfectly pleaded, they are not legally baseless, and deserve opportunity to amend with guidance (Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319 (1989)).
🧑⚖️ Immunity Used as Shield:
- Magistrate Berdine is protected by judicial immunity only if acting within jurisdiction.
- But the complaint challenges jurisdictional legitimacy and non-judicial acts (e.g., ignoring evidence, retaliatory warrant issuance).
- Court did not address whether Berdine acted “in clear absence of all jurisdiction”—a standard under Stump v. Sparkman.
📚 Omitted Claims:
- The judge did not address:
- TVPA civil trafficking claim (18 U.S.C. § 1595)
- VAWA violations
- FOIA/Privacy Act claim
- Civil RICO elements
- This violates basic due process and the standard of review for § 1915 dismissals.
✅ Next Steps – What You Can Do
1. File an Appeal to the Seventh Circuit
Deadline: July 11, 2025
- Base appeal on:
- Denial of due process (no evidence review, no hearing).
- Misapplication of “frivolous” standard.
- Improper dismissal of § 1983, § 1985, TVPA, and FOIA claims without analysis.
2. Refile the Complaint with Specificity
- Detail:
- Each defendant’s role in the enterprise.
- Each predicate act under RICO.
- How and when constitutional rights were violated.
- Emphasize federal questions, not domestic relations.
- Use terms like: under color of law, enterprise, predicate act, intentional infliction, jurisdictional failure.
3. Submit Complaints to Agencies
- DOJ Civil Rights Division (TVPA, § 1983, VAWA)
- DOJ OIG (FBI/FOIA obstruction)
- Congressional oversight (Judiciary Committee)
4. Public Accountability
- Publish redacted copies of complaint, dismissal, timeline, and thumb drive index.
- Consider requesting amicus support from:
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
- Human Trafficking Legal Center
- Pro bono civil rights clinics
🔥 Final Take
The dismissal was procedurally and legally flawed. It failed to acknowledge or engage the core federal statutory claims raised. It treated a civil rights trafficking lawsuit as a family court appeal, which it clearly was not. The record now strongly supports an appeal and public accountability measures.
📌Real-Time Updates
Substack will be regularly updated with real-time evidence drops!
If you want the full story, including who was involved, what happened, when it occurred, why it matters, and how we are holding them accountable, please follow us on Substack. That is where we publish deeper investigations, connect the dots, and lay the groundwork for legal reform. It is a public record that cannot be silenced. Every subscription directly supports Cagney Richards and her children, ongoing legal action, and it helps build momentum towards systemic policy reform.
Expose and Reform™ is a global initiative committed to truth and justice. It was born from one woman’s refusal to back down and stay silent. Cagney Richards is living through this trauma in real time while building this platform for others. When you subscribe to Substack, you are doing more than reading. You are standing with her. You are helping fund her fight for justice today so it can protect others in the future.
This is about basic human dignity, truth, and the fight for both civil rights in the United States and human rights around the world.
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“Change is now. This is how change begins. We are breaking generational trauma and replacing it with generational wealth measured not only in resources, but in freedom, safety and global equity for all!”
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