Federal and state authorities have apprehended three members of an alleged “transgender” extremist group in western Maryland’s Appalachian wilderness, including their leader, a former NASA employee connected to multiple violent deaths and dramatic escapes across the United States.
Maryland State Police arrested Jack Amadeus LaSota, 34, Michelle Jacqueline Zajko, 32, and Daniel Arthur Blank, 26, in a forested area near Frostburg on Feb. 16.
LaSota, known by the alias “Ziz,” and Zajko were armed at the time of their capture on private property along Piney Mountain Road.
The Post Millenial’s (TPM) Andy Ngo reported that the arrests mark a significant development in a sprawling investigation that spans multiple states and involves six deaths, including a deadly shootout with U.S. Border Patrol in Vermont last month.
Ngo noted that LaSota, who allegedly faked his death in 2022, had previously escaped authorities twice before this arrest.
Elizabeth Shoemake, director of operations at the Allegany County Detention Center, confirmed the suspects were arrested for suspicious “on-site activity” rather than existing warrants. However, LaSota faces outstanding warrants in California and Pennsylvania.
In 2023, LaSota was released after a judge reduced his bail from $500,000 to $10,000 during a double homicide investigation.
The group’s web of violence extends from California to Vermont, the New York Post reported.
Zajko remains under investigation for the execution-style shooting deaths of her parents in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on New Year’s Eve 2022.
Following these deaths and her grandmother’s subsequent passing, Zajko became the sole inheritor of substantial family assets.
TPM’s Ngo has exclusively learned that LaSota, Zajko, and two other members–Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt and Teresa “Milo” Youngblut–shared Airbnb accommodations in Chatham County, North Carolina.
He further noted that Bauckholt, a German national, died in the Vermont Border Patrol confrontation, while Youngblut’s husband, Maximilian Bentley Snyder, faces murder charges in California for allegedly killing 82-year-old Curtis Lind, a state witness set to testify against two other group members.
Zajko’s past presents a striking contrast to her current circumstances.
A Temple University graduate, she previously worked as a children’s book illustrator and neurobehavioral researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The firearms allegedly used in the Vermont shootout by Youngblut and Bauckholt are registered to her, per Ngo.
LaSota’s background is equally notable. The mysterious “genius” leader, originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, attracted highly educated transgender individuals through his writings on anarchist politics, rationalism and transhumanism – a belief system centered on using technology to transcend human biological limitations.
His followers often cut family ties before joining his communes.
“The FBI is currently coordinating with our partners from Maryland State Police following the arrest of three individuals on state charges in Allegany County, Maryland,” the FBI stated, as outlined by Ngo.
“The FBI’s investigation into the assault on U.S. Border Patrol Agent Maland remains active, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to follow every lead and investigate anyone with potential connections to our subject.”
The suspects face various charges, including trespassing, firearm offenses and obstruction.
Zajko faces additional charges of resisting arrest.
Their first court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 18 at the Allegany County District Court.
