Biography
John Dougan was a former police officer and candidate for Sheriff of Palm Beach County Florida, who ran against Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Dougan set up a website where residents could discuss issues they've had with the Palm Beach Sheriff's Department as part of his campaign. On the website, a whistleblower leaked documents showing the Sheriff's Department had been illegally surveilling journalists, paying for dinners between the Sheriff and campaign donors with connections to organized crime and leaked text messages between high ranking members of the police department and local pimps who they were using to order prostitutes for police parties. Sheriff Bradshaw claimed the documents was fabricated and tried to sue Dougan for slander only later to admit the documents were real and to claim Dougan hacked the Sheriff's Department to obtain them. Bradshaw ordered a SWAT team to raid Dougan's home and seize his computers. A judge later ruled the raid was illegal. Dougan was tipped off by someone in the department that the Sheriff was preparing to arrest him on hacking and wiretapping charges. He also was told he would be found dead in his jail cell after his arrest, and the Sheriff would rule it a suicide. Dougan fled the United States with his family and was granted political asylum in Russia. Sheriff Bradshaw was cleared by state investigators over all the allegations against him because according to the Florida attorney general, "he didn't know at the time his actions were illegal."
