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Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed on ‘Get Real’ with Tom Lemons

Courtroom corruption, political cowardice, and cancel culture in the crosshairs of independent media
Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Exposing family court corruption, political cowardice, and cancel culture on Get Real with Tom Lemons.
Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Exposing family court corruption, political cowardice, and cancel culture on Get Real with Tom Lemons.

NOTE: This piece was first published on FLGulfNews.com.

Richard Luthmann
Richard Luthmann
Michael Volpe
Michael Volpe
Tom Lemons
Tom Lemons

By Richard Luthmann with Michael Volpe and Tom Lemons

Independent Media Tag-Team Takes On Corruption

(NEW PORT RICHEY, FLORIDA) – Independent investigative journalists Michael Volpe and Richard Luthmann joined Florida reporter Tom Lemons on his online show “Get Real,” and the trio wasted no time tearing into the institutions they say are failing the public.

Lemons opened by extolling “the importance of independent journalism… we need to preserve that in the United States,” arguing that “corporate-owned media… doesn’t cover the things people really want to know.”

Michael Volpe
Michael Volpe

Volpe, a Chicago-based reporter known for exposing court injustices, and Luthmann, a flamboyant former New York attorney-turned-journalist, embodied that independent spirit. Both men came armed with explosive allegations and personal war stories.

“I was in and out of Ada County, Idaho, in less than a week,” Volpe said with a grin, “and look how much I [shook things up].”

In a matter of days, a judge effectively banned Volpe from the courthouse for exposing misconduct.

Far from being deterred by threats of contempt or arrest, he was only steeled in his resolve. Volpe and Lemons took these types of actions as proof that their reporting hit a nerve.

“This is how they retaliate,” Lemons said – and he’s determined to get the story out regardless.

Luthmann, for his part, has faced his own share of attempted cancellation. After tangling with powerful figures in New York, he served time in federal prison on charges he largely dismisses as politically motivated. But that hasn’t silenced him.

Now based in Florida, Luthmann doubles down on controversial cases and outspoken commentary. He proudly touts his MAGA credentials and doesn’t shy away from naming names.

Richard Luthmann
Richard Luthmann goes “100% Floridian.”

Together, Volpe and Luthmann host The Unknown Podcast, where they routinely tackle topics the mainstream media avoids. One is family court acrimony and corruption. Another includes what Volpe calls a new trend of “conservatives embracing cancel culture” when it suits them.

On Get Real, they hinted at one ongoing investigation into YouTube personality Jeremy Hales, who is involved in a “sadistic torture campaign” of frivolous litigation – a saga they see as emblematic of cancel culture run amok.

From the outset, the conversation pulled no punches. Lemons – himself a veteran of local exposés – bluntly summarized the issue at hand.

“You ask anyone who’s gone through a divorce, anyone who’s gone through a custody battle… this is all about money,” he said. “‘My attorney just wants to drag this out.’ It’s one of the biggest scams… in the country every day, every year.”

That declaration set the tone for a no-holds-barred discussion. Volpe and Luthmann nodded in agreement, ready to detail why they believe America’s family courts are little more than a racket.

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Family Court ‘Scam’ and Guardian Abuse

All three journalists zeroed in on what Volpe called a nationwide crisis in the family courts. For over a decade, Volpe has investigated cases of child custody and guardianship abuse, and he warned that the problem is “global,” not just in the U.S. He’s reported on the same patterns of corruption “in England, Canada, Australia… in much the same way.”

On “Get Real,” Volpe and Luthmann described a divorce-court system overrun by profiteers. Judges appoint legions of paid guardians, evaluators, and therapists – a cottage industry that drains families’ resources under the pretense of helping kids.

“Everyone who’s appointed, their goal is to get someone else appointed,” Volpe explained, describing a self-perpetuating gravy train of court appointees.

If lawyers and evaluators keep getting each other assigned to cases, “I won’t keep getting you appointed unless you start to appoint me… that’s the corrupt bargain everybody makes,” he said, calling it a “free for all” enabled by complicit judges.

The result? Cases drag on for months or years while fees skyrocket.

“Without all of these court appointees, you get from A to B much quicker,” Volpe added, recounting how he fought to keep extra guardians out of his own custody case and resolved it in nine months.

Luthmann agreed, arguing that family court is supposed to do two things – divide property and assign custody – not “fix” people. Instead, he said, courts hold children hostage to force parental compliance.

“These family courts are telling parents, ‘Do everything we say or you’ll never see your children again,’” Luthmann charged. “There’s nothing… that violates natural law… more than that.”

He labeled the tactic “a form of extortion.”

Volpe backed him up with a jaw-dropping example from Illinois: a father named Eddie Engels facing jail because he couldn’t pay an exorbitant guardian ad litem bill.

“This guardian ad litem has drained all of his resources,” Volpe revealed, calling it a textbook case of a court appointee who “wants to be on the case to get paid as much as possible.”

Engels was ordered jailed for contempt over the unpaid bill – a debt he never even asked for.

“People should understand, he didn’t ask for this debt,” Volpe said. “The judge appointed the guardian ad litem and told him to pay. How is that fair? How does that help his daughter?”

President Trump faces a governmental crisis similar to the 1830s, when the American people sent Andrew Jackson to KILL the Bank of the United States, and the Washington elites resisted the will of the People using the courts.
“Old Hickory” and “The Donald”

Volpe noted the bitter irony: “We got rid of debtor’s prison in the 1800s under Andrew Jackson, but… if you don’t pay a debt in family court, you can go to jail. How does that make sense?” he asked pointedly.

Tom Lemons chimed in, aghast that jailing parents over fees or child support is even possible.

“How does it help the child?”

Lemons pressed. No one answered – because to Volpe and Luthmann, the answer is obvious: it doesn’t help the child at all. It helps the court insiders line their pockets.

“It creates acrimony and it creates a chance for billing,” Luthmann observed of the endless cycle of court-ordered services.

Volpe agreed, concluding that halting the runaway “golden goose” of appointments would solve a lot: “If that is stopped or at least significantly curtailed, that solves a lot of problems in family court,” he said.

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Courts Clamp Down on Cameras and Critics

Exposing these court scams hasn’t made Volpe or Lemons popular in courthouses. Both recounted how judges have tried to shut them up by banning cameras and phones. In May, Volpe traveled to Ada County, Idaho, to investigate a family court case and discovered that Magistrate Judge Diane Walker was quietly closing her courtroom to the public.

He gathered proof by photographing the public docket display, which showed hearings scheduled, and comparing it to an empty paper schedule posted outside her door. Within days, Volpe received a harshly worded notice from the chief judge.

The letter, which Volpe displayed on-air, effectively barred him from recording anything in the courthouse.

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Exposing family court corruption, political cowardice, and cancel culture on Get Real with Tom Lemons.
Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed – Luthmann: “I wonder if there’s a branch of the ‘Hippler Youth’ in Ada County, Idaho?”

“Neither you nor anyone affiliated with your organization will be permitted to film or video any court proceeding… You will not be permitted to bring… [any] device, including a cell phone capable of video or audio recording,” the order warned.

Volpe read it aloud, emphasizing how swiftly the Idaho judiciary moved to muzzle an outsider who caught them in the act of secrecy. He wasn’t intimidated – in fact, he took it as a badge of honor.

“By the following Friday, I had gotten under so many people’s skin… that I got that notice. So I was pretty happy,” Volpe laughed.

The attempted gag only proved his point: family courts thrive on a “lack of transparency,” and even a lone journalist can send authorities scrambling.

Tom Lemons had a similar story from Florida. While filming courthouse employees for a documentary on domestic violence, he stirred the wrath of a local chief judge.

“[The] chief judge… makes an administrative order that no more cameras are allowed in his courtroom or his court building at all,” Lemons recalled.

Not long after, a letter arrived threatening him with punishment if he ever tried that again. The judge warned that if Lemons “ever brought a camera in there again, I’d be… subject to contempt charges.” In other words: stop recording, or go to jail. Lemons framed it as pure retaliation for shining a light on court operations.

“This is how they retaliate,” he said of the sudden camera ban.

Luthmann concurred that such heavy-handed rules are about power and cover-ups. Courts, he noted, even invoke archaic rules to block the public from seeing what really goes on.

“They don’t like you recording anything in court,” Volpe added wryly.

Despite the threats, none of the three showed any sign of backing down. Independent media, they agreed, is the last line of defense against judicial abuse.

“If you were assigning cases, would you assign yourself the one I’m investigating?” Volpe joked, accusing the Idaho chief judge (Steven Hippler) of hand-picking a high-profile case to keep it away from scrutiny.

The anecdote drew chuckles, but the underlying message was deadly serious: when reporters get too close, the system finds ways to shut them out.

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: ‘Anti-Family’ AZ Governor and the ‘Crazy’ VA Candidate

The discussion then shifted to the political arena, where Volpe and Luthmann saw cowardice and cronyism as enabling the broken system. In Arizona, they explained, a bipartisan committee is examining family court failures—but Governor Katie Hobbs has thrown up roadblocks.

“Hobbs did veto a bill that they got through the legislature,” Volpe noted. In his view, her opposition speaks volumes: “She’s not on board with what they’re doing… as they say, elections have consequences.”

Volpe revealed that Arizona lawmakers, such as State Sen. Mark Finchem and Rep. Rachel Keshel, are intensifying their pressure on Hobbs. They plan to “paint her as anti-family” for the next election, he said, if she continues to side against court reform.

Luthmann was even more scathing in his appraisal of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. He claims Hobbs – a former social worker – is beholden to the divorce industry.

According to Luthmann, Arizona’s left-leaning voter base is “a bunch of Mexicali Marxists… much different” from other states, giving Hobbs cover to protect lucrative court feeders.

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Exposing family court corruption, political cowardice, and cancel culture on Get Real with Tom Lemons.
Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed – Luthmann: “Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is a sadist.”

Hobbs is essentially “feathering her nest,” Luthmann sneered, looking out for the “billable hours and fees” of therapists and trial lawyers. She stands “against any type of reform – God forbid the golden goose gets plucked,” he quipped, referring to the profit stream that would be endangered by real change.

For Luthmann, Hobbs’s stance is not just wrong but “really shameful,” a betrayal of families’ rights. He applauded Arizona’s legislators for elevating the issue. In fact, when Senator Finchem testified that family court abuses are a “civil rights issue,” Luthmann said it was a sign that reformers are finally treating parents’ rights with the gravity they deserve.

Shifting gears, Lemons pulled up a breaking story from Virginia that had Volpe and Luthmann fired up. Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones was caught fantasizing in text messages about his Republican opponent’s death. The hosts agreed it was a stunning display of poor judgment.

Virginia Dems Attorney General Candidate Jay Jones
Virginia Dems Attorney General Candidate Jay Jones

Volpe was livid: “He has to drop out,” he insisted. “You want to be the chief law enforcement person in Virginia, and you’re [joking about] your opponent[] dying… You gotta drop out!”

Volpe said it didn’t matter that Jones thought the message was private – hoping for a rival’s demise is simply disqualifying.

Lemons noted this kind of “fiery rhetoric” is part of a larger trend, where extreme words can spur real-world violence. How, he asked, do we rein it in?

Luthmann took a different tack on the Jones scandal. Let the voters serve the verdict, he argued.

“I don’t mind him staying in,” Luthmann smiled, suggesting Jones’s implosion could become a teachable moment.

He pointed to a blistering ad by Republican Winsome Sears that used Jones’s own words against him.

“She had [him] saying what he was saying,” Luthmann described, the ad cutting between clips before delivering the kicker: “‘Vote Republican, Avoid the Crazy.’”

In Luthmann’s view, keeping Jones on the ballot would only help underline that “that type of activity has no place in politics.” Better to make an example of him at the polls than to let the party bosses quietly yank him, he argued.

In New York, Luthmann noted, it’s virtually impossible to remove a candidate from the ballot except by death or exile – and he seemed to prefer it that way.

The candid clash of opinions between Volpe and Luthmann on this issue underscored their independent streak. Neither is interested in towing a party line. Instead, they’re calling out what they see as failures of leadership – whether it’s a governor “not on board” with protecting families, or a would-be attorney general proving himself unworthy.

In both cases, they said, the public needs to know the truth and hold the powerful accountable.

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Cancel Culture in the Crosshairs

Throughout the episode, Volpe and Luthmann cast themselves as fighters against a broader culture of silence and censorship. They argue that corrupt officials and their enablers use every tool – gag orders, vetoes, smears – to “cancel” those who speak up. The independent journalists wear that hostility as a badge of honor.

Luthmann and Volpe have been relentless in their coverage of Jeremy Hales, a YouTube “Mega Influencer” whom they accuse of weaponizing the legal system to harass and silence critics.

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Exposing family court corruption, political cowardice, and cancel culture on Get Real with Tom Lemons.
Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed – Jeremy Hales

On The Unknown Podcast and in joint investigative reports, they’ve described Hales as the face of a new, insidious form of cancel culture—one waged not only on social media but also using courtrooms as a cudgel.

They allege Hales has orchestrated a “sadistic torture campaign” of frivolous lawsuits, defamation, and intimidation against journalists and whistleblowers, including Luthmann himself.

“The Magistrate Judge that’s co-signing for Hales is based in Pensacola. His name is BOLITHO. Substitute -Z- for -LITH- and you know everything you need to,” Luthmann said. “I’ve never seen a judge that bad naturally. I’m concerned he may be taking bribes or even be getting extorted. That could explain this fact pattern.”

Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed: Exposing family court corruption, political cowardice, and cancel culture on Get Real with Tom Lemons.
Volpe and Luthmann Unleashed – “Magistrate Bozo”

Volpe calls it “cancel culture with subpoenas,” and both men warn it marks a dangerous collision of online mob tactics and judicial abuse.

Despite limited time, one theme was crystal clear: neither Volpe nor Luthmann plans to back down in the face of censorship or “cancel culture,” whether online or tied directly to political processes.

“Once parties place candidates on the ballot, it shouldn’t be an easy thing to get them off,” Luthmann said of letting voters judge bad actors.

The same principle applies to speech – sunlight is the best disinfectant. Volpe and Luthmann are betting that by exposing corruption and hypocrisy in courts and politics, they can outlast the establishment’s attempts to snuff them out.

As the show wrapped, Lemons thanked his guests for their candor and vowed to have them back. Volpe and Luthmann had unloaded a barrage of facts, names, and hard truths. They left the audience with a stark takeaway: corruption thrives in darkness, and it will take fearless, unfiltered reporting to drag it into the light.

The independent journalists on “Get Real” are clearly ready for that fight – and they’re not mincing words or holding anything back in the process.


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