by Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle
September 20, 2024

Newly-unsealed court documents reveal a former Hoosier congressional candidate’s arrest and ongoing criminal case are connected to allegations of online threats and harassment he made against Indianapolis-based political commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz.

Gabriel “Gabe” Whitley was arrested on a felony charge in August after Indianapolis police received a complaint that he was “stalking” Shabazz on social media, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Shabazz, who made the report, said he was covering an FBI search warrant of Whitley’s home when the former political candidate “began encouraging violence against him by way of X (Twitter) posts,” the affidavit said.

Police claim Whitley’s posts included statements like “shooting him like a pig” and called for “national law enforcement” to raid Shabazz’s house. Shabazz — who has a prior history of civil litigation against Whitley — said he was “unsure” of what Whitley “is capable of doing,” and further expressed concern for his safety, as well as that of his “family, wife and other loved ones” at the Shabazz residence.

The affidavit alleges Whitley publicly posted a picture of Shabazz’s residence and personal vehicle on social media.

Another photograph allegedly shared online by Whitley depicts a graphic, bloody image of Thomas Crooks, who was shot and killed after he carried out an assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump this summer. “The Secret Service missed (Abdul),” the post said and then gave his address, according to photos in the affidavit.

Detectives indicated in the affidavit they confirmed that Whitley owned the X account @realhonestgabe shortly after speaking with Shabazz, prompting them to apply for a search warrant.

Police said, too, the email account tied to Whitley’s X account was the same used in his candidacy filings.

The address and photo Whitley is accused of posting online were also confirmed to be connected to Shabazz, according to the affidavit.

Indiana congressional candidate faces campaign finance scrutiny

It’s not clear why the court documents were originally under wraps. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office filed for the case to be sealed in early August. The office then sought to reverse that seal last week, and the request was granted by the Marion Superior Court judge presiding over the case.

The FBI searched Whitley’s Indianapolis home in July, but the agency has remained quiet about its investigation, IndyStar reported. Bobby Kern, who also lives at the home and previously ran for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, told the newspaper that agents confiscated Whitley’s electronic devices during their search.

After his arrest, Whitley was released on bail and placed on GPS monitoring, pending further court action. He currently faces a felony intimidation charge, which carries a maximum penalty of two-and-a-half years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Whitley did not respond to the Indiana Capital Chronicle’s request for comment about the FBI search or recent court filings.

Whitley ran in the Republican primary in Indiana’s 7th Congressional District but lost to Jennifer Pace — even though she died after filing her candidacy and before the primary. A GOP caucus has since selected John Schmitz as her replacement on the ballot.

Previously, Whitley declared his candidacy for Evansville mayor in 2022 only to drop that campaign six months later.

The Capital Chronicle reported earlier this year that complaints filed with the Indiana Election Division and the Federal Election Commission accused Whitley’s “Honest Gabe for Congress” committee of excessive campaign contributions and fraudulent donors during his congressional run.

Before that, the Evansville Courier & Press reported Whitley had raised thousands from donors who said they’d never heard from him.

A report filed by the Honest Gabe committee filed with the FEC in July claimed the organization had just more than $329,597 in cash on hand between the reporting period covering January through the end of March, which included a $100,000 “loan” Whitley claims to have made to himself, in addition to an earlier $20,000 loan.

The agency requested additional campaign finance information from Whitley and his Honest Gabe for Congress to “clarify whether or not the candidate used personal funds or borrowed the money from a lending institution or some other source.” A separate letter sent to Whitley in August directed him to “disavow” any personal contributions his 2024 campaign received in excess of the $5,000 limit.

It remains unclear whether the FBI’s investigation is connected to Whitley’s campaign finances, or if separate charges will be filed.