Federally Convicted Con Man/Activist, Vernado Malone — Photo: Twitter
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Newly submitted court documents show a South Bend “activist” committed perjury during a court hearing earlier this month. The case involves “activist” Vernado Malone, who is a multiple convicted felon, suing REAL News Michiana Journalist Clifton French for erroneous defamation claims. Malone requested the defamation suit be dismissed during the hearing because he refused to surrender his electronic devices for a thorough forensic review. However, he still wished to pursue an even more frivolous protection order. A judge still ordered Malone to surrender his electronic devices for a narrow review in that case, but Malone failed to do so.
The perjury occurred when Malone, attempting to buy time to potentially delete information from his devices, claimed he could not immediately deliver his two cell phones and a laptop computer to RNM’s forensic expert as part of the discovery process. Malone claimed he was disabled and has a caretaker drive him everywhere. He told the judge he needed to wait for his caretaker to drive him to drop off the devices. However, only a few days earlier, Malone had posted a video of himself driving in what he describes as heavy traffic.
“During the May 11, 2022, hearing, Malone informed this Court that he could not turn over
his electronic devices until his caregiver returned because he could not drive.” The court documents state. “In fact, Mr. Malone is such a good driver he could videotape himself for almost 20 minutes while driving in “heavy traffic” (as Malone describes in the video). The false statement made to this Court when he informed the Court that he could not drive
was a clear attempt to obtain sufficient time to delete and modify evidence relevant to this
case as well as any future case Malone may bring against French.”
A portion of the video submitted as evidence to the court can be seen below.
Malone further perjured himself when claiming to the court that he was a journalist. Malone has not formal education, training, journalistic experience or published work. In fact, Malone attempted to use the claim that he was a journalist in another case earlier this year. In that case, a judge ruled that Malone is in no way, shape or form, a journalist.
Due to Malone’s refusal to follow the judge’s order to submit his electronic devices for forensic review and the perjury committed, RNM’s attorney has requested all of his cases be dismissed with prejudice and he be liable for all of our attorney’s fees.
Malone brought these frivolous cases against RNM’s Journalist following a slew of stories uncovering the career conman’s schemes and scams targeting the most vulnerable people in the Michiana area. Malone is the founder of a non-profit called “Justice for Michiana” that was designed to help the families of homicide victims with funeral costs. However, an RNM investigation last year revealed Malone had taken hundreds of pictures of nude dead bodies at Alford’s Mortuary. He then shared many of those pictures with the public. The Indiana Attorney General is now investigating the incidents and two families of the deceased who had pictures taken of their loved ones are also suing the Malone and the funeral home.
RNM also uncovered an incident in which Malone solicited sex from a single-mother-in-need who was asking his organization for help.
Malone has been to prison multiple times for fraud related crimes. His most recent conviction was in 2014 when he defrauded dozens of companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. One of those organizations was the American Red Cross.
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