We gain a genuine understanding of the events that followed the horrifying early 1993 federal siege in the namesake Texan city thanks to Showtime’s “Waco: The Aftermath,” which more than lives up to its title in every way possible. Even though this is a drama miniseries, it examines the whole gravity of the FBI standoff against those who have extreme right-wing core beliefs, which may have been avoided, divisive, and disastrous. So, it should come as no surprise that Carol Howe (Abbey Lee), an extremist turned informant, also plays a crucial part in this story. Let’s learn more about Carol Howe now, shall we?
Is Carol Howe Based on a Real Confidential Informant?
The short answer is that Carol’s inspiration comes totally from actual Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) stoolie Carol Elizabeth Howe. In reality, she was adopted at birth by a wealthy Tulsa, Oklahoma, family, whose mother was a relentless philanthropist and whose father was the CEO of an energy company. Yet as she grew older, her mind had begun to wander elsewhere, and none of it was enough for the once-debutante, champion horsewoman, and brilliantly fluent Christian.
Carol had, in fact, struggled at a number of universities after graduating with honours from the prestigious Tulsa Metro Christian Academy in the late 1980s, as was intimated in the original. She eventually quit up and started doing a number of part-time jobs, including as a dancer for entertainment, before gradually falling in love with Dennis Mahon, a member of the White Aryan Resistance. They apparently started dating in 1994, and soon after, she adopted white supremacist beliefs, joined the community in Elohim City, Oklahoma, and got a swastika tattoo on her arm.
It’s important to note, however, that Carol seemed to find it simple to accomplish all of this given that she had just recovered from a terrifying attack by a small but mighty gang of local African-American men. But, everything changed when she requested a restraining order against Dennis in August 1994 due to alleged physical and sexual abuse, which attracted the attention of federal authorities. Agent Angela Graham (not Gary Noesner) approached her without thinking twice and offered to be an informant because the ATF was already looking into her ex-extremism. beau’s
Thus, from August 1994 to March 1995, Carol was employed by the agency to actively monitor Elohim City. During this time, she allegedly informed her handlers that militants were on the move. She had even made it clear that Chief of Security Andreas Strassmeir, a German, routinely discussed “bombing up federal buildings” and taking “active action against the US Government.” But alas, not only did the ATF fail to stop the horrifying domestic bombing in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, they also allowed the identity of their confidential informant to be revealed too soon.
Where is Carol Howe Now?
The fact is that Carol was told to go back to Elohim City after the vicious attack to get more understanding, but the leader Robert “Pappy” Millar became suspicious and expelled her on May 18. She apparently adopted the name Freya before founding her own far-right organisation in Tulsa with her then-fiancé, James Dodson Viefhaus Jr., instead of going back to her previous way of life. She was therefore detained after it was discovered that her group ran a hotline and allegedly called for the annihilation of Blacks, Jews, homosexuals, and federal law enforcement officers.
Carol really went to court for the accusations made against her in 1997, claiming she had formed this extreme coalition in 1996 to strengthen her cover after agents had accidentally revealed her identity. She was thus acquitted of conspiracy, making a bomb threat, and having an unauthorised destructive device, but sadly, her then-fiancée was found guilty of all three of those charges.
Carol recalled at the time, “When I returned home, I couldn’t even believe [my independence] was genuine.” “For the past three years, I’ve been like the government’s indentured servant.” She therefore took the decision to permanently leave Oklahoma and her history, change her name, and pursue a law degree, which she probably already has. Although Carol Elizabeth Howe should only be in her early 50s at this point, there is no longer any public record of her anywhere; we say “likely” because she has now adopted a new name.
