Transgender, vegan ‘Zizian’ cult linked to Vermont border agent killing dependent on zapping human emotions

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Cult expert says ‘Zizian’ fringe group tied to killing of US border agent uses behavior control

Dar Dixon, an actor and a cult survivor, discussed the ‘Zizian’ group after it was linked to the recent killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont.

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A cult expert lifted the veil on the “Zizian” fringe group that is linked to the Vermont U.S. Border Patrol agent shooting.

The “Zizians” are named for a 34-year-old computer engineer, Jack Amadeus LaSota, who goes by the nickname “Ziz,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. LaSota, who is transgender, goes by female pronouns and created the group of vegan activists, the outlet reported.

The group, which began on the West Coast, was launched into the national spotlight after the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland in Vermont on Jan. 20.

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David Maland, a Minnesota native and U.S. Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government.  (U.S. Border Patrol)

Maland was involved in a shootout with German national Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt and University of Washington student Teresa “Milo” Consuelo Youngblut near the U.S. border with Canada.

“The registered owner of the vehicle, Felix Bauckholt, a citizen of Germany, appeared to have an expired visa in a Department of Homeland Security database. Youngblut was driving the Prius, and Bauckholt was the lone passenger in the Prius,” court documents previously obtained by Fox News said.

An empty car on  southbound Route 91 near Newport, Vermont, where a U.S. Border Patrol Agent was shot dead, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)

“He spoke with two of the Border Patrol Agents involved in the incident. They described that both Bauckholt and Youngblut possessed firearms and that Youngblut drew and fired a handgun toward at least one of the uniformed Border Patrol Agents without warning when outside the driver’s side of the Prius,” documents said.

Bauckholt and Maland were killed in the exchange of gunfire. Youngblut was injured and charged with using a deadly weapon while assaulting a United States Border Patrol agent, and using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to that assault.

Teresa Youngblut, who is charged by the FBI in connection to the shooting death of US Border Patrol Agent David Maland, is seen in the office at the Newport City Inn on Jan. 14, 2025 in Newport, Vermont, in this still frame photograph from video released by the inn, who confirmed her identity. (Newport City Inn photograph via AP)

Youngblut’s “associations with other individuals suspected of violent acts also warrants caution,” federal prosecutors said in court records. They also said the guns used in the shootout are connected to a person of interest in a double homicide in Pennsylvania, which is part of a web of violence allegedly tied to the “Zizians.”

“Law enforcement officials are investigating six deaths linked to associates of LaSota,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

The group exhibits cult behavior, according to Dar Dixon, an actor and the podcast host of “The Art of Being Dar,” who shared his cult expertise with Fox News Digital. 

“The thing that I noticed about this ‘Zizian’ cult is that it hits all the major points that will set somebody up to be involved in it. You’ve got transgender human beings, all right? You’re dealing with sexuality. You’re dealing with sexual identity, and you’re dealing with sex. Anytime you do all those things, you’ve already got someone, as they say, by the tight and curlies,” he said. 

A drone flies above a robotic device inspecting a backpack near to what appears to be a body on the ground on southbound Route 91 near Newport, Vermont, where a U.S. Border Patrol Agent was shot dead, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)

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“The second thing is they were on a restrictive diet. In this case, they were vegan,” he said. “So when you start to mix in the sexual aspect, then with a restrictive diet, now what you’re doing is behavior control.”

Dar Dixon, an actor and the podcast host of “The Art of Being Dar,” shared his expertise on cults with Fox News Digital. (Fox News Digital)

Referencing cult expert Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control, Dixon discussed how cults emotionally control their members.

“I’m sure there was a lot of sleep deprivation going on also, which affects your thoughts, which affects your emotions, which also affects your behavior and your ability to take in and process information,” he said.

“This is part of the emotional control. You’re never allowed to feel your feelings or to discuss your feelings. If you don’t step in line with the party line, you’re immediately reprimanded, sometimes severely, either verbally or physically, or you’re shunned.”

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“So the culmination of sexual identity, food restriction, sleep restriction, and emotional restriction, well, now I’ve got you,” he said. “I own you. And I can take you any direction I want to take you now.”

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.