“If a suspect used an IP address to conduct criminal activity and then personal activity it would indicate that the person was the same individual,” Frazier said.

This is a lie. PIA and most other VPN companies use shared IP addresses, meaning that dozens, if not hundreds, of totally unconnected people will use the same IP address. Unless some other information is known (their real IP address, for example) there is no way to connect two different activities to the same VPN user, because it could just as easily be two different VPN subscribers.

Isn't there an obvious conflict for the Almanac to be reporting on a case in which it's the victim?

I have no problems with them reporting on this story as long as they clearly disclose their connection to the crime.

This is not like one of the "news reports" in this newspaper that is clearly written by one of their advertisers with little or no disclosure.