Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Body found case in Aberdeen reclassified as murder Body found case in Aberdeen reclassified as murder **************************************************
Police today (October 29) reclassified as murder a body found case in Aberdeen yesterday (October 28). At about 7.30am yesterday, Police received a report that a foreign woman was found floating in the pond off a waterfall in a park on 8 Waterfall Bay Road. Police officers sped to the scene. The 25-year-old foreign woman was rescued and was certified dead at 8.18am at scene. After initial investigation, Police arrested a 34-year-old foreign man for murder and a 36-year-old local woman for assisting offenders in Yau Ma Tei today. All arrested persons are being detained for enquiries. An initial post-mortem examination conducted on the deceased detected injuries on her head and the cause of death was asphyxiation by drowning. Active investigation by the Regional Crime Unit of Hong Kong Island are underway. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 2860 7849 or 6892 3082.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
MOBILE, AL – Following a three-week trial, a federal jury convicted three defendants of a murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder for hire, a carjacking conspiracy, interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, evidence tampering, and witness tampering.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, John Fitzgerald McCarroll, Jr., 30, Darrius Dwayne Rowser, 20, and Lyteria Isheeia Hollis, 30, each of Mobile, were part of a plot to murder an individual as retribution for a prior killing. Jurors reviewed evidence that McCarroll, aided by Hollis and others, directed payments to hired shooters, including Rowser and others, to carry out the intended murder. The evidence included text messages, social media evidence, financial records, surveillance videos, firearm and toolmark evidence, DNA evidence, and cell tower data, among other things.
As part of the murder plot, evidence showed that McCarroll’s hired shooters attempted but failed to kill the intended target during multiple nightclub shootings. In September 2022, Reginald Dennis Alan Fluker, who pleaded guilty to the conspiracy, opened fire in the Bank Nightlife club using a gun provided to him by McCarroll. Fluker shot the wrong person, who later died of his injuries. In November 2022, Rowser used a machinegun provided to him by McCarroll to shoot at the intended target inside the Paparazzi Lounge. Rowser likewise missed the target and instead hit four victims, one of whom was rendered paralyzed.
The evidence also showed that as part of the conspiracy, Rowser and others, at McCarroll’s direction, traveled to Mississippi to steal cars for use in surveilling the target of the plot. In September 2022, during an attempted carjacking in D’Iberville, Mississippi, Rowser shot and killed a victim. As part of that murder, Rowser and a coconspirator traveled back to Mobile and burned the stolen car they were using during the attempted carjacking.
The evidence further showed that in December 2022, at McCarroll’s direction, Rowser and other coconspirators traveled to the Walmart on I-65 Service Road South in Mobile to purchase a GPS tracker for the target’s vehicle. During that trip, Rowser and a coconspirator opened fire into the self-checkout area of the store, striking two victims.
Finally, evidence showed that following the arrests of McCarroll, Fluker, and other members of the conspiracy, the defendants attempted to tamper with evidence and a witness. Specifically, McCarroll directed Hollis to hide a weapon that he had previously purchased for Fluker because of Fluker’s participation in the murder plot. Federal agents seized that gun from Hollis’s house. Additionally, the jury convicted McCarroll of attempting to tamper with Fluker’s testimony by having him sign a sham affidavit, which was filed in state court to earn McCarroll a bond from jail.
U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer scheduled sentencing for March 6, 2025. Under federal law, each defendant faces a mandatory life sentence.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile Police Department, and the D’Iberville, Mississippi Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller, Gaillard Ladd, and Kasee Heisterhagen are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
On October 24, 2024, at 5:10 pm, officers with the RCMP Roving Traffic unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle located on Highway 1, near Road 84W, in the RM of North Cypress-Langford.
The traffic stop led to the arrest of the driver, a 39-year-old male from Calgary, for the possession of Proceeds of Crime.
A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of a large sum of Canadian Currency.
The 39-year-old male was later released from police custody for a court appearance scheduled for February 13, 2025, in Brandon, where he will face a charge of Possession of Proceeds of Crime over $5000.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni woman pleaded guilty in federal court to a count of kidnapping. This crime eventually resulted in the victim’s death at the hands of a co-defendant and the burning of the victim’s body in an attempt by the co-defendant to conceal evidence. Her co-defendant was previously convicted and sentenced to prison for the subsequent killing.
According to court documents, between July 1 and July 16, 2019, Kendra Panteah, 37, participated in and continued the confinement of John Doe in the trunk of his own vehicle and contacted the co-defendant for assistance in order to avoid getting in trouble.
Along with the co-defendant, Panteah then drove around for over a day through the Navajo Nation with John Doe locked in the trunk before stopping near Bass Lake, NM. There, John Doe attempted to escape by forcing the trunk open. Before he could get out, however, the co-defendant repeatedly stabbed Doe with a machete. The co-defendant then closed the trunk on the victim, and Panteah and the co-defendant then sat on the trunk until John Doe stopped moving. Doe died as a result of the stab wounds. Panteah and co-defendant then drove the vehicle, with Doe’s body in the trunk to a residence where it was abandoned for several days.
The co-defendant eventually towed the vehicle to a remote location, doused it with gasoline, and set it on fire with John Doe’s body inside to destroy evidence of the crime. Doe was only identified through hip replacement devices found in the burned vehicle.
Her co-defendant, Gilbert John Jr., pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
At sentencing, Panteah faces between a binding range of no less than 10 years up to no more than 18 years imprisonment. Upon her release from prison, Panteah will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Alexander F. Flores are prosecuting the case.
BOSTON – An Indian man, arrested last week for masturbating and exposing himself on a flight within the view of two other passengers, has pleaded guilty and was sentenced.
Krishna Kunapuli, 39, pleaded guilty on Oct. 24, 2024 to one count of committing lewd, indecent, or obscene acts on an aircraft. Kunapuli was also sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy to two years of probation and a $5,000 fine. He was also ordered to delete, in the presence of law enforcement, photographs that he took of a female passenger during the flight and to have no contact with her.
According to the charging documents, Kunapuli made unwanted sexual advances towards a female passenger on board a flight from Abu Dhabi to Boston, including touching her hair and taking pictures of her without her permission. After a crew member intervened, Kunapuli returned to his seat.
Later in the flight, two male passengers seated near Kunapuli noticed Kunapuli masturbating under a blanket and, at times, with his penis fully exposed. One of the passengers reported this conduct to a flight attendant, who intervened, and alerted law enforcement.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
CHICAGO — A federal investigation has resulted in federal drug and firearm charges against eight individuals for allegedly trafficking fentanyl and cocaine on the South Side of Chicago.
An indictment unsealed Friday in federal court in Chicago accuses the eight defendants of conspiring to traffic fentanyl and cocaine from March 2023 to July 2024. During the conspiracy, the defendants used a residence in the 2000 block of West 69th Place in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago to carry out their illicit activities, the indictment states. The defendants possessed loaded handguns while engaged in their drug trafficking crimes, the indictment states.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized distribution quantities of suspected fentanyl-laced heroin and crack cocaine, as well as more than a dozen firearms and associated ammunition.
Charged with federal drug and firearm offenses are PATRICK TUCKER, 33, THOMAS CUNNINGHAM, 29, DARIUS JOHNSON, 23, KYWANTE SHUMAKE, 26, KEONTIS SHUMAKE, 23, KAMARI ROSS, 26, DREQUAN BASS, 26, and LACOLA WILLIAMS, 26, all of Chicago. The charges in the indictment carry a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Tucker and Cunningham also face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, while the others face a mandatory minimum of ten years. The defendants were arraigned in U.S. District Court in Chicago and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of Homeland Security Investigations. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen B. McCurry and Michael Maione.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers and other criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement against criminal networks.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the convictions of members of a major drug trafficking ring that distributed heroin and fentanyl, as well as powder and crack cocaine in Albany, Dutchess, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties. An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) resulted in the indictment of 25 individuals in November 2023, and recovered more than three kilograms of cocaine and approximately 40 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, which have a combined potential street value of approximately $350,000. The investigation also recovered four handguns, two large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and over $50,000 in cash. All 25 individuals charged in the investigation have pleaded guilty, and the first defendant was sentenced yesterday to 12 ½ to 15 years in prison for his role in the trafficking operation.
“We are committed to ending the opioid crisis in our state, and that means addressing this problem from every angle, including stopping dangerous drug traffickers who bring fentanyl into our communities,” said Attorney General James. “This drug trafficking ring ran a widespread network to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of narcotics, and now they are being brought to justice. I thank all of our partners in this investigation for their hard work to protect our communities and keep New Yorkers safe.”
The OAG’s investigation centered on the activities of several key individuals in the Capital Region who bought and sold large quantities of drugs. Alexander Torres and Yamillet Galarza were central figures in the narcotics distribution network, and they often partnered together to obtain and sell heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine in Rensselaer County. Torres had four different sources of supply for the cocaine and narcotics, and he sold the drugs to a network of customers around the Capital Region. Torres purchased heroin laced with fentanyl from a Bronx-based narcotics dealer in custom-designed bags stamped with the phrase “American Gangster” as a brand to distinguish his narcotics from other local sellers.
Efrain Acevado was also a major cocaine distributor in this operation. During the course of the investigation, Acevado opened a restaurant called “El Coqui,” in Troy, and he sold narcotics to customers from the restaurant and used it as a location to stash his narcotics and related proceeds.
The investigation, led by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), included the New York State Police, City of Troy Police Department, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, Schenectady Police Department and the Schenectady Sheriff’s Office. The year-long investigation, which concluded in November 2023 with the indictment of 25 individuals, included covert surveillance and hundreds of hours of wiretaps over more than two dozen target phones.
Defendant Elvis Colon, a/k/a “Minino”, a heroin and fentanyl trafficker in Rensselaer County who was part of the drug trafficking operation, was sentenced yesterday to 12 ½ to 15 years in prison. Colon was convicted by a jury on charges of Conspiracy in the Second Degree and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree on October 4, 2024.
The remaining defendants in the case have all pleaded guilty:
Efrain Acevedo pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison.
Erick Baez pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.
Raul Baez pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.
Jose Cintron pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.
Javier Colon pleaded guilty to Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, a class A-I felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in state prison.
Mercedes Danahy pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. She faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
James Foley pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.
Jack Frazier pleaded guilty to Attempted Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class D felony. He faces a maximum sentence of two and a half years in state prison.
Jose Galarza pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Yamillet Galarza pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. She faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Vladimir Guzman Grullon pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
David Harden pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Mark House pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.
Karim Little pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.
Jordan McCullen pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison.
Jahtiek Milisci pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Beau Moreau pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Michael Nelson pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Tracy Taylor pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. She faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Denzel Timot pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a class E felony. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
Alexander Torres pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison.
Israel Vasquez pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison.
Abner Velasquez pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II felony. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison.
David Venson pleaded guilty to Criminal possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years in state prison.
Attorney General James would like to thank Rensselaer District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly and the Schenectady County Drug Task Force for their assistance in the investigation.
The investigation was directed by New York State Police Investigator Matthew Guiry under the supervision of Senior Investigators Robert Martin and Vonnie Vardine and OCTF Detective Michael Connelly, with the assistance of the U.S. Army National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, under the supervision of OCTF Supervising Detective Brian Fleming, OCTF Assistant Chief Investigator John Monte, and OCTF Deputy Chief Investigator Andrew Boss. The Attorney General’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.
The case and jury trial was conducted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Andrew McElwee, with the assistance of legal support analysts Stephanie Donovan and AnnaLisa MacPhee, under the supervision of OCTF Upstate Deputy Bureau Chief Maria Moran. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Jose Maldonado. Both the Investigations Division and the Criminal Justice Division are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.
The Cumberland Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit (CISCEU) has charged three people after receiving public complaints about the ongoing sale of cannabis from an illegal storefront in Amherst.
On October 17, officers with CISCEU attended the location on South Albion St. and safely arrested two people before executing a search warrant.
During the search, investigators seized hundreds of grams of illicit cannabis in various forms, as well as a quantity of psilocybin.
Yesterday, a third person was arrested in connection with the investigation.
Thirty-two-year-old Cody Edward Joseph Bowser-Knockwood of Dorchester, New Brunswick; 48-year-old Kevin Richard Gloade of Amherst; and 40-year-old Erika Lynn Nickerson of Amherst will appear in court at a later date to face the following charges:
Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Distributing
Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Selling
Possession of Unstamped Cannabis
The individuals are also charged with Possession of Psilocybin for the Purpose of Trafficking and Bowser-Knockwood and Gloade are charged with Possession of Property Obtained by Crime.
The Nova Scotia RCMP reminds residents that the only legal and safe way to purchase cannabis in the province is at licensed locations. And Nova Scotians are encouraged to contact their nearest RCMP detachment or local police to report crime, including the illegal sale of drugs, in their communities. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or using the P3 Tips app.
Note: The Cumberland Street Crime Enforcement Unit includes members of the Cumberland County District RCMP and the Amherst Police Department.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Jefferson County man was sentenced today on a charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco sentenced Robert Elton Trimble, 38, of Kimberly, to 120 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release. In June, Trimble pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to coerce or entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.
According to court documents, on October 16, 2023, Trimble made contact with an individual he believed was a 15-year-old girl on a social networking app. After learning her age on day one, Trimble continued to communicate with the “child,” asking her questions about school, telling her about his work, and requesting photos. Within two weeks, Trimble turned their conversation sexual by asking the “child” about her sexual experiences and discussing plans to meet her. On November 21, 2023, Trimble arrived for the meeting and was arrested. Only then did he discover that he actually had been communicating with an undercover officer.
FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the Homewood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the National Children’s Advocacy Center have partnered and released a digital series to educate parents and caretakers about sextortion and how they can help prevent kids and teens from being victims. This series offers three-to-five-minute videos about current online safety topics and provides essential information about the true dangers of online activities.
The videos can be accessed from the following locations:
If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or online at www.cybertipline.org.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – United States Attorney S. Lane Tucker announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Morgan J. Walker will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Walker has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Alaska, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Tucker said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Tucker stated that: “The right to vote is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to vote can exercise that right if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Walker will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The public can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, or contact the local FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Tucker said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
TUCSON, Ariz. – Linh Cao Nguyen, M.D., 51, of Peoria, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 24 months in prison. Nguyen pleaded guilty to Health Care Fraud on March 19, 2024.
Over the course of several years, Nguyen engaged in a scheme to defraud various health care benefit programs, including Medicare, TRICARE, AHCCCS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and UnitedHealthcare. As part of his scheme, Nguyen knowingly caused the submission of thousands of false billing claims. Nguyen also falsely created patient records to conceal and avoid detection of his fraudulent scheme. The fraudulent claims identified a medical doctor as the treating provider when, in fact, another provider such as a nurse practitioner, social worker, unlicensed psychology intern, or wound care nurse provided the service independently. By billing the medical service as if it were provided by a physician, Nguyen falsely inflated the amount his company was to be paid for the service.
The total loss to the insurance companies from Nguyen’s scheme was approximately $3.7 million. As part of his sentence, Nguyen was ordered to pay over $1.1 million in restitution to the private insurance companies. Nguyen also was required to pay over $2.5 million to the government in a separate civil agreement.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-02716-TUC-JCH RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-144_Nguyen
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZfor the latest news.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pedro Luis Millan, aka Peter Millan, 38, of Montebello, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 12 years and nine months in prison for conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in May 2021, Millan conspired with Brent Hooton, 51, of Marysville, to produce an image of a severely autistic child who was under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hooton produced the image and then sent it to Millan and other users over the Kik messaging app. Millan received that image, as well as additional sexual abuse images of the same child victim, from Hooton over the Kik app.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.
On Aug. 27, 2024, Hooton was sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
OAKLAND – The government of Honduras extradited Javier Marin-Gonzales, a Honduran national, to the United States this week to appear on charges stemming from his alleged involvement in the distribution of fentanyl in the San Francisco Bay Area. The extradition marks the fifth extradition of an alleged drug distributor from Honduras to the Northern District of California this year.
On Aug. 2, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Marin-Gonzales, 25, at the time a resident of Oakland, in connection with the alleged distribution of fentanyl on three separate occasions. The investigation in this case led to charges against multiple East Bay-based defendants who allegedly traveled into the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco to engage in drug dealing.
According to court documents, at the time of the indictment, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) learned that Marin-Gonzales had traveled back to Honduras. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Honduran authorities, the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to secure the arrest and extradition of Marin-Gonzales. Marin-Gonzales arrived back in the United States on Oct. 23, 2024. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore today for arraignment on the indictment and further proceedings. A detention hearing for Marin-Gonzales is scheduled for Oct. 30, 2024.
“We appreciate our law enforcement partners’ efforts, here and abroad, to bring to justice those who are charged with peddling deadly drugs in our communities,” said United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey.
“This arrest and extradition marks a significant step in our ongoing fight against the distribution of dangerous drugs like fentanyl,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “By bringing Marin-Gonzales to face justice in the United States, we are sending a clear message: those who profit from the trafficking of deadly substances will be held accountable, no matter where they operate. The FBI remains committed to working with our domestic and international partners to disrupt drug networks that threaten the safety and well-being of our communities.”
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to hold accountable drug traffickers operating in the Tenderloin,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris. “The extradition of Marin-Gonzales is another example of how strong global partnerships keep our communities safe.”
The indictment charges Marin-Gonzales with the distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B)(vi).
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Defendant faces a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $5,000,000, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by a court only after considerations of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Bisesto is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sara Slattery and Andy Ding. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI SAFE Streets Task Force, DEA, and the Concord Police Department.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Jon Hallford, 44, and Carie Hallford, 47, pleaded guilty today to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to the plea agreements for each, the Hallfords were the co-owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, which operated both in the Colorado Springs area and in Penrose, Colorado. In October 2023, residents in the Penrose area reported a foul odor emanating from the Return to Nature facility. After obtaining a search warrant, FBI, CBI, and local law enforcement investigators found the remains of approximately 190 deceased persons inside the building in various states of decomposition. Some of the remains discovered had dates of death as far back as 2019. As part of their fraud scheme, the Hallfords misled customers of the funeral home into believing that the remains of their loved ones would be buried or cremated per their wishes and the terms of the parties’ contracts.
As part of their plea agreements, the Hallfords also admitted that they conspired together to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration of over $800,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, which they obtained under the government’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
Sentencing will be held at a later date. Each defendant faces up to twenty years in federal prison.
United States District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang presided over the hearing. The FBI Denver Field Office and The United States Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Several other state and local law enforcement agencies including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Springs Police Department, the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fremont County Coroner’s Office have made significant contributions to this case. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Tim Neff and Craig Fansler.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
WASHINGTON — Two brothers from New York were arrested today for allegedly assaulting law enforcement with a weapon and other charges related to their alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Reynold Robert Voisine, 47, of Nicholville, New York, and Roger Alyre Voisine, Jr., 48, of Canton, New York, are each charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
In addition to the felonies, the two brothers are also charged with misdemeanor offenses of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
The FBI arrested the two men today in Plattsburgh, New York, and they will make their initial appearance in the Northern District of New York.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, the Voisine brothers, Roger and Reynold, attended former President Trump’s rally in Washington, D.C., before marching toward the Capitol building and eventually arriving on the West Front of the Capitol grounds. Roger Voisine, distinguishable by a GoPro mounted on a stick, a tripod tucked in his jacket, and a camouflage-patterned backpack, donned a paintball mask as he approached the Lower West Plaza. Reynold Voisine, also present in the area, was seen wearing a paintball mask on his head during the riot.
By the afternoon, the situation on Capitol grounds had escalated, and it is alleged that both brothers played active roles in the day’s violence. At approximately 3:20 p.m., Reynold Voisine was seen among the crowd as rioters viciously assaulted an officer, dragging the officer from the Lower West Terrace Tunnel and into a mob of rioters. As the attacks continued throughout the day, Reynold remained in the vicinity, using a handheld radio to communicate while the mob assaulted officers inside the Tunnel. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day.
By 4:25 p.m., Reynold Voisine made his way to the mouth of the Tunnel, where rioters were launching a variety of weapons at the police, including a crutch, a hockey stick, a baton, and multiple poles. It is alleged that Reynold participated in these attacks against officers, first by throwing a crutch at the officers and then by hurling a blue pole that struck police officers. After throwing the pole, he threw the crutch again, which ricocheted off another rioter and hit the officers. Later, Reynold used a stolen riot shield to ram into the police line.
Around the same time, it is alleged that Roger Voisine was also engaged in direct assaults on police. Court documents say that Roger threw a length of pipe at the officers, pushed into their shields alongside other rioters, and attempted to drag one officer into the crowd. It is further alleged that Roger continued his violent actions by throwing a black rod at the police, hitting one officer’s shield, and later throwing three shoes at various officers. At one point, Roger picked up a wooden table leg with protruding nails, swung it twice at officers, and then aggressively threw it at another officer.
In addition to these physical assaults, Roger allegedly used a spotlight to shine directly into the eyes of police officers, further hindering their ability to defend themselves against the mob. Throughout the chaos, Roger remained at the front lines of the mob, holding his GoPro in a manner that suggested he was documenting the event.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Albany and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the Tampa FBI, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Chad Duane Campen, 35, was sentenced on October 24, 2024, to 135 months (11.3 years) following his convictions for bank fraud (one count), wire fraud (three counts), illegal monetary transaction (one count), bankruptcy fraud (one count), and false statements under oath (one count).
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government presented evidence that Campen successfully swindled dozens of individuals and financial institutions between 2013 and 2021. During the course of the sentencing, the court heard from several of Campen’s victims who described themselves as “survivors” of Campen’s crimes. Campen pretended to be engaged in various business ventures ranging from farming to the construction of a solar farm. Via this elaborate scheme, Campen obtained loans from multiple banks using each fraudulent loan to not only enrich himself but also to pay off his previous victim. By the time his scheme collapsed, the government showed that Campen had obtained more than $17 million from these banks, of which almost $5 million was still outstanding.
Campen, however, did not limit himself to stealing from banks, he also defrauded individuals. Witnesses, victim letters, and other evidence demonstrated how Campen would pretend to befriend people over the course of years and be welcomed into their families and homes only to steal from them. Campen caused a family farm to have its equipment repossessed after he claimed their equipment as his to secure one of his fraudulent loans. In another instance, Campen offered to assist an elderly man, gained access to his home, and stole more than $50,000 from him. And Campen convinced a family to invest in a purported farming opportunity. The family took out a loan using their own farm as collateral. When Campen’s fraud scheme collapsed, the family not only lost the money they had given Campen, but their farm—which had been in their family for more than 100 years—had to be sold.
Another victim of Campen’s fraud was the Village of Bartonville, Illinois. Campen with co-conspirator Richard Weiss, convinced the Village to extend loans and additional funds to tear down the old Bowen Building in Bartonville. Campen lied to the Village and made promises that he could recoup the Village’s loan and investments through the sale of materials from the building. Campen secured these funds by falsely claiming that he already had buyers lined up for the stone for the building. As a result of Campen’s fraud, the Village lost the equivalent of half of all its property tax revenue for an entire year.
Campen’s co-conspirator in certain acts connected with that fraud, the owner of the Bowen building, Richard Weiss, 62, of Pekin, Illinois, was charged in a separate case in February 2024 with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, related to his and Campen’s receipt of funds from the Village. He pleaded guilty to both counts in February and was sentenced the same day as Campen to 15 months of imprisonment. Weiss’s sentence took into account his unique personal characteristics and significantly smaller role in the offense. In imposing the sentence, Judge Shadid noted that Weiss himself was a victim of Campen’s fraud.
As Campen’s scheme began to unravel, he tried to use the mechanisms of bankruptcy court to delay his creditors and prevent discovery of his fraud. Campen committed additional fraud in the bankruptcy court by filing counterfeit documents and making false statements in his pleadings and under oath. Campen’s fraud was quickly detected by the professionals with the Office of the United States Trustee for Region 10, who added to the growing investigation of Campen by providing a criminal referral to the United States Attorney’s Office.
A seventeen-count indictment was filed January 19, 2022, and Campen was arrested and detained five days later. Although he has filed several motions and appeals requesting bond, he has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest. Campen entered into a written plea agreement in March 2024, pleading guilty to seven of the seventeen counts.
The statutory penalties for the charges are:
Charge
Imprisonment Time
Supervised Release
Bank Fraud (Ct. 5)
Not more than 30 years
5 years
Wire Fraud (Cts. 6, 12, 13)
Not more than 20 years
3 years
Illegal Monetary Transaction (Ct. 14)
Not more than 10 years
3 years
Bankruptcy Fraud (Ct. 16)
Not more than 5 years
3 years
False Statements Under Oath (Ct. 17)
Not more than 5 years
3 years
During his term of supervised release, Campen is to refrain from engaging in any occupation, business or profession related to the banking industry, including, but not limited to, employment by a bank or any other financial institution.
“The defendant’s repeated acts of fraud caused great damage not only to financial institutions, but also to members of our community, including but not limited to the Village of Bartonville and its taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “Our office is committed to protecting individuals and banks from predatory acts like those of the defendant and will vigorously pursue such cases. We are grateful to our federal law enforcement partners, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Office of the United States Trustee for Region 10.”
“Today’s sentence will go a long way in protecting the integrity of the bankruptcy system,” said Nancy J. Gargula, United States Trustee for Indiana and the Central and Southern Districts of Illinois (Region 10). “We are grateful to U.S. Attorney Harris and our law enforcement partners for their commitment to protect the interests of creditors and the public.”
“Driven by an unquenchable thirst for ill-gotten gains, Chad Campen embarked on an eight-year fraud spree which led to devastating results for those who put their trust in him,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “This sentence sends a clear message about the consequences of greed and demonstrates the resolve of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to follow the money trail and ensure justice.”
“Over several years, Chad Campen defrauded dozens of victims, creating severe economic distress for families and straining resources for institutions that fell victim to his fraud scheme,” said Marta C. Grijalva, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “This sentencing reflects the consequences of actions that caused significant financial pain to not only institutions and communities, but also individual families. That is why IRS Criminal Investigation and its fellow law enforcement partners remain committed to safeguarding the financial security of our communities and holding accountable those who exploit the system for personal gain.”
The case investigation was conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. The bankruptcy fraud charge was referred for criminal prosecution by the Office of the United States Trustee for Region 10, Nancy J. Gargula. The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in South Bend, Indiana, and Peoria, Illinois. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government in the prosecution.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Willie C. Graham, 43, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of imprisonment of 40 years, and a fine of $5,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna M. Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that on September 6, 2023, Jamestown Police officers initiated a traffic stop on a car that Graham was a passenger in. Officers located numerous items of drug paraphernalia in the car, as well as a quantity of fentanyl on Graham’s person.
On March 2, 2024, Graham was a passenger in a car that fled from law enforcement officers trying to conduct a traffic stop. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of 11.6 grams of methamphetamine drug paraphernalia, and $1,134.00 cash.
On April 30, 2024, Jamestown Police officers located and arrested Graham. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of 10 assorted bank and benefit cards, some of which were issued to individuals other than Graham, a quantity of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and $185.
The plea is a result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 20, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
LEXINGTON, Ky. – United States Attorney Carlton S. Shier, IV, announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Kate Smith will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Smith has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Kentucky and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Shier said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Shier stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Smith will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 859-685-4884.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (502) 263-6000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Shier said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
BOSTON – A member of a nationwide drug trafficking ring was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2024 in federal court in Boston for drug trafficking and money laundering. During the investigation, over 160 pounds of pure methamphetamine, as well as an AK-47, a Glock with no serial number, two loaded Smith & Wesson handguns and over 4,200 rounds of ammunition were seized. An illegal marijuana grow operation with hundreds of marijuana plants was also dismantled.
Patrick O’Hearn, 64, of Braintree was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2024, O’Hearn pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, as well as one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of money laundering.
O’Hearn was charged along with 10 others in September 2021 in a 15ifteen count superseding indictment.
O’Hearn was part of a large-scale methamphetamine distribution network that distributed significant quantities of pure methamphetamine throughout New England. The investigation began in late 2020, when O’Hearn’s methamphetamine supplier Reshat Alkayisi was identified as a large-scale methamphetamine trafficker, who distributed multi-pound quantities to customers throughout the New England area. O’Hearn was subsequently identified as one of Alkayisi’s regular large-scale distributors who routinely purchased methamphetamine and redistributed it throughout the Boston area. Bank records indicated that O’Hearn paid Alkayisi at least $100,000 between January and July 2021. O’Hearn also purchased over $465,000 worth of methamphetamine from Alkayisi between January and May 2021.
O’Hearn conspired with Alkayisi to launder their drug proceeds. As part of that money laundering conspiracy, Alkayisi used O’Hearn’s residence as the address for his shell company that he used to launder drug proceeds.
In July 2021, O’Hearn was arrested and over 680 grams of pure methamphetamine was seized, as well as small quantities of cocaine, ketamine, MDMA and other controlled substances from O’Hearn’s residence. Over $213,000 in cash was also found in O’Hearn’s residence and in bank safe deposit boxes.
Alkayisi pleaded guilty in April 2024 and in September 2024 sentenced to 23 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. O’Hearn is the 10th defendant to be sentenced in the case. The remaining defendant has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Correction; Norfolk County Sherriff’s Office; and Concord, Hudson, Peabody, Reading, Watertown and Waltham Police Departments. Assistance was also provided by the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Katherine Ferguson of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
DETROIT- A Clarkston woman was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for wire fraud arising out of an embezzlement scheme targeting her former employer, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Joining Ison in the announcement was Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cheyvoryea Gibson.
Sally Lynn Elmore, 56, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to one count of wire fraud arising from a scheme to defraud her former employer that resulted in over $3 million in losses. In addition to the 3 years’ imprisonment, United States District Judge Brandy R. McMillion ordered Elmore to pay $2.2 million in restitution to her victims and to pay a $3.2 million forfeiture money judgment.
According to Court documents, from April 2019 to December 2022, Elmore abused her position of trust and used her access to the payroll and banking systems of her employer to execute a scheme to fraudulently direct electronic payments—in the form of salary, bonuses, and expense reimbursements that she knew she was not entitled to receive—from her employer’s bank account to her personal bank accounts. In order to conceal her fraud, Elmore prepared and presented falsified financial statements to her employer’s board, representing that the company was still in possession of funds that she had, in fact, fraudulently directed to herself. She also concealed the missing funds from the company’s insurer, causing the company to lose coverage for losses from theft. In total, Elmore stole over $3 million and gambled most of it away.
“Elmore violated the trust placed in her as the director of finance and human resources for her company, stealing over three million dollars, nearly driving the company to insolvency, and putting the livelihoods of her fellow employees in jeopardy, stated United States Attorney Ison. “Our office will aggressively prosecute those individuals who abuse their authority to line their own pockets at others’ expense.”
“Over the course of three years, Ms. Elmore betrayed her employer by exploiting her access to the company’s finances, stealing millions of dollars, and covering up her actions through deception,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI has zero tolerance for fraud against individuals or institutions and will continue to work with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute those involved in embezzlement schemes. We are committed to ensuring that anyone who abuses their position of trust faces justice.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alyse Wu. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – United States Attorney Kate E. Brubacher announced that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jared Maag will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Maag has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Kansas, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
U.S. Attorney Brubacher said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
U.S. Attorney Brubacher stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Maag will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (785) 295-2850.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 816-512-8200.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
U.S. Attorney Brubacher said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tara Lai Quinlan, Associate Professor in Law and Criminal Justice, University of Birmingham
Members of Chris Kaba’s family at a march on the anniversary of his death.Shutterstock
Two years after fatally shooting 24-year-old Chris Kaba in the head, the London Met Police firearms officer Martyn Blake was acquitted of Kaba’s murder.
As soon as the trial concluded, newspapers published information about Kaba that they were barred from reporting during the proceedings. Chief among the details was the news that Kaba had allegedly shot a man in both legs at a nightclub days before his own death, although he was never prosecuted for or convicted of the crime.
The post-trial publication of details of Kaba’s alleged criminal history should not affect how we view Blake’s prosecution and acquittal. But it will have implications for future cases where black men are killed by police. It will also further damage already-strained relationships between black communities and police.
Kaba was shot by Blake after police stopped the car he was driving in south London. Kaba was unarmed. Police did not know that Kaba was driving, but believed the car had been connected to a shooting the night before. Blake told the court he fired his weapon because he believed his colleagues’ lives were at risk.
The jury was not told of Kaba’s prior convictions during the trial, nor should they have been. Kaba was not on trial – Martyn Blake was. So this information did not play a role in their decision to acquit. Because Kaba was killed by Blake, Kaba’s prior convictions were not relevant in Blake’s trial. We correctly shun victim-blaming when it comes to other victims: it should be no different in this case, in which Kaba was the victim.
Had Kaba been alive and testified for the prosecution against Blake, the judge could have considered whether his prior criminal convictions were relevant to his testimony and credibility. But disclosure of a witness’s previous convictions is rightfully very narrowly construed by the courts, and would have to meet a specific legal standard.
Racial stereotypes
The research is clear that when a person of colour is killed by police and posthumous information about the victim is released to the public, it has an impact on public perceptions of blame, sympathy and empathy for the black victim and police shooter, and perpetuates racial stereotypes. And this seems to be what is occurring here.
Studies have shown for decades that black people, men in particular, are first and foremost viewed as perpetrators by police and members of the public, not as crime victims. We have seen the impact of this in the many killings of unarmed black men by police in the US, from Michael Brown to Eric Garner to George Floyd.
These stereotypes have also played a role in cases in the UK. Black men and boys are often treated by the criminal justice system and the media as somehow responsible for their own deaths. For instance, Stephen Lawrence, who was killed in 1993 by a group of white men while waiting at a London bus stop, was regarded by police for a long time as a suspect, not a victim.
Or Dea-John Reid, a 14-year-old black boy who was chased and killed by a group of white teens and adults in Birmingham in 2021. After his death, police initially doubted racism played a role in the killing, and it was suggested at the trial that Reid was involved in instigating events leading to his killing. While multiple defendants were brought to trial, only a 15-year-old boy was convicted of manslaughter for Reid’s death. Two adults, aged 36 and 39, and two other teenagers were acquitted of his murder.
Police chiefs are asking the government to make it harder for the Crown Prosecution Service to charge officers. Svet foto/Shutterstock
For decades, scholars have tracked how black men are viewed through the lens of the myth of criminality. This view, rooted in slavery and colonialism, erroneously suggests black men have a propensity for criminality. It persists today in crime figures that show minority ethnic people disproportionately represented in every stage of the criminal justice process.
Yet the reality from government offending surveys is that black and white people commit crimes at the same rates. The myth is reinforced through the criminal justice system, which focuses on some crimes (and alleged criminals) more than others through decisions around deployment of personnel and resources, and decisions to arrest, charge, prosecute and sentence in disproportionate ways.
For example, police stop and search rates for decades have been disproportionately shown to target black men. Arrest rates show similar disproportionate outcomes. These disparities are not due to a propensity for criminal offending, but rather the implicit and explicit stereotypes of the justice system.
These stereotypes mean that people of colour, and black men in particular, are not seen as deserving victims when they are the victims of crime or police wrongdoing.
Following the Blake verdict, police leaders have called for further protections for officers who use force while on duty (even if not deadly force). The government has said that officers charged in future cases will stay anonymous unless convicted.
The UK legal system already has rigorous standards for investigating, charging and convicting individuals, including police officers, of wrongdoing. Moreover, is it important to bear in mind that misconduct prosecutions in court against police officers are already very rare.
Blake was the first officer in England ever charged with murder for killing someone on duty, and therefore none have ever been convicted of murdering a member of the public while on duty. There are therefore already sufficiently robust due process protections in place for officers charged with a crime and they do not require further enhancing.
At a time when police have lost the trust of many of the communities they are meant to protect, particularly ethnic minority Britons, this sends the wrong message to the public that police can act without accountability.
“We went two steps forward in terms of building relationships and it just feels like we’ve taken a step back,” said Anthony King, who runs a youth crime reduction organisation in London, of the Blake verdict.
The persistence of negative racial stereotypes of people of colour generally, and black men in particular, continues to put black communities in a position of being overpoliced and yet underprotected. Treating Chris Kaba as a suspected criminal ahead of seeing him as a victim will only further this inequality.
Tara Lai Quinlan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Readers need to be imaginative rather than being startled by jump scares.zef art/Shutterstock
Ever since its inception with Horace Walpole’s novel The Castle of Otranto (1764), a delirious mixture of violent death and familial conspiracy, gothic literature has been a restless cultural form, constantly mutating and assuming new guises but always exploring the darker side of life. Sometimes, its fashions are those of the historical moment. Sometimes they are initiated by a book enjoying unprecedented commercial success.
One of these was Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs (1988). After the film adaptation scooped five Oscars in 1991, the deviant genius became the villain of choice for gothic films and novels. For a time, the violent merging of the crime thriller with the “body horror” of 1980s cinema ensured that the genre was dominated by such characters. Usually (though not always) men with high IQs, elevated artistic taste and ingenious ways of torturing and killing their fellow human beings, Hannibal Lecter and his ilk became modern icons.
In the wake of such influences, crime novels (and films) got bloodier and horror novels grew longer. John Connolly’s first novel, EveryDeadThing (1999), for example, spent 470 pages documenting the murderous activities of a serial killer who mutilated his victims in the style of Renaissance anatomical drawings.
In recent years however, there has been a reaction against these excesses. So-called “quiet horror” has become increasingly popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Perhaps taking its name from a 1965 collection of short stories by Stanley Ellin, which was literally called “quiet horror”, this is a genre that prizes suspense and subtlety over graphic bodily violence.
The novelist Selena Chambers characterises quiet horror as exploring “the unexplained, the suppressed, the supernal [otherworldly], the material, the cosmic, and the secular … everything we cannot see, or verbalise and fail to feel concretely”. As she implies, suggestion is crucial.
Readers need to be patient and imaginative, sensitive to the nuances and implications of language and willing to respond to spooky ambiguities rather than being startled by jump scares or “gross out” imagery.
Slasher movies usually treat their characters as no more than fodder for the next brutal killing. Quiet horror, by contrast, takes character development far more seriously and imbues its stories with greater psychological depth. This in turn can enhance readers’ involvement. Put simply, those who dislike “splatter fiction” are more likely to care what happens to a well-rounded, sympathetic character than a stereotypical US teenager about to be put under a steam hammer.
Women and quiet horror
Female novelists have been at the forefront of this style of writing since the Victorian period. Elizabeth Gaskell’s tales, including The Old Nurse’s Story (1852), a chilling tale of a family curse, are foundational works.
A long line of women writers have explored how the familiar, the domestic, the marital and the homely can be imbued with subtle terrors, from loneliness and isolation to paranoia, alienation, captivity and psychological trauma.
The haunted house does not need to contain a typical ghost. From Elizabeth Bowen’s The Demon Lover (1945) to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (1959), to Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger (2009) and beyond, the complex and fraught relationships between a dwelling and its occupants have frequently engaged women writers’ imaginations.
The continuing success of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black (1983) in its literary, theatrical and cinematic incarnations has helped ensure that quiet horror, particularly tales which recall the golden age of the ghost story a century or so ago, are once again much in vogue. This can be seen in the bestselling novels of Michelle Paver, such as Dark Matter (2010) and in anthologies such as The Haunting Season (2021).
At the same time, readers are increasingly rediscovering forgotten practitioners of the genre. One such figure is Elizabeth Walter (1927-2006). As a writer (and the editor of Collins Crime Club for 30 years from the mid-1960s) Walter recoiled from sadistic violence, cardboard characterisation and haphazard plotting.
After five collections of stories, beginning with Snowfall and Other Chilling Events (1965), she retired from writing supernatural fiction in the mid-1970s as the traits she didn’t like were becoming dominant within Anglo-American gothic. Many of her stories are set in the border country between England and Wales and draw upon folklore and a sensitivity to landscape to create creepily unnerving works such as The Sin Eater (1967) and Telling the Bees (1975).
I edited a collection of Walter’s writing titled Let a Sleeping Witch Lie (2024). Spanning the ten years from Snowfall to her final collection, Dead Woman and Other Haunting Experiences (1975), the stories within anticipate some elements of Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins novels which also involve Welsh border settings, supernatural elements, and police procedural, though they lack Rickman’s religious dimension.
There is no sense of providence at work in Walter’s borderlands, only ancient and mysterious menace. Marriages tend to be unhappy, families harbour terrible secrets, and the old ways continue to overshadow the present. Fifty years since her final collection, Walter’s work might be more relevant than ever before.
Quiet horror has never really been away, but it seems to finding a new audience, one which both looks to its past and relishes its present.
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Nick Freeman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Appointment of Mark Emerton as Judicial Member for the Senior Salaries Review Body.
The Government has appointed Mark Emerton as the Judicial Member for the Senior Salaries Review Body.
This role is responsible for supporting the delivery of the annual reporting cycle for the remit of the Judiciary and the Major Judicial Review. Mark Emerton will work with the Senior Salaries Review Body, which provides independent advice to the Prime Minister and senior ministers on the pay of many of the nation’s top public servants.
The SSRB’s remit covers senior civil servants, the judiciary, the senior military, certain senior managers in the NHS, Police and Crime Commissioners and chief police officers.
Mark is a retired employment judge and former member of the Judicial College Board. He is an experienced judicial trainer, and has previously served as Chair of Havant Judicial Standing Committee and as a Diversity and Community Relations Judge.
The appointment process for this role was in full accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.
Mark will start his role in October. He takes over from Sharon Witherspoon, a former judicial member, who in April 2024 was appointed interim judicial member to the SSRB for a period of six months.
The Nova Scotia RCMP’s Provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit has charged a 43-year-old Digby man with child pornography offences, following the seizure of a child sex doll by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
On October 8, 2024, CBSA officers in Hamilton, Ontario intercepted and seized a child sex doll while examining international courier shipments arriving into Canada by air. The doll had originated in Japan and was addressed to an importer residing in Digby, Nova Scotia. Working with CBSA Intelligence Officers in Halifax, the seizure was referred to the Nova Scotia RCMP ICE Unit for further investigation.
On October 17, the RCMP executed a search warrant at the residence and seized additional child sex dolls and other evidence supporting both child pornography and smuggling charges. Officers then safely arrested Joseph Ryan Jolicoeur at the residence.
Jolicoeur has been charged with Possession of Child Pornography and Importation of Child Pornography under the Criminal Code and Smuggling child pornography into Canada under the Customs Act. He was released on conditions and is next scheduled to appear in Digby Provincial Court on January 6, 2025.
“Child pornography is most commonly known and understood as sexual images or videos of children,” says Cst. Mandy Edwards of the RCMP Provincial ICE Unit. “However, child pornography can also be written, or in audio forms, or as in this case, a visual representation such as a child sex doll. Child pornography in all its forms is considered harmful and is prohibited by the Criminal Code.”
In Nova Scotia, it is mandatory for citizens to report suspected child pornography. This means that anyone who encounters child pornography material or recordings must report it to the police. Failing to report suspicious activity and materials could result in criminal penalties similar to failing to report child abuse set out in the Child and Family Services Act.
The RCMP and CBSA encourage citizens to be a voice for children who are victims of sexual exploitation by reporting any suspected offences to your local police or by using Canada’s National tip line for reporting online sexual exploitation of children atwww.cybertip.ca. Suspicious cross-border activity, including smuggling, can be reported to the CBSABorder Watch Linetoll-free at 1-888-502-9060.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland approved 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, and U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe announced Madison County as a designee.
With this designation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Illinois and the Kansas City Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives partnered with the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office to develop a plan to reduce firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning firearms.
“To address domestic violence in our communities, it’s important to strengthen the relationships between prosecutors and law enforcement in order to hold abusers accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “As October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we reaffirm our commitment to reduce intimate partner violence by working directly with our community and law enforcement partners.”
“This partnership strengthens the commitment of the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office to reduce violent crime in our homes, which should be places of peace and joy, not fear and harm. Effective prosecution of abusers can mean the difference between life and death for victims, as well as for the law enforcement officers who respond to incidents of violence,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine. “With this partnership, we will continue to deploy prosecution resources to ensure that victims of domestic violence are protected and their abusers brought to justice.”
To select designees, the Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from an increased focus on intimate partner violence. The partnership will connect stakeholders with resources and increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.
“In April, ATF hosted the first Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit to honor those who have fallen to domestic violence and today’s announcement is an example of how ATF will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities every day,” stated Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Kansas City Field Division. “ATF’s mission is as critical as it has ever been, we will not stop working to prevent gun violence and will do everything we can to stop the cycle of domestic abuse.”
The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated. All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Burlington man was sentenced today to 151 months in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to public court documents, law enforcement received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Edward Allen Billheimer, 64, had uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement located electronic devices at Billheimer’s Burlington residence and a search of those devices revealed approximately 100 videos and 400 images of child sexual abuse material, including content of toddlers and infants.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Billheimer will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Billheimer was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution. In addition, Billheimer will be required to register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Burlington Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Michael Arntfield, Associate Professor of Criminology & English Literature, Western University
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has recommended that a judge resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez almost three decades after the brothers were sentenced to life without parole for murdering their parents.
The brothers were convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder for the 1989 killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. If a judge approves the recommendation, it would make them eligible for immediate parole. Gascón said he believed the brothers have “paid their debt to society.” If a parole board agrees, they could soon be released from prison.
These extraordinary developments come in the wake of two true crime productions on Netflix: the scripted limited series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and the documentary, The Menendez Brothers. Both revivify the defence strategy used in the brothers’ 1994 and 1996 trials that they murdered their parents as a form of self-defence following years of alleged sexual abuse by their father.
In these two productions, we see the moral conundrum of so-called “true crime” on full display. That is, whose definition of “true” should viewers rely on when assessing the veracity of a narrative?
More often than not, there are two kinds of truth. There’s what really happened, and the narrative of what happened. This is a reality that I’ve noted as a criminologist and forensic historian and a police detective before that.
As a form of historical revisionism, true crime has shown both the willingness and ability to change official narratives, for better or worse.
In a press conference, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón outlined the reasons he is recommending the Menendez brothers be resentenced.
True crime and the Menendez case
The true crime genre has taken off in recent decades, with countless podcasts, documentaries and TV series produced recounting gruesome and often unsolved murders. The genre has garnered criticism for focusing on, and sometimes, exploiting the real suffering of victims and their families.
The 2022 season of the Netflix Monster series, which told the story of Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, was widely derided as being exploitative and mired in controversy.
However, the second instalment, focusing on the Menendez brothers, has become an overnight cause celebre and a bandwagon clarion call to have the evidence in the case reviewed and the brothers’ life sentence reconsidered, if not jettisoned altogether.
The productions have renewed interest in this infamous case for those old enough to remember while, at the same time, introducing a new generation to the sordid details of the proceedings.
These details include, most notably, the controversial and ultimately failed defence strategy of depicting the murders as a form of self-defence following years of alleged sexual abuse the boys endured at the hands of their father, patriarchal record mogul Jose Menendez.
Following mistrials for both brothers in 1994, Lyle and Erik were convicted of the murders in 1996 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
A trailer for the Netflix true crime documentary ‘The Menendez Brothers.’
But now, in the wake of these same series and Gascón’s announcement, the case has been re-opened. “Significant new evidence” has been cited in the form of a potential additional victim of abuse by Jose Menendez. In addition, a letter from Erik to a cousin about the alleged sexual abuse of his father has been disclosed lending credence to the original defence position.
We might wonder if this evidence would have merited such attention, and the district attorney’s intervention, were it not for the cultural influence of the Netflix productions.
What we can say for certain is that this is not the first instance of true crime directly influencing the criminal justice system. HBO’s Paradise Lost trilogy of documentaries, along with the 2012 film West of Memphis, are generally credited with enabling the release of the wrongfully convicted West Memphis Three.
The first season of the Serial podcast in 2014 also led to the 2022 release of Adnan Syed after serving 20 years in prison for the 1999 murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. That same conviction was reinstated in 2023 as part of an ongoing saga driven by intense public interest.
That interest is what differentiates the current iteration of true crime from its antecedents: it aims to transcend passive viewers and listeners to promote direct action, advocacy and public participation.
The four waves of true crime
While the term “true crime” may be comparatively new, as a cultural phenomenon it certainly is not. The Mystery Writers of America has issued awards for Best Fact Crime books since 1948. True crime in one form or another has arguably existed since the 1850s and was pioneered by Charles Dickens.
Yet it is still unclear what societal forces drive this trendy, cyclical interest in semi-true retellings or thinly fictionalized treatments of criminality. However, in my book, How to Solve a Cold Case…And Everything Else You Wanted to Know About Catching Killers, I argue that, true crime as we now know it can be delineated into four distinct eras, or waves:
The Second Wave, between 1965-1975, was also primarily literary. Its most notable works included Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, who prosecuted serial killer Charles Manson.
In the third wave in the 1980s, true crime stories started to become multimedia, with Ann Rule’s book The Stranger Beside Me about serial killer Ted Bundy, and the semi-interactive NBC docuseries Unsolved Mysteries.
A trailer for the Netflix show ‘MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.’
The fourth and current wave began in 2010. The hallmarks of this wave are unfolding before us in the Menendez case. The current wave is immersive, participatory and accessible. Amateur sleuths, advocates, pundits and activists proliferate with each new feature. Podcasts beget further podcasts.
Viewers and listeners are also keenly self-aware and facetiously self-deprecating. True crime is consistently discussed in the context of — and perhaps even designed to promote — what can only be characterized immoderate consumption. Some true crime fans are, for instance, self-described “junkies” and “addicts” who “binge” content. And yet, depending on the case, these same “junkies” are newly empowered and qualified to demand action.
The legal and ethical questions that arise are what cases make their way into this ecosystem and whose story are they to tell? How is a series on Dahmer a bridge too far when, two years later, another same series created by the same producers can alter the course of California legal history?
These are, of course, unanswerable questions. In the meantime, however, the Menendez brothers’ saga is a cautionary tale about how the invisible hand of the true crime market will select certain crimes over others — and prioritize certain victims and offenders alike over other — based on criteria we still don’t fully understand.
Michael Arntfield does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 29, 2024
This is the second company charged in connection with the scheme; three individuals also charged with misbranding N95 masks
BOSTON – A California company, and three individuals who owned and managed the company, have been charged and have agreed to plead guilty to charges relating to the shipment of facemasks that were misbranded as N95 respirators during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Advoque Safeguard LLC (ASG) was charged with one count of conspiracy to introduce misbranded devices into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Jason Azevedo, 33, of Cedar Creek, Texas; Paul Shrater, 51, of Simi Valley, Calif.; and Andrew Stack, 52, of Santa Cruz, Calif., were charged with one count of introduction of misbranded devices into interstate commerce. Plea hearings have not yet been scheduled by the Court.
Earlier this month, a second company, JDM Supply LLC (JDM), and two individuals, Daniel Motha and Jeffrey Motha, were charged and agreed to plead guilty in connection with this investigation. In addition, in August 2023, another individual, Jason Colantuoni, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit price gouging.
According to the charging documents, in the spring of 2020, during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, ASG and JDM conspired to ship facemasks that were misbranded as National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved, N95 respirators. It is alleged that one hospital, identified as “HOSPITAL 1,” accepted and paid for hundreds of thousands of purported N95 masks that were manufactured by ASG and sold to HOSPITAL 1 by JDM. (HOSPITAL 1 did not use the masks, which were eventually returned to ASG.) It is further alleged that ASG and JDM misled the hospital into believing that the ASG masks were NIOSH-approved N95s, when in fact they were not. In August 2020, a NIOSH lab tested a sample of the ASG masks that had been shipped to HOSPITAL 1. All 10 ASG masks tested between 83.94% and 93.24% filtration efficiency, and thus fell under the 95% minimum level of filtration efficiency required for N95 respirators.
The charge of conspiracy to introduce or deliver for introduction into interstate commerce a misbranded device with intent to defraud or mislead provides for a fine of $500,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss of the offense, whichever is greater and up to five years of probation. The charge of introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce a misbranded device provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison; up to one year of supervised release; and a fine of $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Brady and Howard Locker of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 10/29/2024, 10:46 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 97.63) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1089.92 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 15.0%) of the security RU000A101780 (RSEKSMB2R1) were changed.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
