3 members of a violent criminal gang were convicted in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) by a federal jury for RICO conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, robbery, and drug dealing.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, the Paul Girard criminal enterprise committed murders and was involved in other acts of violence, targeted jewelry stores and banks for robberies, and distributed illegal drugs.
“These defendants terrorized the U.S. Virgin Islands through violence and theft,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s verdicts, and the guilty pleas of 7 additional co-defendants in this case, demonstrate that the Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners, are committed to combating the threat of gang violence.”
“Today’s verdict makes clear that the people of the Virgin Islands will not tolerate violent criminal activity directed against their fellow islanders,” said U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert for the U.S. Virgin Islands. “These convictions mark the dismantlement of the Paul Girard criminal enterprise. This was a team effort. We are hugely grateful for the dedication of the prosecution team.”
“The use of violence and intimidation by these gang members to try and assert power over the people of the Virgin Islands failed,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “These criminals thought they were untouchable, but today's verdict demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the FBI to investigate and disrupt criminal enterprises like this and demand justice for their victims."
“There is no greater threat to our nation than that of violence and fear in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “With this verdict, the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands can rest assured in the FBI’s commitment to work aggressively to curtail violence in our streets. I’d like to thank our local partners for their work on this case and their continued support to the FBI mission.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that Paul Girard, aka Bogus, 34, of St. Croix, USVI, was the leader of the group. Girard ordered shootings against rival gang members, as well as individuals he believed had stolen from or otherwise disrespected the gang. Girard planned, and his crew executed, several armed robberies including of the Divi Racino Casino in St. Croix, as well as Gems and Gold Corner jewelry store, Signatures Jewelry, and 3Gs Jewelry and Repair located in St. Thomas. Most of the criminal activity was orchestrated by Girard from prison, where he is currently serving sentences for multiple prior criminal convictions.
According to evidence presented at trial, Tyler Eugene, aka Lucc, 24, of St. Croix, committed acts of violence on behalf of the gang, including murdering a rival gang member outside a convenience store at Girard’s direction. Kareem Harry, aka Crumbull, 34, of St. Croix, committed acts of violence on behalf of the gang including participating in the murder of a victim who was believed to have stolen money from the Girard gang. Harry also set up the shooting death of a rival gang member outside of the victim’s child’s daycare.
Girard was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy, three counts of murder in aid of racketeering, three counts of the use of a firearm resulting in death, three counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, three counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, one count of kidnapping in aid of racketeering, and four counts of using of a firearm during a crime of violence. Eugene was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of the use of a firearm resulting in death, two counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Harry was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, two counts of use of a firearm resulting in death, and one count of kidnapping in aid of racketeering. Because each defendant was convicted of murder in aid of racketeering, each faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Seven additional defendants indicted in the same case have already pleaded guilty to various racketeering charges.
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Jacob Zerkle Arrested on Charges For Assault on Law Enforcement Officers during January 6th Capitol Insurrection
An Arizona man was arrested for assaulting law enforcement during the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Jacob Zerkle, 50, of Bowie, Arizona, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and related offenses. He was arrested in Tucson and will make his initial appearance in the District of Arizona.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, starting at approximately 2 p.m., Zerkle physically engaged on the West Lawn with multiple officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, who were attempting to protect the Capitol grounds. He threw several punches at one officer, pushed at least one other officer, and grabbed the baton of another. At the time, officers were attempting to get to the Lower West Terrace, where they were to provide reinforcements to law enforcement there.
In the 14 months since Jan. 6, more than 775 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 245 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Jacob Zerkle, 50, of Bowie, Arizona, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and related offenses. He was arrested in Tucson and will make his initial appearance in the District of Arizona.
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| Jacob Zerkle |
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, starting at approximately 2 p.m., Zerkle physically engaged on the West Lawn with multiple officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, who were attempting to protect the Capitol grounds. He threw several punches at one officer, pushed at least one other officer, and grabbed the baton of another. At the time, officers were attempting to get to the Lower West Terrace, where they were to provide reinforcements to law enforcement there.
In the 14 months since Jan. 6, more than 775 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 245 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Tuesday, March 08, 2022
The House That Madigan Built: The Record Run of Illinois' Velvet Hammer
Michael Madigan rose from the Chicago machine to hold unprecedented power as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. In his thirty-six years wielding the gavel, Madigan outlasted governors, passed or blocked legislation at will, and outmaneuvered virtually every attempt to limit his reach.
Veteran reporter Ray Long draws on four decades of observing state government to provide the definitive political analysis of Michael Madigan. Secretive, intimidating, shrewd, power-hungry--Madigan mesmerized his admirers and often left his opponents too beaten down to oppose him. Long vividly recreates the battles that defined the Madigan era, from stunning James Thompson with a lightning-strike tax increase, to pressing for a pension overhaul that ultimately failed in the courts, to steering the House toward the Rod Blagojevich impeachment.
Long also shines a light on the machinery that kept the Speaker in power. Head of a patronage army, Madigan ruthlessly used his influence and fundraising prowess to reward loyalists and aid his daughter’s electoral fortunes. At the same time, he reshaped bills to guarantee he and his Democratic troops shared in the partisan spoils of his legislative victories. Yet Madigan’s position as the state’s seemingly invulnerable power broker could not survive scandals among his close associates and the widespread belief that his time as Speaker had finally reached its end.
Unsparing and authoritative, The House That Madigan Built, is the page-turning account of one the most powerful politicians in Illinois history.
Veteran reporter Ray Long draws on four decades of observing state government to provide the definitive political analysis of Michael Madigan. Secretive, intimidating, shrewd, power-hungry--Madigan mesmerized his admirers and often left his opponents too beaten down to oppose him. Long vividly recreates the battles that defined the Madigan era, from stunning James Thompson with a lightning-strike tax increase, to pressing for a pension overhaul that ultimately failed in the courts, to steering the House toward the Rod Blagojevich impeachment.
Long also shines a light on the machinery that kept the Speaker in power. Head of a patronage army, Madigan ruthlessly used his influence and fundraising prowess to reward loyalists and aid his daughter’s electoral fortunes. At the same time, he reshaped bills to guarantee he and his Democratic troops shared in the partisan spoils of his legislative victories. Yet Madigan’s position as the state’s seemingly invulnerable power broker could not survive scandals among his close associates and the widespread belief that his time as Speaker had finally reached its end.
Unsparing and authoritative, The House That Madigan Built, is the page-turning account of one the most powerful politicians in Illinois history.
Thursday, March 03, 2022
Michael Madigan Indictment Details on Charges for Federal Racketeering and Bribery in Connection with Alleged Corruption Schemes
A federal grand jury in Chicago indicted former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives MICHAEL J. MADIGAN on racketeering and bribery charges for allegedly using his official position to corruptly solicit and receive personal financial rewards for himself and his associates.
The 22-count indictment accuses Madigan of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan’s political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates. The charges allege that Madigan, who served as Speaker and occupied a number of other roles, including Representative of Illinois’s 22nd District, Committeeman for Chicago’s 13th Ward, Chairman of both the Illinois Democratic Party and the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, and partner at the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner, used these positions to further the goals of the criminal enterprise. The indictment alleges that Madigan directed the activities of his close friend – co-defendant MICHAEL F. MCCLAIN – and that McClain carried out illegal activities at Madigan’s behest. Madigan and McClain allegedly caused various businesses, including the utility company Commonwealth Edison, to make monetary payments to Madigan’s associates as a reward for their loyalty to Madigan, at times in return for performing little or no legitimate work for the businesses.
Madigan, McClain, and other members of the enterprise allegedly unlawfully solicited benefits from businesses and other private parties. The indictment accuses Madigan of engaging in multiple schemes to reap the benefits of private legal work unlawfully steered to his law firm, including legal work from those with business before the State of Illinois and City of Chicago.
Madigan, 79, of Chicago, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and individual counts of using interstate facilities in aid of bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. McClain, 74, of Quincy, Ill., is charged with racketeering conspiracy and individual counts of using interstate facilities in aid of bribery and wire fraud.
Arraignments in U.S. District Court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Michelle Kramer, and Julia Schwartz.
“Corruption by an elected official and his associates undermines the public’s confidence in our government,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “The indictment alleges a long-term, multifaceted scheme to use public positions for unlawful private gain. Rooting out and prosecuting the kind of corruption alleged in the indictment will always be a top priority for this office.”
“Our elected officials swear an oath to carry out the duties of their office,” said FBI SAC Buie. “When they dishonor that oath, it erodes the trust we have in our officials to do the right thing for our communities, and the FBI and its partners stand ready to stamp out corruption at any level of government.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation provides financial investigative expertise in our work with our law enforcement partners,” said IRS-CI SAC Campbell. “Our hallmark expertise in following the money trail in this type of case shows our agency is committed to rooting out public corruption. Today’s indictment underscores our commitment to this work in a collaborative effort to promote honest and ethical government at all levels, and to prosecute those who allegedly violate the public’s trust.”
The 22-count indictment accuses Madigan of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan’s political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates. The charges allege that Madigan, who served as Speaker and occupied a number of other roles, including Representative of Illinois’s 22nd District, Committeeman for Chicago’s 13th Ward, Chairman of both the Illinois Democratic Party and the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, and partner at the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner, used these positions to further the goals of the criminal enterprise. The indictment alleges that Madigan directed the activities of his close friend – co-defendant MICHAEL F. MCCLAIN – and that McClain carried out illegal activities at Madigan’s behest. Madigan and McClain allegedly caused various businesses, including the utility company Commonwealth Edison, to make monetary payments to Madigan’s associates as a reward for their loyalty to Madigan, at times in return for performing little or no legitimate work for the businesses.
Madigan, McClain, and other members of the enterprise allegedly unlawfully solicited benefits from businesses and other private parties. The indictment accuses Madigan of engaging in multiple schemes to reap the benefits of private legal work unlawfully steered to his law firm, including legal work from those with business before the State of Illinois and City of Chicago.
Madigan, 79, of Chicago, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and individual counts of using interstate facilities in aid of bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. McClain, 74, of Quincy, Ill., is charged with racketeering conspiracy and individual counts of using interstate facilities in aid of bribery and wire fraud.
Arraignments in U.S. District Court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Michelle Kramer, and Julia Schwartz.
“Corruption by an elected official and his associates undermines the public’s confidence in our government,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “The indictment alleges a long-term, multifaceted scheme to use public positions for unlawful private gain. Rooting out and prosecuting the kind of corruption alleged in the indictment will always be a top priority for this office.”
“Our elected officials swear an oath to carry out the duties of their office,” said FBI SAC Buie. “When they dishonor that oath, it erodes the trust we have in our officials to do the right thing for our communities, and the FBI and its partners stand ready to stamp out corruption at any level of government.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation provides financial investigative expertise in our work with our law enforcement partners,” said IRS-CI SAC Campbell. “Our hallmark expertise in following the money trail in this type of case shows our agency is committed to rooting out public corruption. Today’s indictment underscores our commitment to this work in a collaborative effort to promote honest and ethical government at all levels, and to prosecute those who allegedly violate the public’s trust.”
Wednesday, March 02, 2022
The Annotated Godfather (50th Anniversary Edition): The Complete Screenplay, Commentary on Every Scene, Interviews, and Little-Known Facts
The Annotated Godfather (50th Anniversary Edition): The Complete Screenplay, Commentary on Every Scene, Interviews, and Little-Known Facts. Hardcover – Special Edition.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, this authorized, annotated and illustrated edition of the complete, unedited screenplay includes all the little-known facts, behind-the-scenes intrigue, and first-person reflections from cast and crew members on the making of this landmark film.
From its ingenious cinematic innovations and memorable, oft-quoted script to its iconic cast, including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, The Godfather is considered by many to be the greatest movie ever made. And yet, the history of its making is so colorful, so chaotic, that one cannot help but marvel at the seemingly insurmountable odds it overcame to become a true cinematic masterpiece, and a film that continues to captivate its audience decades after its release.
In this annotated and illustrated edition of the complete original screenplay, nearly every scene is examined and dissected, including:
Interviews with former Paramount executives, cast and crew members, and and all-new foreword by Francis Ford Coppola, round out the commentary and shed new light on everything you thought you knew about this most influential film. With more than 200 photographs, this a truly unique, collectable keepsake for every Godfather fan.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, this authorized, annotated and illustrated edition of the complete, unedited screenplay includes all the little-known facts, behind-the-scenes intrigue, and first-person reflections from cast and crew members on the making of this landmark film.
From its ingenious cinematic innovations and memorable, oft-quoted script to its iconic cast, including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, The Godfather is considered by many to be the greatest movie ever made. And yet, the history of its making is so colorful, so chaotic, that one cannot help but marvel at the seemingly insurmountable odds it overcame to become a true cinematic masterpiece, and a film that continues to captivate its audience decades after its release.
In this annotated and illustrated edition of the complete original screenplay, nearly every scene is examined and dissected, including:
- Fascinating commentary on technical details about the filming and shooting locations
- Tales from the set, including arguments, accidents, and anecdotes
- Profiles of the actors and stories of how they were cast
- Deleted scenes that never made the final cut, and the goofs and gaffes that did
- And much more
Interviews with former Paramount executives, cast and crew members, and and all-new foreword by Francis Ford Coppola, round out the commentary and shed new light on everything you thought you knew about this most influential film. With more than 200 photographs, this a truly unique, collectable keepsake for every Godfather fan.
Tuesday, March 01, 2022
Authorities Endure Freezing Temperatures in Order to Capture Massachusetts Fugitive in Maine #NorthWoodsLaw #Fugitive #Maine #Massachusetts
Snowmobiles and Ice Fisherman were not the only ones out on Embden Pond yesterday. A team of federal, state, and local authorities surrounded a residence in Embden, Maine in order to capture a wanted fugitive.
The U.S. Marshals Service, Maine Violent Offender Task Force announce the arrest of Tylor Santos, 29 of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Santos was being sought by authorities on a warrant issued out of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Aggravated Assault with a Firearm.
Through a collaborative effort, investigators determined that Santos fled to Maine after being identified as a suspect in a shooting on January 6th, 2022, in New Bedford, MA.
Investigators learned Santos was at a residence on Embden Pond. Authorities were able to safely apprehend Santos early this morning without incident. William Bowring, 39 of Bingham, Maine was also arrested at the scene on a failure to appear warrant for felony theft out of Somerset County, Maine.
The USMS Maine Violent Offender Task Force was assisted by the USMS Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, Maine State Police Tactical Team, Massachusetts State Police, The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Boston Division, New Bedford Police Department, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The U.S. Marshals Service Maine Violent Offender Task Force is comprised of members of the U.S Marshals Service, Maine State Police, Maine Department of Corrections, Biddeford Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Through a collaborative effort, investigators determined that Santos fled to Maine after being identified as a suspect in a shooting on January 6th, 2022, in New Bedford, MA.
Investigators learned Santos was at a residence on Embden Pond. Authorities were able to safely apprehend Santos early this morning without incident. William Bowring, 39 of Bingham, Maine was also arrested at the scene on a failure to appear warrant for felony theft out of Somerset County, Maine.
The USMS Maine Violent Offender Task Force was assisted by the USMS Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, Maine State Police Tactical Team, Massachusetts State Police, The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Boston Division, New Bedford Police Department, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The U.S. Marshals Service Maine Violent Offender Task Force is comprised of members of the U.S Marshals Service, Maine State Police, Maine Department of Corrections, Biddeford Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Choices: You Make 'em You Own 'em: The Jerry Tillinghast Story
In a remarkably personal and intimate account, Jerry Tillinghast, one of the most popular characters from the first season of Crimetown, talks about his life and the choices he made in Choices: You Make 'em You Own 'em: The Jerry Tillinghast Story.
Battling alongside his brothers on the streets of Providence. Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps,fighting in Vietnam, and becoming a victim of the politics of that war. Returning to Providence an angry young man and his choice to hang with the wiseguys.
The cost of his reputation as a "feared mob enforcer" and the effect on his family. Meeting Raymond L.S. Patriarca, the notorious head of the New England Organized Crime Family and how he came to embrace him as a father figure.
He revals the indisde story of his brushes with the law and the two most infamous cases in Rhode Island history that he is forever linked to: Bonded Vault and the George Basmajian Homicide.
Jerry was found not guilty after the Bonded Vault trial, but his luck ran out with the Benjamin murder. Convicted with Jerry was his brother, Harold Tillinghast. Since the moment of their arrest, Jerry has said just one thing. Harold was not in the car.
Jerry Tillinghast, a featured character of the Crimetown podcast, one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world, tells his life story with honesty and emotion. Setting the record straight after 40 years of silence.
Silent no more...
Battling alongside his brothers on the streets of Providence. Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps,fighting in Vietnam, and becoming a victim of the politics of that war. Returning to Providence an angry young man and his choice to hang with the wiseguys.
The cost of his reputation as a "feared mob enforcer" and the effect on his family. Meeting Raymond L.S. Patriarca, the notorious head of the New England Organized Crime Family and how he came to embrace him as a father figure.
He revals the indisde story of his brushes with the law and the two most infamous cases in Rhode Island history that he is forever linked to: Bonded Vault and the George Basmajian Homicide.
Jerry was found not guilty after the Bonded Vault trial, but his luck ran out with the Benjamin murder. Convicted with Jerry was his brother, Harold Tillinghast. Since the moment of their arrest, Jerry has said just one thing. Harold was not in the car.
Jerry Tillinghast, a featured character of the Crimetown podcast, one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world, tells his life story with honesty and emotion. Setting the record straight after 40 years of silence.
Silent no more...
Monday, February 14, 2022
Tales of a Texas Game Warden by Benny Richards - Former Game Warden with @TexasGameWarden on @LoneStarLawAP #LoneStarLaw
Most Texas game wardens work alone much of the time in very rural out of the way and unnamed places. 
It is not uncommon for wardens to find themselves in situations where they are enforcing the law on uncooperative subjects who are armed. They are alone with no other officers in sight for miles. And, at a hidden hunting camp on some secluded ranch at midnight, no one could find them even if backup was available. This is when training, skill, experience, and luck come in. The skills and knowledge they possess, the conditions that they sometimes work under, and the uniqueness of the state they serve makes Texas State Game Wardens an elite group of law enforcement officers. For a quarter century the author, Benny Richards, was proud to be one of those game wardens. These are his stories.
TALES OF A TEXAS GAME WARDEN is an opportunity for a reader to climb aboard and go on patrol with one of Texas' most experienced and well-known game wardens. In the woods and over the water, through daylight and darkness, sometimes deadly serious, sometimes just humorous, this thrilling collection of tales reveals what it is really like to wear the blue badge of a Texas Game Warden.
It is not uncommon for wardens to find themselves in situations where they are enforcing the law on uncooperative subjects who are armed. They are alone with no other officers in sight for miles. And, at a hidden hunting camp on some secluded ranch at midnight, no one could find them even if backup was available. This is when training, skill, experience, and luck come in. The skills and knowledge they possess, the conditions that they sometimes work under, and the uniqueness of the state they serve makes Texas State Game Wardens an elite group of law enforcement officers. For a quarter century the author, Benny Richards, was proud to be one of those game wardens. These are his stories.
TALES OF A TEXAS GAME WARDEN is an opportunity for a reader to climb aboard and go on patrol with one of Texas' most experienced and well-known game wardens. In the woods and over the water, through daylight and darkness, sometimes deadly serious, sometimes just humorous, this thrilling collection of tales reveals what it is really like to wear the blue badge of a Texas Game Warden.
Friday, February 11, 2022
iPhone Conspiracy Case Prison Sentencing Handed Down #iPhone #NewYorkCity #Bronx
A Bronx woman was sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $200,000 worth of Apple iPhones.
Rosanna Lucrecia Cruel Blanco, 39, of Bronx, New York, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Clair C. Cecchi to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence by videoconference.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From December 2017 to January 2020, Blanco and her conspirators devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain replacement cellular phones from an insurance company – Company 1 – by assuming the identities of wireless customers and filing false claims under Company 1’s handset insurance program. The handsets were predominantly Apple iPhones with a value of approximately $700 to $1,000 per handset.
Blanco and her conspirators contacted Company 1, posed as legitimate customers, and submitted false claims to Company 1 for damage, theft, or loss on hundreds of handsets owned by the customers. Blanco and her conspirators provided Company 1 with false identification – typically a fake New York or New Jersey driver’s license falsified to reflect the name of the legitimate customer. They also provided Company 1 with new shipping contact names and addresses that were different from the actual customer names and addresses. The new shipping addresses included locations in the Bronx, Yonkers, White Plains, Manhattan, and various locations in New Jersey.
Based on the false claims and the fake identifications, Company 1 shipped the replacement cellular telephones via UPS or FedEx to the new contact names and addresses provided by Blanco and her conspirators. The shipped Apple iPhones were then picked up by Blanco and her conspirators. More than 100 replacement cellular telephones were shipped to Blanco and her conspirators and total losses exceeded $200,000.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Blanco to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution and forfeiture of $246,025.
Rosanna Lucrecia Cruel Blanco, 39, of Bronx, New York, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Clair C. Cecchi to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence by videoconference.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From December 2017 to January 2020, Blanco and her conspirators devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain replacement cellular phones from an insurance company – Company 1 – by assuming the identities of wireless customers and filing false claims under Company 1’s handset insurance program. The handsets were predominantly Apple iPhones with a value of approximately $700 to $1,000 per handset.
Blanco and her conspirators contacted Company 1, posed as legitimate customers, and submitted false claims to Company 1 for damage, theft, or loss on hundreds of handsets owned by the customers. Blanco and her conspirators provided Company 1 with false identification – typically a fake New York or New Jersey driver’s license falsified to reflect the name of the legitimate customer. They also provided Company 1 with new shipping contact names and addresses that were different from the actual customer names and addresses. The new shipping addresses included locations in the Bronx, Yonkers, White Plains, Manhattan, and various locations in New Jersey.
Based on the false claims and the fake identifications, Company 1 shipped the replacement cellular telephones via UPS or FedEx to the new contact names and addresses provided by Blanco and her conspirators. The shipped Apple iPhones were then picked up by Blanco and her conspirators. More than 100 replacement cellular telephones were shipped to Blanco and her conspirators and total losses exceeded $200,000.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Blanco to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution and forfeiture of $246,025.
Thursday, February 03, 2022
Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football #NFL
A shocking exposé of widespread corruption and mob influence throughout the National Football League—on the field
, in the owners’ boxes, and in the corporate suites
According to investigative journalist Dan E. Moldea, for decades the National Football League has had a strong and unspoken understanding with a dangerous institution: organized crime. In his classic exposé, Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football, Moldea bares the dark, sordid underbelly of America’s favorite professional team sport, revealing a nest of corruption that the league has largely ignored since its inception.
Based on intensive research and in-depth interviews with coaches, players, mobsters, bookies, gamblers, referees, and league officials—including some of the sport’s all-time greats—the author’s shocking allegations suggest that the betting line is firmly in the hands of the mob, who occasionally manipulate the on-field action for maximum profit. Interference chronicles a long-standing history of gambling, drugs, and extortion, of point-shaving and game-fixing, and reveals the eye-opening truth about numerous gridiron contests where the final results were determined even before the kickoff. Moldea exposes the mob connections of many of the team owners and their startling complicity in illegal gambling operations, while showing how NFL internal security has managed to quash nearly every investigation into illegality and corruption within the professional football world before it could get off the ground. Provocative, disturbing, and controversial, Interference is a must-read for football fans and detractors alike, offering indisputable proof that what’s really happening on the field, in the locker room, and behind the scenes is a whole different ball game.
, in the owners’ boxes, and in the corporate suites
According to investigative journalist Dan E. Moldea, for decades the National Football League has had a strong and unspoken understanding with a dangerous institution: organized crime. In his classic exposé, Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football, Moldea bares the dark, sordid underbelly of America’s favorite professional team sport, revealing a nest of corruption that the league has largely ignored since its inception.
Based on intensive research and in-depth interviews with coaches, players, mobsters, bookies, gamblers, referees, and league officials—including some of the sport’s all-time greats—the author’s shocking allegations suggest that the betting line is firmly in the hands of the mob, who occasionally manipulate the on-field action for maximum profit. Interference chronicles a long-standing history of gambling, drugs, and extortion, of point-shaving and game-fixing, and reveals the eye-opening truth about numerous gridiron contests where the final results were determined even before the kickoff. Moldea exposes the mob connections of many of the team owners and their startling complicity in illegal gambling operations, while showing how NFL internal security has managed to quash nearly every investigation into illegality and corruption within the professional football world before it could get off the ground. Provocative, disturbing, and controversial, Interference is a must-read for football fans and detractors alike, offering indisputable proof that what’s really happening on the field, in the locker room, and behind the scenes is a whole different ball game.
Friday, January 28, 2022
$10,000 Reward for Information Leading to the Arrest and Conviction of Fugitive Melchor Datu #Boston #WeHaveAFugitive
The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation-Human Trafficking Task Force is asking for the public’s assistance in locating longtime fugitive Melchor Datu, formerly of Lynn, Massachusetts, who is wanted for possession of child pornography and rape of a child with force.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to Datu’s capture and conviction.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Datu on December 18, 2012 by a United States Magistrate Judge in the District of Massachusetts charging him with possession of child pornography. Six years later, on June 23, 2017, an arrest warrant was issued by Lynn District Court charging him with rape of a child with force.
Datu is an Asian male with brown eyes and would now be 50 years old. At the time of the alleged crimes, he had black hair, weighed approximately 140 pounds, and was approximately 5’3” tall with a scar under one eye. His last known residence was on Estes Street in Lynn, Massachusetts where he was a handyman, skilled at performing a wide range of repairs and maintenance work.
Datu was born on January 27, 1971 in Butuan, the Province of Agusan del Norte in the Caraga region of the Philippines. He was adopted as an infant and immigrated to the United States with his parents in the 1980s. Datu speaks English and is also fluent in Tagalog. His aliases include: Melchor Juico Datu; Melchor Luico Datv; Javier Sanchez, Xavier Belcher, and Fred Datu.
Investigators have determined that Datu left Massachusetts on December 17, 2008. He traveled to New York and took a flight to Florida from which he then flew to Haiti. He was last known to be in the Dominican Republic in 2009. He also has family in New York and the Philippines.
An international publicity campaign will also be launched with targeted publicity in the countries to which Datu has been tied. The public can play an active role in helping law enforcement find Melchor Datu by sharing links to his wanted poster and official social media content.
“The crimes for which Melchor Datu stands accused are disturbing and sickening and have robbed children of their childhood. The FBI will never waver in its commitment to protect our society’s most vulnerable, and that’s why we’re offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his capture and conviction,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “We are asking anyone with information about Datu’s whereabouts to contact us. No amount of information is too small or irrelevant.”
The FBI is offering a monetary reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this individual. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should immediately call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), their local law enforcement agency, or their nearest American embassy or consulate. Tips can also be electronically submitted at tips.fbi.gov.
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| Melchur Datu |
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to Datu’s capture and conviction.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Datu on December 18, 2012 by a United States Magistrate Judge in the District of Massachusetts charging him with possession of child pornography. Six years later, on June 23, 2017, an arrest warrant was issued by Lynn District Court charging him with rape of a child with force.
Datu is an Asian male with brown eyes and would now be 50 years old. At the time of the alleged crimes, he had black hair, weighed approximately 140 pounds, and was approximately 5’3” tall with a scar under one eye. His last known residence was on Estes Street in Lynn, Massachusetts where he was a handyman, skilled at performing a wide range of repairs and maintenance work.
Datu was born on January 27, 1971 in Butuan, the Province of Agusan del Norte in the Caraga region of the Philippines. He was adopted as an infant and immigrated to the United States with his parents in the 1980s. Datu speaks English and is also fluent in Tagalog. His aliases include: Melchor Juico Datu; Melchor Luico Datv; Javier Sanchez, Xavier Belcher, and Fred Datu.
Investigators have determined that Datu left Massachusetts on December 17, 2008. He traveled to New York and took a flight to Florida from which he then flew to Haiti. He was last known to be in the Dominican Republic in 2009. He also has family in New York and the Philippines.
An international publicity campaign will also be launched with targeted publicity in the countries to which Datu has been tied. The public can play an active role in helping law enforcement find Melchor Datu by sharing links to his wanted poster and official social media content.
“The crimes for which Melchor Datu stands accused are disturbing and sickening and have robbed children of their childhood. The FBI will never waver in its commitment to protect our society’s most vulnerable, and that’s why we’re offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his capture and conviction,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “We are asking anyone with information about Datu’s whereabouts to contact us. No amount of information is too small or irrelevant.”
The FBI is offering a monetary reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this individual. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should immediately call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), their local law enforcement agency, or their nearest American embassy or consulate. Tips can also be electronically submitted at tips.fbi.gov.
Friday, January 21, 2022
Wrongful-Death Lawsuit Filed by Notorious Mob Whitey Bulger’s Estate Dismissed by Federal Judge #Boston
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the administrator of James (Whitey) Bulger’s estate, who had argued that prison officials placed the notorious Boston mob boss in harm’s way when they transferred him to a violent federal prison in West Virginia where he was beaten to death in 2018.
In dismissing the lawsuit brought by Mr. Bulger’s nephew, the judge, John Preston Bailey of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, ruled that Congress had given courts little power to intervene in prison housing decisions or to allow prisoners to sue prison officers for damages.
The federal Bureau of Prisons “must provide for the protection, safekeeping, and care of inmates, but this does not guarantee a risk-free environment,” Judge Bailey wrote in the decision, dated Jan. 12. “Decisions about how to safeguard prisoners are generally discretionary.”
In dismissing the lawsuit brought by Mr. Bulger’s nephew, the judge, John Preston Bailey of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, ruled that Congress had given courts little power to intervene in prison housing decisions or to allow prisoners to sue prison officers for damages.
The federal Bureau of Prisons “must provide for the protection, safekeeping, and care of inmates, but this does not guarantee a risk-free environment,” Judge Bailey wrote in the decision, dated Jan. 12. “Decisions about how to safeguard prisoners are generally discretionary.”
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| James "Whitey" Bulger |
Mr. Bulger, who terrorized South Boston for decades, had been serving two life terms for his role in 11 murders when he was killed on Oct. 30, 2018, less than 12 hours after he had been transferred to the Hazelton prison in Bruceton Mills, W.Va., from a prison in Florida.
Cameras caught video images of at least two inmates as they rolled Mr. Bulger, 89, who was in a wheelchair, into a corner, out of the cameras’ view, where he was pummeled with a padlock stuffed inside a sock, law enforcement officials said.
In 2018, a prison official identified one of the suspects as Fotios (Freddy) Geas, a Mafia hit man from West Springfield, Mass., who was serving a life sentence for the killing of a leader of the Genovese crime family. But more than three years later, no one has been charged in Mr. Bulger’s death. The investigation is “still active and ongoing,” according to Stacy Bishop, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the dismissal of the lawsuit. A bureau spokesman also declined to provide information about the investigation, citing the need to protect security as well as privacy concerns.
Henry Brennan, a lawyer for the estate, said he would immediately appeal the decision. “We have repeatedly been told nothing about the so-called ongoing investigation or the facts and circumstances that led to this death,” Mr. Brennan said in an interview. “The Bulger family and the public deserve to know the truth about how and why James Bulger’s death was permitted.”
Mr. Bulger, who was accused of playing a role in the killings of 19 people, had spent 16 years on the run until the authorities found him in 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif., with an arsenal of weapons and $822,000 in cash in the walls of his apartment.
Before being transferred to Hazelton, he had spent several years at Coleman II, a federal prison in Central Florida that was known for housing inmates in need of extra protection. In early 2018, Mr. Bulger had clashed with a medical worker at that prison and was placed in solitary confinement.
At about that time, Mr. Bulger, who had several heart attacks in prison, was expecting to be moved to a medical facility, according to a lawyer for his estate.
Instead, according to The Boston Globe, his medical classification was suddenly lowered by prison authorities, which would have indicated that his health had improved, and which might have made possible the transfer to Hazelton.
In October 2020, William M. Bulger Jr., who is Mr. Bulger’s nephew and the administrator of his estate, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, arguing that his uncle had been “subjected to a risk of certain death or serious bodily injury by the intentional or deliberately indifferent actions” of prison officials.
The lawsuit, which sought $200 million in damages, argued that Mr. Bulger’s “reputation as a mob turncoat and killer of women” had guaranteed that he would have “no shortage of enemies” in the prison system.
The lawsuit described the Hazelton prison as continually understaffed and volatile, with a history of violence, and said that prison officials had “openly admitted” that the prison had a “gang-run” yard. It said the prison was known colloquially as “Misery Mountain.”
The prison “was not an appropriate placement of James Bulger, Jr. and was, in fact, recognized as so inappropriate, the appearance is that he was deliberately sent to his death by” prison officials, the lawsuit said.
The suit infuriated relatives of Mr. Bulger’s victims, who said that it rekindled the pain they had been living with for decades.
Mr. Brennan said that although the lawsuit had sought $200 million in damages, there were numerous liens and judgments on the estate, meaning that any money recovered would have gone to pay outstanding judgments to the families of Mr. Bulger’s victims, and to the Department of Justice.
In his decision dismissing the suit, Judge Bailey said Congress had been “conspicuously vocal” about preventing courts from intervening in prison housing decisions and “conspicuously silent” about allowing prisoners to obtain damages from prison officers.
“Through its frequent legislation in the areas of prison housing and prisoner litigation, Congress had many opportunities to create a damages remedy for situations where a housing decision leads to injury,” Judge Bailey wrote. “But it did not do so. Instead, it has repeatedly limited judicial authority to review B.O.P. housing decisions and to entertain claims brought by prisoners.”
Thanks to Michael Levenson and Azi Paybarah.
Cameras caught video images of at least two inmates as they rolled Mr. Bulger, 89, who was in a wheelchair, into a corner, out of the cameras’ view, where he was pummeled with a padlock stuffed inside a sock, law enforcement officials said.
In 2018, a prison official identified one of the suspects as Fotios (Freddy) Geas, a Mafia hit man from West Springfield, Mass., who was serving a life sentence for the killing of a leader of the Genovese crime family. But more than three years later, no one has been charged in Mr. Bulger’s death. The investigation is “still active and ongoing,” according to Stacy Bishop, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the dismissal of the lawsuit. A bureau spokesman also declined to provide information about the investigation, citing the need to protect security as well as privacy concerns.
Henry Brennan, a lawyer for the estate, said he would immediately appeal the decision. “We have repeatedly been told nothing about the so-called ongoing investigation or the facts and circumstances that led to this death,” Mr. Brennan said in an interview. “The Bulger family and the public deserve to know the truth about how and why James Bulger’s death was permitted.”
Mr. Bulger, who was accused of playing a role in the killings of 19 people, had spent 16 years on the run until the authorities found him in 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif., with an arsenal of weapons and $822,000 in cash in the walls of his apartment.
Before being transferred to Hazelton, he had spent several years at Coleman II, a federal prison in Central Florida that was known for housing inmates in need of extra protection. In early 2018, Mr. Bulger had clashed with a medical worker at that prison and was placed in solitary confinement.
At about that time, Mr. Bulger, who had several heart attacks in prison, was expecting to be moved to a medical facility, according to a lawyer for his estate.
Instead, according to The Boston Globe, his medical classification was suddenly lowered by prison authorities, which would have indicated that his health had improved, and which might have made possible the transfer to Hazelton.
In October 2020, William M. Bulger Jr., who is Mr. Bulger’s nephew and the administrator of his estate, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, arguing that his uncle had been “subjected to a risk of certain death or serious bodily injury by the intentional or deliberately indifferent actions” of prison officials.
The lawsuit, which sought $200 million in damages, argued that Mr. Bulger’s “reputation as a mob turncoat and killer of women” had guaranteed that he would have “no shortage of enemies” in the prison system.
The lawsuit described the Hazelton prison as continually understaffed and volatile, with a history of violence, and said that prison officials had “openly admitted” that the prison had a “gang-run” yard. It said the prison was known colloquially as “Misery Mountain.”
The prison “was not an appropriate placement of James Bulger, Jr. and was, in fact, recognized as so inappropriate, the appearance is that he was deliberately sent to his death by” prison officials, the lawsuit said.
The suit infuriated relatives of Mr. Bulger’s victims, who said that it rekindled the pain they had been living with for decades.
Mr. Brennan said that although the lawsuit had sought $200 million in damages, there were numerous liens and judgments on the estate, meaning that any money recovered would have gone to pay outstanding judgments to the families of Mr. Bulger’s victims, and to the Department of Justice.
In his decision dismissing the suit, Judge Bailey said Congress had been “conspicuously vocal” about preventing courts from intervening in prison housing decisions and “conspicuously silent” about allowing prisoners to obtain damages from prison officers.
“Through its frequent legislation in the areas of prison housing and prisoner litigation, Congress had many opportunities to create a damages remedy for situations where a housing decision leads to injury,” Judge Bailey wrote. “But it did not do so. Instead, it has repeatedly limited judicial authority to review B.O.P. housing decisions and to entertain claims brought by prisoners.”
Thanks to Michael Levenson and Azi Paybarah.
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Melissa Goodwin, Former Executive Vice President Of T.J. Martell Foundation, @TJMartell, Charged With Embezzling Over $3.7 Million to Defraud National Cancer Research Organization #Nashville #Cancer #Corruption
A criminal Information filed charges Melissa Goodwin, 55, of Nashville, Tennessee, with wire fraud in relation to a fraudulent scheme in which she embezzled over $3.7 million from the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The T.J. Martell Foundation is the music industry’s leading foundation that funds innovative medical research focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer. The Foundation raises money for cancer research by soliciting in-kind donations from celebrities and then auctioning off those donations for a profit. Goodwin had been employed at the Foundation since 2005 and was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Foundation from 2018 until July 2020.
According to the charging document, between July 2018 and June 2020, Goodwin devised a scheme to defraud the T.J. Martell Foundation by purchasing approximately $3.96 million in tickets from online ticket vendors Ticketmaster, Stubhub, Primesport, and On-Location, using a Foundation credit card she had obtained in her own name. These tickets were not for a legitimate Foundation purpose and included tickets to musical concerts such as Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, and some were to sporting events, such as Super Bowl LIV.
Goodwin provided these tickets to an individual in New York City who owned and operated a charity auction business. This business conducted auctions for clients, offering consignment items such as event tickets and sports memorabilia to the clients for use in their auctions. As part of the scheme, Goodwin led this individual to believe that she had acquired the tickets at no cost or at a discounted rate. Goodwin also used the Foundation’s credit card to purchase other items that were not for legitimate Foundation purposes, such as expensive and rare alcohols, plane tickets, and hotel stays. She then used the Foundation’s bank accounts to pay the credit card charges.
In order to conceal the ticket purchases, Goodwin provided falsified credit card statements and false expense reports to the Foundation’s accounting firm. Goodwin falsified the credit card statements by altering them to conceal the ticket purchases, as well as other expenses. She often replaced the name of the actual vendor with the name of a different vendor so that the charges appeared to be legitimate Foundation expenses. In total, Goodwin concealed over $3 million in fraudulent credit card expenses.
The Foundation’s accounting firm prepared the Foundation’s periodic financial statements based on these falsified credit card statements and expense reports. The accounting firm then emailed those statements to Goodwin, whose job it was to provide them to the Foundation’s CEO.
However, before providing them to the CEO, Goodwin falsified those financial statements by inflating the Foundation’s assets and lowering its liabilities to make the Foundation appear to be more liquid than it was at the time. These falsifications prevented the Foundation from detecting Goodwin’s fraudulent transactions.
In addition to falsifying the credit card statements and financial statements, Goodwin forged the signature of the Foundation’s CEO on six checks totaling $966,275.78 that were not approved by the Foundation.
If convicted, Goodwin faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The government also seeks the forfeiture of at least $3,765,606.77, which represents the proceeds of the alleged crime.
The T.J. Martell Foundation is the music industry’s leading foundation that funds innovative medical research focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer. The Foundation raises money for cancer research by soliciting in-kind donations from celebrities and then auctioning off those donations for a profit. Goodwin had been employed at the Foundation since 2005 and was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Foundation from 2018 until July 2020.
According to the charging document, between July 2018 and June 2020, Goodwin devised a scheme to defraud the T.J. Martell Foundation by purchasing approximately $3.96 million in tickets from online ticket vendors Ticketmaster, Stubhub, Primesport, and On-Location, using a Foundation credit card she had obtained in her own name. These tickets were not for a legitimate Foundation purpose and included tickets to musical concerts such as Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, and some were to sporting events, such as Super Bowl LIV.
Goodwin provided these tickets to an individual in New York City who owned and operated a charity auction business. This business conducted auctions for clients, offering consignment items such as event tickets and sports memorabilia to the clients for use in their auctions. As part of the scheme, Goodwin led this individual to believe that she had acquired the tickets at no cost or at a discounted rate. Goodwin also used the Foundation’s credit card to purchase other items that were not for legitimate Foundation purposes, such as expensive and rare alcohols, plane tickets, and hotel stays. She then used the Foundation’s bank accounts to pay the credit card charges.
In order to conceal the ticket purchases, Goodwin provided falsified credit card statements and false expense reports to the Foundation’s accounting firm. Goodwin falsified the credit card statements by altering them to conceal the ticket purchases, as well as other expenses. She often replaced the name of the actual vendor with the name of a different vendor so that the charges appeared to be legitimate Foundation expenses. In total, Goodwin concealed over $3 million in fraudulent credit card expenses.
The Foundation’s accounting firm prepared the Foundation’s periodic financial statements based on these falsified credit card statements and expense reports. The accounting firm then emailed those statements to Goodwin, whose job it was to provide them to the Foundation’s CEO.
However, before providing them to the CEO, Goodwin falsified those financial statements by inflating the Foundation’s assets and lowering its liabilities to make the Foundation appear to be more liquid than it was at the time. These falsifications prevented the Foundation from detecting Goodwin’s fraudulent transactions.
In addition to falsifying the credit card statements and financial statements, Goodwin forged the signature of the Foundation’s CEO on six checks totaling $966,275.78 that were not approved by the Foundation.
If convicted, Goodwin faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The government also seeks the forfeiture of at least $3,765,606.77, which represents the proceeds of the alleged crime.
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Stewart Rhodes, Leader of the Oath Keepers, Charged With Seditious Conspiracy for Attack on U.S. Capital #OathKeepers #Sedition
Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group, has been arrested and charged with seditious conspiracy in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Ten other people also were charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, when authorities said members of the extremist group came to Washington intent on stopping the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
These are the first charges of seditious conspiracy that the Justice Department has brought in connection with the attack led by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Rhodes, 56, of Granbury, Texas, and Edward Vallejo, 63, of Phoenix, Arizona, were arrested on Thursday. The others who were charged were already facing criminal charges related to the attack. Rhodes is the highest-ranking member of an extremist group to be arrested in the deadly siege.
The arrest of Rhodes and the others is a serious escalation of the accusations against the thousands of rioters who stormed the Capitol. And the charges answer in part a growing chorus of Republicans who have publicly questioned the seriousness of the Jan. 6 insurrection, arguing that since no one had been charged yet with sedition or treason, it could not have been so violent.
Rhodes did not enter the Capitol building on Jan. 6 but is accused of helping put into motion the violence that disrupted the certification of the vote. The Oath Keepers case is the largest conspiracy case federal authorities have brought so far over Jan. 6, when rioters stormed past police barriers and smashed windows, injuring dozens of officers and sending lawmakers running.
The indictment against Rhodes alleges Oath Keepers formed two teams, or “stacks,” that entered the Capitol. The first “stack” split up inside the building to separately go after the House and Senate. The second “stack” confronted officers inside the Capitol Rotunda, the indictment said. Outside Washington, the indictment alleges, the Oath Keepers had stationed two “quick reaction forces” that had guns “in support of their plot to stop the lawful transfer of power.”
Jonathan Moseley, an attorney representing Rhodes, said his client was arrested Thursday in Texas. “He has been subject to a lot of suspicion to why he wasn’t indicted,” so far in the Jan. 6 riot, Moseley said. “I don’t know if this is in response to those discussions, but we do think it’s unfortunate. It’s an unusual situation.”
Ten other people also were charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, when authorities said members of the extremist group came to Washington intent on stopping the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
These are the first charges of seditious conspiracy that the Justice Department has brought in connection with the attack led by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Rhodes, 56, of Granbury, Texas, and Edward Vallejo, 63, of Phoenix, Arizona, were arrested on Thursday. The others who were charged were already facing criminal charges related to the attack. Rhodes is the highest-ranking member of an extremist group to be arrested in the deadly siege.
The arrest of Rhodes and the others is a serious escalation of the accusations against the thousands of rioters who stormed the Capitol. And the charges answer in part a growing chorus of Republicans who have publicly questioned the seriousness of the Jan. 6 insurrection, arguing that since no one had been charged yet with sedition or treason, it could not have been so violent.
Rhodes did not enter the Capitol building on Jan. 6 but is accused of helping put into motion the violence that disrupted the certification of the vote. The Oath Keepers case is the largest conspiracy case federal authorities have brought so far over Jan. 6, when rioters stormed past police barriers and smashed windows, injuring dozens of officers and sending lawmakers running.
The indictment against Rhodes alleges Oath Keepers formed two teams, or “stacks,” that entered the Capitol. The first “stack” split up inside the building to separately go after the House and Senate. The second “stack” confronted officers inside the Capitol Rotunda, the indictment said. Outside Washington, the indictment alleges, the Oath Keepers had stationed two “quick reaction forces” that had guns “in support of their plot to stop the lawful transfer of power.”
Jonathan Moseley, an attorney representing Rhodes, said his client was arrested Thursday in Texas. “He has been subject to a lot of suspicion to why he wasn’t indicted,” so far in the Jan. 6 riot, Moseley said. “I don’t know if this is in response to those discussions, but we do think it’s unfortunate. It’s an unusual situation.”
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer #BTKConfession
Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer.
In 1974
, Dennis Rader stalked and murdered a family of four in Wichita, Kansas. Since adolescence, he had read about serial killers and imagined becoming one. Soon after killing the family, he murdered a young woman and then another, until he had ten victims. He named himself “B.T.K.” (bind, torture, kill) and wrote notes that terrorized the city. He remained on the loose for thirty years. No one who knew him guessed his dark secret. He nearly got away with his crimes, but in 2004, he began to play risky games with the police. He made a mistake.
When he was arrested, Rader’s family, friends, and coworkers were shocked to discover that B.T.K. had been among them, going to work, raising his children, and acting normal. This case stands out both for the brutal treatment of victims and for the ordinary public face that Rader, a church council president, had shown to the outside world. Through jailhouse visits, telephone calls, and written correspondence, Katherine Ramsland worked with Rader himself to analyze the layers of his psyche. Using his drawings, letters, interviews, and Rader’s unique codes, she presents in meticulous detail the childhood roots and development of one man’s motivation to stalk, torture, and kill. She reveals aspects of the dark motivations of this most famous of living serial killers that have never before been revealed. In this book Katherine Ramsland presents an intelligent, original, and rare glimpse into the making of a serial killer and the potential darkness that lives next door.
In 1974
, Dennis Rader stalked and murdered a family of four in Wichita, Kansas. Since adolescence, he had read about serial killers and imagined becoming one. Soon after killing the family, he murdered a young woman and then another, until he had ten victims. He named himself “B.T.K.” (bind, torture, kill) and wrote notes that terrorized the city. He remained on the loose for thirty years. No one who knew him guessed his dark secret. He nearly got away with his crimes, but in 2004, he began to play risky games with the police. He made a mistake.
When he was arrested, Rader’s family, friends, and coworkers were shocked to discover that B.T.K. had been among them, going to work, raising his children, and acting normal. This case stands out both for the brutal treatment of victims and for the ordinary public face that Rader, a church council president, had shown to the outside world. Through jailhouse visits, telephone calls, and written correspondence, Katherine Ramsland worked with Rader himself to analyze the layers of his psyche. Using his drawings, letters, interviews, and Rader’s unique codes, she presents in meticulous detail the childhood roots and development of one man’s motivation to stalk, torture, and kill. She reveals aspects of the dark motivations of this most famous of living serial killers that have never before been revealed. In this book Katherine Ramsland presents an intelligent, original, and rare glimpse into the making of a serial killer and the potential darkness that lives next door.
Wednesday, January 05, 2022
Coming to #Hulu - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Chicago World's Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson @exlarson #Chicago
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death
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Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.
Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, draws the reader into the enchantment of the Guilded Age, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
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“Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramatic effect of a novel .... It doesn’t hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction.” —The New York Times
Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.
Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, draws the reader into the enchantment of the Guilded Age, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
Monday, January 03, 2022
Mobsters Louis Manna and Richard DeSciscio, Who Conspired to Kill John Gotti, Attempt to use Former President Donald Trump's First Step Act to Gain Release from Prison
A pair of mobsters who conspired to kill Gambino crime boss John Gotti are trying to get sprung — and their fates are inextricably tied to the Trump family.
Louis Manna, 92, and Richard DeSciscio, 79, have been behind bars since being sentenced to 80 and 75 years respectively in 1989 for racketeering and murder conspiracy. Manna had been the consigliere of the Genovese crime family.
The mobsters are now hoping the First Step Act, former President Trump’s landmark criminal justice reform bill, will be their ticket to securing a compassionate early release. The law allows for certain prisoners to be granted early release from federal penitentiaries in an effort to reduce the prison population.
In an ironic twist, both men were put away by presiding Federal Judge Maryanne Trump Barry — the former president’s older sister — who called the jury’s guilty verdict “courageous” and said the evidence “fairly shrieked of the defendants’ guilt.”
Lawyers for the elderly dons hope the justice system has softened since then.
“Former President Trump’s expansion of the First Step Act was one of his great actions toward criminal justice reform that not only recognizes the importance of a tough-on-crime stance, but also the importance of rehabilitation and reward for good behavior and positive change,” DeSciscio attorney Marco Laracca told The Post.
Laracca said his client was in ill health, citing a past bout with prostate cancer.
Manna’s attorney Jeremy Iandolo — who followed in the long tradition of mob lawyers by denying the existence of La Cosa Nostra — insisted his wheelchair-bound client was no threat to anyone and also deserved compassionate release.
“There is no [alleged] Italian American mobster who has been released under the First Step Act. And this case would set precedent,” Iandolo said. He angrily cited the case of Eddie Cox, 86, who was released earlier this year. Cox — a white man who improbably led the “Black Mafia” of Kansas City during the 1960s and 70s — was linked to 17 murders, the Kansas City Star reported.
So far, things haven’t gone their way. Last month Senior U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan again denied release to Manna stating, “His numerous crimes were extremely serious and heinous.”
Iandolo said he plans an appeal. DeSciscio’s case before the same judge is pending.
Louis Manna, 92, and Richard DeSciscio, 79, have been behind bars since being sentenced to 80 and 75 years respectively in 1989 for racketeering and murder conspiracy. Manna had been the consigliere of the Genovese crime family.
The mobsters are now hoping the First Step Act, former President Trump’s landmark criminal justice reform bill, will be their ticket to securing a compassionate early release. The law allows for certain prisoners to be granted early release from federal penitentiaries in an effort to reduce the prison population.
In an ironic twist, both men were put away by presiding Federal Judge Maryanne Trump Barry — the former president’s older sister — who called the jury’s guilty verdict “courageous” and said the evidence “fairly shrieked of the defendants’ guilt.”
Lawyers for the elderly dons hope the justice system has softened since then.
“Former President Trump’s expansion of the First Step Act was one of his great actions toward criminal justice reform that not only recognizes the importance of a tough-on-crime stance, but also the importance of rehabilitation and reward for good behavior and positive change,” DeSciscio attorney Marco Laracca told The Post.
Laracca said his client was in ill health, citing a past bout with prostate cancer.
Manna’s attorney Jeremy Iandolo — who followed in the long tradition of mob lawyers by denying the existence of La Cosa Nostra — insisted his wheelchair-bound client was no threat to anyone and also deserved compassionate release.
“There is no [alleged] Italian American mobster who has been released under the First Step Act. And this case would set precedent,” Iandolo said. He angrily cited the case of Eddie Cox, 86, who was released earlier this year. Cox — a white man who improbably led the “Black Mafia” of Kansas City during the 1960s and 70s — was linked to 17 murders, the Kansas City Star reported.
So far, things haven’t gone their way. Last month Senior U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan again denied release to Manna stating, “His numerous crimes were extremely serious and heinous.”
Iandolo said he plans an appeal. DeSciscio’s case before the same judge is pending.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Check out - What Next, Chicago?: Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son - by Matt Rosenberg @ChicagoSkooled #Chicago
In the fall of 2020
, amidst riots, looting, and an alarming uptick in senseless killings, journalist Matt Rosenberg returns to his native Chicago to see if the city can dig itself out of the hot mess it’s become after decades of liberal governance.
Our nation’s big cities are broken. Urban progressive government badly undermines those it claims to lift up. Matt Rosenberg lived in Chicago for thirty years, and came back to live there again amidst the turmoil of 2020. What Next, Chicago?: Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son, exposes the roots of Chicago’s violent crime, failing courts and schools, rotten finances, and ongoing Black exodus, and proposes a rescue plan for this emblematic American city.
, amidst riots, looting, and an alarming uptick in senseless killings, journalist Matt Rosenberg returns to his native Chicago to see if the city can dig itself out of the hot mess it’s become after decades of liberal governance.
Our nation’s big cities are broken. Urban progressive government badly undermines those it claims to lift up. Matt Rosenberg lived in Chicago for thirty years, and came back to live there again amidst the turmoil of 2020. What Next, Chicago?: Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son, exposes the roots of Chicago’s violent crime, failing courts and schools, rotten finances, and ongoing Black exodus, and proposes a rescue plan for this emblematic American city.
“What has happened to Chicago? That’s Matt Rosenberg’s question, and mine as well. His loving tribute to our hometown is a moving, sensitive, humane, and trenchant critical assessment. Read it and weep.” —Glenn C. Loury, Professor of the Social Sciences at Brown University, and author of One by One from the Inside Out : Essays and Reviews on Race and Responsibility in America.
“Matt Rosenberg writes about the Chicago Way in the Chicago Style of a Mike Royko…. It’s a coherent, honest, and balanced tour of the city’s perpetual corruption, unsafe streets, gawd-awful schools, ghost neighborhoods, financial legerdemain, and the false Unified Theory of Systemic Racism that cloaks it all. Yet, What Next, Chicago? is no helpless, hopeless wail, but a powerful and useful roadmap for a rebirth of a once-great city, based on the voices of Black families and others who don’t need academia to know what to do. Must reading for Chicago lovers.” —Dennis Byrne, former Chicago Sun-Times editorial board member.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Presidential Executive Order on Establishing the US Council on Transnational Organized Crime #OrganizedCrime
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. Purpose.
Sec. 3. Establishments.
Sec. 4. Report.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
Section 1. Purpose.
Transnational organized crime (TOC) poses a direct and escalating threat to public health, public safety, and national security. Transnational criminal organizations engage in a broad range of criminal activities, including drug and weapons trafficking, migrant smuggling, human trafficking, cybercrime, intellectual property theft, money laundering, wildlife and timber trafficking, illegal fishing, and illegal mining.
These networks continue to expand in size and influence in the United States and abroad. Transnational criminal organizations contribute directly to tens of thousands of drug-overdose deaths in the United States each year and adversely affect American communities and economic prosperity. They also threaten United States national security by degrading the security and stability of allied and partner nations, undermining the rule of law, fostering corruption, acting as proxies for hostile state activities, directly or indirectly funding insurgent and terrorist groups, depleting natural resources, harming human health and the environment, contributing to climate change through illegal deforestation and logging, and exploiting and endangering vulnerable populations. In some regions, transnational criminal organizations wield state-like capabilities, disregarding sovereign borders, compromising the integrity of democratic institutions and threatening the legitimacy of fragile governments, and securing their power through intimidation, corruption, and violence. For these reasons, it is in the national interest of the United States to counter TOC. Addressing TOC requires a coordinated Federal framework accompanied by a cohesive whole-of-government effort executed in collaboration with State, local, Tribal, territorial, and civil society partners in the United States and in close coordination with foreign partners, international and regional organizations, and international and local civil society groups abroad.
Sec 2. Policy.
Executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall take actions within their respective authorities, including, as appropriate, through the provision of technical and financial assistance, to enhance efforts to counter TOC. It is the policy of the United States to:
These networks continue to expand in size and influence in the United States and abroad. Transnational criminal organizations contribute directly to tens of thousands of drug-overdose deaths in the United States each year and adversely affect American communities and economic prosperity. They also threaten United States national security by degrading the security and stability of allied and partner nations, undermining the rule of law, fostering corruption, acting as proxies for hostile state activities, directly or indirectly funding insurgent and terrorist groups, depleting natural resources, harming human health and the environment, contributing to climate change through illegal deforestation and logging, and exploiting and endangering vulnerable populations. In some regions, transnational criminal organizations wield state-like capabilities, disregarding sovereign borders, compromising the integrity of democratic institutions and threatening the legitimacy of fragile governments, and securing their power through intimidation, corruption, and violence. For these reasons, it is in the national interest of the United States to counter TOC. Addressing TOC requires a coordinated Federal framework accompanied by a cohesive whole-of-government effort executed in collaboration with State, local, Tribal, territorial, and civil society partners in the United States and in close coordination with foreign partners, international and regional organizations, and international and local civil society groups abroad.
Sec 2. Policy.
Executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall take actions within their respective authorities, including, as appropriate, through the provision of technical and financial assistance, to enhance efforts to counter TOC. It is the policy of the United States to:
(a) employ authorized intelligence and operational capabilities in an integrated manner to target, disrupt, and degrade transnational criminal organizations that pose the greatest threat to national security;
(b) collaborate with private entities and international, multilateral, and bilateral organizations to combat TOC, while also strengthening cooperation with and advancing efforts to build capacity in partner nations to reduce transnational criminal activity;
(c) improve information sharing between law enforcement entities and the Intelligence Community to enhance strategic analysis of, and efforts to combat, transnational criminal organizations and their activities, while also preserving our ability to speedily bring TOC actors to justice;
(d) expand tools and capabilities to combat illicit finance, which underpins all TOC activities; and
(e) develop and deploy new technologies to identify and disrupt existing and newly emerging TOC threats.
Sec. 3. Establishments.
(a) There shall be established a United States Council on Transnational Organized Crime (USCTOC), which shall report to the President through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The USCTOC shall monitor the production and implementation of coordinated strategic plans for whole-of-government counter-TOC efforts in support of and in alignment with policy priorities established by the President through the National Security Council.
(i) The USCTOC shall replace the Threat Mitigation Working Group, previously directed to lead whole-of-government efforts on TOC under Executive Order 13773 of February 9, 2017 (Enforcing Federal Law With Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking). Accordingly, section 3 of Executive Order 13773 is hereby revoked.
(ii) The USCTOC shall consist of the following members or their designees:
(A) the Secretary of State;
(B) the Secretary of the Treasury;
(C) the Secretary of Defense;
(D) the Attorney General;
(E) the Secretary of Homeland Security; and
(F) the Director of National Intelligence.
(iii) The USCTOC may request other agencies to contribute to the USCTOC’s efforts as necessary, including by detail or assignment of personnel consistent with subsection (b)(v) of this section.
(iv) The USCTOC shall meet not later than 60 days from the date of this order and periodically thereafter.
(b) There shall be established a USCTOC Strategic Division (Division), an interagency working group housed at the Department of Justice, comprising personnel from agencies designated in subsection (a)(ii) of this section.
(i) The Division shall produce coordinated strategic plans for whole-of-government counter-TOC efforts in support of and in alignment with policy priorities established by the President through the National Security Council. These strategic plans shall be informed by intelligence assessments, be developed in coordination with agencies, and include recommendations for actions by agencies. The Division shall submit its completed strategic plans to the USCTOC.
(ii) The Division shall be chaired by a senior official from the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security. The Chairperson shall serve a 2 year term. The Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their designees, shall alternate every 2 years selecting the Chairperson.
(iii) The Division shall be established for administrative purposes within the Department of Justice, and the Department of Justice shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, provide administrative support and funding for the Division.
(iv) Agencies designated in subsection (a)(ii) of this section are hereby directed, consistent with their authorities, budget priorities, and mission constraints, and to the extent permitted by law and consistent with the need to protect intelligence and law enforcement sources, methods, operations, and investigations, to provide to the Division:
(A) details or assignments of personnel, who shall be qualified subject-matter experts and strategic planners, and who shall serve on full-time assignments of not less than 1 year;
(B) relevant information, research, intelligence, and analysis; and
(C) such other resources and assistance as the Division may request for the purpose of carrying out the responsibilities outlined in this section.
(v) To the extent permitted by law, agencies designated in subsection (a)(ii) of this section are encouraged to detail or assign their employees to the Division on a non-reimbursable basis.
(vi) The Division, within 120 days of the date of this order, shall submit to the USCTOC a report describing a process that the USCTOC can implement on an ongoing basis and as necessary to identify and prioritize the most significant TOC threats in alignment with policy priorities established by the President through the National Security Council.
Sec. 4. Report.
The Director of National Intelligence, within 120 days of the date of this order and annually thereafter, shall submit a report to the President through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs assessing the Intelligence Community’s posture with respect to TOC-related collection efforts, including recommendations on resource allocation and prioritization.
Sec. 5. Definitions.
Sec. 5. Definitions.
For the purposes of this order:
(a) the term “Intelligence Community” has the meaning ascribed to it under 50 U.S.C. 3003(4); and
(b) the term “transnational criminal organizations” refers to groups, networks, and associated individuals who operate transnationally for the purpose of obtaining power, influence, or monetary or commercial gain, wholly or in part by illegal means, while advancing their activities through a pattern of crime, corruption, or violence, and while protecting their illegal activities through a transnational organizational structure and the exploitation of public corruption or transnational logistics, financial, or communication mechanisms.
Sec. 6. General Provisions.
Sec. 6. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Monday, December 06, 2021
Chicago: An Illustrated Timeline
Located along a lazy, swampy slow-moving river
, in a sea of prairie grasses as far as the eye could see along its flat plain, Chicago unexpectedly arose as a thriving, prosperous city. Chicago’s story is one of meeting challenges over and over again. From its inauspicious location, the city developed as a trading location, a transportation hub for the emerging new United States of America, and a magnet for immigrants seeking jobs and a new lifestyle.
In its history, it rose from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire, spotlighted its own success at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and birthed and nurtured the American architectural phenomenon, the skyscraper. With vignettes and photography, Chicago: An Illustrated Timeline, follows the Chicago story from its trading post beginnings to its role as a possible American megacity. Using chronology as its structure, the timeline unveils events that are happily remembered, such as the two world’s fairs held in Chicago or the Cubs’ winning the World Series, and those that often are not talked about, such as the Race Riots of 1919 or the Influenza of 1918. Guided by historical figures from various areas of life, first settler Jean Baptiste DuSable, Mayor Richard J. Daley, or Muddy Waters the book covers all aspects of Chicago life, from art and architecture, to craft beer and restaurants to sports. It also tracks the history of architectural styles, the growth of the immigrant communities, and the development of Chicago-style politics.
Join author and Chicago tour guide Ellen Shubart on this detail-packed, visual journey through one of America’s most iconic cities.
, in a sea of prairie grasses as far as the eye could see along its flat plain, Chicago unexpectedly arose as a thriving, prosperous city. Chicago’s story is one of meeting challenges over and over again. From its inauspicious location, the city developed as a trading location, a transportation hub for the emerging new United States of America, and a magnet for immigrants seeking jobs and a new lifestyle.
In its history, it rose from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire, spotlighted its own success at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and birthed and nurtured the American architectural phenomenon, the skyscraper. With vignettes and photography, Chicago: An Illustrated Timeline, follows the Chicago story from its trading post beginnings to its role as a possible American megacity. Using chronology as its structure, the timeline unveils events that are happily remembered, such as the two world’s fairs held in Chicago or the Cubs’ winning the World Series, and those that often are not talked about, such as the Race Riots of 1919 or the Influenza of 1918. Guided by historical figures from various areas of life, first settler Jean Baptiste DuSable, Mayor Richard J. Daley, or Muddy Waters the book covers all aspects of Chicago life, from art and architecture, to craft beer and restaurants to sports. It also tracks the history of architectural styles, the growth of the immigrant communities, and the development of Chicago-style politics.
Join author and Chicago tour guide Ellen Shubart on this detail-packed, visual journey through one of America’s most iconic cities.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Labar Spann, A Leader of the 4 Corner Hustlers Gang, Convicted of Racketeering Conspiracy, Murder and Extortion for Drug Operation
A federal jury has convicted a leader of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang of participating in a criminal organization that committed murders and other acts of violence while brutally protecting a drug-dealing operation on the West and Southwest Sides of Chicago.
Labar Spann, 43, of Chicago, was found guilty on all four counts against him, including racketeering conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and extortion. The jury found that Spann committed four murders in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner as part of the racketeering conspiracy, including the murders of Maximillion McDaniel on July 25, 2000, George King on April 8, 2003, Willie Woods on April 17, 2003, and Rudy Rangel on June 4, 2003.
The conviction is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin set sentencing for March 9, 2022.
Authorities uncovered the racketeering activities of the Four Corner Hustlers through a lengthy investigation supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Chicago FBI’s Safe Street Task Force, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), and ATF’s Chicago Crime Gun Strike Force also supported the investigation.
The Four Corner Hustlers operated primarily in the Chicago neighborhoods of West Garfield Park and Humboldt Park on the West Side, and in the former LeClaire Courts public housing development on the Southwest Side. According to evidence presented at the nearly eight-week trial in federal court in Chicago, the gang dealt drugs and robbed rival dealers, while using violence and intimidation to prevent victims and witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. The gang engaged in numerous acts of violence, including multiple murders and armed robberies.
Spann was indicted in 2017 along with eight other members of the Four Corner Hustlers and two additional defendants. The other defendants pleaded guilty, and several have been sentenced to federal prison terms.
Labar Spann, 43, of Chicago, was found guilty on all four counts against him, including racketeering conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and extortion. The jury found that Spann committed four murders in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner as part of the racketeering conspiracy, including the murders of Maximillion McDaniel on July 25, 2000, George King on April 8, 2003, Willie Woods on April 17, 2003, and Rudy Rangel on June 4, 2003.
The conviction is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin set sentencing for March 9, 2022.
Authorities uncovered the racketeering activities of the Four Corner Hustlers through a lengthy investigation supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Chicago FBI’s Safe Street Task Force, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), and ATF’s Chicago Crime Gun Strike Force also supported the investigation.
The Four Corner Hustlers operated primarily in the Chicago neighborhoods of West Garfield Park and Humboldt Park on the West Side, and in the former LeClaire Courts public housing development on the Southwest Side. According to evidence presented at the nearly eight-week trial in federal court in Chicago, the gang dealt drugs and robbed rival dealers, while using violence and intimidation to prevent victims and witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. The gang engaged in numerous acts of violence, including multiple murders and armed robberies.
Spann was indicted in 2017 along with eight other members of the Four Corner Hustlers and two additional defendants. The other defendants pleaded guilty, and several have been sentenced to federal prison terms.
Friday, October 29, 2021
15 Member and Associates of the Sin City Deciples Charged with Racketeering Conspiracy and/or Drug Conspiracy
Fifteen members and associates of the Sin City Deciples have been charged in a Superseding Indictment with a racketeering conspiracy as well as a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. A sixteenth individual has been charged in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
According to the Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is a motorcycle organization in which its members and associates allegedly engage in acts of violence, extortion, trafficking in stolen property, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
The fifteen defendants charged with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances are: Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black,” 51, of Gary, Indiana; Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan,” 44, of Gary, Indiana; Kenneth Christopher McGhee a/k/a “Sonny” and “Angel,” 72, of Merrillville, Indiana; Michael Castro Rivera a/k/a “Puerto Rican Mike,” 64, of Gary, Indiana; Douglas Sherman Blowers a/k/a “Profit,” 41, of Lake Station, Indiana; Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo,” 42, of Hobart, Indiana; Roger Lee Ervin Burton a/k/a “Bo,” 52, of East Chicago, Indiana; James Ulrich Richardson a/k/a “Little Rick,” 52, of Crown Point, Indiana; Richard White a/k/a “Ignorant Bastard,” 54, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Brandon Romand Parks a/k/a “Baywatch,” 43, of Chicago, Illinois; Herman Troy Jefferson a/k/a “G-Rilla,” 49, of Jacksonville, Arkansas; David Lagrant Guy a/k/a “Fly Guy,” 51, of Merrillville, Indiana; Jessie Donald Willis a/k/a “Chip,” 57, of Portage, Indiana; Marvie D. Gardner a/k/a “Widowmaker,” 51, of Louisville, Kentucky; and Bernard Smith, a/k/a “Flirt” and “Preacher,” 59, of Gary, Indiana. Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo” is also charged with distribution of cocaine and possessing a firearm as a felon.
The Superseding Indictment also charges Gregory Patrick Weldon a/k/a “Sugar Bear,” 53, of Hobart, Indiana, in the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in addition to charging him with distribution of cocaine.
The initial Indictment alleged that Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black” and Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan” engaged in murder for hire and used a firearm during and in relation to murder in connection with the December 19, 2010 murder of Jocelyn Blair. Major and Gates remain charged with these crimes in the Superseding Indictment.
This Superseding Indictment was announced by Clifford D. Johnson, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
These charges are 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.
According to the Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is a motorcycle organization in which its members and associates allegedly engage in acts of violence, extortion, trafficking in stolen property, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
The fifteen defendants charged with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances are: Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black,” 51, of Gary, Indiana; Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan,” 44, of Gary, Indiana; Kenneth Christopher McGhee a/k/a “Sonny” and “Angel,” 72, of Merrillville, Indiana; Michael Castro Rivera a/k/a “Puerto Rican Mike,” 64, of Gary, Indiana; Douglas Sherman Blowers a/k/a “Profit,” 41, of Lake Station, Indiana; Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo,” 42, of Hobart, Indiana; Roger Lee Ervin Burton a/k/a “Bo,” 52, of East Chicago, Indiana; James Ulrich Richardson a/k/a “Little Rick,” 52, of Crown Point, Indiana; Richard White a/k/a “Ignorant Bastard,” 54, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Brandon Romand Parks a/k/a “Baywatch,” 43, of Chicago, Illinois; Herman Troy Jefferson a/k/a “G-Rilla,” 49, of Jacksonville, Arkansas; David Lagrant Guy a/k/a “Fly Guy,” 51, of Merrillville, Indiana; Jessie Donald Willis a/k/a “Chip,” 57, of Portage, Indiana; Marvie D. Gardner a/k/a “Widowmaker,” 51, of Louisville, Kentucky; and Bernard Smith, a/k/a “Flirt” and “Preacher,” 59, of Gary, Indiana. Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo” is also charged with distribution of cocaine and possessing a firearm as a felon.
The Superseding Indictment also charges Gregory Patrick Weldon a/k/a “Sugar Bear,” 53, of Hobart, Indiana, in the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in addition to charging him with distribution of cocaine.
The initial Indictment alleged that Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black” and Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan” engaged in murder for hire and used a firearm during and in relation to murder in connection with the December 19, 2010 murder of Jocelyn Blair. Major and Gates remain charged with these crimes in the Superseding Indictment.
This Superseding Indictment was announced by Clifford D. Johnson, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
These charges are 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.
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Cities With the Highest Increase in Homicide Rates During COVID
With the homicide rate having spiked by an average of 34% in 50 of the biggest U.S. cities between Q3 2019 and Q3 2021, WalletHub released its report on the Cities With the Highest Increase in Homicide Rates During COVID, along with accompanying videos and expert commentary.
In order to determine which cities have the biggest homicide problems, WalletHub compared 50 of the largest U.S. cities based on per capita homicides in Q3 2021 as well as per capita homicides in Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2020 and Q3 2019.
Cities with Highest Increase in Homicide Rates
1. Atlanta, GA2. Memphis, TN3. Chicago, IL4. New Orleans, LA5. Baltimore, MD6. Indianapolis, IN7. Washington, DC7. Detroit, MI9. Louisville, KY10. Columbus, OH
Note: Rankings are based on data available as of 12:30 p.m. ET on October 11, 2021.
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-homicide-rate/94070/
Friday, October 01, 2021
The Iconic Series Cops, Returns Tonight on Fox Nation #CopsNation #FoxNation #BackTheBlue
FOX Nation has greenlit the return of the iconic series COPS and will premiere season 33 on October 1st. 
The debut will include the first four episodes and each new installment of COPS thereafter will drop weekly on Friday nights. The deal also includes 15 episodes from season 32.
As part of the COPS launch, FOX Nation will offer all first responders, including police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics (EMS personnel), a one-year free subscription to the service beginning on Monday, September 13th.
FOX Nation said that COPS is one of the most iconic brands on television with an incredibly passionate fan base. We wanted to show our appreciation to all first responders by combining the launch with a free one-year subscription to give back in a small way to those who place their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.
FOX Nation also debuted a new slate of first responder-themed programming beginning September 13th in conjunction with the launch of COPS, including:
The debut will include the first four episodes and each new installment of COPS thereafter will drop weekly on Friday nights. The deal also includes 15 episodes from season 32.
As part of the COPS launch, FOX Nation will offer all first responders, including police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics (EMS personnel), a one-year free subscription to the service beginning on Monday, September 13th.
FOX Nation said that COPS is one of the most iconic brands on television with an incredibly passionate fan base. We wanted to show our appreciation to all first responders by combining the launch with a free one-year subscription to give back in a small way to those who place their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.
FOX Nation also debuted a new slate of first responder-themed programming beginning September 13th in conjunction with the launch of COPS, including:
- 911: On Scene — This ride-along show goes behind the scenes with firefighters, EMTs and paramedics from different agencies across the country as they embark on their dangerous jobs of saving lives.
- When Seconds Count — Anchored by FOX News Channel’s Harris Faulkner, this special will showcase dramatic footage of various rescues caught on tape, featuring the actual rescuers and the victims involved, telling the emotional stories behind each video.
- Protect and Serve — Hosted by FOX News Channel contributor and former homicide detective Ted Williams, this program will spotlight the good deeds and the truly heroic and impactful interactions that police officers often perform in the communities they serve.
- Answer The Call — Centered on the charity by the same name, this special will focus on children of fallen first responders as they recount stories of their loved ones who died in service and discuss how the charity has helped them following the tragedy of 9/11. Answer the Call was formed after 9/11 to support the families of the NYPD, NYFD, PAPD and EMS Personnel who were killed in the line of duty on 9/11.
Thursday, September 30, 2021
James Banks, Attorney & Banker, whose Father Represented Reputed Mobsters & Who's Bank was Affiliated with Operation Family Secrets Mafia Trial, Denied Video Gambling License
Chicago attorney and banker James J. Banks, who has served on the board of the Illinois Tollways system for decades overseeing the state agency, has been rejected his application for a video gambling license in the state. The Illinois Gaming Board said he does not meet the requirements for a lucrative state license.
In a letter written by the gaming board administrator Marcus D. Fruchter earlier this year, it was explained that the board conducted an investigation which included a review of the attorney’s business and social associations, and concluded that they would “adversely affect public confidence and trust in video gaming and would discredit or tend to discredit the Illinois gaming industry”, Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The gaming board then decided that granting Banks’ company the “terminal operator license” that he had applied for would “not serve the interests of the citizens of Illinois”. The letter does not give any details of the gaming board’s findings, or which associations they found troubling. The 58-year-old attorney is appealing the decision, and is expected to be considered at a closed-door hearing.
As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, a spokeswoman for Banks’ company said: “Since this matter is ongoing, our comments are limited and our attention is focused on the IGB administrative process. Mr. Banks is pleased that the IGB granted Gaming Productions’ request for a hearing and looks forward to further establishing that it is suitable and deserving of a license consistent with the IGB’s standards”.
“Mr. Banks is proud of his career to date as well as his personal and professional relationships, and strongly disputes that any of them disqualify him from holding a license”, she concluded.
Illinois law says an “applicant has the burden to demonstrate its qualifications and suitability for licensure to the satisfaction” of the gaming board, Fruchter explained in the letter. He also cited a law that bars anyone from getting a gaming license if they have “a background, including a criminal record, reputation, habits, social or business associations or prior activities that pose a threat to the public interests of the state or to the security and integrity of video gaming.”
Fruchter also noted that state law says the board may not grant any video gaming license until the board is satisfied that the applicant is someone who “does not present questionable business practices and financial arrangements incidental to the conduct of video gaming activities” and who does not associate with “persons of notorious or unsavory reputation or what have extensive police records.”
In 2006, Banks founded Belmont Bank & Trust on the Northwest Side. The bank’s board of directors’ early members included his father Samuel V.P. Banks, a criminal defense lawyer who represented reputed mob figures.
Other members of the bank board have included Fred B. Barbara, longtime friend of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, and former state Senator James A. DeLeo.
Four Belmont Bank board members’ names came up during the landmark 2007 Operation Family Secrets trial of Chicago Outfit bosses and others, though none of the four was charged.
A convicted burglar testified that he bribed police officers by passing money through Samuel Banks, who was not charged with any crime. A mobster’s widow also said that James Bank and DeLeo cheated her when she sold them a restaurant. And Nick Calabrese — a prolific mob hit man who, at the Family Secrets trial, became the first “made” member ever to testify against the Chicago Outfit — testified that Barbara participated in the bombing of an Elmwood Park restaurant in the early 1980s, though he was never charged.
DeLeo was indicted in 1989 by a federal grand jury in the Operation Greylord investigation that charged him with failing to pay taxes on bribes he said he took while a top aide to Cook County’s chief traffic court judge. The jury could not reach a verdict, and DeLeo ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor in a deal that let him hold onto his legislative seat.
Banks was first appointed to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in 1993 by then-Governor Jim Edgar. Governors George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, Quinn and Bruce Rauner all kept him on the board.
Since then, he has become one of Chicago’s most influential zoning lawyers. Banks and his wife Grace Sergio own a real estate company, Sergio & Banks. He also runs the Loop law firm that formerly was his late father’s firm. A fellow attorney at the firm is listed as the incorporating agent for Banks’ gaming company.
According to paperwork filed with the gaming board, Banks’ gaming company would “own various gaming terminals” and it would “place such terminals for use in those establishments which are permitted by the Illinois Video Gaming Act.” Such devices are legal for gambling in restaurants, bars and other establishments in many suburbs but not in the city of Chicago.
Thanks to Yogonet.
In a letter written by the gaming board administrator Marcus D. Fruchter earlier this year, it was explained that the board conducted an investigation which included a review of the attorney’s business and social associations, and concluded that they would “adversely affect public confidence and trust in video gaming and would discredit or tend to discredit the Illinois gaming industry”, Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The gaming board then decided that granting Banks’ company the “terminal operator license” that he had applied for would “not serve the interests of the citizens of Illinois”. The letter does not give any details of the gaming board’s findings, or which associations they found troubling. The 58-year-old attorney is appealing the decision, and is expected to be considered at a closed-door hearing.
As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, a spokeswoman for Banks’ company said: “Since this matter is ongoing, our comments are limited and our attention is focused on the IGB administrative process. Mr. Banks is pleased that the IGB granted Gaming Productions’ request for a hearing and looks forward to further establishing that it is suitable and deserving of a license consistent with the IGB’s standards”.
“Mr. Banks is proud of his career to date as well as his personal and professional relationships, and strongly disputes that any of them disqualify him from holding a license”, she concluded.
Illinois law says an “applicant has the burden to demonstrate its qualifications and suitability for licensure to the satisfaction” of the gaming board, Fruchter explained in the letter. He also cited a law that bars anyone from getting a gaming license if they have “a background, including a criminal record, reputation, habits, social or business associations or prior activities that pose a threat to the public interests of the state or to the security and integrity of video gaming.”
Fruchter also noted that state law says the board may not grant any video gaming license until the board is satisfied that the applicant is someone who “does not present questionable business practices and financial arrangements incidental to the conduct of video gaming activities” and who does not associate with “persons of notorious or unsavory reputation or what have extensive police records.”
In 2006, Banks founded Belmont Bank & Trust on the Northwest Side. The bank’s board of directors’ early members included his father Samuel V.P. Banks, a criminal defense lawyer who represented reputed mob figures.
Other members of the bank board have included Fred B. Barbara, longtime friend of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, and former state Senator James A. DeLeo.
Four Belmont Bank board members’ names came up during the landmark 2007 Operation Family Secrets trial of Chicago Outfit bosses and others, though none of the four was charged.
A convicted burglar testified that he bribed police officers by passing money through Samuel Banks, who was not charged with any crime. A mobster’s widow also said that James Bank and DeLeo cheated her when she sold them a restaurant. And Nick Calabrese — a prolific mob hit man who, at the Family Secrets trial, became the first “made” member ever to testify against the Chicago Outfit — testified that Barbara participated in the bombing of an Elmwood Park restaurant in the early 1980s, though he was never charged.
DeLeo was indicted in 1989 by a federal grand jury in the Operation Greylord investigation that charged him with failing to pay taxes on bribes he said he took while a top aide to Cook County’s chief traffic court judge. The jury could not reach a verdict, and DeLeo ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor in a deal that let him hold onto his legislative seat.
Banks was first appointed to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in 1993 by then-Governor Jim Edgar. Governors George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, Quinn and Bruce Rauner all kept him on the board.
Since then, he has become one of Chicago’s most influential zoning lawyers. Banks and his wife Grace Sergio own a real estate company, Sergio & Banks. He also runs the Loop law firm that formerly was his late father’s firm. A fellow attorney at the firm is listed as the incorporating agent for Banks’ gaming company.
According to paperwork filed with the gaming board, Banks’ gaming company would “own various gaming terminals” and it would “place such terminals for use in those establishments which are permitted by the Illinois Video Gaming Act.” Such devices are legal for gambling in restaurants, bars and other establishments in many suburbs but not in the city of Chicago.
Thanks to Yogonet.
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