Crime

The New York Post reports: The MTA wants to redesign subway turnstiles and emergency exit gates — the “superhighway” for deadbeats — to crack down on fare evasion, CEO Janno Lieber said Monday. “The exit gate — which is nominally supposed to be for fire, exiting purposes, to comply with the fire code — has become the superhighway for fare …

From the Justice Department: A New York man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. Rafael Rondon, …

Just in via press release: Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) released the following statement after receiving a bomb threat targeting his home and office: “Early this morning, I was informed by the San Francisco Standard and the police that someone had issued a bomb threat against me, listing my specific home address and also threatening to shoot up my Capitol …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: The former pastor of a church in Chester issued a tearful apology to his wife, his family and his former congregants Tuesday as he was sentenced to six years’ probation for having a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Edward Lilly, 72, said he was “deeply, profoundly sorry” during the brief hearing before Delaware County Court …

The Daily Beast reports: Samuel Bateman, a self-proclaimed “prophet” of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, had 20 wives, many of whom were under the age of 15, according to an FBI investigation. Bateman drank wine and had sex with a male follower, Moroni Johnson, in a motel room in Lincoln, Nebraska, in front of his underage …

CNN reports: The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol has decided to make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice, the panel’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, told reporters Tuesday. Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said the committee has not narrowed down the universe of individuals who may be referred. Asked whether Thompson believed any …

Durham’s ABC affiliate reports: It will be another day of waking up in total darkness for people in Moore County. Residents there are dealing with a third day of impacts from an attack on the power grid. More than 35,000 customers still don’t have power, according to Duke Energy. This after two substations were shot at over the weekend causing …

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports: Denver prosecutors want to know if there are any more victims of a Morrison contractor and youth pastor who is accused of bilking an elderly couple out of $250,000, according to a news release. Investigators allege Tilo Lopez, 35, funneled money paid for the couple’s retirement home on everything from fancy hotel stays and Las …

The Associated Press reports: The man who shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stole her French bulldogs in 2021 took a plea deal and was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Monday, officials said. The Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence, authorities have said. The motive was the value of the French bulldogs and detectives do not believe the …

The Guardian reports: Hillsong church founder Pastor Brian Houston allegedly told a man who had been repeatedly raped as a child by Houston’s father “you know this is all your fault, you tempted my father,” Sydney’s Downing Centre local court heard on Monday. The man who was sexually assaulted by Pastor Frank Houston as a child said he was pressured …

Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports: According to the Brevard County Sheriff, 23-year-old deputy Austin Walsh was killed Saturday by his own roommate, who is also a fellow deputy, in an accidental shooting. In a video on Facebook, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Walsh and his roommate, Deputy Andrew Lawson were at a home in Palm Bay early Saturday morning. “He …

NBC News reports: Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including Small Business Administration loans and unemployment insurance funds in over a dozen states, according to the Secret Service. The theft of taxpayer funds by the Chengdu-based hacking group known as APT41 is the first instance of pandemic fraud tied to …

CNN reports: With no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” attacks on substations that left around 40,000 customers in the dark Saturday night, prompting a curfew and emergency declaration. The mass outage in Moore County turned into a criminal …

Tampa’s Fox affiliate reports: A preacher from the Florida panhandle is facing federal charges after being arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations following an investigation involving child sexual abuse. According to the Department of Justice, Jason Moore, 42, a preacher from Milton, Florida, was arrested on Friday in Santa Rosa County for illicit sexual …

Durham’s ABC affiliate reports: Acts of intentional vandalism caused ten of thousands of people in Moore County to sleep Saturday night without power. Moore County Sheriff’s Office said the outages began just after 7 p.m. because of damaged caused at multiple substations in the county. Sheriff Ronnie Fields said the mass outage is currently believed to have been caused by …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: After getting forced off an airplane for asking passengers who appeared to her to be Latino whether they were drug mules, a niece of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie bit, kicked and spit on Jefferson Parish sheriff’s deputies trying to detain her. Shannon Epstein, 25, boarded the Spirit Airlines flight to New Jersey on …

The Hill reports: A Jan. 6 rioter attempted to sell his footage of the insurrection to the documentary filmmaker daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the Justice Department said in a court filing. Ronald Sandlin, 35, participated in an interview with Alexandra Pelosi, the Speaker’s daughter, from jail and spoke about providing his footage of the attack. Sandlin, who …

NPR reports: Survivors of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, filed a $27 billion class-action lawsuit against the city, the school district, multiple law enforcement agencies and individual officers present that day, court documents show. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Austin, lists the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s police department, the Uvalde Police Department, …

Kalamazoo’s CBS affiliate reports: The former director of the Lansing Catholic Diocese’s St. Francis Retreat Center has been arrested for allegedly embezzling $830,000 from three fellow priests, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. Father David Rosenberg, 70, of Dewitt, was arraigned in the 65-A District Court in Clinton County on the following charges: “It is alleged that between January 2018 …

Law & Crime reports: A Mississippi man pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime after burning a cross in his front yard to intimidate his Black neighbors. Axel Charles Cox faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, or both. Nearly two years ago on Dec. 3, 2020, Cox made threatening and racially derogatory remarks toward …