Crime

The Associated Press reports: A Virginia man has been charged with felony burglary after being pardoned for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot, which included smashing the door panel that rioter Ashli Babbitt tried to breach before police shot her. Zachary Jordan Alam, 33, of Centreville, was arrested May 9 in a neighborhood outside of Richmond, Henrico County police …

From the Justice Department: A former youth pastor was sentenced today for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Possession of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Chaz Chinsethagid, 34, of Jenks, to serve 168 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Chinsethagid will also be required …

ABC News reports: One person was killed and at least four other people were injured after a vehicle exploded outside of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday morning, in what the FBI called an “intentional act of terrorism.” The blast shattered windows and rained debris for blocks. “Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism,” …

The BBC reports: “Melania” appeared on the banks of the River Sava in July 2020, four months before her human inspiration left the White House. Now, four months after the erstwhile Melanija Knavs resumed residence at Washington’s most famous address, her larger-than-life-size avatar has apparently made an undignified exit from her Slovenian hometown, Sevnica. All that remains of the massive …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: A jury of six men and six women found former House Speaker Glen Casada guilty for his involvement in what was a trial on public corruption charges against him. He was found guilty on 17 of 19 counts. The jury found his aide Cade Cothren guilty on all charges for his stake in the trial. Former …

The Independent reports: Glen Rogers, a convicted Florida murderer and suspected serial killer known as the “Casanova Killer,” used his last words Thursday to share his support for President Donald Trump. “President Trump, keep making America great. I’m ready to go,” Rogers, 62, said just before receiving a lethal injection at the Florida State Prison. Rogers, who was once linked …

The Associated Press reports: The man convicted of stabbing Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, was sentenced Friday to serve 25 years in prison. A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. Rushdie did not return to court to the western New …

The Santa Barbara Independent reports: Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Goleta man for several alleged felony child sex crimes on Friday, May 9. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is now “reaching out to the public to identify additional survivors and provide safety information for parents monitoring children’s social media,” it said in a statement on Monday. Detectives identified Shaun Donald …

Ars Technica reports: Alex Mashinsky, the disgraced founder of the Celsius Network cryptocurrency bank who deceived hundreds of thousands into losing billions with the catchy slogan “unbank yourself”—was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday. In December, Mashinsky pleaded guilty to securities fraud and commodities fraud. Federal prosecutors slammed him for reaping $48 million in profits while causing billions …

404 Media reports: An AI avatar made to look and sound like the likeness of a man who was killed in a road rage incident addressed the court and the man who killed him: “To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances,” the AI avatar of Christopher …

The Guardian reports: A South Carolina firing squad botched the execution of Mikal Mahdi last month, with shooters missing the target area on the man’s heart, causing him to suffer a prolonged death, according to autopsy records and his attorneys. As shots were fired, Mahdi cried out and his arms flexed, and after roughly 45 seconds, he groaned twice, the …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: A Sanford pastor had been arrested following allegations of inappropriate conduct, and sexually touching and assaulting two underage females. Yersson David Solarte Basto, 34, is charged with sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation. On April 10. police received a report of an inappropriate relationship between Solarte and two juvenile victims. According to a news release, …

The Star Observer reports: Victoria Police confirmed that 35 individuals—mostly males aged 13 to 20—have now been arrested in the past eight months. Police allege that the perpetrators used fake profiles on dating apps to lure men to locations where they were then assaulted, robbed, and subjected to homophobic abuse. In some cases, the attacks were filmed and shared online. …

The Baptist Press reports: A mental health counselor for two counseling services in Metro East St. Louis has been charged with five counts related to sexual exploitation of a minor. Matthew S. Cuppett of Collinsville was charged May 5. One count of grooming and two counts of exploitation of a minor under age 17 are felony charges. The alleged victim …

Goldsboro, North Carolina’s CBS affiliate reports: A children’s ministry pastor at a Raleigh church was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material in Wake Forest, police said. According to the Wake Forest Police Department, detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant at a home on Thornrose Way. The …

Bloomberg News reports: The Trump administration is “decommissioning” a Department of Justice unit that has long been at the center of dismantling transnational organized crime networks, drug cartels and human trafficking rings. Leaders of the unit, called the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, or OCDETF, were told they had until Sept. 30 to shut down operations, people familiar with …

ABC News reports: Jury selection starts Monday in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, beginning the first courtroom test of whether one of hip-hop’s most important figures used power and wealth amassed in the music, clothing and spirits industries to sexually abuse, coerce and exploit alleged victims for decades. Combs, who once proclaimed himself “Bad Boy for Life,” …

USA Today reports: An Illinois landlord convicted of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in a hate-fueled attack days after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in 2023 will spend 53 years in prison, according to local reports. Joseph Czuba, 73, received the sentence on May 2 for the murder of kindergartener Wadee Alfayoumi and wounding his mother, Hanaan Shaheen. …

The Delco Times reports: The mysterious “Delco Pooper” was identified and charged Thursday with indecent exposure and related offenses. She is accused of defecating on a car hood during a dispute with another driver this week in Prospect Park. Christina Marie Solometo, 44, of the 700 block of East Chester Pike in Ridley Park, is also charged with disorderly conduct, …

NBC News reports: British comedian and actor Russell Brand was granted bail after appearing in a London court Friday on charges of rape and multiple counts of sex assault. Brand, who was charged last month, has always denied having non-consensual sex since the allegations about him were first aired two years ago. Brand’s appearance Friday came ahead of the first …