Crime

The Washington Post reports: When the Louisville Courier-Journal revealed earlier this month that former Kentucky governor Matt Bevin (R) had pardoned a slew of violent criminals during his final weeks in office, he cited his belief in second chances. But on Thursday, Bevin offered a different explanation for one particularly controversial pardon: He said he didn’t believe that a 9-year-old …

The Des Moines Register reports: An Ames man was sentenced Wednesday to about 16 years in prison after he set fire to a church LGBTQ flag in June. Adolfo Martinez, 30, of Ames, last month was found guilty of a hate crime — a class “D” felony — third-degree harassment and reckless use of fire. Police said he stole a …

The DCist reports: A man pleaded guilty to setting a fire at Comet Ping Pong in January, in another attack on the Northwest pizzeria that appeared to be linked to debunked conspiracy theories. Under the plea deal, Ryan Jaselskis would go to prison for four years. A video posted to the YouTube account of Jaselski’s parents about an hour before …

USA Today reports: A prominent Kentucky banker who is one of the state’s largest Republican donors urged former Gov. Matt Bevin to pardon convicted killer Patrick Baker months before the outgoing governor issued a controversial last-minute order freeing the man. Terry Forcht, founder of Corbin-based Forcht Bank, has given more than $1 million to Republican candidates, committees and super PACs …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis has abolished the “pontifical secret” used in clergy sexual abuse cases, after mounting criticism that the high degree of confidentiality has been used to protect pedophiles, silence victims and keep law enforcement from investigating crimes. In a new document, Francis decreed that information in abuse cases must be protected by church leaders to ensure …

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports: In twenty tweets Friday evening, the Republican ex-governor defended his decision to issue pardons that ranged from a man convicted of beheading a woman and stuffing her in a barrel, to a man convicted of hiring a hit man to kill his business partner, to a man convicted of raping a 9-year-old. On Friday, Senate President …

Austin’s CBS News affiliate reports: Two men from Dallas pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes on Thursday for their connection to a scheme to target gay men for violent crimes. Daryl Henry, 24, and Pablo Deleon, 19, both used the dating app Grindr to lure gay men to a vacant apartment and other areas in and around Dallas for robbery, …

The BBC reports: Three teenagers who used fake Grindr profiles to carry out robberies and homophobic assaults have been jailed. Muhammad Umar, Mohammed Sohail Khan and Qaasim Ahmad, all 18, used the gay dating app to lure four men on false dates. One of the victims was spat on while another was tied up, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. …

The Washington Post reports:  Matt Bevin is no longer the governor of Kentucky, but his decisions continued to send shock waves through the state’s legal system this week after he issued pardons for hundreds of people, some of whom committed violent offenses. Bevin issued 428 pardons since his defeat to Democrat Andy Beshear in a close election in November. His …

ABC News reports: The Department of Justice announced charges Thursday against 10 former NFL players over an alleged scheme to defraud millions of dollars from the league’s health care benefits program. Prosecutors allege that the players submitted false and fraudulent claims for high-cost medical equipment to the league’s Gene Upshaw Health Reimbursement Account Plan for retired players between June of …

The New York Times reports: The Black Hebrew Israelites are often known for their inflammatory sidewalk ministers who employ provocation as a form of gospel, preaching a theology that says the chosen ones are black, Native American and Hispanic people. Now, one of the two suspects in Tuesday’s attack on a kosher market in Jersey City that ended with six …

The New York Times reports: A suspect involved in a prolonged firefight in Jersey City, N.J., that left six people dead, including one police officer, had published anti-Semitic and anti-police posts online and investigators believe the attack was motivated by those sentiments, a law enforcement official familiar with the case said on Wednesday. The Jersey City mayor said surveillance footage …

The Christian Post reports: A federal grand jury has indicted Robert L. Dear, charging him with committing a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in 2015 that resulted in three deaths, including a police officer. The grand jury indicted Dear on 68 counts, including 65 counts of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and 3 counts …

The Daily Beast reports: A perennial Republican House candidate whose doomed bids against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) have become a cause celebre on the right was arrested Saturday on three felony charges. Businessman Omar Navarro has leveraged his frequent campaigns against Waters to become a prominent voice on the far-right, earning more than $1 million in campaign contributions and the …

San Diego’s ABC News affiliate reports: Days after pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds, Congressman Duncan Hunter has announced he will resign from Congress. Hunter, who represented the 50th District, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of conspiracy to misuse campaign funds for personal use. Though after the plea, it wasn’t clear if the embattled Congressman would resign. “Shortly …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Friday said he spoke with King Salman of Saudi Arabia after U.S. officials said that a Saudi national was suspected of opening fire at a naval air station in Pensacola, Fla., killing three people and injuring several others. “The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the …

Truly a real life crime drama for our times: Four days after pulling off the most high-profile mob killing in decades, Anthony Comello sat down with New York Police Department detectives and told them that the C.I.A. had infiltrated the Mafia. And, he added, the government was spying on him. He had put his phone in a copper bag to …

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports: In an interview with the Union-Tribune editorial board, former Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican insider who once chaired the powerful House oversight committee, talked seriously about presidential clemency should Hunter be sentenced to prison on March 17. “It’s not my decision. It’s the president’s decision,” Issa said when asked about a pardon. “But I would …

Roll Call reports: The House Ethics Committee notified Rep. Duncan Hunter that his recent guilty plea means he should no longer cast votes in the House. The instruction is not mandatory, but the panel threatened action against him if he continues to vote. Hunter last voted on Wednesday, in favor of a measure to crack down on robocalls. He did …

Politico reports: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is showing no signs of stepping down from office despite his guilty plea Tuesday on a felony campaign finance charge in federal court. When asked Wednesday about whether and when he intended to resign, Hunter blew off the question. “Good talk,” Hunter told a POLITICO reporter. Former Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), who pleaded guilty …