Crime

From the Justice Department: A United States District Court Judge sentenced a Utah County man Monday, who posed as a fake doctor, to three years’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release after he scammed consumers looking to heal a variety of ailments, including Coronavirus. In March, on the second day of trial, Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 64, of Cedar Hills, …

USA Today reports: A Texas woman was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for her role in a Ponzi scheme, in which she helped a Christian radio host bilk elderly listeners out of millions of dollars, prosecutors said. A jury found Debra Mae Carter, 65, guilty on July 8 of money laundering following a two-week trial, according to the Tarrant …

From the Justice Department: Sean Patrick Cirillo has pleaded guilty to transmitting interstate threats to injure U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. “Threatening to kill a public official is reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office will not tolerate any form of violence, threats or intimidation against public officials. The prosecution of individuals who threaten the lives and welfare …

CBS News reports: Ronnie Goines, 51, turned himself in after the Arlington Police Department issued two warrants for his arrest – indecent assault and sexual assault. Goines is the lead pastor at Koinonia Christian Church in Arlington, according to the church’s website. According to Arlington police, a woman “made an outcry” in June that was reported to the department. After …

The BBC reports: Two children have died and eleven have been injured in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop. Merseyside Police confirmed the deaths of two children following a stabbing at a property on Hart Street in Southport at 11:47 BST. Six of the nine injured children are in a “critical condition” in hospital after suffering stab …

Courthouse News reports: Jury selection starts today in Tina Peters’ trial. The former elections officer faces three felony counts of attempting to influence a public servant, four felony counts related to impersonation and identity theft and three misdemeanor counts for official misconduct. Prosecutors say that in May 2021, Peters instructed her deputy clerk to turn off security cameras. She then …

CNN reports: Donald Trump has agreed to sit for a victim interview with the FBI, which is investigating this month’s attempted assassination, an agency official said Monday. Victim interviews are a routine part of criminal investigations, but are voluntary. Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, told reporters on a conference call Monday that …

From the Justice Department: An Alabama man pleaded guilty today to sending threatening messages to election workers with Maricopa County Elections in Phoenix. “The functioning of our democracy requires that our country’s public servants be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Brian Ogstad repeatedly threatened to kill Maricopa County election …

NBC News reports: A Nebraska teenager has been charged with two felony counts of criminal mischief after he was accused of causing a train to derail, recording the crash and posting the video on YouTube, according to court records. Prosecutors have filed a motion to have the case transferred to adult court. An investigator with BNSF Railway said in court …

The Associated Press reports: France’s high-speed rail network was hit Friday with widespread and “criminal” acts of vandalism including arson attacks, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe only hours before the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics. Outgoing French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that sabotage and arson that hit key parts of France’s …

Birmingham’s ABC affiliate reports: A youth minister was in court for sex crimes Wednesday. Terry Murphree is charged with nearly 20 counts of sex crimes including rape and clergy having sex with a child and human trafficking. Not only is Murphree accused of raping a 13-year-old child, Blount County Investigators also say he sexually assaulted four more underage girls and …

ABC News reports: A Northern California wildland fire that exploded overnight into the state’s largest blaze this wildfire season, destroying structures and prompting thousands of evacuations, was allegedly started by a man who pushed a burning car into a gully, authorities said Thursday. The 48-year-old arson suspect linked to starting the Park Fire in Butte County near the city of …

ABC News reports: A Nevada man has been arrested after he threatened several government officials, including the New York judge who oversaw former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial and the prosecutor who brought the case, according to an indictment unsealed in Las Vegas. Spencer Christjencody Gear, 32, allegedly made phone calls and sent emails to eight federal officials …

From the Justice Department: An Ohio man was sentenced today for threatening to destroy a reproductive health services facility in Columbus, Ohio, and for conspiring to commit money laundering. Mohamed Waes, 33, was sentenced to 66 months in prison, three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $273,982.08 in restitution. “This defendant threatened to burn down a reproductive …

Law & Crime reports: A civilian U.S. Army employee dubbed the “Gucci Goddess” who stole over $108 million from a grant program for military families and lived lavishly buying fancy homes, scores of vehicles and boxes of jewelry will spend 15 years in prison. Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, was sentenced on Tuesday to 180 months after she pleaded guilty in …

The Associated Press reports: FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers on Wednesday that a laptop tied to the Trump rally gunman included a Google search of “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” That is a reference to Lee Harvey Oswald, the shooter who killed President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. The Google search, apparently by …

From the Justice Department: A South Carolina man was sentenced to prison today after he previously pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. 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 …

Bloomberg News reports: Meta Platforms Inc. removed 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria linked to scammers who were using its social media services to blackmail targets after soliciting intimate photos, the company said Wednesday. Meta, which also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, added that it had deleted thousands of additional Facebook accounts, pages and groups that were sharing scripts on how to …

The Associated Press reports: A Wisconsin man fled to Ireland and sought asylum to avoid a prison sentence for joining a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago, federal authorities allege in a court filing Tuesday. The filing charges Paul Kovacik with defying a court order to surrender and serve three months behind bars for participating in …

The Roys Report reports: A convicted felon-turned-pastor in central Florida is accused of supplying a teenage girl with an alcohol-infused slurpee and marijuana-laced gummy, while he repeatedly sexually assaulted her. William Martinez is charged in Hernando County Court with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior of a victim over 12 and less than 16, and two counts of sexual …