Crime

The Daily Mail reports: Pawel ‘Paul’ Bielecki, 48, of New York City, was charged with wire and mail fraud by the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for allegedly ‘defrauding victims by falsely representing that he was a medical doctor who runs medical clinics in Beirut, Lebanon,’ the complaint read. He allegedly transferred more than $600,000 …

Reuters reports: Former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon must face trial in New York on criminal-fraud charges over a push to fund the former U.S. president’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a judge ruled on Friday. Justice April Newbauer’s decision to deny Bannon’s motion to dismiss the charges paves the way for a trial set to start on Dec. …

USA Today reports: A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been charged after being accused of ordering women to show him their breasts during the admissions process to enter the country. Shane Millan, 53, willfully deprived four different women of their constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches, the prosecutors said. During virtual processing concerning their admission into the U.S., …

Washington DC’s CBS affiliate reports: A Marine Corps veteran who self-published a book about the Capitol riot was arrested Thursday for allegedly joining the mob effort to knock down police barricades on Jan. 6. Nathan A. Thornsberry, of North Branch, Michigan, is charged with two felony counts of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding police and the four standard …

From the Justice Department: United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz today announced that a Memphis-area man has been charged with making threats against President Joseph R. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama. On July 27, 2024, Kyl Alton Hall, 37, made numerous posts on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). Specifically, in the …

NBC News reports: A live-streamer who was a frequent presence at the “Freedom Corner” protests in support of Jan. 6 defendants has been arrested on Capitol attack charges, nearly two years after he was publicly identified by online “sedition hunters” who have aided in hundreds of Jan. 6 arrests. David Valentine, known to online sleuths as #YellowSizzler, was arrested in …

Law & Crime reports: Just weeks after he agreed to a bench trial before a federal judge in Washington, D.C., accused Jan. 6 rioter Trevor Brown of Novi, Michigan, has said he might invoke an insanity defense. Prosecutors say that on Jan. 6, 2021, Brown was at the front of a crowd of rioters trying to force their way inside …

From the Justice Department: Michael Mandel Baldwin, 55, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on charges of wire fraud and securities fraud, for orchestrating an $800,000 investment scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. According to trial evidence, witness testimony, and …

The Associated Press reports: Masked police officers in Romania have carried out fresh raids at the home of divisive internet influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT said it was searching four homes in the counties of Bucharest and nearby …

CNN reports: One of Donald Trump’s attorneys was targeted in a hacking attempt, three sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, marking a potentially serious new development as American intelligence agencies confirmed Monday that they have concluded Iran is behind a recent hack into the former president’s 2024 campaign. One source told CNN that Lindsey Halligan was targeted as part …

Oklahoma City’s Fox affiliate reports: The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) arrested a man in Duke for first-degree rape and child sexual abuse. According to OSBI, the bureau was requested on July 19 to assist in a case regarding sexual assault. Damion Surles, 40, was identified as the suspect who allegedly interacted inappropriately with a minor. Surles was arrested …

The Hill reports: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and two New Jersey businessmen convicted last month of bribing him have asked a federal judge to toss out their guilty verdicts or grant a new trial. The Democratic senator claimed the “high-profile” nature of the case precipitated his 16-count conviction on charges spanning bribery and acting as a foreign agent, despite a …

I reported the arrest early this morning and now the nature of the charges have been disclosed: A District of Columbia council member known for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories has been arrested on charges that he accepted over $150,000 in bribes in exchange for using his elected position to help companies with city contracts, according to court records unsealed on …

Washington DC’s CBS affiliate reports: A fight outside of the Shack Shack near Dupont Circle over the weekend is being investigated as a suspected hate crime. According to a police report from the Metropolitan Police Department, Saturday night around 6 p.m., Christian Dingus reported to police that he was assaulted by multiple people. The police report states that the incident …

From the Justice Department: A Missouri man was sentenced to prison today after he previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to his conduct 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 …

CBS News reports: After he was charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct, the chair of a key West Virginia state legislative committee was removed from his position by chamber leadership Wednesday. Republican Sen. Mike Maroney, who led the state Senate Health and Human Resources Committee, was arrested Tuesday on the two misdemeanors after an Aug. 4 incident at Gumby’s …

NBC News reports: A California doctor and a drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen” have been charged in a connection with the accidental overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Thursday. Perry, 54, was found face down in the heated end of a pool at his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28, 2023. The …

Charlotte’s NBC affiliate reports: A local religious leader is facing charges for not reporting crimes against children. The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office says an investigation began on May 30 for a string of sexual assault allegations involving minors that spanned over several years. Kenny Parker, the pastor of Straitway Baptist Church in Albemarle, was charged for three counts of failing …

The Daily Mail reports: An Ohio restaurateur who drew headlines after announcing a boycott of the Olympics over its controversial Last Supper recreation is now facing a string of serious criminal charges. Bobby George, 43, turned himself in this week on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, strangulation, assault and rape in relation to the alleged abuse of a woman between …

Axios reports: New preliminary data from major U.S. cities shows a sharp drop in violent crime in the first half of the year — more than 25% in some communities — as the COVID-era crime wave recedes. he drop in violent crime puts a serious dent in one of the most frequently used lines of attack by former President Trump …