Crime

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 …

CBS News reports: The leader of a Kenyan starvation sect went on trial on Monday for manslaughter over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers in one of the world’s worst cult-related tragedies. Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and dozens of other suspects pleaded not guilty in January to multiple counts of manslaughter, one of several cases against …

The Roys Report reports: A pastor who led a “generation of youth” in Virginia has been charged with 19 counts of sexual abuse, including 10 counts of forcible sodomy and eight counts of indecent liberties with a child while in a custodial role. David Lawrence Schneider, of Farnham, Virginia was also charged on Aug. 9 with aggravated sexual battery, according …

From the Justice Department: Today, Kenneth Pinkney, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. was sentenced to 37 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman, after having previously pled guilty for his assault on a federal employee, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a) and (b) which included a hate …

Atlanta’s Fox affiliate reports: Georgia House Rep. Devan Seabaugh was taken into custody Thursday night, Georgia State Patrol said, by DUI Task Force troopers after he struck a cyclist in the bike lane on Memorial Drive in Atlanta. State Rep. Seabaugh, a Republican who represents parts of Cobb County, was taken to Atlanta City Jail and turned over to booking …

The Detroit News reports: The office of U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin said she was targeted in a “swatting” hoax Thursday evening in which police were sent to her Holly Township home in response to a false crime report. Michigan State Police responded to Slotkin’s home after a “false threat” that was emailed to a local elected official, though Slotkin was …

Courthouse News reports: A Colorado judge on Thursday denied a motion for judgment of acquittal filed by Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk and recorder facing criminal charges related to a 2021 voting machine data leak. Following seven days of witness testimony from state and Mesa County elections administrators, as well as an employee of Dominion Voting Systems, and …

From the Justice Department: Yesterday, U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz sentenced Michael Shapiro, 73, to 24 months in prison during a hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for leaving three voicemail messages threatening to kill a member of Congress and the Congressperson’s children. According to court records, on Dec. 19, 2023, Shapiro called and left five voicemail messages at a …

The Associated Press reports: A high-profile former North Dakota lawmaker who was one of the most powerful members of the Legislature pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to a charge that he traveled to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with a minor. Ray Holmberg, 80, of Grand Forks, was indicted in October 2023 for travel with intent …