Crime

Jacksonville’s NBC affiliate reports: A Jacksonville pastor who was arrested in April on multiple sex crimes chargers has pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted sexual battery of a minor. Rafael Cuevas will serve 20 years in Florida state prison and have to serve 10 years of probation after his release. This was part of a negotiated plea deal, meaning the …

The New York Times reports: A former upstate New York election official pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal identity theft charges arising from his fraudulent use of voters’ personal information to apply for a dozen absentee ballots in 2021. In entering his plea in U.S. District Court in Albany, the former official, Jason Schofield, admitted to requesting the bogus ballots …

The Baptist Press reports: A pastor from McLeansboro, Ill., was arrested Jan. 5 on two counts of grooming minors for sexual purposes. Garrett Biggerstaff was charged after a four-month investigation that included the seizure of his electronic devices and collection of evidence at his home. Biggerstaff was taken into custody and booked at the Jefferson County Jail. His bond was …

The Guardian reports: Cardinal George Pell has died in Vatican City, aged 81. Cardinal Pell, the former Catholic archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, died on Tuesday evening, reportedly following complications from hip surgery. He was the Vatican’s top finance minister before he left in 2017 to stand trial in Australia for child abuse offences. Cardinal Pell was, in 2018, convicted …

The West Chester Patch reports: A former teacher at West Chester Christian School was sentenced by Chester County Judge Patrick Carmody to 20 to 40 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a first-grader in 2007 to 2008. Randy Boston, 65, of Shickshinny, was convicted by a jury in August of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact …

Charleston’s CBS affiliate reports: A South Carolina priest who served in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston has been charged with federal sex crimes stemming from allegations that he abused an 11-year-old child. Jaime Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias, known in the church as “Father Gonzalez,” was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Miami. A recently unsealed indictment shows Gonzalez-Farias, 68, was …

The Associated Press reports: A New Jersey woman who pleaded guilty to helping her boyfriend spread a feel-good story about a homeless veteran that garnered more than $400,000 in online donations has been sentenced to three years in prison on state theft charges. Katelyn McClure, 32, wasn’t present in the Mount Holly courtroom Friday because she is serving a one-year …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Adult film legend Ron Jeremy has “severe dementia” and will be declared unfit to stand trial on multiple rape allegations later this month.. Jeremy – real name Ronald Hyatt – was first charged in June 2020 with raping four women he met in bars and clubs. The case against Jeremy quickly escalated as dozens of …

Des Moines’ CBS affiliate reports: A former Iowa church pastor is accused of drugging and sexually abusing a child more than a decade ago. Criminal complaints say 68-year-old Mark Benson abused the girl several times at his home in Cambridge from 2009 to 2012. The victim was between the ages of 10 and 13 at the time. She told police …

The Times Of San Diego reports: The former pastor of an Imperial County-based church and his wife were sentenced in San Diego federal court Friday following their guilty pleas to benefits fraud charges, in a case that originally stemmed from allegations that the church’s leaders forced homeless people to surrender their welfare benefits and panhandle to benefit the organization. Victor …

CBS News reports: A 6-year-old student shot a teacher during an altercation at a Virginia elementary school on Friday, police said. No students were injured in the incident at Richneck Elementary School, Newport News police said in a statement. “This was not an accidental shooting,” Police Chief Steve Drew told reporters during an evening press conference. The boy was taken …

The Associated Press reports: “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast member Jennifer Shah was sentenced Friday to six and a half years in prison. Judge Sidney Stein said Shah’s role on the RHOSLC played no role in his sentencing decision. “The character your client plays is simply a character,” Stein said. “The Real Housewives franchise involves role playing, editing. …

Houston’s Fox affiliate reports: A former youth pastor accused of sexually abusing 14 girls at a North Texas mega church is scheduled to be released from prison next month. Denton Bible Church youth pastor Rob Shiflet was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison in 2021 for sexually assaulting two girls on church youth trips. Denton Bible Church pastor Tommy …

The Associated Press reports: The homes or offices of four elected Democratic officials in New Mexico have been hit by gunfire over the past month, and authorities are working to determine if the attacks are connected. The attacks began on Dec. 4, when someone shot eight rounds at the Albuquerque home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, police said. Seven …

Vice News reports: Two men set themselves on fire after dumping an accelerant on a California immigration services building and setting it ablaze, video shows. On Monday night, a Ring surveillance camera captured two men dressed in black with masks covering their faces walking up to Servicio de Immigracion in Bakersfield, California. The two men proceed to dump the accelerant …

CNBC reports: New York AG Letitia James sued former Celsius Network CEO Alex Mashinsky on Thursday, alleging that Mashinsky defrauded hundreds of thousands of investors out of billions of dollars at the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange. Mashinsky publicly assured his customers that investing with Celsius was both safer and more lucrative than leaving their investments in a traditional bank. At one …

The New Jersey Advance reports: A youth pastor at a church in Burlington County pleaded guilty this week to blackmailing four underage boys into performing sex acts online, which he recorded for his enjoyment, authorities said Thursday. Sean Higgins, 32, of Palmyra, pleaded guilty Tuesday in New Jersey Superior Court to four counts of endangering the welfare of children in …

CNN reports:   The FBI is now offering $500,000 for information leading to an arrest of the person who placed pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, the night before the 2021 US Capitol riot, the bureau announced Wednesday. The announcement represents a sharp increase in the amount of money the government …

Courthouse News reports: Court records unsealed Tuesday revealed federal prosecutors have charged two men for a series of substation attacks in Pierce County, Washington, that left thousands without power on Christmas Day. On New Year’s Eve, the FBI and local law enforcement executed an arrest warrant for Puyallup residents Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, who face federal charges …

Reuters reports: Megan Hess, 46, and Shirly Koch, 69, dissected some 560 corpses between 2010 and 2018, selling parts to medical training companies which did not know they had been fraudulently acquired. Entire bodies were sold in some cases, prosecutors said. Hess was sentenced to 20 years in jail and Koch to 15. Hess – who ran the Sunset Mesa …