Crime

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 …

Click Orlando reports: More hateful words targeting the Jewish community showed up on the side of a building on New Year’s Eve, this time in downtown Orlando. Cell phone video showed the words “vax the Jews” scrolling across the top of an office building on Orange Avenue at Washington Street. The owner of a restaurant on the bottom floor of …

The Wall Street Journal reports: In the two years since a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, prosecutors have secured guilty pleas from more than half the rioters they have charged, helping lead to a 99.8% conviction rate. Dustin Thompson tried to beat those odds. The 38-year-old Ohioan pleaded not guilty and took the stand to say he was only …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: A newly elected Republican state lawmaker has withdrawn from office after he was charged with swiping prescription narcotics from a retirement complex where he works. Danny Rampey’s decision not to take office triggers a Jan. 31 special election to fill his Winder-based House seat in northeast Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp signed an order Saturday setting up …

NBC News reports: Three New York City police officers were injured after being attacked with a machete near New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square, authorities said. The incident happened just after 10 p.m. ET at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, just outside of the high-security zone where revelers are screened at checkpoints, officials said at a news conference …

Detroit’s Fox affiliate reports: David Shagena was a youth leader at The River Church when minors came forward alleging him of inappropriate behavior, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office said. Shagena was arraigned Dec. 24 on a fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge and three other counts of crimes against minors. He was given a $10,000 bond, which he has since …

ABC News reports: A 28-year-old man, Bryan Kohberger, was arrested Friday morning in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains in connection with the murders of four University of Idaho students, law enforcement sources told ABC News. Sources said that authorities knew who they were looking for and had tracked Kohberger down to Pennsylvania. A SWAT team entered the location where he was staying …

From a statement posted by Trump’s spokesmoron: The Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people. The great USA divide will now grow far worse. The radical, left Democrats have weaponized everything, but remember, that is a dangerous two-way street! The “Trump” …

CBS News reports: A polygamous leader accused of taking more than 20 wives, including underage girls, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to kidnapping and tampering with evidence charges stemming from a federal investigation into his community on the Utah-Arizona border. Sam Bateman’s case is the most recent example of law enforcement taking action against abuse in the sister cities of …

Politico reports: The Jan. 6 select committee’s finding that Donald Trump lured followers to storm the Capitol does not absolve them of legal responsibility for their actions, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, the first opinion to cite the congressional panel’s criminal referrals of the former president. U.S. District Court Judge John Bates cited the select committee’s report and criminal referrals …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: Bill Cosby is eyeing a return to touring in 2023. The controversial comedian said as much during a surprise Dec. 28 radio interview on “WGH Talk” with host Scott Spears. Cosby answered “yes” when asked if 2023 is the year he finally might be able to tour again. Cosby, now 85, was convicted in Pennsylvania in April …

ABC News reports: David DePape, the man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer at their San Francisco Home, pleaded not guilty to state charges on Wednesday. The arraignment in San Francisco Superior Court comes two weeks after a judge ruled that DePape will face trial for the October attack. DePape, 42, waived his right to …

Reuters reports: A right-wing militia member convicted in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced to over 19 years in prison on Wednesday in a U.S. District Court, prosecutors said Barry Croft Jr., 47, a member of the far-right Three Percenters militia group, was convicted in August by a federal court jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan, of …

Talking Points Memo reports: The Florida Republican has reportedly been under investigation for potentially trafficking a 17-year-old girl since late 2020. We knew Gaetz sought a presidential pardon from White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to sidestep the whole ordeal. Tuesday’s transcript adds new details from Johnny McEntee. “He told me to ask Meadows for a pardon,” McEntee said. The …