Crime

From the Justice Department: Elie Floradin, 59, the self-described head pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Miami, Florida, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for participating in a fraudulent scheme seeking more than $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Floradin caused an intermediary to …

ABC News reports: The driver of a rented box truck that collided with a security barrier near the White House on Monday who told law enforcement that he wanted to seize power of the government and kill the president was arrested and charged, officials said. The FBI interviewed suspect Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, and told law enforcement …

The New York Times reports: More than 450 credibly accused child sex abusers have ministered in the Catholic Church in Illinois over almost seven decades, the office of the state’s attorney general, Kwame Raoul, said Tuesday in an investigative report. That is more than four times the number that the church had publicly disclosed before 2018, when the state began …

Washington DC’s Fox affiliate reports: Authorities have identified a man who was arrested and charged after he allegedly crashed a U-Haul truck into security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square near the White House Monday. U.S. Park Police say Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, was taken into custody at the scene. Kandula faces multiple charges including …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Secret Service said it had detained the driver of a rented box truck that crashed into security barriers near the White House on Monday night, perhaps intentionally, but that there were no injuries or ongoing danger. A Reuters witness said investigators found a Nazi swastika flag that apparently came from inside the truck, which crashed into …

People Magazine reports: The producers of the upcoming docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets are shedding light on how the scandals surrounding the Duggar family all connect back to their controversial Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) church. The upcoming limited series, premiering on Prime Video in June, aims to embark on a deep exploration into the family’s concerning …

“This had nothing to do with race. I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist. I mean, it’s, it’s a little bit comical. Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures. “You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I …

Manchester’s ABC affiliate reports: A former New Hampshire minister is accused of strangulation and sexual assault and is being investigated for similar charges in Florida. Ossipee police said at the time of the allegations, Kevin Straughan, 67, was the head minister of Agape Ministries Church in Ossipee and Moultonborough. Straughan has been indicted on several charges, including four counts of …

Oregon Live reports: A Multnomah County jury on Friday found a pastor of a religious group guilty of sexually abusing a former member when she was a child – the third time a jury has reached a verdict against Michael Sperou. Though he was found guilty of sexually abusing one victim, six other women came forward years ago with their …

Reuters reports: Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp agreed to a consumer class-action lawsuit settlement worth more than $200 million over rampant car thefts of the Korean automakers’ vehicles, lawyers for the owners said on Thursday. In February, the Korean automakers said they would offer software upgrades to 8.3 million U.S. vehicles without anti-theft immobilizers to help curb increasing car thefts …

CNN reports: The Air National Guardsman who is accused of posting a trove of classified documents to social media was repeatedly warned by his superiors in the Air Force over his mishandling of classified documents, prosecutors say. In court documents arguing for Jack Teixeira’s continued detention, prosecutors said that the 21-year-old’s “willful disregard” of his obligation to protect classified information …

Gothamist reports: The MTA is planning the first major redesign of subway turnstiles in modern history, a change officials said is key to cracking down on fare evasion on the city’s mass transit system. Prototypes of the new fare gate designs were on display at Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday. The equipment isn’t actually a turnstile that rotates as a …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: A New Orleans man arrested on charges that he repeatedly damaged a 100-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary on the campus of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Metairie is now accused of illegally entering the church’s locked sanctuary and defiling the altar, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Paul Laborde Jr., 56, a …

The Hill reports: GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) should pardon Daniel Penny, who was arrested in relation to the killing of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway earlier this month. Haley, a former ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview on Fox News on Tuesday that Penny, a 24-year-old …

Providence’s CBS affiliate reports: Cranston City Councilman Matthew Reilly was arrested Monday morning after he was reportedly caught smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine in his car. Reilly, 41, was taken into custody Monday afternoon shortly after a passerby alerted an officer patrolling Pontiac Avenue that a man parked across the street appeared to be choking. The officer walked …

CBS News reports: Police charged a 12-year-old boy with murder after he allegedly shot and killed a Sonic employee in north central Texas, authorities said Sunday. The boy and a 20-year-old, Angel Gomez, arrived at a Sonic Drive-In in Keene, Texas, on Saturday night, police said. Sonic employee Matthew Davis, 32, confronted Gomez after he allegedly became disorderly in the …

NBC News reports: U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the suspect was identified as 49-year-old Xuan Kha Tran Pham, who lives in Fairfax County. He entered Connolly’s office around 10:49 a.m. ET. The congressman wasn’t in his office at the time of the assaults, the department said. One of the victims is an intern who was on her …

The New York Post reports: A fundraiser for Daniel Penny neared the $2 million mark Sunday, with his attorneys saying donations have kept rolling in because the subway chokehold case has “struck a chord” in the psyche of people across the country. The “Legal Defense Fund” for Penny — the 24-year-old former Marine charged with manslaughter in the death of …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: The Philadelphia Inquirer and outside cybersecurity experts continued Sunday to scramble to restore systems after an apparent cyberattack disrupted operations over the weekend. The Inquirer had been unable to print its regular Sunday newspaper, and it was not clear until late Sunday afternoon that it would be possible to print Monday’s editions of The Inquirer and …

France 24 reports: Old sins cast long shadows. After centuries of secrecy, the French Bishop’s Conference (CEF) has decided it will be more transparent by equipping priests, bishops and deacons with digital, scannable identification cards. No bigger than a bankcard, the IDs will certify whether or not its holder is fit to perform a sermon or has the right to …