Tag Archives: crime

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: A Miami-Dade preacher has been accused of preying on an elderly couple in her congregation, allegedly stealing their life savings and their home. That woman, 63-year-old Yvonne Hampton-Barley, is already out of jail. She is accused of befriending the couple and using her position as a church pastor in an deceptive scheme to steal from them. …

NBC News reports: A Florida pastor accused of fraudulently obtaining $8 million in Covid relief funds is in declining health and appears to be unable to speak, his lawyer said after he failed to appear in court. “There are grave medical concerns,” Erin Hyde told a federal judge in Orlando on Wednesday. Evan Edwards, 64, and his son Josh, 30, …

Durham’s ABC affiliate reports: A Durham pastor, who also worked as a substitute teacher, is facing 14 new criminal charges out of Wake County. Police accuse David Dixon of committing a number of sex crimes with an underage victim at his Raleigh apartment. This comes a week after Durham investigators arrested him on charges of statutory rape and indecent liberties …

NBC News reports: A Florida pastor and his son were arrested Wednesday on charges of fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in federal Covid relief funds and attempting to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Walt Disney World. Evan Edwards and his son, Josh, 30, were taken into custody five months after an NBC News report raised …

Norfolk’s ABC affiliate reports: A Norfolk man who served as a youth group leader was convicted of sexual abuse Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. Charles Willoughby III, 39, served as a youth group leader at New Life Worship Center. According to the DOJ, between 2006 and 2012, he groomed teenage girls in the church’s youth program to try …

Wichita Falls’ NBC affiliate reports: The pastor of a Wichita Falls church was jailed on charges of sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl whose family attended his church, Good Samaritan Outreach Ministries. Paul Coleman was in jail Saturday on charges of sexual assault and indecency with a child. According to the arrest warrants, an 11-year-old girl made an outcry at …

The Marshall Independent reports: A 36-year-old former pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sleepy Eye faces three felony 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct charges filed in Brown County District Court Friday. Bail was set at $50,000 for Nathan Van Alfred Luong of Rochester. Luong is accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenage female church member from about October …

From Florida state Rep. Joe Harding’s Facebook page: When I decided to run in in 2019 for the Florida House, I did so for two simple reasons: I love people, and I love Florida. Today, I am resigning from my position for the same two reasons: I love people, and I love Florida. I believe in Floridians and want what …

Shaw Local reports: Nearly eight years after he was charged with disseminating child pornography, three lawyers and scrapped trial dates later, DeKalb pastor Corey D. Butler will spend more than a decade in prison after he pleaded guilty Wednesday in front of a DeKalb County judge. Butler, now 42, was indicted on April 29, 2015, with dissemination of child pornography, …

The Associated Press reports: Duke Energy said Wednesday that it has completed repairs on substation equipment in Moore County, North Carolina, as the FBI renewed calls to the public for help identifying “unknown” suspect or suspect behind sabotage gunfire at two substations that caused major power outages extending several days. In a statement to customers on its website, the energy …

The New York Post reports: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s niece was likely drunk and high when she was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight, displaying “unusual strength” and foaming from the mouth as she fought off cops and shouted, “Do you know who I am?” Shannon Epstein allegedly caused the ruckus on a 6 a.m. flight from New …

Des Moines’ CBS affiliate reports: A former Des Moines metro area youth pastor is charged with giving alcohol to minors and sexually assaulting them. Caleb Toney faces five charges, including assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and supplying alcohol to someone underage. A criminal complaint says that while Toney was a youth pastor, he gave alcohol to minors on …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: The former pastor of a church in Chester issued a tearful apology to his wife, his family and his former congregants Tuesday as he was sentenced to six years’ probation for having a sexual relationship with an underage girl. Edward Lilly, 72, said he was “deeply, profoundly sorry” during the brief hearing before Delaware County Court …

Durham’s ABC affiliate reports: It will be another day of waking up in total darkness for people in Moore County. Residents there are dealing with a third day of impacts from an attack on the power grid. More than 35,000 customers still don’t have power, according to Duke Energy. This after two substations were shot at over the weekend causing …

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports: Denver prosecutors want to know if there are any more victims of a Morrison contractor and youth pastor who is accused of bilking an elderly couple out of $250,000, according to a news release. Investigators allege Tilo Lopez, 35, funneled money paid for the couple’s retirement home on everything from fancy hotel stays and Las …

The Associated Press reports: The man who shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stole her French bulldogs in 2021 took a plea deal and was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Monday, officials said. The Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence, authorities have said. The motive was the value of the French bulldogs and detectives do not believe the …

NBC News reports: Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including Small Business Administration loans and unemployment insurance funds in over a dozen states, according to the Secret Service. The theft of taxpayer funds by the Chengdu-based hacking group known as APT41 is the first instance of pandemic fraud tied to …

CNN reports: With no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” attacks on substations that left around 40,000 customers in the dark Saturday night, prompting a curfew and emergency declaration. The mass outage in Moore County turned into a criminal …

Tampa’s Fox affiliate reports: A preacher from the Florida panhandle is facing federal charges after being arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations following an investigation involving child sexual abuse. According to the Department of Justice, Jason Moore, 42, a preacher from Milton, Florida, was arrested on Friday in Santa Rosa County for illicit sexual …

The Hill reports: A Jan. 6 rioter attempted to sell his footage of the insurrection to the documentary filmmaker daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the Justice Department said in a court filing. Ronald Sandlin, 35, participated in an interview with Alexandra Pelosi, the Speaker’s daughter, from jail and spoke about providing his footage of the attack. Sandlin, who …