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Department of Justice
Yonkers, NY
News
Federal Oversight Ends For Yonkers Police Department After Major Reforms
A police department in Westchester has implemented enough major reforms to result in the conclusion of federal oversight after years of monitoring, officials announced. In an announcement on Tuesday, Dec. 3, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York revealed that oversight of the Yonkers Police Department has officially ended following significant reforms made to improve its policies, training, and community engagement. The federal oversight originally stemmed from an investigation that began in 2007 and a subsequent agreement in November 2016 aimed at address…
Trenton, NJ
News
'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops
Federal investigators have accused the Trenton Police Department (TPD) of widespread civil rights violations, including excessive force and illegal arrests, calling the department’s practices “unconstitutional” in a damning report released Thursday, Nov. 21. The Department of Justice (DOJ) found that TPD officers routinely stopped and searched individuals without reasonable suspicion, made arrests without probable cause, and escalated encounters with excessive force. These practices, compounded by poor training, inadequate oversight, and a lack of accountability, have eroded community…
Montgomery Village, MD
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Charged In Montgomery County's First $2.3M Gold Bar Scam, Police Say
A Long Island man is accused of orchestrating a $2.3 million gold bar scam that targeted an elderly Montgomery County mother and her daughter, police say. Montgomery County police have charged 26-year-old Yash Shah of Baldwin, New York, in a government-imposter scam that defrauded an 88-year-old woman and her 61-year-old daughter out of millions worth of gold bars. Authorities said this is the first reported scam of its kind in the county. According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, the scheme began in February 2023, when the victims were contacted by someone claiming to…
Frederick, MD
News
Federal Indictment Of Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins Dismissed With Prejudice By Judge
Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins had some strong words after the federal charges against him were dropped, claiming that it was a politically-motivated move that had a major impact on his friends and family. On Tuesday, charges against the sheriff in a federal gun case were dismissed with prejudice after 597 days in what the sheriff called a "malicious" attack on him and his character. "With almost 35 years in law enforcement, I've always believed in the justice system," Jenkins said. "I've never seen anything like this in my life." Sheriff Chuck Jenkins to address media fo…
White Plains, NY
News
Iranian Operative, 2 NY Associates Nabbed In Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says
An Iranian operative and two associates living in America have been charged in a murder-for-hire plot targeting United States citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump. Federal authorities have charged Farhad Shakeri, an alleged operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with two New York City associates in a plot to assassinate a US citizen critical of the Iranian government. The case highlights the continued threat posed by Iran’s attempts to silence dissidents and even target top US. officials. According to the Department of Justice criminal complai…
Mineola, NY
Politics
It's Now 'Logistically Impossible' For Trump To Serve Any Prison Time, Expert Says
Critics hoping to see former President Donald Trump in a jail cell can kiss that fantasy goodbye following his second White House win. The 78-year-old Trump will almost certainly see his myriad legal troubles vanish now that he’s been declared the winner of the 2024 election against Vice President Kamala Harris, said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor. Trump is currently facing federal charges in Washington, DC, for alleged fraud in the 2020 election, as well as election fraud charges in the state of Georgia. Special Counsel Jack Smith has also appealed a federal judge’s ruling dism…
Conshohocken-Plymouth Meeting, PA
Politics
Democrat Activists In PA Are Impersonating Election Officials: Trump Campaign Claims
Democrat activists in Philadelphia are wearing fake badges and claiming to be voter protection agents, according to the Trump campaign. "Radical leftists" are impersonating election officials to intimidate voters and "interfere with Pennsylvanians' right to cast their ballots," a Trump campaign news release states. Three photos are shown in the news release depicting two badges and a T-shirt with "voter protection," "election protection," and "PA Dems Volunteer" printed on them. The people wearing these shirts and badges "are not election officials and should not interfere with…
Alexandria, VA
Politics
Virginia Asks Supreme Court To Reinstate Removals Of Voter Registrations
Virginia is appealing to the country's highest court to allow the state to remove hundreds of suspected noncitizen voters. Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that on Sunday night, the state filed an emergency stay with the US Supreme Court after a federal judge restored approximately 1,600 voters that had been purged from the voter roll under an order issued by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. It’s commonsense: noncitizens shouldn’t be on our voter rolls. Thank you @JasonMiyaresVA for filing immediately with the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency appeal of the order for Virginia to put over 1…
Alexandria, VA
Politics
VA Lawmakers Seeing Red After 'Politically-Motivated Stunt' To Reinstate Hundreds Of Voters
Elected officials in Virginia are seeing fire after a federal judge ordered the state to reinstate hundreds of noncitizens back onto voter rolls days before Election Day. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and AG Jason Miyares both issued statements following the ruling, which allows voters previously removed from the rolls to be reinstated following a federal lawsuit. "Let’s be clear about what just happened: only 11 days before a Presidential election, a federal judge ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 individuals–who self-identified themselves as noncitizens–back onto the voter rolls," t…
Towson, MD
News
DOJ Reaches $100M Settlement With Owners, Managers Of Vessel That Destroyed Key Bridge
The owners and managers of the ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year in Baltimore have reached a settlement exceeding $100 million to offset the government's costs, federal authorities announced late on Thursday. Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, which owned and operated the DALI vessel that struck the bridge earlier this year, has agreed to pay a $101,980,000 settlement to resolve a civil claim filed earlier this year. The crash dismantled the bridge, and caused chaos for the Port of Baltimore and left several workers dea…
Silver Spring, MD
News
Gold Bar Scammer Admits To $230K Scheme Targeting Elderly Man In Silver Spring: Prosecutors
The Maryland scammer believed to be a part of an international organized crime ring targeting elderly residents will face decades in prison, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. Ravinklejeet Mathon pleaded guilty this week and will face 40 years behind bars after scheming to steal three one-kilo gold bars with an estimated value of nearly $230,000 from an elderly man in Silver Spring. "The scam is believed to be part of an international organized crime ring," prosecutors said. "Similar Gold Bar Scams have been reported here in Montgomery County and across the United…
Clinton, MD
News
Clinton Dad Who Killed Mother, Grandmother In Front Of Infant In DC Learns His Fate
The Maryland man who set an apartment on fire with an infant inside and killed his child's mother and grandmother in Southeast DC more than three years ago may spend the rest of his life in prison. Clinton resident Keenan Turner, 35, was sentenced to 68 years in prison in connection to the April 2021 murders of Wanda and Ebony Wright, the shooting of a third victim, and the attempted murder of an infant when he set the fire, federal authorities announced. Prosecutors say that Turner's intention in committing the offenses was "solely to avoid paying child support." They had been pushi…
Arlington, VA
News
Virginia Protester Who Painted '
Hamas
IS
Coming
' On Statue Outside Union Station Charged: Feds
A Virginia man who defaced federal property at Columbus Circle with spray paint outside Union Station in Northeast DC during a pro-Gaza demonstration has been arrested, federal authorities announced. Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, was the latest to be charged on Friday for allegedly spray-painting the monument in July. Department of Justice According to court documents, on Wednesday, July 24, an organization was granted a permit to demonstrate in the area of Columbus Circle in Northeast DC, directly in front of Union Station. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. that afternoon, demonstrators i…
Waldorf, MD
News
Honduran National Convicted Of Assaulting Charles County Resident Back In Custody: ICE
Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore apprehended a 26-year-old Honduran national in Charles County after he was convicted of assaulting his victim in Maryland, authorities announced. Evin Obdulio Ponce-Guillen was taken into custody in Waldorf late last month after police learned that he made his way into the country illegally following an arrest in September 2023, when he was charged with second-degree assault. Ponce-Guillen was arrested on Sept. 5, 2023, and convicted on the charge on Friday, April 5, when he was sentenced to five years in prison. The court then suspended t…
Towson, MD
News
Maryland Suing Ship Owners, Managers Over Key Bridge Collapse In Baltimore: AG
The Maryland Attorney General's Office has filed a lawsuit seeking damages from the owners and operators of the DALI cargo ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year in Baltimore. On Tuesday, AG Anthony Brown announced that his agency has filed a lawsuit targeting the owners – Grace Ocean Private Limited –and managers – Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. – of the M/V DALI for causing the March collision that dismantled the bridge and caused chaos for the Port of Baltimore. Brown said that since the fatal collapse - which claimed the lives of six people - has impacted Maryl…
Toms River, NJ
Business
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say
A Jersey Shore bank will pay more than $15 million in a settlement for racially discriminatory lending practices known as redlining, authorities said. OceanFirst Bank agreed to the settlement to resolve the accusations that date back to 2018, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. The Toms River-based bank was accused of redlining in predominantly non-white neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. The $15 million settlement came after the Department of Justice launched its Combating Redlining Initiative in October 2021, aiming to s…
Towson, MD
News
Maryland Man Withheld Drugs From 'Dopesick' Women Forced To Become Sex Workers: Feds
A 36-year-old Maryland man who used women's' drug dependency to compel them to participate in commercial sex work for him up and down the East Coast is facing prison time, federal authorities announced. William O’Neil Murray III pleaded guilty on Monday, Aug. 12 to sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion over the course of several months in several states. At least three women were involved. According to court documents, between December 2021 and July 2022, Murray was involved in the multi-state sex trafficking operation, using women he would coerce by using their drug dependency…
Bowie, MD
News
Maryland Man Murdered Ex-Girlfriend, Grandmother Of Child He Attempted To Kill In DC: Feds
A Maryland man who was found complicit in the deaths of two people in Southeast DC in April 2021 is facing a lifetime behind bars, federal authorities announced. On Friday, a DC Superior Court jury returned a guilty verdict against Clinton resident Keanan Turner, 34, in connection to the murders of Wanda and Ebony Wright in the 2300 block of Good Hope Court SE three years ago. Metropolitan Police Department Prosecutors say that Ebony Wright was in a relationship with Turner when she became pregnant. Turner asked her to terminate the pregnancy, and when she declined, he st…
Towson, MD
News
'Grievous Felon:' Illegal Migrant With Lengthy Rap Sheet Arrested In Maryland: ICE
A 25-year-old national of Chad has been arrested for his role in an alleged murder and weapons offenses throughout Maryland after being released, federal authorities announced. US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says that Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers took Hisseine Gombo-Tchouli into custody near his Silver Spring home after being convicted of accessory after the fact of first-degree murder and was later released. According to investigators, Gombo-Tchouli legally entered the country in September 2005 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia; howev…
Manassas, VA
Police & Fire
Man Who Sodomized Boy Eight Years Ago In Virginia Captured In El Salvador: Police
A Virginia man who fled the country after allegedly sexually assaulting an 8-year-old boy over the course of nearly two years has been extradited back to the country to face charges, police say. Nelson Romero-Quijada, 54, made it nearly six years before being apprehended in El Salvador and extradited to Prince William County in connection to an August 2018 sexual assault investigation. Detectives began to investigate a sexual assault in 2018 when the boy came forward to report that he had been abused in the 7900 block of Community Drive in Manassas between October 2014 and July 2016 b…
Arlington, VA
News
Former DC Corrections Officer Gets Prison Time For Assaulting Handcuffed Inmate, Feds Say
A former District of Columbia Department of Corrections officer who assaulted a handcuffed inmate will be spending time on the other side of the bars after admitting to using unreasonable force Marcus Bias, 28, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law after being charged late last year for an alleged incident more than three years ago. On Friday, the DOJ announced that he has been sentenced to 42 months in prison. “Like any other law enforcement officer, the defendant had a duty to protect the constitutional rights of anyone who w…
Hudson, NY
News
Toddlers, Infants Among Hundreds Of Child Sex Abuse Images In Capital Region Man's Possession
A 26-year-old man from the region faces years in federal prison after he was caught with hundreds of images depicting child sex abuse. Greene County resident Drew Caswell, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography in Albany federal court on Wednesday, May 29. According to prosecutors, Caswell confessed to using a file-hosting service to download child pornography and then shared numerous photos and videos on X, formerly Twitter. He also admitted to possessing illicit images on his cell phone, including nearly 300 pictures and videos of toddlers…
Albany, NY
News
Capital Region Child Predator Admits Blackmailing Kids Into Sending Nude Images
A convicted child sex abuser from the region will spend decades in federal prison after confessing that he blackmailed young kids into sending nude images. Rensselaer County resident Zachary Cota, age 31, of Castleton-on-Hudson, pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in Albany federal court on Friday, May 10. According to prosecutors, Cota admitted to using SnapChat to get three children to send him nude photos. Two of the victims were 8 and 13 years old. Once the children provided the requested photos, he reportedly threatened to reveal what they had done in order to get more illic…
Fredericksburg, VA
Obituaries
Stafford High School Grad Devon Davati Dies Unexpectedly, 29
Devon Davati, a Virginia native, died unexpectedly on Thursday, April 18, his obituary says. He was 29 years old. A King George native, Devon graduated from Stafford High School in 2012 before going on to earn his bachelors of science from the Southern New Hampshire University, his obituary says. Devon worked for CGI Federal in Falls Church, in the legal area for the Department of Justice supporting the Bureau of Immigration Appeals, according to his obit. Services are scheduled for Sunday, April 28 at the Mullins & Thompson Funeral Service. Click here for service information and …
Albany, NY
News
Child Porn Charges: Capital Region Man Busted With Illicit Photos, Videos, Feds Say
Federal prosecutors are pursuing child pornography charges against a man from the region after he allegedly sent and received numerous illicit images of children. Taykwun Smoaks, age 32, of Albany, was arraigned on charges that he distributed, received, and possessed child pornography in Albany federal court on Friday, April 12. According to investigators, Smoaks sent and received images and videos of child pornography over the internet between February and March 2023. The illicit images were reportedly found on both his computer and an external hard drive. If convicted, he face…
Albany, NY
News
Capital Region Man Admits Blackmailing Underage Girls Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images
Years in federal prison await a man from the region who confessed to blackmailing underage girls into sending him sexually explicit images. Richard Nejame, age 29, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography in Albany federal court on Thursday, April 11. Prosecutors said Nejame messaged several underage girls on social media apps, including Snapchat, while pretending to be a teenage boy between October 2022 and May 2023. As part of his guilty plea, he admitted that he then convinced the girls to take nude pictures and videos of…
Arlington, VA
News
Trio Involved In Fatal Shooting Of 17-Year-Old In Northwest DC Get Prison Time
Three men were given prison time for their roles in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old in Northwest DC in 2020, authorities announced. Two District residents and a man from Maryland are all heading to prison after admitting to their roles in the fatal shooting of Taijhon Wyatt that also left another person injured, according to the Department of Justice. Those charged: Trey Prillerman, 19, of Washington, DC; Nelfy Hernandez, 20, of Washington, DC; Deandre Levy, 22, of Gaithersburg. Court documents state that at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 10, 2020, Wyatt was walking …
Albany, NY
News
Posing As Teen To Get Underage Nudes Nets Capital Region Man Decades In Prison
After confessing that he posed as a teenager in order to trick underage girls into sending naked pictures, a man from the region will spend decades in prison. Schenectady resident Thomas Ullman, age 47, was sentenced to 25 years behind bars in Albany federal court on Thursday, March 28. It followed his guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child. Federal prosecutors said Ullman posed as a teenage boy on a dating website for teens and convinced multiple underage girls to text and video chat with him between March 2020 and June 2021. He then instructed the girls, some as young as 13, to en…
Arlington, VA
Police & Fire
NY 'Sugar Daddy' Admits Traveling To Virginia For Sex With 14-Year-Old: Feds
A 27-year-old New York man admitted to driving eight hours to Virginia for sex with a 14-year-old girl, his "sugar baby," federal authorities said. Derrick Loi, of Lakeville, NY this week pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia. In February 2023, Loi met a 14-year-old girl from Lynchburg on Twitter (now known as X), and, in the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 2023, began chatting with her on Discord, the attorney's office said citing court documents. Loi told the young girl not on…
Jersey City, NJ
Police & Fire
Convicted MS-13 Killer Sentenced In NJ Murder Plot
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of an MS-13 clique who just began serving 40 years in federal prison for a murder in Virginia was sentenced to 10 years for his role in a failed plot to kill a rival in Hudson County. The plea-bargained sentence approved by a federal judge in Newark on Thursday, March 21, won’t require Jose Gimenez-Lobos, a 33-year-old Salvadoran national, to serve more time. It will run concurrently. Gimenez-Lobos and two companions were ordered by a high-ranking member of La Mara Salvatrucha to execute a member of the rival 18th Street gang from the Maryland/Virginia area, U.S. Attorney …
Arlington, VA
News
Virginia Man Studying Law In PA Busted Sharing Child Porn With Undercover Agent In DC: Feds
A Virginia man is facing federal charges in DC for allegedly distributing child porn while he was a law student in Pennsylvania, authorities say. Andrey Chun Sarmiento, 24, of Hallwood, has been indicted in DC on charges after he was busted by a member of the Metropolitan Police Department-FBI Child Exploitation Task Force who went undercover, according to the DOJ. The indictment states that on Tuesday, Feb. 13, Chun Sarmiento sent various video files depicting men engaging in sexually explicit conduct with minors through an encrypted instant messaging app. On that day, investiga…
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