Category: Bizarre

Bizarre, Criminal law

The Watchmen: California Artist Arrested After TSA Spots Curious Watch

Geoffrey McGann, 49, is an artist and the creative director of a media production company called Generator Content. It appears that he was too creative for those folks at TSA. The California artist was arrested at Oakland International Airport because security officers did not like his unusual watch which they said looked too much like a timing device for a bomb. The watch had ornate switches, wires, and fuses so the bomb squad was called and the security checkpoint shutdown. Even after the bomb squad determined it was not a bomb within five minutes, however, McGann was arrested and charged by Alameda County Sheriff’s Department with possessing materials to make an explosive device.

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Bizarre, International, Media, Religion, Society

Taliban Spokesman Inadvertently Discloses Whole Mailing List In Email

It truly sounds like something out of Saturday Night Live: the Taliban inadvertently revealed their contacts when someone hit the “reply all” button on an email which showed their entire mailing list. The Taliban are known as cave dwelling Troglodytes who destroyed ancient artifacts and pushed much of Afghanistan back into the dark ages. Thus, it could not happen to a more deserving group of guys.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Torts

Adversity or Burglary? Texas Man Convicted In Bizarre Squatting Case

David Cooper, 26, is an example of how dangerous a little legal knowledge can be. The Texas man was arrested after squatting in a $405,000 Arlington home after the family left for Houston so that the mother could receive cancer treatment. Cooper said that he read about adverse possession in the law library at Southern Methodist University. He drew up an affidavit stating that he was asserting ownership by adverse possession and that was enough during an initial visit by the police. When the family arrived, however, the police finally put an end to the claim and criminally charged him with felony theft and burglary. His wife, Jasmine Williams Cooper, was charged with burglary. A jury convicted Cooper but acquitted his wife (after Cooper insisted that she did not stay at the house with him).

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Bizarre, Criminal law

Massachusetts Man Sentenced To Two Year For Lying During Jury Selection On Past Contacts With the Defendants

Jonathan G. Ngarambe might want to be more careful with where he is looking in the future. In a trial of a gang-rape case, a prosecutor thought that he saw Ngarambe catch the eye of one of the defendants. After an investigation, Ngarambe admitted that he lied to the court in denying that he had any relationship with any of the parties in the case. Ngarambe, 23, in fact knew two of the defendants and also had prior contact with the alleged victim, who was a high school classmate. Ngarambe has now pleaded guilty to perjury and Judge John Lu has sentenced him to an impressive two years in jail.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Society

Let Them Eat Cake . . . And Pay Taxes: France Government Proposes “Nutella” Tax

If Arnhem was the “bridge too far” for General Montgomery, Nutella may be a tax too far for President François Hollande. I have been admittedly critical of the massive tax increase by the Hollande government on the top earners in France. I just do not believe it makes economic sense. However, the latest tax is not simply designed to acquire more revenue but to fight the fat in France — part of a trend inside and outside the United States. The French Senate tripled the tax on palm and some other vegetable oils — a move that will significantly raise the cost of such French favorites like Nutella.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Ohio Lawyer Forced To Admit To Child Porn For Trial Exhibit of “Morphed” Images and Then Hit With $300,000 In Damages

A case out of Ohio raises in my view some highly disturbing questions on the expanding reach of pornography laws. The Sixth Circuit has upheld a $300,000 award against an Ohio lawyer for his use of a trial exhibit in a child pornography case. Dean Boland wanted to show how an innocent picture can be converted into a pornographic picture without actually causing a child to engage in the displayed conduct. In order to avoid federal prosecution, Boland had to apologize publicly and admit to possession for child pornography. He was then hit with the damage award from the featured children despite his statement in court that these children did not participate in the depicted acts.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics

Voter Suppression: Arizona Woman Runs Over Husband For Not Voting Against Obama

Holly Solomon, 28, really really does not like President Barack Obama. The six-month pregnant Arizona woman was arrested for allegedly running over her husband with her SUV after learning that he did not take the time to vote for Romney last week. She believed a second term would be a disaster for her family and she appears to be right: she is now facing charges of domestic violence and aggravated assault.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Media, Military, Politics, Torts

Jill Kelley Claims “Honorary” Diplomatic Status In Latest Twist In Petraeus Scandal

Last night, while discussing the Petraeus scandal on CNN, the network played a 911 call from one of the four major figures in the scandal: Jill Kelley. The call is perfectly bizarre in which Kelley, a Florida socialite, claims “honorary diplomatic” status to get the police to stop people from walking across her lawn. The dispatcher listens patiently and appears to resist the temptation to tell her that he will be sending over some honorary police to protect their honorary diplomatic residence.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering, Media, Politics

New Orleans Prosecutor Demoted In Expanding Scandal Over Anonymous Attacks On Defendant

We previously discussed the bizarre scandal unfolding in the New Orleans U.S. Attorney’s Office. Fred Heebe, a Louisiana landfill owner, has filed an interesting defamation lawsuit against a federal prosecutor who he claims has used anonymous identities to trash him on the Internet. Using a former FBI forensic linguist expert, Heebe has shown remarkable similarities between language used in filings by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sal Perricone and statements written by someone on media websites under the name “Henry L. Mencken1951.” With the finding that the language overlap “strongly indicates” Perricone, Heebe has filed suit and issued subpoenas. The federal case involves alleged bribes (including an almost $500,000 bribe to a state official) to close a rival landfill in Gretna, Louisiana. Heebe however was never charged with a crime. Perricone, 61, has since resigned after 21 years as a prosecutor but an investigation continued at the Justice Department as well as the civil lawsuit. He recently admitted to posting hundreds of comments. Now the scandal has caused U.S. Attorney Jim Letten to demote his second-in-command, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Mann.

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Egyptian Islamic Leader: Faithful Muslims Must Destroy The Pyramids and The Sphinx

With have previously discussed calls for Islamic extremists to destroy or cover up the Pyramids as an offense to Allah. Now, islamic leader Murgan Salem al-Gohary has called for the destruction of the iconic structures as well as the Sphinx — citing the Taliban as a model for such destruction when they destroyed the famous giant Buddhas of Bamiyan to the disgust and anger of the world community. Murgan Salem al-Gohary is clearly an extremist and not someone that most Egyptians or Muslims would follow. However a far more worrisome development is the huge demonstration in Egypt a few days ago calling for the country to impose Sharia law on its citizens.

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Bizarre, Politics, Religion

Texas Pastor Warns Obama Election Has Opened Path For The Rise Of The AntiChrist

Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, is back in the news. Jeffress once made headlines in denouncing Mormonism as a cult — he supported Rick Perry. Now, the magachurch pastor has warned his flock that the election of Barack Obama will lead to the rise of the Antichrist. He was careful however not to be too extreme. He noted that he did not believe Obama was the antiChrist because “the Antichrist is going to have much higher poll numbers when he comes.”

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Media

Street Justice: Voice of Elmo Facing Charges For Allegedly Having Sex With Underaged Boy

Word on “the street” is not good for Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo. Clash was arrested is facing charges for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy. Clash insists that the accused, now 23, was 18 when they started having an intimate relationship. Truth be known, I always thought it would be tightly wound Bert who ended up in the slammer. Notably, it was the Show that appears to have reported Clash.[UPDATE: The accuser, who remains nameless, has recanted his allegations].

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering

Brooklyn Prosecutor Charged With Attacking and Choking EMT Worker In Drunken Rage

Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Michael Jaccarino, 30, was arrested this weekend after he allegedly attacked a female EMT worker who was responding to a call of an intoxicated man on the Brooklyn Bridge around 1 a.m. He’s charged with assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, menacing and harassment

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Bizarre, Society, Torts

Postal Worker Accused Of Stepping Around Dying Man In Denver In Delivering Mail

A Denver family has a notable complaint about their mail service. The Porch family alleges that a carrier delivered mail to their house and walked by the body of Dale Porch, 46, who collapsed on his porch after working “the graveyard shift” at his job. The carrier reportedly said and did nothing.

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Bizarre, International, Torts

Chinese Man Awarded Settlement After Charging That Wife Bore Him An Ugly Daughter And Concealed Her Own Prior Plastic Surgery

There is a bizarre case out of China were a man, Jian Feng, was awarded $120,000 (£75,000) in a court settlement after alleging that his wife did not reveal that she had had cosmetic surgery — a fact that he said he discovered when she had an ‘incredibly ugly’ child.

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