Category: Criminal law

Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics

Journalists In Turkey Sentenced To Prison For Reporting Corruption In Government

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

turkish-journalists

In another example of the diminishing freedom of the press in Turkey, Yurt newspaper reporter Meriç Şenyüz and Ulusal Kanal reporter Özer Sürmeli received sentences of six and five months respectively for their reporting of a December seventeenth corruption probe involving, among others, then Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son Bilal Erdoğan.

Turkey has an unfortunate history of repression of media critical of government, though in the last year an estimated forty imprisoned journalists have been released. According to BIA Media Monitoring Reports, the number of jailed journalists in Turkey fell from 104 in 2010 to 59 last year and to 19 by November 2014. However the underlying trend of jailing journalists in Turkey and many other nations of the world continues.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, Justice

Ninth Circuit Upholds Preliminary Injunction Against Enforcement of California’s CASE Act As Curtailing Free Speech Of Registered Sex Offenders

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

200px-US-CourtOfAppeals-9thCircuit-Seal.svgPlaintiffs representing unnamed registered sex offenders and sponsors of the non-profit California Reform Sex Offender Laws won a victory in their quest to declare unconstitutional the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act on free speech grounds.

The act, among other matters, requires registered sex offenders to within twenty four hours submit the “internet identities” and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) they use to engage in conversation and participation in the experience of the Internet, amending California Penal Code § 290.015(a)(4)–(5).

The court upheld a district court judgment granting an injunction against the State of California enforcing the statute which was filed by plaintiffs the day the law was effective.

The Ninth Circuit cited curtailment to free speech rights after the offenders were released from prison who were then afforded the full protection of the first amendment and that such provisions of the law would amount to a chilling effect of the free speech rights of this class of individuals.

Continue reading “Ninth Circuit Upholds Preliminary Injunction Against Enforcement of California’s CASE Act As Curtailing Free Speech Of Registered Sex Offenders” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Criminal Cackling? Irish Pro-Life Advocate Convicted Of Harassment Over Protest At Clinic

maxresdefaultThere is a troubling report out of Ireland that raises many of the concerns that we have discussed earlier about the erosion of free speech in the West. Bernadette “Bernie” Smyth is one of Northern Ireland’s most prominent anti-abortion activists and the founder of Precious Life, a pro-life group. She was convicted this week of two counts of harassment that stem from her picketing of the country’s only abortion clinic. The charges were brought by the clinic’s director, Dawn Purvis, who runs the Belfast branch of Marie Stopes. However, the line drawn in the case could create a chilling effect on political and religious speech in the future.

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Criminal law, Lawyering, Society

FSU Shooter Identified As Lawyer And Former Prosecutor Myron May [Updated]

Myron_May_pic_fullThe Florida State University community is still in shock over the killing of three people and wounding of others on campus. The bar was rocked today with the news that the alleged killer was one of our own, FSU graduate and attorney Myron May. May’s final post on Facebook was the biblical verse, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

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Criminal law, Society

Georgia Man Shoots and Kills Driver Who Mistakenly Pulled Into His Driveway . . . Allowed To Plead To A Single Misdemeanor With No Jail Time and A $500 Fine

Sailorslilburn-victimThere is a surprising plea deal in Georgia this week where Philip Sailors, 69, (left) was accused of responding to Rodrigo Diaz (right) pulling into his driveway by mistake by shooting him in the head and killing him. Sailors has now been allowed to plead out on a single misdemeanor for involuntary manslaughter with no jail time. He was facing a murder charge. Under the plea bargain, Sailors will serve 12-months’ probation and pay a $500 fine. What is equally striking is that Sailors declined to say a word of apology to the family of Diaz when he appeared in court to accept the plea bargain of lifetime. We previously discussed this case.
Continue reading “Georgia Man Shoots and Kills Driver Who Mistakenly Pulled Into His Driveway . . . Allowed To Plead To A Single Misdemeanor With No Jail Time and A $500 Fine” →

Criminal law, International, Society

Thai Officials Enlist Interpol In Search For Two Americans Accused Of Stealing and Shipping Body Parts

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Authorities in Thailand have asked for the help of the U.S. and Interpol to arrest two Americans who are accused of trying to mail body parts of infants and three adults to the United States. The two men accused of this disgusting crime may not come as much of a surprise to some people already familiar with their names: Ryan Edward McPherson, 31 (aka “Ryen McPherson”) and Daniel Tanner, 33. The two are producers of the infamous “Bumfights” video series where they paid homeless men small amounts of money to fight each other and have “Bumfights” tattooed on their foreheads. They reportedly made millions of the films. In this case, they are accused of buying such items as an infant’s head with its scalp sliced off as a fun gift to take home. The humor may be lost on McPherson and Tanner if they find themselves entertaining in a Thai prison. It expect they are two exports that most officials would gladly like to send to Thailand for good.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Memphis Man Reportedly Fathered 26 Children But Reportedly Remains At Large With Child Support Violations In Multiple States

terryturnageThere continues to be a national debate over how to handle “deadbeat dads” with some questioning whether jail time is useful as a punishment for non-payment since it often makes it harder for the fathers to hold jobs. Others say that deadbeat dads are often do not take civil penalties seriously and that only jail will motivate compliance to shoulder their responsibilities. There may be no greater case study to support criminal sanctions than Terry Turnage, who has fathered 26 children by 15-20 different women, though the precise number seems difficult to confirm. He has reportedly failed to pay virtually any support to any of the women while driving expensive cars and throwing lavish parties.

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Academia, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Nole Contendere: FSU Football Player Allegedly Drove On Suspended License, Totaled Approaching Car, Fled Scene . . . Then Given Two Minor Tickets

FSU_Seminoles_logoThere are serious questions raised this week as to whether a star football player from Florida State was given preferential treatment not only by university police but Tallahasee police after a hit-and-run where two cars were totaled. At the heart of the controversy, is starting cornerback P. J. Williams who was allegedly driving the car that slammed into an oncoming vehicle. A second starting cornerback, Ronald Darby, also reportedly fled the scene at 2:30 am. However, neither was charged and the incident was not written up by the university police — as if it never happened. Just a couple of minor tickets for the “Noles.” It is a new meaning to nolo contendere. It usually means a defendant not contending a charge. In this case, Nole contendere is used by police to say “I do not wish to contend” a criminal charge against a FSU player. [For full disclosure, my wife is an FSU graduate and a “Nole”].

Continue reading “Nole Contendere: FSU Football Player Allegedly Drove On Suspended License, Totaled Approaching Car, Fled Scene . . . Then Given Two Minor Tickets” →

Criminal law, International, Religion, Society

Thousands of Girls Captured Have Been Declared “Chums” By Islamic State Clerics Who Say That Their Rape Is Morally Correct Under The Koran and Sharia Law

800px-Iraqi_insurgents_with_gunsFlag_of_the_Islamic_State.svgOf all the victims of the Islamic State, none are more horrific than the girls captured by the jihadists and treated as sex slaves or forced to “marry” fighters. That is the fate of girls from the minority Yazidi towns and we have first-hand accounts from girls who recently escaped from IS forces. What is most striking is that clerics have justified their rape and slavery as consistent with the Koran and expressly justified under the extremist views of Islam and Sharia law. The girls are being declared “chums” or war spoils and their rape is being defended as allowing pure Islamic fighters from committing adultery. Kidnapping and raping thousands of girls is considered a better alternative than the scourge of adultery to these clerics.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, International, Justice, Lawyering, Politics, Society, Uncategorized

Banks Ignore the Bankruptcy Laws

US Trustee Program

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor

In the past, I have written about the Big Banks continued unlawful actions that only result in “slap on the wrist fines” that in many cases are passed on to the shareholders and/or used as a tax deduction. It seems that Wall Street and the Banksters have not learned a thing.  Or have they?

The latest wrinkle in Banksters taking advantage of American citizens is noted in a Crooks and Liars report which detailed an investigation into several Big Banks and their alleged refusal to honor the orders of Bankruptcy judges across the country. Of course, the “usual suspects” have been named in the latest investigations.  Continue reading “Banks Ignore the Bankruptcy Laws” →

Criminal law, Free Speech

Former Police Officer Indicted For Alleged Fraud By Instructing Others How To Pass Polygraph Tests

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Opolygraphn November 14th a grand jury in the Western District of Oklahoma issued a true bill indicting former Oklahoma City Police Officer Doug Williams for Obstruction of Justice, Witness Tampering, and Wire Fraud for allegedly being “…hired and paid to train customers how to conceal misconduct in other disqualifying information during Federal employment suitability assessments, Federal security background investigations, internal Federal agency investigations, and other proceedings.”

Williams proffers himself as a crusader having the hopes of eliminating polygraph examinations, informally known as lie detector tests, from government use in that fifty percent of truthful answers are deemed by polygraph operators to be lies. He maintains the website polygraph.com. Fees include one thousand dollars for his training locally and up to five thousand dollars for sessions in which air travel is requested of him.

In essence, Williams attests to the fact that innocent individuals are falsely accused of lying and that his service helps his customers bring out truthful answers. The website does not promise to assist customers to be successful in covering untruthful information.

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Animals, Criminal law, Environment, Society

No Animals Were Harmed In The Making Of This Film? New York Man Insists That Kicking Cat Is Not Animal Cruelty

article-0-1D995E9700000578-109_306x423article-0-1D995EA900000578-749_306x423We have another man charged this week after posting pictures on Facebook. In the case of Andre Robinson, 22, his defense has outraged people as much as his crime. After being shown luring a stray cat over and then viciously kicking it, Robinson essentially insists that no animals were harmed in the making of his film. The prosecutors say that the cat was kicked some 20 feet. His team challenged the prosecutors to prove that the cat was actually injured.

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Animals, Criminal law, Environment, International

Bagged: Four Men Arrested After Posting Pictures Of Poached Deer On Facebook

poachingonfb3Adrian Acevedo-Hernandez, 36, Jose Luis Montufar-Canales, 31, Jose Manuel Ortega-Torres, 30, and J. Nemias Reyes Marin, 31, are in need of some “friends” after their Facebook postings led to their arrest. The men were shown on pictures with an assortment of dead animals. One picture from Hiko, Nevada below shows Ortega-Torres carrying off a mule deer in Nevada but game officials were struck by the background of the picture that was clearly not in the hunting season. That prompted a 16-month state and federal probe that finally led to the arrest of the men who are described as carrying out “a systematic killing, illegal killing, of wildlife.” Authorities believe that Acevedo-Hernandez, Montufar-Canales and Marin are illegal immigrants.

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Criminal law, Lawyering, Media, Society, Torts

This Is CNN? Nancy Grace Sued By Man She Labeled The “Selfie Stalker”

200px-nancy_grace200px-Cnn.svgTelevision host Nancy Grace is again being sued this week over the latest example of her low-grade, gotcha programming. Grace is being sued by a man who she labeled the “selfie stalker” for allegedly taking a picture with a crime victim’s cellphone. The problem is that Ben Seibert is not a stalker and did not take such a picture with the phone. He was cleared of the allegations but that did not stop Grace from continuing to shred his reputation on-air. It is always shocking to see Grace appear not just on CNNHD but CNN generally. If, as the tagline reads, “this is CNN” it has truly experienced a fall from Grace.

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Criminal law, International, Politics, Society, Torts

“There Was No Negligence”: Ten Indian Women Die and Dozens Are Hospitalized After Mass Sterilization

India flagIndian officials are investigating a shocking case where 10 women have died and dozens of others hospitalized after participating in a state-run mass sterilization. The over 80 women underwent sterilizations by a single doctor in a single day in the central state of Chhattisgarh on Saturday. The most remarkable statement came below from the chief medial officer who promised an investigation.

Continue reading ““There Was No Negligence”: Ten Indian Women Die and Dozens Are Hospitalized After Mass Sterilization” →