There are new reports of beatings and shootings as the Iranian government tries to crush protests by citizens demanding more freedoms and democratic rights. The violence is little surprise after it was disclosed this week that the person behind the crackdown is the notorious “Butcher” Saeed Mortazavi. He is a religious extremist previously called upon to do the dirty work of the mullahs.
Continue reading “Meet The Butcher: Iranian Mullahs Enlist Controversial Figure to Crackdown on Protesters”
Category: Criminal law
It was the perfect scene for a marriage. In a place called Kissimmee, Matthew J. Ditzel, 30, and Heather M. Bowser, 31, were married on a lakefront on a beautiful day on May 24, 2008 and the union was certified by notary and Wyndham Resorts employee, Veronica Gonzalez. There only one thing missing: Matthew. Bowser claimed that he had agreed to a marriage “by proxy.” They are now finally both present, albeit in court in a fascinating Ditzel v. Bowser where Bowser wants a divorce and Ditzel wants the court to declare that there was not marriage in the first place.
Continue reading “Marriage First, Then Divorce: Couple in Dispute Over Whether They Were Married by Proxy”
A federal commission on prison rape has called for reforms and safeguards to combat prison rape, which involves an estimated 60,000 victims each year among the prison population.
Continue reading “Report: More than 60,000 Inmates are Raped Each Year”
Dane Halovich can hardly complain that justice is slow or distant in Nevada. This week, Supreme Court Justice Kris Pickering drove her Mercedes into his UPS Store.
Continue reading “Blind Justice? Nevada Supreme Court Justice Kris Pickering Plows Into UPS Store With Her Mercedes”
Jay Mora, 25, of Newark, New Jersey has been charged with impersonating a police officer when he flashed his Geek Squad ID and demanded free sex from a prostitute.
Continue reading “New Jersey Man Arrested After Using Geek Squad ID to Impersonate a Police Officer and Demand Sex From Prostitute”
We have seen some unfortunately mug shots, but Marcus T. Bailey, 28, has reason to be aggrieved. The parolee allegedly stepped out of a barbershop in the middle of his haircut to do a drug deal — only to be arrested and then booked before, to quote Norma Desmond, he was ready for his close up.
Continue reading “Bad Hair Day: Indiana Parolee Arrested in Mid Hair Cut During Alleged Drug Deal”
Convicted drug dealer Calvin Eugene Wells is looking at a likely release from prison based not on his conduct or innocence, but a three-letter typo. Wells was sentenced in October 2005 to 10 years for his possession of more than 100 grams of cocaine. However, the verdict form signed by the jurors contained a typo that wast eh grounds for an appellate court to slashed his sentence down to a fifth-degree felony.
Continue reading “Ohio Inmate to be Freed Over Typo on Sentencing Form”
Dorothy Hendricks, 54, of St. Croix has been charged with allegedly trying to sell her vote on a criminal jury. Another juror is also under investigation in the U.S. Virgin Islands for trying to sell their votes for between $3000 and $5000 to a defense attorney.
Continue reading “Jurors Under Investigation for Attempted Bribery”
Attorney Bryan Simmons says that he was brought low by the double scourge of hard work and catfish. Simmons drove off the road and got stuck in a ditch with a flat tire– the result of fatigue from a trial and a reaction to the black pepper sprinkled on his catfish. District Judge John Miller ordered him to pay the costs of a trial that ended in the middle of jury selection due to his failure to appear.
Continue reading “Fish Story? Texas Lawyer Asserts the Catfish Defense in DWI Case”
There English media has been pursuing a series of stories about police abuse, particularly at protests. A new video (below) has surfaced showing the arrest of two such protesters, Val Swain, 43, and Emily Apple, 33, who claim that they were arrested and roughed up after demanding the badge number of an officer.
Continue reading “Video: Two Women Arrested After Asking for Officer’s Badge Number”
At the Boston Massacre, an unlikely figure emerged as one of the heros, a man of black or Indian parentage named Crispus Attucks. In Iran, women have played a key role in the protests and protesters have rallied around a female martyr named Neda Soltan, 26. Just as blacks in the United States were fighting from a position of slavery and discrimination, Iranian women have been throwing off of restrictions of the harsh Islamic regime and taken to the street. One such courageous young person was filmed as she died after being shot by Iranian security. The video is making it through the blackout curtain established by the Iranian government.
Continue reading “Iran’s Crispus Attucks: Demonstrators Chant the Name of Neda”
A New York mother in Queens “cured” her daughter in a religious ceremony by burning the six-year-old daughter Frantzcia Saintil and leaving her scarred for life. The mother, Marie Lauradin, 29, was charged with assault and endangering a child this week.
Continue reading “New York Mother “Cures” Daughter in Religious Ceremony By Burning Her”
There has been a steading criminalization of bad conduct in the United States, as discussed in earlier columns. We can add the New York subways push to force people to give up their seats to the elderly and disabled — or face a potential 10 day jail term.
Continue reading “Be Polite or Else: New York to Enforce Criminal Penalties on Yielding Seats on the Subway”
The now imprisoned U.S. District Court Samuel B. Kent has been openly bilking the government for salary and benefits by refusing to resign. His lawyer even acknowledged that his promise to resign in a year was due to his calculation that the Congress could not move any faster toward a Senate trial. It was a curious legal strategy since it virtually dared the Congress to expedite the matter, which it did. Kent has now been impeached in a fast track proceeding.
Continue reading “Judge Kent Impeached in Expedited Process”
An unnamed Denver police officer has been suspended after allegedly brandishing his weapon at a McDonald’s when his order took too long.
Continue reading “UnHappy Meal: Officer Accused of Pulling Gun When McDonald’s Order Took Too Long”