Category: Criminal law

Saudi Princess Found Guilty Of Attack On French Worker . . . In Absentia

We previously discussed how Princess Hassa bint Salman Al Saud, the sister of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the latest Saudi royal accused of brutal violence against individuals outside of their country. The Princess was found guilty of the beating of  a local craftsman who was renovating her luxury Paris apartment three years ago. However, once again, she will escape any real punishment just as her brother has escaped any repercussions for the savage murder of a journalist in Turkey.

Continue reading “Saudi Princess Found Guilty Of Attack On French Worker . . . In Absentia”

Florida “Healer” Sentenced To Three Years Of Jail For Fraud

Sherry Tina Uwanawich, 29, has been sentenced to more than three years in jail in a novel case in Florida. Uwanawich was convicted of swindling a woman out of $1.6 million to lift a curse. A Gypsy healer, Uwanawich claimed to have a direct line to God. The case rekindles questions over the line between legitimate faith (and gifts to religious organizations) and faith-based fraud. Most of the major religions claim miracles as well as communications with God. Most receive large donations, including from people hoping to be healed or helped. The question is when such claims amount to fraud or just faith. We have previously discussed this issue over the liability of fortune telling and super-natural services (here and here).

Continue reading “Florida “Healer” Sentenced To Three Years Of Jail For Fraud”

Terror Nation: How Millions Are Being Declared Terrorists For Their Political Views

Below is my column in The Hill on a growing tendency to label opposing views as terrorism in our age of rage. Democratic activists have labeled ICE as a “terrorist organization” while Republicans use that term for Antifa. It is also a way to dismiss opposing views as extremism with no need to listen, let alone respond. With the escalation of such rhetoric, millions of Americans are being portrayed as terrorists – a trend that robs the term of any real meaning. Yet, numerous officials, including the Board of Supervisors, in San Francisco supported the ridiculous resolution declaring the NRA to be a “domestic terrorist organization” and, by extension, its five million members domestic terrorists. It is not enough to disagree over the meaning of an individual right, the other side must now be little better than ISIS for disagreeing with you.

Here is the column:

Continue reading “Terror Nation: How Millions Are Being Declared Terrorists For Their Political Views”

Manafort Spotted In Video Of Nickelodeon Game Show

It is not uncommon for otherwise innocuous videotapes to take on a more sinister meaning with the appearance of a later notorious figure. That is the case of the rather bizarre discovery of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in an episode of a cheesy game show on Nickelodeon called “What Would You Do?” The show features Kathleen Manafort trying to win a prize by emptying out her purse, including her husband’s wallet The host notes the excessive number of credit cards for her husband, a problem that would later become a criminal matter for Manafort. Manafort was recently convicted of bank and tax fraud after his indulgent lifestyle led to mounting debt. To answer the shows question, “what he did” was fraud and the episode caught a laughing Manafort at the very time that he was courting some of the world’s more blood-soaked figures to pay for those cards.

Continue reading “Manafort Spotted In Video Of Nickelodeon Game Show”

Montana Judge Orders Men To Wear Shaming Signs For Claiming To Be Veterans

I have previously written about the rise of shaming punishments in the United States in both blogs (here and here and here and here and here) and columns (here and here). We can now add Cascade County District Judge Greg Pinski in Montana who crafted his own flavor of justice by requiring Ryan Patrick Morris, 28, and Troy Allan Nelson, 33, to wear signs reading “I am a liar. I am not a veteran. I stole valor. I have dishonored all veterans.” As always, such punishments are hugely popular with people but they are also, in my view, high damaging to the legal system.

Continue reading “Montana Judge Orders Men To Wear Shaming Signs For Claiming To Be Veterans”

NYPD Looks For Teenagers Who Beat 67-Year-Old Woman With Her Own Cane

We have yet another shocking videotape released by police of a mob of teenagers beating down a defenseless person. This attack occurred in Queens, New York where teenagers jumped from a late model Nissan Ultima and beat a 67-year-old woman with her own cane while taunting and laughing at her.

Continue reading “NYPD Looks For Teenagers Who Beat 67-Year-Old Woman With Her Own Cane”

Texas Man Arrested After Ice Cream Licking Video

We have been discussing the disgusting trend of people filming themselves licking ice cream and then returned the tubs to the freezer for some unsuspecting person to buy. The prank has caused huge losses for stores and ice cream makers. There is an interesting twist on this story out of Port Arthur, Texas where authorities have charged D’Adrien Anderson, 24, with the crime. Anderson has produced a receipt showing that he purchased the ice cream but, under Texas law, it does not matter.

Continue reading “Texas Man Arrested After Ice Cream Licking Video”

Deterring Crime Through Crime: Man Robs Store Only To Find Someone Stole His Getaway Car

Police in Kennewick, Washington may have reached a curious equilibrium point for crime. They received a call around 6 am from William Kelley to report that someone had stolen his red, 1992 Chevy pick-up. When the police reviewed the tape, they concluded that the truck was stolen when Kelley went across the street to rob a business.

Continue reading “Deterring Crime Through Crime: Man Robs Store Only To Find Someone Stole His Getaway Car”

Portland Man Assaulted For Wearing MAGA Hat

We previously discussed the media coverage of politically motivated violence. A new such case has raised in Portland after Luke Lenzner was attacked by a man and a woman simply because he was wearing a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat. Leopold A. Hauser and Adebisi A. Okuneye were arrested after the attack.

Continue reading “Portland Man Assaulted For Wearing MAGA Hat”

Yes, We Have Coke & Bananas: Grocery Stores Receive 100 Pounds of Cocaine in Banana Shipments

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

The innocent days of only finding tarantulas stolen away in banana crates seemingly came to an end when several grocery stores in Washington State received shipments of bananas packed with cocaine.

Safeway stores in Bellingham, Woodinville, and Federal Way received the shipments reportedly worth over one million dollars.

Continue reading “Yes, We Have Coke & Bananas: Grocery Stores Receive 100 Pounds of Cocaine in Banana Shipments”