We previously discussed the decision of prosecutors to grant ultra-Orthodox Jewish defendants anonymity — denied to other defendants — in facing sex-crime charges. It is, in my view, a highly problematic form of favoritism shown to a powerful community in Brooklyn. Moreover, as discussed earlier, it is highly unlikely in this tight-knit community that the identification of both the accused and victims would not be known. Now, four Hasidic men have been arrested for alleged harassment and obstruction of witnesses, including the offer of a $500,000 bribe to refuse to testify against a Hasidic leader. The prominent accused man in the Satmar Hasidic community, Nechemya Weberman, has been accused of 88 counts of sexual misconduct, including oral sex with a child younger than 13 years old. In addition to the money, the men are accused of threatening to withdraw the kosher certification from the restaurant of the boyfriend, Hershy Deutsch, unless the woman dropped her claims.
Continue reading “Four Hasidic Men Charged With Attempted Coercion and Bribery Of Victim To Protect Prominent Hasidic Defendant in Child Abuse Case”
Would you buy a car from this canine?
As a parent, this video of middle school students taunting a grandmother Karen Klein, 68, on a school bus is nothing short of revolting. The grandmother was on the bus as a monitor and is reduced to tears by the cruel comments and threats of the children. The bus belongs to the Greece Central School District in New York.
Continue reading “Police Reviewing Video of Abuse of Grandmother On New York Middle School Bus”
Norwegian prosecutors today did something that U.S. prosecutors appear incapable of doing in high-visibility case — admit that a defendant is legally insane. Prosecutors in the case of confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik’s trial told the court that he should be committed to compulsory psychiatric care instead of prison. They stated that their were too many doubts about his sanity when the 33-year-old Norwegian killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage on July 22.
Continue reading “Prosecutors Admit Defendant Is Insane In Major Homicide Case . . . In Norway”
Two California lawyers have been arrested in a bizarre alleged conspiracy to plant drugs in the car of the PTA president of their child’s school. Lawyers Kent Wycliffe Easter, 38, and Jill Bjorkholm Easter, 38, targeted Kelli Peters because they felt she treated her son poorly by locking him outside of the school for 20 minutes. They are accused of putting Vicodin, Percocet, marijuana, and a used marijuana pipe behind the front seat of her car to frame her.
EasyJet is known as an airline that reduces travel to just above a cattle car. However, the airline reaches a new low recently when it refused to allow professor Martin Birchall of Bristol University to board a plane with a medical container because it was larger than the 100 milliliter limit for a liquid. Birchall showed the airline that it contained a specially treated trachea needed within hours in Barcelona or the vital organ (and months of work) would be lost. While he insisted that he had previously consulted with the airline, they insisted that they had no record of the request and that he would have to leave the organ behind. That is when a medical student stepped forward and saved the day.
ConAgra is facing a legal challenge over its claim that its popular Hebrew National hotdogs are kosher. Employees at the company’s third-party kosher certifier for ConAgra claim that they have witnessed serious breaches in kosher rules at the company’s meat plants.
President Barack Obama today asserted executive privilege over documents long sought by Congress in the investigation of the “Fast and Furious” operation. The assertion in my view is facially overbroad and excessive. It is the latest example of sweeping claims of executive power and privilege by this Administration. Congress has ample reason to investigate this operation, which involves alleged criminal acts that may have resulted in the death of third parties, including a U.S. agent. The Justice Department is accused of complicity in one of the most ill-conceived and harmful operations in recent years. The very officials and agency accused of wrongdoing is claiming that it can withhold documents from a committee with oversight responsibilities.
Continue reading “Deliberative or Evasive? Obama Asserts Privilege Over “Fast and Furious””
While kissing babies is the stereotype of a politician, Democratic Senate candidate Thomas K. Owens is accused of a far more felonious interest after a charge of the solicitation of a minor. Police say that when asked about the solicitation of a 7-year-old girl, he said “I have a problem with that.” He was not considered a serious candidate for the primary.
Jerry Sandusky’s legal team is claiming that the former Penn State coach suffers from histrionic personality disorder, which is why he corresponded so extensively with his alleged victims and exhibited sexually seductive behavior. It is the type of argument that tends to leave many jurors unconvinced and can be viewed as too clever by half.
Associate Circuit Judge Barbara T. Peebles is under investigation for allegedly allowing her clerks to handle litigation matters as she vacationed in China last year. To make matters worse, there is a criminal investigation into the disappearance of a document related to the vacation. In the meantime, another judge, Margaret J. Walsh resigned after allegations that she ordered the handcuffing of an assistant city counselor and used inappropriate or abusive language as well as allegedly attempting to influence city officials when her son was rejected for a job.
Saudi Arabia’s Sharia-based courts continued their application medieval notions of justice this week with the execution of another person accused of “witchcraft and sorcery.” Muree bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri was beheaded after he was found in possession of books and talismans. He was also accused of adultery.
Now this is an interesting tort. A diner at Cheeseburger in Paradise in California, Maryland (yes, that is the city’s name) was bitten by a skunk on the foot as she sat eating her meal. Worse yet, the skunk was rabid.
Continue reading “Rabid Skunk In Paradise: Diner Bitten By Rabid Animal In Maryland”
While much of the country has ridiculed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his ban on large sugary drinks, Cambridge officials have proposed going one step further and banning all sodas from restaurants. People will of course be able to buy shots of alcohol and fried food items. However, the request for a coke would be turned down as a matter of public health.
Continue reading “Massachusetts Proposal Would Ban All Sodas From Restaurants”
This amazing x-ray shows a three-foot fishing spear embedded in the head of Yasser Lopez, 16. The spear entered two inches above the right eye and protruded out the back of the skull. Even more amazing is that Yasser will recover from the injury.
Continue reading “Teenager Expected to Recover After Removal of Three-Foot Fishing Spear From Head”