January 28, 2021

USA: Detectives Reviewed 100 Devices Found 17,000 Images Of Suspected Child Porn Leading To Arrest Of 14 Men In Florida. 33 Missing Children Rescued In Major Human Trafficking Investigation.

written by Tiffany Razzano
Friday January 26, 2021

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — A months-long investigation by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office led to the arrest of 14 men on 541 child pornography-related charges.

The MCSO Internet Crime Against Children task force launched Operation “One Way Ticket” in July. The task force obtained more than 200 subpoenas and 26 search warrants during the investigation, the MCSO said in a news release.

Detectives reviewed more than 100 individual devices, finding around 17,000 images of suspected child porn. This led to 541 felony arrest warrants for 14 suspects.

Those arrested include:
  • Edwin Aguirre-Pineda, 55 (3 felony charges)
  • Ryan Terryl Barg, 44 (36 felony charges) 
  • Michael John Bibby, 59 (50 felony charges)
  • Riley Burroughs, 19 (50 felony charges)
  • Michael William Blackmore, 64 (50 felony charges)
  • Robert Edelman, 68 (50 felony charges)
  • Walter Raymond Huddleston, 43 (20 felony charges)
  • Raymond Eugene Hudson, 69 (15 felony charges)
  • Seamus Eugene McNeela, 73 (50 felony charges)
  • James Tyler Moschella, 19 (42 felony charges)
  • Christopher Allen Schwartz, 51 (50 felony charges)
  • Sergio Vasquez, 19 (50 felony charges)
  • Parker Alexander Vastag, 23 (50 felony charges)
  • Richard Paul Warno, 73 (25 felony charges)
Huddleston faces additional charges after soliciting an undercover federal agent posing as a minor, MCSO said. “This was discovered after the residential search warrant was conducted at his residence. He was arrested for the local charges, with federal charges pending, upon notification of his continued criminal activity.”

The 13 remaining suspects were arrested Wednesday. Because of their criminal history, the MCSO SWAT team arrested Aguirre-Pineda and Blackmore without incident, the sheriff’s office said.

Schwartz fled to Fort Myers after the search warrant of his residence and MCSO detectives worked with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Police Department to locate him. He was arrested during a traffic stop after he was seen driving over a bridge in Lee County.
Fox News
written by Peter Aitken
Saturday January 23, 2021

A multi-agency human trafficking investigation in Southern California has led to the recovery of 33 missing children, the FBI announced.

At least eight of the children had been sexually exploited, authorities said.

The FBI has seen a spike in human trafficking-related crimes in recent years, with the bureau reporting more than 1,800 pending investigations as of November 2020.

More than two dozen law enforcement agencies and non-governmental agencies participated in "Operation Lost Angels," which began Jan. 11 as part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

"The FBI considers human trafficking modern-day slavery, and the minors engaged in commercial sex trafficking are considered victims," Assistant FBI Director Kristi K. Johnson said, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. "While this operation surged resources over a limited period of time with great success, the FBI and our partners investigate child sex trafficking every day of the year and around the clock.

Several of the children returned to commercial sex trafficking after they were located by authorities, either voluntarily or no coercion, requiring authorities to make several interventions.

The operation resulted in the arrest on state charges of one suspected human trafficker and the opening of multiple investigations.

Not all of the children were the victims of severe circumstances, with one child the victim of a noncustodial parental kidnapping, the FBI said.

In 2020, the FBI initiated 664 human trafficking investigations nationwide, making 473 arrests.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at (888) 373-7888 or visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 3:33 PM 0 comments

USA: CEO of Apollo Global Management Inc To Step Down From Position After An investigation Into His Ties To Sex Offender Jeffrey Epstein Concluded. No Evidence That He Was Involved In Crminal Activities

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
written by Miriam Gottfried
Monday January 25, 2021

Leon Black plans to step down as chief executive of Apollo Global Management Inc. APO 1.01% after an independent review revealed larger-than-expected payments to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that it nevertheless deemed justified.

The months long review by Dechert LLP found no evidence that Mr. Black was involved in the criminal activities of the late Epstein, who was indicted in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges involving underage girls, according to the law firm’s report, which was disclosed in a securities filing Monday.

In its report, Dechert found the fees that the billionaire had paid Epstein were for legitimate advice on trust- and estate-tax planning that proved to be of significant value to Mr. Black and his family. Mr. Black paid Epstein a total of $148 million, plus a $10 million donation to his charity—far more than was previously known.

Mr. Black wrote in a letter to Apollo’s fund investors that he would cede the role of CEO to co-founder Marc Rowan on or before his 70th birthday on July 31 while retaining the role of chairman. In the letter, which was also disclosed in the securities filing, Mr. Black detailed other governance changes he is recommending to the board, including the appointment of more independent directors and the elimination of Apollo’s dual-class share structure.

The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported on the contents of the report and letter.

Mr. Black also pledged to donate $200 million of his family’s money to women’s initiatives.

The moves conclude a tumultuous period for Mr. Black, who in October asked a committee of Apollo’s independent directors to launch the review of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019. The request was an effort to assuage concerns among public pension funds and other institutions that invest with Apollo, some of which had said they would pause further investments with the firm after the New York Times reported that Mr. Black had paid the financier at least $50 million in the years after Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a teenage girl.

Mr. Black “believed, and witnesses generally agreed, that Epstein provided advice that conferred more than $1 billion and as much as $2 billion or more” in tax savings, the report states.

It also supports Mr. Black’s contention that he paid Epstein a fee he believed was roughly equivalent to 5% of the value that the late financier generated on an after-tax basis. It describes the two men’s relationship deteriorating beginning in 2016 after a fee dispute. Mr. Black’s last payment to Epstein was made in April 2017.

The report also says Mr. Black asked outside accounting and legal advisers, including attorneys at law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP, to vet and challenge Epstein’s advice when given.

“In short, there is no question that Epstein performed substantive work for Black and that Black genuinely believed that Epstein was extremely smart, capable, and saved him substantial amounts of money,” the report says.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 after scrutiny of a 2007 nonprosecution agreement he signed with federal authorities in Florida to resolve an investigation into improper conduct involving underage girls. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to two state prostitution counts and spent much of his 13-month sentence outside prison.

Epstein, who grew up in Coney Island, built a fortune of more than half a billion dollars by leveraging close relationships with a who’s who of the nation’s rich and famous, among them retail magnate Leslie Wexner, Johnson and Johnson heiress Elizabeth Johnson and hedge-fund billionaire Glenn Dubin.

After serving his sentence, Mr. Epstein worked to rehabilitate his public image and continued to surround himself with luminaries of politics, academia and finance.

In his letter, Mr. Black added, “It is important to emphasize that both Apollo and I condemn Mr. Epstein’s reprehensible conduct in the strongest possible terms, and, as I have previously stated, I deeply regret having had any involvement with Mr. Epstein.”

In addition to giving up the CEO title, Mr. Black has recommended other governance changes, including adopting a “one share, one vote” structure and eliminating the supervoting shares held by the firm’s founders. He has also proposed augmenting the board so that the majority of directors are independent.

“I am keenly aware that Apollo must continue to innovate and improve its corporate governance processes and focus on creating an enduring world-class financial institution with a best-in-class governance structure,” Mr. Black wrote in the letter.

Apollo’s board voted to add two new independent directors: Pamela Joyner, founder of marketing firm Avid Partners LLC, and Siddhartha Mukherjee, a scientist, oncologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, in addition to Apollo Co-Presidents Scott Kleinman and Jim Zelter. Mr. Black told investors that the board plans to add at least two more independent directors.

Apollo abandoned its partnership structure and became a corporation in September 2019, as a number of its rivals have done. Removing the dual-class share structure would take it a step further, possibly allowing the company to be included in the SandP 500.

Mr. Black would be one of just a few founders of big, publicly traded private-equity firms to pass the CEO torch. The founders of Ares Management Inc. and Carlyle Group Inc. have already done so, but Blackstone Group Inc.’s Stephen Schwarzman and KKR and Co.’s Henry Kravis and George Roberts, all in their 70s, remain in their CEO roles, though they have put clear succession plans in place.

In elevating Mr. Rowan, the architect of the insurance platform that powers Apollo’s $300 billion credit business, the firm is underscoring the degree to which its focus has moved away from the distressed-debt and private-equity deals that made it famous and toward generating yield for institutions like insurance companies.

The ascension of Mr. Rowan, 58 years old, was in some ways unexpected. Apollo said in July that he would take a step back from his day-to-day responsibilities and embark on a “semisabatical.” To some insiders, that seemed to pave the way for co-founder Josh Harris —who has for years overseen the firm’s day-to-day operations and has spent the past few years trying to institutionalize and revamp what some had described as a cutthroat culture—to take the top executive spot.

Mr. Harris will remain a member of Apollo’s board and executive committee and will “continue to focus on expanding our global search for investor returns,” Mr. Black told investors.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 3:18 PM 0 comments

USA: How The Day Went After WallStreetBets Reddit Investors Bought Undervalued Stocks That Vulture Hedge Funds Were Betting On Them Going Bankrupt. Robinhood Blocked Trading Stocks.

UPDATE 1/28/21 at 1:56pm: Added info below. UPDATE 1/28/21 at 2:11pm: Added info below. Yesterday and today's final tally. UPDATE 1/28/21 at 3:26pm: Added info below. UPDATE 1/28/21 at 6:37pm: Added info below.

Do you read that? Head of Robinhood said they plan to ALLOW LIMITED BUYS of the stocks their hedge funds buddies have shorted against the companies. So basically they're going to continue to manipulate these stock prices for their hedge fund buddies. The individual investors ARE INVESTING IN the companies stocks by pouring in much needed capital. They are not betting against the companies like the hedge fund managers. (emphasis mine) 

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 1:23 PM 0 comments

January 27, 2021

USA: Twitter Sued By Child Sex Trafficking Victim Alleging It Knowingly Hosted Content Depicting Abuse. Twitter Reply: We "Didn't Find A Violation Of Our Policies." Refused To Remove Explicit Video.

Rebel News
written by Staff
Thursday January 21, 2021

A boy who was solicited and recruited for sex trafficking as a minor, and endured continued victimization after Twitter refused to remove material depicting his sexual abuse, has sued the social media company.

According to the lawsuit, the claimant, who is still a minor and is referred to as John Doe, “seeks to shine a light on how Twitter has enabled and profited from CSAM (child sexual abuse material) on its platform, choosing profits over people, money over the safety of children, and wealth at the expense of human freedom and human dignity.”

“Twitter is not a passive, inactive, intermediary in the distribution of this harmful material; rather, Twitter has adopted an active role in the dissemination and knowing promotion and distribution of this harmful material. Twitter’s own policies, practices, business model, and technology architecture encourage and profit from the distribution of sexual exploitation material,” the lawsuit continues.

According to the claimant, Twitter refused to remove material depicting the plaintiff’s abuse, even after it was reported to the platform. The offending material received upwards of 167,000 views before the Department of Homeland Security forced Twitter into action.

The lawsuit states that Twitter ignored the claimant’s plea and was eventually forced to act after a mutual contact was able to connect with a DHS agent. The agent initiated contact with Twitter and requested the removal of the offending material.

“Only after this take-down demand from a federal agent did Twitter suspend the user accounts that were distributing the CSAM and report the CSAM to the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”). This is directly in contrast to what their automated reply message and User Agreement state they will do to protect children,” reads the lawsuit.

Doe is suing Twitter for damages for its failure to report child sexual abuse material as is mandated by law and its own terms of service agreement. The claimant alleges that Twitter “knowingly hosted sexual exploitation material, including child sex abuse material (referred to in some instances as child pornography), and allowed human trafficking and the dissemination of child sexual abuse material to continue on its platform, therefore profiting from the harmful and exploitive material and the traffic it draws.”

“Defendant has benefited financially and/or received something of value from participation in one or more sex trafficking ventures by allowing Twitter to become a safe haven and a refuge for, ‘minor-attracted people,’ human traffickers, and discussion of ‘child sexual exploitation as a phenomenon,’ to include trade and dissemination of sexual abuse material,” the lawsuit continues.

The lawsuit argues that Twitter already possesses a variety of tools to moderate content on its platform, including algorithms that limit the spread of offensive content, and has the ability to 'shadowban' or suspend users for violating the site’s terms of service. The lawsuit claims that Twitter did not use the means at its disposal to deal with the CSAM in a timely fashion.

“Notwithstanding its stated policy, Twitter permits large amounts of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation material on its platform, despite having both the ability to monitor it, and actual and/or constructive knowledge of its posting on the platform,” the lawsuit alleges. “Twitter also contains significant pornographic content, including illegal child sexual abuse content. Twitter permits numerous profiles, posts, comments, and other content either advertising, soliciting, or depicting CSAM.”
RedState.com
written by Nick Arama
Thursday January 21, 2021

We’ve been reporting a lot on Twitter seeming failure to apply terms of service in a fair and balanced manner.

Obviously, we see that a lot in how they go after right-leaning accounts for no real reasons while leaving what would normally be violations for left-wing accounts alone for obvious violations.

That’s harmful enough.

But one case that was just revealed in a federal suit against Twitter is pretty disturbing and a pretty egregious failure, according to the NY Post. Sex traffickers tricked a 13 year old into providing them with sexually explicit pictures and videos including him performing sex acts. The videos then subsequently showed up on Twitter in 2019 under two accounts that shared child sex material.

The child became aware of the videos in January as did his classmates, and he became the subject of teasing, harassment, vicious bullying and led him to become suicidal.

The child and his family filed multiple complaints with Twitter asking that they remove the material which was child pornography or sexual abuse.

But Twitter ignored them for almost a month, apart from asking the child for an id.

Finally, they responded saying that the child sex/porn didn’t violate their policies, so they wouldn’t take it down. It had already accumulated over 167,000 views and 2,223 retweets.
“Thanks for reaching out. We’ve reviewed the content, and didn’t find a violation of our policies, so no action will be taken at this time,” the response reads, according to the lawsuit.

“If you believe there’s a potential copyright infringement, please start a new report. If the content is hosted on a third-party website, you’ll need to contact that website’s support team to report it. Your safety is the most important thing, and if you believe you are in danger, we encourage you to contact your local authorities.”
If child porn doesn’t violate their policies, why do they have any policies at all?

The child explained to Twitter again that he was a minor as was the other child on the video and that it was the subject of a legal criminal investigation, but Twitter still refused to take it down.

It wasn’t until law enforcement intervened on Jan. 30, 2020 that they finally took the video down.

The child and his mother have now filed a federal law suit against Twitter in California saying Twitter made money off the child porn videos and refused to take them down while they were racking up views. The suit accuses Twitter of allowing people to exchange child porn material and profits from it by including ads interspersed between tweets advertising or requesting the material.

Twitter told the NY Post that they had zero tolerance for child sex abuse and were dedicated in removing it.

But it sure doesn’t look like it in this case, especially if they had to essentially get the police to make them do it. There’s no excuse for this.
I took this screenshot above to prove what Twitter allows to permeate its social media website. This was nothing compare to the other pornography I saw last night on Twitter. When I checked this Twitter account using my desktop computer it reads "this account doesn't exist". However, when I used my android Twitter cell phone app to check this Twitter account I was able to see all of their pornographic posts I saw last night. I shared the image so you can feel the shock I felt when I was scrolling down these Twitter account feeds. I don't care if this is your thing. But children have public access to Twitter and can easily find their way to these hardcore porn videos. (emphasis mine)
UPDATE 1/28/21 at 2:34pm: Added info below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 5:18 PM 0 comments

USA: Florida Man Extradicted To The US From Spain Accused Of Kidnapping And Torturing Plastic Surgeon. He And Accomplice Abducted Their Victim From A Walmart Parking Lot In Broward County.

 

CBS Miami published June 13, 2019: Arrests Made After Florida Plastic Surgeon Kidnapped And Tortured. The federal criminal complaint reads like a movie script; a pair of men kidnap a doctor, torture him and make him give up information about tens of thousands of dollars in cash.
US Dept of Justice
Thursday, January 21, 2021

Miami, Fl. -- Sergei Nkorina, a 55-year-old American citizen indicted in the Southern District of Florida on kidnapping charges, arrived in Miami last night on a flight from Spain pursuant to a request from the U.S. government to extradite the fugitive.

According to an indictment returned by a South Florida grand jury, on January 14, 2019, Nkorina and his co-defendant, Justin Boccio, abducted their victim from a Walmart parking lot in Broward County, Florida, by grabbing the victim, blindfolding him, and forcing him into a van. It is alleged that Nkorina and Boccio drove the victim to a storage facility where they blowtorched the victim’s hands and threatened to kill him with a firearm and other weapons. Nkorina and his co-defendant demanded the address and entry code to the victim’s home, which the conspirators later visited while armed, says the indictment. According to other court documents, on January 15, 2019, local law enforcement officers found the victim, with his hands and feet bound, hands burned, and lacerations on his face, inside a car parked at a Broward County gentlemen’s club.

Nkorina was classified as a fugitive on May 24, 2019. Nkorina was arrested in Spain for purposes of extradition based on a request from the United States in accordance with the U.S.-Spain Extradition Treaty. He arrived in Miami last night.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.

Boccio, Nkorina’s co-defendant, pled guilty to the kidnapping charges on September 26, 2019. On December 5, 2019, United States District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced Boccio to more than 11 years in prison.

An indictment is merely an accusation and Nkorina is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law. Nkorina made his initial appearance today in federal court. A pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., in federal magistrate court in Miami.

FBI Miami investigated this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Demanovich and Lisa H. Miller, former South Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney, now Chief of the Market Integrity & Major Frauds Unit, within the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan extends her gratitude to the FBI Miami Violent Crimes/Fugitive Task Force and the Hallandale Beach Police Department for their work, to the government of Spain for making the extradition possible, and to the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs who provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition. The U.S. Attorney also extends her gratitude to the Spanish Civil Guard and Interpol for their assistance in capturing this fugitive and in bringing him back to the United States.

You may find related court documents on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 19-cr-20261.
******

Local10 News, Florida local
written by Michelle Solomon, Podcast Producer/Reporter
Thursday January 21, 2021

MIAMI, Fla. – A Deerfield Beach man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $83,000 in restitution for his involvement in a torture and kidnapping plot. His co-conspirator arrived in Miami Wednesday night on a flight from Spain after being extradited back to the United States.

Justin Boccio, 33, of Deerfield Beach, was sentenced by federal prosecutors and Serge Nkorina, 55, (pictured below) is facing charges for kidnapping and brutally torturing a South Florida plastic surgeon with a blowtorch in an elaborate plot to steal tens of thousands of dollars from the doctor.

According to court documents, the plastic surgeon was shopping at a Broward County Walmart on Jan. 14, 2019, around 6:45 p.m. when he was approached by an armed man in the parking lot and forced into a nearby moving van. The captors blindfolded and bound the surgeon, who was not identified in the court papers. During the ride to a storage facility in Margate, the men stunned the surgeon multiple times using a Taser, the document said.

Once at the storage facility, the men tied the surgeon to a chair and used a blowtorch to burn the tops of his hands and beat him, the documents said. It is alleged that Boccio and Nkorina also threatened to kill the man. They demanded the address to the victim’s home and an entry code in order to steal money.

The surgeon told authorities that the captors were hard to see because they wore baseball hats outfitted with bright headlamps. At some point, the men forced the surgeon to drink alcohol and he passed out, the documents said.

Around 4 a.m. the next morning, police found the victim bound inside his car outside Cheetah Gentlemen’s Club in Hallandale Beach. The victim continuously hit the car’s horn to attract the attention of police.

Investigators were able to connect Boccio, a former flight instructor, and Nkornia to the abduction using videos from surveillance cameras at multiple locations, including the Walmart. Authorities also found evidence that Boccio and Nkornia had stalked the surgeon before the abduction, visiting his Broward County medical office, the documents said.

Phone records and purchases, including renting a moving van, help tie the men to the abduction, the documents said.

Boccio was arrested April 4. During the hearing on Thursday, Jan. 21, U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga stated, “(Boccio) forgot his decency and his values when he participated in the torture of this innocent human being.” Altonaga sentenced Boccio to a concurrent term of 135 months in prison, on each count of conviction, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. She also ordered that the defendant pay the victim $83,056.80 in restitution.

Nkorina, who was arrested by local authorities in Spain, has not yet made his appearance in the South Florida case and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement of Boccio’s sentencing.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 4:49 PM 0 comments

USA: Texas Man Convicted Last Week By A Federal Jury For Operating A Website Dedicated To Publishing Writings That Detailed The Sexual Abuse Of Children Using Servers In The Netherlands.

NewsWest 9 published November 14, 2019: Terlingua locals not surprised by arrest of man linked to site featuring stories of child sex abuse.

Thomas Arthur is facing three different federal charges including importation or transportation of obscene materials, engaging in the business of selling or transferring obscene matter and obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children.

Neighbors wondered why it took law enforcement so long to catch up with what he was doing.
NewsWest 9 published January 25, 2021: Terlingua man convicted by federal jury, accused of running website featuring stories of child sexual exploitation. Thomas Alan Arthur, 64, was arrested in November 2019 after the FBI connected him to a website he had reportedly been running since 1996.
US Dept of Justice
Thursday, January 21, 2021

A Texas man was convicted by a federal jury today for operating a website dedicated to publishing writings that detailed the sexual abuse of children.

Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Gregg Sofer, U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Texas; and Luis M. Quesada, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s El Paso Field Office made the announcement.

After a three-day trial, Thomas Alan Arthur, 64, of Terlingua, was convicted of three counts of trafficking in obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of a child, five counts of trafficking in obscene text stories about the sexual abuse of children, and one count of engaging in the business of selling obscene matters involving the sexual abuse of children.

According to trial evidence, Arthur began operating the Mr. Double website in 1996, and began charging members for access to the site in 1998. The website was dedicated to publishing writings that detail the sexual abuse of children, including the rape, torture, and murder of infants and toddlers. The evidence at trial showed that all submissions for publication were reviewed and approved by Arthur before he posted them on the site. Some of the author pages contained drawings depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Evidence at trial showed that the website was Arthur’s sole source of income for more than 20 years. The site was taken offline in November 2019 when the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence near Terlingua, where Arthur administered the site. Pursuant to our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the Netherlands, additional evidence was obtained from the server in the Netherlands where the site was hosted.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 19, 2021.

Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison of the Middle District of Tennessee, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fidel Esparza of the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

The FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Brewster County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 3:53 PM 0 comments

USA: An Indianapolis Teen Whose Dad Had Just Yelled At Him For Leaving The House Without Permission Massacred Family, Killing Five Relatives In His Home Including An Unborn Child.

 

WRTV Indianapolis published January 25, 2021: Juvenile suspect arrested in Adams Street mass shooting that killed 5 people and unborn child. WRTV's Rafael Sanchez reported the suspect is a 17-year-old who has been arrested on initial charges of murder and intentional manslaughter with a handgun and attempted murder. 
 
WRTV Indianapolis published January 25, 2021: Deadly mass murder: 6 people dead after Indianapolis shooting. A community was in shock after after six people, including an unborn baby, were killed in a shooting early Sunday morning at a home on the east side of Indianapolis.

NY Post
written by Jesse O’Neill
Monday January 25, 2021

An Indianapolis teen whose dad had just yelled at him for leaving the house without permission turned a gun on his family, killing five relatives, according to authorities and reports Monday.

“He shot them!’’ the 17-year-old suspect’s sister screamed in the middle of Sunday’s 3:45 a.m. bloodbath, according to a police report obtained by the local Fox 59 affiliate.

The dead were identified as Kezzie Childs, 42, Raymond Childs Jr., 42, their 18-year-old son Elijah, 13-year-old daughter Rita, 19-year-old Kiara Hawkins, and her nearly full-term unborn child, “Baby Boy Hawkins,” according to police and local station WRTV.

The alleged killer, who has not been named by authorities because of his age, was arrested Monday after cops tracked him down to the suburb of Plainfield, Ind., officials said.

His younger brother was critically wounded in the bloodshed — but lived to tell authorities what happened, according to the police report cited by Fox.

The boy said his alleged murderous sibling was enraged over being reprimanded by their father for taking off without permission.

The younger brother said he was with his parents downstairs when they heard the first gunshots upstairs and his sister screamed, Fox said.

The sound of more bullets followed — then the killer “came down the stairs with a Draco gun, a handgun that shoots rifle rounds, and started shooting,’’ his brother allegedly told cops.

The younger sibling fled out the door, only for his brother to chase after him, firing at him, Fox said.

The suspect faces charges of intentional manslaughter with a handgun and attempted murder.

His victims were found riddled with gunshot wounds at the home and declared dead at the scene, authorities said.

“Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we delivered on that promise,” Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Randal Taylor said in a tweet Monday.

“While removing the alleged perpetrator of yesterday’s mass murder from our neighborhoods does not bring back the lives senselessly lost, hopefully, it will bring us one step closer to healing as a community.’’

The crime left neighbors saddened and searching for answers.

“To take a whole family out like that … I just don’t understand,” Vicki Pinkston told WTHR. Pinkston, who lives across the street from the crime scene, said she recently dropped off a few baby items for the expectant mother.

“I had just given them some stuff from my great-grandson when he was born, but he is bigger now. The baby was due next month,” Pinkston said, according to the station.

Pinkston said the family was “so sweet.

“Oh Lord, they say, ‘Hi, Miss, Vicki’ all the time,” she told Fox.

The mass murder comes as Indianapolis reels from its most violent year on record.

Indiana’s largest city recorded 245 homicides in 2020, according to the Indianapolis Star.
“Homicide” is the term used when one person kills another person. Homicides fall into two different distinctions – manslaughter and murder.
[source: Sevens Legal, APC: Criminal Defense Attorneys]

When dealing with the difference between “manslaughter” and “murder” it depends on the state of mind of the killer as well as the various degrees relating to murder.

Definition of Murder

In California murder is defined as killing somebody with “malice aforethought,” which is malice. The two types of malice is “express malice” and “implied malice.” Express malice is when a person intended to kill another person or persons. Implied malice is when a person intentionally commits an act they knew was dangerous to other people and human life resulting in death. In other words, the murder was committed with a conscious disregard for human life. If a crime involves expressed or implied malice its defined as “murder.” Murder is further classified into first degree and second degree. First degree murder is one that is willfully and deliberately committed with premeditation, meaning the person willfully decided to kill the other person. A second degree murder is when a person intentionally meant to kill another person but it was not planned or premeditated, such as in a “heat of passion” or the killing was the result of a person’s dangerous conduct involving a conscious disregard for human life.

Definition of Manslaughter

Manslaughter is also the unlawful killing of another person or persons, but without any malice but still involves a “conscious disregard for human life.” Manslaughter can be voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary manslaughter is when the act of murder is committed in either the heat of passion or in the defense of yourself or others. Involuntary manslaughter is when a killing is unintentional and the result of recklessness or criminal negligence, such as an unlawful misdemeanor act or low-level felony such as a DUI. A “heat of passion” is defined as a killing resulting from a person being provoked, a rash act from intense emotion from being provoked, or the person was provoke in such a way that an average person would normally act rashly. Basically, a jury must decide the person was provoked to the point where he was acting under intense emotion instead of pre-meditated anger. If you have been arrested and accused of murder or manslaughter you need the expert advice of a criminal defense attorney such as Sevens Legal, APC. Contact Sevens Legal, APC, today for a free consultation.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 3:28 PM 0 comments

USA: Three Female Democrat Party Officals In North Dakota Donated To A "Legal Defense Fund" For A BLM Activist Charged In An Axe Attack On Republican Senator John Hoeven's Office.

written by Gabriel Keane
Wednesday January 20, 2021

Prominent female Democrat Party officials in North Dakota donated hundreds of dollars to a GoFundMe account for a far-left activist who has been charged with attacking Sen. John Hoeven’s (R-ND) office with an axe. When confronted over the funding, the donors chose to make excuses and deflect from the issue at hand.

Thomas “Tas” Starks, 30, has been charged in an axe attack on Hoeven’s office that occurred in December 2020. In surveillance footage of the incident, a man police have identified as Starks strolls up to the office entrance and wildly hacks at the intercom system and door, destroying both.
Locals newspaper The Jamestown Sun reports that North Dakota Democrat Party Chairwoman Kylie Oversen, Democrat Party official Ellie Shockley, and former Democrat gubernatorial candidate for lieutenant governor Ellen Chaffee immediately stepedped in to transfer cash to the GoFundMe, donating $100, $500, and $100 respectively.

North Dakota GOP Chairman Berg slammed Overson for her contributions to the fund, stating, “It is inexcusable that Chairwoman Oversen would be personally involved in supporting a far-left extremist whose violent actions constitute an assault on our democracy. Video evidence leaves little in doubt about this attack, so it is unfathomable why ND Dem-NPL officials would lend their name and financial support to a man they refer to as ‘innocent.’”

Overson responded by attempting to draw a failed comparison between the office axe attack and pro-Trump protests at the U.S. capitol on Jan. 6.

Shockley described Starks as a “friend” and defended her payments to the GoFundMe by declaring “human relationships should come before political expediency.”

Starks attended a BLM protest in Fargo, North Dakota in June 2020, complaining about police brutality that he has supposedly seen in the news and claiming “his family doesn’t have to deal with as many issues as African Americans since his family has light skin.”

Black Lives Matter activists rioted in downtown Fargo over the summer, destroying property and terrorizing local residents.

 🚨👇 BLM ANTIFA VIOLENCE LAST WEEK 👇🚨

🚨👇 WASHINGTON STATE 👇🚨
The Post Millennial
written by Mia Cathell
Saturday January 23, 2021

A leftist mob broke into Bellingham's city hall in the state of Washington on Friday, forcing the mayor to flee the building for safety and assaulting local journalists who tried to document the event.

The militants spray painted KGMI radio journalist Joe Teehan, threw hot chocolate in the reporter's face, and stole his microphone.

"There were shouts of, 'He's taking unauthorized photos. He's invading privacy.' Pretty soon I was surrounded by a fairly good number of people," Teehan told KIRO-TV.

Teehan appeared to cover the scene around 9:30 a.m Friday morning. Then shortly after, protesters turned hostile.

"I've never experienced that kind of belligerence. We've had protests in Bellingham and I've never seen anyone act that way," Teehan recounted.

That's when the crowd pounced to seize his equipment. When he started to back away, one individual grabbed his microphone.

The protesters also attempted to snatch his iPad, although unsuccessful. Teehan was not injured but rattled by the incident.

The Bellingham Herald's criminal and social justice reporter Denver Pratt reported that he and his colleague were pushed and cornered by the black-clad mob. Water was dumped on one of their cameras after the duo was asked not to take photographs on public property. Then they were shouted at until the two left.

"We tried to engage in a conversation and explain how we were trying to balance privacy but still document, and they told us to get out," Pratt tweeted.

HomesNOW! co-founder Doug Gustafson who leads the homeless advocacy group said protesters threatened to destroy his video camera. Other footage showed protesters tearing down an American flag outside and stopping on the banner.

The far-left protesters were supposed to be advocating for the homeless encampment—known as Camp 210—of approximately 100 tents stationed outside city hall. Several wooden structures were also erected on the city hall's lawn.

Homeless campers were living there since November to protest the lack of shelters in the area and ignored an order to move 25 feet away from the city hall. The city moved into action after several fires were set and county employees were harassed.

Protesters used cars to block Grand Avenue in front of the county courthouse, leading vehicles to drive across the sidewalk to circumvent the blockade.

A human barricade was formed around the intersections, holding signs that read, "Services now," "Do not sweep," and "Provide an actual solution for the homeless."

Bellingham Police told The Bellingham Herald that around 20 rioters stormed the lobby but no damage was done. No one was hurt and no arrests were made.

"We seek a peaceful end to this encampment and if there is confrontation, we will not be the aggressors," Mayor Seth Fleetwood's statement was tweeted out, pointing to how most homeless campers have not complied with the city's request.

Fleetwood acknowledged that members of the media were threatened and harassed by the present agitators. "Their actions are a disservice to people who are experiencing homelessness and putting them at increased risk," he said of the unruly protesters.

🚨👇 OREGON STATE 👇🚨 

KOIN 6 published January 21, 2021: Protesters approach federal officers near ICE building.
Look at how delicately they phrase this incident. "Protesters" and "approach". (emphasis mine)
 
KOIN 6 published January 21, 2021: Unlawful assembly at ICE building. Protests on Inauguration Day.
Again, look at how delicate they are in describing this incident. First of all a 1st amendment protest is NOT AN UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. Look at how they tied these two together. It was an actual riot which is an unlawful assembly. But the media always refers to their darling BLM Antifa paramilitary wing for the Communist funded Democrat party as PROTESTERS no matter how many cities they burn down. (emphasis mine)
UPDATE 1/27/21 at 4:10pm: Added info below. UPDATE 1/28/21 at 2:51pm: Added info below.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 1:32 PM 0 comments

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