We can do the right thing to create positive change within ourselves and the world around us! I have created this blog with the intention of keeping you informed of news that is affecting humanity and nature throughout the world! There is no better time than the present to become a global participant and not just an innocent bystander. I have provided you with several websites to help empower yourself and a list of global organizations that you can choose from to make a difference.
We all have our New Year’s Eve traditions – eating food that represents prosperity for the coming year or drinking as many glasses of Champagne possible into the wee hours of the morning – but one specific tradition that struck us was an act that originated in Spain that’s still practiced today. Eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight is celebrated by citizens from Barcelona to Bilbao to Cadiz, following the belief that this is supposed to bring good luck in the New Year.
Numerology does play a role. Each grape represents good luck in each month ahead but all the fruit must go down during the time it takes the clock to chime 12 times – so you only have 12 seconds.
But, why grapes? There are a few stories that leave the origin of the tradition open to debate. One lineage states that grape growers in the late 1800s wanted to sell large quantities when they had huge crops.
Another story says, (and newspaper articles give evidence) that the wealthy in Madrid wanted to copy the French by eating grapes and drinking sparkling wine on the last day of the year. Soon after, the tradition was adopted by visitors to Puerta del Sol who went to see the bells chime at midnight and ate the grapes in a mocking manner of the rich. Now, the tradition is practiced in Mexico and some Latin American countries.
Typically, grapes sold in Spain as the 12 lucky grapes are a traditional Spanish variety called Aledo which is harvested from Spain’s Mediterranean Coast. The white-green grapes are wrapped in paper bags during June and July while they ripen which preserves flavor, aroma and slows maturation. It also renders a thin peel because the fruit doesn’t have to ward off harsh weather. Thus, the grapes are really sweet and fresh – perfect to quickly eat.
A few tips to ensure good luck and smoothly beat the clock – eat methodically because this tradition involves competitive eating. Don’t start before midnight and don’t eat all the grapes at once by jamming them all in your mouth because both these reasons are sure to usher in bad luck since it’s technically cheating. And, if your first grape happens to be sweet, welcome January with optimism because it’s supposed to guarantee good luck, while a sour one suggests bad vibes.
And, if you do finish in time, this success means wishes will be granted (and witchcraft warded off). But of course, good luck can happen by chance of more sentimental reasons in the form of happiness and peace.
Now, make sure you’re checklist is complete with small, seedless grapes, be near a chiming clock and pray for a sweet first bite. It’d also be a good idea to start exercising your mouth now; we know you’ll have plenty of opportunities with holiday eating, so start with 12 candies, cookies or even just grapes to really get in the swing of things.
The expression is from last line of the first verse of Samuel Francis Smith's poem "My Country 'Tis of Thee" (also called "America, the Beautiful"). The song itself is about America's people singing in celebration of their country --both its physical features and all the freedoms it enjoys (as the "sweet land of liberty"). The poet imagines the song being heard everywhere ('from every mountainside'), and even nature itself joining in the song.
The third verse continues and extends the image, looking for all people, all creatures, even the very rocks to sing out:
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Thus "let freedom ring" is a wish and invitation to fellow citizens that the "song of freedom" might be sung out throughout the whole land. The 'singing of the song of freedom' includes not only extolling the (past) enjoyment of liberty in this land, but also making it more and more a reality.
Let Freedom Ring is also a U.S. phrase: A statement that the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be spread across the Earth and allowed to flourish.
I just wanted to make you smile...💖 Happy New Year! 😘
This is how I shake all of the nonsense of this world off of me. ;) I'll be damned if I let this world's MADNESS, a person, or a situation steal MY JOY!!! We have so much to be GRATEFUL for... just look around you. Thank God that you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, clean water to drink, and food to eat, oh yeah and a nice warm comfy bed to sleep in. The simple fact that you are breathing and are conscious should be enough to give God thanks every day! 💞
So get up off that couch and DANCE in your living room! CELEBRATE, LAUGH and choose to be HAPPY! Come on folks, let's get this party started... 😄✨🎉🎆🎇🎊✨💞
One More Time ~ by Daft Punk
(Yes, I am a creature of habit and this is still the BEST New Year song!)
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
I watched this documentary last night and had to share with you. This is the first time I hear of this BDSM serial killer in Canada. (emphasis mine)
True Crime Daily published December 17, 2023: Military pilot leads secret life as stalking predator and murderer - Crime Watch Daily Full Episode. In this episode of Crime Watch Daily: Russell Williams was a well-respected military pilot until a series of murders and dozens of break-ins were tied back to the veteran. Plus, a brain surgeon charged with DUI hours before a surgery.
AS HIS wife slept soundly in their bed, Colonel Russell Williams stalked his neighbourhood, breaking into houses and stealing underwear from women and young girls.
He would take photos of himself modelling the underwear, and meticulously file and store the garments in his family home, logging the crimes and keeping copies of police reports of these break-ins.
After a few years, he graduated to sexual assault and eventually murder.
Williams worked as a highly-decorated military pilot for the Canadian Forces. In his service to the Commonwealth, he often flew Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and the Prime Minister of Canada. Williams was well-regarded, respected, and had high level security clearance.
Russell Williams and his wife would often split their time between their home in Ottawa, and a cottage they owned in Tweed, a two-and-a-half hour drive away. Williams enjoyed an enviable 23-year career in the military air force.
He was promoted to captain within a year of his first posting, and by July 2009, aged 47, he had risen to Wing Commander of Canada’s busiest air transport base.
This was just two months before Williams committed his first violent sex crime.
One night in September, 2007, Williams broke into the home of a family friend, and stole underwear belonging to their 12-year-old daughter. He then proceed to break into 48 separate houses a total of 82 times, his crimes quickly becoming more brazen and depraved over a two-year period.
He took thousands of photographs of himself in the bedrooms of many women, but also in those of girls at young as 9; photos of him modelling their underwear, lying in their beds naked, and masturbating in their rooms.
In the photos of him modelling, he adopts two main poses: an over-the-shoulder glance, and a military-type stance.
Williams stored thousands of these photos on his computer, which is where the police came upon them, and began to realise the scope of his crimes.
WILLIAMS GRADUATES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT
Williams had been breaking into nearby homes for two years before he committed his first physical sexual assault, in September, 2009.
He broke into a nearby home and beat the 21-year-old resident over the head, binding her hands, and grabbing her breasts.
He then photographed her topless, and left. He committed a similar sexual assault two weeks later on another victim, before graduating to murder.
As with his first break-in victim, he chose someone he’d met before.
Marie-France Comeau was a 37-year-old military flight attendant who worked under Colonel Williams’ command.
He had only met her once before, but noticed when she mentioned she lived alone. In mid-November, he broke into her house, took photos in her underwear, and left.
A week later, he returned to her house, and knocked her out with a flashlight.
Williams then beat, raped, and suffocated her. He left her body, and fled.
In late January, 2010, Colonel Russell Williams killed 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd, his second and final victim.
As he later told police, he found her “cute” and so decided to rape, torture and kill her. He filmed portions of the 20-hour ordeal, a tape police later found in the house he shared with his wife. After strangling her to death, Williams put Lloyd’s body in the garage of his Tweed cottage, and drove to the military base, where he reported for work.
Life resumed as normal: he flew the following day, a Saturday, then returned home and spend a leisurely weekend with his wife.
He worked again Monday, and on Tuesday, returned to Tweed and dumped Jessica Lloyd’s body in a forest near his holiday cottage.
POLICE BEGIN TO CLOSE IN ON WILLIAMS
By Thursday, the game was up for Williams, although he didn’t know it yet.
Despite having staged 82 break-ins over two-and-a-half years, Williams wasn’t too skilled at covering his tracks.
He had left rather distinctive boot prints and tyre marks in the snow near Lloyd’s house, and was stopped that Thursday during a police sweep of the area.
Williams’ tyres seemed to be a match, and he was summoned for police questioning that Sunday.
If Williams was nervous about the prospect of being charged with murder, he didn’t betray it.
“I have never been in a room like this”, he tells detector sergeant Jim Smyth as he enters the interrogation room, comparing it to the time he was interviewed “for top-secret clearance” by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.
He declined the opportunity to call legal representation, joking he only had a realty lawyer.
He cordially gave over his blood and fingerprints.
He let detectives photocopy the sole of his boots; the same boots he wore when killing Jessica Lloyd.
His initial tone was lighthearted, but over a methodical ten-hour interview, Smyth had elicited a complete confession from Williams, based on the tyre print matching his Pathfinder, and comparing photos of the footprints to Williams’ boots.
“Your vehicle drove up the side of Jessica Lloyd’s house. Your boots walked to the back of Jessica Lloyd’s house”, Smyth tells a stunned Williams.
“You want discretion, we need to have some honesty.”
“Hmm, I don’t know what to say,” Williams says.
“As it is put to him that a warrant had already been issued and that police were currently searching his home.
“The home in which he had stashed dozens of pairs of women’s underwear, the home he shared with his wife, who was currently being made aware of the situation.” Smyth says, laying it out the situation bluntly.
“Russell, you know there’s only one option.”
Williams’ confession is disturbingly calm, with horrific acts detailed without emotion.
He admits to the two murders, the sexual assaults, and to breaking into a series of homes in order to steal underwear. He admits to stripping naked and masturbating.
At one point he refers to Lloyd as a “very nice girl”, adding, “I think I killed her because I knew her story would be recognised.
“She knew I was taking pictures.”
Of Corporal Marie-France Comeau, the flight attendant he killed, he explained: “I only met her once. She said she lived alone.”
THE TRIAL OF RUSSELL WILLIAMS
Before his trial started, Williams wrote letters to the relatives of his two murder victims, no doubt under advisement from his legal team.
These letters were chilling in their callous appropriation of emotion.
Writing to Jessica Lloyd’s mother, Williams unwittingly highlights the horrific circumstances of how he entered and extinguished her life.
“I know she loved you very much,” he wrote. “She told me so, again and again.”
By the time of his court case, in October 2010, Williams had suddenly gained some empathy for his victims.
At least this is how he portrayed himself, telling the court he was “indescribably ashamed” for his “despicable” crimes.
“I caution the court and the public that these facts will be extremely disturbing,” the crown lawyer warned at the start of the trial.
“ONE OF THE WORST OFFENDERS IN CANADIAN HISTORY”
Crown prosecutor Lee Burgess referred to Williams as “simply one of the worst offenders in Canadian history,” detailing how he exploited his decorated position “to divert suspicion from himself.”
The court were shown the numerous explicit photographs seized from Williams’ house, as well as Polaroids taken of his methodical cataloguing system. As the crown lawyer warned, it was extremely disturbing.
“He was a leader,” Burgess stresses.
Justice Robert Scott agreed with Burgess, sentencing Williams to two concurrent life sentences.
He was charged with two counts of murder, two of forcible confinement and sexual assault, and 82 counts of break and enter.
“Russell Williams will forever be remembered as a sadosexual serial killer”, he declared.
“The depths of depravity demonstrated by Russell Williams have no equal.”
Williams cried as the verdict was read out.
During his confession to police, Williams showed far less emotion. He admits he couldn’t say whether he’d have stopped murdering women had he not been caught. “I was hoping not, but I can’t answer the question,” he answers, honestly.
When asked if he had thought about what impulses drove him to commit these crimes, he confessed he spent time pondering it, but hadn’t arrived at any solid answers.
“And I’m pretty sure the answers don’t matter.”
Williams has since been stripped of his military rank and various awards he won over the years.
His uniform and medals were ceremoniously burnt, and he received no severance pay.
Despite his misuse of power, and horrific crimes, Colonel Russell Williams still receives a full military pension of AU$85,000 a year.
CBS News published November 17, 2023: Nanny sentenced to over 700 years in prison for molesting the children he babysat. An Orange County judge sentenced a male nanny to over 707 years in prison on Friday for molesting 16 young boys and showing pornography to another.
ABC7 published November 17, 2023: Costa Mesa nanny gets more than 707 years in prison for molesting boys. A 34-year-old child care service provider from Costa Mesa was sentenced to 707 years and eight months to life in prison for molesting 16 boys, aged 2 to 14, and showing another victim child pornography.
Here is an excerpt I've typed from the ABC7 news report above. The reporter said, "Zakrzewski addressed the families, never apologizing. Instead telling them he wants their sons to break through the clouds and shine bright." The reporter continues, "The judge reminds Zakrzewski reminding him of what the videos he recorded show." The judge said, "We watch you turn molestation into a game at reading time, at bath time, a swim opportunity and of course bed time." (Wow. emphasis mine)
An Orange County male nanny, Matthew Zakrzewski, faces a potential life sentence for sexually abusing 16 young boys. Additionally, county spokesperson Steven Frasher's dark secret is exposed by San Bernardino Police. NTD’s Stephanie Sical reports. pic.twitter.com/7r5ynXER3x
California male nanny Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski, 34, SMIRKS as he's jailed for 707 YEARS for molesting 16 boys aged 2 to 14, as victims' families brand him an 'animal' who deserves 'nightmare' prison ordeal https://t.co/FEHH3vuMHlpic.twitter.com/Er0KBIE6qE
A California male nanny smirked as he was jailed for 707 years for molesting more than a dozen young boys in his care.
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski was convicted of sexually assaulting 16 boys aged two to 14, as well as showing another child pornography last month.
The 34-year-old babysitter carried out the sordid campaign of abuse from 2014 until his arrest in May 2019. Many of his crimes were filmed and played in court.
'We watched you turn molestation into a game,' Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger told him on Friday.
During his sentencing, the grandmother of one of his victims begged the Menninger: 'A death sentence is too good for him... Please show no mercy on this animal.'
Zakrzewski, of Costa Mesa, maintained eye contact with his victim's families as they read their impact statements.
He told them he wants their sons, 'to break through the clouds and shine bright,' but did not apologize, ABC7 reports.
Zakrzewski's crimes came to light after a Laguna Beach family reported him for inappropriately touching their son.
He went on to be convicted of 34 felonies, including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor after investigators uncovered video evidence of his sick crimes.
At sentencing, the families of his victims wept as they read emotional impact statements detailing therapy they have had to undergo.
One mother described having to take her 12-year-old son for tests for sexually transmitted diseases.
'I have grieved my son's childhood while he was still a child,' she said. 'I can't look at his sweet baby photos anymore without crying. All I can see is a child who was being abused and manipulated not to speak up.
'Was it worth it? Did you get what you wanted? Because I fail to see how you could think this would go any other way.'
The mother of a child who was just three when he was targeted told the court how Zakrzewski taught him to keep secrets.
Others labelled him a 'predator' who has 'stolen their children's souls'.
Sickening video evidence was played to the court which showed Zakrzewski using games to 'normalize' the abuse, Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver said.
In one of the videos, a victim was seen lying on him nude as the defendant 'caressed' him, according to prosecutors.
In another he was show touching himself with a boy in his lap, while a third video showed him playing a game called 'rocket ship'.
Sitting with the victim on his lap, he said, 'It feels like we're having sex,' according to Oliver.
Zakrzewski had billed himself on his website as a 'manny,' who not only watched over children but provided a fun 'buddy' experience.
The couple who initially raised an issue about Zakrzewski hired him through one of his many babysitting websites.
Investigators with the Laguna Beach police Department's Major Crimes & Intelligence Unit soon learned of a seven-year-old alleged victim from Los Angeles.
They quickly learned of 10 more alleged victims throughout Southern California.
Zakrzewski was one of the creators of 'My Sitter/Buddy' a website dedicated to 'connecting Orange County based children with quality, pre-screened sitters - any day any time of the week.'
'It was actually sickening to me and the rest of the detectives we put all of our focus into this investigation,' Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jim Cota told KTLA back in 2019.
On his website, which has since been taken down, he says he has more than six years of experience in childcare - looking after kids between three months and 14 years old. He also offered overnight and travel care.
'At a very early age, I discovered what a joy it was to work with children and be a positive impact in their lives through the 'Buddy Program' at my middle school.'
'Now, I'm a career manny and my 6+ years childcare experience spans from ages 3 months to 14, including special needs… I think the reason I connect easily with kids is because I am not just there to supervise, I participate,' he wrote on his website.
On the site he's pictured shirtless with young boys in a pool and smiling in a photo shoot.
'These young boys were forced to endure unimaginable terror as a result of the ultimate betrayal by a babysitter,' said District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
While lengthy, Zakrzewsk's sentence is not the longest handed down.
Oklahoma child rapist Charles Scott Robinson holds the record for the longest jail term given to a single person on multiple counts.
He was sentenced to 30,000 years on December 23, 1994, 5,000 years for each of the six counts of child rape against him.
BREAKING: Video footage of senior Pentagon official Stephen Hovanic getting arrested in connection to an alleged human trafficking ring has been released.
Sick man.
In the undercover video footage, Hovanic is seen soliciting s*x from an undercover agent but claims he was simply… pic.twitter.com/I0mLbbRRSv
NBC News published November 28, 2023: Military official arrested for alleged human trafficking in Georgia. A senior military official with the Department of Defense Education Activity was was arrested in Georgia for alleged human trafficking. New video appears to show the official walking into a motel room with an undercover agent pretending to be a prostitute.
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - An undercover human trafficking sting in Coweta County led to the arrest of 26 people, including a local man who has been identified as a top children’s education official with the Pentagon.
According to the military publication Stars and Stripes, 64-year-old Stephen Hovanic of Sharpsburg is the chief of staff for Defense Department schools in the United States.
The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office charged him with pandering, which is a misdemeanor in Georgia. Deputies say he allegedly solicited sex from an undercover officer in a motel room where the department had set up the two-day human trafficking operation.
During the sting, 26 people were arrested for crimes that included pandering, prostitution and pimping, according to deputies.
The sheriff’s office also says six women who they identified as victims of human trafficking were offered help.
Deputies say the human trafficking investigation continues and more arrests and charges are possible.
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity official is among more than two dozen people arrested during a human trafficking operation in Coweta County.
Stephen Hovanic, 64, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with pandering. Twenty-five other people were arrested and face charges including prostitution, pandering, pimping and drug charges.
Hovanic has been the Chief of Staff for the DoDEA Americas since 2010.
DoDEA is one of two federally operated school districts and oversees education from Pre-K to 12th grade for the Department of Defense.
They operate 160 schools in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Hovanic serves those schools located in the Americas.
The DoDEA released a statement to Channel 2 Action News on Wednesday night that read:
“We are aware of an alleged incident involving a DoDEA employee in the Americas Region. As there are ongoing legal processes, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. Any questions regarding the incident should be directed to the local law enforcement agency involved.”
A spokesperson says Hovanic is currently on leave.
He has since been released from the Coweta County Jail, according to jail records.
🚨👇😡 RELATED NEWS RELATED TO PENTAGON OFFICIAL 😡👇🚨
FOX 5 Washington DC published October 3, 2023: Pentagon official charged for dog fighting ring. A Department of Defense official and another man have been charged with facilitating a clandestine dog fighting ring that authorities say executed the animals that lost the fights. Frederick Moorefield has been named in a federal criminal complaint. He was with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Mario Flythe has been named as a co-defendant. Lili Zheng reports from Arnold with the story.
Sky News published Dec 31, 2023: Denmark's queen has unexpectedly announced her abdication in her traditional New Year's Eve speech.
Margrethe II will formally step down from the throne on 14 January.
That will be exactly 52 years to the day of her ascension to the throne in 1972.
The 83-year-old monarch will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik - who will become Frederik X.
Jen Denmark published December 31, 2023: The Queen Margrethe of Denmark Nytårstale
This is the only video I could find of the Queen making her announcement while giving her New Year's Eve speech. (emphasis mine)
Denmark's queen has unexpectedly announced her abdication in her traditional New Year's Eve speech.
Margrethe II will formally step down on 14 January - exactly 52 years to the day of her ascension to the throne in 1972.
The 83-year-old monarch will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik - who will become Frederik X.
Margrethe, who underwent back surgery at the start of this year, said in her speech: "The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation."
With her voice cracking, she said: "I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January - 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father - I will step down as queen of Denmark
"I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik," she said.
Jesper Steinmetz, the European correspondent for TV 2 Denmark, described the announcement of her abdication as a "total surprise", telling Sky News it had left Denmark "in shock".
Margrethe - the eldest child of Denmark's former monarch King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid - succeeded her father following his death on 14 January 1972.
She became Europe's current longest-serving monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
She is also the world's only queen regnant - as opposed to a queen consort or queen regent who shares her spouse's title.
In July, Margrethe became the longest-sitting monarch in Denmark's history.
The record was previously held by 17th-century monarch Christian IV, who, while he technically reigned for 60 years, only ruled for 51 years and six months, as he was a child for the early part of his reign.
Margrethe celebrated her Golden Jubilee in July 2022, with a series of events held across Denmark.
However, she underwent "extensive" back surgery at the start of this year - which meant she was unable to attend King Charles's coronation in London in May.
Crown Prince Frederik and his wife represented the Danish royal family in her place.
Margrethe also made headlines in September last year after stripping four of her grandchildren of their royal titles.
The move followed in the footsteps of other European monarchies attempting to slim down the number of frontline royals.
The official reason given at the time was to allow the four children, of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, to live more normal lives.
However, the mother of Prince Joachim's two eldest sons later told Danish media she was "shocked" by the decision.
Danish journalist, Mr Steinmetz, described the announcement of Margrethe's abdication as a "total surprise".
"It is a complete shocker," he told Sky News.
"There was no indication in advance that she was going to announce this, so the nation is in shock."
Asked why she had decided to abdicate now, he said: "She said in her speech that she had major back surgery earlier this year.
"She recuperated well and is doing fine, but she said that when you are 83 you are not able to do the same things you were when you were younger.
"So I think she just found that the time was right - that is what she said in her New Year speech, that she thought the time was right to pass on the baton to her eldest son."
However, he said Margrethe had previously expressed a reluctance to break with family tradition by abdicating.
"I think we have to go back to the 1400s in Danish history to find a similar situation - so it is just unheard of," he said.
"But she [Margrethe] is also very aware that you need to keep the monarchy modern, so I think that has also played into consideration.
"The immediate reaction in Denmark is that it is a very wise decision, even though it is a huge surprise."
Journalist and royal commentator, Alistair Bruce, told Sky News that the timing of the announcement will have "taken many people by surprise".
"She has not been very well recently. She's had trouble with back pain. She's had some surgeries," he said.
"And I think that there's been a recognition that since her husband, Prince Henrik, died, there's been a diminution in her energy levels and I think it's probably something that it is probably something she has been planning for some time."
Reuters published December 30, 2023: Sam Bankman-Fried spared from second trial. US prosecutors dropped plans for a second trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange, saying ‘strong public interest’ in a quick resolution of the case outweighed the benefits of a second trial.
CBC News published December 30, 2023: FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried won't face second trial. A second trial of convicted crypto-tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried on remaining charges not in the November fraud case isn't required, U.S. prosecutors told a judge Friday.
Prosecutors have decided not to pursue a second trial against disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
In a note to Judge Lewis Kaplan on Friday, the U.S. government explained that the decision to forego a second set of proceedings had to do with the fact that much of the evidence that would have been presented in a second trial had already been submitted to the Court during Bankman-Fried’s first criminal trial.
In November, following a month’s worth of testimony from nearly 20 witnesses, a jury found the former FTX chief executive guilty of all seven criminal counts against him following a few hours of deliberation. Prosecutors added that the Court could consider the hundreds of exhibits already entered into evidence during these proceedings when he is sentenced next year.
“Given that practical reality, and the strong public interest in a prompt resolution of this matter, the Government intends to proceed to sentencing on the counts for which the defendant was convicted at trial,” continued the letter to Judge Kaplan.
Bankman-Fried, the 31-year old son of two Stanford legal scholars and graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud against FTX customers and against Alameda Research lenders, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit commodities fraud against FTX investors, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were all tied to the collapse of FTX and its sister hedge fund Alameda late last year.
The second trial, which had been slated to start in March, addressed an additional set of criminal counts, including conspiracy to bribe foreign officials, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and substantive securities fraud and commodities fraud.
Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, wrote in the letter to the Court that “a second trial would not affect the United States Sentencing Guidelines range for the defendant, because the Court can already consider all of this conduct as relevant conduct when sentencing him for the counts that he was found guilty of at the initial trial.”
So now, the question of prison time goes to Judge Kaplan.
The sentencing date is March 28 at 9:30 a.m. ET. The FTX founder faces more than 100 years in prison.
Decades behind bars
That the jury was able to reach a unanimous verdict in a just few hours suggests that they were truly convinced and that there were no holdouts that needed to be coaxed, Yesha Yadav, law professor and Associate Dean at Vanderbilt University, told CNBC in November.
“This overwhelming consensus should give the judge confidence to follow the jury’s decisiveness by imposing a more severe sentence than a lighter one,” continued Yadav.
In this case, the statutory maximum sentence is around 115 years, but there is a sliding scale for sentencing according to recommended guidelines given the scale of the crimes and the criminal history of the defendant.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if SBF spends the next 20 or 25 years of his life in prison,” Renato Mariotti, a former prosecutor in the U.S. Justice Department’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Section, told CNBC.
“The sheer scale of his fraud was immense, he was defiant and lied on the witness stand, and Judge Kaplan had very little patience for his antics while out on bond. He will have more sympathy for the victims than he has for Bankman-Fried,” added Mariotti.
In August, Judge Kaplan revoked Bankman-Fried’s bail and sent him back to jail for witness tampering.
“The federal sentencing guidelines will likely be sky high, but they are just that — guidelines — and the judge is required to consider all of the circumstances surrounding SBF and his offense,” said Mariotti.
Yadav added that the issue of sentencing is governed by guidelines that look to factors such as how many have been harmed and the overall dollar quantum, as well as the seriousness of the damage a defendant has inflicted.
“Here, there are some factors that could push the judge toward a very lengthy prison term, possibly close to the 110 years that the sentencing guidelines suggest,” said Yadav.
The sentence will come down to what the judge believes is sufficient to punish Bankman-Fried, deter others, and promote respect for the law, Yadav added.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O’Brien, who specializes in white-collar criminal defense in NYC, thinks Bankman-Fried has the chance at a shorter sentence, telling CNBC, “Since judges have discretion even under the Guidelines, I believe his sentence will be in the 15 to 20 year range.”
O’Brien added that given Bankman Fried’s age, he thinks the judge will be inclined to give him a chance to live a full life after his prison term.
Bankman-Fried’s case has been compared with that of Elizabeth Holmes, founder of medical device company Theranos, which ceased operations in 2018.
Holmes, 39, was convicted in early 2022 on four counts of defrauding investors in Theranos after testifying in her own defense. She was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison, and began serving her punishment in May at a minimum-security facility in Bryan, Texas.
But former federal prosecutor Paul Tuchmann tells CNBC that he expects harsher terms for the former FTX CEO, because “the amount of losses that were suffered is simply staggering.”
Tuchmann compared Bankman-Fried’s case to that of Bernie Madoff, who was sentenced to 150 years in prison.
“Like Madoff, a lot of the losses in this case were small investors. They weren’t all large institutions, which really tends to create a greater pressure for a significant sentence,” said Tuchmann.
“Certainly, there may be some mitigation here. Sam Bankman-Fried is very young. The judge may take that into consideration. Bernie Madoff went to jail for 150 years when he was obviously much older – with limited productive years left,” Yadav said of the Madoff comparison.
“Sam Bankman-Fried still has an opportunity to make some kind of positive contribution during his lifetime. His crimes are also not violent in nature,” continued Yadav.
🚨👇 RELATED NEWS 👇🚨
Reuters published September 20, 2023: FTX sues Bankman-Fried's parents over missing millions. Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX sued the parents of founder Sam Bankman-Fried, saying that Stanford professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried used the company to enrich themselves at the expense of company’s customers
.@andrewrsorkin, a New York Times columnist, will interview Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Bankman-Fried, the former head of FTX, at the @dealbook summit.
Next week the New York Times in partnership with WEF partner Accenture is supposed to be hosting a live event with Sam Bankman-Fried. Sitting next to him will be Zelensky, Zuckerberg and U.S. Treasury's Janet Yellen. pic.twitter.com/EftL947r0m
In the U.S., Sam Bankman-Fried is persona non grata. But in interviews across the Bahamas, residents say that his crimes were hardly comparable to the gang violence of the island, and expressed fears of economic fallout if crypto investors don't return. https://t.co/aUeAnImTbT
The Ukrainian government launched a crypto donations partnership with FTX in March 14, 2022, per CoinDesk.
FTX was reportedly converting donations into fiat for deposit at the National Bank of Ukraine, a press release said. It described this relationship as a “first.”
Sam Bankman-Fried donated $100 million in stolen customer funds to US politicians.
Today, the US Government announced they're dropping six charges against SBF and will not prosecute him for a political campaign finance violation. pic.twitter.com/7lOJb8F62i
#ELB: “Sam Bankman-Fried will not face second trial on charges including making illegal campaign donations and bribing Chinese officials” https://t.co/m1mnU3hQXE
In his email begging for public donations to compensate for the collapse of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried -- who promised $4 million to the Intercept -- its Editor-in-Chief @RogerDHodge alleged: "we disclosed the grant in our reporting on SBF's political activities."
Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX made transfers of about $2.2 billion to company founder Sam Bankman-Fried through related entities, the company's new management said. https://t.co/GmxKiMpYo7pic.twitter.com/vIpXlnn1aD
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Most recently a Mortgage Professional prior to implosion. Earned a living in my previous career as an Institutional Equity Trader (sell side). I have a bachelor's degree in finance with special emphasis in economics.
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Dr Yuval Noah Harari is a transhumanist and top advisor to WEF Klaus Schwab. He said, "In the past many tyrants and governments wanted to do it. But nobody understood biology well enough and nobody had enough computing power and data to hack millions of people. Neither the gestapo nor the KGB could do it. But soon at least some corporations and governments will be able to systematically hack ALL THE PEOPLE. NWO depopulation eugenics agenda happening now.
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