Man gets prison sentence over series of break-ins

A View From Inside a Bronx Courthouse
The dirty little secret of the American justice system is that its proceedings are mostly conducted in empty courtrooms that become the terrain of the functionaries of this system.  I made a minor dent in this wall of silence during my tour of a Bronx Courthouse this afternoon.  I was on a lunch break from jury duty and the prospect of spending two hours in the freezing cold outside was far from appealing.  So, I decided to observe some of the trials.  Little did I know I wou...

Deportations loom as deadline for Haitians nears - Florida AP - MiamiHerald.com
Miami -- Haitian advocates angrily called on the Obama Administration on Monday to stop detaining Haitians with criminal records and halt Deportations scheduled next month, saying those flights amount to a death sentence amid a Cholera outbreak in the Earthquake-ravaged country. The U.S. government's abrupt decision to resume deporting Haitians also will deter others without criminal records from applying to temporarily stay and work in the U.S., cutting off a lifeline to quake survivors, the...

US Sex Tourist Gets Prison in Abuse Case
(NewsCore) - An American man who taught English abroad was sentenced on Monday to 104 months -- nearly nine years -- in federal Prison for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in Cambodia, California’s Department of Justice said in a statement. Sex tourist Michael James Dodd, 61, was sentenced in a Los Angeles court to a total of 10 years in prison, 16 months of which have already been served in a Cambodian jail. He was also ordered to pay $9,500 in restitution to the Victim’s family,...

Michigan State guard gets one day for DWI
EAST LANSING, Mich., Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Korie Lucious, a junior guard at Michigan State, was sentenced Monday to one day in jail -- already served -- for drunken driving. A clerk at East Lansing's 54-B District Court told the Detroit Free Press Lucious already had been credited with serving the day and would get no further jail time. He also paid $903.80 in fines and court costs. The original Misdemeanor of operating a vehicle while intoxicated Aug. 30 was reduced to Reckless Driving during his Se...

Rapper G-Dep Confesses To Committing Murder...In 1993
G-Dep After 17 years of living with guilt, Trevell Coleman, better known as rapper G-Dep, walked into the 25th Precinct on Wednesday and admitted to fatally shooting a man outside of an East Harlem housing project almost two decades ago. The Victim was John Henkel, a Queens man whom Coleman attempted to rob on the night of October 19th, 1993. "It was just eating away at him," said one police source. Coleman reportedly confessed that Henkel resisted the Robbery and grabbed his .40-caliber gun. ...

Rapper confesses to murder from 17 years ago
EXCLUSIVE It took nearly two decades, but the guilt of Murder finally became too much for Trevell Coleman. Wednesday night, after years of living with the burden, Coleman, 36, walked into the 25th Precinct and shockingly confessed to the very cold case, the sources said. The career criminal -- once signed to superstar rap mogul Shawn "Diddy" Combs' Record Label -- was just 18 when he fatally shot a Queens man outside an East Harlem housing project in 1993, police sources said. "I shot and k...

Bringing cheer to families of fallen cops
It has been seven months since gunfire took the life of Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV outside his parents' home in the Chatham neighborhood. Yet a visit to the home Sunday by retired and current police officers — dressed as Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and their elves, or on hand to help out — was a reminder that his sacrifice will never be forgotten. When the officers arrived with coffee mugs and a poinsettia, Wortham's mother, Carolyn, appeared surprised at the turnout of he...

Operation Santa 2010 helps families of slain officers
It has been seven months since gunfire took the life of Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV outside his parents' home in the Chatham neighborhood. Yet a visit to the home today by retired and current police officers -- dressed as Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and their elves, or on hand to help out -- was a reminder that his sacrifice will never be forgotten. When the officers arrived with coffee mugs and a poinsettia, Wortham's mother, Carolyn, appeared surprised at the turnout of her son's br...

Capital Punishment in U.S. Is Down Again
States are continuing a trend of executing fewer Prisoners and juries are wary of sentencing criminal defendants to die, according to year-end figures compiled by a group that opposes the death penalty. The 46 executions in 2010 constituted a nearly 12 percent drop from the previous year’s total of 52, according to the group, Death Penalty Information Center, which produces an annual report on execution trends. The overall trend shows a marked drop when compared with the 85 executions in ...

Free PFC Corey Claggett
While researching this week’s column, I came across an extraordinary collection of videos at Kansas Watchdog, all taken during Labor Weekend’s Leavenworth Ten Freedom Ride. They showcase the families of the wrongly incarcerated Soldiers whose Debt to society, if they ever had one, is long paid. In fact, we owe them our attention at the very least, and, if possible, our assistance in their legal defense. For more information, see United American Patriots and Leavenworth Ten Freedom Ri...

'Reformed' burglar back in jail for Christmas
A burglar who fronted a Greater Manchester Police campaign urging offenders to stay out of Prison this Christmas has been sent back to jail. Tommy Rouse, 35, from Bury, posed for Christmas Cards which were sent to repeat offenders earlier this month. The force said the cards were a "timely warning" about what they are risking by straying from the straight and narrow. Rouse breached his bail conditions by testing positive for drugs and was sent back to jail. He had been convicted of a ...

WikiLeaks: Hackers tried to infiltrate U.S. climate negotiators
A diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks reveals that Hackers launched a sophisticated attack against United States climate negotiators about the same time the ClimateGate hacking of scientists happened last year.  Brad Johnson has the story. The attack, a “spear Phishing” attempt to gain control of Department of State (DoS) computers, took place in the months before the Copenhagen climate talks of December, 2009. The June 19, 2009, cable warned that these kinds of “socially engine

WikiLeaks: Hackers Tried To Infiltrate U.S. Climate Negotiators
Wikileaks: Hackers Tried To Infiltrate U.S. Climate Negotiators A diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks reveals that hackers launched a sophisticated attack against United States climate negotiators about the same time the ClimateGate hacking of scientists happened last year. The attack, a “spear Phishing” attempt to gain control of Department of State (DoS) computers, took place in the months before the Copenhagen climate talks of December, 2009. The June 19, 2009, cable warned...

Jafar Panahi, Iranian Director, Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison, Banned from Making Movies
Jafar Panahi ​Ten months after his arrest last March, Jafar Panahi -- the most internationally acclaimed of Iranian directors as well as one of the most political in both his movies and his outspoken support for opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi -- has been sentenced to 6 years in Prison. In addition, Panahi, 50, has been banned from making movies, talking to local or foreign Journalists, and traveling abroad for 20 years. A second filmmaker, Mohammad Rasoulof, maker of the vivid alle...

AP Interview: Malaysia gay man gets threats
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Muslim gay man in Malaysia says he fears for his safety after speaking about his Sexuality in an Internet video that attracted online death threats and accusations by religious authorities that he is insulting Islam. Azwan Ismail told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday he was taking safety precautions following fierce criticism in this conservative, Muslim-majority country over his clip, which has been viewed more than 140,000 times on You...

US executions drop by 12 percent in 2010
WASHINGTON—The number of executions in the United States dropped 12 percent in 2010, and the number of people sentenced to die is nearing historic lows, a report from an anti-capital punishment group says. The Death Penalty Information Center attributed the reductions to changing attitudes toward Capital Punishment, but acknowledged there have also been problems with the availability of chemicals used in Lethal Injections. "Whether it's concerns about the high costs of the death penalty a...

US executions drop by 12 percent in 2010
WASHINGTON — The number of executions in the United States dropped 12 percent in 2010, and the number of people sentenced to die is nearing historic lows, a report from an anti-capital punishment group says. The Death Penalty Information Center attributed the reductions to changing attitudes toward Capital Punishment, but acknowledged there have also been problems with the availability of chemicals used in Lethal Injections. "Whether it's concerns about the high costs of the death penalt...

US executions drop by 12 percent in 2010
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of executions in the United States dropped 12 percent in 2010, and the number of people sentenced to die is nearing historic lows, a report from an anti-capital punishment group says. The Death Penalty Information Center attributed the reductions to changing attitudes toward Capital Punishment, but acknowledged there have also been problems with the availability of chemicals used in Lethal Injections. “Whether it’s concerns about the high costs of t...

L.A. Holiday Gift Guide 2010 on Citysearch®
Ready, set, shop! The Holiday Season is here once again, which means it’s time to start making your gift list and checking it twice. This year, you can skip the crowds and generic mall stores and visit one of these L.A. shops for the perfect present for everyone on your list…and maybe a little something for yourself as well. (Photo: Kelly Wardle) On this page: LA Holiday Gift Guide: For the Cocktail Enthusiast, LA Holiday Gift Guide: For the Kitchen Connoisseur, LA Holiday Gift Guide...

Police seize stolen power tools, look for owners
Anne Arundel County Police have recovered 78 pieces of power equipment worth $15,000 stolen during a several burglaries at a mobile home community in Lothian. Police are looking for the owners of the equipment, which includes chain saws, power washers, generators, electrical power hand tools and air compressors. The equipment was stolen during a series a break-ins of sheds at the Rio Vista Plaza mobile home community. After an investigation, police served a warrant on Dec. 9 on a home at Patuxen...

Man arrested in car break-in case after plea for help
A man who sought a jump for what he said was a dead battery was instead charged with burglarizing several cars, Schaumburg police said. Read more in TribLocal. ...

Child molester wins appeals court ruling
A Federal Court reinstated an appeal Monday from a former San Jose music teacher who pleaded guilty in 2000 to molesting five Children and was sentenced to 210 years to life in Prison. Michael Briseno said he would not have pleaded guilty if his lawyer or the Santa Clara County Judge presiding over his case had told him each of the 32 charges against him carried a mandatory 15-year sentence, which could be imposed consecutively. He was barred from raising that issue in his appeal, however, bec...

American to be sentenced in Haitian sexual abuse case
Source: CNN American to be sentenced in Haitian Sexual Abuse case By Vladimir Duthiers and Hannah Yi, "AC360" Staff December 21, 2010 3:36 a.m. EST Cap-Haitien, Haiti (CNN) -- An American who set up a school for Homeless street boys in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, could face nearly 20 years in Prison after he admitted sexually abusing some of the same Children he sheltered, clothed and educated. Douglas Perlitz, 40, will be sentenced Tuesday in New Haven, Connecticut. In September 2009, U.S. Immigration ...

Child molester wins appeals court ruling
A Federal Court reinstated an appeal Monday from a former San Jose music teacher who pleaded guilty in 2000 to molesting five Children and was sentenced to 210 years to life in Prison. Michael Briseno said he would not have pleaded guilty if his lawyer or the Santa Clara County Judge presiding over his case had told him each of the 32 charges against him carried a mandatory 15-year sentence, which could be imposed consecutively. He was barred from raising that issue in his appeal, however, bec...

Chris Christie Commutes Brian Aitken's Sentence
This is great news: Brian Aitken, who was convicted of illegally possessing two Handguns that he had legally purchased in Colorado, will be spending Christmas out of Prison. Gov. Chris Christie commuted Aitken's sentence, from seven years to time served, according to an order the Governor signed today. Aitken had appealed to Christie for commutation after being sentenced in August. According to the commutation order, Aitken will be released as "soon administratively possible." I'm waiting to he...