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Feds issue new indictment against activist Monica Cannon-Grant, that allege 27 fraud-related counts

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

Just as federal prosecutors promised at a June 2022 court appearance of the alleged fraudster Monica Cannon-Grant, they have issued a superseding indictment which elevates the 18 charges against her and her husband to 27, with an additional two allegations of additional fraud.“We’re hoping to bring a superseding charging document before September, would be the goal,” Dustin Chao, one of the assistant U.S. attorneys prosecuting the case, said at the June 10, 2022, in-person hearing in federal court in Boston.Cannon-Grant, 42, and her husband, Clark Grant, 39, were originally charged nearly a full year ago on March 15, 2022, with 18-fraud related counts that hinged on three distinct conspiracy allegations. The first is the misuse of donations to the couple’s charity Violence in Boston (VIB) for personal use, the second is the misuse of public funds — including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program — and the third is alleged fraud related to the mortgage on the couple’s Taunton ...

Lawyers: Former NBA star Shawn Kemp fired in self-defense

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Former NBA star Shawn Kemp acted in self-defense when he exchanged gunfire in a Washington parking lot while trying to retrieve a stolen cell phone and other items, his attorneys said Thursday.Kemp, 53, was arrested by Tacoma police Wednesday for investigation of a drive-by shooting but was released from jail Thursday afternoon without charges having been filed. The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said it would not file charges pending further investigation.“We’re grateful they didn’t rush to judgment,” said Seattle criminal defense lawyer Tim Leary, who is representing Kemp.In a written statement, another Kemp attorney, W. Scott Boatman, said Kemp’s vehicle was broken into Tuesday night and several items were taken — including an iPhone. Kemp tracked the phone’s location to an occupied car at the Tacoma Mall, and when Kemp confronted the individuals inside, they shot at him, and he returned fire, Boatright...

Boston neighborhood-specific liquor-license bill moves ahead

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

A bill that would phase in 250 new liquor licenses into specific Boston ZIP codes over five years appears to be on track for a vote soon.The proposal, introduced by City Councilors Brian Worrell and Ruthzee Louijeune, is meant to respond to the fact that the boom of bars and restaurants in neighborhoods near downtown and, particularly, the Seaport, have resulted in the typical transferrable licenses getting hoovered up into those areas, leaving little in the farther-flung parts of town.“This method will help ensure neighborhoods have the opportunity to grow at their own pace, and avoid neighborhood battles over distribution,” Worrell said during a working session on Thursday in which councilors hammered out some details of the language but didn’t make broad changes. “As neighborhoods develop it will attract outside visitors and investments, building Boston’s reputation as a diverse, exciting destination.”Boston’s 1,400-plus current liquor li...

DA's office denies Alec Baldwin's attorney's claim the gun used in shooting was 'destroyed'

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Alec Baldwin's attorney told a judge on Thursday that the state destroyed the gun used in the deadly "Rust" movie-set shooting. The announcment was made during a status hearing in the case against "Rust" actor-producer Alec Baldwin and the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. However, the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney released a statement after the hearing stating that the gun was not destroyed. During the hearing, an attorney for Baldwin, Alex Spiro, said he received an email from the state that the defense would be receiving discovery today. Spiro also brought up the fact that the firearm at the center of this case has been destroyed by the state. "That's obviously an issue, and we're going to have to see that firearm – or what's left of it," Spiro said. Local man who originally was offered armorer job on ‘Rust’ speaks out The New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney released the following statement: "The gun Alec Baldwin used in the shootin...

Mexican president to US: Fentanyl is your problem

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Thursday that his country does not produce or consume fentanyl, despite enormous evidence to the contrary. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador appeared to depict the synthetic opioid epidemic largely as a U.S. problem, and said the United States should use family values to fight drug addiction. His statement came during a visit to Mexico by Liz Sherwood-Randall, the White House homeland security adviser, to discuss the fentanyl crisis. It also comes amid calls by some U.S. Republicans to use the U.S. military to attack drug labs in Mexico.The Mexican government has acknowledged in the past that fentanyl is produced at labs in Mexico using precursor chemicals imported from China. Fentanyl has been blamed for about 70,000 opioid deaths per year in the United States.“Here, we do not produce fentanyl, and we do not have consumption of fentanyl,” López Obrador said. “Why don’t they (the United States) take care of their problem of social...

Church shooting in Germany leaves several dead, wounded

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Shots were fired inside a building used by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the northern German city of Hamburg on Thursday evening, and several people were killed or wounded, police said.The shooting took place in the Gross Borstel district, a few kilometers (miles) north of the downtown area of Germany’s second-biggest city.“We only know that several people died here; several people are wounded, they were taken to hospitals,” police spokesman Holger Vehren said. He said he had no information on the severity of the injuries suffered by the wounded.The scene of the shooting was the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Kingdom Hall, a modern and boxy three-story building next door to an auto repair shop. Vehren said police were alerted to the shooting about 9:15 p.m. and were on the scene quickly. He said that after officers arrived and found people with apparent gunshot wounds on the ground floor, they heard a shot from an upper floor and found a fatally wounded person u...

New atmospheric river storm pushes into California

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first in a new series of atmospheric rivers flowed into California on Thursday and forecasters warned that widespread heavy rain would raise the threat of flooding in a state still digging out from earlier storms.Rain spread across the north by early afternoon but forecasters said the heart of the atmospheric river wouldn’t arrive until late in the day. The heaviest rains were expected to last into early Friday, followed by lesser precipitation.The flood threat will come from the combination of rain and melting of lower parts of the huge snowpack built in California’s mountains by nine atmospheric rivers early in the winter and later storms fueled by a blast of arctic air.The new atmospheric river is a type known as a “Pineapple Express” because it is a deep tap of warm subtropical moisture stretching over the Pacific to Hawaii. Its greatest impacts were expected in northern and central California, with much less precipitation in the south.The snow...

Ottawa fast-tracks weapon purchase as military commanders warn of numerous other gaps

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Anita Anand promised to fast-track the purchase of several weapon systems for Canadian soldiers in Europe on Thursday, even as senior commanders painted a stark picture of the numerous other challenges facing the Canada’s military.That included a frank assessment of the military’s ongoing personnel crisis, calls for more urgency in upgrading North America’s defences and a warning from Canada’s top military commander that the country is falling behind its enemies.“It should be our capabilities keeping adversaries awake at night, but there are capability gaps that I am worried about,” chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre said. “Our lethality vis-à-vis potential adversaries has decreased in recent years.”The comments came during the Conference of Defence Associations Institute annual conference, where hundreds of Canadian military officers, industry representatives, academics and foreign delegates gather to...

5 men from Brampton, including youth, arrested in firearm investigation

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

Peel Regional Police have arrested five men, including one 17-year-old, after the group allegedly stole a vehicle, leading to the discovery of a loaded handgun in Brampton.Police said just after 6 p.m. on March 8, officers attended the Highway 50 and Cottrelle Boulevard area to investigate a suspicious vehicle.It’s alleged that investigators determined the car had been stolen. When responding officers approached the vehicle, the driver attempted to flee, striking several police cruisers. Five suspects were arrested at the scene, and a loaded handgun and ammunition were recovered from the vehicle.“Thanks to the diligence and professionalism of our frontline and investigative teams, our 21 Division officers prevented a violent incident and removed a gun from our community,” said Deputy Chief Marc Andrews.“With these arrests, our officers also prevented the re-victimization of our community by these individuals, three of whom were out on bail for firearms and ot...

NYC man freed after wrong photo led to murder conviction

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A photo of another person with the same name led to the wrongful arrest of a New York City man who was exonerated and freed Thursday after spending more than 18 years behind bars for murder.The prosecution of Sheldon Thomas, now 35, “was compromised from the very start by grave errors and lack of probable cause” to arrest him for the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Anderson Bercy on Dec. 24, 2004, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said as his office moved to vacate Thomas’ conviction.Thomas was one of three people charged with killing Bercy and wounding another teenager in a drive-by shooting.“When I was in my cell, I would think of this moment and replay the conversations I would have with myself, what I would say,” Thomas said in court, where he also offered condolences to the victim’s family. “Right now, I’m speechless.”After arriving for the hearing in handcuffs, he left with an arm around his grandmother and plans for a dinner of oxtail. A...