Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

Milwaukee County Supervisor West Facing Alleged Criminal Charges For Using County Time To Benefit Campaign

2012-02-10T15:54:00.006-06:00

Supervisor West is accused by challenger of using County staff and vehicles to promote her re-election campaign.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 10, 2012

Milwaukee- On Friday, Sylvia Ortiz, candidate for 12th Milwaukee County Supervisor District announced she will file an ethics complaint that could possibily result in criminal charges against current Supervisor Peggy Romo West. Ortiz is claiming that there is clear evidence, that West used County staff and vehicles to campaign, "also campaigning on her Campaign Facebook during standing committee meetings," and that an election staff worker from the Milwaukee County Election Commission took from the election office, a first bach of West's nomination papers home. The election commission staffer later notified West she didn't have sufficient signatures.
Ortiz stated, " I am outraged that Supervisor Peggy Romo West would use County staff and property to influence and gain unlawful advantages! The fact that she is on Facebook while serving on committees and legislation shows her lack of attention to her district."
Supervisor West's Twitter account is no longer in public view and secured her tweets, Facebook still active after allegations of illegal acts were raised by Ortiz. West has admitted to tweeting and posting while on the clock with County business, but doesn't believe she did anything illegal. She has restricted and blocked Ortiz and others not considered friends from viewing her Facebook postings.
Ortiz plans to release West's compiled documents, postings in social media and photos showing West with campaign t-shirt seating inside a Milwaukee County vehicle at a press conference on Monday. Ortiz will also request the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office to review West actions and documents detailing her postings for possible infractions of the law while in office.
A press conference is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, outside the County Ethics Board Room 212 at 10:30 a.m., according to Ortiz's news release.

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Beresford-Redman Extradited To Mexico To Face Homicide Charge For Killing Brazilian Wife

2012-02-09T13:04:00.002-06:00

Bruce and Monica Burgos Beresford-Redman

Homicide suspect arrived in Mexico to face murder charge in Cancún

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 9, 2012

Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico - On Wednesday, Bruce Beresford-Redman arrived in Mexico after being extradited from the U.S. to face a homicide charge for the April 8, 2010 alleged murder of his wife, Monica Burgos Beresford-Redman, 42, originally from Brazil. Beresford-Redman is expected to be transfer from a Mexico City jail to Cancún on Wednesday or early Thursday to face a murder charge preliminary hearing. If convicted Beresford-Redman, the former producer of the "Survivor" TV show is facing up to 40 years in prison, instead of life.
The couple and their two children were vacationing at the Moon Palace Hotel resort in Cancún when Monica disappeared and later discovered inside a septic tank. Hotel employees told investigators that the couple had a confrontational argument that drew concern before she disappeared, which the couple's 6-year-old daugther confirmed.
The Quintana Roo state Attorney General's Office (PGR) reported that during the initial investigation, Beresford-Redman was ordered to remain in Mexico, but he left the country without authorization to avoid prosecution. He returned to the U.S. and Mexico issued an international warrant and an extradition request for Beresford-Redman.
He was detained in Los Angeles, California by federal authorites since November. He lost an appeal in a U.S. court to avoid extradition to Mexico in December.

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Vicente Fernández To Retire After Ending A Tri-country Tour This Year

2012-02-09T00:47:00.002-06:00

Vicente Fernández

Mexican country singer Vicente Fernández announced retirement.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 9, 2012

Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico - On Wednesday, Vicente Fernández, 71, "Chente" a Mexican singer, producer and actor announced during a press conference, that he will retire at the end of the year and won't be doing any future tours or concerts. He wants to finish his final concert at the Bull Fighting Plaza in Mexico City. This year, Fernández presentations include a tri-country tour to Central America, the U.S. and Europe.
Fernández known for his rancheras (Mexican style country songs) and the song "Volver, Volver" will continue to record songs after his retirement. He has been singing, performing and been in numerous Mexican movies in the last 40 years.

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12-year-old Missing Child Found, Has History Of Disappearing After Getting Suspended From School

2012-02-08T23:17:00.002-06:00

Carlos Avila

Teen who disappeared since Monday found in Milwaukee's south side.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 8, 2012

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, Milwaukee police reported that Carlos Avila, 12, has been located unharmed in the south side of the city. Avila went missing on Monday and was last seen at 8:00 a.m. at the 1400 block of S. 34th St.
Family members reported him missing on Wednesday. Avila had disappeared before in another occassion after being suspended from school, according to police.
His family says, Avila was also suspended from school this week and was upset. He apparently disappeared for a longer period of time prompting them to contact police.
Family nor police has released any information where Avila spent several days away from home or why he had been suspended.

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Arizona Supreme Court Affirmed Lower Court's Ruling To Keep Cabrera Off Ballot For Lack Of English Proficiency

2012-02-08T14:19:00.001-06:00

Alejandrina Cabrera

Photo: Yuma Sun

Cabrera's attorney considering filing case with U.S. Supreme Court.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 8, 2012

Phoenix - On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision that Alejandrina Cabrera should remain off the San Luis City March Primary Election ballot for lack of English proficiency. The state high court didn't release any information why Cabrera should remain off the ballot, but is expected to release their ruling later.
John Minore, Cabrera's attorney is contemplating whether to file the case with the U.S. Supreme Court. He hasn't confirmed yet, if he will continue to challenge Yuma County Superior Court Judge John Nelson's ruling on January 27, to keep Cabrera's name of the ballot for lack of English proficiency.
Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla filed a court complaint to determine, if Cabrera had enough shills of English proficiency to handle a four-year term as a council member.
Escamilla faced two unsuccessful attempts to recall him last year, which Cabrera helped to initiate after the council hiked utility rates and laid off 12 city employees due to budget cuts.
Carbrera is one of ten candidates for the San Luis City Council race.

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Colorado Woman Skips Southern Texas Town After Ranting About It On YouTube

2012-02-08T12:54:00.003-06:00

Sara Walls

Husband apologized for wife's unfortunate rant about Laredo.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 8, 2012

Laredo, Texas - Several days ago, Sara Walls, originally from Colorado living in Laredo skipped town and went back to Colorado after causing an uproar in the bordertown with a population of a quarter million. Last Saturday, Walls posted an 8 minute video ranting on Laredo's high crime wave, didn't like Mexican men, people driving with Mexican plates, she couldn't understand Spanish, because most people speak Spanish and they are in U.S. and should speak English, superstitions (about evil eye), wouldn't recommend White people to Laredo, the food (menudo tastes like shit) and she goes on ranting with a long list why she didn't like Laredo. The video was deemed so offensive and racist by Laredoans who became offended and condemned it.
Walls says, her husband Michael's job was transferred to Laredo about a year and half ago and has one child.
Walls in the video says, that her car was "broken into...Laredo, TX, this town sucks and thank God I wasn't born here...I just hate going out in this town. Mexican men here are disgusting." Word about her video spread in the local social media, radio, TV news in Laredo. Public ridicule created by her video, forced Walls to removed it from YouTube, after getting threats and being criticized by people living in Laredo for posting it. But, Walls video surfaced again and was reposted by someone else who made a copy.
Her husband Michael Walls even appeared on Pro 8 News and other local news oulets in Laredo trying to apologize for his wife's ranting video. He told Pro 8 News that Sara has skipped town and took her child with her and she won't be returning to Laredo any time soon.
Mayor Raul Salinas on News 92 FM radio said, Sara crossed the line of freedom of speech and engaged in hate, made remarks deemed as racist, she seemed very insecure in the video. Salinas says, that 97% of the population is Mexican-American and Laredo is a bilingual and bicultural bordertown. Laredo has very hard working people and the lowest crime rate in Texas, according to Salinas. Salinas accepted her husbands apology.
Michael continues to stay in Laredo for now and is dealing with stares, fingers being pointed at him and comments made by people. The after effects resulted from Sara's decision to exercise her right to free speech and expressing her own opinion on video dealing with life in a bordertown.
In the video, Sara, a non-Hispanic was just expressing her feelings about a city she couldn't come into grips due to a lack of understanding the culture, language used by most Laredoans, which 97% of the population is of Mexican descent, spicy food, and the city is politically run by people with close family ties.

Why Sara hates Laredo video link at: http://bit.ly/wTiDGd

Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas comments about Walls on the radio at link: http://bit.ly/zdHZu3

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VDLF Filed Complaint With Dane DA Claiming State GOP Legislators Kept Map Redistricting Process Secret

2012-02-07T22:22:00.002-06:00

State Republicans kept redistricting process from public and other legislators.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 7, 2012

Madison - On Monday, Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) announced, that it had filed a complaint with the Dane County District Attorney's Office claiming GOP legislators agreed on a pact to keep the redistricting mapping process a secret violating open meetings law and the state Constitition. VDLF says, it has documents from Republican legislators to prove that GOP members in office agreed as a pact to keep the redistricting secret and ignore any public comments aimed at influencing district border boundaries.
The GOP agreement extended to their legislative aids as well.
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) confirmed that a contract between Republican legislators was needed to keep the state remapping district process from being compromised. Seventeen state senators signed agreements of secrecy and 58 state representatives as well, according to documents provided by VDLF.
VDLF claimed, the legislature held secret meetings, solicited unlawful agreements while mapping new voting districts. They violated the open meetings laws and disenfranchised state residents and other legislators from having input as allowed by the state's Constitution, according to VDLF.
The clandestine meetings were held by Tad Ottman, Senator Scott Fitzgerald's legislative aide, and Adam Foltz, Representative Jeff Fitzgerald's legislative aide, under the direction of Attorney Eric McLeod from the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich, LLC.
In addition, Foltz wrote talking points for the meetings expressly stating that the lawmakers should ignore the public justifications given for the redistricting, because they would be different than what was explained to each of them at these private meetings.
Peter Earle, Voces de la Frontera's lead attorney stated, "It's now clear why Scott and Jeff Fitzgerald tried so hard to keep these documents hidden under their bogus claim of 'attorney-client privilege.' We now have documents that prove that the Republican leadership of the legislature was paying hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to private attorneys with the express purpose of hiding the legislative redistricting process from the public and from those legislators who had not signed secrecy agreements. This amounts to a conspiracy to violate the prohibition of legislative secrecy contained in Article IV, § 10 of the Wisconsin Constitution. The conduct is repugnant to every principle of good government."
In November 2011, Attorney Earle and VDLF, including four other Hispanic plaintiffs filed a federal lawsuit claiming the Republican controlled legislature had passed a statewide redistricting plan, which cuts about 8 percent of Hispanic voting age citizens (HVAC) from the current 48 percent of HVAC in the Milwaukee south side district reducing it to a mere 40 percent. The plaintiffs want for the federal court to increase the HVAC in the 8th Assembly District to 52 percent making a Latino majority district in 2012. They also seek an injunction and to consolidate their lawsuit along with several other federal cases already filed by Democrats concerning redistricting.

VDLF complaint at link: http://bit.ly/xqiAyj

VDLF document attachments at link: http://bit.ly/ywJdwM

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Southside Aldermanic Candidate Blasts Local SOC Org. For Not Spreading Info About Prior Debate

2012-02-07T15:41:00.003-06:00

Angel Sánchez

Photo: Facebook

The Southside Organizing Committee failed to informed community residents about Monday's local candidate's debate, aldermanic candidate alleges.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 7, 2012

Milwaukee - On Tuesday, 12th District Aldermanic candidate Angel Sánchez said, he is very disappointed and criticized Steve Fendt, Executive Director from the Southside Organizing Committee (SOC) for not informing residents through SOC's mass e-mailing database about last Monday's candidate debate at Walker's Point. Sánchez says, he contacted Fendt on Wednesday to let him know about the 12th Aldermanic candidate debate at Walker's Point and asked him to let the community know through their mass e-mailing system.
Fendt didn't make any effort to get the word out about an important debate to several thousand community active residents in the near southside, according to Sánchez.
Fendt when contacted said, that Sánchez did call him about the debate event, but that it's not his responsibility to announce everyone else's events (stuff). Fendt also said, that Walker's Point Association didn't contact him about the event on Monday or if they wanted the event announced. It's not his job to announce the events from other groups, according to Fendt.
But Fendt says, SOC and seven other groups are organizing several job session interviews for the 12th and 8th Districts Aldermanic candidates, where members of the community can attend and question candidates accomplishments, qualifications, their experience and contributions to the community.
SOC in conjunction with the Clarke Square Initiative, Council for the Spanish Speaking, Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, LULAC Council 326, Voces de la Frontera, Walker's Point Association and Walker Square Neighborhood Association are organizing two aldermanic events to maximize voter turnout this Spring, according to Fendt.
The first SOC event will take place on February 15, at 6:00 p.m. at the Council for the Speaking Murguia Campus, 1645 S. 36th St.
8th District Aldermanic candidates, Alderman Robert "Bob" Donovan, Jennifer Morales, Chez Ordoñez and Benjamin Juarez have been invited to participate.
The second SOC event will take place on February 16, at 6:00 p.m. at St. Anthony Keyser Hall, 1730 S. 9th St.
12th Aldermanic candidates, Alderman James "Jim" Witkowiak, Angel Sánchez and José G. Pérez have been invited to attend.

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19-year-old Woman Gets Light Sentence For Vehicular Negligent Homicide

2012-02-07T01:43:00.004-06:00

Jasmine N. Lyboualong on Monday, looks back at family and friends as she is being taken into custody to begin her four year sentence.

Lyboualong, while driving drunk killed one man and injured another as they rendered aid to another person after an accident in Milwaukee's southside.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 7, 2012

Milwaukee - On Monday, Jasmine N. Lyboualong, 19, of Brookfield was sentenced to three years in prison for negligent vehicular homicide of Michael Grabowski, 30, and an additional year for injuring Rhiannon Patz, 29, on March 11, 2011. Lyboualong pleaded guilty to two felony counts.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Richard J. Sankovitz also sentenced Lyboualong to six years probation.
Lyboualong had blood alcohol concentrate of 0.088, after two hours of the accident, according to the criminal complaint. The driving intoxicated stiffer felony charge, including additional charges were dropped under a plea agreement because of a flaw with the person taking the blood sample from Lyboualong and prosecutors couldn't prove she hadn't been told that blood was going to be extracted from her. The person that took the blood was not medically qualified to do so.
Both Grabowski and Patz were at the 3300 block of W. Lincoln Ave. trying to help a person that had been hit by a vehicle.
Lyboualong had three other friends with her in the car she was driving when she passed a few vehicles and then plowed into the victims. She says, that she didn't remember who she hit. Lyboualong admitted to police she had been drinking before hitting both Grabowski and Patz.

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Debate showed, Witkowiak And Sánchez Most Experience For Milwaukee 12th Aldermanic District

2012-02-06T22:09:00.002-06:00

(L-R) Alderman James "Jim" Witkowiak, José G. Pérez and former Alderman Angel Sánchez.

Photo: HNG

Both Alderman Witkowiak and former Alderman Sánchez showed the most experience during Monday night Walker's Point candidate debate in the predominately Hispanic district.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 6, 2012

Milwaukee - On Monday, a three candidate debate in the 12th Aldermanic District was held at the Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. The two hour debate by Alderman James "Jim" Witkowiak (Incumbent), José G. Pérez and former Alderman Angel Sánchez drew about 100 people to the theatre.
Alderman Witkowiak and former Alderman Sánchez seemed to be the most experienced candidates at the debate, which Pérez was seen as a freshman trying to convince those at the debate that he would be the best choice for alderman. Since, Pérez first registered to campaign for the position, his campaign jumped started to post Pérez campaign signs before the December allowed time to post them. Pérez believes he will get elected as alderman for the south side district.
But first, Pérez needs to survive the February 21st, Primary Election to stay in the race. Most political analysts and voters in the district say that most likely Witkowiak and Sánchez will faceoff in the General election on April 3.
Both Witkowiak and Sánchez have been rigorously knocking on doors since they began their campaigns. Pérez is not far behind at knocking on doors, but which ever candidate gets their supporters to the polls will survive the primary election.
During the debate, Witkowiak said, that the city has adequate services to provide the area, but that residents need to contact the service departments and supervisors to get the needed services out. If people have problems with city services, they need to call him because he considers himself very accessible to the community. He has been instrumental in creating a safer neighborhood by establishing slow traffic lanes on S. Second Street to avoid accidents and has pushed for more police presence in the district.
Has a good working relationship with the Second District Captain Rebecca L. Pixley, who is user friendly to the community and strives to provide a better police service in the area.
Witkowiak supports economic development in the district and assures that every resident rights are protected and are not discriminated.
Witkowiak credits his accomplishments as a solid leader in more than 17 years of service by helping to built a safer community, economic development and working with everyone in solving issues affecting the district. He also voted to increase the Hispanic voting age population in the 12th District.
Sánchez would like to see a 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. speed limit in Walker's Point to help police spot violators after leaving the nightclub scene on the weekends. He also would protect everyone's rights in the district. He believes voters should re-elect him, because he believes in the neighborhood, economic development and a safer community to raise children.
Pérez would like to see more police presence at Walker's Point and believes in preserving historic buildings in the area as do Witkowiak and Sánchez. But, Pérez as a freshman candidate values his education as an asset to getting elected and also supports economic development, case by case. Pérez says, he brings private sector working relationship experience and will push for a positive move forward for the district.
Witkowiak has been in office for 17 years and was first elect in 1992. Sánchez unseated Witkowiak after two terms in office once in 2000 and then in 2004, Witkowiak regained his seat once more. Witkowiak is the current alderman for the district.
In July, the Common Council approved a redistricting map for 2012. The new 12th Aldermanic District was composed with 67.8% of Hispanic voting age population.
There are two other scheduled events remaining before the Primary election for the 12th and 8th Aldermanic candidates. The Southside Organizing Committee (SOC) and seven other groups are organizing several job session interviews for the 12th and 8th Districts Aldermanic candidates, where members of the community can attend and question candidates accomplishments, qualifications, their experience and contributions to the community.
The first SOC event will take place on February 15, at 6:00 p.m. at the Council for the Speaking Murguia Campus, 1645 S. 36th St.
8th District Aldermanic candidates, Alderman Robert "Bob" Donovan, Jennifer Morales, Chez Ordoñez and Benjamin Juarez have been invited to participate.
The second SOC event will take place on February 16, at 6:00 p.m. at St. Anthony Keyser Hall, 1730 S. 9th St.
12th Aldermanic candidates, Alderman James "Jim" Witkowiak, Angel Sánchez and José G. Pérez have been invited to attend.

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Woman Picked As Mexico's PAN Presidential Candidate

2012-02-06T13:34:00.002-06:00

Josefina Vásquez Mota, selected as presidential candidate by the National Action Party.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 6, 2012

Mexico City - On Sunday, officials with the National Action Party (PAN) announced that their politican party had selected Josefina Vásquez Mota, 51, as their presidential candidate. "I will become the next president for Mexico and first woman ever elected in the history of Mexico," Mota, an economist told 55% of the voters that selected her to run for president. Mota was a former Mexican House Speaker in the Congress. If elected, Mota will become the first woman to represent a conservative political party ideology in Mexico.
She will face Enrique Peña Nieto, presidential candidate for the Revolutionary Institute Party (PRI) in the July 1st elections. The PRI party had been in power for 71 years and is attributed to spreading corruption throughout Mexico and political bribes until 2000 when it was defeated.
In Mexico, a president can only be elected to a one time six-year term. The current Mexican President is Felipe Calderon (PAN) who was elected in 2006.
President Calderon is credited for trying to stem out police and government corruption, including the proliferation fight against Mexican cartels responsible for killing over 50,000 people, money laundering, drug smuggling and trafficking.

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IRS Revokes Tax Exempt Status For Esperanza Unida Inc. And Loses State Day Care License

2012-02-05T11:20:00.003-06:00

Robert Miranda

Job training agency struggling to stay financially fit under executive director Miranda.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 5, 2012

Milwaukee - On Saturday, JSonline (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) reported that Ezperanza Unida, Inc., 611 W. National Ave. had lost its Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax exempt status and a state day care license. The IRS automatically revoked the federal tax exempt status because the agency run by executive director Robert Miranda hadn't filed financial information forms for 2009, 2010 and 2011 as required by federal law.
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development also revoked Ezperanza's day care license for not paying about $104,000 in workers compensation for 2009, 2010 and 2011, according to JSonline. The state issued tax warrants totaling more than $104,000.
Miranda explained to JSonline, that the agency experienced a flood last year and tax filing records were destroyed. Miranda says, they are now working with the IRS to regain their tax exempt.
In the last three years under Miranda's leadership, the agency has faced allegations of bounced payroll checks and had fired several employee's for complaining about non-payment. The employees filed a labor complaint against both Miranda and Esperanza.
Esperanza a jobs training agency has 13 employees left at the agency and reported that it had graduated seven welders and several mechanics on Friday, JSonline reported.
Miranda's salary totals $48,000 per year and hasn't had a raise, since he took over the agency in 2005. As executive director, Miranda has kept Esperanza Unida afloat and operating in the last seven years.
Miranda tried to create a multi-million welding program partnership between Esperanza Unida, Bucyrus, Inc. and Milwaukee Area Technical College (M.A.T.C.), but he failed to worked with two Hispanic Board members Pedro Colón and Attorney Peter Earl in 2009. The welding project was rejected by the M.A.T.C. Board. Weeks later, Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan sent out a letter saying that Bucyrus didn't need the welders as previously planned, saving M.A.T.C. millions. Miranda continued to blame both Colón and Earl for the misfortune.
In 2007, Miranda led and helped establish a sister city economic agreement between Turkey and Milwaukee. Five months ago, Miranda lost an employee related complaint dealing with payroll issues. Both Jose Toledo and Nydia Millan had filed a complaint with Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) about not getting paid in time. VDLF in the complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleged that Miranda terminated both Toledo and Millan in November 2010 for complaining about not getting paid and receiving payroll checks that bounced.
Miranda fired both employees citing a confidentiality clause, but NLRB found that the clause was meant to protect trade or product secrets and not to bar employees from complaining about work related issues as payroll. He settled the case on April 27, 2011 by agreeing to reinstate both employees and pay Toledo in back pay wages with interest totalling $15,000 and Millan $7,371. Toledo had worked in Esperanza Unida for five years as a mechanic instructor, Millan had worked as a day care instructor, according to the NLRB case records.
In July 2008, about 20 Esperanza Unidad employees signed a petition against Miranda claiming they weren't getting paid in time.
In July 2011, Miranda wrote an article in support of SB 137 which penalizes employers with $10,000 fine for each undocumented immigrant that they knowningly hire in Wisconsin. It also prevents employers from qualifying for tax credits or state funded projects. In the article published in both the Spanish Journal and BizTimes dot com, Miranda wrote, that "the state should enforce ban on hiring illegal immigrants," which drew criticism from the Latino south side immigrant community.
"To just come forward to say that SB 137 is “divisive” indicates lazy research and innate ignorance of the issue of undocumented immigration. Turning a blind eye to undocumented workers, as U.S. immigration authorities have done, harms U.S. citizens, documented immigrants and the undocumented," Miranda wrote.
State bill SB 137 was introduced by state Senate Democrats, Dave Hansen, Robert Wirch, Jon Erpenbach, Jim Holperin and Tim Carpenter, including one State Representative Tony Staskunas (co-author).

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Santa Maria Police Officer Covarrubia's Funeral Set For Monday in California

2012-02-05T02:20:00.002-06:00

Officer Albert Covarrubias Jr.

Photo: Family/KSBY dot com

Officer Covarrubias killed by fellow officer while resisting arrest.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 5, 2012

Santa Maria, CA - The final respects for slain Santa Maria Police Officer Albert Covarrubias, 29, will be held on Monday beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Dudley Hoffman Funeral Home in Santa Maria, followed by burial at the local Santa Maria Cemetry, family members announced. Albert Covarrubias Sr., the officer's father confirmed to local media KSBY dot com, that no police officers will be allowed to attend Monday's funeral services.
Santa Maria Police Chief Danny Macagni hasn't confirmed, if he will try to attend the funeral service or stay away in due respect of the Covarrubias' family wishes banning any officer from the service. No city public elected official has confirmed either, if any of them will attempt to attend the funeral for the slain officer.
Officer Covarrubias was accused of several felonies, including having a sexual misconduct affair with a 17-year-old high school girl enrolled in the police department explorer program, according to the preliminary complaint. Chief Macagni said, Officer Covarrubias became a danger to himself and the victim, which led two police supervisors to try and take the officer into custody. They went to arrest Officer Covarrubias at a OWI checkpoint on early January 28, but the officer resisted, struggled with both supervisors and discharged his weapon.
Officer Matthew "Matt" Kline fatally shot Covarrubias once in the chest. He died at a local hospital. Kline was Covarrubias's partner at the OWI checkpoint and supposedly a best friend.
Kline remains in paid administrative leave pending the outcome of Officer Covarrubias' shooting death investigation.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is investigating the fatal shooting. Covarrubias had worked for the department for four years and had recently been married. Officer Kline participated in Covarrubias' Las Vegas wedding last month.
The Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce had their annual luncheon scheduled for next Wednesday to honor police officers, but announced that it had postponed the event. No date has been rescheduled yet, according to KSBY news.

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Milwaukee Police Crack Down On OWI In The Southside Resulted In 51 Stops

2012-02-04T10:17:00.003-06:00

Milwaukee police come short of setting up OWI checkpoints like Waukegan police.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 4, 2012

Milwaukee - On Friday, a Milwaukee police OWI deployment special unit began another operation to spot, stop, cite and arrest suspected drivers operating while intoxicated. The officers involved in the operation look for signs to enagage in a stop like someone driving without lights, weaving on the street, driving to slow, having bright lights or a burn out light and etc. Police come short of setting up OWI checkpoints in the predominately Hispanic community where most likely a large of concentration of undocumented drivers can be found cruising in the area.
Milwaukee police action compared to the neighboring state of Illinois where police in the City of Waukegan routinely setup checkpoints for OWI, usually have a large arrest quota for undocumented drivers without valid documents.
The southside of Milwaukee had a large concentration of OWI accidents last year, including undocumented OWI drivers involved in accidents causing deaths. But, the southside is being trageted to improve safe and sober driving conditions, especially during the weekends.
Other areas where large concentration of OWI drivers flourish are in Milwaukee's downtown nightclub scenes during closing hours, Miller Park, after games and area Summer festivals as well. OWI is an epidemic in Milwaukee, especially when drivers consuming alcohol or substance abuse, decide to get on their vehicles and drive home or other destinations raising the percentage point of getting into an probable accident.
On Friday and early hours of Saturday, the Milwaukee police OWI deployment unit had a productive operation. The Milwaukee Police Department Facebook page reported the following statistics on Saturday, "NTF motorcycle officers on OWI deployment last night make 5 arrests of repeat drunken drivers; 18 arrests for operating after revocation/suspension. Total of 51 traffic stops. 1 felony arrest for driver of a stolen car. We also know that other crime goes down when officers are in the deployment areas, like fewer shots fired in those neighborhoods."
More visible deployment operations by the police department could become a major factor to reducing OWI driving in the southside during the weekends, which could very well save lives.
The southside 12th Aldermanic District and adjacent 4th, 8th and 14th districts have more alcohol and beer selling establishments per block than any other aldermanic districts in the City of Milwaukee.

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Al-Mujaahid Won't Get Charged For Shooting At Armed Robber With Rifle At Aldi's Grocery Store

2012-02-03T22:46:00.005-06:00

Dierre D. Cotton

Edyon M. Hibbler

Nazir al-Mujaahid

Al-Mujaahid said he had no choice, but to protect his wife, customers and everyone inside the store.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 3, 2012

Milwaukee - On early Friday, Milwaukee County District Attorney John T. Chisholm announced, that Nazir al-Mujaahid, 35, who has a Conceal Carry Permit won't be charged for shooting at a robbery suspect armed with a rifle on Monday at a northside grocery store. Chisholm said, Al-Mujaahid acted in a proper manner, was justified to shoot at the suspect and had put himself in danger to protect his wife, customers and a cashier.
Al-Mujaahid went inside the Aldi's grocery store at the 7600 block of West Villard St. to shop. The store has a posted sign prohibiting conceal weapons.
Al-Mujaahid says, he didn't noticed the sign, but if he did, he would have gone shopping somewhere else. While at the store, a suspect holding a rifle walked in and pointed the gun at a cashier and began to yell at her. Al-Mujaahid decided to act by pulling out his conceal weapon in order to protect his wife and everyone inside. The robbery suspect saw Al-Mujaahid with a handgun and pointed the rifle at him. Al-Mujaahid reacted by firing shots at the suspect multiple times striking him twice, including a graze to right side of the forehead.
The suspect dropped the rifle, the money bag and fled with another man also involved in the robbery. Police later arrested both suspects at a local hospital who were seeking treatment. The rifle used by one of the suspects was recovered at the scene by police. Police determined that the rifle was unloaded.
The suspects were identified as Dierre D. Cotton, 20, and Edyon M. Hibbler, 21. They were charged for Aldi armed robbery on Friday, including several other robberies in Milwaukee and Wauwatosa.
Cotton was shot by Al-Mujaahid several times, including a grazed to his forehead. Cotton was charged with three counts of armed robbery and Hibbler with two counts of armed robbery, including each suspect was charged with additional counts for use of force and party to a crime. All charges are felony counts.
Al-Mujaahid says, that he had just received his Conceal Weapon Permit several weeks ago. Stores that have posted signs prohibiting conceal weapons are criminal friendly zones, according to Al-Mujaahid. Criminals don't need permits to carry weapons or follow signs that prohibit weapons.
Under the Conceal Carry state law, stores or businesses that post signs prohibiting conceal weapons are not exempt from liability, if someone gets shot inside.

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Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke Concedes And Won't Challenge Next Week Layoffs Of 48 Deputies

2012-02-02T22:46:00.002-06:00

Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.

Sheriff Clarke recinded last month's order for targeted deputies to be laid off to return to work.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 2, 2012

Milwaukee - On Thursday, Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. announced, that he won't challenge the decision by both Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge John Pocan and the state Employment Relations Commission to layoff 48 deputies by next Monday. The County Board approved the layoffs of 68 deputies, but within the last two months of 2011 about 20 deputies, including supervisors had retired reducing the pink slips notices of layoffs to only 48 deputies. Clarke recinded last December's notice for deputies to disregard pink slips and continue working through the New Year.
Sheriff Clarke confirmed, that deputies effected will continue to show up for work until the Milwaukee County Human Resources Department reissues the layoff pink slips.
The Milwaukee County Board and County Executive Chris Abele through a Corporation attorney filed a lawsuit in January 2012 to force Sheriff Clarke to layoff the deputies. Clarke failed to layoff deputies that received pink slips by December 31st and ignored 2012 budget actions taken by the County Board. The County Board and Abele approved $13 million in cuts from the 2012 sheriff's office to help offset the county deficit.
Currently, there are about 320 deputies in active duty, compared to year 2002, when the sheriff's department employed at least 692, according to the county.

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U.S. Federal Officials Who Allowed Straw Purchased Guns Into Mexico For Drug Cartels To Be Fired And Charged

2012-02-02T14:29:00.002-06:00

U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry killed with a Fast and Furious weapon on December 2010 in the northern Arizona-Mexico border.

Photo: USA Today

Holder, U.S. Attorney General denies cover-up during congressional oversight hearing.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 2, 2012

Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, during an Congressional oversight hearing, Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General confirmed, that those Department of Justice officials connected with allowing straw purchases and selling of weapons to Mexican drug cartels will be fired and charged, once an internal investigation ends and sufficient evidence to convict is gathered. Holder spoke at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee concerning the botched federal sting Operation Fast and Furious, which resulted in several U.S. agent deaths with weapons sold to cartels. He denied any cover-up by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The scandal broke in November 2010, when U.S. officials had allowed weapons from U.S. border gun stores to be bought by straw purchasers and then sent to Mexican drug cartels in order to monitor the flow of gun sales that ended up in cartel hands. A straw purchaser is someone who intentionally buys a weapon for someone prohibited from buying a weapon or for the purpose of selling it illegally to someone else.
Mexican government officials in conjunction with U.S. officials were then expected to arrest those connected to the gun distribution operation. But, many of the guns became lost and unaccounted for during the straw purchasing and gun selling operation.
The main focus of an internal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice is concentrated in Arizona. The Fast and Furious operation allegedly was initiated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) field office in Phoenix, according to documents released by congressional Democrats.
An alleged e-mail by Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer suggested to let straw purchasers cross into Mexico, so Mexican officials could arrest, prosecute and convict them, according to Congressman Darrell Issa (R) from the oversight committee. The congressional committee is trying to learn how far up the goverment scale did the operation went too and which top government officials knew about it and approved the gun running operation.
Several AK-47's weapons were later recoverd at a crime scene where U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian A. Terry was murdered by drug smugglers in December 14, 2010. His family just filed a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government (ATF) claiming guns allowed to be sold to the cartels by government officials contributed to Terry's death near the Rio Rico remote canyon in the northern Arizona-Mexico border. The ATF allowed more than 1,400 weapons into Mexico, according to findings by the congressional oversight committee. The Terry family lawsuit says, the ATF was negligent and acted "in violation of ATF's own policies and procedures."
Several other straw purchased weapons were also used by Zeta members in the homicide of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Jaime J. Zapata, 32, and the attempted murder of Special Agent Victor Avila on February 15, 2011 in Santa Maria, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Julian Zapata Espinoza, aka, "El Piolin" is being held without bail in the U.S. in connection with ICE Agent Zapata's homicide. Espinoza was extradited to the U.S. in December 2011 to face federal homicide and attempted murder charges. He admitted to participating in Zapata's murder and Avila's attempted murder on February 2011.

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Bail Romero Parential Rights Retrial In MO Begins End Of Month

2012-02-01T22:37:00.002-06:00

Carlos (Carlitos), Encarnación Bail Romero's son in 2007.

Supreme court remanded the Bail Romero case back to the lower court to correct error and illegal adoption of undocumented mother's child by U.S. couple.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 1, 2012

Carthage, Missouri - On February 28th, the retrial of Ercanación Bail Romero, 36, parential rights is set to start. Last year in January, the Missouri Supreme Court citing "a travesty of justice" remanded the illegal adoption case involving Carlos (Carlitos), Romero's son back for a retrial in a lower court. The state supreme court reversed the decision by a lower court to end Romero's parental rights while she was incarcerated for violations of immigration laws.
Romero, an undocumented immigrant was detained and charged for identity theft and returning to the U.S. after she had been previously deported. She served two years in prison.
In 2007, Carlos, only 6-months-old was taken away from Romero and given up for adoption while she was incarcerated. She challenged and appealed the adoption with the help of an inmate after she finished her sentenced. An appeals court later decided, that Jasper County Judge David C. Dally didn't have legal authority to end the parental rights of Romero and to give her son Carlos to Seth and Melinda Moser in 2008, the Southern District Court of Appeals ruled.
Carlos was renamed Jamison by the Moser's and the child continues to live with them today as the case moves forward.
Romero never consented or allowed for her son to be put up for adoption by Jennifer and Oswaldo Velasco who were taking care of him at the time, while she was serving time for being in the country illegally. Romero had requested for Carlos to be put in a foster home until she would be released, but Judge Dally denied Romero's request and allowed the Mosers to illegally adopt Carlos.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting in a humanitarian action has stayed Romero's deportation until the case gets resolved, so she can continue to fight for the return of her child, according to her Attorney Omar Riojas from Seattle.
Romero who lives in Carthage, Missouri has seen her son on occassion and briefly. Carlos is now 5-years-old and only speaks English. She has a 14 year-old son and an 9-year-old daughter in Guatemala.
Romero is confident that Carlos will be returned to her and will be allowed to return to Guatemala.

Encarnación Bail Romero July 21, 2010 appeal case at link: http://bit.ly/9JEcC7

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Injured Undocumented 15-year-old Sole Brazilian Survivor Won't Face Deportation After Florida Deadly Pile-up

2012-02-01T18:13:00.005-06:00

Lidiane Carmo

Photo: Family

Marietta church members plan to take the victim's bodies to Georgia for services and then transport them to Brazil for burial.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 1, 2012

Gainsville, FL - On Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeswoman, Barbara Gonzalez confirmed in a released statement, that Lidiane Carmo, 15, an illegal immigrant sole family survivor won't be deported to Brazil. She lost both her parents and a sister in the deadly Florida's pile-up on Sunday. Gonzalez offered her condolences to Lidiane and the Carmo family. She wrote "Our thoughts and prayers are with Miss Lidiane Carmo as she deals with the tragic loss of her family," ICE spokeswoman Gonzalez said. "Reports of her facing deportation are completely false...ICE’s stated priorities (for deportation) include convicted criminals, immigration fugitives, repeat immigration law violators and recent border crossers."
The family, Jose Carmo Jr., his wife Adriana, their daughter Leticia, Jose's brother Edson, including his girlfriend Rosa DaSilva were reported killed in the deadly pileup on Interstate 75. All of the victims were undocumented residing in Marietta, Georgia and were originally from Brazil. When their visas expired 12 years ago, they decided to remain in the U.S. without authorization.
Nine others travelling in a second van with the group were injured, but survived.
Carmo was the pastor and one of the founders for the Marietta Church for Restoration in Cobb County. Fifteen church members were attending a church religious conference in Orlando and were returning home in two vans when the accident happened.
At least 11 people were confirmed dead in the Florida I-75 pile-up. Many of the drivers were travelling on early Sunday through I-75 when fog and smoke from a field covered the highway making it impossible to see and vehicles just crashed into each other in a chain reaction. More than 20 vehicles were involved, 11 people died and at least 21 were reported injured.
Lidiane attends the Sprayberry High School in Marietta and came to the U.S. when was only 2.
She is still recovering from the accident at a local hospital in Gainsville, Florida.
Church members are trying to raise funds to move the bodies of those killed to Marietta for funeral services and then would transport the bodies to Barzil for burial, according to news reports.
Lidiane's family members told CNN, that on Sunday, Florida Governor Rick Scott visited Lidiane at the hospital and assured her that the state would take case of expenses, including costs to transport the bodies of those killed from her church back to Georgia. She has no insurance. The Governor's office would not confirm the humanitarian good will offer by Scott.
On Wednesday, Governor Scott canceled an interview with CNN after his staff learned that questions about paying medical expenses and transportation costs for Lidiane's family were going to be asked, in the upcoming primary elections segment that was scheduled.

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22-year-old Undocumented Woman Deported To Mexico After Being Convicted For Forgery And DUI, ICE Confirms

2012-01-31T23:59:00.008-06:00

Yanelli Hernández-Serrano

Hernández-Serrano who tried to commit suicide multiple times was deported to Mexico on Tuesday.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 31, 2012

Columbus, Ohio - On Tuesday, Yanelli Hernández-Serrano, 22, was deported to Mexico, despite thousands of supporters around the U.S. who contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to keep her from being deported. Hernández-Serrano was deported earlier on Tuesday, according to Khaalid Walls, spokesman for ICE.
Last week, Hernández-Serrano's attorney Jorge Martinez received an ICE notice from Rebecca J. Aducci, ICE Detroit field office director confirming that a petition to suspend Hernández-Serrano's deportation was denied. Martinez wanted for Hernández-Serrano to stay in U.S. because she was suffering from mental illness and would suffer severe hardships, if deported. Her state of mental health prompted Hernández-Serrano to attempt suicide multiple times.
Aducci cited, that Hernández-Serrano had been convicted for forgery and driving while under the influence, both considered criminal offenses by ICE. Hernández-Serrano was sentenced to nine months in jail for the state offenses.
Also, that attorney Martinez had failed to submit any type of documentation to prove Hernández-Serrano was actually suffering from a mental illness or she was having any hardships, according to Aducci.
What Aducci failed to mention was that Hernández-Serrano was stopped last year in April by a Fairfield, Ohio police officer on suspicion of driving under the influence. When asked for a license or an ID, she presented a Mexican Consulate ID (Matricula Consular). The officer charged Hernández-Serrano for having a forged document. The Mexican Consular ID is provided to undocumented immigrants in the U.S. by a Mexican Consulate as a form of ID.
She was sent to an ICE detention center in Butler County in Ohio, suffered from depression and had tried to commit suicide three times.
An evaluation was done on Hernández-Serrano by Dr. Michael Newton who diagnosed her with mood disorder and border line personality disorder.
ICE officials allegedly kept legal defense documents from Hernández-Serrano to keep her from defending herself when she appear before an immigration judge on January 25 and was ordered to be deported, according to Drean Activist dot org. A common practice by ICE, keeping or not allowing access to legal defense documents or files from undocumented immigrants assures ICE, that immigrants can't provide a proper defense. Thus, losing any chance for them to stay in the U.S.
Hernández-Serrano first entered the U.S. alone at the age of 13 and had lived in the Columbus, Ohio area for almost ten years.

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MPS Teacher And Student Busted By Officer With Their Underwear Below knees In Rear SUV Seat At Vacant Lot

2012-01-31T22:19:00.001-06:00

Tammi L. Monty

Sixth grade teacher suspended from Milwaukee Public School District.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 31, 2012

Milwaukee - On Tuesday, Milwaukee Public School (MPS) sixth grade teacher Tammi L. Monty, 40, was charged with one felony count of child enticement, including sexual contact. Monty and a14-year-old male eight grade student were busted by a Milwaukee police officer inside an SUV in the rear seat with their underwear below the knees, according to the criminal complaint and search warrant affidavit.
The officer patrolling the area saw Monty's SUV parked at a vacant lot at the 3000 block of S. 20th St. around 2:25 a.m. and went to investigate. When the officer looked inside, he saw both the teenager and Monty semi-nude from the waste down.
The teenager told the officer, that Monty had called him earlier in the night and wanted to "hang out" (see him). She picked him up from the south side of Milwaukee at about 1:30 a.m. and drove to the vacant lot near the 6th Police District Station.
Monty wanted to have sex with the teenager and asked him to undress, when he was about to put on a condom, they were busted by the intruding officer.
Apparently, the investigation revealed that Monty had asked the teenager to send her a picture of his genitals. She had previously send him a photo of her breasts, according to the complaint.
Monty was suspended without pay as a teacher over the weekend from Manitoba Elementary School in the south side, according to school officials. She had worked for MPS since 2002 and had taught the teenager in the sixth and seventh grade. He is a former Manitoba student, according to Gregory E. Thornton, Superintendent of Milwaukee Public School District.
Monty is expected back in court for a preliminary hearing on February 8th and a cash bond of $5,000 was set. If convicted, Monty is facing up to 25 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.

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Cold Case DNA Identified Homicide Suspect After More Than 32 Years In Bridgewater, Pennsylvania

2012-01-31T14:41:00.003-06:00

Gregory Scott Hopkins

Photo: AP

Homicide suspect was boyfriend who admitted to police in 1979 he hadn't had sex with the victim at her apartment for over a month before her death.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 31, 2012

Bridgewater, Pennsylvania - On Monday, Beaver County District Attorney Anthony J. Berosh during a press conference announced the arrest of Pennsylvania builder Gregory Scott Hopkins, 65, on Sunday for the September 1, 1979 murder of Catherine Janet Walsh, 23, of Monaca. Hopkins was Walsh's boyfriend at the time. After more than 32 years ago, police had questioned him just seven hours after Walsh's body was found at her apartment by her father, according to cold-case records.
Police determined Walsh's death as a homicide caused by strangulation, according to an autopsy.
Hopkins told police in 1979, that he hadn't had sex with the victim at her apartment for over a month before her death. Police in 2010, resubmitted DNA evidence found in a light-blue bandana around Walsh's neck, a rope, which was used to bound her hands behind her back, nightgown and bedsheets at the crime scene to a state crime forensic lab for analysis. A break resulted in the cold-case, after the crime scene DNA matched Hopkins. DNA technology didn't exist back then, according to Berosh.
Hopkins has operated a local building and construction business since Walsh's homicide and was elected as a Republican to the Bridgewater City Council in 2010. Hopkins is expected to plead not guilty in the case.

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Cabrera Files Appeal With Arizona Supreme Court To Vacate Lower Court Decision To Keep Her Off The Ballot

2012-01-31T04:12:00.002-06:00

Alejandrina Cabrera

Photo: Yuma Sun dot com

Cabrera's lawyers claim state law doesn't provide standards for English proficiency to hold public office and keeping her off the ballot violates her Constitutional rights.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 31, 2012

Phoenix, Arizona - The Yuma Sun reported that lawyers for Alejandrina Cabrera, a San Luis City Council candidate had confirmed, that an appeal was filed with the Arizona Supreme Court challenging a lower court decision to keep their client off the March primary election ballot due to a lack of English proficiency. On Monday during a press conference, Attorneys John Garcia and John Minore repesenting Cabrera said, that last Friday an appeal was filed and they're expecting for the high court to decide by February 7, if it will hear Cabrera's case. They are claiming, the state law requiring English proficiency doesn't provide specific guidelines to determine proficiency to hold public office. The lower court decision to keep Cabrera off the ballot violates her Constitutional rights, according to attorneys.
On January 25, Yuma County Superior Court Judge John Nelson ruled that Cabrera should be taken off the ballot after William Eggington, a sociolinguistics expert determined she lacks English proficiency skills to run for public office as required by state law.
Cabrera, a U.S. citizen graduated from Kofa High School in Yuma. She apparently dominates the Spanish language, but does know enough English to defend her right as an American to run for public office and stand her ground against all odds.
Cabrera's challenge to determine, if she can actually understand, speak and write English to hold public office was first brought up by Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla. Escamilla filed a complaint in court claiming Cabrera lacks sufficient English skills to hold a four-year San Luis City Council position. All the work such as city ordinances, minutes, public agenda, legal documents, committee and council meetings are done in the English language. Cabrera, if elected could struggle to understand some of the council's work, but could very well represent those who elected her.
At least 90 percent of the population in San Luis City can speak both languages, English and Spanish. But Spanish is the dominent daily life language for a majority of people living in San Luis. Spanish is used and spoken in stores, restaurants, churches, and many other areas of the city due to close proximity to the Mexican border.
Cabrera's plight to run for the city council began after she initiated a recall against Mayor Escamilla for approving a utility price hike and laying off 12 city employees inorder to balance the city budget deficit.
She plans to continue to campaign for office, despite the lower court challenge.

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35-year-old Zeta Member Confessed To Have Participated In 75 Bus Passenger Homicides In Nuevo León

2012-01-30T15:53:00.002-06:00

Enrique Elizondo Flores

Zeta in charge of the municipalities of Cerralvo and General Treviño implicated in 75 murders.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 30, 2012

Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico - On Monday, Jorge Domene Zambrano, spokesman for the state of Nuevo León Security Department announced the arrest of Enrique Elizondo Flores, 35, aka, "El Arabe or El Cuervo," who allegedly confessed to killing at least 75 bus passengers. Flores, originally from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas was arrested on January 20, and is accused of killing, burning the bodies of a mother and her child after kidnapping them on May 2, 2010. He also kidnapped 50 bus passengers traveling through the municipality of Cerralvo and participated in murdering 15 of them with an AR-15 rifle.
In March 2011, Flores also murdered at least 35 bus passengers travelling through Celaya, Guanajuato. The victims were all from the state of Guanajuato.
Flores was in charge of controlling Zeta operations in the municipalities of Cerralvo and General Treviño. He and other Zeta members committed other homicides involving rival cartel members. They stopped buses travelling from Reynosa going through Cerralvo and checked, if suspected rival Gulf Cartel members were trying to take over Flores' Zeta region.
Flores' arrest wasn't reported earlier, because Mexican state authorities had to confirm the series of homicides committed by the suspect, said Adrián de la Garza, the Nuevo León Attorney General during a press conference.

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Santa Maria Police Officers Banned From Fellow Officer Covarrubias Funeral, Father Says

2012-01-30T10:35:00.003-06:00

Officer Albert Covarrubias Jr.

Photo: Family/KSBY dot com

Officer Covarrubias' father told local media that Santa Maria police officers are not welcome at son's funeral later this week.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 30, 2012

Santa Maria, California - On Sunday, Albert Covarrubias Sr., the father of slain Santa Maria Police Officer Albert Covarrubias Jr., 29, told KSBY dot com News that fellow officers and supervisors from the Santa Maria Police Department would not be welcome at his son's funeral. Officer Covarrubias was shot and killed on early Saturday by his best friend Officer Matthew Kline, after Covarrubias allegedly tried to resist arrest for sexual misconduct of a 17-year-old high school girl.
Several police supervisors went to where Officer Covarrubias was working at a DUI sobriety checkpoint just after 1:20 a.m. to take Covarrubias into custody when he allegedly resisted, struggled with the arresting officers and then fired his weapon at them. His best friend, Officer Kline who was working with Covarrubias in the police motorcycle unit fired his weapon at Covarrubias once, striking him in the chest.
Officer Covarrubias was taken to a hospital, but was later pronounced dead at the Marian Medical Center.
Officer Kline, an eight year veteran with the department was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Officer Covarrubias worked for the department for four years and had been married for only three weeks.
Covarrubias Sr. and family members are now left asking questions about how police handled the attempted arrest of Officer Covarrubias. No word, if Covarrubias's family will ask the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office for an inquest concerning Officer Covarrubias death.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is investigating Saturday's shooting incident.

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Santa Maria Police Officer Shot By Fellow Cop After Resisting Arrest For Sexual Assault Of A Minor

2012-01-29T03:47:00.008-06:00

Albert Covarrubias Jr.

Photo: Family/KSBY dot com

29-year-old officer became aware of internal investigation about allegations of sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 29, 2012

Santa Maria, California - On early Saturday, Santa Maria Police Officer Albert Covarrubias Jr., 29, was killed by a fellow officer when he resisted arrest and shot at officers. Several police supervisors with a warrant were sent to take Officer Covarrubias, who was on-duty into custody after the internal affairs unit discovered that Covarrubias became aware of an investigation that raised allegations of sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old girl and trying to intimidate a witness.
Officer Covarrubias apparently had tried to contact the teenager and investigating officers believed, if Covarrubias left his assigned work area, the public could have been at risk. It became paramount to take Officer Covarrubias into custody as soon as possible, according to a police report.
Officer Covarrubias resisted arrest after 1:08 a.m. and struggled with arresting officers. Covarrubias then fired his weapon at the officers. One of the officers at the scene, Officer Matthew Kline returned fire once and fatally wounded Covarrubias in the chest. Officer Kline, who was working the shift with Covarrubias was put in administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation. Kline has worked for the police department for eight years.
Covarrubias was taken to the Marian Medical Center for treatment, but expired, according to Santa Maria Police Chief Dan R. Macagni. Macagni confirmed, that the internal investigation targeting Officer Covarrubias began on Thursday. By Friday, Covarrubias engaged in "witness intimidation" after he learned of the internal investigation against him, according to Macagni.
Shortly before Covarrubias was shot, it was revealed that he had an "inappropriate" and "very explicit" relationship with a teenager.
Officer Covarrubias was married and worked for the department for four years. He was stationed at a driver's license and sobriety DUI checkpoint when Covarrubias was approached by arresting officers.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting incident.
Covarrubias' family released his named, provided a photo of the officer and granted an interview with KSBY dot com News, according to KSBY.

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Barefoot Bandit Gets Maximum Federal Prison Term For Crimes And Signs Hollywood Movie Rights

2012-01-28T13:23:00.002-06:00

Colton A. Harris-Moore

Barefoot Bandit sentenced to more than 6 years in a federal prison, including a Hollywood movie contract by 20th Century Fox.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 28, 2012

Seattle, WA - On Friday, Colton A. Harris-Moore, 20, aka, "Barefoot Bandit" of Camano Island, received a maximum sentence under a plea agreement after pleading guilty to seven federal felony counts for aircraft thefts, including interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft during a two year crime spree. Harris-Moore was sentenced in Seattle by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones to 6 1/2 years in a federal prison and three years supervision. The federal sentence under a plea agreement will be served concurrently with a seven year state sentence, according to courts records.
Harris-Moore in December pleaded guilty to 33 felony counts of theft and other related crimes.
Harris-Moore stole vehicles, boats, and at least five planes. He flew a plane from the U.S. state of Indiana to the Island's off the Florida coast, with no flight training, according to the federal indictment.
The charges stemmed from the theft of an airplane from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on September 29, 2009. The plane crash landed after running out of fuel 260 miles away near Snohomish, Washington.
Harris-Moore had a $10,000 reward offered by the FBI for information leading to his arrest and was considered armed and dangerous. He was serving a three year sentence for trasspassing while inside a vacant home in 2007. He was first convicted at age 12, after Moore was caught with stolen property and a year later at the age of 13, he was convicted of several other crimes.
Harris-Moore was wanted for escaping from a Renton Washington, group home in April of 2008. He had been ordered to stay there after pleading guilty to three felony charges in Island County, Washington, and being sentenced to three years of confinement. As a result of this escape, on March 12, 2009, a felony warrant was issued for Harris-Moore's arrest on October 2, 2009.
He was arrested in Harbour Island, Bahamas on July 2010 while docking a boat. Harris-Moore was labeled the Barefoot Bandit after leaving chalk marks of bare feet inside a convienent grocery store where he broke in to steal items.
Harris-Moore is now the subject of a movie and has signed movie rights of his life to 20th Century Fox in August, according to ABC.

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Morales-Rodriguez Competent To Stand Trial For Double Homicide In Milwaukee

2012-01-28T02:24:00.002-06:00

Annette Morales-Rodriguez

Morales-Rodriguez killed pregnant mother to cut out baby.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 28, 2012

Milwaukee - On Friday, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Borowski ruled that Annette Morales-Rodriguez, 33, is competent to stand trial. Judge Borowski set a motion hearing for March 8 and a trial date for April 30. Morales-Rodriguez is charged with two felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide, including of unborn in the deaths of Maritza Ramirez-Cruz, 23, and her unborn child on October 6th. If convicted, Morales-Rodriguez is facing a double life sentence without the possibility of parole. She remains at the Milwaukee County jail unable to post a $1 million dollar bail.
She pleaded insanity and was examined by two doctors who confirmed in their medical reports that she does not suffer from mental defect or disability, according to court records.
On Oct. 6, 2011, Morales-Rodriguez met Ramirez-Cruz and offered her a ride. She lured Ramirez-Cruz to her house in Milwaukee's southside. Once inside her residence, Morales-Rodriguez beat Ramirez-Cruz with a baseball bat until she died and then used an exacto knife to extract Cruz' child. The child also died when extracted from Ramirez-Cruz.
Morales-Rodriguez wanted a baby boy to keep her boyfriend, but she couldn't have one.
Both Morales-Rodriguez and Ramirez-Cruz have three other children. Ramirez-Cruz did not know Morales-Rodriguez, according to the criminal complaint.

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Pastor Wanted For Sexually Abusing Up To 13 Minors In Nevada Arrested In Tijuana By State Police

2012-01-27T04:08:00.002-06:00

Pastor Otis Vernell Holland

Photo: Baca California State Police

Pastor Holland had fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 27, 2012

Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico - On early Thursday, Baja California State Police (BCSP) and the Baja California State Attorney General's Office (PGR) working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service reported the arrest in Tijuana of fugitive Pastor Otis Vernell Holland, 56, of Las Vegas. A tip by U.S. authorities led BCSP to Holland's residence in Northern Tijuana. He tried to escape from the residence, but was arrested without incident.
Holland is expected to be extradited to the U.S. once he gets processed by Mexican authorities. He is facing multiple felony counts of sexual abuse and assault charges of at least 13 female minors ranging in ages from 13 to 16 in Nevada.
The sexual abuse by Holland began in 1990 and was finally reported to police in December 2010 by one of the victims. By July 2011, at least four more victims came forward and Holland fled the U.S. to avoid prosecution, according to the Henderson Police Department.
Holland was the founder and pastor for the United Faith Church in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, Navada. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

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32-year-old Man Exonerated For A 1993 Murder Is Awarded $25M For Wrongful Conviction

2012-01-25T22:41:00.003-06:00

Thaddeus "TJ" Jimenez

Jimenez is currently facing a prison term of three years for a drug possession conviction.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 25, 2012

Chicago - On Tuesday, a federal jury awarded $25 million for damages to Thaddeus "TJ" Jimenez, 32, who was wrongfully convicted for the April 3, 1993 murder of Eric Morro, 19. Jimenez was 13 at the time of his conviction. He was convicted in 1994 and then again in 1997, after an appeal failed and was sentenced to almost 50 years in prison. Jimenez served more than 16 years in prison, before being freed.
He was released on May 1, 2009 from prison, after he was exonerated by a Cook County judge, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Another suspect, Juan Carlos Torres, 30, of Indiana had previously confessed to police for the murder. But police and prosecutors ignored the confession and evidence introduced by Jimenez' defense lawyer.
On a third appeal in 2006, Jimenez sent a letter to the Northwestern Law Center of Wrongful Convictions (NLCWC) to consider his case. They did and the NLCWC was able to convinced the Illinois Attorney General's Office to released Jimenez after evidence showed that three former state witnesses recanted their testimony and no DNA linked Jimenez to the homicide. Which indicated Jimenez was innocent.
The case went back to court and the chief judge in 2009 released Jimenez by granting him a certificate of innocence following the recommendation by the Cook County state attorney general's office. The certificate is equivalent to a governor's pardon, clearing the way for Jimenez to get compensation from the state totaling about $200,000 for the time he served.
He became the first youngest teenager to be convicted for a homicide and later to be exonerated in the U.S., according to Jimenez' attorney.
On December 31, 2009, Jimenez sued a Chicago police detective and other police officers connected to the case in federal court. The defendants named in the lawsuit were the City Of Chicago, Jerome Bogucki, Mark Sanders, Raymond Schalk, F. Montilla, Lawrence Ryan and Robert Whiteman. Jimenez claimed the detective had coerce his confession, manipulated evidence and withheld evidence of his innocence during trial.
A federal jury agreed on Tuesday and awarded Jimenez $25 million in damages.
Torres was arrested in 2009 and charged for Morro's 1993 homicide after Jimenez was released. He was extradited to Illinois from Indiana. Torres is awaiting trial, court records indicate.
Jimenez is currently facing a prison term for drug possession. He was convicted in December of 2011 for a drug (LSD) felony possession charge when he was arrested at his home in early April 2010. He is facing up to three years in prison when he'll be sentence on February 1st.
Jimenez was also charged in a different case in late April 2010 for aggravated assault of a Rosemount public safety officer and possession of marijuana, according to court records.

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U.S. Congresswoman "Gabby" Giffords From Arizona Resigns

2012-01-25T13:04:00.002-06:00

Congresswoman Gabielle "Gabby" Giffords from Arizona's 8th Congressional District turned in her letter of resignation on Wednesday.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 25, 2012

Washington, D.C. - On Wednesday, Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords, 41, (D-AZ) submitted her letter of resignation to Speaker John Boehner (R) of The U.S. House of Representatives. Giffords cited that she will concentrate on her recovery and will someday get back into politics.
Giffords also turned in her letter of resignation to Arizona Jan Brewer (R) who will set a special primary and general elections to elect someone to finish Giffords 2012 term.
Giffords was first elected to the U.S. Congress on November 2006 and will not seek re-election.
Her resignation comes more than one year after getting shot at an outdoor political event. Giffords was shot and wounded in the head on January 8, 2011 and 13 people were also wounded and six were reported killed. They were attending an outdoor Giffords' political presentation about "Congress on your Corner" event near Tucson.
The alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, was charged with five federal felony counts, two homicides and three attempted homicides in Giffords' shooting including her staff and a federal judge.
Loughner was charged for the murders of U.S. District Chief Judge John M. Roll, 63, and Gabe Zimmerman, 30, a federal employee and Community Outreach Director for Congresswoman Giffords.
Loughner was also charged with the attempted homicide of Congresswoman Giffords and her two staffers and federal employees Pam Simon and Ron Barber, Giffords Deputy Director.

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Four East Haven Officers, Including Supervisor Indicted For Targeting And Violating The Civil Rights Of Hispanics

2012-01-25T02:01:00.004-06:00

East Haven police officers engaged in a pattern of targeting and discriminating members of the Hispanic community by arresting, beating and falsely accusing them of illegal acts.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 25, 2012

East Haven, Connecticut - On Tuesday, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents arrested four East Haven Police Department (EHPD) officers, including a supervisor. The were charged with with conspiring to violate, and violating the civil rights of multiple Latino residents of the East Haven community.
Assistant Director in Charge, Janice K. Fedarcyk in a news release from the New York Field Office of the FBI stated that, Officers David Cari, Dennis Spaulding, and Jason Zullo, and their supervising sergeant, John Miller were indicted for engaging in one or more of the following blatantly illegal and unethical acts of misconduct.

They arrested people and searched premises on false pretenses, and filed false reports to support their illegal actions.
They used excessive and unnecessary force, including Sgt. Miller striking a compliant and handcuffed arrestee.
Miller reprimanded an officer who did the right thing by reporting this abuse to his superiors.
They falsely arrested a religious leader and advocate for the Latino community who witnessed their illegal vehicle search, and unlawfully tried to seize video equipment to expunge evidence of their misconduct.
They continued to try to intimidate the religious leader and others in a further effort to obstruct justice.
They attempted to impede the Board of Police Commissioners’ investigation of the arrest of the religious leader.
They attempted to intimidate and silence other East Haven officers by posting thinly veiled threats in the department station-house.

The officers abused their positions of authority to deprive people of their constitutional rights under color of law. In simple terms, they behaved like bullies with badges.
The indictment outlines a four-year pattern of egregious behavior by men sworn to uphold the law as well as enforce it.
FBI Special Agent Jeremy Bell and Supervisory Special Agent Brian Nadeau of the New York FBI’s Civil Rights/Public Corruption Squad investigated the case involving the East Haven officers, Fedarcyk reported.
David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut stated, "Today’s indictment should serve as a powerful message that we in the Department of Justice will not tolerate the abuse of power or victimization of civilians by anyone in law enforcement," said U.S. Attorney Fein. "The serious crimes alleged in the indictment undermine the public’s trust in the fine men and women of law enforcement who serve the people bravely and with integrity every day."
Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Civil Rights Division also stated, "The allegations laid out in the indictment are troubling and the Justice Department is committed to vigorously investigating and prosecuting cases where we find allegations of police misconduct," said Assistant Attorney General Perez. "The EHPD has a critical mission—to ensure public safety in East Haven. The Civil Rights Division is committed to helping EHPD fulfil that mission effectively while respecting the rights of the people it serves. As deeply rooted as these problems are, I remain optimistic that we can fix them."
If convicted on all counts, Miller is facing 20 years in a federal prison and up to $500,000 in fines; Zullo is facing 20 years and $500,000 in fines: Spaulding is facing 62 years in prison and $1.2 million in fines and Cari is facing 31 years in prison and up to $600,000 in fines.
Each of the four defendants is charged with one count of conspiracy against rights, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
Miller, Spaulding, and Zullo are also charged with one count of use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
Additionally, Spaulding is charged with two counts and Cari with one count of deprivation of rights for making arrests without probable cause. Each of these counts carries a maximum term of imprisonment of one year and a fine of up to $100,000.
Finally, Spaulding is charged with two counts and Cari with one count of obstruction of a federal investigation for preparing false reports to justify the false arrests. Each of these counts carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
Deputy United States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly and Assistant United States Attorney Krishna R. Patel are prosecuting the case with assistance from the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division.
On Wednesday, East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. apologized for saying he would eat tacos to help the Latino community after 4 police officers were arrested by the FBI for profiling, stopping, arresting and filing false charges targeting Hispanics. He cited stress over the arrests of the officers accused of discriminating members of the Latino community got the best of him and inflamed the situation even more. His comment was made on Tuesday during an interview with a WPIX news reporter.
When asked by the reporter, what would he do for the Latino community?, Maturo said, "I might have tacos when I go home. I'm not quite sure yet...I may go and have a Latino dinner in the Latino community."

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Lopez Facing Life For Alien-Smuggling Operation Resulting In Five Deaths

2012-01-24T23:17:00.004-06:00

Armando García-Lopez

Photo: Brewster County Sheriff's Office

Alien smuggling ring leader who eluded feds for seven years convicted and is facing life in prison.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 24, 2012

Pecos, Texas - A federal jury convicted Armando García-Lopez, 43, formerly of Tornillo, Texas in connection with a 2004 alien smuggling operation, which resulted in five deaths. Lopez was the ring leader of an operation that smuggled undocumented immigrants into the U.S. from Mexico.
Lopez had evaded prosecution for seven years, but was arrested on April 29, 2011 by federal authorities in Alpine, Texas. Lopez was convicted for one count of conspiring to transport aliens resulting in death; three counts of illegally transporting aliens resulting in death; three counts of aiding and abetting the illegal transportation of aliens; and six counts of aiding and abetting the harboring and concealing of an alien.
Lopez will be sentenced on April 16, by U.S. District Judge Robert Junell and is facing life in a federal prison without the possibility of parole.
The indictment states, that on April 5, 2004, a trailer rig driven by Melinda O'Brien, 43, of Floyada crashed head-on with another 18-wheeler rig. The fatal collision occured on Highway 285 about 18 miles south of Pecos, Texas.
Six illegal aliens were travelling inside O'Brien's semi-trailer sleeping cab and three died at the scene, including O'Brien. O'Brien worked for Lopez. Those killed in the crash were identified as, Marie Elena Martinez García, 18, Hermillo Mayen Luna, 44, and Mario Antonio Camacho (age unknown) from Michoacan, Mexico. Three other injured undocumented immigrants also travelling with O'Brien who survived the accident were identified as Jessica Guevara, 16, Marcello Castillo Reyes, 23, and Jose Canizal Padilla, 28.
Another crash victim, Paul "Wes" Wilkins, 28, of Kermit also died after crashing his 1999 Ford truck into O'Brien's overturned rig.
Evidence presented to the jury established that Lopez recruited stash house operators and drivers to transport illegal aliens. Testimony during the trial also revealed that the six undocumented alien passengers in O'Brien's semi-trailer were part of Lopez's smuggling operation.
Lopez conviction resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Fort Stockton, Alpine and El Paso, Texas, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Miller, Jr., Western District of Texas, successfully prosecuted the case, according to a news release issued by ICE on Monday.
Seven other members of the Lopez illegal alien smuggling operation were also indicted, convicted and sentenced.

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29-year-old Man Facing Charges For Two Separate Child Abductions And Sexual Assaults In Pueblo, Colorado

2012-01-24T04:31:00.001-06:00

Jose Humberto Garcia

Suspect allegedly checked out ex-girlfriend's daughter out of school and fondled her at his residence before returning her to school. He later abducted a second child.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 24, 2012

Pueblo, Colorado - On Monday, Jose Humberto Garcia, 29, appeared at a Pueblo County court preliminary hearing to determine, if their was probable cause to charge him with abduction of a child. He is facing a second-degree felony charge for kidnapping and one felony count for sexual assault of child.
The Pueblo police investigation affidavit says, Garcia on early last Thursday went to the Columbian Elementary School and checked out his ex-girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter from school giving an excuse she had a dentist appointment. Garcia took the child to his residence around 10:00 a.m. and then fondled her. Shortly after, he then returned the child to her school, according to the police affidavit.
His ex-girlfriend lives next door to the Cordova family. Garcia is also facing abduction and sexual assault charges in the abduction of Calysta Cordova, 9.
Later on Thursday afternoon, Garcia allegedly abducted Cordova as she walked home from the Columbian Elementary School. The next day, Cordova managed to escape from Garcia at about 9:00 a.m. on Friday and went into the Circle K convenience store near Colorado Springs and called 9-1-1.
Garcia tried to get Cordova to leave with him, but Cordova told him that she had called police. Garcia fled the scene and was later taken into custody near a bus terminal in Colorado Springs without incident about 7 1/2 miles from the Circle K store.
Garcia's truck had a mechanical breakdown on Friday morning near the Circle K. A man driving by offered Garcia and Cordova a ride to the store. Cordova immediately took advantage of the situation and escaped into the store and called police.
When police and FBI agents arrived, Cordova was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for two black eyes and bruises incurred while accompanied by Garcia.
Garcia remains in jail unable to post a $250,000 bond, according to court records. He remains segregated from the rest of Pueblo County jail inmates and is on a suicide watch.

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Virginian Serial Butt Slasher Taken Into Custody In Peru

2012-01-23T13:44:00.002-06:00

Photo: Diario Digital Barahona

Johnny D. Guillén Pimentel

Butt slashing suspect fled the U.S. to avoid prosecution.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 23, 2012

Lima, Peru - INTERPOL has confirmed the arrest of Johnny D. Guillén Pimentel, 40, aka, "Corta Nalgas or Butt Slasher" in Lima. Pimentel was taken into custody on January 13, in Peru, according to Jair Quedas, systems operator for INTERPOL in Peru. Pimentel fled the U.S. in December to avoid prosecution and arrived in Peru on December 9th. He moved twice around Lima to avoid detection, but was arrested by police at a commercial mall in the province of Callao.
The U.S. government has requested an extradition order for Pimentel, which could take up to three months to return Pimentel to the U.S. to face multiple felony charges.
The Fairfax Police Department in Virginia charged Pimentel with at least 10 felony counts for slashing the butts of at least 10 women ranging in their teen's to 20's. Six of the victims ranged in ages 15-17.
The butt slashing occured at several retail stores in Fairfax malls where Pimentel was able to distract them and then slashed their butts while bending over to pick up clothes causing severe cuts. One woman, suffered a 1 1/2 inch long cut in her buttocks at a Forever 21 store on July 25, 2011, according to a police complaint.
The butt slashing assaults by Pimentel took place between February 2011 and July 2011. Victims told police, that they saw a man picking up fallen clothes from a rack and then they felt a pinch believing they were poked by one of the metal hangers. But later, they found that they were slashed in the buttocks.
Pimentel apparently acted on a fetish to inflict injury to young women at retail stores.

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Mexican Zeta Homicide Fugitive Barraza Bocanegra Evades Justice For Killing Activist Escobedo Ortiz In Chihuahua

2012-01-23T03:20:00.002-06:00

More than a year has passed and alleged Escobedo Ortiz killers remain at large in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 23, 2012

Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico - Sergio Rafael Barraza Bocanegra, 25, and a 30-year-old accomplice who allegedly were involved in several homicides remain at large. Bocanegra, an alleged Zeta member previously confessed to murdering Rubí Marisol Frayre Escobedo, 16, and is also implicated in hiring an accomplice to murder her mother, Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, 52, on December 16, 2010.
Last year, the Chihuahua state Attorney General's Office (PGR) recovered a handgun used in the Escobedo Ortiz murder. The handgun used was a semi-automatic 9mm, Sig Saber model P239, which was implicated in 12 other homicides as well. Mexican authorities say, ballistic tests indicated the gun was used in 12 homicides between April to August 2011, including the Escobedo Ortiz murder.
The PGR in Chihuahua released the sketch of the alleged 30-year-old suspect who shot Escobedo Ortiz several times including a fatal shot to the head. The PGR is offering $3 million pesos ($230,770 U.S.) for information leading to the arrest of the 30-year-old suspect. Authorities have identified the suspect, but have yet to release the suspect's name.
The Mexican government is offering $5 million pesos ($384,616 U.S.) for information leading to Bocanegra's arrest. Bocanegra is accused of taking part in the planned killing of Escobedo Ortiz on December 16 and the September 2008 murder of Frayre Escobedo. He had confessed to killing Frayre Escobedo and even led police to a hog farm where her dismembered body was found.
Bocanegra is believed to be leaving with his new girlfriend and several kids in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico, according to Escobedo Ortiz' family.
The day Escobedo Ortiz was killed, she was outside the Chihuahua state government building in the city of Chihuahua for nine days staging a protest and demanding justice from Governor César Duarte and the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office.

(Building video of chase and murder of Escobedo Ortiz at link: http://goo.gl/DvHPH )

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Gabrielle Giffords To Resign From The U.S. Congress Later This Week

2012-01-22T17:40:00.002-06:00

U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords

Photo: NBC

After more than one year of getting shot, Congresswomen Giffords will resign.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 22, 2012

Tucson, Arizona - On Sunday, a news release informed that after more than one year ago of suffering an inflicted gunshot wound to the head, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords, 41, (D-AZ) representing the 8th District will resign this week. Giffords decided to resign and devote her time to getting well. She has made a remarkable recovery, but is slowly recovering and won't be able to run for re-election.
“I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,” the congresswoman said in a video message released today to her constituents.
Giffords, a third-generation Arizonan who served five years in the state Legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2006, will not seek re-election this fall.
Giffords vowed that her career in public service has not come to an end. “I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country,” Giffords said.
Giffords is expected to turned her letters of resignation later this week to both Speaker John Boehner of the U.S. House of Representatives and to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. The governor will set the date for a special primary and general elections to determine who will serve the remainder of Giffords’ term in 2012.
She is expected to attend President Barack H. Obama's State of the Union speech at the Capitol on Tuesday night.
Giffords was shot and wounded in the head on January 8, 2011 and 13 people were also wounded and six were reported killed. They were attending an outdoor Giffords' political presentation about "Congress on your Corner" event near Tucson .
The alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, was charged with five federal counts, two homicides and three attempted homicides in Giffords' shooting, including her staff and a federal judge.
Loughner is facing federal homicide charges for the murder of U.S. District Chief Judge John M. Roll, 63, and Gabe Zimmerman, 30, a federal employee and Community Outreach Director for Congresswoman Giffords.
Loughner is also charged with the attempted homicide of Congresswoman Giffords and her two staffers and federal employees Pam Simon and Ron Barber, Giffords Deputy Director.

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Paterno Confirmed Dead On Sunday After False Reports Surfaced on Saturday Night

2012-01-22T10:53:00.001-06:00

Legendary former Penn State coach Joe Paterno dies a day after false reports surfaced that he died.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 22, 2012

State College, Pennsylvania - On early Sunday, former Penn State coach Joe Paterno died at the age of 85, after being removed from a life support machine. The Paterno family released a statement on Sunday confirming his death after false reports had spread on Saturday night that he had expired. The family reported, that he was in critical condition at the time.
Paterno on Sunday subcummed to a lung cancer illness and died. A Paterno family released statement read, "It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today. His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled."
The anticipated news report of his death on Saturday night was first reported by Onward State, a student newspaper online. The report was than picked up by CBSSports dot com and went viral on the mainstream media.
The Onward State managing editor announced he would resign after the mishap and was surprised CBSSports grabbed the anticipated news of Paterno's death and did not attribute the report to Onward State, eventhough it broke the news without confirmation.
People began gathering outside Penn State on Sunday morning where a statue of former coach Paterno still stands, after it was confirmed that he had expired. Paterno, the legendary coach gained his 409th football career victory at Penn State two weeks before a sex abuse scandal broke at Penn State.
Last year, Paterno was removed as head coach of Penn State in the middle of the football season by the Penn State Board of Directors after a scandal broke about child sex abuses by former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Paterno and Penn State University president Graham Spanier allegedly didn't report the child sex abuse by Sandusky to police. Spanier was forced to resign and Paterno was fired for not doing enough to report the child sex abuse in 2001.
Sandusky was charged with 42 counts of child molestation dating from 1994 to 2009 involving at least eight boys, according to court records.

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Mexicanbilly Pointy Boots Style Spreading Tribal Fever In The U.S.

2012-01-21T11:52:00.001-06:00

(L-R) Gabriel Rodríguez Flores, Saul Nicolás Coronado and Martin Hernández Rodríguez show off the pointy boots.

Photo: Edith Valle/VICE dot com

A growing boot style fashion trend hits the U.S.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 21, 2012

Matehuala, San Luis Potosi, Mexico - The Mexicanbilly pointy (exotic) boots originated in Matehuala, nearby municipalities and townships as a passtime and recreational musical dancing hobby by teenagers. Teenagers and adults with the boot making trade skill began to create boots with a stretched point to impress their friends, neighbors and girlfriends. The style took a while to catch, since the traditional boot point was short and stylist for decades and centuries.
The Mexicanbilly boots began to show up at outdoor rodeos and community events, which included dance contests. People at first, laughed at those wearing the strange looking pointy boots and the way it made people walk. Soon after, people from other areas began to pickup the style and competed against each other at rodeo contests and shows.
Today, the length of the pointy boot is limitless, as long as you can walk without sticking the point up someones behind, which would be considered disrespectful. Besides that, wearing the Mexicanbilly boots are an attention grabber and a conversation piece where ever you wear them at or exhibit them.
Tribal music was also created to allow those wearing the Mexicanbilly boots to show off their boots while dancing. The music was composed with a mixture of house, colombian cumbia, flutes and prehispanic culture from the mountainous region. The tribal dance included Aztec steps and other Mexican cultural style of dancing steps. A whole new choreography was born in Matehuala and it soon extended to rodeos around the region and has also been introduced in the U.S., especially in the Texas-Mexican bordertowns.
Since last year, tribal Mexicanbilly pointy boot contests have been flourishing in Texas and other parts of the U.S. where large Mexican populations reside. A mix of a long boot point and tribal music have attracted those with curiosity and those who are seeking a good laugh. Many people have been impressed and conquered by the tribal Mexicanbilly style.
Some who wear the Mexicanbilly pointy boots have even added LED lights to them and have adorn the boots with all types of flashy decorations. Competition, showing off and dancing for enjoyment are the essence of tribal dancing with the Mexicanbilly boots.

Mexican pointy boots video at following link: http://tinyurl.com/MXPointyBoots

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9-year-old Girl Escapes From Abductor In Colorado Springs And Calls 9-1-1

2012-01-21T02:09:00.004-06:00

Jose Humberto Garcia

Suspect arrested without incident in connection with the abduction of a 9-year-old girl.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 21, 2012

Colorado Springs - On Friday, Colorado Springs police arrested Jose Humberto Garcia, 29, in connection with Thursday's abduction of Calysta Cordova, 9, from the City of Pueblo, Colorado. Garcia apparently on occassion stayed with his ex-girlfriend who lives next door to Cordova, according to family members. Cordova disappeared while walking home from the Columbian Elementary School. Her parents reported missing and an Amber Alert was send out throughout the area by the Pueblo Police Department.
The next day, Garcia's truck broke down near the Circle K convenience store. A man driving by noticed Garcia and a young girl stranded on Woodman Road and Orchard Valley. The man offered them a ride to the Circle K convenience store, located at 7055 Commerce Center Drive.
Once at the store, Cordova went into the store and asked to use the phone and called 9-1-1. Garcia came into the store and tried to take Cordova with him. But, she refused and told him she had called police. Garcia fled the scene without Cordova.
Colorado Springs Police received Cordova's call shortly after 9:00 a.m. and police, a K-9 unit, FBI agents and other law enforcement officials responded to the call at the Circle K. They found Cordova safe inside.
Police distributed a photo of Garcia and police began to search for the suspect at all public transportation terminals in the area. An employee at a bus terminal 7 1/2 miles away from the Circle K recognized Garcia and called police. A police officer patrolling the area then spotted Garcia walking near a bus terminal in Colorado Springs and arrested him.
Cordova was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. She had two blackeyes and visible bruises, according to police.
Garcia was also wanted for questioning concerning a previous incident earlier in the week in Pueblo. Garcia's ex-girlfriend called police on Thursday after he took her 9-year-old daughter to his house without her permission and fondled her. She says, Garcia was drunk at the time and had known Garcia for four years.

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Jude Awarded $2 Million Tentative Lawsuit Settlement For 2004 Beating By Off-duty Milwaukee Police Officers

2012-01-20T21:28:00.001-06:00

Frank Lee Jude Jr.

The Milwaukee Common Council and Mayor Tom Barrett would have to approve the $2 million tentative settlement agreement for Jude.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 20, 2012

Milwaukee - On Friday, Frank Lee Jude Jr., 33, who was beaten by 15 off-duty Milwaukee police officers at a party in 2004 was awarded a tentative settlement of $2 million dollars by the city as a result of a civil lawsuit. Jude's attorney Jon Safran confirmed the tentative settlement.
Jude and his wife, Maria filed a $30 million lawsuit for damages on June 19, 2006 and named all the officers involved, including Bartlett's wife, a former officer, Milwaukee Police Department and the City of Milwaukee. Jude received the settlement award figure in mediation when an agreement was reached on early Friday. The agreement was later announced in federal Judge Lynn Adelman's U.S. District Court room in Milwaukee.
The Jude settlement called for the City of Milwaukee to pay a total of $2 million to Jude. The Milwaukee Common Council and Mayor Tom Barrett would have to approve the settlement award.
The incident occured when Jude attended a southside Bayview party with two friends Katie Brown and Lovell Harris. During the party, Jude was jumped outside and beaten by Milwaukee police officers on October 24, 2004, while Brown witnessed Jude's assault.
At least 15 Milwaukee officers were involved in the brutal beating of Jude, after the host of the party accused Jude of stealing his police badge and wallet. The badge was never recovered by the department.
Former Police Chief Nannette Hegerty fired eight officers in May 2005. Former officers Jon Bartlett, Daniel L. Masarik and Andrew Spengler were each charged with one felony count for substantial battery. Both Bartlett and Masarik were charged with 2nd-degree reckless endangering safety. Masarik was also accused of perjury in connection with Jude's beating.
Officer Nicole Belmore testified at a Milwaukee County Circuit Court trial that Bartlett and Masarik had kicked Jude while he was handcuffed and then Bartlett put a knife at Jude's neck. But a state jury on April 14, 2006 acquitted Bartlett, Masarik and Spengler. The jury became deadlock on a felony charge of substantial battery and couldn't reach a verdict.
On October 19, 2006, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Bartlett, Spengler, Masarik, Ryan Lemke and Ryan Packard for violating Jude's civil rights. Packard was indicted for violating Jude's and Lovell Harris civil rights under the color of state law and assaulting Jude. Three other officers, Joseph Stromei, Jon Clausing and Joseph Schabel pleaded guilty to related crimes in connection with Jude's beating. Schabel admitted that he stomped on Jude's head several times under a plea agreement and immunity from being charged for perjury, according to court records.
On July 2007, Lemke under a plea agreement pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
On July 26, 2007, a federal jury found Bartlett, Masarik and Spengler guilty on two counts. Packard was aquitted on two counts.
On November 29, 2007, Bartlett was sentenced to 208 months in a federal prison, Masarik was sentenced to 188 months in prison and Spengler was sentenced to 188 months in prison and each of them received 3 years supervision.
On December 6, 2007, Schabel was sentenced to 32 months in prison and Clausing was sentenced to 28 months in prison, according to court records.

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P&H Mining Shovel Blocks S. Layton Blvd. For Several Hours In Milwaukee

2012-01-20T15:09:00.002-06:00

Photos: HNG

Mining electric shovel shell blocks traffic on snowy conditions.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 20, 2012

Milwaukee - On early afternoon Friday, transport workers for P&H Mining Equipment Manufacturing were faced with a temperary dilema when a flatbed trailer carrying a large mining shovel got stuck while making a turn on S. Layton Blvd. The driver of the trailer going eastbound on W. National Ave. made a wide right turn going south on S. Layton (S. 27th) and became stuck.
Milwaukee police had to block off southbound traffic on Layton and eastbound traffic on National for more than several hours. Tow trucks were called to help move and manuver the flat bed to get it lineup with the street.
No heavy damage was reported by police or P&H Mining Equipment Manufacturing who manufactured the huge electric mining shovel at the 4000 block of W. National Ave.

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New York Rival Gang Members Bragged About Murder On Twitter Which Led To Their Arrest

2012-01-20T04:06:00.002-06:00

Gangs bragged about crimes on the social media.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 20, 2012

Brooklyn, New York - On Thursday, New York Police and other law enforcement agencies arrested 43 gang members from two rival gangs, the Waves and the Hood Starz. The gang members ranging from the age of 17 and older bragged about their murders, shootings and other crimes, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced.
They used Twitter to brag about their criminal acts by posting slang comments referring to their criminal acts. They were involved in 6 homicides, 32 robberies, 36 shootings and other crimes, according to Kelly.
Some of the gang members remained at large and those taken into custody are facing murder, assault, robbery and conspiracy charges.
The investigation began in 2010, when police began to notice the postings on Twitter and the rise of criminal acts by both groups.

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Obama Administration Recommending Closure For 1,600 Deportation Cases Reviewed By ICE

2012-01-20T02:17:00.004-06:00

Pilot program by ICE initiated since August to review 300,000 pending deportation cases yield recommendations by the Obama administration to close 1,600 of those cases in two cities.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 20, 2012

Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that the Obama administration was recommending the closure of 1,600 deportation pending cases from 300,000 cases being reviewed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an unidentified official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed. A new pilot program implemented in Denver and Baltimore yield results, which recommended deportation case closures for 1,600 undocumented immigrants. The program screened 7,923 pending cases for deportation and recommended closure for 1,301 of those cases in Denver.
In Baltimore, 3,759 cases pending deportation proceedings were reviewed and 366 of those cases were recommended to be close as well, according to the DHS official. Those effected by the case closures would be allowed to remain in the U.S.
In December, most of the immigration court dockets were cleared in Denver and Baltimore for those facing deportation with no criminal record.
The undocumented immigrants screened were not held in federal facilities (jails) and were not considered a threat to national security or the public. The final stage for granting a stay would be determine through an extensive background check, including biometric data screening, which fingerprints are used to identify individuals being processed.
If all of the undocumented immigrants screened so far pass the final stage, they would most likely be granted stays, according to the DHS official. The preliminary information has not yet been confirmed by ICE, DHS or made public.
Pilot programs were also in effect in other states, but information hasn't been released.
In August, the Obama administration announced that 300,000 cases marked for deportation proceedings would be reviewed by ICE and DHS. In June, John Morton sent out a memo for field agents, supervisors and ICE attorneys to use discretion in arresting and implementing deportation proceedings for those not considered a threat to national security.

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Brunn Commits Suicide In Georgia Prison Just Days After Getting Life For Killing 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera

2012-01-19T20:19:00.003-06:00

Ryan McCabe Brunn

Brunn found unresponsive in Jackson state prison cell and Canton's Police Chief Jeff Lance resigned in wake of independent critical report that claimed, the Canton Police Department violated policies, procedures and mishandled Jorelys Rivera's disappearance case.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 19, 2012

Jackson, Georgia - On Thursday, convicted child killer Ryan McCabe Brunn, 20, was found unresponsive at 4:15 p.m. in his cell at the Jackson state prison. He was later pronounced dead at 5:37 p.m. at a local hospital. Brunn pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possiblity of parole on Tuesday for the abduction, enticement, molestation and murder of Jorelys Rivera, 7, on December 2.
Brunn was sent to the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson located in Butts County to begin serving his life term sentence. Brunn's death was confirmed by Kristen Stancil, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Corrections. Stancil did not say how Brunn died, but prison sources say he apparently hanged himself. A prison guard found Brunn hanging in his cell and showed no signs of life after attempts were made to resuscitate Brunn.
Brunn was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Stancil. Stancil did not say, if Brunn was put under a suicide watch monitoring when he first arrived at the Jackson prison.
Also on Thursday, Canton Police Chief Jeff Lance resigned after a independent investigative report by the LaGrange Police Department found that the Canton Police Department violated their own policies, procedures and handling of the case during the initial investigation into Jorelys Rivera's disappearance. The 19-page report stated, the Canton Police Department lacked leadership in the initial hours of Rivera's disappearance, citing former Chief Lance could not be found during the first 17 hours of Rivera's disappearance making it seem that Rivera's disappearance was a routine run away investigation.
Lance later showed up and then watched a Georgia football game at the police command center. The good thing the report indicated that police presence in the area where Rivera disappeared kept Brunn from getting rid of the body, according to Scott Woods, Canton City Manager.
Brunn having second thoughts added a note to a dumpster where he hid and compressed Rivera's body several times with the garbage. The note led police to find Rivera's body in the dumpster on December 7, next to the apartment building where she was last seen playing near a playground. Brunn worked as a maintence man at the building.
Woods told reporters, that Wednesday's Canton Police Department report led to Lance's resignation and that it was a mutual decision by both Lance and Woods. Woods wished Lance well in his future endeavers and said, that Canton's Assistant Police Chief Todd Vande Zande will serve as interim chief until a permanent chief is hired.
The City of Canton in Georgia is reviewing the police report and policy changes will be made in the Canton Police Department, according to Woods.

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ICE Deports 40-year-old British Man For Sexual Assault Of A Child In The UK

2012-01-19T14:30:00.002-06:00

Man facing a charge for sexual assault of a child in the UK

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 19, 2012

Newark, New Jersey - On Thursday, John William Perring, 40, a British national was deported to the United Kingdom (UK) in connection with a sexual assault of a 5-year-old child in Essex. The Essex police from the UK had requested an extradition order with the U.S. accusing Perring of sexual assault in his home country.
Perring was arrested in December 2011 by special agents with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) outside his residence in Orange, N.J., and was subsequently turned over to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations for deportation from the country, according to an ICE news release.

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Seven Chicago Teenagers Charged In Videotape Beating And Robbery Of A 17-year-old Asian Student

2012-01-18T12:22:00.016-06:00

Photos: YouTube

Raymond Palomino

Teens attacked Asian teen while videotaping aggravated assault.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 18, 2012

Chicago - On Wednesday, Chicago police confirmed the arrest of seven teenagers, three 15-year-old boys, two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl in connection with last Sunday's robbery and beating of a 17-year-old Asian student from Curie Metropolitan High School in an alley. The brutal attack by a gang of teens took place in the suburb of Bridgeport behind the James Ward Elementary School at the 2800 block of S. Princeton Ave. around 4:00 p.m., according to the police.
All of the teenagers wore masks and hoodies during the attack. The 15-year-old girl was able to lure the victim into the alley, in what police suspect was a planned attack. She videotaped the assault and then posted it on YouTube.
Six suspects, which five are Chinese were charged in a juvenile delinquency petition for one count each of aggravated assault (battery) and robbery, They were in juvenile court for a hearing, Judge Terrence Sharkey poseponed the hearing until next Tuesday to allow time to get Cantonese translators for the parents. The juveniles were released to their parents and Sharkey set a curfew of 8:00 p.m. and must maintain a C average grade.
The father of a 17-year-old teenager involved is a Cook County Sheriff deputy, Michael Palomino, 51, turned his son into police when he discovered his son's participation in the beating, according to Mike Sullivan, spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.
The alleged suspect, Raymond Palomino, 17, who was seen in the video without a mask or hoodie during the assault was charged as an adult. Palomino was charged with one count each of aggravated battery and robbery. Palomino appeared in court for a bond hearing on Wednesday. Judge Israel Desierto set a $100,000 bond for Palomino. Palomino unable to post bail remains at the Cook County Jail.
The criminal complaint states, that Palomino told the rest of the attackers to get the victim, once he was lured into the alley by the 15-year-old girl. Palomino is seen repeatedly beating the victim in the face with the victim's shoe. He took the victim's backpack and wallet. He then stole $180 dollars and disposed of the wallet in a nearby sewer. Palomino attends Kelly High School.
The video gang style attack, which went viral on the Internet showed the attackers body slam the victim several times to the ground in the snow, repeatedly kicked him on the face, held him in a chokehold several times and continued to punched him while saying profanities and calling the Asian teenager, "Nigger" as they brutally beat him. The victim is shown bleeding from the face.
Police don't believe the attack was racially motivated, eventhough the attackers were calling out the "N" word throughout the assault.
After more than several minutes of being beaten, the Asian teen was able to break away and flee. He was chased down the alley and the videotaping stops. They caught up with the victim after he ran as shown in the video. When they saw an adult in the area, they let the victim leave, according to the criminal complaint.
The Asian teenager was later treated at a local hospital for lacerations to the mouth and face, according to police.
The videotape was posted on YouTube and some comments from the attackers were also posted. Others who viewed the video posted comments and identified the attackers by name, which led Chicago police to identify and arrest all of the attackers, according to Sullivan.
Police say, the beating of the victim resulted from a prior unreported incident in October when the victim and other friends got into an altercation with Palomino and one of his friends. The aggravated assault happened in retaliation after months of ongoing negative comments between the two groups on the social network, according to investigators.

Full version assault video on Youtube at link: http://bit.ly/y2ywR3

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Brunn Sentenced To Life In Prison For Killing 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera In Georgia

2012-01-17T19:40:00.002-06:00

Ryan McCabe Brunn

Rivera was savagely murdered by Brunn.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 17, 2012

Canton, Georgia - On Tuesday, Ryan McCabe Brunn, 20, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the abduction, enticement, molestation and murder of Jorelys Rivera, 7, on December 2. During sentencing, Brunn admitted to luring Rivera into an empty apartment and then seducing her by making her undress and then killed her.
Once she complied, Brunn tied her up with tape and then cut her with a razor. While she was still alive, he took her to the bathroom and savagely beat Rivera with her own skate until she died. Brunn took her body to a nearby dumpster and compressed her body along with the garbage. Later, Brunn posted a note outside the dumpster leading police to the body.
Rivera showed signs of being bludgeoned, stabbed multiple times and sexually assaulted, according to the criminal complaint.
He told the judge that he never had sex with Rivera. Brunn had been charged with 13 felony counts in Rivera's homicide.
Brunn is from Brooklyn, New York, moved into Canton around November 5 and speaks both English and Spanish, according to his Facebook profile.

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Over 1.9 Million Petition Signatures Filed With GAB To Recall Governor Scott Walker And Lt. Gov. Kleefisch In Wisconsin

2012-01-17T14:25:00.005-06:00

Statewide volunteers collected more than 1 million signatures to recall Republican Governor Scott Walker and more than 845,000 to recall Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch (R). Another 86,600 signatures were filed to recall four Republican state senators, including the Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 17, 2012

Madison - On Tuesday, organizers filed more than 1.9 million petition signatures with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) to Recall Governor Scott Walker, Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state senators. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin, United Wisconsin, grassroots organizations and more than 25,000 volunteers throughout 72 counties in the state gathered enough petition signatures to force a recall election against Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant (Lt.) Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, both Republicans.
A minimum of the required 540,208 signatures were needed to force a recall election against Governor Walker and Lt. Governor Kleefisch before the January 17, 2012 dateline expired.
Recall Scott Walker organizers had thousands of volunteers screen petitions at an undisclosed location in Madison. They went through line-by-line, name-by-name to screen out errors and mistakes before officially turning over the signatures to the GAB on Tuesday, according to Mike Tate, Chair, Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Tate in a news release says, since Julie Wells of Jefferson County first launched the Recall Walker campaign, volunteers have collected 105,000 signatures in the first 96 hours, 300,000 in the first 12 days and 507,000 in the first month.
The GAB will take about eight or more weeks to sort out and remove duplicate names or names deemed invalid with the aid of a computer program specialized to recognize duplicate names. The recall Walker petitions will be posted online in the GAB website.
Republican Governor Walker supporters who are expected to challenge the recall, will also get a chance to challenge suspected petitions with duplicate names, invalid names or addresses.
The GAB will make the final certification of the recall petitions once they complete their inspection and challenges are exhausted. The recall election will then be scheduled and Governor Walker becomes the first Wisconsin governor to face a recall. The recall Walker and Kleefisch election is expected to cost at least $9 million, according to the GAB.
Governor Walker was in New York City at a Park Avenue $2,500 per person fundraiser when the signatures were filed with the GAB in Wisconsin. The recall election allows Governor Walker to raise an unlimited amount of funds for his re-election campaign.
Walker will be the third U.S. governor to be recall in the nation's history. Only two governors have successfully been recalled, Governor Lynn Frazier from North Dakota in 1921 and Governor Gray Davis from California in 2003.
Petition signatures to recall three Republican state senators were also filed by Democrats with the GAB on Tuesday. They are Senators, Terry Moulton (21,000 signatures), Pam Galloway (21,000 signatures) and Van Wanguard (24,000 signatures). A separate recall committee (non-Democrat) filed 20,600 petition signatures to recall Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald from the 13 Senate District.
The Public Policy Polling (PPP) Democratic firm released a survey on Tuesday, which polled 522 likely Democrat primary voters with a margin of error plus or minus of 4.3 percentage points showed poll results for four potential Democratic candidates that might challenge Governor Walker in a primary recall election. The potential Democratic candidates were, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who showed a lead with 27 percent of those surveyed compared to Kathleen Falk, former Dane County Executive with 22 percent, Dave Obey, former U.S. Congressman with 21 percent and state Senator Tim Cullen with a mere 11 percent, the PPP reported.

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21-year-old Suspect Indicted By Federal Grand Jury For Attempting To Kill President Obama

2012-01-17T14:16:00.002-06:00

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernández

Ortega-Hernández allegedly shot at the White House trying to shoot at President Obama who wasn't home.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 17, 2012

Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a news release reported that Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernández, 21, of Idaho Falls, Idaho was indicted by a federal grand jury for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Barack H. Obama. The indictment stems from the November 11, 2011 shooting near the White House.
The federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on Tuesday returned a 17-count indictment against Ortega-Hernández, who has been in custody since his arrest on November 16, 2011. In addition to the attempted assassination charge, Ortega-Hernández was charged with assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, injuring property of the United States, and related firearms charges. The grand jury returned criminal charges against Ortega-Hernández for violating District of Columbia law as well. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Ortega-Hernández, if convicted on all charges is facing a possible prison term of life imprisonment.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 11, 2011, at about 9 p.m., the defendant, Ortega-Hernández drove his Honda Accord westbound in the 1600 block of Constitution Avenue NW. He stopped the vehicle just past the entrance to the Ellipse, and fired several rounds at the White House. No one was reported injured.
FBI investigators examined the building and located several confirmed bullet impact points on the south side of the building on or above the second story residence area. Several bullets and fragments also were collected in the area near the impact points, the FBI reported.

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Hispanic News Network U.S.A. News Quicklinks 012012

2012-01-15T12:30:00.002-06:00

Compiled HNNUSA news brief links from Dec. 26, 2011 - January 14, 2012

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 15, 2012

"El Pitufo" Alleged Leader For The Aztecas Gang Arrested In Juárez http://ow.ly/8tOdf

Yang Charged With Lee's Homicide At Sheboygan's Walmart http://goo.gl/59IN2

"El Profe" From La Familia Cartel Arrested By Mexican Federal Police http://ow.ly/8tG7N

Tip Led To The Arrest Of Five Suspects Robbing Motorists Along The Acapulco Highway Stretch In Mexico http://tinyurl.com/highwayRobbers

Mexican Federal Judge Cited Double Jeopardy To Prevent Female Druglord Extradition To The U.S. http://ow.ly/8rUdx

Breaking: Two U.S. Marines identified in video showing 4 alleged Marines urinating on 3 dead Afghan Taliban fighters http://ow.ly/8qBsJ

U.S. Marine Corps Launches Probe Over Video Showing Alleged Marines Urinating On Dead Taliban http://ow.ly/8qBsJ

Ordoñez, Strong And Progressive 8th Adermanic Milwaukee Candidate Gets Spot On February's Primary Ballot http://goo.gl/fCajX

Former Milw. Police Officer Cates Found Guilty For Violating Woman's Civil Rights During Sexual Assault http://tinyurl.com/CatesConvicted

L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Strikes Special Needs Woman On Metro Bus http://ow.ly/8q79A

"El Wicho," Matamoros Gulf Cartel Leader Pleads Guilty In Texas Federal Court http://goo.gl/W12PX

Deceased Suspect Connected To Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy Homicide Identified http://tinyurl.com/73e526v

47-year-old Brookfield Woman Cited For Disorderly Conduct After Brief Confrontation With Recall Scott Walker Volunteer http://ow.ly/8nTsE

Recall Scott Walker Drive In Wisconsin Surpassed More Than 700,000 Petition Signatures Over The Weekend http://tinyurl.com/RecallWalker700K

Conceal Carry In WI Training Course Offered At Prior Badger Guns Shooting Range Facility In West Milwaukee http://goo.gl/zCGM8

21-year-old Suspect Arrested For Fatal Sheboygan Walmart Shooting Death http://ow.ly/8moaV

17-year-old Drunk Driver Charged For New Year's Fatal Crash That Killed Couple In Milwaukee http://ow.ly/8mmyZ

Banned 2012 Year Book Student Photo From Durango High School Leads To Facebook Account Overload For Spies http://tinyurl.com/SpiesPhotoCensored

Rivera Released After 19 Years In Prison For Allegedly Killing Holly Staker, 11, DNA Didn't Match http://bit.ly/xaBXZY

Mitchell International Airport Employee Connected To The Spanish Cobras Indicted For Heroin Charges http://goo.gl/Lxqg9

Oneida Medical Examiner Arrested For Taking Body Part From Deceased Person To Train Cadaver Dog http://tinyurl.com/OneidaCoronerArrested

Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Winston Retires To End Internal Investigation Against Him Involving Another Man http://goo.gl/dzNhZ

Arellano Felix Drug Cartel Leader Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering And Racketeering Federal Charges In U.S. http://goo.gl/dttUv

Discua-Bados, Estranged Husband Wanted For Fatally Stabbing 24-year-old Woman In Milwaukee, WI http://bit.ly/A91ern

Ojeda-Jimenez, Quadriplegic Deported Illegally By Advocate Christ Medical Center Died On New Year's Day http://tinyurl.com/QuelinoDies

Edery-Crivosei, Major Cali Money Laundering Suspect For Mexican And Colombian Cartels Arrested http://tinyurl.com/EderyCrivoseiArrested

Benjamin Colton Barnes' body identified by Washington State Police, alleged killer of Mt. Rainier Park Ranger Anderson http://ow.ly/8g0xU

Barnes, Alleged Killer Of Park Ranger Anderson Found Dead In Mount Rainier National Park Forest http://ow.ly/8g0xU

Ornelas-Cortes Extradited To Mexico For 2005 Homicide In Guanajuato http://tinyurl.com/7lak24o

Gun Distributor For The Pacific Cartel And Sinaloa Cartel Arrested By Mexican Federal Police http://goo.gl/llo70

IL: Murry and Smith Charged In The Hernández Carjacking Homicide In Waukegan http://goo.gl/0ZhlI

U.S. Treasury Links Panama-based Money Laundering Network To Mexican And Colombian Drug Cartels http://bit.ly/trdX5H

Alvarado Charged With Hit and Run That Injured Milwaukee Police Officer Vrtochnick http://tinyurl.com/AlvaradoCharged

WI: Alvarado, Alleged Driver Arrested In Hit and Run That Struck Milwaukee Police Officer Vrtochnick On Christmas Eve http://bit.ly/tAWmcH

Tip Led Milwaukee Police To Vehicle Sought In Hit and Run That Struck Officer Vrtochnick http://bit.ly/tAWmcH

Suburban Chicago Area Teen Along With Two Others Burned Alive On Christmas Eve In Michoacan By Suspects http://goo.gl/dfO67

El Güero, Sinaloa Cartel Member Arrested By Mexican Federal Police; U.S. had a $5 million dollar bounty on his head http://goo.gl/HkiBG

Melee Frenzy At Mall of America Sparked By Rumors That Rappers Lil' Wayne And Drake Were Inside http://tinyurl.com/MallofAmericaMelee

Suspect Sought That Struck Milwaukee Police Officer Vrtochnick On Christmas Day http://bit.ly/rKyuuX

Mexican Feds And U.S. Special Agents Within Days Of Capturing Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera http://tinyurl.com/7aykrpe

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"El Pitufo" Alleged Leader For The Aztecas Gang Arrested In Juárez

2012-01-14T23:57:00.004-06:00

César Lorenzo Roque Flores, aka, "El Pitufo," stands fourth from left.

El Pitufo

Photos: El Mexicano

Mexican military arrests an alleged leader of the Aztecas criminal organization.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 14, 2012

Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México - On Saturday, the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) reported that Cesar Lorenzo Roque Flores, aka, "El Pitufo" was arrested along with seven suspects from the Aztecas criminal organization at a residence in northern Juárez. A tip led the Mexican military to raid a home where a group of armed men were staying.
Flores is the alleged leader for the Aztecas gang associated with La Línea criminal organization, which is affiliated with the Juárez Cartel. Los Aztecas are the enforcers for the Juárez Cartel.
Along with Flores, the following suspects were arrested as well, Yerimi Luis Bayron, Enrique Moreno, aka, "El Kike," Lorenzo Fernández Martínez, Julio César Pérez Neri, Juan Manuel Hernández Ávila, Reynaldo Sánchez García and Ramiro Alfredo Pérez Chávez, aka, "El Pildoritas" or "Casanova."
The military confiscated nine long rifles, three handguns, 7,206 cartridges of various calibers and several vehicles.

News video of El Pitufo and the Aztecas arrest at link: http://bit.ly/yTlFvS

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Yang Charged With Lee's Homicide At Sheboygan's Walmart

2012-01-14T22:11:00.001-06:00

Kou Yang and Pheng Lee

Armed homicide suspect was a felon and on probation for a child abuse 2010 case, according to state records.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 14, 2012

Sheboygan - Last Thursday, Kou Yang, 21, of Sheboygan was charged as a repeat offender, including three felony counts of 1st-degree reckeless homicide, one count 1st-degree reckless injuring and one count for pssession of a firearm by felon, in connection with the murder of Pheng Lee, 20, on January 8th. Yang is accused of discharging five 9mm shots at Lee and Cheng Lung Moua, 21, and his friends outside a Walmart at 3711 S. Taylor Dr. shortly after they approached Yang's vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
The initial confrontation occured inside the Walmart around 12:30 a.m. at a cashier counter lane. Moua was in line and then Yang with his wife and a 16-year-old teenager stood behind him and exchanged some words. Moua told police he called his brother Lee to come over to the store because he was expecting trouble once they got outside Walmart.
Afterwards, Yang went to his vehicle where he was accompanied by his wife and the teenager. Moua, Lee and two other friends are seen by video surveillance going to Yang's vehicle. When they reached Yang's vehicle, they exchange words, then Yang pulls out a gun and fires at Moua who falls and shoots at Lee as he tries to flee. Lee falls from the gunshot wounds and Yang fled the scene.
Moua told investigators, that they went to tell Yang, to leave him alone. But, Yang opened fire at them.
Lee who was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee later died at St. Nicolas Hospital in Sheboygan from a bullet wound through the heart and from another bullet on the right lung. Moua was shot in the jaw and lost two teeth and had reconstructive surgery at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, according to Sheboygan police.
Yang was later arrested at his residence. Police say, it was investigated as an alleged gang related shooting.
State records indicate, Yang was convicted in 2010 for child abuse and was a felon.
Yang is facing more than 78 years in prison on the felony counts and a judge set a $750,000 cash bond.

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"El Profe" From La Familia Cartel Arrested By Mexican Federal Police

2012-01-14T17:17:00.003-06:00

Emmanuel Díaz Rios and Viani Jaret Velásquez Pérez

Photo: SSP

Rios was wanted in connection with numerous homicides throughout five municipalities in the state of México.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 14, 2012

Mexico City - On Saturday, the Mexican Federal Police (SSP) reported that Emmanuel Díaz Rios, 30, aka, "El Profe" had been arested. Rios orignally from Arcelia, Guerrero was wanted by the Mexican government for operating La Familia criminal organization in the municipalities of Chicoloapan, Chimalhuacán, Nezahualcóyotl, Los Reyes and Texcoco in the state of México.
Rios was taken into custody near the District of Izatalapa on Monday along with his girlfriend, Viani Jaret Velásquez Pérez, 18. Rios is facing charges for numerous homicides of rival cartel members, supervising and the distribution of weapons and vehicles, including the distribution of a ton of cocaine.
Rios' criminal operation stretched to five municipalities that he controlled as head of La Familia in the state of México.

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Tip Led To The Arrest Of Five Suspects Robbing Motorists Along The Acapulco Highway Stretch In Mexico

2012-01-14T16:51:00.003-06:00

(L-R) Isael Villanueva Vega, Flavio Villanueva Vega and Sergio Navarrete Atrisco

Photos: SSP

Highway robbers nabbed by federal police.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 14, 2012

Tierra Colorada, Guerrero, México - The Mexican Federal Police (SSP) confirmed the arrest of five suspects inconnection with a series of armed robberies along the Acapulco highway stretch in Guerrero. A tip led to the arrest of five suspects from the "Beltrán Leyva" criminal organization on January 4th near the Ocotito-Rincón de la Vía highway interchange.
They were identified as Flavio Villanueva Vega, 31, aka, "El Peinetas," the alleged leader who coordinated and handled the extortion of drivers held during highway robberies. The other suspects included, Isael Villanueva Vega, 20, aka, "El Isa"; Sergio Navarrete Atrisco, 40, aka, "El Chejo"; Omar Villanueva Vega, 25, and José Tinoco Brito, 28, aka, "El Pepe." Both Atrisco and Brito were wounded during a confrontation near the Tierra Colorada township, when they fired at federal police. The suspects are facing charges for armed robbery, extortion and drug possession.
Federal police conficated three vehicles, six weapons, 60 bags of white powder believed to be cocaine, cell phones and a variety of documents.

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Mexican Federal Judge Cited Double Jeopardy To Prevent Female Druglord Extradition To The U.S.

2012-01-12T23:03:00.003-06:00

Sandra Ávila-Beltrán

U.S. government lost second attempt to extradite female druglord from Mexico.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 12, 2012

Mexico City - On Thursday, Mexican federal Judge Jesus Chavez ruled that Sandra Ávila-Beltrán, aka, "La Reina del Pacifico" an alleged druglord can't be extradited to the U.S. due to double jeopardy. Ávila-Beltrán was acquitted in Mexico in December 2010 of charges for transportng and attempting to smuggling more than 9 tons of cocaine on December 2001 into the U.S. from Mexico. An appeals court in Mexico upheld Ávila-Beltrán's acquittal in August of last year.
The U.S. District Court of Southern Florida indicted Ávila-Beltrán for the same charges in 2004. On November 2007, she was indicted in the U.S. for two counts of conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine, stemming from the 2001 drug bust of a Mexican vessel "MACEL" carrying more than 9 tons of cocaine near the port of Manzanillo.
Ávila-Beltrán allegedly controlled major smuggling and trafficking operations between Colombian and Mexican criminal organizations. In 2007, she was taken into custody at a Cafe in Mexico City.
Mexican federal Judge Chavez said in his ruling, that most likely Ávila-Beltrán would be tried for the same charges in the U.S. she had been aquitted in Mexico. Chavez citing the Mexican Constitution, which prevents a Mexican national from being prosecuted in another country for the same crime prosecuted in Mexico, he denied an extradition request from the U.S.
Another Mexican federal Judge had previously denied a first request to extradite Ávila-Beltrán to the U.S.
Ávila-Beltrán is still being held in a prison at Tepic, Nayarit pending Mexican federal charges for money laundering. She is claiming that most of the money generated by her came from renting properties and selling clothes at businesses, which she owns.
She is the niece of Miquel Angel Felix Gallardo, aka, "El Padrino" who is serving a 40-year prison sentence in Mexico for drug smuggling, trafficking and for his connection to the February 7, 1985 homicide of U.S. DEA Agent Enrique Camarena-Salazar, 37, aka, "KiKe" in Jalisco. Gallardo was one of the main partners of the druglord Rafael Caro Quintero, aka, "El Numero Uno." Quintero, Gallardo, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo and Juan José Esparragoza Moreno founded the Guadalajara and Sonora Cartels in 1984.
Camarena-Salazar based in Guadalajara was kidnapped along with his pilot, Alfredo Zavala who were later brutally tortured and then killed. Agent Camarena-Salazar was instrumental in striking a blow at the Quintero criminal organization.
In November 1984, Mexican federal police raided the "El Búfalo" a Quintero ranch in Chihuahua and burned 10 tons of marijuana plants costing Quintero more than $160 million U.S. dollars in loses. In retalliation, he had Camarena-Salazar killed.

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U.S. Marine Corps Launches Probe Over Video Showing Alleged Marines Urinating On Dead Taliban

2012-01-12T01:46:00.014-06:00

Video surfaced depicting four elite Marines urinating on corpses. Military investigators have identified the Marines involved in desecrating the bodies of Taliban fighters.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 12, 2012
(Updated)

Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday, a 39 second video surfaced on Youtube depicting at least four men dressed in what looks like an U.S. Marine elite sniper unit urinating on corpses. Another man is videotaping the act of desecrating the bodies full of blood from three Taliban fighters. The details on the video are graphic and may have been recorded somewhere in Afghanistan, but doesn't provided a date when it was videotaped.
The information posted on the original video stated, "scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune peeping on dead Taliban." The original video clip has since been removed, according to a Youtube notice. Numerous copies of the video posted by others and media outlets remain on Youtube and the Internet.
One of the men is heard saying "Have a great day, buddy," another one says, "You got it on, the video," "Yeah" yells another and finally one jokes around and says, "Golden, like a shower," referring to the three Taliban dead fighters killed.
The U.S. Marine Corps launched an investigation and the initial probe hasn't confirmed the authenticity of the video. But the preliminary probe found that two of the men are actually Marines, according to a report by CNN dot com.
Investigators later were able to determine the identities of the three other Marines involved in the video. Two Marines and their batallion commander have been assigned to another area and are no longer with the 3rd Batallion, according to investigators. Their identities haven't been released.
The alleged Marines on the video were assigned to the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marine Regiment based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They were deployed to the Helmand province in Afghanistan in February 2011 and returned to the U.S. in September 2011, according to CNN dot com.
Military sources say, the men in the video are seen with 30-Caliber sniper rifles issued to Special Ops teams and the helmets being worned have a shorter front and sides to allow snipers to have their weapons closer to their face, according to Marine sources.
The men identified are facing potential war crime charges and court martial for their actions, which are deemed disgusting, disgraceful, horrid and actions not associated with the Marine Corps. The Geneva Convention prohibits the photographing and the desecration of dead bodies.
The Pentagon released a statement saying, "the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marine Corps."
The Marine Corps is a component of the U.S. Department of Navy and part of the Pentagon.

Youtube video of four men in Marine uniforms urinating on corpses at link: http://goo.gl/Hbmr1

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Ordoñez, Strong And Progressive 8th Adermanic Milwaukee Candidate Gets Spot On February's Primary Ballot

2012-01-11T17:57:00.002-06:00

Chez Ordoñez

Photo: HNG

Alderman Robert "Bob" Donovan (incumbent) had challenged the nomination papers of Chez Ordoñez in an attempt to kick him off the ballot.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 11, 2012

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, Chez Ordoñez, candidate for the 8th Aldermanic District announced through a news release, that his name will be place on the February 21st, Primary ballot. The Milwaukee Election Commission on Tuesday decided on a vote of 2-1 to place Ordoñez name on the ballot and ruled that Alderman Donovan's claims to disqualified Ordoñez lacked substantial evidence to keep Ordoñez off the ballot.
Ordoñez says, Donovan's claims were baseless and frivolus. Ordoñez is glad that the election commission agreed with him. It was just an attempt by Donovan to keep a strong and progessive candidate from challenging him in February's election, according to Ordoñez.
Ordoñez says, he will continue to run a very honest, transparent and grassroots campaign.
Donovan was first elected in 2000 and has been alderman for 11 years in the 8th District. He is also facing two other challengers as well, they are Jennifer Morales and Benjamin Juarez.

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Former Milwaukee Police Officer Cates Found Guilty For Violating Woman's Civil Rights During Sexual Assault

2012-01-11T15:57:00.001-06:00

Ladmarald Cates

Cates facing life in prison for violating victim's civil rights during a sexual assault while on duty.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 11, 2012

Milwaukee- On Wednesday, former Milwaukee Police Officer Ladmarald Cates, 44, was found guilty in federal court for one felony count of violating an 19-year-old woman's civil rights on July 16, 2010 during a sexual assault while on duty. The jury added an aggravated sexual abuse enchancer to the charge and conviction. Cates and his partner were responding to a "911" call.
The woman made a 911 call in July. When Cates was investigating a brawl at the 1500 block of Center St., he allegedly assaulted the victim and forced her to perform sex acts and oral sex inside the residence. The assault occured while his partner and her family were outside.
When the victim complained to police, they held her for 12 hours before taking her to the hospital to get evidence from the alleged sexual assault.
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn later fired Cates.
Cates is facing up to life in a federal prison and fines up to $250,000.

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L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Strikes Special Needs Woman On Metro Bus

2012-01-11T14:22:00.003-06:00

Photos from Green's cell phone videotape.

Videotape shows L.A. County Sheriff deputy striking special needs woman after she cursed him and told him he was being a big shot.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 11, 2012

Los Angeles - On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office (LACSO) spokesman Steve Whitmore told NBCLA News 4 that the person involved on Monday's bus route incident with several deputies was a homeless woman. She is currently going a 72-hour psychiatric hold and has four prior convictions for assaulting police officers, according to Whitmore.
Deputies were responding to "911" call that an elderly passenger was almost attacked inside the bus by a "violent woman," Whitmore told NBCLA that the call might have come from someone inside the bus. Photos taken by the Metro bus surveillance camera were recovered and turned over to the LACSO, but were not released to the media due to the ongoing investigation.
L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca confirmed that it was to his understanding that the woman was homeless and suffers from a mental illness, according to NBCLA.
The new information was released by the LACSO after a videotape of the incident was shown in the main stream media throughout the U.S. depicting a deputy striking a woman.
On Tuesday, the sheriff's office had refused to comment and was not interested in looking at the videotape showing one of its deputies striking a woman with special needs inside a bus. Whitmore did indicate, that they do investigate the use of force complaints. But for the LACSO refusal to review a videotape of what transpired is questionable.
The abusive incident occured on Monday and was videotaped by Jermaine Green who got into the Metro Bellflower bus route with his fiancee Violet Roberts. Green noticed a woman getting into the bus with a stroller with some pillows and said hi to people. She seemed friendly to people, according to Green.
On the next stop, several L.A. Sheriff deputies got into the bus. One was a female deputy and the other was male deputy who went directly to the woman with the pillows. They called her by name and told her to get off the bus. The woman began to curse at them and then told the male deputy that he was being a big shot. The male deputy, despite noticing the he was being videotaped by Green's cell phone, suddenly struck the special needs woman, according to Green.
Afterwards, the male deputy tried to confiscate Green's phone. Green refused to turn it over to the deputy. The deputy then threaten Green that he could get arrested, if he refused to turn over the cell phone and then asked Green if he had any warrants. Green told the deputy, that he didn't have any warrants and that he was a war veteran. Green recently finished six years of tour duty in the Army and had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Green believed the deputy wanted to confiscate the videotape to try and coverup the incident.

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"El Wicho," Matamoros Gulf Cartel Leader Pleads Guilty In Texas Federal Court

2012-01-11T03:32:00.002-06:00

Jóse Luis Zúñiga Hernández

Drug charges dropped under a plea agreement.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 11, 2012

Brownsville - On Monday, Jóse Luis Zúñiga Hernández, 43, aka, "El Wicho" pleaded guilty for illegal re-entry to the U.S. and possession of a weapon by an undocumented felon in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Hernández with four other suspects were arrested on October 26, 2011 by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
A vehicle with five men, including Hernández was stopped by agents near Santa Maria, close to the eastern Hidalgo-Cameron County border. Hernández and the four suspects triggered a sensor on land, which alerted border agents of their activity. They later admitted to federal agents that they were undocumented.
Upon searching the vehicle, agents found a .38-caliber gold plated handgun with studded diamonds and rubies spelling Hernández alias, "Wicho." They also recovered four bags of cocaine and $20,000 in cash. Under a plea agreement, Hernández' drug charges were dropped.
Hernández admitted, he participated in several homicides in Mexico and was the Gulf Cartel leader in the Matamoros area.
He is facing up to 20 years in a federal prison for re-entry to the U.S. and 10 years for possession of a weapon by an undocumented felon, including $250,000 fine for each count, according to the criminal complaint. He will be sentenced on April 16, by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen.
Hernández was convicted in 1990 for drug charges and was deported in 1997.
He fled Mexico to avoid being killed because Hernández was being targeted by Los Zetas, according to feds. Hernández is wanted in Mexico for operating a criminal organization, drug trafficking, smuggling cocaine, including marijuana and connection to several homicides.

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Deceased Suspect Connected To Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy Homicide Identified

2012-01-10T11:25:00.002-06:00

Drew Ryan Maras

Photo: Facebook

Deceased murder suspect was a former Marine, UFO-ologist and author.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 10, 2012

Phoenix - On Monday, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department (MCSD) released the identity of the homicide suspect as Drew Ryan Maras, 30, of Peoria who allegedly killed Deputy William Coleman, 50, of New River on early Sunday who was responding to a burglary call. Maras was also killed by other deputies during a confrontation around 4:10 a.m. at a Anthem medical plaza located on Anthem Way and Gavilan Peak Parkway, in northern Phoenix.
Maras is also suspected of killing a New Hampshire (N.H.) couple on Friday with the same high-power rifle that killed Coleman. The couple, Carol Raynsford of Nelson, N.H. and James Johnson of Jaffrey N.H. were discovered fatally shot with a .223-caliber rifle inside their vehicle in a remote area near Sedona in Yavapai County. A group of people from a jeep club discovered the bodies and called the Yavapai County Sheriff's Department (YCSD).
Investigators from the YCSD found .223-caliber castings near the vehicle of the couple killed.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio confirmed, that the investigation in ongoing and investigators are waiting for ballistic results to determine, if Maras actually killed Deputy Coleman and the N.H. couple in Yavapai County with the same rifle. Arpaio says, that deputies approached a mini van near the Angel Pediatrics, when Maras came out of the mini van and fired at the deputies killing Coleman. Two other deputies returned fire and killed Maras at the scene, according to Arpaio.
Maras Facebook (FB) account indicates, he was a former Marine who lived in Kihet, Hawaii and was from Chicago, Illinois. He described himself as a UFO-ologist and also authored a book entitled "Open Your Eyes: To 2012 and Beyond." His last FB posting was on Thursday at 1:58 p.m. and recent postings from FB followers have posted "Cop Killer."
Deputy Coleman is the first deputy to die in the line of duty, since 1995 and had worked for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department for 20 years. He was assigned to District 4. Coleman is survived by his wife and two children in Arizona and has two older children living out of state, according to MCSD.

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47-year-old Brookfield Woman Cited For Disorderly Conduct After Brief Confrontation With Recall Scott Walker Volunteer

2012-01-10T02:15:00.003-06:00

Linda M. Lorino

Photo from Steve Nagel's videotape.

Woman caught arguing and hitting a Recall Scott Walker volunteer. Organizers and volunteers have gathered more than 700,000 petition signatures, since Saturday.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 10, 2012

Brookfield - On Saturday, a woman from Brookfield received a municipal citation for disorderly conduct after she hit a Recall Scott Walker volunteer at the 16000 block of W. Bluemond Road. The woman was identified by Brookfield police as Linda M. Lorino, 47.
The police report states, Lorino stopped just after 1:30 p.m. to talk to a pro-Walker supporter and then proceeded to talk to a recall Walker volunteer gathering signatures. When she noticed, Steve Nagel, another volunteer videotaping her. She walked back to her vehicle and grabbed her cell phone and began to also videotape Nagel.
Lorino became angry, yelled and apparently hit Nagel while she confronted him. Nagel lost his balance, but was able to tape the entire incident, which made it easier for police to cite her. Nagle told police, that he anticipated trouble from Lorino and began to videotape her actions.
Lorino faces a fine of $492.00 for the citation and incident.
Both recall Walker organizers and volunteers have collected more than 700,000 petition signatures, since Saturday, according to a Monday report by Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA). HNNUSA cited close sources in the Recall Scott Walker (R) effort that the statewide campaign has surpassed the 700,000 signature total.
Organizers could very well break another record by the January 17, dateline, when organizers will officially announce the grand total of signatures collected throughout Wisconsin.

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Recall Scott Walker Drive In Wisconsin Surpassed More Than 700,000 Petition Signatures Over The Weekend

2012-01-09T16:19:00.002-06:00

Photo: HNG

Recall organizers and volunteer break record again, more than 700,000 signatures have been gathered since last Saturday.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 9, 2012

Milwaukee - On Monday, Recall Scott Walker campaign organizers and volunteers have set a third record for gathering more than 700,000 petition signatures, since last Saturday. Organizers could very well break a fourth record by the January 17, dateline, when organizers will officially announce the grand total of signatures collected throughout Wisconsin.
Close sources to the recall drive have affirmed that the recall Walker campaign has surpassed the 700,000 signature mark. Volunteers for the recall Walker effort are making their final push to get signatures within the following eight days remaining to legally collect signatures.
They were expecting to collect 720,277 recall petition signatures before the dateline, but most likely will also surpass that total.
In mid December, Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and United Wisconsin confirmed that statewide volunteers had collected 507,533 recall Scott Walker petition signatures. Tate said, the signatures were collected in just 28-days throughout 72 counties in the state.
A minimum of the required 540,208 signatures were needed to force a recall election against Republican Governor Scott Walker before the dateline expired.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin and United Wisconsin have confirmed that statewide volunteers had collected the following totals, since November 15th.

On November 28, 2011, 300,000 signatures were reported gathered.
On December 15, 2011, 507,533 signatures were reported gathered.

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Conceal Carry In WI Training Course Offered At Prior Badger Guns Shooting Range Facility In West Milwaukee

2012-01-09T01:35:00.001-06:00

Walter J. Allan explains different types of handgun holsters.

Photos: HNG

Conceal Carry handgun training course being offered at the old Badger Guns Inc. location in West Milwaukee.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 9, 2012

Village of West Milwaukee - On January, Badger Guns Inc. no longer could sell guns at 2339 S. 43rd St. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) revoked the gun selling license for violating the Gun Control Act. Badger Guns was previously operated by Adam Allan.
The first of the month, it exchanged ownership to Michael Allan, who acquired the occupancy permit from West Milwaukee on October 21, to operate the Brew City Shooter's Supply, Inc. at the same location. He hasn't yet applied for a gun dealing license with the ATF.
Currently, Brew City Shooter's Supply has the shooting range opened, sells ammo, weapons related supplies and a gun repair shop. The Badger Gun Inc. in conjunction with Concealed Carry LLC. offer a Conceal Carry in Wisconsin (CCW) handgun training course at the location, according to the Concealed Carry LLC. certificate of completion.
The four hour Wisconsin Department of Justice (WIDOJ) handgun training course offered by Concealed Carry LLC., includes weapons training on loading and unloading a revolver and pistol semi-automatic handguns, as well as live target range shooting, which is one of the few courses being offered in the Milwaukee area.
The course costs only $95 and follows the WIDOJ guidelines and required training to apply for a CCW permit with the state.
The CCW course is provided by both certified NRA instructor Walter J. Allan and Allen B. Ripple, a Wisconsin State Firearms certified instructor.
During last Saturday's noon course, a diverse group of people took the training, composed of 6 Blacks, 1 White and 8 Hispanics. The diversity of those taking the course shows that many residents in the area are taking advantage of the CCW training at the Brew City Shooter's location.
Most other CCW training sessions throughout the state don't offer the shooting range aspect of it, because it is not required by state law or the WIDOJ.
The current waiting period to be issued a CCW permit by the WIDOJ is more than 40 days due to the large volume of those applying for the CCW license. The CCW license is recognized and valid in 26 states.

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21-year-old Suspect Arrested For Fatal Sheboygan Walmart Shooting Death

2012-01-08T23:19:00.002-06:00

Pheng Lee

Photo: Family

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with one shooting death and wounding of a second man outside a Sheboygan Walmart.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 8, 2012

Sheboygan - On early Sunday, Pheng Lee, 20, of Milwaukee was fatally shot and a 21-year-old man was wounded outside a Sheboygan Walmart, 3711 S. Taylor Dr. Lee and three other men went to a Walmart store at about 12:30 a.m. to buy some snacks. They were confronted by a 21-year-old suspect and an altercation resulted. The suspect took out a handgun and fired at Lee and his three companions.
Lee, a student from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee later died at St. Nicolas Hospital in Sheboygan. His 21-year-old friend was critically wounded and was flown to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. The two other men with Lee were not injured.
The 21-year-old suspect was later taken into custody by Sheboygan police. A vehicle was confiscated in connection with the homicide.
Police are reviewing Walmart video surveillance from the store.
The suspect is facing one count of intentional homicide and three counts of attempted homicide, according to Sheboygan police.

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17-year-old Drunk Driver Charged For New Year's Fatal Crash That Killed Couple In Milwaukee

2012-01-08T22:15:00.002-06:00

Kelly Duke

Suspect had a prior DWI charge and a suspended license.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 8, 2012

Milwaukee - Last week Wednesday, Kelly Duke, 17, was charged with with two felony counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, two felony counts of homicide use of a vehicle with prohibited alcohol concentrate of 0.183, two felony counts of hit-and-run involving death, one felony count for operating a vehicle without the owners consent and two misdeamenor counts for driving with a suspended license causing great bodily harm. Duke was driving and speeding north on N. 27th St. and W. St. Paul Ave. around 6:30 a.m. on New Year's Day when he hit a curb and his vehicle went airborne slamming into another vehicle parked at a stop light intersection.
A couple from New Berlin, Jean and Edwin Thaves were fatally killed. They had just left Potawatomi Bingo Casino. Duke was headed to Potawatomi Casino as well to pick up his girlfriend, according to police.
Duke after the fatal crash fled the scene. But, his brother happened to go by the accident and told police that Duke had taken the vehicle without permission.
Police later arrested Duke. He confessed that he had been drinking at a party and afterwards had driven the vehicle. Duke admitted, that he can't remember what had happened on New Year's Day, including killing the couple.
He was previously convicted for driving drunk and had his license suspended.

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Banned 2012 Year Book Student Photo From Durango High School Leads To Facebook Account Overload For Spies

2012-01-08T18:36:00.003-06:00

An 18-year-old senior who is claiming censorship of her modern day photo in high school 2012 yearbook has her Facebook account swarming with thousands of friend requests from all over the world.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 8, 2012

Durango, Colorado - Over the weekend, Sydney Spies, 18, of Durango who is standing up for her right to pick her own modest senior year photo for the Durango High School yearbook has been swarmed with thousands of Facebook friend requests from all over the world to the brink of overload. After Spies' story spread about her photo was unfairly being censored from the Durango High School 2012 yearbook. The controversy has put Spies on the spotlight and could very well launch her modeling career.
On Monday, both Sydney and her mother will appear on the Today Show to talk about the matter.
Spies photo is a conservative look compared to today's teen magazine photos and other publications depicting teenagers on its covers and inside pages, including non-restrictive movies.
The five student editors for the year book were going to allow her photo to be published, but later decided to censor it because it was "inappropriate to use as her senior portrait," according to Spies. She believes that school administrators influenced the decision for student editors to censor the photo because it violated the school's dress code. But, the photo would be allowed to be published in the back section where students pay for messages, according to KDVR FOX31 News in Denver.
In the photo, Spies is wearing a yellow shirt with black shawl, which shows her bare shoulders and midsection. Her left arm covers part of the midsectition.
Spies expressed, it's a violation of freedom of expression. She called the photo artistic photography and shows her modeling, which she plans to pursue after graduating. Her mother, Miki Spies supports her daughter's photo choice.
Sydney met with her Durango High School Principal on Friday to discuss the matter, but no change of decision has been made to publish her senior photo in the yearbook, according to KDVR.
On Sunday, Miki Spies posted on her Facebook, "Sydney Spies can't get on her FB, seems to be in overload drive with mounting friend requests. She wanted me to thank you all for the overwhelming support and the inspiring messages that you are sending her. She's getting them by the dozens a minute from all over the world. She appreciates you SO much!!!" Miki says, they will appear on the Today Show at 7:30 a.m. on Monday.

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Rivera Released After 19 Years In Prison For Allegedly Killing Holly Staker, 11, DNA Didn't Match

2012-01-07T11:27:00.002-06:00

Juan A. Rivera Jr.

DNA didn't match in homicide, an Illinois appellate court panel ruled in December.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 7, 2012

Joliet, Illinois - On Friday, Juan A. Rivera Jr., 39, of Waukegan was finally freed after numerous appeals and his DNA didn't match with evidence taken from the August 17, 1992 homicide scene at 442 Hickory Street where Holly Staker, 11, was killed while baby sitting two children. Rivera walked out a free man from the Stateville Correctional Institute in Joliet on Friday. He spent more than 19-years in prison for a wrongful conviction. A jury had upheld his conviction three times, despite previous evidence that proved Rivera's DNA didn't match with the crime scene DNA recovered at the murder.
In December, a three judge panel in the Illinois appellate court finally reversed Rivera's conviction on a 3-0 decision in the stabbing, rape and homicide of Staker citing that DNA semen recovered from the crime scene didn't match Rivera's DNA. The appellate court ordered Rivera's release. But it took weeks to release Rivera due to paper work and confirmation of the court's decision.
The appellate court also ruled that Rivera's confession in 1992 resulted in his 1993 conviction stemming from a prepared statement by police at the time and was invalid. Staker had been stabbed 27 times, strangled and incurred massive injuries as a result of having been sexually assaulted virginally and anally prior to death, according to the coroner's report.
The DNA found at the crime scene has been place in the national data base system to search for a match, but no match has been found. In 2004, a DNA analysis was made and Rivera was eliminated as a match because his DNA didn't match with the DNA found in Staker's body. Despite the DNA results, a jury convicted Rivera once again. Until 2011, when the conviction was reversed by the appellate court.
Lake County State Attorney Michael Waller told media outlets, that the state won't seek an appeal on Rivera's release.
Rivera release came after his case was appealed by law professor Lawrence Marshall, with assistance of attorney's from the Jenner & Block lawfirm and the Northwestern University Center for Wrongful Convictions, which Marshall co-founded in 1999, the Lake County News-Sun reported.
State prosecutors and police are expected to re-open the Staker homicide case and begin to actually search for the suspect matching the DNA found at the Staker's homicide. As of Friday, the Staker case remains unsolved.

Appellate court decision on December 9, 2011 State of Illinois v. Rivera at link: http://tinyurl.com/RiveraAppellateCourtDecision

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Mitchell International Airport Employee Connected To The Spanish Cobras Indicted For Heroin Charges

2012-01-07T03:08:00.002-06:00

Amilcar Zapata Jr.

Zapata conspired to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin and allegedly smuggled large amounts of money by-passing airport security screening.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 7, 2012

Milwaukee - On Thursday, a federal indictment alleged that Amilcar Zapata Jr., 44, of Milwaukee was taken into custody for conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin and by-passing large amounts of cash through airport security for the Spanish Cobras gang. Zapata worked at the Mitchell International Airport for 21 years, according to the indictment.
The indictment states, that Zapata managed to hid large amounts of cash inside backpacks and using his security clearance as an airport employee would smuggle cash into the airport.
He would then meet up with money carriers inside restrooms after they passed through security screening and would then transferred the cash. The Spanish Cobras couriers would take the money out of the country without claiming the cash.
Zapata is the most recent suspect of 29 alleged Spanish Cobras members already in custody or indicted for heroin trafficking charges. The indictments includes two related overdose deaths and the shooting of a law enforcement officer.
Zapata was taken into custody by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, members of the Milwaukee High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area gang task force, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and the General Mitchell International Airport Administration helped in the investigation.
If convicted, Zapata faces from 5 to 40 years in prison, a $5 million dollar fine, 4 years to life on supervised release and a $100 special assessment, according to James L. Santelle, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

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England, Oneida Medical Examiner Arrested For Taking Body Part From Deceased Person To Train Cadaver Dog

2012-01-06T00:53:00.002-06:00

Traci J. England

Oneida medical examiner also serves both Fond du Lac and Forest Counties.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 6, 2012

Rhinelander, Wisconsin - On Thursday, an Oneida County Circuit Court Reserve Judge Conrad Richards found there is probable cause that Traci J. England, 44, an Oneida County Medical Examiner committed a crime by taking human remains. England allegedly stole a piece of spine during an autopsy examination in Fond du Lac County from a deceased person who was a resident of Oneida County.
England and an Oneida County Sheriff deputy went to Fond du Lac for an autopsy, when authorities later discovered England had taken a piece of spine from the deceased person on Tuesday. England explained, that she was going to use the human part to train a cadaver dog to find body parts, the preliminary complaint revealed.
She was arrested on Wednesday and posted a $5,000 signature bond and remains free on bail. Judge Richards ordered England not to posses any human remains as a condition of bond.
The family of the deceased person have been notified concerning England's removal of a body part, without authorization.
England, is the Head Medical Examiner for Oneida County. Which Oneida County also contracts out its services to do medical examination investigations for both Fond du Lac County and Forest County, according to Oneida County District Attorney Michael Bloom.
England has not been charged pending the outcome of the investigation, but is expected back in court for alleged charges on January 30th. She is facing one felony count of misconduct in office and a misdeamenor theft charge.

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Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Winston Retires To End Internal Investigation Against Him Involving Another Man

2012-01-05T21:53:00.002-06:00

Darryl Winston

Chief Edward Flynn, Milwaukee Police Department confirmed that Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Darryl Winston had retired.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 5, 2012

Milwaukee - On Thursday, Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Darryl Winston for the Professional Standards Bureau submitted his retirement ending an internal investigation against him, according to Chief Edward Flynn, Milwaukee Police Department. Winston was suspended and put on administrative leave with pay pending the oucome of an investigation shortly after the December 20 incident. When, he was found in company of another man inside his vehicle in a dark alley by an officer patrolling the area.
At first, Winston claimed the 23-year-old man was his nephew, but an initial investigation found Winston had lied. The men was a felon and family members confirmed he wasn't related to Winston.
No details were released about what transpired between Winston and the man while they were parked in a dark alley at the 3100 block of W. Silver Spring Drive. He earned a $120,632 in salary per year and had worked for the department for 28 years, according to state records.
An internal investigation was initiated, but with Winston's sudden retirement, it automatically ends the internal investigation by the same bureau he once commanded, according to Chief Flynn.

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Arellano Felix Drug Cartel Leader Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering And Racketeering Federal Charges In U.S.

2012-01-05T02:24:00.002-06:00

Alberto Benjamín Arellano Felix

Druglord led the Tijuana based Arellano Felix Cartel between 1986 to 2002, according to feds.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 5, 2012

San Diego, California - On Wednesday, Alberto Benjamín Arellano Felix, 58, aka, "El Señor" pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money, drug trafficking and racketeering in the U.S. District Court of Southern California. Benjamín faces up to 25 years in a federal prison and $100 milion in forfeiture under a plea agreement. He will be eligible to be released in 20 years, and then would be deported to Mexico where he has a federal pending sentence of nine years to serve.
He will be sentenced by U.S. Judge Larry Burns on April 2, according to court records. Under the plea agreement, Benjamín admitted to bribing law enforcement officials and ordering numerous homicides involving informants and rival cartel members. Rival cartel members and fatally tortured victims were also dissolved in barrels filled with lye or acid.
Benjamín and three of his brothers, Eduardo Arellano Felix, Javier Arellano Felix and Ramon Arellano Felix ran the Arellano Felix Cartel based in Tijuana and controlled the major border routes between Mexico and the U.S. between 1990 to 2000, according to a federal indictment.
The Arellano Cartel was responsible for transporting, smuggling and distributing thousands of tons of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. from Colombia and Mexico.
Benjamín led the Arellano Felix cartel between 1986 to 2002 when he was arrested in Puebla, Mexico. In 2007, Benjamín was sentenced to 22 years in a Mexican federal prison for money laundering and operating a criminal organization. He has nine years left to serve in that conviction in Mexico.
In April 29, 2011, Benjamín was extradited to the U.S. for racketeering, money laundering and drug trafficking charges.
In 2002, Ramon, was killed in a confrontation with the Mexican military; Javier was arrested in 2006 and was extradited to the U.S., he was later convicted for drug trafficking, racketeering and was sentenced to life in prison and Eduardo was arrested in 2008 in Mexico and is awaiting extradition to the U.S.

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Discua-Bados, Estranged Husband Wanted For Fatally Stabbing 24-year-old Woman In Milwaukee

2012-01-04T20:59:00.003-06:00

Dayana Bados-García

Jose Luis Discua-Bados

Murder suspect had re-entered the U.S. after being deported to Honduras.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 4, 2012

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office charged Jose Luis Discua-Bados, 29, with first-intentional homicide of Dayana Bados-García, 24, on Tuesday, January 3rd. If convicted, Discua-Bados is facing life in prison.
The criminal complaint states, that Discua-Bados, originally from Honduras had re-entered the U.S. after being deported. On Tuesday, he attacked Bados-García with a 2X4 board while she went outside her residence to warmed up her car at the 2800 block of S. 13th St. Bados-García was trying to go to work when she was fatally stabbed by her estranged husband. Pilar Hernández, Bados-García's grandmother stated, that she heard a scream at about 7:20 a.m. saying, "Luis, No" and when she looked out the window, she saw Discua-Bados beat her granddaughter with the board. Hernández went outside and warned Discua-Bados that she going to call Milwaukee police. He ran back into the house and then returned with a knife and proceeded to stab Bados-García multiple times. He then fled the scene.
When police arrived, they saw Bados-García exhibiting multiple stab wounds to her back and head. She had about 12 stab wounds. Milwaukee County Medical Examiner, Genevieve Penn pronounced Bados-García dead at 8:21 a.m.
Discua-Bados was apparently staying with Bados-Garcia, because she feared him and had previously been abused by him, according to Hernández.
Police issued a warrant for Discua-Bados.

For a copy of the Jose Luis Discua-Bados criminal complaint go to link: http://bit.ly/wLPiNB

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Ojeda-Jiménez, Quadriplegic Deported Illegally By Illinois Advocate Christ Medical Center Died On New Year's Day

2012-01-03T15:00:00.010-06:00

Quelino Ojeda-Jiménez, while at Advocate Christ Medical Center before being deported to Mexico by the hospital.

The Ojeda-Jiménez family in Oaxaca confirmed the untimely death of Quelino Ojeda-Jiménez in Mexico.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 3, 2012

Juchitan de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, Mexico - On early Sunday New Year's Day, Quelino Ojeda-Jiménez, 24, reportedly died of a heart attack while a patient at the Doctor Macedonio Benitez Fuentes (DMBF) General Hospital in Juchitan de Zaragoza, his family announced. Ojeda-Jiménez expired before 2:00 a.m. after a year long struggle with complications as a quadriplegic who was illegally deported to Oaxaca in December 21, 2010 by Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Ojeda-Jiménez was recently moved to the current hospital from María Lombardo de Caso Hospital in Juchitan. Within the last fifteen days he suffered at least three strokes and had traces of bed sores, including a septic infection, according to his family. Jeromino Ramirez Luis, the Director of the DMBF General Hospital told the Chicago Tribune that Ojeda-Jiménez had suffered from pneumonia and sepsis attributed to the effects of the spinal cord injury.
His spinal cord injury occurred last year, when Ojeda-Jiménez suffered a twenty foot fall while he was working and doing repairs in a building under contract by Imperial Roofing Group, an Atlanta company. On August 30, 2010, Ojeda-Jiménez was admitted to Advocate Christ Medical Center (ACMC) for treatment. After treatment costs accumulated and Ojeda-Jiménez had no insurance, ACMC decided to illegally deport him without his consent or his family approval.
On December 21, 2010, ACMC removed Ojeda-Jiménez against his will from the hospital after the executive ACMC Board decided to forcibily remove Ojeda-Jiménez from hospital care after five months of treatment for a spinal cord injury escalating to $650,000 in medical costs. Ojeda-Jiménez was taken out of the hospital by AeroCare personnel hired by ACMC and placed Ojeda-Jiménez on a plane to Mexico, so ACMC could finally stop paying for his medical treatment. The AeroCare transfer of Ojeda-Jiménez to Mexico cost $60,000, according to Kelly Jo Golson, senior vice president and spokesperson for Advocate Christ Medical Center.
Golson later admitted in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that after several private long care facilities refused to take him as a patient, ACMC executives decided to repatriate (deport) Ojeda-Jiménez without his consent or family authorization. But in December 2010, ACMC officials had persisted, Ojeda-Jiménez was removed from the hospital by permission of Ojeda-Jiménez' mother, which later turned out to be false.
Joseph Cece, AeroCare CEO in Sugar Grove told the Chicago Tribune that the doctors at ACMC and in Mexico had approved the transfer of Ojeda-Jiménez to Mexico.
To Cece, it was a successful mission. It sure was for Cece, his company profits from illegal deportations like in the Ojeda-Jiménez case. Doctors have no legal authority to transfer any patient to any foreign country without the patient's consent or family authorization and Cece should know better.
The actions taken by both Advocate Christ Medical Center and AeroCare in Sugar Grove are deemed illegal by federal standards and federal immigration laws, which only the U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement can initiate deportation hearings and removal. The lack of accountability by local, state and federal government to penalize a private company or hospital for illegally deporting someone to a foreign country continues today.
ACMC issued a statement on Tuesday, indicating that they were working with adocacy groups in changing policies concerning transferring patients to other countries like the Ojeda-Jiménez case. But the fact remains, that it's illegal to forcibly remove someone from the U.S. without federal due process of law concerning undocumented patients.
ACMC receives some type of federal funding, thus batantly violating the civil rights of a patient by unlawful deportation should revoke any federal funding, license to operate and a Congressional investigation to the actions taken by ACMC should be launch, according to Hispanic community activists.
To this date, the Mexican government has yet to provide information about who approved the legal documentation needed to allow ACMC and AeroCare to transport Ojeda-Jiménez into Mexico. The Mexican Consulate in Chicago has said, it didn't know that ACMC or AeroCare were going to deport Ojeda-Jiménez, but the consulate admitted that Ojeda-Jiménez had refused to return to Mexico because of inadequate medical attention in that country for a quadriplegic in his condition.
The Chicago Mexican Consulate affirmed that between 10 to 15 patients suffering from various medical issues are being deported annually. In the Ojeda-Jiménez case, ACMC did not submit the required documents to be allowed to transfer a patient into Mexico. The Mexican government needs to assure that undocumented patients are authorizing their own transfers before allowing their re-entry into Mexico.
The Ojeda-Jiménez family in Mexico and several members of the Chicago Hispanic community involved in this case are considering legal action against both ACMC and AeroCare.
Reynaldo G. Cruz, of Chicago who has been in contact with the Ojeda-Jiménez family wrote in an e-mail that a fund collected resulted with a balance of $4,070, which will be sent to Mexico to help with the Quelino Ojeda-Jiménez funeral expenses.
Ojeda-Jiménez was laid to rest on Tuesday at a local cemetery in Monte Santiago Ocotepec, Oaxaca.

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Edery-Crivosei, Major Cali Money Laundering Suspect For Mexican And Colombian Cartels Arrested

2012-01-02T21:15:00.003-06:00

Jaime Edery-Crivosei

Photo: U.S. Treasury

Edery-Crivosei money laundering enterpise connected with the Lebanese Colombian nationals Jorge Fadlallah Cheaitelly and Mohamad Zouheir El Khansa international money laundering network.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 2, 2012

Cali, Colombia - The Colombian National Attorney General's Office confirmed the arrest of Jaime Edery-Crivosei, 54, an alleged drug trafficker who operates a major Cali money laundering enterprise. He was taken into custody on Friday by federal authorities in Cali under an extradition request by the U.S. government. Edery-Crivosei allegedly is connected with the Lebanese Colombian nationals Jorge Fadlallah Cheaitelly and Mohamad Zouheir El Khansa international money laundering network.
Last Thursday, the three suspects were named by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in a designated act for operating an elaborate international money laundering network with drug trafficking proceeds from Mexican and Colombian cartels.
OFAC also designated other Colombian members of the Cheaitelly/El Khansa criminal organization, including Barranquilla-based drug trafficker Benny Issa Fawaz and Maicao-based money launderer Ali Mohamad Saleh. Jorge Cheaitelly’s key financial associates are also targeted, including his siblings, Jaime Fadlallah Cheaitelly, Guiseppe Al Cheaitelly Saheli, and Fatima Fadlallath Cheaitelly, and two Lebanon-based associates, Fawaz Mohamad Rahal and Ahmed El Khansa. OFAC also targeted and named 28 entities in Colombia, Panama, Lebanon, and Hong Kong with ties to Jorge Cheaitelly and Mohamad El Khansa.
OFAC's designated action was taken under pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with the entities and individuals named and freezes any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
Jorge Cheaitelly leads a Panama-based drug trafficking and money laundering organization that stretches across the globe, spanning the Americas, the Middle East, and Hong Kong.

Related article: U.S. Treasury Links Panama-based Money Laundering Network To Mexican And Colombian Drug Cartels http://bit.ly/trdX5H

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Barnes, Alleged Killer Of Park Ranger Anderson Found Dead In Mount Rainier National Park Forest

2012-01-02T16:04:00.004-06:00

Benjamin Colton Barnes

Photo : WSPD

Authorities confirmed that the body of Barnes was found in the snowy woods, according to the Washington State Police Department (WSPD).

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 2, 2012

Washington State - On Monday, the alleged killer of a 34-year-old park ranger sought by authorities in a massive manhunt has been found dead in the woods. Benjamin Colton Barnes', 24, body was found in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. Authorities confirmed the identify of the body found as Barnes, according to the Twitter account of Trooper Guy Gill, Spokesperson for the Washington State Police.
Barnes is supected of killing Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, on Sunday, New Year's Day during an attempted road block and then fleeing into the snowy woods in the mountain. Another park ranger was not injured.
Barnes apparently didn't stop at a check point to determine that vehicles were carrying tire chains required in snow terrain. A park ranger gave chase and Anderson set up her vehicle to block Barnes. Barnes got out of his vehicle and shot at Anderson, fatally wounding her inside her vehicle. Anderson didn't even get a chance to get out of her vehicle, according to the investigation. Pierce County Sheriff's SWAT team and rescue personnel couldn't reach Anderson for hours because Barnes continued to fire at authorities. He then disappeared into the woods.
About 111 law enforcement personnel, including National Park Service, Pierce County Sheriff, FBI, Washington State Patrol, U.S. Forest Service, City of Enumclaw, and Lewis County Sheriff's descented into the mountain since Sunday to track down the suspect. Barnes tried to elude authorities by walking in river beds and other water ways, but continued to walk on chest-deep snow leaving tracks to his whereabouts.
His body was later discovered face down on the snow. Barnes was only wearing a t-shirt, jeans and one tennis shoe when found and a preliminary autopsy indicated the cause of death was attributed to prolong outdoor exposure to cold weather conditions. Authorities say, he died from the freezing conditions while walking in chest-deep snow without a jacket, survival gear or snow shoes, which would have kept him from sinking in the snow.
Barnes, an Iraq veteran (2007-08) was engaged in a custody battle and is believed to have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was also wanted for questioning for an earlier shooting that left four people injured at a party in Skyway near Seattle.
Ranger Anderson served at Mount Rainier for four years. She is survived by her husband, also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, and two young children, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
The park will remain close until the federal criminal investigation is completed.

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Ornelas-Cortes Extradited To Mexico For 2005 Homicide In Guanajuato

2012-01-02T03:13:00.003-06:00

Alejandro Ornelas-Cortes

Photo: ICE

Mexican national murder suspect caught in San Jose, California by U.S. ICE agents extradited to Mexico.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 2, 2012

San Diego, California - Last month on December 23, officers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) extradited Alejandro Ornelas-Cortes, 37, to Mexico. Ornelas-Cortes was turned over to Mexican federal agents from the Mexican Attorney General's Office (PGR) at the San Ysidro border.
Ornelas-Cortes is wanted in Guanajuato, Mexico for the alleged June 18, 2005 homicide of Salvador Menchaca Castro. Castro was shot several times after an altercation with Ornelas-Cortes at a wedding reception, according to the PGR. He fled to the U.S. to avoid prosecution.
Ornelas-Cortes was arrested in October 27, 2010 outside his residence in San Jose by ICE. An immigration judge ordered his removal from the U.S. on December 12, ICE reported in a news release.

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One Gunshot Homicide And Two Vehicular Homicides Reported By Milwaukee Police In New Year's Day

2012-01-01T22:46:00.003-06:00

Trevon Johnson

Photo: Family

Family and friends held a candle light vigil on Sunday evening for Trevon Johnson, the first reported fatal shooting victim of the New Year.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 1, 2012

Milwaukee - Police responded to the first reported gunshot homicide just hours into the New Year 2012 in the northside of the city. Police found Trevon Johnson, 23, aka, "Monty" fatally shot in a parked vehicle and a woman with non-life threatening wounds near N. 29th and W. Townsend Streets.
Johnson had left a New Year's party when the shooting occurred. Johnson died at the secne and the unidentified was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Family and friends held a candle light vigil on Sunday night and set up a temperary makeshift memorial at the site.
The second reported homicides were reported shortly before 6:00 a.m. at N. 27th Street and W. St. Paul Ave. Where a 17-year-old driver believed to be intoxicated who was speeding north, hit a crub causing his vehicle to be airborne into another vehicle at a stop. A married couple who had just left Potawatomi Bingo Casino were reported killed in the other vehicle. The suspect fled the scene, but was arrested several hours later, according to police. The teenager is facing multiple charges, two counts for vehicular homicide.
Police have not released the name of the victims pending family notification.

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Gun Distributor For The Pacific Cartel And Sinaloa Cartel Arrested By Mexican Federal Police

2012-01-01T05:30:00.002-06:00

Ramiro Rendón Rivera

Photo: SSP

El Ramy taken into custody in Sinaloa by Federal Police.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 1, 2012

Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico - On Saturday, the Mexican Federal Police (SSP) announced the latest blow to the Sinaloa Cartel. On Friday, Ramiro Rendón Rivera, 45, aka, "El Ramy" was taken into custody in Culiacán. He was the main manufacturer of weapons and ammunition for the Pacific Cartel, also known as the Sinaloa Cartel, which is operated and led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera.
Rivera was taken into custody in the neighborhood of Infonavit Humaya, according to Federal Police.
El Chapo is wanted by both the Mexican government and the U.S., which has offered $5 million U.S. dollars for information leading to the arrest of the Sinaloa druglord.

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Murry and Smith Charged In The Hernández Carjacking Homicide In Waukegan

2011-12-31T03:30:00.002-06:00

Kerwin Murry and Fredrick T. Smith

Carlos Hernández

Photo: Family

Hernández died after being shot by a suspect during the carjacking.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 31, 2011

Waukegan, Illinois - On Friday, Kerwin Murry, 22, and Fredrick T. Smith, 23, both who recently moved to Waukegan were charged with first-degree murder in connection with early Thursday's carjacking and homicide of Carlos Hernández, 44, of Waukegan at the 400 block of Hickory St. The criminal complaint states, that both Murry and Smith spotted a Cadillac with its motor running in a driveway. They forced themselves into the vehicle while armed to steal the auto and took the driver, Hernández with them. Hernández managed to struggle with the suspects and was shot several times in the stomach. The suspects then fled to the Lakeside Tower apartments where one of them lived.
Police responded about 6:08 a.m. to a 911 call and found Hernández shot on the sidewalk about two blocks from his driveway. Hernández was able to give a discription of the suspects to police before he died on route to the hospital. Police tracked the suspects to the apartment building where after a seven hour standoff were able to arrest three suspects. Smith was arrested with another suspect in an apartment and Murry attempted to elude police through a ventilation duct where he got stuck and a firefighters rescue team was able to get him out. Police recovered the alleged murder weapon from a nearby dumpster.
A third suspect has not been charged pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Waukegan police.
State records show, Smith was free on bond for a felony weapons violation in Cook County and Murry was on a juvenile parole for a robbery conviction.

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U.S. Treasury Links Panama-based Money Laundering Network To Mexican And Colombian Drug Cartels

2011-12-30T03:30:00.002-06:00

Jorge Fadlallah Cheaitelly

Mohamad Zouheir El Khansa

Photos: U.S. Treasury

U.S. citizens, businesses, and financial institutions prohibited from doing financial and commercial transactions with designated money laundering companies.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 30, 2011

Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in a news release confirmed that it designated Lebanese-Colombian nationals Jorge Fadlallah Cheaitelly and Mohamad Zouheir El Khansa as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNTs) due to their significant role in international money laundering activities involving drug trafficking proceeds. OFAC also designated nine other individuals and 28 entities in Colombia, Panama, Lebanon, and Hong Kong with ties to Jorge Cheaitelly and Mohamad El Khansa. OFAC's designated action was taken under pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these entities and individuals and freezes any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
Jorge Cheaitelly allegedly runs an extensive money laundering network based in Panama and Colombia with ties to Mexico, Lebanon, and Hong Kong. The OFAC designated act exposes these individuals money laundering network to the international financial system and undermines their ability to launder drug money through a global support network for the Mexican and Colombian drug cartels, according to OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin.
Jorge Cheaitelly leads a Panama-based drug trafficking and money laundering organization that stretches across the globe, spanning the Americas, the Middle East, and Hong Kong. OFAC action targets key Colombian members of the Cheaitelly/El Khansa criminal organization, including Cali-based money launderer Jaime Edery Crivosei, Barranquilla-based drug trafficker Benny Issa Fawaz and Maicao-based money launderer Ali Mohamad Saleh. Jorge Cheaitelly’s key financial associates are also targeted, including his siblings, Jaime Fadlallah Cheaitelly, Guiseppe Ali Cheaitelly Saheli, and Fatima Fadlallath Cheaitelly, and two Lebanon-based associates, Fawaz Mohamad Rahall and Ahmed El Khansa.
OFAC's action also targets 28 companies controlled by Jorge Cheaitelly and Mohamad El Khansa and their associates in Panama, Colombia and Hong Kong. Among OFAC's designations are several money exchange businesses in Panama - Eurocambio, S.A., Euro Exchange Y Financial Commerce, Inc. (a.k.a. Eurex) and General Commerce Overseas, Inc. – as well as Junior International S.A., Global Technology Import & Export, S.A. (GTI), and Fedco Import & Export, S.A., import export businesses located in Panama’s Colon Free Zone that are part of the Cheaitelly/El Khansa financial network. Junior International S.A. is affiliated with the significant Lebanese drug trafficker and money launderer, Ayman Joumaa, who was designated under the Kingpin Act in January 2011. Cheaitelly replaced Ayman company with Joumaa's brothers who are also designated as narcotics traffickers.
Several front companies located in Maicao, Colombia were also designated including electronics stores Bodega Electro Giorgio and Almacen Electro Sony Star, general merchandise businesses Family Fedco and Comercial Globanty, and luggage stores Almacen Batul and Comercial Estilo y Moda. Two businesses controlled by Cali-based money launderer Jaime Edery Crivosei, Agropecuaria La Perla Ltda and KPD S.A., were also designated. OFAC also designated Polyton (Asia) Limited, a company located in Hong Kong, for acting for or on behalf of Guiseppe Ali Cheaitelly Saheli.
The Treasury actions in Thursday was made in close coordination with investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the New York City Police Department.
Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.

Criminal organization chart and photos (PDF) of affiliates of Cheaitelly and El Khansa at link: http://1.usa.gov/t5JOoj

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Alvarado Charged With Hit and Run That Injured Milwaukee Police Officer Vrtochnick

2011-12-29T21:14:00.002-06:00

Juan C. Alvarado

Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Alvarado, the alleged driver that struck Milwaukee Police Officer Vrtochnick on Christmas Eve.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 29, 2011
(Updated)

Milwaukee- On Thursday, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office filed several felony charges against Juan C. Alvarado, 19, of Milwaukee in connection with the Christmas Eve hit-and-run that critically injured Milwaukee Police Officer Frank Vrtochnick, 37. Alvarado was arrested in Illinois on Wednesday by Chicago police. He waived extradition from Illinois and was transported back to Wisconsin. Alvarado arrived in Milwaukee around 4:00 p.m. on Friday to face several felony charges, which includes first-degree reckless injury and reckless endangering safety, according to the criminal complaint.
Vrtochnick while in a traffic routine stop was strucked by Alavardo after he went over a curb as he drove on the wrong side of the street. Vrtochnick was accompanied by his partner and was outside the squad on the passenger's side when he was struck. He remains in critical condition, with serious injuries, numerous scrapes and a broken leg.
Alvarado fled the scene and managed to hid his 1998 Chevy Malibu in a garage near S. 15th Street and W. Becher Street. He then went to Chicago to avoid being taken into custody.
On Tuesday, Milwaukee police working on a tip were led to the 2000 block of S. 15th St. where they found the Malibu sought in the hit-and-run. On Wednesday, police with a search warrant were able to tow the heavily damaged vehicle for evidence. A rear tail light and the right side of the front windshield were broken consistant with the hit-and-run investigation. Investigators recovered hair, skin, blood, DNA and fingerprints that were found in the Malibu.

For posted criminal complaint go to following link: http://bit.ly/rtAxlY

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Tip Led Milwaukee Police To Vehicle Sought In Hit and Run That Struck Officer Vrtochnick

2011-12-28T19:31:00.011-06:00

Frank Vrtochnick

Juan C. Alvarado

Vehicle found in the 2000 block of S. 15th St. and the alleged driver, Juan C. Alvarado was taken into custody on Wednesday in Chicago.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 28, 2011

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, Milwaukee police working on a tip were led around 11:00 a.m. to the 2000 block of S. 15th St. and W. Becher St. where they found a 1998 Chevy Malibu sought in the hit-and-run of Officer Frank Vrtochnick, 37, on Christmas Eve. Police were able to tow the heavily damaged vehicle for evidence. A rear tail light and the right side of the front windshield were broken consistant with the hit-and-run investigation. Investigators recovered hair, skin, blood, DNA and fingerprints that were found in the Malibu.
A resident on Tuesday went to the District 2 police station to complain about a vehicle parked in his rented parking space. The description of the vehicle matched the vehicle sought by police in the Christmas Eve hit-and-run of an officer. A warrant and an affidavit was issued by police to recover the Malibu.
They spoke with the owner of the garage where the vehicle was parked and stored. Police found that Juan C. Alvarado, 19, of Milwaukee was storing the Mailbu in the garage. He was later located in Chicago on Wednesday and Alvarado was taken into custody by Chicago police.
Alvarado is facing two felony charges of first-degree reckless injury and reckless endangering safety. He will be extradited from Illinois to Milwaukee for pending charges, according to Milwaukee police.
Officer Vrtochnick was struck while on a routine traffic stop on December 24th at the 1700 block of W. Windlake Ave. He remains in critical condition, with serious injuries, numerous scrapes and a broken leg.

For posted criminal complaint go to following link: http://bit.ly/rtAxlY

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Suburban Chicago Area Teen Along With Two Others Burned Alive On Christmas Eve In Michoacán By Suspects

2011-12-28T17:15:00.003-06:00

Burned victims identified by the Mexican authorities in Michoacán.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 28, 2011

Chicago, Illinois - On Tuesday, more than 400 people, including relatives and friends attended a candle light vigil for Alexis Uriel Marrón, 18, at the Rolling Meadows High School in a suburb of Chicago. Marrón who lived in Rolling Meadows was reported killed over the weekend in Mexico.
Marrón's body was found along with the bodies of Raúl Tellez Vázquez, 21, and Juan Pedro Estrada Oseguera, 24, around 7:00 a.m. inside a trunk of a burned vehicle on Christmas Eve. The victims were discovered by residents of the Comupuato Ranch vecinity in the municipality of Ixtán de los Hervores who alerted authorities.
Mexican authorities say, Marrón, Vázquez and Oseguera, all from Quiringüicharo in the municipality of Ecuandureo from the state of Michoacán were burned alive. Vázquez lived in Los Angeles.
Relatives say, that the men were reported missing on Friday. Marrón was traveling to a city near Guadalajara to meet up with his recent girlfriend, Jazmin Reyes, 16, who he met through the Internet. The victims never made it to see Reyes.
A suspect or unknown suspects set fire to a 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis while the victims were still alive in the trunk, according to the Michoacán Attorney General's Office. The vehicle was registered to Oseguera.
Marrón was visiting his grandmother since December 3rd in Mexico during the Holiday's.
No suspects have been arrested in the horrific triple homicide.
Marrón is the fourth U.S. citizen to be killed in Mexico during the Holiday's. On December 22, Veracruz gunmen killed three U.S. citizens with dual citizenship, María Sánchez Hernández, 39, of Fort Worth, Texas and two of her daughters, Karla, 19, and Christina, 13, during a bus armed robbery. They were visiting relatives in the area. One of their cousins was also killed, as well as several other passengers when the gunmen opened fire inside the bus, according to Mexican authorities.

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El Guero, Sinaloa Cartel Member Arrested By Mexican Federal Police

2011-12-28T12:55:00.001-06:00

Luis Rodriguez Olivera

Photo: SSP

Suspect taken into custody at Mexico's City International Airport.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 28, 2011

Mexico City, Mexico - On Wednesday, Mexican Federal Police (SSP) announced the arrest of Luis Rodriguez Olivera, 39, aka, "El Güero or Lucho, Peli Rojo" also known as José Luis Sánchez Jiménez at Mexico's City International Airport. Olivera was taken into custody on Tuesday, while trying to use identification with the name of Sánchez Jiménez, but was recognized by federal police as Olivera.
He is originally from Tototián, Jalisco and had a $5 million dollar U.S. bounty for his capture. The U.S. has requested Olivera's extradition. Olivera is wanted for operating a criminal enterprise, money laundering, possession, conspiracy of importing and distributing cocaine into the U.S.
Olivera was indicted on August 20, 2009 by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York. The indictment was unsealed on May 22, 2010 and Olivera was accused of transporting more than 5 kilograms into the U.S. between January 1, 1996 to June 6, 2008. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison and a forfieture of more than $50,000,000, according to the federal indictment.
Olivera and his other three brothers, Esteban, Daniel and Miguel allegedly operated a criminal organization called Los Güeritos (blondies) associated with the Pacific Cartel also known as the Sinaloa Cartel, which was run by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, according to Federal Police.
Esteban was arrested in 2008 and extradited to the U.S. to face federal charges and Miguel was reported killed in the state of Yucatán on August 2011. Daniel remains at large, the Mexican Federal Police reported.

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Melee Frenzy At Mall of America Sparked By Rumors That Rappers Lil' Wayne And Drake Were Inside

2011-12-27T14:28:00.003-06:00

Photo of LEGO area inside the Mall of America by HNG.

Teens and unruly adults were arrested and cited after fights broke out at food vender area, other parts of the mall and outdoor bus routes.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 27, 2011

Bloomington, Minnesota - On Monday, Bloomington police reported the arrest of ten teenagers after disturbances and fights broke out in the food vender area at the Mall of America (MoA). Another four teenagers and an adult were also arrested and cited for disorderly conduct by Metro Transit police outside the mall and on bus routes.
The brawls began inside the MoA and drew crowds, while other holiday shoppers left the scene and some exited the mall. Some of the stores in the immediate area were forced to close temperarily. At least 30 police officers from Bloomington, Metro Transit police, MoA security and Richfield Police responded to the scene shortly after 4:20 p.m. to maintain control and quell the crowds, according to Commander Mark Stehlik, Spokesperson for the Bloomington Police Department.
Police issued disorderly conduct citations to more than 20 teens suspected of being involved in the melee. Unconfirmed reports indicated, teenagers managed to grab merchandise from kiosks and shoppers as they fled. But on Tuesday, no merchandise was reported stolen from stores, kiosks or shoppers during the melee, according to Stehlik. Police estimated that at least between 100 to 200 teenagers were gathered when the chaotic scene occurred. It took police about an hour to control the scene and allow shoppers back in the area.
Mall officials also twitted on their MoA's account that chairs were thrown around at the food court making it sound like gunfire, but no one was reported firing a weapon.
No serious injuries were reported by police or Mall of America security. The MoA's twitter account denied rumors that had spread in the twin cities of both rappers Drake and Lil' Wayne were shopping or had a special appearance at Monday's after Christmas Holiday sale events. "There is no scheduled appearance for either performer...Drake is not here...There have been a series of altercations and some stores have gone into lockdown on their own...There was no shooting, chairs were thrown in the food court resulting in the loud noise that you heard...There is no official lock down right now," the Mall officials twitted on Monday afternoon. The MoA remained opened throughout the day and was reopened on Tuesday.
The rumor about both rappers at the MoA apparently drew groups of teenagers to the mall.
As a result of Monday's melee inside the nations mega mall, security will be on alert and keeping an eye on teenagers to make sure Monday's melee doesn't happened again. The MoA has more than 400 stores, 50 restaurants, 7 nightclubs, 14 theaters, employs 12,000 people, gets between 35 million to 40 million visits per year and has an indoor entertainment center that includes mechanical rides for children and adults.

Video's shot at Mall of America during Monday's melee at links: http://tinyurl.com/Brawl1MallofAmerica or http://tinyurl.com/BrawlMallofAmerica

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Hit and Run Driver Sought That Struck Milwaukee Police Officer Vrtochnick On Christmas Day

2011-12-26T22:33:00.003-06:00

Frank Vrtochnick

Photos: MPD

Soutside District 2 police officer listed in critical condition and in intensive care at Froedtert Hospital.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 26, 2011

Milwaukee - On Monday, Milwaukee Police Officer Frank Vrtochnick, 37, remained in critical condition after being struck by an unidentified driver who fled the scene on Sunday. The hit-and-run suspect apparently was driving on the wrong side of the street around 5:17 p.m. at the 1700 block of W. Windlake Ave., jumped the curb and hit the Officer Vrtochnick while conducting a traffic stop.
Vrtochnick from the 2nd police district station was outside his assigned police squad when the incident occurred. He is a 5-year veteran with the department.
Officer Vrtochnick received numerous scrapes, serious injuries and a broken leg when he was thrown on impact. Multiple squads on Sunday escorted an ambulance transporting Vrtochnick to Froedtert hospital reaching speeds up to 100 miles per hour.
Police are looking for a dark mid-size sedan missing the passenger side mirror, with probable front end damage, according to Milwaukee police. People can contact the Milwaukee Police Department with any information leading to the arrest of the suspect at 414-935-7360.

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Mexican Feds And U.S. Special Agents Within Days Of Capturing Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera

2011-12-26T02:03:00.004-06:00

Felipe Cabrera Sarabía

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera

The Mexican Secretary of Defense has confirmed that the head chief of security for El Chapo has been arrested.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 26, 2011

Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico - On Sunday, the Mexican Secretary of Defense announced the recent arrest of the head of security for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, known drug lord for the Sinaloa Cartel. The suspect was identified as Felipe Cabrera Sarabía, aka, "El Ingé" who operated in both states of Durango and Chihuahua. Sarabía was taken into custody on Friday, December 23 in Culiacán. He was wanted for multiple homicides, extortion, kidnappings and the disappearance of victims. The military also confiscated weapons, computers and documents, according to Ricardo Trevillo Trejo, Spokesperson for the Mexican Secretary of Defense (Sedena).
Mexican federal authorities and U.S. special agents working in the region are one step closer to taking fugitive El Chapo into custody ending a 10-year worldwide dragnet. El Chapo has a $5 million dollar U.S. Department of State bounty for information leading to his arrest, including a $2 million reward from the Mexican government.
On August 15, El Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel was in Lancaster, California to give birth to twin girls at the Antelope Valley Hospital. Coronel left the father's name blank of the birth registration, according to feds. Since then, federal authorities and a special unit composed of Mexican federal and special agents in various countries, including the U.S. have been tracking the whereabouts of El Chapo and his family.
With the recent arrest of his head of security (bodyguards) could very well provide the needed intelligence to locate where El Chapo was celebrating his Christmas holidays, according to speculation.

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De Jesus Charged With Negligent Vehicular Homicide For The Hernández-Pérez Death In Milwaukee

2011-12-25T02:23:00.002-06:00

Jesus de Jesus

De Jesus was driving with a suspended license, according to the criminal complaint.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 25, 2011

Milwaukee - On Saturday, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Jesus de Jesus, 53, for knowingly driving with a suspended license, including causing great bodily harm and homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle in connection with last Monday's crosswalk death of Clementina Hernández-Pérez, 65, and injurying her 4 year-old grandson. A $10,000 cash bail was set for De Jesus. If convicted, De Jesus is facing up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
Hernández-Pérez and her grandson in a stroller were crossing S. 6th Street at W. Grant Street when De Jesus going northbound on S. 6th struck them both with his vehicle and then hit a nearby van.
De Jesus remained at the scene and was arrested for failure to yield to a pedestrian and driving with a suspended license causing great bodily harm.
Hernández-Pérez died of her injuries at Froedtert Hospital and the 4-year-old child was released from the Children's hospital on Wednesday.

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Karina Reunited With Father In Wisconsin After A Three Year Custody Battle With Mother Living In Japan

2011-12-24T20:08:00.001-06:00

Karina posed with her father Moises Garcia in a January 2008 photo during a Florida visit before being abducted by mother.

Photo: Karina-Garcia dot com

Mother, a Japan national was arrested in Hawaii for abduction of a child, makes plea agreement and agreed to return child to father in Wisconsin.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 24, 2011

Milwaukee - On Saturday, Moises Garcia, 39, of Fox Point and a native of Nicaragua, who is a medical surgeon for St. Luke's Hospital finally held a news conference in a Milwaukee hotel to express his good fortune to be reunited with his daughter in the state. His wife, Emiko Inoue, 43, a Japan national had taken his 6-year-old daughter Karina Garcia to Takarazuka, Japan on February 2008 without his consent, shortly after Garcia filed for divorce. Inoue failed to show up in court for a divorce hearing.
Garcia had spent more than $350,000 in legal challenges in both Japan and the U.S. in the last three years for legal custody. In 2009, a court in Japan gave Garcia parential rights to visit Karina. Since he began the legal battle, Garcia had about three visits with Karina, including one that lasted just two hours in a hotel restaurant and another visit for ten minutes in an school open house in Japan. His wife, Inoue appealed that decision and the case continued until the recent outcome.
The break in the legal custody battle came in April, when Inoue travelled to Hawaii and she was taken into custody for child abduction charges.
Inoue was returned to Wisconsin to face charges and was held for three months until a plea agreement was reached. She pleaded no contest to a misdeamenor and agreed to return Karina to Wisconsin. In return, she would get probation avoiding a long prison sentence, with the condition she would remain in the state for the next three years. Inoue who is a U.S. legal resident has been released from custody. Pleading to a misdeamenor violation and getting less than a year prison sentence, would exempt her from getting her U.S. residency revoked and than deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Garcia says, he had to learn to speak Japanese because Karina was graduately losing her ability to speak English. He went to Chicago to meet up with Karina, now 9, who arrived in the U.S. on Friday morning at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport escorted by her grandmother and Inoue's attorney, just days before Christmas. Chicago Japanese Consulate officials, law enforcement officers, and representatives from the U.S. Department of State were also at Garcia's reuniting encounter with his daughter.
He confirmed, that if his wife wouldn't have been arrested in Hawaii, he most likely would have never been granted custody of Karina. Inoue is expected to file for parential rights as well in Wisconsin, according to her attorney who filed confirmation with authorities that Karina was reunited with Garcia on Friday.
The Garcia's case is the first time that a child abducted by a parent and taken to Japan has been legally returned to the U.S.
The U.S. Department of State says, that at least 300 cases remained open in Japan dealing with child abductions by one parent.

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Shoplifter Gets Immigration Stay And Won't Face Removal From The U.S.

2011-12-23T11:24:00.002-06:00

Gustavo Romero-Alvarez

Man caught in Macy's shoplifting case will get opportunity to graduate from high school and won't get deported to Mexico as expected.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 23, 2011

Portland, Oregon - Last Friday, Gustavo Romero-Alvarez, 19, facing removal from the U.S. received word that he won't face deportation proceedings for now. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) decided to grant Romero-Alvarez a temperary stay and his case will continue to be reviewed by immigration officials, according to family members.
Romero-Alvarez plans to graduate this year from Centennial High School and will try to become a firefighter in the area. He was arrested in June 2010 after being caught shoplifting a shirt at a local Macy's store. He spent several months in the Clackamas County jail on an immigration hold, when he was discovered to be undocumented during booking. An immigration judge later ordered Romero-Alvarez to voluntarily leave the country by December 16 or face removal by ICE.
He was brought to the U.S. when he was seven and doesn't know anyone in Mexico, according to Romero Alvarez' interview with KATU news.
Romero-Alvarez will someday face an immigration judge again and cases like his, that challenge deportation proceedings could be ongoing for years.

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Key Parts Of South Carolina's Immigration Enforcement Law Blocked By Federal Judge

2011-12-23T02:01:00.002-06:00

Federal government has exclusive constitutional authority to regulate and enforce immigration laws, a federal judge ruled.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 23, 2011

Charleston, South Carolina - On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel granted the U.S. Department of Justice's injunction request to block key provisions of South Carolina's immigration enforcement bill. Judge Gergel decided to block three key parts of the state's law, law enforcement officers are barred from asking the legal status of any person stopped during minor traffic infraction or any other type of violations, which they suspect is in the country illegally. Also, his decision prevents South Carolina from making it a felony for harboring or transporting undocumented immigrants and barred enforcement for illegal immigrants to carry documents or registration of their status in the country.
Judge Gergel ruled, that the federal government has the sole authority to regulate and enforce federal immigration laws. South Carolina is the sixth state to have their immigration enforcement law temperarily blocked in federal court. The five other states who were also blocked from enforcing their immigration enforcement laws are Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana and Utah.
Arizona's SB 1070 immigration law, which lost several federal court appeals to unblock key provisions of enforcement will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision whether state's can implement their own immigration enforcement laws will be decided in six or more months.

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El Piolin, Zeta Mexican Leader Involved In ICE Agent Zapata's Homicide Charged In Federal Court

2011-12-22T04:09:00.006-06:00

Jaime J. Zapata
ICE Special Agent

Julian Zapata Espinoza, aka, "El Piolin" held without bail in connection with ICE Agent Jaime Zapata's homicide.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 22, 2011

Washington, D.C. - On Wednesday, Julian Zapata Espinoza, aka, "El Piolin" appeared before U.S. District Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia in federal court to face a four count felony indictment in connection with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Jaime Zapata's, 32, homicide and the attempted murder of Special Agent Victor Avila. The federal indictment was unsealed on Wednesday. Judge Lamberth ordered Espinoza held without bail and scheduled a court hearing date for January 25.
Espinoza was extradited to the U.S. from Mexico on Wednesday to face federal homicide and attempted murder charges. He admitted to participating in Zapata's murder and Avila's attempted murder on February 15, 2011.
Espinoza's defense argument case will most likely challenge the U.S. Department of Justice attempt to prosecute him for murdering an American employed by the federal government on Mexican soil. The outcome of the Espinoza case would set precedent or Constitutional challenges to determine, if murder suspects abroad could be tried in the U.S. for killing Americans in foreign soil.
Espinoza confessed to Mexican authorities that he is the known leader of the Zeta group, which operated in the San Luis Potosí area and that ICE Agents Zapata and Avila were mistaken as rival drug cartel gang members by driving an armored black SUV.
Along with Espinoza, the Mexican military police arrested, Armando Álvarez Saldaña; Mario Domínguez Realeo, aka, Domingo Díaz Rosas; Jesús Iván Quezada Peña, aka, "El Loco;" Martin Bárcenas Tapia; Rubén Darío Venegas, aka, "El Catracho;" originally from Honudras; Diana Margarita Guerreo Morales; Roxana Mireya Ríos Velázquez and Magali Chaín Castillo López, the presumed wife of Espinoza. A minor was arrested too according to the Mexican Secretary of Defense (Sedena).
On April 19, a federal grand jury returned a four count felony indictment. Espinoza was charged with one count of murder of an officer or employee of the United States, for the murder of ICE HSI Special Agent Zapata; one count of attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States and one count of attempted murder of an internationally protected person, both for the attempted murder of ICE HSI Special Agent Avila; and one count of using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death.

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Winston, Asst. Chief of Police Authority Suspended As Result of Internal Department Probe In Milwaukee

2011-12-22T00:58:00.003-06:00

Darryl Winston

Police department tight lip about the suspended authority of Assistant Chief of Police.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 22, 2011

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Police Department confirmed that Darryl Winston, 51, Assistant Chief of Police in charge of the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) had his authority suspended as a result of an internal investigation concerning an incident on December 20. Winston has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
A police officer stopped to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked in an alley at the 3100 block of W. Silver Spring Ave. He found that Winston and a man who Winston said was his nephew inside the vehicle. During a field investigation, the officer later discovered that Winston was an assistant chief of police and the young man with him might not be his nephew.
A police supervisor was dispatched to the scene and the department has been quiet about the incident. The department is not releasing any information to what led for Police Chief Edward Flynn to suspend Winston's police authority.
John M. Hagen, Assistant Chief of Police from the Administration Bureau has taken over Winston's PSB temperarily until the outcome of the investigation.
Winston is a 28 year veteran in the department. He hasn't been able to comment on the incident or if he has retained an attorney.

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Driver Suspected Of DWI Arrested In The Death Of 65-year-old Southside Woman In Crosswalk

2011-12-21T15:59:00.003-06:00

Jesus de Jesus

4-year-old child survived being struck with grandmother on S. 6th Street.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 21, 2011

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, Jesus de Jesus, 53, is facing charges for driving while under the influence, failing to yield to a pedestrian and driving with a suspended license in connection with Monday's crosswalk death of Clementina Hernández-Pérez, 65, and injurying her 4-year-old grandson, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department booking record. Hernández-Pérez and her grandson in a stroller were crossing S. 6th Street at W. Grant Street when De Jesus struck them both with his vehicle and then hit a nearby van.
De Jesus remained at the scene and was later arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence, failure to yield to a pedestrian and driving with a suspended license, according to the preliminary police investigation report.
Hernández-Pérez died of her injuries at Froedtert Hospital and the 4-year-old child was released from the Children's hospital on Wednesday.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is reviewing De Jesus' case and will most likely be charged later this week.

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Barrett and Abele Jointly Announced Their Bid For Re-election In Milwaukee

2011-12-21T13:38:00.002-06:00

(L-R) Tom Barrett and Chris Abele

City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Chris Abele, Milwaukee County Executive have officially announced their quest to keep their jobs.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 21, 2011

Milwaukee - On Wednesday, both Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, 58, and Chris Abele, 44, Milwaukee County Executive officially announced their joint bid for re-election and quest to keep their current jobs. The start of their re-election campaigns was initiated at Southshore Park.
Abele, a newcomer to county politics is finishing up 8 months of former Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's term who left the position to become the Governor of Wisconsin. Governor Walker, a Republican is currently facing a recall election. Abele spent about $1 million of his own money to get elected to a short term.
Abele while campaigning promised not to raise a tax levy for the 2012 budget and did veto a Milwaukee Count Board proposed 6 percent tax levy increase. The board overrode his veto. Currently, he is facing no challengers.
Mayor Barrett ran for Governor in the Democratic ticket against Walker, but was unsuccessful. Barrett has been serving more than seven years as mayor and is seeking his third term as mayor. Barrett is a former congressman, a state legislator and has ran twice unsuccessfully as a Democrat for governor of Wisconsin. He is facing two challengers for the Spring primary election.
Barrett's challengers include, Ieshuh Griffin, who tried to run several times unsuccessfully with the slogan on the ballot "Not the whiteman's bitch." Another mayoral candidate is Bill Wenz, according to the Milwaukee Election Commisssion.
Candidates need to get at least 1,500 nomination signatures by January 3, to get on the ballot. If more than two candidates run in an elected position, a primary will be held on February 21, to eliminate all, but the two remaining highest vote getters.
The final general election will be held for April 3.

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Juarez Municipal Police Officer Kidnapped, Tortured And Then Burned Alive As Witnesses Looked On

2011-12-21T02:01:00.002-06:00

Kidnappers cold-bloodedly set on fire a Juarez municipal police officer.

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 21, 2011

Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico - On Tuesday, residents at the Paseo del Alba neighborhood called police around 8:30 a.m. after they witnessed a vehicle that pulled up and several men took out a bound man from the vehicle and set him on fire alive. The man was later identified by the Chihuahua State Attorney's Office (PGR) as José Everardo Sánchez Valenzuela, 35. a Juarez Municipal Police Officer who was reported missing on Monday night.
Sánchez-Valenzuela was tortured before the gunmen doused him with gasoline and then set him on fire while his hands and legs were bound near the intersection of Miguel de la Madrid and Paseo Streets, according to the PGR. Firefighters responded to the scene and managed to put out the flames. Sánchez-Valenzuela's body was still wearing his police uniform and was facing downwards. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was assigned to the Benito Juarez Police District station on August 29, 2009 when he was hired.

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