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U.S. Department of Justice

Police & Fire
Boston Man Recruited Teen Foster Child For Sex Work In Mass, NY, CT: Feds Boston Man Recruited Teen Foster Child For Sex Work In Mass, NY, CT: Feds
Boston Man Recruited Teen Foster Child For Sex Work In Mass, NY, CT: Feds A 31-year-old man from Boston admitted to trafficking a 17-year-old girl for sex at hotels in Hartford, Connecticut, and New York City, officials said. Leon Blount III met the girl, identified as Jane Doe 2, while she was living at a Massachusetts group home for adolescents, according to the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts.  He pleaded guilty to three counts of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and is set for sentencing on April 24. Related: Carlos Casillas Gets 18 Years For Sex Trafficking Teen Girl Blount has been in custody sin…

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by Khier Casino
Schools
College In CT Shows Support For Palestinian Student Shot In VT In Apparent Hate Crime College In CT Shows Support For Palestinian Student Shot In VT In Apparent Hate Crime
College In CT Shows Support For Palestinian Student Shot In VT In Apparent Hate Crime A college community in Connecticut, alongside many nationwide, has been left reeling after a student of Palestinian descent was one of three shot in what appears to be a hate crime. Tahseen Ali Ahmad, age 20, who attends Trinity College in Hartford, was one of three men of the same age shot outside of a house in Burlington, Vermont on Sunday, Nov. 26, the school announced. Ali Ahmad and the two other men — Kinnan Abdalhamid and Hisham Awartani, also of Palestinian descent — were lifelong friends visiting a relative’s house near the University of Vermont's campus for the Thanksgiving holid…

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by Sophie Grieser
Police & Fire
Westport Man Charged In Jan. 6 Attack On US Capitol Westport Man Charged In Jan. 6 Attack On US Capitol
Westport Man Charged In Jan. 6 Attack On US Capitol A Connecticut man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement, related to his actions during the breach of the US Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.  Fairfield County resident Benjamin Cohen, age 21, of Westport, was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 9 in Westport, said the US Department of Justice. Cohen was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, both felony offenses.  He had traveled with his mother to Washington to attend the rally, …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Man Who Built, Sold Ghost Gun 'Armory' From Ansonia Home Gets Prison Time Man Who Built, Sold Ghost Gun 'Armory' From Ansonia Home Gets Prison Time
Man Who Built, Sold Ghost Gun 'Armory' From Ansonia Home Gets Prison Time A 36-year-old Connecticut man who was caught with illegal weapon kits in Westchester County will spend several years in prison for trafficking a large number of ghost guns from his New Haven County home.  Ansonia resident Melvin Burroughs, age 36, was sentenced to 58 months in prison on Thursday, July 27 for trafficking firearms, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced. According to federal officials, between 2019 through approximately January 2022, Burroughs bought parts for "ghost guns," assembled them into finished working firearms, and sold them.  He f…

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by Ben Crnic
News
COVID-19: Beware Of These Vaccine Scams, FBI, DOJ Warn COVID-19: Beware Of These Vaccine Scams, FBI, DOJ Warn
Covid-19: Beware Of These Vaccine Scams, FBI, DOJ Warn Scammers are using the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States to trick people into paying for doses or early access that never comes, federal authorities are warning. As COVID-19 vaccines become more available, there has been a spike in scams seeking to exploit people’s desire to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus, according to the U.S. Department of Justice as well as local police departments and other law enforcement agencies. “Members of the public should be suspicious of unexpected or unsolicited contact from anyone unknown to them claiming to have inform…

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Connecticut AG Blasts 'Offensive' Federal Lawsuit Accusing Yale Of Anti-White, -Asian Policy Connecticut AG Blasts 'Offensive' Federal Lawsuit Accusing Yale Of Anti-White, -Asian Policy
Connecticut AG Blasts 'Offensive' Federal Lawsuit Accusing Yale Of Anti-White, -Asian Policy The Connecticut AG is calling the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Yale's alleged discrimination against white and Asian-American people “politically motivated,” “offensive” and a “complete overreach.” On Thursday, Oct. 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against Yale University alleging its admission policies are racist for seeking to racially “balance” the university’s population. Many colleges and universities create diversity recruitment goals in an effort to bolster equity. “The [Trump] Administration has fully embraced its racist mantle as the last gasp of this fai…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
New Distribution Of More Than $378M Allotted To Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims New Distribution Of More Than $378M Allotted To Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims
New Distribution Of More Than $378M Allotted To Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims Thousands of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme victims will be receiving their portions of the fifth distribution of more than $378 million this week. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced that the Madoff Victim Fund will be distributing $378.5 million to more than 26,000 of his victims involved in the fraud scheme. To date, approximately $2.7 billion has been distributed to Madoff’s victims. Berman said that the fifth payment will bring the victims’ total recovery to 73.65 percent of their losses.  Ultimately, more than $4 billion will be returned due to losses suffered in Madoff’s Ponz…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Trump Administration Can Withhold Grants To CT Over Immigration Trump Administration Can Withhold Grants To CT Over Immigration
Trump Administration Can Withhold Grants To CT Over Immigration Millions of dollars in grants can be withheld by President Donald Trump’s administration over “sanctuary laws,” a federal appeals court in New York ruled. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled opposite three other federal courts on Wednesday, Feb. 26,  confirming that the president’s administration can withhold grants to New York City and seven states - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Rhode Island. The grant money, called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, is issued to local governments by the federal government…

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by Zak Failla
News
Bridgeport Man, 24, Sentenced For Possessing 9MM Handgun During Police Chase Bridgeport Man, 24, Sentenced For Possessing 9MM Handgun During Police Chase
Bridgeport Man, 24, Sentenced For Possessing 9MM Handgun During Police Chase A convicted felon from Fairfield County is heading back to prison after admitting to illegally possessing a 9mm handgun that he attempted to discard during a police chase. Bridgeport resident Timothy Staton, 24, has been sentenced in Hartford federal court to 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in February. Staton - who has previous felony convictions for robbery, narcotics, firearm and racketeering offenses - admitted to fleeing from police on Sept. 13 last year, during which he removed a G…

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by Zak Failla
News
Brookfield Restaurant To Comply With Disabilities Act Brookfield Restaurant To Comply With Disabilities Act
Brookfield Restaurant To Comply With Disabilities Act A popular Fairfield County restaurant has agreed to make a myriad of changes in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. U.S. Attorney John Durham announced that his office will issue a Letter of Resolution to Hacienda Don Manuel in Brookfield to resolve allegations that the restaurant was inaccessible to patrons with mobility disabilities. The Letter of resolution will resolve a complaint filed by a person with mobility disabilities who alleged that Hacienda Don Manuel’s bar counter was inaccessible to individuals in wheelchairs and that Hacienda Don Manuel failed to provi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Yale Rescinds Admission Of Student After College Cheating Scandal Yale Rescinds Admission Of Student After College Cheating Scandal
Yale Rescinds Admission Of Student After College Cheating Scandal The fallout from Operation Varsity Blues continues, as Yale University has rescinded the admission of a student involved in the cheating scam. More than 50 people, including celebrities and prolific coaches were implicated in the cheating scam, which accuses parents of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to earn admissions to top universities, including Yale. Among those charged include former Yale soccer coach Rudy Meredith and Hollywood actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, a native of Northern Westchester. On Sunday, March 24, a Yale official confirmed that the University ha…

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by Zak Failla
News
19 Nabbed For Heroin, Cocaine Trafficking In Connecticut; Weapons Seized 19 Nabbed For Heroin, Cocaine Trafficking In Connecticut; Weapons Seized
19 Nabbed For Heroin, Cocaine Trafficking In Connecticut; Weapons Seized Nineteen people including 16 from Connecticut were charged on Thursday, April 26 for trafficking cocaine and heroine, according to U.S. Justice Department officials. The other three suspects are from California, Mexico and Puerto Rico, federal prosecutors said.  Seventeen of the 19 defendants were arrested on Wednesday: one defendant is in state custody, and one defendant is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Michigan. This matter stems from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force, FBI and New Haven Police Department that has included t…

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by Jon Craig
News
Fairfield County Woman, 40, Sentenced To Prison For Two Fraud Schemes Fairfield County Woman, 40, Sentenced To Prison For Two Fraud Schemes
Fairfield County Woman, 40, Sentenced To Prison For Two Fraud Schemes A 40-year-old Stratford woman has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after her conviction in two fraud schemes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney in Connecticut. U.S. Attorney John H. Durham announced on Tuesday that Rachael Alexander, also known as Rachael Vierling, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven.  Judge Arterton ordered Alexander to pay restitution totaling nearly $443,808. Alexander, who is released on bond, was ordered to report to prison on April 18. Her imprisonment will be followed by three years of…

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by Jon Craig
News
Shelton Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Pornography Charge Shelton Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Pornography Charge
Shelton Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Pornography Charge Michael Hull, 60, of Shelton pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of receiving child pornography. Hull faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He has been detained since his arrest on May 31, 2017. John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Hull entered his guilty plea in Bridgeport on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill. According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 31, 2017, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents conducted a cour…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Fairfield Police: $1,900 Laptop, Cash Stolen From Unlocked Cars Fairfield Police: $1,900 Laptop, Cash Stolen From Unlocked Cars
Fairfield Police: $1,900 Laptop, Cash Stolen From Unlocked Cars FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Fairfield Police are once again urging residents to lock their cars and bring valuables inside after two more reports of thefts from unlocked vehicles in town. A Rowland Hills Drive woman who left her car unlocked overnight told police someone entered the car and stole her work laptop, which is the property of the U.S. Department of Justice, police said. She believes the theft occurred between 8 p.m. Jan. 18 and 7 a.m. Jan. 19. The HP laptop was worth $1,900, police said. A Morehouse Highway resident reported $10 taken from the center console of his can, which was parke…

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by Meredith Guinness