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Friday, nov 22
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Department of Justice
News
FBI Thwarts Iran-Linked Plan To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says
An Iranian operative and two associates living in America have been charged in a murder-for-hire plot targeting United States citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump. Federal authorities have charged Farhad Shakeri, an alleged operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with two New York City associates in a plot to assassinate a US citizen critical of the Iranian government. The case highlights the continued threat posed by Iran’s attempts to silence dissidents and even target top US. officials. According to the Department of Justice criminal complai…
Politics
It's Now 'Logistically Impossible' For Trump To Serve Any Prison Time, Expert Says
Critics hoping to see former President Donald Trump in a jail cell can kiss that fantasy goodbye following his second White House win. The 78-year-old Trump will almost certainly see his myriad legal troubles vanish now that he’s been declared the winner of the 2024 election against Vice President Kamala Harris, said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor. Trump is currently facing federal charges in Washington, DC, for alleged fraud in the 2020 election, as well as election fraud charges in the state of Georgia. Special Counsel Jack Smith has also appealed a federal judge’s ruling dism…
Schools
21-Year-Old Accused Of Threatening To Shoot, Stab, Rape Jewish Students On Campus At Cornell
A student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York has been accused of threatening to shoot, stab, and rape Jewish students at the Ivy League school. Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old junior originally from Pittsford, New York, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 31 on a federal criminal complaint charging him with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications, according to prosecutors in the Northern District of New York. Dai allegedly posted threatening messages to the Cornell section of an online discussion site, including posts calling for the deaths of Jewish peopl…
Police & Fire
3-Year-Old Forced Into Sex Acts By Western Mass Man To Make Child Porn: Feds
A 42-year-old Massachusetts man is facing federal charges after forcing a 3-year-old child into sex acts, which he used to produce child pornography, federal authorities said. Bairon Ubeda, of Springfield, was indicted on one count of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said. Ubeda "employed, used, persuaded, induced and coerced" the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography from December 2018 through Februar…
News
'Varsity Blues' Head, Who Helped Wealthy Kids Cheat Into Elite Schools, Gets 3 1/2 Years: Feds
Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the scheme to help wealthy parents and celebrities cheat their way into elite and Ivy League universities, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday, Jan. 4, the Department of Justice announced. Singer was convicted on bribery charges after a court determined he accepted large cash payments to help cheat standardized tests and bribe coaches who could offer scholarships to kids at some of the nation's top schools. #BREAKING Rick Singer, orchestrator of the college admissions scam - a nationwide conspiracy that facilitated cheating…
Police & Fire
Harvard-Educated Sleep Doctor Slept Well In Brookline Home He Bought Defrauding Patients: Feds
A federal grand jury indicted a Brookline sleep doctor this week on charges that he ran multiple frauds and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars to help him purchase a $1.6 million home in the toney town. Dr. Pankaj Merchia, 49, faces three counts of money laundering and one count of health care fraud stemming from the alleged schemes, the US Attorney's Office said. The indictment lays out the two alleged frauds. In one, Merchia continued to bill patients' insurance companies for monthly rentals of CPAP and BiPap machines — breathing devices used to treat sleep …
Police & Fire
Central Massachusetts Couple Accused Of Sex Trafficking Victim To Multiple States: Feds
A Worcester husband and wife potentially face life in prison after federal investigators said they forced a person into prostitution and trafficked them to multiple states for sex. Kiersten Soto, 29, and Moises Soto, 30, were arrested on Friday, Dec. 16, after investigators said they "used force, fraud, and coercion to traffic a victim for commercial sex in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island" from February through May 2022, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Not much more is known about the allegations as the indictment is sealed. The Sotos a…
Police & Fire
Massachusetts Doctor Punched Police Officer During Jan. 6 Attack On US Capitol: FBI
Federal agents arrested an Ashland doctor and charged her with attacking a police officer during the January 6 attack at the US Capitol, authorities said. Jacquelyn Starer, 68, faces charges of civil disorder, assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, the Department of Justice said. The FBI alleges that Starer illegally broke into the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, during a "Stop t…
Police & Fire
Feds Open Investigation Into Worcester Police Potential Bias, Use Of Force
The Department of Justice has opened a civil investigation into the Worcester Police Department to determine if the agency uses excessive force or engages in racial or gender bias. The US Attorney's Office didn't say what sparked the investigation but said the probe would be comprehensive. Analysts will scrutinize Worcester's training, policies, procedures, evidence handling, interactions with the public, accountability systems, how superiors handle complaints, and disciplinary procedures. "The purpose of this civil investigation is to determine – through objective and thorough …
News
NY Judge Named ‘Special Master’ In DOJ Probe Of Trump’s Handling Of Classified Docs
A veteran New York judge from Long Island will be tasked with reviewing documents that were seized by the FBI from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Raymond Dearie, age 79, a senior federal judge in the Eastern District of New York, was named by a federal judge in Florida as a so-called special master Thursday evening, Sept. 15. Dearie was one of two potential candidates put forward by Trump’s legal team and was also endorsed by the Department of Justice. In his role as special master, he will be responsible for reviewing documents and separating out those that …
Police & Fire
Massachusetts Post Office Manager Admits To Stealing Packages Of Cocaine: Feds
A 43-year-old Worcester post office manager pleaded guilty last month in federal court to stealing packages at least eight times that contained cocaine so he could sell the drugs, the Department of Justice announced. Kevin Dombroski of Worcester admitted to one count of mail theft by a US Postal Service employee on Aug. 30, the US Attorney's Office said. A federal judge will sentence him in January. Dombroski said he stole packages between eight to 10 times that were mailed from Puerto Rico to Worcester that he thought had drugs inside. He would take the parcels into a private ro…
Police & Fire
East Longfellow Man Trafficked Enough Fentanyl To Kill 200,000 Users: Police
Police arrested an East Longfellow man recently on charges of trafficking a large amount of fentanyl and firearm violation, federal authorities said. Carlos Gonzalez, 25, appeared for the first time in a Boston federal courtroom last month for allegedly bringing 400 grams of the synthetic opioid into Massachusetts, the Department of Justice said. For context, the DEA reports that 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be deadly depending on a person's size, weight, and tolerance, which means 200,000 people could have potentially overdosed on the haul police say Gonzales had. Investigators a…
Police & Fire
Whitinsville Post Office Worker Busted For Stealing Packages: Feds
Porch pirates have become a major nuisance, but federal authorities said a U.S. Postal Service carrier decided to cut out the middle man and steal the packages himself. William J. Page, 32, who worked at the USPS office in Whitinsville, was arrested this week and charged with three counts of mail theft by a Postal Service employee, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Friday, Aug. 19. Investigators said Page swiped collector's coins and other items in January and February 2022. If convicted, Paige faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, the D…
Police & Fire
Mass Former Fed-Ex Driver Stole Guns From Packages, Illegally Sold Them: Feds
A 39-year-old Middleborough man stole three shipments of guns while he worked as a Fed-Ex delivery driver and tried to sell them on the black market, the Department of Justice said. Frank P. O’Toole was arrested on Friday, Aug. 12, and charged with possession of a stolen firearm, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts said. Investigators said that from October 2021 through June, O'Toole stole three packages meant for gun sellers that had firearms insidee. He then tried to flip them on the black market, the U.S. Attorney said. But his buyers were actually undercover agents, au…
Police & Fire
51-Year-Old Royalston Man Had Child Porn Featuring Toddlers: Police
A 51-year-old Worcester County man had child pornography on his phone, laptop, and an external hard drive, some of which featured toddlers, federal authorities said. Kevin Divoll, of Royalston, was arrested this week and charged with possession of child pornography, the Department of Justice said on Friday, Aug. 5. Divoll, who works at a Veterans Affairs Medical facility in Leeds, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Federal authorities began investigating Divoll after they linked him to an IP address that was using Wi-Fi at the Leeds VA Medical Center to …
Police & Fire
Repeat Arlington Child Porn Peddler, 27, Sent Sex Pics Of Toddlers: Prosecutors
A 27-year-old Arlington man with multiple convictions of sending and receiving child porn will spend the next decade in prison after he pleaded guilty to the charge in federal court, authorities said. Mason Lister was arrested in 2020 after police found he had traded sexual images of children as young as toddlers through social media, the Department of Justice said. Authorities raided his home and found a tablet with 85 pictures and videos of child pornography, prosecutors said. Lister pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography last month, and a judge sentenced him to 10 …
Police & Fire
Man Used Snapchat to 'Blackmail' Massachusetts Teen To Perform Sex Acts With Dog: Feds
Federal authorities arrested a 33-year-old Chicago man after he bullied a 16-year-old Massachusetts girl into sending him nude selfies and videos and to perform a sex act with her dog, prosecutors said. Ernesto Herrera was arrested and charged with coercion and enticement of a minor, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday, July 26. Authorities also charged Herrera with sexual exploitation of children in June 2021 in an unrelated case, authorities said. Herrara reportedly first contacted the girl on the social media app Snapchat in June 2020, prosecutors said. He said he …
News
Boston Food Truck Owner Charged With Stealing $1.5M In COVID Funds: Feds
A 55-year-old Boston food truck owner faces up to 20 years in prison after he has was charged him with lying to get $1.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday, July 20. Loc Vo, who owns Smart Gourmet, is accused of fraudulently filing loan applications from April 2020 until July 2021 for programs under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the U.S. Attorney in Boston said. The programs were to help businesses stay afloat during the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic. But federal authorities said Vo used the money to invest…
News
CT Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With Minor, Distributing Child Porn
A Connecticut man will spend more than a decade in prison after he was caught trying to pay to sexually abuse a child. Hartford County resident Robert Sellers, age 62, of Bristol, was sentenced in federal court in Hartford on Friday, May 20, to 13 years behind bars. It came three months after he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and one count of distribution of child pornography, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Connecticut. The FBI began targeting Sellers on the social media app Kik in November 2020 after getting tipped off that he was sh…
News
Man Accused Of Traveling To NY To Meet Minor For Sex, Feds Say
A New England man has been accused of traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor, federal authorities in New York announced. Martin Connearney, age 32, of Lenox, Massachusetts, in Berkshire County, was arrested Thursday, May 5 and charged with traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor, the Department of Justice's US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and the FBI's Albany Field Office announced. The criminal complaint alleges that between Wednesday, April 6, 2022 and Wednes…
News
Covid-
19: CDC Issues New Advisory Recommending People Wear Masks In These Settings
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is calling on the Department of Justice to proceed with an appeal after a federal judge struck down President Joe Biden’s mask mandate for public transportation settings. Following the announcement of the judgment, the CDC issued a statement advising that the agency is continuing to advise that all Americans continue to mask up while using public transportation, despite the ruling. Original story - COVID-19: Federal Judge Strikes Down CDC Mask Mandate For Travel According to the CDC, officials “continue to recommend that people west mask…
News
Covid-
19: Feds Aim To Stop Deceptive Marketing Of Tea Product Advertised As Virus Treatment
Federal officials are seeking civil penalties after a tea company allegedly advertised that its product could prevent or treat COVID-19. B4B Earth Tea LLC, B4B Corp., and Andrew Martin Sinclair are accused of violating the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, according to an announcement on Thursday, March 3, from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The defendants reportedly advertised that the herbal tea product, Earth Tea, could prevent or treat COVID-19, according to a crimi…
News
New England Man Accused Of Assaulting Officers During Jan. 6 Insurrection
A 60-year-old Massachusetts man is the latest to be charged for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, federal officials announced. Worcester County resident Vincent Gillespie, of Athol, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 18, and charged for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers during the riot and breach at the Capitol. According to court documents from at least 4:11 p.m. to at least 4:25 p.m. on Jan. 6, Gillespie was among rioters in the Lower West Terrance of the Capitol who engaged in pushing, shoving, yelling, and fighting with law enforcement…
News
Former Harvard Department Chair Found Guilty Of Hiding Ties To China
A former Harvard University department chair has been found guilty of charges in connection with lying to federal authorities about his ties to China and failing to report income he received from a university in China. Charles Lieber, age 62, was found guilty on Tuesday, Dec. 21, of: Two counts of making false statements to federal authorities, Two counts of making and subscribing a false income tax return, Two counts of failing to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts with the Internal Revenue Service. Lieber is the former chair of Harvard's Chemistry and Che…
News
Covid-
19: Massachusetts Woman, Man Charged For Pandemic Scheme
A 26-year-old man and teenage woman in Massachusetts are facing charges for their alleged roles in a scheme to secure unemployment funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities announced. The Department of Justice is charging Leicester resident Destinee Snay, 19, with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, after co-conspirator William Cordor was charged with four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of aggravated identity theft in April for alleged fraud during the pandemic. It is alleged that between June and October last year, Cordor and Snay conspired with others to file f…
News
Western Mass Man Admits To Child Porn Charges
A Western Massachusetts man is facing potential jail time after pleading guilty to child pornography charges, the Department of Justice announced. Springfield resident Ross Lopata, age 33, pleaded guilty this week to four counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography following his arrest last year. Lopata was indicted in June last year, and has been in custody since his arrest on June 11, 2020. According to the DOJ, Lopata received and was in possession of child pornography on multiple occasions between Dec. 17, 2018 and June 11, 2020, by downloadi…
Politics
Massachusetts Governor Backs Biden Push For Death Penalty In Boston Marathon Case
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is backing the Department of Justice and President Joe Biden as they seek to reinstate the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. This week, the Department of Justice encouraged the Supreme Court to reinstate the death penalty for Tsarnaev, calling it "one of the worst” acts of terrorism in the US since the Sept. 11 bombings. Though Biden has publicly opposed capital punishment, his administration threw its support behind the DOJ, which filed a 48-page brief to overturn a previous decision from a lower court that vacated Tsarnaev’s dea…
News
NY Man Nabbed For Role In Capitol Riot After Showing Video At Dentist's Office, FBI Says
A New York man was arrested for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol after being heard showing off videos of the pro-Trump riot at an upstate dentist’s office, according to the FBI. Daniel Warmus, of Buffalo, was arrested this week and accused of taking part in the deadly riot after the FBI received a tip from someone who overheard him talking about the incident. The tipster told the FBI that he could hear Warmus playing a video taken from inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6. It is further alleged that Warmus proclaimed that he smoked marijuana while inside the building. …
News
Covid-
19: Cuomo Defends Nursing Home Death Reporting, Calling It 'Political Football'
Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended his administration’s handling of the counting of COVID-19-related deaths in New York nursing homes, calling it “political” and driven by former President Donald Trump. In his latest public comment on the subject following a scathing report that found his top aides worked for months to obscure the number of virus-related deaths in nursing homes, Cuomo sought to defend his administration while explaining the confusion in the data that was publicly released. Earlier story - Report: Cuomo Aides' Effort To Keep Nursing Home Deaths Secret Greater Than Previously Known …
Police & Fire
Capitol Hill Riot: Boston 'Straight Pride' Parade Organizer Arrested For Alleged Participation
The man who organized Boston’s Straight Pride Parade has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the Capitol Building attack. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Mark G. Sahady, 46, of Malden, was arrested and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, the Department of Justice said. Sahady’s alleged participation was discovered in photos of the Jan. 6 siege posted online by Sahady’s own group, “Super Happy Fun America.” On that day a pro-Trump mob tried to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s …
Police & Fire
Capitol Hill Riot: Boston 'Straight Pride' Parade Organizer Arrested For Alleged Participation
The man who organized Boston’s Straight Pride Parade has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the Capitol Building attack. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Mark G. Sahady, 46, of Malden, was arrested and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, the Department of Justice said. Sahady’s alleged participation was discovered in photos of the Jan. 6 siege posted online by Sahady’s own group, “Super Happy Fun America.” On that day a pro-Trump mob tried to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s …
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