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Trump Defamation Case: E. Jean Carroll Awarded $83.3M In Damages Trump Defamation Case: E. Jean Carroll Awarded $83.3M In Damages
Trump Defamation Case: E. Jean Carroll Awarded $83.3M In Damages For the second time in less than a year, a Manhattan federal jury has ordered former President Donald Trump to pay columnist E. Jean Carroll, a longtime Hudson Valley resident, millions of dollars in damages for repeatedly defaming her. The seven men and two women – including Hudson Valley residents from Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties – awarded Carroll a combined $83.3 million after deliberating for three hours on Friday, Jan. 26. The other jurors were from New York County (Manhattan) and the Bronx. Specifically, jurors decided that Trump should pay Carroll $11 million to fund a…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Famed Painter's Son In Central Mass Guilty Of Ramming Cops With Shield In Jan. 6 Attack: Feds Famed Painter's Son In Central Mass Guilty Of Ramming Cops With Shield In Jan. 6 Attack: Feds
Famed Painter's Son In Central Mass Guilty Of Ramming Cops With Shield In Jan. 6 Attack: Feds A Washington, DC, jury found a 61-year-old Athol man who testified he thought the Jan. 6 riots on the US Capitol was "fun and enjoyable" guilty of taking part in the violent uprising, federal authorities said.  Vincent Gillespie was convicted earlier this month of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; civil disorder; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, the US Attorney's Office said. A judge will sentence him in March.  NBC News reporter Ryan J. Reilly tweeted that in November Gillespie …

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by Josh Lanier
News
Man Sentenced For Murdering Co-Worker With Fishing Knife On Scalloping Boat Off Nantucket Man Sentenced For Murdering Co-Worker With Fishing Knife On Scalloping Boat Off Nantucket
Man Sentenced For Murdering Co-Worker With Fishing Knife On Scalloping Boat Off Nantucket A Mexican national last known to be living in Virginia will spend nearly two decades behind bars after admitting to viciously attacking three former coworkers on a commercial fishing boat, killing one during a violent attack off the coast of Nantucket in Massachusetts. Franklin Freddy Meave Vasquez, 31, was sentenced by US District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 235 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder, attempted murder, and assault with a dangerous weapon. On Sept. 23, 2018, “The Captain Billy Haver” …

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by Zak Failla
News
Western Mass Man Sentenced For Distributing Fentanyl Western Mass Man Sentenced For Distributing Fentanyl
Western Mass Man Sentenced For Distributing Fentanyl A Western Massachusetts man will spend years in prison after admitting to one of the largest drug trafficking activities in the region, including the distribution of fentanyl, federal prosecutors announced. Hampden County resident Carlos Morales, age 31, of Holyoke, was sentenced by US District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, officials announced this week. In February, Morales pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Prosecutors said that Morales distributed over 106,000 bags …

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by Zak Failla
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Woman From Region Sentenced For Stealing $103K From Bank Customer Woman From Region Sentenced For Stealing $103K From Bank Customer
Woman From Region Sentenced For Stealing $103K From Bank Customer A former Bank of America manager will spend time behind bars after being sentenced for stealing more than $100,000 from a vulnerable customer at the branch she was employed, federal authorities announced. Hartford County resident Lee Blanchette, age 59, of Farmington, was sentenced in district court to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for stealing from the customer. US Attorney Leonard Boyle said that Blanchette, a relationship manager at Bank of America, had the authority to cause temporary ATM cards to be activated and assigned to a customer’s…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Western Mass Woman Admits To Fraud Related To Pandemic COVID-19: Western Mass Woman Admits To Fraud Related To Pandemic
Covid-19: Western Mass Woman Admits To Fraud Related To Pandemic A Western Massachusetts woman admitted to a $1.2 million unemployment fraud scheme that she ran during the COVID-19 pandemic to illegally obtain unemployment benefits. Audri Ford-Victory, age 61, of Springfield, pleaded guilty in US District Court to one count of wire fraud in connection to her involvement in a scheme with a co-conspirator to profit from the pandemic. Prosecutors said that Ford-Victory and her co-conspirator submitted more than 100 fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims resulting in more than $1.2 million in payments. Approximately half of the PUA claims…

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by Zak Failla
News
Massachusetts Man Sentenced For Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Massachusetts Man Sentenced For Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy
Massachusetts Man Sentenced For Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy A Massachusetts man was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Robert Young, 50, of Worcester, was sentenced on Thursday, Nov. 18, by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman. According to court documents, in October 2018, Young pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl. In April 2017, law enforcement began investigating drug sales made by Young and co-conspirator Daniel Donald on Groton Street in Worcester, the US Attorney's Office said. On Nov.…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Felon Sentenced For Possession Of Gun, Ammo In Region Felon Sentenced For Possession Of Gun, Ammo In Region
Felon Sentenced For Possession Of Gun, Ammo In Region A Massachusetts man was sentenced to 40 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Nicholas Briggs, age 22, of Worcester, was sentenced on Monday, Aug. 30 by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to prison time as well as three years of supervised release.  According to US Attorney's Office, in May, Briggs pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Briggs was arrested in July 2020, for carrying a loaded Glock pistol.  He is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions punishab…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Ex-Police Chief In Connecticut Sentenced For Rigging Exam Ex-Police Chief In Connecticut Sentenced For Rigging Exam
Ex-Police Chief In Connecticut Sentenced For Rigging Exam A former Fairfield County police chief arrested last year for rigging a police chief's exam has been sentenced. Bridgeport's former police chief AJ Perez was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison on Monday, April 12. “I hold no malice to anyone, I did this to myself, I panicked,” Perez told U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley during his sentencing hearing. Perez, 65, was accused along with his former personnel director David Dunn of rigging the police chief's exam so Perez would secure the job in 2018. In addition to a year and a day in prison, the judge ordered Perez to serve four yea…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Auto Shop Owner Admits To Running Mountains Of Drugs From Texas To Mass. Auto Shop Owner Admits To Running Mountains Of Drugs From Texas To Mass.
Auto Shop Owner Admits To Running Mountains Of Drugs From Texas To Mass. The owner of a local auto shop has pleaded guilty to allegations that he intended to distribute a mountain of heroin and cocaine in Massachusetts. On Friday, Feb. 26, Javier Gonzalez, 52, and owner of TWC Auto Body on Jackson Street in Holyoke, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin and 5 kilograms of cocaine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts, said. That Gonzalez was trying to move more than 1-5 kilos is an understatement. When police arrested Gonzalez they discovered more than 50 kilograms of cocaine and heroin. To get an idea of just how large …

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by Kristin Palpini