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DOJ Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Maryland State Police Hiring Practices DOJ Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Maryland State Police Hiring Practices
DOJ Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Maryland State Police Hiring Practices A federal investigation has been launched by the Department of Justice into alleged racially discriminatory hiring practices within the Maryland State Police. On Friday, July 15, US Attorney Erek Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced that they have opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the department under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion, according to the DOJ. The investigation wil…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Nigerian National Living In Maryland Sentenced After Running Elderly Fraud Scheme Nigerian National Living In Maryland Sentenced After Running Elderly Fraud Scheme
Nigerian National Living In Maryland Sentenced After Running Elderly Fraud Scheme A Nigerian national living in Maryland was sentenced to eight years in federal prison after running a fraud scheme that targeted the elderly, authorities say. Oluwaseyi Akinyemi, also known as “Paddy Linkin” and “Joseph Kadin,” 35, ran the social media scheme from July 2018 to April 2019, offering victims non-existent financial rewards if they sent cash, money orders, or gift cards to cover fraudulent "taxes and fees", according to the Department of Justice. Akinyemi and at least one other co-conspirator posed as real and fake government agencies and impersonated social media accounts of th…

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by Annie DeVoe
News
Fraudster Resentenced For Stealing IDs Of Hundreds Of Victims In $2.2M Scheme In Maryland Fraudster Resentenced For Stealing IDs Of Hundreds Of Victims In $2.2M Scheme In Maryland
Fraudster Resentenced For Stealing IDs Of Hundreds Of Victims In $2.2M Scheme In Maryland A Columbia man has been sentenced to 126 months in federal prison after two separate schemes to obtain fraudulent tax refunds, authorities say. Toyosi Alatishe, also known as "Felix Victor Johnson", 51, was re-sentenced Tuesday, July 12, after he appealed his 2019 conviction and sentencing. The new sentence reduced the original by six months, and rejected a request for time served. From 2012 to 2013, Alatishe misused his position as a caretaker for residents of a group home for individuals suffering from severe mental and physical disabilities, and used their information to file fraudulent …

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by Annie DeVoe
News
Baltimore Police Officer Facing Federal Drug, Weapon Charges: DOJ Baltimore Police Officer Facing Federal Drug, Weapon Charges: DOJ
Baltimore Police Officer Facing Federal Drug, Weapon Charges: DOJ A Baltimore police officer has been suspended without pay following his arrest for allegedly conspiring to distribute cocaine and oxycodone in the Baltimore area, authorities say. A criminal complaint alleges that Steven Umberto Angelini, 41, conspired with members of the Infamous Ryders Motorcycle club beginning in January 2022 to distribute the drugs, according to the Department of Justice. Angelini reached out to a co-conspirator, who was the president of the Maryland club on Jan. 6, 2022, by text and offered to sell them oxycodone, prosecutors said. Angelini allegedly mentioned in the …

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by Annie DeVoe
Police & Fire
Armed Baltimore Serial Robber Sentenced To Federal Prison Armed Baltimore Serial Robber Sentenced To Federal Prison
Armed Baltimore Serial Robber Sentenced To Federal Prison A Baltimore serial robber has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to the crimes, authorities say. From at least November 2018, through March 2019, Marquis Moore, 35, participated in at least 10 robberies, nine of them being with co-defendants Milek Rankin, 29, and Dontrell Glover, 30, according to the Department of Justice. Moore robbed several commercial businesses, including restaurants, electronics stores and discount stores throughout the Baltimore area.  He was armed in each robbery, according to officials. In one instance in January 2019, Moore th…

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by Annie DeVoe
News
4,000 Beagles Rescued From Virginia Research Facility Envigo Approved By Judge For Adoption 4,000 Beagles Rescued From Virginia Research Facility Envigo Approved By Judge For Adoption
4,000 Beagles Rescued From Virginia Research Facility Envigo Approved By Judge For Adoption Thousands of beagles who were mistreated at a Virginia breeding and research facility are one step closer to finding a happy home.  The Department of Justice approved the adoption of 4,000 beagles from Envigo, the company that kept the dogs in horrific conditions while using them for research. Adopted BeagleVirginia Coalition For Beagle Protection Facebook Page This story came to light in 2021, when PETA investigated Envigo for its brutal mistreatment of the animals. Some of the mistreatment PETA observed at Envigo included: Puppies and their mothers sprayed with a high pressured hos…

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by AJ Goldbloom
Politics
Trump DOJ Lawyer Forced To Stand Outside In Boxers During Humiliating Raid: CNN Trump DOJ Lawyer Forced To Stand Outside In Boxers During Humiliating Raid: CNN
Trump DOJ Lawyer Forced To Stand Outside In Boxers During Humiliating Raid: CNN Police forced a former Department of Justice lawyer for President Donald Trump to stand outside in his underwear while they raided his home last month, video obtained by CNN shows.  Wearing his underwear and a button down shirt, Jeffrey Clark asked agents at the door of his Fairfax County home if he could call his lawyer, put on pants or stand in his garage, the footage shows. “We’re gonna clear the house, and as soon as we clear the house, we’ll get you talking to your lawyer and we’ll get some pants on, okay?" one of the agents told him in the video. They did allow Clark to stand b…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
MS-13 Members Found Guilty In Brutal Murders Of 2 Teens In Falls Church: DOJ MS-13 Members Found Guilty In Brutal Murders Of 2 Teens In Falls Church: DOJ
MS-13 Members Found Guilty In Brutal Murders Of 2 Teens In Falls Church: DOJ Five members of the violent international gang MS-13 were convicted of kidnapping and murdering two Fairfax County teenagers in 2016, prosecutors said. The boys were found in shallow graves at a Falls Church park seven months after they disappeared. An Alexandria jury last week found the men guilty of killing 17-year-old Edvin Escobar Mendez and 14-year-old Sergio Anthony Arita Triminio, the Department of Justice said. The convicted killers now face life sentences in federal prison.  MS-13 members killed Mendez in August 2016 because they believed he was a spy for the rival 1…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Fired Baltimore PD Employee, Homicide Suspect Facing Federal Fraud Charges Fired Baltimore PD Employee, Homicide Suspect Facing Federal Fraud Charges
Fired Baltimore PD Employee, Homicide Suspect Facing Federal Fraud Charges A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a fired Baltimore civilian police employee once eyed as a homicide suspect with stealing his defunct business' tax prepare's identity to try to get COVID relief money. Dana Lamar Antonio Hayes, Jr., 37, submitted several bogus Economic Injury Disaster Relief(EIDL) loan applications and several Paycheck Protection Plan(PPP) loan applications to the Small Business Administration and two banks between March 2020 and Oct. 2021, according to the Department of Justice.    Hayes had been fired from his position as the chief of…

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by Annie DeVoe
Police & Fire
Baltimore Defense Attorney Sentenced For Laundering $1M Through Clients Drug Proceeds Baltimore Defense Attorney Sentenced For Laundering $1M Through Clients Drug Proceeds
Baltimore Defense Attorney Sentenced For Laundering $1M Through Clients Drug Proceeds A Baltimore defense attorney was sentenced to federal prison after laundering more than $1 million through drug proceeds from clients, announced authorities.  Kenneth Wendell Ravenell, 63, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit money laundering conspiracy charge after being convicted on Dec. 28, 2021, according to the Department of Justice. Ravenell had taken proceeds from clients and associates who engaged in drug trafficking and used bank accounts of the law firm to receive drug payments and make payments t…

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by Annie DeVoe
Police & Fire
Man Sentenced For Kidnapping Victim At Maryland Hotel & Casino Man Sentenced For Kidnapping Victim At Maryland Hotel & Casino
Man Sentenced For Kidnapping Victim At Maryland Hotel & Casino A D.C. man has been sentenced for the kidnapping of a victim at a Maryland hotel and casino, authorities announce. Darius Lawrence "Mup" Young, 30, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison in connection to the February 2021 kidnapping on Monday, June 27, according to the Department of Justice.  Young had worked with several other co-conspirators, including Anthony Anthony Erik "Pain" Hebron, 29, Christopher Allen "40" Young, 27, Lamar Jamal Perkins, 28, and an unidentified co-conspirator to lure the victim to the hotel and casino where they kidnapped them on Feb. 3, 2021. Hebron an…

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by Annie DeVoe
Police & Fire
Maryland Drug Dealer Sentenced To Federal Prison In Connection To A Fatal Overdose Maryland Drug Dealer Sentenced To Federal Prison In Connection To A Fatal Overdose
Maryland Drug Dealer Sentenced To Federal Prison In Connection To A Fatal Overdose A Baltimore man has been sentenced to federal prison for distribution of controlled substances and other drug related charges in connection to a fatal overdose, officials say. Aaron Arthur “Handz” Fields, 33, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release Friday, June 24, according to the Department of Justice. According to his guilty plea, officers responded to a residence in Joppa, Maryland for a fatal overdose on Nov. 4, 2018. One victim was found dead on the scene and the other was transported to a hospital for treatment. Officers located a line o…

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by Annie DeVoe