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DOJ

You're Fired? Trump, US Attorney For Virginia Have Different Takes On Prosecutor's Exit You're Fired? Trump, US Attorney For Virginia Have Different Takes On Prosecutor's Exit
You're Fired? Trump, US Attorney For Virginia Have Different Takes On Prosecutor's Exit President Donald Trump was all smiles after Erik Siebert, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, resigned — though they have two takes on his ousting. Siebert was under pressure from Trump after he failed to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James with mortgage fraud, and the conflict came to a head on Friday, Sept. 19, resulting in the attorney leaving his position. "This evening, I submitted my resignation as Interim US Attorney for EDVA. For the last eight months, I have had the pleasure of leading the finest and most exceptional of DOJ employees, who care deeply ab…
House Republicans Cite 23-Year-Old TV HBO Smash The Wire As ‘Proof’ Of Baltimore Crime House Republicans Cite 23-Year-Old TV HBO Smash The Wire As ‘Proof’ Of Baltimore Crime
House Republicans Cite 23-Year-Old TV HBO Smash The Wire As ‘Proof’ Of Baltimore Crime Stranger than fiction?  With President Donald Trump threatening a federal intervention in Baltimore as National Guard troops patrol DC, the House GOP Judiciary had a curious take on Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin's comments on a potential takeover in the city.  Republicans cited "The Wire," a prestige TV show that aired its last episode on HBO — 17 years ago. How’s the crime in Baltimore (D)? Ever seen The Wire? https://t.co/hNAL9f9i5R — House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) September 5, 2025 "How’s the crime in Baltimore (D)" they posted. "Ever seen The Wire?" "The Wire" was …
MAGA Turns On Trump After He Tells Followers To ‘Drop’ Jeffrey Epstein Speculation MAGA Turns On Trump After He Tells Followers To ‘Drop’ Jeffrey Epstein Speculation
Maga Turns On Trump After He Tells Followers To ‘Drop’ Jeffrey Epstein Speculation Donald Trump just discovered what it feels like to be on the wrong end of his own movement.  A post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, July 12, scolding supporters for obsessing over the alleged “client-list” story involving convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has triggered the harshest pushback Trump has faced from MAGA influencers. The president wrote in the post: “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals'? They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!  We are on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s…
Sister Left Alone After DOJ Lawyer’s Sudden Death At 29 In Australia: ‘Facing The Unimaginable’ Sister Left Alone After DOJ Lawyer’s Sudden Death At 29 In Australia: ‘Facing The Unimaginable’
Sister Left Alone After DOJ Lawyer’s Sudden Death At 29 In Australia: ‘Facing The Unimaginable’ Andrew Ascencio was between chapters — a sharp legal mind, a relentless traveler, and a loyal friend — when a tragedy abroad stunned friends and loved ones. Ascencio, 29, lost his life in an accident early in the morning of Friday, June 27 while vacationing in Australia, after leaving his job as a DOJ lawyer, loved ones said. "He had recently left the DOJ and was enjoying travel until starting his next chapter before tragically passing away," friend and former colleague Nicole Paladino wrote in a touching tribute. "Andrew was in our (two-)week NAC class and became an incredible friend to a…
$17M Scam Funded Mini-Golf Course, Luxury Homes For Wealth Adviser: DOJ $17M Scam Funded Mini-Golf Course, Luxury Homes For Wealth Adviser: DOJ
$17M Scam Funded Mini-Golf Course, Luxury Homes For Wealth Adviser: DOJ A Main Line investment adviser stole millions from clients—including friends, relatives, and retirees—to bankroll a luxury lifestyle and buy into a Jersey Shore mini-golf course, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on Saturday, July 5.  Scott Mason, 66, of Gladwyne, was sentenced on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a sweeping fraud scheme that lasted over a decade. The Department of Justice says Mason stole more than $17 million while running his firm, Rubicon Wealth Management LLC, and never reported a cent to the IRS. Inste…
‘Vigilante’ ICE Arrests Slammed By Official After Courthouse Crackdown In DMV ‘Vigilante’ ICE Arrests Slammed By Official After Courthouse Crackdown In DMV
‘Vigilante’ ICE Arrests Slammed By Official After Courthouse Crackdown In DMV An elected official in Virginia is calling for an end to Loudoun County's partnership with federal immigration authorities after what she described as a “disturbing show of force” outside a Sterling courthouse. Supervisor Juli Briskman is condemning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for what she says was a series of aggressive and secretive detentions in her community — including an incident last week where plainclothes ICE officers “manhandled a Loudoun resident” and “swatted away another resident’s phone.” “These residents were exercising their constitutional right to observe publ…
Trump On Whether He Must Uphold Constitution: ‘I Don’t Know’ Trump On Whether He Must Uphold Constitution: ‘I Don’t Know’
Trump On Whether He Must Uphold Constitution: ‘I Don’t Know’ President Donald Trump says you should ask his lawyers if he needs to uphold the Constitution. In an NBC interview on "Meet the Press" released on Sunday, May 4, the commander-in-chief fielded a number of questions, including one targeting his ongoing plan to carry out millions of mass deportations. In the interview, Trump argued that due process would require millions of trials, for "murderers, drug dealers, some of the most dangerous people out there ... The courts are holding me from doing it."  When pushed about whether the deportations were constitutional, Trump deferred to his c…
Convicted Child Rapist, Gang Members Arrested In Virginia After Illegally Reentering US: DOJ Convicted Child Rapist, Gang Members Arrested In Virginia After Illegally Reentering US: DOJ
Convicted Child Rapist, Gang Members Arrested In Virginia After Illegally Reentering US: DOJ A convicted child rapist, gang members, and repeat violent offenders are among six men facing charges in Virginia after being arrested for illegally reentering the US following multiple deportations, federal officials announced. Erik Siebert, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the men—who hail from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico—had been previously removed from the country, only to return and commit new crimes, including violent assaults, stabbings, and child abuse. Among them is Carlos Alberto Sosa Horellana, a Honduran national convicted of raping a child…
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland
Alleged Russian Ransomware Mastermind Extradited From South Korea To Maryland A Russian national accused of running a global ransomware operation that extorted more than $16 million from victims worldwide has been extradited from South Korea to Maryland to face federal charges, authorities announced. Evgenii Ptitsyn, 42, is charged with operating and administering the sale, distribution, and deployment of the notorious Phobos ransomware, which targeted over 1,000 public and private organizations globally, including schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure.  Ptitsyn made his first appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland earlier this …
'International Fugitive' From MD Sentenced After Four Years On The Lam For Bail Violations 'International Fugitive' From MD Sentenced After Four Years On The Lam For Bail Violations
'International Fugitive' From MD Sentenced After Four Years On The Lam For Bail Violations Authorities say that a Maryland man who spent more than four years as an international fugitive attempting to avoid prosecution for stalking a younger co-worker will spend time behind bars. Ranjith Keerikkattil, 35, formerly of Catonsville, left the United States after being found guilty of stalking a junior co-worker before he was re-arrested four years later, authorities announced. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after being convicted and then failing to appear in court, according to the DOJ. Prosecutors said that Keeri…
Florida Man Arrested For Threatening To Kill US Congressman, Children In DC Florida Man Arrested For Threatening To Kill US Congressman, Children In DC
Florida Man Arrested For Threatening To Kill US Congressman, Children In DC An elderly Florida man is facing charges for threatening to kill a US Congressman and his children in a series of messages left for him late last month, federal authorities announced. Michael Shapiro, 72, of Greenacres, Florida, was arrested this week and charged with threatening a public official through at least five voicemails going after he and his family. The threats were reportedly targeting Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell. According to court documents, on Dec. 19, Shapiro left five messages at the congressional office in Washington, DC, including one when he stated he was g…
Driver Who Took Teen Drug Dealer To Maryland Hotel He Was Murdered Gets 19 Years: DOJ Driver Who Took Teen Drug Dealer To Maryland Hotel He Was Murdered Gets 19 Years: DOJ
Driver Who Took Teen Drug Dealer To Maryland Hotel He Was Murdered Gets 19 Years: DOJ A Maryland man who returned to the scene of the crime hours after the robbery and murder of a drug dealer in Baltimore will have plenty of time to think about his actions in prison. Baltimore native Deron "DJ" Johnson, 52, is the third to be sentenced for his role in the murder of a teenage drug dealer that he, George Fields, and Joseph Williams conspired to rob in September 2020, federal authorities announced. According to his plea agreement, he admitted that on Sept. 29, 2020, the trio conspired to rob a 16-year-old of both his drugs and proceeds, leading to a skirmish early that mor…
Jealous, Controlling Boyfriend Gets Life For Violently Killing Ex-GF In Maryland: AG Jealous, Controlling Boyfriend Gets Life For Violently Killing Ex-GF In Maryland: AG
Jealous, Controlling Boyfriend Gets Life For Violently Killing Ex-GF In Maryland: AG Forell Isaac will have a lifetime to think about his actions after he violently stabbed his girlfriend to death after tracking her from her home in Baltimore, the Maryland AG announced. Isaac, 39, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after he was convicted earlier this year of the first-degree murder of girlfriend Linique Green, 29, in September 2021 following what was described as a "tumultuous romantic relationship," where he showed concerning, controlling behavior. According to the investigation, Isaac and Green had been involved in a “tumultuous romantic relationship,” an…
Jealous, Controlling Boyfriend Convicted Of Violently Killing Ex-GF In Maryland: AG Jealous, Controlling Boyfriend Convicted Of Violently Killing Ex-GF In Maryland: AG
Jealous, Controlling Boyfriend Convicted Of Violently Killing Ex-GF In Maryland: AG The Baltimore man who violently stabbed his girlfriend to death after tracking her from her home has been convicted of her murder, the Maryland AG announced. Forell Isaac, 39, has been convicted of the first-degree murder of girlfriend Linique Green, 29, in September 2021 following what was described as a "tumultuous romantic relationship," where he showed concerning behavior. Officers from the Baltimore Police Department found Green on Sept. 12, 2021 suffering from multiple stab wounds to her torso in the 1100 block of North Milton Avenue, according to officials. She was taken to an area …
Threats Targeting Congressman With 'His Militia' Gets MD Man Prison Time: DOJ Threats Targeting Congressman With 'His Militia' Gets MD Man Prison Time: DOJ
Threats Targeting Congressman With 'His Militia' Gets MD Man Prison Time: DOJ Federal officials say that a Maryland man will spend time behind bars after sending messages over the Internet threatening to maim and injure a US member of Congress. Annapolis resident Justin Kuchta, 40, has been sentenced to four months in federal prison, followed by a year of supervised release, after pleading guilty to making what turned out to be idle threats, authorities announced on Thursday, April 27.  US Attorney Erek Barron said that a Congressman’s district office in Texas reported in July last year that it received a threatening message through an event management website t…
Maryland Woman, Neo-Nazi Charged For Conspiring To Destroy Energy Facilities: DOJ Maryland Woman, Neo-Nazi Charged For Conspiring To Destroy Energy Facilities: DOJ
Maryland Woman, Neo-Nazi Charged For Conspiring To Destroy Energy Facilities: DOJ The Maryland woman who sought to “completely destroy” Baltimore with a purported neo-Nazi in Florida with racist ideologies has been charged by a federal grand jury, officials announced. A federal grand jury in Maryland returned an indictment charging Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, of Catonsville, and Orlando resident Brandon Clint Russell, 27, with conspiracy to destroy an energy facility. Original story - Maryland Woman, Neo-Nazi From Florida Plotted To 'Completely Destroy' Baltimore: DOJ Prosecutors say that the single-count indictment alleges that the duo “conspired to willfully damage th…
BPD Commissioner Announced As Phoenix Police Department's Interim Chief Of Police BPD Commissioner Announced As Phoenix Police Department's Interim Chief Of Police
BPD Commissioner Announced As Phoenix Police Department's Interim Chief Of Police A Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner has been selected to serve as the new interim chief of the Phoenix Police Department, authorities say. Michael Sullivan will start the 1-2 year assignment with the Phoenix Police Department on Sept. 12 while Phoenix conducts a nationwide search for a permanent police chief, according to Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton. “Sullivan brings 27 years of law enforcement experience to the table, and he has led police reform efforts for major cities. His experience working in collaboration with communities, the DOJ, federal court and more gives me confidence h…
Four Face Federal Indictment In Maryland For $3M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme Four Face Federal Indictment In Maryland For $3M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme
Four Face Federal Indictment In Maryland For $3M Covid-19 Fraud Scheme Four Maryland residents are facing federal indictment for a CARES Act COVID-19 unemployment fraud scheme that saw over $3 million in losses, officials say. Three of the suspects had an initial court appearance in Baltimore on Thursday, July 21, while the fourth was scheduled to appear on Friday, July 22 in Florida. Those facing charges:  Tyshawna Davis, 38, of Gwynn Oak; Donna Jones, 55, of Cockeysville; Devante Smith, 27, of Hanover; Tila Woods, 44, of Baltimore. From June 2020 through May 2021, the four used the identification information of their victims to fraudulently obtain une…