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88°
Friday, jun 12
Tag:
Prosecution
Politics
Trump Fires Attorney General Pam Bondi, Names Ex-Personal Lawyer Todd Blanche Acting AG
President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi shortly after reports surfaced that he had been considering replacing her. The official announcement came early Thursday afternoon, April 2. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, formerly Trump's personal attorney, has been named acting attorney general. "Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest l…
News
PA Child Rapist Who Faced 121 Years In Prison, Sentenced, Here's How Long He Got
An Allentown man convicted of raping a child for years has been sentenced — but not to the 121 years in prison he was facing, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Taron Dortch, 44, was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison, followed by six years of probation, for sexually abusing a girl at multiple locations across Lehigh County, including a home in Allentown and an apartment in South Whitehall Township. The abuse happened between 2019 and 2021, while Dortch was in a relationship with the girl’s mother. The victim was between 9 and 12 years o…
News
Repeat Arsonist Set Fire To Own Home In Insurance Scam: PA AG
A repeat arsonist who burned down her rental home in Armstrong County to collect insurance money is headed to state prison, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. Emmajean Mowery, 65, of Kittanning, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony arson and one count of felony insurance fraud for the November 2023 fire in Rayburn Township. She was sentenced to up to three years in prison and ordered to pay more than $110,000 in restitution. Investigators found that Mowery increased her insurance policy just weeks before the fire and lied to the insurance compa…
News
Woman Forced To Drink Rubbing Alcohol During Horrific Pennsylvania Sexual Assault: DA
A Lancaster man accused of violently sexually assaulting a woman in his home will head to county court after waiving his preliminary hearing, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday, August 11. Jose Antonio Pitre, 29, waived his preliminary hearing before Judge Adam Witkonis on Tuesday, July 29, according to the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas docket. Prosecutors said Pitre attacked the victim before sexually assaulting her in the basement of his Saint Joseph Street home the afternoon of Wednesday, June 25. The victim told investigators Pitre repeat…
News
PA Skateboarder Killed In Hit-And-Run; Driver Learns Fate: DA
A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 3 to 6 years in state prison for a deadly hit-and-run that killed a Bucks County skateboarder, prosecutors announced on Tuesday, June 18. Tajair Anthony Delbridge, 26, pleaded guilty to accidents involving death or personal injury, hindering apprehension or prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, and criminal solicitation to commit false reports, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said. The crash happened around 10:16 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, when Joel Steven Moreau, 28, was struck and killed while skateboarding along the 1500 b…
News
Leak Part Of 'Smear Campaign,' Luigi Mangione Defense Says
Luigi Mangione’s defense team is accusing New York prosecutors of trying to bias the public and media against their client. They claim this is happening by publicly releasing sensitive and potentially inadmissible materials as he awaits trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In a newly filed reply brief dated Wednesday, June 18, the defense, led by Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, argued that the state improperly published journal entries allegedly taken from Mangione’s backpack. They claim these materials may be suppressed due to an illegal search. …
News
Secret Recordings, Sex Crimes Committed By Youth Baseball President, Working In Military: PA AG
A former youth baseball president and ex-Marine who worked in a classified government role has been sentenced to 14 to 28 years in state prison for sexually abusing children and secretly filming others, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Tuesday, April 29. Justin Travis Biser, 45, of Waynesboro, was convicted by a Franklin County jury in January on all 65 counts against him, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, manufacturing child pornography, and invasion of privacy. Senior Judge Kevin A. Hess also ordered that Biser register as …
Police & Fire
Embattled Trenton Pastor Drugged, Sexually Assaulted Teen At His Home: Prosecutor
A 64-year-old Trenton pastor was arrested and charged on Thursday, Feb. 27 with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old more than two decades after a similar arrest, officials confirmed. Charles Brinson sexually assaulted the teen on separate occasions in January and February 2024 after Brinson administered an unknown substance that caused the victim to lose consciousness, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta Marbrey said. Brinson is Bishop of the Brinson Memorial Church, authorities said. He is charged with two counts of sexual assault of an incapacitated victim and two counts of endangeri…
News
Pennsylvania Man Who Stole Dead Classmate’s Identity To Get Passport, Gun Permit Sentenced
A Philadelphia fraudster who spent decades living under a dead classmate’s identity—scamming his way into a driver’s license, insurance, and even a gun permit—has pleaded guilty, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Friday, Feb. 7. Anthony Percell, 56, admitted in Philadelphia County Court to stealing the identity of a former classmate who died in 1986 and using it to apply for a concealed carry firearms permit, obtain a Pennsylvania driver’s license, and file a fraudulent workers’ compensation claim, authorities said. Now, he’s headed to prison. Under a plea deal, Percel…
News
MMA Fighter, Convicted Felon Bought Firearms From PA Gun Dealer: AG
A Bucks County gun dealer is accused of illegally supplying firearms to a convicted felon in a months-long scheme uncovered by the Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Scott Liebowitz, 31, of Feasterville-Trevose, a licensed firearms dealer, conspired to transfer two handguns to Nicholas "Nick" Mimoso, an amateur MMA fighter and convicted felon barred from possessing guns, according to Sunday and Mimoso's social media. Mouth guards make me look serious Posted by Nick Mimoso on Saturday, October 22, 2016 Liebowit…
News
CEO Murder Case: Luigi Mangione's New Lawyer Signals Defensive Strategy
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has retained high-profile attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who could mount a defense centered on Mangione's mental state. Friedman Agnifilo, a former Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney turned criminal defense lawyer, suggested a possible strategy even before formally joining Mangione’s legal team. “It looks to me like there might be a not guilty by reason of insanity defense that they’re going to be thinking about because the evidence is going to be so overwhelming that he did wh…
Politics
As Early Voting Starts, MontCo DA Promises Crackdown On Illegal Activities Leading Up To Nov. 5
As voting began this week in Pennsylvania, Montgomery County law enforcement officials announced measures to ensure "a fair and safe" election on Nov. 5 as well as the 49 days leading up to it. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele detailed the actions including a "suspicious activity" tip line for problems at election ballot drop boxes at a Tuesday, Sept. 17 press conference. Early voting began on Monday, Sept. 16 and Pennsylvania is the largest of seven so-called "swing states" crucial to the Electoral College vote. In total, there are 538 electoral votes …
Police & Fire
Bucks County Man Convicted Of Raping Children: DA
A Bucks County jury convicted a Warminster man of multiple felony counts including rape of a child on Thursday, June 13, the District Attorney's Office says. Umair Mir, 39, was previously accused of sexually abusing two sisters over a period of five years, prosecutors said. The investigation began late last year when the victims told their brother about the abuse. Their brother told Mir's wife, who reported it to the victims' high school, according to authorities. The victims told investigators the abuse began when they were between 10 and 12 years old. It continued "abou…
Police & Fire
Schuylkill County Man Faces Federal Meth Trafficking Charges
Federal prosecutors have accused a Schuylkill Haven resident of selling methamphetamine. John Kyle Smith, 40, is charged with possession with intent to distribute, said the US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Prosecutors said the charges stem from an incident on Feb. 29. If convicted, Smith could face up to 20 years in prison plus a period of supervised release and a fine, according to officials. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the state Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigations.
News
13 Chinese Nationals Charged With Multiple Acts Of Espionage By Feds In Washington, NJ, NY
Thirteen people, including members of China’s security and intelligence services, have been charged with trying to recruit professors and others in the United States to act as agents for their country, federal authorities in New York, New Jersey and Washington, DC announced. Tales of international intrigue include allegations that the defendants plotted to steal documents from a federal prosecutor's office to subvert a criminal investigation into a major Chinese company. Some of them are also charged in a spy-versus-spy encounter involving a $41,000 bribe in Bitcoin paid to an American…
Police & Fire
NJ Scammer Admits Selling Bogus Tom Brady Super Bowl Rings
A 24-year-old New Jersey man pleaded guilty to fraud for pretending to be a New England Patriots player to buy and sell Super Bowl rings engraved with Tom Brady's last name, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Scott V. Spina Jr., of Roseland, could face decades in prison when he's sentenced May 23, for charges of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft, authorities said. Spina's guilty plea comes one day after the quarterback announced his retirement after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl titles. Spina ordered three replica Super Bo…
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