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Attorney General's Office

Victims Speak Out At Sentencing Of PA Man Who Filmed Sex Assaults On Victims 2 To 12 Victims Speak Out At Sentencing Of PA Man Who Filmed Sex Assaults On Victims 2 To 12
Victims Speak Out At Sentencing Of PA Man Who Filmed Sex Assaults On Victims 2 To 12 A Bucks County man who pleaded guilty to recording the sexual assaults of three children and sharing the footage on social media has learned his fate. Brian Nathaniel Harris, 29, of Bristol, was sentenced to 18 to 42 years in the state correctional institution by Common Pleas Judge Gary B. Gilman, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office announced Friday, Aug. 23. He was also sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to undergo sex offender treatment and a mental health evaluation.  Relatives of the victims packed a courtroom at the Criminal Justice Center on Friday wit…
Speakers Filled With Millions In Meth, Cocaine From Cali Found In Bucks Co.: DA Speakers Filled With Millions In Meth, Cocaine From Cali Found In Bucks Co.: DA
Speakers Filled With Millions In Meth, Cocaine From Cali Found In Bucks Co.: DA Six men were charged with trafficking millions of dollars in methamphetamine and cocaine by concealing them inside Bluetooth karaoke speakers and shipping them from California to Bucks County, authorities said. This multifaceted investigation by the Bucks County Detectives Drug Strike Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Attorney General’s Office resulted in the dismantling of the Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization, led by Matthew James Byrne, 43, of Broomall in Delaware County, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced on Wednesday, Aug. 7. The Charged Suspects …
Philly Man Attempted Murder-For-Hire Plot, Illegally Bought Guns: AG Philly Man Attempted Murder-For-Hire Plot, Illegally Bought Guns: AG
Philly Man Attempted Murder-For-Hire Plot, Illegally Bought Guns: AG A Philadelphia man is accused of straw purchasing dozens of guns and paying one alleged customer to commit murder.  Richard Taylor, 37, is being held in lieu of a $5 million bail, according to the state Attorney General's Office.  Authorities said Taylor bought at least 31 guns and transferred them illegally to other people. He "told individuals he could get them as many firearms as they wanted because he did not have a criminal record," prosecutors said.  Twelve of those firearms have been recovered by police on Philadelphia streets, nine were seized during arrests, and 14 …
PA Doctor Accused Of Diverting 'Hundreds Of Doses' Of Fentanyl PA Doctor Accused Of Diverting 'Hundreds Of Doses' Of Fentanyl
PA Doctor Accused Of Diverting 'Hundreds Of Doses' Of Fentanyl A Luzerne County doctor is charged with 32 felony counts related to diverting narcotics, said the state Attorney General's Office Friday, March 22.  Richard Lemaster Hubbell was arraigned Thursday at a district court, prosecutors said.  Investigators believe Hubbell, while working as an anesthesiologist in Berks and Columbia counties, falsified records to show that patients were given fentanyl and Dilaudid, or hydromorphone.  Detectives said they found hundreds of vials and syringes containing the two opioids at his home in Butler Township, Luzerne County…
Northampton County Child Porn Manufacturer Convicted: PA AG Northampton County Child Porn Manufacturer Convicted: PA AG
Northampton County Child Porn Manufacturer Convicted: PA AG A Northampton County man was convicted at jury trial on dozens of felony counts related to child pornography, according to prosecutors.  Zebbelin Standish, 36, was found guilty of more than 50 charges of possession of child pornography, four counts of dissemination, and criminal use of a communications facility following a four-day trial, said the state Attorney General's Office.  Investigators said Standish uploaded the videos to social media and that "additional images and videos" were found during a search of his phone.  After his verdict, Standish's bail was raised …
PA Family Dollar Employee Bilked $170K Through Workers' Comp Scheme: AG PA Family Dollar Employee Bilked $170K Through Workers' Comp Scheme: AG
PA Family Dollar Employee Bilked $170K Through Workers' Comp Scheme: AG A Delaware woman will spend at least five years in a Pennsylvania prison after admitting to defrauding two employers through a workers' compensation scam, authorities say.  Victoria Newell-Brown, 56, pleaded guilty to 10 felonies in October, said the Attorney General's Office in a release.  In 2019, while working at a Family Dollar store in Philadelphia, prosecutors said Newell-Brown claimed she was "totally disabled" from a fall. The company paid her medical expenses, workers' compensation, and wage-loss benefits for $1,500 every two weeks for over two years, according to of…
'Ringleader' Of Fentanyl Pipeline From Philly To Centre County Gets 25 Years: AG 'Ringleader' Of Fentanyl Pipeline From Philly To Centre County Gets 25 Years: AG
'Ringleader' Of Fentanyl Pipeline From Philly To Centre County Gets 25 Years: AG The accused leader of a fentanyl trafficking operation may spend the next quarter century in a Pennsylvania prison, Attorney General Michelle Henry's Office announced.  Larry L. Thomas, a 30-year-old Philadelphia resident, was the "ringleader" of a drug-running operation that stretched to Centre County, according to prosecutors.  “This defendant directed a network of co-conspirators to distribute poisons in the State College area — even continuing to pull the strings while he was incarcerated,” said AG Henry in a statement.  “These addictive substances take lives and destroy…
Suspect Critical After Being Shot By AG Agent At Pittsburgh Greyhound Station: Reports Suspect Critical After Being Shot By AG Agent At Pittsburgh Greyhound Station: Reports
Suspect Critical After Being Shot By AG Agent At Pittsburgh Greyhound Station: Reports A knife-wielding man was in critical condition after being shot by an agent with the Attorney General's Office Wednesday morning, Dec. 6, at the Greyhound station in Pittsburgh, multiple outlets are reporting. It began just before 7 a.m. when the agent noticed the man coming off of the bus arriving at the station threatening another with a knife, CBS News reports. The agent apparently ordered the man to drop the knife, but he didn't comply, and so the agent fired his gun, CBS says, noting the man was hospitalized in critical condition. Pittsburgh Public Safety said only that they were inve…
Alleged Straw Gun Buyer Put 20+ Illegal Firearms On Pennsylvania Streets, AG Says Alleged Straw Gun Buyer Put 20+ Illegal Firearms On Pennsylvania Streets, AG Says
Alleged Straw Gun Buyer Put 20+ Illegal Firearms On Pennsylvania Streets, AG Says A Philadelphia man is accused of putting nearly two dozen illegal guns in the hands of criminals, according to prosecutors.  Michael Bickle is charged with making 23 "straw purchases" of firearms, said the Attorney General's Office in a release Friday, Dec. 1.  Authorities believe the illegal sales date back to 2014 but said most of the straw guns — 21 of them — were purchased in 2022.  None of the guns were reported lost or stolen before Bickle allegedly sold them to people ineligible for firearm ownership, the AG's Office said.  Six of the guns have since t…
Pennsylvania Attorney Admits Pressuring Clients Into Sex: AG Pennsylvania Attorney Admits Pressuring Clients Into Sex: AG
Pennsylvania Attorney Admits Pressuring Clients Into Sex: AG The former Lackawanna County lawyer accused of pressuring clients into trading sexual favors for his services has pleaded guilty to the charges, prosecutors say.  Former assistant district attorney Corey Kolcharno, 49, was convicted on four felony counts of promoting prostitution, said the state Attorney General's Office. He will also have to give up his license to practice law as part of his plea agreement.  “The defendant preyed upon the vulnerabilities of his clients for his own sexual gratification,” said AG Michelle Henry.  “Officers of the court are held to …
NY Scammers Fleece PA Residents For $145K: AG NY Scammers Fleece PA Residents For $145K: AG
NY Scammers Fleece PA Residents For $145K: AG Attorney General Michelle Henry is warning older Pennsylvanians to stay vigilant after three New York-based scammers were charged with stealing a combined $145,000 from Keystone State residents.  The first scam, which targeted a Montgomery County resident, purported to be a Publisher’s Clearinghouse sweepstakes and involved the victim sending cash and gift cards equaling $130,000, the AG said.  Jaime Barham, 25, and Francis Rohan, 24, both of Bronx, New York, are charged with corrupt organizations, theft, and related counts, according to prosecutors. Each is being held on $75…
78-Year-Old PA Woman Robbed Husband For Years Before Poisoning His Coffee, Jury Finds 78-Year-Old PA Woman Robbed Husband For Years Before Poisoning His Coffee, Jury Finds
78-Year-Old PA Woman Robbed Husband For Years Before Poisoning His Coffee, Jury Finds A 78-year-old Pennsylvania woman had been fleecing her husband's finances for years before she fatally poisoned him to keep the theft a secret, a Union County jury has found.  Myrle Miller of Winfield was convicted of first-degree murder for her husband's 2018 death, as well as felony theft by deception, forgery, insurance fraud, and related counts, said Attorney General Michelle Henry's Office in a release. In the months before John Nichols died, a grand jury investigation found that Miller had systemically drained her husband's bank accounts and forged his signature on checks, author…
Nurses Covered-Up Cause Of Resident's Death In PA Medical Facility, AG Says Nurses Covered-Up Cause Of Resident's Death In PA Medical Facility, AG Says
Nurses Covered-Up Cause Of Resident's Death In PA Medical Facility, AG Says Two elderly nurses have been held in the Dauphin County Prison after the Attorney General Michelle Henry filed charges against them for neglecting a resident in their care "who died after sustaining injuries," according to a release by the AG's office on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Deanna Lee Hamilton, 64, of Dauphin, and Margaret Susan Nies, 71, of Hummelstown, were nurses at a Spring Creek Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Harrisburg, in December 2019 when a male resident fell and was seriously injured—he was later hospitalized and died on Jan. 1, 2020, as detailed in the re…
PA Doctor Uses Ex-Patients Health Insurance To Get Recreational Drugs, AG Says PA Doctor Uses Ex-Patients Health Insurance To Get Recreational Drugs, AG Says
PA Doctor Uses Ex-Patients Health Insurance To Get Recreational Drugs, AG Says A Pennsylvania doctor was arrested for allegedly using her patients' information to acquire drugs for herself for recreational use, according to the state's attorney general's office on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.  Dr. Jessie Kunkel, of Murrysville, allegedly had been prescribing patients drugs like Adderall and Xanax, but kept a portion of the pills for herself in exchange for writing the prescriptions— something she had been doing since 2018. “As a medical professional, Dr. Kunkel was trusted to care for her patients and her community,” Acting AG Michelle Henry said. “She violated…
Pennsylvanians Will Have Another Chance To Buy Taylor Swift Eras Tour Tickets, AG Says Pennsylvanians Will Have Another Chance To Buy Taylor Swift Eras Tour Tickets, AG Says
Pennsylvanians Will Have Another Chance To Buy Taylor Swift Eras Tour Tickets, AG Says If you're a Pennsylvanian and you had trouble securing Taylor Swift's much anticipated Eras Tour tickets, just Shake It Off.  Your Wildest Dreams of attending the singer's tour could be coming true, thanks to the Attorney General's Office who worked with Ticketmaster, in an apparent effort to avoid Bad Blood. In an announcement Tuesday, Dec. 13, (the singer's birthday), a new round of ticket opportunities is on the way for those who received presale codes this month, the AG's office said. Attention Swifties:After working directly with Ticketmaster on behalf of the thousands of consumer…
Ex-Pennsylvania Police Chief Learns His Fate For Repeatedly Raping Child Ex-Pennsylvania Police Chief Learns His Fate For Repeatedly Raping Child
Ex-Pennsylvania Police Chief Learns His Fate For Repeatedly Raping Child A former police chief in eastern Pennsylvania was sentenced Friday, July 15 to 16 to 32 years in prison followed by three years of probation for repeatedly raping a child, WFMZ reports. Former Weissport Police Chief Brent Getz, of Lehighton, was convicted in March 2019 on charges of child rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, and other related offenses, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Getz’s co-defendant, Gregory Wagner, pleaded guilty to child rape and sexual exploitation of children in Nov. 2020 and agreed to testif…
Father-Son Duo Among 23 Arrested In Major Philly Drug Ring: AG Father-Son Duo Among 23 Arrested In Major Philly Drug Ring: AG
Father-Son Duo Among 23 Arrested In Major Philly Drug Ring: AG Approximately five pounds of heroin and fentanyl were seized, along with 1.6 ounces of methamphetamine, three assault rifles, and $179,000 in cash in the takedown of a major Philadelphia drug ring, authorities said. A father and son duo was among 23 people arrested as local, state, and federal law officers served more than 40 search warrants on affiliated properties and vehicles on Wednesday, June 8, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. Evidence seized in the bust. (photo one)PA AG's Office Evidence seized in the bust. (photo two)PA AG's Office The ringleaders were identified as Curti…
Attorney General: Pair Of 3D Printers Used To Make 'Ghost Guns' Seized From PA Felon’s Home Attorney General: Pair Of 3D Printers Used To Make 'Ghost Guns' Seized From PA Felon’s Home
Attorney General: Pair Of 3D Printers Used To Make 'Ghost Guns' Seized From PA Felon’s Home Two 3D printers allegedly used to make homemade "ghost guns" and other firearm components were confiscated from the home of a Northampton County felon, authorities said Tuesday. Kenneth Wilson, 38, was found with the pair of printers, as well as three ghost gun frames, three firearms, a small amount of methamphetamine, $1,140 in cash, and drug packaging equipment during a search conducted by the Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team on June 24, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. The printers were allegedly used to print homemade fi…