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Department of Justice Press Releases

North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

by DOJ Press August 6, 2022
By DOJ Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Calvin Moore, 32, of Silver City, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 14, 2021, law enforcement officers visited a Sixth Street residence in Charleston looking for Moore. In an attempt to flee, Moore jumped out of a window of the residence.  After a brief struggle, officers detained Moore and found a loaded Bryco Arms Jennings .22LR firearm with a chambered round in Moore’s front pants pocket. The firearm was found to have been stolen.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Moore is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his 2012 felony conviction in North Carolina for robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is prosecuting the case.

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This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-217.

 

 

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Alleged Russian Cryptocurrency Money Launderer Extradited to United States

by DOJ Press August 6, 2022
By DOJ Press

SAN FRANCISCO – The alleged operator of the illicit cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e was extradited yesterday from Greece to the United States to face charges in the Northern District of California.

“After more than five years of litigation, Russian national Alexander Vinnik was extradited to the United States yesterday to be held accountable for operating BTC-e, a criminal cryptocurrency exchange, which laundered more than $4 billion of criminal proceeds,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This extradition demonstrates the Department’s commitment to investigating and dismantling illicit cyber activity and would not have been possible without the relentless work of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The Justice Department thanks the Government of Greece, particularly the Ministry of Justice, for all their efforts in securing the defendant’s transfer to the United States.” 

Alexander Vinnik, 42, a Russian citizen, was charged in a 21-count superseding indictment in January 2017. Vinnik was taken into custody in Greece in July 2017 at the request of the United States. He made his initial appearance earlier today in federal court in San Francisco before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim.

According to the indictment, Vinnik and his co-conspirators allegedly owned, operated, and administrated BTC-e, a significant cybercrime and online money laundering entity that allowed its users to trade in bitcoin with high levels of anonymity and developed a customer base heavily reliant on criminal activity.  

The indictment alleges BTC-e facilitated transactions for cybercriminals worldwide and received criminal proceeds from numerous computer intrusions and hacking incidents, ransomware scams, identity theft schemes, corrupt public officials, and narcotics distribution rings, and was used to facilitate crimes ranging from computer hacking, to fraud, identity theft, tax refund fraud schemes, public corruption, and drug trafficking. The investigation has revealed that BTC-e received more than $4 billion worth of bitcoin over the course of its operation.

Despite doing substantial business in the United States, the indictment alleges that BTC-e was not registered as a money services business with the U.S. Department of Treasury, had no anti-money laundering process, no system for appropriate “know your customer” or “KYC” verification, and no anti-money laundering program as required by federal law.  

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In 2017, FinCEN assessed a civil money penalty against BTC-e for willfully violating U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) laws and against Vinnik for his role in the violations. A civil matter to enforce civil monetary penalties, in the amount of $88,596,314 as to BTC-e and $12 million as to Vinnik, is pending in the Northern District of California.

The indictment charges BTC-e and Vinnik with one count of operation of an unlicensed money service business, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition, the indictment charges Vinnik with 17 counts of money laundering and two counts of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions. 

The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation (Oakland Field Office and Cyber Crime Unit, Washington, D.C.), Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Claudia Quiroz of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case. 

The Justice Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team provided substantial assistance. The extradition request was handled by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

The Justice Department thanks the Greek Ministry of Justice for its cooperation in securing the defendant’s transfer to the United States.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Pinon Man Arrested for Alleged Murder of Missing Navajo Woman and Acts of Domestic Violence

by DOJ Press August 6, 2022
By DOJ Press

PHOENIX, Ariz. –Yesterday, Tre C. James, 30, of Pinon, Arizona, was arrested for first-degree murder and several acts of domestic violence. James had his initial appearance yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge Camille D. Bibles. A detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Earlier this week, a federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against James. Counts 1 and 2 allege James shot and killed Jamie Yazzie, a Pinon woman who went missing in the summer of 2019, and whose remains were found on the Hopi Indian Reservation in November 2021. Ms. Yazzie was listed as a missing person by both federal and tribal law enforcement, and the circumstances of her disappearance were investigated jointly by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Services, Navajo Nation Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo County Sherriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

James was also indicted for several acts of domestic violence. Counts 3 through 8 allege that James committed acts of domestic violence against three victims – between 2018 and 2021 – including suffocation, strangling, kidnapping, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is committed to addressing the persistent violence endured by Native American families and communities in the state of Arizona, including by working with Tribal nations to address the important issues of missing or murdered indigenous persons and acts of domestic violence. This office and the Department of Justice view this work as a priority for its law enforcement components.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

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CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-08073-PHX-PCT-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2022-131_James

# # #

 

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Long-Time Leader of South L.A. Street Gang Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Racketeering Activity that Included Murder

by DOJ Press August 6, 2022
By DOJ Press

          LOS ANGELES – A long-time senior leader of the South Los Angeles-based East Coast Crips (ECC) street gang was sentenced late this afternoon to 420 months in federal prison for a series of criminal acts, including his participation in the 2014 murder of a rival gang member.

          Paul Gary Wallace, 56, a.k.a. “Little Doc” and “Uncle Bill,” of South Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr.

          At the conclusion of an 11-day trial in April 2022, a federal jury found Wallace guilty of one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organizations (RICO) Act and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.

         ; Wallace was a member of the ECC for more than 30 years and rose to become the leader and most influential member of the gang’s “6-Pacc” set, a part of the gang responsible for control over territory in South Los Angeles.

          He maintained his control over the gang through violence and intimidation. Wallace murdered and conspired to commit murder to enhance the gang’s violent reputation, to enhance his status within the gang, to retaliate against rivals, and to enforce discipline within the gang.

          As a gang leader, Wallace’s other criminal conduct included selling drugs in ECC territory, extorting local businesses, presiding over robberies, and engaging in other acts of violence, including intimidation, assaults and shootings against the gang’s rivals.

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          The jury specifically found that on November 13, 2014, Wallace participated in the murder of a rival gang member. The murder weapon, an AK-47-style rifle, was later found in Wallace’s van.

          “[Wallace] wreaked havoc on the community and neighborhoods controlled by the ECC, destroying lives with his violence and gang activity,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “The impact of his violent conduct on the victims, their families, and the community will be felt for years and, for the most unfortunate, the rest of their lives.”

          The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter.

          Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Chemerinsky of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Albuquerque drug trafficker sentenced to 17 years in prison

by DOJ Press August 6, 2022
By DOJ Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that John Seibel was sentenced on Aug. 2 to 17 years and six months in prison. Seibel, 26, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on March 15 to two counts of distribution of 50 grams and more of a substance and mixture containing methamphetamine, four counts of distribution of 40 grams and more of fentanyl, two counts of distribution of 500 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

In his plea, Seibel admitted to leading a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl. According to his plea agreement and other court records, on several occasions between April 1, 2021, and June 15, 2021, Seibel sold drugs to an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Seibel sold fentanyl pills manufactured by others, but also acquired a pill press and other components to fabricate his own fentanyl pills for distribution. On May 12, 2021, Seibel sold the undercover agent drugs, including fentanyl pills that Seibel and others manufactured with the pill press. In total, between April 1, 2021, and May 27, 2021, Seibel sold to the undercover agent 2,437.8 grams of methamphetamine and 546.4 grams of fentanyl.

Seibel was arrested following a sale of 1,368.6 grams of fentanyl and 1,333 grams of methamphetamine on June 15, 2021. That same day, law enforcement executed search warrants on Seibel’s residence and other locations associated with his drug trafficking activity. In Seibel’s home and vehicle, agents recovered a total of $84,139.19, which Seibel admitted were proceeds of his unlawful drug trafficking. At a residence in Tijeras, New Mexico, agents recovered the pill press, a powder granulator and other materials Seibel used to manufacture fentanyl pills. Agents also recovered 833.7 grams of powdered fentanyl, 400 grams of blue fentanyl pills, 48.3 grams of yellow fentanyl pills and 7,762 grams of methamphetamine. At a stash house in Albuquerque, agents located 634 grams of methamphetamine and 3,869.4 grams of fentanyl pills.

“John Seibel endangered the lives of countless people in the callous pursuit of his own enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Uballez. “The illegal and unregulated manufacture and trafficking of counterfeit pills has contributed to the toll of fentanyl overdoses that have ravaged the District of New Mexico and communities across the nation. We will work diligently to halt these manufacturing operations and prosecute those who would profit from their flagrant disregard for the lives of our people.”

“While drug overdose/poisoning deaths continue to rise in our nation, Mr. Seibel made these dangerous illegal drugs readily available to New Mexicans for his profit,” said Greg Millard, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA El Paso Division.  “DEA and its partners will continue to hold accountable those responsible for poisoning our communities, as we step up our campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of illicit drug use and medication misuse.”

Upon his release from prison, Seibel will be subject to five years of supervised release.

Among the agencies that participated in the investigation were the DEA Albuquerque District Office, DEA El Paso Division, DEA El Paso Division SRT, DEA Las Cruces District Office, DEA St. Louis Division, DEA South Central Laboratory, DEA Aviation, FBI Albuquerque Field Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department, Pueblo of Laguna Police Department, Pueblo of Pojoaque Police Department, Valencia County Sheriff’s Office, Rio Rancho Police Department, Torrance County Sheriff’s Office, Belen Police Department and Albuquerque Fire & Rescue.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted this case.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Convicted Felon Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm and Methamphetamine

by DOJ Press August 6, 2022
By DOJ Press

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Tyrus Brooks, 34, of Scott, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge David C. Joseph to 115 months (9 years, 7 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release.

Brooks was charged in an indictment on November 18, 2021 and pleaded guilty on April 29, 2022 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

On March 9, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Brooks’ residence. During their search, officers recovered multiple controlled substances and a Glock .380 caliber firearm and ammunition belonging to Brooks. An analysis was conducted of the seized substances, and they were found to contain methamphetamine with a gross weight of 117 grams.

Brooks has prior felony convictions for attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine (2011), possession of methamphetamine (2017) and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (2018).

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, and Lafayette Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Captain of Methamphetamine-Filled Boat that Rammed Coast Guard Vessel, Injuring Officers, Sentenced to 16 Years

by DOJ Press August 6, 2022
By DOJ Press

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Bredariol (619) 546-8419 and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari (619) 546-8402

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 5, 2022

SAN DIEGO – Miguel Ojeda Agundez, captain of a drug-smuggling boat that rammed a Coast Guard vessel during a dangerous high-speed chase off the shores of San Diego, was sentenced in federal court today to 194 months in prison. 

Ojeda Agundez is the last of four defendants to be sentenced in connection with the event, which occurred in August 2020 off the shores of San Diego. All four defendants were charged in a 15-count federal indictment with trafficking close to 500 pounds of methamphetamine; failure to stop for the Coast Guard; and assault on five Coast Guard officers who were injured as a result of the ramming. Ojeda Agundez ultimately pleaded guilty to all 15 counts. 

At today’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino described the defendant’s conduct as “egregious” and causing “immeasurable harm to the community.” She noted that members of the Coast Guard are working hard every day “to protect the community that they are sworn to serve…we have tremendous respect and admiration and gratitude to those who serve this country.”

The other defendants – Arturo Velasquez Soto, Luis Parada Reyes, and Juan Diaz Hernandez – were previously sentenced by Judge Sammartino to 14 years, 10 years, and just under nine years in prison, respectively.

On August 8, 2020, the defendants were detected by the United States Coast Guard Cutter FORREST REDNOUR traveling northbound off the shores of San Diego in the middle of the night. When five Coast Guard officers went to intercept the vessel, Ojeda Agundez, who was at the helm, aggressively turned the go-fast vessel towards the Coast Guard and rammed a Coast Guard smallboat, causing damage and injury to Coast Guard officers.  The defendants then led the Coast Guard on a high-speed chase on the open water.   

As the vessel continued closer to shore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air & Marine Operations took over the pursuit. The defendants’ vessel attempted to ram the CBP vessel as well, but officers were able to bring the defendants’ vessel to a stop.  When law enforcement boarded the vessel, they discovered ice chests filled with close to 500 pounds of methamphetamine.  The defendants were brought to shore and arrested, where the investigation was continued by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations’ Marine Task Force.    

In 2012, a similar sequence of events resulted in the death of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III. In that case, a drug-laden panga intentionally rammed a Coast Guard smallboat off the coast of Santa Barbara, ejecting Chief Petty Officer Horne and another officer into the water. Chief Petty Officer Horne was struck by a propeller in the head and fatally injured.

“This case is a reminder of the heroism, bravery, and professionalism that Coast Guard officials employ on every mission to safeguard the United States from drug smugglers,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman.  “Violence against the Coast Guard will not be tolerated and will be aggressively prosecuted by this office.”  Grossman thanked the prosecution team and investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time the lives of our Coast Guard members have been threatened by drug smugglers,” said Rear Admiral Andrew Sugimoto, commander, Coast Guard District 11. “Senior Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III was killed during a counter-smuggling operation. Those individuals responsible for taking his life and threatening the lives of other Coast Guard members were held accountable. As a service, we do not take these actions lightly and I trust the decision of the courts to continue to hold these criminals responsible for their continued disregard for life.”

“This case highlights the dangers of maritime drug smuggling,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “HSI is grateful for its federal, state and local law enforcement partners and servicemembers who despite the dangers, continue to deny transnational criminal organizations the opportunity to carry out their illegal drug smuggling activities. HSI will continue to aggressively investigate criminal organizations who smuggle by sea, air or land.”

DEFENDANTS                                                         Case Number 20cr2509-JLS                       

Miguel Ojeda Agundez                                             Age: 26                                               Mexico

Arturo Velasquez Soto                                               Age: 44                                               Mexico

Jose Luis Parada Reyes                                             Age: 53                                               Mexico           

Juan Diaz Hernandez                                                 Age: 55                                               Mexico                                                          

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Counts 1-3 (All Defendants)

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine on Board a Vessel –

Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503, 70506(b)

Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine Onboard a Vessel; Aiding and Abetting  –
Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503, Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2

Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine Intended for Unlawful Importation  –
Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 959, 960, 963

Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine

Counts 4, 6-15 (Defendant Ojeda Agundez only)

Failure To Heave To

Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2237

Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

Assault on a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon

Title 18, U.S.C., Section 111(a)(1)

Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

Assault with Intent to Commit Any Felony

Title 18, U.S.C., Section 113(a)(2)

Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine

Count 5 (Defendants Ojeda Agundez and Velasquez Soto only)

Failure To Heave To

Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2237, Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2

Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

AGENCIES

United States Coast Guard

Customs and Border Protection

Homeland Security Investigations

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DC Officials Seek Crime-Fighting Advice From The Currently Incarcerated

by The Daily Caller August 6, 2022
By The Daily Caller

DC Officials Seek Crime-Fighting Advice From The Currently Incarcerated

Trevor Schakohl on August 5, 2022

Incarcerated men in Washington, D.C. pitched ideas for combatting the area’s high violent criminal activity to government authorities and scholars, according to The Washington Post.

Male prisoners at Southeast D.C.’s Correctional Treatment Facility participated in a two-month LEAD Up! educational program generating crime-prevention methods, the outlet reported. Local officials, including U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui and D.C. Director of Gun Violence Prevention Linda K. Harllee Harper reportedly attended an Aug. 3 session with them at the prison.

One prisoner group called for establishing a gun safety-focused city Department of Violence Prevention and Firearm Education, according to the Post. A 19-year-old convicted carjacker reportedly recommended further employment programs.

D.C.’s total inmate population dropped by about 6.9% from June 2021 to June 2022, based on its Department of Corrections’ data.

However, D.C. police statistics showed Aug. 2 year-to-date robberies and murders in the District respectively rose 20% and over 12% since 2021, according to Fox 5 Washington DC. An Aug. 2 mass shooting this year killed one person and hurt five others there, the station reported.

D.C. Director of Gun Violence Prevention Harper said they need to address a “communication breakdown” with prisoners, as some lacked knowledge of D.C.’s present anti-violence programs, the Post reported.

D.C.’s Department of Corrections and Office of Gun Violence Prevention did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact The Daily Caller News Foundation

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact  [email protected]. Read the full story at the Daily Caller News Foundation

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Scrapping U.S.-China military talks deepens risk at dangerous time, analysts and officials say

by Reuters August 6, 2022
By Reuters

By Greg Torode

HONG KONG – China’s cutting of some of its few communication links with the U.S. military raises the risk of an accidental escalation of tension over Taiwan at a critical moment, according to security analysts, diplomats and U.S. officials.

China called off planned formal talks involving theatre-level commands, defence policy co-ordination and military maritime consultations on Friday as part of its retaliation against U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week.

In an editorial on Saturday, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper described the response, along with sanctions against Pelosi and her family, as “effective measures that fully demonstrates that China is fully determined and capable of safeguarding national unity and safeguarding … sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Christopher Twomey, a security scholar at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in California, told Reuters the severing of the communication links was worrying, coming at what he believed was the beginning of a new Taiwan crisis.

China fired ballistic missiles over Taipei as part of four days of unprecedented military drills around the island it claims as its own – exercises due to end at noon on Sunday.

“This increased density of forces, in the context of an intensifying crisis, raises the prospect for inadvertent escalation that neither side wants,” Twomey said, speaking in a private capacity.

“That is precisely the time you would want to have more opportunities to talk to the other side … Losing those channels greatly reduces the ability of the two sides to de-conflict military forces as various exercises and operations continue.”

As Chinese warships, fighter jets and drones manoeuvre around Taiwan, at least four powerful U.S. vessels, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam are east of Taiwan, Reuters has confirmed.

NOT TAKING CALLS

Bonnie Glaser, a Washington-based security analyst with the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said, more broadly, prospects were “extremely low for holding talks on risk reduction measures or stability”.

Over time, she said she expected the specific talks called off this week would resume but “right now, China has to signal toughness and resolve”.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Chinese officials had not responded to calls from senior Pentagon officials this week but that was seen as China showing displeasure over Pelosi’s trip rather than the severing of the channel between senior defence officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. [L1N2ZH19D]

Austin pushed for improved communication between the rival forces when met Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of Shangri-la Dialogue security meeting in Singapore in June.

Both Asian and Western diplomats said U.S. military chiefs had been pushing for more frequent theatre-level command talks for some time, given China’s growing deployments across Asia, where the U.S. navy has traditionally been the dominant power.

The Pentagon said on Friday that China was overreacting and the United States was still open to building crisis communication mechanisms.

“Part of this overreaction has been strictly limiting its defence engagements when any responsible state would recognise that we need them now the most,” acting Pentagon spokesman Todd Breasseale said.

(Reporting By Greg Torode; additional reporting by Michael Martina and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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Taiwan tensions reveal challenges for U.S. navy as Chinese threat grows

by Reuters August 6, 2022
By Reuters

(This story refiles to correct spelling of Antietam in paragraph 15)

By Greg Torode and Idrees Ali

HONG KONG – The long route of Nancy Pelosi’s Tuesday flight over Borneo to Taipei and a U.S. aircraft carrier’s complex passage through the South China Sea highlight the difficulties U.S. forces now face against a Chinese military keen to flex its muscles over Taiwan.

U.S. military officials repeatedly talk of “routine” patrols to support a “free and open Indo-Pacific” but the realities are increasingly challenging amid the worst Taiwan tensions since 1996, according to diplomats, military attaches and security analysts.

U.S. officials told Reuters this week they did not want to escalate matters with unnecessarily provocative deployments before House Speaker Pelosi – a staunch China critic and the third most senior U.S. politician – landed in Taipei on Tuesday on a U.S. Air Force plane.

And they are keeping to that approach as the Chinese military launches live firing exercises in waters surrounding, and in some bisecting, Taiwan’s territory, they say.

“We can’t control Pelosi’s travel, but we can control how we react,” one defence official said.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions regarding its actions and strategies.

The plane carrying Pelosi and her congressional delegation skirted the South China Sea – and its fortified islands – as it flew from Singapore on Tuesday, taking a longer route over the island of Borneo and eastern side of the Philippines.

“The natural flight path would be over the South China Sea but the place is now bristling with radars, sensors and jamming equipment on China’s island bases, so it is something to avoid in the Pelosi context,” said Singapore-based security consultant Alexander Neill.

“The way things are unfolding we can see the goal here is to avoid unmanaged escalations.”

After building up installations in the disputed Paracel and Spratlys archipelagos, Chinese coast guard vessels, warships and aircraft routinely patrol deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia, frequently shadowing U.S. and other navies.

China’s military modernisation in recent decades mean some security analysts say it would be unthinkable for U.S. aircraft carriers to challenge Chinese forces in the seas around Taiwan in the way they did a quarter of a century ago.

Back then, one carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait as another manouvered close by to end days of Chinese missile launches and military drills as Beijing protested Taiwan’s first direct presidential election.

More than half of the U.S. Navy’s 111 currently deployed battle force ships are now within the Japanese-based Seventh Fleet’s sphere of responsibility that straddles the western Pacific and Indian oceans, according to the tracking by the independent U.S. Naval Institute.

Deploying ships en masse to the Chinese coast is another matter, given China’s inventory of advanced cruise and ballistic missiles and its expansive surface fleet, regional security analysts say.

Four powerful vessels – the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam are east of Taiwan, Reuters has confirmed. Another assault ship – which also carries F-35 strike fighter aircraft – is at port nearby in Japan.

Some security analysts say it was highly likely U.S. attack submarines were also close to such a formation.

The passage of the Reagan strike group was particularly closely watched by regional security analysts in the days before Pelosi’s mission.

Radio Free Asia last month reported it was due to call in the central Vietnamese port of Danang in July after patrols in the southern South China Sea near China’s fortifications in the Spratlys.

Diplomats familiar with its route said the strike group turned around and instead headed for a five-day stop in Singapore starting July 22.

The move came as China launched exercises between July 16 and 20 surrounding its bases further north in the Paracel islands, east of Danang and covering 100,000 square km, according to statements by local maritime authorities.

Neither U.S. nor Vietnamese officials have commented on the switch, or the reason for it, but a U.S. Navy official told Reuters this week that schedules “often change” without confirmation or notice.

The Reagan later headed through the tight sealanes of the Philippines’ archipelago before reaching waters west of Taiwan, according to an official U.S. naval Facebook page.

Singapore-based security scholar Collin Koh said the passage through the Philippines’ San Bernadino strait by an aircraft carrier was unusual, instead of sailing north between the Philippines and south China coast.

“I think it shows some carefully calibrated deployments, designed to not unnecessarily provoke China even while ensuring they’re moving to where they need to be.”

(Reporting by Greg Torode in Hong Kong and Idrees Ali in Washington; additional reporting by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

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Breaking NewsBurlington County NewsFive Towns NJ NewsJackson Township NewsJersey Shore NewsMonmouth County NewsNew Jersey NewsOcean County NewsPolice BlotterToms River News

Police Make Arrests in Major Jersey Shore Drug Trafficking Operation

by Charlie Dwyer August 6, 2022
By Charlie Dwyer

TOMS RIVER, NJ – Two major players in New Jersey’s Jersey Shore drug trade have been arrested by police after an operation into illegal drug trafficking in the region.

The cooperative, multi-agency investigation identified a residence in Bordentown, as well as a residence in Cream Ridge occupied by Sanine Brosseau, 44, as being utilized by Shaun Crawford, 36, of Trenton, to store and distribute illegal narcotics.

According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer, on July 27 detectives from multiple law enforcement agencies established stationary and mobile surveillance on the residence in Bordentown as well as the residence in Cream Ridge. 

“Law enforcement maintained surveillance on Crawford when he exited the Cream Ridge residence and left the area in a motor vehicle.  Crawford was observed traveling to the Manchester Township area, where he was ultimately detained and taken into custody without incident,” Billhimer said in a statement on Friday. “Detectives subsequently executed court-authorized search warrants on both the Bordentown and Cream Ridge residences.”

As a result, law enforcement seized – in combination from both residences – approximately nine ounces of methamphetamine, 6,550 wax folds of heroin, six ounces of cocaine and crack cocaine, two handguns, and $3,000 in United States Currency.  Brosseau was taken into custody at the Cream Ridge residence.

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Financial News

Credit Suisse says it has no big exposure to Mexico’s Credito Real

by Reuters August 6, 2022
By Reuters

ZURICH – Credit Suisse is not exposed to any large losses among lenders to embattled Mexican firm Credito Real, the Swiss bank said on Saturday, contradicting earlier media reports.

Mexican newspaper El CEO citing documents said Credit Suisse is owed over $100 million by Credito Real, which has begun bankruptcy proceedings over $2.6 billion in debts.

That is the largest debt Credito Real owes to a foreign bank, the newspaper reported.

“Credit Suisse has no material exposure to the company in question,” a spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday.

“Any suggestion otherwise is unfounded.”

Credito Real announced it was beginning bankruptcy proceedings in July after defaulting earlier in the year.

(Reporting by John Revill; editing by Jason Neely)

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Cumberland Police Arrest Blotter: August 5, 2022

by Jeff Jones August 6, 2022
By Jeff Jones

CUMBERLAND, MD – The following arrests were made and warrants were issued on Friday. These incidents were reported by the Cumberland Police Department.

Police served an Arrest Warrant on Emily Rebecca Goetschius, age 30 of Cumberland, MD. The Warrant charged her with Violation of Probation. She was taken to Central Booking for her initial appearance before the District Court Commissioner and was held without bond.

Police served two Arrest Warrants on Steven Delaine Kienhofer, age 69, of Cumberland, MD. Both Warrants charged Kienhofer with Fail to Appear for his court dates. He was taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance before the District Court Commissioner and was released on his own recognizance.

Officers served an Arrest Warrant on Britton Thomas Garlitz, age 25, of Cumberland, MD. The Warrant charged Garlitz with 3rd Degree Burglary, 4th Degree Burglary, Second Degree Assault, and Disturbing the Peace. Garlitz was taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance before the District Court Commissioner and was released after posting 10% of his $7,500 bond.

The Cumberland Police served an Arrest Warrant on William Francis Thompson, age 34 of Cumberland, MD. The Warrant charged Thompson with Fail to Appear to a court date. He was taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance before the District Court Commissioner and was released on a $2500 unsecured bond.

Police were called to a residence on the 100 block of Pennsylvania Ave. Upon arrival, the officers contacted Robert Kyle Miller, age 50, of Cumberland, MD. Officers learned that Miller was prohibited from contacting a female that was also at the residence due to a Protective Order. Miller was arrested for Violation of a Protective Order. He was taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance before the District Court Commissioner. He has yet to be seen by the Commissioner.

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Police Track Down Bloodied Woman Reportedly Screaming for Help in Tractor Trailer

by Shore News Network August 6, 2022
By Shore News Network

South Brunswick, NJ – A report of a bloodied woman crying for help inside a tractor-trailer in the South Brunswick area earlier turned out to be a simple misunderstanding. Yes, there was a bloodied woman and yes she was probably screaming, but not for help.

“Police looking for white tractor cab in video. At 2pm woman seen yelling for help, bleeding from cab on Rt 130 headed towards Ridge Rd. Suspect – Older white male,bald,white beard. Victim- white/Hispanic female,20s,long brown hair,” the South Brunswick Police Department reported on Wednesday.

ALERT-NEED PUBLIC HELP
Police looking for white tractor cab in video.
At 2pm woman seen yelling for help, bleeding from cab on Rt 130 headed towards Ridge Rd.
Suspect – Older white male,bald,white beard.
Victim- white/Hispanic female,20s,long brown hair.
INFO CALL 732-329-4646 pic.twitter.com/7MJN775Jzd

— So Brunswick PD (@SoBrunswickPD) August 3, 2022

Police were able to identify the man and woman in the truck, a married couple in their 50s after a search in Middlesex and Union Counties.

Today the department said the incident was an ‘accident’.

According to a police statement, the woman was standing in the rear of the cab when the tractor-trailer was cut off by another driver, causing the man to abruptly stop. The woman then fell forward and hit her head on a cupholder, police said.

At first, she was calling for help and after pulling over, her husband took her immediately for medical treatment.

“He doesn’t even realize that the witness that reports it is even there,” police said. “He wasn’t even aware that anyone even saw the interaction between him and his wife.”

Police quickly ruled out any criminal activity after a 26-hour search and investigation.

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Newark Police Searching for Suspect Wanted for Questioning in July Shooting

by Charlie Dwyer August 6, 2022
By Charlie Dwyer

NEWARK, NJ – The Newark Police Department is searching for a man who is wanted for questioning in a July shooting incident in the city.

According to Newark Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé, police are asking for the public’s help with locating Steven Baker, 37, of Newark, wanted for questioning in connection with a shooting incident on July 18, 2022.

“Police responded to a call about shots fired at approximately 1:43 a.m. in the 30 block of Aldine Street. Officers secured the area and recovered three shell casings and two live rounds,” Frage said.

Johnson, a Black male, is 5’6” and 130 pounds with brown eyes, black hair, and a dark complexion.

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Police Investigating Armed Robbery at Upper Marlboro McDonald’s

by Charlie Dwyer August 6, 2022
By Charlie Dwyer

Upper Marlboro, MD – Police are seeking additional victims involved in an armed robbery at an Upper Marlboro Mcdonald’s restaurant on Wednesday.

According to police, detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police Major Crimes Division have arrested and charged 21-year-old Zachary Kinnell, and 20-year-old Brian Elzey, both of Upper Marlboro, with the armed robbery of a McDonald’s restaurant in the 2700 block of University Blvd. W. in Kensington

On Wednesday, at approximately 2:05 a.m., 4th District officers responded to the location for the report for an armed robbery that just occurred.

“The investigation by detectives has determined that two suspects, traveling in a silver Chevrolet Cruz, entered the drive‐thru and ordered food,” police said. ” One of the suspects exited the vehicle, approached the cashier’s window, displayed a black handgun and told the cashier to leave. The cashier complied. The suspect then reached through the window and removed an undisclosed amount of money from a cash drawer.”

The suspects then left the location in the Chevrolet traveling eastbound on University Blvd W.

On Thursday, at around 12:51 a.m., Montgomery County Police officers observed a silver Chevrolet Cruz occupied by two individuals enter the drive-thru of the McDonald’s restaurant in the 12100 block of Veirs Mill Rd.

“Officers determined that this vehicle matched the description of the vehicle that was used recently to rob the McDonald’s on University Blvd. W. and other McDonald’s restaurants throughout the DMV area,” police said. “The suspects made a purchase and exited the parking lot area of the restaurant. Officers followed the Chevrolet and pulled it over in the area of Veirs Mill Rd. and Connecticut Ave. Officers arrested the two occupants, later identified as Zachary and Elzey.”

Items of evidentiary value were found in the Chevrolet.

Detectives believe that there may be additional victims that have not contacted police, and are urging any victims or anyone with information to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.

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Suspect in America’s Largest Ever GoFundMe Scam Sentenced to Prison in New Jersey

by Charlie Dwyer August 6, 2022
By Charlie Dwyer

MOUNT HOLLY, NY – One of the perpetrators behind the country’s largest ever GoFundMe scam has been sentenced to prison this week.

Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that one of the defendants who conceived the fictitious GoFundMe “Paying it Forward” campaign was sentenced today to five years in New Jersey state prison for participating in the fraudulent scheme that misled donors into contributing more than $402,000 to a fabricated cause.

According to LaChia, Mark D’Amico, 43, of Florence, was sentenced in Superior Court in Mount Holly by the Hon. Christopher J. Garrenger, J.S.C., in accordance with a plea agreement negotiated by the Prosecutor’s Office.

He pled guilty in December 2019 to Misapplication of Entrusted Property. At the time, it was the largest fraud perpetrated through the crowdfunding company. GoFundMe voluntarily reimbursed the donors.

“People genuinely wanted to believe it was true,” Prosecutor Bradshaw said. “But it was all a lie, and it was illegal. Our office is pleased to bring justice for the more than 14,000 kind-hearted people who thought they were helping someone who was living in a desperate situation.”

Suspect in America's Largest Ever GoFundMe Scam Sentenced to Prison in New Jersey

Court documents referenced in today’s release tell the story about this crime.

D’Amico was charged in late 2018 – along with his girlfriend at the time, Katelyn McClure of Bordentown, and Johnny Bobbitt of Philadelphia – with concocting the feel-good story that misled potential donors into believing the money would go to help Bobbitt, a homeless veteran living on the streets of Philadelphia.

Bobbitt pled guilty in March 2019 to Conspiracy to Commit Theft by Deception (Second Degree), and was admitted into the New Jersey Judiciary’s Recovery Court program when sentenced in April 2019. The program allows those with addiction problems to seek treatment instead of being incarcerated. However, if Bobbitt fails to adhere to the tightly-structured regimen of treatment and recovery services, which includes frequent testing for drug use, he could be sentenced to five years in state prison.

McClure admitted that she advanced the false narrative about Bobbitt, saying it was at D’Amico’s direction, and pled guilty in April 2019 to Theft by Deception (Second Degree) in exchange for a four-year term in state prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9 in Superior Court in Mount Holly.

The cases against the trio in New Jersey Superior Court were put on hold while charges were pursued on the federal level by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey.

D’Amico was sentenced in April to 27 months in federal prison. His state and federal sentences are running concurrently. McClure was sentenced last month in federal court to a term of one year and one day. They were ordered by the federal judge to make full restitution to GoFundMe.

Bobbitt is scheduled to be sentenced on August 23 in U.S. District Court in Camden.

The “Paying it Forward” GoFundMe campaign was created on November 10, 2017, soon after D’Amico took a picture of McClure and Bobbitt standing in front of the Girard Avenue exit ramp on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. The fairy tale narrative that accompanied the photo indicated that McClure had run out of gas, and Bobbitt spent his last $20 to help her get back on her way.

The campaign listed a goal of $10,000 to provide Bobbitt with rent for an apartment, a reliable vehicle and six months of living expenses, among other things. But the incoming funds far exceeded their expectations, and were quickly spent by McClure and D’Amico on casino gambling and personal items such as a BMW, a New Year’s trip to Las Vegas, a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon and Louis Vuitton hand bags.

Within a few months of the campaign’s creation, all of the donated funds had been spent. Once he realized the money had been squandered, Bobbitt took civil action against D’Amico and McClure. He alleged in August 2018 through his attorneys that he had only received approximately $75,000 of the funds raised on his behalf.

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Breaking NewsPolice Blotter

West Bexar Mail Thieves Arrested and Charged

by Jeff Jones August 6, 2022
By Jeff Jones

WEST BEXAR COUNTY, TX – Two women have been charged with mail fraud and theft after stealing mail from multiple victims’ mailboxes from an apartment complex.

According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department, on July 27, deputies performed a traffic stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation in West Bexar County.

“Deputies contacted the driver, Rebecca Kosakowski, 34, and front seat passenger Lenora Salas, 20, and found narcotics paraphernalia in the vehicle and conducted a search of the vehicle,” the department said. “During the search, deputies found over 580 pieces of mail that did not belong to either of the suspects, but rather belonged to residents from apartments nearby. Kosakowski and Salas were then detained. Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Salas had a handmade postmaster key around her neck and another postmaster key was found in the center console of the vehicle.”

Additionally, Kosakowski was found to be wanted for a parole violation out of Austin for dangerous drugs.

Both Kosakowski and Salas were placed under arrest for mail theft and transported to the Bexar County Jail and were charged.

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76-Year-Old Arrested for Child Abuse

by Jeff Jones August 6, 2022
By Jeff Jones

BEXAR COUNTY, TX (PRESS RELEASE) – In May of 2022, a juvenile made an outcry that Gilbert Casanova, 76, had sexually assaulted the victim over the course of several years.

Investigators from our Child Safe Unit immediately began investigating and in July of 2022, investigators were able to issue a warrant for the arrest of Gilbert Casanova. Through the course of the investigation, investigators discovered Casanova was in possession of and had distributed child [censored]ography.

On July 26, 2022, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested Gilbert Casanova on a warrant for Continuous Sex Abuse on a Child, a 1st Degree Felony. Casanova is currently being held in the Bexar County Jail on a $100,000.00 bond. The investigation into this case remains ongoing.

The BCSO is now asking the public if you or someone you know may has any information regarding this suspect, as well as this any information on this suspect being involved with distributing child [censored]ography, please contact the BCSO at (210)335-6070, or email us at [email protected]

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TikTok Challenge Goes Wrong After Police Charge Drive-by Gel Blaster Shooters, Impound Parents’ Car

by Jeff Jones August 6, 2022
By Jeff Jones

ALAMO RANCH, FL – Four juveniles who decided to go joyriding in a car owned by one of their parents were charged and the vehicle was impounded after they started shooting pedestrians and others with gel blaster guns from their moving vehicle.

According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, on July 24 at around 7:10 pm, the department received reports of a shooting in the 1000 block of Paint Daisy located in the Alamo Ranch area. The first incident involved an adult male victim that reported he had been shot with a high capacity, high velocity, water bead blaster by a vehicle that was shooting at innocent bystanders causing injury.

“Shortly after, BCSO made contact with a second complainant who reported that while outside playing with his juvenile son, he was struck with a “Splat R Ball” water bead blaster gun, by a passing vehicle causing injury,” the BCSO said in a statement. “A deputy who heard the incident over the radio spotted the suspect vehicle that was alleged to have been involved in the shooting. Upon Deputies stopping the vehicle they observed the suspects window down, shooting the Splat R Ball gun toward other people.”

Deputies stopped the vehicle and detained four juveniles who were found to be in possession of two Splat R Ball guns that were used to assault the victims. Additionally, it was learned that the suspects were driving their parents car, which was ultimately seized pending the outcome of this investigation.

The juveniles’ ages were 15, 14, 14, and 11.

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Hiroshima prays for peace, fears new arms race on atomic bombing anniversary

by Reuters August 6, 2022
By Reuters

By Elaine Lies

TOKYO -Bells tolled in Hiroshima on Saturday as the city marked the 77th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing, with officials including the United Nations secretary general warning of a new arms race following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and, shortly after, Russian President Vladimir Putin had obliquely raised the possibility of a nuclear strike. The conflict has also heightened concerns about the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear plants.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres joined the thousands packed into the Peace Park in the centre of the city to mark the anniversary of the bombing that killed 140,000 before the end of 1945, only the second time a U.N. secretary general has taken part in the annual ceremony.

“Nuclear weapons are nonsense. They guarantee no safety – only death and destruction,” Guterres said.

“Three quarters of a century later, we must ask what we’ve learned from the mushroom cloud that swelled above this city in 1945.”

Guterres sidestepped a direct mention of Russia, which calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation.”

Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui, whose city this year did not invite the Russian ambassador to the ceremony, was more pointed and critical of Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine.

“In invading Ukraine, the Russian leader, elected to protect the lives and property of his people, is using them as instruments of war, stealing the lives and livelihoods of civilians in a different country,” Matsui said.

“Around the world, the notion that peace depends on nuclear deterrence gains momentum,” Matsui added.

“These errors betray humanity’s determination, born of our experiences of war, to achieve a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons. To accept the status quo and abandon the ideal of peace maintained without military force is to threaten the very survival of the human race.”

At 8:15 a.m. on Aug 6, 1945, the U.S. B-29 warplane Enola Gay dropped a bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” and obliterated the city with an estimated population of 350,000. Thousands more died later from injuries and radiation-related illnesses.

On Saturday, as cicadas shrilled in the heavy summer air, the Peace Bell sounded and the crowd, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is from Hiroshima, observed a moment of silence at the exact time the bomb exploded.

“At the start of this year, the five nuclear-weapon states issued a joint statement: ‘Nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,'” Matsui added.

“Why do they not attempt to fulfil their promises? Why do some even hint at using nuclear weapons?”

On Thursday, Russian ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin offered flowers at a memorial stone in the park and told reporters his nation would never use nuclear weapons.

Kishida, who has chosen Hiroshima as the site of next year’s Group of Seven summit, called on the world to abandon nuclear weapons.

Earlier this week, he became the first Japanese leader to take part in the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

“We will continue towards the ideal of nuclear disarmament even given the current tough security environment,” he said.

The Hiroshima catastrophe was followed by the U.S. military’s atomic bombing of Nagasaki on Aug 9, instantly killing more than 75,000 people. Japan surrendered six days later, ending World War Two.

In Hiroshima, Kishida also told Guterres that he strongly condemned China’s recent ballistic missile launches as “a serious issue concerning Japan’s security and the safety of Japanese people”, according to a Saturday news release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kishida repeated the phrases he used a day earlier during a meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose visit to Taiwan this week prompted an angry China to hold unprecedented live-fire drills in which five missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Kishida said he would work closely with Guterres in the wake of China’s action that “gravely affects peace and stability of the international community”, the release said.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Additional reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Kim Coghill)

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SAS pilots support wage deal, won’t resume strike

by Reuters August 6, 2022
By Reuters

By Anna Ringstrom and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

STOCKHOLM -Swedish, Danish and Norwegian pilot union members have voted to adopt a collective bargaining agreement reached with airline SAS last month, and will thus not resume their strike, the labour unions said on Saturday.

SAS grounded some 3,700 flights during a crippling 15-day strike in July.

In Denmark, 93% of pilot union members voted in favour of the deal.

“I am incredibly happy about the great support for the agreement, not least when we have been through such a long and tough conflict,” said Henrik Thyregod, chairman of the Danish pilots union.

“The members have clearly understood the gravity (of the situation) and this shows how strong the unity is among the pilots,” he said.

Unions in Norway and Sweden said a majority of their members also backed the deal, but did not immediately disclose how many had voted in favour.

Long-struggling SAS, which filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection on the second day of the strike, has estimated the industrial action cost it more than $145 million during what is normally the profitable peak summer travel season.

The deal entails lower wages and longer hours for the pilots but also a commitment from SAS, whose biggest owners are the governments of Sweden and Denmark, to rehire pilots laid off during the pandemic.

The new collective bargaining deal between SAS and unions also needs approval by a U.S. court handling creditors’ interests in the Chapter 11 process.

Under the agreement, pilots were given a guarantee that SAS will not set up new subsidiaries on different terms than what has now been agreed, Dansk Metal, the union representing Danish pilots, said in a statement.

SAS, which was already loss-making before the pandemic due to rising competition from low-cost carriers, has said it needs to slash costs further and raise more capital in order to survive.

While the Swedish government has rejected the company’s plea for more cash, Denmark says it might inject fresh funds if SAS also finds support from private-sector investors.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Jacob Gronholt-PedersenEditing by Terje Solsvik and Frances Kerry)

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Man Arrested for Fondling Himself In Front of 5-Year-Old At New Jersey Dollar Tree

by Charlie Dwyer August 6, 2022
By Charlie Dwyer

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – A New Jersey man was arrested after being caught exposing and fondling himself in front of a young child and his mother inside an East Brunswick Dollar Tree in July.

According to police, officers responded to the Dollar Tree located at 275 Route18 for the report of an act of Lewdness.

“Officers were able to develop a suspect, identified as Creig Campbell. Detective Alexander Danese conducted a follow-up investigation revealing that Mr. Campbell was found to have been exposing and fondling himself to a five-year-old child and her mother in the store,” police said in a statement on Friday.

A warrant was issued for Mr. Campbell, who was arrested and charged with Sexual Assault, Lewdness, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child and subsequently transported to MCACC.

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Two Pittsburgh Cops Injured in Altercation with Man Making Violent Threats

by Charlie Dwyer August 6, 2022
By Charlie Dwyer

PITTSBURGH, PA – Two Pittsburgh police officers were injured during an altercation with an irate man who was acting violently and making threats on Friday.

According to police, officers were called to E. Carson Street between S.13th Street and S.14th Street for reports of a male who was acting violently and making threats just after 3 p.m.

“When responding units approached the male he began physically fighting them and officers attempted to arrest him. The officers took the male down on the ground where he continued to fight with them,” the department said. “One officer received facial lacerations while the other suffered a possible fractured wrist.”

The male was arrested and transported to the Allegheny County Jail.

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Newark Couple Arrested for Union Street Robbery and Assault

by Charlie Dwyer August 6, 2022
By Charlie Dwyer

NEWARK, NJ – A man and a woman have been arrested and charged for an assault and robbery they committed in Newark on Tuesday.

Khashif Williams, 34, and Sofia Cooper, 35, both of Newark, were arrested in connection with a robbery on Union Street where they struck a victim from behind before taking their possessions.

According to police, at approximately 5:20 p.m., a male made a purchase using a large bill at a store inside Penn Station.

“After leaving the station, the victim was approached from behind at Union Street by a male suspect who struck the victim twice with a closed fist before taking the victim’s wallet. Cash in the amount of $700.00 was stolen from the victim along with other personal property, ” police reported.

Detectives investigating this incident identified Williams and Cooper as suspects in this incident and obtained warrants for both of their arrests. The two suspects were arrested on August 4, 2022, inside Penn Station. Each suspect is charged with conspiracy, robbery, and assault.

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