Breaking NewsMaryland NewsPolice Blotter

17 Year-Old Girl Shot in Northwest Baltimore

by Kristen Harrison-Oneal
By Kristen Harrison-Oneal

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – The Baltimore Police Department is investigating a shooting which took place on April 11th. This incident happened on the 3300 Block of Gwynns Falls Parkway in Northwest Baltimore at 2:48AM.

According to Police, “Once at the location, officers located a 17-year-old female victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the right hip. The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Northwest District Shooting detectives responded to the scene and assumed control over the investigation.”

If you have any information about this incident, please contact Northwest District Shooting detectives at 410-396-2466 or 1-866-7LOCK-UP.

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Breaking NewsCentral Jersey NewsJackson Township NewsNew Jersey NewsOcean County NewsPolitics

This Hate Needs to Stop: Jackson Mayor Condemns Attacks on Orthodox Jews

by Phil Stilton
By Phil Stilton

LAKEWOOD, NJ – Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina met on Sunday with members of the Lakewood Township government, including Mayor Raymond Coles and Deputy Mayor Manache Miller, to condemn the attack against Orthodox Jews in their communities Friday night.

“We’re still in shock over this whole thing,” Jackson Mayor Michael Reina told the Asbury Park Press in an interview. Earlier in the day, Reina did not respond to a comment from Shore News Network. “This (hate) needs to stop; it needs to stop now… It’s not going to be condoned, and we’re going to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law and continue to do that, especially in Jackson.”

Reina, who is battling lawsuits against the Department of Justice and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office for violating the religious civil rights of Jewish residents in his town, has come together with other leaders, including Avi Schnall of Agudath Israel of America; Michael Cohen and the American Defamation League to condemn Friday’s attack, which authorities are now saying targeted Orthodox Jews in Lakewood and Jackson.

On Sunday, federal agencies acknowledged they were looking into the matter. Later in the day, Congressman Chris Smith called upon the Department of Justice to see if the suspect committed any crimes he could be charged with at the federal level.

On Friday, a violent crime spree started near Martin Luther King Boulevard in Lakewood and ended a few miles away in Jackson. Police have arrested Dion Marsh, 27, of Manchester, for three counts of attempted murder.

In March, Reina blasted township residents, blaming them for anti-semitic comments made at planning board meetings for a residential development application denial. That developer subsequently sued the township before the case was settled in March.

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“I said it before, I cannot sit up here and say everything comes out of my mouth is going to ring the right way,” Reina said. “There are too many differences of opinions. The entities that are suing the township, and once it’s settled, everyone will see who they are. Ya, passions are going to come out on both sides. We’re not telling anyone they can’t have a first amendment. We want people to voice their opinions, but do it in a way that doesn’t take away from what the end game is. You all talk about we want this and we want that.”

According to police, at around 1:15 pm on Friday, officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department were summoned to Martin Luther King Drive and Pine Street for a report of a carjacking.  Responding officers determined that a male suspect approached a 2016 Toyota Camry, assaulted the driver, and fled the area in the vehicle.  

An Orthodox Jewish man was removed from the vehicle by Marsh and repeatedly punched in the face. He was treated at the scene by Hatzola.

Prior to this carjacking, Marsh unsuccessfully attempted to carjack another victim, but the driver was able to escape with their vehicle unharmed.

Later in the evening, at around 6:00 pm, the Lakewood Township Police Department received a report of a pedestrian being struck by a motor vehicle in the area of Central Avenue and Carlton Avenue.  

“Responding officers discovered that a male victim had been struck by a dark-colored vehicle.  The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he is listed in stable condition,” Ocean County Prosecutor Brad Billhimer reported. “At approximately 6:55 p.m., Lakewood Township Police Officers responded to a 911 call in reference to a stabbing in the vicinity of Pine Circle Drive and Lakewood New Egypt Road.  The officers discovered a male victim with a stab wound to his chest. The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he is listed in critical but stable condition.”

Later another pedestrian was struck, this time in Jackson Township.

“At approximately 8:20 p.m., Officers from the Jackson Township Police Department responded to a 911 call for a report of a pedestrian being struck by a motor vehicle in the area of Galassi Court,” Billhimer said. “Responding Officers were able to determine that the male victim had been struck by the same vehicle that was taken in the carjacking incident in Lakewood earlier in the day.  The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he is listed in critical but stable condition.”

Marsh was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder, carjacking, unlawful possession of a weapon and three counts of bias intimidation.

All of Marsh’s victims were Orthodox Jews.

“The bias intimidation charges arose over statements Marsh made to detectives,” said Bryan Huntenburg, spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office.

Lakewood and Jackson Township have one of the largest populations of Orthodox Jews in America.

“Our investigation reveals that these criminal acts were committed throughout the day yesterday into the early evening and that Marsh was acting alone and not in concert with anyone else.  I’m grateful for the collaborative efforts of every police officer and detective that worked swiftly to identify Marsh and bring him into custody without further injury to anyone.  A tremendous job by all involved,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated.

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Financial News

SocGen severs Russia ties with sale of Rosbank to oligarch Potanin

by Reuters
By Reuters

By Tassilo Hummel

PARIS -French bank Societe Generale said on Monday it would quit Russia and take a 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) income hit from selling its Rosbank unit to Interros Capital, a firm linked to Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin.

Rosbank will rejoin the business empire of Potanin, the 61-year-old head of mining giant Norilsk Nickel, who has been sanctioned by Canada https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/sanctions/russia_regulations-reglement_russie13.aspx?lang=eng under Western moves against Russia’s business and political elite over its invasion of Ukraine.

He has not been sanctioned by the European Union or the United States.

While financial terms of the deal were not announced, SocGen said it would write off 3.1 billion euros, comprising a 2 billion-euro hit on Rosbank’s book value and the rest linked to the reversal of rouble conversion reserves.

SocGen, the first major Western bank to announce its exit from Russia, had previously flagged the risk of a write-off on its 99% stake in Rosbank. Investors said its exit from Russia removed a lot of uncertainty.

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It pledged to stick to plans for a dividend and a 915 million-euro share buyback.

Morningstar analyst Johann Scholtz noted SocGen shares rallied 7% on the news, even though Russia only accounted for about 2% of SocGen’s earnings.

“It shows what discount the market was pricing in for potential Russian risks. This draws a line in the sand,” he said.

SocGen “essentially gives the business away for free,” Scholtz said, noting the book value writedown on Rosbank.

“The only way they can do that is that if they get no material consideration,” he added.

Interros agreed, however, to pay off Rosbank’s subordinated debt, approximately 500 million euros.

Overall, SocGen said the exit would shave 20 basis points (bps) from its Tier 1 capital ratio – the core measure of a bank’s financial strength – which stood at 13.7% at the end of 2021 or 470 bps above the minimum required.

Citi analysts said the news was “a welcome surprise for the market, given the small capital impact and the reduction of future risk, as well as confirmation of dividend policy.”

But the sale to Potanin was not universally applauded.

“It’s a bit distressing that ultimately this is an enormous gift to one of the wealthiest oligarchs,” said Jerome Legras, head of research at Axiom Alternative Investments.

France’s finance ministry declined to comment when asked whether the government had a role in negotiations. It declined to comment on Potanin’s status as a sanctioned individual.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow describes as a “special operation,” has prompted a wave of foreign companies to shutter their Russian businesses. Orchestrating a complete break is, however, more difficult due to sanctions and political sensitivities.

Axiom’s Legras said SocGen’s Russian exit put pressure on others to act. Italy’s UniCredit and Austria’s Raiffeisen are still considering their futures in Russia, while U.S. bank Citi is trying to offload a consumer banking franchise.

“The challenge in this environment is whom can you sell to? It’s easier to sell at a deep discount or walk away when it’s 2% of your earnings than if it is a third,” Morningstar’s Scholtz said, referring to Raiffeisen which earns almost 30% of net profits from Russia.

Asked whether SocGen’s deal meant other companies could sell their assets to Russian buyers, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “This depends on the decision of an owner of a specific company which is leaving Russia”.

ORDERLY EXIT

SocGen said the deal would allow it to quit Russia in an “an effective and orderly manner” and ensure continuity for Rosbank’s employees and clients.

Potanin’s holding company had owned Rosbank from 1998, before SocGen bought a stake in 2006 and merged it with its other Russian operations in 2010. SocGen paid https://www.societegenerale.com/sites/default/files/pressrelase/06132gb.pdf $317 million for its initial 10% stake in Rosbank.

Potanin, Russia’s second richest man with $27 billion worth of assets according to Forbes magazine estimates, worked in the Soviet Union’s foreign trade ministry and later as a banker before establishing Interros in 1990, an umbrella for his assets which range from metals production to a ski resort.

During the 1990s, Potanin served as Russia’s first deputy Prime Minister, masterminding the first wave of privatisations of former state-owned and himself buying several large businesses, including a stake in mining giant Nornickel.

Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, Potanin said that confiscating assets from companies that had left Russia would shatter investor confidence for decades.

“The most important goal of Interros is to maintain the stability of Rosbank and create new opportunities for its clients and partners,” Potanin said in a statement.

Interros said the Rosbank deal should be closed in the next few weeks after all necessary regulatory approvals.

French financial watchdog AMF declined to comment.

($1 = 0.9152 euros)

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Lucy Raitano, Sujata Rao and Reuters reportersEditing by Carmel Crimmins, Alexander Smith and Mark Potter)

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Breaking NewsD.C. NewsPolice Blotter

Victim Shot in Northwest D.C., Suspect Arrested

by Kristen Harrison-Oneal
By Kristen Harrison-Oneal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington, D.C. Metro Police Department is investigating a shooting that left one injured on April 9th. This incident took place on the 200 Block of W Street in Northwest D.C. They also announced that an arrest has been made.

According to Investigators, “At approximately 1:17 pm, members of the Third District were in the area when they heard the sounds of gunshots. Officers immediately located the victim. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was apprehended a short time later.”

 23 year-old Jermaine Brown, of Northwest, DC, was arrested on April 9th and charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.

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Breaking NewsD.C. NewsPolice Blotter

Four Shot Including Two Kids Shot in Southwest D.C.

by Kristen Harrison-Oneal
By Kristen Harrison-Oneal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington, D.C. Metro Police is investigating a shooting that took place on April 9th. This incident occurred on the 100 Block of P Street in Southwest D.C.

According to detectives, “At approximately 10:56 pm, members of the First District responded to the listed location for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, members discovered a total of four victims had been struck by gunfire. A juvenile female, two adult males, and one juvenile male were transported to local hospitals for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.”

Nearby surveillance cameras captured the suspect.

If you have any information about this incident, please take no action but call police at (202) 727-9099.

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Top HeadlinesUS and World News

White House faces April 18 deadline on transit mask mandate

by Reuters
By Reuters

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration faces an April 18 deadline on whether to extend or end a mandate requiring travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and in transit hubs.

Industry groups and Republican lawmakers want the White House to end the 14-month-old mask mandate. But it comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases – including numerous U.S. officials who attended a recent white-tie dinner in Washington.

New White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha told NBC News on Monday that U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky will decide whether the mandate should be extended.

“I know the CDC is working on developing a scientific framework for how to answer that. We’re going to see that framework come out in the next few days,” Jha said, adding extending the mandate “is absolutely on the table.”

The CDC, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, in February eased its guidance for face covering and now says nearly all of the U.S. population live in counties where they do not need to wear masks indoors.

Airlines, travel groups and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a letter to Jha released on Monday reiterated a call to end the mask mandate.

“The science clearly supports lifting the mask mandate, particularly in the context of recent CDC guidance, which found that the overwhelming majority of the U.S. population no longer needs to wear masks indoors,” the letter said.

Last month, the U.S. Senate voted 57 to 40 to overturn the public health order requiring masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation, drawing a veto threat from President Joe Biden.

The mask requirements have resulted in significant friction on U.S. airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration said that since January 2021, there have been a record 7,060 unruly passenger incidents reported – and 70% involved masking rules.

The administration is also considering lifting requirements that international visitors get a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel, as many countries have dropped testing requirements. The administration requires foreign air travelers to be vaccinated.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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Breaking NewsLottery WinnersNew Jersey News

Powerball $50K Winning Ticket Sold in Passaic County

by Kristen Harrison-Oneal
By Kristen Harrison-Oneal

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY – One lucky NJ Powerball ticket matched four numbers and the Powerball number drawn for the April 10th drawing. The winner will receive a $50K third-tier prize.

The Powerball ticket was sold at Jackpocket on Warwick Turnpike in Hewitt in Passaic County.

The winning numbers for the Saturday, April 9, drawing were: 06, 16, 31, 62, and 66. The Red Power Ball number was 18. The Power Play was 2X. 

According to lottery officials, “33,466 New Jersey players took home an estimated $171,157 in prizes ranging from $4 to $200. The Powerball jackpot rolls to $288,000,000 for the next drawing to be held Monday, April 11, at 10:59 pm.”

Here are our latest stories about other lottery winners

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Financial News

Musk keeps up tweets torrent on Twitter transformation as largest shareholder

by Reuters
By Reuters

(Reuters) -On the weekend Elon Musk was expected to join Twitter’s board, the billionaire tweeted to his about 81 million followers ideas and changes he wanted to bring to the micro-blogging platform and deleted a few of those tweets hours after rejecting the seat.

The week-long drama started when Musk disclosed a 9.1% stake in Twitter on April 4 and later said he would take a board seat. But, becoming a director would have prevented Musk from becoming a beneficial owner of more than 14.9% of Twitter’s common stock.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, its co-founder Jack Dorsey and Musk have tweeted their way through agreements, plans and congratulatory messages since the disclosure.

Here are some tweets Musk published and erased after disclosing his stake:

Date Tweet

April 10, 2022 Musk polled followers on Twitter asking whether the

company’s headquarters in San Francisco should be

converted into a homeless shelter. The tweet is now

deleted.

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos had backed Musk’s idea.

April 10, 2022 Twitter CEO Agrawal shared a note https://twitter.com/paraga/status/1513354622466867201

on Twitter saying that Musk rejected the company’s offer

to join its board. Musk deleted the tweet, where he

responded with an emoticon with a

face-with-hand-over-mouth.

April 10, 2022 Musk started a poll asking if “w” should be deleted from

Twitter’s name, leaving two voting options, “yes” and “of

course.” He deleted that too.

April 9, 2022 With respect to Twitter’s business model, Musk tweeted

before deleting it: “And no ads. The power of corporations

to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends

on advertising money to survive.”

April 9, 2022 Musk tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1512946176244473863,

“Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays

$3/month) should get an authentication checkmark” about

its subscription service that offers “exclusive access to

premium features” on a monthly basis. Later, he deleted

the tweet.

April 5, 2022 Agrawal tweeted https://twitter.com/paraga/status/1511320953598357505?s=21&t=Is9i_R_hPKzFuUV5VhxUZQ

Musk is being appointed to Twitter’s board. “He’s both a

passionate believer and intense critic of the service

which is exactly what we need on

@Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the

long-term”, a follow-on tweet said.

April 5, 2022 Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey welcomed Musk to Twitter’s board

in a tweet https://twitter.com/jack/status/1511329369473564677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1511329369473564677%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feconomictimes.indiatimes.com%2Fmagazines%2Fpanache%2Fto-celebrate-memelord-elon-musks-twitter-board-entry-netizens-flood-the-internet-with-jokes%2Farticleshow%2F90687616.cms,

added: “Parag and Elon both lead with their hearts, and

they will be an incredible team.”

April 4, 2022 Musk posted a Twitter poll asking users if they wanted an

edit button. “Do you want an edit button?” Musk asked in

the tweet, in response to which Agrawal said the

consequences of the poll will be important. “Please vote

carefully,” he tweeted.

April 4, 2022 In his first tweet since the disclosure of his stake in

Twitter, he said, “Oh hi lol”

March 26, 2022 Musk said Twitter failing to adhere to free speech

principles fundamentally undermines democracy and asked if

a new platform was needed.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram, Eva Mathews, Chavi Mehta, Tiyashi Datta and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

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GOP Lawmaker Claims School Officials In His State Found A Loophole In The Ban On CRT

by The Daily Caller
By The Daily Caller

GOP Lawmaker Claims School Officials In His State Found A Loophole In The Ban On CRT

GOP Lawmaker Claims School Officials In His State Found A Loophole In The Ban On CRT

Kendall Tietz on April 11, 2022

  • An Oklahoma state senator has introduced a bill that prohibits the teaching of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in K-12 public schools.
  • State Senator Shane Jett says schools across Oklahoma are using a loophole in an anti-Critical Race Theory (CRT) law to promote SEL, which he believes to be a repackaging of CRT. 
  • “CRT was the buzzword for last year, SEL is its wicked woke stepsister that’s basically a good sounding name to bring in Marxist brainwashing ideology into the classroom,” Jett said.

A Republican lawmaker in Oklahoma is sounding the alarm on what he says is just the “wicked woke stepsister of” Critical Race Theory.

Oklahoma state Senator Shane Jett has proposed legislation to prohibit the teaching of so-called Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in K-12 public schools. The Oklahoma State Department of Education (DOE) is using the seemingly nice sounding name “Social and Emotional Learning” to implement the curriculum as a loophole in a state law that restricts teaching concepts like CRT, according to Jett.

Jett believes his bill, if passed, would shut that loophole and keep SEL out of public schools.

“Once my eyes were open to SEL bypassing CRT and additionally bringing in this gender chaos ideology, that was the impetus for me writing the SEL bill,” Jett told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“CRT was the buzzword for last year, SEL is its wicked woke stepsister that’s basically a good sounding name to bring in Marxist brainwashing ideology into the classroom,” he added. “We don’t want our kids brainwashed, we don’t want our kids taught to be racist and we certainly don’t want them to be taught Marxist ideology.”

CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.

Jett believes the effort to implement SEL is being pushed from the top down, starting with the Oklahoma DOE. The DOE currently promotes SEL materials on its website, which contains links to resources such as the “Hate Crimes Prevention Center.”

However, this link leads to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), which claims that “hate is on the rise” due to attacks targeting “immigrants, communities of color, and religious minorities … under the Trump administration’s watch.”

Jett also says Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister is backing the effort to push SEL onto public school kids. Hofmeister is “absolutely pushing social and emotional learning because it reflects her true identity,” Jett said. “Politically, she’s a liberal.”

Hofmeister was a Republican until last year when she announced a 2022 gubernatorial run as a Democrat, Tulsa World reported.

Jett said his constituents have expressed concern about public schools and the indoctrination of children in the classroom.

He spoke of one parent in his district who said her daughter’s SEL coursework taught her that because of “institutional racism,” she would “get an incrementally higher grade” because she’s white.

“The mother didn’t know what SEL was,” but the name itself fools many parents because it “sounds really sweet,” Jett said. “It became very apparent to me that SEL was a great sounding name” used as a vector to introduce gender ideology, he added.

Jett said that by sexualizing kids in the classroom, they’re using SEL as a conduit to bypass state law, which restricts “any form of mandatory gender or sexual diversity training or counseling.”

Another way SEL is implemented is through student surveys that have been criticized for asking young students personal questions about their home life, sexual encounters, suicide attempts and substance and alcohol use to collect data about community demographics and student mindset.

“It’s basically a psychological conduit” used by “teachers [who] are not trained to be psychologists or therapists” to “administer surveys, apply psychological manipulation, according to a woke ideology in the classroom and then measure to see how effective their work is,” Jett said.

Jett said SEL is “not a tenet of Critical Race Theory,” but rather CRT and other “woke ideology” are “taught through the SEL platform,” with the goal of “changing the minds of young people.”

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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Alleged Secret Service Dupers Were Tipped Off Ahead Of FBI Raid

by The Daily Caller
By The Daily Caller

Alleged Secret Service Dupers Were Tipped Off Ahead Of FBI Raid

Alleged Secret Service Dupers Were Tipped Off Ahead Of FBI Raid

Jennie Taer on April 11, 2022

UPDATE: This article has been updated to include the court document filed Sunday by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. 

Two men who allegedly posed as federal law enforcement agents were tipped off to the FBI’s raid on their apartments, according to a court document filed Sunday.

Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 36, were arrested in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for allegedly posing as Homeland Security agents since as early as February 2020 to buy off members of the Secret Service, including one officer assigned to First Lady Jill Biden’s security detail, according to an affidavit.

The suspects were allegedly tipped off before the FBI came for them, buying them time to stash guns and other possessions, according to the memo from U.S. attorney Matthew Graves.

The two are each charged with the federal offense of False Impersonation of an Officer of the United States, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Officers reportedly found shipping items and labels in one of their apartments, prosecutors said in a Sunday filing.

“This is consistent with the prior pattern and practice of providing federal law enforcement agents with gifts and items of value, and suggests that Taherzadeh and/or Ali shipped the package to the USSS Uniformed Division Officer in an attempt to corruptly enlist him in secreting evidence,” the filing said.

Investigators are also looking into the possibility that the accused are tied to Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, Iran’s Quds force, and/or Pakistani intelligence, CBS News reported.

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

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Caitlyn Jenner Slams NCAA, Says It ‘Caved To Woke Mob’ By Allowing Lia Thomas To Dominate Female Athletes

by The Daily Caller
By The Daily Caller

Caitlyn Jenner Slams NCAA, Says It ‘Caved To Woke Mob’ By Allowing Lia Thomas To Dominate Female Athletes

Caitlyn Jenner Slams NCAA, Says It ‘Caved To Woke Mob’ By Allowing Lia Thomas To Dominate Female Athletes

Laurel Duggan on April 11, 2022

Caitlyn Jenner criticized the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) for allowing transgender athlete Lia Thomas to compete against female swimmers in a New York Post opinion column Saturday.

The NCAA failed to protect women and provide them equal opportunities by allowing males to compete against women, Jenner argued, and female athletes were largely unable to speak up due to “cancel culture” concerns. Jenner also characterized males competing in women’s sports as antithetical to the principles of athletic competition.

“The NCAA should have done the honorable thing to protect these women. It is their obligation to do so. Yet, the NCAA caved to the woke mob and refused to protect women, on all levels,” Jenner wrote.

Lia Thomas competed on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swim team for three years before transitioning to the opposite sex and switching to the women’s team. Thomas dominated women’s collegiate swimming at the national level during the 2021-2022 season, triggering rule changes from USA Swimming which were ignored by the NCAA.

Jenner, who won a gold medal in the Olympics while competing as a man, described the hard work and sacrifice that athletic excellence requires, explaining that Thomas’s female competitors had reached the pinnacle of their sport, only to be overshadowed.

Thomas should be able to live authentically, but so should the women competing against Thomas, Jenner argued.

“We must protect women’s sports. At all costs,” Jenner said. “What Lia has done, beating biological women to win a Division I national championship, is anathema to what sports represents and the spirit of competition.”

Jenner pointed to polling numbers showing broad national opposition to males competing in women’s sports and vowed to work with candidates and political action committees to protect women’s sports.

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

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‘Directly Reward The Chinese Communist Party’: US Green Groups Under Fire For Opposition To Solar Tariffs

by The Daily Caller
By The Daily Caller

‘Directly Reward The Chinese Communist Party’: US Green Groups Under Fire For Opposition To Solar Tariffs

‘Directly Reward The Chinese Communist Party’: US Green Groups Under Fire For Opposition To Solar Tariffs

Thomas Catenacci on April 11, 2022

  • Trade reform advocates are calling out the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the American Clean Power Association over their seemingly pro-China tariff stance.
  • “When it comes to solar … you have groups like SEIA and American Clean Power that are just blatantly lobbying for the outcome that would benefit Chinese solar manufacturers,” said Nick Iacovella, of the Coalition for a Prosperous America.
  • Both groups came out against a recent Commerce Department investigation into Chinese circumvention of solar tariffs.

Two prominent U.S.-based renewable energy trade associations are pushing a policy agenda that puts Chinese interests over American interests, trade reform advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the American Clean Power Association (ACP) have opposed tariffs designed to bolster and protect U.S. solar firms from Chinese-government-backed competitors.

“When it comes to solar, you have the people that support American manufacturers and then you have groups like SEIA and American Clean Power that are just blatantly lobbying for the outcome that would benefit Chinese solar manufacturers and Chinese companies,” Nick Iacovella, of the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA), told the DCNF in an interview.

Iacovella said the groups have taken such a hard stance against tariffs because of their closeness to Chinese companies that dominate the industry. Both SEIA and ACP’s member rosters include Chinese-based solar panel companies.

SEIA and ACP have vehemently opposed tariffs on Chinese-made solar panel equipment, arguing such protective measures would be harmful to the U.S.-solar industry and lead to job losses. SEIA opposed efforts by both the Obama and Trump administrations to raise the costs of importing Chinese-made solar cells and panels.

ACP, which was formed in 2021, has also taken up the anti-tariff mantle. Most recently, both ACP and SEIA came out swinging against the Biden administration for launching an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese solar companies operating out of Southeast Asia.

‘Heck of a lot of energy companies’

Iacovella and CPA have also taken issue with the fact that both SEIA and ACP boast Chinese member companies.

“They’re funded by the Chinese,” he told the DCNF.

In 2019, SEIA announced that the Chinese solar maker JinkoSolar would join its board of directors. At the time, the Shanghai-based company said it was “eager to contribute to SEIA’s vision to shape the future of the U.S. solar industry.”

JinkoSolar, which remained on the group’s board as recently as March 2021, is no longer publicly listed as a board member, but is still listed as a SEIA member along with fellow Chinese solar powerhouses JA Solar and LONGi Solar. LONGi Solar is also an ACP member.

It’s unclear how many of the trade groups’ members are Chinese companies; the ACP’s membership directory is not publicly available. Neither the SEIA nor ACP directly answered questions about the make-up of their boards and number of Chinese member companies.

Complicating the situation is the fact that both SEIA and ACP’s boards of directors include utility companies and solar panel installers — both segments of the solar industry that tend to oppose tariffs on Chinese solar manufacturers.

For instance, SEIA’s board chairman is George Hershman of SOLV Energy, a major solar installer, and ACP’s board chair is Craig Cornelius of Clearway Energy Group. Mortenson Construction and Blattner Energy — the two largest engineering, procurement, and construction firms in the United States — have seats on both SEIA and ACP’s boards.

A spokesperson for the SEIA said it was committed to working with all types of companies within the industry to achieve a better business environment.

“SEIA represents the American solar and storage industries and American workers, full stop,” SEIA vice president of public affairs Dan Whitten told the DCNF in a statement.

“SEIA’s board and membership consists of companies from every solar market segment, including manufacturers, developers, installers, financiers, etc.,” he continued. “Together, we craft strategies and policy positions that will create open, competitive markets for solar and storage companies.”

‘Their goal is to dominate’

The broader debate surrounding solar tariffs has taken off in recent years as the industry expands — globally, it’s expected to grow nearly 60% by 2028. President Joe Biden’s quest to decarbonize the electric grid would also massively increase demand for solar energy.

There’s just one problem — China currently dominates solar panel manufacturing. For instance, China produces more than 90% of the global supply of solar wafers, a key component in panels, according to a 2021 BloombergNEF analysis. The vast majority of U.S.-assembled solar panels heavily rely on Chinese-sources materials and components.

Chinese solar modules are roughly half the price of American solar modules, according to an industry analysis.

Bipartisan lawmakers, labor unions and groups like the CPA and Alliance for American Manufacturing have argued that solar tariffs are necessary to protect American companies from Chinese suppliers flooding the market with low-priced panels.

“If you’re an American solar manufacturer, you’re supportive of the tariffs because Chinese solar companies are incredibly subsidized by the Chinese government,” Iacovella said. “Their goal is to dominate. So they subsidize their industries, they undercut the American producer and as soon as the American producer is gone, they come in and they raise the price.”

For example, U.S.-based solar panel manufacturer First Solar, which is a SEIA member, came out in support of tariffs back in 2017.

However, the SEIA and ACP, along a slew of free market and liberal think tanks, stressed that tariffs block the U.S. from fulfilling its renewable energy goals and hurt the industry as a whole. SEIA and ACP signed a letter to President Biden in February 2021, asking him to reverse the Trump-era duties on Chinese solar panels.

“These actions did not and will not spur domestic manufacturing,” renewable energy groups wrote in their 2021 letter. “Instead, they created significant business uncertainty, added new costs to solar projects that were already contracted, and delayed numerous solar projects.”

In February, the Biden administration loosened some of the Trump-era tariffs but declined to remove them altogether.

‘The case is existential’

The tariff battle reignited in late March when the Commerce Department announced it would investigate allegations from California-based Auxin Solar that Chinese companies are offshoring operations to southeast Asian nations in order to skirt solar tariffs.

“The case is existential for us,” Auxin Solar CEO Mamun Rashid told the DCNF. “When Chinese panels come into the United States through these third countries at prices below our bill of materials, we can’t compete. We can’t pay our employees a fair wage.”

“The trade data show it,” he added. “We are confident in our allegations and that is why Commerce is conducting the investigation.”

However, SEIA head Abigail Hopper said the probe would have a “devastating impact.” ACP CEO Heather Zichal, who formerly served in the Obama White House, said the action “signals that the Biden Administration’s talk of supporting solar energy is empty rhetoric.”

“This case was brought on by one self-interested company and is a bad faith effort to co-opt trade law for their personal gain,” said SEIA’s Whitten, referencing a SEIA survey that showed 100% of the 200 surveyed solar makers “expect severe or devastating impacts to their business” as a result of the tariff investigation.

The ACP shared a previous statement about Auxin’s petition with the DCNF.

While Auxin’s Rashid commended the SEIA and ACP for precious work advocating on behalf of the U.S. solar industry, he slammed the groups over their opposition to tariffs.

“It’s unfortunate that these organizations do not support having a vibrant domestic solar manufacturing base,” Rashid, Auxin’s CEO, told the DCNF. “Unfortunately, many of the members of SEIA and ACPA are the circumventing foreign producers and the utilities and ECP companies that want cheap imports. Their motivation is to maximize profits.”

“Their scare tactics are belied by evidence; tariffs have been in place on solar modules for many years and it has not slowed solar deployment or solar price parity with other energy sources,” Rashid added. “Unfortunately, their policies directly reward the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese State-Owned Enterprises with access to our electricity grid to be funded by the U.S. taxpayer.”

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Musk Isn’t Joining Twitter’s Board After All

by The Daily Caller
By The Daily Caller

Musk Isn’t Joining Twitter’s Board After All

Musk Isn’t Joining Twitter’s Board After All

Harry Wilmerding on April 11, 2022

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is no longer joining Twitter’s board of directors, the company’s CEO announced Sunday.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal issued a statement announcing Musk, who purchased over 9% of Twitter earlier this month, will remain the company’s largest shareholder but will not take the board seat. Musk’s appointment would have begun Saturday after a background check and a formal acceptance.

“Elon Musk has decided not to join our board,” Agrawal said on Twitter.

“We were excited to collaborate and clear about the risks,” he added. “We also believed that having Elon as a fiduciary of the company where he, like all board members, has to act in the best interest of the company and all our shareholders, was the best path forward.”

Agrawal added that Musk will continue to have input in the company, though the Twitter CEO did not give any specific reasons for Musk’s decision not to join the board.

“There will be distractions ahead, but our goals and priorities remain unchanged,” Agrawal said. “The decisions we make and how we execute is in our hands, no one else’s.”

“Let’s tune out the noise, and stay focused on the work and what we’re building,” he added

Musk purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter on April 4 making the billionaire the largest shareholder of the company. Agrawal announced Tuesday that Musk would serve on the board after the Tesla CEO purchased his large stake in the company.

“I’m excited to share that we’re appointing @elonmusk to our board! Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board,” Agrawal announced.

“He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term,” he added. “Welcome Elon!”

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Oil Prices Are Falling, But It Has Nothing To Do With Biden’s Policies

by The Daily Caller
By The Daily Caller

Oil Prices Are Falling, But It Has Nothing To Do With Biden’s Policies

Oil Prices Are Falling, But It Has Nothing To Do With Biden’s Policies

Thomas Catenacci on April 11, 2022

Global crude oil prices continued to slide Monday because of the sudden decreased demand sparked by China’s massive COVID-19 lockdowns, experts said.

The Brent crude index, the worldwide oil benchmark, dropped to $98.93 per barrel Monday morning, falling more than 3.39% overnight. The U.S. WTI index decreased more than 3.75% below $94.30 per barrel Monday.

“We have the re-emergence of Covid in China, which is throwing another spanner into the works when we’re trying to assess what the demand will be,” Richard Gorry, JBC Energy Asia’s managing director, told CNBC.

The oil benchmarks have sharply dropped in recent days as the Chinese government has initiated mass economic coronavirus-related lockdowns affecting the nation’s industrial production, Bloomberg reported, and disrupting the world oil supply chains dependent on Chinese demand.

Shanghai, the country’s financial hub, has implemented some of the harshest coronavirus restrictions since 2020.

“Fears are rising now that if China’s Omicron wave spreads to other cities, its zero-COVID policy will see mass extended lockdowns that negatively impact both industrial output and domestic consumption,” OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley told Reuters on Monday.

China surpassed the U.S. as the world’s largest importer of crude oil when it imported 8.4 million barrels a day in 2017, according to the Energy Information Administration. The nation imported 10.3 million barrels of crude per day in 2021, S&P Global data showed.

By comparison, the U.S. imported 6.1 million barrels of crude oil per day last year.

“There was some hope that China this time around would not go through a lockdown, but the message from the country is that that’s out of the question,” J.P. Morgan head of global commodities research Natasha Kaneva told The Wall Street Journal in late March. “I think the market is definitely afraid of what is coming next.”

Since then, U.S. oil prices have declined more than 11% and global oil prices have dropped 12%, according to marketplace figures.

President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Energy to release a whopping 180 million barrels of oil over the next six months on March 31. The International Energy Agency coordinated a separate release of 62.7 million barrels of oil among its 31 member nations.

However, analysts said the release would be insignificant and have little impact on gasoline prices. Days after the release, global oil prices surged higher.

“It’s not a ‘strategic price reserve.’ It was never intended for this and it won’t do anything, just like the last one,” Institute for Energy Research President Tom Pyle told the Daily Caller News Foundation after Biden unveiled the action.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.

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

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Obama’s DHS Secretary Didn’t Sugarcoat The Poor Timing Of Biden’s Latest Border Decision

by The Daily Caller
By The Daily Caller

Obama’s DHS Secretary Didn’t Sugarcoat The Poor Timing Of Biden’s Latest Border Decision

Obama’s DHS Secretary Didn’t Sugarcoat The Poor Timing Of Biden’s Latest Border Decision

Jennie Taer on April 11, 2022

Former President Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson said he wouldn’t have ended Title 42 during a time when migration typically speeds up.

The Trump-era public health policy responsible for over 1.7 million migrant expulsions will end May 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced April 1.

The policy should end around July, when migration tends to slow down with the hot summer weather, Johnson said in an interview Sunday with Face The Nation.

“I would’ve argued that we should keep in place just a little while longer, until perhaps July, when these numbers do tend to slow down in the hotter weather … ” Johnson said.

The order had to come to an end “some time” as courts have increasingly questioned the policy, Johnson added.

The White House says its preparing contingencies for an expected border surge come May 23.

Border authorities are also preparing to see nearly 8,000 border crossings a day when Title 42 ends. Asylum seekers will now be processed under Title 8, which the Border Patrol union chief recently told the Daily Caller News Foundation essentially means that migrants will be released into the interior of the country.

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

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Breaking NewsLottery WinnersNew Jersey News

$344K Jersey Cash 5 Ticket Sold in Atlantic County

by Kristen Harrison-Oneal
By Kristen Harrison-Oneal

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY – A lottery player in Atlantic County is $344,087 richer thanks to the Jersey Cash 5 drawing. Their ticket matched all of the numbers drawn for the April 8th drawing.  

The winning Jersey Cash 5 numbers were: 03, 08, 13, 27, and 38 and the XTRA number was: 02. 

The retailer will receive a bonus check for $2,000 for the winning ticket sold. Dino’s Deli & Subs on Zion Road in Egg Harbor Township, in Atlantic County sold the winning ticket. They will receive a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Here are our latest stories about other lottery winners

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Top HeadlinesUS and World News

Russia says West helping Ukraine prepare fake allegations of war crimes

by Reuters
By Reuters

LONDON – Moscow said on Monday that the United States and Britain were helping Ukraine prepare fake claims about the alleged persecution of civilians in Ukraine to feed to international media in an attempt to smear Russia.

Since Russian troops withdrew from towns and villages around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Ukrainian troops have been showing journalists corpses of what they say are civilians killed by Russian forces, destroyed houses and burnt-out cars.

The West says the dead civilians are evidence of war crimes. Reuters reporters saw dead bodies in the town of Bucha but could not independently verify who was responsible for the killings.

Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine’s government was being directed by the United States to sow false evidence of Russian violence against civilians despite what it cast as Moscow’s “unprecedented measures to save civilians.”

“The United States, which has many years of experience in organizing provocations with human victims, continues its campaign to create and promote false ‘evidence’,” the ministry said.

Ukraine says Russia is guilty of genocide and has called on the West and the NATO military alliance to give it more support.

Russia said British intelligence was helping Ukraine to prepare new fake claims about alleged abuses in northeastern Ukraine. The defence ministry did not provide evidence for its claims of British and U.S. involvement.

“New false staged provocations accusing the armed forces of the Russian Federation of allegedly cruel treatment of the population of Ukraine are being prepared by the Kiev regime under the leadership of British special services on the territory of the Sumy region,” the ministry said.

Russia said Western journalists had been invited to the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine to “conduct the filming of staged plots”. The ministry said Western media would publish such fake news shortly. It did not say which media.

It said that Russian troops had left the alleged scene of some of the abuses, the Ukrainian village of Nyzhnya Syrovatka, on March 20.

“The goal is to further stoke Russophobia against the backdrop of the rapidly developing economic crisis in Europe,” the ministry said.

Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States.

Putin says the “special military operation” in Ukraine is necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow had to act to defend Russian-speaking people in Ukraine against persecution.

Ukraine says it is fighting against an imperial-style land grab and dismisses Putin’s claims of genocide as nonsense.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)

tagreuters.com2022binary_LYNXNPEI3A0ND-BASEIMAGE

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Department of Justice Press Releases

United States Reaches Agreement with CVS Pharmacy, Inc., to Ensure Online Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Registration for People with Disabilities

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the Justice Department announced today that they have reached a settlement agreement with CVS Pharmacy, Inc., (CVS) to ensure that people with disabilities can get information about COVID-19 vaccinations and book vaccination appointments online. CVS, headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, is the country’s largest retail pharmacy, with nearly 10,000 locations nationwide.

Following investigation, the United States determined that CVS’s COVID-19 vaccine registration portal, currently located at https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine, was not accessible to people with certain disabilities, including those who use screen reader software or have a hard time using a mouse. For instance, at the outset of the scheduling process, the types of vaccine appointments offered (which included influenza, pneumonia, and others in addition to the COVID-19 option) were not read to screen reader users. Further, on the page where a user picks a time for their appointment, screen reader users were told that all available times were “checked,” even though the user had not made any selection. Additionally, people who use the “Tab” key instead of a mouse to navigate websites were not able to navigate past a request for insurance information.  

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public accommodations like drugstores and grocery stores to provide individuals with disabilities with full and equal enjoyment of goods and services. The ADA also requires public accommodations to provide effective communication with people with disabilities, including through the use of auxiliary aids and services like accessible technology.

Under the terms of the agreement, CVS will facilitate accessibility by conforming its web content about the COVID-19 vaccine, including the forms for scheduling an appointment to get the vaccine, to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Version 2.1, Level AA. WCAG is a set of voluntary industry guidelines for making information on a website accessible to users with disabilities. The agreement also requires CVS to regularly test the pages of its website that include vaccine scheduling and information about the COVID-19 vaccine, and quickly fix any problems that keep people with disabilities from being able to use these pages.

“While web accessibility is always important, when it comes to critical health services like COVID-19 vaccination, making sure that everyone—regardless of disability—can access information and care is essential,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha of the District of Rhode Island. “This Office is committed to vigorously enforcing the ADA to eliminate unnecessary barriers that stand in the way of lifesaving care.” 

“Now more than ever, we must ensure web accessibility for people with disabilities seeking access to critical needs and services,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are working aggressively to identify and remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from privately and independently securing potentially life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. We will continue to work towards the ADA’s promise of equal access during the ongoing global pandemic.”

This matter was handled jointly by Assistant United States Attorney Amy R. Romero of the District of Rhode Island and Anne Langford and Joy Welan, attorneys for the Disability Rights Section of the Department’s Civil Rights Division.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island is committed to investigating alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Department of Justice has a number of publications available to assist entities in complying with the ADA. For more information on the ADA and to access these publications, visit www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY). Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging a public entity or public accommodation in Rhode Island is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at  https://www.justice.gov/usao-ri/civil-rights-enforcement or 401-709-5000.

###

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Drug Dealing Trio Sentenced To Federal Prison

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Keson Viason Evans, Jr. (30, Eustis) to 11 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. On December 17, 2021, Judge Antoon sentenced co-defendant George Randolph Morris, Jr. (31, Umatilla) to 10 years of imprisonment and co-defendant Demitric Jovante Blue (25, Ocala) to 7 years and 3 months of imprisonment. All three were convicted following their guilty pleas for the same offense.

According to court documents, Evans, Morris, and Blue conspired with one another between May 11 and 20, 2021, to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. An informant, working with the Drug Enforcement Administration placed an order to purchase 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of fentanyl from Morris. Evans was the source of supply for the fentanyl and Blue was the source of supply for the methamphetamine. When all three men showed up on May 20, 2021, to deliver the drugs to the informant in Leesburg, DEA agents arrested them and seized the drugs.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Bristol, Tennessee Woman Sentenced to 13 Years For Role in Large-Scale Meth Trafficking Conspiracy

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

ABINGDON, Va. – A Tennessee woman, who was part of a conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine from Mexico into Southwest Virginia, was sentenced last week to 156 months in federal prison.

Jessica Nicole Kent, 35, of Bristol, TN, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to one count of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Kent conspired with Joshua Desorcy, the ringleader responsible for coordinating the importation of massive shipments of methamphetamine from sources of supply in Mexico to accomplices in Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas.  Desorcy directed Kent and other co-conspirators to make numerous trips to Atlanta and Houston to bring back the methamphetamine for further distribution in Southwest Virginia.

In pleading guilty, Kent admitted to not only making those trips to Atlanta to pick up the drugs, but also routinely selling various amounts of both methamphetamine and heroin throughout Southwest Virginia. 

In February 2022, Desorcy was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.

U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia, Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of DEA’s Washington Division made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Murphy is prosecuting the case.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Ocala Man Who Threatened Sheriff Sentenced To Prison

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Lonnie Lorenzo Hollingsworth, Jr. (37, Ocala) to three years in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Hollingsworth had been found guilty following a bench trial on October 15, 2021.

According to court documents, Hollingsworth had previously threatened the Marion County Sheriff, and his deputies, in connection with an event on March 10, 2013, wherein Hollingsworth was shot by an individual Hollingsworth was attempting to rob. The incident resulted in Hollingsworth being arrested and convicted for attempted strong arm robbery. Despite his guilty plea in that case, Hollingsworth blamed the Sheriff’s Office for his prosecution, claiming that he was a victim.

On December 18, 2020, Hollingsworth walked into the Marion County Jail visitation center and handed over a package containing a “manifesto” detailing his desire to retaliate against the Sheriff. Four days later, he taped an identical copy of the manifesto to the doors of the Marion County Courthouse.

Three months later, on April 5, 2021, Hollingsworth called 911 from an Ocala gas station and threatened the Sheriff with violence.  Ocala Police officers responded to the scene and were successful in deescalating the situation with Hollingsworth. A round of ammunition was found in Hollingsworth’s possession, which he is prohibited from possessing under federal law due to his five prior felony convictions.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Ocala Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

Six men indicted for illegal firearms possession, drugs

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

SAVANNAH, GA:   Six defendants are among those facing federal charges including drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession. 

The indicted cases are being investigated part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.

“It is a priority of our office to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to target those whose illegal possession of firearms threatens the safety of our communities,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We won’t tolerate violent criminal activity in the Southern District.”  

In the past four years, more than 750 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony.

Defendants named in federal indictments from the April 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:

  • Juan Eloy Quintanilla, 29, of Willacoochee, Ga., charged with Distribution of Hydrocodone and Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Five or More Grams of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
  • Rashejon B. Curry, 28, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Marijuana; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
  • Nequan O’Neal Roberson, 22, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
  • Charles Barnes, 50, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
  • Kareem M. Harris, 38, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
  • James Hoffman, 37, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:

  • Charles Aimee Fields Jr., a/k/a “Slim,” 33, of Savannah, was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Distribution of Crack Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Fields is among 14 defendants indicted in September 2021 for their roles in operating an open-air drug market in an area of Savannah called “The Dips.”
  • Demont Latrell Gresham, 33, of Washington, Ga., was sentenced 34 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Gresham ran from Wilkes County Sheriff’s Deputies and Georgia State Patrol troopers in July 2020 when they attempted to arrest him on an outstanding warrant, and officers found a rifle in his vehicle. He was arrested in August 2020 when located by Wilkes County deputies.
  • Ashley Lanier Powell, 39, of Pulaski, Ga., was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after being found guilty at trial Nov. 8, 2021, for Possession of a Firearm by a User of Illegal Drugs, and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Powell, who was on probation for a conviction of domestic violence, was arrested in May 2019 in Twin City, Ga., after a police officer saw two firearms in Powell’s vehicle. 
  • Charles Kevin Matthews, 50, of Carlton, Ga., was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Matthews was on parole for a prior state conviction when investigators found a pistol in his possession during a search of his girlfriend’s residence.
  • James Ricardo Harris, 29, of Augusta, was sentenced to 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Harris was arrested in May 2019 when Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies found him in possession of a pistol during a traffic stop.
  • Keyon Quinton Adams, 28, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. U.S. Marshals serving warrants for Adams’ arrest on Florida charges found him in possession of a pistol when they took him into custody in October 2021 in Martinez.
  • Phillip Allen Loughry, 41, of Baxley, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Appling County Sheriff’s deputies charged Loughry after he ran from a December 2020 traffic stop and dropped a pistol as deputies pursued and captured him.
  • Ricardo DeAngelo Norman, 33, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by an Unlawful Drug User. Norman was charged in the October 2021 indictment in Operation Washout, an investigation into a cocaine-trafficking ring in the greater Burke County area. 
  • Fredrick Connell Blount, 38, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Blount was arrested after a traffic stop in August 2020 when Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies found a pistol in the vehicle Blount was driving.
  • De’Montre Murray, 22, of Columbia, S.C., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A four-time convicted felon, Murray was charged after a June 21 chase by Glynn County Sheriff’s deputies and the Georgia State Patrol on Interstate 95 for 57 miles at speeds up to 100 mph. A pistol was discovered in the stolen vehicle Murray was driving.
  • Jamie Lee Cogan, 37, of Thomson, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cogan in April 2021 after finding him in possession of a pistol. Cogan was being sought at the time by Pickens County, Ga., authorities on a warrant for violating probation.
  • Antoine Ladson, 33, of Brunswick, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Brunswick Police officers arrested Ladson in January 2021 after finding him in possession of large amounts of drugs, cash and a pistol while loitering near a liquor store.
  • Treyon Antonio Williams, 30, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Savannah Police officers investigating reports of gunshots in February 2021 arrested Williams on an outstanding felony warrant after finding a pistol in his pocket.

Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including Jeremiah L. Johnson, Steven H. Lee, Marcela C. Mateo, Patricia G. Rhodes, and Henry W. Syms Jr., with firearms forfeitures coordinated through the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Recovery Unit.

Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense. 

For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

United States Attorney’s Office and Washington State Office of Attorney General to Announce Largest Ever Health Care Fraud Settlement in Eastern Washington

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

Spokane, WA: At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 12, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Vanessa R. Waldref, and the Washington State Attorney General, Bob Ferguson, will hold a joint press conference to announce the resolution of a major case involving health care fraud, elder abuse, and patient harm, which will be the largest-ever health care fraud settlement in Eastern Washington.

U.S. Attorney Waldref will also address the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s ongoing efforts to work with state and federal law enforcement partners to combat elder abuse, health care fraud, and patient endangerment in Eastern Washington.

The press conference will take place in front of the Thomas Foley Federal Courthouse Building at 920 W. Riverside Avenue, Spokane, Washington, 99201 or, in the event of inclement weather, in the Building in Conference Room 116. U.S. Attorney’s Office anticipates being able to release additional information regarding the resolution prior to the press conference.

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Department of Justice Press Releases

MS-13 Gang Associate Convicted of Racketeering and the Murders of Four Young Men in a Central Islip Park in 2017

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

A federal jury in Central Islip returned a guilty verdict today against Leniz Escobar, an associate of the Leeward Locos Salvatruchas (“Leeward”) and Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas (“Brentwood”) cliques of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization.  Escobar was convicted of racketeering, including predicate acts of murder, conspiracy to murder rival gang members, and obstruction of justice; and murder in aid-of racketeering, in connection with her participation in the April 11, 2017 murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos.  The verdict followed a four-week trial before United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco.  When sentenced, Escobar faces up to life in prison.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Rodney K. Harrison, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the verdict.

“With today’s verdict, Escobar has been held responsible for the crucial role that she willingly played in orchestrating one of the most vicious and senseless mass murders in the district in memory,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “The defendant showed utter disregard for human life by leading the victims into a killing field, to their slaughter, to enhance her stature with her fellow cold-blooded murderers within the MS-13 gang.  It is my hope that Escobar’s conviction will bring some measure of closure to the relatives of the victims and serve as a warning to other gang members that this Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will not rest until everyone responsible for these murders is held accountable and the MS-13 no longer poses a danger to our district.”

Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the members of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force for their outstanding work on the case.

“As proven at trial, Ms. Escobar played a crucial role in a heinous and senseless crime, the 2017 slayings of four young men believed by MS-13 to be members of a rival gang.  Subsequent to the murders she continued to demonstrate her callous disregard for human life when she boasted about her role in the killings to enhance her stature within the gang.  While nothing can bring the victims back, it is our hope that today’s verdict can bring their families a measure of comfort, knowing justice has been served,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

“Today’s verdict sends a clear message that those who associate with a gang will be held accountable for their involvement with gang activity,” stated SCPD Commissioner Harrison.  “Escobar showed a complete disregard for human life and put her allegiance to the gang ahead of the rule of law.  I applaud all those involved from the Suffolk County Police Department, the FBI and our partners in law enforcement for their hard work and dedication to justice.”

The evidence at trial proved that on the evening of April 11, 2017, Escobar, also known as “Diablita,” and a co-conspirator, Keyli Gomez, lured five young men, including the four murder victims, to a park in Central Islip where they were attacked by members of the MS-13.  The MS-13 members believed the victims to be members of a rival gang, at least two of whom had disrespected the MS-13 by posting photos on social media in which they wore certain items and flashed hand signs that signified membership in the MS-13 gang.  Escobar and Gomez showed the gang-related photos to members of the MS-13, who confirmed the young men did not belong to MS-13, and it was decided that the victims would be killed.  Gomez testified at the trial that she and Escobar drove with the victims to the park, led them to a predetermined wooded area, and sent the MS-13 members text-messages notifying them of their arrival.  The MS-13 members and associates proceeded to the designated location and encircled the victims under the cover of darkness.  One of the intended victims immediately fled and was able to escape.  Llivicura, Lopez, Tigre and Villalobos were surrounded by MS-13 members, who attacked them with machetes, knives, an axe, and wooden clubs.  After the attack, the MS-13 members dragged the victims’ bodies to a more secluded spot in the woods, piled them up, and then fled.  The victims’ bodies were discovered the following evening.

In the days following the murders, Escobar bragged to other MS-13 members about her role in the killings and, in recorded calls with her boyfriend, who was a high-ranking member of the Brentwood clique, discussed the attack in detail.  Using barely coded language, and referring to the victims who were killed, she said, “four individuals took the train and who knows when they’ll be back, got me?”  Escobar then shared how that plan went awry when one person escaped, adding “But one of them, one of them managed to still be here on the map” and “he knows stuff about me.”  In a separate call, Escobar told her boyfriend that she was “happy for this to happen.”  Of the four victims, she said they were “never coming back . . . somewhere else . . . seeing the light . . . no more . . . out of here . . . not on the map.”

Additionally, Escobar destroyed evidence of her involvement in the murders by disposing of a sweatshirt stained with the blood of a victim, tossing her cellular phone from a moving vehicle when she was being followed by the police, and falsely telling detectives that she and Gomez were victims of a random robbery in the park on the night of the murders.  Gomez pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with the murders and is awaiting sentencing.

More than a dozen MS-13 members and associates have been charged in connection with the April 11, 2017 murders.

Today’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York.  A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 60 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

LENIZ ESCOBAR
Age: 22
Islip Terrace, New York 

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-101 (JFB)

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Department of Justice Press Releases

United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref Highlights Fentanyl Prosecutions Relating to Operation Engage Spokane

by DOJ Press
By DOJ Press

Spokane, WA – The Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.), in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, recently launched Operation Engage Spokane, which is a comprehensive community-level approach for addressing the drug epidemic – focusing on fentanyl distribution – through prevention strategies, facilitating conversations, and collaboration with local partners.

“The fentanyl crisis is the new face of the opioid epidemic. By working together with our law enforcement partners, local governments, and community outreach organizations, such as the Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education and the Rayce Rudeen Foundation,” U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “we have a unique opportunity to proactively work to avoid the tragedy that fentanyl causes on a daily basis.”

“These dangerous counterfeit pills are impacting people of all ages.” U.S. Attorney Waldref emphasized. “Drug traffickers are adapting to social change, using Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and other mainstream social media to infiltrate this poison into communities like ours. As a mother who is navigating social media and screen time for my kids – like so many parents – it is frightening to know that fentanyl can be hidden in plain sight and accessible through any smartphone.”

When Operation Engage Spokane was launched, DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarantino III expressed the need for the entire community to work together to target fentanyl: “The impact and overall effectiveness of this initiative is directly dependent on the community, law enforcement, health care, prevention and social service professionals working together to mitigate the fentanyl drug threat.” U.S. Attorney Waldref agreed that our communities must unite to address the opioid crisis, emphasizing that her office will continue to do its part to curb the illegal distribution of fentanyl. “As the chief law enforcement officer in Eastern Washington, I am committed to prosecuting the criminal drug cartels who put our communities and our youth at risk. Our office has been prosecuting fentanyl cases since 2016, and we will continue vigorously prosecuting these cases as part of our ongoing efforts to build safer and stronger communities in the Eastern District of Washington.”

For its part, the United States Attorney’s Office currently is prosecuting numerous cases involving fentanyl distribution in Eastern Washington. The following are recent examples of fentanyl cases, some of which are pending in federal court in Spokane, Richland, and Yakima. For those matters that are currently pending, an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

• United States v. Dustin Allen and Kolin Mazur: Indicted on January 4, 2022 for distribution of fentanyl. Mazur originally was charged in Idaho state court, and the matter was referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. According to state court documents, Allen and Mazur’s distribution resulted in at least one overdose death.

 

• United States v. Francisco Erasmo Angulo-Rivera: Indicted on April 5, 2022, for distributing fentanyl on various occasions in 2021 and 2022.

 

• United States v. Yancarlos Arredondo-Mendoza: Indicted on February 1, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to charging documents, Arredondo-Mendoza was in possession of approximately 20,000 suspected fentanyl-laced pills, suspected heroin, and a loaded Glock 9mm pistol in early January 2022.

 

• United States v. Raymond Keith Hewlett: Indicated on April 5, 2022, for distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in Spokane, Washington.

 

• United States v. Antoinne Holmes and Reigan Allen: Indicted on July 20, 2021 for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and, specific to Holmes, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. Holmes had previously been indicted in the District of Idaho on April 14, 2021 for distribution of fentanyl resulting in the death of a sixteen-year-old. Allen’s then-five month old infant also overdosed on fentanyl during the conspiracy, but survived.

 

• United States v. Jeremiah James LaFave: Indicted on March 1, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, felon in possession of a firearm, and assault on law enforcement with a deadly weapon.

 

• United States v. Hunter Bow O’Mealy, Caleb Ryan Carr, Jaime Lynn Bellovich, Matthew Gudino-Pena: Indicted on November 2, 2021 on conspiracy charges stemming from distribution of fentanyl in Spokane, Washington. Charging documents allege the defendants’ conspiracy resulted in at least one violent shooting, at least one overdose death, and the seizure of more than 50,000 fentanyl pills as well as numerous firearms.

 

• United States v. Josue Medina-Perez and Francisco Delgado: In March 2021, Medina-Perez was sentenced to a 96-month term of imprisonment and Delgado was sentenced to 10 years of incarceration. According to charging documents, Medina-Perez and Delgado were identified as one of the first major sources of Fentanyl-laced pills in Eastern

Washington and were responsible for transporting and distributing more than 5,000 to 10,000 pills per week beginning in 2017.

 

• United States v. Lewis Mesa: Indicted on April 5, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

 

• United States v. Dwight Norwood Jr.: Indicted on March 1, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm.

 

• United States v. Carlos Reyes-Santana, Eduardo Reyes-Santana, Rosa Martinez-Rodriguez, Molly Margret Brown, and Alfonso Avila Olivera: Superseding indictment filed on February 15, 2022, alleging various drug-trafficking offenses, including conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram or more of heroin, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to charging documents, law enforcement recovered approximately 52 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 pound of cocaine, about 50,000 fentanyl-laced pills, $500,000 in U.S. currency, and multiple firearms during the execution of a number of search warrants in March 2021.

 

• United States v. Jonathan Rivera-Venegas: Indicted on April 5, 2022 on charges of conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl in Ellensburg, Washington. While Rivera–Venegas initially was charged in Washington state court, the case was adopted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal prosecution. According to state charging documents, Rivera-Venegas’s distribution of fentanyl has been linked with at least two overdose deaths.

 

• United States v. Keauve D. Ruff: Pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine in September 2021. As part of his guilty plea, Ruff admitted to distributing fentanyl, which resulted in an overdose death in Airway Heights, Washington in May 2020. Ruff’s sentencing currently is set for July 15, 2022 in Spokane, Washington.

 

• United States v. Michael Lee Vantiger: Indicted on February 19, 2020 for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to charging documents, Vantiger was found in possession of approximately 53,000 fentanyl-laced pills inside a rental car.

 

• United States v. Christopher West and Ron Montgomery: Indicted on January 7, 2020 on charges stemming from a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in the Tri-cities area. According to court documents, West and Montgomery’s distribution resulted in at least one overdose death.

For more information and local resources, visit Spokane.dea.gov as well as the national page: www.OperationEngage.com.

 

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