Activist created bogus BLM charity, used money to buy new home, guns
The founder of a bogus Black Lives Matter was nabbed in Ohio after he used $200,000 given to the organization for a new home, suits and guns, federal authorities said.
Sir Maejor Page, 32, previously known as Tyree Conyers-Page, was arrested Friday following a raid at a Toledo, Ohio, home, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Federal agents said Page ran social media pages for an organization known as Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, though its status as a nonprofit was revoked last year after the required paperwork wasn’t filed.
The amount of money in a bank account for the organization never topped $5,000 until this summer when it saw an influx of cash amid a wave of protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in May, authorities said.
From June to August, the group received more than $465,000 in donations that were transferred to an account operated by Page, authorities said.
Page allegedly responded to social media inquiries in June by saying that donated funds were only used for “movement-related” expenses, not for “personal items.”
But the FBI said it was unable to identify any expenditures related to social or racial injustice efforts in the $200,00 spree.
Instead, a debit card linked to the account made purchases that included food, tailored suits, accessories and entertainment, authorities said.
He also used his own personal bank account to accept a transfer of funds from the group’s account to purchase a pistol and two rifles, authorities said.
The FBI said that also among his most significant purchases was the home in Toledo and an adjacent lot for $112,000.
On social media, Page boasted about what appeared to be newly purchased clothing, hotel rooms, and office space in Atlanta.
“Several audio statements are made by Page in the videos boasting about the money he has, his tailored suits, his nice cufflinks and ‘$150 dollar ties,’ and boasting about ‘my room way up at the top … at the top top … they put the bottom feeders on these floors …,’” authorities said.
Page appeared in court Friday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering in the case.
He has been released on a $10,000 bond, but prohibited from using Facebook or any fundraising platform or from opening lines of credit or bank accounts without permission.
His attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/27/activist-made-fake-blm-charity-used-money-to-buy-home-guns-fbi/
Photo Credit: Fox 5 Atlanta
New Orleans cop accused of molesting girl whose sex assault he was investigating
A veteran New Orleans police officer allegedly molested an underage girl whose sexual assault he was investigating, according to a report.
Rodney Vicknair, 53, was arrested Friday on charges of sexual battery, indecent behavior with a juvenile and malfeasance in office after being accused of fondling the breasts and genitals of a 15-year-old girl while he looked into allegations that she was sexually assaulted by someone else, a source close to the matter told NOLA.com.
Vicknair, a 13-year department vet, allegedly started texting the girl before visiting her house while not on the job, telling her how attractive she was and how much she aroused him, a source who spoke on condition of anonymity told the website.
Vicknair, who was taken into custody without incident at his St. Tammany Parish home, was suspended from his job pending the outcome of the criminal charges, New Orleans police said in a statement.
“Allegations against one of our own involving a juvenile is reprehensible,” Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said in a statement Saturday. “Upon learning of the situation, the NOPD took swift action against the accused officer. New Orleans police officers are held to a higher standard. We will not tolerate behavior that compromises the public trust or violates the law.”
An investigation into Vicknair was launched after the department’s Public Integrity Bureau received a tip that he had an “inappropriate relationship” with a minor, police said. But department officials did not elaborate on Vicknair’s connection to the alleged victim in Saturday’s statement.
Vicknair remained held without bail Monday at the St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington, online records show. It’s unclear if he’s hired an attorney. He spent 19 years working as an emergency medical technician before joining New Orleans police, according to the department’s website.
Vicknair, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of sexual battery, was assigned to the department’s 1st District at the time of his arrest, which includes neighborhoods such as Mid-City and Treme, NOLA.com reports.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/28/new-orleans-cop-allegedly-molested-teen-while-investigating-sex-assault-source/
Photo Credit: St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Off
New Hampshire Man Killed Wife’s Lover, Made Her Decapitate Him
A man from Jaffrey, New Hampshire, appeared in court Friday on charges of capital murder in the death of a man authorities say had been having an affair with his wife.
In court documents released Friday, authorities allege that Armando Barron, 30, kidnapped 25-year-old Jonathan Amerault, of Keene, on Saturday; shot him to death in a car in Rindge and then hid the body at a campsite in the northern part of the state.
In court documents released Friday, authorities allege that Armando Barron, 30, kidnapped 25-year-old Jonathan Amerault, of Keene, on Saturday; shot him to death in a car in Rindge and then hid the body at a campsite in the northern part of the state.
Amerault had been reported missing Monday when he didn’t show up to work. It was Tuesday when investigators found his body.
“You have an event here that is incredibly violent,” said Senior Assistant New Hampshire Attorney General Ben Agati. “You have an event that commands attention.”
Barron is also charged with beating and threatening his wife, Britany Barron, 31, who is accused of decapitating the victim. She is also charged with falsifying evidence, authorities said.
Court documents paint a picture of infidelity and rage in the alleged crime.
“There was the beginning of an extramarital relationship going on at the time,” Agati said.
Britany Barron allegedly told investigators that, when her husband found out that she was having an affair with Amerault, he took her cell phone and used it to lure Amerault to a state park in Rindge.
After Armando Barron shot and killed Amerault, he ordered his wife to drive the body four-and-a-half hours north, according to the court documents.
That’s where Britany Barron decapitated the victim, buried his head and wrapped his body in a tarp, according to the prosecutors’ documents. She told investigators her husband made her do it.
Armando Barron is also facing several domestic violence charges for allegedly beating his wife at their Jaffrey home and also on the drive to the park to meet Amerault.
At their separate arraignments Friday, both pleaded not guilty to the charges. They are being held without bail until their next court appearances.
While the state’s capital murder law covers deaths during kidnappings and six other scenarios, lawmakers eliminated the death penalty last year. Those convicted under the statute are sentenced to life in prison without parole.
via: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/couple-charged-in-death-of-missing-new-hampshire-man/2201606/
Photo Credit: New Hampshire State Police
Sweetie Pie’s star Tim Norman accused in murder-for-hire plot back in St. Louis in federal custody for a virtual hearing on Sept. 15 but refused to appear on camera so the hearing will be rescheduled
ST. LOUIS — The Sweetie Pie’s star accused in a murder-for-hire plot in the death of his nephew is now back in St. Louis and is in federal custody.
On Aug. 18, James Timothy Norman, 41, was charged with conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire resulting in death in connection with the March 2016 murder of 21-year-old Andre Montgomery. Terica Ellis, an exotic dancer from Memphis who investigators said was Norman’s accomplice, was arrested and charged with the same crime.
Both were previously being held at Madison County Detention Center in Canton, Mississippi.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Eastern Missouri, Norman had a virtual hearing on Sept. 15 but refused to appear on camera, so the hearing will have to be rescheduled. A date has not been set.
Ellis’ virtual arraignment was held on Monday. She will return to court on Sept. 25 for a contested detention hearing. A spokesperson said he was not aware of what Ellis was contesting.
Andre Montgomery’s murder
Montgomery was killed by gunfire at 3964 Natural Bridge Avenue in the City of St. Louis on March 14, 2016 around 8 p.m.
The day Montgomery died, Norman and Ellis bought and activated temporary cellphones at the same store and then communicated on them all day. Court documents said Ellis also used the cellphone to communicate with Montgomery and learn where he was for the purpose of luring him outside.
Immediately after learning Montgomery’s location, Ellis placed a call to Norman.
Montgomery was then shot and killed.
Ellis’ phone location information placed her in the vicinity of the murder at time of the homicide. After the murder, Ellis called Norman and began traveling to Memphis.
In the days after the murder, Ellis deposited over $9,000 in cash into various bank accounts. On March 18, 2016, Norman contacted the life insurance company to try to collect on the life insurance policy he had obtained on his nephew.
via: https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/sweetie-pies-tim-norman-federal-custody-st-louis/63-6dea52de-4966-4f8e-841c-0ac83de7127b
Photo Credit: Credit: Madison County Detention Center
California will house transgender inmates by gender identity
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Saturday requiring California to house transgender inmates in prisons based on their gender identity — but only if the state does not have “management or security concerns.”
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation houses men and women in separate facilities. Transgender inmates are often housed based on their sex assigned at birth. Advocates say this is dangerous, particularly for transgender women housed in facilities for men.
The law Newsom signed Saturday says officers must ask inmates privately during the intake process if they identify as transgender, nonbinary or intersex. Those inmates can then request to be placed in a facility that houses either men or women.
The law says the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation cannot deny those requests solely because of inmates’ anatomy, sexual orientation or “a factor present” among other inmates at the facility.
But the state can deny those requests if it has “management or security concerns.” If a request is denied, the state must give the inmate a written statement explaining the decision and give the inmate a “meaningful opportunity” to object.
Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco who authored the bill, said he doesn’t expect that exception to be used very often.
“It’s just a false narrative about transgender people and about transgender women in particular that they’re somehow not really women and are just trying to scam their way into women’s bathrooms or facilities in order to do bad things,” Wiener said. “Overwhelmingly the people who are being victimized are trans people.”
At any time, if inmates raises concerns about their health or safety, the law says the state must reassess where they are housed.
“It means a lot to me and my sisters,” said Michelle Calvin, a transgender woman incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison who recently called in to a news conference about the bill. “I’ve been in for 15 years. I’ve been through the abuse, I’ve been through the disrespect of staff not addressing me for who I am because I am a woman.”
Connecticut passed a similar law in 2018. Rhode Island, New York City and Massachusetts have also housed inmates based on their gender identity.
The law also requires officers to address transgender inmates based on the pronouns of their choice. And it requires officers to search inmates based on the search policy of their gender identity.
The law was one of several LGBT-related laws Newsom signed on Saturday. He signed another law authored by Wiener requiring local public health officers to better track how diseases are affecting the LGBT community. He signed a law authored by state Sen. Lena Gonzalez to ban life and disability insurance companies from denying coverage solely because someone is HIV positive.
And Newsom signed a law authored by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago that sets up a Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund to provide grants to organizations that support the transgender community.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/california-will-house-transgender-inmates-by-gender-identity/article_488a934f-6769-58a2-9c22-a2f254cdb2ec.html
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick working to clear way for ex-felons in Florida to vote
When former NFL quarterback Michael Vick went with some of his family members to try to vote in 2011, the former No. 1 draft pick who made a career on his elusive ability on the football field was sacked by news he didn’t expect: He wasn’t eligible.
“I found out because I had a felony on my record that I couldn’t vote,” Vick recalled in the first episode of the documentary miniseries by More Than a Vote, the political empowerment organization spearheaded by LeBron James. “That was just one of the things I did not know was taken away from me once I was incarcerated and got a felony on my record.”
“Vick Votes: A More Than a Vote Vlog” chronicles Vick’s journey as he navigates the voting rights restoration process. It’s the latest initiative by the group, which also is helping with the procurement of arenas as early voting sites, particularly in states in which access to voting venues and early voting have been restricted.
Vick’s 2007 conviction for running a dogfighting operation sidelined him for two seasons in the prime of his NFL career. It also took away a right that Vick says he doesn’t want to see permanently stripped from what the American Civil Liberties Union estimates is 774,000 people in Florida who can’t vote because of outstanding unpaid fines and fees.
“It’s not an easy process to have your voting rights restored or retained,” Vick says. “You just have to take the initiative and be proactive.”
He began his journey by connecting with Florida Rights Restoration Coalition executive director Desmond Meade, who successfully led the push in 2018 to pass Amendment 4 in Florida to restore the voting rights of most people with felony convictions, the exception being those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.
But soon after, the Florida Legislature passed a measure requiring former felons to pay off any outstanding fines and court fees before having their rights restored. The FRRC likens it to a modern-day poll tax and has since partnered with More Than a Vote to raise money to get those fines paid.
Several former athletes and entertainers have joined the effort. And former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently contributed $16 million to help the FRRC reach its $25 million goal to get fines paid so ex-felons can register by Florida’s Oct. 5 deadline to vote this November.
Vick said he was so focused on trying to become a professional athlete growing up that he was oblivious to both voting rights and how a criminal conviction could affect it.
“At a young age I would have loved to, because I know it would have made me a better person,” he says. “Maybe I would have thought different or looked at the world different. … I’m not one of one, but I’m one of many.”
Meade himself spent time in prison for a drug conviction before getting released in 2005 and earning a law degree. He knows firsthand the barriers facing so many people like him and said part of his efforts also go to helping lessen the stigma of what it means to be a formerly incarcerated person.
“Some people call them ‘formerly incarcerated people.’ In Florida we just say ‘returning citizens,’” Meade says. “If people can call you a felon, they can treat you differently. We deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and the best way you get it is by making your voice heard. And we can just change so much with it.”
Vick has since paid all his outstanding court costs and restitution in his case and concludes the first episode of the documentary by filling out his Florida voter registration.
“Being blessed and having an opportunity to live a different life, it wasn’t a big concern for me as far as the finances to be able to pay fines,” Vick says. “Some of these fines are just thousands and thousands of dollars. Money that people don’t have or can’t generate. It’s unfortunate that if you don’t have it, you don’t get it.”
Photo Credit: ktla.com
4th grader suspended for having a BB gun in his bedroom during virtual learning
CNN) — A 9-year-old Louisiana student was suspended after a teacher reported seeing a gun in the boy’s bedroom during a virtual class.
The attorney representing the child’s family said it was a BB gun and the school went too far — applying its on-campus weapons policy without considering the privacy of the child and his family.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced Friday his office is investigating.
“I am alarmed by what appears to not only be multiple violations of both the State and Federal Constitutions, but also blatant government overreach by the school system,” Landry said in a statement.
“For anyone to conclude that a student’s home is now school property because of connectivity through video conferencing is absurd … It is ludicrous for this All-American kid to be punished for taking responsible actions just as it is for his parents to be accused of neglect,” Landry added.
How the incident happened
Ka Mauri Harrison, a fourth grader at Woodmere Elementary School in Jefferson Parish, was taking a test in his bedroom on September 11 after being sick and not participating in online school the day before, family attorney Chelsea Cusimano told CNN on Friday.
She said Ka Mauri had muted the volume on his computer so he could concentrate and had muted himself since it’s required when students are not speaking.
One of his siblings, who shares his room, stepped, or tripped on a BB gun that Ka Mauri had received as a gift. Ka Mauri picked up the gun and was out of sight from the screen for a moment. He then placed the BB gun next to him in his chair, Cusimano said.
Ka Mauri noticed his teacher was trying to get his attention in the virtual classroom.
According to school documents Cusimano shared with CNN, as the teacher called Ka Mauri’s name, “the student was disconnected from the screen due to internet issues.”
The school tried to reach the parents unsuccessfully and then called Ka Mauri’s grandfather, the emergency contact, telling him the child had a gun during a virtual class, according to school documents.
School recommended expulsion, then amended to suspension
School documents show the school recommended Ka Mauri’s expulsion for “possession of a starter gun, stun gun and/or facsimile” according to Jefferson Parish Public School Policy and Procedures. At a hearing held September 22, it was determined Ka Mauri was guilty of displaying a facsimile weapon while receiving virtual education. Cusimano, who told CNN she participated in the hearing, said a hearing officer determined it was a BB gun.
The school amended the recommendation for expulsion to school suspension for six days and social work assessment. Ka Mauri returned to online school on Thursday, September 24. He had been out of school since the day of the incident, according to Cusimano.
Cusimano told CNN that Jefferson Parish Schools “took an on-campus weapons policy and unilaterally determined that they were going to apply it to one of their students in a manner as if he was on campus and not consider any measures such as the privacy of his own home.”
In a statement to CNN, Jefferson Parrish Schools told CNN, “We do not comment on individual student records. Regarding discipline, it is our policy that teachers and administrators may employ reasonable disciplinary and corrective measures to maintain order.”
Cusimano argues there is a gap in the way schools enact policies in a virtual learning environment, which should consider the things that take place in a private home.
via: https://www.kmov.com/4th-grader-suspended-for-having-a-bb-gun-in-his-bedroom-during-virtual-learning/article_c9a7bb38-108c-58ff-96bc-1cc1036705e7.html
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Bronx dad who shielded kids in dealership shootout loses his jobs
The hero Bronx dad who was wounded as he shielded his three small children from gunfire at a Bronx car dealership this week lost his jobs because of the injury — according to a fundraising page that surpassed $100,000 on Friday.
Anthony Jefferson, 39, visited the used-car business on Boston Road in Eastchester around 7:30 p.m. Monday to look for a car to surprise the mother of his kids, Danica Jefferson, on her upcoming birthday.
Instead of leaving with a car, Jefferson found himself in the midst of a shootout — and was shot himself as he covered his children with his body to protect them from the bullets.
“Due to his injury, Anthony lost his job and has to have surgery to remove the bullet,” Serena Wingate, a close friend of Jefferson, posted on a GoFundMe page that hit $122,084 on Friday afternoon. The page’s goal was $24,100.
“This Go Fund me is to help this heroic dad with his medical bills and his kids with therapy. They are beyond traumatized.”
Anthony lost both of his jobs — one as a head painter at a maintenance company and another as a construction worker, Danica Jefferson told TMZ, declining to name the companies.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/25/nyc-dad-who-shielded-kids-in-dealership-shootout-loses-jobs/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Man sent to prison for using drone to drop bombs near ex-girlfriend’s home
A man is going to spend five years in federal prison for using a drone to drop explosives near his ex’s home in eastern Pennsylvania.
Jason Muzzicato, 45, came to the attention of federal prosecutors last year during an investigation of a series of small blasts that had rattled the community of Bangor.
In a search of Muzzicato’s home, investigators discovered a cache of guns and ammunition. The arsenal was a no-no because his ex had a protection from abuse order against him, the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia reported.
Muzzicato denied flying the drone but still pleaded guilty in December to two weapons possession counts and a count of flying an unregistered aircraft.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/26/man-gets-prison-time-for-using-drone-to-drop-bombs-in-exs-yard/
Photo Credit: mcall.com
White supremacist killed in shootout with California deputies
(CNN) — A white supremacist was killed in a shootout with deputies in Templeton, California, according to a San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office news release Friday.
The shooting took place Thursday morning when deputies at first tried to conduct a traffic stop on Christopher Michael Straub, 38, near a cemetery. Straub got out of his vehicle and ran through the vineyards of the cemetery, the release said.
He then hid and ambushed deputies, firing multiple rounds at them with a handgun. Deputy Richard “Ted” Lehnhoff, 34, was hit in the leg and airlifted to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery and is in stable condition, the release said.
Straub continued evading deputies and attempted to return to his vehicle through the vineyard, but additional deputies arrived on scene and intercepted him as he tried to regain access to his vehicle.
Straub was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
After the shooting, authorities found multiple weapons in Straub’s vehicle, including four assault-style rifles, one bolt-action hunting rifle, one shotgun, and two handguns along with the handgun he used to shoot at deputies, plus hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Authorities searched Straub’s residence, where they discovered he was illegally manufacturing weapons parts.
“Straub was a wanted felon and it is illegal for felons to possess any weapons,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said Straub was a known member of a white supremacist gang and the Sheriff’s Gang Task Force was already conducting an investigation before Thursday’s shooting.
Straub “had a significant criminal history having been booked 28 times into jails all across California including two incarcerations in state prison,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.
Templeton is about 114 miles west of Bakersfield.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/white-supremacist-killed-in-shootout-with-california-deputies/article_3d30656e-b603-5bf6-abc2-e0862d43d087.html
Photo Credit: San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office