Category Archives: US crime

Trump claims he has ‘legal right’ to intervene in criminal cases

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President reasserts his right to tweet on judicial issues following William Barr’s warning the posts ‘make it impossible for me to do my job’

Donald Trump has ignored a plea from his attorney general, William Barr, to not tweet about ongoing legal cases, by using his Twitter account to say he has a “legal right” to do so.

Barr delivered a remarkable public rebuke of the president just hours earlier, saying that Trump’s tweets “make it impossible for me to do my job” and that he would not be “bullied or influenced” over justice department decisions.

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‘Master of his universe’: Weinstein saw women as disposable, prosecutor says

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  • Joan Illuzzi-Orbon stresses movie mogul’s power imbalance
  • Prosecution makes closing arguments in rape trial

Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood mogul who was a “master of his universe”, stepped on, demoralised, humiliated and ultimately abused and raped “disposable” women he tricked into his lair, a prosecutor told the jury on Friday in closing arguments at his New York rape trial.

Related: Harvey Weinstein trial nears final act after defence rests

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Harvey Weinstein trial nears final act after defence rests

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Movie producer ‘loved’ closing remarks of his lawyer, who questioned motives of accusers

Harvey Weinstein looked cheerful at the end of five hours of closing remarks in the New York supreme court, despite facing possible life imprisonment.

As he trundled down the corridor on his walking frame, smiling broadly at reporters, he was asked what he thought of the final pitch to the jury made by his lead lawyer, Donna Rotunno. “I loved it,” he said. “I called it the Queen’s speech.”

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Huawei faces new US charges alleging decades-long effort to steal technology

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  • Superseding indictment likely to deepen US-UK tensions
  • Telecoms giant accused of violating Iran and Korea sanctions

Huawei has been accused of stealing trade secrets and lying to US federal investigators in a new indictment that is likely to deepen US-UK tensions over a recent move by the British government to allow the Chinese company to supply 5G equipment for a new network.

The superseding indictment makes new allegations against the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker, including claims that the company successfully engaged in a decades-long effort to steal intellectual property, giving it an unfair advantage over competitors.

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‘Trust your dog’: extraordinary pets help solve crimes by finding bodies

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After grueling training, a rare few civilians and their dogs are allowed to participate in criminal investigations by searching for cadavers

Rob Ward keeps baby wipes, canned soup, and bottled water in his truck. “If I need a bath or a meal, there it is,” he explained in a Walker, Louisiana Waffle House. Calls can come at anytime, and his truck remains loaded, his bag packed.

Today is a rare day off from both of his jobs: a nine to five at a printing company and volunteer work looking for dead bodies with his Australian shepherd, Niko. Ward and Niko are one of approximately 500 volunteer cadaver dog-handler pairs across the country who assist law enforcement in recovering human remains.

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Harvey Weinstein rape trial appears headed for early conclusion

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  • Film producer to call several more witnesses
  • Lawyers could deliver closing arguments this week

The film producer Harvey Weinstein is expected to call several more witnesses on Monday in his New York rape trial, which is nearing its conclusion well ahead of schedule.

Related: Donna Rotunno: the legal Rottweiler leading Harvey Weinstein’s defense

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Man dubbed ‘largest facilitator’ of child abuse images pleads guilty

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Eric Eoin Marques, citizen of US and Ireland, faces up to 30 years in prison over web hosting service

A man once described by an FBI agent as the world’s largest “facilitator” of child abuse websites pleaded guilty on Thursday to operating a web hosting service that allowed users to anonymously access hundreds of thousands of images and videos depicting child abuse.

Eric Eoin Marques, 34, faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years after his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to advertise child abuse images. A plea agreement will ask the US district judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland to sentence Marques to 15 to 21 years in prison, but the judge is not bound by the recommendation.

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Harvey Weinstein trial: attorney shows dress witness wore during alleged attack

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Lauren Young gave a distressing account of an alleged hotel bathroom attack by the once-powerful movie producer

The sixth and final woman to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexually attacking them took the witness stand at his rape trial on Wednesday, describing in harrowing detail how he allegedly groped her in a Los Angeles hotel bathroom in 2013.

The jury in the New York supreme court were once again subjected to a graphic and distressing account of an alleged forced sex act imposed on an aspiring young actor by the once-powerful movie producer.

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Harvey Weinstein hired Black Cube to block New York Times article, jury hears

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Israeli private detective firm employed by mogul to try to foil publication of sexual misconduct allegations, New York court told

The jury in the New York rape trial of Harvey Weinstein has heard that the once-powerful movie mogul employed the Israeli private investigation firm Black Cube to try to squash a New York Times article that blew the lid on sexual misconduct allegations against him and sparked the #MeToo movement.

Dev Sen, a corporate lawyer at the prestigious New York law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, told the court that his company had acted as go-between connecting the beleaguered movie producer to Black Cube. The private detective firm has a staff largely consisting of alumni of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

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Actor Rosie Perez testifies friend told her she was raped by Harvey Weinstein

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  • Actor recalls conversation with Annabella Sciorra in 1993 or 94
  • Sciorra called as witness to mogul’s alleged pattern of behavior

US actor Rosie Perez testified in New York on the third day of the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein on Friday, describing phone calls she had with Annabella Sciorra where she learned Sciorra was allegedly raped.

Perez said she called Sciorra on a chilly night in 1993. Perez was in a good mood, saying, “Girl, what’s up? Wanna hang out?” hoping Sciorra was interested in going out that night.

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Weinstein trial opens with shocking details of alleged attacks on six women

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New York prosecutor describes allegations of the women, who she says were ‘groomed’ before Weinstein assaulted them

Harvey Weinstein was a savvy New York businessman and famous Hollywood producer who used his power and the promise of his largesse within the film industry to groom a succession of naive and inexperienced women – who he went on to sexually assault and in some cases rape, state prosecutors alleged on Wednesday.

In an opening statement lasting over an hour, New York prosecutor Meghan Hast delivered a devastating and at times shocking account of Weinstein’s alleged attacks on six women who will testify at the fallen mogul’s trial in Manhattan.

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Honolulu shooting: one police officer dead and one wounded, council member says

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  • Gunman opens fire after officers respond to assault call
  • Fire spreads from home as public warned to stay away

One police officer died after being shot while responding to an assault call in Hawaii on Sunday, according to a member of the Honolulu city council. A second officer was hospitalized in critical condition and the gunman was being sought, authorities said.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that officers responded to an assault call when they encountered a male with a firearm who opened fire.

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Judge threatens to revoke Harvey Weinstein’s bail over phone use in court

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Judge furious with Weinstein for using phone in courtroom, where mogul is standing trial on five counts of serious sexual offences

The second day of Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial in Manhattan kicked off with sparks flying as the judge threatened to slap the movie mogul in jail for using his cellphone in court while defence lawyers protested that their client was not receiving a fair and impartial hearing.

Related: Harvey Weinstein hit with new charges in Los Angeles during New York trial

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Porn site to pay $12.7m to women who didn’t know videos would be posted

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GirlsDoPorn was sued by women who claimed they were coerced into making videos without knowing footage would be online

A US judge has awarded $13m in damages to 22 women who were defrauded by the owners of GirlsDoPorn, a website specialising in “amateur”-style pornography.

Related: Group of US women sue 'amateur' porn producer over 'coercion and lies'

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Two people struck by gunfire during US New Year’s Eve celebrations

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  • Three-year-old wounded by backyard gunfire in Phoenix
  • 61-year-old woman killed by stray bullet in Houston

A three-year-old boy was shot and wounded in Phoenix and a 61-year-old woman was shot and killed in Houston as people celebrated the New Year, authorities said.

Related: Headless torso found in cave identified as murderer who escaped jail in 1916

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Jeffrey Epstein: woman sues estate alleging encounter when she was 14

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Lawsuit filed in Florida says teen was approached in 2003 when she was ‘a vulnerable child without adequate parental support’

A woman who says she was 14 when she had a sexual encounter with the financier Jeffrey Epstein at his mansion sued his estate in Florida court on Monday for coercion, inflicting emotional distress and battery.

The lawsuit filed in Palm Beach county asks for an undisclosed amount of money. The lawsuit doesn’t give the woman’s name and only refers to her as “JJ Doe”.

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New York’s Jewish community on edge after string of Hanukah attacks

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Stabbings in Monsey, Rockland county, are latest antisemitic incident in region

Jewish groups and political leaders have issued calls for increased protection in New York after a string of attacks during Hanukah left members of the region’s Jewish community on edge.

On Saturday night, an attacker stabbed five people during Hanukah festivities at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, Rockland county, about 30 miles north of New York City, in what Governor Andrew Cuomo called “an act of domestic terrorism”. The attack was the latest in a string of antisemitic incidents in the region.

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Hanukah stabbings: five wounded in ‘act of domestic terrorism’ in New York state

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Attack takes place during festivities at rabbi’s home in Monsey, say authorities, with suspect later arrested in Harlem

An attacker has stabbed five people during Hanukah festivities at a rabbi’s home in New York state in what Governor Andrew Cuomo called “an act of domestic terrorism”.

Related: New York police boost patrols after suspected antisemitic attacks

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2019 saw most mass killings on record, US database reveals

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Thirty-three of 41 incidents involved firearms, research shows, even as overall number of homicides fell

This year saw the highest number of mass killings on record, database records show, with 41 incidents claiming 211 lives in 2019 even as the overall US homicide rated dropped.

According to the database complied by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, 33 of the incidents, defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator, involved firearms.

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2019: the photographs that defined America’s year – in pictures

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A look back at some of the biggest moments of the past year.

Warning: Some of the following images are graphic in nature and might be disturbing to some viewers.

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