Chico's Bidwell Mansion arsonist sentenced to 11 years in state prison
Kevin Carlson, 30, was also ordered to pay $37,414,083 in restitution, with 10% interest running from the day the fire occurred, to California State Parks, the Butte County District Attorney's Office said.
Bidwell Mansion, a historic 26-room Victorian home, caught fire during the early morning hours of December 11. Within a week of the building's destruction, investigators were able to determine it was arson.
Carlson was captured on surveillance footage in the area of Bidwell Mansion at the time of the fire and in the preceding days purchasing a fuel can, a lighter and other items at a local gas station.
Investigators arrested Carlson on January 2 and, in early February, he confessed to the crime in front of a Butte County judge.
In sentencing Carlson, Butte County Superior Court Judge Corie Caraway said that more than 100 community members submitted victim impact statements and that "aggravating factors" allowed for the maximum sentence to be imposed rather than a lesser term of eight years recommended by the probation department, the DA's office said.
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USA Today
13 hours ago
- USA Today
Man accused of faking his death to evade charges found guilty of rape in Utah
A Rhode Island conman accused of faking his death and fleeing the United States to avoid rape and sexual assault allegations has been convicted of felony rape in the first of two criminal cases against him in Utah, prosecutors said. A jury in Salt Lake County found Nicholas Alahverdian, 38, guilty of the first-degree rape of a 26-year-old Salt Lake County woman in 2008, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. The jury reached the guilty verdict on Wednesday, Aug. 13, following a three-day trial. 'We are grateful to the survivor in this case for her willingness to come forward, years after this attack took place," Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement. "We appreciate her patience as we worked to bring the defendant back to Salt Lake County so that this trial could take place and she could get justice. It took courage and bravery to take the stand and confront her attacker to hold him accountable." Alahverdian's conviction stems from charges that he raped his then-girlfriend, a woman whom he had met online, according to prosecutors. Shortly after the two began dating, prosecutors said Alahverdian told the woman they should get married and they purchased wedding rings. But Alahverdian soon became verbally and emotionally abusive, prosecutors said. An argument at a shopping mall turned violent, and when the couple returned to Alahverdian's apartment, he refused to let her leave and then raped her, according to prosecutors. The charge is punishable by five years to life in the Utah State Correctional Facility, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 20. Alahverdian, who was charged under his former surname Rossi, also faces additional rape charges involving a different woman in Utah in 2008. He has yet to go to trial on those charges. What to know. Nicholas Alahverdian extradited to US four years after faking his death. Nicholas Alahverdian extradited to U.S. in 2024 Alahverdian has been held without bail in a Utah county jail since January 2024, when authorities extradited him from Scotland. He had spent three years in Scotland pretending to be "Arthur Knight," a former Irish orphan and victim of misidentification, in an outlandish pretense that played out before international media and an extradition court. A Scottish judge, who had tolerated Alahverdian's charade during hearings on his identity, cleared the way for Alahverdian's return to the United States − concluding that he 'is as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative.' Alahverdian finally gave up his hoax in November 2024 while asking a Utah District Court judge for bail. During the hearing, he alleged that his years of deception and name changes were part of an effort to protect himself from 'death threats' and not because he was evading authorities. Prosecutors argued that Alahverdian, who uses oxygen and a wheelchair, remained a flight risk despite his physical condition. The judge denied bail, noting that Alahverdian's English wife was still providing him money 'that could assist him in potential flight." UK court could help decide: Is he a Utah rape suspect named Nick or an Englishman named Knight? Why did Nicholas Alahverdian fake his own death? Alahverdian, who grew up in foster care and later became a critic of Rhode Island's child welfare system, has alleged that he received death threats from unnamed state politicians for his advocacy work for children in state care a decade earlier. In 2017, he took a one-way fight to Ireland to escape those alleged threats and to pursue public relations work before he eventually made his way to Scotland. Prosecutors said Alahverdian tried to fake his own death and fled the United States to avoid being located. By 2019, Alahverdian was attempting to get his name removed from a registered sex offenders list, which requires offenders to keep police informed on their current address. During that time, the FBI also began investigating Alahverdian for credit card fraud after his former foster father told authorities that Alahverdian had spent $200,000 on cards taken out using his foster father's name and financial records. In January 2020, Alahverdian started to spread the word to Rhode Island media outlets that he had late-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The following month, a woman who described herself as Alahverdian's wife and a foundation under his name notified reporters that he had died. Then in September 2020, Utah County authorities issued an arrest warrant for Nicholas Rossi, which is the last name of his stepfather. Investigators later tracked him to Scotland after searching his iCloud account and bank records, and he was arrested at a hospital in December 2021 after waking up from a coma caused by COVID. Alahverdian, who has used several different aliases, has appealed in recent weeks to the judge in his Salt Lake County case that he now be charged under his birth name, Alahverdian. The judge has denied the request. What is Alahverdian accused of in Utah? Alahverdian was previously convicted of groping a woman at an Ohio community college in 2008, according to authorities. He then attempted to sue the woman for libel and had his appeal request tossed when his key piece of supposedly new evidence was ruled a fake blog post. Investigators said DNA from that case connected Alahverdian to the rape of a 21-year-old woman in Orem, Utah, in September 2008. The trial this week, which began on Aug. 11, stems from allegations that he raped his former girlfriend in November 2008. No DNA evidence tied him to that incident, investigators have said, but she came forward after recognizing Alahverdian during his international extradition case. As in the Orem case, authorities say Alahverdian met the Salt Lake City woman online. They dated briefly before the relationship quickly sped up and they bought wedding rings. But after a violent argument at a shopping mall − Alahverdian threatened to call the police and report that she had hit him if she didn't let him back in her car − the two returned to his apartment, where he raped her, police said. Nicholas Alahverdian case: American who faked his own death could return to US after bizarre trial ends in Scotland
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Priscilla Presley blasts lawsuit claiming she pulled plug on Lisa Marie to gain control of Elvis' estate
Priscilla Presley is being accused of creating a multimillion-dollar scheme involving fraud, cover-ups and the exploitation of her own daughter's death. In a $50 million lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Priscilla's former business partners, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, alleged the 80-year-old widow of Elvis Presley made a calculated move in the final hours of Lisa Marie's life, accusing her of allegedly pulling her daughter off life support against her wishes. Meanwhile, Priscilla's high-profile attorney, Marty Singer, blasted the lawsuit as "shameful" and "salacious," and told Fox News Digital the accusations are "malicious character assassination." "Accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter's death is not savvy advocacy – it's disgusting," Singer said. According to a lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital, Priscilla acted immediately after Lisa Marie went into cardiac arrest on Jan. 12, 2023. "Within just over twenty-four hours, Lisa suffered cardiac arrest on Thursday, January 12th and she was rushed to West Hills Hospital," the complaint instead of honoring Lisa Marie's medical direction to "prolong her life," the lawsuit claimed Priscilla saw a window to regain control of the Presley estate, especially with Lisa Marie reportedly in the process of removing her as trustee of a multimillion-dollar trust. "Priscilla rushed to West Hills Hospital, and despite Lisa's clear directive to 'prolong her life,' Priscilla pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted," the lawsuit stated, adding that Riley Keough, Lisa Marie's daughter and heir, had not yet arrived. The lawsuit further alleged that Priscilla wasted no time taking command of the media response. According to the filing, she pressured Kruse to issue a carefully worded statement soon after Lisa Marie's passing – Kruse and Fialko claim the rapid-fire statement was part of a calculated effort to recast Presley as the grieving family figurehead and consolidate power amid looming estate battles. "It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us," her statement read. She has also been accused of instructing Kruse and Fialko to push press messaging that rebranded her as the "Queen" of Graceland. This allegation is one of several explosive claims in the $50 million lawsuit that accuses Priscilla of fraud, breach of contract and reputation destruction, including allegedly exploiting her daughter's death for personal and financial gain. Kruse and Fialko claimed Priscilla had sold the rights to her own name, image and likeness (NIL) two decades ago – and "forgot" to mention it. Their lawyer, Jordan Matthews, said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital that the "evidence will establish that the real victims here are my clients, who invested millions and years of hard work into revitalizing Priscilla Presley's brand, only to be betrayed and falsely accused once the money was on the table and every personal and business issue had been resolved." Kruse and Fialko alleged that Priscilla first reached out to them in 2021 while drowning in debt – owing nearly $700,000 in taxes and reportedly behind on car payments. They claimed they spent thousands of hours – and millions in funding – revitalizing her brand, brokering deals and restructuring her finances. But behind the scenes, the lawsuit stated, Presley had already offloaded her NIL rights to Elvis Presley Enterprises in 2005 for $6.5 million – a deal she kept secret while leveraging her image to lure investments. The lawsuit stated that when confronted about the previous agreement, Priscilla repeatedly denied making it and later said she had forgotten about it when confronted with evidence of it. Kruse and Fialko also said they negotiated a $2.4 million payout for Priscilla in a high-stakes legal standoff with granddaughter Keough over the estate. They also claimed Priscilla cut them off, trashed their reputations and filed a retaliatory elder abuse lawsuit. "Elder abuse is a very serious problem in our society," attorney Matthews said. "Our complaint alleges that Priscilla targeted Kruse and Fialko from day one, when she was in dire financial need, faced with mounting IRS debt and multiple lawsuits, even within her own family. The complaint alleges that Priscilla's relationship with her daughter was in ruins for decades and long before Kruse and Fialko were involved." He added, "Kruse and Fialko invested seven figures into rebuilding Priscilla's brand, stabilizing her finances, settling her lawsuits, cleaning up numerous private family ordeals, and attempting to help Priscilla repair her relationship with her daughter. Priscilla has, in turn, smeared Kruse and Fialko with false lies and malicious campaigns." Also named in the lawsuit was Keya Morgan, the controversial former manager of Marvel icon Stan Lee, previously charged with elder abuse. Kruse and Fialko accused Morgan of coaching Priscilla to make false abuse claims, threatening them directly and taking their seats at the Venice Film Festival premiere of "Priscilla" – a film they claimed they helped bring to life. Priscilla's own lawsuit against her former business partners, filed last year, painted a very different picture. She claimed Kruse and Fialko isolated her from longtime advisors, took over her bank accounts and tricked her into signing 20-plus contracts in under 30 minutes – including ones that gave them majority control over her own name and likeness. "If plaintiff's allegations are true… it's classic elder abuse," one judge ruled in an earlier case. But Kruse and Fialko argued the elder abuse narrative is a lie, a legal weapon used by Priscilla and Morgan to silence and erase their contractual claims. They want the court to order Presley to stop profiting off her NIL outside the companies they formed – and pay more than $50 million in damages.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
LA County judge denounces ICE arrest outside downtown courthouse
The presiding judge of the LA County Superior Court denounced Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents arrested a man after his hearing in downtown. "I am deeply disturbed by such actions," Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II said in a statement. "These intimidating and unnecessary displays undermine public trust in the justice system, deter people from seeking justice, and send a dangerous message to immigrant communities that they are not safe to fully and freely participate in the legal process." A video of the arrest showed the name, Stephen Reyes, screaming for help as immigration agents picked him up by his arms and legs before placing him in an unmarked car. Reyes had just attended a preliminary hearing on drug charges after police arrested him last month. The Alternate Public Defender's Office, which represents Reyes, called the arrest a violent abduction that threatened the "integrity of the court system." "It shocks the conscience to see any human violently abducted by a gang of mostly masked unidentified individuals," APD's spokesperson wrote in a statement. "Such aggressive ICE abductions threaten the integrity of the court system and discourage participation." Defense attorneys, such as Lou Shapiro, stated that similar immigration operations encourage people to miss their court dates. "They're afraid just to come to court to show progress on community service, because they realize that could result in a trip to Mexico instead," said Shapiro. "It's sad because people feel that there's no hope. That nothing good can come of this for them, even if they try to do the right thing." The LA County District Attorney's Office said the operations also interfere with their ability to prosecute cases. "Our ultimate goal is to seek justice for victims and hold criminals accountable," the District Attorney's Office wrote in a statement. "Detaining a defendant before the judicial process has concluded interferes with our ability to prosecute cases and is not to the advantage of the pursuit of justice." ICE did not immediately respond to KCAL News for comment.
