EXCLUSIVE People are only just realizing the REAL inspiration behind Machine Gun Kelly's stage name... and the sickening true story behind it
According to the March 3, 1932, edition of the New York Times, 'Abduction for ransom has become a big money crime taking its place beside the liquor, vice and drug trafficking among the prominent rackets of the country.'
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Legal cases could prise open Epstein cache despite Trump's blocking effort
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump vowed that his administration would release a tranche of documents in the criminal investigation into disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein. But since Trump returned to the White House, his promises have fallen flat, with few documents released – and backtracking about releasing more records. The lack of disclosure has prompted not only dissatisfaction among those seeking information about Epstein's crimes, but political flak Trump can't seem to deflect, especially about his own relations with the convicted sex trafficker. But where political pressures have so far failed, legal pressures that have largely sailed under the radar of the fierce debate about Epstein's crimes could yet succeed and bring crucial information in the public eye. Several court cases provide some hope that even if Trump's justice department fails to make good on calls for transparency, potentially revelatory records about Epstein, his crimes and his links to some of the most powerful people in the US might still see the light of day. Moreover, it is possible that the justice department's unusual request to unseal grand jury transcripts, in Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal cases, could also undermine opposition to it releasing records. One lawsuit brought by the news website Radar Online and investigative journalist James Robertson stems from their April 2017 public records request for documents related to the FBI's investigation of Epstein. This request came years after Epstein pleaded guilty to state-level crimes in Florida for soliciting a minor for prostitution – and before his 2019 arrest on child sex-trafficking charges in New York federal court. Radar and Robertson filed suit in May 2017 after the FBI did not respond to their request; the agency ultimately agreed that it would process documents at a rate of 500 pages per month, per court documents. 'Despite the FBI identifying at least 11,571 pages of responsive documents, 10,107 of those pages remain withheld nearly 20 years after the events at issue,' according to court papers filed by Radar and Robertson. Although Epstein killed himself in custody awaiting trial, and Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence, the FBI is fighting release of more documents. The agency has invoked an exception to public records disclosure that allow for documents to be withheld if their release would interfere with law enforcement proceedings. The Manhattan federal court judge overseeing this public records suit sided with the FBI's citation of these exemptions, but Radar is pursuing an appeal that could be heard in the second circuit court of appeals this fall. 'In court, they insist that releasing even one additional page from the Epstein file would hurt their ability to re-prosecute Ghislaine Maxwell in the event the supreme court orders a new trial,' a spokesperson for Radar said. 'It's a flimsy rationale and we are challenging it head on in the court of appeals. Our only hope of understanding how the FBI failed to hold Epstein accountable for over a decade – and preventing future miscarriages of justice – is if the government releases the files.' It's also possible that the justice department's request to release grand jury transcripts in Epstein and Maxwell's cases could bolster arguments for the release of records. 'The DoJ's core argument against disclosure for the past six years has been that it would jeopardize their ability to put – and keep – Ghislaine Maxwell in prison. They say that releasing even a single page could threaten their case,' the Radar spokesperson said. 'Naturally, any support they offer to release material undermines their claims.' Separately, developments in civil litigation involving Epstein and Maxwell could also potentially lead to the disclosure of more documents surrounding their crimes. A federal judge in 2024 unsealed a cache of documents in the late Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre Roberts's defamation case against Maxwell. Some documents were kept under seal, however, and journalists pursuing release of documents appealed against that decision. On 23 July, the second circuit decided that it found 'no error in the district court's decisions not to unseal or make public many of the documents at issue', but it also ordered the lower court to review possibly unsealing them. Robert's attorney Sigrid McCawley reportedly said she was 'thrilled with the decision' and also said she was 'hopeful that this order leads to the release of more information about Epstein's monstrous sex trafficking operation and those who facilitated it and participated in it', according to Courthouse News Service. Others who have represented Epstein victims have called for disclosure of public records – and voiced frustration about being stonewalled in their pursuit of documents. Jennifer Freeman, special counsel at Marsh Law Firm, who represents Epstein accuser Maria Farmer, previously told the Guardian she had made a public records request for information related to her client, with no success. Spencer T Kuvin, chief legal officer of GoldLaw and an attorney for several Epstein victims, hopes that public records battles could help pull back the veil on Epstein information. 'I think that the Foia requests will absolutely assist in the disclosure of information. The DoJ has made blanket objections citing ongoing investigations, but through Foia litigation the courts can test those objections by potentially reviewing the information 'in camera',' Kuvin said. 'This means that an independent judge may be appointed to review the information to determine whether the DoJ's objections are accurate or just a cover.' Roy Gutterman, director of the Newhouse School's Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University, cautioned that calls for disclosures – and even government requests to release some files – might not be a panacea for access to extensive documents. 'This case is already complicated, and there were already too many cooks in the very crowded kitchen, and it's getting more crowded as more public interest grows in the grand jury materials as well as the now-settled defamation case,' Gutterman said. But stonewalling could also continue. With the public records requests, it's possible that US federal authorities could still successfully cite the investigation exemption and keep documents out of pubic view. 'Using Foia for FBI and law enforcement materials related to this case, might be a creative newsgathering tactic, but the law enforcement exemption the government is citing might be legitimate because some of the materials are grand jury materials and some other materials might include private or unsubstantiated allegations,' Gutterman said. 'The reporter in me thinks there is an important public interest in revealing these documents, but the law might end up keeping most material secret. Even with the widespread and growing public interest, it might be too big an ask to unseal a lot of this material. 'Practically speaking, the DoJ might also be very selective in which materials it would want to release as well because of the political element involved here, too.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Diddy receives unlikely letter of support from prosecutor's MIA star witness in bid to escape prison time
Sean ' Diddy ' Combs has received support from an unlikely ally in his fight to escape lengthy prison time as one of his alleged victims urged a judge to free him. The disgraced music mogul, who was recently acquitted of serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges, still faces up to 10 years behind bars after he was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. But his ex-girlfriend Gina Huynh, who was identified as 'Victim Number 3' and was initially expected to testify against him before going MIA at his trial, has penned a letter to the court supporting Diddy's bid for bail. 'I do not view Mr Combs as a danger to me or the community,' she wrote in the letter, seen by the Daily Mail. 'To my knowledge, he has not been violent for many years and he has been committed to being a father first.' Huynh wrote in her supporting letter that by the time she and Diddy had ended their relationship, he 'embodied an energy of love, patience and gentleness that was markedly different from his past behavior.' 'Our relationship, like many, was not always perfect,' she noted. 'We experienced ups and downs, and mistakes were made, but he was willing to acknowledge his mistakes and make better decisions in the future. 'Over the years that followed, he made visible efforts to become a better person and to address the harm he had caused.' Huynh mysteriously went MIA during his high profile trial, taking no part in it despite earlier expectations she would act as a star witness for the prosecution. Prosecutors told the judge they were unable to get in touch with 'Victim 3' when she was due to appear. Her testimony was supposed to bolster the prosecution's case against the Diddy and support the racketeering and sex-trafficking charges he was acquitted of. Jurors ultimately cleared him of three charges, two of which carried a mandatory 15 years and a maximum of life. The day before the verdict was handed down, TMZ asked Huynh if the thought of a potential acquittal made her fear for her life. 'He never did anything dangerous to me. I'm not scared,' she said, contradicting previous claims she had been the victim of abuse. In 2019, she claimed the mogul once 'stomped' on her stomach and repeatedly punched her in the head during one disturbing encounter. 'He stomped on my stomach really hard — like, took the wind out of my breath,' Gina said in her interview with controversial blogger Tasha K. 'I couldn't breathe. He kept hitting me. I was pleading to him, "Can you just stop? I can't breathe."' Huynh claimed at the time that Diddy had punched her in the head at other times, and her hair would cover signs of her injuries. 'He was mentally, emotionally and physically abusing me,' she also claimed. 'He would always compare me to Cassie and tell me that I'm the bad one, she's a good one.' The pair met in 2013 in Las Vegas. Their romance began a year later and, according to Huynh, they dated for five years. Diddy is waiting to learn his fate for the charges he was convicted of. He was found guilty of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a felony violation of the federal Mann Act. His defense lawyers said that under federal sentencing guidelines, he would likely face about two years in prison. Prosecutors, citing Diddy's violence and other factors, said the guidelines would call for at least four to five years. Locked up since his September arrest, Diddy has already served nine months. 'We fight on and we're going to win,' Agnifilo said. 'And we're not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Woman allegedly stabbed to death in Mount Pritchard unit - as man is charged
A woman has died after being allegedly stabbed by a man in Sydney 's western suburbs. Emergency services were called to a unit on Hemphill Avenue in Mount Pritchard, 34km west of the CBD, about 5.05pm on Sunday. Furkan Ada, 28, also known as Bruce Archer, was arrested at the scene. He was taken to Fairfield Police Station and has since been charged with murder.
