Letters to the Editor: After Tom Girardi scandal, it's clear the State Bar of California needs reform
The bar here has roused itself to make some minor reforms. Good luck. Attorneys are not saints, free from temptation. More policing is needed. I suggest outside audits of attorneys' books by certified public accountants retained by the bar, to obviate conflicts of interest. As for the bar's dereliction of duty, heads must roll.
Raymond Freeman, Thousand Oaks
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The Hill
09-08-2025
- The Hill
Ghislaine Maxwell moved to Texas prison: Here's who she's locked up with
Questions arose about the prison camp Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator and former girlfriend, was transferred to last week, after spending years in a federal prison in Florida. Maxwell was moved to Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security prison for women, located roughly 6 miles from Texas A&M University in College Station in Bryan, Texas. The transfer of the convicted sex offender's came on the heels of her meeting with the Department of Justice (DOJ), where she spoke to the department about 100 people linked to the disgraced financier, who died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The embattled former socialite reentered the public eye earlier this year as calls mounted for the DOJ to release more information into its probe of Epstein's case. The Trump administration released a memo early last month concluding that he killed himself and that he did not keep a so-called 'client list.' What to know about FPC Bryan According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), FPC Bryan houses 626 inmates. The facility usually holds nonviolent offenders, where inmates work landscaping and maintenance, to avoid repeatedly checking in and out of a main prison facility, according to The Associated Press. Before her transfer, Maxwell was at a federal correctional institute in Tallahassee, Fla. These are low-to-medium-security prisons that may have perimeters that are double-fenced, and inmates are more limited in their movements, according to the BOP. Similar to other federal prison camps around the country, of which there are seven, according to the agency, some facilities don't even have fences. FPC Bryan's high-profile names Maxwell isn't the only high-profile name housed at FPC Bryan, according to central Texas' KCEN-TV. The prison is home to Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Jen Shah of 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' who was sentenced to 78 months in prison for running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme, is also at the Bryan, Texas, facility. Public reaction to Ghislane Maxwell's transfer Actress Alicia Arden, an Epstein accuser, spoke out against Maxwell's transfer on 'Banfield.' Arden, alongside attorney Gloria Allred, was on Ashleigh Banfield's show to discuss the possibility of grand jury transcripts being unsealed in the sex trafficking case against Maxwell. 'I think that she should be moved back to the facility where she was, and that's where she's serving her time,' Arden told NewsNation. 'Why should she be moved to a lower facility with not as much protection and with more freedom there?' Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in connection with Epstein in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. She is currently appealing her conviction to the Supreme Court.
New York Post
07-08-2025
- New York Post
Rep. Jasmine Crockett is a no-show boss from hell who terrorizes staffers, aides say: 'All diva, no wow'
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jasmine Crockett has positioned herself as an unfiltered critic of President Trump, earning regular TV appearances and an enthusiastic online following, but congressional aides tell The Post that the Dallas Democrat is just as 'rude' and mean to her own staff. The liberal loudmouth, 44, has rocketed to fame since taking office in January 2023 as a fiery assailant of the Republican president and his allies. But three sources who have worked with or for Crockett say she's rarely present when TV cameras aren't rolling — and terrorizes staff when she does appear. Crockett is not often found at her government-provided suite in the Longworth House Office Building, with one insider saying she prefers to work from her nearby luxury apartment building, sometimes for weeks on end. 3 Rep. Jasmine Crockett has been among the loudest Democrats in Congress since taking office in 2023. Houston Chronicle via Getty Images 'She is laying around her apartment, won't come into the office, and is really just indifferent to staff and will scream at them,' the former aide said. 'She is never in the office and is very disengaged. She does her bulls— that goes viral, and then freaks out over the most random things.' A second source close to Crockett's team added: 'It is widely known that she's not nice to staff and is just not a really dedicated member focused on constituents.' 'She is focused almost exclusively on being an influencer, not a member of Congress,' said a third source who has worked with Crockett, describing her as 'all diva, no wow.' 'You're stupid if you think so' When Crockett does show up for work on Capitol Hill — often to attend a committee hearing where she deploys a made-for-social media attack on Trump — she prefers to have a staff member drive her the short distance to her office in a rented car rather than the staffer's own, a cheaper option commonly used by lawmakers. The staffer is expected to stand outside the vehicle, which 'has to be an Escalade' or similar upscale make, and open the door for her. 3 Sources describe the Democrat as a disengaged public servant when the cameras aren't rolling. AP 'You're technically allowed to do this but it's wildly inefficient. Instead of using the scheduler's car, she rents a car every week in DC,' one source said. 'She expects her staff to drive her around while she's in the back seat,' they added, calling it a 'power play' akin to 'treating the staffer like an Uber driver.' Crockett, a former criminal defense attorney and Texas state legislator, burst into the national spotlight in May 2024 when she attacked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) at a committee hearing for having a 'bleach blonde bad built butch body' after Greene ridiculed her 'fake eyelashes.' While Crockett tried to fundraise off the 'Real Housewives'-style viral clash, the congresswoman's staff — which includes multiple gay and lesbian members — were left with mixed feelings. Complaints poured in from lesbians who objected to Crockett's derogatory use of the term 'butch' to attack Greene, which even left some aides uneasy. 'She told her gay staff members, 'That's not offensive. You're stupid if you think so',' a former aide recounted to the Post. 'It was kind of like how Trump says, 'The gays love me'.' Three months later, Crockett was given a coveted speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, where she ripped the former and future president as a 'vindictive vile villain.' 'Toxic staff environment' Crockett has burned through employees at such a pace that she's becoming known as a present-day version of the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), long known as the Capitol's toughest boss. A number of staff have become fed up with their treatment, while others have either been fired or left on their own — a distinction often difficult to discern in Washington. Some former aides cited fear of retribution when declining to participate in this story. 'She thinks she's her own best adviser, she knows best, and has this toxic staff environment,' a source said. 'She gets rid of press people because she's like, 'I do all of the press stuff.'' On one occasion described to The Post, Crockett reduced a legislative aide to tears, bellowing: 'Do you really want to be here? And if not you can leave!' 3 'The only person that she thinks about and cares about is herself,' a former Democratic aide said of Crockett. REUTERS Another aide, a young black woman, was fired abruptly and confided to a colleague: 'I don't want to hear Jasmine Crockett talk about helping black women when she just fired one for no reason!' Capitol Hill jobs often are filled based on personal connections and openings are circulated among friend groups. A source told The Post that a job listing for Crockett's team recently was shared among a large group of black Democratic women — but nobody expressed interest in the gig. 'You would think working for a black woman, if you were a young black woman or a young person of color, you would feel empowered in that space,' said a former Democratic congressional aide. 'But truly, the only person that she thinks about and cares about is herself. 'The staff is really just an island unto itself, because she doesn't care about the local issues happening in her district,' this person added. 'She's more focused on, 'Get me on 'The View,' get me on this late night talk show. 'A lot of [congressional] hearings are on the most boring, basic s—. So how is it at every hearing, it's about Trump? It's about Trump again and again and again. And it's like, she's not actually doing any real work. She's at a hearing — we can be talking about the budget, they can be talking about appropriations — and she brings it back to Trump every time,' the source griped. 'She causes some kind of tension and issue, the hearing has to stop, the chairman has to bang the gavel. It's like a spectacle and a show … Not everything has to be clipped for MSNBC.' Crockett has also cycled through several chiefs of staff, with one observer saying it's 'because they want her to do her actual job, and the actual job of a member of Congress isn't fun and glamorous. So unless you are somebody willing to say yes to all of the outrageous things she would like to do, you're not gonna last long.' 'This looks like crap' Crockett hasn't been coy about her treatment of staff — recently offering two examples of rough treatment of subordinates in an interview with Atlantic magazine journalist Elaine Godfrey. 'Behind the scenes, the representative speaks casually,' Godfrey reported. 'She can also be brusque. During our interview at the Waldorf, she dialed up a staffer in DC in front of me and scolded him for an unclear note on her schedule. Another time, in the car, after an aide brought Crockett a paper bag full of food from a fundraiser, she peered inside, scrunched her nose, and said, 'This looks like crap.'' The Texas congresswoman, despite granting Godfrey access for the profile, attempted to retract her interview remarks when the journalist didn't ask her permission to request comment from other members of Congress, most of whom reportedly would not volunteer flattering words. The lawmaker claimed she was 'shutting down the profile and revoking all permissions.' It wasn't Crockett's first self-inflicted PR problem. In May, she allegedly boarded a commercial flight ahead of two handicapped people, according to Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.). 'Her cutting in line in front of a handicapped person is really indicative of the type of person she is,' said a source who has worked with Crockett. 'She is interpersonally very rude and doesn't get along well with people.' The Post did not receive a reply after sending multiple detailed emails requesting comment to a press-request email advertised on Crockett's website. Nobody answered the phones at her DC or Dallas offices during the workday; both went straight to voicemail.
Fox News
05-08-2025
- Fox News
Denise Richards shows up at ex's home after he allegedly 'put down' her dog without permission: report
Denise Richards reportedly showed up unannounced at her estranged husband's home amid the couple's fiery divorce. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star claimed Aaron Phypers had "put down" one of her dogs without her permission, prompting her to show up. Richards' lawyer, Brett Berman, told People that the reality TV star "did not violate a restraining order" by showing up to Phypers' home, explaining, "On August 3, 2025, after confirming that Mr. Phypers was not present in her home, Ms. Richards entered the home to retrieve her dogs after learning that Mr. Phypers had put down one of her other dogs without her knowledge or permission." A source close to Phypers told People that Berman's statement is "100 percent, absolutely false." The source also claimed that Richards was "screaming and banging on the door of the home to get inside, and when Phypers heard her voice, he left through a side door." The Lost Hills Sheriff's Department responded to a call around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, the outlet reported. After finding no "evidence that a crime occurred," authorities left the property. Fox News Digital reached out for additional comment. A judge granted Richards' request for a temporary restraining order against Phypers amid their ongoing divorce on July 17. "Throughout our relationship, Aaron would frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head, aggressively slam my head into the bathroom towel rack, threaten to kill me, hold me down with his knee on my back to the point where I would have to plead with him to get off me so that he would not kill me and hack into my laptop and phone and download all of my text messages," Richards claimed in the documents, filed on July 16. "Aaron regularly threatened to 'break my jaw' and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help – none of which ever happened. Aaron has caused me at least three concussions." "Until now, I have been afraid to report Aaron to the police or file for a restraining order because he has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me if I reported him to the police, among his other threats of harm to me and himself if he is reported for his abuse to anyone," Richards continued. Additionally, said Richards, Phypers "threatened that I would 'disappear' if I called the police." Phypers denied all allegations of mental or physical abuse in a statement at the time. "I want to address recent rumors and speculation that have surfaced regarding my relationship with my wife, Denise Richards," he told People. "Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise – or anyone. These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful. Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue. I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect." He concluded, "I ask for privacy as we navigate personal matters, and I hope that the public and media will refrain from spreading harmful and baseless claims." Phypers filed for divorce from Richards on July 7. He cited irreconcilable differences and is seeking spousal support from the "Real Housewives" star. Shortly after filing for divorce, Phypers accused Richards of having an affair and a drug addiction in a letter sent to family and friends. The letter, obtained by Page Six, apparently emphasized the need for an "intervention."
