James Patterson and Vicky Ward to write book on UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing
Little, Brown & Company announced the book, which currently has no title or release date. Patterson, one of the world's bestselling novelists, and Ward, an investigative reporter who has worked at CNN and Esquire, plan to draw upon exclusive interviews, firsthand reporting and court transcripts, among other sources.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a federal murder charge for last December's shooting of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, has since become a symbol of frustration with the health care system.
'This is a story about the American Dream Gone Wrong. It's also a story of one young man's descent from Ivy League graduate to notorious accused killer to so-called political martyr,' Patterson said in a statement Wednesday.
Patterson's and Ward's 'The Idaho Four,' published last month, quickly became a national bestseller after Bryan Kohberger was sentenced July 23 to four consecutive life sentences without parole for the fatal stabbings of students Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves in 2022.
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Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The Colombian immigrant who became 'Britain's Pablo Escobar': How Jesus Ruiz Henao built a £1bn drug empire in the UK - all while hiding in plain sight
The Colombian immigrant dubbed 'Britain's Pablo Escobar' after juggling a TfL job as the driver of a London bus while running a billion-dollar cocaine empire has spoken out for the first time on TV, claiming, no doubt with little remorse, that he was a 'pioneer'. Jesus Ruiz Henao, now 63, reflects on his 'Hollywood' life story in a two-part Discovery+ docuseries The Bus Driver: Britain's Cocaine King, set for release on Monday. In his first ever television interview, the mild-mannered drug kingpin - currently a 'VIP' inmate at a high-security prison in Bogotá - told of how he sought refuge in London after becoming the target of Colombian cocaine cartels over drug deals gone awry. He charted his journey to becoming the country's most notorious drug dealer - with Henao blacklisted as a 'career criminal' by the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) alongside underworld bosses, fraudsters, and money launderers. With what sounds like a hint of pride, Henao described how he flew under the radar for years before he was finally nabbed in one of the largest operations carried out by the Metropolitan Police - with more than 100 officers recruited to bring him down. 'My life story is a lot like a Hollywood movie,' Henao said, seated before a camera crew in the courtyard of La Picota prison. 'I was trafficking drugs for over 10 years and I was arrested and sentenced for [importing] over a billion pounds of cocaine. 'I was like a pioneer of cocaine in the UK,' Henao appeared to brag. The new series, which premieres on Discovery+ on Monday, also features interviews with members of Henao's large family - including his doting younger sister Omaira and police officer brother Fabio, who revealed the cartels 'tried to kill me three times'. 'I hate drug dealers,' the nobler Henao spoke of his decision to serve in the narcotics branch of the Colombian police force. 'My brother, he never told me what he was doing because he knows what I think about all that.' Fabio wasn't the only one fooled by Henao's gentle, salt-of-the-earth demeanour; in fact, the Colombian ran his massive drug operation for a decade while posing as a amiable bus driver before he was arrested in November 2003. American journalist and Henao's biographer Ron Chepesiuk, who told Henao's story in the the book The Real Mr Big, noted: 'If you listen to such a story for the first time, it reads like fiction. 'A poor Colombian refugee becomes the biggest drug trafficker in British history - and nobody knew about it.' On why he believes Henao went undetected for so long, Ron said Henao doesn't look like your average dealer. 'Most drug dealers are nasty. They kill a lot of people, they sell a lot of drugs without worrying about the consequences of it,' he continued. 'And Jesus is the most unusual drug trafficker you'll ever meet. 'He's soft spoken, he's very polite,' Ron, who counts himself among Henao's friends, added. Before he became one of the world's most wanted criminals, Henao was a small-time drug smuggler in his home country, gripped by cartel violence against the backdrop of the Medellin and Cali groups' bloody rivalry in the Eighties. In the documentary, which follows the cocaine trail from the Colombia into Europe in the Noughties, Henao recalled being gifted a bicycle by Pablo Escobar - the ruthless Medellin boss who became one of the world's richest criminals - at one of his political rallies around Christmas. 'My first bicycle in my life, I got it from the hands of Pablo Escobar,' Henao said, with a childlike glee. Watching Escobar gave Ruiz-Henao purpose, he revealed, as the Pereira-native who grew up in poverty set his sights on becoming wealthy beyond belief - by whatever means necessary. 'I was thinking he has the power, he has the money,' Henao said. 'I want to be powerful like them. I want to have everything.' Ron described how Henao and one of his early associates, Pedro, set up a 'mini cartel' that would buy drugs from the jungle for cheap and sell it in the city for double or triple the money. 'Pedro and Jesus were always scheming, trying to figure how they can make more money from the drug trade,' the true crime writer continued. Henao knew from growing up in the cocaine-producing region that the American market had already been seized by the Medellin and Cali cartels, but the European market was wide open - one that Henao decided to own. He was forced to flee the country after a few of his drug deals went awry and Henao ended up owing money to the cartels that he couldn't afford to pay. After an assassination attempt, Henao moved to the Hendon in London where he recalled being enchanted by the culture, diversity, and 'moving stairs' or escalators in Tube stations. His wife Maria contacted Jeremy Corbyn, long-serving MP of Islington North, to help them secure political asylum as immigrants forced to flee Colombia where they were 'endangered', he said. Henao's application was refused twice but he, ultimately, secured indefinite leave-to-remain after his wife's bid was successful. In the documentary, which includes previously unseen footage of Henao's arrest as police busted his drug operation, he recalled getting his bus driver's license before being assigned the 134 route - from North Finchley to University College Hospital in Euston. 'I was just living a normal, standard life,' he said. When people realised Henao - described in the documentary as a master 'manipulator' - was Colombia, he claimed, they inevitably asked him for blow before he realised he was sitting on a gold mine. 'When you arrived in the UK, did you intend to carry on dealing or did you want to go straight?' a member of the film production crew asked Jesus. He replied: 'I wanted to just make a few pounds and live a normal life, but I already had my contacts for the cocaine and that was easy to start doing, to start dealing drugs.' The film which releases on Monday sees how Ruiz-Henao set up a distribution network from Colombia via Spain and into the UK - all while posing as a respectable, hard-working immigrant. One of the other ways Ruiz-Henao's lavish lifestyle that was, in reality, funded by drug money didn't raise alarm bells was because he won £100,000 in a spot-the-ball competition in the early 90s. Ironically, it was when he decided to quit the business that Ruiz-Henao was arrested, as detailed in Ron's book that he co-wrote. 'After reflecting a long time, I decided to get out of the business,' an excerpt reads. 'The police were on to me. I spoke to my boss Sergio in Colombia and my friends there, telling them that I was getting out because of the heat that was on me.' After he returned from a holiday in the Carribean, ready to move on from a life of crime that saw him earn £1 billion, Ruiz-Henao's associate-turned-informant Fernando finally helped the Metropolitan Police nab him. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison at London's Southwark Crown Court.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Convicted child sex offender exploits legal loophole to have baby boy
A teacher convicted of sexually abusing an underage boy was able to have a baby with his husband through a surrogate, potentially exploiting a loophole in state law. The issue recently came to light and sparked outrage after a video circulated online showing Brandon Riley-Mitchell, 39, and his husband holding their infant boy and blowing out candles on a series of cupcakes. Riley-Mitchell, a former chemistry teacher at Downingtown West High School in Pennsylvania, was convicted in 2016 of sexually abusing a student and possessing child pornography. He had a sexually inappropriate relationship with the 16-year-old student between May 2013 and December 2014, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. More than 12,000 text messages, which included nude images and videos, were exchanged between the student and Riley-Mitchell, who was 30 at the time. Riley-Mitchell, who was placed on the sex offenders registry, spent three months in jail and was sentenced to probation with no unsupervised contact with minors. Under state law, registered sex offenders are not allowed to adopt or foster children, but there is no current law preventing individuals from conceiving via surrogacy. It remains unclear if Riley-Mitchell is biologically related to the child through the procedure, which surrogacy and adoption attorney Stuart Sacks told the Inquirer may be 'where the loophole comes in.' The couple had launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe in 2023 to raise money to help them afford a gestational surrogate. In an update, they announced that they had found a surrogate 'after three long years of searching' when a family friend reached out. The couple wrote: 'Our surrogate went through extensive medical and social worker evaluations in order to be approved for surrogacy. 'Once approved, the lengthy legal and financial process began. We are so excited that our amazing surrogate will carry one of our embryos for us, helping to expand our family!' Now, thousands are calling for the child's removal and for an update to state law that would also protect children born through surrogacy. Plea: The couple had launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe in 2023 to raise money to help them afford a gestational surrogate A petition said: 'This child is now living in the custody of a man convicted of sexually abusing a child. The public is outraged, and we are demanding immediate action,' . The petition called on Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, and the Pennsylvania Legislature to launch an investigation into the situation, remove the child, and 'close any legal gaps' for sex offenders to adopt or have custody of children. As of Saturday, the petition had garnered more than 10,500 signatures. Peter Kratsa, Riley-Mitchell's former attorney in his criminal case, told the Inquirer that his former client 'did nothing illegal or unethical in becoming a surrogate parent.' Kratsa added that Riley-Mitchell had 'accepted responsibility for his conduct, served his sentence without incident, and engaged in extensive counseling.' Kratsa told the outlet: 'Perhaps the attention of those decrying his parenthood would be more appropriately directed toward those who are not held accountable for child abuse, are not punished, and make no efforts at rehabilitation.' York County District Attorney Tim Barker told Newsweek in a statement: 'I thoroughly appreciate the concerned and outraged emotions expressed by many that a loophole exists in the law to allows a registered sex offender to become a parent through surrogacy without the same intense scrutiny, accountability, and judicial oversight mandated for the adoption process.' He added: 'This is an issue ripe for review and remedy by our Pennsylvania Legislature.' Barker added that currently no laws have been broken but he had 'full confidence' that county officials would pursue any 'constitutionally permissible legislative actions' to protect children,' the outlet reported.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mom held after toddler missing for 3 years 'beaten, shot with BB gun and handed over to meth dealer'
A mother and her boyfriend have been arrested on several child and sexual abuse counts - more than three years after her two-year-old girl was allegedly beaten and handed over to a meth dealer. London Kerr was last seen in April 2022 at an Oklahoma City home, having reportedly been bashed with a paddle and shot with a BB gun before being given up. The mother, Ashley Rowland, 39, and her boyfriend, Joshua Denton, 40, were arrested on Tuesday - but detectives say London's whereabouts are still a mystery. The toddler, who would now be five, is still considered missing and endangered and Oklahoma City Police are continuing their search. And despite the arrests, police say there's been no credible information about London's whereabouts. The harrowing case only began to unravel a year after London was last seen alive, when the Oklahoma Department of Human Services attempted to serve a pickup order in April 2023 and was unable to locate London, according to court records. Rowland initially told authorities her daughter was staying with her biological father in Georgia - but that statement was later proven false. In a follow-up interview, Rowland allegedly admitted to giving London to a man named 'Carlos,' whom she said had sold her methamphetamine in 2022. 'He was possibly London's father, but Ashley was not sure. Carlos had told Ashley he was going back to Mexico,' her arrest affidavit stated. Rowland also told police she did not give Carlos any of London's personal identification documents, The Oklahoman reported. Oklahoma City police have not yet confirmed Carlos's existence or involvement. Rowland was first arrested on a child abandonment charge last October but was bonded out. She later admitted to police she had lied and that Carlos did not sell or use meth. 'We don't have very credible information from the people that assumed responsibility or had custody of this child,' Oklahoma City Police Sgt Dillon Quirk told WFSB. 'So, when we take over an investigation, we have to go back and look at what has already been documented.' Investigators eventually uncovered additional disturbing allegations of abuse in interviews with other children connected to Rowland and Denton. According to affidavits, a 15-year-old boy told police Denton hit London with a wooden paddle and shot her with a BB gun. He also said Denton duct-taped him to a chair, beat him with a belt, threatened to kill him if he spoke to anyone and even threatened to 'make him disappear.' Residence: Ashley Rowland's southeast Oklahoma home where Department of Human Services believed London Kerr was living before her disappearance In March, Denton's eight-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son were also interviewed. The two children alleged that their father poured hot sauce in London's eyes, locked her in a closet, and threatened to beat them if they told Rowland. The girl also said Denton had sexually abused her and warned her she would die if she spoke out. The two minors also told investigators Rowland was aware of the abuse. Rowland, however, denied knowledge of the abuse, and insisted Denton was never violent toward London. Moore Police later searched a storage unit tied to Rowland and Denton, where they recovered a BB gun, a wooden paddle labeled 'The Last Resort,' a pink baby blanket, diapers, a pink shoe, and a car seat, the Oklahoman reported. Complicating the timeline further, a daycare worker told police early this year that she last saw London with Rowland at a gas station over two years earlier. At the time, the worker noted visible bruises on London's head, but according to the affidavit, Rowland said her toddler's injuries were from a car accident. Despite extensive searches of properties, storage units, and electronic devices, no trace of London has been found. Police said the case is now being led by Oklahoma City detectives, with assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Moore Police previously worked the case but turned it over after exhausting leads. 'Time is of the essence, still hoping for a positive turnout in this case, and we don't have a lot to go off of right now, which makes it extremely difficult,' Quirk told KOCO-TV. If still alive, London would turn six in early September. Denton now faces nine felony charges, including six counts of child abuse, one count of forcible sodomy, one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child, and one count of a pattern of criminal offenses. Rowland has been charged with enabling child abuse. Anyone with information about London's whereabouts is urged to contact the Oklahoma City Police Homicide Tip Line at 405-297-1200.
