Teen found dead in gym mat, then organs went missing, suit says, & 5 more cases
Thousands of legal cases reach U.S. courts every year. From accusations of mistreatment in prisons to fraud to sexual abuse and beyond, here are some of the latest from across the country.
Whitfield Leland III, a former Tallahassee, Florida, mayoral candidate, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison over robbing a Dollar General store at gunpoint in 2024, federal prosecutors say. Leland, described as a '13-time convicted felon,' fled the scene disguised as a store employee, leading police on a chase before being captured. He was convicted of interference with commerce by threat or violence, among other charges, according to prosecutors. | Published July 28 | Read More
In Georgia, the parents of Kendrick Lamar Johnson are challenging the official ruling of their son's death as accidental, saying new evidence contradicts this narrative, according to their amended federal lawsuit. An independent pathologist concluded Kendrick died from non-accidental blunt force trauma, and the lawsuit questions the disappearance of his organs after the initial autopsy. | Published July 29 | Read More
In Pennsylvania, a district attorney is accused of coercing a coroner to rule a baby's death a homicide to bolster his election campaign, according to a nonprofit's petition. The coroner says he was pressured to change the death certificate despite the original ruling being undetermined. | Published July 30 | Read More
In Alabama, six Walker County Jail guards face charges related to the death of Anthony 'Tony' Mitchell, who died of hypothermia and neglect in a cold jail cell, federal prosecutors say. The indictment accuses the guards of depriving Mitchell and other inmates of basic needs and subjecting them to physical abuse. | Published July 30 | Read More
In Michigan, Alexis Williams is suing a hotel after contracting a severe MRSA infection from an unkempt pool, her attorney says. The lawsuit says the pool had no chlorine and high bacteria levels, leading to Williams' infection that required multiple surgeries. | Published July 31 | Read More
In North Carolina, Jodi Blanton is suing a deputy who a judge ruled framed her for bank robberies and bomb threats, violating her constitutional rights. The judge found the deputy falsified evidence to support her arrest, leading to the dismissal of charges against her. Blanton seeks accountability and damages for the ordeal. | Published July 31 | Read More
McClatchy News continues to follow lawsuits and legal cases from around the country. Check back for more legal stories.
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Miami Herald
9 hours ago
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Teen found dead in gym mat, then organs went missing, suit says, & 5 more cases
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Thousands of legal cases reach U.S. courts every year. From accusations of mistreatment in prisons to fraud to sexual abuse and beyond, here are some of the latest from across the country. Whitfield Leland III, a former Tallahassee, Florida, mayoral candidate, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison over robbing a Dollar General store at gunpoint in 2024, federal prosecutors say. Leland, described as a '13-time convicted felon,' fled the scene disguised as a store employee, leading police on a chase before being captured. He was convicted of interference with commerce by threat or violence, among other charges, according to prosecutors. | Published July 28 | Read More In Georgia, the parents of Kendrick Lamar Johnson are challenging the official ruling of their son's death as accidental, saying new evidence contradicts this narrative, according to their amended federal lawsuit. An independent pathologist concluded Kendrick died from non-accidental blunt force trauma, and the lawsuit questions the disappearance of his organs after the initial autopsy. | Published July 29 | Read More In Pennsylvania, a district attorney is accused of coercing a coroner to rule a baby's death a homicide to bolster his election campaign, according to a nonprofit's petition. The coroner says he was pressured to change the death certificate despite the original ruling being undetermined. | Published July 30 | Read More In Alabama, six Walker County Jail guards face charges related to the death of Anthony 'Tony' Mitchell, who died of hypothermia and neglect in a cold jail cell, federal prosecutors say. The indictment accuses the guards of depriving Mitchell and other inmates of basic needs and subjecting them to physical abuse. | Published July 30 | Read More In Michigan, Alexis Williams is suing a hotel after contracting a severe MRSA infection from an unkempt pool, her attorney says. The lawsuit says the pool had no chlorine and high bacteria levels, leading to Williams' infection that required multiple surgeries. | Published July 31 | Read More In North Carolina, Jodi Blanton is suing a deputy who a judge ruled framed her for bank robberies and bomb threats, violating her constitutional rights. The judge found the deputy falsified evidence to support her arrest, leading to the dismissal of charges against her. Blanton seeks accountability and damages for the ordeal. | Published July 31 | Read More McClatchy News continues to follow lawsuits and legal cases from around the country. Check back for more legal stories.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
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Fake immigration lawyer cashed in, put clients at risk of deportation, feds say
A woman posing as an immigration attorney in Pennsylvania lied on clients' asylum forms, putting them at risk of deportation, federal officials said. Fatima DeMaria, the 65-year-old owner of Immigration Matters Legal Services in Oxford, was arrested and charged with eight counts of asylum fraud and eight counts of mail fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said in a July 31 news release. McClatchy News reached out to the woman's attorney but did not immediately receive a response. DeMaria is accused of filling out asylum applications for her clients, form I-589, but falsely claiming why they were seeking asylum in the U.S., prosecutors said. She did so between 2021 and 2024, prosecutors said. The form is meant for those who are in the United States but who are not citizens, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She stated applicants were seeking to stay in the country due to 'political opinion' and 'Torture Convention,' federal officials said. However, this was not the reason her clients were seeking permission to stay in the U.S.. DeMaria did not tell her clients she was filing 'frivolous' forms as a way to help them obtain work permits, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, but had them sign the documents. If those applications were denied, her clients could face deportation proceedings and the 'baseless asylum application' could jeopardize those people if they ever needed immigration benefits in the future, prosecutors said. She charged thousands for the immigration tasks she was not licensed to do, charging between up to $9,000 per individual or up to $15,000 per couple, federal officials said. Prosecutors say they believe she made up to $1 million fraudulently. DeMaria often asked her clients to pay her in cash or in transactions that were deposited into her personal bank accounts, officials said. 'Hundreds of thousands of dollars' were eventually withdrawn at casinos, prosecutors said. If convicted, DeMaria faces up to 240 years in prison and a $4 million fine. The FBI in Philadelphia is looking to identify any victims of DeMaria/s through this form /vailable/in English and Spanish. Oxford is about a 55-mile drive southwest from Philadelphia.
