Son of Norway's crown princess charged with rape, sexual abuse
Prosecutors accuse Marius Borg Hoiby, the 28-year-old stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, of raping four women over the span of six years and filming the assaults. Hoiby, who was indicted on 32 criminal counts, has been charged with abuse in close relationships, making death threats and committing traffic violations. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, Oslo state attorney Sturla Henriksbø told reporters during a news conference Monday.
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Associated Press
5 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Gymnast who sparked abuse inquiry into coach at elite US academy says she 'needed to speak out'
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Recalling the damage her now-arrested coach inflicted on her and many of her gymnast friends, Finley Weldon said she feels a sense of pride. Free from the grip that Sean Gardner had during her years of training at an Iowa academy known for producing Olympians, Weldon told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that she is among the few who survived his abuse and are still in the sport. The 18-year-old is heading into her freshman year at Iowa State University, where she'll be a member of the Cyclones gymnastics team. She spoke with the AP on Wednesday, less than a week after Gardner was arrested on a child sexual exploitation charge. 'I didn't want him to take away anything from me, especially something that I love,' she said. 'None of the girls that I started with or went through the things that I did with Sean are still doing gymnastics today. So that's something I'm very proud of.' She's also happy she's made a difference, in the same way gymnasts she admires — like Aly Raisman, an Olympian whose visceral accounts of abuse by Larry Nassar shined a spotlight on the trauma gymnasts went through and how authorities failed to curb it. The AP generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but Weldon said she wanted 'my name out there because I was the one who did come forward.' 'I felt like I needed to speak out to stop it from happening to other little girls, so they didn't have to go through what I went through,' Weldon said. 'I knew it would just be a continuous cycle if nobody did.' Gymnasts reported abuse to watchdog in 2022 The FBI said Tuesday it believes Gardner 'targeted children' while coaching at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, and gyms in Mississippi and Louisiana where he worked dating back to 2004. Gardner, 38, didn't return AP messages left on his cellphone before his arrest, and has not entered a plea to the charge. A public defender who represented him after his arrest hasn't returned messages. Another former gymnast at Chow's, the academy known for producing Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas, first reported sexual abuse allegations against Gardner to the U.S. Center for SafeSport in March 2022, alleging he fondled her during training sessions, according to an FBI affidavit. That girl provided the names of six other of Gardner's potential victim, according to the affidavit. Weldon said she spoke with a SafeSport investigator about her abuse at the time. SafeSport, a watchdog created after the Nassar scandal to investigate misconduct complaints, informed the West Des Moines Police Department about the allegations. It suspended Gardner from coaching or having contact with any gymnasts in July 2022. The police department said its investigation was closed in 2022 when the initial accuser decided she did not want to pursue charges. Weldon said police never reached out to her in 2022 but she's unsure whether she would have wanted to press charges then. She said she came forward in April 2024 to West Des Moines police at age 16 after she matured and began to realize the severity of her abuse. She praised police for doing 'an amazing job' keeping her informed about the progress of the case. 'It's definitely taken awhile, but I mean, even I didn't realize how many steps there would be to charge him with anything,' she said. Police defend investigative efforts Iowa investigators say they searched Gardner's home in May and seized electronic devices, which contained images of nude girls from a hidden camera Gardner placed in the bathroom of a Purvis, Mississippi, gym where he previously worked. West Des Moines Police Sgt. Daniel Wade said Wednesday the department sought the FBI's assistance in mid-July when the case's 'scope started to broaden.' Asked why the department didn't involve FBI sooner, he said, 'We call the FBI when the time is right.' Gardner is charged in federal court in Mississippi with producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which relate to the alleged hidden camera. Federal and state investigations remain active, and additional charges are possible. Wade defended the department's investigative efforts over the last three years. He said investigators 'went as far with it as we could' in 2022, without a victim seeking charges and have been conducting a thorough investigation since receiving the new complaint in 2024. Wade declined comment on whether investigators reached out to Weldon and other potential victims identified in 2022, saying only that police opened 'lines of communication with different people' that later paid off. Weldon said she met with investigators Tuesday and they asked her to identify herself in an image Gardner allegedly secretly took of her in a vulnerable stretching position. Protecting the 'male figure in my life' Weldon said her goal since she was a girl was to reach the elite level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic program for those who aim to compete internationally. She said she started training at Chow's after her family moved to Iowa in 2015. She began taking private lessons with Gardner two or three times per week shortly after he joined Chow's in September 2018, when she 11 years old. Weldon said she was struggling as her parents went through a divorce and her father was largely absent from her life. She said Gardner sought to fill that role by telling her she could tell him 'anything' and that he would always be there for her. In hindsight, she said he was manipulating her in order to gain her trust. Finley's mother, Julie Weldon, said she heard concerns about Gardner from other parents at Chow's early on and asked her daughter whether her coach had ever done anything inappropriate. Finley said she falsely told her mother no because she was protecting the 'male figure in my life.' Inappropriate behavior progressed She said Gardner began touching her inappropriately in 2019 during lessons, beginning with long hugs and pats on the back. She said his behavior progressed, and he began touching her butt during the hugs and requiring her to stretch for extended periods in positions that exposed her vagina and anus out of her leotard. She said around 2020 he began touching her vagina while spotting her during exercises. She recalled once telling him not to put his hands there and he claimed it was an accident because her 'leotard was slippery.' Weldon recalled reaching her breaking point with Gardner after a 2021 training in which he yelled and threw shoes at her, telling her she'd never reach elite status. She said she walked out and told her mom she wanted to quit. She said many of her classmates quit or didn't return because of Gardner's conduct after the gym shut down during the pandemic. But while he made her hate gymnastics at times, she continued training when her family moved to Texas and then to Utah. She said she eventually proved Gardner wrong by earning elite status and a spot on a Division 1 team. After news of Gardner's arrest, Weldon saw his jail booking photo in the AP story. She said she was struck by how much heavier and unkempt he appeared. 'He's definitely like gone through a spiral,' she said. 'I think he probably just had so much guilt built up in him that he kind of turned into that.'
4 hours ago
What to know about the Menendez brothers' parole hearings
LOS ANGELES -- Lyle and Erik Menendez are scheduled to face separate parole hearings beginning Thursday in California and — depending on the outcomes — could eventually be released from prison nearly 30 years after being convicted of killing their parents. A panel of parole officers will evaluate each of the brothers via videoconference. They'll appear from prison in San Diego. In 1995, a jury convicted both brothers of first-degree murder in the 1989 murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez inside their Los Angeles-area home. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996. They became eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge in May reduced their sentences from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were under the ages of 26 when they committed their crimes. Lyle and Erik Menendez are the sons of Jose and Kitty Menendez. Jose Menendez, a Cuban-American business executive who at one time was an executive at RCA Records, moved his family from Princeton, New Jersey, to California when his sons were teenagers. On Aug. 20, 1989, Lyle Menendez dialed 911 to report the shotgun-killings of their parents inside their home. Both brothers told investigators that the murders were related to the Mafia or had something to do with their father's business dealings. At the time, Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21. With access to the family's wealth, the brothers spent small fortunes on Rolex watches, cars and houses. But two months after the killings, Erik Menendez confessed to his psychologist that he and his brother killed their parents. They were arrested early the following year and each charged with first-degree murder. The brothers claimed their father had emotionally and sexually abused them since childhood. Prosecutors contended that getting hold of their father's money was the motive behind the couple's killings. The brothers' first trial started in 1993. Their attorneys never disputed the pair killed their parents, but argued that they acted out of self-defense. Their trials resulted in hung juries. In 1995, a jury convicted both brothers of three counts, including first-degree murder, plus lying in-wait and special circumstance allegations. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996. For years after their conviction, the brothers filed petitions for appeals of their cases while in prison. State and federal judges denied the petitions. The brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for fellow prisoners. They also launched a prison beautification project inspired by the Norwegian approach to incarceration that believes rehabilitation in humane prisons surrounded by nature leads to successful reintegration into society, even for those who have committed terrible crimes. Over the years, the Menendez case continued to fascinate the public and the young, handsome brothers became celebrities of sorts. They became the subjects of true crime shows, including last year's nine-episode crime drama 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' on Netflix. A few weeks after that was aired, then-LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced he was reviewing new evidence in the case. On Oct. 24, 2024, prosecutors said they will petition the court to resentence the brothers. In May 2025, an LA County Superior Court judge granted them a new sentence of 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole. Erik and Lyle Menendez will be evaluated, individually, by a panel of two or three parole hearing officers. Erik's hearing is scheduled Thursday morning. Lyle's will be held Friday. The board will assess whether the brothers pose an 'unreasonable risk of danger to society' if released, considering factors like criminal history, motivation for the crime, signs of remorse, behavior while in prison and plans for the future, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Nearly all of the Menendez family support the brothers' release from prison. Milton Andersen, the brothers' uncle who opposed their release, died from cancer in March. The brothers have separate hearings and will be evaluated independently of each other. Los Angeles trial attorney David Ring has said if one brother was 'a troublemaker' in prison and the other wasn't, it's conceivable that one could stay locked up while the other is freed. But Ring, who's not involved with the Menendez case, said that's unlikely. If granted parole, it could be months before the brothers are released from prison. The chief legal counsel has 120 days to review the case. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom then has 30 days to affirm or deny the parole. If he approves it, they could then leave prison. Newsom has not made any statements indicating his position on the case, but said during a May press conference that he has both approved and rejected decisions by the parole board before. That's not clear. The brothers' family members, who have spoken out in favor of their release, haven't shared details about where the brothers might live.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Penn Yan lawyer who practices across Finger Lakes region indicted on rape charges
A Yates County attorney is facing felony rape charges based on an alleged incident from September 2024. Thomas E. Plan, 30, turned himself in to investigators with the Yates County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 15 following his indictment by a grand jury on charges of first-degree rape, a violent Class B felony, and third-degree rape, a Class E felony. The indictment accuses Plan of forcibly engaging in sexual intercourse with another person and engaging in sexual intercourse without consent. Plan's law practice is based in Penn Yan, and he practices in courts across the Finger Lakes region, according to his website. He specializes in criminal defense, regulatory law, immigration law and civil litigation, the website indicated. Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker was appointed special prosecutor in the case, and Rochester attorney Mark Foti represented Plan at his arraignment in Yates County Court. Economy State labor commissioner highlights economic benefits of NY budget during Elmira stop Seneca County Court Judge Barry L. Porsch, who will hear the case, arraigned Plan after he turned himself in. Plan pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment, and Porsch committed him to the Yates County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. Porsch also ordered Plan, who has a green card and is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Germany, to surrender his passports. The case was adjourned until Oct. 14 for filing of motions. Follow Jeff Murray on X (Twitter) @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Penn Yan lawyer accused of rape, indicted by Yates County grand jury
