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USA Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Who is Tiawana Brown? Charlotte councilwoman indicted on federal charges
Who is Tiawana Brown? Charlotte councilwoman indicted on federal charges Show Caption Hide Caption COVID fraud cases continue to grow In the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic relief arrived in the form of government programs, but some people took advantage. Fox - 13 News A North Carolina grand jury has indicted a Charlotte City Council member on federal charges after prosecutors allege she used COVID relief funds to throw a $15,000 birthday party. Tiawana Brown, 53, was indicted alongside her daughters Tijema Brown, 30, and Antionette Rouse, 33, on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with fraudulent applications filed to falsely obtain COVID pandemic relief funds, Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced in a May 22 news release. In a statement shared by Kristie Puckett, a lobbyist for NC Second Chance Alliance, on behalf of Brown characterized the indictment as a 'deliberate effort to interfere with her re-election and silence her voice." 'I am not here to be tried in the media,' Brown is quoted as saying in the statement. 'However, I must address the allegations against me by the United States District Court. I will have my day in court, and I trust the process.' Brown, who serves District 3 for the city, could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY. As of May 23, it was not immediately known whether Brown planned to resign from her city post. USA TODAY also contacted the city of Charlotte, its mayor and Brown's attorney. San Diego plane crash update: Who died? Who was injured? Everything we know so far Indictment: Tiawana Brown falsely obtained over $124,000 According to an indictment, from April 2020 through September 2021, the defendants conspired to execute a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), as well as obtain COVID relief funds for their alleged businesses by submitting loan applications with false information or false documentation. The fake documentation included "fraudulent tax forms, among other misrepresentation," the indictment alleges, and goes onto say the defendants submitted false statements to obtain forgiveness of the PPP loan. In all, the three defendants reportedly submitted at least 15 applications for EIDL or PPP funds and "falsely obtained at least $124,165 in connection with their scheme to defraud," according to the release. The indictment also alleges that the EIDL and PPP funds were deposited into bank accounts controlled by the defendants. Instead of using the pandemic relief funds to pay for qualifying expenses as purported in the loan applications, the defendants allegedly used the proceeds on personal expenses, including approximately $15,000 on a personal birthday party for Tiawana Brown. Who is Tiawana Brown? Brown won the general election to become a Charlotte councilmember in November 2023. Her current term ends in December. According to the city's website, Brown grew up in Charlotte, graduated from Myers Park High School and lives in the city with her daughter, Tijema Brown. Her other daughter, Rouse, lives in Atlanta. Brown attended Johnson C. Smith University and was a previous board member of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, in addition to being a featured speaker on Capitol Hill in 2017. What did Tiawana Brown previously go to prison for? According to her Facebook bio, Brown is the first "formerly incarcerated person elected to Charlotte City Council" and "a fierce defender of truth." Court records obtained by USA TODAY show Brown was indicted in July 1993 on fraud-related charges in the Western District of North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, she served four years in prison in connection with the crime. Online federal court records show Brown and her daughters were given $25,000 bonds on May 23. If convicted, Brown and her daughters face up to 20 years in prison for each offense, prosecutors said. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- USA Today
'The evilest thing': Florida executes serial killer Glen Rogers; victims in 5 states
'The evilest thing': Florida executes serial killer Glen Rogers; victims in 5 states Rogers was executed for the murder of Tina Marie Cribbs, one of four single mothers in their 30s with reddish hair who fell victim to the Casanova Killer. The women lived in four different states. Show Caption Hide Caption 'Casanova Killer' set to be executed in Florida Florida plans to execute Glen Rogers, who was sentenced to die for the 1995 murder of Tina Marie Cribbs. Her body was found in a Tampa motel room in November 1995. Fox - 13 News Florida has executed a man known as the "Casanova Killer" for his good looks and ability to charm women just before murdering them. Glen Edward Rogers, 62, was executed Thursday by lethal injection for the murder of Tina Marie Cribbs, one of four single mothers in their 30s with reddish hair who fell victim to the Casanova Killer. Rogers was also known as the "Cross Country Killer" because the victims all lived in different states: California, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. "He's an animal," one of his victim's sisters said in court before Rogers was sentenced to death, according to an archived report from the Associated Press. "He's about the evilest thing I think I've ever imagined." Soon after his arrest, Rogers claimed to have killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles in June 1994, and about 70 people overall. There was no evidence to back that up. Rogers − a native of Hamilton, Ohio − was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m., becoming the 16th inmate executed in the U.S. this year and the fifth in Florida. Another three men are set to be executed in the U.S. next week, in Texas, Indiana and Tennessee. Here's what to know about Rogers' execution, including who his victims were. Who were the Casanova Killer's victims? Authorities connected five victims to the Casanova Killer. Four of them were mothers with reddish hair in their 30s. Three of the murders happened within a six-day period. Mark Peters , a 72-year-old retired electrician in Hamilton, Ohio, with whom Rogers lived with briefly, was found dead in a shack owned by Rogers' family in January 1994 in Beattyville, Kentucky. (Rogers is a native of Hamilton, Ohio just outside Cincinnati.) , a 72-year-old retired electrician in Hamilton, Ohio, with whom Rogers lived with briefly, was found dead in a shack owned by Rogers' family in January 1994 in Beattyville, Kentucky. (Rogers is a native of Hamilton, Ohio just outside Cincinnati.) Sandra Gallagher , a 33-year-old mother of three, of Santa Monica, California, killed on Sept. 28, 1995 in Van Nuys. Her body was found in her burning vehicle. She had met Rogers in a bar the night of her murder. , a 33-year-old mother of three, of Santa Monica, California, killed on Sept. 28, 1995 in Van Nuys. Her body was found in her burning vehicle. She had met Rogers in a bar the night of her murder. Linda Price , a 34-year-old mother of two, found stabbed to death in the bathtub of her home in Jackson, Mississippi, on Nov. 3, 1995. Price briefly lived with Rogers, telling her mother: "He is my dream man," according to an archived story in the Dayton Daily News. , a 34-year-old mother of two, found stabbed to death in the bathtub of her home in Jackson, Mississippi, on Nov. 3, 1995. Price briefly lived with Rogers, telling her mother: "He is my dream man," according to an archived story in the Dayton Daily News. Tina Marie Cribbs , a 34-year-old mother of two, found stabbed to death in a Tampa, Florida hotel bathtub on Nov. 7, 1995. Like Gallagher, she had met Rogers at a bar on the night of her murder. , a 34-year-old mother of two, found stabbed to death in a Tampa, Florida hotel bathtub on Nov. 7, 1995. Like Gallagher, she had met Rogers at a bar on the night of her murder. Andy Lou Jiles Sutton, a 37-year-old mother of four: three sons and a daughter who were 19, 17, 8, and 6 when she was found stabbed to death in her bed on Nov. 9, 1995 in of Bossier City, Louisiana. Sutton and Rogers met before her murder and are believed to have slept together. Who was Glen Rogers? Growing up, Rogers' childhood was deprived of love, moral guidance or family values, and he frequently witnessed his alcoholic father beat his mother, according to court records. Rogers started using controlled substances at a young age and began committing burglaries, eventually becoming a chronic alcohol abuser, court records said. As an adult, he held a slew of jobs, from a school bus driver in his native Hamilton, Ohio, to a carnival worker in Mississippi. Since his arrest at the age of 33, he spent most of the past three decades on death row. He was 62 at the time of his execution. What do the victims' families say? Randy Roberson, who was 17 when his mother Andy Lou Jiles Sutton was murdered, planned to attend Thursday's execution with his wife. Roberson remembered Sutton as a fun mom always ready to play a game and who greeted her kids off the school bus with fresh grilled cheese sandwiches. Today, she would have been a grandmother to 11 and a great-grandmother to two. Amy Roberson told USA TODAY that her husband was looking for closure he never got, partially because Rogers was never tried in Louisiana. "He just wants to see him take his last breath," she said the day before the execution. "He wants to try to fill this void that he's had all these years and just know that he's no longer alive and being fed three meals a day and getting to live a life." Mary Dicke, the 84-year-old mother of victim Tina Marie Cribbs, beat brain cancer and lung cancer, fighting to survive so she could witness the day Rogers would be executed. "God is on my side. I hope he will remain on my side until I do see this done," Dicke told WTVT-TV in Tampa in 2016, saying she made a vow to live to see Rogers die. Jerri Vallicella, whose sister Sandra Gallagher was murdered by Rogers, said she has long been ready for the execution. "It's been 30 years of nightmares, and I'm ready for this to be over." More: A handsome stranger with piercing blue eyes asked them for rides. Then he killed them. What have Glen Rogers' attorneys been arguing? Rogers' attorneys have been arguing that a medical condition that affects his liver could interact with one of the lethal injection drugs in such a way that it would cause him "substantial risk of needless pain and suffering." The Florida Supreme Court rejected that argument, as did the U.S. Supreme Court, clearing the way for the execution. His attorneys declined to comment for this story. Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter with USA TODAY.
USA Today
29-04-2025
- USA Today
Watch barefoot Florida man wrangle alligator on I-95: 'Never in my wildest dreams'
Watch barefoot Florida man wrangle alligator on I-95: 'Never in my wildest dreams' Show Caption Hide Caption 'Blue Collar Brawler' helps catch gator on Jacksonville highway The Blue Collar Brawler, Mike Dragich, helped wrangle a large gator in the median along I-95/I-295 in Jacksonville. (Courtesy: Blue Collar Brawler.) Fox - 13 News A barefoot man was filmed wrestling a large alligator on I-95 near Jacksonville, Florida. The man, identified as Mike Dragich, is a social media personality known as the "Blue Collar Brawler." Dragich, a Marine veteran and MMA fighter, has a large following for his alligator-wrestling videos. Alligator attacks on humans are rare, but experts advise keeping a safe distance and running in a straight line if pursued. Just another day in Florida? A barefoot man was captured on video wrestling a giant alligator on Interstate 95 near Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office teamed up with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, and a local alligator wrangler after the gator was spotted recently in the median of I-95/I-295 in Jacksonville's Southside area. 'If you were cruising down I-95/I-295 on the Southside yesterday and thought you saw a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator in the median — nope, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. That happened,' the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post. In the video, the man can be seen using a pole to engage the gator, who snaps and whips its tail at him in a grassy median as cars speed by on either side. He wrangles it onto the shoulder of the highway, then sits on its back to muzzle the beast — all while shoeless, wearing camouflage shorts and a sleeveless camo shirt. Eventually, the man and a responder lift the gator off the shoulder of the roadway and load it into the back of a pickup truck. "Never in my wildest dreams," an off-camera voice says, as the gator wrangler laughs. Who is Mike Dragich, the 'Blue Collar Brawler' and alligator wrangler? The man who helped authorities wrangle the massive gator on I-95 is Mike Dragich, better known as the Blue Collar Brawler on social media, according to With more than 364,000 followers on Instagram, Dragich has built a following by posting videos of himself hunting and wrestling alligators across Florida. Goodbye, gator: 'It tore us all up': Residents band together to mourn Walter, the neighborhood alligator Dragich, who's also an mixed martial arts fighter and a Marine veteran, seems to enjoy barefoot brawling inside and outside the octagon: According to he wrestled another gator on Easter Sunday. In an April 20, post, Dragich's Instagram shows video of him coaxing an angry alligator into a large trash can, quickly closing the lid as the animal snaps its massive jaws, and then wheeling the creature away. "Taking the trash out in Florida," the caption reads. He explains that a resident letting her dog out noticed a long tail on the patio. He "improvised using a trash can" to remove the gator. "Thankfully, no animals or people were injured!" he wrote, cautioning, "Pay attention to your surroundings!" What to do if you encounter an alligator Alligators are common in Florida, as well as in southern Texas, Louisiana, and parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, according to Defenders of Wildlife. They can move quickly in water, and while they're generally slower on land, they're can still be quick — and dangerous to humans and other animals. Attacks on humans, though, are rare: "With how many people there are and how many alligators there are, it's really surprising it doesn't happen more often," Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, told USA TODAY in 2022. Alligators breed and seek out new habitats in spring and summer, but they have a natural fear of humans and will usually retreat when approached, seeing humans as neither threat nor food, Mazzotti said. They only attack when threatened or cornered, especially on land. So experts advise avoiding waterways where alligators might be present. Maintaining a distance of at least 30 feet from an alligator is best, as they can run fast in short spurts. If an alligator chases you, experts from the University of Florida say to run in a straight line. In the event of an attack, poke at its eyes, and punch and kick around its face and head. The gator's gag reflex can be induced by jamming objects in the back of its mouth, so when it tries to reposition prey, that affords an opportunity to escape. "If you should be attacked, fight like your life depends on it because it does," Mazzoti said. Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@
USA Today
08-04-2025
- USA Today
Florida captain seen in viral confrontation with fisherman arrested, charged
Florida captain seen in viral confrontation with fisherman arrested, charged Show Caption Hide Caption FULL VIDEO: 'Boat rage' caught on camera A Florida boat captain arguing with a fisherman was caught on camera. The video shows the boat captain climbing onto the fisherman's boat to demand an apology. Fox - 13 News A Florida boat captain has been has been arrested and charged after he was captured on camera in a viral confrontation with a fisherman. The footage, titled "Charter Captain jumps on my boat and tries to fight me for no reason," has garnered over 500,000 views on YouTube. It shows the April 1 conflict between 22-year-old Gage Towles and 40-year-old Brock Horner. Horner, owner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters, has since been arrested and charged with burglary with assault or battery following an investigation, according to Punta Gorda Police Department and the Daytona Beach News-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. In the video, Towles is fishing alone in a boat near a bridge when Horner and four men approach him in another boat. Horner asked Towles in the video if he was "cussing" him out earlier that day. "No," he responded. Horner, convinced he was the same person, continued screaming at Towles in the video, who said he had him confused with someone else and told him he can't come "flying through the bridge area." That set off Horner even more, who at one point asked Towles if he "wants to (expletive) go." Towles responds "I don't wanna go ... I want you to get the (expletive) out of here." He reminded Horner that he had approached him and he was just trying to fish. 'Best charter captain you will ever meet' In the video, Towles asks if Horner is trying to be "tough in front of his buddies," and Horner responded that the three of them are veterans. Towles thanks him for his service. But the video shows Horner continues to swear and yell. Towles keeps telling Horner it was the kid in the other boat, but Horner won't listen, talking about how the fishermen need to have their lights on in the morning, which Towles said he did, and it was the other boat without lights. "I'm sorry, I don't know if that's what you want to hear, bro," he tells Horner. Horner continues, saying he's the "best charter captain you will ever meet in your (expletive) life," a line that has since gone viral on social media. Then, the video shows him jumping into Towles' boat, hitting the throttle and the boat taking off with the two of them inside. "Please, bro," Towles said in the video. "I'm a kid, bro." "According to the investigation, Horner pulled his vessel alongside the victim's boat without permission and unlawfully boarded it," Punta Gorda Police said in a statement. "During the unauthorized entry, Horner reportedly threatened the victim, escalating the situation into a criminal offense." Toward the end of the video, Towles drove him back to his boat, apologizing, while Horner continued threatening him. In the caption of his YouTube video, Towles said he shared it to "save another person" or "possibly someone's life by getting this captain off the water." According to police, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard have also opened investigations into the matter. Florida crime: Man arrested after woman whispers 'help me' to Amazon delivery driver Brock Horner since bonded out of jail Horner's attorney said that his client has apologized to the Towles, and "is not proud of how he acted," Gulf Coast News reported. "Since the video went viral, Brock's business has been destroyed, his reputation damaged, and his family — including his wife and mother—have been harassed and even threatened," the statement obtained by the outlet said. The attorney's statement noted that Horner is a decorated veteran who served in Afghanistan and suffered "a traumatic brain injury in combat." Jail records viewed by USA TODAY show that Horner bonded out of Charlotte County Jail on April 5. Towles' attorney, Steven Leskovich, released a statement Monday asking people to stand down on threats against Horner's family. "While no boater, no fisherman, and no person should ever have to endure the experience that Mr. Towles went through and the emotional aftermath that has followed, Mr. Horner's actions will be dealt with through the appropriate channels of the justice system," Leskovich said in the statement. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@
USA Today
20-03-2025
- USA Today
Feeding Our Future leader convicted in $250M scheme that exploited child nutrition program
Feeding Our Future leader convicted in $250M scheme that exploited child nutrition program Show Caption Hide Caption COVID fraud cases continue to grow In the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic relief arrived in the form of government programs, but some people took advantage. Fox - 13 News A jury convicted the leader of a Minnesota nonprofit organization Wednesday for her role in a $250 million pandemic fraud scheme that "exploited" a federal child nutrition program, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors have called the scheme one of the nation's largest pandemic-related frauds. Aimee Bock, founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, was one of 70 people charged in the case. The jury also convicted her co-defendant Salim Ahmed Said, who was the owner of the now-defunct Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. Bock, 44, and Said, 36, were charged with multiple criminal counts including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery. Said was also charged with several counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Aimee Bock and Salim Said took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children," Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick said in a statement. "The defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds. That money did not go to feed kids. Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles." COVID fraud: Cracking down on pandemic aid fraud, DOJ claws back $1.4 billion and charges 3,500 people The scheme was tied to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Federal Child Nutrition Program, which provides meals to children in need. The program, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed for-profit restaurants to run federally funded food distribution sites as long as a nonprofit organization sponsored them. Prosecutors said restaurant owners and others bribed Feeding Our Future employees to get the organization to sponsor sham distribution sites. The participants then spent federal funds intended for the sites on personal purchases, including luxury cars, houses, jewelry, and resort property abroad. The case drew further attention last year when five people were charged with conspiring to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000. Thirty-seven defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case while five others have been convicted, according to prosecutors. 'Massive fraud scheme' under Feeding Our Future's sponsorship Prosecutors accused Bock and Said of overseeing a "massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future's sponsorship." Feeding Our Future employees recruited restaurant owners and others to open food distribution sites across the state of Minnesota, according to prosecutors. "These sites, created and operated by Bock, Said, and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Bock and Said submitted false documentation to the Minnesota Department of Education, including fraudulent meal counts and fake attendance rosters. The pair then disbursed the federal funds to their co-conspirators. The pair also created dozens of shell companies to run the fake distribution sites and launder the proceeds of the scheme, according to prosecutors. "In exchange for sponsoring these sites' fraudulent participation in the program, Feeding Our Future received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled," the U.S. Attorney's Office said, adding that employees also solicited and received bribes and kickbacks. Prosecutors said Feeding Our Future opened more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites, stealing $250 million. Minneapolis restaurant owner claimed millions of meals were provided Said, who owned and operated Safari Restaurant, enrolled his restaurant in the Federal Child Nutrition Program in April 2020. The restaurant was sponsored by Feeding Our Future, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said that by July 2020, Said fraudulently claimed that the restaurant served meals to 5,000 children per day, seven days a week. In total, between April 2020 and November 2021, Said falsely claimed that the restaurant served over 3.9 million meals to children. "Said also claimed that Safari Restaurant provided more than 2.2 million meals to other food sites involved in Feeding Our Future's fraud scheme," prosecutors said. 'A whole-of-government challenge': More than $200 billion in COVID-19 relief may have been stolen, federal watchdog says Contributing: Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY; Reuters
