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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein still deciding whether he'll testify in NYC sex assault retrial
Harvey Weinstein is still on the fence about whether he'll take the stand in his own defense in his Manhattan sex assault retrial, his lawyer said Thursday. As Weinstein's Manhattan Supreme Court trial inches to a close, the former Hollywood producer will have to make his decision before the defense rests its case in the coming days. 'It's usually, but not always, the most difficult defense decision to make,' defense lawyer Arthur Aidala said. 'We're gonna make a game time, more or less, decision.' Aidala said the defense team spent the Memorial Day weekend with Weinstein, who's being held in Bellevue Hospital, to discuss whether he'll testify. 'He thinks that the evidence at this trial has been challenged very forcefully and many of [the accusers'] stories have been torn apart,' Aidala said. Still, he said, 'There is a part of him that is seriously contemplating whether in a he-said-she-said case, human beings feel obligated to hear the other side of the story. … There's no easy answer.' The trial has featured testimony from three accusers — one-time actress Jessica Mann, former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, and Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which ended in a guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term. The state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year, ruling 4-3 that the trial court judge shouldn't have allowed testimony of 'uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes.' On Thursday, the defense called Helga Samuelsen, who was Sokola's roommate in fall 2005. Sokola testified that when she was a 16-year-old model, Weinstein rubbed her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and two years later, he grabbed her breast in a limo. In 2006, she alleged, he forcibly performed oral sex on her in the Tribeca Grand hotel, while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs. Samuelsen testified that Weinstein visited Sokola's apartment in 2005, and Sokola led her to a bedroom, where they stayed behind closed doors for about a half-hour. Prosecutors tried to cast doubt on Samuelsen's credibility, pointing out that she sent a text to Sokola saying she felt 'forced' to sign an affidavit for the defense, and bringing up her connections and friendships in Weinstein's circle. With News Wire Services
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Notorious Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover pardoned by Trump
Larry Hoover, the famed founder of the Gangster Disciples, had his life sentence commuted Wednesday by President Trump. Though Trump used his power to clear 74-year-old Hoover of federal charges, he will remain behind bars on a state murder conviction. Hoover's case has long been a cause célèbre in the hip-hop industry. Before his pivot to Nazism, Kanye West held a 'Free Larry Hoover' concert in 2021 and gave Hoover's son, Larry Hoover Jr., a lengthy speech to advocate for his father's release on the song 'Jesus Lord.' Hoover was first arrested in 1973, convicted in the killing of William 'Pooky' Young and sentenced to 150 to 200 years in Illinois prison. A few years earlier, he co-founded the Gangster Disciples and built the operation into a drug selling powerhouse, first in Chicago and then elsewhere. Two decades later, Hoover — once declared 'one of the most notorious criminals in Illinois history' — was convicted on federal charges after he was recorded continuing to lead the group from behind bars. For that, he was sentenced to life at a supermax prison in Colorado. In recent years, Hoover has said he turned his life around in prison, taking responsibility for and renouncing his criminal past while wanting 'nothing to do' with the Gangster Disciples. Trump has pardoned several prominent figures in recent days, including tax-evading reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, corrupt former Connecticut governor John Rowland and ex-House representative Michael Grimm, a Republican from New York. Also included in the pardons was rapper NBA YoungBoy, who'd been sentenced to nearly two years in prison on federal gun charges. He was also convicted of participating in a prescription drug ring in Utah. With News Wire Services
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Former NY trooper Thomas Mascia pleads guilty to faking his own shooting
A former New York State trooper accused of faking his own shooting and sparking a massive manhunt for a made-up suspect pleaded guilty on Wednesday to multiple charges, including official misconduct and tampering with evidence. As part of the plea deal, 27-year-old Thomas Mascia is expected to be sentenced to a six-month jail term followed by five years probation, during which he'll have to undergo mental health treatment. The disgraced trooper will also have to pay nearly $290,000 in restitution for overtime pay for officers who spent three days searching for the fabricated suspect. Prosecutors say that on the night of Oct. 30, 2024, the West Hempstead resident told authorities that a gunman shot him while he was checking on a disabled vehicle on Long Island's Southern State Parkway. The alleged shooter — who he described as a 'black-skinned' driver of a Dodge Charger with temporary New Jersey license plates — opened fire as Mascia stopped to offer help, he claimed. Mascia, who was hailed as a hero, was transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his right leg as state officials launched a multi-state search to locate the Charger. But just days after the alleged shooting, state investigators announced they were looking into 'certain inconsistencies' in Mascia's story. 'The evidence uncovered and the absence of evidence told us everything we needed to know,' Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said after an investigation. 'His harrowing story was nothing more than an elaborate work of fiction.' Prosecutors said he shot himself in a nearby park and then drove to the highway before calling for backup, as part of an elaborate scheme to gain sympathy. Mascia was arrested in January on charges of tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident and official misconduct. He resigned from state police on Jan. 24. After initially pleading not guilty, Mascia was expected to accept a plea deal earlier this month, but that hearing was adjourned when he told Nassau County Court Judge Robert Bogle he didn't feel well mentally. On Wednesday, Mascia formally accepted his plea. 'You knew this was a lie and chose to do it anyway?' Mascia was asked by Jared Rosenblatt, of the district attorney's office, during the proceedings. 'Yes,' he replied. Mascia will now 'face the consequences for his fabrications and for tarnishing the oath he took to serve and protect New Yorkers,' DA Donnelly said in a statement Wednesday, commenting on the former trooper's 'pathetic stunt.' Mascia's parents, who were charged with weapon offenses after a semiautomatic rifle with illegal modifications was found in their bedroom during a November search, also pleaded guilty on Wednesday. All three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 20. With News Wire Services
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Former NY trooper Thomas Mascia pleads guilty to faking his own shooting
A former New York State trooper accused of faking his own shooting and sparking a massive manhunt for a made-up suspect will spend six months behind bars after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including official misconduct and tampering with evidence. As part of the plea deal, 27-year-old Thomas Mascia agreed to the six-month jail term followed by five years probation, during which he'll have to undergo mental health treatment. The disgraced trooper will also have to pay $289,500 in restitution for overtime pay for officers who spent three days searching for the fabricated suspect. Prosecutors say that on the night of Oct. 30, 2024, the West Hempstead resident told authorities that a gunman shot him while he was checking on a disabled vehicle on Long Island's Southern State Parkway. The alleged shooter — who he described as a 'black-skinned' driver of a Dodge Charger with temporary New Jersey license plates — opened fire as Mascia stopped to offer help, he claimed. Mascia, who was hailed as a hero, was transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his right leg as state officials launched a multi-state search to locate the Charger. But just days after the alleged shooting, state investigators announced they were looking into 'certain inconsistencies' in Mascia's story. 'The evidence uncovered and the absence of evidence told us everything we needed to know,' Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said after an investigation. 'His harrowing story was nothing more than an elaborate work of fiction.' Prosecutors said he shot himself in a nearby park and then drove to the highway before calling for backup, as part of an elaborate scheme to gain sympathy. Mascia was arrested in January on charges of tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident and official misconduct. He resigned from state police on Jan. 24. After initially pleading not guilty, Mascia was expected to accept a plea deal earlier this month, but that hearing was adjourned when he told Nassau County Court Judge Robert Bogle he didn't feel well mentally. On Wednesday, Mascia formally accepted his plea. 'You knew this was a lie and chose to do it anyway?' Mascia was asked by Jared Rosenblatt, of the district attorney's office, during the proceedings. 'Yes,' he replied. Mascia will now 'face the consequences for his fabrications and for tarnishing the oath he took to serve and protect New Yorkers,' DA Donnelly said in a statement Wednesday, commenting on the former trooper's 'pathetic stunt.' Mascia's parents, who were charged with weapon offenses after a semiautomatic rifle with illegal modifications was found in their bedroom during a November search, also pleaded guilty on Wednesday. All three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 20. With News Wire Services
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cops haul multiple people out of disastrous Mike Lawler town hall
Multiple people were removed from Rep. Mike Lawler's town hall in Westchester County during the chaotic meeting on Sunday night. Lawler, a self-styled moderate Republican and potential candidate for governor, spoke to about 600 constituents in Somers. It was the second in a planned series of town halls hosted by the Republican representative for New York's 17th District. 'This is what democracy looks like,' Lawler said at the beginning of the event, which was met by groans from the audience. During one question about tariffs, a group of uniformed officers surrounded a woman in the seats. The crowd chanted 'Let her stay! Let her stay!' during the standoff. Video obtained by NBC News showed the officers physically picking the woman up from her seat and carrying her out of the building. The woman was one of three people removed from the town hall by officers. A photographer with the Rockland/Westchester Journal News captured her flashing two peace signs as she was carried out. Lawler faced boos, jeers and groans throughout the contentious night, as he attempted to defend President Trump's policies in a moderate district. At another town hall last week in Rockland County, Lawler clashed with residents who criticized his support for a Republican budget that will likely force deep cuts to Medicaid. Lawler's district was one of three nationwide that elected a Republican representative despite preferring Kamala Harris to Trump in the November election. Democrats consider the district a key target in the 2026 elections. With News Wire Services
