Latest news with #PrimEscalona
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Birmingham woman sentenced for arson
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A Birmingham woman was sentenced to over 11 years in prison for arson, according to U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona on Wednesday. Kimberly Blackmon, 39, was sentenced to 135 months in prison for placing an incendiary device outside of an apartment. She pleaded guilty to arson in July. Jefferson County sees first 'Code Red' air quality in nearly 20 years According to the plea agreement, Blackmon forced her way into the lobby of an apartment complex in the Lakeview District of Birmingham on October 18, 2022. Blackmon then took the elevator to an apartment on the fourth floor she believed belonged to someone romantically linked to her ex-boyfriend. When she arrived, she leaned an improvised incendiary device against the apartment door and fled down a nearby stairwell. The device exploded and created a fireball that caused damage to the door and the interior threshold of the apartment, though no one was injured. Blackmon caused nearly $470,000 in property damage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Florida man sentenced for Telegram-based bank fraud scheme that targeted Alabama businesses
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A Florida man was sentenced for his role in a Telegram-based bank fraud scheme that targeted Alabama businesses, according to U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona on Wednesday. Gabriel Odiot, 21, of Kissimmee, Florida, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $84,000. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in December. Former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy maintains innocence ahead of press conference in Montgomery Thursday The plea agreement and other court documents from August 2022 to March 2023 state Odiot served as an administrator of 'RICH OFF PLAYS,' a Telegram channel dedicated to the negotiation of fraudulent checks. He used the channel to recruit mail carriers, advertise services of bank insiders and to collaborate with others to commit bank fraud. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
Guatemalan man arrested in Alabama sentenced to prison
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A man who was found to be in the U.S. illegally was sentenced for illegal possession of a firearm, according to U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona on Monday. Joel Armando Martin-Martin, a 24-year-old from Guatemala, was sentenced to two years in prison. Martin-Martin pled guilty to being an 'illegal alien in possession of a firearm' in November, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Hanceville man sentenced to over 7 years in prison Court documents state a Homewood police officer conducted a traffic stop on Martin-Martin on Aug. 5. According to court documents, the officer smelled marijuana and told Martin-Martin to exit the vehicle he was in. A vehicle search found a located DTI AR-style rife, 11 magazines fitted for the rifle, ammunition, a loaded Springfield 9mm magazine and three spent shell casings, per court documents. Homeland Security Investigations and the Homewood Police Department investigated the case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
