Latest news with #SexOffenderRegistry
The Herald Scotland
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump claims Epstein stole women from Mar-a-Lago spa including Virginia Giuffre
One of the women, he acknowledged, was Virginia Giuffre, who was among Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers. Jeffrey Epstein (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP) Mr Trump's comments expanded on remarks he had made a day earlier, when he said he had banned Epstein from his private club in Florida two decades ago because his one-time friend 'stole people that worked for me'. At the time, he did not make clear who those workers were. The Republican president has faced an outcry over his administration's refusal to release more records about Epstein after promises of transparency, a rare example of strain within Mr Trump's tightly controlled political coalition. Mr Trump has attempted to tamp down questions about the case, expressing annoyance that people are still talking about it six years after Epstein took his own life while awaiting trial, even though some of his own allies have promoted conspiracy theories about it. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend, was recently interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by the Justice Department's No 2 official, though officials have not publicly disclosed what she said. Her lawyers said on Tuesday that she is willing to answer more questions from the US congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony. Aboard Air Force One while returning from Scotland, Mr Trump said he was upset that Epstein was 'taking people who worked for me'. The women, he said, were 'taken out of the spa, hired by him — in other words, gone'. 'I said, listen, we don't want you taking our people,' Mr Trump said. When it happened again, Mr Trump said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Asked if Ms Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, he demurred but then said 'he stole her'. The White House originally said Mr Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a 'creep'. Ghislaine Maxwell (Chris Ison/PA) Ms Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. She claimed that Maxwell spotted her working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when she was a teenager, and hired her as Epstein's masseuse, which led to sexual abuse. Although Ms Giuffre's allegations did not become part of criminal prosecutions against Epstein, she is central to conspiracy theories about the case. She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men. Maxwell, who has denied Giuffre's allegations, is serving a 20-year-prison sentence in a Florida federal prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which requested the interview with Maxwell, said the panel would not consider granting the immunity she requested. The potential interview is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department's July statement that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Mr Trump's political base who had been hoping to find proof of a government cover-up. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigation and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche interviewing Maxwell over the course of two days at a Florida courthouse last week. In a letter on Tuesday, Maxwell's lawyers said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her co-operate provided that legislators satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions. But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms Maxwell's (lawyer) soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' a spokesperson said. Separately, Maxwell's lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she dd not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify 'openly and honestly, in public', is in the event of a pardon by Mr Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' they said.
CTV News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Trump's onetime friendship with Jeffrey Epstein is well-known - and also documented in records
This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein, March 28, 2017. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File) WASHINGTON — The revelation that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told U.S. President Donald Trump that his name was in the Jeffrey Epstein files has focused fresh attention on the president's relationship with the wealthy financier and the U.S. Justice Department's announcement this month that it would not be releasing any additional documents from the case. But at least some of the information in the briefing to Trump, which The Wall Street Journal said took place in May, should not have been a surprise. The president's association with Epstein is well-established and his name was included in records that his own Justice Department released back in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in information from the sex-trafficking investigation. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the mere inclusion of someone's name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise. Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, also had many prominent friends in political and celebrity circles besides Trump. Trump's ties to Epstein It should have been no shock to Trump that his name would be found in records related to Epstein. The February document dump from the Justice Department included references to Trump in Epstein's phone book and his name was also mentioned in flight logs for Epstein's private plane. Over the years, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, Epstein's criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. In January 2024, a court unsealed the final batch of a trove of documents that had been collected as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. Records made public also include 2016 deposition in which an accuser recounted spending several hours with Epstein at Trump's Atlantic City casino but didn't say if she actually met Trump and did not accuse him of any wrongdoing. Trump has also said that he once thought Epstein was a 'terrific guy,' but that they later had a falling out. 'I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him,' Trump said in 2019 when video footage unearthed by NBC News following Epstein's federal indictment showed the two chatting at a party at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in 1992, when the now president was newly divorced. 'He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling-out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years.' The department's decision to not release additional files from the case The Justice Department stunned conspiracy theorists, online sleuths and elements of Trump's base this month when it released a two-page letter saying that a so-called Epstein 'client list' that Bondi had once intimated was on her desk did not exist and that officials did not plan to release any additional documents from its investigation despite an earlier commitment to provide transparency. Whether Bondi's briefing to Trump in May influenced that decision is unclear. The Justice Department did not comment directly on her meeting with Trump but Bondi and Blanche said in a joint statement that a review of the Epstein files showed that there was nothing warranting further investigation or prosecution. 'As part of our routine briefing,' the statement said, 'we made the President aware of our findings.' Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
BCSO Featured Warrant: Michael Pavlisak
BROOME COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – The Broome County Sheriff's Office is currently looking for Michael Pavlisak on an outstanding warrant and is asking the residents of Broome County for assistance. Pavlisak is wanted for Violating the Sex Offender Registry, second offense, and New York State Parole Violation. Pavlisak is described as a white man with brown hair and green eyes. He is five feet nine inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. Pavlisak was last known to frequent the Upper Court Street area of the Town of Kirkwood. Anyone with information on the location of Pavlisak is asked to contact the Broome County Sheriff's Office. Tips may be submitted electronically or by phone and will remain confidential. The Broome County Sheriff's Office can be contacted at their tip line at (607) 778-1196 or Warrants Division at (607) 778-2923 or (607) 778-2933. Information can also be submitted on their website, BCSO Featured Warrant: Michael Pavlisak Undocumented man to be deported after raping, strangling woman in Delaware County Pizza Week 2025: Factory by Beer Tree 'Market Greens' addresses food insecurity in local community Fill the Bus Campaign raises money for local food bank Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Second civil suit involving sex offender at Greenwood daycare resolved
GREENWOOD, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The second of two lawsuits involving a convicted sex offender from Hackett and a Greenwood preschool has been dismissed, according to court documents. Jamie Speaks, 56, was convicted of second-degree sexual assault on April 14 and sentenced to 18 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections with 12 years suspended. The Arkansas Crime Information Center's Sex Offender Registry database shows Speaks is a level two sex offender. Court documents say Speaks sexually assaulted a child at a daycare when they were two years old. In addition to Speaks' criminal case, he was named in two civil lawsuits against Miss Tina's Preschool in Greenwood that were filed in December 2023 and January 2024. However, both have been resolved, one in January and the other in May. The lawsuits accused the preschool of knowingly allowing a convicted child predator to be around children at the school, which reportedly led to long-term sexual abuse. WATCH: Video shows inmate's attack on Sebastian County Sheriff's deputies Speaks was accused of forcefully and intentionally 'making harmful physical sexual contact' with minors who were at Miss Tina's. The lawsuits said Speaks was charged in 1993 with molesting a seven-year-old who was in his care and his wife at their at-home daycare. His wife closed the daycare in 1994 after the incident and was later hired at Miss Tina's, according to the lawsuit. Tina Skaggs, the owner of the preschool, allegedly knew of Speaks' criminal history when she hired his wife and allowed him to spend time at the preschool despite his convictions and sex offender status, the lawsuit said. In the lawsuit, Skaggs denied the assertion that Speaks was 'frequently and consistently present' during the time of his wife's employment at the preschool. She also denied being aware that Speaks was left unsupervised with children and taking them into the bathroom. The unresolved lawsuit was set to go to trial on August 11 before it was dismissed on May 21. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scottish Sun
30-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Mom shoots child molester she found attempting to rape her 12-year-old daughter in a motel room as child screams heard
The suspect had previously been convicted on two counts of child molestation PERV SHOT Mom shoots child molester she found attempting to rape her 12-year-old daughter in a motel room as child screams heard A MOTHER shot a man after she walked in on him allegedly pinning her 12-year-old daughter to the bed. The mother shot Bruce Pierce, a convicted child molester, in a room at the Baymont Inn in Indianapolis on May 24. 2 Bruce Pierce was arrested on several charges including rape and child molestation Credit: Indiana Sex Offender Registry 2 The alleged attack happened at the Baymont Inn Credit: Google Maps Pierce allegedly ripped open the 12-year-old's shirt as he held her down on the bed when the mother walked in. The mother reported hearing her daughter scream "No, no, no" from down the hallway, court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate WTHR stated. After seeing the man on top of her daughter, the mother said she shot Pierce, who she claimed also had a gun in his hand. The young victim told officers that she was able to escape as her mother fired at the suspect. READ MORE ON US NEWS HORROR FIND Grandma found buried in concrete under shed as cops name handyman as suspect Law enforcement initially responded to a the attempted rape of a girl at the inn and later learned about the injured man. He was taken to Eskenazi Hospital to be treated for his injuries. The girl was taken to Riley Hospital for Children to be examined after she claimed Pierce's gun hit her. The girl traveled to the inn with her sister and grandmother on May 24 after her mother didn't return home. The family found the mother and Pierce in the Baymont Inn lobby. At some point, the girl was left alone with Pierce in a room while the mother and sister took items to the car, according to the documents. Watch 'perv' teacher Christina Formella arrive at court with husband by her side…as she's accused of molesting teen boy That's when Pierce took the opportunity to allegedly assault the girl before her mother burst in. It's still unclear at this time why the mother and Pierce were at the lobby. A warrant was issued for Pierce's arrest. The warrant charged him with rape, child molesting, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. He was also charged with confinement where the victim is under 14 years of age. PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS Pierce had previously pleaded guilty to two different child molestation charges back in 2016. Indiana's Sex Offender Registry has listed Pierce as a "sexually violent predator" in its records. He was convicted in February and March 2016 in Hendricks and Marion County, respectively, for child molesting. He was sentenced to eight years in prison at the time. Pierce has been missing since Tuesday and was last spotted at a local Regal 8 Inn in Indianapolis.
