Latest news with #U.S.Attorney
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Authorities make disturbing discovery after searching man's vehicle at US-Mexico border: 'We are committed to holding accountable ...'
In San Diego, authorities arrested a man for smuggling protected birds from Mexico into the U.S., according to a report by Patch. Twelve orange-fronted parakeets were concealed among his belongings, stuffed inside his boots and between the seats of his car. Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office reported that Mexican citizen Naim Lajud Libien was caught trying to smuggle a dozen parakeets across the U.S.-Mexico border at the Otay Mesa port of entry in San Diego. Of the 12 birds, at least two have died, one that officials believe to have a broken neck, and the rest are in "poor health." When authorities found the parakeets, the birds' feet were tied, which may have caused some harm. Orange-fronted parakeets are a protected bird species native to western Mexico and Costa Rica. In order to be legally transported into the U.S., the birds must be quarantined before crossing the border. Libien faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for attempting to smuggle the parakeets into the U.S. The animals being trafficked are often held captive in small, awful conditions, resulting in injuries and even death. Cases like this not only endanger the animals being trafficked but also the entire ecosystem. When species are illegally transported into a new country, they can become invasive and disrupt the balance of the food chain. Though it may not seem like it, biodiversity impacts our everyday lives. When an invasive species throws off an ecosystem, native species can decline, threatening the pollinators that protect our food supply. Libien faces "charges of importation contrary to law," Patch reported. "Smuggling at the border takes many forms, but the tragic impact on animals forced into such perilous conditions is deeply troubling," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement, per Patch. "We are committed to holding accountable those who endanger wildlife and public health through these reckless and inhumane smuggling practices." Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Sixth defendant sentenced in connection with violent Dallas hotel drug trafficking ring, prosecutors say
A sixth participant in what prosecutors described as a violent drug trafficking ring operating out of a Dallas hotel has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, federal authorities said Thursday. U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas Kenneth Ray Peters, 44, of Dallas, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy, which involved using rooms at the BuZen Suites Hotel on West Northwest Highway to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and other drugs. 24/7 drug operation setup According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, the drug distribution hubs operated continuously and were outfitted with serving stations, digital scales and surveillance cameras. Routine violence at hotel Prosecutors said Peters admitted that violence was routine at the hotel, including beatings, pistol-whipping and burning a female customer's foot after she passed out from using drugs purchased there. The operation also employed individuals to prepare and package drugs for distribution. Multiple search warrants were executed in April 2023, leading to the seizure of various drugs, counterfeit pills, firearms — including an AK-47 and an AR-15 — body armor and drug paraphernalia. Other sentences in case U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas Previously sentenced in the case were: Derrick Alan Richardson – 54 months (December 2024) Antoine Marquin Thompson-Stevens – 108 months (January 2025) Keenan Bernard Allen ("King") and Glenn Malcolm Blair ("Slim") – 240 months each (March 2025) Corey Lanard Allen Jr. – 192 months (May 2025) Investigation and law enforcement The case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Dallas Police Department.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Fox News
Former Harvard Medical School morgue manager pleads guilty to swiping, selling stolen body parts
A former Harvard Medical School morgue manager recently entered a plea in relation to an alleged scheme to steal and sell donated body parts. Cedric Lodge, 57, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to interstate transport of stolen human remains on Wednesday before Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The maximum penalty under federal law is 10 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after "consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the federal sentencing guidelines," according to the release. Officials said Lodge admitted that from 2018 through at least March 2020 he participated in the sale and interstate transport of human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School morgue in Massachusetts. Lodge, then-manager of the Harvard Medical School Morgue, removed human remains, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads and other parts from donated cadavers after they had been used for research and teaching purposes, but before they could be disposed of according to the anatomical gift donation agreement between the donor and the school, according to the release. He took the remains to his home in New Hampshire without the permission or knowledge of his employer, the donors or donors' families. After he and his wife sold the remains, they would ship the remains to the buyers in other states or the buyer would take possession directly and transport the remains themselves, according to the release. Remains stolen and sold by Lodge for a profit were sent to locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. "Cedric Lodge's criminal actions were morally reprehensible and a disgraceful betrayal of the individuals who altruistically chose to will their bodies to Harvard Medical School's Anatomical Gift Program to advance medical education and research," Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. "While Lodge has agreed to plead guilty and taken responsibility for his crimes, this likely provides little consolation to the families impacted," Daley added. "We continue to express our deep compassion to all those affected." Several defendants charged in related cases pleaded guilty, receiving sentences of about a year in prison. Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor are still awaiting sentencing. The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the East Pennsboro Township Police Department in Pennsylvania. Harvard University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. couple to plead guilty to Ponzi scheme that conned dozens out of a total of $3.2 million
A Randolph couple has agreed to plead guilty to charges related to allegations that they ran a Ponzi scheme in which dozens of people were conned out of a total of more than $3.2 million, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. Milendophe Duperier, 33, and Vanessa Joseph, 26, have agreed to plead guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a press release. In a Ponzi scheme, fraudsters solicit money from individuals with false promises of investing it in a particular venture that will generate high returns with little or no risk, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Instead, the fraudsters use money from new investors to pay old ones while pocketing some of the funds. In the case of Duperier and Joseph, Duperier posed as an investment advisor, soliciting money from individuals and advising them that their funds would be invested in the securities markets, while Joseph pretended to be his business partner, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Between early 2018 and December 2022, the couple is alleged to have defrauded dozens of investors by instead using the money to pay for personal expenses such as luxury cars, mortgage debts and credit card payments. Duperier and Joseph covered their tracks by using funds from new investors and small business loans to pay back purported returns to existing investors, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Duperier is also accused of making false statements and excuses to investors — some of whom entrusted him with their life savings — to explain why he had not made promised interest payments or could not return their original investment. The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense — whichever is greater. The couple's plea hearings have yet to be scheduled. Man found guilty of killing Mass. couple in drunken driving crash from 2021 Agreement reached in lawsuit over Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center assault Ex-Harvard Medical School morgue manager pleads guilty in stolen body parts case Former Mass. preschool teacher charged in connection with physically abusing students Mass. man faces slew of charges after multiple hit-and-run crashes Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Georgia woman gets decade in prison for smuggling 12 lbs. of meth to Mass. in dog food bag
A Georgia woman has been sentenced to a decade in prison for smuggling 12 pounds of meth to Massachusetts by hiding it in a large dog food bag, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. In January 2025, 28-year-old Brooke Logan Paniagua pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense in connection with the incident, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a press release. Paniagua worked for a drug trafficking organization that brings illegal substances into the U.S. from Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Federal investigators began investigating her in September 2022 after the organization informed a confidential source that a woman would be transporting 12 pounds of meth from Georgia to Massachusetts. Paniagua called the source to coordinate a meeting time and location at which the source would buy the drugs from her, explaining that the meth was hidden inside a 50-pound bag of dog food, the U.S. Attorney's office said. When she arrived at the location, she notified the source, but she was soon intercepted by police. Investigators found a large, partially opened back of dog food with five plastic containers filled with 12.3 pounds of 97% pure meth in Paniagua's car, the U.S. Attorney's office said. They also discovered a .22-caliber handgun loaded with eight rounds in her back pocket during a search of her person. On May 14, a federal judge sentenced Paniagua to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's office said. `All Access PD: Grand Rapids' episode 7, how to stream tonight for free Mass. lawyer to plead guilty to embezzling millions from relatives, business associate Assumption University student agrees to plead guilty to cyber-extorting companies Boston man charged in connection with sexual assault in the North End Police ID Belmont man in connection with hatchet assault in road rage incident Read the original article on MassLive.
