Latest news with #U.S.AttorneysOffice
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Tulsa man convicted of repeatedly groping woman on Southwest flight to Dallas, prosecutors say
An Oklahoma man who repeatedly inappropriately touched a female passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight to Dallas in April 2023 has been convicted of abusive sexual contact, federal prosecutors said Friday. William R. McKelvy, 65, of Tulsa, faces up to three years in federal prison when he appears for sentencing Sept. 8 before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey. Repeated groping during flight from Tulsa Screenshot of William R. McKelvy, 65, of Tulsa, from an officer's body-worn camera footage admitted as evidence. U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, McKelvy groped a woman's breast and inner thigh on four separate occasions during the flight from Tulsa to Dallas. While the woman initially believed the contact might have been accidental, she later pushed McKelvy away and warned him to stop. After a fourth incident, she yelled at him, drawing the attention of nearby passengers, prosecutors said. "Get your ******* hand off me, or I will break your ******* hand!" she testified. Passengers and crew intervene Prosecutors said fellow passengers intervened, telling McKelvy to stop and change seats, before a flight attendant moved him to the back of the plane. Police met the flight at Dallas Love Field. When questioned by officers, McKelvy admitted to vaping on the plane and downplayed the incident, saying he had "flirted with this chick." Defendant claims memory loss Testifying during the trial, McKelvy claimed he couldn't remember the incident because he had consumed alcohol and marijuana gummies. The jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. Prosecutors praise victim and bystanders "No person should have to endure egregious attacks such as this aboard an aircraft, where appropriate behavior is crucial for the well-being of all passengers," Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson said in a news release. "We applaud the swift response of fellow passengers, crew members, and our law enforcement partners in this case to come to the victim's defense. "For her sake and the community's, we will continue to bring predators like this to justice and deter others from doing so." Investigation led by FBI and Dallas police The FBI and Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bodies in Motion federal lawsuit progressing
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A lawsuit will move forward in a Johnstown-based U.S. District Court over a Portage adult business owner's case against Hollidaysburg Borough. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines will preside over the case, following a hearing late last month where both sides expressed no objections, online court records show. While previously working for the U.S. Attorneys Office, Haines prosecuted Bodies in Motion owner Gary Vaughn Jr. in 2017 in a case that saw the Portage man receive 15 months in prison. She was appointed to serve as a Western District of Pennsylvania judge in 2019 by President Donald Trump. Neither Vaughn's attorneys nor the defendant, Hollidaysburg Borough, objected to Haines' role on the prior 2017 case as a reason to recuse herself from the ongoing civil matter, records show. Vaughn is suing Hollidaysburg and its borough officials, saying the town's laws violate the First and 14th Amendments by imposing guidelines preventing him from conducting business – more specifically, traveling adult dance shows – in pre- existing local businesses. The suit was filed after Vaughn said he was blocked for zoning reasons from holding a show at a borough restaurant. No new hearings are currently set for the case, online documents show.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
U.S. attorneys submit reasons to stop jailhouse interviews with convicted strip club owner
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Federal prosecutors provided their reasons for a limited gag order for the convicted owner of Pharaoh's Gentlemen's Club to prevent him from doing jailhouse media interviews. In December, a jury convicted club owner Peter Gerace on eight of nine counts, including sex and drug trafficking, witness tampering and maintaining a drug-involved business at Pharaoh's. He is locked up at the Chautauqua County jail and faces up to life in prison at his August sentencing. Judge temporarily blocks media interviews with convicted Pharaoh's owner Prosecutors said a gag order is typically a 'tool of last resort,' but is necessary in this case to protect witnesses, confidential information and prevent him from railing against prosecutors and the court. Gerace is under a protective order that prohibits sharing sensitive information, such as witness identities and their statements, but prosecutors said there is no reason to trust he will comply if he engages in an interview. 'Gerace could also exploit an interview to disseminate messages, coded or otherwise, to others,' prosecutors said in court documents. 'Either risk could place innocent third parties in danger. And once that occurs, the damage will have been done: the government will have no practical recourse if the defendant engages in an interview with the media to disclose the substance of protected materials, or if he manipulates the media to use it as a proxy to broadly transmit veiled threats, or to convey coded messages, for his nefarious purposes.' In addition, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Tripi, Nicholas Cooper and Casey Chalbeck argued that inmates under the control of the U.S. Marshals Service do not have a guaranteed First Amendment right. Both before and after his two-month trial, Gerace sent letters to News 4 Investigates accusing some witnesses of perjury and prosecutors of misconduct. The U.S. Attorneys Office had no comment. Shortly after Gerace's Dec. 27 conviction, a third party contacted News 4 about Gerace's request for a jailhouse interview. Gerace did not testify at his own trial and his defense team did not call any witnesses to 4 Investigates was planning for that interview before the U.S. Attorneys Office requested a temporary halt to give prosecutors and Gerace's defense team time to file their arguments. During a Jan. 21 status conference, Gerace's attorneys, Eric Soehnlein and Mark Foti, said they did not 'entirely understand the media inquiry or what it came from.' Soehnlein said there is a 'mutual understanding' with the government that Gerace must abide by the protective order, and he would need some direction on what information he cannot disclose or discuss. While the judge gave an early indication of what he thought about gagging a defendant, he agreed the concerns about the protective order need to be addressed. 'Let me say this: I don't want to gag Mr. Gerace if he wants to speak to the media,' said U.S District Court Judge Lawrence Vilardo. 'I understand that you may feel differently about it, but the decision of what to do is his. And it's not my job to prevent people from speaking to the media when they want to speak to the media.' The government's motion states that U.S. Marshals Service has rules governing media access to federal detainees that require permission from various authorities, including the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Marshals Service, defense attorneys and the court. Gerace told News 4 Investigates he was trying to secure permission, but he thought it would be a conflict of interest for the U.S. Attorneys Office to have a say in the matter. Prosecutors noted in their gag order request that Gerace 'intentionally avoided seeking permission from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Court.' 'The government is very concerned that the defendant will seek to use the media to threaten or harass victims, witnesses, or others involved in this case,' prosecutors said in court documents. Judge extends halt on media interviews for convicted strip club owner Peter Gerace Jr. Prosecutors said if Gerace believes his trial was unfair and has concerns about the government's case and witnesses, he can file them with the court and allow them to litigate the merits of his claims. 'Gerace's apparent disregard for the same set of rules applicable to every other federal inmate marks just another chapter in his now long (and well-documented) history of throwing the law to the wind to achieve his personal ends,' prosecutors said. Gerace's attorneys have until Feb. 18 to respond to the government's gag order request. Dan Telvock is an award-winning investigative producer and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2018. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Hamilton man to serve 15 years for drug, firearms crimes
Feb. 5—A Hamilton man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for narcotics- and firearms-related crimes. Court records show that Joshua M. Riley, 46, had bulk amounts of narcotics mailed to his home on Symmes Avenue through the United States Postal Service. In November 2022, law enforcement intercepted a package that included fictitious sender and recipient names. That package had more than 2 kilograms of methamphetamine. At Riley's home, investigators discovered around 1,000 fentanyl pills, 40 pounds of marijuana, cocaine, drug trafficking paraphernalia, high-end jewelry and $18,500 in cash. Riley also illegally possessed at least 15 firearms, such as an Akdal Arms, 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun and a Hi-Point 9mm high-powered rifle, as well as firearm magazines, and ammunition. Four of the firearms recovered were discovered to have been stolen, and a fifth had its serial number removed. In July 2024, Riley pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as cocaine and marijuana. He also admitted to illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Riley was detained at the Butler County Jail turning the case, and was repeatedly caught smuggling drugs — specifically dozens of suboxone strips and amphetamines.
