Latest news with #U.S.Marshalls
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Sean Kingston, Mother Found Guilty in Federal Wire Fraud Case
Sean Kingston and his mother have been convicted in their federal wire fraud case. The "Beautiful Girls" singer and his mom, Janice Turner, were found guilty Friday on all five charges they were facing. Sean reportedly cried as the jury returned the guilty verdict ... and he told U.S. Marshalls to "protect my mother" as they remanded her into custody and took her away from the courtroom. As we reported ... Sean and his mother were accused of defrauding businesses out of more than $1 million in a fraud scheme involving jewelry, luxury vehicles and other goods. The judge deemed Sean's mother a flight risk, which is why she's in custody ... and Sean is now on home detention as they await their July 11 sentencing. Sean and his mom are looking at some hard time after being convicted of wire fraud ... we're talking a max of 20 years in prison on each count, for each of them. As we told you ... federal prosecutors said Sean and his mother unjustly enriched themselves by falsely claiming they sent money transfers to pay for high-end goods ... and then kept the stuff even after it was discovered the payments never went through. Prosecutors claimed Sean and Janice obtained more than $1 million in property through their alleged scheme -- including ripping off a car dealer for a $160K Cadillac Escalade and jewelers for $480K worth of bling ... all without paying a dime. The feds raided Sean's Florida mansion in May 2024 ... and shortly after they were both arrested. During the trial, the judge reportedly said Sean's mother showed she was the "fixer, the nerve center" for the alleged fraud scheme ... while Kingston's defense team claimed he was simply a "child" who was clueless about his finances.
Miami Herald
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Meet the woman who wouldn't let trial, prison or a freak injury keep her from the Miami Marathon
Paola Soto had every excuse not to run in Sunday's Life Time Miami Marathon. In 2022, she was on trial for charges of conspiracy and smuggling. In 2023, she was in prison. And in 2024, finally free from incarceration with plans to finally run, she fell in a pothole and injured her knee. Many people would have given up. Marathons are a test of mental strength; just the very idea of a 26.2-mile run can be deterrent. Soto, however, isn't most people. 'Running saved me,' she said, calling the activity her 'purpose.' 'It's so much easier to stay in bed on a chilly day, watch Netflix or eat snacks. But I need it. It became something that just makes me feel better.' After three years of setback after setback after setback, Soto will finally run the 2025 Life Time Miami Marathon, which starts Sunday morning near the Kaseya Center, runs through Miami Beach and ends downtown. The journey to get here was far from easy — just days before her interview she had a nightmare that Sunday's race had started without her — yet it strengthened her. Taught her. And arguably most importantly, humbled her. 'I learned that I'm capable of surviving the unexpected,' Soto said, later adding that she realized the importance of 'making myself a priority' and 'setting strong boundaries.' 'This is my way out' It started in 2010. A then-24-year-old Soto had began to work for renowned Colombian handbag designer Nancy Gonzalez, whose work was featured everywhere from 'Sex in the City' to the film 'The Devil Wears Prada.' The issue was Gonzalez, like most artists, struggled to meet deadlines. That meant Soto, a Colombian native, would have to transport the bags to the United States herself instead of through the proper channels. 'At some point when you're involved in this world and in that world, you're oriented to your goal,' Soto recalled, adding that she needed to have 'everything in for the exposition at the showroom, exhibited at the right time so the buyers from all these large companies can buy them.' In 2019, however, Soto got caught. It was an experience that she will never forget. 'The company that I worked for was under investigation and I didn't know that,' Soto said Soto who was on vacation when the probe began. When she landed at Miami International Airport in December 2019, U.S. Marshalls greeted her. 'That was the beginning. I was terrified. I was praying that they didn't take me to prison.' Although the Marshalls took her to the Miami Federal Detention Center, she posted bond the next day. Soto spent the next three years in litigation, eventually pleading guilty and agreeing to cooperate as witness. Longtime friend Jobeth Ramirez was shocked. 'It was just surprising,' said Ramirez who had known Soto for more than a decade. 'Someone like Pao facing the charge that they said she was facing was just so unreal. It felt like someone was setting her up. It didn't seem like Pao. It seemed like a situation where her kindness was taken advantage of.' On September 28, 2022, Soto would begin her nine-month sentence at Marianna Federal Camp. That's when the fear began to set in. 'When I entered prison, I was in fear not just of the surroundings but of myself,' Soto said. Her mind raced with questions almost immediately. 'Is a really bad depression going to hit me? Am I going to be able to survive? Am I going to think about killing myself? What's going to happen to me?' Negative thoughts, however, can often become a self-fulfilling prophecy and before long, she actually found herself deep in the doldrums, recalled friend Rebecca Cyphers. 'When you're first put there, you don't know what to expect,' said Cyphers, who arrived at Marianna with Soto. 'There are no doors and you're put up on the second floor and you're in quarantine for a couple of weeks at a time.' Added Cyphers: 'We were very scared of what was outside of quarantine. We had all these 'Orange is the New Black' shows that had us sacred to death. We had been told about women killing each other and coming into your room.' Then Soto remembered her old friend. Running 'is therapy for me,' she said. 'This is my way out.' Added Soto: 'I'm a different person when I run.' Although Soto had planned to do the 2023 Miami Marathon alongside Ramirez, her incarceration prevented her from doing so. Soto, however, came up with an idea. 'While I was in prison, there was a track,' she recalled, 'and I was like 'You know what? If they can do it, I can do it. That was it.' Armed with a training guide courtesy of Ramirez, Soto trained profusely during the next three and a half months to prepare herself for a makeshift, half marathon. Many inmates called her crazy. Some even told her she didn't have to do it. Soto, however, knew that she needed to run for her mental health. 'Prison is all mental,' she said, explaining that people often 'set the limitations' on themselves without. 'Even while being in prison, I felt free being able to break those barriers through running.' Eventually, many of her fellow inmates decided to participate. 'So many people got involved and started getting motivated like 'Let me get out there and walk with you,'' Soto recalled being told. When it came time for her own marathon, the prison and inmates alike did everything they could to make it appear some level of normal. They created lap cards and a medal while Cyphers put together a peanut butter victory cake. Her fellow inmates even shared their fruit — bananas in particular — so she could fight off cramps. 'This little group of us positioned ourselves around the track and had words for her on our signs to keep her positive and going,' Cyphers said. 'So she finished — I think it was 54 laps or something — and we had Winner's Circle for her and celebrated that day.' 'I was not surprised that that's how she took it but definitely inspired nonetheless because no one would've blamed her if she didn't choose to run a marathon,' Ramirez added, explaining that Soto 'didn't let her circumstances define her.' 'It just goes to show you as long as you put your mind to something and apply yourself and show up for yourself, you can meet your goals.' When Soto emerged from prison in May 2023, she was a different person. Her resilience inspired Cyphers to write and release a children's book entitled 'Little Running Wolf Girl: Paola's Tale.' 'It's a heartfelt story but she's really coming out an amazing woman, an amazing winner because of all her persistence,' Cyphers said, later quipping that she 'would like to be more like her and I'm twice her age.' Added Cyphers: 'There's really no one quite like her.' Soto, like everyone, is far from perfect. Despite her jovial demeanor, she too has bad days. And when those come, she remembers the words of one woman in particular who cheered her on during her prison marathon. 'On my difficult days, I still have the girls in my head,' Soto said. 'There's one girl in particular. I remember I was tired and she's like 'Come on, baby. You got this! You got this!' 'Mind can be your best ally or your worst enemy' As Soto sat at a coffee shop in Coconut Grove, reflecting on her life ahead of Sunday's marathon, she wasn't bitter. There were a bit of nerves – her last two efforts ultimately didn't pan out – yet she felt confident. 'I think the hardest one was being able to run in prison because your mind can be your best ally or your worst enemy,' Soto said. But when Soto accidentally stepped in a pothole ahead of the 2024 Miami Marathon, she inflamed her infrapatellar fat pad, the tissue behind the kneecap, and the doubt started to creep back into her mind. 'When I fell, I cried but not solely out of pain — it was mostly frustration,' Soto said. She immediately began to question whether a marathon was even God's plan for her. But the more inquiries Soto had, the more she thought about life behind bars. Whether incarcerated or on the mend, it was just another trial for her 'That's life,' Soto said. 'Life is always going to bring you ups and downs. You're going to fall then you're going to have to stand up again.' Nowadays, Soto has her real estate license. She'll get married soon. Prison, as it seems, is way in rearview mirror. But when she finally crosses that finish line, expect a release of the emotions that she has carried around since 2022. 'I'm going to cry. I'm already emotional and I haven't even completed it,' Soto said. 'I feel like I'm closing a chapter in my life and this is graduation.' IF YOU GO WHAT: Miami Marathon WHEN: 5 a.m. Sunday, February 2, 2025 WHERE: City of Miami and Miami Beach PRICE: Free for spectators For more information, visit
CBS News
30-01-2025
- CBS News
Driver crashes car after high speed-chase in Livingston County
(CBS DETROIT) - A driver going over 100 miles per hour crashed a car following a chase with deputies in Livingston County. Officers say Livingston County Sheriff's deputies encountered a Kia Forte traveling on Interstate 96 and found that the car had been reported stolen on Monday. "The vehicle abruptly jumped back onto the freeway and failed to stop for the emergency lights and siren," said Lieutenant Chad Sell. Deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the driver increased his speed and used the shoulder to avoid slower vehicles. "He wasn't driving in an aggressive manner," said Sell. "He was more focused on trying to get away. So that's why we continued the pursuit for as long as we did." Deputies pursued the car until the driver tried to take the exit at Kensington Road and overturned. The 35-year-old from Williamston, whose name has not yet been released, was wanted by U.S. Marshalls and several other jurisdictions. His 40-year-old passenger from Macelona also had warrants out for his arrest. "After they knew it was safe and knew that the people were injured and began rendering aid to them. Just as quick as the chase started, the chase ended," said Sell. Sell says both men were transported to the hospital in stable but serious condition.
