Latest news with #WitnessProtectionProgram
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' connection to a famous gangster is part of his family lore
As the federal criminal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continues, many parts of his past are being revisited. That includes his father's friendship with the late gangster, Frank Lucas. Melvin Combs was a drug dealer who was fatally shot in 1972, when his son Sean Combs was three years old. 'That's not something I glorify, but he was in Harlem and he was doing his thing, selling narcotics,' Combs told journalist Toure in an interview 13 years ago. 'And we all know what that gets you. That's only going to have you end up in jail or dead. It is the reason why I didn't follow in those footsteps.' In that interview, Combs was clear that his father did not work for either Lucas or another famed Harlem gangster, Nicky Barnes, but rather was 'as big as them' in the hustling game. The younger Combs didn't shy away from his father's history. 'I'm definitely like him,' Combs said. 'But I'm just doing it in a legal way.' Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution in an ongoing federal criminal trial in Manhattan. His mother, Janice Combs, had initially told her son his father had died in a car crash. He told Toure he found out what his father had been involved with on his own. 'This was before the internet and I had looked up my father's name and I saw an article about my mother wearing a full length chinchilla [a fur coat] to a funeral and taking me and I was in a mink,' Combs recalled. 'And that was like the story of just the glamour and like the decadence of our family and just like he was the kingpin, you know, of Harlem and how he had got assassinated.' He said he understood why his mother hadn't initially been honest with him about his dad. Due to where they were living when he was growing up, Combs said he believes he would have become 'one of the biggest drug dealers out there because…the type of person I would have wanted to follow in my father's footsteps.' Melvin Combs had a connection to Frank Lucas, a famous drug lord in Harlem during his heyday in the 1960s and 1970s. Lucas was famously portrayed by Denzel Washington in the 2007 film 'American Gangster.' He was sentenced to 70 years in prison after being convicted of federal drug charges in New York and state charges in New Jersey, but only served seven before turning informant and going into the Witness Protection Program, according to the New York Times. Lucas emerged in later years to share his story and during an interview with Vlad TV said he and Melvin Combs were 'good friends.' 'We did a lot of business together,' Lucas said. 'Of course it was not legal business, but we did a lot of business together.' Lucas expressed sadness regarding the elder Combs' murder and said he met Sean Combs when he was a little boy. 'His daddy used to bring him over my house,' Lucas said. 'He used to come see me on various business and he would bring him over my house.' Lucas added that about a year prior to the Vlad TV interview, he had connected with Combs, who was seeking information about his late father. 'I told him something about his father, but I didn't give him the whole story because he didn't press me,' Lucas said. 'He just asked me casually and I told him casually. But if he had pressed me, I would have told him the whole story.' Combs told Toure that the world didn't know the whole story about him. 'People don't really know me,' the Bad Boy Record founder said at the time. 'And that's by design.' 'Who is this person, the Sean Combs that we don't know,' Toure pressed. 'We have yet to find out,' Combs responded. 'You have to come along for the ride.'
CNN
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' connection to a famous gangster is part of his family lore
As the federal criminal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continues, many parts of his past are being revisited. That includes his father's friendship with the late gangster, Frank Lucas. Melvin Combs was a drug dealer who was fatally shot in 1972, when his son Sean Combs was three years old. 'That's not something I glorify, but he was in Harlem and he was doing his thing, selling narcotics,' Combs told journalist Toure in an interview 13 years ago. 'And we all know what that gets you. That's only going to have you end up in jail or dead. It is the reason why I didn't follow in those footsteps.' In that interview, Combs was clear that his father did not work for either Lucas or another famed Harlem gangster, Nicky Barnes, but rather was 'as big as them' in the hustling game. The younger Combs didn't shy away from his father's history. 'I'm definitely like him,' Combs said. 'But I'm just doing it in a legal way.' Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution in an ongoing federal criminal trial in Manhattan. His mother, Janice Combs, had initially told her son his father had died in a car crash. He told Toure he found out what his father had been involved with on his own. 'This was before the internet and I had looked up my father's name and I saw an article about my mother wearing a full length chinchilla [a fur coat] to a funeral and taking me and I was in a mink,' Combs recalled. 'And that was like the story of just the glamour and like the decadence of our family and just like he was the kingpin, you know, of Harlem and how he had got assassinated.' He said he understood why his mother hadn't initially been honest with him about his dad. Due to where they were living when he was growing up, Combs said he believes he would have become 'one of the biggest drug dealers out there because…the type of person I would have wanted to follow in my father's footsteps.' Melvin Combs had a connection to Frank Lucas, a famous drug lord in Harlem during his heyday in the 1960s and 1970s. Lucas was famously portrayed by Denzel Washington in the 2007 film 'American Gangster.' He was sentenced to 70 years in prison after being convicted of federal drug charges in New York and state charges in New Jersey, but only served seven before turning informant and going into the Witness Protection Program, according to the New York Times. Lucas emerged in later years to share his story and during an interview with Vlad TV said he and Melvin Combs were 'good friends.' 'We did a lot of business together,' Lucas said. 'Of course it was not legal business, but we did a lot of business together.' Lucas expressed sadness regarding the elder Combs' murder and said he met Sean Combs when he was a little boy. 'His daddy used to bring him over my house,' Lucas said. 'He used to come see me on various business and he would bring him over my house.' Lucas added that about a year prior to the Vlad TV interview, he had connected with Combs, who was seeking information about his late father. 'I told him something about his father, but I didn't give him the whole story because he didn't press me,' Lucas said. 'He just asked me casually and I told him casually. But if he had pressed me, I would have told him the whole story.' Combs told Toure that the world didn't know the whole story about him. 'People don't really know me,' the Bad Boy Record founder said at the time. 'And that's by design.' 'Who is this person, the Sean Combs that we don't know,' Toure pressed. 'We have yet to find out,' Combs responded. 'You have to come along for the ride.'
Time Out
21-05-2025
- Time Out
TSA's facial recognition technology will expand to more than 400 airports
The last few times I've flown, I've been prompted to stand in front of a camera and have my photo taken while at the TSA checkpoint. There's a seemingly permanent machine there to do it, and it's now the expected protocol. I don't love it—what if I am fleeing a murderous Silicon Valley creep who knows how to hack TSA data and find out where I'm flying? What if I'm in the Witness Protection Program and trying to be as careful as possible about my image being captured? Or if it's a bad hair day? Whelp, facial recognition technology is here to stay at at least 84 U.S. airports through the Credential Authorization Technology, as reported by USA Today. And soon, you'll find it at more than 400 'federalized' airports, a term which simply means an airport where TSA helms the security checkpoints. While your photo is being taken, a TSA officer also scans your identification card or passport. So long as there's a match between your image on the documentation and the face you present the camera, all is well. According to TSA's website, 'Photos are not stored or saved after a positive ID match has been made, except in a limited testing environment for evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology.' If you're a little wiggy over this idea and don't want to participate, you can decline the camera, 'without recourse,' TSA says, to instead use an alternative method to verify your identity. This is not supposed to take any longer than just being photographed, and you won't lose your place in line for the rest of the screening where you run your carry-on baggage through the scanners. Passengers under the age of 18 are not photographed. If you're concerned that the images could be saved and used for surveillance, TSA's statement refutes that worry. '[Photos] will not be used for surveillance or any law enforcement purpose,' says TSA, and will only be used to verify passengers' identities. Moreover, the process will hopefully catch people traveling with false documents: 'fraudulent IDs and imposters represent an emerging threat to security,' says TSA.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
7 tigers saved and relocated to wildlife refuge
EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. — Seven tigers that were living in unsafe conditions were rescued and relocated to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR). According to a press release from TCWR, the tigers were seized from the Nevada Find Sanctuary, where the Nye County Sheriff's Office reached out to TCWR. The team made the 2,800-plus mile round trip to help. The newly arrived tigers will now be part of TCWR's Witness Protection Program, which safeguards rescued animals by keeping their locations confidential when necessary for their safety. 'Providing these tigers with a safe, species-appropriate home is our top priority,' said Tanya Smith, President of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. 'Our team is committed to ensuring they receive the best possible care and a peaceful, stable environment for the rest of their lives.' No further information about the tigers before the relocation has been reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
