Latest news with #andExplosives
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Son gets call showing duct-taped dad before he's killed in Baltimore, feds say
A Baltimore man lured a father from California to Maryland to discuss their marijuana business, then called the father's son, showing him bound to a chair with duct tape covering his mouth before he was shot to death, federal prosecutors said. Over the FaceTime call, Ziyon Thompson filmed Miguel Soto-Diaz from inside a Baltimore row home and demanded '200 pounds of marijuana and $50,000' from his son in exchange for his father's 'safe return' on May 8, 2022, according to prosecutors. Soto-Diaz was tortured, and when his 'kidnappers' demands were not met, (he) was shot five times,' court documents say. His body was found by Baltimore firefighters, who were called to the home as it burned in a fire, according to prosecutors. Investigators with the city's fire department believe the blaze was 'intentionally set,' court filings say. Now, Thompson, 21, has been sentenced to 22 years and one month in prison over aiding and abetting the killing of Soto-Diaz, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland said in a June 3 news release. 'Murder is widely accepted as the most egregious crime,' prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo ahead of Thompson's June 3 hearing. 'Here, we have a family that lost a father, husband, and caregiver.' Thompson previously pleaded guilty to use of a firearm resulting in death during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, court records show. Federal public defenders appointed to represent him, Katherine Tang Newberger and Sasha Garcon, didn't immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment June 4. In court documents, his legal counsel argued Thompson wasn't there when Soto-Diaz was killed and that he did not want him to die. 'Nonetheless, he knows he is morally and legally responsible for a death that deprived a loving wife of her husband and a child of his father, and he tears up when discussing Mr. Soto-Diaz, his wife and child,' his public defenders wrote in a sentencing memo. The filing mentions Soto-Diaz's wife was pregnant when he was held for ransom in Baltimore. Others involved in his killing weren't identified by prosecutors. The month before Thompson was accused of luring Soto-Diaz to his death, he visited Soto-Diaz and his family at their California home in late April 2022, according to prosecutors. Thompson stayed with Soto-Diaz to see 'the family's marijuana 'farm,'' then 'agreed to sell Soto-Diaz's marijuana in Maryland,' court filings say. In charging documents, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives described Soto-Diaz as a 'marijuana trafficker.' Soto-Diaz's son regularly communicated with Thompson for his father because Soto-Diaz didn't speak English, according to prosecutors, who said his son would translate their texts and calls. After Thompson's California visit, he had an issue with 'the quality' of Soto-Diaz's marijuana and came up with a 'ruse' to have the father visit Maryland, according to court documents. Soto-Diaz went to Maryland while believing he and Thompson were going to discuss marijuana sales on May 8, 2022, when he was picked up by Thompson at a Baltimore hotel, prosecutors said. Thompson took him to the Baltimore row home, where Soto-Diaz was tied to a chair, with duct tape covering his mouth and zip-ties binding his hands and ankles, according to prosecutors. After Thompson demanded a ransom payment, he texted Soto-Diaz's son, according to prosecutors, writing: 'Pap said send the bags and money so he can be ok and he said don't call the police or he want (sic) be coming home.' An autopsy revealed Soto-Diaz died from being shot in the Baltimore row home, not the fire that burned the residence afterward, according to prosecutors. In seeking a 25-year sentence for Thompson, before he was handed a 22-year and one-month sentence, prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memo that Thompson agreed it was 'reasonably foreseeable that Soto-Diaz would be killed during the extortion.' Thompson's sentence is to be followed by five years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
ATF warns Pennsylvanians of illegal fireworks ahead of Fourth of July
(WHTM)– The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives issued a warning to Pennsylvanians regarding dangerous illegal explosives ahead of the Fourth of July. The ATF says that Pennsylvania accounted for nearly 20% of all ATF illegal explosive device investigations nationwide since 2020. The ATF says the public is encouraged to report their manufacturing and sales to protect their communities during the holiday weekend 'They are dangerous explosives, not playthings for amusement,' said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. 'Just handling these devices puts you and anyone else around at risk of serious injury or death.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The ATF said ATF Philadelphia is working with local and state fire and police agencies this year to prevent manufacturing and sales of illegal explosive devices, noting that individuals who purchase them are contributing to criminal behavior. 'They'll blow your hand or face off,' said Tim Brooks, a Certified Explosive Specialist Bomb Technician from the Philadelphia Police Department Bomb Disposal Unit assigned to the ATF Philadelphia Arson and Explosives Task Force. He is all too familiar with the danger posed by these devices, whose misuse can be deadly. These devices are manufactured without safety oversight or quality control. The fillers inside occasionally contain small rocks that when bumped together can cause the slightest spark and set these off!' The ATF says that manufacturing, distributing, receiving, or transporting explosive materials without a federal license can land a person in federal prison for up to ten years. The ATF provided the best way to distinguish illegal explosives from regular fireworks: They are sold in a non-commercial location, such as out of a vehicle or residence. The person with the device has no evidence of a receipt or commercial packaging, or they cannot tell you where they originally purchased it. The device is often 1-6 inches long and up to an inch or more in diameter. The casing resembles a roll of coins with a fuse. Some outer shells are made of cardboard tubes. The outer covering is red, silver, or brown in color. The device looks oddly shaped and wrapped in brown paper that may be filled with an explosive material. The public can report illegal explosives to local police or to 888-ATF-BOMB (283-2662), 888-ATF-TIPS (283-8477), ATFTips@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Toronto Sun
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
HAUBRICH: Canadians want Carney to focus on gun smuggling, not gun bans
A semi-automatic pistol with a conversion device installed making it fully automatic is fired as four empty shell casings fly out of the weapon, at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), National Services Center, Thursday, March 2, 2023, in Martinsburg, Photo by Alex Brandon / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Most Canadians want Prime Minister Mark Carney to focus on stopping illegal guns from getting into Canada, instead of taking firearms from licensed Canadian gun owners through Ottawa's so-called gun ban and buyback. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Recent Leger polling shows 55% of Canadians think the best way to reduce gun crime in Canada is to focus on stopping the smuggling of guns into Canada from the United States. Only 26% think banning the sale and ownership of various models of guns, along with a government seizure and compensation program, would be the best way to reduce crime in Canada. Canadians have the facts on their side: Ottawa's gun ban and compensation program have failed to make Canadians safer for the last five years. The feds originally announced the scheme in 2020 and banned about 1,500 different makes and models of firearms. After multiple expansions of the ban list, it now includes more than 2,000 different types of firearms plus hundreds of different parts and accessories. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Since then, violent gun crime in Canada has increased . That's because licensed gun owners, who follow the law to buy and use their guns, aren't the ones committing these violent crimes. About half of all homicides using firearms were related to organized crime or street gangs, according to Statistics Canada . Those stats echo what the police and academics have been saying about the effectiveness of gun bans and compensation schemes for licensed firearms owners. 'There is no evidence that gun bans are effective in reducing this violence, particularly when 85% of guns seized by our members can be traced back to the United States,' said the Toronto Police Association. 'Buyback programs are largely ineffective at reducing gun violence, in large part because the people who participate in such programs are not likely to use those guns to commit violence,' said Jooyoung Lee, a University of Toronto professor who studies gun violence in Canada. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Federal politicians are finally starting to figure out that the real problem is illegal guns crossing the border. During the election debate, both major party leaders highlighted the problem of illegal guns coming across the southern border. Carney said, 'We have a problem with guns coming over our border.' Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said, 'We will secure our border to keep illegal guns out.' In the government's most recent throne speech, there was no mention of the gun ban and compensation program. Instead, King Charles III announced that the Canadian government will 'stem the tide of illegal guns and drugs across the border.' Wasting more taxpayers' dollars to compensate firearms owners for their property hinders the ability of police forces to deal with the illegal gun problem. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This was highlighted by the National Police Federation, the union that represents the RCMP. In a report, the union said the gun ban and compensation program 'diverts extremely important personnel, resources, and funding away from addressing the more immediate and growing threat of criminal use of illegal firearms.' Taxpayers need a full commitment to end the gun ban before any more money is wasted on it. Government documents show that the total gun ban and compensation program could cost about $2 billion. Other estimates show that the cost could balloon to more than $6 billion. That's too much money to waste on a program that isn't going to make Canadians safer. Police, academics and Canadians know the real danger is gun smuggling, not firearms owned by licensed Canadian gun owners. Despite this, Carney promised during the election to 'reinvigorate the implementation' of the gun ban and compensation scheme. Carney needs to stop wasting money on the gun ban and focus on the real problem of illegal guns crossing the border. Gage Haubrich is the Prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Toronto & GTA World World Columnists Crime
Boston Globe
02-05-2025
- Boston Globe
R.I. man sentenced to 20 years for 2023 ‘gang-related' Providence shootings, prosecutors say
According to prosecutors, Sanchez pleaded nolo contendere in February to numerous charges, including four counts of felony assault. A plea of nolo contendere means the defendant neither accepts nor denies responsibility for the charges, but agrees to accept punishment. Advertisement 'The court also sentenced the defendant under the Criminal Street Gang enhancement, finding that his acts were in furtherance of the Chad Brown street gang,' prosecutors said. Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up Co-defendant Isaiah Isom, 20, was sentenced by Keough in February to serve 12 years in prison and 22 years of probation for his role in one of the shootings, according to officials. Prosecutors said they were prepared to prove at trial that Sanchez was involved in two shootings on March 12 and March 16, 2023, 'while possessing narcotics with intent to distribute.' Providence police responded to the first shooting at 10:44 a.m. that day, after receiving reports of shots fired on Jenkins Street. According to witness testimony, Sanchez shot at three people, including the 9-year-old boy, officials said. Advertisement Surveillance video footage from the Chad Brown Housing Complex showed Sanchez taking a phone call in the parking lot before the shooting, and then leaving in a black Hyundai, prosecutors said. 'The same black Hyundai returned to the area minutes after police received reports of the shooting, and the footage shows the defendant walking away from the vehicle,' officials said. Investigators later confirmed Sanchez's movements based on his cell phone data, and also confirmed he was renting the black Hyundai at that time, according to prosecutors. 'This shooting was connected to the violent feud between East Side and Chad Brown gangs and was an act of retaliation for another shooting that occurred the night before.' prosecutors said. On March 16, 2023, police responded to another report of shots fired at the intersection of North Main and Olney streets, officials said. 'Officers first located an unintended victim whose vehicle had sustained ballistic damage,' prosecutors said. 'The victim reported that a white SUV was driving south in the northbound lane of North Main Street, firing shots at a blue SUV driving south. Officers located three expended .40 caliber cartridge casings in the roadway.' On April 11, Providence police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives arrested Sanchez at his apartment, where authorities found 'multiple firearms, ammunition, currency, marijuana, cocaine, pills, and other drug paraphernalia,' officials said. The seizure included 60.99 grams of cocaine, 837.09 grams of marijuana, and four pills of Hydrocodone. Investigators also uncovered text messages between Sanchez and Isom showing the two men shared news articles with each other about the March 16 shooting and 'discussed their roles' in the incident, prosecutors said. Advertisement 'On more than one occasion, [Sanchez] demonstrated that he is a very real threat to public safety,' Neronha said in a statement. 'It is absolutely essential that we hold accountable those who commit serious gang and gun-related crimes, and endanger the lives of others in the process, as was the case here.' Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
A Glock, a fanny pack, fentanyl and meth. Savannah man facing life in prison for possession
A young felon from Georgia could soon spend the rest of his life in prison. Malik Javier McKenzie, 27, of Savannah, was convicted after a two-day trial in U.S. District Court for drug and weapons charges. Here's what we know: According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, McKenzie was the driver of a vehicle recklessly avoiding police after an attempted traffic stop. After crashing, he fled on foot which resulted in a struggle. A search revealed a Glock handgun in McKenzie's pocket plus a fanny pack containing distributable quantities of Cocaine, Fentanyl, Carfentanil, and Methamphetamine. Testing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives revealed that the gun had a conversion device commonly known as a "Glock switch" which illegally allowed the gun to shoot multiple rounds with one trigger pull I.e. turning it into a machine gun. McKenzie was prohibited from possessing any firearm because of previous convictions in both the U.S. District Court and the Superior Court for the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia. McKenzie was charged with possession of controlled substances With intent to distribute, possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. McKenzie's charges subject him to a statutory minimum penalty of 30 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah man guilty of machine gun, drug charges. Glock, Fentanyl, cocaine
