Latest news with #federalprosecutors
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Hailey Bieber Joins Billionaire Club?
Hailey Bieber sold her beauty line for a shocking amount. Security footage of Tory Lanez prison stabbing has surfaced. Plus, federal prosecutors in the Diddy trial revealed more photos of Kid Cudi's car attack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit Jeffrey Petz
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
No death penalty for son of Mexican drug boss ‘El Chapo': US prosecutors
Federal prosecutors in the United States said they will not seek the death penalty for the son of Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' if he is found guilty of multiple drug trafficking charges when he goes on trial. According to media reports, federal prosecutors in Chicago filed a one-sentence notice on May 23, saying they would not seek the death penalty for Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman – the former leader of Mexico's feared Sinaloa Cartel who is serving a life sentence in a US prison. The notice did not offer any explanation for the decision by the federal prosecutors, or further details. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 38, was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers – known as the 'Chapitos', or little Chapos – on US drug trafficking and money laundering charges after assuming leadership of their father's drug cartel when 'El Chapo' was extradited to the US in 2017. Joaquin Guzman Lopez's lawyer said in an email to The Associated Press news agency on Tuesday that he was pleased with the federal prosecutors' decision, 'as it's the correct one'. 'Joaquin and I are looking forward to resolving the charges against him,' Lichtman said. Joaquin Guzman Lopez has pleaded not guilty to the five charges of drug trafficking, conspiracy and money laundering against him, one of which carries the maximum sentence of death as it was allegedly carried out on US territory. He was taken into US custody in a dramatic July 2024 arrest alongside alleged Sinaloa Cartel cofounder Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada on a New Mexico airfield. Zambada has also pleaded not guilty. But his lawyer told the Reuters news agency that he would be willing to plead guilty if prosecutors agreed to spare him the death penalty. Another of the brothers, Ovidio Guzman, is expected to plead guilty to drug trafficking charges against him at a court hearing in Chicago on July 9, according to court records. 'El Chapo' Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Big city cartel lawyer arrested for 'doing the bidding' of murderous clients in major drug trafficking bust
A criminal defense attorney with a 'methamphetamine addiction' has been arrested for allegedly working for a murderous drug trafficking gang. Justin Facey, 44, boasted about his role as the go-to attorney for the violent criminal organization that would smuggle hard drugs from Mexico to Alaska, federal prosecutors have claimed in shocking court documents. The Anchorage criminal defense attorney was indicted on charges of maintaining a drug-involved premises and possessing firearms in connection with drug trafficking. Facey, who allegedly coerced sex acts from minors and clients of his legal service, told colleagues that cartel members 'literally threw a duffle bag from a moving vehicle onto my roof to hire me last week, and claimed he 'had to retrieve it with a ladder' according to prosecutors. The case is part of a massive federal investigation that has led to more than 60 indictments. Four members of the trafficking ring were charged in the 2023 murders of two women found in Trapper Creek. Prosecutors describe the operation as a pipeline for methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine flowing to Alaska dealers and street users. The disgraced Anchorage attorney, who prosecutors say consumed up to an ounce of methamphetamine per day to fuel his addiction, allegedly offered to help smuggle gang members out of Alaska. Facey, who allegedly coerced sex acts from minors and clients of his legal service in Anchorage (pictured), allegedly told colleagues that cartel members 'literally threw a duffle bag from a moving vehicle onto my roof to hire me last week, and claimed he 'had to retrieve it with a ladder' He also provided money laundering advice, and even requested the cartel's help in having someone shot after a personal dispute. Federal prosecutors describe Facey as having 'consciously adopted the persona of a self-described cartel attorney' while being 'fueled by a spiraling addiction to methamphetamine and compulsive sexual misconduct.' The documents revealed he 'fully committed to the bit, engaging in a crime spree threatening the safety of the community.' 'Having consciously adopted the persona of a self-described 'cartel attorney' and fueled by a spiraling addiction to methamphetamine and compulsive sexual misconduct, the defendant fully committed to the bit, engaging in a crime spree threatening the safety of the community and giving rise to serious concerns regarding his risk of flight following his apprehension,' prosecutors wrote in the memorandum obtained by Alaska Public Media. The investigation revealed that Facey was in direct communication with Heraclio Sanchez-Rodriguez, the alleged leader of the trafficking organization. 'Exhibiting characteristically poor impulse control, the defendant couldn't help but brag about his newfound status as a 'cartel lawyer' to anyone in the Anchorage legal community who might listen,' the prosecutors wrote. One woman described him as 'a drug addict, a pig, and a disgusting slob' She claimed he had coerced her into sex acts as payment for his legal representation. The woman told investigators that Facey 'maintained a drug premises, used methamphetamine, and maintained a young woman as a housekeeper who he paid with controlled substances for her services.' '(The woman) described that the defendant maintained a drug premises, used methamphetamine, and maintained a young woman as a 'housekeeper' who he paid with controlled substances for her services,' prosecutors wrote in the memorandum. She described his methamphetamine addiction as 'extreme' and said he consumed up to 'an ounce per day.' The Alaska Bar Association suspended Facey from practicing law after numerous complaints in February. He ended up turning to dealing drugs himself, 'primarily fentanyl to drug-dependent and vulnerable women,' according to prosecutors. 'In one particularly heartbreaking exchange in December 2024, the defendant urged a pregnant woman looking for work as a housecleaner to exchange sex for $80 and a small amount of methamphetamine, only to ultimately short-change the woman by $20,' prosecutors wrote in the memorandum.
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Former L.A. deputy mayor of public safety to plead guilty to fake bomb threat
A former Los Angeles deputy mayor of public safety has agreed to plead guilty to making a fake bomb threat to City Hall for which he sought to blame a fabricated anti-Israel actor, federal prosecutors said. Brian K. Williams, 61, will admit to a single count of threats regarding fire and explosives and could face a maximum of 10 years in prison, according to a plea agreement filed Thursday.
New York Times
23-05-2025
- New York Times
‘Commander Butcher' Who Led Neo-Nazi Group Faces Charges in Brooklyn
A Georgian man known as 'Commander Butcher' helped lead the Maniac Murder Cult, a neo-Nazi group that has inspired killings around the world, according to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, where he appeared in court on Friday after his extradition. Among the crimes that the man, Michail Chkhikvishvili, inspired were a school shooting in Nashville, a mass stabbing outside a mosque in Turkey and the brutal murder of an older woman in Romania, prosecutors say. Mr. Chkhikvishvili, who was living in Moldova at the time of his extradition, also promoted violence in New York, according to prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York. In 2023, he plotted to have one of his followers distribute poisoned candy to Jewish children and members of other racial minorities on New Year's Eve, they said. The case, even though it is being prosecuted in Brooklyn, provides a lens into the spread — and global reach — of right-wing violence and extremism. Far-right violence has been rising in countries like Germany and Britain, though groups like the one Mr. Chkhikvishvili is accused of leading remain on the fringe of mainstream politics. In the United States, white supremacist violence was named a top threat by officials in the Biden administration. Mr. Chkhikvishvili, 21, was arrested in Chisinau, Moldova, in July 2024 and extradited on Thursday. He made his first appearance in Federal District Court on Friday before Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo. 'These allegations right now are easy to make, but hard to prove,' said Sam Gregory, Mr. Chkhikvishvili's lawyer, in an interview after the court proceeding. Andrew D. Reich, a prosecutor, said Mr. Chkhikvishvili had 'spent years soliciting gruesome attacks from his followers.' He said the defendant had been detained in Moldova while trying to travel to Ukraine to recruit more neo-Nazi extremists. 'These were not merely empty threats,' Mr. Reich said. Mr. Chkhikvishvili, who pleaded not guilty, briefly addressed Judge Kuo in English before listening to the court proceedings through a Russian-speaking translator. He faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the charges, which include conspiring to solicit hate crimes and transmitting threatening communications. According to prosecutors, Mr. Chkhikvishvili was a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, a Russian and Ukrainian neo-Nazi group that encourages its followers to commit mass killings. Since 2021, prosecutors said, Mr. Chkhikvishvili has helped publish editions of a manifesto called the 'Hater's Handbook.' It calls on readers to carry out school shootings and gives them suggestions on how to commit mass murder, including by targeting crowded outdoor gatherings. In 2023, Mr. Chkhikvishvili began discussing plans to murder Jews, racial minorities and homeless people en masse, prosecutors say. Over the encrypted messaging app Telegram, he provided detailed instructions about how to carry out the New Year's Eve attack to an undercover F.B.I. agent he thought was a prospective member of his group, according to prosecutors. Mr. Chkhikvishvili wrote that to lace the candy, 'ricin would be most simple.' After giving out the poisoned treats to 'many racial minorities and traitors,' the perpetrator, who was to be dressed as Santa, was to burn his clothes. 'Big beard, makeup, glasses, shave unnecessary body hair and put fake white eyebrows,' Mr. Chkhikvishvili wrote. The attack never materialized. But prosecutors say Mr. Chkhikvishvili has successfully inspired other acts of violence. On Jan. 22, a 17-year-old student shot and killed a schoolmate at Antioch High School in Nashville. According to prosecutors, the shooter said he had been acting partly on behalf of the Maniac Murder Club, and his manifesto included references to Mr. Chkhikvishvili. Last August, a person wearing a tactical vest with Nazi symbols stabbed five people outside a mosque in Eskisehir, Turkey. His manifesto also included references to Mr. Chkhikvishvili, prosecutors said. In 2022, a German teenager murdered a 74-year-old woman living in Romania as part of what he said had been an initiation into the cult. According to prosecutors, Mr. Chkhikvishvili wanted the planned attack in New York to be 'a bigger action than Breivik,' an apparent reference to Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian neo-Nazi who killed 77 people in 2011. Maniac Murder Club is part of a rising tide of European extremism. On Wednesday, German police arrested five teenagers in connection with a violent neo-Nazi group that, like the Maniac Murder Club, believes in destabilizing society through violence against minorities. In the United States, right-wing and white supremacist group have recently taken to attacking energy grids and other critical infrastructure.
