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Tag: Crime and Courts

  • Man nabbed by police after grandmother shot dead on East Harlem sidewalk

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    One week after a 69-year-old grandmother was shot and killed while walking to her East Harlem home after grabbing lunch, a suspect was arrested and faces federal charges.

    The NYPD said Faisil McCants was arrested Thursday and charged with three counts of murder, just over a week after the Aug. 27 killing of Robin Wright, who was shot near 110th Street and Madison Avenue in East Harlem.

    Friends of Wright said she lived across the street from where she was killed. She was walking home after picking up lunch from one of her favorite Chinese restaurants when she was shot in the face, police said.

    “It wasn’t right. One minute she’s walking, I’m waiting, and the next minute, she’s dead,” said Sonya Hampton, who knew Wright. “I saw her on the ground and ain’t nothing you can do but to hold her hand and tell her that you love her.”

    Witnesses said they heard at least a dozen shots, but they do not believe Wright was the intended target.

    Images from the scene showed a solitary walker, which Wright needed to get around, along with blood on a corner that was taped off with police vehicles nearby. More than a dozen shell casings were picked up at the scene, sources said.

    McCants faces multiple charges in addition to murder, including robbery, weapon possession and gun possession, according to police. Federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York alleged the 18-year-old fired 15 shots from a machine gun after trying to rob a drug dealer.

    According to the criminal complaint, McCants and two others went up to the drug dealer and soon they all started fighting. McCants and one of the others he was with grabbed backpacks full of marijuana from the dealer then took off, running up Madison Avenue.

    As he ran off, McCants allegedly took out the machine gun from his sweatshirt pocket and opened fire, striking Wright.

    “As alleged, after robbing a drug dealer at gunpoint, Faisil McCants fired a machine gun in the middle of the day on the busy streets of New York City, killing another person,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.

    If convicted, McCants could face life in prison.

    Police were still looking for the other two men believed to be involved in the robbery and deadly shooting.

    An investigation is ongoing.

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    NBC New York Staff

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  • Debate brews over Flock Safety cameras in Oakland

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    There are more than 200 Flock Safety cameras in Oakland, but many are asking whether they are doing more harm than good.

    A coalition of Oakland community members frustrated by crime is fighting to keep Flock cameras, one of the few tools they believe help police catch criminals.

    “The cameras have assisted us tremendously not only with the speeding, the robberies, the assaults on people,” Councilmember Noell Gallo said.

    However, a move is underway to pull the plug on the Flock camera program. The city’s privacy commission is meeting on Thursday to make a recommendation. Some residents are pushing for them to shut the cameras down.

    “As a sanctuary city sworn to protect undocumented people, do we need more mass surveillance?” Cat Brooks, executive director of the Anti Police-Terror Project, questioned.

    Brooks said Oakland’s undocumented community is currently at major risk and Flock cameras put them in even more danger.

    “Flock is not the company that we trust not to share our data. It’s just not. They’re gonna sell it to the highest bidder or they’re gonna share it because President Donald Trump…says he wants it,” Brooks said.

    Gallo insists the data from the cameras is not being shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    “It’s very clear that our police department does not have cooperation with ICE,” Gallo said.

    Some community members also think that with the police department severely understaffed, cameras are a tool the city simply cannot do without.

    “For them to try to take them away now it doesn’t make sense because definitely the cameras help,” resident Francisco Acosta said. “They help the police officers to identify any cars that are being used to commit crimes.”

    While the privacy commission will make a recommendation on the Flock cameras, the Oakland City Council will have the final say.

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    Jodi Hernandez

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  • Man found dead at Burning Man

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    RENO, Nevada (AP) — A man found dead in a pool of blood is being investigated as a homicide at the annual Burning Man art and music festival in the northwestern Nevada desert, authorities say.

    Authorities were alerted about the man Saturday at the gathering in the Black Rock Desert about 110 miles (175 kilometers) north of Reno.

    Deputies along with rangers from the Bureau of Land Management responded and “found a single white adult male lying on the ground, obviously deceased,” the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday.

    The investigation has included interviewing several participants and cordoning off a perimeter in the area where the body was found in the makeshift encampment called Black Rock City. The identity of the dead male was not immediately known, the sheriff’s office said. No other information was released.

    The body was taken to a medical examiner’s office.

    The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said it appears to be a singular crime but urged everyone at the festival to be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances. The festival ends on Monday.

    Burning Man officials said in a statement that they are cooperating with law enforcement and asked participants in Black Rock City to not interfere with their investigation.

    “The safety and well-being of our community are paramount,” the statement said. It noted that support services, including a crisis support team, are available and participants have access to free Wi-Fi If they need to communicate with loved ones.

    The annual gathering in the Black Rock Desert attracts tens of thousands of artists, musicians and activists each year for a mix of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances, highlighted by the burning of a large wooden effigy of a man.

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    The Associated Press

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  • 69-year-old grandmother shot in the face, killed in East Harlem: NYPD

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    The NYPD is searching for three people it says are connected to the deadly shooting of a 69-year-old grandmother Wednesday, who was shot in the face as she was returning home after getting lunch.

    The shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. near 110th Street and Madison Avenue in East Harlem.

    Friends of the victim, Robin Wright, said she lived across the street from where she was killed. She was walking home after picking up lunch when she was shot in the face, police said.

    Witnesses said they heard at least a dozen shots, but they do not believe Wright was the intended target.

    Images from the scene showed a solitary walker with blood on a corner that was taped off with police vehicles nearby.

    Police are looking for three men, all wearing black face masks, who were last seen fleeing on Madison Avenue.

    The investigation is ongoing.

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    NBC New York Staff

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  • Husband of Lancaster woman found dead in Angeles National Forest in custody in Peru

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    The husband of a Lancaster woman whose body was found in Angeles National Forest after authorities said he was seen on security camera video dragging a large object from the couple’s Lancaster apartment has turned himself in to authorities in Peru.

    Jossimar Cabrera Cornejo, 36, was charged last week with murder in the death of wife Sheylla Cabrera, 33, who was reported missing Aug. 12. It was not immediately clear when he will be returned to the United States, where he faces charges filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

    A felony complaint for extradition also was filed by the prosecutor’s office.

    “Jossimar Cabrera Cornejo, the main suspect in the murder of a Peruvian citizen in the United States and with an active Red Notice, turned himself in this morning at the Interpol Lima headquarters, remaining under preventive detention,” Peruvian national police said in a post on X.

    The investigation unfolded after a missing person report was taken by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for Sheylla Cabrera. During the investigation, detectives discovered the security camera video of her husband dragging something in “a large piece of material,” possibly a sack, from the complex in the 500 block of Lancaster Boulevard in the Antelope Valley community where the couple lived with their three young sons.

    The search for Cabrera centered on Angeles National Forest a day after she was reported missing. That weekend, the Montrose Mountain Search and Rescue Team reported an object similar to the material that was seen being dragged from the home over the side of an embankment in Angeles National Forest.

    The material contained the body of Cabrera, authorities said. A cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.

    Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department sources told NBC4 Investigates said the body had signs of “trauma” when it was found off a cliff.

    The woman’s body was found days later in Angeles National Forest. Video broadcast Tuesday Aug. 19, 2025 on the NBC4 News.

    The couple shared three children ages 9, 6 and 4. The victim’s parents said they last spoke with their daughter on Aug. 9 when she told them of her plans to leave Jossimar Cabrera Cornejo and take their three young children.

    Neighbors spearheaded the search for Sheylla and reported her missing to authorities. After searching the apartment, they found the video of Cornejo dragging the large piece of fabric, which they say was recorded around 4 a.m. on Aug. 10.

    Details about a cause of death have not been determined. The murder charges against Cornejo includes allegations of using a knife as a deadly weapon.

    The three children also were reported missing, but found safe Saturday and taken into protective custody in Peru.

    During the investigation, authorities said they believe Cornejo left the United States and went to Peru. The LA County Sheriff’s Department said it was notified Wednesday morning that Cornejo was in custody, City News Service reported.

    “The allegations against this man are horrific, and we will do everything possible to bring him back under our jurisdiction to be held accountable,” said District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “Domestic violence creates chaos in our communities and shatters families. My office is committed to bringing stability back into the lives of those who have been victimized.”

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    Jonathan Lloyd

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  • Widow of murdered Woodland Hills doctor files lawsuit against his ex-wife

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    The family of a Woodland Hills doctor who was gunned down outside his clinic is suing his ex-wife, whom prosecutors say orchestrated his murder.

    Ghazal Simorgh, the widow of Dr. Hamid Mirshojae, still gets emotional as she speaks about her late husband. She says his untimely death greatly impacted the couple’s family.

    “This was not fair for my 1-year-old baby – to lose her dad at a very young age,” Simorgh said.

    While the victim’s ex-wife, Ahang Mirshojae, remains behind bars in connection with his death, she and four others are facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Simorgh and her daughter. The complaint accuses Ahang of trying to hide financial assets and real estate.

    “Through an extensive family network, we do believe there’s assets that have been hidden and/or moved,” said Alex Guerrero, Simorgh’s attorney.

    “We also believe there’s currently, in the past year, some movement of the assets that’s going on right now,” said Arya Tahmassebi, another one of Simorgh’s attorneys.

    The brother of the Woodland Hills doctor who was fatally shot allegedly in a murder-for-hire plot speaks out about his family’s grief. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.

    According to the lawyers and prosecutors, bitterness and hatred are what drove Ahang to allegedly orchestrate the murder-for-hire plot on Hamid. The widow’s attorneys described Ahang as resentful after seeing her ex-husband move on with his life 15 years after their divorce.

    The doctor, who resided in Calabasas, was shot to death on Aug. 23, 2024,  as he left his urgent care clinic on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley.

    Ahang, who pleaded not guilty to his murder, was charged in connection with his death, along with Evan Hardman, 41, of Tomball, Texas; and Sarallah Jawed, 26, of Canoga Park.

    NBC4 has reached out to Ahang’s criminal defense attorney for comment.

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    Gordon Tokumatsu and Karla Rendon

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  • ‘Recognize the trauma’: Nadine Menendez attorneys, jailed husband ask for leniency in gold bar case

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    Lawyers for Nadine Menendez are requesting 12 months and one day of imprisonment when she is sentenced on September 11, having been found guilty on all counts in the bribery and fraud trial that also landed her husband behind bars. 

    In their 25-page letter to Judge Sidney Stein, Menendez’s lawyers detailed the hardships she’s encountered throughout her life, writing, “Nadine is not her husband, or her co-defendants. Despite all of the government’s efforts to present her as a vixen, the reality is far from that. She is a deeply traumatized woman.”   

    They added, “Her entire life has been marked by men who have taken advantage of her, and harmed her, in myriad ways.”

    Other letters from friends, family and her husband, Bob, also pleaded for leniency.  

    Prosecutors said Nadine Menendez was a partner in her husband’s crimes, helping to collect payoffs from three New Jersey businessmen in a wide-ranging scheme. The defense argued some of the gold she received was not bribes, but rather were passed down from her family or were gifts from businessmen who were longtime friends. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst reports.

    Bob Menendez, who wrote his letter from prison at FCI Alletown in Pennsylvania, stated that his wife of five years has been punished enough and has lost everything she cared about.  

    “Your Honor, you gave me a tough sentence that surely serves the deterrent value you said was needed. To imprison Nadine, would not recognize the trauma she has suffered, how it has affected her and her judgment, and I would respectfully say would not have any greater deterrent effect,”  wrote the 71-year-old.

    Bob Menendez went on to say he regrets that she was painted as money-hungry during his trial. 

    “I regret that I didn’t fully preview what my defense attorney said about Nadine during my trial and in his summation. To suggest that Nadine was money-hungry or in financial need, and therefore would solicit others for help, is simply wrong,” he wrote.

    Bob Menendez added that Nadine Menendez had money of her own from a previous divorce, and that any discussions about mortgage or car payments that were referred to in the trial were the result of fears of a lawsuit following the fatal car accident she was involved in.  

    Several medical professionals also wrote letters on Nadine Menendez’s behalf.  A former BOP physician wrote that she would not be able to get the medial attention needed for her breast cancer treatments and that home confinement would be the better option for her.  

    In April, Nadine Menendez was convicted of the same corruption charges that sent Bob Menendez to prison for 11 years. 

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    Courtney Copenhagen

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  • Lawrence city councilor pleads guilty to voter fraud charges

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    A city councilor for Lawrence, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to voter fraud charges, prosecutors said Thursday.

    Councilor Fidelina Santiago admitted on Wednesday to four counts each of charges of voting unlawfully, interfering with a voter and obstructing voting, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.

    Santiago is due for sentencing on Oct. 9. It wasn’t immediately clear if she planned to stay in office.

    She was charged in 2023, along with another woman, on 16 counts — prosecutors opted not to proceed on four counts of conspiracy to vote or attempt to vote illegally, they said Thursday.

    A Lawrence, Massachusetts, elected official, along with another woman, were charged with voter fraud. This all stems from last month’s municipal election.

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    Asher Klein

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  • Man arrested after using baseball bat to damage cars in North Hollywood, LAPD says

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    A man was taken into custody Wednesday after using a baseball bat to vandalize cars in North Hollywood, Los Angeles police said.

    Police received several 911 calls at about 9 a.m. Wednesday about a man hitting cars with a bat. The man also unsuccessfully tried to carjack someone, police told NBC4 Investigates.

    Police found the man nearby, still in possession of the bat, the LAPD said. After a short chase, police used a stun gun and took the man into custody.

    He was transported to a hospital to be evaluated for injuries. Police said he will be booked on suspicion of felony attempted carjacking.

    On Tuesday, another man caused thousands of dollars in damage to dozens of cars after smashing their windows in North Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was arrested for felony vandalism after damaging 29 cars.

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    Jonathan Lloyd and Dennis Broad

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  • Laptop thieves used fake IDs, QR codes to pick up goods purchased by customers

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    Two men linked to at least eight fraud cases involving the theft of laptops with the use of fake identification and QR codes have been arrested, investigators announced.

    A pair of men impersonated actual customers who purchased laptops at Apple stores and other businesses by using fraudulent IDs and bogus QR codes, according to the Glendale Police Department.

    Paul Giles said he was a victim of one of these scams. He wasn’t aware until he tried to pick up his purchase at the Americana at Brand.

    “From the time I got the initial email from Apple saying it’s ready to pick up and the time that they actually went to the store to pick it up,” Giles said.

    The victim said the theft happened in a matter of about four hours.

    “It was someone who impersonated me. Showed the ID, showed the QR code that was through the email system and with that, ‘Paul Giles’ got the laptop,” Giles said.

    Giles said a detective later informed him that thieves buy information and are told where to go to pick up goods.

    “It’s really easy to get this information,” said Jim Stickley, a cybersecurity expert. “You can jump on the dark web. There’s sites that are literally dedicated to selling just these types of information.”

    Stickley added that oftentimes, victims are unaware that their emails have been compromised.

    “Everything’s in the cloud now, so they’ll access your email,” he said. “So once they gain access, they’ll just put a rule in that basically forwards all of your emails. So now you get a copy and they get a copy and you’d have no idea.”

    Police did not release the names of the men who were arrested in connection with the scheme. The department said they’re searching for a third individual, but did not provide a detailed description of that person.

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    Hetty Chang and Karla Rendon

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  • Man who shot NJ councilwoman to death outside her home sentenced to life in prison

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    The man was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a New Jersey city councilwoman right outside her home as her family waited inside.

    Rashid Bynum was convicted in June of first-degree murder and second-degree weapon possession in the 2023 shooting death of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, whose family sat weeping in court on Monday. Her sister urged the judge the impose the maximum sentence on the man who carefully planned the murder of her sister.

    “You drove how long to kill a woman? What kind of a man are you?” asked Priscilla Dwumfour.

    A Middlesex county assistant prosecutor read a letter from the victim’s teenage daughter, who was just 11 when her mother was killed.

    “I still have not recovered from what happened to her, so why did you kill my mom?” the letter read.

    Bynum did not speak in court, and has never taken responsibility for the murder. He got a life sentence, with the judge saying the killing “was committed in an especially cruel and depraved manner,” and cited Bynum’s lack of remorse. He won’t be eligible for parole until 2088, when he is 94 years old.

    Dwumfour, who served on the Sayreville Borough Council for about a year, was gunned down on Feb. 1, 2023. Bynum wasn’t tracked down until May 30, nearly four months after the deadly shooting.

    Investigators said Bynum had known Dwumfour, but it was not clear how well the two knew each other. The only connection between the two police have is that the suspect was linked to the church Dwumfour attended.

    Investigators traced Bynum’s travels from his cellphone and vehicle location data from the night of the killing, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said after the arrest was made, citing surveillance video and E-ZPass records. He also matched the description of the gunman given by neighbors in Sayreville.

    Bynum, 29, was taken into custody outside a residence in Chesapeake, Virginia, without incident.

    According to a family attorney, neither Dwumfour’s parents nor sibling recognized the name or picture of the suspect. Dwumfour, who grew up in Newark, did live in Virginia at one point, and family lawyer John Wisniewski said Bynum had previously lived in Sayreville. But beyond that, he did not know the nature of their relationship and the prosecutor declined to discuss a possible motive.

    Dwumfour was a pastor in a prosperity gospel church, Champions Royal Assembly, that is based in Nigeria, and she got married there in Nov. 2022 to a fellow pastor from Abuja. She was also an officer of a related entity, the Fire Congress Fellowship, that has a branch in Virginia. Bynum was listed in her cellphone contacts under that group’s acronym.

    “A search of the victim’s phone revealed Bynum as a contact with the acronym FCF,” said Ciccone.

    Court records and tax filings suggest that church finances in the U.S. were tight. Dwumfour had been named in a series of landlord-tenant disputes in Newark dating from 2017 to 2020 involving the fellowship, which had seen its income drop from about $250,000 in 2017 to just $350 in 2020.

    Through the months before the arrest was made, the councilwomen’s family members expressed their frustration. Dwumfour’s daughter described what she heard just outside her window the night of the shooting, as the family was waiting inside for the mother to finish parking her vehicle.

    “We’re waiting for my mom to look for a parking space, and then she was taking a lot of time so we started calling her over and over again, but it wouldn’t pick up. And then we heard gunshots and we started calling the police,” Nicole Teliano previously told the AP.

    Dwumfour, a Republican, was elected to her first three-year term in 2021, when she ousted a Democratic incumbent. Colleagues recalled her as a soft-spoken devout Christian who could maintain her composure in contentious situations.

    A heart-felt plea for justice from the family of the councilwoman killed in New Jersey. Brian Thompson reports.

    Associated Press reporter Maryclaire Dale contributed to this report.

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    Jen Maxfield and NBC New York Staff

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  • Beware of stranger hugs: Bay Area police warn about uptick in distraction thefts

    Beware of stranger hugs: Bay Area police warn about uptick in distraction thefts

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    Bay Area police departments are warning the public about a rise in distraction thefts, including ones in which scammers ask for a hug and then remove jewelry from unsuspecting victims.

    The Fremont Police Department and the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued separate warnings this week about the uptick in distraction thefts.

    Police said the thefts typically feature three components: distraction, a switch and confusion.

    A suspect likely will approach the victim, usually while they’re out for a walk, and proceed to either ask for directions, claim it’s their birthday or a special occasion, or offer prayers and good fortune, according to police.

    When the suspect has the victim distracted, such as when giving them a hug, they will swap the victim’s jewelry with a fake piece.

    The victim may not even realize the theft occurred until it’s too late.

    “This method relies heavily on misdirection and social interaction,” Sunnyvale DPS said in a statement. “It’s a reminder to be vigilant and cautious in situations involving valuable items and when approached by strangers.”

    Fremont police provided the following tips to prevent distraction thefts:

    • Don’t walk alone. If elderly friends or family members often go walking, have someone go with them.
    • Don’t wear valuable jewelry while walking.
    • Be mindful of who approaches you and who you talk to.
    • Don’t let strangers hug you or show strangers your valuables.
    • Carry a cellphone with you at all times.
    • If you are a victim of a crime, immediately call 911 and be ready to report the following: incident location, suspect description and suspect vehicle information.

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    Brendan Weber

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  • Lyle and Erik Menendez ‘cautiously optimistic’ about prosecutors’ review, attorney says

    Lyle and Erik Menendez ‘cautiously optimistic’ about prosecutors’ review, attorney says

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    About two dozen family members of Lyle and Erik Menendez will plead for the brothers’ release from prison when they gather Wednesday in Los Angeles for a news conference.

    The brothers have serving a life prison sentence for more than three decades for the murder of their parents inside their Beverly Hills home in 1989. They have claimed they were sexually abused by their father and feared for their lives.

    Attorney Mark Geragos said the news conference represents a display of unity as Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor is conducting a review of new evidence in the case, the subject of the recent Netflix true-crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”

    “They all took it upon themselves to fly in from all over the country,” Geragos said. “They are united in asking for Lyle and Erik to be released from prison.”

    The news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. Family members expected to speak include Anamaria Baralt, the niece of Erik and Lyle Menendez’s father Jose Menendez; Joan Andersen VanderMolen, sister of the brothers’ mother Kitty Menendez; Brian A. Andersen Jr., nephew of Kitty Menendez; and the brothers’ attorneys.

    Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has not announced a timeline for a decision on his office’s review. Geragos said. Gascón, who is running for re-election in the Nov. 5 election, announced Oct. 3 that the review was launched after attorneys for 53-year-old Erik Menendez and 56-year-old Lyle Menendez asked a court to vacate their convictions.

    “The DA has said that he’s taken it seriously. He hasn’t made a decision, yet,” Geragos said Monday night. “I take his at his word because he’s been honest with us all the way along.

    “They’re cautiously optimistic.”

    Kim Kardashian has written a personal essay in which she is advocating for the release of the Menendez brothers who are currently serving life sentences for the murder of their parents. In the essay, published by NBC News on Oct. 3rd, she writes, “The trial and punishment these brothers received were more befitting a serial killer than two individuals who endured years of sexual abuse by the very people they loved and trusted.”

    The review hinges on a letter that Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin that his attorneys said corroborates claims of sexual abuse by his father just nine months before their parents were killed. The brothers have said they killed their parents out of self-defense. Their attorneys have argued that the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole if the trial was held today.

    The brother’s attorneys said family members believed the brothers should have faced a lesser charge of manslaughter instead of murder during the trial that led to their convictions at ages 21 and 18.

    Prosecutors at the time argued there was no evidence of molestation. They said the brothers killed their parents for their multimillion-dollar estate.

    Jurors rejected a death sentence in favor of life without parole.

    The case gained new attention after Netflix streamed the true-crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” In a statement on X posted by his wife, Erik Menendez called the show a “dishonest portrayal” of what happened that has taken them back to a time when prosecutors “built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experience rape trauma differently from women.”

    Gascón has said he believes that the topic of sexual assault would have been treated with more sensitivity if the case had happened today.

    “We have not decided on an outcome. We are reviewing information,” Gascón said in early October.

    A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 29.

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    Jonathan Lloyd and Robert Kovacik

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  • Visa lawsuit: Why DOJ is taking action, stock info, what to know

    Visa lawsuit: Why DOJ is taking action, stock info, what to know

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    The U.S. Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against San Francisco-based Visa. Here’s what to know.

    Why is the DOJ suing Visa?

    The Department of Justice is alleging that the financial services behemoth uses its size and dominance to stifle competition in the debit card market, costing consumers and businesses billions of dollars.

    The complaint filed Tuesday says Visa penalizes merchants and banks who don’t use Visa’s own payment processing technology to process debit transactions, even though alternatives exist. Visa earns an incremental fee from every transaction processed on its network.

    According to the DOJ’s complaint, 60% of debit transactions in the United States run on Visa’s debit network, allowing it to charge over $7 billion in fees each year for processing those transactions.

    “We allege that Visa has unlawfully amassed the power to extract fees that far exceed what it could charge in a competitive market,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement. “Merchants and banks pass along those costs to consumers, either by raising prices or reducing quality or service. As a result, Visa’s unlawful conduct affects not just the price of one thing – but the price of nearly everything.”

    The Biden administration has aggressively gone after U.S. companies that it says act like middlemen, such as Ticketmaster parent Live Nation and the real estate software company RealPage, accusing them of burdening Americans with nonsensical fees and anticompetitive behavior. The administration has also brought charges of monopolistic behavior against technology giants such as Apple and Google.

    How DOJ says Visa is stifling the competition

    According to the DOJ complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Visa leverages the vast number of transactions on its network to impose volume commitments on merchants and their banks, as well as on financial institutions that issue debit cards. That makes it difficult for merchants to use alternatives, such as lower-cost or smaller payment processors, instead of Visa’s payment processing technology, without incurring what DOJ described as “disloyalty penalties” from Visa.

    The DOJ said Visa also stifled competition by paying to enter into partnership agreements with potential competitors.

    In 2020, the DOJ sued to block the company’s $5.3 billion purchase of financial technology startup Plaid, calling it a monopolistic takeover of a potential competitor to Visa’s ubiquitous payments network. That acquisition was eventually later called off.

    Visa previously disclosed the Justice Department was investigating the company in 2021, saying in a regulatory filing it was cooperating with a DOJ investigation into its debit practices.

    Since the pandemic, more consumers globally have been shopping online for goods and services, which has translated into more revenue for Visa in the form of fees. Even traditionally cash-heavy businesses like bars, barbers and coffee shops have started accepting credit or debit cards as a form of payment, often via smartphones.

    KBW analyst Sanjay Sahrani said in a note to investors that he estimates that U.S. debit revenue is likely at most about 10% of Visa revenue.

    “Some subset of that may be lost if there is a financial impact,” he said. Visa’s “U.S. consumer payments business is the slowest growing piece of the aggregate business, and to the extent its contribution is affected, it is likely to have a very limited impact on revenue growth.”

    He added the lawsuit could stretch out for years if it isn’t settled and goes to trial.

    Visa processed $3.325 trillion in transactions on its network during the quarter ended June 30, up 7.4% from a year earlier. U.S. payments grew by 5.1%, which is faster than U.S. economic growth.

    Visa did not immediately have a comment.

    How is Visa’s stock performing?

    Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) closed Tuesday at $272.78, down $15.85 or 5.49%

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    Mae Anderson | Associated Press

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  • More than 110 pounds of crystal meth seized in $600K Manhattan drug bust: Prosecutors

    More than 110 pounds of crystal meth seized in $600K Manhattan drug bust: Prosecutors

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    More than 110 pounds of crystal meth was recovered from a vehicle during a stop in lower Manhattan in a $600,000 bust that is being called one of the biggest in New York history, according to prosecutors.

    The DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (NYDETF) was conducting surveillance around 9 a.m. Monday and stopped a black Chevrolet Tahoe with Pennsylvania license plates near West Street and Battery Place. In the back seat of the SUV, agents and officers spotted two large black duffel bags in the rear seat, prosecutors said.

    The driver and the passenger, Fernando Penaloza-Reyes and Raul Cruz-Torres, were detained as they got a search warrant. Hours later, law enforcement took the bags out and found about 50 vacuum sealed packages of a white rocky substance, which law enforcement believed to be crystal meth.

    In all, the weight of the packages was just over 110 pounds with a street value of more than a half-million dollars, making it one of the largest meth seizures by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor. DEA lab analysis results of the contents of the packages was still pending.

    The two men, both from Reading, Pennsylvania, were charged with possession of a controlled substance and were arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

    “Methamphetamine, sometimes mixed with fentanyl, is claiming an increasing number of lives in our state and nation. Preventing more than 100 pounds of the drug from reaching our streets will save precious lives and prevent vulnerable communities from experiencing its destructive impact,” said Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan.

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    Tom Shea

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  • 10-year-old boy in custody accused of killing former Louisiana mayor and his daughter

    10-year-old boy in custody accused of killing former Louisiana mayor and his daughter

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    A 10-year-old boy is in custody after he confessed to fatally shooting a former Louisiana mayor and his adult daughter, a police official said Monday.

    Joe Cornelius Sr., 82, and Keisha Miles, 31, were found dead Sunday morning after officers were dispatched to the former official’s home in Minden, a city of nearly 12,000 east of Shreveport, the city’s police chief said.

    Police Chief Jared McIver identified the boy as a relative of Cornelius’ but declined to provide additional details and said authorities have not determined a possible motive.

    “Our city is in shock,” McIver said. “How does a 10-year-old commit something so malicious?”

    The boy is being held on two counts of first-degree murder, McIver said. He said it was unclear whether the child has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

    The bodies of Cornelius and Miles were found with multiple gunshot wounds, said McIver, who said that two handguns were used and that their magazines were emptied.

    A 6-year-old child who was at the home at the time of the shooting was not injured, McIver said.

    The older boy initially provided a different account of the deaths but by Sunday afternoon had confessed to the shooting, McIver said. 

    His grandmother was with him at the time of the confession, McIver said.

    Cornelius was a well-known community activist, City Council member and deputy ward marshal for the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, NBC affiliate KTAL of Shreveport reported.

    In 2013, while on the City Council, Cornelius was appointed interim mayor after the mayor died in office, the station reported.

    In a statement Sunday, Minden Mayor Nick Cox said he was grateful for Cornelius’ friendship and “the many ways he supported me and others in our city.”

    “Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community,” Cox said, adding: “Let us come together as a community to honor Joe’s memory and support one another through this time of grief.”

    This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

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    Tim Stelloh | NBC News

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  • Long Island man allegedly killed ex-wife and her boyfriend after taking teen daughter

    Long Island man allegedly killed ex-wife and her boyfriend after taking teen daughter

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    A Long Island man was arrested for allegedly shooting his ex-wife and her boyfriend to death inside their home, after calling his teen daughter to warn her to leave.

    The sound of gunshots pierced the air in the quiet hamlet of St. James after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police said that Daniel Coppola went to the home on Brasswood Road of his ex-wife Kelly Coppola and her partner Kenneth Pohlman and fired the deadly shots.

    “Two bullets into the door to get into the house and then multiple bullets upstairs,” said an angry and distraught Tom Pohlman, whose 53-year-old brother Kenneth was killed.

    Officers later found Kenneth and Kelly in the house, dead from gunshot wounds. Before Coppola pulled the trigger, however, he called his 15-year-old daughter and instructed her to not be in the house, according to police.

    “He reached out to her, told her to get out of the house. He then went into the house and committed these murders,” said Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer.

    At first, the teen didn’t know what her father had done as she sat in the car with him, according to Beyrer. But as they drove his home a few miles away, she put out a cry for help.

    “She is communicating with friends via text saying ‘I don’t know what my father did. I don’t know how my mother is,’” Beyrer said.

    Coppola later threatened to kill himself at his own home, according to police. But after his daughter called 911, police took him into custody without incident. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder.

    Attorney information for Coppola was not immediately clear.

    Suffolk County investigators said Coppola previously went through a contentious divorce with his ex-wife Kelly, 50.

    “He was a jealous ex-husband. My brother made [Coppola’s] ex-wife happy and he was not happy about that…When they first started dating a year ago, there were numerous, there were numerous threats,” said Pohlman. “She brought the best out of him, he brought the best out of her. They were very happy.”

    Pohlman’s father also said that Coppola had threatened his son

    Investigators were seen at the house for much of the day Thursday. Police have not yet said what may have led Coppola to firing the deadly shots.

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    Greg Cergol

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  • Drivers beware: Police report spike in tire and wheel thefts in Bay Area

    Drivers beware: Police report spike in tire and wheel thefts in Bay Area

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    A rash of tire and wheel thefts in parts of the Bay Area have police sounding the alarm.

    Dozens of cars have been hit over the past week in Contra Costa and Sonoma counties, leaving drivers outraged and stranded.

    The thieves appear to be targeting apartment complex parking lots, according to police.

    In Walnut Creek, police said thieves hit at least 10 cars in a 24-hour period over last weekend.

    “People literally went to sleep, woke up, and found their cars on blocks,” Walnut Creek police Lt. Jeff Slater said.

    Daniel Serrato, a theft victim, said him and his neighbors woke Saturday morning to discover three cars with their wheels and tires ripped off.

    “I’ve lived here less than a year and seen three instances already where we walk outside and random cars are sitting on bricks,” Serrato said.

    Several people in nearby Concord suffered the same kind of losses. A car was hit Sunday afternoon leaving the owner and her neighbors stunned.

    And to the North Bay in Petaluma, police said more than 10 cars have been targeted since Sunday.

    Police are urging people to take precautions and be aware.

    “Try to park in a well lit area,” Slater said. “I’d recommend an alarm device, and if you have aftermarket or expensive tires or wheels, I would suggest using a wheel lock system.”

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    Jodi Hernandez

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  • AT&T data breach: What users should know

    AT&T data breach: What users should know

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    Hackers stole data from nearly every AT&T customer in a new data breach, taking six months of calls and text message records between May 1 and Oct. 31 of 2022 and on Jan. 2, 2023.

    “According to what we know publicly, this wasn’t a breach of AT&T per se,” said Kern Smith, a mobile security expert. “It was more of a breach of a third party business that AT&T contracted with, where they stored or had access to all the AT&T’s customer data.”

    According to Smith, affected users should take the following precautions:

    • Do not trust texts that do not sound normal (i.e. the IRS is not going to ask for your social security number)
    • When dealing with unknown numbers, users should validate the sender as who they say they are before engaging
    • Make sure all texts and emails are valid
    • Do not click on links from unknown senders

    Smith adds that the attackers used a traditional phishing campaign to obtain user credentials, a common hacking method that doesn’t require much high tech knowledge. 

    AT&T said the hackers stole records of calls and texts. The company also affirmed that the data stolen does not include the content of calls or texts that could include personal information.

    As to what hackers might do with the data, Smith says there are several ways of looking at it. However, he notes that data is most commonly weaponized to further target users, which is why AT&T customers should treat unknown senders with extra caution.

    “From a corporate perspective, this is really showcasing how it’s not just about the steps that an organization takes to secure themselves,” Smith said. “It’s also ensuring that their partners or the third parties are taking steps, especially against some of these phishing type of campaigns.”

    AT&T added in the statement that it does not believe any stolen data is publicly available at this time, adding that it “sincerely regret this incident occurred.”

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    Amber X. Chen

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  • Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the US, allowing him to go free

    Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the US, allowing him to go free

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    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge this week as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to go free after spending five years in a British prison, according to court documents.

    Assange was charged by criminal information — which typically signifies a plea deal — with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, the court documents say. A letter from Justice Department official Matthew McKenzie to U.S. District Judge Ramona Manglona of the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands said that Assange would appear in court at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday (or, 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday) to plead guilty and said that DOJ expects Assange will return to Australia, his country of citizenship, after the proceedings.

    U.S. charges against Assange stem from one of the largest publications of classified information in American history, which took place during the first term of Barack Obama’s presidency. Starting in late 2009, according to the government, Assange conspired with Chelsea Manning, a military intelligence analyst, to disclose tens of thousands of activity reports about the war in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of reports about the war in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of State Department cables and assessment briefs of Guantanamo Bay detainees using his WikiLeaks website.

    Court documents revealing Assange’s plea deal were filed Monday evening in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. Assange was expected to make an appearance in that court and to be sentenced to 62 months, with credit for time served in British prison, meaning he would be free to return to Australia, where he was born.

    Assange has been held in the high-security Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London for five years and previously spent seven years in self-exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London — where he reportedly fathered two children — until his asylum was withdrawn and he was forcibly carried out of the embassy and arrested in April 2019. A superseding indictment was returned against Assange more than five years ago, in May 2019, and a second superseding indictment was returned in June 2020.

    Assange has been fighting extradition to the U.S. for more than a decade. In March, the High Court in London gave him permission for a full hearing on his appeal as he sought assurances that he could rely upon the First Amendment at a trial in the United States. In May, two judges on the High Court said he could have a full hearing on whether he would be discriminated against in the U.S. because he is a foreign national. A hearing on the issue of Assange’s free speech rights had been scheduled for July 9-10.

    Assange’s WikiLeaks also published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee that upended the 2016 presidential race. Russian intelligence officers were subsequently indicted in connection with the hacking in 2018, in a case brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller. At a joint news conference with then-President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin days later, Trump contradicted the indictment and the intelligence community, saying that Putin was “extremely strong and powerful in his denial” that Russians interfered in the 2016 election to help him win.

    Manning was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison, but her sentence was commuted by Obama in the final days of his presidency in 2017. Manning was subsequently held in contempt of court for nearly a year after she refused to answer questions for a grand jury; she was then released after an attempted suicide.

    If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

    This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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    Michael Kosnar and Ryan J. Reilly | NBC News

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