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Tag: prison sentence

  • Former Laurel police chief sentenced to 55 years in prison on multiple arson charges – WTOP News

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    David Michael Crawford, 74, of Ellicott City, is already serving a prison sentence for crimes committed in Howard County, for which he was sentenced to eight life terms and 75 additional years.

    The former police chief of Laurel, Maryland, was sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree arson and one count of second-degree arson for fires he started at the homes of his family members in 2016 through 2020.

    David Michael Crawford, 74, of Ellicott City, is already serving a prison sentence for crimes committed in Howard County, for which he was sentenced to eight life terms and 75 additional years.

    In 2021, Crawford was charged with setting 12 fires in houses, cars and garages in Prince George’s, Montgomery, Howard, Frederick and Charles counties.

    Crawford, a former major in the Prince George’s County Police Department and the former police chief in Laurel and District Heights, had set the fires between 2011 and 2020.

    Court documents showed that among the victims was Martin Flemion, who was deputy city administrator in Laurel when Crawford was police chief; Richard McLaughlin, who took over as chief when Crawford was asked to resign in 2010; and a retired Prince George’s County deputy chief who recommended someone other than Crawford to succeed him.

    The Montgomery County charges stem from three house fires in Clarksburg in 2016, 2017 and 2020, at homes owned by Crawford’s family members.

    Crawford’s stepson was also victimized by fires three times — twice at one house, then again at the house he moved to afterward.

    According to charging documents, Crawford kept a note on his phone with a “Target List” and had attempted to conceal the names with symbols and letters.

    On Sept. 5, 2016, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to a townhouse fire in Clarksburg where a fire had been started “along the base of the garage door.” Investigators determined it was owned by Crawford’s stepson, Justin Scherstrom. In video surveillance footage from a neighbor, investigators could hear the sound of liquid being poured and the “three distinct ‘clicks’ of a lighter being used.” This would be the first of three fires at homes owned by Scherstrom.

    Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said at a news conference following the court decision Friday that because of Crawford’s background in law enforcement, “it’s a shocking development.”

    Montgomery County Fire Lt. Chris Moe, who led the investigation into the series of purposefully set fires, said, “It’s nice to finally see after 10 years, that we can finally bring some sort of resolution to the case and to the family and give them some closure.”

    Scherstrom also spoke at the news conference, telling reporters, “This is a deeply personal case, causing my family a lot of stress over the years.”

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    Ciara Wells

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  • Ex-San Diego Navy sailor sentenced for selling military secrets to China

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    The amphibious assault ship USS Essex underway. (File photo courtesy of U.S. Navy)

    A former San Diego-based U.S. Navy sailor convicted of selling military secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer was sentenced Monday to over 16 years in prison.

    Jinchao Wei, 25, who worked as a machinist’s mate aboard the USS Essex, sent sensitive information pertaining to U.S. Navy ships to a person he met online and accepted thousands of dollars in exchange, according to federal prosecutors.

    Wei was arrested in mid-2023 and according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office was the first person to be charged with espionage in the Southern District of California, which consists of San Diego and Imperial counties.

    A San Diego federal jury convicted Wei last summer of six out of seven counts he faced, including espionage and conspiracy. Wei was sentenced Monday to 200 months in prison.

    Wei “betrayed his oath, his shipmates, the United States Navy, and the American people — a level of disloyalty that strikes at the heart of our national security and demanded this powerful sentence,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement.

    Prosecutors allege Wei was initially contacted by the alleged officer in early 2022 over a Chinese social media site.

    During those initial conversations, Wei was offered $500 to look into where various Navy ships were docked — which prosecutors say prompted Wei to tell a fellow sailor, “This is quite obviously (expletive) espionage.”

    Over the next 18 months, Wei was paid more than $12,000 to send photographs and videos of the USS Essex, as well as thousands of pages of technical and operational documents concerning U.S. Navy surface warfare ships, prosecutors contended.

    During the trial’s closing arguments, Wei’s defense attorney, Sean Jones, told jurors the government didn’t prove Wei knowingly engaged in espionage. The attorney argued that Wei believed the man he was speaking with was merely a Chinese academic who was interested in military ships, and described their conversations as educational in nature.

    Jones said the espionage remark referred to one specific request made by the alleged officer, which Wei refused to comply with. Afterward, Jones said, Wei was reassured that none of the subsequent requests involved anything untoward.

    But prosecutors argued Wei clearly understood he was engaging in illegal activity due to the training he received from the Navy regarding how to detect recruitment efforts from foreign governments.

    Wei and his handler also took aims to keep their communications secretive by using encrypted apps and a search of his internet history also showed he had looked into other cases of U.S. Navy sailors who were prosecuted and convicted of espionage.


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  • Drug trafficker gets life in prison for kidnapping, killing U.S. teen in Tijuana

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    Federal courthouse in downtown San Diego. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)

    A man convicted in the kidnapping and killing of an 18-year-old U.S. citizen in Tijuana was sentenced in San Diego federal court Wednesday to life in prison.

    Brian Alexis Patron Lopez, 24, was found guilty by a San Diego federal jury for the abduction and shooting death of Miguel Anthony Rendon, a San Diego resident who was kidnapped from a Tijuana hotel, then beaten and tortured while his captors demanded a ransom of money or drugs from his family.

    Prosecutors say Rendon had initially agreed to transport just over two pounds of methamphetamine across the border, but stole the package, leading to the retaliatory kidnapping in May 2020 by Patron Lopez and others.

    Following the abduction and torture, prosecutors say Patron Lopez took Rendon to a deserted hillside and shot him multiple times. Mexican authorities discovered his body on the hillside about a week later.

    Four others were charged in the case for various roles in the abduction, pleaded guilty, and have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years to nearly a dozen years behind bars.

    Patron Lopez was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for counts of hostage taking resulting in death and conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death. Those counts carry mandatory minimum sentences of life in prison.

    He also received a 35-year sentence for a count of intentional killing while engaged in drug trafficking.

    All three prison terms will be served concurrently.

    Defense attorney Meghan Blanco argued Wednesday that despite the mandatory life terms, such a sentence represented a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s provisions against cruel and unusual punishment.

    Blanco said her client was 18 years old at the time of the killing with no prior criminal history, yet was facing a disproportionately higher sentence than his co-defendants. The attorney said that while prosecutors alleged Patron Lopez was the shooter, the jury’s verdict contained no special findings indicating their belief that he was the shooter.

    U.S. District Judge William Hayes said that per his knowledge of the case as the judge who sat through the trial, he believed Patron Lopez was involved in the victim’s kidnapping and torture, and was also “the executioner.”

    The judge also said per his review of other cases involving mandatory life sentences, it would not be unconstitutional to impose life sentences against Patron Lopez.

    Wednesday’s sentencing hearing also included a statement from Emma Medrano, the victim’s mother.

    “I want him to understand we are living a life sentence too, a life without Anthony’s voice, his smile, his future,” she said. “I want this man to carry the weight of what he did for the rest of his life.”


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  • Floral Park attorney sentenced for $1.7M escrow theft | Long Island Business News

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    THE BLUEPRINT:

    • Defendant stole over $1.7M from 32 clients’ escrow accounts, officials said.

    • Spent stolen funds on nightclubs, adult entertainment and personal expenses.

    • Sentenced to 3½ to 10½ years in prison and civil judgments of $1.79M.

    • Mismanagement led to canceled real estate transactions and financial harm to clients.

    A -based real estate attorney was sentenced Wednesday for stealing more than $1.7 million from the escrow accounts of over 30 clients, officials said. He later spent the money on adult entertainment, nightclubs and other personal expenses as well as to fund his law practice, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

    Terrance Dougherty of Oyster Bay had pleaded guilty in September to 13 counts of second-degree and one count of first-degree scheme to defraud. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 3-1/2 to 10-1/2 years in prison. The court also issued civil judgments totaling $1.79 million for 32 victims.

    “Terrance Dougherty threw his life and career away for a good time on his clients’ dime,” Anne Donnelly, Nassau’s district attorney, said in a news release about the sentencing.

    Donnelly described Dougherty as a “thief who blew through more than a million dollars, spending down the escrow funds in his business trust account until it was almost zeroed out.”

    She said that in “just five days, this defendant unbelievably spent nearly $200,000 at gentleman’s clubs in New York City and on Long Island. He was living it up while his clients faced having nowhere to live …, [s]eeing their dreams of home ownership dashed, their financial stability jeopardized and their sense of security forever tainted. Terrance Dougherty is a disgrace to the legal profession, and he will find no luxury accommodations over the next decade in state prison.”

    Officials said Dougherty maintained an attorney trust account holding from real estate transactions, including down payments and sale proceeds. Between March 2021 and November 2024, he handled at least 32 clients’ transactions. Investigators found he withheld funds, causing many transactions to be canceled or closings to proceed without the necessary money, according to authorities.

    A review of the defendant’s account showed that $1.79 million in client funds was deposited between March 2021 and November 2024, leaving a balance of $5.35 by Nov. 29, officials said. Records show he withdrew money through cash, transfers to another business account, and credit cards, using it between May and August 2024 for personal expenses, including visits to gentleman’s clubs, nightclubs, luxury hotels and restaurants.

     

     

     


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    Adina Genn

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  • University City man sentenced to 10 years for fatal abuse of 7-week-old daughter

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    A gavel. (File photo courtesy of UC Berkeley Law)

    A University City man who pleaded guilty to inflicting fatal injuries on his 7-week-old daughter was sentenced Monday to 10 years in state prison.

    Jaime Santillanes, 39, pleaded guilty to felony child abuse for the March 2023 death of Genevieve Santillanes. The child died at a hospital three days after police were called to the family’s University City home.

    Officers responded on the night of March 18, 2023, for a report of a baby who had stopped breathing.

    Santillanes, who was initially charged with murder and assault, was arrested following a police investigation in which the San Diego Police Department consulted with “medical personnel who have specialized in training in child-abuse related injuries to determine exactly what occurred,” SDPD Lt. Steve Shebloski said.

    The child abuse count Santillanes pleaded guilty to indicates the child’s injuries occurred “under circumstances or conditions likely to produce great bodily harm or death.” He also admitted to an allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury on a child under 5 years old.

    At a preliminary hearing held last year, SDPD Sgt. Mark Sullivan testified that Santillanes told police he was sitting on a couch and holding the child while feeding her. He said that at some point he fell asleep while still holding the child and woke up after falling to the ground, with his entire body weight falling onto the baby, Sullivan testified.

    Dr. Mallory McPhee, a pediatrician who helps conducts assessments at Rady Children’s Hospital of possible child abuse cases, testified that she examined the child’s injuries. McPhee said the explanation Santillanes provided was inconsistent with the injuries the child sustained, which included multiple skull fractures.

    The doctor said she could not opine on how exactly the baby sustained her injuries, but testified that due the severity of the injuries, “I would have expected something extremely traumatic to have occurred … like a fall from several stories, a very significant car accident, some sort of incident that had extreme forces present.”

    Defense attorney Brian Watkins disagreed with McPhee’s conclusion and argued it was a leap to find the injuries were sustained in a non-accidental manner. Watkins noted the doctor’s concession that she didn’t know how exactly the injuries occurred.

    Deputy District Attorney Erin Casey argued that child abuse cases rarely have witnesses who can shed light on how exactly such injuries are inflicted, but the doctor’s expertise informed her opinion that Santillanes’ explanation was “implausible.”

    City News Service contributed to this article.


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  • UPDATE: Savannah Chrisley Speaks Out After Her Mother Julie’s 7-Year Prison Sentence Is Reportedly Overturned

    UPDATE: Savannah Chrisley Speaks Out After Her Mother Julie’s 7-Year Prison Sentence Is Reportedly Overturned

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    Savannah Chrisley is speaking out after her mother, Julie Chrisley‘s, seven-year prison sentence was reportedly overturned by an appeals court.

    RELATED: Reality Stars Todd & Julie Chrisley Found Guilty On All Counts Of Bank Fraud & Tax Evasion

    More Details On Julie Chrisley’s Overturned Prison Sentence

    According to E! News, a “three-judge panel” from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Chrisley’s prison sentence on Friday, June 21. The panel reportedly determined that the judge who convicted Chrisley of bank fraud and tax evasion “miscalculated” her sentence.

    Furthermore, the panel reportedly concluded there was “insufficient evidence” proving Chrisley’s involvement in the “entirety of the bank fraud scheme.” The outlet reports that the alleged scheme began to unfold in 2006.

    “The district court did not identify the evidence it relied on to hold Julie accountable for losses incurred before 2007, and we cannot independently find it in the record,” the judges’ ruling reportedly stated.

    Despite their conclusions, the judges have reportedly upheld Chrisley’s conviction and have ordered for her to be resentenced.

    “So we vacate Julie’s sentence and remand solely for the district court to make the factual findings and calculations necessary to determine loss, restitution, and forfeiture as to Julie and to resentence her accordingly,” the ruling reportedly added.

    The outlet adds that Chrisley’s case will be given to a “lower court to determine how her sentencing will be adjusted.”

    Savannah Chrisley Speaks Out After Her Mother’s Ruling

    Over the weekend, Julie and Todd’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, spoke out about the ruling in a video shared on Instagram.

    Savannah explained that she was grateful for the appellate court’s decision. Additionally, she said that she feels her mother will be home “sooner rather than later.”

    “And I hope and pray that the judge can send her home,” she added. “Um, right now, if we won nothing on appeal, she would be home in 2026. So I am a firm believer that she will be coming home sooner rather than later.”

    Furthermore, Savannah explained why her parents’ case should “scare” the public. Then, before concluding the video, she also shared that she has some “ideas” for getting her father home.

    Will Julie’s Appellate Ruling Affect Her Husband, Todd?

    Meanwhile, E! News adds that the update in Julie Chrisley’s case apparently won’t affect her husband Todd. In September, the outlet reported that Todd’s 12-year prison sentence was reduced to 10 years.

    Now, with Julie’s successful appeal, the family’s lawyer, Alex Little, has shared an update on Todd.

    “We’re pleased that the Court agreed that Julie’s sentence was improper, but we’re obviously disappointed that it rejected Todd’s appeal,” Little told PEOPLE. “With this step behind us, we can now challenge the couple’s convictions based on the illegal search that started the case. The family appreciates the continued support they’ve received throughout this process. And they’re hopeful for more good news in the future.”

    As The Shade Room previously reported, Todd and Julie Chrisley were both found guilty of tax evasion and bank fraud in June 2022. In January of the following year, they each reported to separate prison facilities to begin serving their respective sentences.

    Fox News reports that the couple will serve 16 months of probation upon their release from prison.

    RELATED: Todd And Julie Chrisley Report To Separate Federal Prisons To Begin Serving Their Respective Sentences (Photos)

    What Do You Think Roomies?

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    Jadriena Solomon

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  • UPDATE: Judge Reportedly Rules On Brittish Williams' Request To Delay Her Prison Surrender

    UPDATE: Judge Reportedly Rules On Brittish Williams' Request To Delay Her Prison Surrender

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    A federal judge has reportedly ruled on Brittish Williams‘ recent request for a delayed prison surrender date. As The Shade Room previously reported, pled guilty to 15 criminal charges earlier this year.

    In October, the former ‘Basketball Wives’ star was sentenced to four years in prison. However, earlier this month, Williams requested to have her prison surrender date pushed back from December 11 as she also works to appeal her sentence.

    RELATED: ‘Basketball Wives LA’ Star Brittish Williams Pleads For Delayed Prison Surrender To Spend Christmas With Her Daughter

    More Details Regarding The Judge’s Recent Ruling

    According to RadarOnline, a federal judge granted Williams’ motion for an extended prison surrender date. However, the outlet does not disclose when the motion was granted.

    Additionally, the federal judge has allowed Williams to delay her surrender until Wednesday, January 3, 2024. According to the outlet, Williams initially requested a January 11, 2024, prison surrender date.

    Brittish Williams’ Original Request To The Judge

    As The Shade Room previously reported, Williams was expected to surrender to a federal prison on December 11. However, the former reality star reportedly filed a “last-minute” motion to postpone that date.

    In her filing, Williams reportedly explained that she wanted to spend the additional time with her 5-year-old daughter, Dash. Also, the mother alleged that she needed time to consolidate her daughter’s new living arrangements with her grandmother.

    As The Shade Room previously reported, Dash will reportedly live with William’s mother during her prison sentence.

    Additionally, Williams alleged that she needed time to prepare Dash for the “upcoming transition.”

    “Ms. Williams and her mother have been working to find the necessary place. They believe that she will be able to move in by the end of December. A little more time is needed to get a suitable living space for them. They have been working on it. They will not need more than a 30-day extension to get all of these issues finalized,” Williams’ lawyer reportedly explained, per RadarOnline.

    The Former ‘Basketball Wives’ Star Recently Opened Up About Her Fraud Charges

    As The Shade Room previously reported, Williams most recently opened up about her criminal charges during an exclusive interview with Carlos King. The pair’s sit down was published on Monday, December 11, and opened up with Williams detailing her gambling addiction.

    “Horrible. Like when you think about people being on drugs or being alcoholics, I don’t think there’s anything worse than gambling,” Williams told King. “I had a gambling problem that was so bad, I don’t even understand how no one knew.”

    Additionally, Williams revealed the action that led to her being charged with five counts of misuse of a social security number. To note, the former reality star has also been charged with four counts of bank fraud, and three counts of making false statements to the IRS.

    Williams explained that in an effort to rebuild her credit, she utilized a CPN. According to Experian, a CPN is a Credit Privacy Number formatted like a Social Security Number (SSN).

    However, using a CPN number is illegal as it employs other individuals’ Social Security Numbers to pose a “false credit identity.”

    “It’s like they give you a Social Security Number and then you build the Social Security number up,” Williams told King. “So when people see this ‘misuse of a Social Security number,’ they think I went and stole people’s Social Security numbers or something. But that wasn’t the case — I bought a CPN from a credit lady and I don’t know if it was someone’s actual SSN or it was something they created. I don’t know, but that’s where that came from.”

    Watch Williams’ full sentiments below.

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    Jadriena Solomon

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  • Democratic lawmakers unveil bill to give people in US prisons right to vote

    Democratic lawmakers unveil bill to give people in US prisons right to vote

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley and U.S. Senator Peter Welch on Wednesday unveiled a bill that if passed would grant the right to vote nationwide to people who had been in prison or were currently in prison.

    “The right to vote is sacred in America and it’s essential to citizenship, and all citizens deserve a voice in our democracy,” Pressley told reporters.

    The bill is unlikely to advance in the divided Congress, where Republicans narrowly control the House of Representatives and Democrats control the Senate. The lawmakers acknowledged the headwinds to the legislation.

    “There is resistance. We know that,” Welch said.

    Pressley referred to her family’s history with the criminal justice system, mentioning that while she was growing up, her father had addiction issues and had been incarcerated before going on to become an author and professor.

    Welch noted that his state of Vermont was one of the few places in the country where people do not lose the right to vote, even when they are incarcerated, along with Maine and Washington, D.C.

    The laws surrounding voting and incarceration are a patchwork across the U.S., though in recent years, some states have moved to loosen prohibitions on voting for people who have been incarcerated or who are currently serving a prison sentence.

    States may bar voting for people who are currently in prison, for a period after release, for certain crimes, or require an additional waiting period, a governor’s pardon, or additional actions such as the payment of a fine, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

    Nearly 5 million people in the U.S. are directly affected by these policies, Pressley said, adding that Black Americans were disproportionately affected.

    The United States is the country with the highest number and the second-highest rate of people in prison in the world, according to the National Institute of Corrections. Black Americans are imprisoned at five times the rate of white Americans, according to the Sentencing Project, an advocacy group.

    (Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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