ReportWire

Tag: prostitution

  • Federal immigration officers shoot, wound 2 in Oregon, authorities say

    PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital on Thursday, a day after an officer shot and killed a driver in Minnesota, authorities said.

    The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building Thursday night, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield vowed to investigate “whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority” and to refer criminal charges to the prosecutor’s office if warranted.

    This page requires Javascript.

    Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

    kAm%96 s6A2CE>6?E @7 w@>6=2?5 $64FC:EJ 56D4C:365 E96 G69:4=6VD A2DD6?86C 2D “2 ‘6?6KF6=2? :==682= 2=:6? 277:=:2E65 H:E9 E96 EC2?D?2E:@?2= %C6? 56 pC28F2 AC@DE:EFE:@? C:?8” H9@ 925 366? :?G@=G65 😕 2 C646?E D9@@E:?8 😕 !@CE=2?5] (96? 286?ED :56?E:7:65 E96>D6=G6D E@ E96 @44FA2?ED 5FC:?8 2 “E2C86E65 G69:4=6 DE@A” %9FCD52J 27E6C?@@?[ E96 5C:G6C EC:65 E@ CF? E96> @G6C[ E96 56A2CE>6?E D2:5 😕 2 HC:EE6? DE2E6>6?E]k^Am

    kAm“u62C:?8 7@C 9:D =:76 2?5 D276EJ[ 2? 286?E 7:C65 2 5676?D:G6 D9@E[” E96 DE2E6>6?E D2:5] “%96 5C:G6C 5C@G6 @77 H:E9 E96 A2DD6?86C[ 7=66:?8 E96 D46?6]”k^Am

    kAm%96C6 H2D ?@ :>>65:2E6 :?56A6?56?E 4@CC@3@C2E:@? @7 E92E 244@F?E @C @7 2?J 82?8 277:=:2E:@? @7 E96 G69:4=6VD @44FA2?ED] sFC:?8 AC:@C D9@@E:?8D :?G@=G:?8 286?ED :?G@=G65 😕 !C6D:56?E s@?2=5 %CF>AVD DFC86 @7 :>>:8C2E:@? 6?7@C46>6?E 😕 &]$] 4:E:6D[ :?4=F5:?8 (65?6D52JVD D9@@E:?8 3J 2? xrt @77:46C 😕 |:??62A@=:D[ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^>:??6D@E2:46D9@@E:?8:>>:8C2E:@?gca3`5ha43hb7abae`f`7`bhege6g3_7QmG:56@ 6G:56?46 42DE 5@F3Ek^2m @? E96 25>:?:DEC2E:@?VD 56D4C:AE:@?D @7 H92E AC@>AE65 E96 D9@@E:?8D]k^Am

    kAm%CF>A 2?5 9:D 2==:6D 92G6 4@?D:DE6?E=J 3=2>65 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^G6?6KF6=2DEC:<642C:3362?CF3:@ECF>AEC6?562C28F2h6_524f566d2b73`c2`ebf_d_g74ce_5Qm%C6? 56 pC28F2k^2m 7@C 36:?8 2E E96 C@@E @7 E96 G:@=6?46 2?5 :==:4:E 5CF8 562=:?8 E92E A=28F6 D@>6 &]$] 4:E:6D]k^Am

    kAm%96 D9@@E:?8 6D42=2E6D E6?D:@?D 😕 2? 4:EJ E92E 92D =@?8 925 2 4@?E6?E:@FD C6=2E:@?D9:A H:E9 %CF>A[ :?4=F5:?8 9:D C646?E[ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^?2E:@?2=8F2C5A@CE=2?549:428@=@D2?86=6D45e6dgde`dcaace`5f_gg3g65_c33hfcQm72:=65 677@CE E@ 56A=@J }2E:@?2= vF2C5 EC@@ADk^2m 😕 E96 4:EJ] %CF>A’D 564:D:@? E@ D6?5 >:=:E2C:K65 A6CD@??6= :?E@ &]$] 4:E:6D E@ 4@?5F4E :>>:8C2E:@? 6?7@C46>6?E 5C6H k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^:?7=2E23=64@DEF>6DAC@E6DEDA@CE=2?5f_`f3ea3cd623`424ga2`eh2feb27bdhQm=@?8CF??:?8 ?:89E=J AC@E6DEDk^2m @FED:56 E96 xrt 3F:=5:?8 😕 !@CE=2?5]k^Am

    kAmp44@C5:?8 E@ E96 E96 !@CE=2?5 !@=:46 3FC62F[ @77:46CD :?:E:2==J C6DA@?565 E@ 2 C6A@CE @7 2 D9@@E:?8 @FED:56 p5G6?E:DE w62=E9 9@DA:E2= 2E 23@FE ai`g A]>] %9FCD52J]k^Am

    kAmp 76H >:?FE6D =2E6C[ A@=:46 C646:G65 :?7@C>2E:@? E92E 2 >2? H9@ 925 366? D9@E H2D 2D<:?8 7@C 96=A 😕 2 C6D:56?E:2= 2C62 2 4@FA=6 @7 >:=6D 2H2J] ~77:46CD E96? C6DA@?565 E96C6 2?5 7@F?5 2 >2? 2?5 2 H@>2? H:E9 8F?D9@E H@F?5D] ~77:46CD 56E6C>:?65 E96J H6C6 :?;FC65 😕 E96 D9@@E:?8 H:E9 7656C2= 286?ED[ A@=:46 D2:5]k^Am

    kAm%96:C 4@?5:E:@?D H6C6 ?@E :>>65:2E6=J 66E:?8 E92E Q2D 72C 2D H6 @C6 A@D:E:G6 FA52E6D E9C@F89@FE E96 27E6C?@@?]”k^Am

    kAmpE 2 ?6HD 4@?76C6?46 %9FCD52J ?:89E[ !@CE=2?5 !@=:46 r9:67 q@3 s2J D2:5 E96 uqx H2D =625:?8 E96 :?G6DE:82E:@? 2?5 E92E 96 925 ?@ 56E2:=D 23@FE E96 6G6?ED E92E =65 E@ E96 D9@@E:?8]k^Am

    kAm!@CE=2?5 |2J@C z6:E9 (:=D@? 2?5 E96 r:EJ r@F?4:= 42==65 @? xrt E@ 6?5 2== @A6C2E:@?D 😕 ~C68@?’D =2C86DE 4:EJ F?E:= 2 7F== :?G6DE:82E:@? 😀 4@>A=6E65]k^Am

    kAm“(6 DE2?5 F?:E65 2D 6=64E65 @77:4:2=D 😕 D2J:?8 E92E H6 42??@E D:E 3J H9:=6 4@?DE:EFE:@?2= AC@E64E:@?D 6C@56 2?5 3=@@5D965 >@F?ED[” 2 ;@:?E DE2E6>6?E D2:5] “!@CE=2?5 😀 ?@E 2 ‘EC2:?:?8 8C@F?5’ 7@C >:=:E2C:K65 286?ED[ 2?5 E96 ‘7F== 7@C46’ E9C62E6?65 3J E96 25>:?:DEC2E:@? 92D 5625=J 4@?D6BF6?46D]”k^Am

    kAm(:=D@? 2=D@ DF886DE65 2E 2 ?6HD 4@?76C6?46 E92E 96 5:5?VE ?646DD2C:=J 36=:6G6 E96 7656C2= 8@G6C?>6?EVD 244@F?E @7 E96 D9@@E:?8i “%96C6 H2D 2 E:>6 H6 4@F=5 E2<6 E96> 2E E96:C H@C5] %92E E:>6 😀 =@?8 A2DE]”k^Am

    kAms6>@4C2E:4 DE2E6 $6?] z2JD6 y2>2[ H9@ =:G6D ?62C E96 D9@@E:?8 D46?6[ D2:5 ~C68@? 😀 2 H6=4@>:?8 DE2E6 — 3FE 96 E@=5 7656C2= 286?ED E@ =62G6]k^Am

    kAm“*@F 2C6 ?@E H6=4@>6[” y2>2 D2:5] Q*@F ?665 E@ 86E E96 96== @FE @7 ~C68@?]”k^Am

    kAm%96 4:EJ @77:4:2=D D2:5 “7656C2= >:=:E2C:K2E:@? F?56C>:?6D 67764E:G6[ 4@>>F?:EJ‑32D65 AF3=:4 D276EJ[ 2?5 :E CF?D 4@F?E6C E@ E96 G2=F6D E92E 567:?6 @FC C68:@?] (6’== FD6 6G6CJ =682= 2?5 =68:D=2E:G6 E@@= 2G2:=23=6 E@ AC@E64E @FC C6D:56?ED’ 4:G:= 2?5 9F>2? C:89ED]”k^Am

    kAm%96J FC865 C6D:56?ED E@ D9@H FA H:E9 “42=> 2?5 AFCA@D6 5FC:?8 E9:D 5:77:4F=E E:>6]”k^Am

    kAm$6G6C2= 5@K6? A6@A=6 82E96C65 %9FCD52J 6G6?:?8 ?62C E96 D46?6 H96C6 !@CE=2?5 A@=:46 7@F?5 E96 H@F?565 A6@A=6]k^Am

    kAm“xE’D ;FDE 366? 492@D[Q D2:5 @?6[ p?;2=JDD2 y@?6D] Q%96 4@>>F?:EJ 😀 ECJ:?8 E@ 86E 2?DH6CD]”k^Am

    kAm&]$] $6?] y677 |6C<=6J[ 2? ~C68@? s6>@4C2E[ FC865 2?J AC@E6DE6CD E@ C6>2:? A62467F=]k^Am

    kAm“%CF>A H2?ED E@ 86?6C2E6 C:@ED[” 96 D2:5 😕 2 A@DE @? E96 ) D@4:2= >65:2 A=2E7@C>] “s@?’E E2<6 E96 32:E]”k^Am

    k9C ^m

    kAmk6>my@9?D@? C6A@CE65 7C@> $62EE=6] pDD@4:2E65 !C6DD C6A@CE6C pF5C6J |4pG@J 😕 w@?@=F=F 4@?EC:3FE65]k^6>mk^Am

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    By CLAIRE RUSH and GENE JOHNSON – Associated Press

    Source link

  • Federal immigration officers shoot, wound 2 in Oregon, authorities say

    PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital Thursday, a day after an officer shot and killed a driver in Minnesota, authorities said.

    The Department of Homeland Security described the vehicle’s passenger as “a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring” who had been involved in a recent shooting in Portland. When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a “targeted vehicle stop” Thursday afternoon, the driver tried to run them over, the department said in a written statement.

    This page requires Javascript.

    Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

    kAm“u62C:?8 7@C 9:D =:76 2?5 D276EJ[ 2? 286?E 7:C65 2 5676?D:G6 D9@E[” E96 DE2E6>6?E D2:5] “%96 5C:G6C 5C@G6 @77 H:E9 E96 A2DD6?86C[ 7=66:?8 E96 D46?6]”k^Am

    kAm%96C6 H2D ?@ :>>65:2E6 :?56A6?56?E 4@CC@3@C2E:@? @7 E92E 244@F?E @C @7 2?J 82?8 277:=:2E:@? @7 E96 G69:4=6VD @44FA2?ED] sFC:?8 AC:@C D9@@E:?8D :?G@=G:?8 286?ED :?G@=G65 😕 !C6D:56?E s@?2=5 %CF>AVD DFC86 @7 :>>:8C2E:@? 6?7@C46>6?E 😕 &]$] 4:E:6D[ :?4=F5:?8 (65?6D52JVD D9@@E:?8 3J 2? x>>:8C2E:@? 2?5 rFDE@>D t?7@C46>6?E @77:46C 😕 |:??62A@=:D[ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^>:??6D@E2:46D9@@E:?8:>>:8C2E:@?gca3`5ha43hb7abae`f`7`bhege6g3_7QmG:56@ 6G:56?46 42DE 5@F3Ek^2m @? E96 25>:?:DEC2E:@?VD 56D4C:AE:@?D @7 H92E AC@>AE65 E96 D9@@E:?8D]k^Am

    kAm%CF>A 2?5 9:D 2==:6D 92G6 4@?D:DE6?E=J 3=2>65 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^G6?6KF6=2DEC:<642C:3362?CF3:@ECF>AEC6?562C28F2h6_524f566d2b73`c2`ebf_d_g74ce_5Qm%C6? 56 pC28F2k^2m 7@C 36:?8 2E E96 C@@E @7 E96 G:@=6?46 2?5 :==:4:E 5CF8 562=:?8 E92E A=28F6 D@>6 &]$] 4:E:6D]k^Am

    kAm%96 D9@@E:?8 6D42=2E6D E6?D:@?D 😕 2? 4:EJ E92E 92D =@?8 925 2 4@?E6?E:@FD C6=2E:@?D9:A H:E9 !C6D:56?E s@?2=5 %CF>A[ :?4=F5:?8 %CF>A’D C646?E[ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^?2E:@?2=8F2C5A@CE=2?549:428@=@D2?86=6D45e6dgde`dcaace`5f_gg3g65_c33hfcQm72:=65 677@CE E@ 56A=@J }2E:@?2= vF2C5 EC@@ADk^2m 😕 E96 4:EJ] %CF>A’D 564:D:@? E@ D6?5 >:=:E2C:K65 A6CD@??6= :?E@ &]$] 4:E:6D E@ 4@?5F4E :>>:8C2E:@? 6?7@C46>6?E 5C6H k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^:?7=2E23=64@DEF>6DAC@E6DEDA@CE=2?5f_`f3ea3cd623`424ga2`eh2feb27bdhQm=@?8CF??:?8 ?:89E=J AC@E6DEDk^2m @FED:56 E96 xrt 3F:=5:?8 😕 !@CE=2?5]k^Am

    kAmp44@C5:?8 E@ E96 E96 !@CE=2?5 !@=:46 3FC62F[ @77:46CD :?:E:2==J C6DA@?565 E@ 2 C6A@CE @7 2 D9@@E:?8 @FED:56 p5G6?E:DE w62=E9 9@DA:E2= 2E 23@FE ai`g A]>] %9FCD52J]k^Am

    kAmp 76H >:?FE6D =2E6C[ A@=:46 C646:G65 :?7@C>2E:@? E92E 2 >2? H9@ 925 366? D9@E H2D 2D<:?8 7@C 96=A 😕 2 C6D:56?E:2= 2C62 2 4@FA=6 @7 >:=6D 2H2J] ~77:46CD E96? C6DA@?565 E96C6 2?5 7@F?5 2 >2? 2?5 2 H@>2? H:E9 8F?D9@E H@F?5D] ~77:46CD 56E6C>:?65 E96J H6C6 :?;FC65 😕 E96 D9@@E:?8 H:E9 7656C2= 286?ED[ A@=:46 D2:5]k^Am

    kAm%96:C 4@?5:E:@?D H6C6 ?@E :>>65:2E6=J 66E:?8 E92E Q2D 72C 2D H6 @C6 A@D:E:G6 FA52E6D E9C@F89@FE E96 27E6C?@@?]”k^Am

    kAmpE 2 ?6HD 4@?76C6?46 %9FCD52J ?:89E[ !@CE=2?5 !@=:46 r9:67 q@3 s2J D2:5 E96 uqx H2D =625:?8 E96 :?G6DE:82E:@? 2?5 E92E 96 925 ?@ 56E2:=D 23@FE E96 6G6?ED E92E =65 E@ E96 D9@@E:?8]k^Am

    kAm!@CE=2?5 |2J@C z6:E9 (:=D@? 2?5 E96 4:EJ 4@F?4:= 42==65 @? &]$] x>>:8C2E:@? 2?5 rFDE@>D t?7@C46>6?E E@ 6?5 2== @A6C2E:@?D 😕 ~C68@?’D =2C86DE 4:EJ F?E:= 2 7F== :?G6DE:82E:@? 😀 4@>A=6E65]k^Am

    kAm“(6 DE2?5 F?:E65 2D 6=64E65 @77:4:2=D 😕 D2J:?8 E92E H6 42??@E D:E 3J H9:=6 4@?DE:EFE:@?2= AC@E64E:@?D 6C@56 2?5 3=@@5D965 >@F?ED[” 2 ;@:?E DE2E6>6?E D2:5] “!@CE=2?5 😀 ?@E 2 ‘EC2:?:?8 8C@F?5’ 7@C >:=:E2C:K65 286?ED[ 2?5 E96 ‘7F== 7@C46’ E9C62E6?65 3J E96 25>:?:DEC2E:@? 92D 5625=J 4@?D6BF6?46D]”k^Am

    kAm(:=D@? 2=D@ DF886DE65 2E 2 ?6HD 4@?76C6?46 E92E 96 5:5?VE ?646DD2C:=J 36=:6G6 E96 7656C2= 8@G6C?>6?EVD 244@F?E @7 E96 D9@@E:?8i “%96C6 H2D 2 E:>6 H6 4@F=5 E2<6 E96> 2E E96:C H@C5] %92E E:>6 😀 =@?8 A2DE]”k^Am

    kAms6>@4C2E:4 $E2E6 $6?] z2JD6 y2>2[ H9@ =:G6D ?62C E96 D9@@E:?8 D46?6[ D2:5 ~C68@? 😀 2 H6=4@>:?8 DE2E6 — 3FE 96 E@=5 7656C2= 286?ED E@ =62G6]k^Am

    kAm“*@F 2C6 ?@E H6=4@>6[” y2>2 D2:5] Q*@F ?665 E@ 86E E96 96== @FE @7 ~C68@?]”k^Am

    kAm%96 4:EJ @77:4:2=D D2:5 “7656C2= >:=:E2C:K2E:@? F?56C>:?6D 67764E:G6[ 4@>>F?:EJ‑32D65 AF3=:4 D276EJ[ 2?5 :E CF?D 4@F?E6C E@ E96 G2=F6D E92E 567:?6 @FC C68:@?] (6’== FD6 6G6CJ =682= 2?5 =68:D=2E:G6 E@@= 2G2:=23=6 E@ AC@E64E @FC C6D:56?ED’ 4:G:= 2?5 9F>2? C:89ED]”k^Am

    kAm%96J FC865 C6D:56?ED E@ D9@H FA H:E9 “42=> 2?5 AFCA@D6 5FC:?8 E9:D 5:77:4F=E E:>6]”k^Am

    kAm$6G6C2= 5@K6? A6@A=6 82E96C65 %9FCD52J 6G6?:?8 ?62C E96 D46?6 H96C6 !@CE=2?5 A@=:46 7@F?5 E96 H@F?565 A6@A=6]k^Am

    kAm“xE’D ;FDE 366? 492@D[Q D2:5 @?6[ p?;2=JDD2 y@?6D] Q%96 4@>>F?:EJ 😀 ECJ:?8 E@ 86E 2?DH6CD]”k^Am

    kAm&]$] $6?] y677 |6C<=6J[ 2? ~C68@? s6>@4C2E[ FC865 2?J AC@E6DE6CD E@ C6>2:? A62467F=]k^Am

    kAm“%CF>A H2?ED E@ 86?6C2E6 C:@ED[” 96 D2:5 😕 2 A@DE @? E96 ) D@4:2= >65:2 A=2E7@C>] “s@?’E E2<6 E96 32:E]”k^Am

    k9C ^m

    kAmk6>mpDD@4:2E65 !C6DD C6A@CE6CD v6?6 y@9?D@? 😕 $62EE=6 2?5 pF5C6J |4pG@J 😕 w@?@=F=F 4@?EC:3FE65]k^6>mk^Am

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    By CLAIRE RUSH – Associated Press

    Source link

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seeks immediate release from prison in appeals argument

    NEW YORK — Lawyers for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs urged a federal appeals court in New York late Tuesday to order his immediate release from prison and reverse his conviction on prostitution-related charges or direct his trial judge to lighten his four-year sentence.

    The lawyers said in a filing with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan that Combs was treated harshly at sentencing by a federal judge who let evidence surrounding charges he was acquitted of unjustly influence the punishment.

    Combs, 56, incarcerated at a federal prison in New Jersey and scheduled for release in May 2028, was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking at a trial that ended in July. Combs was convicted under the Mann Act, which bans transporting people across state lines for any sexual crime.

    Lawyers for Combs said Judge Arun Subramanian acted like a “thirteenth juror” in October when he sentenced Combs to four years and two months in prison. They said he erred by letting evidence surrounding the acquitted charges influence the sentence he imposed.

    They noted that Combs was convicted of two lesser counts, prostitution offenses that didn’t require force, fraud, or coercion. They asked the appeals court, which has not yet heard oral arguments, to acquit Combs, order his immediate release from prison or direct Subramanian to reduce his sentence.

    “Defendants typically get sentenced to less than 15 months for these offenses — even when coercion, which the jury didn’t find here, is involved,” the lawyers wrote.

    “The judge defied the jury’s verdict and found Combs ‘coerced,’ ‘exploited,’ and ‘forced’ his girlfriends to have sex and led a criminal conspiracy. These judicial findings trumped the verdict and led to the highest sentence ever imposed for any remotely similar defendant,” the lawyers wrote.

    At sentencing, Subramanian said that when calculating the prison term, he considered Combs’ treatment of two former girlfriends who testified that the Bad Boy Records founder beat them and coerced them into having sex with male sex workers while he watched and filmed the encounters, sometimes masturbating.

    At the trial, former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura testified that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” sex with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship that ended in 2018. Jurors saw video of him dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway after one such multiday “freak-off.”

    The second former girlfriend, who testified under the pseudonym “ Jane,” said she was pressured into sex with male workers during what Combs called “hotel nights,” drug-fueled sexual encounters from 2021 to 2024 that also could last days.

    At sentencing, Subramanian said he “rejects the defense’s attempt to characterize what happened here as merely intimate, consensual experiences, or just a sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll story.”

    He added: “You abused the power and control that you had over the lives of women you professed to love dearly. You abused them physically, emotionally, and psychologically. And you used that abuse to get your way, especially when it came to freak-offs and hotel nights.”

    Source link

  • National City said a surveillance tower was stopping prostitution — but now it’s broken with no fix in sight

    Trucks and motels line Roosevelt Avenue in National City. Image from Google Earth

    When a hit and run driver hit the National City Police Department’s mobile SkyWatch tower in mid-October, it did more than take the two-story tower out of service. 

    It created an opening for pimps and prostitutes to retake the streets over which the tower once stood. 

    During one afternoon earlier this week, multiple women in revealing, skimpy outfits and high heels moved around the area in a stretch so notorious for its history as a go-to place to buy sex on the street that city officials installed a mobile police surveillance tower in 2021, which they purchased for $220,000 through a FEMA grant. 

    The women paced up and down Roosevelt between 4th and 5th Streets, a stretch scattered with motels. One set up camp in the middle of 5th Street.  Others waved and smiled at passing motorists. Yet another woman stood next to a car, leaning through the window talking to a male driver. 

    It was a clear scene of an open sex trade at 3:45 in the afternoon. 

    The SkyWatch tower, which Mayor Ron Morrison earlier that day credited for combatting the problem and turning a high-profile trafficking arrest into an exception rather than the rule, was nowhere in sight.

    But it has been out of commission since mid-October due to the hit-and-run accident.

    The city tried repairing it, but has been unable to because it is a “unique piece of equipment,” said National City Police Department Sergeant Paul Hernandez. He said they’re currently looking for a solution to put the tower back in service.

    When in action, it “is a rugged, highly reinforced mobile surveillance platform,” according to the manufacturer’s website. It says the tower is” rapidly deployable” and “provides a strategic perspective and deterrent.” 

    “The damage was noticed on 10-13-25. It was taken out of service shortly after. Unfortunately, I do not have the exact date it was removed from the area,” Hernandez said.

    Morrison said prostitution fell “like a rock off a cliff”after the city installed the tower.

    He has not responded to follow up questions on how the city is combatting the problem now that the tower is out of commission.  

    National City Police Chief Alejandro Hernandez also did not respond to questions on whether the department has implemented any other actions in the Roosevelt area to deter prostitution in the weeks since the tower was removed.


    Source link

  • LA County sheriff investigating new sex battery claim against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it’s investigating a new sexual battery allegation against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictions

    LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monday it’s investigating a new sexual battery allegation against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictions.

    A male music producer and publicist said he was asked to come to a photo shoot in 2020 at a Los Angeles warehouse, where Combs exposed himself while masturbating and told the accuser to assist, according to NBC News, citing a police report. Combs then tossed a dirty shirt at the man, the producer said.

    The accuser, whose name is redacted in the police report, said he did not tell anyone for several years because he felt embarrassed. He came forward to police in Largo, Florida, this September, shortly after Combs was convicted on other charges.

    Combs’ lawyer did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the latest allegations.

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it received an official copy of the report from the Florida department on Friday, and will be investigating the allegations.

    The report also details an incident from March 2021 in which the accuser claims two men covered his head before Combs came into the room and called him a snitch, according to NBC.

    Combs was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

    He is set to be released in May 2028, though he can earn reductions in his time behind bars through his participation in substance abuse treatment and other prison programs.

    Source link

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs transferred to prison to serve prostitution-related sentence

    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has been transferred to a prison in New Jersey to serve out the remainder of his four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related charges.

    The hip-hop mogul is currently incarcerated at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institute, located about 34 miles (55 kilometers) east of Philadelphia on the grounds of the joint military base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, according to his listing in the federal Bureau of Prisons inmate database as of Friday.

    It’s not immediately clear when Combs was moved from the troubled Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he had been held since his arrest last September.

    Lawyers for Combs and spokespersons for the agency didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday.

    Combs’ lawyers had asked a judge earlier this month to “strongly recommend” transferring him to the low-security male prison so that he could take part in the facility’s drug treatment program.

    FCI Fort Dix, one of several dozen federal prisons with a residential drug treatment program, would best allow Combs “to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts,” Teny Geragos, his lawyer, wrote in a letter.

    Combs has already served about 14 months of his 50-month sentence and is set to be released from prison on May 8, 2028, though he can earn reductions in his time behind bars through his participation in substance abuse treatment and other prison programs.

    Earlier this week, Combs’ lawyers asked a federal appeals court to quickly consider the legality of his conviction and sentence. The 55-year-old wants his appeal to be considered soon enough that he can benefit from a reduction of time spent in prison if the appeals court reverses his conviction, his lawyers said.

    President Donald Trump has also said Combs had asked him for a pardon, though the Republican did not say if he would grant the request.

    The founder of Bad Boy Records was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

    In a letter to the judge before he was sentenced, Combs said he has gone through a “spiritual reset” in jail and was “committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person.”

    Source link

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Transferred to New Jersey Prison to Serve 4-Year Prostitution-Related Sentence

    NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has been transferred to a prison in New Jersey to serve out the remainder of his four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related charges.

    The hip-hop mogul is currently incarcerated at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institute, located about 34 miles (55 kilometers) east of Philadelphia on the grounds of the joint military base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, according to his listing in the federal Bureau of Prisons inmate database as of Friday.

    It’s not immediately clear when Combs was moved from the troubled Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he had been held since his arrest last September.

    Lawyers for Combs and spokespersons for the agency didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday.

    Combs’ lawyers had asked a judge earlier this month to “strongly recommend” transferring him to the low-security male prison so that he could take part in the facility’s drug treatment program.

    FCI Fort Dix, one of several dozen federal prisons with a residential drug treatment program, would best allow Combs “to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts,” Teny Geragos, his lawyer, wrote in a letter.

    Combs has already served about 14 months of his 50-month sentence and is set to be released from prison on May 8, 2028, though he can earn reductions in his time behind bars through his participation in substance abuse treatment and other prison programs.

    Earlier this week, Combs’ lawyers asked a federal appeals court to quickly consider the legality of his conviction and sentence. The 55-year-old wants his appeal to be considered soon enough that he can benefit from a reduction of time spent in prison if the appeals court reverses his conviction, his lawyers said.

    President Donald Trump has also said Combs had asked him for a pardon, though the Republican did not say if he would grant the request.

    The founder of Bad Boy Records was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

    In a letter to the judge before he was sentenced, Combs said he has gone through a “spiritual reset” in jail and was “committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seeks speedy appeals court hearing while he serves a 4-year sentence

    NEW YORK — Hip-hop producer Sean “Diddy” Combs wants a federal appeals court to quickly consider the legality of his conviction on prostitution-related charges and his more than four-year prison sentence.

    His lawyers filed papers with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, asking that oral arguments in his appeal occur in April.

    The lawyers noted that Combs has already served 14 months of his 50-month sentence and that he may earn reductions in time behind bars because of his participation in a substance abuse treatment program and a program established by the First Step Act to improve an inmate’s return to society.

    Combs wants his appeal to be considered soon enough that he can benefit from a reduction of time spent in prison if the appeals court reverses his conviction, his lawyers said.

    Combs, 55, was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

    Apologetic at his sentencing for what he described as his “disgusting, shameful” behavior, the Bad Boy Records founder was sentenced to four years and two months in prison by a judge who praised the courage of the women who testified against him.

    Combs is scheduled to be released from prison on May 8, 2028, assuming he gets credit for good behavior behind bars. He has been incarcerated since his arrest in September 2024, when he was taken into custody at a Manhattan hotel.

    In a letter to the judge before he was sentenced, Combs said he has gone through a “spiritual reset” in jail and was “committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person.”

    His lawyers told the judge that Combs’ arrest and conviction have destroyed his businesses, forcing the layoffs of more than 100 employees who struggled to find new jobs because of their past association with the music mogul.

    He also still faces dozens of lawsuits filed against him since his arrest.

    Source link

  • Raleigh officer accused of coercing crash victim into sex crime now indicted on prostitution charges

    A Raleigh police officer is facing additional sex crime charges nearly a month after he was charged with coercing a crash victim into sexual favors to remove a DWI charge.

    According to court documents, a grand jury indicted Tremale Cogdell, 28, on five counts of soliciting prostitution. Court documents said the crimes happened between August 1 and September 15 and involved five different people.

    The Raleigh Police Department announced an internal investigation that accused Cogdell for committing a sex crime while he was on duty earlier this month.

    Police accused Cogdell of obstruction of justice by “failing to conduct and charge a DWI investigation in exchange for sexual acts. This offense was done in secrecy and malice.”

    The crime is believed to have happened in the early morning hours of Sept. 12.

    “After completing a call for service, Mr. Cogdell drove the victim back to his personal residence in his city of Raleigh police vehicle and a sexual encounter occurred while Mr. Cogdell was on duty,” said Rico Boyce, Raleigh’s Chief of Police.

    Boyce said the State Bureau of Investigation contacted RPD on Sept. 26 about the incident involving Cogdell. Cogdell was then put on administrative leave that same day, according to Boyce.

    Source link

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sentenced to 50 months in prison for prostitution-related conviction

    New York (CNN) – Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months, or just over four years, in prison for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

    Federal District Judge Arun Subramanian announced the decision on Friday, Oct. 3, saying “a substantial sentence must be given to send a message to abusers and victims alike that abuse against women is met with real accountability.”

    The judge noted that this is “hard time” away from Combs’ family, but also noting Combs will have a life after prison.

    The judge said outpatient treatment and mental health programs were warranted. Subramanian also ordered Combs to serve five years of supervised release.

    Combs’ lawyers had argued he should be released almost immediately, asking the judge to sentence him to no more than 14 months including time served. Prosecutors said he should’ve faced more than 11 years in prison.

    Sean “Diddy” Combs becomes emotional as his children go to the podium to make impact statements during his court sentencing on Friday. Credit: Jane Rosenberg / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Combs was found guilty of two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution in July but was acquitted of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have led to a life sentence.

    Subramanian said Cassie Ventura and “Jane” have “been through abuse and trauma that most of us cannot imagine.”

    Subramanian thanked the victims for coming forward and said “I want to say first we heard you.”

    “To Ms. Ventura, Jane, and the other victims here who came forward, I can only say — your families are proud of you and your children, when they’re old enough will be proud of you, and I am proud of you for telling the world what really happened,” Subramanian said.

    “You were speaking to the millions of women out there who have been victims but feel invisible and powerless and had to suffer in silence,” he said. “You told those women and the world that violence behind closed doors doesn’t have to stay hidden forever. The number of people who you reached is incalculable.”

    Arick Fudali, a lawyer who represents others who have filed lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, said he hope’s today’s sentencing encourages other victims to come forward.

    Law enforcement officers stand guard outside the court after Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Friday. Credit: Jeenah Moon / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Lauren del Valle, Nicki Brown, Kara Scannell, Elizabeth Wagmeister and CNN

    Source link

  • A Timeline Of The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex Trafficking & Racketeering Trial

    Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.

    Source: Sean “Diddy” Combs – Picture / Sean “Diddy” Combs – Picture provided by Canva

    U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced the disgraced music mogul to 50 months behind bars, per NBC News.

    Following his highly publicized trial, prosecutors sought an 11-year, three-month prison term for his Mann Act conviction, while the defense was trying for a 14-month sentence, which would amount to time served.

    Combs, 55, was taken into custody in September last year. His sentence will include the year-plus he has already spent behind bars.

    The long-running Diddy sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution case has finally been wrapped up. According to CNN, sentencing recommendations from the defense, prosecution, and probation departments differed tremendously.

    As previously reported, in July, Combs was convicted on two counts of transporting women for prostitution under the Mann Act, specifically for the transportation of former girlfriend Jane and the transportation of ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Each charge carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Federal prosecutors were pushing for a sentence of more than 11 years, arguing that Combs physically and emotionally abused girlfriends and employees over the course of many years, all while showing no remorse for his actions.

    His defense team, on the other hand, asked for no more than 14 months, including time already served. They strongly believed that the judge should disregard any testimony or evidence tied to charges Combs was acquitted of, including allegations that he coerced victims.

    If the judge sided with the defense, Combs could have been released from federal custody almost immediately. Meanwhile, the court’s probation department recommended a sentence between 70 and 87 months. Earlier today, the judge stated there’s no clear reason to stray from those guidelines.

    Here’s everything that’s happened throughout the case. 

    November 2023 – Cassie filed a lawsuit against Combs.

    Diddy and Cassie at Meta Gala 2018
    Source: Taylor Hill / Getty

    On Nov. 17, 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, accusing Combs of rape, sex trafficking, drug abuse, coercion, and repeated violence over the course of their decades-long relationship. 

    The next day, Combs quickly settled the lawsuit, with terms kept confidential. 

    “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement at the time. “I want to thank my family, fans, and lawyers for their unwavering support.”

    Combs added, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best.”

    But the lawsuit was just the tip of the iceberg. Soon, several other alleged victims brought additional civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault, forced drugging, and abuse during past relationships with the hip-hop mogul. 

    March 2024 – Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes in LA and Miami were raided by Homeland Security. 

    March 2024 - Sean "Diddy" Combs homes in LA and Miami were raided by Homeland Security. 
    Source: MEGA / Getty

    In March 2024, properties owned by Combs in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security agents. According to Page Six, the Miami raid uncovered what FBI agents described as “a slew of weapons, several boxes of high-heeled heels typically worn by exotic dancers and lingerie, bottles of baby oil and lubricant, and various bags filled with narcotics.” Meanwhile, the Los Angeles search revealed a similar scene, an “array of weapons” along with a staggering 200 bottles of baby oil and 900 bottles of lubricant, reportedly found scattered throughout the home, including in Combs’ bedroom.

    May 2024: Video of Diddy assaulting Cassie in 2016 surfaces.

    Sean “Diddy” Combs, cassie, sex trafficking, racketeering
    Source: Gotham / Getty

    On May 17, 2024, CNN released surveillance footage showing Combs physically assaulting Cassie during a 2016 incident that closely mirrored the allegations outlined in her November 2023 lawsuit. 

    The video showed the former singer and mother leaving a hotel room and walking toward an elevator before Combs, wearing only a towel, chased after her. He grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground. As Cassie lay motionless, Combs was seen violently kicking her and then walking away with her purse and suitcase.

    September 2024 – Diddy was indicted. 

    Sean 'Diddy' Combs
    Source: Getty / General

    Months later, on Sept. 16, 2024, he was arrested in New York on a federal indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs pleaded not guilty. Multiple bail requests were denied.

    May 2025 – The Diddy sex trafficking and racketeering trial began.

    Marc Agnifilo, the lead defense attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs
    Source: The Washington Post / Getty

    The rapper and hip-hop icon’s trial officially began May 5 in federal court in Lower Manhattan, led by Judge Arun Subramanian. Jury selection occupied the early days, and opening statements began May 12. Over the next several weeks, testimony was heard from alleged victims, employees, experts, and others, with the prosecution presenting evidence such as videos, travel logs, and witness accounts. 

    Prosecutors opened the trial by alleging that the Grammy-winner used his fame, power, and wealth to operate a criminal enterprise that enabled his so-called “freak offs,” drug-fueled sex parties involving both paid sex workers and unwilling participants. They claimed Combs used violence, intimidation, and coercion to force victims—including his ex-girlfriend Cassie—to participate in these disturbing encounters.

    Some of the most significant testimony came early in the Diddy trial. LAPD officer Israel Florez, who previously worked in hotel security, was the first witness to take the stand. He testified about being on duty at the Intercontinental Hotel in March 2016, the day surveillance footage captured Combs dragging and kicking Cassie in a hallway.

    Later, another witness, Daniel Phillip—a male stripper—testified that he was paid thousands of dollars to perform sex acts with the songstress while Combs watched. He recounted an incident from around 2012 or 2013, describing how Combs allegedly became enraged when Cassie didn’t respond to him immediately. According to Phillip, Combs threw a liquor bottle at her and then dragged her by the hair into a bedroom, where he appeared to physically assault her. Phillip said he was too afraid to intervene, especially with Combs’ bodyguards present.

    But the most devastating testimony came from Cassie herself. As reported by NewsOne, during the first week of the trial, she gave a harrowing account of the years of alleged abuse, control, and humiliation she suffered while in a relationship with the hip-hop mogul. She painted a chilling picture of what life was like behind the glamorous façade, recounting not only the physical assaults but also the psychological torment of being forced to participate in the infamous “freak offs.”

    “He would smash me in my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down,” Cassie testified at the time of the abuse she endured.

    The “Me & U” singer claimed that after one particularly brutal assault in 2008, Combs made her recover in isolation at a hotel. In another haunting moment, Cassie said she wore sunglasses to a red carpet premiere to hide the bruises left on her face. She also described the toll these encounters took on her health, stating that she developed frequent urinary tract infections from back-to-back “freak offs,” to the point where antibiotics no longer worked.

    July 2025 – Diddy found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking.

    Defense lawyers at the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking and racketeering trial
    Source: LEONARDO MUNOZ / Getty

    After three days of jury deliberations, a verdict was delivered July 2 for the Diddy sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Combs was found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking by force/fraud/coercion charges, but guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act. His sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 3.

    September 2025: Cassie pens a heartbreaking letter to the court ahead of sentencing, “I’m so scared.” 

    Cassie
    Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

    As previously reported, ahead of the Oct. 3 sentencing hearing for the Diddy sex trafficking and racketeering trial, Cassie once again pleaded with the court, detailing the years of abuse and psychological manipulation she fought through while with Combs. In a powerful three-page victim impact statement obtained by Rolling Stone, she expressed not only the trauma of her past but also the fear she continues to live with today.

    “I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up,” she wrote, making it clear that Combs’ release would not just be a legal outcome; it would be a threat to her safety and that of other victims.

    “For four days in May, while nine months pregnant, I testified in front of a packed courtroom about the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life,” she added. Today, she says she lives “as private and quiet as possible,” constantly looking over her shoulder, fearing what could happen if Combs walks free.

    Shannon Dawson

    Source link

  • Prosecutors seek over 11 years in prison for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

    NEW YORK — Prosecutors urged a New York federal judge Tuesday to send Sean “Diddy” Combs to prison for over 11 years following his conviction on prostitution-related charges, citing one of his accusers who said she lives in fear of the music mogul’s release from detention.

    “His crimes of conviction are serious and have warranted sentences over ten years in multiple cases for defendants who, like Sean Combs, engaged in violence and put others in fear,” they wrote in a presentence submission requesting at least 11 years and three months in prison.

    They filed their sentencing recommendation shortly after midnight, including letters from some of his accusers describing how his violence and demands had impacted their lives.

    They called Combs “unrepentant” and said Combs had conceded his acts of violence and abuse throughout his trial but “incredibly, … he now argues that his victims should shoulder the blame.”

    Combs, 55, has remained jailed since his July conviction on charges related to arranging male sex workers to travel to hotels or residences where he directed them to have sex with his girlfriends.

    The elaborate dayslong, drug-fueled sexual events were often filmed by Combs. Defense attorneys have asked that he be sentenced to no more than 14 months in prison. Sentencing is set for Friday.

    In July, Combs was convicted of two charges for violating the Mann Act, which outlaws interstate commerce related to prostitution, for arranging the paid sexual encounters between his girlfriends and male sex workers. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

    The same jury acquitted the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have resulted in a life sentence.

    Last week, the defense submitted its presentence arguments, saying Combs has suffered enough during his nearly 13 months behind bars that he should be freed soon.

    They wrote that he became a changed man in a Brooklyn federal lockup, where he has been under constant suicide watch and learned to react calmly to threats rather than violently, even when a fellow inmate confronted him with a shiv.

    They said Combs has realized that his overuse of drugs, including some prescribed by doctors, had contributed to violent acts he participated in.

    Prosecutors said Combs was now trying to cast himself as a victim.

    “He is not the victim,” they wrote. “The Court should focus on the very real effects that the defendant’s conduct had on the lives of the actual victims, his victims.”

    At trial, two of Combs’ former girlfriends testified that they felt forced to participate in the drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers as Combs watched and sometimes filmed.

    R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura described being beaten by Combs when she displeased him during their decadelong relationship. Another ex-girlfriend, testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” said she felt pressured to perform sexually with male sex workers. She testified that an enraged Combs once put her in a chokehold and punched her in the face.

    In a letter accompanying the prosecutors’ submission, Cassie wrote that she testified while nine months pregnant during Combs’ trial “in front of a packed courtroom about the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life. I testified that from age nineteen, Sean Combs used violence, threats, substances, and control over my career to trap me in over a decade of abuse.”

    Cassie wrote that Combs controlled her like a puppet.

    “These events were degrading and disgusting, leaving me with infections, illnesses, and days of physical and emotional exhaustion before he demanded it all again. Sex acts became my full-time job, used as the only way to stay in his good graces,” she said.

    Cassie said she still has nightmares and flashbacks on an everyday basis and requires psychological care to cope.

    “My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality. I have in fact moved my family out of the New York area and am keeping as private and quiet as I possibly can because I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his abuse at trial,” Cassie said.

    The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has.

    In an indictment, prosecutors asserted that Combs used his fame, wealth and violence to force and manipulate Cassie and Jane, now-ex-girlfriends, into the sexual performances he called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”

    After Combs was convicted, Judge Arun Subramanian immediately refused a defense request to grant him bail.

    He denied it again in August as he rejected Combs’ $50 million bail proposal, saying the hip hop impresario hadn’t proven that he did not pose a flight risk or danger, nor shown an “exceptional circumstance” after a conviction that otherwise requires detention.

    Source link

  • Mayor announces another business shuttered and creation of Human Trafficking Task Force

    METHUEN — The city has followed up a “declaration of war” against human trafficking with the investigation of another business and the creation of a task force.

    On Monday, city inspectors shut down Eastern Bodywork Therapy, which officials allege is a front for human trafficking. Mayor D.J. Beauregard, who had announced the crackdown on Sunday, said in a press release that the task force would hold both the perpetrators and landlords accountable.


    This page requires Javascript.

    Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

    kAm%96 D9FE 5@H? @7 E96 3FD:?6DD 7@==@HD E96 2CC6DE 2?5 7:=:?8 @7 492C86D 282:?DE 2 >2?286C 2E E96 q62FEJ v2C56? $A2[ H9@ A@=:46 92G6 244FD65 @7 D6I EC277:4<:?8 2>@?8 @E96C 4C:>6D]k^Am

    kAm“%96 |6E9F6? wF>2? %C277:4<:?8 %2D< u@C46 H:== 5C2H 7C@> E96 C6D@FC46D @7 @FC 4:EJ 286?4:6D 2?5 A2CE?6CD[ :?4=F5:?8 |6E9F6?’D x?DA64E:@?D 2?5 w62=E9 s:G:D:@?D[ E96 |6E9F6? !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ 2?5 4@>>F?:EJ A2CE?6CD 2?5 ?@?AC@7:E 286?4:6D[” q62FC682C5 D2:5] “(6 H:== H@C< E@86E96C E@ :56?E:7J EC277:4<6CD[ D9FEE6C :==682= 3FD:?6DD6D E92E AC@7:E 7C@> E9:D 6G:=[ 2?5 9@=5 =2?5=@C5D 244@F?E23=6 :7 E96J 92C3@C 2?5 AC@7:E 7C@> DF49 24E:G:E:6D]”k^Am

    kAm(96? :?DA64E@CD G:D:E65 `f w2>AD9:C6 $E][ E96J 7@F?5 E96 D:E6 H2D 36:?8 FD65 2D 2? F?=:46?D65 3@5JH@C< 6DE23=:D9>6?E[ 244@C5:?8 E@ E96 AC6DD C6=62D6] r:EJ 6>A=@J66D 2=D@ 5:D4@G6C65 6G:56?46 @7 923:E2E:@? 2?5 E96 42D6 H2D C676CC65 E@ A@=:46]k^Am

    kAm“r@>>6C4:2= DA246D 2C6 ?@E 56D:8?65 @C A6C>:EE65 7@C C6D:56?E:2= FD6[ 2?5 =:G:?8 😕 E96> A@D6D D6C:@FD D276EJ C:D2<6 DFC6 2?J D6CG:4632D65 3FD:?6DD E96J G:D:E 92D :ED AC@A6C =:46?D6 A@DE65[ H9:49 😀 C6BF:C65 3J =2H[” s:C64E@C @7 !F3=:4 w62=E9 r26=: %682? +2>A249 D2:5]k^Am

    kAmx?DA64E@CD :DDF65 2 462D6 2?5 56D:DE @C56C E@ E96 3FD:?6DD]k^Am

    kAmq62FC682C5 E92?<65 !@=:46 r9:67 $4@EE |4}2>2C2[ E96 |6E9F6? !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ w62=E9 s:C64E@C r26=: %682? +2>A249[ E96 56A2CE>6?ED @7 w62=E9[ wF>2? $6CG:46D[ 2?5 x?DA64E:@?D 2?5 E96 4@?46C?65 ?6:893@CD 2?5 D>2== 3FD:?6DD @H?6CD H9@ 42>6 7@CH2C5 H:E9 E96:C 4@?46C?D]k^Am

    kAm“(6 >FDE 5@ >@C6 — 😕 A2CE?6CD9:A H:E9 @FC 7656C2= 2?5 DE2E6 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E 2==:6D[ 2=@?8D:56 @FC ?6:893@CD 96C6 😕 E96 |6CC:>24< ‘2==6J — E@ F?>2D< D96== 4@CA@C2E:@?D E92E 9:56 3FD:?6DD @H?6CD[ DFAA@CE DFCG:G@C46?E6C65 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E DEC2E68:6D[ 2?5 4=@D6 E96 =@@A9@=6D 😕 E96 4@>>6C4:2= C62= 6DE2E6 :?5FDECJ E92E EC277:4<6CD 6IA=@:E[” q62FC682C5 D2:5] “|6E9F6? 92D K6C@ E@=6C2?46 7@C E9@D6 H9@ AC@7:E 7C@> 9F>2? DF776C:?8 😕 @FC 4:EJ]”k^Am

    kAm%96 :?G6DE:82E:@? :?E@ t2DE6C? q@5JH@C< %96C2AJ 😀 24E:G6 2?5 @?8@:?8[ 244@C5:?8 E@ E96 AC6DD C6=62D6k^Am

    By Teddy Tauscher | ttauscher@eagletribune.com

    Source link

  • Denver man gets 19 years in prison for pimping in sex trafficking case

    A man accused of forcing women into prostitution in Denver took a plea deal and will spend nearly two decades in prison, according to court records.

    Stefon Flowers coerced at least four women into prostitution for his financial gain over the course of three months in 2023, according to a news release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

    He forced the women to take photos that he used for sexual advertisements online and, as buyers responded, would set up the date, according to the release. He then would take the women to the date and wait in the car while it happened.

    “Flowers removed any control that the women had by threatening them if they did not behave as he instructed,” Denver District Attorney officials stated in the release. “After the dates, Flowers required the women to give him at least part of the money that they had made.”

    Flowers took a deal and pleaded guilty to two counts of pimping in August, a felony, according to court records. That deal dropped three charges of human trafficking and five additional counts of pimping from his case.

    One of the victims described Flowers’s operation as a “full-blown prostitution ring,” and said multiple women were living in his apartment who were not allowed to leave without Flowers, according to his arrest affidavit.

    Lauren Penington

    Source link

  • Methuen mayor declares ‘war on human trafficking’ after spa owner’s arrest

    METHUEN — The manager of Beauty Garden Spa on Wallace Street is facing human trafficking charges after a lengthy police investigation.

    Suping Zhu, 38, of Flushing, New York, is to be arraigned Monday in Lawrence District Court on charges that include deriving support from prostitution and trafficking person for sexual servitude.


    This page requires Javascript.

    Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

    kAmx? 2 DE2E6>6?E :DDF65 $F?52J 27E6C?@@?[ |2J@C s]y] q62FC682C5 2?5 !@=:46 r9:67 $4@EE |4}2>2C2 D2:5 E96 2CC6DE 2?5 4=@DFC6 @7 E96 DA2 😀 @?=J E96 368:??:?8 @7 2 =2C86C 4C24<5@H? @? 9F>2? EC277:4<:?8 6IA64E65 😕 E96 4:EJ]k^Am

    kAm+9F H2D 2CC6DE65 uC:52J H:E9@FE :?4:56?E[ 244@C5:?8 E@ A@=:46]k^Am

    kAm“%9:D @A6C2E:@? >2CA2:8? E@ 6C25:42E6 9F>2? EC277:4<:?8 2?5 D6IF2= D6CG:EF56 😕 |6E9F6?[” |4}2>2C2 D2:5] “%96 |6E9F6? !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ DE2?5:?8 F?:E65 H:E9 |2J@C q62FC682C5[ 😀 D6?5:?8 2 4=62C 2?5 F?>:DE2<23=6 H2C?:?8 E@ 6G6CJ ?672C:@FD AC@AC:6E@C CF??:?8 E96D6 G:=6 @A6C2E:@?Di H6 2C6 4@>:?8 7@C J@F[ 2?5 H6 H:== D9FE 5@H? J@FC :==682= 6?E6CAC:D6D H:E9 56E6C>:?65 24E:@?]”k^Am

    kAmsFC:?8 2 D62C49 @7 E96 DA2 2E d (2==246 $E][ A@=:46 7@F?5 =:G:?8 BF2CE6CD 7@C EH@ H@>6? 😕 E96 32D6>6?E @7 E96 4@>>6C4:2==J K@?65 3F:=5:?8] !@=:46 D2:5 E96 :?G6DE:82E:@? H2D AC@>AE65 3J 4@?46C?D 7C@> C6D:56?ED]k^Am

    kAm|4}2>2C2 :DDF65 2 H2C?:?8 E@ E96 4FDE@>6CD @7 :==:4:E DA2D]k^Am

    kAm“%@ E96 ‘;@9?D’ 7F6=:?8 E9:D 56DA:423=6 EC256[ @H E9:Di J@F 2C6 ?@E :?G:D:3=6[ 2?5 H6 2C6 E2C86E:?8 J@F ?6IE H:E9 E96 7F== >:89E @7 E96 =2H[” 96 D2:5] “wF>2? EC277:4<:?8 2?5 D6IF2= D6CG:EF56 2C6 ?@E G:4E:>=6DD 4C:>6D] %96J 6IA=@:E E96 GF=?6C23=6[ 56DEC@J =:G6D[ 2?5 A@:D@? @FC 4@>>F?:EJ] (6 H:== C6=6?E=6DD=J AFCDF6 6G6CJ A6CA6EC2E@C E@ 6?DFC6 E96J 7246 ;FDE:46] %9:D 😀 @?=J E96 368:??:?8[ 2?5 E96 |6E9F6? !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ 324<65 3J @FC 4@>>F?:EJ 2?5 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E A2CE?6CD[ H:== ?@E C6DE F?E:= E96D6 4C:>6D 2C6 6C25:42E65 7C@> @FC 4:EJ]”k^Am

    kAmq62FC682C5 D2:5 96 😀 564=2C:?8 2 “H2C @? 9F>2? EC277:4<:?8]”k^Am

    kAm“(6 H:== :56?E:7J 2?5 2AAC696?5 EC277:4<6CD[ D9FE 5@H? 6G6CJ 3FD:?6DD 😕 |6E9F6? E92E AC@7:ED 7C@> E9:D 6G:=[ 2?5 9@=5 =2?5=@C5D 244@F?E23=6 :7 E96J 92C3@C E96> – H6 H:== 7:?5 J@F[ 2?5 H6 2C6 4@>:?8 27E6C J@F ?6IE] |6E9F6? 92D K6C@ E@=6C2?46 7@C E96D6 E6CC:3=6 4C:>6D 😕 @FC 4:EJ[” 96 D2:5]k^Am

    kAmsFC:?8 E96:C :?G6DE:82E:@?[ A@=:46 :?E6CG:6H65 EH@ H@>6? H9@ H@C<65 2E E96 DA2 2?5 C6G:6H65 4@>AFE6CD[ A9@?6D 2?5 3FD:?6DD C64@C5D] p7E6C E96 D62C49[ E96 4:EJ’D s6A2CE>6?E @7 w62=E9[ wF>2? $6CG:46D 2?5 x?DA64E:@? D9FE 5@H? E96 3FD:?6DD[ H9:49 92D C6>2:?65 4=@D65]k^Am

    kAm“{:G:?8 😕 2 3FD:?6DD @C 4@>>6C4:2= F?:E 😀 F?D276[ G:@=2E6D >F?:4:A2= 2?5 DE2E6 4@56D[ 2?5 H:== 36 DF3;64E E@ 6?7@C46>6?E[” s:C64E@C @7 !F3=:4 w62=E9 r26=: %682? +2>A249 D2:5]k^Am

    kAmq62FC682C5 E92?<65 =@42= A@=:46[ DE2E6 2?5 7656C2= =2H 6?7@C46>6?E[ +2>A249[ E96 4:EJ’D 962=E9 56A2CE>6?E 2?5 E96 4@?46C?65 C6D:56?ED H9@ >256 E96 :?:E:2= C6A@CED E92E =65 E@ E96 :?G6DE:82E:@?]k^Am

    kAm|4}2>2C2 D2:5 =@42= A@=:46 H6C6 2DD:DE65 😕 E96 >@?E9D=@?8 :?G6DE:82E:@? 3J E96 {2HC6?46 !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ tDD6I r@F?EJ s:DEC:4E pEE@C?6J’D ~77:46[ w@>6=2?5 $64FC:EJ x?G6DE:82E:@?D[ E96 x?E6C?2= #6G6?F6 $6CG:46 2?5 &]$] x>>:8C2?E 2?5 rFDE@>D t?7@C46>6?E]k^Am

    kAm%96C6 >2J 36 255:E:@?2= 492C86D A6?5:?8 E96 :?G6DE:82E:@?’D @FE4@>6[ A@=:46 D2:5]k^Am

    By Teddy Tauscher | ttauscher@eagletribune.com

    Source link

  • BREAKING NEWS: Methuen mayor declares ‘war on human trafficking’ after spa owner’s arrest

    METHUEN — The manager of Beauty Garden Spa on Wallace Street is facing human trafficking charges after a lengthy police investigation.

    Suping Zhu, 38, of Flushing, New York, is to be arraigned Monday in Lawrence District Court on charges that include deriving support from prostitution and trafficking person for sexual servitude.


    This page requires Javascript.

    Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

    kAmx? 2 DE2E6>6?E :DDF65 $F?52J 27E6C?@@?[ |2J@C s]y] q62FC682C5 2?5 !@=:46 r9:67 $4@EE |4}2>2C2 D2:5 E96 2CC6DE 2?5 4=@DFC6 @7 E96 DA2 😀 @?=J E96 368:??:?8 @7 2 =2C86C 4C24<5@H? @? 9F>2? EC277:4<:?8 6IA64E65 😕 E96 4:EJ]k^Am

    kAm+9F H2D 2CC6DE65 uC:52J H:E9@FE :?4:56?E[ 244@C5:?8 E@ A@=:46]k^Am

    kAm“%9:D @A6C2E:@? >2CA2:8? E@ 6C25:42E6 9F>2? EC277:4<:?8 2?5 D6IF2= D6CG:EF56 😕 |6E9F6?[Q |4}2>2C2 D2:5] Q%96 |6E9F6? !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ DE2?5:?8 F?:E65 H:E9 |2J@C q62FC682C5[ 😀 D6?5:?8 2 4=62C 2?5 F?>:DE2<23=6 H2C?:?8 E@ 6G6CJ ?672C:@FD AC@AC:6E@C CF??:?8 E96D6 G:=6 @A6C2E:@?Di H6 2C6 4@>:?8 7@C J@F[ 2?5 H6 H:== D9FE 5@H? J@FC :==682= 6?E6CAC:D6D H:E9 56E6C>:?65 24E:@?]Qk^Am

    kAmsFC:?8 2 D62C49 @7 E96 DA2 2E d (2==246 $E][ A@=:46 7@F?5 =:G:?8 BF2CE6CD 7@C EH@ H@>6? 😕 E96 32D6>6?E @7 E96 4@>>6C4:2==J K@?65 3F:=5:?8] !@=:46 D2:5 E96 :?G6DE:82E:@? H2D AC@>AE65 3J 4@?46C?D 7C@> C6D:56?ED]k^Am

    kAm|4}2>2C2 :DDF65 2 H2C?:?8 E@ E96 4FDE@>6CD @7 :==:4:E DA2D]k^Am

    kAm“%@ E96 ‘;@9?D’ 7F6=:?8 E9:D 56DA:423=6 EC256[ @H E9:Di J@F 2C6 ?@E :?G:D:3=6[ 2?5 H6 2C6 E2C86E:?8 J@F ?6IE H:E9 E96 7F== >:89E @7 E96 =2H[Q 96 D2:5] QwF>2? EC277:4<:?8 2?5 D6IF2= D6CG:EF56 2C6 ?@E G:4E:>=6DD 4C:>6D] %96J 6IA=@:E E96 GF=?6C23=6[ 56DEC@J =:G6D[ 2?5 A@:D@? @FC 4@>>F?:EJ] (6 H:== C6=6?E=6DD=J AFCDF6 6G6CJ A6CA6EC2E@C E@ 6?DFC6 E96J 7246 ;FDE:46] %9:D 😀 @?=J E96 368:??:?8[ 2?5 E96 |6E9F6? !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ 324<65 3J @FC 4@>>F?:EJ 2?5 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E A2CE?6CD[ H:== ?@E C6DE F?E:= E96D6 4C:>6D 2C6 6C25:42E65 7C@> @FC 4:EJ]Q k^Am

    kAmq62FC682C5 D2:5 96 😀 564=2C:?8 2 QH2C @? 9F>2? EC277:4<:?8]Qk^Am

    kAm “(6 H:== :56?E:7J 2?5 2AAC696?5 EC277:4<6CD[ D9FE 5@H? 6G6CJ 3FD:?6DD 😕 |6E9F6? E92E AC@7:ED 7C@> E9:D 6G:=[ 2?5 9@=5 =2?5=@C5D 244@F?E23=6 :7 E96J 92C3@C E96> – H6 H:== 7:?5 J@F[ 2?5 H6 2C6 4@>:?8 27E6C J@F ?6IE] |6E9F6? 92D K6C@ E@=6C2?46 7@C E96D6 E6CC:3=6 4C:>6D 😕 @FC 4:EJ[Q 96 D2:5]k^Am

    kAmsFC:?8 E96:C :?G6DE:82E:@?[ A@=:46 :?E6CG:6H65 EH@ H@>6? H9@ H@C<65 2E E96 DA2 2?5 C6G:6H65 4@>AFE6CD[ A9@?6D 2?5 3FD:?6DD C64@C5D] p7E6C E96 D62C49[ E96 4:EJVD s6A2CE>6?E @7 w62=E9[ wF>2? $6CG:46D 2?5 x?DA64E:@? D9FE 5@H? E96 3FD:?6DD[ H9:49 92D C6>2:?65 4=@D65]k^Am

    kAm“{:G:?8 😕 2 3FD:?6DD @C 4@>>6C4:2= F?:E 😀 F?D276[ G:@=2E6D >F?:4:A2= 2?5 DE2E6 4@56D[ 2?5 H:== 36 DF3;64E E@ 6?7@C46>6?E[Q s:C64E@C @7 !F3=:4 w62=E9 r26=: %682? +2>A249 D2:5]k^Am

    kAmq62FC682C5 E92?<65 =@42= A@=:46[ DE2E6 2?5 7656C2= =2H 6?7@C46>6?E[ +2>A249[ E96 4:EJVD 962=E9 56A2CE>6?E 2?5 E96 4@?46C?65 C6D:56?ED H9@ >256 E96 :?:E:2= C6A@CED E92E =65 E@ E96 :?G6DE:82E:@?]k^Am

    kAm|4}2>2C2 D2:5 =@42= A@=:46 H6C6 2DD:DE65 😕 E96 >@?E9D=@?8 :?G6DE:82E:@? 3J E96 {2HC6?46 !@=:46 s6A2CE>6?E[ tDD6I r@F?EJ s:DEC:4E pEE@C?6J’D ~77:46[ w@>6=2?5 $64FC:EJ x?G6DE:82E:@?D[ E96 x?E6C?2= #6G6?F6 $6CG:46 2?5 &]$] x>>:8C2?E 2?5 rFDE@>D t?7@C46>6?E]k^Am

    kAm%96C6 >2J 36 255:E:@?2= 492C86D A6?5:?8 E96 :?G6DE:82E:@?VD @FE4@>6[ A@=:46 D2:5]k^Am

    By Teddy Tauscher | ttauscher@eagletribune.com

    Source link

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs returns to court a week before he faces sentencing

    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs returns to court Thursday for a hearing that could help decide how long the Grammy-winning producer will stay in prison.

    Judge Arun Subramanian plans to listen to arguments from lawyers on points of law that could help him decide a sentence for the Bad Boy Records founder, who was convicted of prostitution-related charges in July.

    Combs, 55, will have been jailed for nearly 13 months when he is sentenced Oct. 3.

    His lawyers argued in court papers submitted this week that he should be sentenced to no more than 14 months in prison. With credit for good behavior, that would mean he would be released immediately.

    Prosecutors have suggested that they believe he should spend at least several more years behind bars, although they haven’t submitted their sentencing recommendations to the judge yet.

    The judge has signaled that he, too, is leaning toward a substantial amount of prison time, twice refusing to grant bail since the jury returned its verdict, citing Combs’ history of violence.

    Combs was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have led to a life sentence, but convicted of arranging interstate travel for people engaged in prostitution. Prosecutors said he arranged for paid sexual encounters between male sex workers and his girlfriends, some of whom testified about being beaten, kicked and choked by Combs.

    Source link

  • Defense tells judge Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has served enough time behind bars

    NEW YORK — Lawyers for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs urged a New York federal judge Monday to sentence him early next month to no more than 14 months in prison for his conviction on two prostitution-related charges, meaning he’d go free almost immediately if the judge agreed.

    The lawyers made their arguments in a written submission to Judge Arun Subramanian, who has already rejected a proposed $50 million bail package, signaling that he doesn’t believe the Grammy-winning artist is close to being released.

    “Mr. Combs’s celebrity status in the realms of music, fashion, spirits, media, and finance has been shattered and Mr. Combs’s legacy has been destroyed,” the lawyers wrote, saying their client has been punished enough.

    The submission provided new information about what life behind bars for nearly 13 months has been like for Combs, what’s happened to his businesses and other interests and explains why he turned down a plea-deal offer from prosecutors prior to his trial.

    Combs faces an Oct. 3 sentencing after his July conviction by a Manhattan jury on two Mann Act charges that outlaw interstate commerce related to prostitution. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

    The Bad Boy Records founder was exonerated on more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that would have required a minimum of 15 years in prison and the possibility of a life sentence.

    In their submission, Combs’ lawyers argued that a jury sent a loud message to the judge by exonerating him of the most serious charges.

    “Put simply, the jury has spoken. Its verdict represents an ‘affirmative indication of innocence,’” the lawyers said.

    “He has served over a year in one of the most notorious jails in America — yet has made the most of that punishment. It is time for Mr. Combs to go home to his family, so he can continue his treatment and try to make the most of the next chapter of his extraordinary life,” they added.

    Prosecutors, who will submit their recommendations prior to the Oct. 3 sentencing, have already said they’ll urge Combs stay imprisoned substantially longer than the four to five years they originally thought.

    Defense lawyers, though, wrote in their submission Monday that prosecutors “have lost all perspective.”

    “Mr. Combs’s career and reputation have been destroyed,” they wrote. “His life outside of jail has been systematically dismantled.”

    Among other things, they noted that he had to let go over 100 employees from his businesses and many of them have been unable to get new jobs because of their past association with Combs.

    His seven children, they said, have faced “devastating consequences,” including lost business opportunities in acting, television, fashion and concerts, with some of them being included in some of the nearly 100 civil lawsuits filed against Combs since his arrest.

    The lawyers also noted that Combs and his family were set to star in a Hulu show about their lives, but the show was cancelled once the allegations against him became public.

    Combs was removed from the boards at three charter schools he created in Harlem, the Bronx and Connecticut and was stripped of an honorary doctorate degree from Howard University, which plans to return his prior donations, they said.

    Meanwhile, Combs’s life in prison has been harrowing at times, even as it has allowed him to become sober for the first time in 25 years, his lawyers said.

    On one occasion, another inmate approached Combs with a shiv, accusing Combs of sitting on a chair that the inmate wanted to sit on, before Combs defused the situation and calmed the man and his makeshift weapon down, the lawyers said.

    They said he has been under constant suicide watch, meaning every two hours he must present his identification card to guards to show he is alive and well and is awakened from sleep in a brightly lighted cell by a guard to ensure he is well.

    He also has limited access to clean water, leaving him to heat the water that he drinks to ensure it won’t make him sick and he must sleep within two feet of other inmates in a dorm-style room containing a bathroom and no door, the lawyers wrote.

    “Mr. Combs has not breathed fresh air in nearly 13 months, or felt sunlight on his skin, often walking with a limp due to a painful knee injury that requires surgery,” they said. And the food, they added, sometimes contains maggots.

    Prior to trial, the lawyers said, prosecutors offered Combs a plea deal that would have recommended a prison sentence of at least 25 years and required him to plead guilty to crimes of which he was acquitted.

    They portrayed their client as a changed man, who had realized that his overuse of drugs, including some prescribed by doctors, had contributed to violent acts he participated in.

    “Without minimizing Mr. Combs’s conduct, this is in many ways a ‘sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll’ story,” they said. “Mr. Combs had severe substance abuse problems throughout the entirety of the offense conduct and participated in a high-octane celebrity lifestyle.”

    The music maven’s trial featured lengthy testimony from two former girlfriends of Combs who said they felt forced to participate in drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers as Combs watched and sometimes filmed the dayslong encounters.

    R&B singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura testified that she participated in hundreds of the meetups that were referred to as “freak-offs” while she was his most frequent girlfriend from 2007 to 2018.

    Another ex-girlfriend, testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” said she also felt pressured to perform sexually with male sex workers while she dated Combs from 2021 until his arrest at a New York hotel a year ago.

    There was also extensive testimony during the trial about Combs beating his girlfriends and using violence and the fears of it to control those around him.

    Defense lawyers at trial conceded there was domestic abuse but said the charges brought by prosecutors were not proven.

    While he was once so depressed in jail that “there were days when he was unable to get out of his bed or even talk to the psychology department,” his lawyers said he looks forward to the future.

    They said he has begun teaching other inmates essential skills in business management, entrepreneurship and personal development.

    The lawyers wrote that the education program has become “one of the most impactful and important endeavors of his life” and he hopes to expand it to state-run facilities once he is released.

    “He is a humbled man who understands that the most important things in life are his devotion to and quality time with his family and his contributions for the benefit of others,” they said.

    Source link

  • Backpage executives to be sentenced after testifying against site founder about the site’s sex ads

    PHOENIX — Two former executives for the now-shuttered classified site Backpage.com are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Phoenix for conspiring to facilitate prostitution by selling sex ads.

    A prosecutor has recommended five years of probation and restitution payments for former CEO Carl Ferrer and sales director Dan Hyer, both of whom pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2018. The prosecutor said both men acknowledged their crimes and cooperated with authorities by testifying against a company founder during the 2023 trial.

    Backpage founder Michael Lacey was convicted of a single count of international concealment money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison and fined $3 million, though he remains free while he pursues an appeal. Chief financial officer John Brunst and executive vice president Scott Spear are each serving 10-year sentences for conspiracy and money laundering convictions.

    Prosecutors had argued that Backpage’s operators ignored warnings to stop running prostitution ads, some involving children. The operators were accused of giving free ads to sex workers and cultivating arrangements with others who worked in the industry to get them to post ads with the company.

    Backpage’s operators said they never allowed ads for sex and made an effort to try to delete such ads by assigning employees to remove them and creating automated tools. Their legal team maintained the content on the site was protected by the First Amendment.

    In pleading guilty, Ferrer acknowledged knowing a majority of Backpage’s revenues came from escort ads, conspiring to sanitize ads by removing photos and words that were indicative of prostitution and publishing a revised version of the notices.

    In sentencing memos, both the prosecutor and Ferrer’s attorneys say he helped shut down the site through his cooperation.

    His lawyers say Ferrer provided evidence linking defendants to the criminal enterprise and testified that Backpage’s increase in revenue stemmed mostly from prostitution.

    Hyer has previously participated in a scheme to give free ads to sex workers in a bid to draw them away from competitors and win over their future business.

    His attorney said her client is sincerely remorseful for his actions and contributed directly to the convictions of other defendants.

    Lacey’s first trial in 2021 ended in a mistrial when another judge concluded prosecutors had too many references to child sex trafficking in a case where no one faced such a charge.

    Before launching Backpage, Lacey founded the Phoenix New Times weekly newspaper with James Larkin, who was charged in the case and died by suicide in 2023 just before the second trial against Backpage’s operators was scheduled to begin.

    Lacey and Larkin held ownership interests in other weeklies such as The Village Voice and ultimately sold their newspapers in 2013. But they held onto Backpage, which authorities say generated $500 million in prostitution-related revenue from its inception in 2004 until 2018, when the government shut it down.

    A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released in June 2021 said the FBI’s ability to identify victims and sex traffickers had decreased significantly after Backpage was seized by the government, because law enforcement was familiar with the site and Backpage was generally responsive to requests for information.

    Source link

  • Backpage executives to be sentenced after testifying against site founder about the site’s sex ads

    PHOENIX — Two former executives for the now-shuttered classified site Backpage.com are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Phoenix for conspiring to facilitate prostitution by selling sex ads.

    A prosecutor has recommended five years of probation and restitution payments for former CEO Carl Ferrer and sales director Dan Hyer, both of whom pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2018. The prosecutor said both men acknowledged their crimes and cooperated with authorities by testifying against a company founder during the 2023 trial.

    Backpage founder Michael Lacey was convicted of a single count of international concealment money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison and fined $3 million, though he remains free while he pursues an appeal. Chief financial officer John Brunst and executive vice president Scott Spear are each serving 10-year sentences for conspiracy and money laundering convictions.

    Prosecutors had argued that Backpage’s operators ignored warnings to stop running prostitution ads, some involving children. The operators were accused of giving free ads to sex workers and cultivating arrangements with others who worked in the industry to get them to post ads with the company.

    Backpage’s operators said they never allowed ads for sex and made an effort to try to delete such ads by assigning employees to remove them and creating automated tools. Their legal team maintained the content on the site was protected by the First Amendment.

    In pleading guilty, Ferrer acknowledged knowing a majority of Backpage’s revenues came from escort ads, conspiring to sanitize ads by removing photos and words that were indicative of prostitution and publishing a revised version of the notices.

    In sentencing memos, both the prosecutor and Ferrer’s attorneys say he helped shut down the site through his cooperation.

    His lawyers say Ferrer provided evidence linking defendants to the criminal enterprise and testified that Backpage’s increase in revenue stemmed mostly from prostitution.

    Hyer has previously participated in a scheme to give free ads to sex workers in a bid to draw them away from competitors and win over their future business.

    His attorney said her client is sincerely remorseful for his actions and contributed directly to the convictions of other defendants.

    Lacey’s first trial in 2021 ended in a mistrial when another judge concluded prosecutors had too many references to child sex trafficking in a case where no one faced such a charge.

    Before launching Backpage, Lacey founded the Phoenix New Times weekly newspaper with James Larkin, who was charged in the case and died by suicide in 2023 just before the second trial against Backpage’s operators was scheduled to begin.

    Lacey and Larkin held ownership interests in other weeklies such as The Village Voice and ultimately sold their newspapers in 2013. But they held onto Backpage, which authorities say generated $500 million in prostitution-related revenue from its inception in 2004 until 2018, when the government shut it down.

    A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released in June 2021 said the FBI’s ability to identify victims and sex traffickers had decreased significantly after Backpage was seized by the government, because law enforcement was familiar with the site and Backpage was generally responsive to requests for information.

    Source link