Recent Updates
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Conviction overturned for LA man in teen murders
Criminal Law 11/09/2010A state appeals court has overturned the conviction of a Los Angeles man found guilty of killing a 17-year-old girl and her 16-year-old brother, ruling that the judge in his trial admitted improper evidence. City News Service says the 2nd District Co...
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Cincinnati man pleads guilty in home ownership scheme
Criminal Law 11/08/2010An Ohio man has pleaded guilty to five counts of tampering with records after authorities say he tried to get homes he didn't own listed in his name.The charges against David Halsell came after Hamilton County Auditor employees noticed several of Hal...
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Ex-NJ lawmaker gets 5-year term for child porn
Criminal Law 11/04/2010A former state lawmaker who championed legislation fighting child pornography was sentenced Thursday to a five-year term for viewing nude images of underage girls. Neil Cohen will serve the term either in prison or a mental hospital. The state Correc...
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Ex-New Orleans Tech Chief Pleads Guilty
Criminal Law 11/02/2010The former technology chief for the City of New Orleans pleaded guilty Monday in a fraud scheme that prosecutors said brought him more than $860,000 in bribes and kickbacks, paid by a businessman to whom he allegedly steered $4 million in city contra...
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N.H. man due in court in Haverhill homicide
Criminal Law 11/01/2010A New Hampshire man wanted in connection with a fatal stabbing in Massachusetts is expected to face a judge.Authorities say 21-year-old Ryan Sullivan, of Derry, N.H., is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Salem, N.H. District Court as a fugitive fro...
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Colo. pot grower plans guilty plea to drug charges
Criminal Law 10/21/2010A Colorado pot grower who tried unsuccessfully to use state medical marijuana law in his defense on federal drug charges has said he now plans to plead guilty. Christopher Bartkowicz, of Highlands Ranch, was scheduled to change his plea on Thursday. ...
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Man guilty of stealing $340K in copper
Criminal Law 10/21/2010An Annapolis man admitted yesterday that he stole more than $340,000 of copper cable intended for use in the construction of unmanned drones destined for U.S. foreign military operations - possibly in Iraq and Afghanistan.Levon Smith, 54, faces up to...
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Ex-Ohio sewer agency lawyer sentenced to 70 months
Criminal Law 10/20/2010The former top attorney for the Cleveland area's sewage agency has been sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison for pursuing thousands of dollars in bribes.Sixty-4-year-old William Schatz admitted shaking down a contractor for more than $682,000...
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Lawsuit filed in Utah tour bus crash
Criminal Law 10/20/2010The driver of a van and a tour operator have been sued over a crash in Utah that killed three Japanese tourists and injured 11 others.The Salt Lake Tribune says the lawsuit filed Friday in federal court claims passenger Kei Maeda has suffered incompl...
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Court date set in New York City anti-gay beatings
Criminal Law 10/14/2010The 10 suspects accused in anti-gay attacks on four men in the Bronx are due in court.They have been charged with crimes including assault, sexual abuse and harassment, all as hate crimes. The men are scheduled to appear in Bronx state Supreme Court ...
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Court sends back Buddhist temple killing case
Criminal Law 10/12/2010A man accused of killing nine people at a Buddhist temple near Phoenix as a juvenile will have the federal courts reconsider his overturned conviction.The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the lower courts to re-examine the thrown-out murder convictio...
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Man who took tourists on NYC chase pleads guilty
Criminal Law 10/08/2010A man who took five French tourists on a police chase of an illegal airport shuttle van in New York has pleaded guilty to felony assault in exchange for a 90-day jail term.Ian McFarlane entered the plea Thursday in Queens. McFarlane could've faced se...