truesee's Blog

Gitmo in heartland?

Town sees jobs, Republicans see security risk in plan to move detainees to Illinois prison

When Illinois built the $145 Thomson Correctional Center the complex was promised to bring jobs and an economic boost to the area around Thomson, Illinois. That never happened and the prison remains largely vacant. (Tribune file photo / February 22, 2002)

Christi Parsons, Katherine Skiba and Joel Hood

Chicago Tribune reporters

November 15, 2009

THOMSON, Ill. -- President Barack Obama's idea of moving suspected terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay detention center to a northwest Illinois prison may face its biggest opposition hundreds of miles away in Washington.

On Saturday, residents and leaders in tiny Thomson, quickly warmed to the prospect of finally putting the long-languishing penitentiary to greater use, relishing the promise of jobs in a down economy.

"It would help the businesses here, and God knows we could use that," said Kay Lawton, 59, eating breakfast Saturday at a restaurant a few hundred yards from the Thomson Correctional Center. "It doesn't matter to me who they bring here."

But for those detainees to arrive from Cuba, the White House first has to persuade Congress to buy into the notion of holding suspected terrorists on U.S. soil. Hours after the story was reported by the Tribune, the administration began a low-key sales job of the idea it floated Friday, releasing estimates that envisioned an economic boon for the region.

Illinois Republicans immediately assailed the idea of putting terrorism suspects at Thomson. Rep. Mark Kirk, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate, circulated a letter among Illinois' congressional delegation urging the White House to not proceed.

"If your administration brings al-Qaida terrorists to Illinois, our state and the Chicago metropolitan area will become ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization," Kirk, a five-term congressman, wrote in the letter to Obama.

Democrats largely ceded the debate to Republicans for much of Saturday. Gov. Pat Quinn plans a three-city tour Sunday to talk about Thomson. In a statement, Quinn framed the issue as showing off the prison to the federal government to help with "overcrowding" -- not mentioning the idea of holding terrorism suspects in Illinois.

By late afternoon, Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin defended the idea, citing statistics that 350 inmates convicted of terrorism are locked up in federal prisons, including 35 in Illinois.

"To those who say U.S. prisons cannot safely hold high-risk terror suspects, I say look at the facts," he said.

The battle lines started to form in the wake of the White House's revelation Friday that the largely vacant prison near the Mississippi River is a leading candidate to house a "limited number" of terrorism suspects. On Saturday, Durbin put the number at "fewer than 100."

For months, the administration has faced a knot of problems as it works to close the detention center on the naval base in Cuba. Thomson, a maximum-security prison roughly 150 miles west of Chicago, could be turned into a super-maximum facility with a unit for some of the Guantanamo detainees.

Unclear is how many would be transferred to Illinois and whether Thomson would be the sole domestic prison for that purpose. Several other sites have been under review by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Defense, and local officials around the country have volunteered their communities as host towns.

And so it is that Thomson could figure prominently on a political issue of global scope. Guantanamo has emerged as an international symbol of U.S. anti-terror and detention policies; Obama said its name was "a rallying cry" for al-Qaida as he ordered its closure shortly after taking office.

But the shutdown has proved hard to accomplish, primarily because there's no simple way to relocate the more than 200 detainees now housed there. Foreign allies are open to accepting some, but Obama has had to ask for their help while admitting the U.S. might not be able to do the same.

As distasteful as some find the idea of incarcerating terrorists on U.S. soil, prisons are an inviting idea in some remote areas suffering economic hardship. Thomson, with a population of less than 600, is a good example.

On the north end of town is the sprawling prison, a series of drab, low-slung stone buildings that opened to great fanfare in 2001. The $145 million prison complex promised to bring hundreds of jobs. But that never happened. Since the construction wrapped up eight years ago, the only portion of the prison that has opened is the minimum-security wing. The prison's state-of-the-art maximum-security wing remains vacant, a casualty of the state's shifting correctional priorities.

The town was abuzz Saturday with news that the prison is being looked at by the Obama administration.

"People have come here, they've bought homes, and when the prison never opened they simply had to leave," said Rosie Rojas, a waitress at the Sunrise restaurant. "Everybody is fighting for jobs, and it seems like that prison has the potential to bring a lot of them."

Brad Spencer, a volunteer firefighter and resident of nearby Savanna, predicted opposition would surface.

"It don't bother me none, but this is a small town and a lot of people have a conservative outlook on something like this," said Spencer as he worked the back room of Schafer Fisheries Inc. in nearby Fulton.

Thomson Village President Jerry "Duke" Hebeler said Saturday that state officials last month pitched to him the idea of bringing detainees to the prison. He welcomes the economic development potential.

"A murderer is a murderer no matter where he's from," Hebeler said. "That's the way I look at it."

The prison would generate 2,300 to 3,200 jobs in the area and pump $790 million to $1 billion into the local economy in its first four years, according to a White House estimate generated at the request of Quinn and Durbin.

Republican U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo, whose district includes Thomson, acknowledged the "extraordinary unemployment" in the area but said he opposed the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners there.

"The issue is: 'Are you going to exchange the promise of jobs for national security?' National security trumps everything." he said.

Manzullo, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was concerned that "al-Qaida would follow al-Qaida" to northwest Illinois if Thomson took Guantanamo detainees. All seven House Republicans from Illinois signed Kirk's protest letter to Obama.

Among Illinois Democrats, U.S. Reps. Bill Foster, who represents a far west suburban district, and Phil Hare, whose district is adjacent to Manzullo's, said they needed more information.

Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington said she remains "opposed to transferring Guantanamo detainees to Illinois, or anywhere in the United States, without substantial assurances regarding potential security threats."

The White House is working from the understanding that it will need to sort things out with Congress if the Thomson idea is to proceed.

In the White House view, federal law bars the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. for any purpose other than prosecution. But administration officials said they have been told by congressional leaders that legislators would consider lifting the restriction if the administration presented a final plan to close Guantanamo that included the new detention location.

Political considerations also will play out in Illinois. Quinn, who will offer his views Sunday, is running for election next year. Republican foes showed they won't be shy about making Thomson a campaign issue.

Noting Quinn's effort to release nonviolent inmates early as a budget-cutting move, former state GOP Chairman Andy McKenna said, "It appears Gov. Quinn's only plan to cut spending and create jobs is free prisoners and bring terrorists to Illinois."

Link to Photo Gallery of Thomson Correctional Center:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-091115-guantanamo-terror-illinois-pictures,0,3130130.photogallery

Christi Parsons and Katherine Skiba reported from Washington. Joel Hood reported from Thomson. Julian E. Barnes of the Washington Bureau and Tribune reporter Rick Pearson contributed.

Men quicker to say 'I love you', research shows

Men are quicker to declare their love to their partner than women, according to a survey carried out for The Sunday Telegraph.

Ben Leach
Published: 8:00AM GMT 15 Nov 2009

 Studies show that men fall in love more frequently than women Photo: GETTY IMAGES

It is a cliché of romance – that men find it hardest to blurt out those three crucial words: "I love you".

But while men take an average of seven months to tell a new partner that they love them, women take almost eight months, according to the dating survey conducted for Stella magazine.

The study, which exposes several myths surrounding relationships, also found that the over 55s are the most active – and experimental – of all age groups, when it comes to dating.

Stella commissioned YouGov to interview almost 2,000 men and women of all ages and backgrounds who have been on a date in the past year.

Jenni Trent Hughes, a relationship counsellor, said the results contradicted many popular views on dating, as well as some of the stereotypes of the differences between the two sexes.

"Although women do tend to wear their heart on their sleeves more than men do, men are just as emotional and sensitive – sometimes even more so," she added.

Oliver James, the clinical psychologist and author, said the findings supported other studies that showed that men fall in love more frequently than women, and that they are more prone to feelings of being "swept away" by someone.

"This is because women mature sooner than men and develop to be more hard-nosed, realistic and in touch with their emotions," he added.

"So when a man says 'I love you' it might be his way of dealing with a lot of complex, difficult emotions that he doesn't really understand, whereas when a woman says it, it might carry a greater weight. The classic cliché is that men use love to get sex and women use sex to get love."

The survey found that almost two-thirds of men and women over 55 have joined internet dating websites, compared to just over one fifth of 18 to 24-year-olds.

The older age group also met up with more dates they had found online and had more, lasting relationships with partners they had met on the internet than any other age group. The over 55s using internet dating websites had met up with an average of eight people each, and had relationships with an average of two each.

They also met more sexual partners online (an average of 2.4) than any other age group, with the exception of the 45 to 54-year-olds (2.6).

The oldest age group is the also most experimental when it comes to more traditional forms of dating.

One fifth of the over 55s have joined a matchmaking organisation and around one in seven have attended a special singles event.

Almost one quarter have even tried speed dating, more than any other age group except the 35 to 44-year-olds.

Keren Smedley, who runs Experience Matters, a relationship and dating consultancy, said the results dispelled some taboos about the older age groups.

"Many people think that not only do older people not date, they do not know how to use the computer either. But this is simply not true.

"Many older people have embraced the internet and internet dating because it helps them overcome some of the practical difficulties – like not knowing where to go to meet people – that sometimes make dating difficult.

"The advantages for older people are that you can do it in private, and on your own, and that it means you can really get to know someone before you meet them.

"For most people the idea that our parents or grandparents have sex is taboo, but this is nonsense. The survey shows that people can still lead an active dating lifestyle well into their retirement."

The study disputed other widely held views. While men are often considered to value looks more highly than anything else when looking for a partner, the Stella research suggests otherwise.

It found that 91 per cent of men would most like their ideal partner to have a sense of humour. In contrast, 85 per cent would most like them to have attractive looks.

But the study did reinforce some stereotypical views. For example, half of men date to have sex, compared to around one fifth of women.

In contrast, almost four fifths of women date to find a long-term relationship, compared to around two-thirds of men.

And one fifth of men would have sex on their first date, compared to only one in seventeen women, with 28 per cent of women waiting until the fifth date, or later.

For men, the preferred age gap for a relationship, is with a partner who is up to five years younger than them. In contrast, most women would like their partner to be up to five years older.

But both sexes agreed on who should pick up the tab on a date: with men spending an average of $40.50 and women an average of $23.20.

Overdue Library Books Returned Half Century Later

Former Student Returns 2 Books Along With $1,000 Money Order

The Cannabis Cafe in Portland becomes first marijuana cafe in America

Getty / SullivanThe creation of the cafe comes almost a month after the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons.

PORTLAND, Oregon – The United States' first marijuana cafe opened on Friday, posing an early test of the Obama administration's move to relax policing of medical use of the drug.

The Cannabis Cafe in Portland, Oregon, is the first to give certified medical marijuana users a place to get hold of the drug and smoke it -- as long as they are out of public view -- despite a federal ban.

"This club represents personal freedom, finally, for our members," said Madeline Martinez, Oregon's executive director of NORML, a group pushing for marijuana legalization.

"Our plans go beyond serving food and marijuana," said Martinez. "We hope to have classes, seminars, even a Cannabis Community College, based here to help people learn about growing and other uses for cannabis."

The cafe -- in a two-story building which formerly housed a speak-easy and adult erotic club Rumpspankers -- is technically a private club, but is open to any Oregon residents who are NORML members and hold an official medical marijuana card.

Members pay $25 per month to use the 100-person capacity cafe. They don't buy marijuana, but get it free over the counter from "budtenders". Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it serves food but has no liquor license.

There are about 21,000 patients registered to use marijuana for medical purposes in Oregon. Doctors have prescribed marijuana for a host of illnesses, including Alzheimer's, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Tourette's syndrome.

On opening day, reporters invited to the cafe could smell, but were not allowed to see, people smoking marijuana.

"I still run a coffee shop and events venue, just like I did before we converted it to the Cannabis Cafe, but now it will be cannabis-themed," said Eric Solomon, the owner of the cafe, who is looking forward to holding marijuana-themed weddings, film festivals and dances in the second-floor ballroom.

NO PROSECUTION

The creation of the cafe comes almost a month after the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons or dispensaries in states which have legalized them.

About a dozen states, including Oregon, followed California's 1996 move to adopt medical marijuana laws, allowing the drug to be cultivated and sold for medical use. A similar number have pending legislation or ballot measures planned.

Pot cafes, known as "coffee shops", are popular in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal. Portland's Cannabis Cafe is the first of its kind to open in the United States, according to NORML.

Growing, possessing, distributing and smoking marijuana are still illegal under U.S. federal law, which makes no distinction between medical and recreational use.

Federal and local law enforcement agencies did not return phone calls from Reuters on Friday seeking comment on the Portland cafe's operations.

"To have a place that is this open about its activities, where people can come together and smoke -- I say that's pretty amazing." said Tim Pate, a longtime NORML member, at the cafe.

Some locals are hoping it might even be good for business.

"I know some neighbors are pretty negative about this place opening up," said David Bell, who works at a boutique that shares space with the cafe. "But I'm withholding judgment. There's no precedent for it. We don't know what to expect. But it would great if it brought some customers into our store."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/11/14/2009-11-14_the_cannabis_cafe_in_portland_becomes_first_marijuana_cafe_in_america.html#ixzz0WtEDpeMl

WHNT NEWS 19 Exclusive: Man With Missing Nose Turns Himself In

Clarissa Stephens

Shoals Bureau Reporter

4:46 PM CST, November 12, 2009

TUSCUMBIA, AL - The search is over for the man who allegedly came into a home, fought with the two men who lived there, and stole their money. Florence police say William Cole turned himself in Thursday.

WHNT NEWS 19 was the only television station to capture video of Cole. He spoke with us, too. Watch the interview below this story.

Cole is missing part of his nose after getting in a fight with a man living in the home. The man bit off most of his nose during the struggle.

The robbery happened just after 11:30 a.m. on Monday at a home in the 900 block of John Street. Police say one man was asleep, the other sitting inside, when Cole opened the door and walked in. Police say Cole had a screwdriver and a knife in his pocket. The robber went to a back room and grabbed a coat with $100 in the pocket. Police believe the robber visited the house earlier in the day with another guy.

"He'd seen the victim put money in his wallet in that coat," says Williams.

As Cole tried to leave, the victim confronted him and they started to fight. A second man, who'd been asleep woke up, and got involved. When the second victim ran to get a gun, Williams say things got very physical between the robber and the first victim.

"As the confrontation was going on, the offender got his nose bitten off," says Williams. "We're guessing from the bridge to the tip of the nose and it was a pretty good piece."

The robber still managed to get away with the cash, but without a chunk of his nose.

Cole was already a wanted man. WHNT NEWS 19 featured him in the Shoals Area CrimeStoppers report on Monday night. The Florence Police Department has a warrant for Cole's arrest for first-degree theft of property. He is accused of stealing a woman's purse. Cole also has three other bench warrants for failure to appear in court.

                                   LINK TO VIDEO:

 http://www.whnt.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=39aaf628-97a1-4f26-8410-2e9b0859ef3f&src=front

                            (Warning - Grotesque!)

                    Photo: Piece of Robbery Suspect's Nose

http://www.whnt.com/news/shoals/whnt-robbers-nose-bitten-off-photo,0,2079211.photo

Strippers-on-a-truck promotion halted in Las Vegas

OSKAR GARCIA
AJC

Larry Beard, marketing director of Deja Vu Showgirls, said Friday that he's taking his lawyer's advice and parking the truck.

"We're going to respect the opinion of the folks that are against it," Beard told The Associated Press. "We're going to be good citizens and take it off the street."

Beard had told the AP earlier this week that he was prepared to fight county leaders and others who thought the moving truck promotion was unseemly or unsafe.

"The girls are wearing more than the girls at the swimming pool wear," Beard said this week. "Even though they're not stripping and taking their clothes off I think people are offended because of the idea that they do."

The truck rolled for 13 nights along the Las Vegas Strip from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., trying to lure customers to the club. Three sides had windows that weren't tinted, offering views of the strippers dancing around a stripper pole.

The tactic worked, with business booming since the truck started going out, Beard said.

"We even have cars and limos follow us to the club," Beard said this week.

The dancers were allowed to perform in the truck because it was classified as a vehicle for hire, which let the dancers ride in the back without seat belts, Beard said.

Public outrage over the truck grew as pictures and videos of the truck surfaced on the Internet and a county commissioner in Las Vegas vowed to shut it down.

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said he got calls from citizens who hated it and others who liked it, but he considered the truck a safety problem.

"It's clearly a distraction," Sisolak told the AP. "Somebody's going to turn their head to look at some girl flipping upside-down and spinning on a pole, and take their eyes off the road and could swerve and pop up the sidewalk and plow into a bunch of tourists that are walking along."

Sisolak said he plans to try to close a loophole in local laws regulating mobile billboards.

Regulations prohibit advertising vehicles that use animation or flashing lights, and Sisolak said he would try to prevent live entertainers from being used, too.

Meanwhile, he's happy the club owners decided to park the truck.

"Could they have won in court? That would have been a long, costly, time-exhaustive battle," Sisolak said. "They clearly got a lot of publicity as it stands, which I'm sure made them happy."

LINK TO PHOTOS:

http://www.accessatlanta.com/celebrities-tv/strippers-on-a-truck-196723.html?cxntlid=thbz_hm

November 13, 2009 09:51 PM EST

William Jefferson sentenced to 13 years in prison

Jonathan Tilove

The Times-Picayune

November 13, 2009, 9:19PM

The Associated PressWilliam Jefferson, left, with his wife Andrea Jefferson, leave the U.S. District Courthouse after being Jefferson was sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery. Former Rep. William Jefferson was sentenced Friday to serve 13 years in prison for what the lead prosecutor described as "the most extensive and pervasive pattern of corruption in the history of Congress."

While the sentence by federal Judge T.S. Ellis III fell well short of the 27 to 33 years recommended by the government, it is by the far the stiffest jail term ever imposed on a member or former member of Congress for crimes committed while in office.

Jefferson, 62, was found guilty Aug. 6 on 11 charges, including soliciting bribes, depriving citizens of honest service, money laundering and using his office as a racketeering enterprise. 

He was acquitted of five other charges in a case that famously featured the revelation that he had hidden $90,000 in the freezer of his home, marked bills from the FBI that prosecutors said was going to be used as a bribe.

Jefferson stood stoically as the sentence was read, his head <snip>ed slightly to the left, showing no obvious emotion.

In this drawing by Dana Verkouteren, Judge T.S. Ellis tells former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson his fate as defense attorney Robert Trout stands nearby.

The judge also ordered Jefferson to forfeit the $470,653.47 the jury had determined was funneled to shell companies under his family's control through his bribe schemes.

Jefferson was not immediately taken into custody, as prosecutors had requested. Instead the nine-term Democratic member of Congress was released pending a hearing Wednesday at which Ellis will hear arguments on whether Jefferson is a flight risk and should be sent directly to prison. His attorneys have asked that he be allowed to remain free on bond while he appeals his conviction, which is unlikely. 

Barring that, lead attorney Robert Trout is asking that Jefferson be allowed to turn himself to authorities Jan. 4, which would be routine in a case of this sort, and would allow him to spend Christmas with his family.

Jefferson does not have to appear at Wednesday's hearing, but if the judge approves the prosecution's request, the former congressman would have to report immediately. Ellis agreed to recommend Jefferson be assigned to a low-security prison "camp." Trout specifically recommended the federal prison in Pensacola, Fla., but Ellis said only that he would recommend a facility close to New Orleans.

Jefferson has 10 business days to file an appeal, which Trout said they would do.

Just as he did not testify in his own defense at his trial, Jefferson did not speak before sentencing. Trout explained to Ellis that "we are going to appeal and I have advised my client he would be best served by not discussing the facts of the case or making any statement to the court."

The only words Jefferson uttered before the court Friday were a quiet "yes" when Ellis asked him if he had read his pre-sentencing report, and again when he was asked whether he was satisfied with his legal representation.

Before passing sentence, Ellis said he did not fault Jefferson for not speaking before the court "under the circumstances," and, "I don't have any doubt you regret some of the conduct" that led to his conviction. 

But Ellis said that "public corruption is a cancer that needs to be surgically removed," and that his sentence had to serve as a "beacon" to all about the price to be paid for compromising the public trust.

"I have no doubt you have led an extraordinary life; you have accomplished a great deal," Ellis said to Jefferson, who stood before him in a dark suit and blue shirt. "It makes this even all that much sadder for me and many others.
"Obviously you are a man of great gifts. It is a tragedy these gifts have been squandered." 

The 13-year sentence represented an ignominious end for Jefferson, who rose from the humblest beginnings in the small northeast Louisiana town of Lake Providence to attend 

Harvard University. He went on to become the first African-American to represent Louisiana in Congress since Reconstruction and a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. 

He raised five daughters, each with undergraduate and graduate degrees from prestigous universities.

The daughters, sitting alongside their mother on the front bench behind the defendant, and accompanied by Jefferson's brother, Archie, remained impassive during the proceeding, which lasted three hours.

In the rear of the courtroom, seated in a corner of the last bench, were two jurors, one of whom was left teary by the proceedings.

Asked outside the courtroom before the sentencing how his brother was maintaining his composure, Archie Jefferson replied: "Faith."

The previous longest sentence for congressional corruption was eight years, four months meted out in March 2006 to former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California, who pleaded guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes to help military contractors win government contracts. Ellis said that Cunningham's disgrace had hit him especially hard because they were both Navy aviators. "There must be some kind of greed virus affects those in power,"  the judge said.

In his remarks to the court, Trout said that while Jefferson had been found guilty of bribery, his case did not involve selling his vote or obtaining a legislative earmark.

"Not all bribery cases are alike," said Trout, who said that in his mind, Jefferson "always thought that he kept to the right side of the law," and that the help he delivered in arranging business deals in Africa in exchange for payments to family-owned businesses, was not an "official act" covered by the bribery statute.

The question of what is an official act promises to be at the center of Jefferson's appeal.

Trout also ridiculed the government's assertion in its sentencing memo that the defendant and his family stood to gain more then $500 million in cash, stock and equity interests through Jefferson's various deals.

"This was no $500 million bribe scheme," said Trout, suggesting that Jefferson's take, beyond the nearly half million assessed against him, was "more likely to be zero as anything else, and for the most part, that's how the facts bore out."

But chief prosecutor Mark Lytle and Ellis said that Jefferson clearly had far larger dollars signs in his eyes.

"You're not expecting me to believe that he didn't expect to get more than $478,000 out of this, do you?" Ellis asked.

Unresolved Friday was whether Jefferson was actually convicted of any crime related to the $90,000 that was found hidden in his freezer when the FBI raided his Washington home in August 2005. The FBI and prosecutors believe Jefferson intended to deliver the money as a bribe to Atiku Abubakar, who was then vice president of Nigeria, which would violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He was acquitted of the direct charge of violating the act, but convicted of a conspiracy count which may or may not have involved the act. Ellis said because he failed to make the jury form more specific, that question will never be resolved.

Trout argued it was plain that the jury did not find Jefferson in violation of the act -- he would be the first public official convicted under it -- and Lytle said it was just as plain to him and to anyone who watched and listened to the tapes played in the trial, that Jefferson had violated the act, and the jury had found him guilty of conspiring to violate it.

In a statement after the sentencing, Neil MacBride, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said, "Mr. Jefferson is well-known for the $90,0000 found in his freezer. It is our hope that he will now be well-known for the tough sentence handed down today, showing that no one -- including our elected officials -- are above the law."

Harry Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney in New Orleans, now in private practice, said that "a 13-year sentence to a federal prison is never good news but Jefferson got a major break today when Judge Ellis departed downward from the federal sentencing guidelines."

"Both sides can claim a victory," said Rosenberg, noting that the court had handed down "the longest sentence meted out to a convicted Congressman," without issuing what would have amounted to a "death sentence."

AP Photo/Jacquelyn MartinFormer Democratic Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, second from left, is surrounded by reporters as he enters U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. on Friday.

 U.S. Attorney's Office/APJurors saw photos of the infamous frozen cash, recovered in August 2005. It was wrapped in $10,000 increments and concealed in boxes of Pillsbury pie crust and Boca burgers.

Tampa man calls 911, asks for sex; he gets jail instead

  Kim Wilmath

Times Staff Writer
Nov 12, 2009 09:51 AM

Photo by APJoshua Basso of Tampa is booked on charges of making a false 911 call. 

TAMPA — Joshua Basso said his cell phone ran out of minutes Wednesday, so he called the one number that he knew is always free — 911 — with an unusual request.

He wanted someone to have sex with him.

When 911 operators hung up on him, he called back four times, police said.

Fifteen minutes after his last call, police arrested Basso at his home, at 4202 N Nebraska Ave., on charges of making a false 911 call. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

Basso has been arrested a dozen times in Hillsborough on charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle, violation of probation, domestic violence battery, possession of marijuana, trespassing and burglary, jail records show.

Evangelist Tony Alamo gets 175 years in jail for sex crimes

Lewis/APIn this Tuesday, July 14, 2009 file photo, Evangelist Tony Alamo, center is led from the federal courthouse in downtown Texarkana Ark.

Evangelist Tony Alamo was sentenced Friday to 175 years in prison for taking underage girls across state lines for sex, effectively punishing him for the rest of his life for molesting children he took as "brides" in his ministry.

During Friday's hearing, some of Alamo's victims testified about how their families were destroyed while the evangelist took over their lives.

Alamo, 75, had been convicted in July on a 10-count federal indictment. U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes said Alamo used his status as father figure and pastor and threatened and threatened the girls with "the loss of their salvation."

"Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher a greater judge than me, may he have mercy on your soul," Barnes said.

Just before Barnes sentenced Alamo, the evangelist offered a brief statement to the court praising God then later adding:

"I'm glad I'm me and not the deceived people in the world."

Alamo's lawyers said they planned to appeal Barnes' ruling. His defense offered a doctor who said he suffered from hardening arteries, diabetes, glaucoma and other health problems. However on cross-examination the doctor acknowledged he saw Alamo only once in 2004 and that the purpose of Alamo's visit was to get an eye lift to make him appear younger.

The evangelist will stay in Texarkana pending a Jan. 13 hearing in which Barnes will decide whether Alamo's victims will get restitution from him. After that hearing, Barnes said Alamo would go to a federal prison that has hospital facilities.

A woman Alamo took as a child "bride" at age 8 challenged the evangelist from the witness stand Friday to submit himself to God's judgment. Reading from lined notebook paper, she said Alamo tore her family apart by taking her as a child bride and described how she shook uncontrollably when he first molested her.

"You preyed on innocent children," she said staring down Alamo, who wore yellow prison scrubs and a windbreaker for the hearing.

"You have the audacity to ask for mercy. What mercy did you show us?" she said.

A moment later she asked, "What kind of man of God does what you have done?"

The woman told Barnes that she planned to become an FBI agent in order to help other child sex abuse victims.

Two other child brides testified. One, who said she is now employed full-time and has a life of her own outside of the ministry, said she hoped Alamo would spend the rest of his life in jail.

"Maybe the real God, not the God you made up, will have mercy on your soul," the woman said.

Barnes said there was ample evidence that Alamo engaged in a pattern of molesting younger and younger girls in his ministry.

Alamo accused his victims of lying, as he has done throughout his prosecution.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/11/13/2009-11-13_evangelist_tony_alamo_gets_.html#ixzz0WmrJiVJX

Robinson woman arrested after pretending to have cancer, using money from fundraiser for breast implants

Authorities say a Robinson woman told them she lied about having breast cancer and then spent $10,000 raised for her at a charitable benefit on breast implants in an attempt to save her failing marriage.

McLennan County Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested 24-year-old Trista Joy Lathern on Wednesday on state jail felony theft by deception charges. She remains free on $7,500 bail after surrendering to county officials Wednesday afternoon.

Lathern’s attorney, Phil Frederick, said neither Lathern nor he would comment on the arrest. Chief Deputy Randy Plemons said the investigation into Lathern’s alleged actions is ongoing and might result in additional charges being filed. He declined additional comment.

According to an arrest complaint obtained by sheriff’s investigator James Pack, Lathern’s husband said he was unaware that his wife didn’t have breast cancer until Pack told him last month. Lathern claimed to have breast cancer and said she was undergoing chemotherapy, according to reports filed in the case.

Lathern “went as far as shaving her head to deceive and further her appearance of being a cancer patient,” Pack wrote in the complaint.

Lathern’s cancer claims came under scrutiny in October, almost two months after friends organized a benefit for her at the Hog Creek Icehouse in Speegleville and raised about $10,000 that those who attended thought was going toward her treatment.

“Several victims have come forward advising that they felt deceived out of their money as a result of this fundraiser,” Pack noted. “Several local businesses donated items to this fundraiser to be auctioned off.”

Besides an auction and meals, at least three bands, including John Epperson and Drivin’ Blind, donated their time to play at the Aug. 16 benefit. Fliers for the event, which also featured a bake sale and a raffle, said Lathern has two small boys and had lost her health insurance coverage.

“We are good friends of the family, who is greatly devastated by the actions of their family member,” Epperson said in an e-mail. “We choose not to comment on the situation.”

Investigation starts

The sheriff’s office started its investigation Oct. 1 after an attorney for an undisclosed Waco plastic surgeon reported that the doctor, who learned of the Hog Creek Icehouse benefit for Lathern, became suspicious when she inquired about breast implants but never mentioned that she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

“The surgeon advised the attorney that he felt he was possibly in possession of stolen money that Trista had raised and gave as a cash down payment in the amount of $3,509” for breast augmentation, Pack wrote.

Pack spoke to Lathern on Oct. 15, and she reportedly told him that she never had cancer and never underwent chemotherapy, although she said she had a benign area removed from her left breast in February.

“Trista said that she and her husband had been having marital problems, and she thought by telling him she had cancer that would bring them closer together,” Pack wrote in the affidavit.

She said that after the fundraiser, she gave $3,500 to the local plastic surgeon for breast augmentation but later had the surgery done in Austin for about $6,800.

“Trista said after the fundraiser she tried to bring attention to herself by having a breast augmentation performed, hoping it would help mend her marriage,” the report says.

Wayne Redding, owner of Hog Creek Icehouse, said his business has hosted about 30 benefits in the 2 1/2 years it has been at its current location.

He said they don’t ask a lot of questions there, adding that they are happy to provide a venue for a Sunday afternoon benefit if it can help those in need. That may change, he said.

“I guess people are capable of doing anything, but out of all the benefits we have had here, and we have had a lot, we never have had anyone be deceptive about it,” Redding said. “This is an unusual situation. But, yes, we definitely will want to rethink how we handle benefits and whether to make our place available.”

LINK TO PHOTO AND AUDIO:

http://www.wacotrib.com/search/content/news/stories/2009/11/05/11052009waccancer.html?imw=Y

Caught in the act: Crooks dress up as victims in $740G scam, cops say

 New York County DACops say Arthur Franklin orchestrated scam where he and fellow lowlifes - including beauty (below) and a bald guy  - disguised themselves as their victims in the $740,000 ripoff.

New York County DA

A ring of identity thieves made off with $740,000 by disguising themselves in elaborate get-ups - including a construction worker and a doctor - to pose as their victims, prosecutors said Thursday.

"These guys were basically a costume show," said Chief Assistant Attorney Mark Dwyer.

Arthur Franklin, Joseph Simms and Vincent Franklin supervised a cleverly outfitted ring that ripped off the bank accounts of 184 victims in New York and Chicago, Manhattan prosecutors said.  The Harlem men are accused of recruiting pickpockets to swipe wallets and purses, and then paying two workers at a Pennsylvania collection agency to obtain victims' Social Security numbers and telephone numbers from a database.

With that information, authorities said, they rounded up several women and a few men to match the victims' appearance by dressing in makeup, hats, glasses and wigs so they could fraudulently withdraw thousands of dollars from their bank accounts.

Arthur Franklin went even further, prosecutors said.

A sharp-eyed investigator at Chase Bank put an end to the costumed caper after noticing Franklin repeatedly showed up on surveillance videos - sometimes sporting a stethoscope and surgical scrubs and other times wearing an orange hardhat.

"Because most construction workers do their banking in a hardhat," quipped Assistant District Attorney Antonia Merzon.

One of the accused scammers, Carol DiBitetto, was busted in a wig outside a Citibank branch after a clerk noticed the signature on her withdrawal slip didn't match the one on the account.

Another woman, Tina Barboza, was arrested when she tried to buy a designer handbag from Saks Fifth Avenue with a credit card picked up during a pickpocketing.

Yvonne Harris was picked up yesterday morning when she surfaced in Criminal Court to support Simms during his court appearance.

When Arthur Franklin was arrested, authorities recovered more than 200 stolen credit cards, checks, wigs and an orange hardhat from his apartment and car.

The 15 suspects - some of whom treated themselves to spending sprees at Fairway, Best Buy and the Shake Shack - are facing charges that include identity theft, grand larceny and forgery.

Four suspects who have yet to be collared are identified in the criminal complaint by their defining physical characteristic, including a chrome-domed fellow labeled "John Doe Bald Man" and a grinning lady tagged "Jane Doe Wide Smile." 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/11/13/2009-11-13_caught_in_the_act.html#ixzz0WkRYjwBT

Palin Oprah VIDEO: "Levi Is Loved"

The Huffington Post

Lila Shapiro

11/12/09 3:56 PM

On Wednesday night, Oprah tweeted out a short video previewing her upcoming, much anticipated, interview with Sarah Palin. Oprah wouldn't go into much detail, but she said that she and the former governor of Alaska talked about "everything." Today, CBS has two choice segments from their conversation, set to air Monday, November 16th.

"One final question about Levi," Oprah asks in the first clip: "will he be invited to Thanksgiving dinner?"

Palin laughs. "You know, that's a great question." It's also a question that Palin doesn't seem to want to answer. "It's lovely to think that he would ever even consider such a thing," she says. "Because, of course, you want -- he is a part of the family and you want to bring him in the fold and kind of under your wing. And he needs that, too, Oprah. I think he needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child and this can all work out for good. It really can." She then segues into a mishmash of statements on how the Palins are "not really into the drama."

Oprah presses on: "Does that mean yes he is coming or no he's not?"

In the second clip, Oprah suggests they talk about Palin's interview with Katie Couric -- a series of disastrous segments including an exchange where Couric asked Palin which newspapers she read and Palin responded: "Um, all of them, any of them." Palin tells Oprah she didn't think it was a defining moment, and neither did her campaign, though she acknowledged it was a "bad interview."

On Thanksgiving with Levi:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5630701n&tag=api

On The Couric Interview:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5630609n&tag=api

Lansing cop suspended for Taser incident

Prosecutor concludes no criminal wrongdoing

Kevin Grasha 

Detroit Free Press

November 12, 2009

UPDATED 4 PM -- LANSING -- A Lansing police officer who Tasered a man after the man had been handcuffed and subdued has been suspended, officials said today.

Officer Ryan Smith -- a two-year veteran of the department who is assigned to the South Precinct – has been suspended without pay for two weeks for violating department policies and procedures, officials said.

WATCH POLICE VIDEO OF TASER INCIDENT (WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)

http://gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-lansing-051-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=articleplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referralObject=1328737398

READ POLICE NEWS RELEASE

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/assets/pdf/A31465391112.PDF

Lansing Police Chief Mark Alley said the incident that led to the suspension occurred about 1 a.m. Aug. 16 in the 2400 block of North Wadsworth in Lansing after police responded to a call of a dispute between Rocky Allred, 43, of Lansing and a former girlfriend.

Alley said there was a scuffle between Allred and Smith prior to an arrest being made, and that Allred head butted Smith while Smith made an unsuccessful attempt to handcuff him. Smith attempted to use his Taser on Allred, but the weapon did not fire and Smith dropped the weapon. Two other officers were able to subdue and handcuff Allred, and which point Alley said Smith used his Taser on Allred, causing Allred to fall to the ground.

According to documents released from the Lansing Police Department, Allred suffered injuries to his face, including a broken jaw, a chipped tooth and eight stitches to his chin.

Allred was charged with assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, being loud and boisterous and breaking and entering with no forced entry. Those charges were later dismissed.

After an investigation by Michigan State Police, the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the incident and determined there was no criminal wrongdoing, the news release said.

The department’s Internal Affairs Unit investigated the incident and found that Smith “acted outside the (department’s) policies and procedures.”

The two-week suspension is the maximum penalty less than firing that may be issued to an officer, according to department policy.

In a statement released through the Lansing Police Department, Allred said, “I wish that incident would not have happened. However, it’s important that the public know that one bad incident with a police officer does not mean that all officers are bad.

"I feel real good about the way Chief Alley and the Lansing Police Department handled the entire investigation.”

In a statement, Police Chief Mark Alley said: “When an officer makes a poor choice on the level of force to be used, we will not hesitate to hold them accountable. Officer Smith’s poor decision in this matter is regrettable and certainly will not be tolerated by this agency.”

Alley said Smith was placed on paid administrative leave on Aug. 17 and remained on that status until today. Today, he was placed on his two-week unpaid suspension.

Alley said Smith will be allowed to rejoin the police force, but will have to undergo additional training on using a Taser.

Lansing police officer Ryan Smith (Courtesy photo)

http://www.freep.com/article/20091112/BLOG36/91112015/1320/Fox-News-admits-faking-footage

Elderly man sues bar after tripping over unleashed pooch: Claims wrecked his knee & sex life

Bates for News

Irving Grossman has a lawsuit against the Austin Ale House. He claims he tripped over a dog while there.

Dog walks into a bar, lies on the floor and trips a customer.

It's no joke - it's a lawsuit.

A Queens retiree is suing a popular Kew Gardens saloon, saying he was injured when he tripped over an unleashed dog.

Irving Grossman, 81, says the managers of Austin Steak and Ale House should have known they created a safety hazard by becoming too "pet-friendly."

Grossman claims the fall caused him "severe pain, shock, mental anguish" and ruined his sex life with his wife, Jaclyn.

He went into Austin's to place a bet at their OTB window and stumbled over a Pomeranian on the way out, busting his left kneecap, he said.

"What can I say? It's the story of my life," Grossman said. "I was in a brace for two months."

A manager at Austin's said she couldn't recall Grossman's spill even though she was working that day - April 29, 2009.

In keeping with city law, the bar doesn't allow dogs inside, but a regular customer who is visually impaired brings a Seeing Eye dog, the manager said."No one that I know can remember anything," said the manager, who declined to give her name. "But there is a customer who's handicapped who uses a dog."

There were no dogs roaming the Austin St.bar during a recent lunch hour, although there were plenty of horses - courtesy of the 50 monitors showing live races.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/11/12/2009-11-12_unleashed_pooch_wrecked_my_knee__sex_life__man_81.html?r=ny_local#ixzz0WfPWCpO5

 Hey, what'd I do? Don't blame the dog.