Crime

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    CraigsCrimeList

  • Mother in mother/daughter hooker team busted again

    Trench Reynolds
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:55 am
    Police: Mother, Daughter Prostitution Team In Trouble Again: Remember when I posted ab9out the mother/daughter hooker team that were posting on craigslist and backpage? No, not the ones from Philadelphia, the ones from Frazier Park, California. Yeah those are the ones. Anyway the mother of the pair, 56-year-old Katherine Silvers, was arrested again on prostitution charges. This time it happened in Long Island.She gets around apparently. The article says that she continued to post her masseuse services online in Long Island. So I'm guessing craigslist and backpage were used once again and I…

  • Kijiji neck slasher gets three years

    Trench Reynolds
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:03 pm
    Neck slasher gets three years' hard time: 21-year-old Corey James Johnston of St. John, New Brunswick was sentenced to 3 years for his role in an attack that took place this past August which left one man with his neck slashed. Johnston was part of a robbery attempt where an ad was placed on the eBay owned kijiji for a flat screen TV for $1400. Johnston and an accomplice tried robbing the potential buyer and during the ensuing scuffle Johnston slashed the man's neck. The injuries to the man's neck were superficial but he did separate his shoulder in the scuffle. Not surprisingly Johnston…

  • WA craigslist rapist gets nine to life

    Trench Reynolds
    1 Nov 2009 | 10:26 pm
    Man who impersonated cop to coerce sex with women sentenced to prison in Washington state: I originally posted about Sasidhar Vanapalli here. He was the man from India who posed as a police officer in order to rape to craigslist escorts. This past Friday he was sentenced to 9 years to life in Washington state prison. He has to serve at least nine years but could be kept behind bars for life if he is ruled as a potential danger. If he is released he will be deported back to India. It seems that he tried to throw himself on the mercy of the court... Vanapalli tearfully pleaded for mercy. He…

  • Md. man gets 18 months for craigslist attack

    Trench Reynolds
    1 Nov 2009 | 8:55 pm
    Man gets 18 months for Craigslist attack: 21-year-old Jasyen Aaron Shelton was sentenced to 18 months for attacking a craigslist hooker. Back in April Shelton met up with a craigslist hooker in Linthicum, Maryland forced her into his car at knife point, robbed her, and threatened to rape her. However due to the victim changing her story, not originally telling police about her craigslist ad and not being able to be located Shelton could only be sentenced to 18 months. If he doesn't stay out of trouble he could be sent to jail for 8 years. He does not have to register as a sex offender but…

  • Pa. woman arrested for offering sex for World Series tickets

    Trench Reynolds
    29 Oct 2009 | 1:59 am
    Pa. woman charged with offering sex for WS tickets: 'Sex for tix' suspect responds to allegations: Woman in sex-for-tix case 'embarrassed': That 'buxom blonde' over there is 43-year-old Susan Finkelstein of Bensalem, Pa. I'm sure you've heard her story by now. She's the overzealous Philadelphia Phillies fan who posted the following craigslist ad in order to score some tickets to the World Series... "DESPERATE BLONDE NEEDS WS TIX (Philadelphia) "Diehard Phillies fan--gorgeous tall buxom blonde-- in desperate need of two World Series Tickets. Price negotiable--- I'm the creative type! Maybe we…
 
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    Crime and Consequences Blog

  • Blog Scan

    Lauren Altdoerffer
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pm
    SCOTUSblog Recaps Oral Argument in Wood v. Allen:  Readers who would like a quick recap of how members of the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the interaction between 28 U.S.C §2254(d)(2) and §2254(e)(1) should check out Anna Christensen's SCOTUSblog summary of the argument and Kent's Wednesday post. Christensen's post gives a quick account of the questions the Justices asked Wood's counsel, Kerry Scanlon, and the Solicitor General of Alabama, Corey Maze.  She notes that the Justices seemed particularly concerned with whether Wood's case actually addressed the question on which the…

  • News Scan

    CJLF Staff
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    DP Case Sent Back Over IQ Dispute:  Jeff Arnold from the Arkansas Times Record reports that the Arkansas Supreme Court has ordered additional review of evidence that a convicted murderer was competent to stand trial in 2002.  Ricky Newman confessed to the murder of Marie Cholette and was sentenced to death.  He initially waived his right to appeal saying that he wanted to be executed.  He later claimed that he had been mentally incompetent. The doctor who had twice found him competent for trial and sentencing later reported that in his second review of Newman, he…

  • Original Habeas

    Kent Scheidegger
    5 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Habeas corpus petitions filed directly in the U.S. Supreme Court -- as opposed to asking them to review denial of a petition by a lower court -- used to be a zero-chance proposition. After the Troy Davis case, discussed here, we can't say it's zero any more. It's almost zero. The Court today denied the original habeas petition of Khristian Oliver. Michael Graczyk has this story on the execution for AP.For more background, there is this story yesterday by Christy Wooten in the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel.

  • Blog Scan

    Lauren Altdoerffer
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:33 pm
    Post-Booker Sentencing Disparities:  At Sentencing Law and Policy, Doug Berman posts on the "blame game" for the increasing number of sentencing disparities taking place in courts.  As our News Scan demonstrates, sentencing disparities have recently been the subject of some media criticism, and Berman comments that it may not be fair to blame judges for the increased disparity in sentencing outcomes after Booker.  Berman believes that judges are probably the least likely to blame for sentencing disparities, and instead places blame on Congress, the U. S. Sentencing Commission,…

  • Abuse of Discretion Standard

    Kent Scheidegger
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:37 am
    From the en banc Ninth Circuit in a federal criminal case, United States v. Hinkson, No. 05-30303:Today, after review of our cases and relevant Supreme Court precedent, we re-state the "abuse of discretion" standard of review of a trial court's factual findings as an objective two-part test. As discussed below, our newly stated "abuse of discretion" test requires us first to consider whether the district court identified the correct legal standard for decision of the issue before it. Second, the test then requires us to determine whether the district court's findings of fact, and its…
 
 
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    SFGate: Crime Scene

  • Political refugee charged with rape in East Bay

    6 Nov 2009 | 6:13 pm
    A former Brazilian police officer has been charged with numerous counts of rape for assaulting six women in Oakland and Emeryville, a prosecutor said Friday. Gleiston Porcino De Andrade, 38, told several of his victims that he was a police officer and showed...

  • Neighbors: Suspected serial killer seemed harmless

    By MEGHAN BARR and JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writers
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:27 pm
    The man who lived in the house of rotting corpses never gave people a reason to wonder what he was really doing behind closed doors. Anthony Sowell was the guy who liked to sit on his front steps drinking King Cobra Malt Liquor for $1.50 a bottle, sometimes...

  • Two separate deaths on South Bay tracks

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    Two people were killed in two unrelated Caltrain system incidents Friday, one in San Jose and the second in Redwood City. In the first fatality, an Altamont Commuter Express train struck and killed an adult woman on the northbound tracks in San Jose, causing...

  • Slain country-western club patron is identified

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    A car passenger who was shot to death after leaving a confrontation at a San Jose nightclub has been identified as 27-year-old Kim Luu. Someone pulled up alongside Luu on southbound Highway 87 just before Interstate 280 and opened fire at 1:15 a.m. Saturday,...

  • Richmond rape victim feels betrayed by attacker

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    A Richmond High School student recovering from a gang rape has told police that she was betrayed that night by one of her attackers, whom she considered a trusted friend, the lead investigator in the case said Thursday. Richmond police Sgt. Lori Curran spoke...
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    Dumb Criminals

  • Not Without My Pants

    Danny
    16 Oct 2009 | 1:58 am
    Say what you will about this turd in the gene pool. At least he has the balls to go without pants and his officer’s will admit to it, because he doesn’t have any pants. A [...] Related posts:A Bird in the Pants is Worth Two in the Pants I can’t think of many reasons why a man would...Foiled by the Pants…of Justice! Once again, a criminal has been foiled not by careful...A Blast from the Pants Sometimes banks use explosive dye packs to protect their money... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  • Call of the Weird

    Danny
    15 Oct 2009 | 12:35 am
    This kind of thing happens so many times that I’m literally running out of jokes to make about it. If only someone would have the smarts to do it differently like while wearing a funny [...] Related posts:Underwhaaa? When you enter into public life, you have to sacrifice...What a Card Who says no one goes to the library anymore? People...Stalled at the Police Station There is a time and a place for everything. You... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  • Jerk in the Box

    Danny
    13 Oct 2009 | 11:53 pm
    No, don’t worry overweight America. This story isn’t about a fast food employee doing something disgusting to your meal that would get him fired, then re-hired just so they could fire him again before he’s [...] Related posts:Jerk in the Box Why would anyone eat fast food? Better yet, why would...Drink and Drive-Thru Drinking and driving is never a good idea. Drinking and...Think Outside the Brain It’s no surprise that America has an unhealthy attitude with... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  • Key Lame Pie

    Danny
    11 Oct 2009 | 11:19 pm
    This case isn’t really a textbook definition of dumb, but it’s in the ballpark. If anything, it makes staying awake in high school chemistry a necessity. A man caught with more than 1,700 pounds of [...] Related posts:Drunks Turn Up In the Oddest Places Don’t go drunk because you’ll end up in prison. Sometimes...The Wrong Cab It’s always good to know exactly who is giving you...The Lights Aren’t On Upstairs Emergency lights are designed to help important vehicles get through... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  • Drugs Impare Your Judgement

    Danny
    9 Oct 2009 | 9:49 pm
    Sometimes I wonder if court houses should be required to equip brain detectors instead of metal detectors. A guy going into one courthouse put his bag of marijuana into the pocket bowl before walking through [...] Related posts:The Other Losers at This Year’s Super Bowl The Arizona Cardinals weren’t the only people who went home...Drugged to Jail Why do so many people going to a jail end...A Not-So-Capitol Idea People who go out of their way to make a... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
 
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    CSI Files

  • Cibrian Sues ‘Life & Style’ Magazine

    Rachel
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:08 pm
    CSI: Miami actor Eddie Cibrian (Jesse Cardoza) is planning to take legal action against Life & Style Magazine for a false story they printed alleging that Cibrian cheated on girlfriend LeAnn Rimes. “Unfortunately Life & Style Magazine has chosen to go out with a story filled with inaccuracies and deceitful lies, presumably to titillate sales, but clearly resulting in harm to Eddie Cibrian and others,” the actor’s representative said in a statement. “This is irresponsible and wreckless journalism. Eddie has met with his attorneys and will be filing a suit for…

  • Supernatural Imitates ‘CSI’

    Rachel
    6 Nov 2009 | 10:45 pm
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’s timeslot competition Supernatural takes a comedic jab at the popular franchise in its latest episode, “Changing Channels”. (Supernatural spoilers and embedded video after the jump.) In the latest episode of the CW series, which airs at 9:00pm ET/PT on Thursday nights opposite CSI, the Winchester brothers (played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) found themselves thrown into alternate realities that were similar to popular television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy (another timeslot competitor) and CSI itself. The CSI parody had the…

  • Check Out ‘New York’’s Newest Toy

    Rachel
    6 Nov 2009 | 10:19 pm
    CSI: New York’s Special Effects Coordinator Dave Kelsey gives fans a glimpse at “Edna”, the newest addition to the NYPD crime lab’s array of cool gadgets. (Embedded video after the jump.) The sampling library, also known as “Edna”, was first shown in the season six premiere of CSI: NY, “Epilogue”. Dr Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) used the machine to identify a piece of tempered glass retrieved from a healed wound on the victim’s shoulder. “What she does is gather information,” Kelsey said of the machine. “There are thirty…

  • Watch ‘Death And The Maiden’ On CSI Files

    Rachel
    6 Nov 2009 | 10:22 am
    The most recent episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, “Death and the Maiden”, is now available online. You can watch the episode at CBS.com, Fancast or TV.com—or you can see the full video embedded after the jump!

  • ‘CSI’ Wins Timeslot In Overall Viewers

    Rachel
    6 Nov 2009 | 10:13 am
    The latest episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, “Death and the Maiden”, split leadership in the 9:00pm hour on Thursday, November 5. The episode was first in overall viewers with 15.14 million, beating Grey’s Anatomy (13.62 million), NBC’s combination of The Office (7.94 million) and 30 Rock (5.94 million), Fringe (4.95 million) and Supernatural (2.71 million). In the key 18-49 demographic, CSI was tied for second place with Grey’s coming out on top with a 5.0 rating/13 share. CSI had 3.4/9, which matches the average of Office (3.9/10) and Rock (2.9/7) over…
 
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    Havocscope Black Markets

  • Minors invovled in Mexican drug trade

    havocscope
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:41 pm
    In 2008, 26 minors were caught in San Diego County attempting to smuggle drugs in to the United States. In 2009, 124 were arrested. In addition, 134 minors were killed in 2009 in drug related violence in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez. Source:  William Booth and Steve Fainaru, “In Mexico, fears of a ‘lost generation’,” Washington Post, November 3, 2009.

  • $1 Billion lost to illegal fishing off coast of Africa

    havocscope
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:02 pm
    Countries in Sub-Sahara Africa are losing up to $1 billion a year to illegal fishing activities . Source:  “Mozambique: Africa losing over 1 billion dollars to illegal fishing,” illegal-fishing.net,January 21, 2009.

  • Marijuana revenue for Mexican Drug Cartels

    havocscope
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:37 pm
    Marijuana is estimated to bring in $9 Billion a year to drug cartels in Mexico, according to U.S. and Mexico officials. Source: Joel Millman, “Mexican Pot Gangs Infiltrate Indian Reservations in U.S.,” Wall Street Journal, November 5, 2009.

  • Illegal drug users in Europe

    havocscope
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:33 pm
    According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the following figures represent the number of users of illicit drugs in Europe as of 2009. 22.5 million people used a cannabis product such as marijuana in the European Union in 2008. 2 million people used amphetamines in the EU in 2008. 4 million people used cocaine in the EU in 2008. 1.4 million people used opiate products such as heroin in 2007 (last available year) Source:  “Annual Report 2009: The State Of The Drug Problem In Europe,” European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, November…

  • Oxycontin and heroin deaths in Massachusetts

    havocscope
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:15 pm
    A state panel in Massachusettes reported that 3,265 people died from overdosing on either Oxycontin or heroin between the years 2002 to 2007. Source:  John R. Ellement, “Special panel says state in midst of “epidemic” of OxyContin and heroin use,” Boston Globe, November 5, 2009.
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    Criminal Defense

  • VIDEO: Judge Calls Cop Stealing From Defense Lawyer's File "Leeway"

    5 Nov 2009 | 5:06 am
    Required watching for every defense lawyer, prosecutor, judge, bailiff, defendant, voter, garbage man, teacher, citizen of the world, is this video where an in-court deputy is seen stealing a document from the file of a criminal defense lawyer.There's almost nothing that needs to be said about this video.Well, almost.As usual, Scott Greenfield covered all the bases in this embarrassment of a scene in Maricopa County, Arizona. Scott calls it "blatant, outrageous and yes, illegal." He analyzes it this way: "First, this happened in full view of the judge, Lisa Flores, who appears not to have…

  • Scott Rothstein: Who Knew?

    4 Nov 2009 | 4:44 am
    Keeping up with the latest news on the unraveling of Scott Rothstein is like watching the stock market ticker.Here's what we know this morning:Rothstein had $16 million transferred to Morocco. A country he spent the last few days "clearing his head," and according to NBC6 Miami, contemplating suicide. By the way, he's back. His first meeting, with the feds.Nationally known political consultant Roger Stone thought something was up a year ago.On Halloween, Rothstein sent this text message, neither a trick, or treat:"Sorry for letting you all down," he wrote. "I am a fool. I thought I could fix…

  • A Lawyer's Meteoric Collapse Sends No Shockwaves

    3 Nov 2009 | 4:46 am
    I never met Scott Rothstein. He ducked out a few minutes before our lunch a few years ago. His secretary telling me and his colleague, who set up the lunch: "he went to lunch." There was no further inquiry as we were not entitled to even be standing by his office, an "off-limits" area of the firm. Instead I went to lunch with some other lawyers in the firm who felt they needed to take pity on me for my wasted 40 minute drive, all of them telling me in response to the unprofessional behavior of their king: "I'm not surprised." "That's Scott."It was hard not to follow the career of Scott…

  • Why Do Conservatives Apologize For The Government?

    1 Nov 2009 | 5:20 pm
    I don't know Randall G. Shelden, other than learning he is a criminologist at UNLV, but in searching for a definition of the Conservative philosophy of criminal justice I ran across his thoughts:The conservative view of crime and criminal justice can be summarized very simply. People commit crime because they think they can get away with it, largely because the pleasure they get from committing the crime is greater than the potential pain they would receive if caught and punished. This is, of course, the popular “deterrence” perspective. From this perspective people refrain from…

  • Trick or Treat: Scary Criminal Justice Statistics

    30 Oct 2009 | 4:12 am
    From on of the various fact sheets on the website of Families Against Mandatory Minimums:Race and mandatory sentencesPrison populations •One in 20 African American men over the age of 18 is in state or federal prison, compared to one in 180 white men. •Two-thirds of the 2 million Americans in jail or prison are African American or Hispanic. •In 2001 the lifetime chances of going to prison were highest among black males (32.2 percent) and Hispanic males (17.2 percent) and lowest among white males (5.9 percent). •At the end of 2003, black prisoners made up an estimated 44 percent of all…
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    Change.org's Criminal Justice Blog

  • Tragedies and Gun Laws

    Matt Kelley
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:55 pm
    Two tragic, violent shooting sprees in two days. Even in a country as desensitized to violence as the U.S., the events of this week have been jarring. These tragedies should remind us why gun control laws are important and should be expanded. First, I want to say that the victims of these horrible crimes -- and their families and communities -- are in my thoughts. I don't mean to dishonor the memories of the victims by turning my attention to gun control. Instead I hope we can take this moment to consider policies that will prevent crimes like these in the future. You know the detaiils: an…

  • Trimming the Budget, Skipping Death Sentences

    Matt Kelley
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:14 am
    One county in Mississippi has announced that it won't be seeking the death penalty in upcoming cases because it just doesn't have the money. Slowing death sentences by any means is progress, but this story makes me wonder if prosecutors are cutting fair trials to save a few bucks. The exorbitant cost of capital cases and executions has caught the attention of the public recently, with a report from the Death Penalty Information Center, an editorial from the New York Times and more columns and comments than I can count. The cost argument is one I employ often when talking about why the death…

  • Innocent and Deported

    Matt Kelley
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:35 pm
    I've got bad news to share. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the case of cousins Julio Maldonado and Denis Calderon. Unfortunately, I came to the story too late. The day after I wrote, Maldonado was deported to Peru -- a country he left when he was three. He doesn't speak Spanish and found housing with distant relatives. He's stuck in a foreign land because of an injustice that started when he was jumped 13 years ago. The Philadelphia City Paper has the sad story of Maldonado and Calderon, who is still detained in the U.S. and scheduled to be deported next year. The injustices suffered by…

  • The Constitutional Right Not to Be Framed

    Matt Kelley
    4 Nov 2009 | 9:11 am
    The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments this morning on the limits of prosecutorial immunity, and in arguing for universal protection from lawsuits, the Iowa prosecutors involved didn't mince words. There is no freestanding constitutional "right not to be framed," they wrote. The prosecutors in this case aren't alone in this stark -- and saddening -- view. They were joined by the Obama administration, 28 states and several prosecutors' professional organizations. On one side of the case are two men who served 25 years in Iowa prisons for a murder evidence shows they likely didn't commit.

  • Shipping Prisoners Out of Sight

    Matt Kelley
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:46 am
    More bad news from California's prisons: the state has inked a deal with the Corrections Corporation of America to ship another 2,336 to private facilities outside of the state. California's overcrowded, dangerous prisons continue to serve up a windfall for companies like CCA while the state refuses to address the underlying problem and reduce incarceration rates. A federal court has ordered the state to reduce its prison population by 40,000 (27%) in two years, but the Governator is fighting the decision tooth and nail. California is making an an enormous mistake by shipping prisoners far…
 
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    Cancrime

  • Convict mental health - pay now, or later

    4 Nov 2009 | 8:02 pm
    Why should we provide decent mental health care for imprisoned federal convicts? For protection of course. Because most of these guys get out, and if they haven't been treated – or even assessed – it's unlikely they'll go straight. It's more likely they commit new crimes and, in some cases, hurt more people.Need some examples? Read the parole records of just a few of the hundreds of cases I've followed over the years:Bank robber James FreemanKiller Stephen SinclairRapist Rene BourdonYou'll see references to ongoing mental health problems, and these are violent crooks who keep getting out.

  • Where have all Toronto's killers gone?

    2 Nov 2009 | 5:15 pm
    The numbers above tell a story: Something remarkable appears to be happening in Toronto. Canada's largest city is on pace for the fewest number of murders in a decade.If the current trend continues, there should be roughly 54 homicides on the books by the end of 2009 (45 killings after 10 months). The body count hasn't been that low since 1999, when there were 49 killings. The death toll has never been below 60 in the last decade.In 2005, Toronto's so-called 'Year of the Gun,' when there was a spate of gun killings, including the slaying of an innocent girl, 15-year-old Jane Creba, there was…

  • Sad anniversaries: 3,400 unsolved murders in Canada

    31 Oct 2009 | 7:28 pm
    Four decades of agonizing uncertainty.Forty years of wondering why.It's hard to fathom the torment endured in that span by the family of Jacqueline English. The 15-year-old London, Ontario, girl was abducted, raped and murdered 40 years ago. Her murderer, perhaps a serial killer who preyed on young girls in the region during that time, has not been caught.Too many of these grim anniversaries pass unnoticed. It is not surprising. Jacqueline's case is but one among thousands. There are more than 3,400 unsolved murders in Canada, dating back to 1961. Who knows how many more from decades beyond.

  • Bandidos killer reserves worst insult for jurors

    29 Oct 2009 | 8:22 pm
    "Fucking goofs."That insult, hurled by killer biker Marcelo Aravena (inset) at the jury that convicted him today of seven counts of first-degree murder, was no small slight. It's one of the most offensive slurs among rounders - regulars in the criminal subculture. Aravena was one of six men convicted in one of Ontario's worst mass murders, the April 8, 2006 slaughter of eight members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang on a farm near London. The victims, who had been shot, were found stuffed into several vehicles.Aravena's barb, apparently the first words from his mouth after his conviction in…

  • Abbotsford-Mission is Canada's new murder capital

    28 Oct 2009 | 2:26 pm
    Saskatoon has lost its dubious honour as Canada's murder capital. The new national homicide survey from Statistics Canada, released today (for 2008 stats), reveals that Abbotsford-Mission, in British Columbia, is the country's new murder capital, with a rate of 4.71 killings per 100,000 people, among the country's 33 biggest centres (chart of those centres from the StatsCan report below). Winnipeg comes in second at 4.07. Saskatoon has fallen out of the top 1o, registering four murders in 2008, for a rate of 1.55. Six urban areas in the big-33 list recorded no homicides last year. Nationally,…
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    Wallet Pop: Fraud

  • Bad actors continue to prey on seniors

    Amy Pyle
    4 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    Filed under: Banks, Borrowing, Home, Insurance, Real Estate, Retire, Fraud, MortgagesBad actors have solidly shifted their attention to reverse mortgages, causing a top consumer organization to warn seniors to choose such loans carefully. A new report by the National Consumer Law Center likens the aggressive lending practices in today's reverse mortgage lending to those common in the sub-prime mortgage heyday -- featuring some of the same players. "Well-funded marketing campaigns and perverse incentives to brokers are targeting seniors' home equity and using reverse mortgages as their tools,"…

  • 'Hot' products to avoid online

    Laura Heller
    3 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm
    Filed under: Shopping, Fraud, Black FridayRetail theft is on the rise, but not from hard pressed consumers looking to make ends meet. Rather, organized groups or gangs are hitting stores, stealing large quantities and reselling the goods, often online. Anyone looking for a deal should be wary, a lot of those too good to be true prices, really are. Popular product categories like electronics are popular "hot" items, but health and beauty products and pharmaceutical items are increasingly being stolen and resold. The National Retail Federation issued a helpful alert this week along with a…

  • My preschooler is now a homeowner, and other tales of fraud

    Sarah Gilbert
    28 Oct 2009 | 10:30 am
    Filed under: Borrowing, Home, Kids and Money, Ripoffs and Scams, Tax, Fraud, Mortgages, Taxes-tax creditsHomebuyers did not have to truly be first-timers in order to qualify for the "first time homebuyer" tax credit, expiring Nov. 30; they only had to meet the limitation of not having owned a primary residence for the past three years, with income limits of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for married taxpayers. According to the Treasury Department, however, 4-year-olds (and other individuals incapable of legally signing a purchase agreement) don't count. In an Internal Audit Report meant…

  • Rent-a-Husband allegedly divorces investors

    Tom Kraeutler
    21 Oct 2009 | 12:30 pm
    Filed under: Home, Fraud, Recession, Investing, Consumer ComplaintsHome repair contractor Kaile Warren had a rags-to-riches story that was enviable. The former homeless home improver credits "divine intervention" with giving him the idea for a home improvement company and brand name that would ultimately place him on a national stage that included appearances on Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the CBS Early Show, to name a few. But according to an investigative report by USA Today, Warren has all but crashed and burned taking more than a dozen investors with him who poured an…

  • MoneyGram hit with $18 million fine for looking the other way while consumers got scammed

    Mitch Lipka
    20 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm
    Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Consumer AllyMoneyGram International, Inc., has agreed to pay $18 million to settle federal charges that the money transfer service allowed itself to be a conduit for con artists who allegedly bilked people out of tens of millions of dollars. The money will be used to help consumers recoup some of their losses, the Federal Trade Commission said. MoneyGram is also being required to install an anti-fraud program and monitor its agents, the FTC said. According to the FTC, between 2004 and 2008, MoneyGram agents helped criminals make away with $84 million…
 
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    Coptalk - Personal Safety Tips and Stories

  • Ask a Cop?: Shake & Bake Meth

    admin
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:19 pm
    —–Original Message—–  Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2009 4:44 PM To: info@coptalk.info Subject: Meth Hello This is C**** I live in BA and most every night on the news I see a story about Meth shake and bake meth or labs or what ever my question is what is shake and bake meth is it shake and bake for chicken or pork and if so then why do they still make shake and bake for chicken and pork? I am clueless for the most part when it comes to drugs except Pot and I do not nor have I smoked that for 15 years however I just want to be educated on this my 17 year old keeps…

  • Ask a Cop?: Car Theft

    admin
    31 Oct 2009 | 2:08 pm
    Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 9:52 AM Subject: Re: car theft I had a vehicle stolen from me and the title was in the vehicle signed and notarized as i was in the process of selling the vehicle, the mvd records state that the vehicle is still in my name but under the circumstances i don’t know what my options are as far as recovering the vehicle because it does in fact have an open title that can easily be put into someone else’s name, please advise and thank you very much. Our Reply: As long as you made a stolen vehicle report with the police you should be fine. If someone tries…

  • Ask a Cop?: Police Procedure for a speeding violation

    admin
    28 Oct 2009 | 10:40 am
    —-Original Message—– Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 7:54 PM To: info@coptalk.info Subject: Police Procedure for a speeding violation Hello, today I got pulled over for going 79 in a 65. He came up to me and asked for my license, went back to his car and then came back with a ticket. Therefore, my question is are the police allowed to give you a ticket without asking for your registration or insurance; and is that considered improper or illegal police procedure? Our Reply: Normally a police officer will ask for registration and insurance because it is an additional violation…

  • Ask a Cop?: Theft & Employees

    admin
    27 Oct 2009 | 11:08 pm
    —–Original Message—– Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 5:25 PM To: info@coptalk.info Subject: theft I’m a small business owner,I do in home sales.We give away free gifts for places to show our product.There are a very specific set of guidelines that have to be followed.In essence I hired two employees who did in home shows promising there friends free stuff.Problem is they did not follow any of the guidelines giving away hundreds of dollars.I can prove they didn’t follow any of the guidelines simply by verifying that they were never there.My question is can I…

  • Tips: Stolen Vehicles VC 10851

    admin
    25 Oct 2009 | 6:26 pm
    Stolen Vehicles – VC 10851 Here are just a few tips from NetCops: · Thieves look for easy targets. Leave a car running in a driveway or parking lot with keys in it, how much easier than that can it get? Some thieves even walk through residential neighborhoods looking for just that. It’s easy, jump in and go. Take the extra few minutes to sit in the car while it’s warming up. If possible, keep the car in a garage. (It won’t frost up and you can warm it up by driving slowly away) It’s not worth the lost hours after losing a stolen car trying to gain the 2 minutes…
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    Prison News Blog

  • Breakout: Voices from Inside

    Michael Santos
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:59 am
    WNYC Radio is partnering with PEN’s Prison Writing Program to present BREAKOUT: VOICES FROM INSIDE The event will feature luminaries from the theater and writing world, including John Turturro (Do the Right Thing), Eric Bogosian (Law and Order: Criminal Intent), Lemon Anderson (Def Jam Poetry on Broadway), and Patricia Smith, four-time winner of the National Poetry Slam. In addition, Jamal Joseph, the Chair of the Graduate Film Program at Columbia University — who himself learned to write while serving a 9-year sentence — will read as well (bio attached). This event will be held in New…

  • President Obama… Answer This

    Carole Santos
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:55 am
    This is fantastic! Check out: http://www.openmediaboston.org/node/990 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F34p0YiSp8g&feature=player_embedded What it’s about: 1. Alienation of people: We are creating refugees amongst our own people. Inmates come back not feeling like they are part of their own community; not knowing “we the people” means them too. 2. Break up of families: unreasonable prison policies and a culture of oppression is further tarring up families and communities. How can this system support fathers in taking responsibility? 3. Transparency in government: We are turning one…

  • Writing With Style

    Michael Santos
    22 Sep 2009 | 6:19 am
    Book Title: Writing With Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing Book Author: John R. Trimble Book Publisher: Prentice-Hall (1975) Date Read: June 19, 2009 Nonfiction / 143 pages Writing With Style was the 9th book I read in 2009. Why I read Writing With Style: This was the second of two books on writing style that Peggy, a professor of English from Nevada sent for me to read. I met Peggy through a written correspondence that her husband, Steve, made possible. Peggy has helped me by reviewing chapters of my manuscript, Earning Freedom, as well as another chapter I wrote for a corrections…

  • Teaching the Entrepreneurial Compass Class at Taft Camp

    Michael Santos
    21 Sep 2009 | 5:03 am
    Since the summer of 2008, I’ve been leading a class at Taft Camp. The 10-week class is called The Entrepreneurial Compass. Scott Evans is a motivational speaker who designed the course, and with the sponsorship of the Chaplain at Taft Camp, Scott began offering the course to inmates. I sat as an observer and participant during the first presentation, and since then I’ve accepted responsibility of leading as the class facilitates. In early January, I began offering the class to the third wave of students. Each session begins with 30 students, but by the time we finish the class, three to…

  • Prison Reform

    Michael Santos
    20 Sep 2009 | 9:38 am
    Earlier this year, Senator Jim Webb introduced a bill in the senate to establish a committee that would study the need for reform of the entire criminal justice system. His announcement came with a considerable amount of media attention. Parade magazine featured a front-page spread, and numerous other national publications publicized the proposed legislation. Over the past several months, however, I haven’t seen any developments with regard to this pane, and it saddens me. I understand that Americans are inundated with concerns—health care, two wars with no end in sight, and high…
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