Category: U.S.

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Politics U.S.

Eric Garner Case District Attorney Daniel Donovan Seeks Congressional Seat

Eric Garner, Congressional seat, Daniel Donovan
Eric Garner, Congressional seat, Daniel Donovan

District Attorney Daniel Donovan, the prosecutor who was responsible for submitting the Eric Garner case to a grand jury, is seeking a Congressional seat which is being vacated by Republican Michael Grimm. After pleading guilty to tax fraud Grimm could be sentenced to up to 3 years in prison and several people are hoping to fill the seat that he leaves behind. As a Republican Daniel Donovan has made his intentions clear, he will be running for the congressional seat and is hoping to win. As a top prosecutor in the New York borough of Staten Island Donovan has already made a name for himself in the local community, and the failure of the grand jury to give an indictment against the police officer accused of a choke hold that caused the death of Eric Garner has gained the attorney national attention as well.

There have been complaints that Daniel Donovan, the prosecutor who handled the Eric Garner case and who is now seeking a congressional seat, did not show enough aggression when he presented the case to the grand jury. Many believe that an indictment would have been handed down if the prosecutor wanted one, and the negative publicity surrounding the Garner case has helped boost the recognition of Daniel Donovan but also made him a very controversial figure. Many civil rights organizations and groups have criticized Donovan as being soft on civil rights violations and police officers. It is too early to tell if Daniel Donovan has a chance of winning the congressional seat he is running for.

 

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Politics U.S.

Felony Criminal Charges Against David Petraeus Recommended by US Prosecutors

David Petraeus, felony criminal charges, US prosecutors
David Petraeus, felony criminal charges, US prosecutors

US prosecutors have recommended that felony criminal charges are filed against David Petraeus, the former chief of the CIA, for disclosing confidential military information to his mistress. The newspaper source was anonymous, and the investigation by the Justice Department was trying to determine whether David Petraeus allowed CIA email access and other information that is highly classified to Paula Broadwell, who was his mistress at the time. According to the Times felony criminal charges have been recommended by the prosecutors in the case. These recommendations mean that it is up to US Attorney General Eric Holder to determine whether to seek an indictment against Petraeus. Until David Petraeus resigned from his CIA chief post in 2012 because his affair with Broadwell became public knowledge he was one of the most respected and honored military commanders of this generation.

David Petraeus has indicated to the US prosecutors that he will not consider a plea deal for felony criminal charges, and the former CIA chief has stated time and time again that he did nothing wrong and did not disclose confidential or sensitive information to Paula Broadwell. News of the affair strained the Petraeus marriage and caused David to resign from his post at the CIA. Senator John McCain, who represents Arizona in Congress, has expressed his support of David Petraeus and has said “I cannot ignore the broader concerns raised by the fact that this investigation apparently remains unresolved nearly two years later and that the only information that has come to light is through leaks by unnamed sources within the U.S. intelligence community with knowledge of the matter.”

 

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U.S.

FBI Involved in Colorado NAACP Bombing, Person of Interest Sought

NAACP bombing, FBI, Colorado
NAACP bombing, FBI, Colorado

The Colorado NAACP bombing has resulted in the involvement of the FBI, but officials are not yet saying whether the attack was a hate crime or an act of terrorism so far. On Friday the FBI released a sketch to the public for a person of interest that the agency is looking for, and investigators have refused to answer questions about the motive or speculate on the reasons behind the attack. The bombing occurred on Tuesday, when an IED exploded against a building that houses the NAACP offices south of the Denver area. The attack happened in Colorado Springs and Thomas Ravenelle, the FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge told the media that the composite drawing released was sketched according to eyewitnesses. The sketch depicts a man in his 40’s who has started balding, and he was seen entering the alley carrying something and then leaving a few minutes later with nothing in his hands.

The FBI agent in charge of the NAACP bombing in Colorado Springs has told reporters that all possibilities are being investigated. Ravenelle said “I know what the NAACP means to some extremists in this country.” The man in the sketch released by the FBI was reported to be driving an older model pickup truck that was white in color, and it was described as dirty by the witnesses who saw the man. There were no injuries as a result of the bombing, and police discovered that a container of gasoline which was placed next to the detonation device did not explode as intended.

 

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Breaking News U.S. World

Radical Cleric Abu Hamza Receives Prison Sentence From US Court

Abu Hamza, prison sentence, radical cleric
Abu Hamza, prison sentence, radical cleric

Radical cleric Abu Hamza, a well known Muslim cleric who advocates violence, has received a prison sentence from a US court. In May Hamza was convicted on a number of charges that included plotting to set up a terrorism training camp in the US as well as taking hostages. Before the trial of the radical cleric could begin he had to be extradited from the UK, a lengthy process that took some time. After Abu Hamza was convicted but before he received a prison sentence his attorneys asked that the court consider the disabilities involved because the radical cleric is missing an eye and both hands. Defense attorneys argued that a prison sentence would put him in danger but a judge disagreed. An argument was also made that sending Abu Hamza to the Supermax federal prison in Colorado violated the assurances to London judges which allowed the extradition to occur.

Abu Hamza received a life prison sentence, and the judge agreed that the radical cleric could be safely imprisoned by the federal department of corrections. Prosecutors won the argument and the judge found that the government of the United States never made promises that are violated by the life prison sentence, and that this was the only possible sentence for the radical cleric. Judge Katherine Forrest used words including misguided and barbaric when she handed down the life prison sentence, and said that she could not imagine a time when he would be safe to be released. Judge Forrest also stated that the decision about where Abu Hamaz was imprisoned would be left to federal correction officials.

 

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Breaking News U.S.

George Zimmerman Arrested for Suspected Aggravated Assault in Florida

George Zimmerman, aggravated assault, Trayvon Marin, Florida
George Zimmerman, aggravated assault, Trayvon Marin, Florida

George Zimmerman, the man responsible for the death of Trayvon Martin who was acquitted under the Florida Stand Your Ground Law because he had injuries and acted in self defense, has been arrested again. At 9:45 pm on Friday night George Zimmerman was booked shortly after arrest at the Sanford John E. Polk Correctional Facility, and he was scheduled to appear before a judge Saturday morning. Police were called to a residence for a domestic violence dispute and that was when Zimmerman was arrested. Seminole County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kim Cannaday told reporters “It will most likely be a domestic violence charge.” When George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin on a rainy night he was acting as a neighborhood watch, and there were visible injuries showing that there was a scuffle between Zimmerman and Martin. Witnesses said that Martin was on top of Zimmerman and doing a ground and pound, and that was when George shot the teenager.

This is not the first time that George Zimmerman has been arrested or suspected of aggravated assault since he shot Trayvon Martin in Florida. This is the second time that there have been domestic violence allegations against Zimmerman, with the first incident occurring with his wife and father in law after the couple separated and she took her father with her to get some belongings. George was also questioned when a former girlfriend said he pointed a gun at her, but no charges were ever filed against him. Zimmerman was also stopped in both Florida and Texas for speeding.

 

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U.S.

Guilty Plea to Murder Charges in Beating Death of WW2 Veteran

WW2 veteran, beating death, murder charges
WW2 veteran, beating death, murder charges

The beating death of 88 year old Delbert Belton, a WW2 veteran, has led to a 17 year old entering a guilty plea to murder charges. Belton was killed when he was robbed by two 16 year olds, Demetruis Glenn and Kenan Adams-Kinard. The pair beat Belton so badly that he died in the medical facility where he was taken for treatment the next day. The murder occurred in 2013 when Belton was getting into his car after leaving a bar in Spokane, Washington. During WW2 Belton served in Okinawa and his small stature earned him the nickname Shorty. Everyone who knew the veteran liked him immensely, and his death sparked outrage in the community. Adams-Kinard entered a guilty plea to first degree murder charges, and as a result of his plea bargain other charges were dropped.

The beating death of WW2 veteran Delbert Belton was a violent crime, and the teens facing murder charges tried to cover their tracks. Adams-Kinard even went so far as to tell his mother in a letter that Belton was dealing drugs and had ripped the teens off on crack cocaine, which police stated was not true at all. By pleading guilty to murder charges Adams-Kinard saved the state the cost of trying him in court, and the teen will spend the next 20 years in prison. Kenan will also have to spend 3 years on probation once he is released from prison in 20 years, and he will do his time in a juvenile facility until he turns 21, when he will be transferred to an adult prison.