Category : Criminal
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Just when you thought it couldn’t get more bleak for the beleaguered Hollywood A-lister, Mel Gibson is taking another hit… for allegedly hitting his ex-girlfriend, Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva. A photo has surfaced on the Internet of Grigorieva with a bruised left eye.
The photo, which was obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com, is the evidence of what Grigorieva claims is physical abuse at the hands of Gibson. According to RadarOnline, the photographs that they obtained were taken the morning after a brutal confrontation between the couple on January 6, 2010.
Gibson denies physically assaulting Oksana, and his lawyers have told police that she has tried to extort him. He claims that the physical confrontation with his ex was due to her shaking their nine-month-old daughter Lucia “like a ragdoll.”
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has said that Gibson has met with detectives to discuss his charges of extortion against Oksana.
According to TMZ, Gibson also alleges that Oksana threatened to leak recordings of him to the press if he didn’t give her money. He reportedly presented authorities with e-mails and text messages to back his claims.
If you have been the victim of a domestic violence or are in any other major dispute with a spouse, it is best to consult with a family lawyer to discuss your legal options.
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Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill is opening up an investigation as to the legitimacy of the burial practices at Arlington National Cemetery. An internal army has been going through the cemetery and found nearly 211 discrepancies between burial maps and grave sites. Due to the fact that the army was only able to investigate a small area, this number can quickly turn into the thousands by the time the investigation is over.
The Democratic senator’s subcommittee designed to investigate potential contracting fraud has said that these mislabelings are to inadequate management and a reliance on paper records as opposed to electronic.
Those under question are former superintendent John Metzler and deputy superintendent Thurman Higginbotham, both of whom were forced to resign earlier this month. It is uncertain whether either will show up to the court hearing.
“We are doing everything we can to get both (of the officials) to the hearing,” according to McCaskill. “Their attendance is not a certainty.”
McCaskill calls this an issue of “heartbreaking incompetence” and says that the 5.5 million dollar attempt to computerize the grave sites may have all been in waste. The subcommittee chaired by McCaskill will hold a hearing in Washington this Thursday on its investigation.
Arlington National Cemetery holds more than 300,000 bestowed with military honors and includes graves of both former presidents and U.S. Supreme Court justices.
Sounding like a scene from The Minority Report, the hit film by Steven Spielberg, a New Jersey jail is using a computer system to screen inmates to determine if they will commit hostile acts. The Spielberg film was about a future society that was able to predetermine a criminal act, with law enforcement officers able to swoop in and arrest people before they commit the crime.
Called Cogito, the computer system “emulates the work of an interrogation expert and can accurately expose hostile intents and hidden information in as little as five minutes,” according to Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire.
Cogito, developed by the Israeli-based Suspect Detection Systems, uses sensors that measure the person’s “psycho-physiological responses,” which is similar to a polygraph test.
The computer system was used in a pilot study by the New Jersey jail. The prison official used the system by placing an inmates palm in a sensor, and then having them answer a series of questions. The results of the study have been presented at the National Sheriffs’ Association Conference, in Anaheim, California.
“In Bergen County, we have seen promising results when administering the Cogito system as part of our traditional intake procedures,” writes Sheriff McGuire.
Hostile intent technologies have their critics. Many experts say that there is no science to support the ability to detect behavior before it happens. There has also been criticism of the Transportation Security Administration’s use of similar technology, saying that there is no proof that any terrorists have been caught with it.
The NFL took another public image hit last week as Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly being involved in an altercation at a Dallas, Texas, strip club. According to the Dallas Police Department, Young is accused of hitting another man in the face after they got into an argument at a strip club.
Is Vince Young a hot-headed party animal?
Police responded to the incident at 3:30 a.m. Sunday, June 13 at Club Onyx. Vince Young was issued a Class C assault citation. If convicted, Young, 27, can face a $500 fine, but not an arrest.
According to Lt. Andy Harvey of the Dallas Police Department, Young and an employee of the club, 45-year-old Creiton Kinchen, started arguing after Kinchen gave a derogatory “Horns down” sign in reference to Young’s alma mater, the University of Texas.
Young’s coach with the Tennessee Titans, Jeff Fisher addressed the incident before his annual charity softball game:
“We are aware of the reports. Members of the organization have been in touch with Vince. At this point, we’re just gathering facts. I have nothing else to say about it. I can’t speculate, can’t go into detail… I’m sure we will have a lot more information over the next few days.”
O.J. Simpson’s attorney has asked the Nevada Supreme Court to overturn his client’s conviction of armed robbery and kidnapping. He is seeking a new trial.
Will OJ be able to beg his way out of this one?
The hearing came 13 months after O.J. Simpson appealed his conviction based on alleged trial errors by District Judge Jackie Glass. The judge sentenced Simpson and co-defendant Clarence “C.J.” Stewart for armed robbery, kidnapping, and other charges.
The Supreme Court will consider the written and oral arguments before issuing a ruling on the appeals. Simpson is serving 9 to 33 years in prison for his crimes at Lovelock Correctional Center, a medium-security facility about 90 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada.
Stewart’s attorney, Brent Bryson, also contributed oral arguments to the high court. His contention is that his client could never have a fair trial because of his association with O.J. Simpson.
“This whole trial was a make-up trial for O.J. Simpson’s acquittal in California, and Mr. Stewart got caught up in it,” Bryson said.
A 47-year-old Chicago attorney has taken “fighting for your rights” a little too literally. Assistant Cook County public defender Henry Hams put his legal adversary in the prosecution in a “choking headlock,” a 50-year-old male assistant state’s attorney.
How can we put a stop to courtroom brawls?
Hams was charged with felony aggravated battery in a public place and felony resisting arrest. Police say that the man’s injuries were so severe that he was sent to the hospital to be checked.
According to an anonymous source, Hams said that he attacked his foe because he was “sick”’ of being “mocked” by the prosecutor.
Reports of the scene of the alleged crime paint a picture of a man enraged, with police struggling to pull him off of his victim as Hams chocked him with both hands. Records show that Hams obtained a one-year professional boxing license in 2006. It has not been confirmed if he has since been involved in any organized boxing matches.
If you have been the victim of a vicious attack, you need to consult with a personal injury attorney who can apprise you of your legal rights.
The BP oil spill was bad news right from the start. But, the magnitude of the oil spill didn’t come to light until the ensuing days of the disaster. The news got worse… and, worse. From a monetary perspective, BP alone claims to have spent $930 million responding to the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil spills kill wildlife, pollute the air and water, and have a lasting effect on the surrounding ecosystem. It can also have an effect on people at home and in their businesses.
How much more damage will the oil spill cause?
The U.S. government estimates that there has been as much as 29.5 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf so far. This number, obviously continues to rise. But, where does this spill rank among the worst spills in history? While the BP oil spill is the worst in U.S. history, and should not be downplayed, it’s not even half of the total of the fifth worst in world history. Here are the top five worst oil spills in history:
1. Gulf War, 1991
The worst oil spill in history didn’t even happen by accident. During the 1991 Gulf War, as Iraqi forces withdrew from their positions in Kuwait, they sabotaged hundreds of wells, oil terminals, and tankers. Estimates are that at least four million barrels of oil poured into the Persian Gulf, or between 160 million and 420 million gallons
2. The IXTOC 1 Oil Well, 1979
The state-owned petroleum company Pemex was drilling an offshore oil well in the Gulf of Mexico when oil ignited causing the drilling rig, which then collapsed. About 138 million gallons spilled into the Gulf.
3. Atlantic Empress/Aegean Captain Collision, 1979
Two fully-loaded oil carriers, the Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain, collided 10 miles off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago during a nasty rainstorm. The results were 90 million gallons spilled, and caught fire. This became the largest tanker-based spill ever recorded.
4. Kolva River Oil Spill, 1994
This oil spill near the town of Usinsk in Northern Russia came about due to a ruptured pipeline. The pipeline, just south of the Arctic Circle, was leaking since February 1994, but the oil was contained within a dike. That was until the dike collapsed, which sent 84 million gallons of oil into the Russian Arctic.
Several oil spills are tied for 5th place, since the estimates are all very close to the 80 million gallons spilled mark:
Nowruz Platform Oil Spill, 1983
In 1983, during the Iran-Iraq War, an oil tanker hit the Nowruz Field Platform in the Persoan Gulf, damaging the well underneath. The 1,500 barrels that leaked every day could not be capped for months since the platform was under attack by Iraqi planes. All told, 80 million gallons of oil spilled.
Castillo de Bellver Oil Spill, 1983
In South Africa, 79 million gallons of oil spilled into the Saldanha Bay northwest of Cape Town after the Castillo de Beliver tanker caught fire and broke in two,
ABT Summer, 1991
The Liberian supertanker ABT Summer exploded about 900 miles off the coast of Angola on May 28, 1991, killing five crew members. It burned for three days before sinking and was never recovered. Estimates of the oil spilled are as high as 81 million gallons.
Actor Charlie Sheen has had a long and rocky relationship with the law. In his latest legal entanglement, the actor has been issued a new court date for domestic violence allegations involving his wife.
Could Charlie Sheen end up behind bars?
The charges stem from a December incident involving his wife Brooke Mueller. Sheen is considering a plea deal that may include jail time.
Sheen had initially pleaded not guilty to menacing, criminal mischief and assault charges stemming from an argument with his wife, Brooke Mueller Sheen, on Christmas Day.
There’s a report that says Sheen is planning on pleading guilty in exchange for other more serious charges being dropped. If that is the case, it is possible he will do some modest amount of jail time.
With the help of their attorney, the family of seven-year-old Aiyana Jones is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the Detroit Police Department.
Video evidence was obtained by Fieger, since the raid that led to the death was being taped for the popular reality police show “The First 48.”
“There is no question about what happened because it’s in the videotape,” says Geoffrey Fieger, the family’s attorney. “It’s not an accident. It’s not a mistake. There was no altercation.”
The family’s lawyer, Geoffery Fieger, seeks justice.
The family’s attorney pulls no punches in his accusations against the Detroit Police Department: “The videotape shows clearly that the assistant police chief and the officers on the scene are engaging in an intentional cover up of the events,” Fieger says.
A&E’s “The First 48″ chronicles police from various parts of the country in their attempts to solve homicide cases in the all-important first two days of an investigation.
Police had warrants to search both units of the duplex where their suspect was. The 34-year-old man, Chauncey Louis Owens, was eventually arrested in the upstairs unit of the duplex.
Police did not initially identify the officer whose gun fired the shot that killed Aiyana. But he was later identified as Joseph Weekley, who has been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. To avoid a perceived conflict of interest, the case has been handed over to the Michigan State Police.
DNA has come to the rescue of another innocent person who was sent to jail for a crime that he did not commit. Raymond Towler of Ohio spent nearly 30 years in prison for the rape of an 11-year-old girl. But after DNA test showed he was not the perpetrator, he is being released from prison.
“It finally happened, I’ve been waiting,” Raymond Towler, now 52.
Raymond Towler can smile after being released after 29 years in prison.
Towler was serving a life sentence for the rape of a girl in a Cleveland park in 1981. Even the Common Pleas Judge Eileen Gallagher was emotional as she vacated the conviction last week.
According to The Ohio Innocence Project, an organization that advocates on behalf of people wrongfully convicted of crimes, Towler has served the second-longest time in U.S. prison who would later be exonerated by DNA.
Cases like these highlight the importance of having an exceptional criminal defense attorney. If you have been wrongly accused of a crime, you need to consult with a criminal defense attorney in your area.
