Tag: crime

‘Teacher of the Year’ Brandyn Hargrove gets off with probation after admitting to abusing ex-student starting at age 15

A married former “Teacher of the Year” has pleaded guilty to having an “ongoing relationship” with one of her female students, starting when the girl was just 15.

Brandyn Martin Hargrove was convicted on Wednesday of 12 criminal counts connected to her sexual assault of the ex-student while she was a teacher at Brazoswood High School in Clute, Texas.

The formerly-decorated educator was sentenced to 10 years of probation and a 10-year probated sentence, meaning she won’t face any time in prison, despite grooming her student and having a sexual relationship with the minor, which continued until the girl turned 17, according to court records.

In September 2023, Hargrove’s victim, who is now in her 30s, walked into the police station to report she had been sexually assaulted by her teacher nearly two decades earlier, Clute Chief of Police James Fitch told ABC 13.

“From the get-go, we really felt there was a good chance this would go to trial, so we were a little surprised with the plea agreement. There was a lot of legwork by the detectives tracking down some of those people that went to school 17 years ago with our victim and people she made initial outcries to,” Fitch said.

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California Democrat Lobbyist Gets Six Months in Jail for Wire Fraud

The downfall of Melahat Rafiei, once an influential figure in Orange County Democrat politics, is now official. 

On Friday, a federal judge sentenced Rafiei to six months in prison for attempted wire fraud, closing a case that has lingered since her 2019 arrest. 

The ruling not only punished her crimes but also highlighted how deeply corruption has penetrated Democrat politics in California.

Rafiei, who previously led the Orange County Democrat Party and worked as a prominent lobbyist, admitted guilt in 2023 under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

In addition to acknowledging the wire fraud charge, she admitted that she attempted to bribe two Irvine City Council members to secure favorable cannabis legislation. 

Although she was not charged with the bribery allegations, her plea agreement made it clear that she had actively used political influence for personal and financial gain.

The judge imposed a sentence of six months in federal custody, a $10,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. 

He also emphasized that Rafiei had been able to build her career because of democrat institutions and that she had abandoned those principles in pursuit of power and money. 

Rafiei has been ordered to surrender to authorities by late September.

In court, Rafiei offered little defense beyond expressing that she would accept whatever penalty the court determined. 

Her legal team argued that she had made a positive contribution to the community in the past and highlighted the number of friends and relatives who supported her at sentencing. 

They portrayed her as someone who had already lost her career and reputation, even before serving time in prison.

The case had been stalled for years, mainly because Rafiei agreed to cooperate with federal investigators after her arrest. 

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Noem demands Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker drop sanctuary policies after alleged illegal immigrant murderer arrested: ‘He’s failing those families’

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for upholding sanctuary laws after requesting the extradition of an illegal immigrant who allegedly killed a woman in her Illinois apartment and has since fled to Mexico.

Gabriel P. Calixto is the individual suspected of stabbing 24-year-old Emma Shafer in her Springfield, Illinois, apartment in July 2023. Calixto was in the United States illegally when the crime was committed, and has since been captured by Mexican law enforcement.

Calixto is being charged with first-degree murder and domestic battery in connection with the attack.

“The vicious illegal alien murderer who has been evading justice for two years after stabbing 24-year-old Emma Shafer has been ARRESTED. We will continue to work with federal authorities to coordinate extradition proceedings,” Noem stated. “THANK YOU to our law enforcement partners for bringing this perpetrator to justice.”

Noem went on to criticize Pritzker’s opposition to President Donald Trump’s imminent federal intervention in Chicago to conduct immigration raids while highlighting the issue of violent crime that has plagued Chicago for decades.

“For 13 consecutive years, Chicago had more murders than any other American city,” Noem stated on Sunday. “In fact, just last year, in 2024, they had three times the amount of murders than LA did, five times more than New York City.”

“So he can talk about what a great job he’s doing as governor, but he’s failing those families who will no longer have their child with them, their mother or their father or their cousin, aunt, and uncle that are gone forever because of the violence that’s happening in Chicago,” she continued.

Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, argued that Pritzker should be fighting for his people instead of the president, suggesting that it “seems like it’s more about Gov. Pritzker’s ego, now, rather than actually protecting his people.”

“If he has one murder in the city of Chicago, he should be calling President Trump and saying, ‘What’s your ideas? What can we do?’” Noem added.

“They don’t even honor our detainers in Chicago. They don’t go out there and work with us to make sure we’re bringing people to justice. And instead, he goes on TV and he attacks me when we’re doing exactly what those people need. They need someone to help them get the dangerous criminals off their streets.”

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Newsom Holds Californians Hostage, Refuses to Fully Fund Prop 36 – A Measure that Passed in a Landslide to Increase Penalties for Theft and Drug Trafficking

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is holding Californians hostage by refusing to fully fund Proposition 36 – a measure that passed in a landslide in November 2024 that increases penalties for theft.

Proposition 36 passed in California in a landslide 71% to 21%.

California voters overwhelmingly voted to increase penalties for theft and drug trafficking after a record number of brick-and-mortar retailers closed down due to smash-and-grab robberies.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D) opposed Prop 36 because he said it’s “too harsh.”

Per LA Public Press, Prop 47 “scaled back punishments for certain nonviolent offenses for drugs and theft, which were reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors.”

Under Prop. 36, penalties will be increased, and sentences will be lengthened for drug possession and for the theft of items valued at less than $950.

Prop. 36 rolls back some of the soft-on-crime policies that California voters passed in 2014 with Prop. 47.

Newsom has only approved $100 million for prop 36 – far below the $400 million needed to fully pay for the new law.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman blasted Newsom for not funding prop 36.

“We will call [Newsom],” Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “We will send him social media. We will DM him. I’ll say it right to the camera, Governor Newsom if you’re watching, get us this funding. If you want to save lives, get us this funding.”

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Chicago Mayor’s Order to Resist ICE: “Protecting Chicago Initiative” Makes the City More Dangerous

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday, August 30, 2025, called the “Protecting Chicago Initiative,” in response to anticipated federal immigration raids and the possible deployment of the National Guard by the Trump administration.

Ironically, he believes he is protecting Chicago by sheltering illegal aliens, including those with criminal histories, and by refusing to support law enforcement efforts. How this makes the city safer remains unclear.

The order prohibits the Chicago Police Department from assisting federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement, including patrols, traffic stops, and checkpoints, and bars collaboration with military personnel on local police duties. It also requires federal officers to follow municipal policies, such as banning the use of masks to conceal identities.

The directive further instructs city departments to “pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to resist coordinated efforts from the federal government” that may infringe on the rights of Chicago residents.

This raises the question of whether illegal immigrants should be considered residents, what rights they possess, and whether they are entitled to protection from federal law enforcement. No comparable program exists to shield American citizens who commit crimes from federal officers.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome,” after Johnson called the administration “out-of-control” and accused the president of acting “outside the bounds of the Constitution.”

The mayor makes these claims, but immigration enforcement is not “outside the bounds of the Constitution,” and an administration enforcing existing laws is not “out of control.” What is out of control are Chicago’s illegal immigration and violent crime problems, precisely why stronger enforcement is needed.

Chicago has maintained sanctuary city policies for nearly 40 years, beginning with Mayor Harold Washington’s 1985 executive order. The current framework is the “Welcoming City Ordinance,” enacted in 2006, expanded in 2012, and tightened in 2021 to eliminate all cooperation with ICE. At the state level, Illinois passed the Trust Act in 2017, extending sanctuary protections statewide and prohibiting local officials from inquiring about immigration status or assisting in federal enforcement.

Illinois is home to about 500,000 illegal immigrants, including 30,000 DACA recipients and tens of thousands of recent arrivals. Since August 2022, roughly 51,000 migrants from the southern border have settled in Chicago, adding major costs for taxpayers.

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The War On Reality is Over

Unwittingly, that New York Times headline is a wondrous case of the self-solving mystery. You come here to understand the many social and political mysteries of the day. I will attempt to unravel this hairball.

Most obviously, the suspect, now dead, in Wednesday’s Minneapolis school shooting was not a “her.” He was a him, a 23-year-old male, Robert Westman, who had been pretending to be a female for some years since undergoing puberty, with the encouragement of his parents and the cultural leaders of his city, including Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, backed by the expressed principles of the national Democratic Party.

The essence of all that was a gigantic game of pretend, a broad and deliberate dissociation from reality for the purpose of maintaining a political racketeering operation, which is what the Democratic Party had become. Pretend that men can become women. Pretend that Covid vaccinations are safe and effective. Pretend that national borders don’t matter. Pretend that crime is not a social problem. Pretend that riots are mostly peaceful. Pretend that our elections are free and fair. Pretend that “Joe Biden” is president. Pretend that Ukraine is fighting for democracy. And so on. All pretend.

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Mayor Frey Wept at Career Criminal George Floyd’s Funeral, Defended Catholic School Shooter

Video footage widely shared on social media showed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pausing at George Floyd’s casket during a memorial. He dropped to one knee, sobbed, and appeared to whisper something.

This display of grief for a career criminal stood in sharp contrast to his response after the August 27, 2025, shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where trans-identifying shooter Robin Westman killed two children and wounded 17 others.

Rather than focusing on the tragedy, Frey used the press conference to criticize Christians for praying and to voice support for the transgender community over alleged insults.

The murder of 19 innocent people, mostly children, as they prayed is a far greater loss than that of George Floyd. Court documents from Harris County, Texas, where Floyd lived most of his life, show he faced nine criminal charges, including three drug cases, two theft charges, trespassing, and aggravated robbery.

His most serious conviction came in 2007, when he and five accomplices forced their way into a woman’s apartment during an armed robbery. He served five years in prison for that crime.

Floyd ultimately died in 2020 after ingesting fentanyl and methamphetamine—substances that kill over 70,000 Americans each year—and resisting arrest for nearly 25 minutes.

The Hennepin County medical examiner reported “fentanyl intoxication” and “recent methamphetamine use” as contributing factors in his death, which was ruled a heart attack.

The person Frey defended, Robin Westman, left behind a manifesto and online posts filled with hatred and violent intent. Authorities are investigating the attack as both a hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism after uncovering extensive anti-Catholic and anti-Christian material.

Westman’s writings and videos revealed a fascination with mass violence. He idolized past killers such as Adam Lanza, Anders Behring Breivik, Brenton Tarrant, and Dylann Roof, often referencing them in posts, videos, and even on his weapons.

The shooter’s arsenal was marked with names of notorious mass murderers responsible for massacres at Sandy Hook, the Tree of Life Synagogue, and Christchurch mosques. In one 20-minute video, Westman repeatedly declared, “I can’t wait to kill and kill and kill,” alongside the refrain, “I fall apart, I break and I die.”

His weapons carried messages that underscored his extremist ideology. Firearms bore slogans such as “Where’s your God now?” and “Kill Donald Trump.” Magazines carried antisemitic and Holocaust denial phrases including, “6 million wasn’t enough.”

A smoke grenade was inscribed with “Jew Gas,” alongside the declaration “Israel must fall” and “Free Palestine.” Other weapons carried phrases like “psycho killer” and “suck on this.”

The manifesto opened with the words, “I don’t expect forgiveness … I do apologize for the effects my actions will have on your lives.”

Later, he admitted, “I have wanted this for so long. I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person, haunted by these thoughts that do not go away… I am severely depressed and have been suicidal for years. Only recently have I lost all hope and decided to perform my final action against this world.”

The writings also revealed an obsession with killing children and a belief that school shootings were the “awful slaughter of innocents” he most admired.

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HAITI HELL: US and Panama Push for Stronger ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to Claim Back Territory Occupied by Criminal Rebels and Stabilize the Chaotic Country

New ‘Gang Suppression Force’ will take the fight to the heavily armed rebel criminals.

It’s a point of contention whether the US as the Western Hemisphere superpower must deal with the Haiti chaos.

If for a moral imperative or geopolitical considerations, is it worthy of consideration to tackle a situation in a very poor country where the rebel criminal gangs have control of 90% of the Capital Port-au-Prince?

Apparently, the Donald J. Trump administration has decided it wants to – or has to – take the lead in the international effort to stabilize the ‘hell hole’.

Earlier, on Thursday (28), the US announced that it is seeking UN authorization for a new ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to help tackle the spiraling violence in Haiti, as it arises that the heavily-armed criminal groups are expanding their attacks to the countryside.

Associated Press reported:

“Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea made the announcement at a U.N. Security Council meeting, but it was unclear how it would differ from the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support force now deployed in the violence-torn Caribbean nation trying to help police curb gang violence. Shea thanked Kenya for answering Haiti’s call ‘at a critical moment’ and leading a multinational force for more than a year, saying without it ‘the gangs would have been even more emboldened in their ambitions and brazen atrocities against civilians in Haiti’.”

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America Has A “Transtifa” Problem 

At the start of the year, only eight days into President Trump’s second term, the FBI’s counterterrorism division held an unclassified briefing on an emerging domestic terrorism threat: “Nihilistic Accelerationism.”

Some of the most recent examples of nihilism and accelerationist beliefs can be found alarmingly emanating from the political far-left. Violence, chaos, and destruction are recurring themes found in their online posts, propaganda, manifestos, and civil disobedience (also known as “civil terrorism“). 

Take, for example, the transgender mass shooter last week that carried out a horrific attack against Christians at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 17 others before taking his own life, wrote in a dark, troubling manifesto posted online that he was “tired of being trans.”

A literal monster.

Self-proclaimed investor and “CIA/NSA contractor/whistleblower” Tony Seruga wrote on X that the demonic transgender mass shooter had attended “at least five antifa protests” and “also appeared to have been present with several Zizians.” Seruga made this claim using GPS data. 

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Minneapolis Shooter’s Mother Not Speaking To Police

The mother of the man who killed two children at a Minneapolis church and school and left 18 other people wounded is not speaking to authorities, the city’s police chief said on Aug. 28.

“We have not been successful in talking to the shooter’s mother yet at this time,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told a briefing.

The shooter, who killed himself after firing more than 100 rounds during Mass into Annunciation Church and School on Aug. 27, has been identified as Robin Westman, a male who identified as female.

Westman previously attended the school and has attended Mass there, officials said.

Mary Grace Westman, the mother, worked at the parish in the past, O’Hara said.

The church, in a 2021 Facebook post that it has since deleted, posted a picture of Mary Westman and said that it had honored her as she was retiring after working there for five years.

“She has provided such wonderful hospitality, friendship and compassion to all who gathered,” the post stated.

Ryan Garry, a defense attorney, said he has been retained by Mary Westman.

“She is completely distraught about the situation and has no culpability but is seeking an attorney to deal with calls like this,” Garry told Fox News.

Garry did not respond to a request for more information by publication time.

O’Hara said that law enforcement has conducted dozens of interviews with others, including relatives, friends, and associates of Robin Westman.

Authorities have also carried out search warrants at three residences in or near Minneapolis that are connected to the shooter. They’re not sure yet at which residence he was staying immediately prior to the shooting.

There is no sign yet of an event that triggered the shooting, they said.

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