Tag: crime

Rep. Jasmine Crockett: ‘No Good Point’ in Prosecuting Crimes Committed ‘to Survive’

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) suggested this week that poverty can drive people to commit certain crimes, arguing during a podcast interview that prosecutions are not always justified when offenses involve basic survival needs.

Speaking Wednesday on the Grounded podcast, Crockett, a former public defender, explained there is “a direct link between poverty and susceptibility to having to engage in certain things.” She insisted that not all people in poverty turn to crime, but maintained that circumstances often push individuals toward unlawful acts.

“There are crimes that are committed, not because people are criminals, but because they literally are trying to survive,” Crockett stated. She went on to cite Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, who in past remarks suggested that his office would not prosecute low-level theft cases involving food, diapers, or other necessities. Crockett noted Creuzot “probably shouldn’t have said it out loud,” but nonetheless agreed with the approach, adding that “there is no good point in doing it because a decent defense attorney would have a defense.”

Crockett has become known for making radical statements on crime, politics, and the Trump administration. On the same day the podcast interview was released, she claimed during an MSNBC appearance that President Donald Trump was “unlawfully going into various minority controlled cities” with the National Guard.

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Burning Man Murder Mystery: Victim Identified – Throat Slashed with Knife – Police Still Looking For Suspect

Burning Man 2025 was marred by monsoonal storms, windstorms and a grisly murder.

A homicide investigation is underway after a man was found dead in a pool of blood at Burning Man last Saturday night.

Tens of thousands of ‘Burners’ flocked to the Nevada desert this year to engage in debauchery.

Burning Man is a yearly drug-infested music and art festival in Northern Nevada, in Black Rock City. Attendees engage in sexually degenerate activities such as “whippings by a dominatrix priestess,” “circle jerks,” “c*ck fights” and orgies.

The man murdered at Burning Man this year was identified as a 37-year-old Russian man named Vadim Kruglov. His throat was slashed by a large blade. The suspect is still at large.

TMZ reported:

The dead guy found at this year’s Burning Man had a large wound to his throat … the slash was from a knife, and the blade was recovered at the scene.

Our sources tell us the knife is being forensically examined … and law enforcement is also going through a phone that was found near the body.

We’re told Vadim Kruglov’s dead body was found inside a tent pavilion structure near a makeshift bar Saturday night … lying in a pool of blood.

Because the death was ruled a homicide, our sources say police got a warrant before entering the tent pavilion … there was a chance the area could be deemed a dwelling, and cops felt it prudent to err on the side of caution, at least from a legal standpoint.

Last week a wicked dust storm kicked up on the first day of the festival this year and it ruined camp sites. Winds reached more than 45 miles per hour, according to a spokesperson for Burning Man.

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Horrific video sparks outrage after young Ukrainian woman is fatally stabbed, allegedly by repeat offender

Avideo of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee went viral after the footage captures an assailant senselessly and brutally murdering the young woman on a train.

The woman was later identified as Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed multiple times in a random attack on a train in North Carolina on August 22. Zarutska had recently come to America “seeking safety” from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, “hoping for a new beginning,” according to a GoFundMe for her loved ones.

“This is an irreparable loss for her family,” the GoFundMe reads. “We have created this fundraiser to support … her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses.”

As details emerged surrounding the shocking tragedy, online outrage quickly followed.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the alleged stabber as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, a repeat offender. The CMPD arrested and charged Brown with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing Zarutska multiple times, including once in the throat.

The suspect was also seen walking to another part of the train after the stabbing, blood on the knife dripping all over the ground. He quickly removed his red hoodie once passengers began to take notice.

Brown has been convicted of several offenses, including armed robbery and felony larceny.

“The tragedy of Iryna Zarutska’s death in Charlotte is the result of decades of Democrat DAs and Sheriffs putting their woke agendas above public safety,” Republican state Rep. Brenden Jones of North Carolina said in a post on X. “Violent criminals commit crimes with impunity, while families live in fear.”

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The Statistics War Over School Shootings Since Columbine, Especially By Transgender Shooters

Since the horrific Columbine shooting in April 1999, there’ve been a tragic number of American public and religious school shootings. No matter how “experts” gloss over their statistics, if a single death is a tragedy, mass killings are light years beyond “tragedy.”

Having lost a son in high school – not from shooting, but from another life-altering catastrophe – I can only imagine the tidal wave of grief engulfing the family and friends of those lost children.

Much less reported, though nonetheless a tragedy, is that a disproportionate number of these shootings were perpetrated by those who identify as “transgender.” 

Triggered by this latest shooting, I went looking for the real stats, trying to discover how much tragedy is really out there. I sought what most media shy away from. 

As a trained journalist, I dug deep, recalling that:

If you want to know how many school shootings have occurred, just check the stats. 

I’d learned this in J-School: Numbers never lie. Of course, my pre-Watergate profs assumed credible sources had credible numbers.    

Right? Well, maybe. But don’t count on it.

While citing traditionally credible sources, the one that seems most honest in pointing out that nobody knows which stats to refer to as they judge the horrific impact of school shootings, Al Jazeera – a source I never thought I’d cite – said it clearly on August 28, 2025. 

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Florida Issuing Civil and Criminal Subpoenas to Employer of Illegal Alien Truck Driver Whose Illegal U-Turn Allegedly Killed Three

Florida is issuing civil and criminal subpoenas to the employer of the illegal alien truck driver whose illegal U-turn allegedly resulted in the death of three individuals in St. Lucie County on August 12, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced this week.

The illegal alien truck driver has been identified as Harjinder Singh, who steered his 18-wheeler through a U-turn on a Florida turnpike — an illegal maneuver — resulting in a minivan crashing into the trailer, killing three. What is more, the Department of Transportation (DOT) revealed that officials with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) had launched an investigation into the deadly crash in Florida and found that the truck driver failed the English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment. He provided “correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions,” and accurately identified 1 of 4 highway traffic signs,” according to the DOT press release.

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Two Juveniles Arrested For Murder of 21-Year-Old Capitol Hill Intern

As previously reported, a 21-year-old intern for Republican Representative Ron Estes of Kansas was killed in late June in Washington, D.C..

Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, who was a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was shot and killed in Northwest Washington, D.C.

Police reported that the shooting occurred around 10:28 pm when a group of unidentified suspects fired shots at Tarpinian-Jachym and two others, which included a 16-year-old male and an adult female.

ABC News reported that investigators have stated the shooting was targeted, but Tarpinian-Jachym was not the intended target.

Two 17-year-olds were arrested for the murder of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym.

Per US Attorney General Pam Bondi:

On June 30th, Congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was senselessly murdered in Washington, D.C.

Thanks to outstanding investigative work from FBI, two of his suspected killers were just arrested. If convicted, they will face severe justice.

We hope that this provides some measure of solace to his family.

On June 30th, Congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was senselessly murdered in Washington, D.C.

Thanks to outstanding investigative work from @FBI, two of his suspected killers were just arrested. If convicted, they will face severe justice.

We hope that this provides…

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) September 5, 2025

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the juveniles will be charged as adults.

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DOJ Opens Grand Jury Criminal Investigation Fed Governor Lisa Cook Over Mortgage Fraud Allegations

The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook – and has issued multiple subpoenas as part of the inquiry into whether she committed mortgage fraud, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing ‘officials familiar with the matter.’

The probe – for which a grand jury has been assembled, will begin by looking at Cook’s properties in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Atlanta. It comes on the heels of two criminal investigations from Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, who has been dropping receipts for weeks with evidence that Cook committed fraud – including claiming two properties as her “primary residence” – as well as claiming that a rented out third property was her ‘second home’ – all things that would qualify her for better rates and tax treatment. 

Pulte accused Cook of misleading banks on multiple mortgage applications to receive favorable lending terms, such as lower interest rates, typically given to a buyer who intends to occupy the home they purchase. 

A judge is considering Cook’s request for an emergency order stopping her from being removed from the Fed board while the case proceeds. The Fed’s next meeting is set to begin Sept. 16. -WSJ

Last Thursday, Cook filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after President Donald Trump fired her that Monday ‘for cause.’ Among the excuses contained in the lawsuit for alleged mortgage fraud was a possible clerical error. 

Except, Cook described herself in her 2023 nomination hearing as having “significant experience in banking and finance, as is evidenced by my service on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and of a Community Development Financial Institution in Michigan, in addition to my employment at an investment bank and a large commercial bank.” 

What’s more, the Federal Reserve Act allows the president to fire Fed governors ‘for cause’ – which the Trump administration claims applies. In a Tuesday court filing, Cook’s lawyers said she “did not ever commit mortgage fraud.”

Pulte shot down any notion that the fed wasn’t political in a Thursday appearance on CNBC, saying “I don’t believe for the last 4 years that the Fed has been independent.” 

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US State Dept employee sentenced to 4 years for selling defense information

A U.S. State Department employee was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information to individuals he believed to be working for China’s government, the Justice Department said.

Michael Schena, 42, of Alexandria, Virginia, worked at State Department headquarters in Washington. He held a top secret security clearance and had access to information up to the secret level, the Justice Department said.

Beginning in April 2022, Schena communicated with people he met online through various platforms and provided them sensitive U.S. government information in exchange for money, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Two of these individuals represented themselves as employees of international consulting companies, the Justice Department said. Believing that they were working on behalf of China’s government, Schena continued his relationship with them, the Justice Department said.

In August 2024, Schena met an individual at a hotel in Peru who provided Schena $10,000 and a cellphone that was intended to be used for Schena to receive tasks and transmit information, prosecutors said.

In October 2024, while at work, Schena used the cellphone he received in Peru to photograph and transmit at least four classified documents that contained national defense information and which were classified as secret,according to prosecutors.

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Top Aide to Democrat Newark Mayor Ras Baraka PLEADS GUILTY in Corruption Scheme — Faces Up to 20 YEARS in Federal Prison

A top aide to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has officially pled guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, admitting involvement in a pay-to-play corruption scheme that traded government favors for bribes.

Alina Habba, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced the plea in a blistering statement on X:

“Today a former Senior Aide to the Mayor of Newark plead guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

This is a clear example of a pay-to-play scheme, where public officials exploit their positions of power to obtain bribes in exchange for doing their jobs. This betrays the trust of the very community members they claim to serve.

I will not stand for public corruption anywhere in New Jersey.   These charges have a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. This is what accountability looks like — and I will continue to fight for the people of New Jersey.”

Today a former Senior Aide to the Mayor of Newark plead guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. This is a clear example of a pay-to-play scheme, where public officials exploit their positions of power to obtain bribes in exchange for doing their jobs. This betrays…

— US Attorney Habba (@USAttyHabba) September 3, 2025

This latest scandal follows Mayor Ras Baraka’s own arrest just last month after storming into the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in an act of political grandstanding.

He was charged with criminal trespass before Habba’s office announced that the misdemeanor case had been dropped.

But Baraka hasn’t let the matter go. Instead of accepting responsibility, he filed a lawsuit against Acting U.S. Attorney Habba and Homeland Security Special Agent Ricky Patel, accusing them of “false arrest and malicious prosecution.” His attorneys even smeared Habba as a “political operative” in a 17-page complaint.

Habba responded on the lawsuit stating, “My advice to the mayor – feel free to join me in prioritizing violent crime and public safety. Far better use of time for the great citizens of New Jersey.”

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A Chicago Democrat’s Deranged Explanation for His City’s Violent Weekend

Democrats around the country are test driving different responses to President Trump’s (quite successful) crime crackdown in Washington, DC — which he is threatening to impose elsewhere, albeit under different authorities and jurisdictional constraints, given the capital’s unique status as a federal district.  In DC itself, Mayor Bowser surprised many last week by acknowledging the dramatic reduction in crime and sounding positive about the federal-local partnership achieving those results.  She enraged leftists in the process, but adopting a ‘plummeting crime is good’ position is typically very safe terrain for a politician.  California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been trolling Trump for weeks, so when he rolled out new anti-crime squads in his state, he had to do so with all sorts of requisite criticisms of the president.  But his action alone was something of a nod to the reality Trump has been highlighting: Crime remains far too elevated in large swaths of the country, very much including on the West Coast.  It has been the Democrats of Illinois who seem to have planted their heads in the sand as aggressively as possible, shouting resistance slogans into that dust while rampant crime rages around them.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has achieved historic, breathtakingly low approval ratings, repeatedly refused to answer whether thousands of more local police on the beat would help reduce crime in his city (which has led the nation in murders for more than a dozen years running).  He’s against what he calls an unconstitutional Trump intervention and “military occupation,” you see, but he’s also against more local enforcement.

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