Tag: crime

Feds bust fraud ring accused of stealing $47M in COVID, small business loans

For the second week in a row, the Department of Homeland Security carried out a dramatic, early-morning raid in Los Angeles targeting transnational organized crime rings. This week’s bust netted fourteen arrests from an Armenian fraud ring that investigators say stole $30 million in COVID relief and Small Business loans meant to help taxpaying Americans.

“If you are taking money from the government that doesn’t belong to you, your door could be the next one that we’re hitting,” said U.S. Attorney for California’s Central District, Bill Essayli.

Fox News was exclusively embedded with DHS in the multi-agency sting that included the IRS and the Small Business Administration.

Thirteen of the suspects are Armenian-born but have become naturalized. At least one of the suspects faces deportation.

“This is the police. We have a warrant. Come out with your hands up!” one officer’s voice echoed on a loudspeaker attached to an armored vehicle with agents inside. The special unit inside the armored vehicle first cut the chain on a gated driveway and then demanded one of the targeted suspects come out of his L.A.-area home in a sunrise bust.

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Two Teenagers Found Shot Dead in Arizona National Forest

Sheriff’s officials in Arizona are investigating the deaths of two high school students found in a national forest outside Phoenix after they failed to return from a Memorial Day camping trip.

Both had died from gunshot wounds, according to KNXV-TV, which cited the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

And both were being mourned by their families and their school community.

Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, was described by her mother in a message to KNXV-TV as “a bright light in this world who loved every single person she met and had an unusual ability to make every person she met feel special and loved. She was a friend to many and a beloved daughter. She lived life in a big way and was always up for an adventure.”

The other teen has been identified by family and friends as 17-year-old Evan Clark.

In an interview with KSAZ-TV, a co-worker of Clark’s called the deaths a “tragedy.”

“You just cherish all the memories and the laughs,” the co-worker said.  “His life was cut very short, and so was Pandora’s. They were very young, and it was just so sudden and a tragedy that you wouldn’t even imagine.”

A classmate of Clark’s told the station “it doesn’t really feel real.”

“I was just in class with him, not even a week ago,” the classmate said.

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Mexico’s first judicial elections include ex-convicts and cartel lawyers

Mexico is preparing to hold its first-ever judicial elections, and concerns are growing over the criminal histories and affiliations of candidates on the ballot.

Among those seeking positions are individuals previously investigated for crimes ranging from organized crime to sexual abuse, and even an ex-convict who served time in a US prison for drug smuggling, says the New York Times.

The judicial elections, scheduled for Sunday, will decide 2,681 positions, including some on Mexico’s Supreme Court.

The reform was introduced last year by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and is supported by current President Claudia Sheinbaum. They argue that the shift from appointments to public elections will reduce corruption and make the system more accountable to voters.

However, critics, including legal experts, have warned that opening up the judiciary to electoral politics could compromise judicial independence and allow unqualified or compromised individuals to gain power. Some also worry the process may increase the influence of organized crime in Mexico’s already-broken justice system.

At least four candidates have previously faced criminal investigations, according to letters obtained by The Times. These letters, sent in early May by the leaders of both congressional chambers—controlled by the ruling Morena party—asked electoral officials to disqualify 18 candidates accused of failing to meet the constitutional requirement of a “good reputation.”

Among those on the ballot is Fernando Escamilla, a 32-year-old candidate for a state criminal judgeship in Nuevo Leon. He previously provided legal services to Miguel Angel Treviño and Eleazar Medina-Rojas, two senior figures in the Zetas cartel.

Escamilla has defended his work, stating he merely advised on extradition law and believes it would be “unfair” to disqualify him from practicing law.

“It’s like a doctor,” Escamilla said. “When patients arrive at the emergency room, the doctor doesn’t ask what they do for a living before deciding whether to treat them, they just do.”

Other candidates have more serious criminal pasts. Leopoldo Javier Chávez Vargas was arrested in 2015 in Texas for attempting to smuggle meth into the US. He served nearly six years in prison and is now seeking a federal judgeship in Durango.

“I don’t deny my past,” he said. “I have fully accepted the consequences.”

Another candidate, Jesus Humberto Padilla Briones, was arrested in 2023 with meth and an illegal firearm.

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ICE arrests illegal immigrant who faced no jail time for killing Colorado woman

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a 16-year-old illegal immigrant from Colombia who received no jail time after his reckless driving killed 24-year-old Kaitlyn Weaver in Aurora, Colorado.

He was driving around 90 mph in a residential area when the crash occurred, police said.

In lieu of jail time, he received probation and community service.

“For the @DA18th justice is no jail time and probation for this criminal alien who killed a young woman while driving more than 90mph. For ICE, justice is arrest and removal,” ICE Denver wrote on the social media platform X. “A 16-year-old citizen of Colombia, with a conviction for reckless driving resulting in death was arrested by ICE Denver officers last week and will remain in ICE custody pending an immigration hearing.”

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Stunning breakthrough in infamous case of eight women who have been missing for 28 years raises hopes that one of Ireland’s biggest mysteries could finally be solved

One of Ireland’s biggest unsolved cases may finally find a resolution after three decades thanks to a new witness.

Between the late eighties and early nineties, eight women went missing from across the Emerald Isle – in what’s became known as Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle.

One of the women, Fiona Pender, was 25 and seven months pregnant when she went missing from her flat in Tullamore in August 1996. 

The cases have baffled police from years, but in a major update the Gardai have upgraded Fiona’s disappearance to murder.

This week they searched a new area of land at Graigue, close to the village of Killeigh, around 8km from Tullamore, County Offaly, in the middle of Ireland. 

It is understood Gardaí received new information deemed credible enough to warrant the latest search and the upgrading of the investigation. 

The search of a remote area of bogland started on Tuesday as gardaí hoped for a breakthrough in the nearly 30-year investigation.

However it quickly moved to a second location on Wednesday and continued well into the night. 

The force told The Irish Independent: ‘Gardaí investigating the disappearance and murder of Fiona Pender in August 1996 have today, Wednesday 28th May 2025, commenced another search operation on open ground at a location in Co. Laois.   

Fiona was last seen leaving home by her boyfriend John Thomson. 

In 2008 a small cross bearing her name was found along the The Slieve Bloom Way, but her body has never been recovered.

She was just one of a string of disappearances that haunted Ireland in the 1990s commonly referred to as the Vanishing Triangle, none of the women have ever been found so investigators have very little evidence to link the disappearances. 

In a major update on the case, police have upgraded Fiona’s disappearance to murder and have decided to search a new area of land at Graigue, close to the village of Killeigh, around 8 km from Tullamore, Co Offaly.

 ‘This area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations.

‘This search forms part of a sustained investigation carried out by Gardaí in Laois/ Offaly Garda Division over the last 28-years to establish Fiona’s whereabouts and to investigate the circumstances in which Fiona disappeared.’

Gardaí have since concluded the search operation in Co Offaly, however the results are not being released for operational reasons. 

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Crime Runs in the Family! Letitia James Buys Home for Niece’s Jailbird Adult Kids

On May 21, New York Attorney General Letitia James attempted to deflect growing controversy over a criminal referral to the Department of Justice regarding her real estate dealings. Speaking before the Association for a Better New York, James claimed her motives were purely familial.

“In reality, the power of attorney was never used to determine my eligibility for a mortgage for my niece for a home in the state of Virginia,” James said. “My niece has children, and because I’m a good aunt, I wanted her to have a home.”

This statement was in reference to allegations raised by forensic fraud investigator Sam Antar and widely circulated by The Gateway Pundit. At issue is a 2023 mortgage James co-signed for a property at 604 Sterling Street in Norfolk, Virginia. She filed a notarized power of attorney on August 17, 2023, declaring under oath that she “intended to occupy this property as her principal residence.” Yet at the time, James was legally domiciled in Brooklyn, New York, serving as state Attorney General.

William Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, cited this declaration in an April 14, 2025 letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging that James may have falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed assistance and loans with more favorable terms.

Pulte noted that mortgages for primary residences typically offer better rates and conditions than those for second homes or investment properties. James’s HAMP loan and her claim of marriage to her father were also cited by Pulte for investigation.

James’s explanation, that she is a “good aunt” merely helping her niece and her children – is now facing deeper scrutiny. While her words evoked images of needy young children, the facts paint a more troubling picture.

Letitia James’s niece, Shamice Thompson-Hairston, was 53 years old at the time of the home purchase. Two of her children – whom James’s statement implied were minors – are both adults, and both have significant criminal histories.

Shamice Hairston’s adult daughter, Cayla Hairston was born on August 20, 2004. She was 20 years old when Letitia James purchased 604 Sterling Street in Norfolk, Virginia and claimed it would be her primary residence.

Cayla Hairston has multiple arrests on her record, including a felony charge for violating Virginia’s law prohibiting firearm possession by convicted felons (Virginia Code §18.2-308.2) and felon in possession. This indicates that Cayla must have had a prior felony conviction, likely when she was under 18 because no records are available online.

Cayla was also charged with making a false statement on criminal history consent form when purchasing a firearm, and this is a serious offense. This form is required by Virginia law for individuals purchasing firearms from dealers. If a person willfully and intentionally makes a materially false statement on this form, they are guilty of a Class 5 felony, which can result in up to 10 years of imprisonment

Cayla was arrested again in June 2024 for grand larceny, a charge later reduced to petit larceny. She received a suspended jail sentence and was fined $539.

Even more concerning is Shamice’s 36 year old daughter, Nakia Monique Thompson, born in February 1989. Her crimes span 20 years in the states of Virginia and North Carolina, and include multiple prison sentences and convictions for: contributing to delinquency of a minor, abuse of child, possession of burglary tools, third degree larceny, grand larceny, assault and battery, petty larceny, trespassing, shoplifting, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended license, and conspiracy to commit larceny.

Nakia Thompson was even convicted of crimes while serving prison time, including malicious conduct by prisoner.

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Seattle’s Woke Problem: You Don’t Hate Antifa Or Leftist Politicians Enough

If you want to travel back in history and get a glimpse of the spread of violent Bolshevism across Europe in the early 20th Century, the west coast of the US in 2025 is a close parallel.  Seattle in particular has become a cesspool of extreme Antifa activism and apathetic local governance.  It’s a place where zero tolerance is displayed for differing political views and violence is considered an acceptable strategy to silence opponents.  Seattle is a glimpse back to the height of the woke era, and a warning of what could happen if the political left is ever allowed to gain real power again.

As we covered last week, Antifa groups organized and descended on a Christian event held by Mayday USA in Cal Anderson Park, within the same area that was once the “CHAZ autonomous zone” during the riots of 2020.  The reaction from the woke mob to the peaceful free speech event was vicious and at least 23 arrests were made by police.

What the local news does not mention, however, is the fact that these kinds of disruptive actions are a regular occurrence in the Seattle area.  Any visit from a conservative group or speaker in a public venue is immediately swarmed and attacked; people who attend the events are specifically targeted for harassment.  Antifa isn’t only seeking to intimidate the speakers or the organizers, they go after anyone who shows up to listen.  The establishment media will never show you most of these incidents.

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Cartel Gunmen Abduct, Murder Musical Group in Mexican Border City

A group of cartel gunmen abducted, murdered, and incinerated a group of musicians in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Desperate relatives held protests, vigils, and even blocked access to international ports of entry in an attempt to get government officials to act and not ignore the case, like the thousands of missing persons cases that have been taking place throughout the state of Tamaulipas in recent years.

The abduction took place early Sunday morning after the five members of a local regional musical group called Fugitivo went to perform at a private party. When they arrived at the venue, they found it closed. They never returned.

Relatives and loved ones quickly sounded the alarm and filed missing persons reports with authorities. They then began holding protests and spreading the information on social media as a way to pressure authorities into action.

Authorities revealed to Breitbart Texas that 24 hours after the disappearance, they were able to locate the group’s SUV, but the trailer where they kept their musical instruments was missing.

In the following days, Tamaulipas State authorities went to a local bar called La Chinit, where witnesses claim the musicians went after finding their original venue closed. There, they found traces of blood and began conducting DNA tests to determine if the blood matched that of the missing individuals.

As part of their efforts to get attention to the case, friends and loved ones held protests, blocking traffic at international ports of entry. These protests forced Mexican authorities to take steps to secure the ports of entry.

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Progressive Nashville Mayor Investigated for Obstructing ICE Agents

Democrat Freddie O’Connell, who has positioned himself as a progressive mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, is currently under investigation for allegedly obstructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles announced on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and congressional judiciary committees are investigating whether Mayor O’Connell used federal tax dollars “in criminal enterprise” to obstruct ICE operations while allegedly aiding and abetting illegal migrants. As Breitbart News reported, O’Connell made “waves nationally after making Metro Immigration Interactions public”:

According to WZTV, the public information includes “federal immigration authorities’ names.” The Democrat maintains he is doing this as a form of “transparency,” but Republicans are warning that this fundamentally puts agents in danger.

“@freddieoconnell is putting ICE agents and law enforcement in harm’s way by releasing their names for criminal gangs to see,” Blackburn said in a social media post, explaining why the move is so risky.

“These men and women have risked their lives to make our communities safer by removing gangs, rapists, and other heinous criminals from our communities. Shame on him,” she continued.

In a Monday press conference at the Tennessee State capital, Ogles claimed that the mayor has been aiding “murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, sexual predators, child traffickers.”

“I will always stand on the rule of law and with ICE. And I don’t just stand with ICE; I’ll stand in front of ICE because we the people have had enough,” Ogles said. “Due to the remarks of Freddie O’Connell and the potential for aiding and abetting illegal immigration, the Homeland Security and the judiciary committees will be conducting an investigation into the mayor of Nashville, his conduct and whether or not federal dollars have been used in criminal enterprise.”

According to the New York Post, ICE agents “working with the Tennessee Highway Patrol had busted nearly 200 immigrants — many criminals with gang affiliations — in a joint operation earlier this month.”

“After the arrests, O’Connell signed an executive order requiring city departments to inform the mayor’s office within a certain time frame after communicating with federal immigration authorities,” noted the NY Post.

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Mother who SOLD her daughter, six, after ‘healer’ wanted child ‘for her light eyes and skin’ is jailed for life in South Africa – as girl remains missing

A mother who sold her six-year-old daughter to a ‘healer’ for just £800 has been jailed for life in South Africa.

Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, 35, was convicted of kidnapping and trafficking along with her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn.

Little Joshlin Smith, who has a fair complexion and turquoise eyes, disappeared last February after vanishing outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town – and has not been seen since.

A court heard during the six-week trial how Smith was sought out by a ‘healer’ for her ‘light eyes and skin’, with the mother reportedly only receiving around £800 for her.

‘On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment,’ Judge Nathan Erasmus told the trio.

He said he ‘drew no distinction’ from each other in their evil crime and the cold-hearted group showed no emotion as their sentences were read out.

The shocking trial has captivated South Africa for the last few months, with Joshlin still missing despite a major search operation.

Joshlin’s grandmother, who now cares for her daughter’s eldest child, pleaded with Smith ahead of the sentence to ‘bring my [grand]child back or tell me where she is’. 

Amanda Smith-Daniels later told local broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that ‘I don’t feel that any sentence they get will bring my grandchild back.’ 

Her family has been left ‘broken’, she said, and she condemned her daughter for blaming others over the tragedy when she ‘was the person that did the deed’.

‘How do you sleep [and] live with yourself?’ she asked the callous mother in her victim statement on Wednesday after it was revealed by a social worker Joshlin had been living a life of neglect. 

Smith and her accomplices refused to testify during the trial or call on any witnesses for their defence but more than 30 people were brought in to tell the court about Joshlin’s troubled life and disappearance. 

Lourentia Lombaard, Smith’s friend and neighbour, told the community centre acting as a court so locals could attend that Smith had admitted to her she had done ‘something silly’ in a shocking confession.

In the days before Joshlin disappeared, the mother confessed to her that she had sold her child to a ‘sangoma’ – a traditional healer. 

Ms Lombaard said she later saw Smith pack some of Joshlin’s clothing into a black bag, which she was carrying when she met a woman she believes was the sangoma.

Smith climbed into a white car with Joshlin and the sangoma and they drove away, according to Lombaard.

One of Joshlin’s teachers said Smith told them during one of the searches for Joshlin that she was already ‘on a ship, inside a container, and they were on the way to West Africa’. 

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