Crimes and Trials News

Jury selection begins in army base attack trial

Reuters - Tue Oct 7, 7:43 PM ET

CAMDEN, New Jersey (Reuters) - Jury selection began on Tuesday for five Muslim men accused of plotting to attack a New Jersey army base out of a large pool of 1,500 people in the hopes of finding 18 unbiased jurors.

  • Ill. gov to convicted fundraiser: Tell the truth AP - Tue Oct 7, 6:39 PM ET

    CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday called on Antoin "Tony" Rezko to tell the truth, a day after federal prosecutors strongly hinted that the political fundraiser, convicted in a state corruption scandal, might be cooperating in their investigation.

  • This undated image provided by Ryan Hawks shows Tom and Jackie Hawks. The couple were allegedly bound to the anchor of their yacht and tossed overboard four years ago. Opening statements in the case of former child actor Skylar Deleon, who is accused of killing the couple, are expected to begin Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Courtesy Ryan Hawks)
    Defense: Man killed 2 by throwing them off yacht AP - Tue Oct 7, 7:19 PM ET

    SANTA ANA, Calif. - The attorney for a man accused of throwing a couple off their yacht bound to an anchor told a jury Tuesday his client is guilty of those two murders and a third, but shouldn't be put to death.

  • Co-defendants Clarence 'C.J.' Stewart and O. J. Simpson, second from right standing, and their defense teams listen as the two are found guilty on all 12 charges, including felony kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Friday, Oct. 3, 2008. The verdict comes 13 years to the day after he was acquitted of double murder charges. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter, Pool)
    Simpson's future now hangs on armed robbery appeal AP - Tue Oct 7, 5:25 PM ET

    LAS VEGAS - O.J. Simpson's attorneys in his armed robbery case could be fighting long odds to convince an appeals court that he was a victim of racial prejudice and payback for his murder acquittal, legal experts say, but there may be other grounds for a new trial.

  • Former contractor pleads guilty to Iraq fuel theft AP - Tue Oct 7, 5:20 PM ET

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A former Army contractor pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing nearly $40 million worth of jet and diesel fuel from a U.S. Army base in Iraq and selling it on the black market.

  • Judge orders Chinese Muslims at Guantanamo freed Reuters - Tue Oct 7, 12:47 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the release in the United States of 17 Chinese Muslims who have been held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, a landmark ruling that dealt a major setback to the Bush administration.

  • Man pleads guilty to fraud for phony asylum claims AP - Tue Oct 7, 11:35 AM ET

    PHILADELPHIA - A man accused of coaching immigrants on how to make phony asylum claims pleaded guilty to fraud and other charges and agreed to forfeit $1.7 million.

  • In this Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 file photo, Jeffrey N. Gargaro, stands inside the Whatcom County Courthouse, in Bellingham, Wash. Gargaro, who wrote on a newspaper Web site that he was going to shoot up a shopping mall one day after a gunman in another town killed six people pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
    No jail for WA man who posted he'd shoot up mall AP - 1 hour, 1 minute ago

    SEATTLE - A man pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Tuesday for writing on a newspaper Web site that he was going to shoot up a shopping mall one day after a shooting spree in another Washington state town.

  • This undated photo, supplied by the Iowa Department of Corrections, shows Chicago police officer Michael Mette, who is serving a five-year sentence in an Iowa prison cell after being convicted of assault causing serious injuries. The charges stem from a 2005 fight in which Mette punched Dubuque student Jake Gothard, who suffered a broken nose, cheek and jaw. The Iowa Court of Appeals on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, ordered that Mette be freed from prison. In its ruling Wednesday the appeals court says there wasn't enough evidence for a Dubuque County district court judge to find that Mette could have retreated from the altercation on Oct. 9, 2005, in Dubuque. (AP Photo/ Iowa Department of Corrections, File)
    Iowa AG decision means Chicago cop will be freed AP - 1 hour, 45 minutes ago

    DES MOINES, Iowa - A Chicago police officer could be released within days after the Iowa attorney general's office announced Tuesday it would not seek a state Supreme Court review of his case.

  • In this Oct. 11, 2007, file photo, singer Britney Spears drives from family court in Los Angeles. Spears may have to stand trial for a misdemeanor driving without a license after all. A three-judge panel in Los Angeles on Tuesday denied a motion by Spears' attorney seeking a delay in the trial and a possible reduction in the charge. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)
    Court denies appeal in Spears' driving case AP - Tue Oct 7, 8:01 PM ET

    LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears may have to stand trial for driving without a valid license after all. A three-judge panel in Los Angeles on Tuesday denied a motion by Spears' attorney seeking a delay in the trial and a possible reduction in the charge.

  • Judge: Calif. must pay for prison health care AP - Tue Oct 7, 6:21 AM ET

    SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge has scolded California officials for failing to provide the billions of dollars a court-appointed receiver says is needed to upgrade the state's prison health care system.

  • In this Wednesday, June 4, 2008 file photo, Antoin 'Tony' Rezko returns to the Federal Courthouse where a jury found him guilty on 16 counts of a 24-count indictment in his corruption trail in Chicago. Federal prosecutors moved Monday, Oct. 6, 2008 to delay indefinitely the sentencing of convicted fundraiser Antoin 'Tony' Rezko, sending their strongest hint yet that he is ready to spill his political secrets. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
    Prosecutors move to delay Rezko sentencing AP - Tue Oct 7, 6:14 AM ET

    CHICAGO - Federal prosecutors moved Monday to delay indefinitely the sentencing of convicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, sending their strongest hint yet that he is ready to spill his political secrets.

  • Mistrial ends San Diego gay pride harassment case AP - Mon Oct 6, 10:35 PM ET

    SAN DIEGO - A mistrial was declared Monday after a jury could not decide whether to award damages to four firefighters who claimed they were sexually harassed after being forced to participate in a gay pride parade last year.

  • Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) walks in Capitol Hill in Washington September 27, 2008. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
    Sen. Stevens on tape: "might serve time in jail" Reuters - Mon Oct 6, 9:56 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Ted Stevens told an oil-executive friend, in recordings played on Monday at the Alaska Republican's corruption trial, they both risked going to jail -- but he didn't think it would come to that.

  • Colombian pleads guilty in cocaine-for-arms deal AP - Mon Oct 6, 9:25 PM ET

    HOUSTON - A Colombian right-wing paramilitary member has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to attempting to acquire anti-aircraft missiles, grenade launchers and other powerful weapons in exchange for $25 million worth of cocaine.

  • RI jury convicts 1 ex-hospital exec of corruption AP - Mon Oct 6, 6:41 PM ET

    PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A former hospital executive was convicted Monday of buying the influence of a Rhode Island lawmaker, while his former colleague was found not guilty of similar charges.

  • A man looks at a Tivo display. The US Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal by EchoStar Communications Corp. against a judgment ordering it to pay nearly 74 million dollars to TiVo Inc. for patent infringement.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Justin Sullivan)
    US Supreme Court spurns EchoStar appeal AFP - Mon Oct 6, 6:24 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal by EchoStar Communications Corp. against a judgment ordering it to pay nearly 74 million dollars to TiVo Inc. for patent infringement.

  • Former Wellcare employee pleads guilty to fraud Reuters - Mon Oct 6, 6:09 PM ET

    TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - A former employee of a Wellcare Health Care Plans Inc subsidiary pleaded guilty to defrauding the Florida Medicaid program out of more than $20 million, prosecutors said on Monday.

  • Detention officer Dexter Jenkins looks over the evidence of Brian Nichols' shoes at the Atlanta Municipal Court Building, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008. Nichols, 36, is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Nichols, who is accused of killing a judge, court reporter and sheriff's deputy at the Fulton County Courthouse, and a federal agent later that day.(AP Photo/John Spink ,Pool)
    Ex-hostage held by accused court gunman testifies AP - Mon Oct 6, 6:07 PM ET

    ATLANTA - The woman credited with helping bring about the surrender of accused courthouse gunman Brian Nichols recounted at his murder trial Monday how she appealed to his religious beliefs during hours in captivity before persuading him to set her free.

  • Former Solicitor General Ted Olson (R) leaves the US Supreme Court after arguing in the case Altria Group v. Stephanie Good on the first day of the court's new term in Washington, DC. Lawyers for the biggest US tobacco maker went before the Supreme Court on Monday to argue that Washington is to blame if anyone felt tricked into thinking that light cigarettes are less dangerous than regular smokes.(AFP/Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)
    Fight over 'light cigarettes' begins in US Supreme Court AFP - Mon Oct 6, 4:07 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - Lawyers for the biggest US tobacco maker went before the Supreme Court on Monday to argue that Washington is to blame if anyone felt tricked into thinking that light cigarettes are less dangerous than regular smokes.

  • Court denies appeal of judge's sentencing goof AP - Mon Oct 6, 3:30 PM ET

    MOBILE, Ala. - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from an Alabama man who was sentenced to five years in prison when a judge wrongly thought the law required him to serve time.

  • Tony Alamo, evangelist and convicted tax evader, is seen in this Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 booking photo released by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, in Flagstaff, Ariz. Alamo, whose birth name is Bernie Lazar Hoffman, has waived his right to fight extradition to Arkansas after his arrest on charges he took minors across state lines for sexual purposes. Alamo made a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Friday, Sept. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Coconino County Sheriff's Office)
    Feds bringing evangelist Alamo back to Arkansas AP - Mon Oct 6, 2:51 PM ET

    LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Evangelist Tony Alamo left Arizona for Arkansas under the watch of federal marshals Monday, preparing to answer to charges that he took children across state lines to engage in sexual activity.

  • University head pleads guilty to drunken driving AP - Mon Oct 6, 12:16 PM ET

    GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The president of Davenport University has pleaded guilty to a first-time drunken-driving charge and refusing to take a breath test during his arrest.

  • Top court stays out of DVR patent fight AP - Mon Oct 6, 11:44 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused Monday to disturb a $74 million judgment against Dish Network Corp. for violating a patent held by TiVo Inc. involving digital video recorders.

  • O.J. Simpson appears in court during closing arguments in his trial at the Clark County Regional Justice Center on October 2, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jae C. Hong/Pool/Reuters)
    O.J. Simpson's luck runs out after 13 years Reuters - Sun Oct 5, 4:33 PM ET

    LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - O.J. Simpson, who more than a decade ago stunned much of America by beating murder charges, found himself in a Las Vegas jail on Saturday, facing the possibility of life in prison after a jury found him guilty of kidnapping and robbery in a dramatic late-night verdict.

  • In this Oct. 3, 1995 picture, O.J. Simpson reacts as he is found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman at the Criminal Courts Building in Los Angeles. At left is defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey and at right, defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. Defense attorney Robert Shapiro is in profile behind them. Simpson was convicted of an armed robbery that happened on Sept. 13, 2007 and was found guilty on the 13th anniversary of his Los Angeles murder acquittal. The Las Vegas jury deliberated for 13 hours after a 13-day trial. (AP Photo/Pool, Myung J. Chun)
    Some on Simpson jury disagreed with 1995 acquittal AP - Sat Oct 4, 11:18 PM ET

    LAS VEGAS - The jurors in O.J. Simpson's armed robbery and kidnapping trial claimed a mixture of opinions about his acquittal on murder charges more than a decade ago, but all told attorneys they could set aside their feelings.

  • This undated photo provided by the Westchester County District Attorney shows Carlos Perez-Olivo. After deliberating for for parts of two days, Westchester County jury convicted Perez-Olivo of second-degree murder in the Nov. 18, 2006 shooting death of his wife. The one time Chappaqua, N.Y neighbor of Bill and Hillary Clinton could get life in prison. (AP Photo/Westchester County District Attorney)
    Former Clinton neighbor convicted of murder in NY AP - Sat Oct 4, 8:17 PM ET

    WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A disbarred attorney who lived three doors down from Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton in suburban New York was convicted Saturday of murdering his wife in what prosecutors said was an attempt to collect life insurance money.

  • O.J. Simpson appears in court during closing arguments for his trial at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 2. Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping, 13 years to the day after the American football legend was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Pool)
    O.J. Simpson guilty in robbery, kidnap trial AFP - Sat Oct 4, 12:37 PM ET

    LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) - O.J. Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping here late Friday, 13 years to the day after the American football legend was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

  • Ex-police officer in Ohio wants new murder trial AP - Sat Oct 4, 7:25 AM ET

    CANTON, Ohio - A former police officer sentenced to life in prison for killing his pregnant lover is seeking a new trial, arguing that the jury handed down contradictory verdicts.

  • This combo shows the nine men, including O.J. Simpson, who were involved in an armed robbery on Sept. 13, 2007, in a cramped Palace Station casino hotel room. Six were initially charged in the case. Four pleaded guilty to lesser crimes and testified for the prosecution, along with the two victims and the man who arranged the meeting. (AP Photo)
    A look at the 9 men in the O.J. Simpson case AP - Sat Oct 4, 6:53 AM ET

    Nine men, including O.J. Simpson, were involved in an armed robbery on Sept. 13, 2007, in a cramped Palace Station casino hotel room. Six were initially charged in the case. Four pleaded guilty to lesser crimes and testified for the prosecution, along with the two victims and the man who arranged the meeting. A look at the key players:

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