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Life in Prison for Dangerous Al Qaeda Operative

Life in Prison for Dangerous Al Qaeda Operative


On November 16, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York reported that Adis Medunjanin was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to commit several suicide terrorist attacks inside the United States.  Medunjanin and co-defendants were days away from bombing the New York City subway in September 2009 before caught by authorities.


According to court documents, Medunjuanin, Najibullah Zazi, and Zarein Ahmedzay traveled to Afghanistan in 2008 and soon received terrorist training in Waziristan.  During their training, they learned how to operate AK-47s, PK machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.  They were eventually encouraged to returned to United States and perform “martyrdom” in areas like the NYC subway system, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, the New York Stock Exchange, and other areas.  


The defendants returned to the United States and planned to conduct suicide bombings during Ramadan in August and September of 2009.  Zazi bought chemicals in August of 2009 to make the explosive called TATP (triacetone triperoxide).  The plot was soon discovered by law enforcement, and bomb-making residue was found in hotel rooms where the construction of the devices occurred.  


Law enforcement issued a search warrant for Medunjanin’s residence on January 7, 2010, and a high speed pursuit ensued.  In a last-ditch effort, Medunjanin attempted to cause a high-speed accident on the Whitestone Expressway and said the following in a phone call to 911 before the accident: “We love death more than you love your life.”


Seven defendants have been convicted in connection to the terrorist plot on New York City so far.  


Assistant Attorney General Monaco announced, “Adis Medunjanin was today held accountable for his role in one of the most serious terrorist plots against the homeland since 9/11. Were it not for the combined efforts of the law enforcement and intelligence communities, the suicide bomb attacks that he and others planned would have been devastating.”


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Man Pleads Guilty to Pointing Laser at Aircraft

Man Pleads Guilty to Pointing Laser at Aircraft


On November 21, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced that Michael Brandon Smith of O’Fallon, Missouri, pled guilty to pointing a high-powered laser at a Metro St Louis Air Support Police helicopter on May 18, 2012.  


The helicopter was performing a routine police patrol on May 18, and the helicopter was dispatched at about 10:00 p.m. for a possible burglary at a school near 200 Meriwether in St. Charles County.  While the helicopter was searching for the possible burglar, the pilot and observer noticed the aircraft was struck with a powerful green laser beam several times.  The helicopter was forced to exit the airspace of the Meriwether property because of the laser.  


The helicopter soon flew toward the direction of the laser and was struck again.  The pilot and observer were still able to tell the source of the laser was coming from the 2700 block of Red Cedar Parc Drive South in O’Fallon.  Smith was intoxicated and standing in the driveway with the laser by the time O’Fallon police reached his residence.  The observer onboard the helicopter suffered some short-term visual loss from the laser.  


Tim Feeney, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s St. Louis Division, stated: “Shining laser pointers at aircrafts is not harmless.  It is dangerous for pilots.  This case is among the first nationwide to be prosecuted under a new federal law that specifically says pointing a laser beam at an aircraft or its flight path is a federal felony.”  


Smith faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.  He is scheduled for sentencing on February 15, 2013.  


The case was investigated by the FBI and the O’Fallon Police Department.


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

NY Man Sentenced for Trying to Steal Historic Documents

NY Man Sentenced for Trying to Steal Historic Documents


On November 9, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland reported that Jason James Savedoff of New York, New York was sentenced to 366 days in prison and two years of supervised release.  He conspired to steals original documents from Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, John Adams, and multiple other historical figures from museums and historical societies.  


During the plea agreement, Savedoff admitted that he and Barry Landau, the co-defendant, stole manuscripts and other documents from the Maryland Historical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Connecticut Historical Society, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library.  


Before stealing the documents, the two men made lists of documents from important historical figures and figured out what signatures had the most value.  They often visited the museums and posed as researchers.  They used aliases to hide their true identities, and they stole the documents by hiding them in hidden pockets in their sport coats and outerwear.  The co-defendants were able to distract museum curators as they stole the documents.  


The defendants made a checklist for each document that included the author, the document’s date, the document’s collection, the museum card catalogue number, any microfilm for the document, markings on the document, and more.  The defendants were able to hide the card catalogue entries so museum aids were unable to notice the document was missing.  


When Landau’s apartment was searched, authorities found of 6,000 items that were stolen around the United States.  These documents were signed by George Washington, John Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, Marie Antoinette, Karl Marx, and Sir Isaac Newton.  The documents are in the process of being returned to museums and proper owners.  


Landau was sentenced to seven years in prison, and he is required to pay restitution of $46,525.  


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
 

38 La Cosa Nostra Defendants Plead Guility

38 La Cosa Nostra Defendants Plead Guility


On November 9, 20912, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York reported that 38 defendants part of United States v Andrew Russo, et al—what the Justice Department calls the “largest single-day operation against La Cosa Nostra—pleaded guilty to federal charges.  The defendants are leaders, members, and general associates for the “Colombo Family.”


Andrew Russo explained his role as street boss and admitted to racketeering and operating illegal gambling businesses.  During an earlier plea proceeding, Russo also admitted to murdering the Colombo family underboss, Joseph Scopo, in 1993.  Benjamin Castellazzo also pled guilty to racketeering and extortion.  Richard Fusco admitted to his role as consigliere for the Colombo Family and also pled guilty to extortion.  


Andrew Russo, Dennis Delucia, Joseph Savarese, Ilario Sessa, and Angelo Spata accounted for the last five guilty pleas.  Savarese and Sessa admitted to extortion to collect debts.  Savarese admitted to assaulting a victim for collection of $13,000, and Sessa admitted to using a knife during the extortion.  


Most of the defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison.  As part of the plea agreement, the defendants have agreed to forfeit $5,576,550.39 of criminal proceeds.


FBI Assistant Director Mary Galligan said, “The dwindling strength of all five La Cosa Nostra families is cause for optimism that their pernicious influence in various industries—and their violence in pursuit of that violence—will become a thing of the past.  The FBI will continue to address the threat posed by the Colombos and the other families until it has been eradicated.”


The case is being prosecuted by Elizabeth A. Geddes, Allon Lifshitz, and Gina M. Parlovecchio—all Assistant United States Attorneys.  


United States Attorney Loretta E. Lynch stated, “These convictions mark an important event in this office’s continued efforts to entirely dismantle the Colombo family.”


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
 

Two Attempted to Sell Stolen Henri Matisse Painting

Two Attempted to Sell Stolen Henri Matisse Painting


On October 31, 2012, Wifredo A Ferrer, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael B Steinbach, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Field Office, announced that a Miami resident and a Mexican national were charged and pled guilty to attempting to sell the stolen Matisse painting called “Odalisque in Red Pants.”  


Pedro Antonia Marcuello Guzman of Miami, Florida and Maria Martha Elisa Ornelas Lazo of Mexico City pled guilty on July 17, 2012.  Marcuello pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport and sell stolen property, transporting stolen property over state lines, and possession of a piece of stolen property—in direct violation of 18 USC § 371, 2314, and 2315.  Ornelas pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport and sell property that was stolen.  The two defendants are scheduled for sentencing on January 22, 2013.  


Marcuello faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and Ornelas faces up to five years in prison.  “Odalisque in Red Pants” was stolen from the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, Venezuela around December of 2002.  


Court documents indicate that Marcuello met with FBI undercover agents from December of 2011 to July 13, 2012.  During the meetings, Marcuello agreed to sell the painting for $740,000 and have the painting smuggled into the United States from Mexico.  After the agreement, Ornelas smuggled the stolen painting into the United States on July 16, 2012.  The two defendants gave the painting to the undercover officers the following day, and they were arrested at the time of the monetary transaction.  


The FBI’s Art Crime Team, the FBI Legal Attaché in Caracas and Paris, the Office of International Affairs under the Department of Justice, and the Department of Justice Attaché in Paris helped with the investigation.  


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

US Marshals Inspector Awarded for Heroism in Virginia

US Marshals Inspector Awarded for Heroism in Virginia


On October 17, 2012, the US Marshals Service announced that Inspector John Long of the US Marshals’ Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force will receive the Department of Justice, Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism.  He is receiving the award for risking his life during field duties when he saved the life of a woman in the Eastern District of Virginia.  


During an investigation, Inspector Long noticed that a woman came running and screaming out of her home.  She was chased by Johnny Jones, a wanted fugitive, and he was ripping at her hair and holding a pistol in his other hand.  


Inspector Long immediately exited his vehicle and pointed a service rifle at Jones.  After he demanded Jones to drop his gun, the fugitive released the woman and ran back inside of her home.  Inspector Long safely placed the women in his vehicle and called for the rest of his team that was conducting surveillance nearby.  


Jones proceeded to flee from the house—where he broke in using a brick—and he ran through the neighborhood into a patch of woods.  Inspector Long chased after Jones, and he eventually spotted him crawling out of a shed with the gun in his hand.  Inspector Long pointed his rifle at Jones a second time and demanded that he drop the weapon.  Jones threw the gun and surrendered on the spot.  


Jones was wanted for abduction, grand larceny, and probation violation after serving time for rape, abduction, using a firearm, breaking and entering, theft, and malicious wounding.  He is a registered sex offender in Virginia as well.  


Jones received 6 ½ years in prison for the offenses that occurred on the day Inspector Jones risked his life.  He will face more time for the probation violations.  


Source: U.S. Marshals Service

$5,000 Offered for Information on Salem Bank Robbery

$5,000 Offered for Information on Salem Bank Robbery


On October 18, 2012, the Portland FBI announced that the Oregon Financial Institutions Security Task Force (FIST) is offering a reward of $5,000 for any information that leads to the arrests of the two armed men who robbed the West Coast Bank on September 10, 2012.  

The robbery occurred at about 3:15 p.m. at the West Coast Bank on 5686 Commercial Street SE in Salem, Oregon.  The first suspect stood and watched at the door as the other suspect went up to the teller’s counter, flashed a handgun, and demanded money.  The men eventually left in a stolen truck, but the truck was found abandoned after a short amount of time.  


The first suspect is a white male in his 40s or 50s.  He is about 6’0” tall, and he has a medium build.  During the robbery, he wore a welder’s mask, a dark sweatshirt with a hood, and blue jeans.  


The second suspect is a white male in his 40s to 50s as well.  The man is between 5’9” and 5’10” and he has a thin build.  During the robbery, he wore dark goggles and a dark baseball hat with light lettering.  He was also wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, dark pants, and blue jeans under the pants.  


If you have any information about the suspects or their current location, you need to contact the FBI in Salem immediately at (503) 362-6601.  You can also call the FBI in Portland at (503) 224-4181 or the Salem Police at (503) 540-2352.  


The FBI announces that FIST is an effort between local, state, and federal law enforcement to help protect banks, savings and loans, and credit unions.  The goal of FIST is to reduce the amount of crimes committed against these financial institutions.  


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
 

Top Trial Attorney James Brosnahan Reflects on Over 50 Years of Law Practice

Top Trial Attorney James Brosnahan Reflects on Over 50 Years of Law Practice

San Francisco, CA—One of the top 30 trial lawyers in the United States, James Brosnahan first realized he wanted to practice criminal law before he even went to law school.

Once he graduated, he was plunged directly into the deep end.  “My very first trial was a first degree murder case,” Brosnahan recalled in a recent interview with laws.com.  “Of course, at that time, it was a very big case for me.  It was in the Pima reservation, south of Phoenix.”

(More on News at LAWS.com, Contact Alberto for interviews “support@laws.com”)

Brosnahan has been practicing law for over 50 years, most recently at Morrison & Foerster, recently named 2013 Law Firm of the Year by Chambers Global.  In half a century of practicing law, the situation has changed substantially for criminal defendants.

“Today, it is extremely difficult for criminal defense lawyers to practice law, because of the federal sentencing guidelines,” he explains.  “They basically convert humans into mathematical statistics.”

These sentencing guidelines have led to an increase in plea agreements.  Making the decision to plea bargain or go to trial is rarely an easy one, according to Brosnahan.  “Before going to trial or taking a plea deal, I always analyze the future of my client.  What is this plea deal going to do for my client's future?  What is it that I can do to benefit my client's future?  And—most importantly—what does the client want to do?”

After representing clients in a number of high profile cases, Brosnahan has his pick of cases today, specializing in over 25 areas of practice.  “I choose cases if there is an interesting issue in the case,” he says.  “What really gets me going is if the government has overreached, and they oftentimes do.  I like to resist that, and find out how to do things within the rules, because they're hardly ever what the government thinks they are.  Many times, the defendant is not guilty of what they were charged with.”

Brosnahan believes that it's hard to overestimate the role of individual jurors and jury selection during trial.  “I don't think I knew enough human psychology when I first started, and I did not comprehend the real dynamics of jury deliberations,” he says.  “I thought early on that the outcome of the case was all based on my performance, but it turned out that the jury plays a much bigger role than I thought.”

Taking high profile, difficult cases, including for defendants like John Walker Lindh, has led to media attention—and the press can be tough to deal with.  “What I have learned from working on these high-profiled cases is to not let the spotlight change or influence the integrity of my work.”  While it can be tempting to talk to the press, Brosnahan cautions younger attorneys: “The only audience that matters is the judge and the jury, so a lot of attorneys have to be extremely careful not to let the media bully them around.”

When getting started in criminal defense, Brosnahan says that it's critical to know how you appear and sound in court.  “Practice your delivery as much as possible.  Public speaking is essential in this practice, so you must find as many opportunities to speak to a large audience as possible.  It also doesn't hurt to read a few biographies of notable criminal defense attorneys to have a better understanding of the practice.  What has worked for me—and what I highly recommend—is to talk to criminal defense attorneys who have the time and patience to answer questions.”

Morrison & Foerster strives to be an extremely well-balanced law firm, providing a broad range of services. With more than 1,000 lawyers in 16 offices in key technology and financial centers in the United States, Europe and Asia, their clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, and Fortune 100, technology and life science companies. To learn more about James Brosnahan and his practice, click here.

Hitman Receives Life in Prison Plus 40 Years

Hitman Receives Life in Prison Plus 40 Years


On October 19, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced that Gerardo Castillo-Chavez from Tamaulipas, Mexico, received life in prison plus 40 years for murders that were linked to the Gulf Cartel and Zetas.  The co-defendant, Eduardo Carreon-Ibarra, received 25 years in prison along with a former 20 year sentence.  


The charges come from a superseding indictment on February 17, 2010 that charged Castillo-Chavez and 33 other people with 47 counts of kidnapping, murder, drug conspiracy, money laundering, using juveniles to commit violent crimes, firearms violations and more.


During the trial, testimony was provided by a couple of Zeta hitmen who admitted to murders in Laredo in Texas, Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas, and Monterrey in Mexico.  Several other defendants testified about drug trafficking from Mexico to areas like New York City and Dallas.  Prosecutors with the United States presented evidence that proved the killing and kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Nuevo Laredo as well.  


Castillo-Chavez was proved to work with the Gulf Cartel and Zetas between November of 2005 and April of 2009.  Testimony proved that Castillo-Chavez committed a double murder on April 2, 2006 and attempted two other people in March of 2006.  He was responsible for a grenade attack in Monterrey that killed four as well.  


Carreon-Ibarra was convicted of attempting to commit an assassination in a nightclub in February of 2006.  As he was waiting for a delivery of grenades at a local hotel, he was arrested before the assassination could take place.  Police found semi-automatic pistols and two fully automatic assault rifles in his possession.  


The investigation was headed by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Laredo Police Department.  Multiple other federal and local authorities assisted in the investigation as well.  


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
 

Robber’s Mother Guilty in Conspiring to Rob Armored Car

Robber’s Mother Guilty in Conspiring to Rob Armored Car


On October 16, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced that Regina McCullom, also known as Regina Wilson, pleaded guilty to a gun charge and conspiring to rob an armored car when the car was transporting a large amount of cash.  


During a former guilty plea, McCullom admitted that she and her son, Erik Wilson, planned to rob an armored car at gunpoint.  Erik Wilson worked for Dunbar Armored and knew the robbery was going to occur on when the armored car was traveling throughout Washington D.C.  He acted surprised when the co-defendants robbed the armored car and made off with roughly $210,000.  


A second robbery occurred on April 29, 2009.  McCullom drove her son and David Howard to an apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland where they put on fake beards.  McCullom waited with the first vehicle as Howard and Erick Wilson left in another vehicle to rob a Dunbar truck.  The second robbery occurred on New Hampshire Avenue, and Wilson was able to steal $160,000 and the Dunbar guard’s handgun.  


The two men then traveled back to the apartment complex and met McCullom.  She left in a taxi with the money and handgun in a duffel bag.  She returned home and met her son and Howard at a hotel in Columbia.  They divided the cash in a room.  


Erick Wilson and David Marquise Howard pleaded guilty to the two armed car robberies.  They will be sentenced on November 20-21 of 2012.  


McCullom pled guilty to the first armored car robbery and was sentenced in 2009.  After pleading guilty to the second armored car robbery, she now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy and a minimum of five years for aiding and abetting with a firearm during a crime of violence.  She can receive life in prison for the firearm charge as well.  


Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

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