andrew emett

FIFA Executives Indicted on International Corruption Charges

Originally published on May 29, 2015, at NationofChange.org

Fourteen people, including nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives, were indicted this week on corruption charges involving the World Cup and multiple bribery scandals spanning over two decades. On Wednesday, Swiss law enforcement officers arrested seven top FIFA officials staying at a five-star hotel in Zurich. Although the Justice Department has not filed charges against FIFA President Sepp Blatter, the FBI and IRS continue to investigate the myriad allegations leveled against him.

Top officials within the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) have been charged with soliciting and accepting bribes from countries petitioning to host the World Cup in 1998 and 2010. Through the systematic payment of bribes and kickbacks, FIFA executives allegedly forged alliances with sports marketing executives who shut out competitors and kept highly lucrative contracts for themselves. Included in the conspiracy are the current and former presidents CONCACAF, the continental confederation under FIFA headquartered in the United States.

“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” stated Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust.”

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DOJ Reaches Agreement to Reform Cleveland Police Brutality

Originally published on May 28, 2015, at NationofChange.org

The Justice Department and the city of Cleveland announced on Tuesday that they have entered into a court enforceable agreement to reduce systemic police abuse and repeated violations of the Fourth Amendment. Although the Cleveland Police Department (CPD) has not admitted any wrongdoing, the Department of Justice found that a significant amount of CPD officers utilize deadly and excessive force. With a lack of proper training and transparency, CPD officers now face a myriad of reforms and independent auditors in order to reinstate the broken trust between the police and their community.

At the request of Mayor Frank Jackson on March 14, 2013, the Justice Department began investigating allegations of excessive force and violations of the Fourth Amendment being committed by the CPD. The investigation included a comprehensive assessment of officers’ use of force, and CPD’s policies, procedures, training, systems of accountability, and community engagement. On December 4, 2014, the Justice Department announced that a significant amount of CPD officers used excessive force and constituted an ongoing risk to the public and their fellow officers.

“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that every American benefits from a police force that protects and serves all members of the community,” stated Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “The agreement we have reached with the city of Cleveland is the result of the hard work and dedication of the entire Cleveland community, and looks to address serious concerns, rebuild trust, and maintain the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. I am pleased to have the full cooperation of law enforcement and city officials in this effort. And I look forward to working with the entire community to build a stronger, safer Cleveland for residents and officers alike.”

According to the agreement, the CPD expects its officers to treat all members of the Cleveland community with courtesy, professionalism, and respect, and not to use harassing, intimidating, or derogatory language. CPD officers will no longer employ neck holds, assault handcuffed suspects, strike individuals in the head with their Taser or service weapon, use force against people verbally confronting them, pepper-spray compliant persons, or engage in retaliatory force. Officers will also use de-escalation techniques and allow suspects the opportunity to submit to arrest before using force against them.

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DC Gyrocopter Pilot Remains Defiant After Indicted on Federal Charges

Originally published on May 23, 2015, at NationofChange.org

The Florida postal worker who landed his gyrocopter on Capitol Hill last month pled not guilty on Thursday to two felony counts and four misdemeanors. Although the defiant pilot intended to spread public awareness regarding campaign finance reform and dark money influencing politics, lawmakers in Washington have focused instead on the security lapses that allowed him to fly over restricted airspace. Refusing to be ignored, 61-year-old Doug Hughes now faces a maximum sentence of nine and a half years in prison for his nonviolent protest against rampant political greed.

On April 15, Doug Hughes flew from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and landed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Instead of carrying weapons, his gyrocopter was equipped with 535 letters that he intended to deliver to the members of Congress. In his letters and subsequent opinion pieces, Hughes has called for a constitutional amendment to nullify Citizens United v. FEC and reforms to systemic political corruption.

“The reason I did it,” Hughes explained during an NPR interview, “although I brought 535 letters to Congress, the reason was to get a message to the American people — not that there’s a problem with Congress but that there are solutions to the problem. Ninety-one percent of Americans know that Congress isn’t working for them. That they’re responding to special interests and lobbyists.”

“Many people don’t know that almost half the Congress, when they retire goes to work as lobbyists, oftentimes making 14 times what they made while they were in Congress as special advisers, and lobbyists, and none of them is worth $2 million a year. They’re getting paid off for voting the way the lobbyist firm that they got hired to wanted them to vote while they were in office. Anybody who looks at this can see that it’s bribery made legal by a delayed payment.”

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Rogue Cop Indicted for Excessive Force and Cover-Ups

Originally published on May 21, 2015, at NationofChange.org

A decorated Minneapolis police officer with a history of brutality complaints was charged on Wednesday with viciously assaulting at least four people while off-duty. After falsifying police reports, Officer Michael Griffin allegedly committed perjury multiple times to cover up his crimes. The city has already paid over $410,000 to settle two lawsuits filed by Officer Griffin’s victims.

The first incident began outside the Aqua Nightclub and Lounge in downtown Minneapolis after closing time on May 29, 2010. An argument between a married couple outside the bar led to a confrontation between Griffin and Ibrahim Regai. Griffin, who was off-duty and friends with the husband, flashed his badge and threatened to arrest Regai, who was friends with the wife.

Instead of fighting Griffin, Regai retreated to the nearby Envy Nightclub where he worked part-time. Regai approached the employee’s entrance and rang the doorbell, but Griffin followed Regai and sucker-punched him in the face before anyone could open the door. According to the indictment, Griffin repeatedly struck him in the face until Regai was unconscious.

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Fox News Anchor Bill O’Reilly Reportedly Abused His Wife in Front of His Daughter

Originally published on May 21, 2015, at NationofChange.org

During a recent custody battle between Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly and his ex-wife, a forensic examiner reportedly testified that their young daughter witnessed O’Reilly physically abusing his wife. Although O’Reilly denies the allegations, the judge granted his ex-wife full custody of their children last month. While O’Reilly has denounced domestic abuse on his show “The O’Reilly Factor,” he has neglected to inform his audience of the accusations against him.

On November 2, 1996, Bill O’Reilly married Maureen McPhilmy and together they had two children, Madeline and Spencer. The couple separated in 2010 and finalized their divorce a year later. They initially agreed to share custody of their children, but McPhilmy returned to court in February 2012 seeking full custody of her children after O’Reilly allegedly violated conditions of the agreement.

According to a recent article in Gawker, a court-appointed forensic examiner testified at a closed hearing about an incident that O’Reilly’s daughter, Madeline, claimed to have witnessed. Roughly a year before her parent’s separation, Madeline reportedly saw her father grab her mother by the throat and drag her down a staircase while tightly gripping her neck. Madeline was nine years old at the time and believes her father did not know she was watching.

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Undersheriff and Captain Indicted on Federal Obstruction Charges

Originally published on May 16, 2015, at NationofChange.org

A former Los Angeles undersheriff and sheriff’s captain surrendered to authorities on Thursday after a federal grand jury indicted them on obstruction and conspiracy charges. Accused of corruptly influencing and impeding an FBI investigation into abuse and bribery within the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka and retired Captain William “Tom” Carey allegedly ordered deputies to secretly transfer an FBI informant under false names and engage in witness tampering. Former Capt. Carey has also been accused of providing false testimony in two separate trials.

In September 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a report documenting over 70 instances of excessive force, misconduct, and sexual assault committed by deputies. A few months later, the ACLU sued the Sheriff’s Department accusing then-Sheriff Lee Baca and Undersheriff Tanaka of covering up and condoning violence against prisoners. After attempting several times to notify Baca and his staff about the abuses, corruption, and misconduct committed by deputies at Men’s Central Jail (MCJ) in Downtown Los Angeles, former sheriff’s commander Bob Olmsted contacted the FBI.

“I knew I had to act, and as a result, I notified the FBI of the department’s culture and acceptance of excessive force, inmate abuse, sheriff’s gangs, and corruption,” admitted retired Cmdr. Olmsted.

According to the indictment, a former deputy, an ACLU employee, numerous inmates, and a chaplain all reported witnessing deputies using excessive force against inmates. In May 2010, a former LASD deputy trainee reported to Carey that the trainee, his training officer, and several other deputies participated in a premeditated beating of an inmate with mental disabilities.

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Video Exposes Police Officer Pepper-Spraying Handcuffed Teens

Originally published on May 14, 2015, at NationofChange.org

The NAACP released a video this week of a police officer shooting pepper spray into the faces of two handcuffed teenagers sitting inside a holding cell. After receiving the video in the mail, the president of the Alton NAACP decided to share the video with the public. Although Alton Police Chief Jason Simmons knew about the abuse since March, he admitted that it took the officers involved two months before finally writing a report on the incident.

In the video dated January 26, 2015, two handcuffed teenagers are waiting in a holding area at the Alton Police Department in Illinois. The teens remain seated when the door opens and Officer Vince Warlick appears in the doorway holding a can of pepper spray. After briefly speaking to them, Warlick suddenly maces both of them in the face without provocation.

One of the teens writhes in agony for several minutes, while the other struggles to remain composed. Both are reportedly residents of the Catholic Children’s Home in Alton.

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Third Blogger Hacked to Death within 3 Months

Originally published on May 13, 2015, at NationofChange.org

Masked men with machetes ambushed a secular blogger on Tuesday morning and hacked him to death on his way to work in Bangladesh. Although the victim’s name was reportedly on a list of targets compiled by Islamic extremists for assassination, police have not arrested anyone for his murder. Ananta Bijoy Das has become the third blogger within the last three months butchered in public for supporting science and reason over religious fundamentalism.

According to police, Das was headed to work at a bank in the city of Sylhet when four masked assailants attacked him on the street with machetes. Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Kamrul Ahsan told reporters, “They chased him down the street and first attacked his head with their machetes and then attacked him all over his body.”

After the attackers fled into the early morning crowds, Das was transported to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Although Das worked for a bank, he also contributed to the blog Mukto Mona(Free Mind) and was the editor of a scientific magazine named Jukti (Reason). While mainly writing about science and evolution, Das had also been critical of religious fundamentalism and recent violence against secular thinkers.

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LAPD Chief Rebukes Officers for Killing Another Unarmed Homeless Man

Originally published on May 9, 2015, at NationofChange.org

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck expressed sharp disapproval this week after reviewing a security video of two police officers killing an unarmed homeless man near Venice Beach. Although the homeless man appeared to be struggling with the officers in the video, Chief Beck could not justify their actions in taking the unarmed man’s life. Police have refused to release the footage due to recent social unrest.

Around 11:20 p.m. on Tuesday, two LAPD officers responded to a report of a homeless man with a dog harassing customers outside of a building in Venice, California. After briefly speaking with Brendon Glenn, the officers let him go and returned to their patrol car. According to police, Glenn began walking toward the Venice boardwalk with his dog, Dozer.

But a short while later, the officers reported witnessing Glenn physically struggling with a bouncer outside of a bar. They attempted to detain Glenn and engaged in a physical altercation with him. According to witnesses who have seen a security video of the incident, the officers fought with Glenn before successfully taking him to the ground. Just as the officers appeared to gain control over Glenn, one of them stood up and started walking away.

In the video, Glenn manages to stand up while allegedly struggling with the other officer. Witnesses assert that Glenn was not reaching for the officer’s firearm when the other cop shot him at least twice from a few feet away.

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DEA Agents Reprimanded for Forcing Student to Drink His Own Urine to Survive

Originally published on May 7, 2015, at NationofChange.org

According to the Department of Justice, six DEA agents were either reprimanded or received short suspensions for leaving a UC San Diego engineering student jailed for five days without food or water. Although the student almost died of dehydration, near-kidney failure, and a perforated lung from a suicide attempt, no DEA agents were fired or indicted on criminal charges.

Engineering student Daniel Chong was smoking marijuana at a friend’s apartment in San Diego early on the morning of April 21, 2012, when DEA agents raided the residence. Chong and the other detainees were transported to a DEA field office in Kearny Mesa and interrogated. After the agents determined that Chong had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, they decided to release Chong without charges and even offered to give him a ride home.

Instead of releasing Chong, the DEA agents claimed that they simply forgot about him. Left handcuffed in a windowless five-by-ten-foot holding cell, Chong endured the next five days without any food, water, or human contact. Dying of dehydration, Chong was forced to drink his own urine in order to survive.

“I had to do what I had to do to survive…I hallucinated by the third day,” Chong recalled. “I was completely insane.”

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