nationofchange

Dog Fighting Organizer and Co-Conspirators Sentenced to Prison

Originally published on November 16, 2014, at NationofChange.org

A federal judge concluded sentencing this week for eight people arrested in the second largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history. Responsible for the deaths and injuries of hundreds of dogs, most of the defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy along with dog fighting and gun charges. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) have been providing food, shelter, and medical care for the animals seized during the raid.

On August 23, 2013, the ASPCA and HSUS assisted the FBI in seizing hundreds of canines from dog fighting rings in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Wounded, malnourished, riddled with parasites, and chained to car axles buried in the ground, roughly half of the seized dogs died or were euthanized. Federal and local law enforcement also seized drugs, firearms, and over $500,000 in cash from illicit gambling activities.

After organizing and hosting at least 80 dog fights, 50-year-old Donnie Anderson was arrested when investigators raided his Auburn home and wooded property in Waverly, Alabama. Cooperating witnesses testified that Anderson’s fights regularly had between 100 and 300 people in attendance who paid $100 to $150 for admission. With bets averaging $100,000 per fight, many participants were armed and sold illegal drugs at the venue.

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Corrupt Deputy Sentenced to 92 Years for Aggravated Identity Theft and Civil Rights Violations

Originally published on November 13, 2014, at NationofChange.org

A former sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to 92 years in prison for committing fraud, civil rights violations, and stealing the identity of a Louisiana man who has been missing since 2007. Although Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Hebert has not been formally charged with murder, U.S. District Judge Jane Milazzo found him responsible for the death and disappearance of his victim.

On August 2, 2007, Albert Bloch lost control of his car and crashed into some shrubs after suffering a seizure. Deputy Hebert responded to the accident. Sustaining minor cuts and bruises, Bloch was transported to University Hospital in New Orleans for treatment while Hebert ended up stealing his debit card, Personal Identification Number (PIN), Chase Bank checks, account number, driver’s license, and social security number. As Bloch received treatment in the hospital, Hebert immediately began making purchases with the stolen debit card.

“His position afforded him the opportunity to take advantage of other individuals,” admitted Col. John Fortunato, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

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Former Employees Accuse Takata of Ignoring Exploding Airbags for 10 Years

Originally published on November 11, 2014, at NationofChange.org

As federal agencies launch investigations into Takata Corporation’s exploding airbag malfunction, two former employees are accusing Takata executives of possessing prior knowledge of the defective airbags and covering up the evidence back in 2004. The faulty airbags have been responsible for at least four deaths and 139 injuries. Although Takata executives blame degrading propellants in humid regions for these fatalities, Takata’s lax quality control standards and corporate greed also play major factors.

After an airbag exploded in Alabama in May 2004 firing metal shards into the ’02 Honda Accord’s driver, Takata conducted a series of secret tests to determine the cause of the explosion. Under the supervision of Al Bernat, then Takata’s vice president for engineering, 50 airbags were discreetly tested after work hours and on weekends and holidays during the summer of 2004 at Takata’s American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Although lab technicians found two cracked steel inflators during three months of clandestine testing, Bernat disregarded their results and ordered the technicians to stop the tests, destroy all of their data, and dispose of the evidence in the trash.

Takata reported to Honda that they were unable to find a cause for the exploding airbag. Honda accepted Takata’s assertion that the explosion was an anomaly and settled a claim with the injured driver. Honda also filed an early warning report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to regulatory findings, Takata claims they did not perform diagnostic tests on the defective airbags until 2008.

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Police Arrest 90-Year-Old and Two Pastors for Feeding Homeless People

Originally published on November 9, 2014, at NationofChange.org

In an act of compassion and civil disobedience, a 90-year-old man and two pastors in Fort Lauderdale openly defied a new city ordinance barring anyone from feeding homeless people in public. After police intervened and charged them with a crime, 90-year-old Arnold Abbott and Pastor Dwayne Black returned several days later to break the draconian law again. Although Abbott received another citation, police decided not to place him in custody.

Last Sunday, Arnold Abbott, Pastor Dwayne Black of The Sanctuary Church in Fort Lauderdale, and Mark Sims of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs fed homeless people in a public park in South Florida two days after the city passed a new ordinance outlawing the provision of food to vagrants in public. After getting arrested, the two pastors and elderly homeless advocate each face a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.

“One of the police officers said, ‘Drop that plate right now,’ as if I were carrying a weapon,” recalled Abbott. “It’s man’s inhumanity to man is all it is.”

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2 More Nuclear Commanders Fired Amidst Disciplinary Scandals

Originally published on November 7, 2014, at NationofChange.org

Following a recent series of scandals and misconduct, the U.S. Air Force has fired two more nuclear commanders and disciplined a third. Since June of last year, at least 16 senior nuclear officers have been fired, resigned, or had disciplinary action taken against them. As President Obama upgrades and revamps America’s nuclear stockpile, he continues to place these weapons into the hands of officers afflicted by low morale and poor leadership.

On Monday, the U.S. Air Force fired Col. Carl Jones and Lt. Col. Jimmy Brown due to a loss of trust and confidence in their leadership abilities. Second in command of the 90th Missile Wing at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Col. Jones was responsible for 150 of the air force’s 450 Minuteman III nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Although Lt. Col. Brown was relieved of command at the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on the same day, the air force asserts the timing of these firings is merely a coincidence.

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Police Lieutenant Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Drug Conspiracy

Originally published on November 4, 2014, at NationofChange.org

Operating with full oversight of the Arkansas State Police evidence room, Lieutenant Sedrick Reed repeatedly stole large amounts of confiscated heroin and cocaine then sold the drugs to a known felon. As the FBI launched an investigation, agents caught video surveillance of Lieutenant Reed stealing narcotics and delivering them to a drug dealer’s home. After pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge, Reed has been sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison and asset forfeiture.

As the Arkansas State Police began to notice heroin and cocaine disappearing from their evidence vault, law enforcement officials notified the FBI and assisted in the investigation of Lieutenant Reed. After acquiring a confidential informant, the FBI arranged a sting to catch Reed in the act. On July 12, 2013, the FBI informant called Lamont Johnson and requested to purchase 9 ounces of cocaine.

Unaware the FBI had a court-authorized Title III wiretap on his phone, Johnson agreed to the deal then called Reed. After Johnson ordered 9 ounces of cocaine from Reed, video surveillance shows Reed entering the evidence room and removing a box of narcotics. Reed took the box into an adjoining room with scales and cut the evidence seal before returning the cocaine. An inspection of the evidence box later revealed over 26 ounces of cocaine had been stolen.

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Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Inmate During Strip-Search

Originally published on November 1, 2014, at NationofChange.org

A former Missouri correctional officer pleaded guilty in federal court this week to violating the civil rights of an arrestee by assaulting him during a routine strip-search under color of law. Clay County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Bottorff was caught on surveillance camera repeatedly punching the naked prisoner with a mace canister and threatening to electrocute his genitals. Deputy Bottorff was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation of the incident and fired a month later.

On December 22, 2008, a man identified in court documents as J.C. had been arrested on a traffic warrant and transported to the Clay County Detention Center in Liberty, Missouri. While being processed by deputies, J.C. admitted to concealing illegal drugs inside his body cavities. The deputies escorted J.C. to a separate room and ordered him to undress.

Demanding J.C. to remove the illicit narcotics, Deputy Bottorff sprayed mace into the inmate’s eyes. Without provocation, Bottorff repeatedly punched J.C. in the face, back, and buttocks with the mace canister still in Bottorff’s fist. According to state records, the weight of the mace canister increased the impact of each punch to the defenseless prisoner.

After being punched at least a dozen times, J.C. eventually produced a small baggie of contraband. He also confessed to concealing more drugs inside his rectum. As Bottorff aimed his stun gun at the inmate’s genitals, J.C. begged, “Don’t tase me! Please, don’t kill me!”

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New Mexico Deputy Charged with Murdering Fellow Deputy

Originally published on October 30, 2014, at NationofChange.org

A Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Deputy has been charged with murder after gunning down his colleague at a hotel in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Deputy Jeremy Martin had been fleeing towards the elevator when Deputy Tai Chan shot him multiple times in the back and arm. Las Cruces Police officers found Martin in the hotel lobby and transported him to MountainView Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

After transporting a prisoner to a detention facility in Safford, Arizona, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies Martin and Chan stopped in Las Cruces and booked room 711 at Hotel Encanto around 4pm on Monday. According to Chan’s friend, Joshua Sexauer, the off-duty deputies were already drinking when he picked them up from the hotel. They went to three different bars including Dublin’s Street Pub where the deputies got into a heated argument and the bartender had to physically separate them.

Sexauer left the bar and later received a phone call from Chan’s girlfriend, Leah Tafoya. At 12:31am, Tafoya asked Sexauer to check on Chan. She had just been on the phone with Chan when she heard someone yelling, “Please don’t, please don’t!”

Then she heard gunshots.

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CHP Officers Caught Stealing Nude Photos of Female Suspects

Originally published on October 29, 2014, at NationofChange.org

A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer has admitted to stealing nude photos from the cell phones of several women that he arrested and shared the pictures with at least two other officers. Accessing their cell phones while the women were in police custody, CHP Officer Sean Harrington forwarded the explicit photos to his phone before texting them to his colleagues. Instead of serving and protecting, law enforcement authorities have repeatedly been caught abusing their powers for their own amusement.

Just past midnight on August 29, Officer Harrington and his partner pulled over a 23-year-old San Ramon woman for making an unsafe lane change. After failing a field sobriety test, she was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .29, over three times the legal limit. Harrington brought the woman to the county jail in Martinez where she asked the officer to retrieve a phone number from her contact list. After she gave Harrington her cell password, he wrote the phone number down on a piece of paper and handed it to her. Surveillance video corroborates these events.

While off-camera, Harrington illegally delved into her photos without a search warrant. He forwarded six intimate photos of the suspect to his cell phone before deleting the record of actions from her iPhone. Unbeknownst to Harrington, her iPad was synced to her phone via iCloud and kept a separate record of his transgressions. After the suspect was released, she learned her photos had been forwarded to an unknown phone number with a 707 area code while she was in custody. She researched the number and discovered it belonged to her arresting officer.

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23 Egyptian Activists Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Protesting

Originally published on October 27, 2014, at NationofChange.org

An Egyptian court sentenced 23 young activists to three years in prison for protesting without a government permit on Sunday. Following the political turbulence of the Arab Spring and the downfall of President Morsi, Egypt has been aggressively prosecuting anyone caught practicing free speech or peaceful assembly in an attempt to silence dissent. Although the U.S. State Department has publicly condemned the court’s decision, President Obama continues to fund the new Egyptian government and its military.

On June 21, activists marched towards the presidential palace in Cairo protesting against Egypt’s draconian anti-protest law and the repeated incarceration of political blogger, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, along with others. As they marched to the palace, the activists were attacked by several groups of men wearing civilian clothes. As security forces dispersed the crowd, they arrested 24 young activists including a child named Islam Tawfik Mohamed Hassan who faces trial in a juvenile court according to Amnesty International.

While buying water from a kiosk, Yara Sallam and her cousin were arrested along with the protesters. According to witnesses, Sallam and her cousin had not been participating in the demonstration. The following day, security forces released Sallam’s cousin, but kept Sallam in custody after discovering her occupation as a lawyer with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. She has been convicted along with the protesters and sentenced to three years in prison. Amnesty International considers Sallam a prisoner of conscience who must be released immediately.

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