Sentence 24 years in prison

Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova , who became a symbol of fearless dissent when she interrupted a live TV broadcast in March to protest her country’s invasion of Ukraine, has been placed under house arrest in Moscow pending a trial related to a fresh anti-war protest in July. Ovsyannikova was arrested on August 10 in a police raid on her Moscow home. She appeared in court on Thursday (August 11) where she was charged with spreading fake news about the military, an offense that carries up to ten years in prison under Russian law. The charges are not related to her original TV protest but rather a fresh action in mid-July in which she stood opposite the Kremlin, holding a placard with slogans criticizing President Vladimir Putin and the Russian army. At her feet lay two dolls covered in red dye to highlight the deaths of children in the conflict. Following her first protest in March, which resulted in a brief arrest and $527 fine (30,000 rubles), Ovsyannikova … [Read more...] about Russian Anti-War Journalist Marina Ovsyannikova Placed Under House Arrest In Moscow, Faces 10-Year Prison Sentence

Lady Gaga ’s former dog walker faced one of his assailants in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday and described his near-death attack as the defendant, Jaylin White, accepted a surprise plea deal and was sentenced to four years in state prison. “You left me bleeding out and gasping for my life,” Ryan Fischer said in his emotional address. “I did almost die that night.” Fischer described the extreme nerve damage caused by the bullet that ripped through his upper right torso and how doctors had to remove part of his lung after it kept collapsing. He said he still suffers from breathing and mobility issues. “But it’s the mental and emotional trauma you caused that night that’s been much worse,” he said. Breaking down in tears, Fischer said he’s been unable to resume his once-thriving animal care business after White and two other assailants – identified by prosecutors as alleged shooter James Jackson, 19, and Lafayette Whaley, 28 – attacked him on a Los Angeles street early … [Read more...] about Lady Gaga Dognapper Sentenced to Four Years In Surprise Plea: ‘I Did Almost Die,’ Victim Says

The alleged gunman erroneously released from jail after he was charged with shooting Lady Gaga ’s dog walker and stealing two of her French bulldogs was recaptured Wednesday while hiding out in a high desert community in northern Los Angeles County, authorities said. Attempted murder suspect James Jackson, 19, was “apprehended without incident” during the service of a search warrant in Palmdale, California, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said. The re-apprehension came the same day another suspect in the case, Jaylin White, pleaded “no contest” to second-degree robbery and was sentenced to four years in prison . Jackson was released from jail by mistake in April after a “clerical error” made it appear that the attempted murder, second-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges against him had been dismissed. He first was arrested in the case in April 2021 along with White, 20, and third alleged assailant Lafayette Whaley, 28. Prosecutors say the trio … [Read more...] about Lady Gaga Dog Walker Shooting Suspect Recaptured After Accidental Jail Release

T he black Cadillac pulls into the diner’s parking lot in Queens. Built in the 1950s, the building looks like it only exists on a rainy day, the rock-lined exterior out of another time. I step out of the Uber and look up at the restaurant where, in 1983, my father was arrested after escaping federal prison. He had spent two years on the lam, and was brought down by the U.S. Marshals after eating breakfast with his longtime mistress. He had just come from organizing a new shipment from Colombia. I imagine the day was also rainy. Almost 40 years later, I am there to meet with the Drug Enforcement Agency officer who tracked him for nearly a decade, trying to bring down one of the biggest mari juana kingpins of the 1970s, the man I once called “Daddy,” and one of the architects of the modern drug trade: Dan McGuiness. When the Cadillac arrived at my hotel, I had to laugh. The last time I saw my father, he, too, was driving a black Cadillac. He had just arrived in Los Angeles … [Read more...] about Learjets, Mistresses, and Bales of Weed: My Dad’s Life as a Drug Kingpin