New Jersey
Rabbi accused of running divorce kidnap team
LAKEWOOD, N.J. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say that when a Jewish woman wanted to divorce an unwilling husband, Mendel Epstein was the rabbi who could gather a "kidnap team" to make it happen.
Prosecutors say the Orthodox rabbi was recorded telling two undercover FBI agents that it would cost at least $50,000 to carry out a kidnapping. Authorities say the men brought surgical blades, a screwdriver and rope to a staged kidnapping in 2013.
Epstein's trial starts Tuesday in federal court in New Jersey. Several co-defendants have pleaded guilty and others will join him in court this week.
No one answered the door at Epstein's home in Lakewood, where more than 60,000 Orthodox Jews reside.
His lawyer disputes the charges.
South Dakota
Man who shipped drugs sentenced to five years
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A Washington state man who authorities say shipped high-grade marijuana across the country has been sentenced in South Dakota.
Forty-seven-year-old Bruce Cole recently pleaded guilty in federal court in South Dakota to a drug conspiracy charge and was sentenced to five years in custody. U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson says the sentence will run at the same time as sentences imposed in federal court in Nevada and in state court in New Hampshire.
Johnson says South Dakota authorities in May 2009 intercepted a vehicle belonging to Cole that contained marijuana, heroin and two guns.
Cole will be on supervised release for two years following his prison time.
New Mexico
Albuquerque police sued over encrypted CDs
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An Albuquerque law firm is suing the Albuquerque Police Department over what it say is encrypted records from a police shooting probe.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Kennedy Kennedy & Ives Law Practice recently filed the lawsuit in connection with records related to the shooting death of Armand Martin. Authorities say the 50-year-old Air Force veteran was shot by police during a standoff in May.
The law firm requested information in connection with the shooting investigation, but the firm said three of the CDs were password protected.
Albuquerque police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza said the department couldn't comment on pending litigation or the allegation that it released password-protected records.
Albuquerque police and the U.S. Justice Department recently signed an agreement to overhaul the police force.
Ohio
Homeless woman walks to face attacker in court
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A homeless woman who was raped while sleeping under a bridge last March sometimes begged for bus money or walked up to 8 miles over the past year so she could face her attacker in court.
Her determination to be in court helped win a conviction against the man, said a police officer who investigated the case.
"He was counting on her not showing up," said Columbus police detective James Ashenhurst. "If it wasn't for her cooperation, he would have walked."
Paul Hubert, 54, pleaded guilty to rape before the case went to trial and was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday.
Hubert declined to make a statement in court. His attorney, Brian Rigg, said that Hubert has a problem with drugs and alcohol that causes him to be "a completely different person."
DNA entered into a statewide database led police to Hubert, who had an earlier conviction for receiving stolen property. He lived in Springfield in Clark County but often visited the Columbus area to see a girlfriend, Ashenhurst said.
The woman said she made it to about a half-dozen court hearings by getting bus passes from prosecutors or panhandling for bus fare. At least twice, she walked to courthouse - a journey that took about three hours, she said.
"I didn't want to see him do it to anyone else," she told The Columbus Dispatch. "If he would do that to me, imagine what he might do to his next victim."
The Associated Press generally does not name sexual assault victims.
Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Michael Hughes told the judge who sentenced Hubert about the woman's efforts to help prosecute Hubert.
"Not in every case do we have people who show this kind of resolve," Hughes said. "She always got here, no matter what her circumstances."
The woman told the newspaper that she has been homeless for two years and now hopes to find a place to live even though she has remained on the streets since she was raped.
Texas
Lance Armstrong loses $10 million arbitration ruling
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A three-man arbitration panel has ordered Lance Armstrong and Tailwind Sports to pay $10 million in a fraud dispute with a promotions company.
Dallas-based SCA Promotions announced the 2-1 ruling against the former cyclist on Monday when it asked a Texas state court to confirm the arbitration decision.
SCA paid Armstrong about $12 million in bonuses during his career, when he won seven Tour de France titles. Those victories were stripped away after Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teams were found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.
SCA disputed bonuses in arbitration in 2005, and the case produced the foundation of the doping evidence that was used against him. After Armstrong's cheating was exposed, SCA sued to get its money back.
Armstrong's attorney, Tim Herman, declined comment.
Illinois
Court: Can boost sentences if defendants fake mental illness
CHICAGO (AP) - A Chicago-based appellate court says judges can boost defendants' sentences if they fake mental illness to delay proceedings.
Judge Richard Posner wrote the unanimous opinion for a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. District Court of Appeals. The court posted the ruling on Friday.
Anthony Wilbourn was convicted of a 2000 bank robbery in South Bend, Indiana. He told a psychologist he didn't know what year it was and didn't even know what a bank is. His U.S. judge in northern Indiana determined that wasn't true.
For attempting to obstruct of justice, the judge added months to Wilbourn's prison sentence. He received over 11 years overall.
Published: Tue, Feb 17, 2015
