National Roundup

Minnesota
Prosecutor, ­Philando Castile’s mom develop ­crisis tool kit
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The mother of Philando Castile and the prosecutor who charged the officer who killed him have teamed up with others to develop a tool kit for law enforcement to use in times of crisis, including police shootings.

Valerie Castile and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi spoke about the tool kit during a recent online video conference with about 70 law enforcement agencies and other groups from around the country.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported the kit gives prosecutors and police ways to assess how prepared they are for police shootings, and see how they can be handled better. Among other things, the kit says a prosecutor should be immediately assigned to a police shooting and family members should be contacted within 24 hours.

The tool kit also promotes connection to communities and advises agencies to collect data on racial disparities in their criminal justice system. It also says a prosecutor’s office should try to complete its investigation into whether charges are warranted within four to six months, and release its decision and full report to the public no more than two weeks later.

If charges aren’t filed, prosecutors should explain why to affected family members.

Philando Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, was shot during a traffic stop on July 6, 2016, after he told then-St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez that he had a gun. Authorities later discovered Castile had a permit for the firearm. Choi’s office charged Yanez with manslaughter, but he was acquitted.

The case got widespread attention after Castile’s girlfriend, who was in the car with her young daughter, began livestreaming the shooting’s aftermath on Facebook.

After the shooting, the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College and prosecutors, police chiefs and family members of shooting victims participated in a yearlong discussion on police shootings. Valerie Castile and Choi were among the participants, along with Philando Castile’s uncle, Clarence Castile.

During the video conference, Choi said being involved in the group helped him better understand the perspective of families who are waiting to see how the criminal justice system will handle a loved one’s death.

Choi said he knows it won’t make sense for every jurisdiction to adopt all the recommendations. But he’s hoping the tool kit will encourage police and prosecutors to examine what they’re doing and engage more with their communities.

“How arrogant if we thought we knew all the answers and we didn’t need to listen to our community,” Choi said. “I would say to government officials across the country, when we are thinking about our work, we have to recognize it’s not ours, it’s the people’s. ... Nothing will really change unless we do it together.”

Massachusetts
Wells Fargo agrees to pay $800K in Schilling video game deal
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Wells Fargo Securities has agreed to pay an $800,000 civil penalty to settle a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit over Rhode Island’s failed $75 million deal with former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s video game company.

Wells Fargo and the SEC announced the proposed settlement in filings with the U.S. District Court in Providence on Monday. A federal judge must approve it.

According to details of the agreement, Wells Fargo does not admit or deny wrongdoing. If approved, the company would be permanently barred by the judge from violating certain municipal securities and other laws.

A Wells Fargo spokeswoman said she would not comment because the matter is still pending and has not yet been approved.

The case represents the final legal battle over 38 Studios.

Schilling struck a deal in 2010 to move his company from Massachusetts to Rhode Island in exchange for a $75 million loan guarantee. The state’s economic development agency used bonds to fund the deal. Less than two years after the move, 38 Studios ran out of money and went bankrupt.

The SEC sued Wells Fargo and Rhode Island’s economic development agency in 2016, accusing them of making misleading statements about the bonds.

It said they failed to disclose that 38 Studios needed at least $75 million but would receive only $50 million of proceeds from the offering, leaving a gap of $25 million. It also said Wells Fargo represented 38 Studios while also representing the state economic development agency as bond placement agent, something it failed to disclose.

The economic development agency previously settled the case, paying a $50,000 penalty without admitting wrongdoing.

Claims against a Wells Fargo employee are still pending.

In a separate lawsuit in state court, Rhode Island sued several people and companies involved in the deal. It received about $61 million in settlements in that case, which ended in 2017.

Maryland
2 arrested in armed robbery featuring unicorn disguise
BALDWIN, Md. (AP) — Police in Maryland say they’ve captured an elusive unicorn, since unmasked as a man suspected of robbing a convenience store last week.

News outlets report that Baltimore County police say 28-year-old Jacob William Rogge donned a pink-and-white unicorn costume and smashed a High’s Dairy Store register with a crowbar Saturday. Police say 27-year-old Joseph Philip Svezzese drove Rogge, who fled with cash and cigarettes.

The pair’s car crossed into oncoming traffic, crashed into mailboxes, a utility pole, shrubbery and a boulder, which sent the car back across the road until it hit a tree. Both men were hospitalized with serious injuries.

Svezzese was treated and released, but Rogge remains hospitalized in serious condition. Court records didn’t list lawyers.

Police say the unicorn costume was discarded and later found in bushes.

Massachusetts
Anti-Semitic ­messages, Nazi imagery defile Jewish cemetery
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — Police are investigating anti-Semitic messages and Nazi imagery scrawled on dozens of gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Massachusetts.

Fall River police say the vandalism at Hebrew Cemetery occurred over the weekend. Sgt. J.T. Hoar says police became aware of the graffiti Sunday after receiving a report of a suspicious vehicle that had been parked in the cemetery for two days. The vehicle was gone by the time officers arrived.

The Herald News reports that at least 30 gravestones were tagged with swastikas and phrases including “heil Hitler” and “Hitler was right” in black marker. One stone was tagged with “Oy vey! This is MAGA country,” an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”