National Roundup

Kentucky
Man, 70, charged with kidnapping 12-year-old girl
BARBOURVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Police in Kentucky have charged a 70-year-old man with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl after he approached her while she was riding a bike, according to authorities.

The girl was biking down a Barbourville street on Saturday when Benny Hammons drove up and asked her to drive his car while he loaded her bike inside, Kentucky State Police said in a statement.

Investigators alleged Hammons assaulted the girl in the vehicle.

The girl was behind the wheel of the car when she spotted a police officer and attempted to drive toward him, State Police said. Hammons grabbed the wheel and the vehicle left the road and crashed into a ditch, according to the agency.

Authorities booked Hammons into jail on charges of rape, kidnapping and wanton endangerment, news outlets reported.

New York
Convicted self-help guru’s motion for new trial denied
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge denied a motion for a new trial from convicted self-improvement cult guru Keith Raniere.

Raniere is not entitled to a new trial on the charges of sex trafficking and coercing women into sex  he was convicted of last year, Judge Nicholas Garaufis of Brooklyn federal court ruled Friday.

Prosecutors said that as the leader of a cult-like group called NXIVM, Raniere used blackmail and punishment to turn his female victims into sex slaves.

Witnesses testified that Raniere’s “slaves” were forced to provide nude photos as “collateral” to keep them in line.

Raniere was convicted in June 2019 of charges including racketeering, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, and sex trafficking.

He demanded a new trial in March, arguing that witnesses including two of his victims lied about their plans to sue him civilly.

Raniere attorney Marc Agnifilo argued in his motion for a new trial that two women identified as Daniela and Nicole committed perjury when they testified that they did not plan a civil lawsuit against Raniere. He contended that two were among the “Jane Doe” plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit filed in January against Raniere and 14 associates.

Garaufis said Raniere is not entitled to a new trial because he did not prove that any of the testimony was actually false.

“Assuming for present purposes that Daniela and Nicole are, in fact, among the Jane Doe plaintiffs in that action (which appears to be the case), this hardly proves that either of them had determined to join that action when they testified at trial more than six months before it was filed,” the judge wrote.

California
US lawsuits claim Kuwaiti officials embezzled more than $100M
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has filed a series of lawsuits seeking to recover at least $104 million in funds allegedly embezzled by former officials in Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense.

The seven lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles claim the laundered funds were used to purchase real estate, including a hilltop property in Beverly Hills that was once listed on the real estate market for $1 billion, a private jet, a yacht, sports cars and memorabilia of boxer Manny Pacquiao.

According to the complaints announced Friday, three unnamed individuals who were high-level officials in Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense opened six unauthorized bank accounts between 2009 and 2016 and used the accounts to facilitate the transfer of more than $100 million in Kuwaiti public funds to California bank accounts connected to a convicted felon. Some of the transfers were falsely described as for Kuwaiti military purposes, U.S. prosecutors said.

Court papers identified the felon as Victorino Noval, 58, a Los Angeles man who was convicted in 2003 of mail fraud and tax evasion in connection with a multimillion-dollar loan fraud committed against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Noval was sentenced to federal prison and was ordered to pay more than $25 million in restitution.

Khaled al Sabah, a member of Kuwait’s ruling family who served as defense minister from 2013 to 2017, last year filed a $163-million lawsuit against a group of California businessmen that includes Noval and two of Noval’s sons, Victor Franco and Hunter.

Bobby Samini, a lawyer for al Sabah, told the Los Angeles Times his client denies any wrongdoing related to the federal complaints and maintains his claim that he was defrauded by the Noval’s.

“Any suggestion that my client was involved in any illegal activity is incorrect,” Samini said. “Mr. al-Sabah will continue to pursue his legal claims against Mr. Noval in the civil action.”

Federal prosecutors said al Sabah joined with the Noval’s to develop “the Mountain,” a 157-acre undeveloped property that made headlines in 2018 when it was listed for $1 billion. The Times said it eventually sold for a mere $100,000 at a foreclosure auction.

Ronald Richards, an attorney for companies associated with the Novals, said in an email to the Times that the foreign national who transferred the funds at the center of the dispute had been verified as a member of the Kuwait royal family.

“My client vetted the person and confirmed his/her stature,” Richards said. “Any improprieties relating to funds wired to the United States would be something that my client would have no way of knowing about nor was it shared with him. My client has no need nor interest in retaining any improperly distributed funds.”


North Carolina
Judge weighs voting rule change demand with COVID-19
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A judge is listening to arguments this week about whether the COVID-19 pandemic demands wholesale changes to North Carolina’s voting systems this fall.

U.S. District Judge William Osteen scheduled three days of hearings that started Monday involving a lawsuit  by two voting advocacy groups and several citizens who fear current rules threaten their health if they want to vote. There’s already been a spike in mail-in absentee ballot applications, presumably by voters who prefer not to venture out to in-person voting centers and precincts.

The plaintiffs want Osteen to block several voting restrictions like how mail-in ballots are requested, who can help voters with forms and the hours early in-person voting centers operate. They also want drop boxes for completed absentee ballots and later registration deadlines.

A new state law eases absentee ballot rules. The State Board of Elections’ top administrator also ordered last week new safety rules for early voting this fall.