National Roundup

Ohio
Authorities: Couple kept young girl in dog cage in basement
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio couple tortured a 7-year-old girl over the course of seven months last year, authorities said, including padlocking her in a dog cage in the basement of their home.

Lillian Cottrell, 29, and Derek Mayle, 30, of Canton, were arrested Tuesday at their home by federal agents, a day after they were both indicted on two counts of felony child endangerment, It wasn't known Thursday if either one has retained an attorney.

Citing court records, the Canton Repository reported that Cottrell and Mayle are each accused of harming the child, who is related to Cottrell. The abuse occurred between January and July, the report said.

The couple allegedly kept the child padlocked in a dog cage in their basement at times. When the girl was removed from the home by child welfare officials, she weighed 28 pounds.

Other children and a dog were living in the house. Authorities said the girl has older brothers who were also removed from the home, but investigators found no evidence they were being treated as she was.

Missouri
Brothers face charges after exchanging gunfire with officers
JENNINGS, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis man who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with suburban officers who were trying to arrest his brother has been charged with two felonies and the brother has been referred to federal prosecutors.

St. Louis County police said officers were arresting 31-year-old Lawton McKinnies for first-degree assault in Jennings when his brother, 30-year-old Dexter McKinnies, began firing at police. Four officers returned fire, wounding Dexter McKinnies. Police described his injuries as non-life-threatening.

Dexter McKinnies was charged Tuesday with assault and armed criminal action stemming from an Aug. 22 incident in which he is accused of shooting another person at least 15 times. The victim in that shooting remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

Police say Lawton McKinnies has been referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri for a weapons offense.

No attorney is listed for either brother in online court records.

New York
Former UN official charged with lying about rape in Iraq
NEW YORK (AP) — A former United Nations official accused of drugging and sexually assaulting several women has been charged with lying to the FBI.

Karim Elkorany, who worked as a telecommunications specialist in Iraq, was arrested Wednesday on two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement agents.

Elkorany's defense attorney, Dawn Cardi, denied the charges and said her client plans to "vigorously fight" them in Manhattan federal court.

Elkorany, 37, of West Orange, New Jersey, resigned from the U.N. in early 2018, a few months after FBI agents questioned him outside his home about a woman who accused Elkorany of drugging and raping her in Iraq in 2016.

Elkorany "expressed familiarity" with the woman's claims, authorities said, but falsely denied drugging and raping her.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday alleges Elkorany engaged in a pattern of similar conduct involving at least five women since 2009. All of the women had been rendered unconscious after drinking alcoholic drinks prepared by Elkorany, the authorities said.

Elkorany worked in international aid, development and foreign relations for the U.N. He had also previously worked for the U.N. Children's Fund in Iraq, officials said.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.N. referred the criminal allegations to U.S. authorities and "cooperated extensively" with the investigation.

Arizona
Ex-leaders of care center charged with money crimes
PHOENIX (AP) — Two former executives from an Arizona care facility where an incapacitated woman was raped have been indicted on financial charges, Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Wednesday.

Former Hacienda HealthCare CEO Bill Timmons and Chief Financial Officer Joseph O'Malley bilked the state out of millions of dollars through fraudulent billing practices over a six-year period, using the money to boost salaries and benefits, state prosecutors allege.

Hacienda agreed to repay the state nearly $11 million plus a $1 million fine. Its new chief executive, Perry Petrilli, said in a statement that "no one currently involved with Hacienda was aware" of the billing practices.

"Although the $12 million repayment and fine included in the civil settlement represent an extreme financial hardship for the company, we agreed to it voluntarily because it's the right thing to do – and because it gives Hacienda a chance to move forward honorably," Petrilli said.

The organization will make an initial $7 million payment followed by monthly installments of $50,000.

Joseph Chornenky, an attorney representing Timmons, didn't immediately return a message Wednesday afternoon seeking comment on his client's behalf.

It's unclear whether O'Malley has an attorney, and there was no listed phone number for his home in Dewey.

Timmons and O'Malley are accused of overbilling the state and using tax dollars meant to fund its intermediate care facility, where the incapacitated woman lived, to fund other parts of its operation.

Prosecutors allege they used a company associated with Hacienda and located at the same address to buy supplies, which were resold to Hacienda at a 12.5% markup, including a delivery fee. They are also accused of reusing vials of a vaccine but billing insurance companies for a full vial.

Hacienda came under scrutiny after a resident with physical and intellectual disabilities gave birth on Dec. 29, 2018. A licensed practical nurse, Nathan Sutherland, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual abuse and abuse of a vulnerable adult. He's awaiting trial in Maricopa County Superior Court.