Massachusetts
‘Master thief’ convicted of Giants ring theft back in prison
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — The self-described “master thief” and New England Patriots fan convicted of stealing New York Giants Super Bowl rings in 2008 is back behind bars after a judge determined he had violated the terms of his probation, prosecutors said.
Sean Murphy, 58, was sentenced last Thursday in Fall River Superior Court to 18 months in state prison for, among other things, allegedly posing as a homeless veteran and soliciting donations outside a supermarket for a fake veterans’ charity, according to a statement Wednesday from the office of Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn III.
The judge also determined he had lied to his probation officer on multiple occasions about his whereabouts and place of residence, the DA’s office said.
According to media reports, Murphy was charged in Essex County with violating the state’s stolen valor law by dressing in camouflage shorts and Marine Corps T-shirt and collecting donations outside a Whole Foods in Swampscott in September 2021.
A clerk magistrate in Lynn District Court issued a criminal complaint Tuesday.
Message were left Wednesday with two attorneys for Murphy, Frank Sanchez and Colleen Tynan.
Murphy, described by authorities as a career criminal, was the leader of a group that disabled the alarm and cut a hole in the roof of the E.A. Dion Inc. jewelry company in Attleboro, Massachusetts, in 2008 and stole $2 million worth of gems, precious metals and Super Bowl Rings for the Giants, who had beaten the Patriots 17-14 in February 2008 to spoil the Patriots effort for an undefeated season. The rings were later recovered.
After years of delays, Murphy was convicted of the theft in December 2019 and sentenced to two years in prison and five years of probation, prosecutors said.
Murphy was also convicted of breaking into a Brink’s warehouse in Columbus, Ohio, in January 2009 and in 2012 received a 20-year sentence in that case, which was reduced on appeal.
Missouri
Jury: UPS must pay family hit by truck $75 million
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A jury found UPS Inc. must pay a Missouri family $75 million, after a company driver with a known history of drug abuse collided with a pregnant woman’s car, causing her baby to be born with permanent brain damage.
In May 2018, Steven Ray Miller was driving a UPS truck and ran a red light, hitting a car driven by Jodi Pannell, who was 13 weeks pregnant, according to trial testimony.
Pannell sought emergency medical treatment and began physical therapy. Her son was born in October 2018 with hypotonia, which is low muscle tone, and was later found to have a permanent brain condition called schizencephaly, The Kansas City Star reported.
A Clay County jury on Monday found that UPS should pay the family $65 million in damages and $10.3 million in interest.
Miller, 63, testified that he was speeding before the collision. He also said the company was aware that he had been charged with possession of crack cocaine before he was hired in 2010.
Miller also testified the company knew he had gone into a drug rehabilitation program after using crack cocaine in February 2018. He completed the program and returned to his job as a driver on May 3, five days before the crash.
Miller said he didn’t drive while under the influence of drugs but acknowledged that he would have symptoms similar to a hangover after using crack cocaine.
The company did not test him for drugs after the crash, according to trial testimony.
UPS has not determined whether it will appeal the verdict, according to a company spokesman.
“We have apologized to the family and taken full responsibility for this unfortunate incident,” spokesman Matthew O’Connor wrote. “We want the family to be able to provide the ongoing therapy and support for their son, but medical professionals have said that the cause of the child’s Schizencephaly is unknown.”
Babies with the condition have developmental delays in speech and language skills. Injuries to the brain during pregnancy can cause its onset, but so can genetics, infections and other factors.
Indiana
TSA agents seize gun from actor Mike Epps
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents confiscated a loaded gun found in the hand luggage of actor and comedian Mike Epps, who was trying to board a flight at Indianapolis International Airport, airport police said.
Transportation Security Administration officers discovered the Smith & Wesson .38-caliber pistol Sunday morning inside Epps’ backpack, airport police said. Epps, 52, told agents at the TSA checkpoint that he forgot he had the weapon in his bag.
Agents seized the weapon but did not arrest Epps. Airport officials did not say where Epps was flying to or if he was travelling alone. The TSA forwarded the case to the Marion County prosecutor’s office to consider if charges are necessary.
Spokesman Michael Leffler said Wednesday that the prosecutor’s office is reviewing the case.
“These matters rarely result in criminal charges,” Leffler said.
“I think it is important to note that the burden of proof required by statute and case law requires you to prove whether an individual knowingly or intentionally brought the firearm,” he added. “Generally speaking, the most common circumstance is that firearms located by TSA or airport police are unintentionally left in bags.”
The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment from an Epps representative Wednesday.
Epps, an Indianapolis native, has starred in movies including “The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2,” “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next.” He appears in the upcoming Marvel movie “Madame Web” starring Dakota Johnson, and the Apple TV+ series “Lady in the Lake” starring Natalie Portman.
Last year, the Transportation Security Administration seized a record 6,542 guns at airports around the country. Most people who are stopped for having a gun at an airport checkpoint say they forgot they had the weapon with them.
Florida
Tiger Woods’ girlfriend seeks to nullify NDA with pro golfer
STUART, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods’ girlfriend wants to nullify a nondisclosure agreement following a six-year relationship with the professional golfer.
Attorneys for Erica Herman filed a complaint seeking declaratory judgment on Monday in Martin County, Florida, circuit court, according to online court records. The couple had been living together in the area, according to the complaint. Martin County is located directly north of Palm Beach County.
Woods and Herman have not publicly announced the end of their relationship, which began in 2017. She had been seen regularly with him at major championships, such as the 2019 Masters he won for his 15th major and during his Presidents Cup captaincy in Australia later that year.
But she was not at his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the first week in December, or at the Genesis Invitational he hosted at Riviera three weeks ago.
According to the complaint, a trust controlled by Woods is attempting to silence Herman with a nondisclosure agreement that she signed while involved in a personal and professional relationship with Woods. The complaint argues that the NDA should be nullified under a federal law that prohibits an NDA from being enforced when sexual assault or sexual harassment is involved.
Herman previously worked at Woods’ Jupiter restaurant.
The complaint doesn’t provide details about what information Herman might want to disclose or make specific allegations against Woods.
The complain says because of “aggressive use” of the NDA, Herman is unsure whether she can disclose “facts giving rise to various legal claims she believes she has.” It also says she is unsure what other information about her own life she can discuss and with whom.
Woods’ manager at Excel Sports Management, Mark Steinberg, didn’t immediately respond to a phone call and text from The Associated Press seeking comment.
New York
JPMorgan sues former exec over ties to Epstein sex abuse
NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase sued its former executive Jes Staley on Wednesday, alleging that he aided in hiding Jeffrey Epstein’s yearslong sex abuse and trafficking in order to keep the financier as a client.
The New York bank seeks to hold Staley personally liable for any financial penalties that JPMorgan may have to pay in two related cases. It is also seeking to force Staley to pay back wages he earned during the time he allegedly was aware of the abuse and “personally observed” Epstein’s behavior on multiple occasions.
“In light of Staley’s intentional and outrageous conduct in failing to disclose pertinent information and abandoning (JPMorgan’s) interests in favor of his own and Epstein’s personal interests, (the bank) is entitled to punitive damages,” the bank said in its lawsuit.
A lawyer for Staley had no comment on the lawsuit.
JPMorgan’s lawsuit was filed after the bank was sued by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as by a woman identified as Jane Doe, who was allegedly abused by Epstein. Those lawsuits claim JPMorgan should have seen evidence of Epstein’s sex trafficking and knowingly benefited from it.
Previous lawsuits have shown Staley and Epstein exchanged hundreds of emails and text messages over the years, and they were seen to have a close relationship that went beyond the professional relationship a banker would have with a wealthy client.
The bank continues to deny the allegations in its lawsuit, however it appears to allege that Staley may have committed sexual assault. It notes in its lawsuit that the anonymous Doe described a “powerful financial executive” could “use his clout within JP Morgan to make Epstein untouchable.” The bank says that the financial executive was Staley.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal charges accusing him of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York. He was found dead in jail on Aug. 10 of that year, at age 66. A medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.
Staley left JPMorgan in 2013 to become CEO of London-based bank Barclays. He resigned last year following a report by British regulators into his past links with Epstein.
New York
82-year-old charged with sale of fake Michael Jordan cards
NEW YORK (AP) — An 82-year-old Colorado man was charged Wednesday with selling and trading fake Michael Jordan basketball cards in a scheme that prosecutors said resulted in him making more than $800,000 over four years.
Mayo Gilbert McNeil was arrested in Denver, where he lives, after a complaint was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office.
McNeil was accused of making numerous fraudulent deals beginning in 2015, including the 2019 sale of a counterfeit card to a victim in Manhasset, New York, for $4,500, and a 2017 deal in which he traded two counterfeit cards for two authentic Tom Brady football cards.
“Mr. McNeil defrauded sports memorabilia collectors of more than $800,000 by intentionally misrepresenting the authenticity of the trading cards he was peddling when, in fact, they were counterfeit,” Michael Driscoll, assistant director-in-charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said in a news release.
In a brief phone call, McNeil said he was released without bail after an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Colorado.
“I did nothing wrong,” he said, declining to comment at length.
Prosecutors said he will appear in a New York courtroom at a later date.
