New York
Carriage driver acquitted of overworking horse that collapsed
NEW YORK (AP) — A horse carriage driver was acquitted Monday of animal cruelty in a modern trial about the old-fashioned coaches that meander through New York's Central Park.
A six-person jury found Ian McKeever not guilty of overworking a horse called Ryder, who collapsed en route back to his stable on an 84-degree Fahrenheit (29-degree Celsius) day in August 2022.
The horse lay on an avenue near Times Square for nearly an hour as concerned bystanders gathered around and police cooled him with a hose and ice. The animal ultimately got up, to cheers.
McKeever had pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. His attorney, Raymond Loving, said the horse wasn't overtaxed and simply tripped while changing lanes on a Manhattan street.
"The verdict was very gratifying. This has been an ordeal for him," Loving said by phone, adding that "the evidence just didn't support the charge."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that prosecutors presented "a thorough case based on the facts and evidence."
Featured in countless movies and TV shows, New York's horse carriages are popular with visitors and people celebrating special occasions. But animal rights advocates have long tried to get the coaches banned, and the issue became a prominent, celebrity-studded local political debate for a time about a decade ago.
Anti-coach activists question the horses' treatment and contend that Manhattan streets are no place for equines, pointing to some collisions and collapses over the years. Enthusiasts say the carriages are a time-honored tourist draw that employs several hundred drivers and creates a role for surplus farm and race horses that might otherwise be slaughtered.
McKeever, an Irish immigrant, has been a carriage driver for decades. His brother owned Ryder.
A horse-carriage-industry veterinarian, Dr. Camilo Sierra, told jurors he estimated Ryder's age at 28 to 30, eventually settling on 26 — the maximum age at which carriage-pullers can legally work.
Police Sgt. Vincent Fontana testified that McKeever told him the horse was 13.
Ryder was outside for over seven hours on Aug. 10, 2022, mostly in Central Park, taking passengers on two trips over the course of the day.
Passerby Caroline Londahl-Smidt testified that she worried after noticing his prominent ribs and seeing him seem to struggle up a hill, with McKeever shaking the reins in an apparent effort to hurry the horse along.
Prosecutor Sophie Robart argued that McKeever "pushed Ryder beyond his limits" until the horse's body gave out.
After Ryder left the park and collapsed, bystander video published by the New York Post showed McKeever snapping the reins at him and telling him to get up.
McKeever's lawyer maintained that Ryder wasn't overheated or mistreated, and that the driver acted responsibly. McKeever, 56, testified that he strove to get the animal to stand because
prolonged reclining can cause health problems for equines.
Ryder's temperature was normal and his breathing rate was slightly elevated when Fontana measured it, after the horse had been hosed down for some time. Later that evening at the stable, Sierra found Ryder alert, with normal vital signs, but he noted the underweight horse walked weakly. The veterinarian said he believed the animal had a neurological problem.
Two months after the collapse, an ailing Ryder was euthanized. A necropsy showed he had bone cancer.
Carriage drivers' union shop steward Christina Hansen said Monday that the union has since taken steps, including improving access to a horse hospital. Drivers "enter this line of work because we love animals," she said.
Animal rights activists, meanwhile, continued to inveigh against the industry. Edita Birnkrant, who runs an anti-horse-carriage group called NYCLASS, called the verdict "heartbreaking" and renewed a call for the city to stop issuing new carriage driver licenses.
Another Manhattan carriage driver was charged with animal cruelty in 2013 after authorities said he kept a horse working for days with an injured hoof. That driver pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a noncriminal violation, and was sentenced to community service, according to news reports. Court records of his case are sealed.
Washington
Justice Dept. wants to interview Ghislaine Maxwell
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice wants to interview Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence, a senior official said Tuesday.
If Maxwell "has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X, adding that President Donald Trump "has told us to release all credible evidence." A lawyer for Maxwell confirmed there were discussions with the government.
The overture to attorneys for Maxwell, who in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison, is part of an ongoing Justice Department effort to cast itself as transparent following fierce backlash from parts of Trump's base over an earlier refusal to release additional records in the Epstein investigation.
As part of that effort, the Justice Department, acting at the direction of the Republican president, last week asked a judge to unseal grand jury transcripts from the case. That decision is ultimately up to the judge.
Epstein, who killed himself in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, authorities say. He couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion, prosecutors say.
The Justice Department had said in a two-page memo this month that it had not uncovered evidence to charge anyone else in connection with Epstein's abuse. But Blanche said in his social media post that the Justice Department "does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead."
He said in his post that, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, he has "communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department." He said he anticipated meeting with Maxwell in the coming days.
A lawyer for Maxwell, David Oscar Markus, said Tuesday in a statement: "I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case."
Carriage driver acquitted of overworking horse that collapsed
NEW YORK (AP) — A horse carriage driver was acquitted Monday of animal cruelty in a modern trial about the old-fashioned coaches that meander through New York's Central Park.
A six-person jury found Ian McKeever not guilty of overworking a horse called Ryder, who collapsed en route back to his stable on an 84-degree Fahrenheit (29-degree Celsius) day in August 2022.
The horse lay on an avenue near Times Square for nearly an hour as concerned bystanders gathered around and police cooled him with a hose and ice. The animal ultimately got up, to cheers.
McKeever had pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. His attorney, Raymond Loving, said the horse wasn't overtaxed and simply tripped while changing lanes on a Manhattan street.
"The verdict was very gratifying. This has been an ordeal for him," Loving said by phone, adding that "the evidence just didn't support the charge."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that prosecutors presented "a thorough case based on the facts and evidence."
Featured in countless movies and TV shows, New York's horse carriages are popular with visitors and people celebrating special occasions. But animal rights advocates have long tried to get the coaches banned, and the issue became a prominent, celebrity-studded local political debate for a time about a decade ago.
Anti-coach activists question the horses' treatment and contend that Manhattan streets are no place for equines, pointing to some collisions and collapses over the years. Enthusiasts say the carriages are a time-honored tourist draw that employs several hundred drivers and creates a role for surplus farm and race horses that might otherwise be slaughtered.
McKeever, an Irish immigrant, has been a carriage driver for decades. His brother owned Ryder.
A horse-carriage-industry veterinarian, Dr. Camilo Sierra, told jurors he estimated Ryder's age at 28 to 30, eventually settling on 26 — the maximum age at which carriage-pullers can legally work.
Police Sgt. Vincent Fontana testified that McKeever told him the horse was 13.
Ryder was outside for over seven hours on Aug. 10, 2022, mostly in Central Park, taking passengers on two trips over the course of the day.
Passerby Caroline Londahl-Smidt testified that she worried after noticing his prominent ribs and seeing him seem to struggle up a hill, with McKeever shaking the reins in an apparent effort to hurry the horse along.
Prosecutor Sophie Robart argued that McKeever "pushed Ryder beyond his limits" until the horse's body gave out.
After Ryder left the park and collapsed, bystander video published by the New York Post showed McKeever snapping the reins at him and telling him to get up.
McKeever's lawyer maintained that Ryder wasn't overheated or mistreated, and that the driver acted responsibly. McKeever, 56, testified that he strove to get the animal to stand because
prolonged reclining can cause health problems for equines.
Ryder's temperature was normal and his breathing rate was slightly elevated when Fontana measured it, after the horse had been hosed down for some time. Later that evening at the stable, Sierra found Ryder alert, with normal vital signs, but he noted the underweight horse walked weakly. The veterinarian said he believed the animal had a neurological problem.
Two months after the collapse, an ailing Ryder was euthanized. A necropsy showed he had bone cancer.
Carriage drivers' union shop steward Christina Hansen said Monday that the union has since taken steps, including improving access to a horse hospital. Drivers "enter this line of work because we love animals," she said.
Animal rights activists, meanwhile, continued to inveigh against the industry. Edita Birnkrant, who runs an anti-horse-carriage group called NYCLASS, called the verdict "heartbreaking" and renewed a call for the city to stop issuing new carriage driver licenses.
Another Manhattan carriage driver was charged with animal cruelty in 2013 after authorities said he kept a horse working for days with an injured hoof. That driver pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a noncriminal violation, and was sentenced to community service, according to news reports. Court records of his case are sealed.
Washington
Justice Dept. wants to interview Ghislaine Maxwell
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice wants to interview Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence, a senior official said Tuesday.
If Maxwell "has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X, adding that President Donald Trump "has told us to release all credible evidence." A lawyer for Maxwell confirmed there were discussions with the government.
The overture to attorneys for Maxwell, who in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison, is part of an ongoing Justice Department effort to cast itself as transparent following fierce backlash from parts of Trump's base over an earlier refusal to release additional records in the Epstein investigation.
As part of that effort, the Justice Department, acting at the direction of the Republican president, last week asked a judge to unseal grand jury transcripts from the case. That decision is ultimately up to the judge.
Epstein, who killed himself in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, authorities say. He couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion, prosecutors say.
The Justice Department had said in a two-page memo this month that it had not uncovered evidence to charge anyone else in connection with Epstein's abuse. But Blanche said in his social media post that the Justice Department "does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead."
He said in his post that, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, he has "communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department." He said he anticipated meeting with Maxwell in the coming days.
A lawyer for Maxwell, David Oscar Markus, said Tuesday in a statement: "I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case."
