Florida
Prosecutor: Antonio Brown could face 30 years in prison if guilty of attempted murder with gun
Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder because a firearm was allegedly used, a prosecutor said Monday.
Brown appeared via video at a brief arraignment hearing in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in which his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, repeated that Brown already entered a not guilty plea. He was released from jail last week on a $25,000 bond and required to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
An attempted murder charge in Florida carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence in many cases. But Assistant State Attorney Stephanie Cruz said because Brown allegedly used a gun, he could face double that time behind bars because of a firearm sentencing enhancement. The law also carries a potential 20-year minimum mandatory sentence upon conviction.
Brown, 37, did not speak during the hearing, Judge Marisa Tinkler-Mendez set at status hearing tentatively for Dec. 22. No trial date has been scheduled.
Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
Eiglarsh said at a previous hearing that the affidavit is mistaken and that Brown actually used his personal firearm, and the shots were not aimed at anyone. Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.
Brown spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.
Brown was extradited last week from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June.
Oregon
Off-duty pilot who tried to cut a flight’s engines midair to be sentenced in federal case
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit is set to appear for sentencing in federal court Monday.
Joseph Emerson pleaded guilty or no-contest to all charges against him in September as part of agreements with state and federal prosecutors. He wanted to take responsibility for his actions and avoid further time behind bars, his attorney Noah Horst said at the time.
In the federal case, prosecutors have asked for a year in prison, while his attorneys have asked for probation.
Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, while he was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit.
The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board.
After his arrest, Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend’s recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier, and hadn’t slept in over 40 hours. He has said he believed he was dreaming at the time and that he was trying to wake himself up by grabbing two red handles that would have activated the plane’s fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines.
Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. He was released from custody pending trial in December 2023, with requirements that he undergo mental health services, stay off drugs and alcohol, and keep away from aircraft.
In September, he pleaded guilty to the federal count and no-contest to the state charges, which carries the same legal effect as a guilty plea.
A state court sentenced him to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served, plus five years of probation, 664 hours of community service — eight hours for each person he endangered — and over $60,000 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group.
Half of his community service can be performed at the pilot health nonprofit Emerson founded after his arrest. He must also undergo assessments for drug and alcohol and mental health treatment, refrain from using any unprescribed drugs, and keep at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) away from operable aircraft unless he has permission from his probation officer.
In their sentencing memo asking for one year in prison, federal prosecutors wrote: “It was only through the heroic actions of the flight crew, who were able to physically restrain the defendant and restore normal operations of the aircraft, that no lives were lost that day.”
However, a pre-sentence report from federal probation officers recommended a sentence of time served with three years of supervised release and six months of home detention, according to the sentencing memo submitted by Emerson’s attorneys.
In that memo, his attorneys requested probation with credit for time served over prison or home detention, arguing that the “robust” state prosecution “resulted in substantial punishment.”
In state court in September, Emerson said he was grateful to the flight crew for restraining him and saving his life, along with those of everyone else on board. He called it “the greatest gift I ever got,” even though he lost his career and wound up in jail, because it forced him to confront his mental health challenges and reliance on alcohol.
“This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community,” he said.
The airline has said that other members of the flight crew had not observed signs of impairment that would have barred Emerson from the cockpit.
The averted disaster renewed attention on cockpit safety and the mental fitness of those allowed in them.
New Jersey
FBI arrests man for alleged property damage in office of federal prosecutor Habba
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A man has been arrested after federal officials alleged that he destroyed property while trying to confront New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, Alina Habba.
Keith Michael Lisa, 51, has been arrested, FBI spokesperson Emily Molinari confirmed Saturday.
Molinari did not say when or where Lisa was arrested, what charges he might face, whether he was in jail, or when he might go before a judge. It’s unclear whether Lisa is represented by a lawyer. The federal public defender in Newark didn’t immediately respond to an electronic message Saturday asking whether it was representing Lisa.
The FBI on Friday had offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information about Lisa, saying he was wanted on charges of destroying government property and possession of a dangerous weapon inside a U.S. court facility. That bulletin said Lisa tried to enter a federal office building in downtown Newark on Wednesday with a bat and was turned away. Lisa returned without the bat, the bulletin said, and was admitted. He then went to the U.S. Attorney’s office, where Habba works, and destroyed property, the bulletin said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X on Saturday that the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations had worked together to arrest Lisa.
“No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. attorneys or the destruction of their offices,” Bondi wrote.
Habba was previously President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, representing him in various cases and acting as his spokesperson on legal matters. She served as a White House adviser briefly before Trump named her as interim U.S. attorney in March.
“We got him,” Habba wrote on X on Saturday. “This Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi and our federal partners will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence toward law enforcement. So grateful to the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations for their tireless work to capture him. Now justice will handle him.”
Bondi had vowed that federal officials would find and prosecute the person, writing earlier that “Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period.”
Trump formally nominated Habba as New Jersey’s permanent U.S. attorney on July 1, but the state’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim opposed it, stalling the confirmation process.
A few weeks later, as Habba’s 120-day interim appointment was expiring, New Jersey federal judges moved to replace her with her second-in-command. Bondi then fired that prosecutor and renamed Habba as acting U.S. attorney.
Last month, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case challenging her appointment. It hasn’t ruled.
Arizona
Fugitive convicted in U.S. sex crimes case arrested in France after years on the run
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man who fled the United States years ago while on probation for sex crime convictions was arrested earlier this month in France, where he was charged with sexually assaulting a child, authorities said.
Michael Robert Wiseman, 51, was living in Kilstett in northeastern France when he arrested Nov. 1. Investigators discovered Wiseman had traveled to Vietnam and Poland before settling in France.
Scottsdale police Sgt. Dustin Patrick told Phoenix television station 12News that Wiseman was captured after he tried applying for a pilot’s license in Spain using his real name. Patrick said investigators discovered that Wiseman had adopted two children in Vietnam and had obtained a legitimate Polish passport under an alias.
“His potential employer Googled his name and found that he was on Scottsdale’s most wanted list and called Spain authorities,” Patrick said.
It was the second time Wiseman fled the U.S. while his 2008 Arizona case hung over his head.
While his charges were still pending, Wiseman cut off his ankle monitoring device and left the country in late 2008. The fugitive was arrested in 2009 in Spain, brought back to Arizona and pleaded guilty in metro Phoenix to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one escape charge.
The charges stemmed from child sexual abuse material found on his computer.
In an interview with a probation employee, Wiseman said he left the country the first time after growing tired of the hardship from his wife leaving him after his 2008 arrest and his financial difficulties, according to court records.
Wiseman, who spent over two years in jail after his return from Spain, was sentenced in 2012 to lifetime probation and a one-year deferred jail sentence. The additional incarceration was later deleted by a judge in at least one of his two Arizona cases.
Then authorities say he skipped out of the United States for the second time after his 2012 sentencing.
The lawyer who last represented Wisemen in his criminal case no longer works as a public defender, and efforts to locate him through a bar directory and internet search weren’t successful.
Scottsdale police say Wiseman will be extradited to the United States after his French case is completed. Arizona prosecutors say there is no timeline for when the extradition will occur.
Prosecutor: Antonio Brown could face 30 years in prison if guilty of attempted murder with gun
Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder because a firearm was allegedly used, a prosecutor said Monday.
Brown appeared via video at a brief arraignment hearing in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in which his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, repeated that Brown already entered a not guilty plea. He was released from jail last week on a $25,000 bond and required to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
An attempted murder charge in Florida carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence in many cases. But Assistant State Attorney Stephanie Cruz said because Brown allegedly used a gun, he could face double that time behind bars because of a firearm sentencing enhancement. The law also carries a potential 20-year minimum mandatory sentence upon conviction.
Brown, 37, did not speak during the hearing, Judge Marisa Tinkler-Mendez set at status hearing tentatively for Dec. 22. No trial date has been scheduled.
Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.
Eiglarsh said at a previous hearing that the affidavit is mistaken and that Brown actually used his personal firearm, and the shots were not aimed at anyone. Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.
Brown spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.
Brown was extradited last week from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June.
Oregon
Off-duty pilot who tried to cut a flight’s engines midair to be sentenced in federal case
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit is set to appear for sentencing in federal court Monday.
Joseph Emerson pleaded guilty or no-contest to all charges against him in September as part of agreements with state and federal prosecutors. He wanted to take responsibility for his actions and avoid further time behind bars, his attorney Noah Horst said at the time.
In the federal case, prosecutors have asked for a year in prison, while his attorneys have asked for probation.
Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, while he was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit.
The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board.
After his arrest, Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend’s recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier, and hadn’t slept in over 40 hours. He has said he believed he was dreaming at the time and that he was trying to wake himself up by grabbing two red handles that would have activated the plane’s fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines.
Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. He was released from custody pending trial in December 2023, with requirements that he undergo mental health services, stay off drugs and alcohol, and keep away from aircraft.
In September, he pleaded guilty to the federal count and no-contest to the state charges, which carries the same legal effect as a guilty plea.
A state court sentenced him to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served, plus five years of probation, 664 hours of community service — eight hours for each person he endangered — and over $60,000 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group.
Half of his community service can be performed at the pilot health nonprofit Emerson founded after his arrest. He must also undergo assessments for drug and alcohol and mental health treatment, refrain from using any unprescribed drugs, and keep at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) away from operable aircraft unless he has permission from his probation officer.
In their sentencing memo asking for one year in prison, federal prosecutors wrote: “It was only through the heroic actions of the flight crew, who were able to physically restrain the defendant and restore normal operations of the aircraft, that no lives were lost that day.”
However, a pre-sentence report from federal probation officers recommended a sentence of time served with three years of supervised release and six months of home detention, according to the sentencing memo submitted by Emerson’s attorneys.
In that memo, his attorneys requested probation with credit for time served over prison or home detention, arguing that the “robust” state prosecution “resulted in substantial punishment.”
In state court in September, Emerson said he was grateful to the flight crew for restraining him and saving his life, along with those of everyone else on board. He called it “the greatest gift I ever got,” even though he lost his career and wound up in jail, because it forced him to confront his mental health challenges and reliance on alcohol.
“This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community,” he said.
The airline has said that other members of the flight crew had not observed signs of impairment that would have barred Emerson from the cockpit.
The averted disaster renewed attention on cockpit safety and the mental fitness of those allowed in them.
New Jersey
FBI arrests man for alleged property damage in office of federal prosecutor Habba
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A man has been arrested after federal officials alleged that he destroyed property while trying to confront New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, Alina Habba.
Keith Michael Lisa, 51, has been arrested, FBI spokesperson Emily Molinari confirmed Saturday.
Molinari did not say when or where Lisa was arrested, what charges he might face, whether he was in jail, or when he might go before a judge. It’s unclear whether Lisa is represented by a lawyer. The federal public defender in Newark didn’t immediately respond to an electronic message Saturday asking whether it was representing Lisa.
The FBI on Friday had offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information about Lisa, saying he was wanted on charges of destroying government property and possession of a dangerous weapon inside a U.S. court facility. That bulletin said Lisa tried to enter a federal office building in downtown Newark on Wednesday with a bat and was turned away. Lisa returned without the bat, the bulletin said, and was admitted. He then went to the U.S. Attorney’s office, where Habba works, and destroyed property, the bulletin said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X on Saturday that the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations had worked together to arrest Lisa.
“No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. attorneys or the destruction of their offices,” Bondi wrote.
Habba was previously President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, representing him in various cases and acting as his spokesperson on legal matters. She served as a White House adviser briefly before Trump named her as interim U.S. attorney in March.
“We got him,” Habba wrote on X on Saturday. “This Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi and our federal partners will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence toward law enforcement. So grateful to the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations for their tireless work to capture him. Now justice will handle him.”
Bondi had vowed that federal officials would find and prosecute the person, writing earlier that “Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period.”
Trump formally nominated Habba as New Jersey’s permanent U.S. attorney on July 1, but the state’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim opposed it, stalling the confirmation process.
A few weeks later, as Habba’s 120-day interim appointment was expiring, New Jersey federal judges moved to replace her with her second-in-command. Bondi then fired that prosecutor and renamed Habba as acting U.S. attorney.
Last month, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case challenging her appointment. It hasn’t ruled.
Arizona
Fugitive convicted in U.S. sex crimes case arrested in France after years on the run
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man who fled the United States years ago while on probation for sex crime convictions was arrested earlier this month in France, where he was charged with sexually assaulting a child, authorities said.
Michael Robert Wiseman, 51, was living in Kilstett in northeastern France when he arrested Nov. 1. Investigators discovered Wiseman had traveled to Vietnam and Poland before settling in France.
Scottsdale police Sgt. Dustin Patrick told Phoenix television station 12News that Wiseman was captured after he tried applying for a pilot’s license in Spain using his real name. Patrick said investigators discovered that Wiseman had adopted two children in Vietnam and had obtained a legitimate Polish passport under an alias.
“His potential employer Googled his name and found that he was on Scottsdale’s most wanted list and called Spain authorities,” Patrick said.
It was the second time Wiseman fled the U.S. while his 2008 Arizona case hung over his head.
While his charges were still pending, Wiseman cut off his ankle monitoring device and left the country in late 2008. The fugitive was arrested in 2009 in Spain, brought back to Arizona and pleaded guilty in metro Phoenix to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one escape charge.
The charges stemmed from child sexual abuse material found on his computer.
In an interview with a probation employee, Wiseman said he left the country the first time after growing tired of the hardship from his wife leaving him after his 2008 arrest and his financial difficulties, according to court records.
Wiseman, who spent over two years in jail after his return from Spain, was sentenced in 2012 to lifetime probation and a one-year deferred jail sentence. The additional incarceration was later deleted by a judge in at least one of his two Arizona cases.
Then authorities say he skipped out of the United States for the second time after his 2012 sentencing.
The lawyer who last represented Wisemen in his criminal case no longer works as a public defender, and efforts to locate him through a bar directory and internet search weren’t successful.
Scottsdale police say Wiseman will be extradited to the United States after his French case is completed. Arizona prosecutors say there is no timeline for when the extradition will occur.
