Blogs

Video After The Jump

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge & jolting his bid to retake the White House.

The charges remained under seal late Thursday, but the investigation centered on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Prosecutors said they were working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which could happen early next week. They did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, a development that wouldn’t prevent Trump from assuming the presidency.

The indictment, an extraordinary development after years of investigations into Trump’s business, political and personal dealings, injects a local district attorney’s office into the heart of a national presidential race and ushers in criminal proceedings in a city that the ex-president for decades called home. Arriving at a time of deep political divisions, the charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape dueling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who, like Trump, feel the Republican is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” & predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. 

A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed the indictment & said prosecutors had reached out to Trump’s defense team to coordinate a surrender. Trump was asked to surrender Friday but his lawyers said the Secret Service needed additional time as they made security preparations. Trump is expected to surrender early next week.

The case centers on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions. Prosecutors for months scrutinized money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels & former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.

#donaldtrump #donaldtrumpindicted #donaldtrumpmakeshistory #donaldtrump1stexpresidentchargedwithacrime #hushmoney #stormeydaniels #adultfilms #actress #playboymodel #karenmcdougal #newyorkcity #alvinbragg #attorneygeneral #donaldtrumptosurender #extramaritalaffair #melaniatrump #ivanatrump #marlamaples 

Follow Me

Video After The Jump

BOSTON (AP) — The founder of a Boston nonprofit established to reduce violence in the city & her husband, used donations to the organization to enrich themselves, federal prosecutors said in a multicount indictment.

Monica Cannon-Grant, 41, & her husband Clark Grant, 38, of Taunton, used Violence in Boston Inc. funds to pay for personal expenses including, hotels, car rentals, auto repairs, restaurant meals, nail salons & personal travel.

They also fraudulently applied for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits that they knew they were not eligible to receive because they had other sources of income at the time, and lied to a mortgage lender by saying Violence in Boston’s assets were their own to help pay for mortgage fees and closing costs, prosecutors said.

The couple maintained exclusive control over organization finances & did not disclose to other Violence in Boston directors, bookkeepers, or financial auditors that they had used the funds for their own purposes.

Both were charged in an 18-count indictment with wire fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to a mortgage lending business. Cannon-Grant also faces a mail fraud count.

Cannon-Grant is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Tuesday. Her attorney, Robert Goldstein, said he expects her to be vindicated.

#monicacannongrant #clarkgrant #antiviolencenonprofit #nonprofit #violenceinbostoninc #violenceinboston #corrupt #corruption #boston #fraud #wirefraud #mailfraud #conspiracy #pandemicunemploymentassistance #scamartist #scam #hotels #carrental #nailsalon #vacation #donations #usattorneygeneral #federalprosecutors #tauntonma #indicted #indictment

Follow Me

Video After The Jump

BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted Baltimore’s top prosecutor Thursday on charges of perjury and making false mortgage applications in the purchase of two Florida vacation homes, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland said.

The four-count indictment alleges that Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby lied about meeting qualifications for coronavirus-related distributions from a city retirement plan in 2020. Federal prosecutors also allege that Mosby lied on 2020 application forms for mortgages to purchase a home in Kissimmee, Florida, and a condominium in Long Boat Key, Florida.

Mosby, 41, is a high-profile prosecutor who has aligned herself with criminal-justice reformers. She rose to national prominence in 2015 when she pursued criminal charges against six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, a Black man whose death in police custody triggered riots and protests. None of the officers were convicted.

The indictment of Mosby, who is married to Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, comes months after news outlets reported that federal officials subpoenaed the Maryland State Board of Elections seeking business and campaign finance records related to the couple dating back to 2014. An attorney representing the couple alleged misconduct by federal prosecutors in a letter to the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility and sought a suspension of the criminal investigation into the couple. Nick Mosby has not been charged with any crimes.

“We will fight these charges vigorously, and I remain confident that once all the evidence is presented, that she will prevail against these bogus charges — charges that are rooted in personal, political and racial animus five months from her election,” said A. Scott Bolden, Mosby’s attorney, in a statement Thursday night.

In 2020, Mosby submitted requests for one-time withdrawals of $40,000 and $50,000, respectively, from Baltimore’s deferred compensation plans, according to the indictment. It alleges that Mosby falsely certified that she experienced adverse financial hardships because of the coronavirus, but actually received her nearly $250,000 salary in 2020. The indictment also alleges that in 2020 and 2021, Mosby made false statements in applications for a $490,500 mortgage to purchase a home in Kissimmee, Florida, and for a $428,400 mortgage to purchase a condominium in Long Boat Key, Florida.

#marilynmosby #marilynmosbybaltimore #marilynmosbyindicted #marilynmosbyprosecutor #baltimore #feds #fbi #perjury #loanapplication #covid19loan #covid #covid19 #coronavirus #prosecutor #charged #indicted #florida #homepurchase #house #crib #grandjury #baltimorestateattorney #federalgrandjury #lawyer #freddiegray #nickmosby

Follow Me

Former Cash Money artist B.G. faces the possibility of spending the next 10 years in prison after being indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday (May 19th).

According to a press release by U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, B.G., real name Christopher Dorsey, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy to obstruct justice

The charges stem from a November 2009 traffic stop in New Orleans where B.G. and two associates were found to be in possession of three guns, loaded magazines and extended clips. Two of the guns turned out to be stolen.

B.G. allegedly tried to get one of the men in the car, Demounde Pollard, to claim ownership of the guns. Pollard signed a false affidavit that said the guns didn't belong to B.G. leading to the conspiracy charge.

The 30-year old rapper enjoyed huge success in the 90's as a member of the Hot Boys along with Juvenile, Lil Wayne and Turk. A dispute with Cash Money CEO Birdman over money led to B.G. leaving the label in 2001 and forming his own imprint, Chopper City Records. His last album "Too Hood To Be Hollywood" was released in 2009.

Video After The Jump