HAWAIIAN GARDENS - Among the 147 Hawaiian Gardens gang members and associates named in five separate federal indictments, some 49 remained at large Friday, authorities confirmed.
The search, however, will continue, federal and local authorities vowed.
"Operation Knockout has led to federal indictments against 147 gang members, making it the largest gang sweep in U.S. history," United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said Thursday when the indictments were unsealed and the results of the pre-dawn raid were shared with media.
During Thursday's operation, a total of 88 defendants were arrested on federal and state charges. Of the 88 arrests, 63 were identified in one of five federal indictments.
With 35 defendants already in custody, there are now 98 people ready to be prosecuted in federal court and, if convicted, who will serve at least 85percent of their terms scattered among 118 federal facilities across the country, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The remaining 49 defendants named in the federal indictments are either fugitives being sought by authorities or individuals who investigators are working to identify and additional arrests are expected in this case, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Some of those being sought are
believed to be in the area while others are suspected to be out of state and out of the country, authorities said.
The indictments and subsequent roundup in Hawaiian Gardens - which included 1,400 law enforcement members from federal, state and local jurisdictions - were the culmination of almost four years of investigation into the tiny town's oldest and most notorious gang, authorities said.
Varrio Hawaiian Gardens waged a racist campaign to eliminate black people from the community through attempted murders and other crimes, according to the federal racketeering indictments unsealed Thursday.
The indictments detailed numerous alleged incidents, including a charge that George Manuel Flores, the lead defendant in the RICO indictment and a longtime member of the gang, allegedly ordered the murder of another gang member who was believed to be cooperating with law enforcement.
Flores also allegedly provided a young gang member with a weapon and instructed him to shoot African-Americans who lived nearby, according to the main indictment.
Included in the gang's plotting was the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Ortiz, who was shot in the head in June 2005 by a VHG member while Ortiz was investigating the attempted murder of a black man in the city, O'Brien said Thursday.
It was the cowardly slaughter of Ortiz - a newlywed and father of two sons - that prompted investigators from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department to the FBI to launch "Operation Knockout," O'Brien said.
Gang experts and investigators testified at length about the local gang's efforts to remove all black residents from the community during the 2007 trial for the killing of Deputy Ortiz.
Convicted killer Jose Luis Orozco was found guilty of Ortiz's murder in the 2007 trial.
Ortiz had been investigating the attempted murder of a black man by Orozco when Orozco shot the deputy while hiding behind a door.
The victim, who was hired to do some yard work and fix up a vacant rental property, was targeted by Orozco simply because of his race and because he was in Hawaiian Gardens, witnesses testified.
Orozco is awaiting execution on death row.
Source:presstelegram.com
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Murder accused Amanda Knox is expected to take the stand in an attempt to clear her name in Italy this month.
She and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito are accused of killing Coulsdon student Meredith Kercher after she refused to participate in a drug-fuelled orgy.
She was found strangled and stabbed in the flat she shared with Miss Knox in Perugia, Italy where she was on a year-long exchange program.
The prosecution have finished putting their case forward and Miss Knox, 21, has said she will take the stand in her defence.
Mr Sollecito, 25, has indicated he will not be giving evidence.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution have aimed to highlight Miss Knox’s bizzare behaviour in the aftermath of the murder.
The court has heard she was seen doing cartwheels and splits before being questioned by the police.
Last week Edgardo Giobbi, a forensics expert, told the court when he handed Miss Knox a pair of shoe covers to prevent contaminating the evidence just hours after the murder she swivelled her hips and said ‘opla'.
He said: “I thought it was very unusual behaviour and my suspicions against her were raised.”
The court heard two knives may have been used in the murder as the wound in Miss Kercher’s throat is not compatible with the knife found.
A 30cm knife was found in Sollecito’s flat which was found to have Miss Kercher’s DNA on the tip and Miss Knox’s DNA on the handle.
Meredith Kercher’s family are reported to have flown to Italy and are said to be giving evidence to the court before the defence begins their side of the case.
Source:CroydonGuardian.co.uk
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DNA results from the two year rape trial of DJ Hollyhood Bay Bay do not match the industry veteran, AllHipHop.com has confirmed.
Hollyhood Bay Bay, real name Terrance Stewart, was arrested in 2007 and charged with one count of rape and intimidation of a witness.
According to prosecutors, the DJ raped a woman who was found drunk and unconscious on the second floor of club Kokopelli’s, located in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The ensuing DNA test used semen retrieved from the alleged victim, and the couch where the crime occurred.
“I believe everything happens for a greater reason and purpose. I was terminated from one station, only to be recruited by the fourth largest black radio station in the country, so there are no hard feelings,” DJ Hollyhood Bay Bay told AllHpHop.com. “I’m just ready to conclude this chapter in my life and get back to what I do, finding the next multiplatinum success story.
Bay Bay previously gained national recognition courtesy of Hurricane Chris’ hit tribute song “Ay Bay Bay,” which was inspired by fans who would chant the DJ’s name at club appearances.
The rape accusation has proved damaging to Hollyhood’s career over the last two years.
The fallout resulted in him being terminated from his position at Shreveport’s 103.5 The Beat, and losing his longtime club MC position at Kokopelli’s.
He later signed on to Dallas’ KKDA 104.5, and maintains a weekly radio slot from 3PM from 7PM.
Despite the serious accusation that has lingered over his head, DJ Hollyhood Bay Bay feels he’s been blessed with a better opportunity in Dallas and is hopeful the charges will soon be dropped.
"This entire situation is unfortunate, but all I can do is continue to live my life until it is over and I am fully cleared of all charges,” added DJ Bay Bay.
Since relocating to Dallas, the DJ assisted rapper Dorrough in closing a deal with E1 Music.
On the community service front, he founded Bay Bay’s Kids, which aims to decrease high school dropout rates through education-focused speaking engagements and camps.
At press time, Caddo Parish District Attorney Brady O’Callaghan has not dropped the rape charges against DJ Hollyhood Bay Bay.
Source:allhiphop.com
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Lindsay Lohan continues her downward spiral.Her movie career is in shambles,she got dumped by her lesbian girlfriend,now she can't even take proper care of her feet.I can only guess she's on heavy drugs.........again.
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Rap star Eminem was the victim of a robbery on Sunday (May 31) at the MTV Movie Awards.
According to reports, the rapper's hotel room was burglarized during the infamous awards show, as robbers made off with a $60,000 necklace.
Additionally, the thieves stole Eminem's personal laptop computer.
The news comes on the heels of a now infamous incident, in which comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" landed bare bottom - in Eminem's face.
In more positive news, the rapper's album Relapse album topped Billboard’s Top 200 Album's chart having moved over 608,000 copies last week.
The album also sold another 225,000 copies, making the top selling album on the Billboard 200 chart this week as well.
At press time representatives for Eminem could not be reached for comment.
Source:AllHipHop.com
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(CNN) -- A pregnant British woman accused of smuggling heroin into Laos was sentenced to life in prison, the British Foreign Office said Wednesday.
Briton Samantha Orobator has been sentenced to life in prison for heroin smuggling.
Samantha Orobator, 20, was jailed last August at the airport in the Lao capital, Vientiane, and charged with carrying about half a kilogram of heroin.
She is more than five months pregnant, and enters her third trimester on Saturday.
The circumstances under which Orobator became pregnant in prison remain unclear.
She told her mother she was not raped in prison and that the father is not a Lao prison official. Watch what's known about Samantha Orobator »
A newspaper run by the Lao government reported Orobator as saying she impregnated herself with the sperm of another prisoner being held in the same jail.
A spokeswoman for legal aid charity Reprieve spokeswoman said the charity did not know if the newspaper report was true.
"We haven't seen her to confirm this, but are keen that this issue -- which is irrelevant to the case -- does not delay or affect the trial," Katherine O'Shea told CNN via e-mail.
Orobator could be returned to the UK to serve her sentence. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell met Laotian Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith last month to discuss the case and sign a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries.
Source:CNN.com
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Rapper FLESH-N-BONE is free from jail after Los Angeles authorities dropped charges against him for a parole violation.
The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony star, real name Stanley Howse, has been locked up for the last two months after he was stopped by traffic cops in Santa Clarita, California, for driving with a broken brake light.
Because Howse was on parole for an earlier probation violation, police decided to search his Canyon County home, leading to the discovery of a gun. Weapons possession charges were subsequently scrapped in April (09) after Howse proved the gun belonged to his wife, a police officer with the Chicago, Illinois force.
He was still being held behind bars at Los Angeles County Jail on the parole violation, but on Tuesday (02Jun09) authorities let him walk free after deciding not to pursue the remaining charges, reports TMZ.com.
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Kim Kardashian says she’s just saving time and stress — by shopping for her own engagement ring.
The celebrity socialite is not yet engaged to boyfriend and NFL star Reggie Bush, but she told E! Online recently she’s ready to show him just what kind of ring she wants.
Football player Reggie Bush (left) and TV star Kim Kardashian aren't engaged yet, but she's shopping for rings anyway.
"It's just easier," Kardashian says. "Isn't it easy if someone's like, 'This is exactly what I want.' It'll make your life so easy."
Kardashian has also clued sisters Kourtney and Khloe in to which baubles she's after, figuring Bush will ask them for their ideas when he’s ready to pop the question.
"She found one the other day and she was like, 'It's only $20 million,' " Kourtney tells E!.
Kardashian is best known for her reality series, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” on the E! cable network.
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Rihanna plans to leak Chris Brown's nude pictures following her naked images which have been spread in Internet earlier this month. Although her allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend denied leaking the photos, the "Umbrella" songstress doesn't seem to ignore it and is threatening to reveal Chris' uncovered snaps in revenge.
"She says she's going to release her own photos of Chris. She has less-than-flattering nude pics of him that she plans on leaking. Rihanna says he'll be really embarrassed," Rihanna's pal said. The source informed that Rihanna sets this plan once after she has calmed down from the rage after the leak of her nude photos.
Not only pictures, Rihanna also reportedly plans to reveal Chris' sexual performance to make him ashamed. Rihanna is already telling friends that Chris was a clumsy novice at lovemaking until "she taught him everything he knows." The pal added, "She's going to ruin his sexy image."
Moreover, Rihanna is believed saying more scary threat as her early reaction when finding out her nude images plastered all over the Internet. "She was saying crazy things like, 'I'm going to burn down his house,'" a friend of the 21-year-old singer told the June 7 edition of Star magazine.
Source:Celebrity-Mania.com
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Rihanna plans to leak Chris Brown's nude pictures following her naked images which have been spread in Internet earlier this month. Although her allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend denied leaking the photos, the "Umbrella" songstress doesn't seem to ignore it and is threatening to reveal Chris' uncovered snaps in revenge.
"She says she's going to release her own photos of Chris. She has less-than-flattering nude pics of him that she plans on leaking. Rihanna says he'll be really embarrassed," Rihanna's pal said. The source informed that Rihanna sets this plan once after she has calmed down from the rage after the leak of her nude photos.
Not only pictures, Rihanna also reportedly plans to reveal Chris' sexual performance to make him ashamed. Rihanna is already telling friends that Chris was a clumsy novice at lovemaking until "she taught him everything he knows." The pal added, "She's going to ruin his sexy image."
Moreover, Rihanna is believed saying more scary threat as her early reaction when finding out her nude images plastered all over the Internet. "She was saying crazy things like, 'I'm going to burn down his house,'" a friend of the 21-year-old singer told the June 7 edition of Star magazine.
Source:Celebrity-Mania.com
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Surrendered to the care of a single-mother at age 2, Mike’s road to glory would take nearly two decades before its paths became clear. The move to Brooklyn’s infamous neighborhood, Brownsville, at age 10 only further blurred the map Mike was to follow, in his journey to make history by becoming the youngest fighter to win the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, and International Boxing Federation heavyweight titles. Mike did all this by age 20.
While most fighters bob and weave their ways through matches, Mike knocked-out his opponents fearlessly, rendering whoever he came across dead-on-arrival. With his record-making debut at the Junior Olympic contest, knocking out his opponent in 8 seconds, it was clear Tyson wasn’t the average kid around the block. He would build on this new-found confidence throughout his legendary career, winning 50 out of 58 games, 44 of which were by knockouts.
But before the glory came, he would have to confront the death of his mother at age 16, leaving the future heavyweight champion emotionally distraught. Tyson later recalled how much this loss partook in the knockouts he became famous for: The bodies of his opponents symbolized a receptacle, into which he deposited his pain, sorrow, and anguish.
As one who grew up entrenched in gang deathstyle, Mike was naturally mean with his hands. But boxing hardly consists of strength alone. The discipline, alertness, and psychological skills he needed to survive in the world of professional boxing would take years to develop, under the tutorship of renowned boxing manager and trainer Constantine “Cus” D’Amato.
Mike credits Cus with equipping him with the technical skills that proved successful later on. Cus became the father he never knew. Nonetheless, the death of Mike’s mom triggered a fit of erratic impulses, which put at risk the lives of many around him. Cus was aware of this, but failed to act appropriately. No other is more willing to acknowledge that Cus was an honorable man, than Mike himself. On several TV appearances, when asked, he never fails to mention the large emotional gap Cus filled in his life, more so with the untimely passing of his mother. Mike was alone in this world. And the only friend he knew was Cus. This friend, unfortunately, had ulterior motives that, though meant well, played a part in the unremarkable events that have since blemished Mike’s reputation.
Cus failed to address adequately the wounds Tyson’s troubled childhood still left opened. Seeing the potential for a future heavyweight champion in him, Cus could hardly control his expectations. Tyson was drilled, drilled, and drilled. This drilling process, helpful as it was later on, only stimulated the pent-up rage embedded in the young boxer’s soul.
Cus permitted Tyson’s character flaws. When he most needed discipline, drills were instead suggested. But the professional is hardly personal. And none other knew this better than Cus, himself, who had mentored many young men into becoming well-groomed adults. The problem: Tyson was different. As an old man, whose long and wavy life was slowly coming to an end, Tyson was his last hope for success—an ATM machine into which he could deposit his last change of advice and athletic investment, and reap an handsome payback.
Cus was Tyson’s first encounter with a world filled with opportunists, many of whom would sell their birthright for a mess of pottage. His death in 1985 only further complicated life for Tyson, leaving him helpless, alone, and vulnerable.
It’s a strange existence when 90% of those with whom you cross paths are endlessly seeking ways to exploit your fame, fortune and future. Though Tyson’s world wasn’t always filled with Don King clones, the degree of selfishness with which his confidants shamelessly stole to fill up their coffers, made sure he was bankrupt by 36.
But even with the luxurious lusts of losers like Don King, and the emotional scars his traumatic childhood afforded him, none of Mike Tyson’s opponents could deal bigger blows than that the sports, news, and all around oppressive, media meticulously landed on his iron-like, though fragile, body. The media, having failed with Ali a couple decades before, had learned their lesson: The key was to start early. That way, full control over the athlete’s psyche would be attained.
By age 20, Mike was already being described, by commentators, as a “beast,” “monster,” and “animal.” Those primatial nouns were cautiously used to define and determine the parameters under which viewers and boxing fans were to judge the budding fighter. Unenlightened observers might defend the commentators, explaining that no harm was meant, and, in fact, it was a testament to the hitherto unforeseen intensity Mike brought to the ring. But such arguments miss the mark. They also excuse, and lend credence to, a media which sees wealthy Black male athletes, who defy the odds (mainstream society), as objects worthy of scorn, hate, and antagonism.
In Mike’s case, the threat level was amplified: He was a fighter knocking-out everything that got in his way, dismantling the will and strength of his opposition, and clearing out the bodies of opponents who failed to recognize his superiority in the ring. The media was alert. It knew the threat Mike posed. The “animal” descriptor would lay the foundation for a plot ready to yield fruition later on. As Mike contended a few years ago, “they build us [Black male athletes] up just to break us down.” It was all part of a scheme to paint him as the new “evil Black monster.” Ali was struck with Parkinson’s Syndrome—wasn’t a threat anymore. There was a new N***r in town—a new specimen to operate on, and oppress, in the laboratory of mass media.
When Mike Tyson walked into the ring, the media went with him. When taking a bathroom break, the media was nearby. When out for launch, the media stayed as close as possible. Far from modern-day paparazzis who innocently—most of them self-employed—infringe on the privacy of celebrities, the media’s hyper surveillance of Tyson was deliberately nefarious.
The intent was to prove they were right all along. They were right that he was a “beast,” a “monster,” an “animal.” But this time, the beast was untamable. Far from the adorable beast who knocked out adversaries, this beast went on rampages, raped women, and devoured anyone looked at as threatening.
Mike fought back, but lacked the sophistication to do it productively. His counter-attack, unfortunately, began validating those assertions the media had made—the foundation it laid. Mike became “an actor, an entertainer,” in the ring. He took up the persona of Iron—impenetrable. He became “impetuous” and “impregnable.” Sadly, iron was melting and Mike couldn’t show it. It would take years before he concluded that “Nobody is invincible. Nobody is the greatest fighter in the world.”
Tyson’s brutal honesty is nowhere else more appreciated than in the Hip-Hop community. As such, it was a no brainer to form an alliance with the late West Coast warrior, Tupac, who Tyson described as “brutally honest,” and a “loving guy.” Tyson found the same thread of lies previously woven about him being recast in the media’s portrayal of Tupac as “time-bomb, racist, dysfunctional, single-parent.” Their friendship was, of course, cut short on Sept. 13, 1996, six days after Tupac was gunned down in Las Vegas, following a Mike Tyson v. Bruce Seldon fight, but the bond the two cultural icons shared was, in many ways, inevitable.
Beyond being indicted on rape charges they vehemently denied, both emerged from troublesome backgrounds which very few could overcome. They did. Both were also fatherless at young ages, but found father surrogates whom they credit as lifesavers. It was after getting to know Tupac better that Tyson found in him a rare jewel. Tyson saw that Tupac was able to articulate the pain he felt, in ways not only productive but constructive—lyrically and musically. Hitherto, both had relied on physicality to prove their worth. But Tupac’s rhetorical prowess on the mic was having far-reaching impacts than hand-dealt jabs did. Tupac would go on to record many songs specifically for Tyson’s fights (“Ambitionz Az A Fighta,” “Ready to Rumble,” “Road 2 Glory”).
Many rappers also found similarities between their struggles and Tyson’s. His name soon garnered notoriety on Rap records, with artists ranging from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and Too Short, Canibus and Ginuwine, LL Cool J and Biggie, paying homage to his greatness.
Throughout his glorious career, Iron Mike effortlessly fulfilled the six qualities Nas mentioned—Speed, Strength, Skill, Power, Accuracy, Victorious—as requisite for a legendary legacy. At a recent screening of his new documentary, “Tyson,” Nas explained how much he “meant,” and means, to the Hip-Hop generation: “Just go back on what Mike has meant to us throughout all the years. Mike has been the first baller of our generation, the first champion of our generation that stood for the common man.”
And even after living a life most couldn’t stand a day of, Iron Mike, our heavyweight champ, keeps fighting on. Keep fighting champ! We love you!
Tolu Olorunda is a cultural critic and a Columnist for BlackCommentator.com. He can be reached at Tolu.Olorunda@gmail.com..
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Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young isn't saying play me or trade me, but he's coming pretty close.
In an interview with Baltimore's WMAR-TV, Young said if he doesn't win back his starting job, he wants to move on. The problem is that Kerry Collins is still the starter.
"I definitely want to get back out there playing ball and picking up where I left off, winning games and having a good time with my teammates and with the fans," Young said, according to the television station. "At the same time, if them guys don't want me to be in there, it's time for me to make a career change for myself. Because the fact is I'm ready to play ball. If they're not ready for me to play ball, then somebody is."
The former rookie of the year suffered a knee injury in the first game of the season last year. Veteran Kerry Collins stepped in and remained the starter for the remainder of the year, leading the Titans to a 13-3 record and the playoffs.
Young's season was further marred by an incident after that first game against Jacksonville in which the quarterback was reported missing. He was later found and there was some question as to his state of mind.
This offseason, Titans coach Jeff Fisher said that Young would have to unseat Collins as the starter.
"I'm still focused, staying focused," Young said, according to WMAR. "I got a lot of people that look up to me. I got a lot of fans that love me and want to see me back out on the football field."
Source : ESPN
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Double Up Ent. artist Dave Barz just drop his new digital album T.C.P. (The Current Problem) on Itunes & Amazon. Make sure you guys check it out. Alot of dope tracks on there. Also A.R. Series volume 3 is on the way and check out the single “CT” off T.C.P. below.Dave Barz - T.C.P (The Current Problem) On ItunesDave Barz - T.C.P. (The Current Problem) On AmazonRead more…
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