Bronx, New York native and BottomLyne Music CEO, BeenOfficial, drops official visuals for "Hustle Addiction" featuring FINA. The Adwerdz-produced song is off of BeenOfficial's new album titled "A.O.D. (America's on Drugs)."
A witness who watched George Floyd die in the street was left sobbing on the stand after having to relive the nightmare moment again in court.
Charles McMillian broke down while giving testimony Wednesday about the events he says he witnessed on May 25, 2020 ... as one of the early bystanders who watched Chauvin pin George down just feet away while standing on a curb.
As prosecutors played back body cam video from one of the officers on top of George -- as he shouted out repeatedly he couldn't breathe & calling for his mother -- McMillian started bawling ... which prompted the court to recess as he collected himself.
The prosecution asked what he was feeling right then watching it anew, & McMillian gave a telling response ... saying he felt helpless & sympathized with George's call for his mom. It was pretty heartbreaking to watch & made for a compelling moment in the trial, which is on its third day.
Like we said, McMillian was one of the first civilians on the scene as police began to struggle with George while trying to get him into their squad car. He told George before the man was laid down on his stomach that he should stop fighting & that he couldn't win.
Also in court Wednesday, surveillance footage from inside the Cup Foods store was played showing the minutes leading up to Floyd's death. Floyd can be seen using the alleged fake $20 bill at the root of police being called.
In other video played during his testimony, you can hear McMillian talk directly to Chauvin at the time ... whom he called a "maggot" as the police finally dispersed. McMillian confirmed the "maggot" remark to prosecutors & was excused without cross-examination.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a prominent conservative in Congress & a close ally of former President Donald Trump, said Tuesday he is being investigated by the Justice Department over a former relationship but denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Gaetz, who represents parts of western Florida, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl & paying her to travel with him, & he is under investigation to determine if he violated federal sex trafficking laws.
The probe has been underway for nearly a year and Gaetz has been aware for months that he was under investigation. The Justice Department has also been looking into whether Gaetz, 38, may have also been involved in relationships with other underage girls, a source told the Associated Press.
The person could not publicly discuss the details of an ongoing investigation & spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Gaetz told Axios that his lawyers were informed that he was the subject of an investigation “regarding sexual conduct with women” but that he was not a target of the probe. He denied that he ever had a relationship with any underage girls & said the allegations against him were “as searing as they are false.”
A subject is conventionally thought of as someone whose actions fall within the scope of a criminal investigation, whereas a target is someone whom prosecutors have gathered evidence linking to a crime. But during the course of an investigation, a subject can become a target.
Gaetz’s comments came shortly after The New York Times first reported the investigation. It is a federal crime to transport a minor over state lines for sex.
Gaetz said that the allegations were part of an extortion plot by a former Justice Department official.
“Over the past several weeks my family & I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name,” Gaetz said in a statement.
Gaetz said his family has been cooperating with the FBI & said his father was wearing a recording device, at the FBI’s direction, “to catch these criminals.” He demanded the Justice Department release the recordings.
“No part of the allegations against me are true, & the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation,” he said.
The Times cited three people familiar with the matter, saying the scrutiny was part of a broader Justice Department probe into one of his political allies & fellow Florida politician, Joel Greenberg, who was indicted last summer on sex trafficking and other charges that he stalked a political opponent. A judge ordered the former tax collector back to jail earlier this month for violating the conditions of his release.
“I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know, when I was a single guy,” Gaetz told Axios.
“I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I’ve dated,” Gaetz said. “You know, I’ve paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I’ve been, you know, generous as a partner. I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.”
Gaetz has not been charged with a crime. The Justice Department did not immediately comment.
The legal teams representing Deshaun Watson & the women accusing him of sexual misconduct continued their public posturing Tuesday night & early Wednesday, as 2 more women filed lawsuits against the Houston Texans quarterback.
Watson's team, led by Rusty Hardin, issued a news release with on-the-record statements from 18 women who say they have previously had massage sessions with Watson & he never acted inappropriately.
Hardin pointed to the 18 statements in support of Watson as evidence that "the other side to this story that has been so lacking in the flurry of anonymous complaints filed by opposing counsel." He added that the women in the news release, most of whom are massage therapists, have collectively worked with Watson more than 130 times.
"Deshaun never made me feel uncomfortable or intimidated," massage therapist Masako Jones said in one of the statements. "... I am just completely floored by these lawsuits. The behavior described in them doesn’t sound like him at all."
Watson, 25, is now facing civil lawsuits in Harris County District Court from a total of 21 unnamed women – including 2 complaints that became publicly available Wednesday morning. The women have accused Watson of inappropriate conduct or sexual assault during separate massage sessions over the span of more than a year.
A 22nd woman came forward with similar allegations in a Sports Illustrated article this week, but she said she has not filed a lawsuit.
Watson has not been charged with a crime & broadly denied wrongdoing.
The NFL is investigating the allegations against Watson under the auspices of its personal conduct policy.
On Stephen A's World, Stephen A. tells fans to "Get @ Me," and takes questions on the Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, Zion Williamson vs. LaMelo Ball, and Allen Iverson vs. Dwyane Wade.
0:00 Will the Celtics make an impact in the playoffs? 2:01 Should the Clippers be the favorites in the West with Rajon Rondo? 3:33 Would you rather start a franchise around Zion Williamson or LaMelo Ball? 4:49 Who was better: Allen Iverson or Dwyane Wade?
In his first one on one with Comedy Hype, Bill Bellamy opens up on why people may have started seeing him less at one point in his career. The now owner of the BillBellamyNetwork.com, explains his Hollywood disappearance.
The KJZ discusses Stephen Curry's future with the Golden State Warriors and react to Brian Windhorst's comments that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James started recruiting Curry during the NBA All-Star break.
#NBA
0:00 Brian Windhorst said LeBron James started recruiting Steph Curry during the All-Star break. 2:20 Nick Friedell said he is confident that Curry will extend his contract with the Warriors. 3:52 Jay Williams wants Curry to do whatever he needs to do for his legacy.
Ponzo Houdini is another artist that is a part of the Upstate, New York wave that is heavily influencing the rap game right now. The Buffalo native and Cake Boss Life Entertainment CEO, drops an official music video for "Bad Guy" off of his new album titled "You Know the Vibes II."
Produced by Coach Hilson
Directed by Always Risk Things @directedbyart_
"You Know the Vibes II" is available now everywhere music is streamed and sold!
Black Soprano artist Vino La Mano is on a hell of run as he continues to drop one project after another." The latest is an EP titled "Without Conscience."
The six-track project is entirely produced by The Soul Monsters.
Michael Chandler chats with Brett Okamoto to discuss preparation for his upcoming fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262.
0:00 Michael Chandler shares how he is preparing for the fight against Charles Oliveira. 3:00 Chandler says the opportunity to fight Oliveira could be a life-changing moment. 4:20 Chandler talks about the fight being canceled against Justin Gaethje. 5:30 Chandler reacts to Khabib Nurmagomedov announcing his official retirement. 6:50 Chandler weighs in on what he needs to do to defeat Oliveira. 8:50 Chandler weighs in on Oliveira’s striking. 11:20 Chandler weighs in on some of Oliveira’s weaknesses. 14:30 Chandler says he welcomes the criticisms ahead of his fight against Oliveira. 17:48 Brett Okamoto asks how long Chandler is going to around in his career.
Brian Windhorst joins Kendrick Perkins and Jorge Sedano on The Jump to discuss that Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James started recruiting Steph Curry during the All-Star break. 0:00 Windhorst on LeBron recruiting Steph. 1:38 Perk says that the Golden State Warriors fans can’t be mad if Steph leaves. 3:23 Windhorst says you’re either with LeBron or against him.
MIAMI (AP) — A man arrested by police early Tuesday is accused of abducting, sexually assaulting and shooting a 12-year-old boy who had snuck out of his home to walk to a friend’s house in South Florida.
A passerby saw the boy wandering along a Miami street before 3 a.m. Saturday and alerted authorities. The boy later told police he had heard a loud bang and was pushed out of a car. He had been shot in the jaw and was temporarily blinded.
“He had lost his sight and he was using his touch trying to find his way around to seek help,” Miami-Dade detective Alvaro Zabaleta told news outlets.
Police said they arrested Aliex Santiesteban, 43, early Tuesday. He’s charged with sexual battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping a child under 13 and attempted murder. Major Brian Rafky of the Miami-Dade police’s Special Victims Bureau said detectives were able to track down the suspect through “good old-fashioned police work and DNA evidence.”
The boy is recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital, police said.
The good Samaritan, whom television stations did not identify by his full name, was recorded on surveillance video escorting the crying boy into a food mart to get help.
“He was screaming, ‘Help, someone, help me, please.’ So I (brought) him to the store where they could call the police,” the man told television stations.
Investigators said boy had placed pillows in his bed to trick his parents into thinking he was sleeping before leaving the house Friday night. He said he walked to a friend’s house about 2 miles away.
He was on his way home when he was forced into a car, police said. The boy told investigators he tried to get out, but the car’s child locks were engaged.
An arrest report said Santiesteban pulled his car onto a roadside swale in the Brownsville neighborhood near Miami and forced the child into the backseat, where he assaulted him. Police said a brief struggle ensued and Santiesteban shot the boy.
Santiesteban denied the accusations, police said. It was not clear whether he has an attorney.
Police urged the community to call authorities if other victims or witnesses recognize Santiesteban from previous crimes.
At a Tuesday news conference, Alfredo Ramirez, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, thanked the man who found him and the community for stepping in to help.
“As a father of a 12-year-old myself, this is extremely disturbing and hits you at the soul,” Ramirez said. “This child has suffered physical and emotional trauma that will take years to overcome.”
After he ended his remarks, Ramirez briefly returned to the podium to lean again into the microphone.
“That’s the face of evil, ladies and gentlemen. Right there,” he said as he pointed to the mugshot.
An Italian mafia fugitive who has been evading police since 2014 was arrested last week after police recognized him on YouTube. Marc Feren Claude Biart, who is wanted by police for allegedly trafficking cocaine, had started a cooking show on YouTube with his wife.
53-year-old Biart hid his face in the videos – but did not hide his tattoos. Italian police saw the videos & arrested Biart in the small town of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
The 'Ndrangheta, which is based in Calabria, Italy, controls most of the cocaine entering Europe. Members are known by nicknames, such as "The Uncle" which is the name that alleged boss Luigi Mancuso goes by.
Biart has been wanted by police for nearly six years for allegedly trafficking cocaine into the Netherlands. He worked on behalf of the 'Ndrangheta mafia, which is considered the most powerful organized crime groups in the world, BBC News reports.
The crime family is now facing one of Italy's biggest mafia trials following a long investigation into the group. The trial began in January, & 355 people have been charged. It took more than three hours to read defendants' names in court.
The charges include murder, drug trafficking, extortion & money laundering.
ADA, Okla. (AP) — The wife of a pastor in Ada & a man she was allegedly in a relationship with have been arrested in connection with the pastor’s fatal shooting, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Capt. Beth Green said Friday.
Kristie Dawnell Evans, 47, & Kahlil Deamie Square, 27, were arrested Thursday & jailed on murder warrants in the fatal shooting of David Evans, 50, the pastor of Harmony Freewill Baptist Church in Ada, Green said.
David Evans was found shot to death in his bed at the Evans’ home on March 22 after Kristie Evans called police & initially reported an intruder had shot her husband, according to Green.
Kristie Evans had asked Square to kill her husband because he was controlling & verbally abusive, according to an affidavit by OSBI investigator Justin Brown.
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