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'Fat Leonard,' a fugitive now returning to the US, was behind one of the military's biggest scandals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Returning convicted defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis to U.S. custody as part of the Venezuelan prisoner swap on Wednesday is the latest twist in a decade-long salacious saga and bribery scheme that swept up dozens of American Navy officers.One of the biggest bribery investigations in U.S. military history led to the conviction and sentencing of nearly two dozen Navy officials, defense contractors and others on various fraud and corruption charges. And it was punctuated by Francis' daring escape last year, when he fled from house arrest at his San Diego home to South America.An enigmatic figure who was 6-foot-3 and weighed 350 pounds at one time, Francis owned and operated his family’s ship servicing business, Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. or GDMA, which supplied food, water and fuel to vessels. The Malaysian defense contractor was a key contact for U.S. Navy ships at ports across Asia for more than two decades. During that time he w...

Oil companies offer $382M for offshore drilling rights in last sale before 2025

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil companies offered $382 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after courts rejected the Biden administration’s plans to scale back the sale to protect an endangered whale species.The auction was the last of several offshore oil and gas lease sales mandated under the 2022 climate law. It comes as President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration tries to navigate between energy companies seeking greater oil and gas production and environmental activists who want to stop new drilling to help combat climate change.Companies including Chevron, Hess and BP offered bids on more than 300 parcels covering 2,700 square miles (7,000 square kilometers), according to the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.The dollar amount of the successful bids marked a sharp increase from the previous sale in March 2023, when the Interior Department awarded leases covering about 2,500 square miles (6,500 square kilometers) fo...

Methamphetamine, fentanyl drive record homeless deaths in Portland, Oregon, annual report finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Fentanyl and methamphetamine drove a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, according to an annual report released by regional officials Wednesday.At least 315 homeless people died in 2022 in the Portland area, the report found. More than half of the fatalities — 123 — were from drug overdoses. Methamphetamine contributed to 85% of overdose deaths, and fentanyl contributed to 74%.Kaia Sand, executive director of Street Roots, a newspaper that covers issues related to homelessness, has worked on the annual report for years. In the report, she wrote that this year’s edition “demonstrates the devastating impact of fentanyl.” “The first year I worked on this report — 2016 — fentanyl was not associated with any deaths,” she wrote. “In 2020, four deaths were tracked to fentanyl, and by 2021, that number rose to 36 deaths. This year, the number skyrocketed to 91 deaths.”The figures underlie the increased ...

White supremacist sentenced for threatening jury and witnesses at synagogue shooter’s trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — A self-proclaimed white supremacist was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison Wednesday for making online threats toward the jury and witnesses at the trial of a man who killed 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue.Hardy Carroll Lloyd, 45, of Follansbee, West Virginia, was sentenced in federal court in northern West Virginia for his September guilty plea to obstruction of the due administration of justice.Lloyd admitted that the actual or perceived Jewish faith of the government witnesses and victims in the trial of Robert Bowers prompted him to target the jury and witnesses.The U.S. Justice Department described Lloyd as a self-proclaimed leader of a white supremacy movement. Prosecutors said Lloyd, who was arrested on Aug. 10, sent threatening social media posts and emails along with comments on websites during Bowers’ trial.Bowers was sentenced to death in August in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history after a jury determined that cap...

Toyota recalling 1 million vehicles for potential air bag problem

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

Toyota Motor Co. said Wednesday it is recalling 1 million vehicles over a defect that could cause airbags not to deploy, increasing the risk of injury.The recall covers a range of Toyota and Lexus vehicles with model years from 2020 to 2022. Included in the recall are Toyota Avalons, Camrys, Highlanders, RAV4s, Siennas and Corollas, plus some hybrids of those models. The Lexus models in the recall include the ES250 seddan and the RX350 SUV, among others.The vehicles being recalled have sensors in the front passenger seat that may have been manufactured improperly. Those sensors could potentially short circuit, causing the airbag system to not determine the occupant’s correct weight and potentially not deploy in certain kinds of crashes.Toyota and Lexus dealers will inspect the OCS sensors and replace them if necessary at no cost to owners. Toyota will notify customers by the middle of February 2024 if their cars are in the recall.Toyota owners who think their car might be incl...

‘Violent, potentially dangerous’: Man wanted in axe assault in Richmond Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

York Regional Police are warning of a violent and potentially dangerous man who was allegedly involved in an assault with an axe in Richmond Hill last week.Authorities said at approximately 7 p.m. on Dec. 13, the male suspect was at a residence on Highland Park Boulevard, where he became involved in an altercation with another man.Armed with an axe, the suspect then assaulted the victim, who was able to fend him off and call 911. It’s unclear how serious the victim’s injuries were.Alexander Gordon Dykes, 59, of no fixed address, is wanted on several charges, including assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and two counts of failing to comply with probation. Dykes was last seen in the Highland Park Boulevard and Yonge Street area on the night of the attack. Police are warning the public that the accused is known to carry various weapons, such as a hammer or axe, and not to approach him if seen. Due to Dykes’ “unpredictable and potentially violent nature,...

Trump’s lawyers ask Supreme Court to stay out of dispute on whether he is immune from prosecution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to stand down from a dispute over whether he can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.Special counsel Jack Smith’s team last week urged the nation’s high court to take up and quickly consider Trump’s claims that he enjoys immunity from prosecution as a former president. The unusual request for a speedy ruling seemed designed to prevent any delays that could postpone the trial of the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner, currently set to begin March 4, until after next year’s presidential election.But Trump’s lawyers told the Supreme Court that there was no reason for them to take up the matter now, especially because a lower appeals court in Washington is already considering the same question and has scheduled arguments for Jan. 9.“Importance does not automatically necessitate speed. If anything, the opposite ...

Arizona man arrested for allegedly making online threats against federal agents and employees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man has been arrested for allegedly making online threats against federal agents and employees, according to authorities.Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, was taken into custody last Friday, FBI officials in Phoenix said. He is a resident of the small community of Rio Verde near the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, but he has also lived in Colorado.Tomasi allegedly threatened a federal judge, FBI agents and elected officials between May 2021 and last month, prosecutors said. Authorities didn’t release the names of Tomasi’s alleged targets.An Arizona grand jury indicted Tomasi on three counts of threats against a federal official and three counts of making interstate threats.At his arraignment Monday, Tomasi pleaded not guilty to all counts.Tomasi faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted for threats against federal officials plus a maximum five-year prison term for each count of making threats across state lines, prosecutors said.Calls to Tomasi’s two lawyers — Joshua...

Driver carjacked while pumping gas at suburban Costco, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

GLENVIEW, Ill. — Police in Glenview are investigating a carjacking at a Costco gas station that left one person injured.According to police, around 11:50 a.m., officers responded to the 2900 block of Patriot Blvd. following reports of a carjacking. SEE ALSO: 3 charged after woman killed, body set on fire in RiverdaleThe early stages of a police investigation revealed that the owner of a Mercedes sedan was pumping gas when a male suspect approached in all-black clothing and a black ski mask. The male then entered the driver's side door, started the car and attempted to pull away. That's when police say the car owner re-entered the Mercedes through the front passenger door "unsuccessfully, causing them to fall and sustain a nonlife-threatening injury to their leg."According to police, the Mercedes was last seen driving east on Interstate 94 at a high rate of speed.The owner of the vehicle was taken to Glenbrook Hospital for medicinal treatment after suffering a leg injury. Read more...

White Sox designate pitcher, select contract of minor league pitcher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:39:26 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Josimar Cousin (“co-SEEN”) from the Class AA Birmingham Barons Wednesday, and have designated right-hander Luis Patiño for assignment.Cousin combined to go 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 15 starts last season with the Arizona Complex League White Sox, Class A Winston-Salem Dash and the Birmingham Barons. He also appeared in six games (four starts) with the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League.The Havana, Cuba-native signed with the White Sox as an international free agent on May 25, 2023. Cousin pitched six seasons in the Cuban League and also spent 10 seasons at various age levels with the Cuban National Team, where he was teammates with White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. from U-15 to U-18. Mets acquire pitcher Yohan Ramirez from White Sox for $100,000 Patiño went 0-1 with a 3.57 ERA and 13 strikeouts in seven games (one start) with the White Sox last season after being acquired f...