charges

Aug. 12 (UPI) — American social media influencer and pilot Ethan Guo, who is circumnavigating the globe to raise money for childhood cancer research, was facing expulsion from Chile’s Antarctic region after charges that he landed on a remote island without permission were dropped.

Guo, 19, from California, was ordered by a judge on Monday to leave King George Island, make a $30,000 donation to a children’s cancer foundation and prohibited from re-entering Chilean airspace for three years.

Setting off from Memphis, Tenn., in May 2024, Guo’s attempt to raise $1 million for the city’s St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by becoming the youngest person to solo fly to all seven continents ran into trouble in June when he allegedly diverted 770 miles to the island from Punta Arenas in the far south of Chile.

The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said Guo amended his flight plan for his Cessna 182 after departing Punta Arenas “without notifying the respective air traffic control centers of the airport” and accused him of providing false flight plan information to officials when he was detained at Teniente R. Marsh Airport.

Regional prosecutor Cristian Crisosto Rifo said at the time that Guo had submitted a flight plan that involved flying over the city of Punta Arenas and that by departing from the route without informing anyone, had “seriously endangered the safety of air traffic to Antarctica and the Magallanes region.”

He was also alleged to have breached international law, with the GDCA saying “the unauthorized operation at the airfield in Antarctica also implied non-compliance with the Antarctic Statute.”

The 1959 treaty governs international relations with regard to the seventh continent.

After having formal charges laid against him on June 29, one of which carried jail time, Guo was freed but ordered to remain in Chile pending the outcome of an investigation.

Guo’s legal team argued that he was forced to make the diversion due to unforeseen complications during what they termed an “exploratory” test flight.

The teen, whose record-breaking feat is being tracked by at least 1.7 million followers on Instagram, TikTok and other social media, had already visited the six other continents before he ran afoul of the Chilean authorities.

Guo launched the fundraising effort after his cousin was diagnosed with Stage -4 blood cancer.

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who shot a man in the back in 2021 will not face criminal charges, according to records made public by the district attorney’s office late last month.

Los Angeles County prosecutors found there was “insufficient evidence” to prove Deputy Yen Liu was not acting in lawful self-defense when he shot Adrian Abelar at a Rosemead auto body shop four years ago, firing a round that fractured several vertebrae and nearly paralyzed him, according to court records and Abelar’s attorney.

Abelar, 29, had just thrown a gun from the car and was face down on the pavement when Liu opened fire at point blank range, according to body-worn-camera footage. Deputies were responding to reports that Abelar — a convicted felon who could not legally possess a firearm — had threatened to shoot several people at the auto body shop.

But when Liu and two other deputies arrived at the scene, they found Abelar sitting calmly in his car. The deputies approached Abelar, who lied about the fact that he was on probation. Abelar said he decided to flee because he feared if deputies found him with a gun, they would arrest him or kill him.

Abelar said he tossed the weapon as soon as he got out of the car. In video from the incident, deputies can be heard shouting, “Gun!” right before Liu closes in on Abelar, whose right arm is clearly outstretched and empty at the time Liu opens fire.

Ultimately, prosecutors decided the reported threats made by Abelar and the fact that he was in possession of a gun precluded them from charging the deputy.

“Since one reasonable interpretation of the evidence leads to the conclusion that Liu acted in response to an apparent danger, insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Liu did not act in self-defense when he shot Abelar in the back,” prosecutors wrote in a 10-page declination memo made public in late July.

Abelar’s case gained renewed attention in late 2023, when high-ranking members of then-Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s administration became concerned with the amount of time it was taking the sheriff’s department to complete its investigation of the shooting. There were only four other cases since 2013 in which more than two years elapsed between a deputy-involved shooting and a charging decision being made by prosecutors, according to a 2021 report by the L.A. County Office of the Inspector General. Such delays, the report said, reduce the chances of a successful prosecution.

“The D.A.’s office bent over backward to claim they can’t prove a criminal violation … they clearly can and don’t want to,” said Abelar’s civil attorney, Thomas Beck. He claimed the investigation was “purposefully stalled for more than two years.”

Liu has returned to active duty and is assigned to the Temple Station, where he worked when the shooting occurred, according to Nicole Nishida, a sheriff’s department spokeswoman. An internal review to determine whether or not Liu violated department policy has been launched, Nishida said.

Use-of-force experts who reviewed footage in the case previously told The Times that Liu’s decision to shoot was problematic.

“The guy clearly does not have a weapon in his hand and the deputy who is on top of him draws his firearm, jams it in the guy’s back and fires it immediately upon contact,” said Ed Obayashi, a lawyer and former Plumas County sheriff’s deputy who advises police departments throughout California about use-of-force incidents.

Abelar’s lawyer disputed claims made by Richard Doktor, the auto body shop owner, who summoned deputies to the scene by claiming Abelar had made threats and brandished a gun.

According to recordings made public by law enforcement, Doktor said Abelar arrived at his shop that day demanding car repairs because he was fleeing from the cops due to an active murder warrant. Doktor separately alleged to The Times in an interview that Abelar was threatening his employees with a gun.

While there was a warrant out for Abelar’s arrest on a probation violation at the time of the shooting, he was not wanted for any violent crime, according to the sheriff’s department. Abelar has not been charged with a crime in relation to the incident at Doktor’s shop.

Beck said statements given to the sheriff’s department by other auto shop employees do not corroborate Doktor’s claims. Neither the sheriff’s department nor the district attorney’s office responded to questions about the veracity of Doktor’s allegations. Doktor has also criticized the sheriff’s department’s response, contending Abelar was “no threat” when Liu fired his gun.

Doktor did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment this week.

Abelar’s civil suit was settled last year for $700,000, according to Beck. But his client has not been paid yet and will not be able to claim that money for a while.

Abelar fell into homelessness after his “only living relative” died last year, Beck said. While living on the street, Abelar was arrested last May on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, resisting arrest and having a forged driver’s license, records show.

In February, he pleaded no contest to the weapons charge and a sentencing enhancement for having a prior violent felony conviction and was sentenced to four years in state prison, records show. Even with jail credits, Abelar likely won’t get out of prison until 2028.

Prosecutors say two men ‘knowingly and willfully’ used California-based company to evade export controls on AI chips.

Authorities in the United States have charged two Chinese citizens with shipping tens of millions of dollars’ worth of advanced Nvidia chips to China in breach of export controls.

Chuan Geng and Shiwei Yang are alleged to have “knowingly and willfully” exported the graphic processing units (GPUs) used to power artificial intelligence without authorisation from October 2022 to July 2025, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

Export records indicate that Geng and Yang, both 28, organised at least 21 shipments through their El Monte, California-based company ALX Solutions Inc to companies in Singapore and Malaysia, the Justice Department said.

The exports included a December 2024 shipment of Nvidia H100 GPUs – described as the most powerful chip on the market – that was “falsely labelled” and had not obtained the necessary licence from the US Department of Commerce, the Justice Department said.

According to prosecutors, ALX Solutions received payments from firms in Hong Kong and China, including a $1m sum from a China-based company in January 2024, rather than the companies that accepted the shipments.

Prosecutors said a search of ALX Solutions’s office and Geng and Yang’s phones last week revealed “incriminating communications”, including communications about shipping chips to China through Malaysia to evade US export restrictions.

Geng and Yang face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted under the Export Control Reform Act.

Al Jazeera could not immediately locate the accused’s lawyers for comment.

Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia said the case showed that “smuggling is a nonstarter”.

“We primarily sell our products to well-known partners, including OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], who help us ensure that all sales comply with US export control rules,” a company spokesperson said.

“Even relatively small exporters and shipments are subject to thorough review and scrutiny, and any diverted products would have no service, support, or updates.”

The US government has banned the export of the most advanced chips to China amid a heated battle for technological supremacy between Washington and Beijing.

US officials have claimed that restrictions, many of which were introduced under former US President Joe Biden, are needed to safeguard national security.

China, which has hit back with its own export controls against the US, has accused Washington of undermining global trade and abusing its dominance in tech.

Last month, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that Washington had agreed to reverse its ban on the sale of its H20 GPU to China following discussions with US President Donald Trump.

Huang said the lifting of the export ban on the H20, which was specifically designed for the Chinese market and is less powerful than the H100, would encourage “nations worldwide to choose  America” for their AI models.

Just hours after the Trump administration moved to extend U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli’s term as Los Angeles’ top federal law enforcement official, prosecutors moved to dismiss charges in a pair of controversial criminal cases, including one involving a donor to the president.

In a motion filed late Tuesday, federal prosecutors sought to dismiss an indictment accusing Andrew Wiederhorn, ex-CEO of the company that owns the Fatburger and Johnny Rockets chains, of carrying out a $47 million “sham loan” scheme.

Prosecutors also sought to dismiss charges against L.A. County sheriff’s deputy Trevor Kirk, who has already been convicted and sentenced in an excessive force case after he attacked a woman in a supermarket parking lot in 2023.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office declined comment. Both cases had already drawn significant controversy during Essayli’s turbulent run as L.A.’s top federal prosecutor.

Days before Essayli’s initial appointment in April, Adam Schleifer, the assistant U.S. attorney handling the criminal case against Wiederhorn, was fired at the behest of the White House.

Schleifer alleged in appealing the decision that his firing was motivated in part by his prosecution of Wiederhorn, a Trump donor who has maintained his innocence.

According to three sources familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly, Essayli had a meeting with Wiederhorn’s defense team shortly after he was appointed. The meeting included former U.S. Atty. Nicola T. Hanna, whom the sources said was in charge of the office when the investigation into Wiederhorn began and is now on Wiederhorn’s defense team.

According to those sources, Essayli suggested shortly after the meeting ended that the cases against Wiederhorn could be dismissed if Essayli was permanently appointed.

“From day one, we have maintained Andy’s innocence,” Hanna said in a statement on Tuesday. “We are extremely grateful that the U.S. Attorney’s Office listened to our arguments and determined, in the interests of justice, that all charges should be dropped.”

Hanna has not responded to requests for comment about the prior meeting with Essayli.

Earlier on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Essayli would be named acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, a move that extends his term another 210 days.

Under normal procedures, U.S. Attorneys must receive Senate confirmation or be appointed by a federal judicial panel. But facing opposition to Trump’s picks in the Senate, the administration has used a similar tactic to skirt legal norms and keep its chosen prosecutors in power in New York, New Jersey and Nevada in recent weeks.

The indictment against Wiederhorn also alleged he was aided by the company’s former chief financial officer, Rebecca D. Hershinger, and his outside accountant, William J. Amon. The U.S. attorney’s office moved to to dismiss the indictment against all three defendants, as well as charges against their company, Fat Brands.

“From day one, we have said Rebecca Hershinger was innocent,” attorney Michael J. Proctor of the law firm of Iversen Proctor LLP said in a statement. “We are grateful that the government has acknowledged the case should be dismissed.”

Wiederhorn was also under indictment on a gun charge, which prosecutors moved to dismiss as well. Wiederhorn is banned from possessing firearms after he pleaded guilty in 2004 to charges of paying an illegal gratuity to his associate and filing a false tax return. He spent 15 months in prison and paid a $2-million fine.

Late Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s office also moved to dismiss an indictment against Alejandro Orellana, a 29-year-old ex-Marine who had been accused of aiding in civil disorder for passing out gas masks during large scale protests against immigration raids in Southern California.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment. Orellana’s case was one of the few indictments Essayli’s prosecutors had won related to alleged misconduct during the protests, and Essayli had fervently defended the charges when questioned by a Times reporter last month.

“He wasn’t handing masks out at the beach … they’re covering their faces. They’re wearing backpacks. These weren’t peaceful protesters,” Essayli said. “They weren’t holding up signs, with a political message. They came to do violence.”

Orellana issued a statement Tuesday that declared: “Protesting is not a crime. Defending my community is not a crime.”

“I want to thank all the supporters across the country who mobilized to get the charges dropped,” he said. “We won because we’re on the right side of history and our cause is just.”

Kirk, the sheriff’s deputy, was convicted of assault under color of authority in February and faced 10 years in prison for hurling a woman to the ground and pepper spraying her while responding to a reported robbery at a Lancaster supermarket in 2023. The victim, Jacy Houseton, was filming Kirk at the time but was not armed or actively committing a crime.

Kirk and his defense team have argued Houseton matched the description of a suspect given to Kirk as he responded.

Kirk was set to self-surrender next month, on August 28.

“We support that obviously without any objections and I think it’s within the confines of the law,” Kirk’s attorney, Tom Yu, said.

Caree Harper, who has represented Houseton, said she was notified Tuesday afternoon by Asst. U.S. Atty. Robert Keenan of the plan to dismiss the indictment against Kirk.

“We thought Trump’s new U.S. Attorneys office could not stoop any lower, but it seems like Mr. Essayli & Mr. Keenan’s insistence on being Trevor Kirk’s BEST defense attorney has no limits,” Harper said in an email.

Reached by phone, Harper called the news “disappointing and disheartening,” citing the fact that the judge in the case “already gave him an unbelievable break.”

“They don’t want him to spend one day in jail. They don’t want him in cuffs at all,” Harper said. “This is a travesty of justice yet again.”

Lawyers seeking a temporary restraining order against an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades say that “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been barred from meeting attorneys, are being held without any charges and that a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings.

A virtual hearing in federal court in Miami was being held Monday on a lawsuit that was filed July 16. A new motion on the case was filed Friday.

Lawyers who have shown up for bond hearings for “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been told that the immigration court doesn’t have jurisdiction over their clients, the attorneys wrote in court papers. The immigration attorneys demanded that federal and state officials identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over the detainees and start accepting petitions for bond, claiming the detainees constitutional rights to due process are being violated.

“This is an unprecedented situation where hundreds of detainees are held incommunicado, with no ability to access the courts, under legal authority that has never been explained and may not exist,” the immigration attorneys wrote. “This is an unprecedented and disturbing situation.”

The lawsuit is the second one challenging “Alligator Alcatraz.” Environmental groups last month sued federal and state officials asking that the project built on an airstrip in the heart of the Florida Everglades be halted because the process didn’t follow state and federal environmental laws.

Critics have condemned the facility as a cruel and inhumane threat to the ecologically sensitive wetlands, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican state officials have defended it as part of the state’s aggressive push to support President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has praised Florida for coming forward with the idea, as the department looks to significantly expand its immigration detention capacity.

Schneider writes for the Associated Press.

Burglars no longer case streets, instead they scroll through social media and send fake friend requests to gain access to private posts, which could leave you at risk

When you’re away on holiday, it’s incredibly tempting to share updates with everyone back home. However, that innocent photo of your hotel room or boarding pass could potentially cost you thousands if you’re not cautious.

According to Forum Insurance, posting real-time social media updates might invalidate your home insurance should you fall victim to burglary whilst away. This stems from “reasonable care” provisions included in numerous policies, reports the Express.

Insurance companies may contend that publicly announcing your home is empty constitutes negligence.

Niraj Mamtora, Director and Home Insurance Expert at Forum Insurance, explained that criminals have become far more sophisticated nowadays.

He stated: “Burglars aren’t just casing streets anymore, they’re scrolling through Instagram stories and Facebook timelines.

“With this in mind, insurers expect policyholders to take reasonable care to protect their property, and that now includes being cautious about what you share online.”

“For example, posting ‘Off to Greece for two weeks!’ could be considered negligence under policy terms, similar to leaving doors unlocked.”

Even sharing within private groups offers no protection, he warned: “Screenshots can circulate, and insurers may argue you didn’t sufficiently limit audience access.

“Many insurers include clauses requiring policyholders to ‘take care to prevent loss.’

If you publicly broadcast your holiday plans, insurers could argue you breached this duty. Always assume anything shared online, even privately, could be seen by criminals.”

Niraj warns that even innocent-looking posts can alert criminals: “They often monitor public profiles or send fake friend requests to gain access to private posts.

“Even something as simple as tagging yourself at the airport or sharing a boarding pass photo can give criminals a clear window of opportunity.”

To protect yourself from criminals while on holiday, there are several precautions you can take.

Niraj advises checking your insurance policy for clauses like “reasonable care” or “unforced entry”, and suggests waiting until you’re back home before posting holiday snaps.

It’s also wise to set your social media accounts to private, regularly review your friends list, and decline friend requests from people you don’t know.

A 22-year-old man was charged Thursday with killing an “American Idol” music supervisor and her musician husband who walked into their Encino home during a burglary.

Raymond Boodarian is accused of fatally shooting Robin Kaye and her husband, Tom DeLuca, on July 10. Los Angeles police did not find their bodies until four days later, when officers were sent to the home for a welfare check.

Boodarian is charged with two counts of murder with enhancements for allegedly killing the couple during the commission of a robbery, intentionally using a firearm, and committing multiple murders. He is also charged with burglary.

During an initial court appearance in Van Nuys on Thursday afternoon, Boodarian was ordered to remain in jail. His arraignment was delayed until Aug. 20.

If convicted, Boodarian would face either life without parole or execution if prosecutors seek the death penalty.

According to police, officers visited the Encino home around the time Boodarian was believed to be inside.

The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a report of a possible break-in at 4 p.m. July 10 and determined that nothing appeared out of place at the couple’s residence, Lt. Guy Golan said.

Officers reported that the property was locked and no one responded inside, while a police helicopter from overhead reported not seeing anything suspicious.

Kaye and DeLuca’s bodies were discovered Monday when officers responded to a welfare check at the couple’s homes in the 4700 block of White Oak Avenue. The following day, officers with a joint LAPD-FBI task force arrested Boodarian.

According to police, Kaye, an “American Idol” music supervisor and her rock musician husband, DeLuca, were returning to their $4.5-million Encino home when they came upon Booderian.

Booderian allegedly shot Kaye and DeLuca multiple times then ran off, locking the door behind him. Though the couple’s house was well fortified, police said, the suspect had managed to get in through an unlocked door.

According to Golan, the department received a call at 4 p.m. the day the couple was killed and the caller described seeing a person climbing over a fence into the property. Golan said officers went to the home, but did not get any response and saw nothing out of place, and a helicopter was flown over the property because it was difficult to access.

By then, the couple had been killed, LAPD officials said. Boodarian left after about half an hour, police said.

The delay in finding Kaye and DeLuca’s bodies bore similarities to two other homicides in the Valley where police were called the location and did not immediately find a victim and left the scene.

Menashe Hidra’s body was found April 26 inside his fifth-floor Valley Village apartment after an assailant broke into a neighboring unit, jumped from the balcony to his unit and attacked him, investigators said.

Three days before, neighbors had called 911 and reported hearing shouting and a struggle coming from the apartment. Officers responded to those calls, knocked on the door and left without finding anything.

Erick Escamilla, 27, was charged with the killing, along with an unrelated homicide from 2022.

The same day that Hidra’s body was discovered, police found the body of Aleksandre Modebadze, who was beaten to death inside his Woodland Hills home.

In that case, a woman inside the home called LAPD about 12:30 a.m. and reported three people had broken into her home and were beating her significant other before the call suddenly cut out, according to law enforcement sources. The 911 operator tried to call back multiple times without success.

Shortly before 1 a.m., officers arrived at the home but no one answered the door, there was no noise coming from inside the home, and the blinds were down, the sources told The Times.

Modebadze was later found by officers badly beaten with a traumatic head injury and died of his injuries. Authorities arrested suspects hours after the attack.

In this Encino case, Golan said the department would investigate why the couple, who were both 70, were not found earlier and whether the officers involved acted appropriately. LAPD officials said the front door of the home was not visible from the outside during the initial response.

According to court records, Boodarian was charged in three instances of misdemeanor battery last year. Those charges were ultimately dropped a series of hearings related to his mental competency and a conservatorship investigation.

SEOUL, July 17 (UPI) — South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the acquittal of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong on fraud charges related to a 2015 merger, lifting a legal cloud that had hung over the country’s richest man for years.

The top court said it found no errors in the ruling by the Seoul High Court in February, which acquitted Lee of charges of stock manipulation and accounting fraud in a controversial $8 billion deal involving two of the company’s affiliates.

That merger, between Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T Corp., helped solidify Lee’s control of the company after his father, then-Chairman Lee Kun-hee, suffered a heart attack in 2014. Prosecutors alleged that Lee and other Samsung officials engineered a favorable merger ratio by artificially inflating Cheil’s value and depreciating Samsung C&T, harming minority shareholders in the process.

A lower court last year also cleared Lee of the charges. Thursday’s ruling by the Supreme Court cannot be appealed, ending a legal battle that has gone on since Lee was first indicted on the fraud charges nearly five years ago.

Lee’s legal team said the ruling “clearly confirmed” that the merger was legitimate.

“We sincerely thank the court for its wise judgment after five years of faithful deliberations,” the lawyers said in a statement.

Lee served roughly 18 months in prison after being convicted in a separate 2017 bribery case involving former South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

The legal drama has added to Samsung’s challenges as it navigates intense competition in key industries such as smartphones and semiconductors.

Last week, the tech giant announced a 56% decline in operating profits for the second quarter of the year, citing factors such as the impact of U.S. semiconductor export restrictions to China. South Korea is also facing U.S. President Donald Trump‘s pending 25% tariffs, currently scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1.

The country’s business community welcomed news of the acquittal Thursday, predicting it would give a boost to the country’s largest conglomerate.

“In an era of fierce global competition in cutting-edge industries, the removal of legal uncertainties surrounding a key company like Samsung is expected to have a positive ripple effect not only on the firm but on the Korean economy as a whole,” Kang Seok-koo, head of the research division at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said in a statement.

Civic groups, however, criticized the Supreme Court ruling as biased in favor of the massive chaebol, or conglomerates, that have long dominated South Korea.

“The result of this trial is that the court has once again made a pro-chaebol ruling with a passive and narrow interpretation of the law,” People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said in a statement. “We strongly condemn the judiciary for making a shameful decision that undermines social justice by acting as a shield for corporate power.”

July 11 (UPI) — R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to new charges related to an alleged assault at a London nightclub in 2023.

Brown entered the plea at Southwark Crown Court in London in response to charges related to the incident of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and with having an offensive weapon. He is slated to make his next appearance in court on October 24.

The alleged “offensive weapon” was a bottle of tequila, which Brown ostensibly used to attack music producer Abraham Diaw in February of 2023 with a bottle of tequila at Tape nightclub in London. He was then arrested in May on charges related to the incident and was then held in custody for almost a week before being released on $6.7 million bail.

Co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, who performs under the name HoodyBaby, has also pleaded not guilty to causing actual bodily harm, and had previously entered a not guilty plea to the charge of attempted grievous bodily harm.

Under conditions of his bail, Brown must reside in the United Kingdom until his trial, but despite having his passport confiscated, the bail conditions do allow him to tour and perform, meaning he can have his passport for travel to shows. Brown ended a string of European shows last week and is slated to begin the North American leg of his current “Breezy Bowl XX” world tour later this month.

In the past year, seven of the UK’s 10 busiest airports have increased the cost of dropping off a loved one before travel – to the point that London Luton is now more expensive than a stay at the Ritz

Drop-off charges at one major UK airport have risen so much it’s more expensive – minute by minute – seeing a loved one off than staying at the Ritz hotel in London.

Most of the UK’s busiest airports have upped the prices of their drop-off zones, commonly known as “kiss and fly” areas, where travellers can say a quick farewell to their loved ones before jetting off. In the past year, seven of the aviation hubs have either increased prices or reduced how long drivers can stay before higher fees are applicable.

Luton Airport currently has the highest per-minute cost the UK’s busiest airports – charging £5 for five minutes before the £1 a minute fare rolls in for a maximum of 20. These prices rose steeply following the renovation of Luton’s drop-off zone after it was torched in a fire in October 2023. Before the fire, it was £5 for 10 minutes followed by the £1-a-minute charge.

READ MORE: Kindle Scribe drops to lowest price we’ve seen for Prime Day

For a deluxe king room at Mayfair’s Ritz hotel, you’d pay £1,149 per night, which works out at around 91p a minute. The airport said the charge helps maintain the flow of passengers and traffic, claiming that the majority of visits are within five minutes. They signposted customers to the mid-stay car park, which is a ten-minute walk to the airport terminal.

It tells The Times: “With a £5 fee, the barrierless system keeps passengers and the traffic flowing, with the average time spent in the area well within five minutes. For those with more time, drivers have a range of free and paid-for drop off, pick up and parking options to choose from.”

According to the RAC, these kiss and fly charges are “bordering on the ridiculous”. Rod Dennis from the RAC said: “Drivers will be understandably aghast at the prospect of paying as much as £7 for what amounts to nothing more than opening the boot so a friend or relative can collect their luggage and catch their flight.

“The problem is a lack of practical — and affordable — alternatives for getting to many airports. Faced with the choice of a double-decker bus with lots of luggage, or forking out for a taxi, it’s easy to see why people feel they have no option other than to drive.”

Many of the major airports ask drivers to pay before or after they arrive and late payment charges are issued if a payment isn’t made within 24 hours or by midnight the following day.

Graham Conway from Select Car Leasing, based in Reading, said: “Failingto pay for drop-off parking or exceeding your time limit can really hit you in the wallet. It’s all too easy to forget to log on and to then remember with a sense of dread when it’s too late.”

July 2 (UPI) — Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain behind bars while awaiting sentencing after a federal jury on Wednesday found him guilty of two prostitution-related charges.

The jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and innocent on one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking at the U.S. District Court of Southern New York in Manhattan.

Combs’ attorneys sought bail to obtain his immediate release, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied the request, CNN reported.

“The defense conceded defendant’s violence in personal relationships, saying ‘it happened,'” Subramanian told the court.

“This highlights a disregard for the rule of law and a propensity of violence,” the judge said, adding that violence and illegal acts continued after investigators searched Combs’ homes and he was aware of the investigation.

Subramanian proposed a sentencing hearing for Combs at 10 a.m. EDT on Oct. 3 but said he would be willing to move up the date if Combs’ attorneys request it.

Throughout the nearly two-month-long trial, prosecutors alleged Combs used his business empire to push two people into taking part in drug-fueled, sexual activities called “freak offs.”

The defense argued the sexual activities were consensual, and Combs had pleaded not guilty to the five criminal counts against him.

Each of the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution carries a 10-year maximum sentence.

Prosecutor Maurene Comey said the government will request that Combs serve each sentence concurrently, which would give him a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Comey also said a pre-sentencing investigation is necessary to ensure a fair sentence is imposed, which would be done as soon as possible, CNN reported.

Lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo wants to waive the pre-sentencing investigation to end the matter sooner.

He said the defense will argue for a sentence that is less than the maximum of 10 years per count.

July 2 (UPI) — Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain behind bars while awaiting sentencing after a federal jury on Wednesday found him guilty of two prostitution-related charges.

The jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and innocent on one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking at the U.S. District Court of Southern New York in Manhattan.

Combs’ attorneys sought bail to obtain his immediate release, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied the request, CNN reported.

“The defense conceded defendant’s violence in personal relationships, saying ‘it happened,'” Subramanian told the court.

“This highlights a disregard for the rule of law and a propensity of violence,” the judge said, adding that violence and illegal acts continued after investigators searched Combs’ homes and he was aware of the investigation.

Subramanian proposed a sentencing hearing for Combs at 10 a.m. EDT on Oct. 3 but said he would be willing to move up the date if Combs’ attorneys request it.

Throughout the nearly two-month-long trial, prosecutors alleged Combs used his business empire to push two people into taking part in drug-fueled, sexual activities called “freak offs.”

The defense argued the sexual activities were consensual, and Combs had pleaded not guilty to the five criminal counts against him.

Each of the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution carries a 10-year maximum sentence.

Prosecutor Maurene Comey said the government will request that Combs serve each sentence concurrently, which would give him a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Comey also said a pre-sentencing investigation is necessary to ensure a fair sentence is imposed, which would be done as soon as possible, CNN reported.

Lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo wants to waive the pre-sentencing investigation to end the matter sooner.

He said the defense will argue for a sentence that is less than the maximum of 10 years per count.

June 25 (UPI) — During a Wednesday arraignment hearing, Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., pleaded not guilty to federal charges arising from her alleged assault of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in May.

The arraignment hearing occurred at the U.S. District Court of New Jersey in Newark, where McIver is charged with three counts of resisting, assaulting, impeding and interfering with federal officers at the Delaney Hall Federal Immigration Facility in Newark on May 9.

Two counts each carry a maximum penalty of up to eight years in prison, while the third count carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison.

McIver is innocent until proven guilty.

McIver’s legal team says she was carrying out her responsibilities as a member of Congress and did not commit any crimes.

“She was there to inspect an ICE detention facility and to see for herself whether the Trump administration is obeying the laws and Constitution of the United States,” attorney Paul Fishman told media on Wednesday.

“ICE responded by creating a risky and dangerous situation,” Fishman added, “and now the Justice Department is doubling down by trying to punish the congresswoman for doing her job.”

U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren is representing the federal government in the case against McIver.

McIver joined two other members of Congress at the Delaney Hall ICE facility on May 9 to conduct a congressional oversight inspection while an immigration protest event was underway, according to the Department of Justice.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka arrived soon after, and McIver, Baraka and the two other congressional members initially were allowed into a secured area within the facility.

A federal officer then told Baraka he wasn’t allowed in the secure area and must leave, according to the DOJ.

The officer warned Baraka several times to leave or be arrested, which prompted McIver and other members of the congressional delegation to challenge the mayor’s removal.

“When officers moved in to arrest the mayor, McIver and others surrounded the mayor and prevented the officers from handcuffing him,” according to the DOJ.

After Baraka was escorted out of the secured area, federal officers again tried to arrest him, but someone in the crowd yelled, “Circle the mayor,” the DOJ says.

McIver allegedly responded by putting her arms around the mayor to prevent officers from arresting him.

“During her continued attempts to thwart the arrest, McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him,” the DOJ alleges.

“McIver also used each of her forearms to forcibly strike a second officer,” the DOJ claims.

Baraka was arrested but was released with no charges filed against him, but McIver faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on the three charges against her.

NEWARK, N.J. — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center during a congressional oversight visit at the facility.

“They will not intimidate me. They will not stop me from doing my job,” she said outside the courthouse in Newark after the brief hearing.

McIver, a Democrat, was charged by interim U.S. Atty. Alina Habba, a Republican appointed by President Trump, following the May 9 visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses the privately owned, 1,000-bed facility as a detention center.

This month she was indicted on three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. The third is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of one year in prison.

During Wednesday’s hearing, McIver stood and told U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper: “Your honor, I plead not guilty.” The judge set a Nov. 10 trial date.

Outside the courthouse, McIver warned that anyone who pushes back against the Trump administration will find themselves in a similar position.

McIver’s lawyer, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said McIver pleaded not guilty because she is not guilty. He said federal agents created a risky situation at Delaney Hall.

A message seeking comment Wednesday was left with Habba’s office.

Among those at McIver’s side Wednesday were her family and elected officials, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was outside the detention center with McIver and other legislators on May 9.

Baraka was also arrested on a trespassing charge that was later dropped and is suing Habba over what he called a malicious prosecution.

Baraka accused the Trump administration of using law enforcement as “an appendage of their ideology to begin to hammer us.”

The indictment of McIver is the latest development in a legal-political drama that has seen the Trump administration take Democratic officials from New Jersey’s largest city to court amid the president’s ongoing immigration crackdown and Democrats’ efforts to respond. The prosecution is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption.

A nearly two-minute video clip released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver at the facility inside a chain-link fence just before Baraka’s arrest on other side of the barrier, where other people were protesting. McIver and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor.

The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word “Police.”

It is not clear from police bodycam video if the contact was intentional, incidental or the result of jostling in the chaotic scene.

The complaint alleges that she “slammed” her forearm into an agent and then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him.

The indictment also says she placed her arms around the mayor to try to stop his arrest and says again that she slammed her forearm into and grabbed an agent.

Democrats including New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, who were with McIver at the detention center that day, have criticized the arrest and disputed the charges.

Members of Congress are legally authorized to go into federal immigration facilities as part of their oversight powers, even without notice. Congress passed a 2019 appropriations bill spelling out that authority.

McIver, 39, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District. She was then elected to a full term in November.

A Newark native, she was president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the city’s public schools before that.

Catalini writes for the Associated Press.

June 25 (UPI) — The United States on Tuesday sanctioned, charged and added to the FBI’s most wanted list a Venezuelan fugitive accused of being a leader of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, one of several criminal organizations that the Trump administration has targeted in its crackdown on immigration.

The alleged gang leader, 37-year-old Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, is accused of being involved in the TdA’s drug trafficking and financial operations.

According to a five-count superseding indictment announced Tuesday by the Justice Department, Mosquera Serrano, who also goes by the name “El Viejo,” and 24-year-old Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, aka “Chuqui,” are charged with conspiring to provide and providing support to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as distributing cocaine in Colombia intended for the United States.

The indictment calls Mosquera Serrano a senior TdA leader who oversees its criminal operations in Colombia, Central America and the United States, while Martinez Flores is an alleged high-ranking TdA leader in Bogota.

The Justice Department accuses the pair of being involved in the delivery of some 5 kilos or more of cocaine for international distribution for the benefit of the TdA.

According to the FBI, Mosquera Serrano is the 536th addition to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and the first alleged TdA member to be included.

“Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano’s leadership fuels an organization that thrives on brutal murders, forced prostitution, kidnappings and the destruction of lives across continents,” Douglas Williams, special agent in charge of FBI Houston, said Tuesday in a statement.

The State Department has been offering a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction since June 2024.

“The United States is committed to keeping the American people safe by using all available means to eliminate TdA’s threats of violent crime throughout our hemisphere,” the State Department said in a statement.

The U.S. government under President Donald Trump has been cracking down on immigration, focusing on alleged bad actors and international criminal organizations.

On Feb. 20, Trump designated TdA and seven other criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists, exposing them and their members and proxy entities to punitive measures, including sanctions.

Ryanair has responded after Scott McCormick, 33, and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, 33, said they were ‘kicked off’ a flight to Majorca from Birmingham

A couple have been slapped with a £100 fine by Ryanair after the girlfriend refused to leave her boyfriend at the airport.

Scott McCormick and his partner Helena Boshwick, both 33, were set to jet off from Birmingham Airport on 1 May to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long holiday. Scott explained they hadn’t forked out to reserve seats – which usually costs between £4.50 and £33 per seat – as it was only a brief two-hour flight and they weren’t bothered about sitting separately.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, with the pair being first in line for boarding. However, a Ryanair staff member approached them and asked them to step aside while the rest of the passengers got on board. The couple were reportedly told by the staff member that the flight was full and there was only one seat left.

Have you had a flight experience that’s gone pear-shaped? Email [email protected]

READ MORE: Tourists hit with €750 fines for buying illegal souvenirs in Spanish hotspot

The couple were then faced with a decision – either Helena went on the early flight by herself and left Scott to get a later flight, or she turned down her seat on the plane to join him. The loyal girlfriend decided to stick with her man. She soon found out that she’d have to fork out a big chunk of cash for doing so.

When the couple returned to the check-in desk, they were reportedly told they still had to pay for one of the tickets, while Scott insists he never received a refund.

The pair claimed they had to shell out an additional £100 for a new ticket and endured a four-hour wait for the following flight to Palma. The ‘angry’ traveller feels that they faced discrimination, believing they were singled out for being a young couple without children.

The Mirror contacted Ryanair, whose spokesperson explained: “This flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca (1 May) was not ‘overbooked’ – it was scheduled to operate on a 737-8200 (197 seats) but for operational reasons had to be swapped to a 737-800 aircraft (189 seats). As a result, one passenger was unable to travel on this flight, and was reaccommodated onto the next available flight to Palma de Mallorca.”

“Mr. McCormick’s travel companion was not refused boarding but chose not to board and travel on this flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca and was required to pay a Missed Departure fee (£100) to be booked onto the next available flight. Mr. McCormick was notified by email on the day of travel (1 May) that he was entitled to claim back reasonable receipted expenses, however Mr. McCormick has yet to submit any expense receipts to Ryanair.”

READ MORE: One of UK’s busiest airports unveils brand new £100 million upgradeREAD MORE: Brits avoid Spain after protests and warn ‘we won’t go if we’re not wanted’

After recounting his experience on social media, many suggested that Scott and Helena were targeted because they hadn’t reserved seats – implying that a common strategy used by many to keep fares low could end up costing more.

Scott, hailing from Birmingham, West Midlands, explained: “We checked in the night before and we didn’t reserve a seat but you normally just get a random one. Me and my partner thought it’s not that much of a problem if we’re not sitting together for a two-hour flight, we’re adults here.

“We arrived, everything proceeded as usual, went through security as normal, went to the gate after waiting a couple of hours and we were the first ones at the gate ready for boarding. The lady scanned our boarding passes and told us to step to the side for a second. That moment was a red flag, I thought, ‘there’s something happening here’.

“We stepped aside and watched all the people board the flight. I asked her to tell us what is going to happen and she said ‘no’. When everyone boarded, she said, ‘the plane is full, there’s only one seat remaining and we will have to reimburse you for the other seat or you’ll have to get on the next flight.'”.

“We were having a meltdown at this point. There was no compassion or care whatsoever. After going back and forth we said we’re not going to take separate flights and be in separate countries for hours. We said we wanted to get on the next flight together. They said ‘you can do that, we will fully reimburse both tickets and put you on the next flight for free’.”

A common practice among airlines is to overbook flights, understanding that not all passengers will show up. In situations of excessive overbooking, where passengers face boarding denial or are offloaded, the airline usually calls for volunteers.

However, if there are no takers, each airline follows its specific policy in deciding whom to deny boarding to. If you’re a solo traveller, don’t have bags, snagged the cheapest ticket or were last to check-in, your odds of being bumped up might rise. Airlines must cough up compensation if they boot you off an overbooked flight.

June 13 (UPI) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Friday formally pleaded not-guilty to federal human trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, also said a court appearance this week was the first time she was able to see her husband since he was arrested and detained in March.

The Salvadorian migrant was returned to the United States earlier this month after being deported to a prison in El Salvador.

“Even though it was through a video screen, I was finally able to see Kilmar,” Vasquez Sura, who is a U.S. citizen, told supporters at a rally in Nashville.

“I’m grateful for everyone who has been fighting for this milestone, in this fight to bring my husband back home with our children.”

The couple were living in Maryland with their young children at the time Abrego Garcia was arrested.

Lawyers will now argue in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes whether the 29-year-old should be granted bail before trial.

Prosecutors have argued he “would have enormous reason to flee” if released.

Abrego Garcia was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March and eventually deported to El Salvador.

Supporters argued Abrego Garcia was denied due process in the deportation proceedings

A U.S. District Court judge later ordered the federal government to “facilitate” his return, after the Justice Department later acknowledged Abrego Garcia’s deportation was made in error.

President Donald Trump‘s administration pushed back against efforts to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States.

In 2019, a federal judge ruled in 2019 that Abrego Garcia could be deported, but not back to his home country of El Salvador.

He was indicted on two federal charges last month before his return to the United States. Abrego Garcia is accused of playing a “significant role in an alien smuggling ring,” dating back as far as 2016, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time of the indictment.

Bondi said if Abrego Garcia is found guilty, he will be returned to El Salvador.

Police stopped the vehicle he was driving in Tennessee in 2002 and found several Hispanic men with no identification.

After he was returned to the United States, Abrego Garcia was immediately sent to Tennessee to face the federal charges.

Federal officials also contend Abrego Garcia was a member of the El Salvadoran MS-13 gang, accusations he and his family deny. They argue Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador because of the threat of gang violence.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was wrongfully deported from the United States, has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges in a federal court in Nashville, Tennessee.

Friday marked the first opportunity for Abrego Garcia, a Maryland construction worker, to confront the criminal charges the administration of President Donald Trump has levelled against him.

The Trump administration has sought to portray Abrego Garcia as a member of the MS-13 criminal gang following his deportation to El Salvador on March 15.

Abrego Garcia had been protected from deportation under a 2019 protection order, given his fear of gang violence if he returned to El Salvador. His removal to that country sparked public outrage and questions about the legality of Trump’s “mass deportation” campaign.

In the months since, the Trump administration has faced increasing pressure to return Abrego Garcia to the US, with the Supreme Court in April affirming that the government needed to “facilitate” his release.

A lower court, led by US District Judge Paula Xinis, had signalled that it was considering whether to hold the Trump administration in contempt of court for not complying with orders to secure his return.

That abruptly changed, however, on June 6, when Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Abrego Garcia was on his way back to the US to face charges that he helped smuggle undocumented migrants in the US.

In a 10-page indictment, the Trump administration accused Abrego Garcia of leading “more than 100 trips between Texas to Maryland and other states”, starting in 2016.

It cites as evidence a traffic stop in Tennessee around November 30, 2022, when Abrego Garcia was observed driving a Chevrolet Suburban with nine passengers, all of whom appeared to be undocumented men headed to Maryland.

The administration has released body camera footage of that incident, where a police officer can be heard speculating that Abrego Garcia is part of a smuggling ring. But the footage shows no confrontation, and Abrego Garcia was not charged with any offence following the traffic stop.

Prosecutors have noted that Abrego Garcia could face a maximum of 10 years in prison for each migrant he smuggled, if convicted.

Critics, however, question whether the recently unveiled criminal indictment was an attempt by the Trump administration to save face and dodge contempt charges, given the scrutiny over whether it was defying court orders.

Abrego Garcia’s defence team, meanwhile, has called the charges against him “preposterous”.

“There’s no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet-metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,” one of his lawyers, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told The Associated Press.

His case has nevertheless gained a national profile, with the Trump administration facing multiple legal challenges over whether it violated migrants’ right to due process: the right to a fair legal hearing.

Even administration officials have acknowledged that his swift deportation had been the result of an “administrative error”.

In Friday’s court hearing, US Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes spoke directly to Abrego Garcia, assuring him that he would receive a fair trial.

“You are presumed innocent, and it is the government’s burden to prove at trial that you are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” Holmes said, reiterating fundamental principles of the US justice system.

The Trump administration has sought to keep Abrego Garcia detained while the trial unfolds, using additional allegations that are not included in the indictment as justification. Prosecutors have accused Abrego Garcia, among other things, of child pornography, abusing women and taking part in a murder in El Salvador. They also argue he is a flight risk.

But Judge Holmes warned on Friday that the court cannot keep someone in detention simply on the basis of allegations.

The human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia have already caused discord within the Justice Department, with one prosecutor appearing to step down in protest.

That prosecutor, Ben Schrader, was the chief of the criminal division at the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

He posted on social media on the day of the indictment that he was leaving. “It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I’ve ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons,” he wrote.

Outside the court on Friday, Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, called on supporters to keep fighting for his freedom: “Kilmar wants you to have faith.”

She saw her husband for the first time in three months on Thursday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in President Trump’s immigration crackdown, pleaded not guilty on Friday to human smuggling charges in a federal court in Tennessee.

The plea was the first chance the Maryland construction worker has had in a U.S. courtroom to answer the Trump administration’s allegations against him since he was mistakenly deported in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

The Republican administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. last week to face criminal charges related to what it said was a human smuggling operation that transported immigrants across the country. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. His lawyers have called the allegations “preposterous.”

Friday’s hearing will also focus on whether Abrego Garcia should be released from jail while awaiting trial on the smuggling charges. A federal judge will hear arguments from Abrego Garcia’s lawyers and attorneys for the U.S. government.

Before the hearing began in Nashville, Abrego Garcia’s wife told a crowd outside a church that Thursday marked three months since the Trump administration “abducted and disappeared my husband and separated him from our family.”

Her voice choked with emotion, Jennifer Vasquez Sura said she saw her husband for the first time on Thursday. She said, “Kilmar wants you to have faith,” and asked the people supporting him and his family “‘to continue fighting, and I will be victorious because God is with us.’”

Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living in the United States for more than a decade before he was wrongfully deported by the Trump administration. The expulsion violated a 2019 U.S. immigration judge’s order that shielded him from deportation to his native country because he likely faced gang persecution there.

While the Trump administration described the mistaken removal as “an administrative error,” officials have continued to justify it by insisting Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang. His wife and attorneys have denied the allegations, saying he’s simply a construction worker and family man.

U.S. attorneys have asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes to keep Abrego Garcia in jail, describing him as a danger to the community and a flight risk. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys disagree, pointing out he was already wrongly detained in a notorious Salvadoran prison thanks to government error and arguing due process and “basic fairness” require him to be set free.

The charges against Abrego Garcia are human smuggling. But in their request to keep Abrego Garcia in jail, U.S. attorneys also accuse him of trafficking drugs and firearms and of abusing the women he transported, among other claims, although he is not charged with such crimes.

The U.S. attorneys also accuse Abrego Garcia of taking part in a murder in El Salvador. However, none of those allegations is part of the charges against him, and at his initial appearance June 6, the judge warned prosecutors she cannot detain someone based solely on allegations.

One of Abrego Garcia’s attorneys last week characterized the claims as a desperate attempt by the Trump administration to justify the mistaken deportation three months after the fact.

“There’s no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,” private attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

In a Wednesday court filing, Abrego Garcia’s public defenders argued the government is not even entitled to a detention hearing — much less detention — because the charges against him aren’t serious enough.

Although the maximum sentence for smuggling one person is 10 years, and Abrego Garcia is accused of transporting hundreds of people over nearly a decade, his defense attorneys point out there’s no minimum sentence. The average sentence for human smuggling in 2024 was just 15 months, according to court filings.

The decision to charge Abrego Garcia criminally prompted the resignation of Ben Schrader, who was chief of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. He posted about his departure on social media on the day of the indictment, writing, “It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I’ve ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.”

He did not directly address the indictment and declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press. However, a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter confirmed the connection.

Although Abrego Garcia lives in Maryland, he’s being charged in Tennessee based on a May 2022 traffic stop for speeding in the state. The Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera video of the encounter that was released to the public last month shows a calm exchange between officers and Abrego Garcia. It also shows the officers discussing among themselves their suspicions of human smuggling before sending him on his way. One of the officers says, “He’s hauling these people for money.” Another says Abrego Garcia had $1,400 in an envelope.

Abrego Garcia was not charged with any offense at the traffic stop. Sandoval-Moshenberg, the private attorney, said in a statement after the video’s release that he saw no evidence of a crime in the footage.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit over Abrego Garcia’s mistaken deportation isn’t over. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have asked a federal judge in Maryland to impose fines against the Trump administration for contempt, arguing that it flagrantly ignored court orders forseveral weeks to return him. The Trump administration said it will ask the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it followed the judge’s order to return him to the U.S.

Loller, Mattise and Finley write for the Associated Press. Finley reported from Norfolk, Va.