sentenced

Masanaga Kageyama was on a flight to Chile for the Under-20 World Cup when the crew raised the alarm.

A senior Japanese Football Association official has been sentenced to an 18-month suspended jail term in France for “viewing child pornography images” during a plane journey.

Masanaga Kageyama, the association’s technical director, was arrested during a stopover at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on the way to Chile last week, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

It is believed he was heading to Chile for the Under-20 World Cup.

“The facts were discovered by the plane’s flight crew, who raised the alarm after noticing that the convicted man was viewing child pornography images on the plane,” the court prosecutor’s office in Bobigny, north of Paris, said on Tuesday.

The court sentenced the 58-year-old on Monday to a suspended jail term of 18 months and a fine of 5,000 euros ($5,830) for importing, possessing, recording or saving pornographic images of a minor below the age of 15.

His sentence includes a ban on working with minors for 10 years and a ban on returning to France for the period.

Kageyama will also be added to the French national sex offenders’ register.

Le Parisien reported that flight attendants caught him viewing the images on his laptop in the business class cabin of an Air France flight.

He claimed to be an artist and insisted the photos had been generated by artificial intelligence.

During his court appearance, the report said, Kageyama admitted viewing the images, saying he did not realise it was illegal in France and that he was ashamed.

He was held in police custody over the weekend until his court appearance on Monday. He was released after the hearing.

Kageyama is responsible for implementing measures to strengthen Japan’s football teams, including the national team, as well as educating coaches and nurturing youth players.

He was a professional J-League footballer himself and also coached several J-League clubs. He had also managed Japan’s under-20, under-19 and under-18 teams.

The famed hip-hop mogul told the court that his actions were ‘disgusting’ and ‘shameful’ in a plea for leniency.

Musician and producer Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters.

His sentencing hearing on Friday capped a federal case that featured harrowing testimony and ended in a forceful reckoning for one of the most popular figures in hip-hop. Combs, 55, was also fined half a million dollars.

Since Combs has served a year in jail already, he is expected to be released in about three years. His lawyers wanted him freed immediately and said the time behind bars has already forced him to embrace remorse and sobriety.

He was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fuelled sexual encounters, a practice that happened over many years and in different locations. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

“Why did it happen so long?” US District Judge Arun Subramanian asked as he handed down the sentence. “Because you had the power and the resources to keep it going, and because you weren’t caught.”

Combs showed no visible change of emotion as he learned his sentence, sitting in his chair and looking straight ahead as the judge spoke. He remained subdued afterwards and appeared dejected, with none of the enthusiasm and smiles that accompanied his interactions with lawyers and his family earlier in the day.

In a final word before sentencing, Combs told the judge his years of behaviour were “disgusting, shameful” and apologised to the people he had hurt physically and mentally. He said his acts of domestic violence were a burden he would have to carry for the rest of his life.

His defence lawyers played an 11-minute video in court portraying Combs’ family life, career and philanthropy. At one point during the video, Combs put a hand on his face and began to cry.

His nearly two-month trial in a federal court in Manhattan featured testimony from women who said Combs had beaten, threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed them. Prosecutor Christy Slavik told the judge that sparing Combs serious prison time would excuse years of violence.

“It’s a case about a man who did horrible things to real people to satisfy his own sexual gratification,” she said. “He didn’t need the money. His currency was control.”

Combs was convicted under the Mann Act, which bans transporting people across state lines for prostitution. Defence lawyer Jason Driscoll argued the law was misapplied.

During testimony at the trial, former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura told jurors that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” sex with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship. Jurors saw video of him dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway.

Another woman, identified as “Jane”, testified she was pressured into sex with male workers during drug-fuelled “hotel nights” while Combs watched and sometimes filmed.

The only accuser scheduled to speak Friday, a former assistant known as “Mia”, withdrew after defence objections. She has accused Combs of raping her in 2010 and asked the judge for a sentence that reflects “the ongoing danger my abuser poses”.

Oct. 3 (UPI) — A federal judge on Friday sentenced Sean “Diddy” Combs to 50 months in prison on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution after the rapper, record producer and entrepreneur apologized for his actions.

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan, N.Y., issued his sentence, which he described as “hard time” away from his family, after Combs, 55, was convicted of the two prostitution charges on July 2 by a jury that also acquitted him of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Subramanian also imposed a $500,000 fine on Combs, which is the maximum he could order. Comb has an estimated $400 million net worth.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” the judge said. “These letters, all those letters that I saw, show that you have a universe of people who love you. Let them lift you up now, just like you’ve lifted them up for so many years.”

He also noted Comb, a self-made artist and businessman, “inspired and lifted up communities.”

The conviction and sentence can be appealed.

“Every single thing the judge says, from the minutia of his rulings to the grand statements about credibility, will be scrutinized by an appellate court,” Laura Coates, a CNN legal analyst and anchor, said.

Attorneys on both sides weighed in.

Then Combs, who has been held in custody in Brooklyn, N.Y., addressed the court after he submitted a four-page letter to the judge that included an apology to the victims.

“I ask your honor for the chance to be a father again,” he said. “I ask your honor for the chance to be a son again. I ask Your honor for the chance to be a leader in my community again. I ask your honor for a chance to get the help that I desperately need to become a better person because I don’t want to let God down, I don’t want to let my family down.”

Combs, saying he will fully comply with the sentence, added: “I don’t have nobody to blame but myself. I know I’ll never put my hands on another person again. I know that I’ve learned my lesson. I’m willing to comply with any conditions the court puts upon me. Given a chance, when we talk about the possibility of me sharing my story, it’s not just a scheme to try to get less time — it’s that this story is real, this story is tragic.”

Combs wrote Thursday in a letter: “In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them. I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words ‘I’m sorry’ will never be good enough as these words alone cannot erase the pain from the past.”

He also spoke about his former girlfriends, ex-R&B star Casandra “Cassie” Ventura Fine and a woman identified as “Jane,” apologizing to them both. “I want to personally apologize again to Cassie Ventura for any harm or hurt that I caused to her, emotionally or physically. My actions were disgusting, shameful and sick,” Combs said.

He said to Jane: “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Ventura’s attorney said after the sentencing hearing: “While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed. We are confident that with the support of her family and friends, Ms. Ventura will continue healing knowing that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration to so many.”

Combs was convicted of transporting the two women as well as sex workers for the intent of prostitution.

Fine and Jane testified in court that Combs physically abused and controlled them and had them participate in marathon drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts. Those sessions, which were called “freak offs,” often involved travel across state and even international boundaries.

Subramanian thanked the victims for coming forward.

“To Ms. Ventura, Jane, and the other victims here who came forward, I can only say — your families are proud of you and your children, when they’re old enough will be proud of you, and I am proud of you for telling the world what really happened,” Subramanian said.

“You were speaking to the millions of women out there who have been victims but feel invisible and powerless and had to suffer in silence. You told those women and the world that violence behind closed doors doesn’t have to stay hidden forever. The number of people who you reached is incalculable.”

Six of Combs’ seven children tearfully spoke in support of their father. One of Combs’ defense attorneys cried as she recounted how inspiring she thought he was.

The defense team submitted over 75 letters of support for Combs from friends, family members and other supporters.

The prosecution submitted six letters to the judge, including one from Ventura, whose physical assault at Combs’ hands was recorded by hotel security cameras.

The prosecution’s letters also included written pleas from Ventura’s parents and “Mia,” a former assistant who accused Combs of sexual assault.

The conviction carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison per count, and prosecutors argued for a sentence of at least 11 years. Combs’ defense team argued for a 14-month sentence, which would see Combs released by the end of the year, as he has been in a New York federal detention center since his arrest 13 months ago.

“I hope that your decision considers the truths at hand that the jury failed to see,” Fine wrote. “My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality.”

Oct. 2 (UPI) — Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to be sentenced Friday for his July 2 conviction of two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution.

The rapper and music mogul, 55, faced a long list of charges but was acquitted of the most serious — human trafficking.

In September, his lawyers asked the court to only sentence him to 14 months, which would be almost time served. But prosecutors have asked for 11 years.

“Mr. Combs’s near-13 months in prison has been life changing, productive, and a testament to his desire to return to his family and community and lead the best life possible,” his lawyers said. “He has taken the time to achieve necessary rehabilitation from day one at the [Metropolitan Detention Center] — including getting clean of all substances.”

The memo was 380 pages and included letters from his mother, children, friends and business associates. It took issue with recommendations by prosecutors and the Probation Department for tougher sentences.

Combs has been in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest in September 2024.

Last week, Combs’ attorneys asked Judge Arun Subramanian to throw out the convictions because his intent was voyeurism, not profit.

“To our knowledge, Mr. Combs is the only person ever convicted of violating the statute for conduct anything like this,” said his defense attorneys in a written filing. “The proof at trial showed that he typically hired the services of male escorts or dancers advertised openly through lawful businesses, that the men were paid for their time, and that they enjoyed the activities and had friendships with Ms. [Cassie] Ventura and Jane [a pseudonym] and were not merely traveling to have sex for money.”

They also argued that Combs’ actions are protected by the First Amendment because the events were recorded to watch privately.

“The freak-offs and hotel nights were performances that he or his girlfriends typically videotaped so they could watch them later. In other words, he was producing amateur pornography for later private viewing,” the defense said.

But prosecutors argued that Combs used violence and drugs to force the women to comply and that the prostitution transportation was for them to “engage in sex acts for pay.”

Subramanian denied Combs’ request.

Adding to Combs’ legal issues, on Sept. 24, his former stylist, who had testified against him in his criminal trial, filed a lawsuit against him. Deonte Nash, who was hired by Combs as a stylist at age 21 in 2008, alleges multiple violent and sexual charges, human-trafficking, and false imprisonment.

Nash “personally experienced sexual, physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of Defendants during his 10-year employment,” court documents said.

Former state Sen. Ronald Calderon, once the most powerful member of a politically influential family, was sentenced Friday in Los Angeles to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in a federal corruption case.

The Montebello Democrat, who served in the state Senate for eight years ending in 2014, admitted in a plea deal in June that he had accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents and a hospital executive in return for official favors.

Federal prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence for a charge for which the maximum possible penalty was 20 years. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, who handed down the sentence to Calderon, said five years was too severe but that a significant prison sentence was needed to punish Calderon and send a message to other elected officials that corruption will not be tolerated.

“The crime is significant,” she said during the court hearing. “This is a true public corruption case.”

In addition to three and a half years in prison, Calderon was sentenced to one year supervised release and 150 hours of community service, but no fine. Instead of having Calderon taken into custody immediately, Snyder granted him a reprieve, allowing him to surrender to prison officials in January.

“Mr. Calderon betrayed the public trust,” said U.S. Atty. Eileen Decker. “A basic premise of our society is that elected officials will not exchange their votes for monetary gain and that’s what Mr. Calderon did.”

Mark Geragos, Calderon’s attorney, suggested during the court hearing that his client should serve no time in prison. He alleged that the government had entrapped Calderon and raised the former lawmaker’s poor health. The former state senator’s legacy has been ruined by his guilty plea in the case, he added.

“This is going to be the opening paragraph of his obituary, unfortunately,” Geragos told Snyder.

When Snyder rebuffed Geragos’ appeal and said Calderon needed to spend some amount of time behind bars, Geragos switched tactics, asking her to consider a two-year sentence.

Striking a defiant tone throughout, Calderon, 59, refused to admit any wrongdoing or to apologize.

“My goal was always to do the right thing for California,” he said. “At no point did I intend to break the law.”

Faced with the prospect of going to trial on nearly two dozen charges that could have sent him to prison for many years, Calderon said he had been put in a “tough situation” when the government proposed its plea agreement.

He said he ultimately decided to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud in order to spare his family the ordeal of a trial, but persisted in his innocence, saying he never agreed to any quid pro quo to benefit himself or his family.

Calderon, his voice wavering with emotion at times, then told Snyder of the toll the case has taken on him and his family, saying he had “learned a hard lesson.”

Unemployed and tens of thousands of dollars in debt, he said he was not only banned from running for public office again but had been stripped of his real estate license and had been unable to get a job. His wife, he said, would likely have to declare bankruptcy and sell their house.

“I had so much potential for life after politics,” he bemoaned.

Professional relationships had been ruined as had his relationship with his brother, he said.

“My reputation is destroyed,” Calderon said.

Snyder was unmoved.

“I did not really hear Sen. Calderon accept responsibility or apologize,” she said. “It was really about himself.”

Snyder said that after listening to Calderon she was tempted to tack on several months to his sentence, but chose to stick with the 42 months.

Calderon learned his fate a month after his brother former state Assemblyman Tom Calderon was sentenced to a year in federal custody for laundering bribes taken by his brother.

Updates from Sacramento »

As part of the plea, Ronald Calderon admitted accepting trips to Las Vegas, jobs for his adult son and daughter and cash for him and Tom Calderon.

In exchange, Calderon advocated for legislation that would help a hospital owner. He also acknowledged that he had pushed for a law to give tax credits to independent films while an undercover FBI agent posing as a film producer showered him with bribes.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief urging the federal judge for a prison sentence for the former state senator, who had asked to be allowed to serve time in home detention or be released after the brief time he already served in jail.

“Here, defendant’s trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature,” Jenkins wrote.

“Here, defendant sold his vote not just to help pay for the expenses of living beyond his means, but for the more banal and predictable aims of corruption — fancy luxuries, fancy parties and fancy people,” Jenkins wrote, attaching to the file a photo Calderon took with rappers Nelly and T.I. at a Las Vegas event.

The Calderon family was a political dynasty for decades in California. A third brother, former Assemblyman Charles Calderon, was not implicated in the corruption scandal. Ronald Calderon’s nephew Ian Calderon is a state assemblyman and the last family member in state elected office. He was not alleged to have any part in the scheme.

The indictment of Ronald Calderon in 2014 was part of an ugly chapter for the state Senate, which saw two other members also suspended after being charged with crimes.

Former Democratic Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco was sentenced in February to five years in prison for doing political favors in exchange for campaign cash in a separate scheme. Former Democratic state Sen. Roderick D. Wright served a brief jail sentence in 2014 after he was convicted of eight felony counts, including perjury and voting fraud, for lying about living in his state Senate district.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said Friday that with the sentencing of Calderon, “the Senate can close the book on a very dark period in its history.

“But its lesson will not be forgotten — that those who seek to trade a sacred trust for self-enrichment will be disgraced and punished,” he added. “There is no room for corruption in this house of democracy.

Good government advocates, including Kathay Feng of California Common Cause, were generally supportive of the judge’s decision. “The sentence of three [and a half] years sends a message that bribery does not pay,” Feng said.

Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), whose district overlapped Calderon’s and who had been first to call on Calderon to resign, said, “Today, our community received some justice for his crimes,” She added that the “dark cloud over our community will live with us longer than” Calderon serves in prison.

Patrick McGreevy reported from Sacramento and Joel Rubin reported from Los Angeles.

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Follow @mcgreevy99 and @joelrubin on Twitter

ALSO

Sen. Ron Calderon surrenders to authorities in corruption case

Ex-Assemblyman Tom Calderon is sentenced to a year in federal custody in bribery case

Former state Sen. Ron Calderon’s guilty plea in corruption case marks blow to political dynasty

UPDATES:

4:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional quotes.

Sept. 17 (UPI) — A federal court has sentenced a man who recorded drone video of a U.S. military installation in Guam to two months of home confinement, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The U.S. District Court of Guam handed down the sentence to Billy Cao Cruz, 54, on Sept. 11. Along with home confinement, Cruz was sentenced to two years of supervised release and a $25 fine for violating national defense airspace.

FBI agents questioned Cruz on April 16 about a video he uploaded to his YouTube channel called “Planet Guam.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands described the video, uploaded to YouTube on Feb. 1, as “sensitive” and said it had nearly 12,000 views before it was removed from YouTube.

Prosecutors said Cruz had previously been warned about photographing military installations. He told FBI agents he used a specific drone because he believed it had fewer restrictions that didn’t require him to notify nearby airports.

“You get away with a lot of things” using the specific drone, Cruz told the agents.

U.S. Attorney Shawn Anderson said nearly all of Guam’s airspace is under flight restrictions due to the large military installation there.

“These restrictions help ensure the safe operation of commercial, military and private aircraft,” Anderson said. “As this case demonstrates, they also protect our national security, including the military personnel who keep our homeland safe.”

INFAMOUS mushroom murderer Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of “horrendous” triple murder.

She will serve at least 33 years behind bars after receiving three life sentences and a 25-year sentence concurrently, with a non-parole period of 33 years.

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The 11-week trial earlier this year gripped Australia like no other – and has now been put to bed as Justice Christopher Beale handed down the sentence at Victoria’s Supreme Court.

For the first time in history, the supreme court allowed TV cameras into the courtroom to broadcast the sentencing live.

In court, Beale said he agreed Patterson should receive life imprisonment – but the “main dispute” was whether she should be afforded the possibility of parole.

He recounted the trial evidence before concluding that the murders involved “substantial premeditation”.

Describing the toll of the triple murders on the families, Justice Beale said: “Four generations of the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families have been traumatised by your crimes.”

He added: “Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims’ wounds.”

Patterson, 50, was given a life sentence for each of the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, the parents of her estranged husband, Simon, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson.

She was handed a 25-year sentence for the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, when she served up a beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms.

Both the prosecution and the defence agreed Patterson should receive a life sentence for her crime, described by Beale as “horrendous”.

Prosecutors had called for Patterson to be denied the chance of ever walking out, while her defence argued she should retain the possibility of parole.

Colin Mandy SC, defending, previously said Beale should consider the tough conditions Patterson will naturally suffer as such a notorious criminal.

Patterson has spent most of her days since her arrest in November 2023 in isolated in her cell – which Beale previously said “doesn’t sound very humane”.

He took this – along with the added danger she faces due to her notoriety – into account when deciding on the details of the sentence.

Patterson pleaded not guilty to all the charges and claimed the deaths were a tragic accident.

She now has until October 6 to lodge an appeal against her conviction or sentence or both.

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Fascination with the case was off the charts across Australia.

Journalists from around the world descended on the tiny town of Morwell – where the trial was held in one of Australia‘s smallest courtrooms.

Patterson was tried there, rather than in Melbourne, at her own request.

Every day of the trial from April 29 to July 7, reporters jostled for the six media seats in the courtroom and hopeful spectators queued out of the door.

Described as “a ritual, habitual and pathological liar”, Patterson’s story unravelled in the dock and impossible contradictions tripped her up.

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Ian told the court that Erin sensationally claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer during the lunch – something she later denied.

She also initially told police she did not own a food dehydrator and had not gone foraging for mushrooms – later claiming in court these lies had been a “knee-jerk” reaction.

Incredibly, Ian said last month that he had forgiven Patterson for trying to kill him.

He said in a victim statement her felt “half alive” without Heather by his side – but insisted he harbours no “ill will” against Patterson.

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Ian added: “Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim, and she has become the victim of my kindness.”

Simon said Erin’s crimes had robbed their 16-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter of “the kind of relationship with their mother that every child yearns for”.

The Deadly Dish

In July 2023, Patterson gathered together her ex-husband Simon’s relatives for a Saturday lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria.

She served up a beef wellington containing death cap mushrooms, and her guests soon fell violently ill.

Her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson all died within a week.

Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only person – other than Patterson – who survived the deadly lunch.

But he was left in critical condition and spent almost two months being treated in the Austin Hospital – including time spent in a coma.

Simon had also been invited to the lunch but he declined, texting her the night before that he felt “uncomfortable” about it all.

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Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler pleaded guilty to a DUI charge but had three other charges, including for possession of a handgun while under the influence, dropped during a Tennessee court appearance Tuesday following his October 2024 arrest.

The 2008 Pro Bowl player was sentenced to four days in Williamson County jail, which he is set to start serving Sept. 29, according to WSMV-TV in Nashville. The Times has reached out to attorneys for Cutler and Tennessee’s 21st District but did not immediately receive responses.

As part of his plea deal, WSMV reported, Cutler agreed to forfeit his Glock pistol. In addition to the jail time, he will be on unsupervised probation for one year. He also had his Tennessee drivers license revoked and is required to pay a $350 fine and attend a DUI safety class.

Cutler was arrested Oct. 17 after Franklin Police Department officers responded to a minor collision in which it appeared that Cutler’s vehicle rear-ended another vehicle. According to the police, Cutler smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and slurred his words.

After he refused a field sobriety test, police said, Cutler was taken to a hospital and a blood sample was taken after a search warrant was obtained. Two firearms were found in his vehicle, according to the police, including a loaded pistol.

All four charges against Cutler — which also included failure to exercise due care and violating implied consent — were misdemeanors. He was released on a $5,000 bond.

Cutler was selected 11th overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2006 draft and became their starting quarterback late in the season. He was traded to the Chicago Bears before the 2009 season and led the team to the NFC championship game that year, in his only postseason appearance.

Cutler was cut by the Bears in March 2017 and played one more season with the Miami Dolphins before ending his career. He and reality TV star Kristen Cavallari were married from 2013-2022 and have three children together.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Aug. 19 (UPI) — A Russian national living in New Jersey has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years for his role in helping the Kremlin illegally acquire ammunition and sensitive dual-use electronics, the Justice Department said.

U.S. District Judge Hector Gonzalez sentenced Vadim Yermolenko, who is in his mid-40s, in a Brooklyn courtroom Monday to 30 months in prison for his role in the international procurement and money laundering scheme.

“The defendant lied to banks, facilitated the illegal export of ammunition and sensitive technology and evaded income taxes, all as part of a global procurement and money laundering network operated on behalf of the Russian Government,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella of the Eastern District of New York said in a statement.

“Today’s sentence should send a message to all who would consider abusing the financial system to commit crimes on behalf of foreign nations: This office will find you, prosecute you and, if you are convicted, seek a significant prison sentence.”

Yermolenko pleaded guilty to several conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors said Yermolenko was connected to Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, Moscow-based procurement companies under the direction of Russian intelligence services that also operated shell companies and bank accounts in the United States and worldwide.

Serniya, as well as other companies and individuals involved in the scheme, were sanctioned by a handful of countries amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the United States.

Yermolenko was accused of working with co-conspirators to unlawfully purchase and then export U.S.-controlled electronic components, some of which are used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons.

He admitted to establishing several shell companies and bank accounts for the scheme in the United States. Prosecutors said more than $12 million passed through accounts under his control that he failed to report to the Internal Revenue Service.

Co-conspirator Nikolaos Bogonikolos was previously sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges in the scheme. A second co-defendant, Alexey Brayman, is awaiting sentencing. He has also pleaded guilty.

“Through a sophisticated network of shell companies and bank accounts, Yermolenko laundered more than $12 million and purchased highly sensitive military equipment for Russia — aiding Russia’s military and intelligence agencies in violation of U.S. laws,” IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Harry Chavis said.

“Yermolenko’s greed and misplaced foreign allegiance created a potential threat to our national security and law enforcement’s collaboration on this case ensures that our communities are safe from this potential vulnerability.”

THE mother of a teenage boy murdered at school says his 15-year-old killer should be named when he is sentenced.

He was convicted last week of stabbing Harvey Willgoose, 15, through the heart in a courtyard during a lunch break.

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He cannot be identified due to an order imposed when he first appeared at court in February.

Media organisations asked Sheffield crown court judge Mrs Justice Ellenbogen to lift the ban in October but she said she wants to hear prosecution and defence views.

However news outlets were allowed to name the school involved as the city’s All Saints Catholic High School.

Yesterday, mum Caroline told BBC Breakfast: “Harvey hasn’t been here to speak up for himself and he’s been named. So, I think the defendant should as well.”

Harvey’s sister Sophie said of the killer: “He’s a 15-year-old boy. We’d like to think that he didn’t want to murder Harvey.

“He’s just from a troubled background and services have let him down.”

Heartbroken Caroline has revealed that Harvey’s final words to her before he left the family home to go to school on Monday were “I love you”.

She told the BBC: “I have got his grubby t-shirt on so I can smell him.

“I don’t want to go to sleep because I don’t want to wake up and have to relive it all and remember it.”

She described her son as “the life and soul of the party” and “a joy to be around”.

“He loved football, football was his life. He was going to be an actor at one point, I think he would have been good at it”, she told the news site.

Harvey’s father, Mark, said his son was his “best pal” and described him as a “loveable rogue”.

“We need to learn from this so no-one goes through what we have as a family,” he said.

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Offscreen scenes will lead to the news that one Coronation Street character, who exited weeks ago, has been sentenced to four years in prison according to new spoilers

There’s a sad twist for one Coronation Street family next week as they get some upsetting news. The fate of a former character is revealed, and it leaves more than one character “distraught”.

Lou Michaelis has been offscreen for weeks ever since she was imprisoned after attacking Gary Windass. Since then her daughters Joanie and Shanice have been cared for by Tim and Sally Metcalfe, with son Brody also on the cobbles.

It comes as Lou’s exit from the ITV soap was confirmed after a dramatic time, and now there’s an update about her future. The former resident is revealed to have been sentenced to four years in prison next week according to news spoilers, sparking devastation with her family.

READ MORE: Emmerdale’s John Sugden star Oliver Farnworth ‘to leave after just a year’ – and it’s soonREAD MORE: Emmerdale Cain and Mack flashforwards ‘finally explained’ as character killed off

The news is announced after Tim and Sally find out Brody has tried to run off with his sisters amid social services getting involved, following both their parents being sent to prison weeks apart. Next week Tim has a word with Brody about what he’s learned and asks him to trust the judgement of the social worker, and adds they only want what is best for the girls.

He and Sally also want to help them, offering to keep the girls with them after some news about Lou. It seems Brody is told about their mother first, as he decides to break the news to his siblings. He soon tells the girls that their mum has been sentenced to four years in prison and it leaves them distraught.

Sally does her best to soothe the sobbing girls who are sad about their mum, no doubt fearing they will never see her again. This update marks the exit of Lou despite calls from fans for her to stay on the show.

The social worker and a psychologist arrive at the house to help the girls process the news. The visitors then explain to Sally and Tim that they are happy for the family to stay together and on the cobbles.

But a moment worries them all when suddenly a loud scream is heard from the garden. So what has happened, and is everyone okay? The girls have been through a lot, as has Brody, amid their dad Mick’s reign of terror on the street with a siege, as well as him murdering police officer and much-loved resident Craig Tinker.

After Mick escaped prison as part of a plan to go on the run with Lou and the kids, things escalated and Kit Green, Brody’s real father, was left injured. Brody has been struggling with the DNA bombshell that Kit is his dad, while we’ve seen them spending more time together.

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Succes Masra denies the charges against him, which relate to inter-communal clashes that left dozens dead in May.

Chad’s former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for disseminating racist and xenophobic messages that incited violence.

Defence lawyer Kadjilembay Francis told reporters following Saturday’s ruling at a court in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, that Masra would appeal his sentence.

“He has just been subjected to ignominy and unworthy humiliation,” Francis said.

Masra, who was prime minister between January and May last year, is the head of the Transformers party and a sharp critic of Mahamat Deby, Chad’s current president.

He was accused alongside 67 co-defendants, mostly from the same Ngambaye ethnic group, of causing a clash between herders and farmers in May in Logone Occidental, in the southwest of the central African country. The fighting left 35 people dead and six others injured.

Masra has denied the charges against him, which include hate speech, xenophobia and having incited a massacre.

Before leaving the courtroom on Saturday, he gave a message to his supporters: “Stand firm.” Activists with his party said they would put out a “special message” later in the day.

The Ngambaye ethnic group enjoys wide popularity among the predominantly Christian and animist populations of the south, whose members feel marginalised by the largely Muslim-dominated authorities in N’Djamena.

Masra left Chad after a bloody crackdown on his followers in 2022, only returning under an amnesty agreed in 2024.

He faced off against Deby in that year’s presidential election, which Deby won with more than 61 percent support.

But Masra did not accept the results, claiming that the vote was rigged. He later agreed to serve as premier after signing a reconciliation deal with Deby.

Masra has strongly opposed the military rulers who came to power in Chad in April 2021, after the death of Deby’s father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had led the country for 30 years.

Deby took power in 2021 and legitimised his presidency with a parliamentary election earlier this year, which was opposed by Masra and his party.

“Chimp Crazy” star Tonia Haddix on Thursday was sentenced to 46 months in prison.

The 55-year-old exotic animal broker was convicted for lying to a federal judge about the death of her chimpanzee Tonka, whom she was hiding in her basement. Haddix, who calls herself the “Dolly Parton of chimps,” pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice in March and was arrested in July for harboring yet another ape in her Missouri home.

“Now that Tonia Haddix is locked up, she’s getting a taste of the suffering she inflicted on animals by imprisoning them in cages and denying them any semblance of a natural life,” Brittany Peet, PETA Foundation‘s general counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement, said in a statement. “PETA is relieved to see justice done and urges everyone to support the Captive Primate Safety Act, which will keep vulnerable monkeys and apes out of the pet trade and the hands of ruthless dealers like Haddix.”

PETA first considered legal action against Haddix in 2018 after she took ownership of seven chimpanzees from the now-closed Missouri Primate Foundation, according to the animal rights group. After a court ordered Haddix to relinquish them all, she claimed Tonka — a celebrity chimp who’s appeared in “George of the Jungle,” “Buddy” and “Babe: Pig in the City” — had died.

In Episode 2 of the four-part docuseries “Chimp Crazy,” which aired on HBO in 2024, Haddix broke down in tears during a Zoom court hearing as she detailed Tonka’s alleged death. But just after Missouri Senior District Judge Catherine D. Perry ruled in her favor, the chimp was discovered locked in a small cage in Haddix’s basement, where he could only walk a few steps in each direction and had no access to the outdoors.

“Chimp Crazy” director Eric Goode, who was obscuring his identity via a proxy director during filming due to his reputation as the producer of “Tiger King,” ultimately made the decision to inform PETA where Tonka was. The chimp was removed from Haddix’s custody on June 5, 2022, and relocated to the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Fla.

“I didn’t feel guilty,” proxy director Dwayne Cunningham told The Times last year. “I always said to Tonia, ‘Don’t ever say anything to me that you don’t want the whole world to know.’ And Tonia being Tonia, she just kept talking. So I didn’t feel guilty; I felt like I was doing my job. But I felt bad for a friend, because I could see that the love story was spiraling out of control.”

FORMER MANCHESTER CITY goalkeeper Eike Immel has been sentenced to two years and two months in prison in relation to 107 cases of fraud.

According to reports from Bild, the majority of the cases centred around the 64-year-old borrowing money and not returning it.

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The total value of the money in question is reported to be £29,775.

Immel also sold tickets to a European Championship game, keeping the money but failing to deliver the tickets.

The German was found guilty in all cases before being sentenced by the district court in Marburg on Thursday.

The former Euros-winning goalkeeper’s defence brought up his financial issues as a reason for his failure to repay the money.

Bild report that a statement given by Immel’s defence attorney read: “Mr. Immel is deeply ashamed of what is being discussed here in the courtroom today.

“He lives hand to mouth. This fact has been publicly known for years.

“[He is] not a professional fraudster, but a failed former footballer.”

Immel declared bankruptcy in 2008, and has since spoken to the media about his money troubles, last year claiming to be living off of benefits.

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The stopper made 43 appearances for Manchester City between 1995-97, but is best remembered for his tenure in the Bundesliga.

He played almost 550 league games between spells at Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart.

His domestic performances earned him 19 international caps with West Germany.

Among these appearances, he won the 1980 European Championship and was part of runner-up campaigns at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

James Arthur McDonald Jr., an investor and financial analyst who frequently appeared on CNBC, was sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding investors in a multimillion-dollar scheme, the United States Attorney’s Office said on Monday.

McDonald, 53, a former San Gabriel Valley resident, was the CEO and chief investment officer of two Los Angeles-based companies: Hercules Investments LLC and Index Strategy Advisors Inc.

In late 2020, McDonald adopted a “risky short position” betting against the U.S. economy following the presidential election, with the idea that the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the election would trigger a major sell-off in the stock market, according to the Justice Department. However, when the expected market drop did not happen, Hercules’ clients lost between $30 million and $40 million.

McDonald “solicited millions of dollars’ worth of funds from investors” for the purposes of raising capital for Hercules at the start of 2021 after clients complained to the firm’s employees about their losses. However, in doing so, McDonald “misrepresented how the funds would be used” and failed to disclose the firm’s massive losses.

According to the Justice Department, McDonald obtained $675,000 from “one victim group” and then misappropriated most of the money including spending $174,610 at a Porsche dealership and transferring an additional $109,512 to the landlord of a home he was renting in Arcadia.

McDonald also defrauded clients at Index Strategy Advisors, his other firm, said the Justice Department, using less than half of $3.6 million he raised for trading purposes on personal and other expenditures.

McDonald commingled clients’ funds with his personal bank account and used the money to buy luxury cars, pay his rent, make credit card payments, pay off Hercules operating expenses and “to make Ponzi-like payments” to Index Strategy clients — including paying some of those clients using funds from other clients.

Prosecutors claimed that McDonald caused his victims more than $3 million in losses.

“To his victims, [McDonald] seemed to embody the American Dream,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “But looks can be deceiving, and as [McDonald’s] victims learned, their trust had been betrayed.”

In November 2021, McDonald failed to appear before the Securities and Exchange Commission to testify about the allegations he had defrauded investors, and remained a fugitive until last June when he was found at a residence in Port Orchard, Wash.

At the time of his arrest, law enforcement found a fake Washington, D.C., driver’s license with his photograph and the name “Brian Thomas.”

In April 2024, a U.S. District judge found McDonald and Hercules liable for violating federal securities law and ordered them to pay millions in disgorgement and civil penalties.

McDonald pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in February.

He will be ordered to pay restitution in this case before a United States district judge at a later date.

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest following his conviction for witness-tampering and bribery, according to local media reports.

The sentencing hearing on Friday also resulted in Uribe, 73, receiving a fine of $578,000 and a ban from serving in public office for 100 months and 20 days — or just over eight years.

He is now required to report to authorities in Rionegro, in his home province of Antioquia. Afterwards, Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia ordered him to “proceed immediately to his residence where he will comply with house arrest”.

With his conviction on July 28, Uribe has become the first former Colombian president to be found guilty in a criminal trial.

But Uribe’s defence lawyers have already announced that they plan to appeal.

The sentencing culminates a six-month trial and nearly 13 years of legal back-and-forth for the popular conservative leader, who is considered one of the defining forces in modern-day Colombian politics.

His house arrest also comes less than a year before Colombia is set to hold presidential elections in May 2026.

Allegations of human rights abuses

The case centres around Uribe’s role in Colombia’s more than six-decade-long internal conflict, which has seen government forces, right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing rebel groups and drug-trafficking networks all fighting for control over parts of the country.

During his tenure as president from 2002 to 2010, Uribe led a strong-armed offensive against left-wing rebels like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest such group at the time.

But that approach earned him criticism for alleged human rights abuses, which he has denied.

Under his presidency, the Colombian military faced increasing accusations that it was killing civilians to boost the number of enemy fighters it could report as dead.

This practice, known as the “false positives” scandal, has been implicated in the deaths of at least 2,000 people, with experts indicating that the number could be far higher. As many as 6,402 killings have been investigated.

Critics have also questioned Uribe’s ties to right-wing paramilitaries, another allegation the ex-president has rejected.

But more than a decade ago, Uribe took action to silence one of his most prominent critics, left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda, sparking his current trial.

Cepeda and others had drawn connections between Uribe’s rise in politics in the 1990s and the creation of the paramilitary group Bloque Metro.

A legal boomerang

In 2012, Uribe filed a libel complaint against Cepeda with Colombia’s Supreme Court, after the senator launched a probe into the ex-president’s paramilitary contacts.

But in 2018, the case took a surprising new direction: The Supreme Court dismissed the complaint against Cepeda, and the court system instead started to weigh charges against Uribe instead.

Prosecutors accused Uribe of seeking to pressure paramilitary witnesses to change or suppress their testimony. While Uribe has admitted to sending lawyers to meet former members of Colombia’s paramilitaries, he has denied taking illegal actions.

Two paramilitaries have testified that Uribe’s lawyer, Diego Cadena, who also faces criminal charges, offered them money to give favourable evidence.

Their witness statements were also being used in a murder trial featuring Uribe’s brother, Santiago Uribe.

Uribe’s conviction was announced after a 10-hour hearing in which Judge Heredia said there was ample evidence that the ex-president sought to change witness testimony.

But that decision has sparked backlash from the United States, where the administration of President Donald Trump has shown a willingness to place political pressure on countries like Brazil that pursue criminal cases against former right-wing leaders.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media in defence of Uribe, repeating charges of judicial bias that have become commonplace under Trump.

“Former Colombian President Uribe’s only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland,” Rubio said. “The weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent.”

But Democrats in the US accused Trump of seeking to subvert the rule of law overseas for political gains.

“The Trump Admin is saying that foreign leaders shouldn’t be subject to rule of law if they say nice things about Trump,” Representative Jim McGovern wrote in reply to Rubio’s message.

“It is very wrong to support impunity for a strongman held accountable by courts in his own country. This statement is shameful, and you know it.”

July 28 (UPI) — A Texas man has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to stalking and harassing WNBA star and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

Michael Lewis, 55, shouted “guilty as charged” inside the courtroom Monday and was promptly sentenced. Lewis pleaded not guilty in January in Indianapolis to “sending numerous threats and sexually explicit messages” to Clark, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

During Monday’s hearing and despite pleading guilty, Lewis repeatedly denied responsibility, saying, “I just want her to be safe. I’ve never threatened her. I’ve never thought about threatening her.”

“He is going to talk himself out of a plea,” the judge said. “You have to understand that as part of a plea deal, you are admitting responsibility.”

In January, Clark told police she had resorted to swapping public appearance locations to avoid Lewis after receiving the threatening messages.

Investigators traced the threats on an X account to an IP address at a hotel in Indianapolis, where Lewis was staying.

“Lewis’s presence in Indianapolis was especially concerning given that he is a Texas resident,” detectives said in court documents.

“When asked why he was making so many posts about Caitlin Clark, Lewis said, ‘just the same reason everybody makes posts,'” the affidavit said. “When asked about posts that were threatening in nature, Lewis said it wasn’t him. Lewis claimed that this is just an imaginary relationship.”

In addition to Monday’s prison sentence, the judge recommended mental health treatment and ordered Lewis not to use the Internet. He is also under a no-contact order with Clark.

With time served, Lewis will spend about a year and a half in prison.

“No matter how prominent a figure you are, this case shows that online harassment can quickly escalate to actual threats of physical violence,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement.

“This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled and the disruption caused,” Mears said, adding that with Monday’s sentencing, Clark will “be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”

A judge in the US state of Kentucky has sentenced a police officer involved in the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor to 33 months for violating her civil rights.

The sentencing of officer Brett Hankison was announced on Monday at the Louisville court and represents a repudiation to prosecutors, who had requested he receive a one-day sentence.

US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings sentenced Hankison at a hearing on Monday afternoon. She said that no prison time “is not appropriate” for Hankison and that she was “startled” that more people had not been injured in the raid.

Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was killed in her apartment in the early hours of March 13, 2020, after police executed a so-called no-knock warrant, attempting to storm Taylor’s apartment unannounced, based on faulty evidence that her apartment was involved in a drug operation.

Thinking they were experiencing a home invasion, her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired one shot at the suspected intruders. Police responded with approximately 22 shots, some of which went into a neighbour’s apartment, endangering a pregnant woman, her partner and five-year-old son.

A federal jury in November 2024 found Hankison responsible for using excessive force in violation of Taylor’s civil rights.

But last week, Department of Justice lawyers asked that Hankison be given a one-day sentence, plus three years of supervised release, arguing that a lengthy sentence would be “unjust”. Hankison shot 10 bullets into the apartment, though the shots he fired did not hit her.

Death was a catalyst for calls for racial justice

Taylor’s death, along with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer, led to racial justice protests across the United States over the treatment of people of colour by police departments.

During former President Joe Biden’s administration, the Justice Department brought criminal civil rights charges against the officers involved in both Taylor and Floyd’s deaths.

Hankison was convicted by a federal jury in November 2024 of one count of violating Taylor’s civil rights, after the first attempt to prosecute him ended with a mistrial.

He was separately acquitted on state charges in 2022.

The Justice Department’s sentencing memo for Hankison downplayed his role in the raid at Taylor’s home, saying he “did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death”. The memo was notable because it was not signed by any of the career prosecutors – those who were not political appointees – who had tried the case. It was submitted on July 16 by Harmeet Dhillon, a political appointee by Trump to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and her counsel, Robert Keenan.

Keenan previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, where he argued that a local deputy sheriff convicted of civil rights violations, Trevor Kirk, should have his conviction on the felony counts struck and should not serve prison time.

The efforts to strike the felony conviction led several prosecutors on the case to resign in protest, according to media reports and a person familiar with the matter.

The department’s sentencing recommendation in the Hankison case marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to put the brakes on the department’s police accountability work. Earlier this year, Dhillon nixed plans to enter into a court-approved settlement with the Louisville Police Department, and rescinded the Civil Rights Division’s prior findings of widespread civil rights abuses against people of colour.

Lawyers for Taylor’s family called the department’s sentencing recommendation for Hankison an insult, and urged the judge to “deliver true justice” for her.

On Monday, the Louisville Metro Police Department arrested four people in front of the court, who it said were “creating confrontation, kicking vehicles, or otherwise creating an unsafe environment”. Authorities did not list the charges those arrested would face.

“We understand this case caused pain and damaged trust between our department and the community,” a police statement said. “We particularly respect and value the 1st Amendment. However, what we saw today in front of the courthouse in the street was not safe, acceptable or legal.”

A pre-sentencing report by the US Probation Office said that Hankison should face 135 to 168 months imprisonment on the excessive force conviction, according to the sentencing memo. But federal prosecutors said multiple factors, including that Hankison’s two other trials ended with no convictions, should greatly reduce the potential punishment.

South Korean singer Taeil is facing the music for the sex crime that prompted his departure last year from popular K-Pop group NCT.

A Seoul Central District Court on Thursday sentenced the 31-year-old musician, born Moon Tae-il, to 3½ years in prison for raping an intoxicated Chinese woman who visited South Korea in 2024, according to numerous outlets. Taeil was sentenced a month after he and two other men, who also engaged in the assault, pleaded guilty in June to charges of special quasi-rape.

The Korea Herald reported on Thursday the three men were taken into custody after the ruling and were each ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program. Prosecutors initially sought a seven-year sentence for each of the men, but the court took into account that they were first-time offenders and halved their sentences.

SM Entertainment, the agency representing NCT and its subgroups, announced in August 2024 that it would part ways with Taeil after confirming he “has been accused of a criminal case related to sex crimes.” At the time, SM Entertainment did not disclose additional information but wrote in its statement, “We recognized the seriousness of the issue, and we have decided that Taeil can no longer continue team activities.”

“We have discussed this matter with Taeil, and it has been decided that he will leave the group,” the K-Pop giant added at the time, noting that the singer was “faithfully working on the police investigation.” SM also apologized for “the controversy caused by our artist.”

Taeil and the two other men — identified by prosecutors by surnames Lee and Hong — met the woman in June 2024 at a bar in the Itaewon district of Seoul, and the four drank together.

The tourist became heavily intoxicated, according to the Herald, and the singer allegedly helped her into a taxi with Lee who took her home. Taeil and Hong followed them separately and raped the woman at Lee’s home.

“The defendants took turns committing sexual acts against the victim, who was severely intoxicated and unable to resist. The nature of the crime is particularly grave,” prosecutors reportedly said. “As a foreign tourist assaulted in an unfamiliar environment, the victim likely experienced significant psychological distress.”

Taeil debuted with NCT, or Neo Culture Technology, in 2016 and was most recently active with sub-group NCT 127 prior to his removal.

The Associated Press and former Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.