Yearly Archives: 2021

Bankruptcy, Blog, Business Law, Civil Rights, Criminal, Family, Legal News, Supreme Court

Biden Promised Criminal Justice Reform, But Still Hasn’t Repealed One of Trump’s Worst Policies

Civil asset forfeiture is big government at its worst.

Tonya Smith and her husband, Dimitrios Patlias, went to a casino in Maryland a few years ago and struck luck. They took their winnings and headed for dinner at another casino in West Virginia, but they never made it. On their ride over, they were stopped by police and forced to exit their car. Smith, who was 34 weeks pregnant at the time, was placed in handcuffs along with her husband as cops searched their car with dogs. Officers then questioned them about a slew of illegal activities: drugs, guns, smuggling untaxed cigarettes, gift-card fraud.

Ultimately, nothing illegal was found in the vehicle and they were allowed to leave with just a warning citation for crossing into another lane—but not before cops robbed them of the gift cards, an iPhone, and the $10,478 cash in their possession.

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Blog, Business Law, celebrity legal news, Criminal, International, Legal News, Organized Crime

Turkish mafia boss dishes dirt, becomes YouTube phenomenon

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — From alleged drug trafficking and a murder cover-up to weapons transfers to Islamic militants, a convicted crime ringleader has been dishing the dirt on members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party through a series of tell-all videos that have captivated the nation and turned him into an unlikely social media phenomenon.

Sedat Peker, a 49-year-old fugitive crime boss, who once openly supported Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, has been releasing nearly 90-minute long videos from his stated base in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, making scandalous but yet-unproven drip-by-drip allegations, in an apparent bid to settle scores with political figures.

The weekly YouTube videos have been viewed more than 75 million times, causing an uproar, heightening concerns over Turkish state corruption and putting officials on the defensive. They have also exposed alleged rifts between rival factions within the ruling party and added to Erdogan’s troubles as he battles an economic downturn and the coronavirus pandemic.

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Blog, Criminal, Legal News

Police Offering $3,000 for Capture of Cat Serial Killer Who Shot 15 Cats

Tuesday night, 15 cats were found shot to death in a group of over 30 cats that had been abandoned in rural Dunn County, Wisconsin.

Shocked and saddened by the crime, the Dunn County Humane Society shared the press release describing the horrific incident to their Facebook page. Attached to the post was a photo taken at the scene of the crime of the cats; however, the photo is blurry due to its graphic nature.

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Blog, Criminal, International, Legal News, Organized Crime

A new DEA map shows where cartels have influence in the US. Cartel operatives say ‘it’s bulls—.’

  • A DEA report on drugs and drug trafficking details what the agency calls cartel influence in the US.
  • Security experts and cartel operatives in Mexico dispute the DEA’s depiction.
  • They say the links are more tenuous than how the DEA describes them.

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico — The US Drug Enforcement Administration recently released its annual National Drug Threat Assessment, in which it maps out the states where Mexican drug cartels have gained “influence.”

When they were asked about that depiction of cartel presence in the US, security experts and cartel sources told Insider “it’s bulls—.”

The DEA’s report said Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) “maintain great influence” in most US states, with the Sinaloa cartel and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación showing the “biggest signs of expansion.”

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Blog, Business Law, Criminal, Drug Companies, Immigration, International, Legal News, Organized Crime

Chinese money-laundering rings in Chicago, New York cleaning Mexican drug cartel cash

They’ve used complex schemes to disguise millions in drug proceeds, making them seem to be legitimate transactions, according to law enforcement sources and court files.

A Chinese money-launderer was about to pick up Mexican drug-cartel cash in Chicago, federal authorities say, when his plans suddenly changed.

They say the suspected launderer got a call from a man he thought was a Mexican money courier who told him they needed to change their meeting place because he’d spotted a cop.

“You Asian, I’m Mexican — not a good look,” the courier said in the 2017 phone call, court records show.

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