crime

New York City Councilman Robbed Twice in One Morning

Hamilton Nolan · 03/01/11 09:26AM

Stephen Levin is the New York City councilman from right here in beautiful Greenpoint, Brooklyn! I remember the fresh-faced, plucky young lad campaigning in the neighborhood just months ago. We Brooklynites show our appreciation to Levin by robbing him repeatedly.

Jaycee Dugard Kidnappers Give Full Confessions

Max Read · 03/01/11 12:49AM

Phillip and Nancy Garrido, the California couple accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and imprisoning her in their backyard for 18 years, have both given full confessions, according to Nancy's defense lawyer Stephen Tapson. Not only that, but apparently Jaycee Dugard—their victim—was in the room with Nancy for at least one questioning session, which is, according to the AP, "the first time the women had been face-to-face since the couple was arrested in 2009." The Garridos' lawyers are negotiating possible plea deals for their clients—prosecutors are hoping for 440 years to life for Phillip and and 241 to life for Nancy. [AP]

Disney World Is Extra Rapey Lately

Hamilton Nolan · 02/28/11 09:18AM

Are you caught up on the most recent sex crimes somehow connected to Disney World? Well, you should be. First there was Disney reservations clerk Wilbert Brookins, arrested last week for trying to rape a woman in her Disney hotel room after he'd gotten her an "employee discount" and escorted her through the park. Although she was very specific: "she said at the time she would not exchange sex for this."

Inmate Smuggles Pills into Prison in Her Vagina

Brian Moylan · 02/25/11 05:35PM

When arriving to jail in Florida to serve 30 days for drug possession, corrections officers asked Sara King if she had anything she's not supposed to have. She replied, "Just my pills in my vagina."

Vegas Casino Heists: Remarkably Unsuccessful

Hamilton Nolan · 02/25/11 05:28PM

Las Vegas police have arrested two men in connection with yesterday's heist of $32,000 in chips from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The driver's been arrested; the man who police say received more than half of the stolen chips has been arrested; and police are searching for Steven Gao, who they say pulled the stick-up heist himself. These arrests come just weeks after 29 year-old Anthony Carleo was arrested for his spectacularly not-well-thought-out heist of $1.5 million in chips from the Bellagio.

Julian Assange Loses Extradition Battle Over Swedish Rape Charges

John Cook · 02/24/11 10:26AM

A British judge has ruled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden to face rape and sexual molestation charges there. The judge says Sweden's extradition request is legitimate; Assange says Sweden will just be a detour on the way to Guantanamo Bay if England grants it. He has vowed to appeal to England's high court as well as the European Court of Human Rights (because all humans have a right not to face inconvenient criminal charges.) He's currently out on bail; according to the New York Times, the continued conditions of that bail are still under discussion in the courtroom.

Parents Arrested for Trying to Scare Daughter Straight at Police Station

Brian Moylan · 02/23/11 04:56PM

A Staten Island couple was arrested after taking their six-year-old daughter to a police station in an attempt to scare the girl into behaving. Annette Gerhardt and Gerardo Santiago were charged with child endangerment for bringing the tot into the station.

Judge to Lohan: 'I Don't Care That You're Lindsay Lohan'

Maureen O'Connor · 02/23/11 01:04PM

In a cleavage-baring top and chunky jewelry, Lindsay Lohan reported to court today court for the grand theft of a $2000 necklace. Per usual, the appearance was livestreamed on TMZ. The judge announced that if Lindsay Lohan accepts a plea bargain—as her lawyer has said she'd like to do—it will have to include jail time. "If you plead in front of me, you are going to jail, period. If the case settles here, you will go to jail," Judge Keith Schwartz said. Worrying about whether the ruined starlet would become a "repeat offender," he asked for "additional psychological information" and made his lack of interest in LiLo's celebrity clear:

New York Cops Frisking More Innocents Than Ever

Hamilton Nolan · 02/23/11 10:09AM

The NYPD stopped (and often frisked) 600,000 New Yorkers last year, an all-time high since recordkeeping began in 2002. What percentage of those stops led to an arrest? Seven. Seven percent. The other 93% of the time, the people were not arrested. Because they were not committing any crime. Although they were stopped by the police.

Malcolm X's Daughter Arrested on Identity Theft Charges

Hamilton Nolan · 02/22/11 10:03AM

Malikah Shabazz, the 45 year-old daughter of Malcolm X, is scheduled for an extradition hearing in North Carolina today, after she was arrested there last Friday on a warrant from New York. She's charged with stealing the identity of "the widow of one of Malcolm X's bodyguards" and running up $30,000 in charges in her name. Shabazz is also involved in an ongoing dispute over Malcolm X's estate. She reportedly moved to North Carolina several months ago because "She thought it would be a peaceful place to live."

Woman Attacks Roommate Over Thin Mints

Max Read · 02/21/11 10:48PM

Like so many of us, Naples, Fla. resident Hersha Howard is guilty of loving Girl Scouts Thin Mints cookies. She is also, according to Naples deputies, guilty of attacking her roommate, for taking her Thin Mints.

Guys Renovating Police Station Steal 47 Pounds of Weed

Max Read · 02/21/11 03:37AM

While renovating a Florida police station, construction workers Scott Burgert and Bradley Jones were tasked with "putting in an exhaust fan in the evidence vault to take out fumes from confiscated drugs stored there." But Jones and Burgert, according to the cops, found an even more efficient way to do deal with the problem: Remove the confiscated drugs from the evidence vault. Burgert and Jones allegedly stole 47 pounds of marijuana from the Florence Police Station while working there; they were arrested after an audit revealed the missing weed. The marijuana "was so old that it was moldy," anyway. [Times Daily via Fark]