crime
Blades of Steal: Brooklyn's Worst Criminal Arrested
Jeff Neumann · 03/01/11 05:27AMJaycee 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 05:35PMVegas 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.
What Prompted Somali Pirates to Execute Four American Hostages?
Hamilton Nolan · 02/24/11 10:14AMDeodorant Thief Gets 15 Years in Jail
Jeff Neumann · 02/24/11 07:31AMParents Arrested for Trying to Scare Daughter Straight at Police Station
Brian Moylan · 02/23/11 04:56PMJudge 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.
Angry Customer Trashes Car Repair Shop as Local News Reporter Records the Chaos
Matt Cherette · 02/22/11 10:58PMYesterday afternoon, FOX 17 reporter Abbey Sloan—who I graduated high school with!—visited an auto repair shop to report on a 50-60 car pileup in Mecosta, Michigan. Instead, she witnessed (and recorded) an angry customer's dangerous destruction. Yikes!
Buju Banton Guilty in Cocaine Case
Hamilton Nolan · 02/22/11 05:55PM
Reggae star Buju Banton has been found guilty on charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Miami. His first trial ended in a hung jury; no such luck this time. He was also found guilty of a gun charge. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Fellow reggae stars and fans are upset. [Miami New Times, photo via Getty]
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."
Four Americans Captured by Somali Pirates Are Dead
Hamilton Nolan · 02/22/11 09:17AM
Four Americans—Scott and Jean Adam, who were delivering Bibles around the world, and two friends, Phylis Macay and Bob Riggle (pictured)—were hijacked by Somali pirates last Friday while sailing in a yacht off the coast of Oman. Now, they're all dead. According to CBS News, a US Navy ship that was tracking the yacht heard gunshots, and proceeded to "seize" the vessel.
'Vinny Gorgeous' Will Have Nice Suits for Court
Jeff Neumann · 02/22/11 07:31AM
In a Post exclusive today we learn that alleged mobster Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, for his upcoming death-penalty trial, will have the right to "up to five sets of clothing, including but not limited to undershirts, socks, shoes, dress shirts, suit pants and suit jackets, be made available to Basciano prior to each court date in this case." Stay gorgeous, Vinny.
Woman Attacks Roommate Over Thin Mints
Max Read · 02/21/11 10:48PMGuys 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]
Man Shot for Eating Popcorn Too Loudly During Black Swan
Max Read · 02/20/11 10:29PM
According to Latvian news agency Leta, a vigilante in the audience of a Latvian screening of Black Swan last weekend shot and killed another audience member "over how loudly the deceased man was eating his popcorn." Say what you will about the suspect, but he wasn't a hypocrite; he at least had the decency to commit his noisy crime during the end credits of the film.