crime

Another Pleasure-Seeker Caught In the Act

cityfile · 08/18/09 09:58AM

It looks like the subway masturbator who was arrested by the NYPD last week after a woman snapped his pic with her cell phone isn't the only one looking for kicks underground at the expense of innocent straphangers. Because there's a new report of another guy who did precisely the same thing—and just like last time, a woman unlucky enough to watch the action unfold managed to take his photo, which she's since turned over to the police. Hasn't it become abundantly clear by now that illicit subway masturbation really isn't viable any longer thanks to the advent of the camera phone? Guess we'll find out! [1010WINS via Gothamist, previously]

We're All Human

cityfile · 08/14/09 11:08AM

The guy who was seen masturbating on the subway last Friday—and who was arrested on public lewdness charges yesterday thanks to the woman who had the sense to snap pics of him with her cell phone—has a very long rap sheet, it turns out. But that might be because he's not very good at making up excuses. His explanation for the little subway incident last week: "That's me in the pictures, my private parts fell out... I looked down and it was out, it just popped out. I was trying to put it back." [NYDN]

Pirates of the Mediterranean?

cityfile · 08/12/09 11:46AM

We've all heard about those nasty pirates off the coast of Somalia, who have been attacking cargo ships and the occasional cruise ship over the past few months. (If you're interested in a fantastic account of one such attack, check out this article by William Langewiesche from the April issue of Vanity Fair.) Is it possible the piracy trend now moving north to, say, European waters? That's what some are wondering now that a cargo ship seems to have mysteriously vanished off the coast of Sweden. It's possible it wasn't a pirate attack and was connected to a commercial dispute of some sort. Although if it was an attack by pirates, the view from the beaches of Saint-Tropez are about to get a little bit more interesting, no? [AP, related]

Chess Wizards in Huge Online Sorcery Feud

Ryan Tate · 08/11/09 01:30PM

They say bickering intensifies as stakes diminish; this helps explain the enmity engulfing the U.S. Chess Federation. A struggle over board seats turned into a flurry of lawsuits, all rooted in the following obscene and allegedly faked internet postings.

Frank DiPascali States the Obvious

cityfile · 08/11/09 12:38PM

Bernie Madoff's right-hand man, Frank DiPascali, will joining his former boss behind bars in the near future. The former chief financial officer of Madoff's investment firm, DiPascali pleaded guilty this afternoon to all the counts against him, including securities fraud, falsifying records and international money laundering, as part of a deal with prosecutors. "Mr. DiPascali said at the plea hearing that the transactions were "all fake. It was all fictitious. It was wrong, and I knew it was wrong at the time." [WSJ]