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3 soldiers of 'Mexican Mafia' convicted of killing man on behalf of imprisoned leader

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

Three Orange County gang members have been found guilty of murdering another gang member on behalf of the Mexican Mafia, according to the United States Department of Justice.Mike Escobar, 40, of Anaheim, James Mendez, 44, of Garden Grove, and Kevin Trejor, 36, of Anaheim were each found guilty of one count of "violent crime in aid of racketeering."The three men all belonged to different street gangs, according to the DOJ, but have been described as "foot soldiers" for the Mexican Mafia — which is comprised of mostly senior members of Latino gangs operating in Southern California and in state prisons.The three carried out a hit on Costa Mesa gang member Richard Velleda, allegedly on behalf of Johnny Martinez, who was identified by the DOJ as a high-ranking member of the Mexican Mafia.Martinez, 47, is currently incarcerated for other crimes, but is a co-defendant in this case. LAPD, FBI announce ‘Mexican Mafia’ arrests According to evidence presented in the eight-day trial, on Aug. ...

Man shoots alleged car burglar after calling police in San Bernardino County 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

A man who called the police to report a man breaking into a car took matters into his own hands on Friday morning. According to preliminary reports from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deputies from the Fontana Station responded to the 18600 block of Valley Boulevard in unincorporated Bloomington around 8:15 a.m. on calls of a vehicle burglary in progress. The reporting party – identified as 36-year-old Rancho Cucamonga resident Alexander Marquez – made the initial call to authorities saying that Dennis Smith, 24, of Hemet was breaking into a vehicle.  Teens swung ax, head-stomped and eye-gouged Fullerton College security officers, police say “A short time later, Marquez shot Smith,” a release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. “Deputies found Smith suffering from a gunshot wound to his lower body and immediately rendered medical attention.” He remains hospitalized in unknown condition. Marquez fled into a nearby business ...

Taylor Swift is a human economic stimulus package

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

Taylor Swift isn’t just a great performer - she’s also an economic force unlikely any other seen before.Swift earned an estimated $4.1 billion from her wildly successful ERAS TOUR, according to an associate professor of management at Babson College in Massachusetts.But the economic impact goes far beyond what Swift herself pocketed.Software company QuestionPro surveyed 592 Swifties and, based on their responses, estimated that fans spent around $93 million per show on tickets, merchandise, travel, hotels, food and clothing.This worked out to roughly $5.7 billion over the course of the U.S. tour - which appears to be the most lucrative concert tour ever.“She’s an economic stimulus plan all on her own,” says KTLA consumer reporter David Lazarus.Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour," Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)In August, Swift played six shows at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium which, according to California's Center for Jobs and the ...

Judge tosses charge against Oakland police officer accused of bribery

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

OAKLAND — An Alameda County judge on Friday tossed one of the five charges against an Oakland police officer accused of bribing witnesses and later lying about it on the stand.Judge Scott Patton threw out a charge of attempted bribery of a witness against Phong Tran, whose case has represented an early test of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s new Public Accountability Unit and its work to investigate wrongdoings by law enforcement officers and public officials.In striking down the charge, Patton suggested Tran’s statements more closely resembled regular police work, rather than anything nefarious.“That kind of colloquy between a homicide detective and a witness is just not attempted bribery of a witness,” Patton said in a hearing Friday.Still, Patton denied a motion by Tran’s attorney to also dismiss the remaining four counts against the officer, including multiple counts of perjury and bribery of a witness.Prosecutors allege Tran paid an...

Disciplined over his hair, Black student just wants to resume studies

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

By Cheyanne Mumphrey and Annie Ma | Associated PressFor more than a month, Darryl George, a Black high school student in Texas, spent each school day sitting by himself in punishment over his hairstyle. This week, he was sent to a separate disciplinary program, where he’s been told he will spend several more weeks away from classmates.In an interview with The Associated Press, George said he has felt discouraged about missing out on his classes and time with the football team.“I feel like I’m missing my full experience of being in the classroom,” George said Thursday.George, 18, was first pulled from the classroom at his Houston-area school in August after school officials said his locs fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes and violated the district’s dress code. His family argues his hairstyle does not break any rules.By the time George is allowed to return to Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, in November, he will have missed 56 of 67 da...

Impossible choice: Stay under airstrikes or flee under airstrikes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

By Isabel Debre and Fatima Shbair | Associated PressGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Watching the pulverized alleys of Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza empty of people, Naji Jamal was frozen with indecision.Should he heed the Israeli army’s demand that all Palestinians evacuate and make the risky trip to Gaza’s south, where his only certainty was homelessness? Or should he stay at his multistory building — within what the Israeli army has now designated a target zone — ahead of a likely Israeli ground invasion?“It’s an existential question, but there is no answer,” Jamal, a 34-year-old health clinic worker, said. “There is no safe haven, there is no place that is not being shelled and besieged, there is no place to go.”In an unprecedented order to civilians in northern Gaza and Gaza City, the Israeli military gave Jamal — and 1.1 million other Palestinians — 24 hours to make up their minds. It was the sixth day of Israeli bombing prompted by Ha...

Tesla catches fire on SF street, presumed to have been caused by homeless person: officials

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Three vehicles, including a Tesla, were damaged after a fire broke out on a San Francisco sidewalk Friday morning, the San Francisco Fire Department confirmed to KRON4. The fire department received a call about the fire at 21 Brady St. around 8:30 a.m. 6 arrested after thieves use wagon in SF Walgreens theft: police The fire was presumed to have been started by a homeless person, according to SFFD. However, the official cause of the fire has yet to be determined.The homeless person residing on that sidewalk is known to the community, officials said. He was not present when firefighters arrived to extinguish the blaze. A photo (see above) from the Citizen App shows the fire damage done to a parked Model 3 Tesla. A homeless person's belongings were also present at the time of the fire. Over $17K of merchandise from Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret recovered in suspected SF fencing operation No other information was immediately available.

Police: Suspected Benicia bank robber nabbed in courthouse

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A suspected Benicia bank robber was found and arrested when she showed up to the San Joaquin County courthouse Friday for an unrelated case.The woman is accused of threatening to kill everyone inside a US Bank on Southampton Road in Benicia on July 24, according to police."A woman reportedly came into the bank and demanded an undisclosed amount of money or she would kill everyone in the bank. The suspect then fled the bank before officers arrived," BPD wrote.(Photo via Benicia Police Department) Detectives identified the woman through an "extensive investigation" and secured a warrant for her arrest. The Benicia Police Department did not release the woman's name. She was transported and booked into a Solano County jail.

J Street to Democrats: Unconditional Support for Israel’s Gaza War or Lose Endorsement

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

On Tuesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., introduced a resolution pledging Congress would stand “with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.” Nearly every member of Congress announced their support for the resolution — with the exception of 13 Democrats.The resolution, however, does not mention Palestinian civilians, who face an ongoing siege of medieval proportions — with Israeli forces cutting off access to food, water, and electricity — and calls for further restricting and scrutinizing imports because of Hamas’s use of bulldozers and other rudimentary equipment to break down the border fence with Israel. The lack of any attempt in the resolution to urge Israel to avoid civilian casualties, as the Palestinian territory stares down an apocalyptic and ongoing massacre, has led to a small pocket of resistance to the resolution among a handful of ...

Ordenan repetir juicio al periodista José Rubén Zamora en Guatemala

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

(CNN Español) — La Sala Segunda de la Corte de Apelaciones de Guatemala anuló este viernes la condena impuesta en junio por el Tribunal Octavo de Sentencia al empresario y periodista José Rubén Zamora, de acuerdo con el fallo obtenido por CNN.Zamora había sido condenado a seis años de prisión por lavado de dinero y una multa de poco más de US$ 38.000.Según el fallo, se ordena que el expediente sea remitido al juzgado noveno de sentencia para que fije fecha y hora para repetir el juicio.El historial de persecución y ataques contra Jose Rubén Zamora y El Periódico en GuatemalaEl Ministerio Público de Guatemala, que había solicitado una pena de 40 años, no se ha pronunciado y tampoco respondido la solicitud de comentarios de CNN.El recurso de apelación fue interpuesto por la Procuraduría General de la Nación por considerar que hubo vicios de forma y fondo en el proceso contra Zamora.El empresario estaba acusado de intentar introducir al sistema financiero de Guatemala unos US$ 38...