Category: Crime and Incidents

DOJ Charges 78 People for $2.5 Billion in Health Care Fraud

The Department of Justice on Wednesday announced criminal charges against 78 people across 16 U.S. states for alleged health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in $2.5 billion in alleged fraudulent claims. According to the department, the elderly and disabled, as well as HIV patients, were among those targeted by the schemes. Of the…


Delta Plane Lands With Nose on Runway at Charlotte Airport

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Passengers aboard a Delta flight disembarked using the jet slide Wednesday after the plane’s front landing gear failed to deploy as it landed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The flight landed safely and no injuries were reported, according to officials. Photos from the scene show wheels on the ground under the wings, but the…


Rapper Quando Rondo Bonds Out of Jail After Arrest on Drug, Gang Charges in Georgia

SAVANNAH, Ga.—Rapper Quando Rondo has bonded out of jail after he was indicted on drug and gang charges in his hometown of Savannah. Court records show a judge granted a $100,000 bond for the 24-year-old rapper, whose given name is Tyquian Terrel Bowman. He was released Monday, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. A…


Portland Mayor Backtracks on Proposed Bill to Ban Public Drug Use

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has backtracked on his proposed plan to ban public drug use, saying that the bill is no longer necessary. Under current state law, possessing a small amount of illicit drugs is treated as a civil violation, not a criminal offense, and a $100 fine. House Bill 2645 would have increased penalties for fentanyl…


Amtrak Train With 198 Passengers Derails After Hitting Truck on Tracks in Southern California

MOORPARK, Calif.—An Amtrak train carrying nearly 200 passengers struck a county water truck and derailed on Wednesday in Southern California, critically injuring the truck’s driver, authorities said. Three of the train’s seven cars went off the tracks following the collision in Moorpark, said Ventura County Fire Department Captain Brian McGrath. Fourteen people on the train…


Amtrak Train With 190 Passengers Derails After Colliding With Vehicle in Southern California

MOORPARK, Calif.—An Amtrak train carrying 190 passengers derailed Wednesday after striking a truck on tracks in Southern California, and only minor injuries were reported, authorities said. Three of the train’s seven cars went off the tracks following the collision in Moorpark, said Ventura County Fire Department Captain Brian McGrath. The number of people hurt wasn’t…


California Man Defrauded $9 Million From Investors in Cow Manure Green Energy Scheme

A California man was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for running a “green energy” Ponzi scheme, defrauding investors of almost $9 million, according to a June 26 press release from the Department of Justice. Ray Brewer, 66, of Porterville, in California’s Central Valley, defrauded investors of $8,750,000 with farm tours and…


Man Fleeing Ohio Police With an Abducted Infant Crashes Into a Home, Killing the Child

TIFFIN, Ohio—A man who abducted a 7-month-old child in Ohio crashed his car into a house while trying to flee from police, killing the infant and critically injuring himself. The crash in Tiffin occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. The Wood County Sheriff’s Office had sent out an alert regarding the man—whose name…


Marine Veteran Pleads Not Guilty in Chokehold Death of Jordan Neely

A U.S. Marine veteran charged with manslaughter for putting Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a subway train in New York City in early May pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Manhattan on Wednesday. Daniel Penny, 24, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the May 1 death of…


Self-Professed ‘Wolf of Airbnb’ Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud for Defrauding Landlords

NEW YORK—A Florida man who dubbed himself the “Wolf of Airbnb” pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge Monday, admitting gaining about $2 million illegally by defrauding landlords and cheating a government pandemic program. Konrad Bicher, 31, of Hialeah, Florida, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court, agreeing not to appeal any prison sentence that…