Category Archives: Victimless Crimes

If you are active on social media you have probably seen the gruesome clip of freethinker Mashal Khan being lynched by hundreds of fellow students on the Wali Khan University campus in Pakistan, for the victimless crime of blasphemy.

Anyone still pretending that this form of grotesque religious zealotry is fringe, must only compare the crowd size at Salman Taseer's assassin Mumtaz Qadri's funeral to that of Mashal Khan's. Apologists who are quick to blame Western interventions and foreign policy for the crimes committed in the name of Islam (and are sanctified in its holiest scriptures, if you care to read) will find it difficult to explain away the difference in the two pictures below.

But this piece isn't about debunking clichs. I have covered those in a previous article. This is about the millions of peaceful believers and secularists who are missing in the gory video, but are as complicit in Mashal Khan's murder as the depraved killers who were repeatedly striking his mutilated body.

Every time someone is lynched over "holy cows", and we ask whether the meat in his fridge was mutton or beef; or whether the bovine in his truck was a cow or a buffalo, we are giving our tacit approval to the Hindutva terrorists who believe that the sanctity of a farm animal supersedes that of a human being.

Every "moderate" believer who condemned the killings of cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, while adding the caveat "but", followed by a tirade about how fragile sentiments and infantile beliefs were the real victims of that gruesome attack, gave legitimacy to the ideology that inspired the Kouachi brothers to pull the trigger.

For as long as you believe that the probity of dead shamans, sacred animals and obsolete medieval texts deserve special immunity from criticism and caricature, there will always be someone willing to defend that probity with murder. Dealing with the plague of zealotry requires "sacred icons" to be stripped of this hypocritical immunity they enjoy. Abolish blasphemy laws, and make caricature of religious fairytales as ubiquitous as memes on Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings. If your god (or gods) consider their sanctity more important than human rights and free expression, then they should come out of hiding and defend themselves. Relying on fallible human laws and courts to defend his infallible word is hardly befitting of an omnipotent being.

Curiously, this "respect" offered to religious sentimentsespecially by left-liberals is particularly uncompromising when it comes to Islam. Folks who label Sam Harris an "Islamophobe" for his criticism of the "religion of peace", never call him a Christianophobe for his brutal attack on devout Christians and their faith, in his book Letters to a Christian Nation.

In the aftermath of the Satanic Verses fiasco, most leftist commentators (such as Germaine Greer and John Berger to name just two) were more sympathetic to the sentiments of rabid bloodthirsty Islamists than the right to life and liberty of a hapless novelist. Christopher Hitchens best summed up this strange phenomenon"Indeed the whole cultural and media industry has become, where reactionary Islam is concerned, one long profile in prudence."

The vast swathes of peaceful moderates and secularists who sympathise with "hurt sentiments" are guilty of enabling the foot soldiers of Islamist and Hindutva Grievance Industries Pvt. Ltd. to the point where the murder of bloggers, cartoonists, hapless students and dairy farmers has become a routine occurrence. You cannot venerate irrational religious beliefs, demand that they be treated with deference, prioritise "hurt sentiments" over human rights by supporting blasphemy laws, and then feign outrage when fundamentalists take the next logical step in defence of those beliefs. A few hundred violent zealots may have lynched Mashal Khan on campus that fateful day, but millions of peaceful apologists of religion laid the groundwork for the confrontation a long time ago.

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Mashal Khan Wasn't Killed Just By The Mob That Lynched Him - Huffington Post India

Business News of Tuesday, 18 April 2017

Source: anangtawiah.com

Former Finance Minister, Seth Terkpers last bond was issued at 9% coupon rate for 10 years

Background

The government has raised $2.2 billion from a sale of long-dated domestic bonds on the 31st of march. A Finance Ministry statement issued in Accra said it successfully issued 15 and 7-year bonds with the same coupon of 19.75%, raising a total amount of $1.13 billion. In addition, the Ministry of Finance raised the cedi equivalent of $1.12 billion in 5 and 10-year bonds via a tap-in arrangement.

These activities raised a total of $2.25 billion and resulted in the lengthening of the maturity profile of the instruments available on the domestic market. This issuance represents the largest amount issued by a sub-Saharan African country in a day.

The Positives

Boosted central bank reserves by a third, the Finance Ministry said. Helped reduce the pressure on the Cedi. It was also a cedi-denominated government bond issue. Which means that the government will not be under pressure to secure dollars in the future in order to make necessary coupon payments.

This cash inflow was just what the government needed to help it discharge its duties to the people. This issuance represents the largest amount issued by a sub-Saharan African country in a day.

According to the Minister, this is an indication of the markets belief in our commitment to building an effective public financial management system, improve the countrys debt sustainability outlook and mitigate the crowding out of the private sector. It is imperative that we re-profile our total debt stock of $30 billion which should help put us on a path of Ghana beyond Aid, Ken Ofori-Atta added.

Problematic Approach

A company called Templeton bought 95% of the bonds issued through Enterprise Group (an alleged business interest of the current Finance Minister). Seeing that The Enterprise Group is mainly markets itself as an insurance company, it is likely the insured the deal for Templeton. It is important to note that, if enterprise group was paid any fees for their services in this transaction, it could violate US, International as well as even local Ghanaian investment laws. The Templeton guys have as their shareholder, a guy who is the principal shareholder of Enterprise Group.

His name is Trevor G. Trefgarne, and the Chairman of the Enterprise group. The Enterprise Group belongs to Ken Ofori Atta, his wife, Dr. Angela Ofori Atta, and Keli Gadzekpo. Franklin Templeton Investment Limited is an American global investment management organization founded in 1947. It has an extensive global presence, including offices in 34 countries and clients in more than 170 countries.

The firm has renowned investors as it Board of Directors. In an unedited semi-annual report of Franklin Templeton Investment limited dated December 31, 2016; Honorable Trevor G. Trefgarne was named as one of the five Board of Directors of the firm. He was described in the report as Chairman of Enterprise Group Limited (a Ghanaian firm).

Enterprise Group Limited also has a picture of Honorable Trevor G. Trefgarne on its website as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. Enterprise Group has 10 Board of Directors. Principal among them are Mr Keli Gadzekpo, Group Chief Executive of Enterprise Group; Dr Angela Ofori Atta, wife of Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta who doubles as Director of Enterprise Insurance, a subsidiary of Enterprise Group etc.

Enterprise Group also has Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo and Dr Angela Ofori Atta as non-executive members of the firm. Hon Gloria Akuffo is/was Director of Enterprise Life, a subsidiary of Enterprise Group (it is not clear whether he has resigned or not).

In 1990, Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta together with Mr Keli Gaadzekpo (CEO of Enterprise Group) and others founded Data Bank. It is now emerging that a firm that Hon Trevor G. Trefgarne works as a member of Board of Directors took substantial position in the April 3, 2017 bond issued by the Finance Minister. Seth Terkpers last bond was issued at 9% coupon rate for 10years. It was well publicized and discussed at least 3months prior to issue. The NPP said the bond was too expensive for Ghana. Now Ken Ofori Atta issues a 15year bond at a coupon rate of 19%. It was issued in secret. Nobody knew who were prospecting for Ghanas bond. Usually, the higher the tenure, the lower the coupon rate. But with Ken in the center, the opposite happens.

It is also alleged that; complete due diligence was not followed in the execution of this transaction. Apparently the Finance ministry was very tight-lipped about the sale even after it was completed, the Finance minster only mentioned on Friday that, one of the biggest global investors was involved without disclosing the name.

It may seem to the learned eye that proper due diligence, investment disclosure laws, and ethical behavior guidelines were violated.

Types of Economic Crimes

Conflict Of Interest: According to Merriam Webster, a conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. Primary interest refers to the principal goals of the profession or activity, such as the protection of clients, the health of patients, the integrity of research, and the duties of public office.

Secondary interest includes personal benefit and is not limited to only financial gain but also such motives as the desire for professional advancement, or the wish to do favors for family and friends. These secondary interests are not treated as wrong in and of themselves, but become objectionable when they are believed to have greater weight than the primary interests. Conflict of interest rules in the public sphere mainly focus on financial relationships since they are relatively more objective, fungible, and quantifiable, and usually involve the political, legal, and medical fields. [source: wikipedia]

Organized crime: The term organized crime refers to the unlawful activities of members of criminal organizations that supply illegal goods and services.

Political crime: The political?crime category contains both crimes by the government and crimes against the government. Political goals motivate political criminals.

Victimless crime: Consensual acts (in which people are willing participants) and violations in which only the perpetrator is hurt, such as the personal use of illegal drugs, are called victimless crimes.

White?collar crime: White?collar crimes are offenses that persons commit while acting in their legitimate jobs and professions. White?collar criminals behave in unethical ways for self?gain (for example, embezzlement) or for the benefit of a business (for example, corporate price?fixing). Victims of white?collar crime include the economy, employers, consumers, and the environment.

Financial Crimes: Some financial crimes do not target a specific person or business, but they are considered criminal because they have an overall negative public impact. Insider trading, for example, is considered an unfair advantage in the market, which is damaging to investors who do not have access to inside information.

Securities Fraud (18 U.S.C. Section 1348): Securities fraud covers a broad range of illegal activities, all of which involve investor deception or the manipulation of financial markets. Examples of securities fraud include Ponzi or pyramid schemes, investment schemes, broker embezzlement and foreign currency fraud.

Insider Trading: Insider trading is a term that most investors have heard and usually associate with illegal conduct. But the term actually includes both legal and illegal conduct. The legal version is when corporate insidersofficers, directors, and employeesbuy and sell stock in their own companies. When corporate insiders trade in their own securities, they must report their trades to the SEC. For more information about this type of insider trading and the reports insiders must file.

Illegal insider trading refers generally to buying or selling a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, while in possession of material, nonpublic information about the security. Insider trading violations may also include tipping such information, securities trading by the person tipped, and securities trading by those who misappropriate such information.

Examples of insider trading cases that have been brought by the SEC are cases against:

Corporate officers, directors, and employees who traded the corporations securities after learning of significant, confidential corporate developments; Friends, business associates, family members, and other tippees of such officers, directors, and employees, who traded the securities after receiving such information; Employees of law, banking, brokerage and printing firms who were given such information to provide services to the corporation whose securities they traded;

Government employees who learned of such information because of their employment by the government; and Other persons who misappropriated, and took advantage of, confidential information from their employers. Because insider trading undermines investor confidence in the fairness and integrity of the securities markets, the SEC has treated the detection and prosecution of insider trading violations as one of its enforcement priorities.

High yield investment scams typically involve:

Promises of high rates of return with little or no risk. Many different forms of investments (for example: stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate, precious metals).

Money Laundering (18 U.S.C. Section 1956): Money laundering is the practice of making proceeds from a crime appear to have been legitimately earned. You can be federally prosecuted for money laundering whenever you:

Conduct or attempt to conduct a financial transaction which involves the proceeds of an illegal activity, knowing the funds involved represent proceeds from unlawful activity;

With intent to promote furtherance of the illegal activity; or With intent to defraud the Internal Revenue Service; or Knowing the transaction is intended to:

Conceal or disguise the nature, location, source or ownership of the unlawfully obtained funds; or Avoid a transaction reporting requirement under state or federal law.

Conclusion:

For the record, will like to note that i have always personally admired Ken Ofori-Atta quite a bit for all his hard-work and accomplishments. However, citizens of the country need to be informed of the facts. Seeing that i am just beginning my Forensic Economics investigation into this incident, the most profound observations that immediately occur to me are:

Conflicts of interest: The company that represented the single largest investor in this transaction was also personally affiliated to the current Finance minister through his wife and personal business partner. Political crime: An argument could be made that the actors involved in this transaction, who are all mostly affiliated with the current administration, engaged in this ruse, in order to help them strengthen their political interests, at the expense of the citizens and other parties.

Insider trading: Considering the fact that this bond transaction doesnt seem to have been fairly valuated as per current market conditions and comparable valuations, it is likely proper due diligence might not have been conducted.

Financial crime and malpractice: And since it it likely that Enterprise Group made money from this transaction, that will in itself, constitute a textbook case of Financial crime and malpractice.

Link:

Economic Crime Analysis: Ghana's Recent $2.2B Bond Sale et al - GhanaWeb

By Romeo San Vicente

What happens at The Abbey? It looks like the usual.

Move over Fire Island a show that hasnt even aired yet but now has to move over, anyway because theres another queer-themed reality series ready to be a very bad influence on your summer viewing habits. Its called What Happens at The Abbey. It is not about a monastery. It is, however, about an exceptionally popular gay bar/restaurant in West Hollywood that happens to be located right next door to Pump, the place you all know and hate-love from Vanderpump Rules. Lots of really pretty people work at the Abbey the one thing they all have in common and their respective sexualities, genders and races run the gamut, so a good variety of attractive couplings are sampled in the shows preview trailer. Expect sex, screaming and very little sobriety (a disembodied voice yells Penis! in the trailer, so thats promising). And if the show doesnt deliver healthy amounts of all three, then were going to be bored fast. It premieres on E! Sunday May 4.

The Clawscome out

We already miss Big Little Lies. And Feudwill nearly be over by the time you read this. So now that were hooked on TV featuring female-driven misdeeds, where are we supposed to go next for a dose of bad behavior? Luckily, its TNT to the rescue with Claws. Set in a Florida nail salon staffed by a group of women who seem predisposed to setting it off, the show stars Niecy Nash, Judy Reyes (Devious Maids), Carrie Preston (The Good Wife), Jenn Lyon (Justified), and Karrueche Tran (The Nice Guys) as manicurists who find themselves involved in crime, murder and arson you know, Florida stuff. We assume there will be adult language, adult situations, violence and nudity, all the TV-MA qualities we crave the most. But if not, at least there will be Nash, a woman we would follow off a cliff, Thelma & Louise-style, if she demanded it. Clawspremieres June 11, and to get in the mood were going to go commit some victimless crimes and see if we like it.

Claire Danes, Jim Parsons and A Kid Called Jake

Were always rooting for transgender stories and creators, and were cheerleading hard right now for Transparents Silas Howard one of Hollywoods few trans directors and his new project, A Kid Called Jake. The feature film, adapted from a Lincoln Center play by Daniel Pearle, will star Claire Danes and Jim Parsons as a married couple with a transgender child. Their 4-year-old, Jake, prefers to dress up and play princess rather than as male-identified fantasy heroes, and its up to the parents to sort out a response that will allow their little one to thrive. The film is in pre-production now, and it couldnt be timelier, as the current presidential administrations cruel anti-LGBT platform has already started attacking trans children by rolling back public school restroom policies that would allow children to use the one that corresponds to their gender identity. In other words were primed for a little art as activism, especially if it makes Republicans lose their minds.

Queer seniors are making Christmas

Every time a tween, teen or Millennial star comes out in Hollywood, our heart grows three sizes, because theyll never have to worry about the celebrity closet. But theres a special place in our formerly shrunken hearts for the senior queer actors who blazed the trail, and we especially love British character actors Simon Callow (A Room With a View he was the skinny-dipping vicar) and Miriam Margolyes (you know her best as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potterfilms). Theyve both been out forever, working for nearly as long, and we adore them. Theyre the kind of people that we scan IMDB credits for look, its perfectly normal to fixate on awesome character actors, dont let anyone tell you its not and theyre the ones making us watch something weve never heard of. Chances are you will hear of their upcoming project, director Bharat Nalluris (Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day) The Man Who Invented Christmas, a sort-of biopic about Charles Dickens and the events that led him to write A Christmas Carol. Oh yes, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) and Christopher Plummer are the leads in this one. Thats nice. Well just be catching it (in late 2018) for the co-stars.

Romeo San Vicente recommends Miriam Margolyes as the weird landlady in the even weirder New Wave disco cult musical The Apple.

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Deep Inside Hollywood - QSaltLake

That is the title of an article in Slate yesterday. I immediately flashed to Yolo County DA Jeff Reisig. More on that in a moment.

Jessica Pishko writes, In the past few years, a new breed of district attorney has risen to power. In places like Chicago, Orlando, and St. Louis, prosecutors have committed to making the American criminal justice system less punitive and more humane.

She notes that elected prosecutors have sensed the change in tides and adapted their message even as theyve refused to scrap their outdated methods. These district attorneys talk about reform and perhaps make incremental changes, but they vehemently resist anything resembling a true overhaul of a broken system.

Read the article, it is fascinating. In a way it actually reminds me of the first time I met Kamala Harris. I was working for the California Progress Report and I interviewed her at a Starbucks in San Francisco as she prepared to run for Attorney General. At the time she was a DA in San Francisco and, when I interviewed her, instead of hearing a progressive liberal Democrat with ideas about social justice reform, she instead sounded like a prosecutor paying lip service to problems in the criminal justice system.

Something like that carried over to her tenure as AG, where she was quick to defend things like same sex marriage, but also quite willing to attempt to defend the conduct of the Orange Countys District Attorneys office in the Dekraai murder case, which has been one of the most egregious scandals in criminal justice in this state in the last decade.

The Yolo County DA has hung its hat on quasi-systemic reforms like the Multicultural Community Council.

There are good people on that body, and Jesse Ortiz (now County Superintendent of Education), who helped co-found it, is someone I respect. The mission of the MCCC, according to its website, is to seek fair and equal justice, facilitate understanding, ensure open communication, and promote community participation, education and diversity within the criminal justice system.

The DAs office has also founded Neighborhood Court, based on restorative justice principles. Neighborhood Court, from all accounts, has been a success in addressing low level crimes, outside of the traditional criminal justice system, using community-based solutions to swiftly address the harm caused by these offenses. Neighborhood Court utilizes restorative justice concepts which identify crime as acts that cause harm to people and communities.

While Neighborhood Court is certainly a concept we can support, the program itself is quite limited to low level, generally nuisance and victimless crimes. Back in 2013, we brought Judge David Gottlieb to speak about what is happening in Fresno County yes, that Fresno where they have had a Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) since 1982. You realize that Neighborhood Court is really a modest endeavor.

Back in 2012, Jann Murray-Garcia was one of the ones turning down an invitation to the Multicultural Community Council. She wrote in a column, I told Jonathan (Raven, the Chief Deputy DA) I was not interested, because I had accompanied too many Davis folks in Yolo County Superior Court who were inappropriately charged, investigated, overcharged, gang-labeled and unnecessarily prosecuted at great taxpayers (yours and mine) expense, and residents turmoil.

The reality is that not much has changed.

In Jessica Pishkos article, Baton Rouge DA Hillar Moore becomes the poster child of the false progressivism. He told her, I believe I am a progressive DA Im not proud that we have the highest incarceration rate in the world.

She writes, As more and more people call for criminal justice reform, Moores vaguely progressive rhetoric helps him win elections and brings him national attention. But the image of Moore as a reasonable scholar of criminology is far from accurate. In his eight-year tenure as an elected prosecutor, Moore has consistently taken positions that would increase the overcrowding of Louisianas prisons and would oppress those who can least afford it.

In my view, while Jeff Reisig has taken on Neighborhood Court and Multicultural issues, he has opposed every major criminal justice reform in the state. Every single one. That includes two go-arounds of the death penalty reform, AB 109 (realignment to reduce the state prison population), three strikes reform, Prop. 47 (reducing certain drug possession charges to misdemeanors), and Prop. 57 (increasing parole chances for felons convicted of nonviolent crimes) this last time.

Prop. 47 was the biggest public safety disaster in the last several decades in my opinion and in most law enforcement officers opinions, Jeff Reisig said last year.

Groups like the ACLU have lauded the proposition as a shift from the expensive, one-size-fits-all approach of incarceration toward smarter approaches to crime prevention, specifically including treatment for underlying issues like addiction and mental illness.

The Vanguard launched the court watch program in early 2010. This is our eighth year in the courts.

What we have found is that the Yolo DAs office has one of the most aggressive prosecutorial approaches in the state. Yolo County is a largely rural county which has long had a crime rate in the middle of that of the state. But under Mr. Reisigs office, we see a county that ranks No.4 in per capita prison incarceration rates and in the top five in per capita felony charges.

Judge Dan Maguire last spring, in a jury appreciation column, wrote, Yolo County has significantly more jury trials per capita than most California counties.

What we have found is that the Yolo County DAs office often will overcharge cases without making reasonable offers, making trials more likely which, in many cases, were unnecessary.

Jann Murray-Garcia wrote about one particular case, which we can apply to many. She writes, I believe the office was practicing what American University Law School professor Angela J. Davis, author of Arbitrary Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor, refers to as prosecutorial bullying, coercing the innocent to plead to lesser crimes they did not commit.

While the DA touts his Multicultural Program, last year we found that there are disproportionate impacts in the criminalization of youth of color in Yolo County.

According to Kidsdata.org, a program of the Packard Foundation, in 2013 the youth arrest rate in California was 7.5 juveniles per 1000. However, in Yolo County that number is nearly 67 percent higher, at 12.5 per 1000.

In Yolo County, the felony arrest rate for African-American juveniles is at a soaring 37.6 per 1000, down from a massive 60.8 per 1000 in 2011 but still well above the state average. Moreover, Hispanics in Yolo County have remained stable at 17.2 per 1000, which has largely held steady since 2011, and is more than twice the overall state average.

Ms. Pishko concludes her article noting that prosecutors are doing what Mr. Moore is currently doing, spouting off kinder, gentler rhetoric while doling out harsher and harsher punishments.

That certainly is what is continuing to happen in Yolo County.

David M. Greenwald reporting

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How To Tell If a Prosecutor Is Only Pretending To Be a Criminal Justice Reformer - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis (subscription)

Police have made an arrest in connection with a Dale Street business burglary as the force looks to crackdown on a spate of break-ins currently blighting the city centre.

Officers have arrested a 45-year-old man following a break-in at the Dead Crafty Beer Company on March 25.

The suspect, who lives in the city centre, is currently being quizzed by officers over the incident.

Last week the ECHO spoke with business owners who complained of an epidemic of break-ins in the Dale Street area, with a similar crime spree reported in Bold Street.

At the time we spoke to Dead Crafty boss Gareth Morgan, who said he had his shop has been regularly targetted.

Following the ECHOs reports, police have stepped up patrols in the city centre - with four extra officers now operating in Bold Street, where numerous businesses have been raided.

A meeting will be held next week with Dale Street businesses to see what can be done there.

Merseyside Police Area Commander Supt Mark Wiggins said: I can confirm an arrest in relation to the burglary at the Dead Crafty Beer Company and I want to re-assure businesses that we will continue to thoroughly investigate these crimes with a view to putting the perpetrators before the courts.

Business burglaries are not victimless crimes, many of these businesses are local people who just want to earn a living.

It is in everyones interest to solve and prevent these crimes against businesses that provide a vital service to our communities.

We will continue to work with our local businesses to deter and prevent this type of crime and lock up those responsible.

Anybody with information is urged to contact Merseyside Police on 101 or the confidential Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111

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Arrest over Dale Street business break-in as police crackdown on city centre crime spree - Liverpool Echo

A PRIEST found guilty of fraud for using a dead womans disabled badge could face more charges.

Father William Haymaker arrived at court yesterday to be sentenced for the offence. But the hearing was adjourned as it emerged he would be investigated over fresh allegations of more similar incidents.

The ordained minister, a rector of St Pauls Anglican Parish in Bexhill which is part of the Anglican Independent Communion, was caught parking in a disabled bay using a blue badge belonging to a woman who had died two months before.

The 62-year-old was prosecuted by East Sussex County Council and stood trial in March after being stopped by a traffic warden in Western Road, Bexhill, in December 2015. A jury took just 45 minutes to unanimously find him guilty of possessing an article for use in a fraud.

Haymaker, who lives in Suffolk Road, Bexhill, claims to provide pastoral care for terminally ill parishioners which includes driving them to health appointments and to run errands.

But a council spokesman said rather than admit the offence and face a fine, he continued to plead his innocence and the case went to trial.

Yesterday Judge Christine Henson postponed his sentencing after the councils solicitor advocate Gareth Jones said another alleged offence of a similar nature had come to light.

Judge Henson said it was not for her to decide but investigators and prosecutors may want to establish if this was a modus operandi for Haymaker rather than a one-off before his punishment is set.

Mr Jones said: [The latest allegation] does need to be thoroughly investigated.

The legitimacy of Haymakers position as a minister was also called into question during the hearing. But speaking to The Argus after the hearing, he said documentation proves he has been officially ordained.

The council yesterday confirmed a further investigation will be launched to see if he has committed other acts of blue badge fraud. Whether Haymaker will face further charges will be discussed tat he next court hearing on May 26.

Haymaker, who was accompanied to Hove Crown Court by his official clerical dog The Venerable Mr Piddles, branded the case a very sad series of events when he spoke to The Argus afterwards.

He said it had been an honest mistake and his actions were not malicious. But he denied the suggestion he had committed more crimes of this nature.

Mark Jobling, the councils enforcement officer who caught Haymaker in the act, said: This is in no way a victimless crime. Every time someone fraudulently uses a blue badge, they are taking up spaces which are needed by people who are genuinely disabled.

We were disappointed that Haymaker consistently refused to admit the offence, but this case clearly demonstrates how seriously we take the misuse of Blue Badges.

We hope this sends out a strong message that Blue Badge fraud will not be tolerated in East Sussex and that we wont hesitate to prosecute offenders.

Link:

Blue badge fraudster priest may face more charges - The Argus

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Larry D. Johnson

JANESVILLEA Janesville man was sentenced to six years of probation Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in Rock County Court.

Judge John Wood imposed the sentence, concurring with a plea agreement between the prosecution and Jessa Nicholson, attorney for Larry D. Johnson, 44, of 326 N. Washington St.

Assistant District Attorney Perry Folts argued for six months in jail as part of the probation, but Wood agreed with Nicholson that the incarceration was not needed.

Johnson was charged with one count of child porn possession after police, acting on information supplied by state investigators, arrested him Sept. 29 at his home.

Johnson told detectives that he viewed pornography daily and had seen pornographic images and videos of juveniles in chat rooms, according to the criminal complaint.

An investigation found no evidence that Johnson had any sexual contact with juveniles.

Johnson had no previous criminal record, and a psycho-sexual evaluation found him at very low risk for committing any more crimes, Folts said.

Johnson is seeing a therapist for his sexual dysfunction, and his family and friends support him, Nicholson said.

Research supports the notion that treatment in the community is better than in prison, and some studies have suggested an increased risk of recidivism for sexual offenders sent to prison, Nicholson said.

Johnson is dealing with his pornography problem by channeling his energy into family, church and work, Nicholson said.

Johnson apologized, speaking softly and at times looking as though he might cry.

I would ask not to be removed from my wife and children. I've worked hard to get through this, Johnson said.

Wood noted investigators found 15 images and five videos of child porn on Johnson's laptop.

Some see this as a victimless crime, but it's not, said Wood, adding that this crime disturbs him.

Every single one of those children involved in the child pornography industry, you victimized them by what you did, Wood told Johnson. Everyone who views these images victimizes them over and over again.

But Wood said he could see the remorse on Johnson's face, adding: I can see a great deal of shame coming from you.

Wood noted the apparent stability in Johnson's life and the evaluation that recommended against prison.

I can only hope and pray you are serious in your intentions to rehabilitate yourself, Wood said.

Johnson also will be placed on the state sexual offender registry.

2017 GazetteXtra, a division of Bliss Communications, Inc.

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Janesville man sentenced for child porn possession - Janesville Gazette

ANDOVER Local hotels and the Andover Police Department are working together to crack down on prostitution and human trafficking, according to police Chief Patrick Keefe.

Andover detectives, along with FBI agents and a representative of the state police, met with hotel managers and employees at the Residence Inn on Tuesday to talk about how to recognize the signs of illegal activity. Andover has eight hotels and most of them have been affected by crimes, including prostitution, police Lt. Edward Guy said.

All of the local hotels were represented at the meeting, he said. Hotel managers from Nashua, New Hampshire, Methuen and Tewksbury also attended.

When a hotel employee sees activity that indicates the likelihood of prostitution a customer who insists on paying in cash, different men visiting a room at frequent intervals or a guest who spends little time in the quarters she rented he or she should call the police, he said.

Contact us so we can initiate an investigation, Guy said. Hotel workers should not try to take the situation into their own hands, he cautioned.

We know that prostitution is not a victimless crime, Keefe said. This is an issue of human suffering and misery. We know that the women being advertised on Internet classifieds websites are rarely, if ever, individual people. In nearly all cases, there is someone behind the scenes, profiting from these crimes.

Recently, there have been confirmed cases of human trafficking in Andover hotels, Keefe said.The strong partnership between the Andover police and the hotel industry has resulted in arrests for human trafficking, he said.

Several sting operations targeting customers of prostitutes have produced numerous arrests, he added.

Andover is near the intersections of two major highways, Interstates 93 and 495, and has a large hospitality industry, the chief noted.

Going forward, the Andover Police Department will continue planning future operations while working with the local hotels in order to combat human trafficking and sex crime, said Detective Sgt. Mark Higginbottom. Weplan to make these types of meetings a recurring event.

Jeanne Roche, director of sales for the Residence Inn, said the meeting provided the hotels with best practices to avoid human and child trafficking.

Roche said local hotels are eager to work with law enforcement in routing out illegal activity on their premises.

Were happy to help them, she said. We are grateful for the partnership.

Guy pointed out that the vast majority of guests staying in Andover hotels are families or people traveling on legitimate business.

They are expecting theyre going to be in a safe place, he said.

Like Keefe, Guy said the people who market their bodies are victims. Many, he noted, are drug addicts.

We try to get them the assistance they need, he said.

Guy said prostitution is not an everyday occurrence in Andover, but it probably happens more frequently than we care to admit.

The hotels, Guy said, have been very cooperative with the Police Department whenever prostitution is reported.

Theyve been fantastic, he said.

Guy said he and other police officers are eager to arrest the pimps, mostly men, who sell the services of prostitutes.

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Police, hotels talk about crackdown on prostitution - Andover Townsman

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DEA Just Admitted It Lets Drugs Into Communities & Pushes Them on Citizens AlterNet Government ruins countless lives locking people in cages for years or life, tearing apart families for victimless crimes such as possessing cannabis or other illicit drugs. In a glaring example of hypocirsy, however, the DEA is teaching ...

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DEA Just Admitted It Lets Drugs Into Communities & Pushes Them on Citizens - AlterNet

Published on: April 7, 2017 | Last Updated: April 7, 2017 6:02 PM MDT

Infiniti SUV was spray-painted with anti-Islam phrases early Thursday, April 6, 2017 in the 2200 block of 48th Street N.E. Calgary Police Service

Calgary police believe the owners of an SUV found covered in hatefuland anti-Muslim graffiti in Rundle Thursdaywere targeted based on their ethnicity.

Early Thursday morning, a grey Infiniti SUV parked in the 2200 block of 48th Street N.W. was sprayed with racist phrases mentioningIslam and people from the Middle East,police said in a release Friday.

The vehicle was also scratched with a key and the windows weresmashed.

Senior Const. Craig Collins, hate crimes coordinator with the Calgary Police Service, said it is believed the owners of the SUV a Syrian family who live atthe house where the vehicle was parked were the targets of the graffiti and investigators are treating the incident as a hate crime.

This isnt a victimless crime, thats not how the police service sees it, Collins said. Its a heinous crime which not only targets the individual, but sends a really impactful message into the community and it sends a message of fear.

Collins said graffiti targeting certain people based on ethnicity or religion has been occurring more regularly in Calgary.

We are seeing an increase and some of that is likely due to recent high-profile media incidents, Collins said. I think theres a misconception that its just graffiti and we need to put the message out its not a mindless act, its a personal attack on somebody.

Police said there have been six investigations into hateful graffiti launched this year, including a recent case in Ranchlands Park.

When people are targeted with vandalism and hateful messages, it has a big impact on how safe they feel in the community, Collins said.

These are not minor offences. We take it very seriously and will pursue the people responsible to try to prevent other families from being victimized in the same way, simply because of their ethnicity or religion.

Police urge anyone with information related to this incident or anyone who finds hateful graffiti around the city to call the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or contact Crime Stoppers annonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

If you see something report it, Collins said. Make a difference.

mpotkins@postmedia.com

With files from Ryan Rumbolt

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Vehicle covered with anti-Muslim slurs in Rundle; police say hateful ... - Calgary Herald