San Francisco, CA - Arcadia Residents Pleads Guilty To Filing False Tax Return

Anthony Arroyo and Maria Maybelene Arroyo pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to filing false tax returns. The plea was accepted by the Honorable William H. Orrick, U.S. District Judge, following the June 16, 2017, filing in federal court charging the Arroyos with filing false tax returns. <... More...   $0 (08-19-2017 - CA)

Albuquerque, NM - Another Albuquerque Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Arising Out of ATF-Led Operation Targeting Drug Trafficking and Firearms Crime in Bernalillo County

71 of 104 Federal Defendants Charged as the Result of ATF-Led Investigation Pursued in Support of Federal “Worst of the Worst” Anti-Violence Initiative have Pleaded Guilty

In Aug. 2016, a multi-agency... More...   $0 (08-18-2017 - NM)

Plaintiff Dennis Ponte is asking defendant County of Calaveras (County) to pay
him over $150,000 to reimburse him for work purportedly performed on the County’s
behalf pursuant to an oral contract. The contract did not contain any fixed payment, and
no bid was submitted--far less approved--pursuant to relevant county ordinances
governing public contracts. Ponte disregarded opportun... More...   $0 (08-18-2017 - CA)

Lexington, KY - Woodford County Man Sentenced To 28 Years For Distributing Fentanyl Resulting In Fatal Overdose

The leader of a drug conspiracy in Versailles, Ky., has been sentenced to federal prison, for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a Woodford County woman.

Chief U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell formally sentenced Luis Aguirre-Jerardo, age 2... More...   $0 (08-17-2017 - KY)

The plaintiff in this case wants a
new trial based on a jury instruction he agreed to and admission
of two exhibits to which he did not object on the grounds
he argues on appeal. The plaintiff waived at trial the arguments
he raises on appeal, so we affirm the judgment of the
district court.
2 No. 14-2478
I. Factual and Procedural History
Plaintiff Walker has lived ... More...   $0 (08-17-2017 - IL)

Columbus, OH - Columbus Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing Lethal Heroin Fentanyl Mix

Richard R. Edwards, 28, of Columbus, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to distributing heroin and fentanyl that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Steve Francis, Special Agent in Charge, Homelan... More...   $0 (08-16-2017 - OH)

Detroit, MI - Volkswagen Senior Manager Pleads Guilty in Connection with Conspiracy to Cheat U.S. Emissions Tests

The former general manager of Volkswagen AG’s (VW) U.S. Environment and Engineering Office, who was a senior aide to VW’s head of engine development, pleaded guilty on August 4, 2017 for his role in violating the Clean Air Act in connection with VW’s sales of “clean diesel” ve... More...   $0 (08-16-2017 - MI)

Hattie Mae Tanner, who was convicted of
murder in 2000, argues that the district court erred by denying habeas relief on two grounds.
>
No. 15-1691 Tanner v. Yukins Page 2
First, Tanner argues that the Michigan Supreme Court unreasonably applied Ake v. Oklahoma,
470 U.S. 68 (1985), when it held that the trial court properly denied Tanner’s trial counsel
funding for a serolo... More...   $0 (08-15-2017 - MI)

Concord, NH - Two Sentenced for Crack Distribution and Firearms Offenses

Victor Alvarado, 29, was sentenced to 64 months in prison and Brandin Melendez, 33, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine base, or “crack,” in Manchester in 2016 and for firearms crimes.

According to court documents and statements made at the sentencing hearing, on several... More...   $0 (08-15-2017 - NH)

In this habeas case, Larry Stewart claims that a Confrontation
Clause violation and prosecutorial misconduct undermined the fairness of his murder trial. But
>
No. 16-2149 Stewart v. Trierweiler Page 2
because the state court did not unreasonably reject these claims, we must reject his petition. We
reverse the district court’s contrary decision.
I.
On the morning of Dec... More...   $0 (08-14-2017 - MI)

Joseph Buffis, our appellant and the town of Lee's (now-former) Chief of Police, took $4,000
from a duo accused of running a house of ill repute--and in return,
he promised to halt their prostitution prosecution. Buffis now
claims he didn't coerce the duo--they were completely
"comfortable" forking over their funds--so he cannot be guilty of
extortion. According to him, that me... More...   $0 (08-14-2017 - )

Patrick Dwayne Murphy asserts he was tried in the wrong court. He
challenges the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma state court in which he was convicted of
murder and sentenced to death. He contends he should have been tried in federal
court because he is an Indian and the offense occurred in Indian country. We agree
and remand to the district court to issue a writ of habeas corpus vaca... More...   $0 (08-14-2017 - OK)

Joseph Montano’s felony trial was terminated when the state trial judge declared a mistrial after a witness invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination while testifying at trial. After Texas determined to retry him, Montano unsuccessfully sought relief in Texas court, arguing that a retrial would violate his rights under the Fifth Amendment’s Double Jeopardy Clause. Montano then f... More...   $0 (08-13-2017 - TX)

Following a jury trial, Shannon Heathcock (“Appellant”) was convicted of attempted
sexual battery upon a physically helpless person. Appellant raises several issues on
appeal, only one of which has merit. He correctly claims that the jury was erroneously
instructed that he was charged with attempt to commit attempted sexual battery, which is
2
a non-existent crime. Appellant’s ... More...   $0 (08-11-2017 - FL)

Concord, NH - New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Bank Robberies

Michael Giles, 41, was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison after committing three bank robberies and attempting to rob a fourth bank.

According to documents filed with the court and statements made at the August 11th sentencing hearing, on November 23, 2016, Giles robbed a TD Bank branch located at... More...   $0 (08-11-2017 - NH)

Trenton, NJ - Five Plead Guilty in Multi-State Dog Fighting Prosecution
New Jersey and Chicago-Area Defendants Convicted As Part of Operation Grand Champion

Four defendants pleaded guilty today and yesterday to federal charges for their roles in an inter-state dog fighting network spanning from New Mexico to New Jersey. U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper in Trenton accepted the follo... More...   $0 (08-11-2017 - NJ)

After James Mark Dunne (“Dunne”) was indicted for intoxication assault, he sued Brinker Texas, Inc., Chili’s Beverage Company, Inc. and Brinker International Payroll Company L.P., d/b/a Chili’s Grill & Bar, and Loius Ahlgrim (“Chili’s”) asserting a claim under the dram shop statute. See TEX. ALCO. BEV. CODE ANN. § 2.02 (West 2007). Dunne then asserted his Fifth Amendment privilege in response to C... More...   $0 (08-10-2017 - TX)

Plaintiff Michael “Miguel” Gutierrez brought seven claims under federal and
state law against various individuals and entities in connection with his brother’s
death, which officials deemed a suicide. The district court dismissed the claims in a
series of orders and ultimately entered judgment in favor of defendants. We exercise
jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and affirm.
I... More...   $0 (08-10-2017 - NM)

Pittsburgh, PA - Owner of Saga Restaurants Sentenced for Harboring Illegal Aliens

A resident of McKees Rocks, PA, has been sentenced in federal court on his conviction of harboring illegal aliens. The court imposed a term of imprisonment of one day, a term of supervised release of three years, with 24 weeks of intermittent confinement and home detention, followed by an additional three mo... More...   $0 (08-10-2017 - PA)

New York, NY - Yonkers Gang Member Sentenced To Over 30 Years In Prison For Murder Of Florida Man And Other Racketeering Crimes

KEVIN WILTSHIRE was sentenced August 9, 2017 in White Plains federal court to a prison term of 30 years and one day for crimes committed as part of a Yonkers-based street gang, “Cruddy 650,” including the murder of Andre Folsom, who was killed in Greenacres, Flor... More...   $0 (08-09-2017 - NY)

Raleigh, NC - Pitt County Behavioral Health President Pleads Guilty to Medicaid Fraud Conspiracy and Perjury Charges

SHEPHARD LEE SPRUILL, II, 46, of Winterville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on August 4, 2017 to Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, and Perjury. Under the terms of a plea agreement, SPRUILL faces up to 15 years in prison, $500,000 in fines, and 3 years of supervised r... More...   $0 (08-09-2017 - NC)

* Pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 8.1110, this opinion is certified for
publication with the exception of parts III and V.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Chris A. Knudsen, Assistant Attorney
General, Christine Mersten and Jodi L. Cleesattle, Deputy Attorneys General, for
Defendant and Respondent California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Plaintiff Melo... More...   $0 (08-09-2017 - CA)

Houston, TX - E-Commerce Company and Top Executive Agree to Plead Guilty to Price-Fixing Conspiracy for Customized Promotional Products - Conspiracy Was Conducted Through Social Media and Encrypted Messaging Applications

An e-commerce company and its top executive have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices for customized promotional products sold online to customers in the U... More...   $0 (08-07-2017 - TX)

The Orange County Water District (District) was created by the California
Legislature to protect and manage groundwater supplies within its territory, which covers
most of Orange County, California. The District and other regulatory agencies have long
been aware of localized groundwater contamination caused by hazardous substance
releases at various sites in the so-called "South Ba... More...   $0 (08-07-2017 - CA)

In this complex real estate purchase transaction, the seller brought a breach
of contract action against the buyers for failing to purchase the subject property.
The defendant buyers asserted an affirmative defense of novation, arguing that
they were not liable under the purchase agreement because it had been superseded
by the parties‟ option agreement; that option agreement ... More...   $0 (08-06-2017 - CA)