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More than 2 million illegal vapes seized in multi-state crackdown on unauthorized e-cigarette distributors

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Washington D.C.

More than 2 million illegal vapes seized in multi-state crackdown on unauthorized e-cigarette distributors

WASHINGTON, DC – The Justice Department and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a nationwide enforcement operation that resulted in the seizure of over 2.1 million unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes from five distributors and six retailers across seven states. According to federal court filings, the companies involved had previously been warned by the FDA that their electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products required premarket authorization before being legally sold. Undercover purchases and inspections revealed that despite these warnings, the companies continued distributing unapproved vaping products. The seizures were executed by the U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and other law enforcement agencies with...

Suspect extradited from Mexico 20 years after fatal shooting in southeast Houston

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Suspect extradited from Mexico 20 years after fatal shooting in southeast Houston

HOUSTON, TX – A suspect charged in the 2005 fatal shooting of a man at an apartment on Broadway Street has been arrested and returned to Houston to face prosecution. Luis Uriel Castillo, 39, is charged with capital murder in the 263rd Criminal District Court in connection with the death of 25-year-old Cornelius Ray. On January 10, 2005, Houston police responded to a welfare check at 8501 Broadway Street after friends were unable to contact Ray for several days. The apartment manager discovered Ray deceased on the bedroom floor with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Houston Fire Department personnel. HPD Homicide Division detectives identified Castillo as the suspect, and capital murder charges were filed later that month. Authorities determined that Casti...

Justice Department sues six states for failing to produce voter registration lists

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Washington D.C.

Justice Department sues six states for failing to produce voter registration lists

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 25, 2025, that it has filed lawsuits against six states—California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania—for failing to produce their statewide voter registration lists as required by federal law. File Photo (2024) According to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the lawsuits seek to enforce provisions of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA), which authorize the Attorney General to obtain, inspect, and review state voter registration records. “Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Every state has a responsibility to ensure that v...

Former Ohio deputy sentenced to over nine years for sexually abusing female inmate at federal detention facility

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio

Former Ohio deputy sentenced to over nine years for sexually abusing female inmate at federal detention facility

CLEVELAND, OH – Damon K. Perry, 53, of Youngstown, was sentenced to 112 months in federal prison for sexually abusing a female federal detainee under his supervision at the Mahoning County Jail in 2023. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Perry pleaded guilty in May to two counts of sexual abuse of a detainee and two counts of sexual abuse. The offenses occurred on November 9 and November 30, 2023, while the victim was in custody and under Perry’s authority. The Mahoning County Jail, located in Youngstown, houses federal detainees under a contract with a federal law enforcement agency. Prosecutors stated Perry engaged in non-consensual sexual acts with the detainee on both occasions. The investigation was led by the Department of Justice’...

California man sentenced to nearly 20 years for firebombing UC Berkeley patrol car and targeting Oakland federal building

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California

California man sentenced to nearly 20 years for firebombing UC Berkeley patrol car and targeting Oakland federal building

OAKLAND, CA – Casey Robert Goonan, 35, of Oakland and Pleasant Hill, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison on Sept. 23 after pleading guilty to a series of arson attacks and attempted firebombings targeting law enforcement and government facilities in June 2024. According to court records, Goonan admitted to placing six Molotov cocktails under a University of California Police Department patrol vehicle near the UC Berkeley campus on June 1, 2024, and setting the car on fire. He also attempted to firebomb the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on June 11, 2024, by throwing rocks at the building and trying to ignite Molotov cocktails. Security officers interrupted the attempt, and Goonan fled, leaving the explosives burning in a planter nearby. ...

Texas pharmacy owner and three pharmacists sentenced for selling opioids through pill mill in Houston

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Texas pharmacy owner and three pharmacists sentenced for selling opioids through pill mill in Houston

HOUSTON, TX – A Missouri City pharmacy owner and three Houston pharmacists were sentenced for running a pill mill operation that illegally sold over half a million opioid pills, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, to drug traffickers and paid straw patients. According to the Department of Justice, Arthur Billings, 61, owner and pharmacist-in-charge of Health Fit Pharmacy, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $2.6 million. Billings admitted to operating the Houston-based, cash-only pharmacy as part of a four-year conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and to submitting false disability benefit claims. Court documents reveal that Health Fit Pharmacy repeatedly filled prescriptions—many fraudulent and issued under stolen physician id...

Woman arrested for murder after man found dead in Amarillo home

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Woman arrested for murder after man found dead in Amarillo home

AMARILLO, TX – A 33-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a man’s death in the 1100 block of Bluebell. File Photo (August 2025) According to the Amarillo Police Department, officers were dispatched around 2 p.m. on September 25, 2025, and found a deceased male who has since been identified as 57-year-old Paluku Valantin, inside a residence. Investigators noted signs of assault on the victim. Alline Ndayishimiye was taken into custody and booked into the Potter County Detention Center. The victim’s name is being withheld pending family notification. The Amarillo Police Department Homicide Unit continues to investigate. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Homicide Unit at 806-378-9468.

26Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Arkansas

ASP: Brussel Brothers found safe

FAULKNER COUNTY, AR - Colt Ryder Brussel, 8, and Bradley Browning Brussel, 5, of Faulkner County have been safely located, according to the Arkansas State Police. A Missing/Endangered Advisory was issued at the request of the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office after the boys earlier this morning. Their photos have since been removed for privacy.

Cybertip leads to Bensalem man’s arrest for child pornography on Kik app

25Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Pennsylvania

Cybertip leads to Bensalem man’s arrest for child pornography on Kik app

Joseph Ibbetson, 43, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania was arrested, after police linked him to child pornography activity on the messaging app Kik. According to Bensalem Police, on June 10, 2025, they received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reporting that a Kik account was used in May to upload and share child pornography. Detectives reviewed the tip and found multiple files showing prepubescent females performing sex acts with adult males, as well as sexual conversations with users who claimed to be underage females. Investigators traced the account to Ibbetson, obtained a search warrant for his residence on Bristol Road, and made contact with him. He admitted to using the account to trade child pornography. He was taken into custody a...

Eleventh Circuit upholds conviction in racially motivated road-rage case

25Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Georgia

Eleventh Circuit upholds conviction in racially motivated road-rage case

ATLANTA, GA – The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of Jordan Patrick Leahy, who was found guilty of violating federal civil rights law after using his vehicle to terrorize a Black family on a Pinellas County road in 2021. According to court records, Leahy, a white man, repeatedly tried to run a car off the road while yelling racial slurs and making gun gestures at the driver, his girlfriend, and his four-year-old daughter. At a red light, Leahy exited his vehicle and attempted to attack the driver, who subdued him until police arrived. Officers reported that Leahy made additional racist remarks at the scene, stating, “[T]hese guys [Black people] are animals, you know what I’m saying? Y’all have to maintain these people, keep them in their—in their areas”. ...