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Canadian man loses bid to stay in U.S. after child endangerment case involving 14-year-old girl

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Washington D.C.

Canadian man loses bid to stay in U.S. after child endangerment case involving 14-year-old girl

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Board of Immigration Appeals has reversed a 2025 decision by an Immigration Judge that granted cancellation of removal to Samuel Michael McDonald, a Canadian citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, citing the severity of his criminal conduct and recent convictions involving a 14-year-old victim. According to Matter of McDonald, 29 I&N Dec. 249 (BIA 2025), McDonald had been convicted in New York of two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Although those convictions were classified as misdemeanors, the Board determined that the underlying conduct—including alleged sexual grooming, drug use, and attempts to involve the victim in sexual activities—presented serious and recent adverse factors that outweighed any equities. The dec...

Florida man arrested in 2017 North Carolina double homicide, police say

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

North Carolina

Florida man arrested in 2017 North Carolina double homicide, police say

FOREST CITY, NC – A Florida man has been arrested and extradited in connection with a double homicide that occurred more than eight years ago in Forest City. File Photo (August 2025) On September 24, 2025, Forest City Police, with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, arrested 55-year-old Jose Angelo Gonzales of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has been charged with the May 18, 2017, killings of Akir Hooper and Stephanie Walker. Gonzales is currently being held without bond at the Rutherford County Detention Center. The arrest follows a lengthy investigation led by Forest City Police, with assistance from the SBI, FBI, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Sunshine Police Department in Florida, and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. Officials say th...

Arizona woman admits to running $15 million mail fraud scheme targeting elderly victims

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Washington D.C.

Arizona woman admits to running $15 million mail fraud scheme targeting elderly victims

WASHINGTON, D.C. – An Arizona woman has pleaded guilty for her role in a mass-mailing fraud scheme that defrauded thousands of elderly consumers across the United States and abroad. According to federal prosecutors, 48-year-old Kimberly Stamps of Gilbert, Arizona, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. She was the operator of a prize notice scam that ran from 2012 until early 2018 and stole more than $15 million from victims. Stamps admitted she mailed millions of deceptive prize notices that falsely claimed recipients had been selected to win large cash prizes, requiring a $20 to $50 fee to claim the reward. Victims never received any real prize, only sweepstakes information or trinkets of minimal value. Court documents show Stamps managed nearly every as...

Oklahoma man sentenced again to life in prison for brutal 2013 murder of former girlfriend

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Oklahoma

Oklahoma man sentenced again to life in prison for brutal 2013 murder of former girlfriend

MCINTOSH COUNTY, OK – A McIntosh County man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for the second time for the 2013 murder of a Checotah woman he had previously dated. David Deval Martin, 40, was convicted in October 2024 of murder in Indian Country after a federal jury found him guilty. The federal prosecution followed a Supreme Court decision requiring the case to be retried in U.S. District Court due to jurisdictional issues stemming from McGirt v. Oklahoma. Martin was originally convicted in state court in 2016 and sentenced to life without parole, but that conviction was vacated following the Supreme Court ruling. According to court records, Martin beat and stabbed the victim on November 7, 2013, inflicting more than 100 injuries to her head and neck. The medical ex...

Tulsa man accused of trying to provide 3-D printed weapons to al-Qaida

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Oklahoma

Tulsa man accused of trying to provide 3-D printed weapons to al-Qaida

TULSA, OK – A criminal complaint was unsealed today against a Tulsa man who allegedly attempted to provide 3-D printed weapons and firearm components to an individual he believed was associated with al-Qaida, according to federal prosecutors. Andrew Scott Hastings, 25, is charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and with the illegal possession or transfer of a machinegun. According to court documents, in June 2024, the FBI became aware that Hastings was using a social media app to discuss violent acts against U.S. civilians in support of global jihad. Hastings, who was then enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard and held a national security clearance, allegedly failed to report international travel as required and made s...

High-ranking members of Sinaloa Cartel indicted for drug trafficking and money laundering in Southern Illinois

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Illinois

High-ranking members of Sinaloa Cartel indicted for drug trafficking and money laundering in Southern Illinois

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL – A superseding federal indictment unsealed today charges 26 individuals with participating in a large-scale drug trafficking operation allegedly connected to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the Department of Justice. The indictment accuses the defendants of trafficking hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine from Mexico into Southern Illinois, and laundering proceeds back to Mexico through U.S. banks. According to court documents, the conduct occurred between January 2020 and July 2025. Two Mexican nationals, Prospero Coronel-Sanchez, also known as “Pro,” and Jose Luis Angulo-Soto, also known as “El Mi Nino,” face narcoterrorism charges and are accused of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Both are also cha...

California man pleads guilty to abusing minors while working for U.S. Army in Japan

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California

California man pleads guilty to abusing minors while working for U.S. Army in Japan

A California man has pleaded guilty to federal charges for sexually abusing two minors while employed as a civilian with the U.S. Army overseas. According to court documents, Thelmo Meneses Santos Jr., 60, of Merced, California, engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two children under the age of 16 between 2015 and 2023 while stationed in Japan. He admitted to the offenses during an interview with law enforcement. He was later arrested in Hawaii by Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) special agents. As part of his plea agreement, Santos faces up to 15 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, restitution to the victims, a $250,000 fine, and mandatory registration as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Sentencing is schedul...

Uzbek man loses immigration case after court finds risk of torture too low

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Washington D.C.

Uzbek man loses immigration case after court finds risk of torture too low

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A man from Uzbekistan will be deported from the United States after the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that he did not meet the legal standard to stay under protection laws meant to prevent torture. According to Matter of J-A-, the respondent claimed that if sent back to Uzbekistan, he would be jailed and tortured due to pending terrorism charges. He said he was previously detained in Russia based on false claims and was later attacked in Turkey by men he believed were Uzbek agents. He was arrested in the U.S. in April 2024 on an Interpol Red Notice and applied for asylum and protection under the Convention Against Torture. However, the Immigration Judge found the man’s testimony to be unreliable due to conflicting details and missing information. The judge...

Judge Hidalgo calls for delay on law enforcement raises, proposes funds go toward fixing $410M flood bond deficit

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Judge Hidalgo calls for delay on law enforcement raises, proposes funds go toward fixing $410M flood bond deficit

HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Judge Lina Hidalgo is calling on Commissioners Court to delay $100 million in proposed law enforcement pay raises and instead use those funds to help reduce a $410 million shortfall in the 2018 flood bond program. File Photo (August 2025) In a letter sent September 24, 2025, to County Auditor Mike Post and Budget Director Daniel Ramos, Judge Hidalgo suggested that Commissioners bring the law enforcement raises to voters in 2026 and repurpose the funds now to restart 27 flood bond projects currently on hold due to the funding gap. During the September 19 Commissioners Court session, Harris County Flood Control District Director Tina Petersen said the county cannot fulfill all of the original bond commitments unless the deficit is addressed. Over the course of...

Man charged, second suspect sought in 2019 fatal shooting at West Airport apartment

24Sep

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Man charged, second suspect sought in 2019 fatal shooting at West Airport apartment

HOUSTON, TX – Houston police are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of 44-year-old Terry Clark at an apartment located at 6633 West Airport Boulevard. The shooting occurred around 12:30 a.m. on January 29, 2019. Witnesses told police they heard gunfire and then saw two Black male suspects fleeing Clark's apartment. The pair reportedly left the scene in a white SUV. One of the suspects, Trevon Demitri Lewis, 28, has been charged with murder in the 337th Criminal District Court. He was arrested on September 18 by HPD South Gessner Patrol Division’s Crime Suppression Team and the U.S. Marshals Service. The second suspect remains unidentified. He is described only as a Black male, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall a...