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Roger Ver, known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus,’ wrote $50 million check to IRS to resolve tax case

15Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California, U.S.

Roger Ver, known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus,’ wrote $50 million check to IRS to resolve tax case

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Justice announced that Roger Ver, an early bitcoin investor widely known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” entered into a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve federal tax charges related to his failure to report bitcoin holdings when he renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014. As part of the agreement, Ver has paid nearly $50 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest to the Internal Revenue Service. The government has moved to dismiss the indictment against him. According to the deferred prosecution agreement, Ver began acquiring bitcoins in 2011 and publicly promoted the cryptocurrency, earning his nickname. In March 2014, he expatriated from the United States after obtaining citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis. Because of his net worth, he was req...

San Diego man wrote letter to media personality in Florida threatening violence, federal charges filed

15Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California, Florida, U.S.

San Diego man wrote letter to media personality in Florida threatening violence, federal charges filed

WASHINGTON, D.C - The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that, George Russell Isbell Jr., 69, of San Diego, was charged in a criminal complaint with mailing a threatening communication after his arrest Oct. 7 in San Diego. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the arrest stemmed from coordinated work among state, local and federal law enforcement. Bondi said investigators located a letter mailed from San Diego on or about Sept. 18 that threatened to injure a media personality located in Tampa, Florida, and stated the victim “needed to be exterminated.” The letter referenced a recently killed associate and included language such as, “Maybe someone will blow your head off!!! We can hope! Planning any public engagements? Love to see your head explode and your blood stain the concrete...

Two arrested after meth, gun found during stop on Sam Houston Parkway

15Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Two arrested after meth, gun found during stop on Sam Houston Parkway

HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Two individuals were arrested following a traffic stop on the West Sam Houston Parkway North after deputies discovered methamphetamine and a loaded firearm. Photo Credit: Harris County Pct. 5 The incident occurred on October 14, 2025, in the 2200 block of the West Sam Houston Parkway North. According to Constable Terry Albritton, deputies with the Harris County Constable Precinct 5 Toll Road Division conducted the stop and observed several criminal indicators during the encounter with the vehicle’s occupants. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of approximately 504 grams (1.1 pounds) of methamphetamine and a loaded 9mm handgun. Both occupants were arrested and charged with Felony Possession of a Controlled Substance (First Degree) and Fel...

Court rules Michigan school district may prohibit ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts under vulgarity policy

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, U.S.

Court rules Michigan school district may prohibit ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts under vulgarity policy

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a Michigan school district’s decision to prohibit two students from wearing sweatshirts bearing the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” ruling that the phrase could be reasonably interpreted as vulgar and thus subject to regulation under the First Amendment’s student speech exceptions. According to Case No. 24-1769 filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and appealed to the Sixth Circuit, two middle school students in Howard City wore sweatshirts to school in 2022 with the phrase widely understood as a euphemism for “F--- Joe Biden.” School administrators requested they remove the garments, citing the district’s dress code prohibiting vulgar or profane attire. The students’ mother, iden...

Sixth Circuit denies coal company’s challenge to black lung benefits for Kentucky miner

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Kentucky, U.S.

Sixth Circuit denies coal company’s challenge to black lung benefits for Kentucky miner

CINCINNATI, OH – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has denied a petition from the Cumberland River Coal Company, which sought to overturn an award of federal black lung benefits granted to retired Kentucky coal miner Carlos Sturgill. Sturgill, a former underground miner with more than 25 years of experience, retired in 2007 after suffering a heart attack in the mines. He later underwent open-heart surgery and experienced chronic respiratory issues including shortness of breath, wheezing, and bronchitis. After his initial claim for benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA) was denied in 2016, Sturgill submitted new medical evidence in a 2018 claim that led to an award of benefits. The BLBA allows coal miners to collect benefits if they develop a respiratory d...

Sixth Circuit affirms 57-month sentence for Ohio felon found with gun and drugs months after release

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Ohio, U.S.

Sixth Circuit affirms 57-month sentence for Ohio felon found with gun and drugs months after release

CINCINNATI, OH – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the conviction and 57-month sentence of Kalib Tucker, an Ohio man with a violent criminal history, who was found in possession of a firearm and narcotics just months after being released from prison. Tucker, previously convicted of several felony offenses including a 2014 gang-related shooting and a home invasion, was released from prison in January 2023. By September of that year, his parole officer discovered a photograph showing Tucker with a firearm in his pocket. A subsequent search of his residence uncovered a loaded Glock pistol, fentanyl pills, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and a speed loader. Tucker, prohibited from possessing firearms as a felon, was arrested and charged under 18 U.S.C. §§ ...

Sixth Circuit: First Step Act does not allow murder sentences to be reduced unless part of drug-related sentencing package

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Michigan, U.S.

Sixth Circuit: First Step Act does not allow murder sentences to be reduced unless part of drug-related sentencing package

DETROIT, MI — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated and remanded four reduced sentences issued under the First Step Act, finding that district courts may not reduce sentences for non-covered offenses such as murder, unless they were part of a sentencing package tied to a covered offense like a crack cocaine conspiracy. Edward Dale, Gene Polk, John Gordon, and Gregory Brown, members of Detroit’s “Best Friends” gang, were convicted in the 1990s of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and multiple homicides tied to drug trafficking. Each originally received life sentences on both drug and murder charges, plus additional firearm sentences. In 2018, the First Step Act allowed courts to retroactively reduce sentences for certain drug crimes involving crack cocaine. The di...

Appeals court says South Carolina senior care provider waived right to arbitration in wrongful death suit

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

U.S.

Appeals court says South Carolina senior care provider waived right to arbitration in wrongful death suit

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has affirmed a lower court’s decision denying a motion to compel arbitration filed by Claiborne Senior Living, LLC and TCABC Real Estate Holdings, LLC in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the estate of Gordon Jay Sarver. According to court records, Sarver, who suffered from dementia, was admitted to The Claiborne at Brickyard Crossing, a memory care facility in Summerville, South Carolina, in October 2022. Four months later, he died after walking away from the facility, falling, and striking his head. His wife, Cheryl Sarver, filed a lawsuit in May 2023 on behalf of his estate, alleging state-law claims related to his death. Before his admission, Cheryl Sarver signed a residency agreement and a binding arbitration agreement on he...

Fourth Circuit vacates one firearm conviction on double jeopardy grounds, upholds 20-year sentence for Virginia man

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

U.S.

Fourth Circuit vacates one firearm conviction on double jeopardy grounds, upholds 20-year sentence for Virginia man

RICHMOND, VA – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled that a Virginia man convicted of multiple federal firearms offenses must have one of his convictions vacated due to a violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Double Jeopardy Clause, but upheld the remainder of his conviction and sentence. Patrick Tate Adamiak was convicted by a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on five counts, including possession and transfer of a machinegun, receipt and possession of unregistered firearms, and unregistered destructive devices. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. In an unpublished opinion issued October 14, 2025, the Fourth Circuit held that Adamiak’s convictions on both Count One (possessing an unregistered firearm under 26 U.S.C....

Victorville man arrested for murder in Chino Hills domestic violence homicide

14Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California

Victorville man arrested for murder in Chino Hills domestic violence homicide

CHINO HILLS, CA – A Victorville man has been arrested for murder following the death of a Chino Hills woman in what investigators believe was a domestic violence-related incident. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded to the 4000 block of Village Drive around 10:23 p.m. on October 8, 2025, for a medical aid call. They found 44-year-old Jillian Jones deceased inside her residence. She had suffered a fatal traumatic injury. The suspect, 62-year-old Vincent Ratliff of Victorville, was not at the scene when deputies arrived. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division – Homicide Detail determined that Jones and Ratliff had been in a romantic relationship. On October 9, 2025, Sheriff’s Specialized Enforcement Division ...