Crime and Punishment
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Marcus Jordan, the son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, was arrested on Monday (Feb. 3) for cocaine possession, DUI, and resisting arrest. Marcus Jordan was booked into the Orange County Jail in Florida, and we’re still seeking more details in the still-developing story.
As reported by TMZ and Page Six, Marcus Jordan, 34, was arrested in the town of Maitland, just outside of Orlando, on Monday after his luxury vehicle was caught on train tracks. Officers arrived at the scene and discovered Jordan in an inebriated state, and he admitted to the authorities that he had been drinking at a gentleman’s club nearby. Jordan failed three sobriety tests and was not given a breathalyzer test.
The officers then searched Jordan’s person and discovered a substance that was revealed to be cocaine. According to Page Six’s report, Jordan was singing for the entire ride as he was en route to getting booked. Jordan’s bond was set at $4,000, and after taking his mugshot and being processed, he was let go shortly after.
Marcus Jordan’s life in the public eye has been under intense scrutiny, especially when he was dating the ex-wife of his father’s former Chicago Bulls teammate, Larsa Pippen, who was previously married to Scottie Pippen. It was rumored then that Jordan was dealing with a drug problem after some questionable images surfaced.
Neither Jordan nor his father have spoken about the arrest publicly.
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Former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez was the target of an ethics complaint in 2006 by Republican Party opponents which opened the door to significant charges of corruption that ended the senator’s political career. This week, Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years behind bars floated an idea of seeking a potential pardon from President Donald Trump despite being a member of the Democratic Party.
As seen on CNN, Bob Menendez was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein in a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday (Jan. 29).
At root, Menendez was convicted in 2024 on bribery and corruption charges, which included taking over six figures in gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz convertible from Egyptian government officials and three businessmen in exchange for political favors.
Menendez was once a darling of the Democratic Party and was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the height of his political career. However, the conviction on 16 felony counts has given the former senator the unwelcomed distinction of being the first United States senator to be charged and convicted of acting as an agent to aid a foreign government.
In court, Menendez made an emotional statement toward Judge Stein.
“You have before you a chastened man,” Menendez said. “Other than family, I have lost everything I ever cared about. For someone who spent his entire life in public service, every day I’m awake is a punishment.”
Menendez’s tune changed outside the courtroom when he spoke to a gathering of media.
“Only in the Southern District of New York would prosecutors allow a witness to walk away from over 10 criminal charges, including defrauding the United States government so that they can get him to lie on the stand. Welcome to the Southern District of New York, the wild west of political prosecutions,” Menendez said.
He added, “This process is political and it’s corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.”
As noted at the top of the story, Menendez’s history of questionable political operations dates back to the late 1990s, and he was later indicted in 2015 on bribery, fraud, and false statement charges in connection to boosting the business interests of a Florida doctor with ties to the Dominican Republic in what would’ve benefited the doctor’s practice.
President Trump has not responded to Bob Menendez’s statement outside the court.
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Source: ABC News / Youtube
It seems like a full week rarely goes by without news of a new lawsuit being filed against deeply embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is now the defendant in dozens of civil lawsuits most of which allege sexual assault. (He’s also the plaintiff in one defamation suit filed against a grand jury witness and his attorney.)
Well, it’s not just Diddy’s alleged abuse victims who are coming forward to speak out against the Bad Boy CEO. One of his former artists, D. Woods of singing group Danity Kane, recently sat down with ABC News to discuss her own experiences with Diddy — and it ain’t pretty!
“I would say that this moment now is a time where I feel like my experience, my truth will really be heard and actually considered and believed,” D. Woods, born Wanita Denise Woodgett, told ABC News’ Eva Pilgrim, host of Good Morning America.
“You know, he is looked at as a hero of our community, and myself included, I looked up to him too,” Woodgett continued, speaking of Diddy. “So a lot of people don’t want to believe that their hero can be this other person.”
Woodgett hasn’t accused Diddy of sexual assault or anything of that nature, but she recalled how he was verbally abusive to her and other members of her group, all of whom were featured on the MTV reality show Making the Band, which was overseen by Diddy.
“He did it in different ways with all of us, you know, picking and prodding and just a way to chip and knock away, but then praise you,” Woddgett said of Combs.
From ABC:
After her time as part of Danity Kane, D. Woods continued to pursue her passions, including performing on Broadway.
If she had the chance to talk to Combs today, the singer told Pilgrim she is not sure what she would say.
“I honestly do not know, but I don’t think you really have to say anything, as long as I’m holding my head up high and my shoulders back,” she said.
Watch the interview with D. Woods below.
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When you’re posting photos of your travels on social media, someone is waiting to catch you slipping. Keep this in mind if your spouse is a drug kingpin and he’s wanted by the Feds.
A wanted, and since caught, drug dealer pushing major weight out of Costs Rica found this out the hard way after he got pinched thanks to his wife posting selfies while on vacation in Europe.
Reports the U.S. Sun:
The 43-year-old was held in London after arriving to celebrate the New Year with Estefania McDonald Rodriguez on a £16,000 holiday.
American Drug Enforcement Administration agents had followed her social media posts about visits to the capital, and Paris.
They had to strike while Grijalba was out of Costa Rica, as the nation usually bars extradition of its own.
One picture showed Grijalba, known as Shock, and his wife in a cream fur-collared coat in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The struggle drug dealer in question is Luis Manuel Picado Grijalba, 43, who got arrested in London this past December. He is reportedly accused of sending cocaine from Costa Rica to the United States, and will be looking at a hefty jail sentence.
And he got caught because his wife had to stunt on Instagram and Facebook. Son…
Reportedly, struggle El Chapo’s wife, Estefania McDonald Rodriguez, made sure to strike poses on the Internets during their European and Colombian vacations, making the job of the authorities (including the DEA) easier as they moved to arrest him when they peeped he was in London. Reportedly, the wife had a habit of travelling overseas but “Shock” wasn’t always with her.
Shock will be learning his fate—as in if he’ll be get getting extradited to the US—next month.
Grijalba faced Westminster JPs the day after his arrest and is contesting extradition to the US, where he can expect a lengthy jail term.
The case was adjourned until next month.
He has survived two assassination attempts in Costa Rica, including one in which he cowered behind a cherry tree while seven comrades were gunned down.
An NCA spokesman said: “Luis Picado Grijalba, 43, was arrested in the London Bridge area on December 29 and remanded into custody.
“Extradition proceedings are ongoing.”
No word on if he’s broken up with wife, though.
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Lil Durk is currently behind bars awaiting trial for his role in a murder-for-hire plot that targeted Quando Rondo but instead left the rapper’s cousin shot and killed in 2022. In new court documents that were recently filed, Lil Durk’s trial has been postponed until October of this year as officials will comb through 230 gigabytes of digital evidence.
As shared by independent legal reporter Meghann Cuniff, Lil Durk was slated to go on trial next week as seen in the filing made on Dec. 31 to the United States District Court, Central District of California. Cuniff combed through the filing and discovered that Durk’s new trial date will be Oct. 14 as the state continues to examine its haul of evidence as prosecutors continue to build out their case.
Cuniff shared that Durk’s co-defendant Asa “Boogie” Houston is opposing the trial postponement while another co-defendant Deandre “DeDe” Wilson appears to be seeking a plea deal after requesting a pre-plea sentence report.
The discovery portion of the matter focuses on “approximately 230 GB of digital evidence such as audio/video recordings and surveillance footage, and approximately 20,000 pages of reports concerning murder and other violent acts, photographs, witness statements, and medical documents.”
It is expected that Lil Durk will remain behind bars until the trial after being denied bond due to a potential flight risk. The Chicago star was arrested while en route to a Florida airport that was reportedly heading to Europe before he was cornered and arrested.
Meghann Cuniff’s thread from X regarding the matter can be viewed below.
Rapper Lil Durk is looking at a new trial date of October 14 in his murder-for-hire case in Los Angeles, according to a stipulation today from federal prosecutors and the defense. pic.twitter.com/XtMjADEOPd
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 31, 2024
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The manifesto and online posts of the accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione have left many on social media taking constant notice.
The man alleged to have shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, has captivated the public since the incident last Wednesday (December 4) and more so as his social media history and manifesto have been revealed. Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein published the manifesto through his Substack on Tuesday (December 10), which he shared in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Klippenstein would later chastise major outlets for not attempting to publish the manifesto in another post.
https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/1866587110641188940
The 262-word letter addressed to “the Feds” was found on Mangione by law enforcement officials who detained him in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday (December 9). Mangione called out the United States for having the “most expensive healthcare system in the world,” but being only ranked 42nd in life expectancy across the globe. He attacked UnitedHealthcare in the document, stating that it was the “largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart.” While not naming Thompson, Mangione went on to apologize for any ripple effect of chaos but wrote, “These parasites simply had it coming.” The 26-year-old would go on to say that he respected law enforcement for what they do, and stressed that he worked alone. Mangione ended the manifesto by writing that it was “not an issue of awareness at this point, but clearly power games at play” — and declared that he’s simply “the first to face it with such brutal honesty.”
Mangione’s social media history has come under scrutiny since his apprehension, primarily on X, formerly Twitter, with some highlighting his first string of posts upon joining the platform back in 2016. Another user named BabsGrey highlighted a connection with books he read on Goodreads and an X-ray of someone getting spinal fusion treatment as his header on X, writing that “he must have gone through some kind of personal hell with insurance.”
Luigi Mangione’s twitter header has this X-Ray and his goodreads has these books…he must have gone through some kind of personal hell with insurance. pic.twitter.com/pJ3366zb5D
— Babs Gray (@BabsGray) December 9, 2024
Another user pointed out that Mangione’s last Goodreads review was of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, where he left five stars. “[H]is last Goodreads log being the Lorax is so funny. he said right that’s enough,” wrote the user named Rocky.
his last goodreads log being the lorax is so funny. he said right that’s enough pic.twitter.com/Il90Qrvzlo
— rocky (@WAYSTIAR) December 9, 2024
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Jay-Z was named in a refiled civil lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs on Sunday (Dec. 8) with the complaint accusing the rapper and mogul of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2000. The complaint was originally filed against Diddy back in October of this year and was readjusted to include Jay-Z’s name in the most recent filing.
In an exclusive report from NBC News, the complaint, filmed by an unnamed accuser, claims that Jay-Z, real name Shawn Corey Carter, was involved in the rape of the girl known as Jane Doe in the complaint. The outlet, which has details about the lawsuit, shared the contents within.
Jane Doe accused Combs and Carter of assaulting her at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party event. The lawsuit was filed by Tony Buzbee of Texas in the Southern District of New York. The outlet adds that Carter’s attorney, Alex Spiro, and other media representatives have yet to comment on the claim. In addition, reps for Combs also decided against offering comments. It is the first lawsuit filed by Buzbee to include a celebrity of Jay-Z’s magnitude.
The outlet laid out the details of the lawsuit and we must warn that what is explained might be triggering for some so proceed with caution.
Jane Doe claims that in 2000 at the age of 13, she was raped at a house party in New York after the MTV VMAs. Doe says that a friend dropped her off at the VMAs, which was held at the Radio City Music Hall venue. Doe says she asked several limo drivers on the premises for access to the award show or parties.
One driver heeded her call and said that he worked for Combs and that she “fit” the profile of what “Diddy was looking for” and was invited to the after-party. The driver then allegedly picked up Doe and took her to a home in New York and was ordered to sign a nondisclosure agreement to gain entry to the party.
Doe says she was given a drink that made her drowsy and went into a room to rest. She then claims that Combs and Carter came into the room, stating that Carter removed her clothes and sexually assaulted her. Combs allegedly came into the room and also assaulted the girl as Jay-Z and an unnamed woman celebrity watched.
The Roc Nation account on X has posted a response from Carter stating that Buzbee’s lawsuit filing is nothing more than a shakedown. Read below.
pic.twitter.com/jl8sgOllCM
— Roc Nation (@RocNation) December 9, 2024
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Jane Doe is seeking unspecified damages.
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Conor McGregor, a professional combat sports fighter and entrepreneur, has faced several legal issues throughout his career, and the latest matter has a new development. The Irish MMA star was ordered to pay a woman $250,000 in a civil suit after she accused Conor McGregor of sexually assaulting her.
As reported by The Guardian, Conor McGregor, 36, was in Ireland’s high court last Friday (November 22) to hear the judgment regarding the civil rape and sexual assault case. Nikita Hand, the woman accusing McGregor, said that the former UFC champion raped her in a hotel in Dublin in December 2018.
Hand said she came across McGregor and invited him to a Christmas party at her place of work to join her and a friend. Hand also said that James Lawrence was also an attendee of the party and sexually assaulted her as well although the jury found no evidence backing the claim. Hand spoke to a throng of reporters outside the courthouse after the verdict was read and thanked her supporters and loved ones.
In a series of now-deleted replies on the X platform, McGregor lashed out at Hand, calling her a “vicious liar” and springboarded upon Lawrence being cleared of charges as an attempt to exonerate himself.
“Two men falsely accused One vindicated, the other soon to be,” McGregor wrote last Saturday. “Congrats James Lawrence on absolute exoneration! Twice this heinous accusation was put to you and twice it was shown as FALSE!”
Conor McGregor has vowed to seek an appeal and have the case overturned.
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Diddy has just received his first piece of good news in a long time. A judge has ruled that prosecutors can’t use materials seized from his jail cell.
As spotted on Deadline, the now embattled mogul might be feeling more confident heading into his upcoming bail hearing. On Tuesday (November 19), Judge Arun Subramanian denied the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District the ability to leverage any information seized from an October raid in Diddy’s jail cell. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams submitted a filing last week alleging that the Bad Boy Entertainment founder had written notes detailing plans to “blackmail” witnesses, make unauthorized calls, and more.
“While attempting to evade law enforcement monitoring, the defendant has, among other things, orchestrated social media campaigns that are, in his own words, aimed at tainting the jury pool; made efforts to publicly leak materials he views as helpful to his case; and contacted witnesses through third parties,” the memo read.
Additionally, prosecutors also submitted a transcript of a call Diddy made to one of his sons that shows “the defendant’s goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence or providing testimony helpful to his defense.”
Some of the items seized in the raid include “intact pages from two different legal pads, (ii) pages of an address book, (iii) a ripped-out, folded-over page of a third legal pad, (iv) a ripped-out page of another legal pad and (v) a ripped-out page of yet a different legal pad.”
Diddy’s legal team pushed back citing the raid violated several of their client’s Amendments rights. Diddy’s third bail hearing is scheduled for November 22. He has previously offered a $50 million bond and agreed to only be in contact with his family and legal team.
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Lil Durk has entered a not guilty plea in his murder-for-hire case in California this week, setting the stage for an upcoming trial that has been set for the top of next year. Lil Durk is accused of ordering members of his OTF (Only The Family) collective to carry out a revenge killing in response to the shooting death of King Von.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Lil Durk, 32, was in a Los Angeles court on Thursday (November 14) for his arraignment in connection to the death of a family member of rival Quando Rondo. One of Rondo’s associates shot and killed Dayvon “King Von” Bennett in 2020 during an altercation in Atlanta, Ga.
Durk was initially arrested three weeks ago near a Miami airport where he was allegedly attempting to leave the country on a flight bound for Italy and according to reports, Durk was booked for three international flights on private airplanes.
The Tribune adds in its reporting that Durk is being held in a federal prison in California and prosecutors want him to remain jailed until his trial, which is set for January 7, 2025. The prosecutors in the case are stating that Durk is a potential flight risk and a danger to the community.
Lil Durk is accused of allegedly putting five OTF members on the task of taking out Quando Rondo after rapper Timothy “Lul Tim” Leeks shot and killed King Von. Charges against Lul Tim were later dropped according to Georgia’s “stand-your-ground” laws.
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