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Quando Rondo was arrested last weekend in Georgia and now faces federal drug charges and other related charges. The “I Remember” artist was arrested without incident but does add to the rapper’s legal woes from this year.
Local outlet WJCL reports that Quando Rondo, 24, was arrested on Friday (December 8) in his hometown of Savannah with city police named as the arresting agency.
The rapper, real name Tyquian Bowman, was inside a vehicle that officers pulled over and he was the only person to be taken into custody. The news outlet was told by an FBI spokesperson that the arrest was related to federal drug charges.
Just under six months ago, Rondo and 18 other individuals were indicted on drug and gang charges in the state of Georgia. Rondo is facing ramifications of allegedly violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act due to his perceived role in the Rollin’ 60’s gang organization.
Quando Rondo is also facing a charge of the illegal use of communication for using a cell phone to set up the sale of marijuana.
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Photo: Quando Rondo / @quando_rondo
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An FBI agent was a victim of a carjacking in Washington, D.C., highlighting the rising crime trend in the Nation’s Capital. From last year to now, carjacking reports have doubled and the city has issued warnings to citizens and visitors alike.
As reported by Fox 5 DC, an employee of the FBI was the victim of an armed carjacking Wednesday (November 29) afternoon according to reports. The crime happened around 3:45 local time in the city’s Northeast section. The victim says they were approached by a pair of armed assailants who took the vehicle via gunpoint before speeding off. The vehicle was located less than a mile away in the city’s Southwest section.
The two suspects, who both appeared to be in their late teens or early 20s, were seen on camera footage and a citywide search is on for the pair. The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department are both conducting a search, and a $10,000 reward has been announced for the capture of the suspects.
The same evening of the carjacking incident, the D.C. Council held a Public Safety Committee hearing to address the rise of violent crimes across the city and the ACT Now bill aimed at extending policing procedures and eliminating open-air drug markets among other tactics.
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Photo: Getty
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Muhammad Aziz, a man who was wrongfully convicted in the 1865 assassination of Malcolm X, was exonerated of the crime back in 201. Now, Aziz is filing a lawsuit against the federal government over the FBI allegedly withholding proof of his innocence.
Muhammad Aziz, 85, filed the lawsuit in a Brooklyn, N.Y. federal court last week, adding a new chapter to his legal ordeal that landed him more than two decades behind bars. The estate of the late Khalil Islam, another man who was convicted in the assassination plot, also filed a lawsuit. Islam died in prison back in 2009.
Courthouse News Service reports that Aziz is alleging that former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover withheld proof that would have granted Aziz and Islam freedom. Adding to this, former Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. said during the hearing to clear Aziz and Islam that the FBI and NYPD. both hid witness records that may have cleared the men of any wrongdoing. Vance added that Hoover instructed witnesses in the case to not tell the police or prosecutors of their FBI informant status.
The lawsuits are naming more than a dozen people affiliated with the FBI and reportedly are seeking a combined $80 million in damages. The suit claims that Aziz and Islam were targeted due to their connection to the Nation of Islam despite being at home with their spouses at the time of the 1965 incident.
Thus far, Aziz and the estate of Islam have been awarded $36 million by New York City and the state.
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Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty
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As the top fundraiser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams had their home raided by the FBI, reports revealed additional raids on two other aides were conducted.
According to reports, on the same day that the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, the agency executed search warrants on two other homes of people close to Mayor Eric Adams.
Unnamed sources close to the investigation confirmed that the homes of Rana Abbasova and Cenk Öcal were searched on the same day of the Suggs raid. Abbasova currently serves as the director of protocol for the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and was previously a longtime liaison to New York City’s Turkish community when Adams was Brooklyn Borough President, and Öcal was part of his transition team and a former Turkish Airlines executive who was let go in 2022 after a shakeup.
The searches were conducted at Abbasova’s home in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and Öcal’s home which is also in New Jersey. The news follows a report that Abbasova was placed on leave earlier this week. When questioned by reporters, Fabian Levy, the Deputy Mayor of Communications, replied: “As we have repeatedly said, we recently learned of an individual who acted improperly, which we promptly reported to investigators. While we continue to cooperate with investigators, the most important thing to remember is that the mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing.” Abbasova and Öcal didn’t respond to comments from the press.
Federal authorities conducted the searches on Suggs’ home and the other parties as part of an ongoing investigation into the 2021 campaign of Mayor Adams to detect if there was any conspiracy between Adams’ campaign and the Turkish government to funnel foreign donations into the campaign vault as well as to investigate if the Turkish government exerted influence on Mayor Adams to pressure New York Fire Department officials to bypass safety concerns for a new high-rise building housing the Turkish consulate to be completed. Mayor Adams also had his electronic devices seized last Monday (November 6) by federal authorities on the way to an event in conjunction with the raid on Suggs’ home.
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Source: Spencer Platt / Getty / Eric Adams
New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be in some serious trouble.
The socialite who sometimes masquerades as New York City’s Mayor had his phones seized by the FBI as part of an ongoing federal investigation into fundraising.
Spotted on CNN, the feds popped up Mayor Eric Adams and seized phones and an iPad after securing a court-authorized warrant, a person close to the matter said.
Per CNN:
The seizure is a dramatic escalation of the federal probe into whether foreign money was funneled to his campaign, bringing it directly to the mayor, a Democrat. The investigation is being handled by the FBI and the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. Adams has not been accused of any wrongdoing so far, but he is the latest politician to come under scrutiny for ties to foreign governments – in his case Turkey.
The seizure came days after the FBI raided the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser as part of the investigation to determine whether the mayor’s 2021 campaign conspired with a Brooklyn-based construction company to funnel foreign money into campaign coffers.
Prosecutors Had To Convince A Judge There Was Probable Cause To Seize Adams’ Phones
According to the New York Times, to seize Mayor Adams’ devices, prosecutors had to convince a judge they had probable cause that there was evidence of a crime on the electronic devices.
Adams said he had nothing to hide in a statement sent to CNN on Friday, November 10.
“As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation — and I will continue to do exactly that,” the mayor said. “I have nothing to hide.”
Two sources close to the matter told CNN that FBI agents “walked right up to him” on the street and seized his devices following him giving a speech at New York University’s Kimmel Center Monday. ]
Welp.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
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Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty
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The home of a top consultant to New York City Mayor Eric Adams was raided by the FBI, prompting Adams to cancel a major trip to head back to the city.
In the early morning hours on Thursday (Nov. 2), agents with the FBI conducted a raid on the Crown Heights home of Brianna Suggs. Suggs is the top fund-raiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and an esteemed campaign consultant of his. Suggs was also reportedly questioned by agents, who left with three iPhones, two computers and files bearing Adams’ name from her home. Federal agents also executed the search warrant at the KSK Construction Group in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in addition to other residences. Investigators are also looking into a small college outside of Washington D.C. with ties to Turkey.
Suggs has been a strong fund-raiser for Mayor Adams, helping his successful campaign obtain $18.4 million in funding. She was also working on his 2025 reelection campaign, with reports saying that $900,000 has been raised so far. The FBI warrant is tied to an ongoing investigation to determine whether Adams’ campaign conspired with the construction company and the Turkish government to direct foreign money to the campaign by using straw donors in 2021. Adams has previously been vocal about his trips to Turkey, saying, “I think I’m on my sixth or seventh visit,” during a flag-raising ceremony for the nation in lower Manhattan last week.
News of the raid led Mayor Adams to abruptly cancel a series of meetings with other city mayors in Washington D.C. concerning the ongoing migrant crisis in New York to head back home with his team. When asked about his hurried return by reporters later that evening at a Dia De Los Muertos event at Gracie Mansion, he said he would comply with any inquiries from federal authorities. “I feel extremely comfortable about how I comply with rules and procedures,” Adams said. “I hold myself to a high standard, and I hold my campaign to a high standard, and I hold my staff at City Hall to a high standard.”
The raid comes weeks after another high-ranking figure close to Mayor Adams, former city buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich, was indicted and charged with using his position to extract bribes in the form of cash and other gifts for favors, which included access to Mayor Adams.
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Wednesday (Aug. 9), the FBI gunned down MAGA disciple, Craig Robertson, after he threatened to shoot and kill President Joe Biden and Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg. But interestingly enough, the man was put on to the FBI by a fellow MAGAt.
CNBC is reporting that the FBI was tipped off of Robertson’s intentions in by a user on Truth Social. The platform serves as a social media website for far-right Trump supporters who use the site to promote conspiracy theories, their hate of liberals and democrats, and in the process, further remove themselves from reality in search of a safe space for their worst and often times racist impulses. A Truth Social user contacted the FBI about Robertson’s troublesome posts in March to which they responded with a visit to his Utah residence. Robertson turned them away and told them to come back with a warrant.
With Joe Biden touching down in Utah this week, the FBI went to Robertson’s home armed with a search warrant, but Robertson greeted them with a gun this time and from there it was all downhill for the Trump fanatic.
CNBC reports:
Robertson, 75, was armed when FBI agents confronted him at his home in Provo on Wednesday morning and pointed his weapon at agents and did not respond to their commands before they fatally shot him, a senior official told NBC.
Agents were there to arrest him on a federal criminal complaint accusing him of making death threats against Biden, Bragg and FBI agents.
Robertson was killed hours before Biden arrived in Utah for a visit.
In a social media post on Sunday, Robertson wrote, “I heard Biden is coming to Utah.” He added that he was dusting off his “M24 Sniper Rifle.”
Robertson was described by the FBI in that complaint as a white man “approximately 70-75 years old” who was surveilled “wearing a dark suit (later observed as having an AR-15 style rifle lapel pin attached), a white shirt, a red tie, and a multi-colored (possibly camouflage) hat bearing the word ‘TRUMP’ on the front.”
Naturally, MAGA country has described the incident as another example of Joe Biden using the FBI to kill innocent Americans who oppose his views comparing them to the Gestapo of Hitler’s Germany, but come on now. The man pointed a gun at the FBI. What’d they expect to happen? White privilege can only take you so far in America.
As for who spilled the beans on Robertson’s diabolical plan, no one knows. But best believe those Truth Social users will somehow place this on “the radical left” and continue to blame everyone but themselves for everything that’s “wrong” in this country.
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Law enforcement officials in Montgomery, Alabama revealed they contacted the FBI about hate charges related to the Riverfront Park brawl last weekend.
On Tuesday (Aug. 8), Montgomery Police Department Chief Darryl J. Albert held a press conference to announce that there were criminal charges being brought in the infamous brawl that took place at Riverfront Park on Saturday (Aug. 5), captured on video. Given that the fight broke out along racial lines, Chief Albert stated that they did contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether to file hate crime charges over the incident. “We were unable to present any inciting a riot or racially biased charges at this time,” he said.
The victims in the assault at the dock were Damien Pickett, the Black co-captain of the riverboat, and an unnamed white 16-year-old who transported Pickett to the dock at the outset of what led to the brawl. Chief Albert explained that the incident didn’t meet the criteria, but that they were still investigating. “I don’t think we’re near finished,” the chief said in an interview with reporter Sara Sidner of CNN. “As new developments come forward, we will amend charges as necessary … If it rises to the level of hate crimes, if it rises to the level of inciting a riot, or whatever that looks like … we will do just that,” he continued.
Currently, three white males – Richard Roberts (who has two warrants for third-degree assault), Allen Todd and Zachary Shipman – are charged in the case. Roberts is currently in custody. The three men and others involved are reported to have ties to the Vassar’s Mini Mart in Selma, but the Facebook page for the business has been taken down, according to reports. Chief Albert did add that they were looking for an unidentified Black man who used a chair in the melee for questioning.
The brawl began as the Harriott II riverboat arrived at the dock and found a private watercraft in its usual parking space. After 45 minutes of trying to get the boat to move, Pickett was ferried to the dock to get the boat’s owners to move but was confronted in a “very hostile manner,” leading to Pickett tossing his hat in the air before being attacked by the group of white men. Other Black bystanders came to Pickett’s aid, escalating the confrontation, which would become viral on social media.
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As gang violence increases in Haiti, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning to American citizens and residents against traveling to the country.
According to reports, the directive from the FBI comes after a surge in violence enacted by warring gangs in the Caribbean nation, putting stress on the embattled national police force. It issued the warning to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, particularly those living in South Florida. The bureau’s office in Miami cites a major uptick in the report of kidnappings in Haiti it has received since the beginning of the year – an increase of 300 percent in the first three months of this year when compared to the same time period last year.
Haiti still has a State Department Level 4: Do Not Travel Advisory. “While we understand that there are strong ties between Haiti and South Florida, before traveling there one should consider the trauma and financial costs of being kidnapped not only to themselves but to their family and friends as well,” FBI Supervisory Special Agent Liz Santamaria said to the Miami Herald.
While the agency has not disclosed the exact number, it is believed that many of the victims kidnapped for ransom have ties to the U.S. The State Department has advised all citizens still in Haiti to leave immediately.
The violence between warring gangs has been prevalent in the capital city of Port-au-Prince since the beginning of the year. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 was the event that fractured Haiti’s government infrastructure – the judiciary branch is viewed as inherently corrupt, there are no elected government officials still serving and the National Police Force has shrunk from 15,000 members three years ago to 9,000. Observers estimate that gangs now control between 60 to 90 percent of Port-au-Prince.
The warning also comes as the United Nations Security Council recently received a report that conditions in Haiti are now similar to countries at war. “The people of Haiti continue to suffer one of the worst human rights crises in decades and a major humanitarian emergency,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his report.
“With the high number of fatalities and increasing areas under the control of armed gangs, insecurity in the capital has reached levels comparable to countries in armed conflict.” Guterres is expected to reiterate a demand for the creation and deployment of a special security force when the Security Council meets again today (April 26).
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An investigative podcast revealed facts that the Federal Bureau of Investigation hired a violent felon to sow discord at Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020.
A newly released podcast, Alphabet Boys, unveiled information that showed that the FBI paid Michael Adam Windecker II to infiltrate protests organized by the social justice group in Denver, Colorado in 2020. The journalist behind the podcast, Trevor Aaronson, revealed how the agency paid Windecker $20,000 to ingratiate himself with activists on the ground who were protesting police brutality after the deaths of George Floyd and Elijah McClain.
Aaronson utilized documents obtained from the FBI through Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests to detail how the former felon agreed to be an informant because he wanted to “fight terrorists” and viewed those protesting as “people who participate in violent civil unrest are terrorists.” Windecker, who is white, would stand out at those protests driving a silver hearse full of weapons.
The podcast goes on to show how Windecker tried to recruit other activists as he got more involved with them over that summer, including Zebbodios “Zebb” Hall. “How extreme do you want it to go? Do you want to learn to shoot a gun and throw someone around, or do you want to go all the way uptown? If that’s what you want to do, I can make it happen,” he was overheard saying on undercover recordings. Windecker would go on to organize demonstrations in August that would lead to assaults against police stations in the city.
The plot became sinister as he coerced Hall to purchase a firearm for him after Hall refused to go along with a plot to assassinate Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. “I had to get this guy this gun because if I don’t get this guy this gun, he’s got my information. He’s got my family’s information,” Hall said in an interview. Aaronson would relate that Windecker used intimidation on everyone: “Windecker spoke of having killed people. He had a criminal history that was violent.”
The podcast has caused reactions of outrage and demand for accountability, including a statement from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). “If the allegations are true, the FBI’s use of an informant to spy on first amendment-protected activity and stoke violence at peaceful protests is an outrageous abuse of law-enforcement resources and authority,” he said. “I think you’re allowing these tactics to win if ultimately you’re choosing not to exercise your First Amendment rights for fear of government infiltration,” Aaronson said of the podcast.
