NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL – After an argument involving borrowing a car, some orange juice in the fridge and asking for an air conditioning remote control, a 29-year-old man reportedly “lost it” and shot his mother six times.
The suspect, now in custody, was alleged to have tried turning the gun on himself after the murder, but realized he was out of bullets.
— Kenneth McNeil (@23_mcneil) September 8, 2020
Luis Martin Pages claims that during some portion of these various arguments, his 59-year-old mother, Miriam Gonzalez, had threatened him with a knife. After allegedly shooting his mother, Pages was said to have tried shooting himself only to realize that the gun was out of bullets.
Thereafter, Pages called 911 and allegedly confessed to what he’d just done when officers arrived at the home at approximately 5:00 p.m. that evening:
“I killed her. Take me to jail.”
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene when officers arrived.
Police took Pages into custody and he was charged with second-degree murder. He was subsequently booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at approximately 1:00 a.m. on September the 7th.
Making an appearance in bond court on the morning of September 7th, Pages was given no bond during said hearing. If convicted, Pages could serve life in prison for the murder of his mother.
In other cases stemming from the Sunshine State, a man in Wesley Chapel, Florida is wanted for allegedly beating his wife after a tire blowout on the interstate.
Troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol say that 45-year-old Joey Edward Morgan not only attacked his wife of 12-years after a tire blowing out – but tried to kill her afterwards.
Morgan is wanted for charges of charge of attempted murder after authorities say that on September 3rd the suspect had yanked his wife out of the driver’s seat of their Dodge Ram pickup by her hair, headbutt her, punched her and then threw her into oncoming traffic on Interstate 75.
A tractor-trailer nearly struck the woman when she was tossed into traffic – but was luckily able to swerve out of the way without incident. Morgan was also said to have verbally threatened to kill his wife multiple times during the attack.
Florida man wanted for beating wife after I-75 tire blowout, troopers say https://t.co/ZbfZa33c4r
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) September 4, 2020
Witnesses and the victim informed the troopers that responded to the scene of what played out that morning, but by the time authorities had arrived, the suspect had already fled the area by foot.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Morgan are asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol with said tips.
Another story from the Sunshine State, the “Florida Man” is a headline that pops up numerous times every week (sometimes several in a single day), and federal prosecutors say a man from Fort Myers happened to illegally use the payroll protection program loan program issued during the pandemic.
According to reports, 35-year-old Casey Crowther used the PPP loan money he’d recieved to purchase a boat that cost nearly $700,000.
Florida man bought $700K boat with PPP money, prosecutors say https://t.co/UPGc4EUVPC pic.twitter.com/aP1YeCttUi
— WFTV Channel 9 (@WFTV) September 6, 2020
Crowther had received over $2 million from the federal loan program this year in order maintain payroll for the employees of his company Target Roofing and Sheet Metal.
Yet, mere days after getting his hands on the loan money, Crowther purchased a 40-foot 2020 Invincible catamaran that cost $689,417.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and is currently being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling, according to the Justice Department.
Crowther was officially charged with making a false statement to a lending institution, which could land him in federal prison for 30 years if convicted.
Since Crowther’s arrest, he has bonded out of jail after posting a $100,000 bond.
City councilman killed after stabbing child and her mother, opening fire on police as they tried to protect child
MISSION, TX – A councilman is dead.. and police say he left them with no choice.
Police responded to 1409 Viejo Ln regarding a domestic dispute around 9:30pm. Upon arrival, a four-year-old child came running towards them while bleeding.
Officers who were on scene took the child and the mother, the girlfriend of Sullivan City Council member Gabriel Salinas, who both had wounds on their person from some type of edged weapon.
As the officers extracted the victim’s to safety, Salinas appeared and began firing at the officers, one of which returned fire, it is unclear if the rounds discharged by the officer struck Salinas.
As the girlfriend and the child were being taken to the hospital, Salinas retreated into his home and locked the doors. Mission Police Chief Dominguez advised that Hostage Negotiators were dispatched to the scene and attempted to establish a dialogue with him in order to get him to peacefully surrender. Those efforts ultimately failed.
Police began evacuating nearby homes in order to ensure their safety. This is typical in situations that involve an active shooter, someone who comes out from their home or place of safety and begins to indiscriminately discharge a firearm at anyone or anything. This is done in order to ensure that officers on the scene only have to worry about the subject that has the firearm and not worry about anyone else being injured.
What happens in these situations are that law enforcement repeatedly announce who they are and call for the person to exit the residence with their hands clear. This happens over and over again until a search warrant is written and signed by a judge.
Once this happens, SWAT deploys, typically with a robot or some other device which would limit the risk exposed to the suspect and officers at the scene.
After several hours with no response from Salinas, Mission Police and the Texas Department of Public Safety SWAT team forced entry into the residence and deployed a robot inside.
Around 3am, the robot observed what appeared to be Salinas’ body on the ground with blood on the floor. Unable to confirm whether or not the suspect is disabled, extreme caution is taken prior to SWAT officers entering the scene.
When they did enter the scene, they located Salinas and found him deceased.
When questioned about Salinas injuries and possible cause of death, Chief Dominguez said:
“As far as I know right now, it was not a self-inflicted gun shot wound…I think he died as a result of being hit in the transfer of fire between our officers and the Sheriff’s deputies.”
At this point, it appears that the wound that ultimately caused the death of Salinas may have been a result of the officers returning fired after being shot at by him.
Law enforcement had dealt with Commissioner Salina in the past when they arrested him for domestic violence. In that incident in 2019, he was arrested for assaulting a woman who lived at the home that he was in a domestic relationship with, it is unclear if the victim in this case is the same woman or a different person.
In that case, the victim dropped all charges against him and he remained as a council member until his death.
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The child involved in the case was treated and released from the hospital for a reported gunshot graze to his head and lacerations possibly from some type of edged weapon. The woman who was transported to the hospital is in critical condition at the hospital after surgery to repair the damage caused, possibly also by an edged weapon.
Victim’s of domestic violence typically are hesitant to pursue criminal charges for many reasons, some of which could be because the abuser in the situation is the one who provides the income or because they have been beaten down enough that they actually believe they deserved what happened to them.
Whatever the cause of the woman in the initial incident, it is important to understand that victim’s in this case are not at fault. It is true that they could have potentially avoided further injury if they had left and exposed the abuser at the on-set, but it is not that simple.
Often times it takes several exposures to law enforcement and counselors before a victim is able to stand up and fight back against the abuse they have suffered. It is not their fault, but it is crucial for them to get the help they need to overcome the problem.
Atlanta City Council’s first openly gay councilman – who called to defund police – indicted federal charges
ATLANTA GA – Now it all makes sense as to why he’s so anti-police.
Atlanta City Council member, Antonio Brown, has been indicted for several financial crimes.
Brown is alleged to have committed bank fraud by taking out several fraudulent loans and racking up high credit card bills and then claimed that he did not make the purchases, rather he was a victim of identity theft so that he did not have to repay the loans.
Brown has also been vocal on anti-police rhetoric and attending marches and rallies calling for defunding of the police.
On his profile on the website for the City Council, is described as a “successful CEO and humanitarian, Antonio Brown adds a unique perspective, strong faith, and inspirational work ethic to his community.
Growing up in poverty with his parents frequently incarcerated, Antonio discovered he had the resilience and drive to overcome adversity & achieve success.”
It continues saying that “Georgia State Representative Erica Thomas awarded him a ‘Notable Citizen of Georgia Proclamation.”
Perhaps Brown will be notable, just not for doing good works but rather his criminal ambitions.
Wow. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia announces fraud indictment of Atlanta Councilman Antonio Brown: pic.twitter.com/ydVvvjn8f7
— Jonathan Raymond (@jisaacraymond) July 29, 2020
Byuna J Pak, a United States Attorney said that Brown used several credit cards that he had opened which enabled him to make several thousand dollars worth of purchases. He also purchased a Mercedes C300 and a Range Rover after receiving auto loans.
After the deals were done, Brown claimed filed a police report stating that his identification was stolen and that whoever stole it was the person responsible for the purchases instead of him.
Although the exact evidence that prosecutors have on Brown is not mentioned, one can safely assume that the vehicle dealerships had video surveillance most likely showing it was Brown who made the purchases and not someone else.
Atlanta, Georgia – Antonio Brown, the young city councilman has been indicted with multiple counts of fraud after allegedly lying about his income on applications for credit. #AtlantaCityCouncil #Fraud https://t.co/3LlFANgkqF pic.twitter.com/7ym78gl8xy
— ATLWEBMAG (@ATLWEBMAG) July 31, 2020
In addition to those crimes, Brown was also indicted for lying on credit and loan applications by saying he made substantially more money per year than he really did.
The fake income allowed him, or the person who ‘stole his identity’ to get higher loan amounts.
Prosecutors were able to verify the amount of money that Brown really made each year through his federal tax returns.
Although all of these alleged crimes happened before Brown was elected to council in 2019, it is unknown if he continued his alleged crimes after being seated.
Pak commented on Brown’s case:
“For years, Antonio Brown allegedly sought to defraud a number of banks and credit card companies by falsely claiming that he was the victim of identity theft. Brown’s scheme was eventually brought to light, resulting in his indictment by the grand jury.”
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Tommy Coke, a Postal Inspector in the Atlanta Division said:
“This investigation is another example of the power of partnerships in combating financial fraud and identity theft. Postal Inspectors are dedicated to pursuing individuals who seek to defraud for their own financial gain.”
The Inspector General of Social Security, Gail Ennis, said:
“We are committed to working with our Federal law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who falsely claim their identity was stolen in an attempt to defraud financial institutions. I thank the US Postal Inspection Service and IRS Criminal Investigation for their efforts in this case, and the United States Attorney’s Office for bringing these charges.”
City Council President Felicia Moore released a statement following the announcement of the federal indictment, it reads in part:
“As the public has been made aware, Council member Antonio Brown has recently been indicted by the US Department of Justice on multiple charges unrelated to his service on the Atlanta City Council….please be reminded that the indictment only contains charges and the defendant is presumed innocent until otherwise proven at trial.”
If only the Atlanta City Council had that same feelings towards police.
Democrat State Rep to serve just 3 months jail for stealing more than $500K from nonprofit
PENNSYLVANIA- On February 6th this year, former Pennsylvania Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell began her sentence in jail after pleading guilty in January to charges related to stealing funds allocated for a community non-profit.
While prosecutors alleged that she stole more than half a million dollars from the community non-profit, she may only spend 3 months in jail for the crimes she plead guilty to.
53-year-old Johnson-Harrell never admitted in court the exact amount of money that was pilfered from Motivations Education & Consultation Associates. MECA was a non-profit that Johnson-Harrell had apparently helped establish to help people struggling with mental illness, addiction, and homelessness.
https://twitter.com/L8in/status/1227936470360608768
According to Attorney General Josh Shapiro, funds that Johnson-Harrell had dipped into from MECA weren’t exactly going toward helping the community:
“This Philadelphia community would have been in a better place had this former public official invested MECA’s money into the people who needed the care she promised.
Instead, the community received no help as Johnson-Harrell spent MECA money on fur coats, Porsche car payments and expensive vacations for herself.”
Formal charges were brought against Johnson-Harrell in December of last year, where she resigned from her elected position shortly thereafter.
Apparently, Johnson-Harrell was well aware that she was going to be charged for a series of crimes prior to them officially being announced.
AG Shapiro’s office wound up bringing charges against the former legislator that included perjury, tampering with public records, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and contributions of corporations.
The Democrat that represented West Philadelphia wound up pleading guilty to three theft charges, two tampering offenses, and a perjury charge.
She also plead no contest with regard to two campaign or ethics code violations.
When she was offered a plea deal for the charges, it stipulated she be sentenced to 11-and-a-half to 23 months in county jail, plus two years’ probation.
When Johnson-Harrell went before Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio in January for sentencing, the judge stated that if she maintained good conduct during the first three months in jail then she would be released and can serve 8-and-a-half months under house arrest.
So, by acting the way one should while in jail, a near one-year sentence to near two-year sentence becomes 90 days.
UPDATE: (Why Is HAMAS-Linked CAIR so quiet about their star?)
Pennsylvania’s first Muslim female State Rep, Movita Johnson-Harrell, gets just 3 months jail & house arrest for stealing more than $500K from nonprofit founded to serve mentally ill and poorhttps://t.co/Y4juUkZSY8 https://t.co/1fXia3itsY
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) February 12, 2020
While the stipulation on the sentencing reeks of “social” justice – considering that the guilty party also happened to be Philly’s first elected Muslim legislator – there was at least some justice.
She’s obviously no longer allowed to run MECA and has to serve up a property she owns in Tioga County which will be sold and the funds handed back to MECA.
Aside from potentially getting out of jail early, there’s still the probation for Johnson-Harrell.
Except Judge DiClaudio stated that she’d be an ideal candidate for early probation termination. At that point, why doesn’t the judge just hand her a gift bag too?
For those curious about where the alleged half a million stolen by Johnson-Harrell went, the AG’s office provided quite the telling breakdown of where some of it landed:
-About $15,000 for clothing, including $5,500 for four fur coats.
-$19,000 in vacation expenses for 2017 and 2018 trips to Atlanta; Ocean City, Md.; Orlando; and twice to Mexico.
-$20,000 for overdue mortgage bills.
-About $20,000 in overdue water, gas, and tax bills.
-$7,979 to satisfy her restitution following a 2013 summary conviction for making a false statement involving employer-withheld taxes at a West Philadelphia personal-care home she operated.
-$4,000 to a criminal defense attorney for a relative’s case.
-$3,830 for her grandchildren’s private-school tuition.
-$2,500 in contributions to Krasner during his 2017 campaign.
-$2,065 for overdue payments on her Porsche.
There were also allegations of all sorts of rental reimbursements that the AG stated Johnson-Harrell afforded herself. We can’t help but notice the irony of stealing money to allegedly use it toward paying off court ordered restitution – and then catch another case from said stealing of that money.
Then you’ve got the politician in Rochester, New York who we reported on earlier this week.
He stole more than $130,000 from a charity for kids. Now it looks like he won’t have to face the music for at least six months.
Ironic, given the video we found of Adam McFadden dancing around to the song “Happy”.
In Rochester, New York, the fate of former Rochester city councilman Adam McFadden will be delayed until July of this year regarding his sentencing.
According to WHEC, the sentencing for the disgraced councilman was meant to occur in February of this year, but was delayed for unarticulated reasons.
McFadden had pled guilty to two sets of charges regarding different cases so far. One set of charges in October 2019 as well as charges in April 2019.
In April case, McFadden had pled guilty to wire fraud and tax return fraud due to a devised scheme that defrauded the Rochester Housing Charities.
In this complex financial swindling, McFadden forged a contract that involved the RHC paying money to a Washington D.C. consulting firm called Capital Connection Partners. From there, Capital Connection Partners would hand off 75 percent of the money at received from the RHC over to another company called Caesar Development.
It just so happens that Caesar Development was owned by McFadden.
This elaborate exchange of money between the companies saw McFadden’s Caesar Development invoicing for working on things like grants, after school programs, and administrative support for Capital Connection Partners.
According to the U.S. Attorney, McFadden was either flat not providing any services or grossly misrepresenting them.
These financial crimes that McFadden pled to in April, that had taken place between August and December of 2015, wound up netting him a cool $64,000.
After he’d signed his plea back in April of 2019, McFadden had the following to say about his conduct:
“So I would just say this: as a leader in this community I feel it’s important to be accountable for the decisions that you make. And I’ll say, narcissism and ego got the best of me.”
Yet, like a profitable movie franchise, there was a sequel right around the corner starring McFadden.
By the time October of last year hit, McFadden admitted to gaming his role within a non-profit organization for children into lining his pockets. He’d served as the executive director for Quad A For Kids, an NPO that was based out of Rochester, which was primarily funded through private donations and grants.
In the plea, McFadden admits he did this while running Quad A For Kids, a non-profit that was supposed to helps kids in the city, funded by private donations and grants and Rochester Community Foundation. @news10nbc https://t.co/MsN5MrvMLG
— Berkeley Brean (@whec_bbrean) October 9, 2019
Apparently, McFadden had a thing for finding unique ways to enrich himself while he held office.
According to the October plea that McFadden signed, he falsified more than 60 invoices and receipts that allowed him to collect $131,163.00 while functioning as the executive director of Quad A for Kids.
These phony receipts were all over the place, with receipts having been forged for retailers like Walmart, Staples, and Amazon.
When McFadden stood outside the courtroom in October after signing his plea agreement, he asked the public for forgiveness:
“I live in a community that has faced challenges and tough times, and I’m hoping that community will forgive me, and that the folks I worked with will forgive me, and the people that I let down will forgive me.”
Someone else who is allegedly tied to both schemes that McFadden pled guilty to is George Moses.
U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in October of last year a 28-count indictment accusing the former chairman of the RHA of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors are alleging that Moses’ had even kept his hand in the proverbial cookie jar while being actively investigated.
By the time Moses went in front of a judge to enter a not guilty plea in November 2019 – his indictments had sky-rocketed to 55 counts.
What will be interesting to see is if the judge will have McFadden’s sentences for the April plea and the October plea run concurrently or consecutive. The difference could mean McFadden serving under two years to well over three in a federal prison, depending on how the judge wants to take it.
Let’s not forget about the charity theft from last fall in Staten Island.
That’s where a woman pleaded guilty to stealing $406,000 from a charity for slain NYPD officers.
She stammered her way through he plea in court, saying:
“I wrote these checks, I think two of them or whatever, and it was considered fraud.”
Now 69-year-old Lorraine Shanley faces more than two years in prison according to federal guidelines.
She admitted in court that while serving as volunteer PR director for Survivors of the Shield, she secretly took money from the charity to spend on her special needs grandchild.
“I’ve had family issues. Hardship,” she said.
She believed that it was ok because of why she was doing it.
“It wasn’t for a new car, a new home. It was for my special needs grandchild.”
Shaley accepted a plea deal, which included a promise to repay the money she stole and pay the IRS $103,983.
Federal prosecutors in New York charged her with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say she was stealing more than 20 percent of donations to the charity between at least 2010 and 2017.
And to make matters worse, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that Shanley spent the money on a mix of personal expenses… $32,000 for personal dental expenses, $25,000 for landscaping, and $29,000 for her grandchild’s private school tuition, to name a few.
“You knew it was wrong. You knew it was illegal. You felt it was justified because of your special needs grandchild?” Judge Sidney Stein asked in Manhattan Federal Court.
“Yes,” Shanley replied.
“There was a major part of these checks to help my children. As a widow I thought I could do it. They said no,” Shanley said.
That’s not all. She’s also accused of using at least $63,000 of the stolen money to pay for her son’s legal expenses related to criminal cases, according to prosecutors.
Records show her son did three years in prison on drug charges from 2006 to 2009. In 2014, he was also charged with second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. Authorities said it resulted in death after he crashed his SUV in Manhattan, killing an activist, and then fled. For some reason the manslaughter charges were later dropped.
Prosecutors say Shaley also wrote $45,000 in checks to family members and other people, but then endorsed them herself and deposited them into her own bank account. On top of that, they say the Staten Island woman used $8,000 on a combination of Barbra Streisand and other event tickets.
The whole scheme fell apart when a new volunteer joined the organization and dove deep into the charity’s tax returns and records.
Court documents show that 99 percent of the donations to Survivors of the Shield come straight from New York police officers. On average, about 5,500 NYPD employees donate to the charity annually.
“As she admitted today, Lorraine Shanley exploited the NYPD officers and employees who generously made charitable donations to support the survivors of fallen officers,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said.
Officer Thomas Shanley, the suspect’s husband, died of a heart attack while on duty in 1986. She also serves on the board of The New York City Police Museum, which has nothing to do with the NYPD and is currently closed while it relocates.
“Lorraine Shanley violated her position of trust at a charity and victimized families who have already sacrificed so much,” said Jonathan D. Larsen, the acting head of the IRS’ criminal investigation division.
If convicted, Shanley faced up to 30 years in prison. Under the plea deal, she’ll face two years of mandatory prison time for the aggravated identity theft charge by itself.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Phillip Walzak said of the accusations:
“If true, these allegations constitute deep violation of the trust of those who generously donate to help police families going through heartbreaking tragedy.”
—
Author Note: While there are a tremendous amount of good people and incredible 501c3’s in America, Law Enforcement Today is proud to support Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) as our “charity of choice” for supporting the survivors of fallen officers. We hope you’ll consider doing the same.
Here’s what they are all about:
Each year, between 140 and 160 officers are killed in the line of duty and their families and co-workers are left to cope with the tragic loss. C.O.P.S. provides resources to help them rebuild their shattered lives. There is no membership fee to join C.O.P.S., for the price paid is already too high.
C.O.P.S. was organized in 1984 with 110 individual members. Today, C.O.P.S. membership is over 48,000 survivors. Survivors include spouses, children, parents, siblings, significant others, and co-workers of officers who have died in the line of duty according to Federal government criteria. C.O.P.S. is governed by a national board of law enforcement survivors. All programs and services are administered by the National Office in Camdenton, Missouri. C.O.P.S. has over 50 Chapters nationwide that work with survivors at the grass-roots level.
C.O.P.S. programs for survivors include the National Police Survivors’ Conference held each May during National Police Week, scholarships, peer-support at the national, state, and local levels, “C.O.P.S. Kids” counseling reimbursement program, the “C.O.P.S. Kids” Summer Camp, “C.O.P.S. Teens” Outward Bound Adventure for young adults, special retreats for spouses, parents, siblings, adult children, extended family, and co-workers, trial and parole support, and other assistance programs.
C.O.P.S. knows that a survivor’s level of distress is directly affected by the agency’s response to the tragedy. C.O.P.S., therefore, offers training and assistance to law enforcement agencies nationwide on how to respond to the tragic loss of a member of the law enforcement profession. C.O.P.S. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. C.O.P.S. programs and services are funded by grants and donations.