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‘Fat Leonard,’ a fugitive now facing extradition, was behind one of US military’s biggest scandals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The extradition of convicted defense contractor Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis to the United States as part of the Venezuelan prisoner swap on Wednesday is the latest twist in a decade-long salacious saga and bribery scheme that swept up dozens of American Navy officers.One of the biggest bribery investigations in U.S. military history led to the conviction and sentencing of nearly two dozen Navy officials, defense contractors and others on various fraud and corruption charges. And it was punctuated by Francis’ daring escape last year, when he fled from house arrest at his San Diego home to South America.An enigmatic figure who was 6-foot-3 and weighed 350 pounds at one time, Francis owned and operated his family’s ship servicing business, Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. or GDMA, which supplied food, water and fuel to vessels. The Malaysian defense contractor was a key contact for U.S. Navy ships at ports across Asia for more than two decades. D...

Suriname’s ex-dictator sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 1982 killings of political opponents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — Suriname’s former dictator Desi Bouterse was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 years in prison for the murders of 15 opponents of the then-military regime in December 1982, ending a historic 16-year legal process.Bouterse, 78, was previously sentenced in the case in 2019 and in 2021 but had appealed both decisions. The court on Wednesday upheld his conviction and the latest sentencing was seen as final with no more appeals allowed. The judge handed down 20 years given the ex-president’s age and that it was the highest sentence allowed at the time of the killings. “We have received a gem of a verdict,” said Hugo Essed, lawyer for the victims’ relatives, adding that he can now “proudly” say there is an independent constitutional state in Suriname.Neither Bouterse, nor his four co-suspects, who were sentenced to 15 years in prison, were present in the courtroom for the sentencing. Bouterse’s lawyer, Irvin Kanhai, said he disagreed with the verdict and had e...

Olympian, philanthropist, head of Canadian Women’s Foundation appointed to Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

OTTAWA — A former Olympian, a philanthropist and the head of the Canadian Women’s Foundation have all been newly appointed to the Senate.The appointees include Marnie McBean, who was an Olympic medalist four times during her career as a rower and won three gold medals.She will be joined by Toni Varone, a developer who is a director on the board of the Crown corporation Canada Lands Company.The third appointee is Paulette Senior, the former head of the YWCA of Canada, who is known for her work promoting gender equity.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office announced the three will fill vacant seats in the Senate for Ontario. Independent senators are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the prime minister after being selected by an advisory board.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2023.The Canadian Press

New York sues SiriusXM, accusing company of making it deliberately hard to cancel subscriptions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s attorney general filed suit Wednesday against SiriusXM, accusing the satellite radio and streaming service of making it intentionally difficult for its customers to cancel their subscriptions.Attorney General Letitia James’ office said an investigation into complaints from customers found that SiriusXM forced subscribers to wait in an automated system before often lengthy interactions with agents who were trained in ways to avoid accepting a request to cancel service. “Having to endure a lengthy and frustrating process to cancel a subscription is a stressful burden no one looks forward to, and when companies make it hard to cancel subscriptions, it’s illegal,” the attorney general said in a statement. The company disputed the claims, arguing that many of the lengthy interaction times cited in the lawsuit were based on a 2020 inquiry and were caused in part by the effects of the pandemic on their operations. The company said many of its plans can be c...

Chris Christie outlines his national drug crisis plan, focusing on treatment and stigma reduction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Calling the latest wave of the nation’s drug crisis “a test of our national resolve,” Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie returned to a New Hampshire recovery center Wednesday to outline a people-focused, not punitive, policy plan.“This is a test to see who we want to be as both a people and as a country,” he said at the Hope on Haven Hill wellness center, which services pregnant women and mothers struggling with substance use disorder. “We need an approach that remembers and reflects on the very basic humanity of every single one of those 100,000 victims, as well as the treasures each one of them could have brought to this country.”Christie led a White House commission on opioid misuse in 2017, and he praised former president Donald Trump for endorsing all 56 of its recommendations. But only about half have been enacted, and both Trump and President Joe Biden have treated the problem as a crisis in name only, Christie said. Meanwhile, other Republi...

Naloxone to be available for free at certain South, West Side gas stations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

CHICAGO — A new effort to save lives by reversing opioid overdoses has been unveiled in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the city's West Side.An initiative to deliver naloxone, the life-saving opioid overdose-reversal medication, was announced Wednesday morning outside the Amoco gas station at 4402 W. Roosevelt Rd. That location and 14 others across Chicago's South and West sides will now be stocked with free-of-charge naloxone, delivered via Zimhi.Zimhi is a naloxone injection intended for emergency use. According to its website, Zimhi "offers the highest dose of naloxone available as an intramuscular injection to get into the blood fast."Officials say gas stations are often "hot zones" where opioid overdoses occur. Used effectively, naloxone can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and potentially save someone’s life. Officials say the Zimhi injections that will be stocked at gas stations and available for free are being paid for through a donation by a medical company to t...

Surburban driver suspected in deadly head-on crash was allegedly high on cocaine, deputies say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — A Crystal Lake man suspected of being under the influence of drugs amid a deadly head-on collision last February now faces multiple felonies in connection with the crash, the Lake County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday.Traffic crash investigators conclude that Craig B. Muzard, 74, was under the influence of cocaine while driving on Route 59 south of Route 132 in unincorporated Lake Villa the night of Friday, Feb. 3. Investigators said the influence of drugs played a "direct role" in the crash and death of George V. Giannakakis, who was 73 years old at the time. Man, 55, hit by 2 different vehicles while crossing street on Northwest Side Muzard was arrested on Wednesday and charged with aggravated driving under the influence of drugs, resulting in death and reckless homicide.Deputies say Muzard was driving a GMC Acadia northbound on Route 59 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered into the southbound lanes. The GMC struck a Kia driven by Giannaka...

Ed Burke trial: Third day of jury deliberations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

CHICAGO — Jury deliberations continue for a third day in Ed Burke's federal corruption trial.A jury of nine women and three men have been discussing the case for nearly 13 hours across three days.They are spending time going through a complex list of charges that include racketeering, extortion and bribery. The main question the jury is asking on each count is whether the government met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.Burke is accused of four different alleged schemes of using his public power to enrich himself and win favors for friends.On Tuesday, the jury sent three written notes to Judge Kendall. One note requested more copies of the indictment. The other involved questions on how to interpret the law in specific cases.One of Burke's co-defendants, Peter Andrews, was hospitalized Tuesday. He is back at the Dirksen Federal Building Wednesday. Ed Burke trial: Previous coverage from Tuesday The jury is scheduled to deliberate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this whole week un...

Trump blocked from Colorado ballot: 5 takeaways

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

The Colorado Supreme Court’s extraordinary decision disqualifying former President Trump for office under the 14th Amendment ignited a firestorm among politicians and legal observers, who now stare down the possibility of Trump being removed from the ballot next year. The full ruling, which includes the majority opinion and three separate dissents, spans 213 pages filled to the brim with analysis of the amendment’s text and the use of Colorado election law to enforce it. Trump and his allies have broadly attacked the ruling, which marks the first state to kick Trump off the ballot, as unconstitutional and partisan. Trump’s team has vowed to take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s ruling. Decision wades into ‘uncharted territory’ The Colorado Supreme Court’s landmark ruling raises the possibility that a major candidate for the presidency could be left off the ballot. In their decision, the state justices made clear tha...

SiriusXM accused of trapping customers in unwanted subscriptions in New York lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:12 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — New York's Office of the Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, accusing the company of trapping customers in subscriptions.New York AG Letitia James said in a statement released Wednesday that SiriusXM forces customers to call the company or chat online with a representative to cancel a subscription. She added that the process is intentionally long to stop customers from canceling.According to James, SiriusXM representatives have been trained to "not take 'no' for an answer when customers try to cancel." Through their investigation, New York's OAG said it also found agents are trained to keep customers on the phone when they try canceling subscriptions using a "lengthy six-part conversation." During that conversation, authorities said agents make as many as five retention offers to keep customers. Parents sue Michigan school district over pronouns The OAG also found that while SiriusXM can cancel a subscription with a "click of a button,"...