US marshals capture fugitive in restaurant standoff near DNC
After a standoff at a restaurant near the United Center on Tuesday, Aug. 20, where the Democratic National Convention is being held, U.S. marshals captured a fugitive wanted for murder and armed robbery. Authorities have been pursuing Joshua Zimmerman since he escaped from a Mississippi courthouse on June 14.
Zimmerman is wanted for murder in Houston, Texas, and faces charges of attempted murder and armed robbery in Mississippi.
The 68-day manhunt spanned more than 500 miles, and authorities said they were not sure how he got to the Chicago area.
Chicago SWAT surrounded the building for more than 12 hours, and authorities eventually took Zimmerman into custody.
The incident has intensified security measures around the DNC and sparked calls for a review of inmate handling procedures.
Mississippi authorities are hoping Zimmerman will be extradited back to their jurisdiction to face additional charges.
“We are eager to return Zimmerman to our detention facility so we can thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding his escape,” a DeSoto County spokesperson said.
The marshals worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to locate children in need of help. They said they rescued 123 children across seven states from dangerous situations, while 77 more were found in safe locations.
Officials said the Phoenix area saw the most children rescued over the course of the operation.
According to the FBI, there were more than 375,000 children reported missing across the U.S. in 2023 alone.
On Monday, July 1, the director of the U.S. Marshals Service said the agency has run the operation six times before this one. He says so far, the operation located 546 children in 2024. While that is a higher number than this time last year, it is significantly lower than the nearly 950 children recovered in 2021.
Four-day ceasefire in Gaza sets table for hostage release: The Morning Rundown, Nov. 24, 2023
This morning begins a four-day ceasefire in Gaza, setting the table for hostages to be released. And if you are looking for a Black Friday deal, the U.S. Marshals might have some for you. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.
During the pause in fighting, Hamas is expected to release 50 women and children who were taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people. It has been reported that during the attack in October, Hamas took nearly 250 hostages.
Hamas said that during the ceasefire, Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners.
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The four-day truce, which was brokered with the help of officials in Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S., may be extended with the additional release of hostages. According to Qatari officials, the first 13 hostages are set to be freed Friday afternoon, Nov. 24.
Fiery crash that killed 2 at U.S.-Canada border likely not terrorism
I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers. At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack.
Gov. Kathy Hochul
With the fear of terrorism surrounding the crash, the FBI announced it concluded its investigation and declared it found no evidence of terrorism.
“I just returned from the scene of a horrific accident that led to a high-level of anxiety all the way from Western New York to Albany to Washington, but before I describe the details, I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers. At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Let me repeat that at this time there is no indication of a terrorist involved attack here at the Rainbow Bridge in western New York.”
In a security camera video, you can see a car speeding, going airborne, and then exploding on the Rainbow Bridge crossing Niagara Falls.
The driver and the only passenger in the car died, according to officials. CNN reported that the couple from New York, who have yet to be identified by law enforcement, were planning to attend a Kiss concert in Canada that had recently been canceled.
The crash shut down multiple border crossings in Western New York, but all have reopened. After concluding its investigation, the FBI turned the scene over to local law enforcement.
NYC mayor facing sexual assault allegations
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is at the center of an FBI probe into his campaign finances, is now being accused of sexual assault. The allegations stem from his time as a New York City police officer in 1993.
A lawsuit filed under the Adult Survivors Act in New York on Wednesday, Nov. 22, alleges that Adams sexually assaulted the plaintiff while they were working for the city. The plaintiff is seeking $5 million in damages.
The Guardian reported that Mayor Adams denied the allegations, stating that he does not know the plaintiff and would never physically harm another person.
The Adult Survivors Act gives sex assault accusers a one-year window to retroactively file civil suits, which otherwise would have been blocked due to the statute of limitations; that window expires Friday, Nov. 24.
World Health Organization looking into cluster of pneumonia cases in children in China
The World Health Organization is investigating a cluster of pneumonia cases in children in China following an alert on Tuesday, Nov. 21, calling for more information about undiagnosed pneumonia in China.
According to a WHO release, scientists attribute the rise in respiratory illness to lifting COVID restrictions, adding that this is likely a rise in common respiratory illnesses, like the flu, and could be an uptick in COVID cases.
The WHO added that it always requests additional information when unknown diseases are reported as part of its International Health Regulations System.
Amazon workers around the world strike as Black Friday begins
More than 1,000 Amazon workers hit the picket line in Europe as one of the year’s busiest shopping days gets underway. At Amazon’s Coventry warehouse in the UK, one of the online retailer’s busiest hubs, workers are the first to strike as Amazon workers globally call for better wages.
It comes as Amazon extended its Black Friday deals throughout a couple of days with millions of consumers ready to cash in on the savings.
Luxury loot: The 5 most intriguing items seized and sold by US Marshals
There’s more to the U.S. Marshals Service than what you see from Tommy Lee Jones in “The Fugitive” and the follow-up film, “U.S. Marshals.” Part of what the real agency does is seize millions of dollars worth of goods from criminals and put up the pricey goods on the auction block. Bloomberg Businessweek analyzed the agency’s scores over the years. Here are the most interesting and expensive items auctioned off in this week’s Five For Friday.
#5: Crypto & Gold
The value of items auctioned by Marshals ballooned in 2021 and 2022, thanks in large part to cryptocurrency seizures, according to the Bloomberg analysis.
The government timed the market perfectly, making $39.5 million from a sale of Bitcoin in 2021 when a single coin demanded nearly $60,000. The feds also made $12.6 million in Bitcoin seized from a dark-web drug dealer and another $12.5 million in Ethereum from another dark-web entrepreneur. Cryptocurrency is often tied to crime but in a more classic take, feds sold just shy of $100,000 in gold in 2019 from a woman who trafficked marijuana throughout the country.
#4: Art
Art is seen as one of the best ways for nefarious actors to launder money. These next two items came out of the $4 billion 1MDB scandal. Andy Warhol’s Round Jackie, which is literally a round portrait of Jackie Kennedy, sold for $1 million. Meanwhile, Ed Ruscha’s Bliss Bucket sold for $370,000.
There was also a movie poster for 1927’s Metropolis, an iconic film from the silent era, that sold for $1.1 million. Leonardo DiCaprio is also rumored to have one of these rare posters.
#3: Trading Cards
Trading cards have traded up to first-class investments in recent years. Unfortunately for good-guy collectors, the bad guys are aware of the appreciation.
Last year, Marshals auctioned off a Charizard Pokémon card for $43,000. That sounds like a lot, but the criminal in question paid $58,000 for the card with some of the $85,000 he stole from COVID relief funds. U.S. Marshals also sold a 1952 Mickey Mantle card for $105,000, but it was only rated a 7 out of 10. The same card with a 9.5 rating sold for $12.6 million last year making it the most expensive sports card ever sold.
A word to the wise: Don’t play with the cards.
#2: Luxury Goods
Criminals can be somewhat predictable in their purchases. U.S. Marshals auctioned off 44 Rolex watches in 2018 alone. The most expensive Rolex they sold that year was the “Everose” Gold Sky-Dweller, which sold for $33,000.
The most expensive watch in recent years is a limited edition Richard Mille “Black Phantom” timepiece, which sold for $269,000 at auction. Other luxury goods include a collection of Hermes bags that sold for $26,000 and 12 pairs of Louboutins for $6,000. They must have been pre-worn because that sounds like a deal.
#1: Sweet Rides
Speaking of predictable, people who are up to no good tend to like their high-priced rides. An Irish Sport Horse named Cinda fetched $60,000 at auction in 2020. For the seafaring type, a 2014 Ferretti yacht brought in $3.2 million at auction and a pair of Boston Whaler Outrage Motor Boats sold for $815,000 after Marshals seized them from a man that defrauded lottery winners.
You have to be bold to buy a plane with money you got from illegal activities, and it certainly happens. A 1994 Raytheon Hawker 800 sold for $405,000 at auction. Supercars are also a hot commodity for society’s underbelly. U.S. Marshals got $760,000 for a 1991 Ferrari F40 seized from a man that stole $13 million from Veterans Affairs.
US Marshals find 225 missing kids as young as 6 months in massive operation
225 missing children were found by the U.S. Marshals Service in a 10-month sting that spanned the nation. During the operation, officials recovered 169 children and safely located 56. The children were either runaways or had been abducted. The youngest child found was only 6 months old.
The agency said the children were challenging recovery cases due to high-risk factors like sexual abuse, physical abuse and medical or mental health conditions.
The multi-state operation, conducted with the help of state and local agencies, was dubbed “We Will Find You.” It is the first nationwide missing child operation focused on geographical areas with high clusters of critically missing kids.
Data released shows that 86% of the children were endangered runaways. 9% were family abductions and 5% were considered otherwise missing.
42 children were found outside the city they went missing in. 10 of those 42 were found in Mexico and 13 of them were found in California.
“Another success other than finding 200 missing children was the relationships we built and there are people out there that care and that want to try to make a difference in this child’s life,” said Senior Inspector Laura Tierney with the U.S Marshals Service Missing Child Unit.
28 cases are now being further investigated for crimes that include drugs, weapons, sex trafficking and sex offender violations.
US Marshals told not to arrest protesters at Supreme Court justices’ homes
U.S. Marshals assigned to protect Supreme Court justices in the summer of 2022 were told to avoid arresting protesters demonstrating outside several justices’ homes. Attorney General Merrick Garland was confronted with documents outlining the marshals’ training to not make arrests after Garland previously said the Justice Department didn’t prosecute protesters because U.S. Marshals made no arrests.
Under a federal statute, it is illegal for protestors to picket outside of a Supreme Court justices’ private residence with the intent to influence any decision before them in court. But following the leak of a Supreme Court draft signaling the overturning of Roe v. Wade in May 2022, several justices had protesters outside of their homes.
Republican lawmakers have scrutinized the Justice Department for failing to make any arrests. U.S. Marshals were sent to stand guard and protect the justices, but enforcement of the federal statute was limited according to how marshals were trained to handle such situations.
According to training documents obtained by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., the U.S. Marshals were told to avoid criminal enforcement actions involving the protests or protesters unless “absolutely necessary,” particularly in public spaces.
The marshals were told that arrests and initiating prosecutions is not the goal of the U.S. Marshals’ presence at Supreme Court residences. They were told that any arrests of protesters was a last resort.
Garland said he was unaware of the guidelines when confronted by Sen. Britt at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.
FBI assists in international cybercrime bust amid heightened risk of ransomware
The FBI played a role in taking down an international cybercrime gang over the weekend. The cybercriminals reportedly blackmailed large companies and institutions for more than a decade. With the FBI’s assistance, police in Germany said they were able to identify 11 people linked to the group and identified at least 600 victims. According to Europol, the group scammed Americans out of more than $40 million in the span of two years.
The group specialized in what officials call “big game hunting.” They went after big businesses including corporations, hospitals and schools. The scammers targeted company systems then locked companies out using malware. The cybercriminals used the locked data as leverage for ransom. Ransomware is the world’s most disruptive cybercrime. Gangs break into networks and steal sensitive information before activating malware that scrambles data. The criminals demand payment in exchange for decryption keys and a promise not to dump the stolen data online.
Morning rundown: Ransomware attack on U.S. Marshals; federal TikTok ban
A ransomware attack compromised sensitive U.S. Marshals data; the White House has ordered all government agencies to purge TikTok from federal devices; and an American citizen is killed in the West Bank as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages on. These stories and more highlight the daily rundown for Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.
Sensitive U.S. Marshals data compromised
The U.S. Marshals Service is investigating a major ransomware attack that has compromised some of its most sensitive information. It includes law enforcement materials, personal information of employees, and potential targets of federal investigations.
The federal agency reported the data breach was discovered on Feb. 17. The Justice Department has labeled the cyberattack as a major incident, prompting the U.S. Marshals Service to involve Congress.
The agency is still investigating and working to mitigate potential risks that could come from the ransomware attack. The federal system that was hacked was not connected to any larger federal network.
TikTok ban on all federal devices
In an effort to keep U.S. data safe, the White House has ordered all government agencies to delete and ban TikTok from federal devices in 30 days. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is known to engage in data harvesting. U.S. officials have raised concerns that the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance into handing over information collected.
The ban, ordered by Congress late last year, follows similar actions from Canada, the EU, Taiwan and more than half of the states in the U.S. All federal agencies must remove TikTok from government-issued phones and block it from being accessed on the internet.
According to the White House, the ban is out of precaution following security concerns. ByteDance has denounced the concerns as misinformation and has denied spying on Americans.
Buttigieg’s use of jets to be audited
The Department of Transportation’s internal watchdog will be reviewing the use of government jets by its top official, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Along with his predecessor in the Trump administration. And Buttigieg is welcoming the audit.
The inspector general plans to conduct an audit to determine whether the office of the Secretary has complied with federal regulations, policies, and procedures related to travel on the department’s aircraft.
The audit was requested by Sen. Marco Rubio, D-Fla., who asked the watchdog about a Fox News article that reported Buttigieg took 18 flights on taxpayer-funded private jets. The Transportation Department said those 18 flights were on federal planes over seven trips.
Buttigieg responded to the news of the audit saying it would help debunk misleading narratives.
U.S. citizen killed in West Bank unrest
A U.S. citizen is one of the latest victims of the violence in the West Bank between Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli Defense Forces said attackers opened fire on Israeli vehicles on three occasions Monday, and later set their own vehicles on fire.
There was an exchange of fire with police before the attackers fled according to the IDF. According to the Times of Israel, the 27-year-old Israeli-American was visiting to attend a wedding when he was killed.
The deadly attack followed a series of attacks and outbursts from Israeli and Palestinian residents on Sunday. A Palestinian reportedly shot and killed two settlers of Israel. In response, Israelis lit Palestinian homes and cars on fire in protest.
North Korea addresses need for grain
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is asking the country to unify behind his leadership in order to increase the country’s grain production amid worries of food insecurity.
Foreign experts say North Korea is experiencing a serious shortfall of food in the aftermath of COVID-19 border restrictions and a reported push for greater state-control over grain supply.
The experts say they’ve seen no signs of mass deaths from famine in North Korea like they did in the ’90s when hundreds of thousands died in a food crisis.
According to South Korean assessments, North Korea is producing 4.5 million tons of grain per year when they would need 5.5 million tons per year to feed its 25 million people.
The Tesla CEO was surpassed in December of last year by Bernard Arnault, the CEO of french luxury brand LVMH. But as of Monday, with the help of Tesla’s stock surging this year, Musk’s net worth rose to $187 billion, surpassing Arnault’s $185 billion.