BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s crackdown on corruption and fraud in recent years has created a sudden and unexpected literary boom, as prisoners publish hundreds of non-fiction books on subjects as varied as soccer, real estate, God and gemstones. It’s quite a feat for inmates with no access to books or the Internet, often without … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An appeals court decided Thursday that Oscar Pistorius got away with murder when he stood trial for killing his girlfriend, a ruling that will almost certainly send the disgraced Olympian back to prison. The court overturned his conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter in the 2013 shooting death of model Reeva … Continue reading
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison on Thursday for trading in child pornography and having sex with underage prostitutes, with the judge describing his “perversion and lawlessness” as “extreme.” Judge Tanya Walton Pratt disregarded prosecutors’ recommendation that Fogle get 12½ years behind bars, opting … Continue reading
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A former bookkeeper has been sentenced to 2½ years for embezzling almost $470,000 from her Norfolk employer. The Virginian-Pilot reports (http://bit.ly/1NzOpSo ) that court documents say 37-year-old Katherine Albert-McNaughton also stole $520 that her co-workers tried to donate to children’s charities. U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen said that “takes it … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African prison that once held Nelson Mandela is being evacuated after two prisoners died from a disease carried by rats, authorities said on Wednesday. More than 4,000 prisoners will be moved from Cape Town’s Pollsmoor Prison due to a rat infestation, provincial spokesman Simphiwe Xako said. The inmates, both men … Continue reading
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — A woman will spend the next 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to the death of a man in a drive-by shooting. The News and Advance (http://bit.ly/1cMAnNt ) reports 23-year-old April Renae Bateman was sentenced Monday in Lynchburg. Bateman was one of eight people, including three juveniles, convicted of felony … Continue reading
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A former U.S. Postal Service worker faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to dumping hundreds of pieces of mail in Norfolk. Shalita Corley of Portsmouth pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of secreting and delaying U.S. mail. She’s scheduled to be sentenced July 15 in U.S. District … Continue reading
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A Newport News man accused of running an online prostitution scheme has been sentenced to 10 years and five months in federal prison. Thirty-five-year-old Antuane Keyone Armstrong was sentenced this week in federal court in Norfolk. Armstrong pleaded guilty in November to three counts of use of an interstate facility for unlawful … Continue reading
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A former student at Virginia Wesleyan College student has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in federal prison for identity theft. The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/1EvpU4h) reports 29-year-old Katecha Thomas was sentenced Monday for her guilty plea last year to aggravated identity theft and misrepresentation of a Social Security number. Court records show Thomas … Continue reading
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The former owner of a convenience store in Norfolk will spend more than two years in prison for participating in a food stamp scheme. According to court documents, James Robert Carter allowed food stamp recipients to trade their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for cash. The 75-year-old Carter gave the recipients about half … Continue reading
ZHDANIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — The colony of cats living on the grounds of the Zhdanivka penitentiary disappeared when battles in east Ukraine peaked. Talk in the prison is that inmates ate them when food deliveries stopped. Medical supplies have also been in short supply, threatening the lives of nearly 400 prisoners who need treatment. The … Continue reading
Police have captured an escaped prisoner who became the subject of a manhunt after fleeing custody at a Virginia hospital this morning, officials said. The escaped prisoner, Wossen Assaye, was identified by a bus passenger who recognized him on the bus and called police, a law enforcement source told ABC News. The suspect was arrested … Continue reading
HOUSTON (AP) — Texas prison officials have acquired a small supply of pentobarbital to replenish their dwindling inventory of the execution drug so lethal injections set for next month in the nation’s most active death penalty state can be carried out, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Wednesday, March 25. Four prisoners already have … Continue reading
by T’ney Stallings The United States has the highest rate of incarcerated juveniles verses other nations. According to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, about 70,000 juvenile criminal offenders live in detention facilities and about 68 percent are racial minorities. For every 100,000 African American juveniles in the United States, 521 are in a residential facility, compared … Continue reading
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former President Alfonso Portillo flew home Wednesday after being released from a six-year prison term in the U.S. for accepting $2.5 million in bribes from Taiwan. Portillo, who had been held at a minimum-security facility since last year, was let go after being credited with time served in Guatemala, where … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 