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Two former ‘Goon Squad’ deputies sentenced to over 37 years in prison for racist torture of black men

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Two former Mississippi sheriff’s deputies have been convicted of participating in the torture of two black men after a neighbor complained that the men were in the home with a white woman.

Hunter Elward and Jeffrey Middleton were sentenced Tuesday by a federal judge in Jackson.

Elward received roughly 20 years in prison and Middleton received greater than 17 years behind bars. Four other former law enforcement officers are scheduled to begin sentencing later this week in the case.

In August, all six former officers pleaded guilty to several federal charges. They pleaded guilty to torturing Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023.

Goon Squad, Mississippi Deputies, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield, theGrio.com
(From top left) Former Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputies Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke and former Richland Police Officer Joshua Hartfield in August 2023 appearing in Rankin County District Court in Brandon, Mississippi. (Photo / s: Rogelio V. Solis/AP, file)

Hunter Elward, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee to 241 months in prison. The judge can be expected to sentence 4 other former officers who confessed to torture Jenkins and Parker after a neighbor complained that the men were in the home with a white woman.

Before handing down the sentence, Lee called Elward’s crimes “egregious and despicable” and said that “a sentence at the high end of the guideline range is justified – it is more than justified.” He continued: “The defendant deserves it. This is what the community and the defendant’s victims deserve.”

In January 2023, a six-person group entered a Rankin County home with no warrant and attacked Jenkins and Parker with stun guns, a sex toy and other items. Elward admitted to putting a gun in Jenkins’ mouth and firing a shot as part of a “mock execution” that went improper.

The terror began on January 24, 2023, with a racist incitement to extrajudicial violence, when a white person called Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two black men were with a white woman in a house in Braxton. McAlpin told Deputy Christian Dedmon texted a bunch of white deputies who were so willing to use excessive force that they called themselves “The Goon Squad.”

Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup in their faces. They forced them to strip naked and take a shower together to hide the mess. They taunted the victims with racist insults and shocked them with stun guns.

After Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, they hatched a cover-up that included planting drugs and a gun. For months, false allegations were made against Jenkins and Parker. Jenkins suffered a lacerated tongue and a broken jaw.

Michael Corey Jenkins, theGrio.com
Michael Corey Jenkins speaks outside the federal courthouse in Jackson, Missouri, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Last March, months before federal prosecutors announced charges in August, an Associated Press investigation linked some deputies to a minimum of 4 violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two people dead and one with everlasting injuries. damage.

Jenkins is a musician and injuries have prevented him from singing like he used to. He also said he had trouble speaking and eating. Parker said he relives the episode in his nightmares.

The two men who sat in the front row called for “the harshest of sentences”. Their lawyer, Malik Shabazz, said they were too traumatized to speak in court and skim statements on their behalf.

“I am hurt. I am devastated,” Jenkins wrote in his statement. “They tried to take away my manhood. They did unspeakable things to me and the results will last the remainder of my life.

Elward, who was wearing a dark blue jumpsuit with tape covering the name of the power where he’s staying, said before the sentencing that he wouldn’t plead guilty. He turned to address Jenkins and Parker and checked out them directly.

“I don’t desire to get too personal. I see you each night and I can not return and do what’s right,” Elward said. “I’m very sorry for what I did.”

Parker then stood up and said, “I forgive you.”

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Elward’s attorney, Joe Hollomon, said his client first witnessed Rankin County deputies turning a blind eye to misconduct in 2017.

“It has become the new norm, it has become institutional,” Hollomon said. “Hunter was privy to a culture of corruption within the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.”

During a Tuesday speech on the University of Georgia, FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke concerning the federal investigation into “unspeakable crimes” committed by six former law enforcement officers in Mississippi.

“It is difficult to imagine a more heinous set of civil rights violations than those committed by these guys,” Wray said, according to prepared remarks. “But on the other hand, it’s hard to imagine a more important job than investigating these crimes and seeking justice for the victims.”

Elward was also convicted of participating in an assault on one other person who occurred weeks before the torture of Jenkins and Parker. On Tuesday, prosecutors identified the victim for the primary time as Alan Schmidt and reviewed his statement, which detailed what happened to him on December 4, 2022.

Schmidt said that in a traffic stop that night, Rankin County deputies charged him with possession of stolen property. They dragged him out of the automotive and beat him. Dedmon then forced him to his knees and tried to put his genitals into Schmidt’s mouth while Elward watched.

“I pray every day that I can one day forgive them and hopefully forget the humiliation and evil physical and sexual assault that I experienced,” Schmidt wrote. “I know I’m not their only victim and I pray for every victim that has happened to the members of the Thug Squad.”

The officers accused of torturing Parker and Jenkins are Elward, McAlpin, Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, and Joshua Hartfield, a Richland police officer. They pleaded guilty to quite a few federal and state charges.

Eddie Terrell Parker, theGrio.com
Eddie Terrell Parker speaks outside the federal courthouse in Jackson, Missouri, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. A former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy was sentenced to roughly 20 years in prison for his role in the torture of Parker and Michael Corey Jenkins in a racist attack. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

According to the federal charges, all former officers face a long time in prison. They also agreed to state court sentences really helpful by the prosecutor, starting from five to 30 years. The time served on separate state-level convictions will run concurrently with potentially longer federal sentences.

Majority-white Rankin County lies east of the state capital, Jackson, and is home to one of the very best percentages of black residents of any major U.S. city.

Officers warned Jenkins and Parker to (*37*) court documents say, referring to an area with the next concentration of black residents.

For months, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, whose deputies committed the crimes, said little concerning the incident. After the officers he pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said officers had gone rogue and promised to change the department. Jenkins and Parker called for his resignation and contributed $400 million civil lawsuit against the college.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Prosecutors say Sean “Diddy” Combs is trying to obstruct justice by heading to prison

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Sean Combs, Sean "Diddy" Combs. Diddy, Diddy trial, Diddy allegations, Sean Combs trial, Sean Combs allegations, Sean Combs kids, Sean Combs children, Diddy

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was trying to reach potential witnesses and influence public opinion while in prison in a bid to influence potential jurors in an upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors said in a court filing during which they urged a judge to deny his latest bail request.

The government charges were filed Friday evening in federal court in Manhattan, which opposed the music mogul’s latest offer of $50 million bail. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.

Prosecutors wrote that a review of recorded phone calls Combs made while in prison shows that he asked relations to contact potential victims and witnesses and urged them to create a “narrative” to influence the jury pool. They say he also encouraged the use of promoting strategies to influence public opinion.

“The defendant has demonstrated time and time again – even while in custody – that he’ll flagrantly and repeatedly disregard the foundations so as to improperly influence the consequence of his case. In other words, the defendant has demonstrated that he can’t be trusted to abide by the terms and conditions,” prosecutors wrote in a press release containing redactions.

Prosecutors wrote that from his behavior it might be inferred that Combs wanted to blackmail victims and witnesses into remaining silent or providing testimony helpful to his defense.

Combs’ lawyers didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Prosecutors said Combs, 55, began breaking the foundations almost immediately after being taken into custody Metropolitan Prison Center in Brooklyn after his September arrest.

He pleaded not guilty to the costs brought against him he abused and molested women for years with the assistance of a network of collaborators and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.

Two judges found he was a danger to the community and a flight risk.

His lawyers recently filed a 3rd bail application after rejecting two previous attempts, including a $50 million bail offer.

In their motion, they cited modified circumstances, including latest evidence, that they believed justified Combs’ release so he could higher prepare for his May 5 trial.

However, prosecutors said defense lawyers created the most recent bail proposal based on evidence provided to them by prosecutors, and the brand new material was already known to defense lawyers after they submitted previous bail applications.

In their presentation to the judge, prosecutors said Combs’ behavior in prison shows he must remain locked up.

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For example, they said, Combs asked relations to plan and execute a social media campaign around his birthday “with the intent of influencing a potential jury in this criminal proceeding.”

He encouraged his children to post a video on their social media accounts of them gathering to have a good time his birthday, he added.

He then monitored statistics on the jail, including audience engagement, and “explicitly discussed with the family how to ensure the film would have the desired impact on potential jury members in this case,” they said.

The government also alleged that Combs made clear in other conversations that he intended to anonymously publish information that he believed would help him defend against the costs.

“Defendant’s efforts to impede the fairness of these proceedings also include his persistent efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of violence, who could provide strong testimony against him,” prosecutors wrote.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Celebrity chef and former NFL player Tobias Dorzon is recovering from a shooting attack

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Tobias Dorzon, Tobias Dorzon shooting, Chef Tobias, Black celebrity chefs, theGrio.com

Celebrity chef and former NFL player Tobias Dorzon is recovering after being shot during an alleged robbery.

The shooting occurred on the evening of Tuesday, November 5 in Hyattsville, Maryland, when multiple suspects attempted to rob a man and woman who had just returned from dinner, based on statement from the Hyattsville Police Department.

Police said the victims were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Although authorities didn’t initially discover the victims, local council member Wanika Fisher revealed that Dorzon was amongst those attacked.

“I am disheartened and saddened by the news that Prince George’s County restaurant owner Tobias Dorzon was one of two people shot during an attempted robbery Tuesday evening in my neighborhood,” Fisher began in a news release.

She added that Dorzon, a Riverdale native, owns two “amazing” restaurants in Hyattsville and is considered a “dear” friend of hers.

“Such a terrible act could not have happened to a better person,” Fisher continued within the statement. “I offer my sincere condolences to him and the other victim, as well as their families and friends, and wish them both a speedy recovery. This type of senseless violence has no place in our county and county.”

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According to Fisher, Dorzon is an “extremely talented” chef who has represented Prince George’s County on the national stage and appeared on several Food Network shows. Most recently, the 39-year-old chef participated within the Food Network’s “Last Bite Hotel,” where he made it to the ultimate 4. He also hosts “Time Out with Tobias” on ESPN.

Off-screen, Dorzon currently owns and manages a company Huncho’s house and exclusive 1123 By Chef Tobias. This spring, he was named Maryland Chef of the Year, the primary honor for somebody from Prince George’s County. In 2021 helped James Harden open his restaurant Thirteen in Houston.

Before becoming a master chef, the Maryland native played within the NFL for each the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans. He also had a stint playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

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Every week after the shooting, Dorzon updated followers Instagram on his progress.

“I’m still here, thank you all for your prayers. See you soon…. Huncho,” he wrote within the caption of a post that included a screenshot of a tweet during which he admitted that, all things considered, he should be “God’s favorite.”


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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US bans airlines from flying to Haiti and UN suspends flights after gangs shot up planes

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Haiti, Haiti Violence, Haitian gangs, flying to Haiti, gang violence in Haiti, Haitian travel suspended, flights to Haiti suspended, Haitian Prime Minister, Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – The Federal Aviation Administration has banned U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot three planes and the United Nations also temporarily suspended flights to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, limiting humanitarian aid flowing into the country.

On Monday, bullets hit a Spirit Airlines plane that was about to land within the capital, injuring a flight attendant and forcing the airport to close. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes scattered throughout the plane’s interior.

On Tuesday, JetBlue and American Airlines announced that post-flight inspections showed their planes were also shot down on Monday while departing Port-au-Prince. The American suspended flights to the capital until February 12.

The shootings were a part of a wave of violence that erupted because the country tormented by gang violence swore in a brand new prime minister after a politically turbulent process.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the agency documented 20 armed clashes and more roadblocks affecting humanitarian operations during Monday’s violence. Port-au-Prince airport will remain closed until November 18, and Dujarric said the United Nations will redirect flights to the country’s second airport, within the northern, quieter city of Cap Haïtien.

Difficult access to the epicenter of violence, Port-au-Prince, is probably going to be devastating as gangs choke life within the capital pushed Haiti to the brink of famine. Dujarric warned that cutting off flights would mean “reducing the flow of humanitarian aid and humanitarian personnel into the country.”

A convoy of 20 trucks full of food and medical supplies has already been rescheduled south, and an operation to provide money assistance to 1,000 people within the Carrefour area, where violence broke out, had to be called off.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure business continuity in this difficult environment,” he said. “We call for an end to the escalation of violence to allow safe, sustainable and unimpeded humanitarian access.”

Life in much of Haiti’s capital got here to a standstill on Tuesday after a wave of violence. Heavily armed police in armored cars checked passing public transport trucks outside the airport.

Schools were closed, as were banks and government offices. The streets, where just the day before there had been a fierce shootout with gangs and police, were eerily empty, with few people passing by apart from motorcycles with a shot man hanging on behind.

In the afternoon, the sounds of heavy gunfire continued to echo through the streets – a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti’s elites and a robust push from the international community to restore peace, the country’s toxic gang group retained a robust grip on many of the Caribbean nation.

The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital Port-au-Prince. UN supported mission run by Kenyan police to quell gang violence, scuffling with an absence of funding and staff that prompted the calls for the UN peacekeeping mission.

President Luis Abinader within the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti, was the primary leader on the island to condemn the violence, labeling the shooting an “act of terrorism.”

On Tuesday, the transitional council established in April to restore democratic order in Haiti also condemned the violence.

“This cowardly crime, which threatens Haiti’s sovereignty and security, goals to isolate our country on the international stage. The perpetrators of those heinous acts shall be tracked down and brought to justice,” the council said in a press release.

The council has faced fierce criticism from many in Haiti who say its political struggles and corruption charges against three members has created political instability, allowing gangs to violently seize power, as happened on Monday.

This happened on the weekend when the primary shot was fired interim Prime Minister Garry Conille – he argued with the Council for a very long time. They replaced him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who was inaugurated on Monday surrounded by suit-wearing officials and diplomats as gangs terrorized the encompassing capital.

Neither Fils-Aimé nor Conille commented on the wave of violence.

Conille initially called the council’s move illegal, but on Tuesday he confirmed Fils-Aimé’s appointment in a post on the X social media platform.

“(I) wish him success in fulfilling this mission. At this crucial moment, unity and solidarity are essential for our country. Long live Haiti!” he wrote. Fils-Aimé promised to work with international partners to restore peace and hold long-awaited elections, a promise also made by his predecessor.

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But many Haitians, like 43-year-old Martha Jean-Pierre, don’t have any taste for political fighting, which experts say only gives gangs more freedom to further expand their control.

Jean-Pierre was amongst those that braved the streets of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to sell bananas, carrots, cabbage and potatoes, which she carried in a basket on her head. She said she had no alternative – selling was the one way she could feed her children.

“What good is a new prime minister if there is no security, if I cannot move freely and sell my goods?” she said, nodding at her basket of vegetables. “This is my bank account. My family depends on it.”

The frustration alarmed international actors comparable to the UN and the US, who called for a peaceful resolution to the situation in Haiti.

On Tuesday, the US State Department regretted that Conille and the Council had been “unable to make progress in a constructive manner” and called on Fils-Aimé and the Council to present a transparent plan of motion with a shared vision to reduce violence and pave the way in which for an electoral path that is meant to “prevent further deadlock.”

“The urgent and immediate needs of the Haitian people compel the interim government to prioritize governance over the competing personal interests of political actors,” the statement said.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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