Crime
Uber is helping investigators in the case of driver Loletha Hall, who was murdered by an 81-year-old Ohio man
Uber is helping investigators look into an account that sent a driver to an Ohio home where an 81-year-old man allegedly shot and killed a girl because he mistakenly believed she was involved in a fraud scheme targeting him, the ride-hailing company said. Wednesday.
The shooting death of Loletha Hall on March 25 is a “terrible tragedy” and the account has since been disabled, an Uber spokesman wrote in an emailed statement. “Our hearts continue to go out to Loletha’s loved ones as they mourn.”
On Monday, William J. Brock was charged with murder, felonious assault and kidnapping in reference to Hall’s death. Messages in search of comment were left with him and his attorney, Paul Kavanagh of Springfield, Ohio, on Wednesday.
The grand jury also found that the gun confiscated from Brock’s home, a .22-caliber revolver, was subject to forfeiture. Bronek pleaded not guilty.
Police said Brock called 911 before noon to say he had shot someone at his South Charleston home, claiming Hall was attempting to rob him. Investigators later said the driver was unaware that Brock had received a fraudulent phone call containing threats and demands for money, citing an incarcerated relative.
Hall “did not threaten or attack Mr. Brock or make any demands other than asking about the package he was sent for via Uber,” the Clark County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an April 11 news release. Police said Brock “retrieved a gun and held it at gunpoint, demanding to know the identities of the people he was talking to on the phone.”
It’s unclear what exactly the callers told Brock, but the sheriff’s office press release included a reminder, especially to older people, that law enforcement and courts don’t solicit money in exchange for bail “in the manner applicable to this case.”
“We encourage all citizens to be extremely cautious when unexpectedly coming into contact with anyone claiming to be a relative of an incarcerated person or having direct knowledge of an incarcerated relative,” the sheriff’s office warned.
In January, the FBI issued a warning about government impersonation scams in which couriers send couriers to the homes of their targets – often elderly people – to gather money or trick them into purchasing gold and other precious metals. The FBI said its Internet Crime Complaint Center noted that such activity resulted in losses of greater than $55 million in the last eight months of 2023.
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A 2021 study of older adults in the Chicago area found that when a fictitious government agency notified those who their personal data had been breached, those with low fraud awareness were particularly vulnerable.
Police say the Uber ride to Hall to choose up the package was ordered by the same person who made the fraudulent calls to Brock, or by an accomplice.
Brock is accused of taking Hall’s mobile phone and never letting her out, then shooting her as she tried to get into her vehicle. The sheriff’s office said it was investigating the male’s “initial fraudulent telephone call to Mr. Brock” and the order for a package to be delivered via the app.
Brock shot Hall twice more, suffering a minor head injury himself during the confrontation, after which called 911, police said. Hall, a Columbus resident who police said was unarmed, later died at the hospital.
He posted $200,000 bail and was released from the Clark County Jail on Wednesday. FBI spokesman Todd Lindgren of the agency’s Cincinnati office said it was aware of the murder but declined to verify or deny whether it was involved.
In the obituary, which listed her name as Lo-Letha “Letha” Toland-Hall, Hall was described as the mother of a son and stepson, a faithful member of her church and a talented cook known for her delicious pound cakes. She retired from the Ohio Regional Income Tax Agency and worked in behavioral health in school and for Uber. She studied horticulture at Ohio State and began a cleansing business.
Crime
Founder of an AI Tech startup accused of fraud and combining numbers with investors
Joanna Smith-Griffin, 33, CEO of startup AllHere Education, Inc. dealing with AI education accused of defrauding investors.
The Southern District of New York prosecuted Smith-Griffin securities fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The grand jury indictment alleged that Smith-Griffin lied concerning the education platform’s funds and posed as a financial consultant to supply false information to investors. While acting as a financial consultant for AllHere Education, Smith-Griffin is accused of falsifying the corporate’s financial records mislead potential investors and inflate the worth of her company and its revenues.
AllHere Education is an AI-powered learning platform utilized in primary and secondary schools. Smith-Griffin has had little success integrating the K-12 platform into individual school districts in California and Georgia. However, the principal didn’t secure long-term contracts with school districts. She used these short-term partnerships to misrepresent to investors the reach and financial success of AllHere Education.
Smith-Griffin told potential AllHere investors that AllHere generated about $3.7 million in revenue in 2020, about $2.5 million in money and has major school district customers similar to New York City Department of Education (“NYC DOE”) and Atlanta Public Schools. In fact, AllHere generated roughly $11,000 in revenue in 2020, had roughly $494,000 in money, and had no contracts with many of the clients it represented, including the NYC DOE and Atlanta Public Schools.
Smith-Griffin continued to boost capital to support the startup, raising one other $10 million in funding. When the corporate collapsed financially, Smith-Griffin allegedly used the money injection to pay for an extravagant three-day wedding in Florida and a residence in North Carolina.
FBI Deputy Director James E. Dennehy commented on Smith-Griffin’s decision to prioritize her personal aspirations over the needs of an educational platform.
“Her alleged actions impacted the potential to improve the learning environment in core school districts by selfishly prioritizing personal expenses,” he said.
Smith-Griffin faces a compulsory two years in prison for the identity theft charge and a maximum of 20 years for every fraud charge. AllHere Education is currently in Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Crime
Prosecutors say Sean “Diddy” Combs is trying to obstruct justice by heading to prison
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.
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.
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.
Crime
Celebrity chef and former NFL player Tobias Dorzon is recovering from a shooting attack
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.”
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.
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.”
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