Crime
Records show deputy accused of fatally shooting Sonia Massey worked for 6 agencies over 4 years
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A former sheriff’s deputy charged with murder within the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman slain in her Illinois home, was employed by a half-dozen police agencies since 2020, in keeping with state law enforcement records.
Sean Grayson’s profession included transient part-time stints at three small police departments and a full-time job at a fourth, in addition to full-time jobs at two sheriff’s offices, all in central Illinois.
Grayson, 30, who’s white, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and abuse of authority charges in reference to the July 6 slaying. He was released last week by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Massey called 911 to report a suspicious vagrant. Two deputies eventually showed up at her home in Springfield, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.
Sheriff’s body camera footage released Monday confirmed prosecutors’ earlier account of a tense moment by which Grayson shouted across the counter at Massey to placed on a pot of hot water. He then threatened to shoot the unarmed woman, Massey ducked and briefly stood up, and Grayson fired a gun at her. Massey was hit 3 times, the fatal shot grazing her in the pinnacle.
At a news conference Tuesday in Springfield, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Massey family, said the Justice Department has opened an investigation into the incident, (*4*) He said he didn’t know the scope of the investigation.
However, in an announcement, the Justice Department said it was (*6*) and said it “will continue to follow the criminal case.”
James Wilburn, Massey’s father, demanded the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell.
“I want to tell you the sheriff here is embarrassing,” Wilburn said. “This man (Grayson) should never have had a badge. And he should never have had a gun. He should never have had the opportunity to kill my child.”
A telephone message was left at Campbell’s office.
The Associated Press is in search of information from six agencies about Grayson’s employment history.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board shows Grayson was hired on a part-time basis on Aug. 11, 2020, by the Pawnee Police Department. He was also hired on a part-time basis on Feb. 4, 2021, by the Kincaid Police Department and on May 20, 2021, by the Virden Police Department.
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Two months later, he was hired full-time by the Auburn Police Department and remained there until May 1, 2022, when he was hired full-time by the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Grayson left Logan County on April 28, 2023, and was hired full-time on May 1, 2023, by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
He received his part-time law enforcement certification on June 5, 2021, in keeping with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. His certification status is currently listed as suspended on the board’s website.
Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to comment.
Wilburn and Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, met with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton Tuesday morning on the Baptist Church.
“They understood that often the Sonya Masseys of the world do not have due process of law. And that they committed to saying that this would be a fair and transparent investigation and process at every level,” Crump said.
The family wants Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which U.S. House Democrats approved in 2021 before the bill died within the Senate. The former goals to curb police misconduct, excessive use of force and racial bias in law enforcement, while the Voting Rights Act would require local jurisdictions to hunt federal approval before changing election laws.
“Every member of Congress needs to vote today to make sure no one else in the United States of America has to go through what we’re going through,” Wilburn said.
In an announcement Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said she joins President Joe Biden in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” Harris said. “After calling the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home by an officer sworn to protect and serve. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from so many people’s experiences – we have work to do to ensure our justice system lives up to its name.”
Massey’s oldest son, Malachi Hill Massey, 17, said he watched the start of the body camera footage of him shooting his mother but didn’t watch the remaining of it.
“I have no words to describe it,” Malachi Massey said.
Grayson was being held without bail within the Sangamon County Jail. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison for murder, 6 to 30 years for assault and a couple of to five years for misdemeanor battery.
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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