Crime
Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs are asking a judge to reveal the identities of his accusers
NEW YORK (AP) – Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a New York judge on Tuesday to force prosecutors to release the names of his accusers in his sex trafficking case.
Lawyers wrote in a letter to a Manhattan federal court judge that the hip-hop music maker must know the identities of his alleged victims so as to properly prepare for trial.
Combs’ trial date was set for May 5 last week. He pleaded not guilty.
A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the matter.
Combs, 54, stays in jail without bail after being federally arrested on Sept. 16 for sex trafficking. His lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to release him from house arrest so he can more easily meet with lawyers and prepare for trial.
So far, judges have found he poses a danger to the community and can’t be released.
The demand to discover accusers got here a day after six recent lawsuits were filed anonymously against Combs to protect the identities of alleged victims. Two of the accusers were identified as Jane Does, while 4 of the men were named in the lawsuit as John Does. The lawsuit alleged that he used his fame and guarantees to enhance his prospects in the music industry to persuade victims to attend lavish parties or drug-fuelled gatherings, during which he then attacked them.
The plaintiffs in Monday’s trials are part of what their attorneys say is a group of greater than 100 accusers who are in the process of taking legal motion against Combs.
In their Tuesday letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs’ lawyers said the case against their client was unique, partly because of the number of accusers. They attributed the number to “his celebrity status, wealth, and the notoriety of his previously settled lawsuit.”
The reference apparently cites a November lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura. The next day, Combs settled the case, but has since been dogged by allegations of sexual and physical harassment.
The Associated Press doesn’t typically name individuals who say they’ve been victims of sexual abuse unless they arrive forward publicly, as Ventura did.
Combs’ lawyers say the Cassie settlement, together with federal agents’ “false inflammatory statements” and Combs’ fame, “have had a pervasive ripple effect, generating a torrent of allegations from unidentified complainants that range from false to downright absurd.” “
They said the lawsuits filed Monday with other lawsuits and their “swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreversibly deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial if he has not already received it.”
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The lawyers wrote that the government should discover the alleged victims because Combs has no way of knowing what allegations prosecutors depend on in making allegations in the indictment.
“To the extent that Mr. Combs is forced to mount a defense against criminal charges that the government does not seek to prove at trial, he has a right to know about it,” the lawyers said.
The indictment accuses Combs of using a network of associates and employees to coerce and harass women over the years, while also using blackmail and acts of violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings, to prevent victims from speaking out.
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.”
Crime
US bans airlines from flying to Haiti and UN suspends flights after gangs shot up planes
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.
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.
Crime
After the mass shooting in Baltimore, there were no homicides for an entire year
BALTIMORE (AP) – As gun violence continues to say no in Baltimore after years of rampant bloodshed, the historically turbulent neighborhood in the city’s southwest corner is celebrating a long-awaited victory: zero homicides in greater than a year.
These numbers have particular significance for the Brooklyn community where: mass shooting in July 2023, it tore through the annual summer party, leaving two people dead and 28 others injured in the courtyard of an aging public housing estate. Majority victims they were teenagers and young adults.
In the wake of the tragedy, the city’s flagship anti-violence program Safe Streets has stepped up its efforts in the area, and officials say the efforts are paying off. On Tuesday afternoon, residents and city officials gathered near the site of the mass shooting to have fun a year of progress.
“This just isn’t just an achievement for Safe Streets. It’s a testament to Brooklyn’s resilience and community strength,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. “This is a community that has been sold out, neglected and ignored for a protracted, very long time. But together, together, we are saying enough is enough.
Citywide, homicides are down about 24% in comparison with this time last year. That’s roughly it 20% decline in 2023when Baltimore recorded fewer than 300 homicides for the first time in nearly a decade, ending a surge that began in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray and widespread civil unrest.
Violent crimes too decreased nationwide after a surge during the pandemic.
The Baltimore Safe Streets program includes 10 offices situated in the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. It was released in 2007 and has developed in recent years under Scott, who has ceaselessly pledged to treat violence as a public health crisis and address its root causes.
Safe Streets focuses on de-escalating conflicts by employing mediators with credibility and street knowledge. This is an inherently dangerous job because they develop close relationships with people who find themselves most liable to becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence. Officials say reaching young people is vital.
Adanus Sprillium, 22, said he recently enrolled in a residential job readiness program that was really useful by Safe Streets staff in Brooklyn. He had his first GED class last week. Sprillium said he previously struggled with drug addiction and homelessness.
“I would probably end up dead or in jail,” he said.
A community survey conducted in the weeks after the mass shooting in Brooklyn found that city officials consider many borough residents place more trust in Safe Streets than Baltimore police, local schools, nonprofits and other institutions. Only neighborhood churches ranked higher.
Still, the presence of Safe Streets staff at the block party was not enough to forestall it from ultimately degenerating into chaos and bloodshed.
Baltimore police faced heavy criticism for their response to the incident. The report pointed to potential bias amongst officers after finding police he ignored many warning signs and didn’t take proactive motion in the hours before the shooting broke out. Critics questioned whether police would have responded in another way if the shooting had occurred in a wealthier neighborhood.
The department announced disciplinary charges against a dozen officers earlier this year.
Five teenagers arrested in reference to the shooting. Four of them have already pleaded guilty to varied charges.
Sean Wees, director of Safe Streets’ Brooklyn chapter, said a lot of the staff have deep roots in the community. In response to the shooting, the team has made every effort to advertise safety and ensure residents have access to services. However, Wees said there continues to be much work to be done.
“We are working to promote peace and progress here in Brooklyn,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting. “We cannot stop until these kinds of ceremonies are no longer needed – until peace becomes the standard, not a streak measured in days or months.”
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