
Crime And Courts News
The latest crime and courts stories, summarized by AI
Featured Crime And Courts Stories


Miami Lawyer, Influencer Daughter, and Surf Instructor Charged in LA Murder-For-Hire Plot
A Miami attorney, Francisco Gonzalez, his influencer daughter Gabriela Gonzalez, and Kai Cordrey are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and solicitation to commit murder for allegedly plotting to hire a hit man to kill ex-boy band member Jack Avery through the dark web; the FBI, in an undercover sting, intervened after about $14,000 was paid. Gabriela and Avery have a custody dispute, Avery is the target, and Gabriela was arrested with Francisco in Florida while Cordrey’s status remains unclear.

More Top Stories
Undercover sting foils Iran-linked terror plot targeting U.S. Jewish sites
Los Angeles Times•8 days ago
Vancouver Woman Granted $300K Bail in Mult-Defendant Child-Molestation Case
The Columbian•13 days ago
More Crime And Courts Stories

D4vd Faces High-Stakes Hearing in Gruesome Teen Murder Case
David Burke, the 21-year-old singer known as D4vd, will undergo a late-June preliminary hearing on murder and sex-abuse charges in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whom prosecutors say he stabbed, dismembered and disposed of in his garage after a year of alleged abuse; the body was found in the trunk of a Tesla linked to Burke. His defense had sought an immediate hearing but paused as prosecutors provided extensive digital evidence. A status conference is set for June 17, with the full hearing expected to last several days.

Wife of Clark County abuse-case suspect arrested in widening investigation
Anna May Hartley, 41, of Vancouver and wife of a suspect in a Clark County child-molestation investigation connected to a local pediatrician, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree child molestation and first-degree trafficking; her husband Chad Hartley had been arrested earlier in the case.

Arcadia Mayor Charged as Chinese Government Agent in Propaganda Scheme
Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang is charged with acting as an illegal agent of the PRC, admitting to working for the Chinese government on U.S. soil and not notifying U.S. authorities, and directing the pro-China U.S. News Center to publish propaganda, including a Xinjiang-related piece; she resigned, faces up to 10 years in prison under a plea deal, while co-defendant Yaoning Sun is already serving a four-year sentence.

Arcadia Mayor Resigns After Plea in China-Linked Foreign Agent Case
Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang reached a federal plea agreement to plead guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent for China, admitting she posted Chinese government–directed propaganda and did not disclose its source; she resigned after the plea was unsealed. The case is linked to her ex-fiancé Yaoning “Mike” Sun, who was sentenced to four years in federal prison for similar charges. The conduct occurred before her 2022 City Council election, and the charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Former HIMYM actor convicted in ex-girlfriend stabbing case
Nick Pasqual, a background actor known for How I Met Your Mother, was found guilty after a jury trial of attempted murder and related charges for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Allie Shehorn in May 2024, breaking into her Shadow Hills home; prosecutors say he fled California and was stopped at a Texas border checkpoint. He also faces counts of injuring a spouse or partner, first-degree burglary and rape, with sentencing set for June 2 and a potential life prison term.

Notorious Betty Broderick dies in prison at 78
Elisabeth 'Betty' Broderick, the La Jolla socialite who killed her ex-husband Daniel Broderick and his wife Linda Kolkena in 1989, died in prison at 78 from natural causes; after a 1990 mistrial and a 1991 conviction for two counts of second-degree murder, she was sentenced to 32 years to life and denied parole in 2010 and 2017, with her case inspiring books, a TV movie, a podcast, and an eight-episode miniseries.

Feds Strike MacArthur Park Drug Market in Major Sweep
Federal agents and LAPD arrested 18 people and charged 25 defendants with federal drug-distribution offenses in a crackdown dubbed Operation Free MacArthur Park, targeting an open-air drug market along the Alvarado corridor by MacArthur Park. Authorities say fentanyl and methamphetamine were supplied by a network tied to the 18th Street Gang, with six warrants served at storefronts as officers cleared the area; seven fugitives remain at large as the operation aims to reclaim the park for residents.

Patterson ICE shooting leads to federal indictment of suspect
A Salvadoran man, Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández, was indicted on two counts of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon and one count of destruction of government property after an April 7 ICE operation in Patterson, California, where prosecutors say he used his vehicle to threaten and strike officers; his attorney says officers opened fire first. The case, part of a series of California immigration-agent shootings, could carry up to 20 years on each assault count and 10 years on the destruction charge, with arraignment scheduled forthcoming.

Teens accuse 'looksmaxxing' star Clavicular of battery and fraud in Miami
Aleksandra Mendoza, a teen influencer known as Alorah, is suing Miami-based streamer Braden Peters (Clavicular) for battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and unauthorized publication of her name/likeness. The suit alleges that in 2025, when Mendoza was 16, Peters paid her to film videos and planned her as the “female face” of looksmaxxing, took her to Cape Cod, served her alcohol to intoxication, and had sex with her without consent; he allegedly injected her with Aqualyx without licensing or FDA approval. The lawsuit also claims he later undermined her sponsorships in 2026. Mendoza, now 18, seeks damages over $50,000. Peters denies the allegations and says he will vigorously defend himself.

Inner Circle Accused of Plotting to Loot Biffle Family Wealth After Fatal Plane Crash
Investigators allege that friends in Greg Biffle’s inner circle conspired to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver, his wife Cristina Grossu, their two children, and others after their Dec. 18 plane crash. A March 10 search warrant cites multiple fraud schemes targeting bank and email accounts, with suspicious Venmo activity and a Jan. 7 break-in at the Lake Norman home described as possibly a cover to steal wealth and evidence. No arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation.