All articles tagged with #guilty plea
A former Scottish National Party chief pleaded guilty to embezzling about $540,000 from party funds, in a high-profile case that could have significant implications for the party as sentencing approaches.
Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, admitting she and former fiancé Yaoning Sun promoted pro-China propaganda on the U.S. News Center; Sun was already sentenced to four years. Wang resigned as mayor and could face up to 10 years in federal prison.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman pleaded guilty in Boulder County District Court to murder and related charges for a June firebomb attack on a pro-Israel demonstration that killed an 82-year-old woman and injured about a dozen others. He faces up to life in prison without parole in the state case. He has pleaded not guilty to federal hate-crime charges, with prosecutors weighing the death penalty in the federal matter. Investigators say he planned the attack for a year, yelled 'Free Palestine!' and threw Molotov cocktails at roughly 20 demonstrators, targeting people linked to Israel; the defense contends the motive was opposition to Zionism, which may not qualify as a federal hate crime.
New Zealand’s Court of Appeal rejected Brenton Tarrant’s bid to overturn his 2020 conviction and life sentence for the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, ruling his guilty pleas were voluntary and not undermined by his prison conditions, and sparing victims’ families a retraumatizing new trial.
An Austrian man, Beran A, admitted conspiring to attack Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert as part of an ISIS-linked plot that also involved plans in Dubai, Istanbul and Mecca; the foiled plan led to the cancellation of Swift’s Vienna dates in 2024. Beran A and associate Arda K travelled to Dubai and Istanbul, while a third man carried out a Mecca attack. Prosecutors say Beran A attempted to obtain weapons and make a shrapnel bomb. With terrorism-related charges, the defendants face a potential 10–20 year sentence, and a five-day trial is set to conclude by May 28.
An Austrian man pleaded guilty to plotting an Islamic State–linked attack on Taylor Swift's Vienna concert in August 2024, with another suspect set to stand trial in the same case.
Former Coldwater mayor Joe Ceballos pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts for voting without U.S. citizenship; he is a permanent resident with a green card and says the voting was an honest mistake. The charges were downgraded from felony to misdemeanor due to lack of intent, under a plea deal that calls for one year of probation with a six-month jail sentence suspended and a $2,000 fine plus court fees. Immigration officials could pursue removal if felonies were charged, but the defense argues residency should not be affected. Supporters attended court, and Ceballos is viewed locally as a well-liked cattle rancher.
Former NBA guard Damon Jones is expected to plead guilty in a nationwide gambling sweep that prosecutors say lured players into rigged poker games using tricks like altered shuffles and hidden cameras; Jones allegedly earned about $2,500 for a Hamptons game and was instructed to cheat. The case ties into involvement by New York crime families and violence to ensure repayment, and Jones’s background includes three straight seasons of playing and a 2016 Cavaliers championship; his plea would mark the first guilty plea in the investigation.
Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to eight murders in the Gilgo Beach case, admitting to killing eight women. The plea brings closure for victims’ families, who expressed relief after a long, painful legal process; Heuermann’s ex-wife and daughter attended the hearing, with family representatives asking for privacy as they processed the outcome.
Rex Heuermann is expected to plead guilty to the Gilgo Beach serial killings in a Suffolk County court, following a status conference held on Feb. 25, 2025.
Rex Heuermann, charged with seven Gilgo Beach murders, is expected to plead guilty on April 8 according to sources, with court records showing an appearance that day. Investigators tie the case to DNA evidence and a discarded pizza crust, and the trial had been scheduled for September before the anticipated plea.
An 18-year-old in Raleigh, NC, who killed five people in a mass shooting when he was 15, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to five counts of first-degree murder. The judge rejected parole after 25 years, stating the crimes showed irreparable corruption; the case included a note claiming he hated humans and a defense theory of a dissociative episode linked to acne medication. The rampage began at his home, included the killing of his 16-year-old brother and an off-duty officer, and followed extensive online planning. Victims’ families urged the harsh sentence as prosecutors emphasized premeditation and planning.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack, has gone to New Zealand’s Court of Appeal to try to withdraw his guilty plea and challenge his life sentence. He argues prison conditions were so torturous and inhumane that he could not make rational decisions when he pleaded guilty a year after the attack, and he also seeks to appeal his sentence. The week-long hearing in Wellington will include video-linked testimony; if the court allows retracting the plea, the case could return to trial on all charges; otherwise another hearing would address the sentence appeal. Victims’ families, watching via delayed broadcast, describe reopening trauma, as the massacre—which spurred NZ gun-law reforms—continues to echo in the country.
Austin Thompson, now 18, pleaded guilty Jan. 21 to five counts including first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a law enforcement officer for a 2022 Raleigh rampage that killed his 16-year-old brother and four neighbors. Prosecutors say the teen, then 15, armed a .22 rifle, shot his brother in the head, stabbed him 57 times, loaded more firearms and ammunition, donned camouflage and a backpack, and then killed Nichole Connors, Lynn Garner (who survived), Gabriel Torres (a Raleigh police officer), Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz before fleeing and later shooting himself. He pleaded guilty to spare the community further trauma; sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday.
A teen pleaded guilty to a 2022 North Carolina mass shooting that killed five people, marking a major development in a case that drew national attention.