All articles tagged with #prosecutors
Prosecutors say 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht started the Palisades Fire after an NYE outburst, with a Jan. 1 underground blaze that lay hidden before re-igniting a week later and killing 12. His trial is set for June 8, while his defense says he’s being scapegoated for firefighting failures.
The Rivas Hernandez family says they are in indescribable pain and deny rumors that musician D4vd paid them, as prosecutors detail a case in which 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was allegedly murdered and dismembered by David Anthony Burke; Burke faces first-degree murder and other charges, with a potential death penalty, and Celeste’s father and family attorney say they had no contact with Burke or money from him, urging time to grieve amid ongoing legal proceedings.
Prosecutors allege that musician D4vd (David Burke) murdered a 14-year-old girl he was dating and dismembered her body, storing remains in his Tesla for months. The nine-page memo outlines a timeline from 2022–2025, including travel with the victim, explicit messages about sex and pregnancy, and purchases of body bags and tools. Investigators cite surveillance video and DNA evidence linking him to the crime. The defense sought to seal the memo, but a judge allowed media access, and the preliminary hearing was moved to May 26.
The Justice Department has removed the lead Miami prosecutor from the probe into John Brennan, citing routine staff changes, after she resisted pressure to rush charges against the former CIA director. The Brennan investigation—centered on Brennan’s 2017 intelligence assessment about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election—continues with a rotated team and ongoing subpoenas and interviews, though officials say indictment timing remains uncertain and top officials have pressed for speed.
The U.S. Justice Department fired four prosecutors accused of bias against anti-abortion activists, a rare move signaling renewed emphasis on impartiality within federal prosecutions.
Prosecutors disclosed a reportedly disturbing remark Harvey Weinstein allegedly made to a court officer during his 2020 Manhattan sex-crimes trial, saying, 'If you had seen these girls, you would have done the exact same thing,' as jury selection began for Weinstein's third Manhattan sex-crimes trial; defense questioned why the statement was disclosed six years later while Weinstein, who faces a third-degree rape charge from former actress Jessica Mann, awaits another trial after a 2024 overturning of his conviction.
The Justice Department fired at least four prosecutors who handled FACE Act prosecutions during the Biden administration, including Sanjay Patel; the terminations occurred as the department prepared a report on weaponizing the FACE Act.
U.S. prosecutors are examining possible ties between drug traffickers and people connected to Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, prompting the DEA to designate Petro a 'priority target' in the ongoing probe.
French anti-terror prosecutors opened an investigation into two Moroccan-Italian brothers, aged 20 and 22, suspected of plotting a deadly antisemitic attack in France. Detained last week in a northern France car raid, authorities found a loaded semi-automatic weapon, hydrochloric acid, and an ISIS flag. Officials say the brothers radicalized over two years and intensified their jihadist commitment in the days before their arrest, though no specific plot details were released.
Prosecutors in Bologna, Italy, are seeking charges of grave mistreatment leading to serious injury against a couple accused of concealing their nine-year-old daughter's HIV-positive status during pregnancy and denying her medical care for years, resulting in severe illness before a hospital visit in 2023. The child was born outside a medical establishment and only later received treatment; the parents deny deliberate harm and claim some medical care occurred in Spain. A May hearing is planned to determine intent.
Paris’s Louvre says its immense size makes fraud statistically inevitable as prosecutors detail a decade-long ticket-fraud scheme that may exceed €10 million, with nine suspects detained; the case involves tour guides reusing tickets and some Louvre staff, and the museum has tightened ticket validation and checkpoint controls.
France's Paris prosecutor's office is creating a dedicated magistrates' team to analyse Epstein-related evidence that could involve French nationals, re-examine the case of former modelling agency head Jean-Luc Brunel, and pursue new lines of inquiry—including cases involving a French diplomat, a modelling agent and other figures named in the US Epstein files—while coordinating with financial-crimes prosecutors and police. The move follows recent disclosures that have already spurred political fallout, including Jack Lang's resignation.
Four lead prosecutors on Minnesota's $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud case have quit, shrinking the U.S. Attorney's Office and forcing the case to proceed with newer attorneys as the trial nears in April; the office has experienced a broader staff exodus, dropping from roughly 70 to as few as 17 prosecutors since 2025.
The Vatican's high-profile 'trial of the century' resumes after a pause, but prosecutors face procedural hurdles and setbacks as they pursue allegations of financial misconduct linked to Vatican finances and Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis warned U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen that more resignations could follow if the office does not open civil rights investigations into two fatal shootings by immigration agents, amid concerns over DHS-led probes, pressure to rush charges, and ongoing staffing losses after several resignations.