The Kern County Sheriff's Office arrested one of its own in connection with an alleged criminal conspiracy at the Lerdo pre-trial jail. The office announced the April 9 arrest of sheriff’s aide Erik Belmontes, 26, on Tuesday. Bail Set at $110,000 Belmontes faces multiple charges. They include bringing illegal drugs and...
Iran Supreme Leader Claims Protests a US-Backed ‘Conspiracy’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday claimed without evidence that recent protests across the Islamic Republic over government-set gasoline prices rising were part of a “conspiracy” involving the U.S., as authorities began to acknowledge the scale of the demonstrations. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the...
California Woman Pleads Guilty in ‘Birth Tourism’ Scheme
SANTA ANA — A woman who ran a Southern California "birth tourism" business that charged Chinese clients to help them give birth in the United States has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit immigration fraud. Dongyuan Li of Irvine also pleaded guilty to federal visa fraud Tuesday. Prosecutors say Li,...
Huffman and Loughlin Charges Shatter Actresses’ Clean Images
LOS ANGELES — As an Emmy winner and Oscar nominee, Felicity Huffman has been known as one of Hollywood's more versatile actresses, as well as one-half of one of its more famous acting couples with husband William H. Macy. While Lori Loughlin's resume might not be as accomplished, her face...
3 Get Prison in College Basketball Recruiting Scandal
NEW YORK — Three men have received prison sentences in the widespread college basketball recruiting scandal that has tainted two dozen schools. Former Adidas executive James Gatto, business manager Christian Dawkins, and amateur league director Merl Code were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October for funneling illegal payments...
In Plea Deal, Russian Woman Admits to Being a Secret Agent
WASHINGTON — A Russian gun-rights activist admitted Thursday that she was a secret agent for the Kremlin who tried to infiltrate conservative U.S. political groups as Donald Trump rose to power. Maria Butina, 30, agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge as part of a deal with federal prosecutors....
New Book Claims CIA & Saudi Arabia Conspired to Shroud 9/11 Details
As the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approaches, people continue to offer their theories of what happened. Newsweek reports on a new book, The Watchdogs Didn’t Bark: The CIA, NSA, and the Crimes of the War on Terror, looking into the latest theories. “(Authors) John Duffy and Ray Nowosielski...
Rep. Collins Will Stay on Ballot Despite Insider Trading Charges
NEW YORK — Republican U.S. Rep. Christopher Collins of New York was arrested Wednesday on charges he fed inside information that he gleaned from sitting on the board of a biotechnology company to his son, helping others dodge hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses when bad news came out....