Bandit Gang Writ Large

Trial set for Tulsa police officer accused of robbing Hispanic drivers

"A nonjury trial has been scheduled for Aug. 7 for a police officer who is accused of robbing Hispanic drivers during traffic stops. The robbery counts involve allegations that Blades - while driving his patrol car, dressed in a Tulsa police uniform and with a gun in his holster - pulled over Hispanic drivers on traffic stops outside his assigned patrol beat, ordered them to hand over their wallets and took money from them before returning the wallets. He was arrested during a sting operation in August 2012 after he pulled over an undercover law enforcement agent and stole $600 in documented bills that were later found on Blades, according to an arrest report." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrial set for Tulsa police officer accused of robbing Hispanic drivers

New Hampshire Town Sues Over Meter Feeding

"A group of residents in Keene, New Hampshire thought the city was gaining a bad reputation for its predatory parking meter enforcement and decided to do something about it. The organized an effort to regularly feed coins into the meters so that other residents and visitors could avoid having an expensive ticket slapped on their windshield. Instead, they receive a card telling them that Robin Hood and the Merry Men have 'saved you from the king's tariff.' As a reward for their generosity, the city is suing the Robin Hooders for civil conspiracy to interfere with a contract. A hearing on the case is scheduled for August 12." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Hampshire Town Sues Over Meter Feeding

Taiwanese gang caught smuggling $3m worth of gold into South Korea

"South Korean custom officials caught Wednesday nine Taiwanese nationals who were allegedly smuggling 134 pounds (60.75 kilograms) worth of gold, hidden in their rectal cavities. According to China Post, the suspects are accused of transforming US$3 million worth of gold bars into small beads and smuggling them into South Korea 11 times since May last year. The group allegedly entered the country through Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul as Korea’s main gateway, the Incheon International Airport, has recently tighten controls." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTaiwanese gang caught smuggling $3m worth of gold into South Korea

Economist Withdraws Bank of Israel Candidacy

"One of Israel's top economists on Monday withdrew his candidacy as head of the central bank over an old shoplifting case. The incident happened in a Hong Kong airport seven years ago. Jacob Frenkel told Israeli media he mistakenly thought his companion paid for an item he was carrying. A committee reviewing his appointment raised questions about the incident, and Frenkel decided to withdraw his candidacy. Frenkel did not report the incident to the committee." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEconomist Withdraws Bank of Israel Candidacy

US Files Criminal Charges Against SAC For the Non-Crime Of Insider Trading

"US prosecutors brought criminal charges against SAC Capital, the hedge fund run by billionaire Steve Cohen, alleging the $15 billion fund engaged in 'systemic insider trading' for 11 years, reports FT. SAC was charged with one count of wire fraud and four counts of securities fraud. Prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of hundreds of millions of dollars in allegedly illegal profits. The fraud was 'substantial, pervasive and on a scale without known precedent in the hedge fund industry,' the government said in the indictment." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Files Criminal Charges Against SAC For the Non-Crime Of Insider Trading

European Court Backs Journalist Harassed Over Speed Camera Criticism

"Ilze Nagla's prime-time Sunday television news program infuriated the Ministry of the Interior with coverage of the bungled photo enforcement procurement that became a national scandal. The government wanted details of the contract to operate 160 speed cameras to be kept secret. The deal was handed to the German firm Vitronic, which would take a 35 percent cut of the tickets. At 9:30pm on May 11, 2010, Nagla's home was ransacked by a plain-clothes police officer who pushed his way through her door. Two other officers joined in the search of her residence, taking her laptop, hard drives, memory cards and flash drives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEuropean Court Backs Journalist Harassed Over Speed Camera Criticism

Oklahoma prosecutors return $21,227 more to Interstate 40 travelers

"District Attorney Jason Hicks agreed Thursday to return the funds in the three cases, dropping efforts to have the money forfeited to law enforcement use. Hicks is under fire for hiring a private company, Desert Snow LLC, to assist in his drug interdiction effort. After hiring the Guthrie company in January, his task force seized more than $1 million in the stops, mostly along a 21-mile stretch of I-40 in Caddo County. Hicks agreed to pay the company 25 percent of all forfeited proceeds from stops involving its trainers. Hicks said he does not plan to return nearly $850,000 seized in one stop in May. No one was arrested in that stop." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOklahoma prosecutors return $21,227 more to Interstate 40 travelers

IRS Wants to Be Exempt from Obamacare While also Making the Rest of Us Comply

"There are lots of despicable people in Washington engaged in a lot of unsavory behavior, so it would be very difficult to get agreement if you asked regular people to select the most odious feature of the political class. Many people would probably choose corruption as the defining characteristic of Washington, and it would be hard to argue with that choice, but I think hypocrisy is an even better choice. There’s something fundamentally wrong when people push for policies while making sure they don’t have to abide by the results. Yet it happens all the time in government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS Wants to Be Exempt from Obamacare While also Making the Rest of Us Comply

FATCA: ‘Simple premise’ gone terribly wrong

"Most Americans living outside the U.S. are not 'tax cheats,' 'tax evaders' or 'traitors' though they are often characterized that way in the media or even by members of Congress. Instead, they are honest, productive, contributing residents of other countries, which they call home. In many cases, they are also citizens of those countries. President Obama and members of Congress, how did the 'simple premise' of 'cracking down on illegal tax evasion and closing loopholes' become an attack on financial lives and personal integrity of millions of people living outside United States, their banks and laws and constitutions of their countries of residence?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFATCA: ‘Simple premise’ gone terribly wrong