News Story
Disgust, Fear Rattled Jurors Tasked with Deciding Fate of mobster ‘Whitey’ Bulger
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com For the four women and eight men tasked with deciding whether notorious mobster James “Whitey” Bulger was guilty of murder and racketeering, life was not easy. Sometimes the jurors shouted at each other; other times they felt disgusted with the sleazy witnesses. The trial was so stressful that some even popped aspirin…
Columnist: End of War on Drugs Couldn’t Be Sooner
Leonard Pitts Jr. Miami Herald It’s been a war on justice, an assault on equal protection under the law. And a war on families, removing millions of fathers from millions of homes. And a war on money, spilling it like water. And a war on people of color, targeting them with drone strike efficiency. We…
Authorities Search for Missing ICE Agent in Los Angeles Area
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Feds and local police launched a search Wednesday night for a missing ICE agent who didn’t turn up for work in southern California, The Los Angeles Times reports. But authorities expressed some optimism late Wednesday that no foul play was involved. ICE released a statement shortly before 11 p.m., saying they believed…
Autopsy: Kidnapper, Accused Murderer was Shot At least 5 Times by FBI
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com James DiMaggio, the man accused of killing the mother and brother of his kidnapping victim in Southern California, was struck by at least five bullets in the head and chest, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing an Idaho coroner. Valley County Coroner Nathan Hess said DiMaggio, who was armed and may have…
Jesse Jackson Jr. Gets 30 Months in Prison
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Ex-Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who had a promising political career, and a famous father, was sentenced Wednesday to 2 1/2 years in prison for stealing more than $750,000 in campaign money, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “I misled the American people, I misled the House of Representatives,” Jackson, 48, said…
Judge Delays Child Sex Cases Amid Allegations of Questionable Tactics of FBI Agent
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Ten cases related to a child sex sting have been delayed because of the questionable tactics of the head of the FBI’s Northwest Georgia Crime Against Children Task Force, The Times Free Press reports. Judge Grant Brantley, of Walker County, Ga., put court hearings on hold for at least six months as…
Massachusetts Prosecutors Mull State Charges Against Mobster ‘Whitey’ Bulger, His Former Associates
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com It might not be over yet for notorious mobster and convicted killer James “Whitey” Bulger and his former associates. Prosecutors in Massachusetts are exploring whether they can charge Bulger and others with murder and other crimes now that the federal trial is over, the Boston Globe Press reports. One associate that…
Father Launches Independent Investigation of Ibragim Todashev’s Death During FBI Probe
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Abdulbaki Todashev raised a photo of his dead son during a news conference Tuesday and pledged to uncover the truth behind Ibragim Todashev’s death during an FBI interrogation, The Guardian reports. Todashev hired two prominent civil rights attorneys in Florida to determine what prompted the death of his 27-year-old son, who was…