Anthony Marshall, son of well known New York philanthropist Brooke Astor, was sentenced to one to three years in prison for allegedly taking money from his mother’s estate.

Astor passed away in 2007.

According to a New York Times article, the prosecution claimed that Marshall took millions from his elderly mother. He allegedly gave himself a $1 million raise for handling his mother’s affairs.

The six month trial ended, and Marshall faces criminal charges of 13 felonies and one misdemeanor. The charges include first degree grand larceny and scheming to defraud his late mother.

But Marshall was not the only one convicted in the trial. His former attorney - Francis Morrissey - was also convicted for four felonies and a misdemeanor including forgery and scheming to defraud Astor.

Morrissey allegedly had Ms. Astor change her will to benefit Marshall. He received the same sentence of one to three years in prison.

According to the court ruling, the men must surrender on January 19, 2010 and their prison sentence will begin.

In addition to prison time, the prosecution also requested that Marshall pay $12.3 million in restitution.

With Astor and Marshall’s social status in New York, the trial created media frenzy. Celebs wrote to the court to plead with the judge not to sentence Marshall to any jail time.

CNN reported that celebs including Whoopi Goldberg and Al Roker wrote the judge stating Marshall was already a broken man. They claim he was depicted in a negative light throughout the whole trial.
Roker, who met Marshall 10 years ago at a church meeting, stated he had suffered enough and has already received a far greater punishment than any judge could sentence him.

Roker was referencing Marshall’s son who testified against him in the court hearings.

Marshall’s attorneys are going to file an appeal. They do not feel as though he can handle jail time. During the trial they stated Marshall’s health could not withstand prison.

The defense team raised concerns about Marshall’s physical health, as he is 85 years old.

Mr. Marshall has a long record of health issues. Last year he had quadruple bypass surgery, and his lawyers presented statements from his doctors claiming his health was weakening throughout the trial.

Marshall is a free man until January 19th and in the meantime his attorneys are working on the appeal.

According to a CNN article, Tony Alamo - found and leader of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries - was recently sentenced to 175 years in prison.

The 75-year-old minister was accused of allegedly sexually abusing underage girls and bringing them over state lines to engage in sexual activity. He violated the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting young children across state lines for illegal purposes such as sexual activity.

Alamo was arrested in Flagstaff, Ariz. in Sept. 2008. Police intercepted the minister with his wife at the Little American Hotel. During his arrest, over 100 federal and state agents searched his compound in Texarkana, Ark.

During the search, Arkansas police found six young girls in the compound and removed them from the premises. All the girls alleged that Alamo had sexually abused them.

Alamo claimed the accusations were a hoax. He claimed the young girls who made the accusations were “just trying to make {the] church look evil by saying I’m a pornographer. Saying that [he] rape[d] little children.”

Alamo was convicted on 10 federal counts for crimes dating back to 1994. He was charged for offenses that spanned over an 11 year time frame.

In addition to prison time, Alamo was fined $250,000 for all his criminal charges.

The U.S. attorney for Western District of Arkansas stated, “Given the number of victims and the difficult type of testimony they had to provide in order to get to trial, it’s gratifying for them to see him get this sentence.”

Alamo’s defense lawyer has filed an appeal.

Alamo awaits a second court hearing in January, when Judge Harry F. Barnes will make the decision if the victims will receive restitution. He will remain in Texarkana until the court date and then he will be transported to federal prison.

According to a New York Times article, Judge Barnes stated, “Alamo abused his powers as a fatherly figure.”

Alamo first started preaching in California where he started a commune. Once he established ministries in Arkansas, he became a controversial preacher.

Alamo’s ministry was described as a cult by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups. They claimed Alamo preached that females were fit for marriage when they became sexually mature.

This is not the first time Alamo has been charged with a federal crime. He was also convicted on charges of tax evasion back in 1994. The IRS claimed he owed $7.9 million, and he spent four years in prison.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, an Ohio man arrested for allegedly robbing a bank actually consumed the evidence while officers were cuffing him.

A “DashCam” video shows the man munching on a piece of paper while the officers are searching his pockets and handcuffing him on the hood of their police cruiser.

John H. Ford, 35, allegedly handed a note to a bank teller in Streetsboro, Ohio that demanded she hand over some cash.

Ford was pulled over and arrested in Twinsburg, Ohio, where officers searched his pockets and threw their findings on the hood of the car. Later, the note was nowhere to be found, and officers reviewed the footage from the “DashCam.”

In the video, officers said they saw Ford lean over to eat something off the hood of the police car. “He grabbed it in his mouth, just like Pacman,” said Twinsburg patrolman Daniel Biada.

Authorities said a .38-caliber pistol was found in Ford’s vehicle. Ford is also a suspect for bank robberies that took place in Stow and Akron, Ohio.

Many fathers and daughters fight over typical issues like going on dates or extending a curfew.

Usually these disagreements between parent and child work themselves out in the end, but that is not true for all families.

According to a CNN article, Faleh Hassan Almaleki handled his situation differently when disagreeing with his daughter. He never approved of his daughter’s new westernized lifestyle. He claimed she abandoned her Iraqi roots while embracing the western culture.

Almaleki allegedly ran down his daughter - Noor Faleh Almaleki - and her boyfriend’s mother - Amal Eden Khalaf in a parking lot in Peoria, Ariz. with his Jeep Laredo.

Both women were walking across the lot when he struck them down with his vehicle.

Almaleki’s daughter suffered severe injuries and was “not responding” while in the hospital. She died shortly after the incident. The prosecutors called this an “honor killing.”

Eden Khalaf was hospitalized with serious injuries but she remained stable.

After the incident occurred, Almaleki drove to Nogales, Mexico where he abandoned the vehicle. He then flew from Mexico City to London, England. British authorities stopped him at the airport and denied him access to the country.

Almaleki was put on plane back to the United States. His plane landed in Georgia and he was then flown back to Arizona.

Almaleki and his family immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990’s. His daughter Noor had married an Iraqi man and moved to Iraq, but she left him and came back to the U.S.

Once Almaleki learned his daughter had left Iraq and her husband, he was very disappointed. But he was more upset to learn she moved back to the U.S. to live with her new boyfriend and his mother.

In an “honor killing,” the family gets together and appoints one member to kill a female relative who shamed the family’s honor in some way, shape or form - according to the Associated Press. This usually occurs when a woman has had an affair while married.

The county prosecutor – Stephanie Low – stated in the court that Almaleki, “by his own admission, this was an intentional act and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family.”

Almaleki’s relatives spoke out about the incident and told the media that Amaleki claimed he was upset at his daughter because, “she had become too westernized and was not living according to the family’s traditional Iraqi values.”

Almaleki is currently being held in a county jail on two counts of aggravated assault, but he might face more severe criminal charges.

Popular blogging sites and social networks such as Facebook may now be portals for threats, according to a CNN article.

One man allegedly used social networking sites to threaten witnesses to keep silent after the recent murder of a young football player – Jasper Howard – at the University of Connecticut.

Christopher Mutchler - also a student at the university - wrote blogs online and allegedly made threats in attempt to keep witnesses from coming forward with any information about the murder.

On one site he allegedly posted, “”STOP the snitching and post the names of anyone you know who gave information to the cops.”

Howard and another football player – Brian Parker - were allegedly murdered by a small group of young men after a student dance at the campus. They were involved in an altercation with the men, and both student athletes were stabbed during the incident.

Parker suffered minor injuries during the fight. Howard was stabbed in the abdomen and taken to the hospital in Hartford. He later died as a result of the stab wounds.

Mutchler allegedly posted two threats online, one on the ESPNU sports network blog that posted the story of Howard’s murder. The second posting appeared on Facebook; a social group was started for the football player labeled “RIP Jasper Howard” and over 13,000 people joined to show support for family and friends.

CNN reported that Mutchler was charged with five counts including hindering prosecution, acts of terrorism and a few other misdemeanors. He has been released on a $15,000 bond.

The police stated Mutchler allegedly wrote, “Two separate internet postings that were threatening in nature and appeared to be directed at witnesses that either had or would provide information in conjunction with the investigation.”

The police stated that even though they had reason to believe that the postings were meant stop witnesses from coming forward, they now believe the postings are “empty threats.” Police continue to encourage anyone with information about the murder to come forward, CNN reports.

The men involved in the fight have been identified as 21-year- old John Lomax, 20-year-old Hakim Muhammad, and 21-year-old Jamal Todd. All young men are facing some serious criminal charges.

Lomax has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit assault; Muhammad faces conspiracy to commit assault; and Todd faces charges of falsely reporting an incident and a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment. Todd pulled the fire alarm, causing the entire student body to leave the dance.

Police have not linked Mutchler with the other men involved at this point. The university is looking into the situation to determine if he violated any codes of conduct, and will then decide on the best action to take.

Rapper Lil Wayne – real name Dwayne Carter – recently pleaded guilty to attempted gun possession in front of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of criminal possession of a weapon because he claims the gun was not his.

The Associated Press reported that Lil Wayne received one year in prison for his conviction. If he would have been convicted of criminal possession he would have faced three-and–a-half years in prison, which is the mandatory sentence in the state of New York.

Lil Wayne was arrested back in July 2008 for possession of a .40 caliber pistol. Police pulled over the rapper’s bus after it left the Manhattan concert venue, The Beacon Theater.

Police claimed they smelled marijuana smoke coming from the bus when it was parked in the lot of the venue. The officers made everyone exit the bus, and then they found Lil Wayne in the back.

Police stated that as they approached the rapper, he discarded a Louis Vuitton bag containing the gun. Lil Wayne is not licensed in the state of New York to carry a gun.

Lil Wayne’s defense attorney, Stacey Richman, claimed the gun did not belong to her client but to one of his associates who was willing to take full responsibility and ownership of the gun.

Richman continued to state the prosecutors allegedly used faulty forensics to investigate the case. There was a very tiny sample of cells taken from the trigger that match Lil Wayne’s genetic profile.

During the court proceedings both sides argued to determine if this small sample was evidence enough to link the gun to him.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office states the small amount of DNA cells linked the gun to Lil Wayne, and they believe this method of DNA testing is accurate, but the defense disputes the accuracy.

Lil Wayne is also facing trial in Arizona on felony drug possession and a weapons charge. He was stopped and arrested at a border patrol checkpoint in2008. He pleaded not guilty to these charges brought against him.

His slew of legal troubles may or may not have any effect on his music career besides the obvious that he will be unable to tour for the year he is in prison. At this point he is still a popular artist.

His court date for his New York arrest is December 15 of this year - the same day his new album “Rebirth” is scheduled to be released.

In Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford was recently accused of allegedly taking bribes from investment bankers in exchange for money to excel their businesses, according to a USA Today article.

The accusations are pointed toward Langford’s time spent as President of Jefferson County Commission from 2002 to 2006. He later ran for mayor in 2007 and – with his background as a television news reporter – won by a landslide.

During his four year period as the President, Langford allegedly supplied $7.1 million in swap bonds with Blount Parrish and Co. in exchange for bribes which consisted of cash, clothes and jewelry.

The “deals” created a financial crisis for the state of Alabama, in addition to the economic credit downfall.
He has been charged with multiple counts of bribery, conspiracy, fraud, money laundering and tax evasions. If Langford gets convicted on any one of these felony charges alone, he could face not only jail time, but removal from office.

Investment banker Bill Blount pleaded guilty to paying bribes to the Mayor along with Lobbyist Al LaPierre who claimed to play the middle-man role in the bribes, sometimes exchanging money between the two other men.

According to a CNN article, U.S. Attorney Alice Martin said the three men conspired to solicit and to accept bribes; and to use influence and position to ensure that Blount and his company, Blount Parrish Inc., was involved in Jefferson County’s bonds and swap transactions related to multibillion-dollar sewer debt.

In his plea agreement, Blount will serve as a witness for the prosecution. He admitted to bribing Mayor Langford to commit to the deals that made his company millions richer.

Langford claims the so called “bribes” were really an exchange of gifts between friends and that the charges brought against him was by a Republican prosecutor to target against Alabama Democrats for political reasons.

Jim Spearman who is the executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party said that Republican prosecutors do appear to target Democrats, but he also stated that Langford has not been associated with the Democratic Party for many years.

His trial will be held 55 miles outside Birmingham in Tuscaloosa, Ala., because of all the publicity already surrounding the case. This is to ensure that there will be no biases or effect on the trial itself.

All three men could face fines and prison time. They could face a maximum of 10 years for each count of bribery and money laundering; 20 years for fraud; five years for conspiracy; and three years for each tax count.

Langford himself has 60 counts charged against him.

Richard Heene, the father of the boy who was allegedly trapped inside the helium balloon that was in flight for two hours before crash-landing 40 miles from home, is now under investigation for fabricating the entire event, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

The balloon stunt was allegedly planned to help the family land a reality television show - the family has already appeared on the TV series Wife Swap.

Colorado officials are planning to press criminal charges against the boy’s parents. Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden confirmed that after investigation, the balloon situation is believed to be a hoax - though the family has denied it.

Among the potential charges the Heenes have coming their way are two felony charges - attempt to influence a public servant and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The parents could face up to six years in jail and over $500,000 in fines, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In an interview with Larry King, Falcon Heene - the “balloon boy” - said his parents told him to hide. The boy was also recorded saying, “You guys said that, um, we did this for the show.”

Jaycee Dugard, the 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped from a bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. in 1991, is starting to speak out about her 18 years of captivity.

According to a CNN report, the now-29-year-old mother of two says she is glad to be back with her family.

Dugard was kept in a backyard compound at the home of Phillip Garrido and his wife in Antioch, Calif. Garrido is allegedly the father of Dugard’s two daughters, who are now 11 and 15.

The transition from living in captivity to leading a normal life has been a tough one for Dugard and her daughters, according to CNN - but Dugard’s step-grandmother says the family is living a, “surprisingly normal life, considering the circumstances.”

Criminal charges against the Garridos include 29 felony counts connected to the kidnapping and rape of Dugard. She will testify against her captors - and will have to relive the kidnapping and 18 years of her captive life when she shares her story in court, CNN reported.

According to an ABC report, one Chicago police officer has allegedly been making a significant number of fake DUI arrests.

So many complaints have been filed against Officer RIchard Fiorito, that the Chicago Police Department issued an investigation against him, and a lawsuit has been filed. So far, 21 people are part of the lawsuit, claiming they were had by a DUI scheme.

The lawsuit against Fiorito states that he has a pattern of making false arrests, and the committing perjury when he testifies in court, ABC reported. The officer has been making more than 300 DUI arrests per year, and received an award from M.A.D.D. for writing the most DUI tickets in the state of Illinois.

According to the ABC report, the more DUI tickets an officer issues, the more times his appearance is required in court - and the more times an officer appears in court, the higher his salary becomes.

At this time, Officer Fiorito has not been suspended from duty, and is still patrolling Chicago’s streets. Criminal charges are expected to come from the state’s attorney’s office.