Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 4-26-16 Edition

State and Presidential News
‘Operation Script Rip’ Lands 23 In Jail
Pres. Obama Pushes Controversial Trade Deal In Germany
At a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Obama touted the benefits of trade deals like the Trans- Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement.
The Pinellas County Sher- iff’s Office arrested 29 people and charged them for their roles in a drug investigation. The investigation is continu- ing because police are search- ing for 18 other suspects.
According to police “Opera- tion Script Rip” was launched in August 2015. Narcotics in- vestigators learned that a group of individuals were fill- ing hundreds of prescriptions at local pharmacies in Pinellas County.
Detectives learned that Rakiah F. Darden, an em- ployee in a local physician’s office was allegedly providing fraudulent prescriptions for Xanax to her associates. She is alleged to have used the of- fice computer, fax machine, and telephone in the office of Dr. Jonadab Uzoho while working as a medical office as- sistant.
The investigation revealed that she was reportedly calling in and faxing prescriptions using the doctor’s name with- out his knowledge. She al- legedly created 417 fraudulent prescriptions.
After she called in or faxed the prescription, her brother, Rory W. Darden, 26, and 3 others identified as Stephen Ford, 33, Olympia Hines, 26, and Fitzgerald Wright, 23, recruited “runners” to pick up the prescription drugs. Each prescription contained 90 tablets, police said.
The runners then returned the pills to Darden and her
RAKIAH DARDEN
ANTHONY CLARK
SHANIQUA MILNER
associates for cash or drugs. The pills were then sold on the street.
RORY DARDEN
SHAYLA COLEMAN
AVERY McFADDEN
Police said the group ob- tained 37,410 pills and sold them at $5 each for a total of approximately $187,050.
Rakiah F. Darden, 35, was charged with 19 counts of obtaining Alprazolam by fraud, 1 count conspiracy to obtain Alprazolam by Fraud, 1 count scheme to defraud, and 1 count of unlawful use of two- way communication device.
Rory W. Darden, 26, was charged with 10 counts ob- taining Alprazolam by fraud, 1 count- scheme to defraud, 1 count- conspiracy to obtain Alprazolam by fraud, and 1 count possession of mari- juana.
Olympia A. Hines was charged with 9 counts of ob- taining Alprazolam by fraud, 1 count conspiracy to obtain Al- prazolam by fraud, and 1 count scheme to defraud.
Others taken into custody on various charges were: An- thony R. Clark, Shayla S. Coleman, Shaniqua K. Milner, Avery B. McFad- den, Bianca S. Stanard, Damarius S. Thompson, Matthew Buchner, LaQuita J. Glenn, Austin J. Harrison, Acacia R. Ha- zley, William J. Lane and Crystal N. Lightner.
Rebecca L. Meyer, Jas- mine N. Mims, Holly M. Palm, Jordan Phillips, Novia M. Rojas, Donald J. Vinson, Alexander T. Vo, and Arika R. Walker were also taken into custody.
HANNOVER, Germany — President Obama on Sunday defended a controversial trade deal between the United States and the European Union that he wants to finalize before leav- ing office in January.
Speaking at a news confer- ence with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Pres. Obama said people around the world are unsettled by glo- balization but that trade has brought tremendous benefits and more jobs.
"When people visibly see a plant lost or jobs lost, the nar- rative drives a lot of suspicion about these trade deals," he said. "If you look at the benefits for our economies, it is indis- putable that they are made stronger."
Pres. Obama said it was necessary to complete the Trans-Atlantic Trade and In- vestment Partnership (TTIP) agreement because 95% of markets are outside U.S. bor- ders. He said he was confident that TTIP could be completed by the end of the year. A sepa- rate trade pact covering 12 Pa- cific rim countries known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership could "start moving forward" once the U.S. presidential elec- tion is over, he said.
Pres. Obama praised Merkel several times during the news conference before the two leaders then opened the Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial technology trade fair.
J.K. Rowling Dines With President Barack Pres. Obama During His London Visit
President Barack Obama during his London visit.
Rowling with the president! J. K. Rowling joined Pres- ident Barack Obama for dinner at the U.S. ambas- sador’s London residence on Saturday, April 23, during his four-day visit to Great Britain with wife, Michelle Obama.
A rep for Rowling con- firmed that the Harry Potter creator attended the private dinner, according to The Holly- wood Reporter. British Prime Minister David Cameron was also on the exclusive guest list.
The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them author first met the Pres. Obama in 2009 at the G20 summit, where the president had a fan moment and told Rowling that both he and his children had read all her books. The British novelist also attended the White House Easter Egg
J. K. Rowling in London, England.
Roll in 2010 and a banquet thrown by POTUS and the first lady for Queen Elizabeth II when the couple visited Britain in 2011.
Earlier on Saturday, the Obamas stopped by the Shakespeare’s Globe theatre for the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death. The first couple also met with Prince William, Kate Mid- dleton and Prince Harry at Kensington Palace on Friday, April 22. As Us Weekly previ- ously reported, the royal family greeted them outside before they all stepped into the resi- dence to say hello to Prince George. The 2-year-old, who was up past his 7 p.m. bedtime, was clad in an adorable white bathrobe with his name on it, which sold out just minutes after photos of the encounter were released on Friday.
PAGE 6 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016