Page 6 - aruba-today-20170603
P. 6

A6   U.S. NEWS
                    Saturday 3 June 2017
                   Co-defendant testifies against minister in church abuse case


            By MITCH WEISS               day,  saying  she  threw  the  a  January  2013  service  at  screaming and choking the  gave  him  routine  prayer
            JEFFREY COLLINS              first  slap  after  their  minister  the Spindale church.  man for about two hours.    that lasted no longer than
            Associated Press             began  the  attack.  Sarah  She testified that Covington  Anderson’s testimony obvi-   15 to 20 minutes, and that
            RUTHERFORDTON,         N.C.  Anderson  took  the  stand  started  pushing  Fenner’s  ously surprised the minister’s  Fenner  hugged  everyone
            (AP) — One of five people  despite defense objections  chest       and    screaming  lawyers.  During  opening  when  it  was  over.  Ander-
            charged with trying to beat  in the trial of Word of Faith  “Open your heart!” Ander-  statements the day before,  son,  30,  left  the  church  in
            “homosexual demons” out  minister  Brooke  Covington.  son  said  she  then  slapped  defense  attorney  David  February 2016 after accus-
            of  a  fellow  church  mem-  Anderson  accused  her  of  Fenner  in  the  face,  and  Teddy  said  Word  of  Faith  ing  Covington  and  other
            ber  in  North  Carolina  testi-  starting  the  confrontation  about 30 church members  members  did  not  attack  church  leaders  of  abusing
            fied  for  prosecutors  on  Fri-  with Matthew Fenner after  then  joined  in,  beating,  Fenner at all. He said they  her 1-year-old son. q
                      John Gotti’s ex-son-in-law avoids prison in plea deal


                                                                                                   Prosecutors also agreed to  City  Police  Department’s
                                                                                                   give  one  of  his  associates  organized crime unit. Wire-
                                                                                                   heavy  equipment  seized  taps  on  Agnello’s  phones
                                                                                                   during  the  investigation  intercepted  conversations
                                                                                                   and  a  shotgun  found  dur-  with  mob  associates  in
                                                                                                   ing  a  search  of  Agnello’s  New  York  and  Cleveland,
                                                                                                   upscale home in the Cleve-   authorities said.
                                                                                                   land suburb of Bentleyville.  Friedman  on  Friday  called
                                                                                                   Then-Cuyahoga      County  the plea deal “fair and just”
                                                                                                   Prosecutor  Tim  McGinty  and  thanked  county  Pros-
                                                                                                   and    Cleveland    police  ecutor  Michael  O’Malley,
                                                                                                   made  a  big  splash  after  who  took  office  in  Janu-
                                                                                                   Agnello’s arrest in July 2015  ary, for resolving the case.
                                                                                                   for what he and others said  Friedman declined to com-
                                                                                                   was  a  scam  that  involved  ment  further.  An  O’Malley
                                                                                                   weighing down stolen vehi-   spokesman  declined  to
                                                                                                   cles with sand and dirt be-  comment on Friday.
                                                                                                   fore selling them to a scrap  Agnello  moved  to  Cleve-
                                                                                                   yard. McGinty said Agnello  land    after   his   release
                                                                                                   bribed scrap yard employ-    from  a  federal  prison  in
                                                                                                   ees  to  look  the  other  way  Youngstown  in  2008.  He
                                                                                                   about  the  weighted-down  married  the  daughter  of
                                                                                                   vehicles,  many  of  which  a  suspected  Armenian-
                                                                                                   had  been  stolen  and  pur-  American   terrorist   with
             In this July 17, 2015 photo, Carmine “The Bull” Agnello of Bentleyville, Ohio, is escorted into court   chased  by  Agnello  for  as  whom  he  served  prison
             in Cleveland. Agnello, a reputed member of the Gambino crime family and former son-in-law   little as $50, sometimes less.  time.  Agnello  was  mar-
             of John Gotti agreed Thursday, June 1, 2017, to a plea deal to avoid prison in what authorities
             originally said was a multi-million dollar scam involving stolen cars and scrap metal in Cleveland.   Prosecutors  later  alleged  ried  17  years  to  Victoria
                                                            (Ida Lieszkovszky /The Plain Dealer via AP)  that Agnello defrauded the  Gotti,  the  daughter  of  the
                                                                                                   scrap  yard  of  $4.2  million  late  Gambino  crime  boss.
            CLEVELAND (AP) — A reput-    scrap metal in Cleveland.    the cost of the investigation   over  three  years,  Cleve-  They  divorced  in  2002.
            ed member of the Gambi-      Agnello, 56, pleaded guilty  into his business practices in   land.com reports. The theft  Victoria  Gotti  starred  in  a
            no crime family and former  Thursday to an environmen-    Cleveland.  The  Cuyahoga    charge  included  in  the  reality  show  with  her  and
            son-in-law  of  John  Gotti  tal violation and no contest  County Prosecutor’s Office   plea  deal  states  Agnello  Agnello’s three sons called
            agreed to a plea deal that  to theft and being a felon  agreed  to  dismiss  charg-    stole  between  $7,500  and  “Growing Up Gotti.”
            included  a  large  fine  but  in  possession  of  a  firearm  es  against  Agnello’s  wife,   $150,000  from  Ferrous  Pro-  Agnello   received   nine
            no prison.                   charges.  Agnello  could  Danielle,  and  his  business,   cessing  and  Trading  in  years  in  prison  and  was
            Carmine  “The  Bull”  Agnel-  have faced a lengthy pris-  Eagle Auto Parts. The judge   Cleveland.                  ordered to pay $11 million
            lo  had  been  indicted  on  on sentence had he been  placed  him  on  inactive        The  plea  deal  concludes  in  restitution  in  2001  after
            racketeering   and    con-   convicted  on  the  original  probation for a year, which   what McGinty said in 2015  pleading  guilty  to  federal
            spiracy charges related to  charges in an August 2015  will end when he has paid       was an 18-month investiga-   charges  of  racketeering
            what prosecutors said was  indictment.                    the  money,  defense  attor-  tion  led  by  Cleveland  po-  and conspiracy to defraud
            a  multi-million  dollar  scam  Agnello’s deal calls for him  ney  Ian  Friedman  said  Fri-  lice  and  assisted  by  a  de-  the  Internal  Revenue  Ser-
            involving  stolen  cars  and  to  pay  $180,000  to  cover  day.                       tective  from  the  New  York  vice. q

                   Search warrant describes scuffle before agent was shot


            RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The  officer walked up to a car  ficer, police said. The driver  tive vest, died of a gunshot  say  Friday  what  prompted
            driver of the car that a Vir-  in  Mosby  Court,  a  public  told  police  he  “observed  wound  to  the  head,  the  the  scuffle  or  whether  any
            ginia  State  Police  special  housing  complex  in  Virgin-  a  scuffle”  between  Walter  medical  examiner’s  office  words were exchanged.
            agent approached before  ia’s capital city, authorities  and  Travis  Ball,  who  had  said. His funeral will be held  Police  seized  guns  and
            being shot in the head last  say. The suspected shooter,  been  sitting  in  the  passen-  Saturday.  Police  initially  ammunition  from  the  car
            week told authorities that a  27-year-old  Travis  Ball,  fled  ger  seat,  the  search  war-  said a single shot rang out  among  other  items,  a
            scuffle  broke  out  between  the  scene  and  was  arrest-  rant  says.  The  driver  saw  moments  after  Walter  ap-  search warrant says.
            the officer and the suspect-  ed early Saturday after an  a  gun  in  Ball’s  hand  near  proached  the  passenger  Ball faces malicious wound-
            ed shooter, according to a  overnight manhunt.            the  agent’s  head,  heard  side of the car, but did not  ing  and  firearm  charges
            search warrant affidavit.    After   the   officers   ap-  a  gunshot  and  saw  that  say  there  was  a  struggle  and  authorities  say  addi-
            Special   Agent    Michael  proached  the  car,  the  the  agent  was  down,  the  between  Walter  and  Ball.  tional charges are expect-
            Walter  was  shot  after  he  driver got out and was de-  document  says.  Walter,  State Police Spokeswoman  ed. The driver has not been
            and  a  Richmond  police  tained by the Richmond of-      who was wearing a protec-    Corinne  Geller  wouldn’t  charged.q
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11