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"This certainly has been a very lengthy investigation," Craig said at a press conference Wednesday. "While these are some troubling allegations -- when you talk about extortion involving Detroit police officers -- I am pleased that there's some closure. We believe that we can finally close this chapter."
When asked if there are more extortion charges coming involving collision shops, Craig said: "I believe that this may be it."
Craig also noted that the collision companies are the victims in this case given that the officers extorted them for money. He also stressed: "This has nothing to do with towing."
Charles Wills, 52, also a current DPD officer, who was indicted on four counts of extortion.
Jamil Martin, 46, who pleaded guilty to extortion in May, admitting he pocketed a $500 cash bribe in 2014 from a collision shop owner in exchagne for referring an abandoned vehicle to that shop for repairs. He retired that same month. According to his plea deal, Martin used his job as a police officer to locate abandon...
James Robertson, 45, pleaded guilty to two counts of extortion in February, admitting he accepted two, $1,000 bribes in exchange for referring abandoned vehicles to collision shops. He retired that same month. His sentencing guideline range is 24-30 months.
Martin Tutt, 29, pleaded guilty in July to two counts of extortion, admitting he accepted two, $500 cash bribes from collision shops for referring them customers who owned bandoned vehicles. He resigned from his job that same month. His sentencing guideline range is 24-30 months.
Anthony Careathers, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of extortion in June, admitting he accepted a $1,500 cash bribe from an auto collision shop in exchange for referring an abandoned vehicle to the shop for repairs. He retired in January. His sentencing guidelines are 18-24 months.
“The charged defendants should have put the people of Detroit first, rather than lining their own pockets," Acting U.S. Attorney Dan Lemisch said in a statement.
Attorneys for the six accused officers could not be reached for comment.
Dotson will be arraigned in U.S. District Court at 1 p.m. Tuesday. The arraignment date for Officer Wills is yet to be determined.
If convicted, Dotson and Wills each face up to 20 years in prison on each extortion charge.
The charges come more than a year after six Detroit police officers were suspended amid a federal investigation of towing practices involving stolen cars. It is not known if the six charged officers are the ones who were suspended, though Craig said these charges have nothing to do with towing.
The charges, however, appear to be part of a broader public corruption probe that has so far triggered charges against 18 individuals, including towing titan Gasper Fiore.
Fiore is accused of — among other things — paying bribes to public officials for help in securing towing contracts in their municipalities.
According to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, there are 20-plus companies authorized to handle towing in areas of the city and they are supposed to be tapped based on a rotation. Last summer, according to the commission, allegations of improper conduct related to towing were steered to the department’s intern...
Tresa Baldas can be contacted at tbaldas@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas.
The News-Journal, Daytona Beach, Fla.
PALM COAST, Fla. — Flagler County firefighters will soon be better protected against cancer-causing agents whenever they respond to a blaze, thanks to the efforts of a group of local professionals.
The Rotary Club of Flagler County has purchased 90 special hoods designed to block out carcinogens through Hoods for Heroes, a nonprofit organization based in Clay County. In addition, the Jeff Evans State Farm Agency of Palm Coast also has purchased 23 hoods with the help of the corporate office of State Farm Insuranc...
The hoods were distributed during a ceremony Tuesday.
"The Rotary Club of Flagler County is passionate about protecting the firefighters who protect us," club president Cindy Kiel Evans said in a media release. "Firefighters risk their lives by going into a burning fire or when putting out a burning car to avoid an explosion at a crash scene, but years from now they may s...
Though firefighters typically wear a protective hood underneath their helmets, the material — Nomex — is designed to resist heat, not carcinogens. But modern furnishings are often made from materials such as polyurethane and plastic that release carcinogens when they burn.
Some of these carcinogens enter the body through contact with the thinner layer of skin around the face, head and neck, thus the need for protection.
In a 2016 study, the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety found that firefighters had a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general public. For some types of cancer, the statistics are worse. Firefighters are twice as likely to...
According to Hoods for Heroes president William Hamilton, the particulate-blocking hoods block more than 99 percent of the carcinogens.
Hoods for Heroes was launched last year in Clay County where Hamilton and business partner Jeff Rountree are Rotarians. They encountered the need for better protection against carcinogens while planning an event to thank local firefighters for what they do.
The gear each firefighter wears already costs thousands of dollars, according to Hamilton. Though the Nomex hoods cost only $15 to $20 each, the hoods designed to protect against carcinogens run about $125 apiece.
Hoods For Heroes has since been raising awareness and enlisting community partners in supplying these hoods.
Hamilton said Monday that his organization was very appreciative of participation by the local club.
"The Rotary Club's mission of 'service above self' is evident in the support of its members for firefighters," he said in a media release. "By supporting the heroes who take care of us, the Rotary Club of Flagler County is modeling its service to the community in a powerful way."
The idea to buy the hoods began with a presentation by Hamilton to the club last fall. Right away, Fire Chief Jerry Forte, a club member, arranged to purchase hoods for all the firefighters in Palm Coast.
Since then, the club acquired a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation to buy 90 hoods for $11,250 to give to every firefighter in the county and Flagler Beach.
However, because the county had absorbed the Bunnell fire department, 13 more hoods were needed and Jeff Evans State Farm Agency of Palm Coast bought those at a cost of $2,875 with the help of the State Farm Insurance corporation.
©2019 The News-Journal, Daytona Beach, Fla.
It’s really got the lot: battles, warlocks, romance, Vikings, a legendary weapon stuck in a big rock, terrifying snakes and, yes, David Beckham.
But it was almost very different. Back in 2004, the Clive Owen version of King Arthur didn’t make the big impression it was expected to, and the iconic character was left in need of a fresh direction. So a succession of ideas were mooted by Hollywood bigwigs – among them a remake of 1981’s Excalibur, and a movie titled...
In their place, following years of drafts, development and director switcheroos, comes the Arthurian tale that only Ritchie could have made. King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword is a thrillingly modern take on the sandals-and-sorcery epic, and it's available to rent on Virgin Movies – so grab the popcorn and crank up the v...
This explosive futuristic thriller was hailed as an action classic on its release in 2015 and nominated for ten Oscars – but it took several attempts to get it made, with economic problems, location difficulties and even the Iraq War causing repeated delays. When it finally got underway, director George Miller’s gruell...
The 1939 fantasy classic worked its way through four directors: Richard Thorpe (fired), George Cukor (temporary replacement), Victor Fleming (who got the official credit) and King Vidor, who oversaw the Kansas scenes after Fleming left to work on Gone With The Wind. If that seems a lot, it reportedly took 20 writers to...
The violent, scabrous comic-book comedy was one of the biggest hits of 2016 with a worldwide gross of $783 million – but it was more than a decade in the making. It was first announced back in 2000, and over the years various factors almost tripped it up: the lukewarm reaction to Deadpool’s appearance in X-Men Origins:...
Richard Kelly’s bizarre time-travel tale only went into production at all after Drew Barrymore signed on – to both act and produce. Then, once it was made and screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in 2001, no one wanted it. Donnie Darko was in danger of slipping into straight-to-DVD obscurity until a distr...
The first sign that things might not be hunky-dory with Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam War epic came when star Harvey Keitel left the project. His replacement, Martin Sheen, suffered a heart attack. Then a storm ripped through the set. Surely acting legend Marlon Brando would save the day? Yes – unless he turned u...
“We started the film without a script, without a cast and without a shark,” is how star Richard Dreyfuss remembers the making of the 1975 movie that ended up defining the modern blockbuster. No one liked the screenplay, multiple stars turned down roles, and everyone thought the mechanical sharks looked ridiculous. The ...
Columbia Pictures rejected this 1985 classic for not being “sexual enough”. Disney turned it down because of the relationship between time traveller Marty McFly and his mother as a young woman. When it got the go-ahead at Universal, everyone agreed Michael J Fox had to star – but he was busy with sitcom Family Ties. Di...
Image credits: King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment. All rights reserved.
SOUTH SACRAMENTO — Deputies are investigating after a 14-year-old boy was shot in the leg.
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Sgt. Shaun Hampton reports around 3:30 p.m. Sunday a call came in about a wounded teen.
The boy with the non-life threatening gunshot wound was at a South Sacramento home on Burns Way, according to Hampton. He was later hospitalized.
Investigators believe the teen may have been shot in Rancho Cordova. Hampton could not provide any additional details and says they are still investigating.
The travel and tourism investment in Qatar stood at QR6.2bn last year.
Tourism is expected to play a greater role in Qatar’s economy as the sector’s share to the country’s GDP will be nearly QR133.5bn in 2028, a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has shown.
This will be more than double the share of travel and tourism to Qatar GDP last year.
In 2017, the total contribution of travel and tourism to Qatari GDP stood at QR59.6bn (10%) of GDP, the London-based forum for the global travel and tourism industry said in its ‘2018 Annual Economic Report’ .
Last year, the travel and tourism investment stood at QR6.2bn, or 2.4% of total investment.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the sector would support more than 284,000 jobs in Qatar in 2028 (13.4% of total).
In 2017, the total contribution of travel and tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by the industry was 9.2% of total employment (175,000 jobs).
In Qatar, visitor exports are expected to grow by 9.1% per year over the next 10 years, and account for QR102.7bn in 2028, 17.1% of total. Visitor exports generated QR44.6bn 14.3% of total exports in 2017.
By 2028, international tourist arrivals are forecast to total 6,240,000.
Leisure travel spending is expected to rise by 8.1% per year to QR66.3bn in 2028, the World Travel & Tourism Council said.
Business travel spending in Qatar is expected to rise by 9.1% annually to QR47.4bn in 2028, it said.
Leisure travel spending (inbound and domestic) generated 60.4% of direct travel and tourism GDP in 2017 (QR31.2bn) compared with 39.6% for business travel spending (QR20.5bn), the report said.
Domestic travel spending is expected to grow by 5.6% in 2018 to QR7.6bn, and rise by 3.9% annually to QR11.1bn in 2028.
Domestic travel spending generated 13.9% of direct travel and tourism GDP in 2017 compared with 86.1% for visitor exports (i.e. foreign visitor spending or international tourism receipts), World Travel & Tourism Council said.
As one of the world’s largest economic sectors, travel and tourism creates jobs, drives exports, and generates prosperity across the world. In its annual analysis of the global economic impact of travel and tourism, the sector is shown to account for 10.4% of global GDP and 313mn jobs, or 9.9% of total employment, in 2...
Travel and tourism, which already supports one in every ten jobs on the planet, is a dynamic engine of employment opportunity, WTTC noted.
“Over the past ten years, one in five of all jobs created across the world has been in the sector and, with the right regulatory conditions and government support, nearly 100mn new jobs could be created over the decade ahead. Over the longer term, forecast growth of the travel and tourism sector will continue to be rob...
Is DR Congo peace only 'paper thin'?
New peace plan reads like a wish list, but resilient Congolese need one that will help them reconstruct their country.
The framework plan for peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo reads like a wish list. As such, it looks great "on paper".
The Congolese government has promised to "continue, and deepen security sector reform, particularly with respect to the Army and Police. To make progress with regard to decentralisation, and “to further economic development".
Among the commitments from regional powers, including Rwanda and Uganda, is "not to interfere in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries", and perhaps crucially, "neither tolerate nor provide assistance or support of any kind to armed groups".
The agreement, however, is extremely vague. Although four bodies - the UN, African Union, The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, Southern African Development Community - will all oversee the process, it is unclear how much power these groups will have if things go wrong.
A new special UN envoy will be appointed, but how will he or she make sure that leaders actually stick to their word? There are also questions over who is going to pay for all of this. The UN is already spending more than $1bn a year on its peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, in the country.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has called for "financial support" from the international community and stakeholders.
Jason Stearns, an expert in the region, has said: “Some of the principles seem to make that action plan difficult."
He continued: "The oversight mechanism for Congolese state reform is now only made up of the Congolese government. Donors merely provide support to the government, and civil society is not mentioned at all. Will a Congolese government that has hitherto been reluctant to reform its institutions be able to oversee itself...
The UN’s Ban wants "the concerned heads of state and government to meet at least twice a year, on the sidelines of the AU summits and in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, to review progress on the implementation of the framework and agree on the way forward".
That is clearly not enough, especially if there are rapid developments on the ground, as there was when M23 took Goma in November. There is no mention of M23, a rebel group that has grown in power, building almost a state with in a state with its own government and tax collection.
There is a plan to send a neutral African intervention brigade of thousands of soldiers, with new powers to fight the rebels. The force would be backed up by intelligence collected by unmanned aerial drones.
Civil society groups in Congo complain they were not consulted at all. Philippa Crosland-Taylor, Oxfam’s deputy regional director, said: “There is a long way to go and a lot to do before this framework brings any change for people caught up in the conflict."
The charity wants the new framework to "reinvigorate the 2006 Pact on Security, Stability and Development, with a particular emphasis on tackling key local issues such the lack of development, tensions over land rights, and the complex power and ethnic dimensions of the conflict".
There is no doubt that the DR Congo is one of the most neglected countries in the world. Having reported from the country for the past two years, however, I have found that its people remain resilient.
What is needed is a a transparent peace process, one that will help the Congolese reconstruct their own country.
Is farmworker, civil rights icon Cesar Chávez's legacy ignored in his hometown?
Chávez changed labor laws. Yet, there is little recognition of the civil rights icon in his hometown. Advocates are fighting for some acknowledgment.
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this article misstated how long it has been since Arizona State University awarded Cesar Chávez an honorary doctorate.
He was born on March 31, 1927, in Arizona, where the desert is made soft and fertile alongside water that flows through the Colorado and Gila rivers near Yuma. He was named after his grandfather Cesario, an escaped slave who traveled from his home in Chihuahua, Mexico to work the railroads and fields of Arizona.
He died in 1993 near the Arizona-Mexico border his grandfather had crossed more than 100 years earlier.
Cesar Estrada Chávez was baptized Catholic in the faith of his parents, his grandparents and the many ancestors who came before them. He grew up on the homestead his grandfather established in North Gila Valley in Yuma County about 10 miles from the big city. His parents ran a grocery store, an auto repair shop and a p...
At home, he learned from parents who taught him to work with his hands, farming the Chávez family’s 100 acres. At school, he learned from books and children who didn’t look like him.
He experienced “racism and discrimination as a young child," branded as a “dirty Mexican” at the public school in Yuma, states an NPS study to assess the historical significance of sites and resources associated with Chávez and the farm-labor movement. "Such experiences taught Chávez how discrimination made its targets...
In the 1930s, as the Depression deepened, the Chávez family lost their land. They left Yuma County. They left the adobe home with sturdy mudbrick walls that his grandfather built with his hands.
In California, they joined migrant farmworkers.
Decades later, after founding a farmworkers movement that drew international support for a boycott of inhumane working conditions. After winning the admiration of fieldworkers and presidents and fueling the ire of powerful growers. After inspiring music, art and people with fights for social justice, Chávez would retur...
On April 22, 1993, after a long day in the courtroom, Chávez drove through Latino neighborhoods in Yuma and San Luis, according to UFW archives. Places he recognized from his childhood. Places where farmworkers who picked lettuce, lemons, wheat and other crops lived.
He settled at the San Luis home of Dofla Maria Hau, a friend and former farmworker. That night, his loved ones said they saw the weight of the trial on Chávez’s face. He told them to take care of themselves, went to his room and fell asleep reading. In the morning, he was found dead, holding a book about Native America...
Six days later, mourners came from across the nation to the UFW’s field office in Delano. More than 50,000 people — farmworkers, families and dignitaries — walked Chávez to his final resting place.
Henry Valenzuela was born and raised in Yuma. He lets loose a long sigh and says it was only about a year ago that he learned Chávez was born, went to school and died in the Yuma area.
Valenzuela, 40, is the treasurer and spokesman for the Cesar Chavez Legacy political action committee. The group came together after sharing a common concern: Yuma, a place rich with the history of an American and Latino civil rights icon, has no major recognition for Chávez.

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