February 4, 2019

Alex Jones seeks venue change in Sandy Hook defamation cases

Bridgeport, Conn. • Lawyers for Infowars host Alex Jones have asked a Connecticut judge to move defamation cases against him to another part of the state as he defends discussions on his web show about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre being a hoax.

The requests filed Wednesday ask that the cases be moved to Windham County. Jones' lawyers say pretrial publicity has made it impossible to get a fair trial in Bridgeport, in the same county where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed in Newtown in 2012.

Lawsuits by families of eight victims and a first responder say they've been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones' followers. The families' lawyer says they will oppose moving the trial.

Jones cites First Amendment rights and says he believes the shooting happened.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2019/01/31/alex-jones-seeks-venue/
(no more at link)

February 4, 2019

Congressional Dems launch a push to make the former Bears Ears National Monument bigger than even

Congressional Dems launch a push to make the former Bears Ears National Monument bigger than even Obama designated


Washington • Democrats have introduced legislation to expand the former Bears Ears National Monument beyond the boundaries that President Barack Obama established — and President Donald Trump slashed — in a move that could see traction in the Democratic-led House but may be dead on arrival in the GOP-controlled Senate.

The Democratic proposal soon may align more closely with the wishes of San Juan County’s newly seated leadership, now with a Navajo majority on its County Commission. The previous commission had opposed Obama’s proclamation that designated the initial 1.3 million-acre monument spanning Cedar Mesa and other areas rich in Native American artifacts, sacred sites and geologic wonders.

On Tuesday, the commission — with tribal members Willie Grayeyes and Kenneth Maryboy giving it a 2-1 Democratic edge — is scheduled to consider a resolution rescinding that past stance and calling for the monument’s full restoration, according to its agenda.

The congressional bill — the second time it’s been introduced — would create a 1.9 million-acre monument in southeastern Utah, 600,000 acres larger than the one Obama named in 2016. The larger monument outlined in the Bears Ears Expansion and Respect for Sovereignty Act would match the one the Navajo and four other tribes petitioned Obama to designate.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/02/03/congressional-dems-launch/

February 4, 2019

Financial system similar to old Mormon practice is called money laundering in prosecution of polygam

Financial system similar to old Mormon practice is called money laundering in prosecution of polygamous Kingston Group members


Brigham Young’s “united order” sure didn’t look like the financial dealings spelled out in the latest indictment against executives of Washakie Renewable Energy.

The court document describes how $6.2 million flowed into — and then out of — Washakie in 2013. Eventually, $4.5 million of that money made its way back to the company, the indictment alleges, but only after passing through other businesses associated with the polygamous Davis County Cooperative Society, also known as the Kingston Group, as well as the sect’s incorporated church.

Prosecutors are calling the transactions money laundering, and the exchanges constitute five of the counts against brothers Jacob and Isaiah Kingston, Washakie’s chief officers.

The transactions, former sect members say, are also an example of how finances are held in the Kingston Group: Personal incomes or business revenues are immediately shared with church leaders or their designees.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/02/03/financial-system-similar/

February 3, 2019

Rep. Gallego's office contacts U.S. Capitol Police after home was targeted by Patriot Movement AZ

The office of U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego contacted the U.S. Capitol Police after members of a right-wing group, Patriot Movement AZ, posted photos and video of the Arizona congressman's Phoenix home on social media and protested outside his property.

Members of the group posted several images on Twitter said to be Gallego's house, along with messages attacking him for opposing a border wall while living in a gated community, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which reported the posts to Gallego's office.

By Wednesday night, the tweets had been taken down, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Members of the group also posted a video on Facebook of themselves standing outside Gallego's gated community in Phoenix.

Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/01/31/patriot-movement-az-targets-rep-ruben-gallego/2738358002/

February 3, 2019

Marana cattle fraud case leads to new charges against family, claims of retaliation

A month after Seth Nichols was led out of a federal courtroom in handcuffs, both his parents now are accused of stealing $1.6 million worth of cattle from a Marana family, as well as retaliating against them.

Nichols, 29, pleaded guilty to a multi-million dollar bank fraud while working as the office manager of the Marana Stockyards and Livestock Market, owned by Clay Parsons and his family. While Nichols serves a five-year prison sentence and pays back $3 million in restitution, his parents now face 11 felony counts for their alleged role in the theft, according to an updated indictment filed Jan. 23 in U.S. District Court in Tucson.

The fraud unfolded over four years and destroyed the longtime friendship between the Nichols family and the Parsons, who Seth Nichols told a federal judge treated him “like a son.” At an emotional sentencing hearing in late December, six members of the Parsons family described dealing with their betrayal by a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” sleepless nights worrying about the future of the stockyard and baseless accusations from Seth Nichols and some Marana residents that the Parsons were to blame for the theft.

Seth Nichols admitted to using the stockyard’s funds and line of credit to buy cattle for his family’s brokerage company, which sold the cattle without paying back the stockyard. He then falsified financial records to make it appear as though his family’s company had paid the stockyard for the cattle, according to his plea agreement.

Read more: https://tucson.com/news/local/marana-cattle-fraud-case-leads-to-new-charges-against-family/article_891980f8-8173-58e4-b187-d084bc573713.html

February 3, 2019

New bill would more than double state gas tax for Arizona drivers

There's a chance Arizona drivers might be paying a little more to fill up their gas tanks in the near future.

House Bill 2536, proposed by Republican Rep. Noel Campbell, would increase the state tax on a gallon of gas at the pump, something Arizona hasn't seen since 1991.

-snip-

Under the bill, the gas tax would be raised in three increments from 18 cents to 28 cents per-gallon in the first year, up to 38 cents in the second year and to 43 cents by 2022.

The tax per gallon on diesel would also increase in three steps to 36 cents per gallon in the first year, 46 in the second and finally to 51 cents per gallon by 2022.

Read more: https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/new-bill-would-more-than-double-state-gas-tax-for-arizona-drivers/75-adabe46b-96d7-4490-b619-79758081001c

February 3, 2019

Motel 6 Attorney: Info on 'Tens of Thousands' of Guests Given to ICE

A federal judge overseeing the settlement between Motel 6 and a Latino civil rights group said he needs more information on the number of guests who may have been affected by the budget chain’s practice of giving guest lists to immigration authorities.

The questions from Arizona U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell at a hearing in federal court on Tuesday underscore the difficulty of achieving a settlement for a far-flung group of people who were questioned and detained by immigration officers after they stayed at Motel 6 locations.

During the hearing, an attorney for Motel 6 acknowledged that tens of thousands of guests' information was turned over to immigration authorities. However, data on Motel 6 guests who were questioned by ICE or deported is in the hands of the federal government, the attorney said – if such data even exists.

Last year, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a California-based Latino legal advocacy group, filed a class-action lawsuit against the budget motel chain after Phoenix New Times reporting revealed two Motel 6 locations in Phoenix were providing guest lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leading to the frequent arrest of undocumented guests.

Read more: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/judge-questions-scope-of-motel-6-settlement-over-ice-guest-lists-11186746

February 3, 2019

Ben Shapiro Blocked From Speaking at Grand Canyon University

Grand Canyon University, a private Christian college, has declined to provide a venue for a speech by right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro, the conservative youth organization Young America’s Foundation (YAF) reported on Friday.

Shapiro tweeted a link to a YAF announcement of the news:

https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1091384828300161024

Shapiro — a former Breitbart editor who currently serves as head of the Daily Wire — has drawn protests during appearances on some campuses. Several universities or colleges, including Gonzaga, DePaul, and Cal State Long Beach, have cancelled or blocked speeches from Shapiro over "safety concerns."

GCU students met with school administrators on Thursday over Shapiro's planned appearance, according to a blog post by YAF spokesperson Spencer Brown. School officials said Shapiro "instigates a divisive atmosphere" and that his appearance on campus "would not be good for the school long-term."

It's unclear whether Brown was paraphrasing GCU officials or quoting them directly. Brown also said in the blog post that GCU officials told students they were concerned specifically about what Shapiro may say about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and immigration. He did not respond to request for comment.

Read more: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/ben-shapiro-blocked-from-speaking-at-christian-college-says-group-11193332

February 3, 2019

Governor Ducey denies Trump tax cuts, vetoes Conformity Bill

PHOENIX — In spite of nearly unanimous support from Republicans in the state legislature, Governor Doug Ducey vetoed SB1143, the Tax Conformity bill that would have ensured that Arizonans did not pay higher state taxes as a result of the Trump tax cuts at the federal level.

The windfall taxpayers received at the federal level created increased tax liabilities at the state level. Lawmakers worked since last year to pass legislation to ensure that Arizona taxpayers would avoid a $150-200 million tax hike, to compensate for lost revenue.

But Ducey wanted the money captured and placed into the state’s rainy day fund and has insisted that it was not a tax increase, merely a windfall that the state should set aside for later.

No matter who ultimately claims the high ground in the debate, the fact is that by vetoing the bill passed by the legislature, the governor has ensured that taxpayers will pay $150 to $200 million in increased taxes this year.

Read more: https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2019/02/01/governor-ducey-denies-trump-tax-cuts-vetoes-conformity-bill/

February 3, 2019

Dallas doctor guilty of dealing countless painkillers to the homeless in 'pill mill'

A Dallas doctor faces up to 20 years in prison after a federal jury convicted him Friday in a pill-mill scheme for illegally prescribing nearly a million doses of painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs.

Carlos Luis Venegas was convicted of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance before U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey in Dallas.

Venegas, 62, was accused of dispensing drugs with "no legitimate medical purpose," said Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

According to trial evidence, Venegas acted as the supervising physician for a series of sham medical clinics that were fronts for the distribution of hydrocodone and alprazolam.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/02/02/dallas-doctor-convicted-scheme-provide-painkiller-prescriptions-fake-illnesses