National Roundup

Pennsylvania Reports: 2 more accuse Philly columnist of abuse PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Two more people have come forward claiming they were abused by a Philadelphia sports columnist who abruptly retired just before the publishing of a report alleging he abused young children decades ago. The two women bring to six the total number of adults who say former Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin molested them when they were younger. Fifty-year-old Linda Stella tells the Daily News that Conlin molested her on two occasions at his New Jersey home. A second unidentified woman tells The Philadelphia Inquirer she was also abused at Conlin's home. Conlin retired Tuesday, shortly before The Inquirer published a story online detailing allegations of abuse from three women and a man in the 1970s. Prosecutors say Conlin cannot be charged because the statute of limitations has expired. Conlin has denied the allegations. A phone message left for Conlin's attorney was not immediately returned early Thursday. California FBI: Geezer Bandit may be too spry to be a senior LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The FBI says an elderly-looking bank robber dubbed the "Geezer Bandit" may not be as old as he appears. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller says the robber believed to be responsible for 16 holdups in California may be wearing an elaborate costume. Witnesses have repeatedly told investigators that the robber appears to be wearing a mask and gloves. Investigators also point to a surveillance video of a robbery earlier this month at a Bank of America in San Luis Obispo, where a security dye-pack exploded as the robber was making his getaway. Eimiller says the speed with which the so-called "Geezer" was able to run away does not match his appearance of 60 to 70 years old. Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Texas Soldier charged in Fort Hood bomb plot gets lawyer WACO, Texas (AP) -- A federal judge has appointed a new attorney for the soldier charged with planning to blow up a restaurant filled with Fort Hood troops. Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo (AB'-doh) told the judge Thursday that he disagreed with his court-appointed attorneys over trial strategies. Abdo was handcuffed and wearing a striped jail jumpsuit as he spoke from behind a lectern. He said his request shouldn't delay his Jan. 23 trial. But the judge in Waco said he'd decide that later. Abdo faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and other charges. Abdo was arrested in July at a motel a few miles from the Texas Army post. Authorities say they found bomb-making materials. Abdo was AWOL from Kentucky's Fort Campbell. Pennsylvania Rhyming justice pens insurance fraud opinion HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A state Supreme Court justice known for opinions written in rhyme has done it again, producing six pages of verse Thursday in the case of whether the maker of a forged check also had committed insurance fraud. Justice J. Michael Eakin, writing for a 4-2 majority, concluded in six-line stanzas that a man's attempt to deposit a forged check appearing to be from State Farm didn't constitute insurance fraud. "Sentenced on the other crimes, he surely won't go free, but we find he can't be guilty of this final felony," Eakin wrote. "Convictions for the forgery and theft are approbated -- the sentence for insurance fraud, however, is vacated. The case must be remanded for resentencing, we find, so the trial judge may impose the result he originally had in mind." A dissenting three-page opinion by Justice Thomas G. Saylor didn't rhyme. Eakin was first elected to the high court in 2001 after earning a reputation as the "rhyming judge" by issuing some opinions entirely in verse while sitting on an intermediate state appellate court in the late 1990s. Two former state Supreme Court justices, Stephen A. Zappala and the late Ralph J. Cappy, had expressed concern in the past that the practice could reflect poorly on the court. The 63-year-old Eakin was re-elected in November to an additional 10-year term, although under the state constitution, justices must retire on the last day of the calendar year in which they turn 70, which for Eakin will be in 2018. Florida Federal roundup nabs $76M in counterfeit goods MIAMI (AP) -- Federal officials in South Florida, Washington and other cities say they have seized more than 327,000 counterfeit items with suggested retail prices worth about $76 million. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency said Thursday the seizures came from a six-week, multi-agency investigation called Operation Holiday Hoax II. It targeted stores, flea markets and swap markets involved in importing, distributing or selling counterfeit and pirated products in 66 U.S. cities. The investigation also led agents to Seoul, South Korea, and 55 cities in Mexico. ICE Director John Morton says counterfeiting remains a significant problem in the United States and abroad. Seized items include toys, handbags, DVDs, perfume, wallets, software and sports jerseys. Officials say 33 people have been charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods. Kentucky Judge: Too many details deleted in abuse records FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- A judge has ruled that state officials withheld too much information last week when it released child abuse records. Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said during a hearing Wednesday that he will review the full documents and decide whether any information should be deleted. Shepherd said the Cabinet for Health and Family Services redacted so much information that it made the files essentially useless. Cabinet attorney Christina Heavrin said some information was withheld because reviews were released without the context of a full case file, but Shepherd said it's time for the debate over what to make public to stop. He said the court would enforce its order "and we can do it in a cooperative fashion or we can do it the hard way." Published: Fri, Dec 23, 2011