National Roundup ...

TEXAS
‘Swatting’ ring member pleads guilty to charges
DALLAS (AP) — Prosecutors in Dallas say a member of a “swatting” ring that made hoax 911 calls has pleaded guilty to computer-related conspiracy and retaliation counts.
Jason Allen Neff of Omaha, Nebraska, faces up to five years in federal prison in a plea deal over the investigation since 2006.
Six other people have been convicted and sentenced to prison over bogus emergency calls that sent SWAT law enforcement teams to various locations.
Neff pleaded guilty Tuesday to aiding and abetting the conspiracy to use access devices to modify telecommunications instruments and to make unauthorized access to protected telecommunications computers. Neff also pleaded guilty to obstruction by retaliating against a witness, victim or informant.
Neff was arrested in 2011 in Jackson, Missouri, and remains in custody pending sentencing.

NEW YORK
Prison for fraud who lied ab­o­ut booking Bieber
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man who stole millions of dollars from clients by falsely promising to book performances by world-famous recording artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber has been sentenced to five to 10 years in prison.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced the sentencing of 39-year-old Meceo McEaddy on Tuesday.
His co-defendant, 48-year-old Sylvester Vincent Carroll, of New Jersey, was sentenced this month to three to nine years in prison. Both pleaded guilty to multiple counts of grand larceny, scheme to defraud and other charges.
Vance says the two stole about $3.7 million from party planners around the world. He says the scheme began in 2010 when the duo took $825,000 from a Brazilian company that believed it had booked Rihanna for concerts in Rio de Janeiro.

UTAH
Bribery cases begin for former attorneys general
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two former Utah attorneys general have made their first appearance as criminal defendants, vowing to beat a slew of bribery charges and other counts.
Mark Shurtleff and John Swallow appeared together for less than five minutes Wednesday in front a state judge in Salt Lake City.
Between the two, Shurtleff and John Swallow spent nearly 13 years running Utah’s top law enforcement office. They have not yet entered pleas but told reporters Wednesday they’re looking forward to proving their innocence.
Both men face numerous charges that prosecutors say stem from cozy relationships with businessmen who offered gold coins, luxury vacations and use of a private jet, among other allegations.
Legal experts say the case could take years to resolve.

MINNESOTA
Man pleads guilty in cartel house meth conspiracy
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — One of the four men accused of keeping a “stash house” for a Mexican drug cartel in St. Paul has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
Antonio Navarro, 19, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Tuesday, clearing the way for the state to proceed on charges that include kidnapping, assault and robbery, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
Navarro and the three other men are accused of kidnapping and torturing two Minneapolis teens they suspected of stealing drugs and money from the house in a quiet St. Paul neighborhood.
Navarro and Juan Ricardo Elenes Villalvazo, 32, are accused of keeping the “stash house” for the cartel, though court documents don’t say which one and federal prosecutors declined to comment. Drugs were delivered to the rental house and hidden there along with cash, prosecutors said.
Jesus Ramirez, 31, and Jonatan Delgado Alvarez, 22, both of Los Angeles, flew to the Twin Cities in April after meth and $200,000 in cash were stolen from the house, the federal indictment said.
Prosecutors say all four men kidnapped two Minneapolis teens suspected in the theft, brought them to the house and tortured them. The teens were released after the men determined they didn’t know what happened to the drugs and money, but not before nearly severing one teen’s finger with a scissors as they were interrogating him.
Navarro, as well as Ramirez and Alvarez, have been charged in Ramsey County District Court with kidnapping, assault and robbery. That case was put on hold, pending the outcome of the federal charges.
Villalvazo, who prosecutors say was responsible for injuring the teen’s finger, was still at large.

COLORADO
Kelsey Grammer won’t endorse killer’s release
DENVER (AP) — Actor Kelsey Grammer says he forgives the man who raped and killed his sister in Colorado nearly 40 years ago but doesn’t want him to be paroled.
Grammer testified by video Tuesday at the parole board hearing for Freddie Glenn, who is serving a life sentence at the Buena Vista Correctional Facility. He was convicted of killing Karen Elisa Grammer after kidnapping her from a Colorado Springs Red Lobster restaurant where she worked in 1975. He also was convicted of killing two men in separate slayings.
The Denver Post reports Glenn was tearful at times as he apologized. He was 18 at the time and said he thinks he deserves a second chance.
Grammer says he accepted Glenn’s apology, but endorsing his release would be a “betrayal of my sister’s life.”

NEW MEXICO
Police: In­truder fell asleep naked in couple’s bed
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man faces charges after authorities say a couple found him naked and sleeping in their bed.
Investigators say 30-year-old Freddy Shelby of Albuquerque was arrested Sunday after the homeowners called police to report their unwanted mystery guest.
According to a criminal complaint, Shelby broke into the couple’s home through a window and grabbed a Sprite from the refrigerator before falling asleep in the master bedroom. Authorities say the homeowners found a disrobed Shelby in a deep sleep.
Officers arrived and called to the man, but he slept through it. Authorities say Shelby woke up only after an officer ripped the blankets off him.
Shelby told officers he thought he was at his girlfriend’s house.
He was charged with breaking and entering. It wasn’t immediately known if he had an attorney.