National Roundup

New York
Senators scrutinize web-scraping facial recognition startup company

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. senators are scrutinizing a facial recognition software company over privacy concerns and the possible sale of its services to authoritarian regimes.

New York-based startup Clearview AI has drawn attention following investigative reports about its practice of harvesting billions of photos from social media and other services to identify people.

Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, sent a letter to the company Tuesday seeking more information about its marketing in Saudi Arabia and other countries.
Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden's staff also met with the company about his own concerns Tuesday.

BuzzFeed reported that it obtained a Clearview client list showing its technology has been tried by U.S. federal agencies, major retailers and law enforcement agencies in numerous countries.

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other companies in February demanded that  Clearview stop harvesting their users' images.

Illinois
Juries penalize Chicago in suits against police

CHICAGO (AP) — Separate federal juries on Tuesday found that Chicago police officers wrongly indulged in conduct that resulted in the fatal shooting of a suspect and the false confession and imprisonment of an alleged rape suspect.

A federal jury hearing a lawsuit filed against the city of Chicago found that Sgt. John Poulos committed a battery when he shot Kajuan Raye in the back as they ran through an alley in November 2016. However, the jury ruled Poulos, who claimed Raye pointed a gun at him, did not use excessive force.

Plaintiff's attorney Michael Oppenheimer said the jury's decision in favor of his client on excessive force was a clear message that Poulos' version of events didn't add up.
Poulos and his attorneys refused to comment on the jury's decision as they left U.S. District Court.

Poulos was chasing Raye after a report of a battery in progress. A gun found under bushes in front of a house and recovered by police three months after the shooting was linked to Raye. Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability concluded a combination of circumstantial, physical, testimonial, and social media evidence make it "likely and reasonable" the gun was in Raye's possession at the time of the incident.

Raye's family conceded at trial he was armed, but they argued Poulos lied to investigators when he said the teen pointed the gun at him.

Raye was the second African American man shot by Poulos, who is white. In 2013, Poulos was off-duty when he shot and killed Rickey Rozelle, a 28-year-old burglary suspect who was unarmed.

Another jury awarded $5.2 million to Stanley Wrice, who claims two now retired Chicago police officers beat him into confessing he had a role in a September 1982 gang rape and assault. Sgt. John Byrne and Peter Dignan worked under notorious Police Cmdr. Jon Burge at the time of Wrice's arrest. Burge was imprisoned for lying about torturing black criminal suspects.

Wrice's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, told jurors her client was convicted in a "grave miscarriage of justice" that took decades to be corrected while the real perpetrators of the crime got off with light sentences. The assault took place in the attic of Wrice's home. He contends that while he saw the victim on a bed with several others, he insists he didn't see, hear or suspect anything was amiss.

Andrew Hale, representing Byrne and Dignan, said Wrice was ``properly charged" and ``properly convicted."

A judge in 2013 granted Wrice a new criminal trial in December 2013 after witnesses recanted their testimony. However, prosecutors say they couldn't prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Ohio
Man who threatened ACO sentenced on weapons charge

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man who made an online threat against U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been sentenced to time served on a weapons charge.
Timothy Ireland, of Toledo, was arrested in August after U.S. Capitol Police received a tip that he made a Facebook post saying Ocasio-Cortez "should be shot." When a special agent called Ireland, he admitted posting the statement about the New York Democrat and said he was very proud of it, according to an affidavit in the case.

Agents from the U.S. Capitol Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Ireland's home and found seven rounds of ammunition, according to court records. He admitted owning the ammunition and pleaded guilty in November to being a felon in possession of ammunition.

The 42-year-old will be on supervised release for three years.

Alabama
Judge delays  trial of former NASA astronaut

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A judge in Alabama has delayed the reckless murder trial of a former NASA astronaut charged in a crash that killed two girls four years ago, court records show.

Former space shuttle commander James Halsell of Huntsville was set to go on trial Monday. But the defense requested a postponement citing the death of the father of lead attorney Jim Sturdivant, and a judge agreed in an order filed Sunday.

No new date was set.

Halsell, 63, was arrested after a car crash killed two sisters, 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler, in 2016 and severely injured their father and a woman. Authorities contend he was under the influence of alcohol, but the defense blames the wreck on sleeping medication.

Halsell, who is free on bond, flew five shuttle missions before retiring from NASA in 2006 with more than 1,200 hours in space. He worked in the private aerospace industry before the crash.

West Virginia
Ex-postal worker sentenced for selling pot on mail route

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A former U.S. Postal Service worker in West Virginia has been sentenced to six months in prison for selling marijuana along his mail route, officials said Monday.

U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart said Michael Morton, 55, pleaded guilty to selling marijuana while working as a letter carrier in Huntington between 2015 and 2018.

Morton admitted to distributing around 175 pounds of marijuana during the time frame, Stuart said.

Stuart said Morton was caught after agents saw him delivering a roughly 16-pound (7-kilogram) package of marijuana using his postal delivery truck. He later told authorities he would deliver the packages along his route after they came in through the post office.