National Roundup

New York Accused madam's attorney: Black book irrelevant NEW YORK (AP) -- The attorney for a mother of four who is accused of operating a high-class Manhattan brothel says he never asked her about a so-called black book. Peter J. Gleason told "Good Day New York" on Wednesday that "as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't exist." He says if Anna Gristina is found guilty of the charges, "it's irrelevant to me if there's a black book or not." He says the prosecution has not shared with the defense team information about its allegations that the Monroe, N.Y., woman peddled underage girls and had police protection. He says the allegation she promoted sex with children was "a ploy" the police sometimes use "if they have a hostile client that they want to break." Gristina has pleaded not guilty. New Jersey Tweets get scrutiny in Rutgers webcam spying trial NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) -- Prosecutors are trying to build their case of a cover-up effort by a former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate's intimate encounter with another man. A detective testified Wednesday that Dharun Ravi sent out a pair of Twitter messages on Sept. 22, 2010. One said his roommate had asked for the room again and said, "Don't you dare videochat me from 9 to 12." That was followed by a message reading: "Ignore that last tweet. Stupid drafts." The tweets came soon after Ravi's roommate, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide. Prosecutors assert that Ravi deleted an earlier message "daring" followers to chat with him and replaced it with the others to try to avoid being implicated. He's charged with invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and other crimes. Colorado Denver authorities: Dead inmate was serial killer DENVER (AP) -- Denver authorities say a man convicted of three murders who died in prison in 1996 killed four other women and might be responsible for as many as 20 homicides. Vincent Groves was convicted of killing Tammy Sue Woodrum in 1982 and was paroled in 1987. In 1990, he got life in prison for killing Juanita "Becky" Lovato and 20 years for the death of Diane Montoya Mancera. Authorities say that by using DNA from one of those cases, crime analysts linked Groves to the slayings of three other women who were strangled in 1979. And a detective says strong circumstantial evidence also ties him to a 1988 slaying. The Denver Post reports that some of the women Groves targeted in Denver were prostitutes, while others were acquaintances. Massachusetts Murder victim's dad lunges at suspect in court SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- A murder victim's father and stepfather lunged at the man accused of killing her during his arraignment in a Massachusetts courtroom and were charged with disrupting court proceedings. Edwin Rojas and Kenneth Soto pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday. Rojas is also facing assault and battery charges for allegedly punching the suspect in the face. The two men had to be subdued by court officers on Monday during the arraignment of Jose Santiago, Jessica Rojas' on-and-off boyfriend who's accused of killing her in front of witnesses. Rojas is the father of Jessica Rojas, who was stabbed to death in her apartment early Saturday morning, just hours after celebrating her 25th birthday. Soto is her stepfather. Santiago was held without bail after pleading not guilty. Massachusetts Dad faces charges for disrupting hockey game WINTHROP, Mass. (AP) -- A Massachusetts man accused of aiming a laser pointer into the eyes of the opposing goalie at his daughter's high school hockey game is facing criminal charges. Authorities announced Tuesday that 42-year-old Joseph Cordes will be summoned to East Boston District Court to face a charge of disturbing the peace. Police say Cordes pointed the light at the Medway/Ashland goalie during a Feb. 29 tournament game in Winthrop, north of Boston. He was ordered out of the arena by a school official. Winthrop won 3-1, prompting a protest from the Medway/Ashland parents who asked that the game be replayed. The governing body of high school sports in Massachusetts denied the appeal. Cordes hasn't been arrested. He tells WBZ-TV he feels "like a complete jerk" and humiliated his daughter. Oregon Teen charged in OR girl's death waives jury trial ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) -- A teenage boy charged with aggravated murder and first-degree rape in the July 2010 death of a 5-year-old Oregon girl has waived his right to a jury trial and will let a judge decide his fate. The News-Review reports that Douglas County Circuit Judge Randy Garrison will preside over the trial of Dustin Wallace, now 17. Trial is expected to begin June 12. Wallace was 16 when he was accused of killing Sahara Dwight of Roseburg. Defense lawyers on Monday also dropped their motion to suppress statements Wallace made to police following his arrest. The boy is being tried as an adult. A prosecutor has said that because he is under 18, Wallace can't be sentenced to death if convicted, but he could face life in prison. Wallace was visiting his father in Roseburg in 2010. The newspaper reports his father was living with the girl's mother at the time. California 2 brothers get prison for LA-based cocaine ring LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The head of a small hip-hop record label who prosecutors say led a drug trafficking ring that used chartered jets to ship cocaine and cash between Baltimore and Los Angeles has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. City News Service says Ricky "DP" Brascom received the sentence in a Los Angeles court Tuesday, while his brother and partner Jerome "Bro-Bro" Brascom was sentenced to six years. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges last year. They were indicted in 2010 with 12 others after a federal investigation dubbed "Operation Snowbird." Prosecutors say the men used Ricky Brascom's company, "Behind da Scenes Entertainment," to buy large amounts of cocaine in Los Angeles, have it flown in chartered jets to Baltimore, and have suitcases of cash flown back to Los Angeles. Published: Thu, Mar 8, 2012