Maryland
Former midshipman charged with sending online threat that caused U.S. Naval Academy lockdown
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A former U.S. Naval Academy midshipman has been charged in federal court with making a threat across state lines related to a lockdown and shooting at the military college in Maryland last week, the U.S. attorney’s office in Indiana said Tuesday.
Jackson Fleming, 23, was arrested Friday on suspicion of sending an online threat through a social media application concerning the academy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana said in a news release. Fleming, of Chesterton, Indiana, was charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate communication, the release said.
Jonathan Bedi, Fleming’s attorney, wrote in an email that “we intend to fight these charges in court vigorously.”
Fleming attended the academy from June 30, 2021, to Jan. 5, 2024, the academy confirmed.
The threatening post triggered a lockdown at the academy Thursday. It prompted authorities to respond to what turned out to be a false report of a gunman. And during the investigation, a midshipman who had mistaken security personnel as a threat was shot in the shoulder in the ensuing confusion.
The academy said in a statement last week there was no active shooter threat.
The wounded midshipman was released from the hospital Friday. A member of the naval security force also received minor injuries, the academy said, and was treated at a hospital before being released.
The false report was made amid anxiety over a spate of recent violence at schools nationwide, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah college. A shooting at a high school in Denver last week left two students injured and the gunman dead, while a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church left two children from an affiliated school dead and 17 injured over two weeks ago.
Georgia
Suspect arrested in auto break-in and theft of Beyoncé’s unreleased music
ATLANTA (AP) — A suspect has been arrested in a July auto break-in that a dancer and a choreographer touring with Beyoncé’ said resulted in the theft of the singer’s unreleased music, Atlanta police said Tuesday
Police identified the suspect as Kelvin Evans and said he was booked into jail on charges of entering a vehicle with the intent to commit theft and a parole violation. Online jail records for metro Atlanta’s Fulton County did not list an attorney for Evans.
Beyoncé’s choreographer, Christopher Grant, and dancer Diandre Blue were traveling with the singer for concerts in Atlanta when they called police on July 8 to report the break-in. They said someone smashed a window in their rental vehicle and stole two suitcases while they were at a restaurant nearby.
Grant told police he had been “carrying some personal sensitive information” for Beyoncé. The police report said the stolen items included two Apple laptops and five thumb drives that included “unreleased music” along with other digital files related to Beyoncé’s tour.
Atlanta police spokesman Anthony Grant said in an email Tuesday that none of the items have been recovered.
New York
Strip club execs accused of bribing tax auditor with private dances and other perks
Executives at a company that owns strip clubs around the country have been charged with bribing a New York official with free trips to some of the venues and with private dances to avoid paying more than $8 million in sales taxes, authorities said Tuesday.
Houston-based RCI Hospitality Holdings and its corporate leaders received favorable treatment during at least six tax audits that were performed over a decade in exchange for the perks given to a state auditor, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.
James alleges RCI gave the auditor at least 13 complimentary trips to Florida, including hotels meals, plus up to $5,000 per day for private dances at its strip clubs, including Tootsie’s Cabaret in Miami. The auditor also received free dances, food and admission at clubs in New York, authorities said.
“RCI’s executives shamelessly used their strip clubs to bribe their way out of paying millions of dollars in taxes,” James said in a statement.
RCI Hospitality, publicly traded on the Nasdaq composite, owns and operates more than 60 clubs and sports bars and restaurants across the county, including Rick’s Cabaret establishments in more than a dozen cities including New York, according to the company’s website. It also owns two other businesses in Manhattan.
A 79-count grand jury indictment that was unsealed Tuesday charges RCI, five of its executives and the three clubs in Manhattan with conspiracy, bribery, tax fraud and other crimes.
Daniel Horwitz, a New York lawyer for RCI, disputed the allegations and said the defendants will fight the charges in court.
He added that RCI’s policy is to pay “all legitimate and non-contested taxes” and all three Manhattan clubs remain open.
The indictment alleges RCI failed to pay over $8 million in city and state sales taxes on the sale of “dance dollars,” which are purchased by customers and redeemed for private dances.
In exchange for the bribes, the auditor agreed to assess “substantially less” in unpaid sales taxes, interest and penalties than was actually owed by RCI’s New York clubs and to stop the state from performing additional tax audits of Rick’s Cabaret, the indictment says.
James’ office and the indictment did not name the auditor, who worked for the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance. It said that a sixth person who was not publicly named was indicted but not yet arrested. James’ office declined to say whether that person was the auditor.
Among the RCI executives who were indicted are Eric Langan of Bellaire, Texas, chief executive officer, president and board chairman; and Timothy Winata of Houston, a controller and accountant. Prosecutors allege Langan and other executives authorized and oversaw the bribes, and Winata directly provided the bribes and accompanied the auditor on trips to the clubs.
According to the indictment, the auditor texted Winata in 2022 saying: “This was the best trip I had in Florida. The girls were very beautiful and nice.” He wrote that on Thursday night there were “so many beautiful women,” and he had “many lap dances instead of going to the room.” He thanked Winata and said he hoped for another trip before the summer.
Former midshipman charged with sending online threat that caused U.S. Naval Academy lockdown
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A former U.S. Naval Academy midshipman has been charged in federal court with making a threat across state lines related to a lockdown and shooting at the military college in Maryland last week, the U.S. attorney’s office in Indiana said Tuesday.
Jackson Fleming, 23, was arrested Friday on suspicion of sending an online threat through a social media application concerning the academy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana said in a news release. Fleming, of Chesterton, Indiana, was charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate communication, the release said.
Jonathan Bedi, Fleming’s attorney, wrote in an email that “we intend to fight these charges in court vigorously.”
Fleming attended the academy from June 30, 2021, to Jan. 5, 2024, the academy confirmed.
The threatening post triggered a lockdown at the academy Thursday. It prompted authorities to respond to what turned out to be a false report of a gunman. And during the investigation, a midshipman who had mistaken security personnel as a threat was shot in the shoulder in the ensuing confusion.
The academy said in a statement last week there was no active shooter threat.
The wounded midshipman was released from the hospital Friday. A member of the naval security force also received minor injuries, the academy said, and was treated at a hospital before being released.
The false report was made amid anxiety over a spate of recent violence at schools nationwide, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah college. A shooting at a high school in Denver last week left two students injured and the gunman dead, while a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church left two children from an affiliated school dead and 17 injured over two weeks ago.
Georgia
Suspect arrested in auto break-in and theft of Beyoncé’s unreleased music
ATLANTA (AP) — A suspect has been arrested in a July auto break-in that a dancer and a choreographer touring with Beyoncé’ said resulted in the theft of the singer’s unreleased music, Atlanta police said Tuesday
Police identified the suspect as Kelvin Evans and said he was booked into jail on charges of entering a vehicle with the intent to commit theft and a parole violation. Online jail records for metro Atlanta’s Fulton County did not list an attorney for Evans.
Beyoncé’s choreographer, Christopher Grant, and dancer Diandre Blue were traveling with the singer for concerts in Atlanta when they called police on July 8 to report the break-in. They said someone smashed a window in their rental vehicle and stole two suitcases while they were at a restaurant nearby.
Grant told police he had been “carrying some personal sensitive information” for Beyoncé. The police report said the stolen items included two Apple laptops and five thumb drives that included “unreleased music” along with other digital files related to Beyoncé’s tour.
Atlanta police spokesman Anthony Grant said in an email Tuesday that none of the items have been recovered.
New York
Strip club execs accused of bribing tax auditor with private dances and other perks
Executives at a company that owns strip clubs around the country have been charged with bribing a New York official with free trips to some of the venues and with private dances to avoid paying more than $8 million in sales taxes, authorities said Tuesday.
Houston-based RCI Hospitality Holdings and its corporate leaders received favorable treatment during at least six tax audits that were performed over a decade in exchange for the perks given to a state auditor, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.
James alleges RCI gave the auditor at least 13 complimentary trips to Florida, including hotels meals, plus up to $5,000 per day for private dances at its strip clubs, including Tootsie’s Cabaret in Miami. The auditor also received free dances, food and admission at clubs in New York, authorities said.
“RCI’s executives shamelessly used their strip clubs to bribe their way out of paying millions of dollars in taxes,” James said in a statement.
RCI Hospitality, publicly traded on the Nasdaq composite, owns and operates more than 60 clubs and sports bars and restaurants across the county, including Rick’s Cabaret establishments in more than a dozen cities including New York, according to the company’s website. It also owns two other businesses in Manhattan.
A 79-count grand jury indictment that was unsealed Tuesday charges RCI, five of its executives and the three clubs in Manhattan with conspiracy, bribery, tax fraud and other crimes.
Daniel Horwitz, a New York lawyer for RCI, disputed the allegations and said the defendants will fight the charges in court.
He added that RCI’s policy is to pay “all legitimate and non-contested taxes” and all three Manhattan clubs remain open.
The indictment alleges RCI failed to pay over $8 million in city and state sales taxes on the sale of “dance dollars,” which are purchased by customers and redeemed for private dances.
In exchange for the bribes, the auditor agreed to assess “substantially less” in unpaid sales taxes, interest and penalties than was actually owed by RCI’s New York clubs and to stop the state from performing additional tax audits of Rick’s Cabaret, the indictment says.
James’ office and the indictment did not name the auditor, who worked for the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance. It said that a sixth person who was not publicly named was indicted but not yet arrested. James’ office declined to say whether that person was the auditor.
Among the RCI executives who were indicted are Eric Langan of Bellaire, Texas, chief executive officer, president and board chairman; and Timothy Winata of Houston, a controller and accountant. Prosecutors allege Langan and other executives authorized and oversaw the bribes, and Winata directly provided the bribes and accompanied the auditor on trips to the clubs.
According to the indictment, the auditor texted Winata in 2022 saying: “This was the best trip I had in Florida. The girls were very beautiful and nice.” He wrote that on Thursday night there were “so many beautiful women,” and he had “many lap dances instead of going to the room.” He thanked Winata and said he hoped for another trip before the summer.
