(A Louisiana mom shot and killed a home invader to protect her two young children, authorities said.
The suspect, 51-year-old Robert Rheams, was armed with a shovel and a lug wrench when he allegedly forced his way into a woman’s home in Hammond around 5 a.m. Sunday, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.
A “physical altercation” broke out between the homeowner and Rheams, after which the resident shot the intruder, according to the sheriff’s office.
Rheams was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
Rheams was on parole at the time of the home invasion after spending about 20 years in prison for armed robbery, according to the sheriff’s office. Rheams also allegedly committed a carjacking hours before the home invasion, authorities said.
No arrests have been made, the sheriff’s office said.
“This case appears to be a homeowner exercising second amendment rights to protect herself and her children from a violent home invasion,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Once the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for further review.”
(NEW YORK) — Allen Weisselberg, one of former President Donald Trump’s most trusted and loyal employees, was escorted out of court in handcuffs Tuesday after being sentenced to five months in jail for evading more than $1.7 million in taxes on unreported income in the form of company-provided perks that included the rent on his Manhattan apartment, the leases on cars for himself and his wife and tuition for his grandchildren.
Weisselberg, 75, was sentenced to five months on Rikers Island, New York City’s notorious jail complex, followed by five years’ probation, after he pleaded guilty in August to orchestrating a 15-year tax scheme while working at the Trump Organization as chief financial officer.
He appeared for his sentencing dressed casually in blue pants, a white T-shirt and an olive green fleece jacket.
“He is obviously dressed the way he is dressed because he expects to be remanded today,” defense attorney Nicholas Gravante told the judge.
As part of a plea deal, Weisselberg testified over three days in November against the Trump Organization at its criminal trial, which resulted in a conviction against the company for paying the personal expenses of some executives without reporting them as income, and for compensating them as independent contractors instead of full-time employees.
He was promised a sentence of five months in jail and five years’ probation in exchange for his testimony, and agreed to repay nearly $2 million in taxes owed.
“The People believe that Mr. Weisselberg provided truthful testimony about the underlying facts of his allocution and plea,” a prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, said.
Weisselberg walked a fine line during his testimony in the Trump Organization trial. He conceded he evaded $1.7 million in taxes by taking part of his compensation in off-the-books luxuries like rent, car leases and private school tuition. He also said the scheme benefitted two entities of the Trump Organization — Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation — by causing them to have a lower payroll tax burden. However, he said nothing to implicate Trump himself in the scheme.
Weisselbarg “knew and thought in his mind that there were benefits to the companies,” Hoffinger told the judge.
Though the plea agreement called for a predetermined five-month jail term, Gravante asked for an additional reduction, citing Weisselberg’s lack of criminal history, his military service, his full acceptance of responsibility and, the attorney said, the lack of danger he posed to the community.
“Each month makes a big difference when you’re 75 years old, because each week you’re incarcerated represents a larger percentage of his life,” Gravante said.
“I think the words expressed by Mr. Gravante express my thoughts and my feelings,” Weisselberg said.
The judge declined, saying an even stiffer sentence would be appropriate for conduct “driven by greed.”
“I would be imposing a sentence much greater than that,” Judge Juan Merchan said, citing evidence in the trial of the Trump Organization that Weisselberg arranged a $6,000 payment for his wife so she could later claim Social Security benefits.
“At a time when so many Americans work so hard in the hope they might one day benefit from their contributions to Social Security, your client found a way to get his wife a $6,000 payroll payment so she could one day receive the benefits to which she was not entitled,” Merchan said.
Weisselberg, while no longer the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, remained employed with Trump’s family real estate firm and expected to make more than $1 million last year in salary and bonuses, according to his testimony at trial.
He pleaded guilty in August to one count of grand larceny in the second degree; three counts of criminal tax fraud in the third degree; one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree; one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree; one count of criminal tax fraud in the fourth degree; four counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree; and four counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
“Allen Weisselberg admitted in Court that he used his position at the Trump Organization to bilk taxpayers and enrich himself,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at the time of his guilty plea. “Instead of paying his fair share like everyone else, Weisselberg had the Trump Organization provide him with a rent-free apartment, expensive cars, private school tuition for his grandchildren and new furniture — all without paying required taxes.”
Weisselberg testified at the trial of the Trump Organization that he reduced his reported salary by the total amount of personal expenses paid and that the company benefitted by paying less in payroll taxes. He also testified his primary motive was greed.
As part of this testimony, he told a story about sitting with Trump in his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower one day in 2012 when Donald Trump Jr. walked in with checks for his father to sign to cover tuition payments for Don Jr.’s children.
Trump looked over at Weisselberg with a chuckle and said, “I might as well pay for your grandkids too,” according to Weisselberg’s testimony.
Trump then began paying $100,000 a year for Weisselberg’s two grandchildren to attend Columbia Grammar School. Weisselberg did not declare it as income and never paid taxes on it, he testified.
Trump, who was not a defendant in the case against the Trump Organization, denied any wrongdoing and called the case “a continuation of the Greatest Political Witch Hunt in the History of our Country.”
(NEW YORK) — Mega Millions ticket holders will be watching Tuesday’s 11 p.m. drawing closely as the numbers for the third-largest prize in the game’s history are revealed.
The jackpot has climbed to $1.1 billion with no winner since Oct. 14. The cash option is $568.7 million.
While it’s the third-largest prize in Mega Millions history, it is the fifth-largest in U.S. lottery history. The largest prize in lottery history came in November 2022, when a single Powerball winner took home $2.04 billion.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
The lucky winner can opt for either an annuity or the cash option.
The Mega Millions annuity is paid out as one immediate payment, followed by 29 yearly payments with each payment growing by 5%.
“This helps protect winners’ lifestyle and purchasing power in periods of inflation,” according to the Mega Millions website.
Or, the winner can opt for the cash option: a one-time, lump-sum payment of the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.
Photography by Keith Getter (all rights reserved)/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Dangerously stormy weather continues to wallop California, drenching the drought-stricken state with a sudden and near constant onslaught of rain and snow, leaving a trail of destruction.
The National Weather Service has warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” in the West Coast over the coming week. President Joe Biden has issued an emergency declaration for California, ordering federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 10, 8:03 AM EST
Over 224,000 customers without power in California
More than 224,000 customers were without power across California early Tuesday, as storms unabatedly battered the Golden State.
As of 4:56 a.m. PT, there were 224,470 Californian customers without power, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us. A majority of those — 64,057 customers — were located in Santa Clara County.
Jan 10, 7:56 AM EST
California sees record rain, snow
Storms have dumped copious amounts of rain over California in recent days.
Santa Barbara received a record 4.12 inches of rainfall on Monday alone.
In the past two days, Ventura County counted 16.34 inches, Santa Barbara County 16.05 inches, Los Angeles County 7.12 inches and Monterey County up to 10.71 inches.
Meanwhile, the highest wind gust in the last 24 hours — up to 88 miles per hour — was recorded in the mountains near Santa Clarita.
Another 5 to 10 inches of rainfall is expected across California through the weekend, with the possibility of more flooding. An additional 4 to 6 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountain range is also in the forecast.
Jan 10, 7:47 AM EST
The latest forecast for California
An unusually long and powerful jet stream is bringing tropical moisture all the way from Southeast Asia to California. It’s been parked over the Pacific Ocean for weeks, with no end in sight.
The latest forecast shows parts of these Pacific storms moving into the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday, with heavy snowfall and gusty winds.
The next storm is already arriving in the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday morning and will last through the day. Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California will also get more rain with this new storm, according to the forecast.
California will have some respite on Tuesday night before a new storm arrives in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday morning.
This pattern of stormy weather will not end there. The forecast shows yet another system arriving at the end of the week and lasting through the weekend, bringing even more rain from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Jan 10, 7:12 AM EST
Tornado warnings for parts of Central California
The National Weather Service issued two tornado warnings for parts of Central California early Tuesday morning.
The first lasts until 4 a.m. PT and includes the areas of Rancho Calaveras, Valley Springs and San Andreas. The second lasts until 4:15 a.m. PT and includes the areas of Modesto, Ceres and Riverbank.
Jan 10, 6:47 AM EST
Over 192,000 customers without power in California
More than 192,000 customers were without power across California early Tuesday, as storms unabatedly battered the Golden State.
As of 3:37 a.m. PT, there were 192,426 Californian customers without power, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us. A majority of those — 85,314 customers — were located in Santa Clara County.
Photography by Keith Getter (all rights reserved)/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Dangerously stormy weather continues to wallop California, drenching the drought-stricken state with a sudden and near constant onslaught of rain and snow, leaving a trail of destruction.
The National Weather Service has warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” in the West Coast over the coming week. President Joe Biden has issued an emergency declaration for California, ordering federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 10, 6:47 AM EST
Over 192,000 customers without power in California
More than 192,000 customers were without power across California early Tuesday, as storms unabatedly battered the Golden State.
As of 3:37 a.m. PT, there were 192,426 Californian customers without power, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us. A majority of those — 85,314 customers — were located in Santa Clara County.
(NEW YORK) — Allen Weisselberg, one of former President Donald Trump’s most trusted and loyal employees, will face sentencing Tuesday after he pleaded guilty last year to 15 state crimes then testified against the Trump Organization this past fall.
Weisselberg, 75, pleaded guilty in August to devising and operating a 15-year scheme to defraud federal, state and city tax authorities by evading more than $1.7 million in taxes on unreported income in the form of company-provided perks that included the rent on his Manhattan, New York apartment, the leases on cars for himself and his wife and tuition for his grandchildren.
As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, he testified in the subsequent trial of the Trump Organization, which a Manhattan jury found guilty last month of criminal tax fraud for paying the personal expenses of some executives without reporting them as income, and of compensating them as independent contractors instead of full-time employees.
Weisselberg, while no longer the company’s chief financial officer, remained employed with Trump’s family real estate firm and expected to make more than $1 million last year in salary and bonuses, according to his testimony.
He was promised a sentence of five months in jail to be served on Rikers Island and five years’ probation in exchange for his testimony, and agreed to repay nearly $2 million in taxes owed.
Weisselberg pleaded guilty in August to one count of grand larceny in the second degree; three counts of criminal tax fraud in the third degree; one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree; one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree; one count of criminal tax fraud in the fourth degree; four counts of offering a false Instrument for filing in the first degree; and four counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
“Allen Weisselberg admitted in Court that he used his position at the Trump Organization to bilk taxpayers and enrich himself,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at the time of his guilty plea. “Instead of paying his fair share like everyone else, Weisselberg had the Trump Organization provide him with a rent-free apartment, expensive cars, private school tuition for his grandchildren and new furniture — all without paying required taxes.”
Weisselberg’s attorney, Nicholas Gravante, declined to comment in advance of Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, but said he would make a statement when it was over.
Weisselberg testified at the trial of the Trump Organization that he reduced his reported salary by the total amount of personal expenses paid and that the company benefited by paying less in payroll taxes. He also testified his primary motive was greed.
As part of this testimony, he told a story about sitting with Trump in his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower one day in 2012 when Donald Trump Jr. walked in with checks for his father to sign to cover tuition payments for Don Jr.’s children.
Trump looked over at Weisselberg with a chuckle and said, “I might as well pay for your grandkids too,” according to Weisselberg’s testimony.
Trump then began paying $100,000 a year for Weisselberg’s two grandchildren to attend Columbia Grammar School. Weisselberg did not declare it as income and never paid taxes on it, he testified.
Trump, who was not a defendant in the case against the Trump Organization, denied any wrongdoing and called the case “a continuation of the Greatest Political Witch Hunt in the History of our Country.”
(HOUSTON) — A Texas grand jury has declined to indict a man who hurled two cans of White Claw hard seltzer at Sen. Ted Cruz during the Houston Astros’ World Series victory parade in November, according to court records.
After hearing evidence from prosecutors, the Harris County grand jury decided there was not enough probable cause to indict 33-year-old Joseph Arcidiacono, ABC Houston station KTRK-TV reported, citing court documents.
The panel’s decision on Friday prompted the 182nd District Court in Harris County to dismiss charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon previously filed against Arcidiacono.
During his initial court appearance in November, officials said Arcidiacono admitted throwing the White Claw cans at Cruz, telling police when he was detained, “I know I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.”
Cruz was riding on the back of a Humvee during the Nov. 7 parade on Smith Street in downtown Houston when he suddenly found himself dodging the cans tossed at him from the crowd.
A viral video of the incident showed one can missing the 52-year-old Texas Republican senator. A second unopened can appeared to hit Cruz in the forearm when he tried to deflect it.
The senator did not require medical attention, police said.
Police officers standing nearby quickly arrested Arcidiacono and jailed him on assault charges. Police initially said the suspect threw beer cans at Cruz, but later clarified that the objects were cans of White Claw.
Afterward, Cruz tweeted a video of the incident and issued a statement thanking the Houston Police and Capitol Police for their quick action.
“I’m also thankful that the clown who threw his White Claw had a noodle for an arm,” Cruz said in his statement.
(NEW YORK) — Five people are dead, including the suspect, after a man allegedly shot and killed his wife and three children before turning the gun on himself, police say.
The incident occurred on Saturday when the High Point Police Department in North Carolina responded to an early morning call at approximately 7:05 a.m. to the 2700 block of Mossy Meadow Drive in High Point, just 13 miles southwest of the city of Greensboro, in reference to two people “screaming for help,” according to a statement released by the High Point Police Department.
“When officers arrived they came into contact with an adult male and female stating they needed help,” authorities said. “Officers had to force entry into the home, and once inside, they located five deceased people.”
All of the victims — three adults and two children — were pronounced dead at the scene of the crime, police said.
A subsequent statement from the High Point Police Department confirmed that investigators determined 45-year-old Robert J. Crayton, Jr. shot and killed his wife, 46-year-old Athalia Crayton, along with his three children aged 18, 16 and 10.
Police say that two other people who lived inside the home escaped but did not comment any further on their possible relation to the family in the statement released to the media.
The High Point Police Department also said that their officers have responded to the address where the alleged murder-suicide took place five times since 2014 with the last time being just over a year ago on Jan. 3 2022.
Officers say they are investigating a motive but did not elaborate beyond that.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of High Point at 336-889-4000.
(NEW YORK) — A 12-year-old girl has been arrested after allegedly stabbing her 9-year-old brother to death, police said.
The incident occurred late Friday night when the Tulsa Police Riverside Division in Oklahoma received a call at approximately 11:43 p.m. regarding a reported stabbing in the 1000 block of 64th Place South in the southern part of the city, according to a statement released by authorities.
The Tulsa Police Department said that once they arrived on the scene, paramedics and Tulsa firefighters were already performing CPR to the 9-year-old stabbing victim.
“Officers learned the children’s parent was upstairs asleep when the 12-year-old daughter woke the parent up and said that she had stabbed her 9-year-old brother,” the Tulsa Police Department said. “The 9-year-old male victim was rushed to the hospital and taken into surgery. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after 2:30 a.m.”
Tulsa Police Department Chief Wendell Franklin didn’t mince his words when he announced the tragic killing on social media.
“All homicides are tragic, but the 2nd homicide of 2023 in Tulsa shows a definitive societal problem,” Chief Franklin said. “The question is, how does society address a child killing another child?”
The unnamed 12-year-old suspect was subsequently taken into custody and is currently being held at the Family Center for Juvenile Justice, police said.
The motivation of the stabbing is currently unclear but the Tulsa Police Child Crisis Unit in handling the investigation.
No charges have been filed yet in this case but Oklahoma law says that any child under the age of 13 cannot be prosecuted as an adult for felony allegations of murder.
(WASHINGTON) — A Washington, D.C., man fatally shot a 13-year-old boy early Saturday morning, whom he said was breaking into vehicles in his neighborhood, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Police identified the deceased teenager as Karon Blake of Northeast D.C.
The MPD and D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene at 3:55 a.m. after responding to a call of a shooting, where they discovered Karon suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the police report.
D.C. Fire and EMS transferred Karon to an area children’s hospital, where he was pronounced dead after attempts to save his life were unsuccessful, police said.
According to MPD detectives, the alleged shooter heard noises outside his home and noticed someone trying to break into vehicles shortly before 4 a.m. ET on Saturday.
The unidentified resident went outside with his registered firearm to investigate when he and Karon had some sort of interaction, resulting in the man shooting the 13-year-old boy, according to the report.
MPD did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
“I again wish to express my deepest condolences to the family of Karon Blake. He was a son, brother, friend and student who should still be here,” Ward 5 Council Member Zachary Parker told ABC News in a statement. “I am deeply saddened and outraged by Karon’s killing.”
The alleged shooter has not been charged with a crime or identified, but detectives from MPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are investigating the incident for any potential charges, according to the police report.
“No car or material possession is worth a life — under any circumstances,” Parker said. “I join Ward 5 residents in calling on the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold accountable the individual who took Karon’s life.”
