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Disgraced crypto exec Sam Bankman-Fried faces new bribery charge

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Embattled crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried now faces an additional criminal charge of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York.

The new charge brings to 13 the total number of counts Bankman-Fried faces, all stemming from alleged corruption in the operations of the crypto companies he founded: FTX and Alameda Research.

Bankman-Fried allegedly agreed to pay $40 million in cryptocurrency to foreign officials in China so they would unfreeze certain trading accounts on two of China’s largest crypto exchanges that belonged to Alameda, according to the superseding indictment.

The accounts had been frozen in 2021 by Chinese authorities as part of an investigation of a certain Alameda trading counterparty.

“After the accounts were frozen, Samuel Bankman-Fried, the defendant, and others operating at his direction, considered and tried numerous methods to unfreeze the accounts,” the indictment said. “After months of failed attempts to unfreeze the accounts, Samuel Bankman-Fried, the defendant, discussed with others and ultimately agreed to and directed a multi-million dollar bribe to seek to unfreeze the accounts.”

The alleged bribe payment was carried out in November 2021, at which time the accounts were unfrozen, prosecutors said, and Bankman-Fried resumed trading with the estimated $1 billion that remained in those accounts.

Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges. He has yet to enter a plea on this newest count and four others unsealed in a previous superseding indictment in late February.

Bankman-Fried has been free on a $250 million personal recognizance bond and under court orders to live with his parents. On Thursday, the judge overseeing the case will consider additional restrictions on Bankman-Fried’s bail after federal prosecutors raised concerns about his internet activities and his contact with current and former FTX employees.

According to a new court filing, Bankman-Fried’s parents have agreed to not allow him to use their phones and laptops and to install monitoring software on those devices that will photograph the device’s user every five minutes.

If the judge agrees, Bankman-Fried will not be allowed to contact current or former FTX and Alameda employees, use Signal or other encrypted messaging apps or use a VPN to access the internet.

He will be given a new laptop configured to allow access only to pre-approved websites, which are necessary for the preparation of the defense or for personal use, and do not pose a risk to the community.

Tom Leadon, co-founder of Tom Petty’s early band Mudcrutch, dies at 71

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Tom Leadon, co-founder of Tom Petty’s early ’70s band Mudcrutch, passed away March 22 at the age of 71, Variety reports.

The news of Leadon’s death prompted Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, who was also a member of Mudcrutch, to pay tribute to his bandmate on social media.

“Tom Leadon was my deepest guitar soul brother,” Campbell shared. “We spent countless hours playing acoustic guitars and teaching each other things. A kinder soul never walked the earth. I will always miss his spirit and generosity. Sleep peacefully my old friend.”

Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, who also played in Mudcrutch, paid tribute as well, writing, “Tom Leadon. I am out of words. But i will never be out of love.”

Petty and Leadon formed Mudcrutch in Gainesville, Florida, in 1970. Leadon left the group in 1972 and moved to Los Angeles, where he played with Linda Ronstadt and was in the country rock band Silver. In 2007 Petty and Leadon reunited and a reformed Mudcrutch, with Campbell and Tench, released a self-titled album in 2008. They also went on tour to support it. They released a live EP, Extended Play Live, featuring songs recorded on the tour.

Terry Sanderson, the man suing Gwyneth Paltrow for 2016 ski crash, testifies in civil trial

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Terry Sanderson, the man who accused Gwyneth Paltrow of crashing into him while skiing more than seven years ago and leaving him seriously injured, took to the stand Monday to testify in the civil trial over the 2016 accident.

This is the first time Sanderson, a retired optometrist, has testified in the trial. He first filed a complaint against Paltrow in January 2019.

Sanderson recounted his recollection of the incident, insisting that he was downhill while Paltrow was uphill, saying, “There was nothing in front of me.”

Sanderson said he recalled hearing a “blood-curdling scream” before he “got hit in my back so hard.” The next thing he remembered, he said, was that “everything is black.”

“I tried to move, and I could not move a limb. I couldn’t move my head. I couldn’t move my body,” he said. “Nothing was responding.” He claims to have suffered a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries in the crash.

Paltrow insists it was Sanderson who “skied directly into my back,” in what she testified Friday was a “full body blow.”

Her attorneys had claimed Sanderson’s suit was an effort to exploit her celebrity and wealth. That came up in the trial Monday, when he was pressed by the Oscar winner’s attorney about an email he sent to his daughters after the crash, in which he said, “I’m famous.”

“I really was trying to add a little levity to a serious situation, and it backfired,” he testified.

In an amended complaint filed in February 2019, Sanderson changed the value of damages he is seeking in the lawsuit from $3.1 million to $300,000.

Paltrow filed a countersuit, stating she is seeking “symbolic damages” of $1 plus costs for lawyers fees from Sanderson for defending herself against “this meritless claim.”

MLB commissioner says fans were catalyst to add pitch clock, other new rules

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — America’s pastime will look slightly different this season with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred saying fans are the reason the sport is working to evolve the action of the game.

“What underlies the rule changes is you want a game that moves along, has a lot of action and is entertaining for people,” Manfred told ABC News’ Good Morning America Tuesday about the changes to the sport. “Our research showed that the game had evolved and changed in a way that fans didn’t like and we decided it was time to intervene to make sure we put the best form of baseball on the field.”

In an effort to make baseball games more fast-paced, one of the new rules by MLB for the 2023 season is putting pitchers on the clock. When the bases are empty, a pitcher will have 15 seconds to start their throwing motion and 20 seconds if there are runners on base. Previously, they could take their time on the mound with no pressure to throw the pitch by a certain time.

Manfred explained that despite the addition of a pitch timer, baseball is “still a game with no clock in the sense that the end of the game isn’t determined by any timing. The game ends naturally just like it always has and I see the pitch timer as a small change to move things along.”

“I think fans will notice that the game has a brisk pace to it and the games will be shorter,” he said.

Shaving off those seconds has already resulted in quicker games — on average, spring training games were played 25 minutes faster in 2023.

The league is also outlawing defensive shifts — a trend that has increased dramatically in recent years — to yield more offense. Two infielders must stay on either side of second base and all four need to have both feet in the dirt before the pitch.

According to MLB, “shift restrictions increased batting average and decreased strikeouts in Minors while giving players more opportunity to show off their athleticism.”

“The attention span of fans we know is limited,” Manfred explained. “The game historically was played in a window — 2 1/2 [hours] to 2:45 — and in a lot of ways we’re restoring baseball to when it was the most popular.”

A third major rule change sees the size of the bases getting bigger, from 15 square inches to 18. The larger bags at first, second and third base are expected to have a positive impact on player safety as well as reduce the distance of the base path. It will be 3 inches shorter from home base to first and third to home, while the path from first to second and second to third was reduced by 4.5 inches.

This slightly shorter base paths could also lead to more stolen bases.

“Nothing stays in exactly the same form,” Manfred told critics of the changes. “And the fact of the matter is the game had evolved naturally and has changed dramatically and it got to the point where it was important to intervene and make sure that we were putting the best product on the field.”

Overall, he said MLB wants to maintain “the atmosphere in our ballparks” and said that their “live product is a family-friendly product … our clubs price in a way that encourages families to come to the ballpark.”

Rachel McAdams reveals if she’ll make a cameo in the ‘Mean Girls’ musical movie

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

With the Mean Girls musical movie officially in production, will any of the original stars make an appearance in it?

Rachel McAdams, who starred in the original 2004 teen comedy as Regina George, told Entertainment Tonight that while she’s not “in the works” for the project, she could “never” say no to Tina Fey, who wrote the film.

“She’s the greatest. So, we’ll see how it all shakes out,” she shared.

Although McAdams currently doesn’t have plans to appear, she did share her thoughts on Reneé Rapp, who was cast as Regina George in the musical version.

“I don’t think she can do any wrong. She is amazing,” said McAdams. “She’s already got me beat with that voice. So, I’m just excited to see her incarnation. It’s such a great character. It’s so much fun to play, so, I hope she has a great time with it. And I can’t wait to see it.”

Four teachers, two students stabbed in Brazilian school

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(SAO PAULO) — A 13-year-old student stabbed four teachers and two other students at a school in São Paulo, Brazil, on Monday, officials said.

Elisabete Tenreiro, 71, one of the teachers injured in the attack at Thomazia Montoro public school, later died from a heart attack at University Hospital of São Paulo, officials told ABC News.

The teenage suspect, who was not publicly identified, was taken into custody, an official with the São Paulo Governor’s Office said.

A motive was not yet known, but the suspect was said to have had problems with other students within the last week, official said. The suspect apparently also searched online how to purchase a gun, they said.

“I have no words to express my sadness,” São Paulo Gov. Gomes de Freitas, who was in London at the time of the attack, said in a statement posted to Twitter.

Monday’s attack was in the Vila Sonia neighborhood, a low-income area in western São Paulo. School attacks have become more common in Brazil since 2002, with at least 23 school incidents reported in the last two decades, according to Campinas research institute. Nine school incidents have reported since July 2022.

In Monte Mor last month, a 17-year-old was arrested after allegedly throwing a bomb in his school. He was reportedly wearing a Nazi armband at the time of the alleged attack.

In Brief: ‘The White Lotus’ moving to Thailand, and more

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon has been given an October release date, Variety reports. The film, described as “a historical drama about the serial targeting and murder of members of the oil-rich Osage tribe,” will receive a limited release beginning Oct. 6, with a wide release starting Oct. 20. The Apple TV+-produced film — the cast of which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser, Jesse Plemons and Lily Gladstone — will also stream on the platform. A streaming debut date has not been specified…

Saturday Night Live‘s April hosts include former cast member Molly Shannon and Oscar nominee Ana de Armas. Shannon, who appeared on the comedy show between 1995 and 2001, will host for her second time on April 8, with the Jonas Brothers as the musical guest. Blonde star de Armas will make her debut as host the following week, April 15, with musical guest Karol G…

Game of Thrones star Lena Headey‘s next TV series will be The Abandons, a western from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, per The Hollywood Reporter. The show, which received a straight-to-series order in October 2022, is set in 1850s Oregon and follows a group of outlier families who “pursue their Manifest Destiny [while] a corrupt force of wealth and power, coveting their land, tries to force them out,” per the show’s description…

Chanel West Coast is leaving MTV’s Ridiculousness after 12 years as co-host alongside creator Rob Dyrdek and fellow co-host Sterling “Steelo” Brim, Variety reports. The TV personality has signed an overall deal with MTVE/Paramount where she will executive-produce, create and star in her own unscripted series. She will also develop scripted and unscripted projects under MTV Entertainment Studios. “My passion has always been to create, whether it is music, clothing, or film and tv,” Chanel said in a statement, in part. “I plan to bring some of my wildest ideas and dreams to life through amazing film & television projects, build my teams, and work with other creatives paving the way on the screen. I’m also very excited for the world to see me beyond ‘the laugh’ and for once, see the real me…”

Season 3 of HBO’s The White Lotus is heading to Thailand, sources close to production tell Variety. HBO declined to comment. The first two seasons of the Emmy-winning show were filmed at Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii and Italy, respectfully. Producer Mike White previously hinted that the third season may take place in Asia in a clip following the second-season finale. “I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus,” he said…

Becky G’s fiancé Sebastian Lletget apologizes for “disrespecting” her 3 months after engagement

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Becky G‘s fiancé Sebastian Lletget is issuing a public apology amid rumors that he cheated.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, the soccer star, 30, shared a lengthy statement, noting that there’s a “reality I’ve hit from everyone around me.”

“Over the last few weeks, during a moment I regret deeply, a 10 minute lapse in judgment resulted in an extortion plot,” he wrote in the post, which comes just days after he was accused of being unfaithful to Becky, 26. “Since this person did not get what they wanted it has now become a public social media spectacle filled with more lies than any truth and false posts aimed at the love of my life, the one person who I should never take for granted or put at risk.”

Lletget went on to say that the incident was “a wake-up call” and “the loudest alarm” of his life.

“I can’t keep running from demons. I know that any actions made that put us here should have never happened to begin with,” he continued, before sharing that he has decided to commit himself to a “mental wellness program” to work on the parts of himself that “deeply need healing.”

Speaking directly to the “Shower” singer, he added, “To Becky, you have been the light of my life, my strength, who has always shown me unconditional love. Instead of honoring that love every day, I have done the opposite, hurting you and disrespecting the one person that I love more than anything. I am so sorry and know I have to do whatever it takes to earn back the trust and love you deserve.”

The apology comes more than three months after the couple, who have been dating since 2016, announced their engagement.

Nashville school shooting updates: Authorities search for answers with motive unknown

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Authorities are searching for answers after a shooter killed six people at a private Christian elementary school in Tennessee’s capital city on Monday morning.

The suspect — identified as Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville — had a detailed map of the Covenant School and allegedly shot through the door to gain entry before gunning down three students and three staff members, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. A motive remains unknown.

“We have not been able to determine a motive as of yet. The investigation is still very much ongoing,” Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake told ABC News in an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.

The slain children were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all 9 years old. The deceased adults were identified as 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61-year-old custodian Mike Hill and 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, who was head of the school, police said.

The suspect was armed with at least two assault-style rifles as well as a handgun. At least two of those weapons were purchased legally and locally, according to police.

About 14 minutes after the initial 911 call came in, officers shot and killed the suspect in a lobby area on the second floor of the school, police said.

Investigators believe the suspect was a former student. The suspect had a map “of how this was all going to take place” as well as “writings,” and it appears the shooting was a targeted attack, according to Drake.

Drake had told reporters that the suspect was female and identified as transgender but didn’t immediately provide more details. A police spokesperson later told ABC News that the suspect was assigned female at birth but pointed to a social media account linked to the suspect that included the use of the pronouns he/him.

The Covenant School is for students in preschool through sixth grade. There are about 209 students and 40 to 50 staff members. It does not have a school resource officer, police said.

Dozens dead after fire breaks out at migrant detention center in Juarez, Mexico

March 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A fire broke out at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Monday, killing at least 39 people, officials said in a statement.

The fire started at about 10 p.m. on Monday at the Instituto Nacional de Migración, Mexico’s Institute of Migration said early Tuesday. The center houses migrants near the Puente Internacional Lerdo Stanton bridge to El Paso, Texas.

Sixty-eight men from Central and South America had been housed in the facility, officials said. The dead were all migrants, according to the statement.

Another 29 migrants were injured, some seriously, and were transferred to four local hospitals, the statement said.

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