Latest news with #defendants
New York Times
18 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
U.S. Charges 11 in Russia-Based Scheme to Bilk Medicare of $10.6 Billion
When hundreds of thousands of Medicare recipients were billed for expensive medical equipment they never asked for in 2023, doctors and health care providers around the United States feared a far-reaching fraud. Those fears were well-founded, federal prosecutors say. The surge in Medicare claims, for urinary catheters, braces and other durable medical equipment, was part of one the largest schemes ever designed to defraud the program, according to an indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of New York this week. The indictment charges 11 citizens of the United States, Estonia and the Czech Republic with working for a criminal organization based in Russia that, prosecutors say, defrauded Medicare of $10.6 billion. The scheme involved buying dozens of companies that were accredited to submit claims to Medicare and the program's supplemental insurers, prosecutors say. Then, using personal information stolen from more than a million Americans, the defendants filed billions of dollars in claims for equipment that had not been ordered by Medicare beneficiaries and was not delivered to them, according to the indictment. Even if the patients themselves did not pay for the phantom medical supplies, such schemes can affect Medicare recipients by causing premium costs to rise. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Snapchat used by teenagers to plan Barry island stabbing
Teenage boys who used Snapchat to plan the stabbing of a 12-year-old girl have been given youth detention sentences of two and three Crown Court heard the boys, now aged 13 and 16, used the app to discuss sourcing knives, luring the girl to Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan, and carrying out the 23 November 2024, they took her to the Harbour Road car park, where she was choked, repeatedly stabbed, and kicked in the face, leaving her defendants, who cannot be named because of their ages, were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court after admitting wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The girl, who knew the boys, spent three days at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where she underwent three operations. She has since been diagnosed with PTSD and said she thinks about the attack "every day", the court night before the attack, the boys discussed their plans on Snapchat, with prosecutors outlining what was said. "Bruv, we meeting [her] down Asda?" the 13-year-old asked. They talked about bringing "tings", slang for blades, and said they would "ching" the girl, which is slang for 13-year-old also told his co-defendant, who was then 15, to "wear gloves", and they discussed cleaning the knives next morning, the now 16-year-old brought a knife from home and met the girl in the supermarket car had used Snapchat to arrange the meeting, and the three spent the day at Barry Island amusements before the attack. When the victim came around after the attack, she heard the boys laughing, before running home for mother described blood spraying everywhere from wounds to her head, back and hands. On the way to hospital, the girl asked paramedics whether she was going to victim cannot be named after Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke imposed reporting restrictions on naming in a statement read to the court by prosecutor Tom Roberts, she said she thinks about the incident "on a daily basis"."Every day when the sun sets, I begin to think about the attack," said Mr Roberts, adding: "I see my scars every day and I can't avoid them." Kevin Seal, representing the 13-year-old, told the court, in mitigation, that his client had experienced significant trauma from the age of eight and that he has "limited capacity for reasoning and comprehension".Educational psychiatric assessments are under way."He's been let down already in his life by possibly every adult he's come into contact with both professional and personal," said Mr Seal, adding: "this may be his last chance."For the 16-year-old, defence barrister Dan Jones said his client had never committed an offence before, and that he had shown remorse for his actions. Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clark said both boys had initially blamed each other for stabbing the girl, before they both pleaded guilty at a hearing in March."Neither of you is telling the whole truth," she said, adding: You both acted together, and you are both to blame."She sentenced the 13-year-old to two years and 173 days youth detention, and the 16-year-old to three years and 260 were also given restraining orders preventing them from contacting their victim indefinitely.
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman, her brother and another man on trial for sexual abuse of her young daughter
Two men and a woman have gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court, accused of the sexual abuse of a young girl. The complainant's mother, her uncle and another man face a total of 21 counts of sexual assault and rape, which allegedly occurred on dates between 2000 and 2014, mainly at the family home within the State. Advertisement The three defendants cannot be named for legal reasons. They deny wrongdoing and have pleaded not guilty to all charges. The complainant's mother, who is in her 50s, has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of sexual assault on dates between 2000 and 2009, and between 2012 and 2014, primarily at the family home. She also pleaded not guilty to one count of rape, in that she facilitated the rape of the complainant by her uncle. The complainant's maternal uncle, who is in his 40s, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and one of oral rape on dates between 2003 and 2012, all at the same family home. Advertisement A second man, aged in his 50s, has pleaded not guilty to one count of oral rape between 2008 and 2009 at the same address. The jury has heard he was a friend of the accused woman's then-partner. Prosecuting senior counsel Anne-Marie Lawlor SC told the jury they must use their common sense to assess evidence during the trial and must consider each charge faced by the defendants individually. She said this case involved allegations of child sexual abuse and that cases of this nature do not tend to happen 'beneath CCTV' or in places where there are witnesses, but 'behind closed doors' and 'in secret'. Prosecuting counsel outlined that the complainant lived with her mother and other adult relatives as a young child. She said they would hear that alcohol was a factor for adults in the household. Advertisement Ms Lawlor said the girl shared a room with her mother until she was approximately eight years old. It is alleged that the complainant's mother first sexually assaulted her when she was three-and-a-half. The mother is alleged to have told the girl this was to be their secret. Prosecuting counsel said the complainant is expected to say that her mother continued to sexually assault her until she was about 12. The mother sexually assaulted the girl for a final time when she was about 15. Ms Lawlor said the prosecution's case is that the girl was around six when she was first raped by her uncle. Advertisement She told the jury that the mother allegedly brought the complainant to her uncle's bedroom and was present while he raped her. Ms Lawlor told jurors that the law states that someone who 'aids and abets' the commission of an offence can be tried for that offence. She said that the prosecution case is that the complainant's uncle allegedly performed the physical act of rape and that this was 'facilitated' by the woman. It is also alleged that the complainant's uncle raped her on other occasions, including an incident of oral rape when she was around eight years old. Advertisement Ireland 'It didn't happen': Man denies sexually assaulting... Read More Ms Lawlor told the court that the second man was a friend of the woman's then-partner. When the girl was about 11, he allegedly orally raped her, telling her afterwards 'your mother knows'. Ms Lawlor suggested to the jury that the issue of consent may be less relevant in this case, as a child under 15 cannot give consent. She said the defendants say these events did not happen. The trial continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape C ri sis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape C ri sis Help .
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Contrary to naysayers, Hong Kong's national security law is working well
With the enactment of Hong Kong's national security law on June 30, 2020, acts of collusion with foreign countries to endanger national security, secession, subversion and terrorist activity were criminalised. As discussed at a recent forum to mark the law's fifth anniversary , the 'one country, two systems' policy has operated smoothly since. The national security law has been applied throughout with great restraint by the authorities, with prosecutions only resulting when absolutely necessary. Between July 1, 2020 and May 1, 2025, 185 people and five companies were prosecuted for offences in connection with endangering national security, including under the national security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance passed last year and the now-repealed sedition offence under the Crimes Ordinance. About 170 people and one company have finished court proceedings, with most defendants convicted. These figures give the lie to foreign claims that thousands have been indicted. Moreover, the conviction rate of over 95 per cent in national security trials shows great care is being taken in investigating these cases and prosecuting them. As elsewhere in the common law world, the courts can only convict defendants if satisfied of their guilt beyond reasonable doubt; the conviction rate illustrates the strength of the cases they have tried. As the national security law contains new procedures, there were concerns over how these could be integrated into the legal system. However, the courts have sensibly interpreted the national security law in ways that are equitable and realistic.
RNZ News
21-06-2025
- RNZ News
Northland faces unsustainable court delays as homicide cases surge
By Shannon Pitman, multimedia journalist, Whangārei of Whangarei High and District Court. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon There's a well-known saying that justice delayed is justice denied. And in Northland, where the region is facing a growing number of homicides, the wheels of justice are getting increasingly slow. With trials now being set down for as far out as October 2027, the battle for limited resources and judicial time in the High Court at Whangārei is no longer just inconvenient - it is unsustainable. And, it's not a new problem. "I find this date to be unacceptably distant," Justice Timothy Brewer declared two years ago when the earliest available date for a murder trial was in 2026. "A trial of charges such as these should not be scheduled for trial further out than 12 to 15 months," he said at that hearing in 2024 before directing the court to find something earlier. Unfortunately, not a lot has changed since then. As cases pile up the question is no longer if something must change - but when, and at what cost. Defendants are spending long periods of time, often in custody, waiting for their cases to get to trial, while victims and their families struggle to move forward while the case is still before the court. Both sides are facing the reality of waiting years for justice to catch up in Northland. And, it's unlikely to get any better unless resourcing improves because the kinds of serious crimes that end up in the High Court have got worse this year. Northland recorded eight homicides last year, but the region has already exceeded that number, with nine homicides in the first six months of this year alone. According to data released by police under the Official Information Act, Northland had recorded the highest number of homicides up until 1 May, with Waikato next behind the region on five. Auckland had only two people charged with homicides for the same period, while Counties Manukau had three. In Northland, arrests have been made in all of the homicides - but that means there's nine new cases - and potential trials - that need to be worked into the High Court schedule. Several have already been locked in for 2027. Part of the problem is the fact Northland has just one courtroom - Courtroom Five at the Whangārei District Court - that is designated for High Court matters. But, there's no dedicated High Court judge and they are instead brought in from Auckland as required. So far in 2025, the High Court at Whangārei has had two murder trials scheduled, both relating to homicides that occurred in 2023, but neither ended up needing the full amount of time that was allocated. In the case of the Manuel brothers, scheduled for the first week of February, Samson Manuel pleaded guilty to the murder of Shayden Perkinson, on the morning their three-week trial was due to start, while his brother Bronson pleaded to a lesser charge. The High Court then remained largely empty for four weeks until the next trial commenced in March, involving Denise and Quinntinn Davis and their nephew Joshua Tana, who are all accused of murdering Euan Mackey in March 2024. They initially had a trial date allocated for April 2026, however, Justice Timothy Brewer directed the court to find an earlier date, saying the delay was unacceptable. Their trial was then brought forward and began on 15 March but was aborted in its second week. A new trial for Denise Davis, Quinntinn Davis and Tana has now been scheduled for April 2027, leaving defendants in custody and victims facing the prolonged wait to testify again. In total, the case could take three years and one month to reach trial. A trial falling over doesn't mean other matters scheduled for later on can always easily come forward. Justice Simon Moore, who retired from the High Court in 2024, told NZME one of his roles had been rostering judges and that was done 12 months in advance. Justice Moore said Whangārei sits on the Auckland circuit, meaning it relies on judges from Auckland.. When trials "fall over", the schedule can be left with holes that are only able to be filled by shorter hearings. "How do you fill a hole like that? You can't suddenly say to the parties 'we have got a judge here, got a court here, you need to come and we will start this four-week trial tomorrow'. The logistics of doing that are incredibly difficult." Justice Moore believes regional courthouses have not kept up with population growth and the complex nature of homicide cases was putting pressure on time constraints. "These regional courts are set up to deal with populations of the '50s and '60s where it just wasn't an issue. You could run a single court like that perfectly efficiently and it wasn't a problem. He said a standard homicide is usually three to four weeks long, with difficult and more complex cases running much longer than that. "You have a trial like that locked into Whangārei High Court and it pleads out, you are scurrying around looking for a stocking filler," Justice Moore said. "It's not the sort of problem we have in Auckland, Hamilton or Tauranga because we're able to draw people in. Whangārei is a bit more difficult." Justice Moore said work was being done to give trials in Northland a firm trial date as well as an earlier back-up trial date to fill in should something fall over. "But the average trial is four weeks long and you just can't stack them up, the High Court is just a different beast to manage." One option being offered for Northland-based trials is a relocation to Auckland. However, defence lawyer Sumudu Thode said a change of location is unfair to all, with legal aid ultimately footing the bill. "We've got no other remedy than waiting for two years. It's not fair to put all of them to that inconvenience. They're also not being tried by members of their community, they're being tried by members of an Auckland community," Thode said. Thode raised another concern. In one of her cases, Thode's client - facing his third strike warning - was charged with a firearms offence, which, due to legal requirements of the three-strikes law, must be heard in the High Court. He was in custody for two years awaiting a jury trial, which resulted in a hung verdict. He then was placed back into custody and granted bail after two years and 10 months and it was another six months until his retrial got off the ground. "These are non life-imprisonment offences. This is not a Covid issue, this is not because there has been a ton of murders, these are issues that have been happening for a while," Thode said. Thode said in her experience, when earlier dates are offered, all parties generally prioritise High Court cases to ensure they can go ahead. "The victims, the whānau, they want these to continue, police officers are generally available or make themselves available." A sexual violence victim who had to give evidence in the High Court at Whangārei for a second time after the defendant was granted a retrial told NZME the long wait sent her life into turmoil. The case began its court journey in 2019, and she said, after testifying in 2022, she felt relieved to finally share her story. But when the defendant appealed his conviction and a retrial was granted three years later, everything unravelled. "No one told me this could happen and it was a huge shock. I had a full breakdown." To prepare to give evidence for the second time in three years, she had to pause therapy, ensuring painful memories remained intact for court. She said an earlier retrial date could have made things easier but instead they were told there were no gaps in the calendar for another two years. "If it had happened sooner, I could have moved on. Instead, it affected my family, my job, and my mental health." Adding to her stress was the knowledge that her perpetrator was out on bail, while the court case - now stretching into its sixth year - drags on. "It's not just victims or witnesses who feel the anxiety - it's their families, workplaces, and livelihoods. I wouldn't wish it on anyone," she said. A spokesperson for the office of the Chief Justice said Whangārei's reliance on a single courtroom was impacting the ability to schedule trials promptly. The spokesperson said Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann has raised the delays in Whangārei with the Minister of Justice on previous occasions and briefed the Attorney-General Dame Judith Collins back in 2019. In the brief, Chief Justice Winkelmann specifically noted Whangārei and Rotorua were facing wait times nearly 12 months longer than those in main centres, solely because of the lack of courtroom availability. Chief High Court Justice Sally Fitzgerald also said in a statement issued to NZME that the wait times are problematic. "It is concerning that people in Northland are sometimes waiting considerably longer than court participants in other areas to have these serious matters resolved in court. "We know that court delays are very difficult for the people concerned - for the victims and their families, for the defendant and their families," Fitzgerald said. The office of the Chief Justice said when the previous murder trials were resolved in Whangārei earlier this year, the court was utilised. "During the remaining available weeks, action was taken to ensure that other, shorter matters continued to be heard, and included an Associate Judge and an Auckland-based Judge sitting in Whangārei during that time," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said that with adequate notice, trials scheduled for 2027 may be able to be brought forward if earlier trials resolve. Minister for Justice Paul Goldsmith told NZME that waiting years for a trial to start is far too long and announced in Budget 2025 that $246 million will be invested over four years to improve court timeliness. "Justice delayed is justice denied. Waiting months or years for a case to be resolved only adds to the frustration and trauma for victims and, indeed, all court participants," Goldsmith says. "This funding will support the ongoing operation of specialist courts, tribunals, the District Court, senior courts, the Coroners Court, and the legal aid system." Homicide cases for 2025 currently before the court Jan 29: Brooklyn Jenkins, 20, charged with the murder of his brother, Kyle Jenkins, had his trial scheduled for March 2026. Feb 24: Aitua Puriri was charged with the manslaughter of his 3-year-old nephew, Reign Puriri in Whangārei, and had his trial set for July 2027. Feb 27: Duwaine Johnstone was charged with the murder of mother of three, Yvonne Chapman, in Whangārei, and had a trial allocated for February 2027. Mar 15: A man, whose name is suppressed, was charged with the murder of 62-year-old Toby Mike Adams in Whangārei, and had his trial date set for July 5, 2027. Mar 15: A man, whose name is suppressed, was charged with the murder of Estene Rapatini in Kaikohe, and had his trial scheduled for August 2027. Apr 12: Lewis Edmonds was charged with the murder of Archibald McKenzie in Kerikeri, and had his trial scheduled for October 2027. May 9: A 26-year-old, whose name is suppressed, was charged with the murder of Geoffrey Ware in Parakāo and had his trial scheduled for early July 2027. May 21: Drummond Leaf was charged with the murder of 3-year-old Catalya Remana Tangimetua Pepene and has a trial date scheduled for February 2027. May 21: A man whose name is suppressed has appeared in court charged with the murder of Daniel Hepehi in Horeke. - This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
