File video above: Rudy Guiliani's son slams Fed raid on NYC home

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will not face criminal charges over his interactions with Ukrainian figures in the runup to the 2020 presidential election, federal prosecutors revealed in a letter to a judge Monday.

Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan said they made the decision after reviewing electronic evidence gathered in raids on Giuliani's home and law office in April 2021.

Federal prosecutors had examined whether Giuliani should have registered as a foreign agent because of his dealings with Ukrainians who wanted his help pressuring then-President Donald Trump’s administration, while he was looking for their help launching an investigation that might hurt Democratic rival Joe Biden.

“Based on information currently available to the Government, criminal charges are not forthcoming," they wrote. They said the grand jury probe that led to the seizure of Giuliani’s electronic devices had concluded.

Giuliani tweeted Monday that it was a "COMPLETE & TOTAL VINDICATION.”

“In my business, we would call that total victory,” his lawyer, Robert Costello, told The Associated Press. “We appreciate what the U.S. attorney's (office) has done. We only wish they had done it a lot sooner.”

Sixteen of Giuliani’s devices were seized as part of a federal investigation into whether the bellicose Republican ally of Trump violated a law governing lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities.

The spectacle of agents carting off computers and cellphones during the searches in Manhattan appeared to signal that the former New York City mayor — once celebrated for his leadership after 9/11 — was in a legal bind that would be hard to escape.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors, declined to comment on the court filing.

Giuliani, 78, has been under federal scrutiny for several years over his work in Ukraine. He was central to Trump’s efforts to dig up dirt against Biden and to press Ukraine for an investigation into Biden and his son, Hunter.

Giuliani sought to undermine Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who was pushed out on Trump’s orders. He also met several times with a Ukrainian lawmaker who released edited recordings of Biden in an effort to smear him before the election.

The strategy may have backfired: The U.S. House later impeached Trump for holding back nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine while he pressured that country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to open an investigation of Democrats.

Giuliani, a one-time presidential candidate, vehemently denied any wrongdoing. At the time of the raids, he accused the Justice Department of “running roughshod over the constitutional rights of anyone involved in, or legally defending, former President Donald J. Trump.”

In the past several months, news of any further progress on the review or any other aspect of the case largely evaporated. Prosecutors in New York went silent, a signal they were unlikely to add Giuliani to the long list of Trump associates charged with a federal crime.

During the investigation, a former federal judge was appointed to review whether any of the information seized from Giuliani's phones and computers was protected by attorney-client privilege because of his role as one of Trump’s lawyers.

His communications with clients are generally protected by law, though there are exceptions.

The letter Monday was prompted in part by the need for prosecutors to tell a judge that the court-appointed monitor was no longer needed.

The monitor, Barbara S. Jones, filed an initial report in January that revealed Giuliani’s lawyers had asked her to block prosecutors from seeing just three of 2,200 seized electronic files deemed relevant to the investigation.

Giuliani remains a target of a special grand jury in Atlanta investigating attempts by Trump and others to overturn the former president's 2020 election defeat in Georgia.

Giuliani testified before the grand jury in August, but he was sanguine when he returned to New York, saying he had “satisfied his obligation under the subpoena.”

Other figures swept up in the federal investigation of Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine wound up facing criminal charges.

Lev Parnas, a Soviet-born businessman who had helped Giuliani connect with Ukrainian figures, was sentenced in June to a year and eight months in prison for fraud and campaign finance crimes unrelated to Giuliani.

As the main suspect in the unsolved disappearance of Natalee Holloway arrives in Alabama to face charges of wire fraud and extortion, the judicial process remains complicated.

Video above: Natalee Holloway disappearance timeline

John Carroll, professor of law at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, explained that while the case has gained international attention, van der Sloot will not be given special attention.

Why is Joran van der Sloot being extradited to Birmingham, Alabama?

In 2010, van der Sloot was indicted on wire fraud and extortion charges. He is accused of trying to extort $250,000 from Natalee Holloway’s mother in exchange for information on where her daughter was buried.

Natalee Holloway was on a trip to Aruba with her Birmingham-area high school in 2005 when she disappeared. Holloway's body was never found, and no charges were filed against van der Sloot in the case.

What happens when van der Sloot arrives in Alabama?

"He will be placed in a kind of detention facility that federal authorities use — a county jail somewhere around here," Carroll said. "He's already been appointed a public defender. He will now will be treated just like any other criminal defendant in the United States."

Where will he be held?

Joran van der Sloot will likely be held in a very secure part of the detention facility, given his history, according to Carroll.

How soon can we expect van der Sloot in court?

Van der Sloot's first appearance will likely be an arraignment where he will be given an opportunity to enter a plea, according to Carroll.

How soon could this case go to trial?

"It completely depends on the court docket," Carroll said. "Just talking to people, we are talking about a year out. First, the discovery process has to go on, the government has to share info with the defendant. There will be a motion practice, arguably where the defendant would get to file a motion. Just based on the court schedule, I see nothing that indicates that this gets any priority. I think this will be treated just like any other federal criminal case in Birmingham."

What happens while van der Sloot is being held and awaiting trial?

Both the prosecution and the defense will have to prepare for trial.

In terms of van der Sloot's defense, "I am confident that lawyer has never interviewed client. He has to get the client side of story," Carroll said.

He went on to say, "Just like any other criminal case, his lawyer has to develop the defendant's side of the case."

How long could this trial last?

Carroll told sister station WVTM that this does not look like a long trial, possibly a week, noting the facts in the indictment are straightforward.

After a verdict, what happens next?

If found guilty, van der Sloot would need to be sentenced.

The maximum sentence for wire fraud charges is 20 years. After sentencing, van der Sloot would then go back to Peru to serve out the remaining part of his sentence for the murder of a business student in Peru.

A farmworker accused of killing seven people in back-to-back shootings at two Northern California mushroom farms will be charged with seven counts of murder and one of attempted murder, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

The charges will be filed before Chunli Zhao, 66, makes his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon, said Steve Wagstaffe, the district attorney for San Mateo County.

It was not immediately clear whether Zhao had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Authorities believe Zhao acted alone Monday when he entered a mushroom farm where he worked in Half Moon Bay and opened fire, killing four people and seriously wounding a fifth, San Mateo County sheriff’s officials said. He then drove to another nearby farm where he had previously worked and killed an additional three people, said Eamonn Allen, a sheriff’s spokesperson.

The sheriff's office said it believes the shootings were “workplace violence" but has not further detailed a motive. It was California's third mass shooting in eight days, including the killing of 11 in Monterey Park in the Los Angeles area amid Lunar New Year celebrations Saturday.

Zhao also faces a special circumstance allegation of multiple murder, as well as sentencing enhancements on each count for the use of a firearm, Wagstaffe said.

If convicted of the special circumstance, Zhao could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on executions in 2019.

Officials have not yet released the names of the five men and two women who died, nor the one man who was injured. Some were Asian and others were Hispanic, and some were migrant workers.

Servando Martinez Jimenez said his brother Marciano Martinez Jimenez, who was a delivery person and manager at one of the farms, was among those killed. Servando Martinez Jimenez said his brother never mentioned Zhao or said anything about problems with other workers.

“He was a good person. He was polite and friendly with everyone. He never had any problems with anyone. I don’t understand why all this happened,” Martinez Jimenez said in Spanish.

Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, had lived in the United States for 28 years after arriving from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Servando Martinez Jimenez said he is working with the Mexican consulate to get his brother’s body home.

Allen declined to answer questions about whether Zhao had any previous criminal history, saying, “there were no specific indicators that would have led us to believe he was capable of something like this.”

But it would not have been Zhao’s first fit of workplace rage, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In 2013 Zhao was accused of threatening to split a coworker’s head open with a knife and separately tried to suffocate the man with a pillow, the Chronicle reported, based on court documents.

The two were roommates and worked at a restaurant, and the man, identified as Jingjiu Wang, filed a temporary restraining order against Zhao that was granted but is no longer in effect. Wang could not be immediately reached, the Chronicle reported.

Video below: California Gov. Newsom speaks out against gun violence after Half Moon Bay, Monterey Park shootings

The shootings occurred at California Terra Garden, previously known as Mountain Mushroom Farm, and nearby Concord Farms.

David Oates, a California Terra Garden spokesperson, said that he did not know how long Zhao worked there and that he was one of 35 employees who had stayed when ownership changed. Oates declined to provide details of the four slain workers.

Concord Farms owner Aaron Tung said in a statement that the farm was waiting for more information before it could comment.

Half Moon Bay is a small, laid-back, coastal and agricultural city about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean make it a popular spot for hikers and tourists, who flock there to surf and for an annual giant pumpkin festival.

The new year has brought six mass killings in the U.S. in fewer than three weeks, accounting for 39 deaths. Three have occurred in California since Jan. 16, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. The database tracks every mass killing — defined as four dead, not including the offender — in the U.S. since 2006.

The shootings in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park followed the killing of a teenage mother, her baby and six others at a home in California’s Central Valley on Jan. 16. Officials discussing the investigation mentioned a possible gang link to the killings.

Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder Thursday in the shooting deaths of his wife and son in a case that chronicled the unraveling of a powerful Southern family with tales of privilege, greed and addiction.The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder at the end of a six-week trial that pulled back the curtain on the once-prominent lawyer’s fall from grace.Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years to life in prison without parole. His sentencing has been scheduled for Friday morning.Through more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, jurors heard about betrayed friends and clients, Murdaugh’s failed attempt to stage his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, a fatal boat crash in which his son was implicated, the housekeeper who died in a fall in the Murdaugh home, the grisly scene of the killings and Bubba, the chicken-snatching dog.In the end, Murdaugh’s fate appeared sealed by cellphone video taken by his son, who he called “Little Detective” for his knack for finding bottles of painkillers in his father’s belongings after the lawyer had sworn off the pills. Testimony culminated in Murdaugh’s appearance on the witness stand, when he admitted stealing millions from clients and lying to investigators about being at the dog kennels where the shootings took place but steadfastly maintained his innocence in the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.“I did not kill Maggie, and I did not kill Paul. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul — ever — under any circumstances,” Murdaugh said.Murdaugh’s 52-year-old wife was shot four or five times with a rifle and their 22-year-old son was shot twice with a shotgun at the kennels near at their rural Colleton County home on June 7, 2021.Prosecutors didn’t have the weapons used to kill the Murdaughs or other direct evidence like confessions or blood spatter. But they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, led by a video locked on Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone for more than a year — video shot minutes before the killings that witnesses testified captured the voices of all three Murdaughs.Alex Murdaugh, 54, had told police repeatedly after the killings that he was not at the kennels and was instead napping before he went to visit his ailing mother that night. Murdaugh called 911 and said he discovered the bodies when he returned home.But in his testimony, Murdaugh admitted joining Maggie and Paul at the kennels, where he said he took a chicken away from a rowdy yellow Labrador named Bubba — whose name Murdaugh can be heard saying on the video — before heading back to the house shortly ahead of the fatal shootings.Murdaugh lied about being at the kennels for 20 months before taking the stand on the 23rd day of his trial. He blamed his decadeslong addiction to opioids for making him paranoid, creating a distrust of police. He said that once he went down that path, he felt trapped in the lie.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Once I told a lie — I told my family — I had to keep lying,” he testified.Prosecutor Creighton Waters grilled Murdaugh about what he repeatedly called the lawyer’s “new story” of what happened at the kennels, walking him moment by moment through the timeline and assailing his “fuzzy” memory of certain details, like his last words to his wife and son.A state agent also testified that markings on spent cartridges found around Maggie Murdaugh’s body matched markings on fired cartridges at a shooting range elsewhere on the property, though the defense said that kind of matching is an inexact science.Murdaugh comes from a family that dominated the local legal scene for decades. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were the area’s elected prosecutors for more than 80 years and his family law firm grew to dozens of lawyers by suing railroads, corporations and other big businesses.The now-disbarred attorney admitted stealing millions of dollars from the family firm and clients, saying he needed the money to fund his drug habit. Before he was charged with murder, Murdaugh was in jail awaiting trial on about 100 other charges ranging from insurance fraud to tax evasion.Prosecutors told jurors that Murdaugh was afraid all of his misdeeds were about to be discovered, so he killed his wife and son to gain sympathy to buy time to cover his tracks.Murdaugh’s lawyers will almost certainly appeal the conviction based on the judge allowing evidence of the financial crimes, which they contend were unrelated to the killings and were used by prosecutors to smear Murdaugh’s reputation.

CINCINNATI — As Reds fans enjoyed Opening Day at the Great American Ballpark, many were unaware history had been made.

Former President Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury hours before the final pitch was thrown, and many who learned while leaving the ballpark were stunned by the sudden turn of events in a months-long investigation.

"I'm a Trump supporter," said John Booth.

Booth said he views Trump as innocent until proven guilty, and hoped the former president — now the only in U.S. history to face criminal charges — would beat the charges and take office again.

"The economy is where it's at right now because of the current administration," Booth said, "and I would say that the predecessor would be better."

Others saw the indictment as the tip of a very large legal iceberg as Trump also faces an investigation in Georgia related to pressuring officials to change the results of the 2020 election and another into his handling of classified documents after leaving office.

What does Donald Trump's indictment mean for his presidential run?

"As a gay woman, this is exciting news," said Elizabeth Witte. "I think that with everything that's been happening in the world, we need something. He needs to be held accountable for not just this but all his actions."

Many landed in the middle ground in their opinions of Trump's new indictment.

Michaela Pearson said she had faith in the legal system.

"My initial thought is innocent until proven guilty," she said. "Of course, there's two sides to every story."

Jack Ferguson said he had faith in the spirit of the country.

"I love America, and I'm proud to be an American," he said. "So, whatever the case is, I just want everyone to be together and be united. That's what I care about. I could care less about the different political stuff."

WCPO reached out to both Republican and Democratic leadership in Hamilton County. Democratic Party Chair Gwen McFarlin said she had no comment until further details emerged about the charges facing Trump. Republican Chair Russell Mock had the same thing to say, but added he was disappointed with what was happening in New York.

"Weaponizing the judicial system for political purposes is dangerous at this point," he said.

Many local politicians refrained from making statements on the indictment. Senator J.D. Vance tweeted that it was "despicable" that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thinks Donald Trump should "go to jail for a fake misdemeanor" while a man who described as a "lunatic" who "hurled racial slurs" at a family on a New York subway should "walk free."

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky also tweeted about Bragg. The former president said the indictment is "political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history."

The Associated Press reported the Manhattan District Attorney's office is coordinating the surrender and arraignment process with Trump lawyers. Exactly when those steps may take place is still not currently known.

READ MORE
What does Donald Trump's indictment mean for his presidential run?
Lawmakers react after news of Trump indictment
What happens now that Donald Trump has been indicted?

File video above: Legal analysis on charges filed against Alec Baldwin on 'Rust' movie set shooting

Prosecutors in the "Rust" fatal shooting case plan to file a notice to dismiss involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin, his attorney, Luke Nikas, tells CNN.

CNN has contacted the special prosecutor in the Santa Fe, New Mexico case for comment.

Halyna Hutchins, the film's cinematographer, was struck and killed by a live round of ammunition fired from a prop gun being held by Baldwin while rehearsing a scene on the set of "Rust" in 2021. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty.

Director Joel Souza was also shot and injured.

Baldwin and "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed were both charged with involuntary manslaughter in January. Baldwin pleaded not guilty. An attorney for Gutierrez Reed has previously said she will plead not guilty and has maintained her innocence. A preliminary hearing in her case is set for May 3.

Prosecutors already removed a firearm enhancement charge against Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed, reducing a potential prison sentence from 5 years to a maximum of 18 months.

"We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident," Baldwin's attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro told CNN.

Thursday's development comes one month after the special prosecutor in the case, Andrea Reeb, stepped down, following a motion by Baldwin's attorney to have Reeb disqualified as "unconstitutional" under New Mexico law due to her elected position in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies then also stepped away from the case and appointed long-time New Mexico attorneys Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis to serve as special prosecutors.

Earlier this year, "Rust" assistant director Dave Halls and prosecutors reached a plea agreement "for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon." At the time, prosecutors said the terms of that deal include six months of probation and a suspended sentence.

As part of a wrongful death settlement between Matthew Hutchins, the widower of Halyna Hutchins, Baldwin and "Rust" producers, production on the film has resumed. Matthew Hutchins is now serving as an executive producer on the project.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. —

U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges alleging a financial fraud at the heart of a political campaign built on dubious boasts about his personal wealth and business success.

Santos, the New York Republican whose biography began to unravel after his election last fall, is accused of duping donors, stealing campaign funds, lying to Congress and cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve.

Santos, 34, was released from custody on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment at a Long Island federal courthouse, about five hours after he surrendered to authorities.

Santos has given no indication that he plans to step aside because of his indictment.

He previously defied calls to resign as details of his fictitious resume came to light. In the past, members of Congress in both parties have remained in office while facing charges.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating key parts of his life story, has been indicted on charges that he embezzled money from his campaign, lied to Congress about his income and cheated his way into undeserved unemployment benefits, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The indictment says Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, it says, he used it for personal expenses, including buying designer clothes and paying his credit cards and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment "seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations."

"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," Peace said.

Santos surrendered Wednesday and was taken to a federal courthouse on Long Island, where he was expected to make an initial court appearance later in the day on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.

Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign built partly on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company via emails, text message and phone calls and provided the person with contact information for potential contributors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed "exclusively" to aid Santos' election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Many of Santos' fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed. Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.

Video above from January: George Santos steps down from committees amid ethics issues

"Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps he'll resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him," said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was more circumspect, saying "I think in America, you're innocent till proven guilty."

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos' work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of failing to deliver $3,000 he had raised to help his pet dog get needed surgery.

___

Farnoush Amiri in Washington and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.

Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday that they will bring criminal charges against a man who used a deadly chokehold on an unruly passenger aboard a New York City subway train, an incident that stirred outrage and debates about the response to mental illness in the nation’s largest transit system.

Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, will be arrested and face a charge of second-degree manslaughter, which could carry a jail term of up to 15 years.

“We cannot provide any additional information until he has been arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court, which we expect to take place tomorrow,” the Manhattan district attorney's office said in a statement.

The charges come nearly two weeks after Penny pinned fellow subway rider Jordan Neely, 30, to the floor of a subway car and put him in a chokehold that lasted for several minutes.

According to a freelance journalist who witnessed the struggle, Neely had been screaming and begging for money aboard the train prior to the takedown but had not physically attacked anyone.

Attorneys for Penny did not immediately respond to a request for comment. They previously said their client, along with two other riders who helped restrain Neely, had acted in self-defense.

“Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death,” they said in a statement.

A former subway performer known for his spot-on Michael Jackson impression, Neely struggled in recent years with homelessness and worsening mental illness, friends said. He had been arrested several times and had recently pleaded guilty to assaulting a 67-year-old woman in 2021 as she left a subway station. After pleading guilty, he missed a court date, leading to a warrant for his arrest that was still active at the time of his death.

His death has divided some in New York and beyond, triggering intense debates and protests. Left-leaning advocates described the killing as an act of racist vigilantism, invoking comparisons to the infamous subway shooting carried out by Bernhard Goetz against four teenagers in 1984.

Others, including Mayor Eric Adams, have urged caution, calling on New Yorkers to wait for the full facts and investigations. They note that much is still not known about what precipitated the chokehold.

As the investigation has continued, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has faced pressure to make an arrest.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

A former boyfriend of a woman who says she was paid to give sexual favors to Jeffrey Epstein, starting at age 14, corroborated parts of her account Wednesday at the sex trafficking trial of the millionaire's longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell.

The man, identified only as Shawn to protect the identity of his ex-girlfriend, said on multiple occasions in the early 2000s he drove three girls he knew to Epstein’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

He would wait in the car for an hour until the teenagers would emerge with $100 bills.

The girls included a woman who testified on Tuesday only as Carolyn to protect her privacy. She had told the jury she made hundreds of dollars giving sexualized massages to Epstein, and that Maxwell had fondled her and told her she “had a great body."

Shawn said he and Carolyn used some of the cash to support their drug habit.

The testimony came as the government neared the end of its case against Maxwell, who has denied charges she instructed teenagers to give Epstein sexual messages at the millionaire’s residences in Florida, New York and elsewhere.

Maxwell's lawyers have said she's being made a scapegoat for sex crimes committed by Epstein, who briefly went to jail in a child prostitution case in 2008, and then killed himself after he was hit with new charges in 2019.

The last of four key accusers was expected to testify Thursday before the government rests its case. The defense is set to start its case next week.

In his testimony Wednesday, Shawn said he drove the girls to Epstein's posh property from the much less affluent neighborhoods of West Palm Beach, where the teenagers lived, whenever he received a call from one of three women who worked for Epstein.

One of them, he said, had a “proper English" accent. Maxwell was raised in England.

Shawn testified that he never met Maxwell but he once met Epstein in his driveway when Epstein arrived late for a massage. He said Epstein “introduced himself and showed off his car.”

He said the teenagers would exchange their $100 bills at a Palm Beach gas station for smaller bills because no businesses in West Palm Beach would accept the large bills.

LAS VEGAS — A newly-released 911 call recording from the night of a UNLV fraternity's amateur charity boxing event is shining more light on what happened in the moments after a participant collapsed.

He died days later.

Nathan Valencia, 20, died on Nov. 23 after taking part in a boxing match on Nov. 19.

His death was ruled a homicide by the coroner's office.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told 13 Action News in a statement, "Although Mr. Valencia's death is tragic, the circumstances surrounding his death are not criminal, and no charges will be filed."

The agency says the definition of homicide is "an act of a human killing another person" and that it did not have information that there is any criminality on the part of the venue.

Meanwhile, the Nevada State Athletic Commission investigates the "fight night" event.

Below is a transcript of the 911 call obtained by 13 Action News and provided by Clark County. The transcript has been shortened for clarity, and parts of the recording have been redacted, per HIPAA.

Caller: We are at the Sahara Event Center. There's a roller hockey rink. We need medics here like right now.

911 Operator: What's the number that you're calling from? What happened?

Caller: So we're hosting a fight night for a fraternity's charity, and something happened, and we're not sure what happened. There's a fight that broke out, and one of the fighters, like, actually got injured. The address is 800 Karen Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89109.

Operator: All right, so I just want to make sure, like, when you said you guys are holding a fight event, this wasn't like an assault, correct?

Caller: No. No, not an assault.

Operator: All right. Are you with the patient right now?

Caller: Yes.

Operator: I have help already started, OK? Just a couple of questions. Is there any serious bleeding?

[redacted]

Operator: Is he completely alert?

[redacted]

Operator: Alright, so I have paramedics already on the way, OK? Just stay on the line. I'll tell you exactly what to do next. Just make sure not to do not move him unless he is in danger.

[inaudible]

Caller: He's in the ring. We only have eight people here in the ring. Everyone else is out. We have nurses here, but we need, like, real medical.

Operator: I understand, and they're already on the way, OK? They are coming to you guys, lights and sirens. Just make sure nothing -

Caller: Do you know how long?

Operator: Well, they're coming lights and siren, and so it's just going to be a short time between when they get there, okay? They're not too far from you guys. Just nothing for him to eat or drink. That might make him sick or cause further problems.

Caller: They said to give him water. Like, lots of water.

Operator: No, no, no — do not.

Caller: No water!

Operator: And then do not move him unless it's absolutely necessary. OK?

Caller: OK.

Operator: Alright, I'm going to go ahead and stay on the line with you, okay? As long as I can. Just watch him closely and look for any changes.

Around the five-minute mark of the call, the operator says, "It looks like the ambulance is there. They're going to grab your equipment, and they'll be right in. I need you to tell me as soon as they're inside."

About one minute later, the caller is heard saying, "Oh my god, did he get hit with something or? Is the main event of the fight that happened the last event? If we're being honest, I was in the VIP section, and then a citizen fight kind of broke, but everyone's fine there. And then, all of a sudden, he's on the floor."

Around six minutes and thirty seconds, the caller asks, "Why did I have to be the one to call 9-1-1?"

The operator reassures her by saying, "Because you are the most calm one to do it for me."

At six minutes and 50 seconds, the caller confirms, "Okay, the paramedics are here."

The "fight night" was organized by the Kappa Sigma fraternity, which has had its activities suspended while the incident is investigated. Its international headquarters is also reviewing whether the local chapter followed internal policies and standards.

UNLV has since announced it will start looking into new safety protocols going forward. The university has more than 300 student groups, and it is currently reviewing the safety of all of them.

Scripps' Vegas station KTNV first reported this story.

KENOSHA, Wis. —

A man who suffered a severe arm injury when he was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during a night of protests against racial injustice is expected to testify this week as prosecutors near the end of their case in Rittenhouse's murder trial.

Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, who had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse, was shot in the arm moments after Rittenhouse fatally shot two others in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Testimony during the first week of Rittenhouse's trial showed bystanders came to Grosskreutz's aid and placed a tourniquet on his arm before loading him into a vehicle that rushed him to a hospital.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with shooting Grosskreutz and fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber on Aug. 25, 2020. The one-time police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois, was 17 when he went to Kenosha with an AR-style rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from the demonstrations that broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot, but the case has raised polarizing questions about racial justice, policing, firearms and white privilege.

In the first week of Rittenhouse's trial, prosecutors played numerous videos that showed the events of that night from different angles. Jurors heard testimony from people who were with Rittenhouse, as well as from police officers and loved ones of the men who died.

Jason Lackowski, a former Marine who was on the streets of Kenosha carrying his own rifle, testified Friday about Rosenbaum, the first man Rittenhouse shot. Lackowski said Rosenbaum was acting "belligerently" but did not appear to pose a serious threat.

Lackowski said he considered Rosenbaum a "babbling idiot," and turned his back and ignored him. He acknowledged that he didn't see everything that went on between Rittenhouse and Rosenbaum, including their final clash.

Other witnesses testified last week that a "hyperaggressive" Rosenbaum angrily threatened to kill Rittenhouse that night and that Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for his rifle.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed as well as an inexperienced teen who misrepresented his age and medical training to others that night. Rittenhouse's lawyer has argued that he acted in self-defense, suggesting among other things that Rittenhouse feared his weapon would be taken and used against him.

The prosecution suffered a potential blow when Rosenbaum's fiancée, Kariann Swart, disclosed that he was on medication for bipolar disorder and depression but hadn't filled his prescriptions because the local pharmacy was boarded up due to the unrest — information Rittenhouse's lawyers could use in their bid to portray Rosenbaum as the aggressor.

On the day he was killed, Rosenbaum, 36, had been released from a Milwaukee hospital. The jury was told that much, but not why he had been admitted — after a suicide attempt.

Rosenbaum's killing has emerged as one of the most crucial moments that night because it set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later.

Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse then wounded Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted. The case has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the right to bear arms and the racial unrest that erupted around the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and similar cases.

Two jurors were also dismissed last week. One man was dismissed for potential bias after he told a joke about the Blake shooting to a court security officer, and a woman who is pregnant was dismissed after she said she was experiencing some discomfort. Eighteen jurors remain, and 12 will ultimately be picked to deliberate.

Donald Trump’s company and his longtime finance chief have been indicted on charges stemming from a New York investigation into the former president’s business dealings, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The charges against the Trump Organization and the company’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, remained sealed Wednesday night, but were expected to involve alleged tax violations related to benefits the company gave to top executives, possibly including use of apartments, cars and school tuition, people familiar with the case said.

The people were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal was first to report that charges were expected Thursday.

The company and Weisselberg were expected to make their first court appearance Thursday.

The charges against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization would be the first criminal cases to arise from the two-year probe led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., a Democrat who leaves office at the end of the year.

Prosecutors have been scrutinizing Trump’s tax records, subpoenaing documents and interviewing witnesses, including Trump insiders and company executives.

A grand jury was recently empaneled to weigh evidence and New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was assigning two of her lawyers to work with Vance on the criminal probe while she continues a civil investigation of Trump.

Messages seeking comment were left with a spokesperson and lawyers for the Trump Organization. Weisselberg’s lawyer, Mary Mulligan, declined to comment. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.

Trump’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Jason Miller, a longtime former senior adviser to the Republican, spun the looming charges as “politically terrible for the Democrats.”

“They told their crazies and their supplicants in the mainstream media this was about President Trump. Instead, their Witch Hunt is persecuting an innocent 80 year-old man for maybe taking free parking!” Miller tweeted, apparently referring to Weisselberg, who is 73.

Trump, who’s been critical of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, was in Texas visiting the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday. He did not respond to shouted questions about the charges as he participated in a briefing with state officials.

Trump had blasted the investigation in a statement Monday, deriding Vance’s office as “rude, nasty, and totally biased” in their treatment of Trump company lawyers, representatives, and long-term employees.

Trump, in the statement, said the company’s actions were “things that are standard practice throughout the U.S. business community, and in no way a crime” and that Vance’s probe was an investigation was “in search of a crime.”

Trump Organization lawyers met virtually with Manhattan prosecutors last week in a last-ditch attempt to dissuade them from charging the company. Prosecutors gave the lawyers a Monday deadline to make the case that criminal charges shouldn’t be filed.

Ron Fischetti, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told the AP this week that there was no indication Trump himself was included in the first batch of charges.

“There is no indictment coming down this week against the former president,” Fischetti said. “I can’t say he’s out of the woods yet completely.”

Weisselberg, a loyal lieutenant to Trump and his real estate-developer father, Fred, came under scrutiny, in part, because of questions about his son’s use of a Trump apartment at little or no cost.

Barry Weisselberg managed a Trump-operated ice rink in Central Park.

Barry’s ex-wife, Jen Weisselberg, has been cooperating with the investigation and turned over reams of tax records and other documents to investigators.

“We have been working with prosecutors for many months now as part of this tax and financial investigation and have provided a large volume of evidence that allowed them to bring these charges,” Jen Weisselberg’s lawyer, Duncan Levin, said Wednesday. “We are gratified to hear that the DA’s office is moving forward with a criminal case.”

Allen Weisselberg has worked for the Trump Organization since 1973. The case against him could give prosecutors the means to pressure the executive into cooperating and telling them what he knows about Trump’s business dealings.

Prosecutors subpoenaed another long-time Trump finance executive, senior vice president and controller Jeffrey McConney, to testify in front of the grand jury in the spring. Under New York law, grand jury witnesses are granted immunity and can not be charged for conduct they testify about.

Prosecutors probing untaxed benefits to Trump executives have also been looking at Matthew Calamari, a former Trump bodyguard turned chief operating officer, and his son, the company’s corporate director of security. However, a lawyer for the Calamaris said Wednesday that he didn’t expect them to be charged.

“Although the DA’s investigation obviously is ongoing, I do not expect charges to be filed against either of my clients at this time,” said the lawyer, Nicholas Gravante.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Weslaco, Texas, and Bernard Condon in New York contributed to this report.

A man who was given two life sentences on state charges in the killing of two Black people at a Louisville area grocery store in 2018 received yet another life sentence.

Gregory Bush, who was convicted on the state charges last year and pleaded guilty to federal charges in March, was sentenced to life in prison, plus 10 years.

WLKY reporter Gladys Bautista reported that the judge said the life sentence on counts one through five will run concurrently while the 10 years on count six will run consecutively.

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Related: Gunman who killed 2 Black people at Kroger pleads guilty to federal hate crime charges

In March, Bush pleaded guilty to two counts of a hate crime resulting in death, a count of hate crime with attempt to kill and three counts of use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to court records. The guilty pleas allowed Bush to avoid the death penalty due to an agreement his attorneys reached with federal investigators.

On the state charges, Bush pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, criminal attempted murder and wanton endangerment. The judge then sentenced him to two life sentences, which will be served concurrently.

During sentencing, loved ones of those Bush killed addressed the courtroom.

On the day of the shooting in 2018, relatives of Maurice Stallard said he went inside the Kroger with his grandson to purchase a poster for his grandson's science project, but he never made it out.

According to police, Bush pulled the trigger on Stallard and when Bush made his way outside, authorities said Vickie Jones was the next victim.

Jones was shot multiple times by Bush and left to die in the store's parking lot.

Federal prosecutors have called the shooting racially motivated. Police said Bush tried to get inside First Baptist Church, a predominantly Black church, minutes before the Kroger attack.

In March when the plea deal was reached, Bush told the judge that the voices in his head were attacking him and that's why he opened fire. The judge pointed out that Bush shot Black people to which Bush simply responded, "yes."

Last year, Bush was found to be incompetent to stand trial. He underwent weeks of assessments at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in Oldham County. Medical experts said, at the time, Bush had been involved in multiple unprovoked fights with other inmates and refused to take his medication.

Then, in August, medical experts determined that Bush had received enough treatment and was ready to stand trial. According to the ruling, Bush had initially been suffering from delusions of persecution and hallucination, but had received medication and improved.

Relatives of the victims have said just because Bush suffers from mental illness, it doesn't mean he doesn't understand what he is going through now or back in 2018.

Friends of the family also told WLKY that Bush had a history of diagnosed mental illness and violence against his ex-wife, who is Black.