Salem-News.com Crime articles

The Kashoggi Matter

Is the U.S. willing to sacrifice its moral standing for $100 billion?

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) - Jamal Khashoggi is a permanent U.S. resident in self-imposed exile from Saudi Arabia. He is a journalist for The Washington Post who has written critical opinions of Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince, Mohammond bin Salman, and its king, Salman of Saudi Arabia. He has also criticized the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.

Video evidence shows that Kashoggi entered the Saudi consulate but none show him leaving.

Two Gresham Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Defrauding Investors of $2.5 Million

Instead of using investor money as promised, Holbrook and Arauz diverted it for their own personal use.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - 37-year old Theodore B. Holbrook and 45-year old George J. Arauz, Jr., both of Gresham, Oregon, were sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison for defrauding 50 investors of nearly $2.5 million using a sham energy technology start-up company.

Holbrook and Arauz were also ordered to pay more than $2.3 million each in restitution and will be on supervised release for three years after completing their prison sentences.

FBI Releases 2017 Crime Statistics

The estimated volume of aggravated assault and rape offenses increased 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, while other crimes decreased slightly.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - After two consecutive years of increases, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation decreased 0.2 percent in 2017 when compared with 2016 data, according to FBI figures.

Property crimes dropped 3.0 percent, marking the 15th consecutive year the collective estimates for these offenses declined.

CAIR-Oregon Welcomes Federal Appeals Court Decision to Allow No-Fly List Claims to Proceed

Oregon man Yonas Fikre claims he was beaten, kicked and punched while interrogators shouted questions.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - In reversing a lower court's decision to dismiss Fikre's claims, the Ninth Circuit found that, though the federal government has removed Fikre from the list, the federal government had "not repudiated the decision to add Fikre to the list and maintain him there for approximately five years."

Fikre's case was dismissed by a federal district court in large part because, after his lawsuit began, the federal government removed him from the no-fly list.

Identity Thief from Nevada Sentenced to Four Years

Reno Man Stole Multiple Identities, Millions of Dollars

(FBI/Reno, NV) - When police searched a suspected identity thief’s office last year in Reno, Nevada, they hit the investigative equivalent of pay dirt—the crime in progress, right before their eyes.

There was no one working in the office, but eight computers were running an automatic script to open up online accounts using the names and identifying information the thief had stolen from his employer years earlier.

Open Letter to Pope Francis About Sexual Abuse in the Church

I am standing in solidarity with the victims in Pennsylvania.

(DALLAS/FORT WORTH) - The thousands of voices raised is only a small fraction of what I am guessing are the MILLIONS who have suffered this fate, yet remain quiet for personal reasons or out of shame. Wearing robes, burning incense, genuflecting and absolving people of sins does not make it "open season" on gentle young souls trying to create a spiritual connection with God.

It is not ok, was not ok, and never will be ok for the strong to take advantage of the humble.

Portland Man Arrested for 31-Count Sex Crimes Indictment

Luring a minor and encouraging child sexual abuse in the first, & second degrees are some of the charges looming against the accused.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that a secret indictment filed against 52-year-old Randy Shefstad was unsealed.

The indictment alleges the defendant used graphic and sexually charged language to electronically communicate with four separate minor victims – in four different states – in 2017 and 2018 for the purposes of sexual gratification.

Murder of Michael Francke: Focus of Film and Fundraiser for Englewood Forest Festival

Many insiders believe the man convicted in the murder, Frank Gable, was a patsy.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Englewood Forest Festival, a summer arts festival at Englewood Park in Salem, Oregon is presenting “Without Evidence”, a film about the murder that occurred near the park in January of 1989.

The location was in the neighborhood at the Dome Building – office of the Department of Corrections, 7 blocks away from the park, and the victim was Michael Francke, the Director of the Oregon Dept. of Corrections.

5 Important Insights for Hiring the Right Criminal Defense Lawyer

Your very freedom may be on the line.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Let’s get real; bad things can happen to good people. Despite the charges and circumstances that led to it, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney standing beside you in the courtroom. Following, we are sharing some insights on how to hire a reputed and capable defense attorney.

The starting point of any legal battery is initial consultation, aka the process of finding a criminal defense lawyer. Many companies offer free initial consultation. No, this is not a favor, instead it is standard practice for reputed and established law firms.

FBI Cracks Child Sexual Exploitation Ring

Collaborative Law Enforcement Efforts Dismantle Conspiracy

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - In late 2015 through early 2016, vulnerable girls as young as 14 and 16 were being exploited as part of a sex trafficking ring run by a group of conspirators in Ohio and Indiana.

But thanks to a joint law enforcement effort conducted by the FBI-led Toledo Child Exploitation Task Force, the ringleader of the conspiracy as well as the other six participants were eventually brought to justice and sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms.