Comic Andy Dick pleads not guilty to sex abuse charges (Reuters)

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (Reuters) – Comedian Andy Dick pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges he sexually abused a security guard and another man at a West Virginia bar by grabbing their crotches.

The case marks the latest in a long string of legal entanglements for Dick, who was a regular cast member on the 1990s television comedy "NewsRadio" but has since struggled with substance abuse problems.

Dick pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual abuse before Cabell County Circuit Judge Paul Ferrell in Huntington, West Virginia, according to the local prosecutor's office.

He is accused of groping the two men at the Huntington bar in January 2010. The charge of sexual abuse carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

In 2008 Dick pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of battery and possession of marijuana stemming from an incident in which police said he pulled down the top of a 17-year-old girl in Southern California.

Dick, who sports curly blond hair and rectangular glasses, has had several other brushes with the law in recent years. He made a guest appearance earlier this year on the NBC comedy "Community."

(Reporting by Steven Adams, Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Steve Gorman)

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Man charged with taking Picasso pleads not guilty (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO – A New Jersey man accused of stealing a valuable Picasso from a San Francisco art gallery pleaded not guilty Friday to grand theft and burglary charges.

Mark Lugo entered his plea in Superior Court in connection with the July 5 theft of a 1965 drawing worth more than $200,000 from the Weinstein Gallery in downtown San Francisco.

Lugo also faces charges in connection with stealing artwork and wine in New York and New Jersey.

In San Francisco, Lugo's request to have his bail reduced from $5 million to $2 million was denied. Judge Samuel Feng said the 30-year-old suspect is charged with a "brazen" crime and poses a threat to public safety.

Lugo's attorney, Douglas Horngrad, had argued that bail was set too high because of attention from "overhyped media."

"There are murder cases in this county where bail is not set at $5 million," Horngrad said.

But Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Chow said bail was appropriate since Lugo was accused in a crime spree that spread across multiple states.

Feng noted that the crimes involved highly valuable artwork and also ordered Lugo to surrender his passport.

Lugo remains in custody and is scheduled back in court on Aug. 23.

On July 6, San Francisco Bay Area authorities found the Picasso titled "Tete de Femme" — Head of a Woman — undamaged, unframed and prepped in Napa to be shipped to an undisclosed location.

Surveillance video from a nearby San Francisco restaurant showed a man matching Lugo's description walking by with a piece of framed artwork covered by a newspaper under his arm, police said.

After the drawing was snatched, police said, Lugo took a taxi to a nearby luxury hotel. He was later arrested at an apartment in Napa where he was visiting friends.

Meanwhile, authorities said Thursday they found $500,000 worth of artwork reported stolen from New York galleries and hotels in Lugo's apartment in Hoboken, N.J.

Lugo, who has worked as a sommelier in upscale Manhattan restaurants, also faces charges in New Jersey in connection with the theft of $6,000 worth of wine from a retail cellar in April.

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Woman accused in dragging death pleads not guilty (AP)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A woman accused of dragging a tow truck driver to his death in Colorado has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

Detra Farries heard a dozen charges Friday, including felony hit and run, vehicular manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and leaving the scene of an accident in the Feb. 23 death of 35-year-old Allen Rose.

The judge cut her bond in half, from $50,000 to $25,000, but she remains in the El Paso County Jail. Trial was set for Nov. 7.

Authorities say Rose was preparing to tow an illegally parked SUV in Colorado Springs when someone got in the vehicle and drove away. Investigators say Rose tried to chase down the SUV but got tangled in the dangling tow cable and was dragged for more than a mile.

Prosecutors say Farries ignored Rose's attempts to flag her down.

Farries told police she didn't know she was being towed.

The death inspired a new state law this year that requires tow truck drivers to place a large warning sticker on the driver's side window stating that the vehicle is under tow before hitching it up. Drivers passing by a car about to be towed are required to move over a lane for the safety of the tow operator, just like vehicles must give room to police cruisers pulling someone over.

Sen. John Morse, the Democratic leader in the state Senate, says the signs are needed because towing is an "inherently dangerous job."

Farries' lawyers told a judge in May that witnesses saw the tow-truck driver run after Farries' GMC with a knife.

Farries' public defenders also told the court that Farries had limited ability to see behind her because her vehicle had broken and obscured mirrors.

Ron Archuleta, manager of Absolute Towing in Colorado Springs, said the law fell short when he tried on July 8 to tow a vehicle parked on private property. Archuleta said he stuck a warning sticker on the car and the driver ran up and tried to take back his vehicle.

Archuleta called Colorado Springs police, who issued 57-year-old Nenad Cebic a summons for a road law violation, police spokesman Steve Noblitt said. Noblitt didn't have Cebic's hometown but said Cebic was visiting from Wyoming. A phone listing for Cebic could not be found.

Archuleta said he plans to pursue civil action to recover the $75 towing fee that was never paid.

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Information from: KRDO-TV, http://www.krdo.com/

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Information from: KRDO-TV, http://www.krdo.com/

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US firm pleads guilty to illegal defense exports (AP)

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey-based defense contractor has admitted sending sensitive military drawings and specifications to China without authorization.

Swiss Technology Inc. of Clifton pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Newark to one count of conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act.

Prosecutors say the company had a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide parts for rifles and machine guns.

Rather than manufacture the parts itself, prosecutors say the firm sent drawings and specifications to a firm in China where they could be made more cheaply.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman says the company's attempt to cut corners and increase its profits could put American troops at risk.

The company has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution.

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Army sergeant pleads not guilty to assault in Afghanistan (Reuters)

By Laura L. Myers Laura L. Myers – Fri Jul 8, 1:29 am ET

SEATTLE (Reuters) – A U.S. Army sergeant charged with beating up a fellow soldier and shooting at an unarmed civilian while deployed in Afghanistan pleaded not guilty on Thursday as his court-martial opened near Tacoma, Washington.

Sergeant Darren Jones, 30, of Pomona, California, is one of a dozen soldiers accused in connection with the most far-reaching prosecution of alleged wrongdoing by U.S. military personnel during 10 years of war in Afghanistan.

Five soldiers from the infantry unit formerly known as the 5th Stryker Brigade were charged with murdering unarmed Afghan villagers in cold blood during their deployment in 2010. One of them, Jeremy Morlock, was sentenced in March to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of murder and agreeing to testify against his co-defendants.

Seven other men, including Jones, were charged with less serious offenses stemming from an investigation that began as an inquiry into drug use by U.S. troops. Five of those cases already have been completed with varying sentences.

Jones was the first to request a five-member military panel to hear evidence against him at court-martial. The proceedings, overseen by military judge Lieutenant Colonel Kwasi Hawks, could last several days, said Major Christopher Ophardt, an Army spokesman at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Jones faces two counts of conspiracy to commit assault, one count of unlawfully striking another soldier, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of impeding an investigation.

Army prosecutors say Jones opened fire on an unarmed Afghan while on patrol in March 2010 and took part in discussions about how to stage killings of civilians to look like combat casualties.

The Army also says that Jones participated in the May 2010 beating of Private First Class Justin Stoner, whose complaint of widespread hashish use in his platoon led to the Army probe of civilian slayings in southern Afghanistan.

Magazines Der Spiegel of Germany and Rolling Stone have published several photos related to the killings, one showing Morlock crouched grinning over the bloodied corpse of an Afghan teenager, lifting the youth's head by the hair for the camera.

The existence of such photos, among dozens under a protective seal by Army officials as evidence, has drawn comparisons with pictures of Iraqi prisoners taken by U.S. military personnel at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison that were made public in 2004.

Jones faces a maximum punishment of 22 years in prison if convicted, Ophardt told Reuters.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and Cynthia Johnston)

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Ex-union lawyer for NYC dancers pleads guilty (AP)

NEW YORK – A union lawyer who represented dancers and stagehands at the American Ballet Theatre has pleaded guilty to a charge of falsifying reports.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced the plea Thursday by Leonard Leibowitz.

He is the former attorney for the Independent Artists of America, a union which represented about 80 ABT dancers and stagehands.

The prosecutor says Leibowitz wrote union checks to himself, his law firm, and his former wife.

The 72-year-old resident of Highland Beach, Fla., faces up to a year in prison when he's sentenced on Oct. 14.

As part of his plea deal, he must pay about $76,000 in restitution to the American Guild of Musical Artists. That union is the successor to the IAA.

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Miss. man pleads to manslaughter in police death (AP)

JACKSON, Miss. – A Mississippi man who was once sentenced to death for killing a police officer during a drug raid has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case and could soon be released from prison.

Cory Maye was sentenced Friday to 10 years after pleading guilty to culpable negligence manslaughter. He was given credit for more than nine years he has already served, said his attorney Bob Evans. It's not clear exactly how long before Maye will be released. He could get credit for good behavior, but processing could take a few weeks.

Maye has always claimed that he didn't hear police announce themselves and thought they were intruders when they kicked in his door during a raid in Prentiss the day after Christmas 2001. He says he was defending himself and his young daughter when he fired three shots, one of which killed officer Ron Jones, who was the police chief's son.

The search warrant in the case had Maye's neighbor's name on it, but a confidential informant had allegedly told police there were drugs in both apartments of the duplex. Maye had no criminal record and police found only the remnants of a marijuana cigarette in his apartment, his lawyer said.

Prosecutors had argued during Maye's trials that police repeatedly announced themselves and suggested Maye peeked out the window blinds and knew they were police.

Maye was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 2004. His death sentence was overturned in 2006 when a judge ruled that his attorney didn't do a good job during the sentencing phase. Maye was then re-sentenced to life without parole.

Last year, the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered a new trial after ruling that the original jury should have been allowed to consider Maye's claim of self-defense.

"We've been in negotiations with the district attorney's office for a few weeks trying to come to some conclusion in this case. We've been trying to reach a settlement in which nobody was particularly happy with it, but that everybody was willing to live with," Evans said. "We pretty much accomplished that."

District Attorney Hal Kittrell said court rulings in recent years have been favorable to Maye and "yielded some evidence that was beneficial" to him. He wouldn't elaborate.

"It was decided that it was in the best interest of the family and the state to accept the plea," Kittrell said.

Evans, Maye's lawyer, said it was a difficult decision to take the plea deal "because we felt that Cory had a viable defense."

"The bottom line on this is that Cory will be back in the free world in the not too distant future," Evans said. "And I hope that the Jones family is able to achieve some sense of closure."

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California man pleads guilty to creating fake Army unit (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A California man who conned Chinese immigrants into joining his fake U.S. Army unit was sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to counterfeiting and other charges.

Yupeng Deng gave himself the title "Supreme Commander" when he was running his fictitious unit, and he promised recruits their time in his squad was a path to U.S. citizenship.

A Chinese national from the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte, Deng convinced over 200 Chinese nationals from around the United States to join, and charged them initiation fees ranging from $300 to $450.

He was arrested in April following an investigation by the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Deng, 51, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges of theft by false pretenses, manufacturing deceptive government documents and counterfeit of an official government seal.

Investigators also found child pornography when they served a search warrant at his home, and as a result Deng also pleaded guilty to possessing the porn.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jack Hunt sentenced Deng to three years in prison.

Deng gave his recruits military uniforms, had them parade in a Los Angeles suburb, and took them to the decommissioned USS Midway aircraft carrier, which is a museum in San Diego, authorities said.

He called his bogus squad the U.S. Army/Military Special Forces Reserve unit, or MSFR for short.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Peter Bohan)

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Tattoo parlor owner linked with Ohio State scandal pleads guilty (Reuters)

COLUMBUS (Reuters) – A tattoo parlor owner whose arrest on marijuana trafficking charges helped lead to the downfall of a top U.S. college football coach pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a federal court in Columbus, attorneys said.

During a search of the suburban Columbus home of the defendant, Edward Rife, local and federal agents discovered Ohio State University football memorabilia. While that memorabilia did not involve the drug charges, it did lead to an NCAA investigation.

Five players on OSU Coach Jim Tressel's 2010 team traded memorabilia, including championship rings and uniforms, for cash in violation of strict rules governing college sports.

Tressel, who was informed of the violations months before the case became publicly known and did not tell university officials, was given a five-game suspension, to match the punishment of the players. He quit last month.

Tuesday, Rife pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than 200 pounds of marijuana, as part of a plea bargain.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Kelley said there was no evidence any Ohio State players were involved in the marijuana operation. Rife's attorney, Stephen Palmer, said the memorabilia was the only link between Rife and OSU.

(Reporting by Jim Leckrone; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Jerry Norton)

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Ky. ex-lawmaker pleads guilty in fiancee slaying (AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A former Kentucky state lawmaker has pleaded guilty to murder for shooting his ex-fiance and was sentenced to life without parole.

An attorney for Steve Nunn said the son of former Kentucky Gov. Louis B. Nunn entered the plea Tuesday in a court in Lexington.

Nunn could have faced the death penalty if he'd been convicted in a trial that was scheduled to start in August. He was charged in the death of 29-year-old Amanda Ross, who was shot outside her Lexington home on Sept. 11, 2009.

Police arrested Nunn not long after Ross was found dead. Nunn was apprehended in a cemetery near his parents' graves and police said he slit his wrists and fired one shot at troopers before surrendering.

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Former soft drink CEO pleads guilty in Pa. fraud (AP)

PITTSBURGH – The former CEO of a defunct Pennsylvania soft drink company pleaded guilty to using two sets of books to obtain $875 million in credit and equipment leases for the failing company, including more than $27 million he spent on a mansion, collectible toy trains and rare jewels.

The scheme orchestrated by Gregory Podlucky resulted in $628 million in losses to various lenders and equipment companies that did business with Latrobe-based Le-Nature's Inc., Assistant U.S. Attorney James Garrett told a judge Monday. Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia Corp. lent $285 million just before the fraud was uncovered in late 2006.

Most of the lost money was poured into the business, which reported about $300 million per year in revenues in the early 2000s, when its actual sales were about one-tenth as much, Garrett said. The prosecutor described Le-Nature's as "a failed enterprise (that) lost huge amounts of money every year."

Podlucky, 51, of Ligonier, pleaded guilty to one count each of tax evasion, mail fraud and money laundering.

Under a plea agreement, Podlucky faces a likely 20-year prison sentence when he returns to court Oct. 20, though his attorney, Alexander Lindsay Jr., reserves the right to argue for a lesser term. Podlucky and Lindsay declined to comment as they left the courtroom.

Among other things, Podlucky had the drink-maker's graphics department create phony checks and other banking documents that were used to fool auditors into believing the inflated sales figures, Garrett said.

"The defendant procured extensions of credit on the basis of false financial statements, that was the nature of the scheme," Garrett told reporters.

Not all of the money lent to Le-Nature's was lost because equipment used as collateral for some financing was recovered after the company went belly-up and because some of the $875 million involved refinancing of older debt, Garrett said.

Garrett said Podlucky directed the scheme with the help of the company's former accounting director, Tammy Jo Andreycak, of Latrobe, who pleaded guilty to bank fraud, conspiracy and other charges in April 2008. She has yet to be sentenced because the extent of her cooperation is a factor in her sentence.

Podlucky's 37-year-old brother, Jonathan, and Donald K. Pollinger, the owner of a Charlotte, N.C.-based equipment company, pleaded guilty last week to charges related to the scheme. They agreed to serve five-year prison sentences. Former company director Andrew Murin Jr., 53, of McMurray, is scheduled to change his not guilty plea on Tuesday.

Latrobe-based Le-Nature's made bottled waters, teas, juices and nutritional drinks before it was forced into bankruptcy in October 2006 after a Delaware judge found company officials may have engaged in financial fraud. Garrett said that happened after a group of minority investors tried to get money out of the company, a claim that led to a court-appointed custodian who uncovered much of the fraud.

Federal agents who searched the company's headquarters reported finding a secret room containing millions of dollars' worth of valuables, including gold, silver and platinum jewelry and diamond-rich watches. They also seized an 8,000-piece model train collection.

Podlucky and other company officials were indicted in the fraud scheme in 2008. Earlier this year, Podlucky; his wife, Karla, 49; and their son G. Jesse Podlucky, 30, were indicted on money laundering charges for allegedly selling or trying to sell millions of dollars' worth of gold, jewels and other valuables allegedly bought with the stolen money.

In pleading guilty Monday, Podlucky told the judge, "I did it all in my sole capacity."

But Garrett said Podlucky's statement doesn't affect the ongoing prosecution against his wife and son, whose defense attorneys didn't return calls.

Podlucky allegedly spent $1.14 million on collectible toy trains, $15.84 million on jewels and nearly $11 million on the family's Ligonier mansion, though the home is in such poor shape the government isn't attempting to seize it.

As part of the plea agreement, Senior U.S. District Judge Alan Bloch will require Podlucky to pay restitution yet to be determined. Podlucky is also forfeiting more than $1.3 million in an investment account.

The tax evasion charge stems from a 2005 joint return Podlucky filed claiming $495,000 in income and $147,000 in tax owed. In reality, Podlucky diverted more than $7.1 million to himself that year and should have paid more than $1 million in taxes, Garrett said.

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'Barefoot Bandit' pleads guilty in US (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A teenager dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" pleaded guilty Friday to a string of audacious crimes across the United States, which ended with his arrest in the Bahamas.

Colton Harris-Moore, 20, confessed to his crimes in the northwestern US state of Washington, where he was flown last year following his arrest after a high-speed boat chase.

Harris-Moore -- whose nickname stems from the discovery of bare footprints at his crime scenes -- admitted seven charges including bank robbery, stealing an aircraft, flying a plane without a license and stealing a boat.

Under a plea deal he is expected to be jailed for up to six and a half years in jail, although a judge could impose more, according to the US attorney's office in Washington state.

"The many years of Mr. Harris-Moore avoiding responsibility for his criminal conduct have come to an end," said US Attorney Jenny Durkan in a statement.

"We have ensured he will not profit from his crimes, and that his victims will be compensated to the greatest extent possible. While we cannot stop him from telling his story, we can make sure he never sees a dime for his crimes."

A 2009 criminal complaint alleges Harris-Moore stole the 340,000-dollar Cessna plane from Idaho and flew it to Washington after committing a string of burglaries and vehicle thefts in the United States and Canada.

Since Harris-Moore's escape from a group home in 2008, "approximately 65 investigations have been initiated into crimes which have him listed as the primary suspect," the complaint said.

He is accused of residential and commercial burglaries, vehicle theft and assaults on law enforcement officers, the complaint added.

Harris-Moore was arrested July 11 in the Bahamas, after a dramatic high-speed boat chase on Bahamas Harbour Island, one week after police found the wreckage of a stolen plane they believe he flew to the archipelago.

His youth and the bold nature of his crimes have turned him into a folk hero for some, who have romanticized him as a latter-day Billy the Kid.

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RI Navy subcontractor pleads guilty in bribe case (AP)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Navy subcontractor pleaded guilty Friday in Rhode Island for his part in what federal prosecutors say was a kickback scheme that cost the Navy millions of dollars.

Russell Spencer's plea was part of an agreement with prosecutors in which he promised to cooperate with authorities as he has been since investigators approached him in June 2010.

Spencer, 56, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bribery in helping funnel money, through his businesses, from a Navy contractor to a civilian Navy employee who prosecutors say then bumped up funding to the contractor. Prosecutors say the scheme cost the Navy between $7 million and $20 million.

The case prompted an internal Navy investigation that resulted in military officials in Washington suspending the contracting authority of Newport's Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The Navy said a host of contracting problems at the facility enabled the scheme.

According to the government, Ralph M. Mariano of Arlington, Va., who worked at the warfare center, initiated the scheme by threatening to use his position to reduce funding for contracts held by Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow if company owner Anjan Dutta-Gupta didn't kick back money to Mariano.

Dutta-Gupta, of Roswell, Ga., has pleaded guilty to paying $8 million in bribes over more than a decade. Mariano has been charged, but not indicted. He has declined to comment on the allegations, and remains free on bond.

According to court filings, Spencer submitted false and inflated invoices to ASFT for work that, for the most part, was never done. Prosecutors say he then passed the money on to Mariano, as well as Mariano's relatives and girlfriend, among others.

Spencer took a salary from the payments, according to prosecutors, and as part of his plea agreement he is to forfeit more than $330,000 in proceeds from the scheme.

ASFT, based in Roswell, laid off all its employees shortly after Dutta-Gupta and Mariano were arrested in February. At the time, the company held $120 million in Navy contracts. Its largest office was in Rhode Island.

In addition to the bribes, prosecutors say, ASFT paid $1.2 million through Spencer's businesses to a separate company owned by Dutta-Gupta.

Spencer and his attorney declined to comment Friday. He and Dutta-Gupta, who also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors after his arrest, are scheduled for sentencing in December.

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Ex-Alaska officer pleads guilty to state charges (AP)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A former Anchorage police officer accused of being an illegal immigrant living under a stolen identity has pleaded guilty to a separate charge that he illegally collected thousands of dollars in dividends from Alaska's oil-rich savings account available only to legitimate residents.

Rafael Mora-Lopez made the plea in Anchorage Superior Court Friday on the felony count of unsworn falsification. Prosecutors say the charge applies to someone who knowingly submits a false application for dividends from the Alaska Permanent Fund.

Prosecutors say he handed over a cashier's check for more than $27,000 to revenue officials before Friday's hearing. Sentencing in the case is set for Sept. 16.

Mora-Lopez lived in Alaska more than two decades as Rafael Alberto Espinoza, a U.S. citizen who lives in Mexico. Earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to federal counts of passport fraud and false claim of U.S. citizenship.

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"Barefoot Bandit" pleads guilty to federal charges (Reuters)

By Laura L. Myers Laura L. Myers – Fri Jun 17, 6:48 pm ET

SEATTLE (Reuters) – A 20-year-old man dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" and accused of a two-year crime spree while he was still a teenager pleaded guilty on Friday to seven federal charges.

Colton Harris-Moore, who was captured in the Bahamas last July after crash-landing a plane he allegedly stole in Indiana, pleaded guilty under an agreement with prosecutors that prevents him from profiting from his crimes.

According to the plea deal the Washington-state native could be sentenced to a maximum of 78 months in prison and will be ordered to pay more than $1.4 million in restitution when he is sentenced in October.

Harris-Moore, who was named a suspect in a two-year wave of some 80 crimes across nine Western and Midwestern States, British Columbia and the Bahamas, also faces trial in state court, where five Washington counties have filed a combined 40 criminal counts against him.

"Mr. Harris-Moore's flight from justice has ended. He will spend a significant amount of time in prison and he will not make a dime from his crimes," U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said outside court after the sentencing hearing.

Under the 28-page plea agreement, Harris-Moore, a high school dropout and self-taught pilot who gained an Internet following as he allegedly taunted authorities on the run, must forfeit any financial gain from telling his story.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of bank burglary, two counts of interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft and one count each of interstate and foreign transportation of a stolen firearm, being a fugitive in possession of a firearm, piloting an aircraft without a valid license, and interstate transportation of a stolen vessel.

Those charges were contained in a seven-count indictment unsealed at the start of the hearing.

Harris-Moore, who grew up in the Puget Sound community of Camano Island, north of Seattle, is accused of stealing boats and planes to hop from one island to another in Puget Sound as he stayed one step ahead of authorities.

He is accused of flying one stolen aircraft about 1,000 miles from Indiana to the Bahamas last year. It was there that he was finally captured by Bahamian police who shot out the engine of a boat in which he was trying to make a getaway.

Harris-Moore was extradited back to Seattle to face the federal charges.

(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Greg McCune)

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Escaped convict pleads not guilty in crime rampage (AP)

By DENISE LAVOIE, AP Legal Affairs Writer Denise Lavoie, Ap Legal Affairs Writer – Fri Jun 17, 4:24 pm ET

BOSTON – An escaped convict accused of shooting a Massachusetts barbershop customer to death and wounding two police officers in a retaliatory shooting sat in a wheelchair Friday as he pleaded not guilty to murder and 15 other charges.

Tamik Kirkland, 25, was ordered held without the right to bail during his arraignment in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield.

Kirkland, who was serving time on weapons convictions, escaped from the state's minimum-security prison in Shirley on April 25. Five days later, he allegedly went into a Springfield barbershop, wounded a barber and fatally shot a customer, then a short time later, opened fire on a state trooper and Springfield police officer.

Kirkland was shot six times during the shootout with police and has been recovering in an unspecified Department of Correction facility. The extent of his injuries was unclear. His lawyer, John Ferrara, declined to comment.

Authorities say Kirkland targeted the barber because the man's son shot and wounded Kirkland's mother days earlier. The customer, Sheldon Innocent, 24, of Wilbraham, was an unintended victim. Authorities said he had no connection to Kirkland or the shooting of Kirkland's mother.

The shootings rattled residents and surprised law enforcement officials.

"This was an extraordinarily serious crime for this entire county just because of the level of violence," said Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni.

"This was violence right in the middle of the day committed by an individual who was an escapee from state prison. ... Then you have law enforcement down there who were so actively looking for him when he escaped. For it to come to the conclusion it did, with two officers getting shot, it's hard to explain how serious this was for us here in Hampden County."

The two police officers have recovered from their injuries. Mastroianni said their bulletproof vests saved them from more serious wounds.

The barber, whose name was not released, was seriously wounded.

Kirkland's escape might have been prevented if prison guards had followed procedures on checking inmates at night, a report by the state Department of Correction said.

The report, released in May, said a correctional officer was suspended and faces possible termination for not making sure he saw "living, breathing flesh" during inmate checks the night Kirkland escaped. It said an employee of a DOC vendor could face criminal prosecution for possibly giving Kirkland a cellphone that helped him in his escape. The vendor is also alleged to have had an intimate relationship with Kirkland while he was in prison.

A sergeant with the DOC is facing possible charges for allegedly making a threatening call to a hospital where Kirkland was being treated after he was shot.

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Vegas judge's son pleads guilty in Bellagio heist (AP)

LAS VEGAS – The son of a Las Vegas judge pleaded guilty Tuesday to being the motorcycle helmet-wearing bandit who was videotaped waving a gun as he made off in December with $1.5 million in casino chips from the posh Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Anthony Michael Carleo, 29, apologized and told a Nevada judge he was "very foolish" for scooping chips from the craps table and pointing a handgun at a valet before jumping on a motorcycle and speeding away before dawn Dec. 14. No shots were fired.

Carleo pleaded guilty to felony armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon charges that prosecutor Chris Owens said could get him three to 36 years in state prison.

Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt scheduled sentencing Aug. 23.

Carleo is also due to plead guilty Thursday to similar charges in a separate case stemming from a Dec. 9 robbery at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino in northwest Las Vegas. Owens told reporters those charges could carry additional prison time.

As part of the plea deal in the two cases, prosecutors dropped several other assault, burglary and weapon charges and agreed not to seek additional drug and weapon charges that police investigated.

Carleo, the son of Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge George Assad, is being held at the Clark County jail on $1 million bail.

Assad was ousted by voters this month from the bench seat he has held since 2002. He hasn't commented about the case since issuing a public statement following Carleo's arrest Feb. 2 at the Bellagio. Police said Carleo was apprehended after trying to sell several $25,000 chips to an undercover Las Vegas police officer.

Assad described himself and his family at the time as "devastated and heartbroken," and added that as a prosecutor and a judge, "I have always felt people who break the law need to be held accountable."

Police say the Suncoast robbery, which netted almost $19,000 in cash, played out like a dress-rehearsal for the Bellagio robbery just five days later. In both cases, a motorcycle-riding bandit thwarted video surveillance by keeping his helmet on as he entered. He displayed a gun and left the gambling floor in seconds. No one was injured in either case.

The eye-popping denominations of the of Bellagio chips — ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 each — drew intense media interest and comparisons to Hollywood movies like "Ocean's Eleven."

But from the start, experts said the culprit might have trouble cashing the loot.

After the Bellagio holdup, Carleo spent two months partying, gambling big at the posh casino, and trying to figure out what to do with the high-denomination chips dubbed "cranberries" because of their color, police said. He eventually approached a casual poker player on a popular Web forum and sent photos signed "Biker Bandit" depicting two $25,000 Bellagio chips.

Owens has said some $375,000 in Bellagio chips is still missing.

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Woman pleads not guilty to abducting granddaughter (AP)

KNIGHTSEN, Calif. – A woman accused of snatching her infant granddaughter from her son's Northern California home and taking a cab 350 miles to her home in Los Angeles County has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and burglary charges.

The Contra Costa Times reports that Ericka Gallego also waived her right to a speedy trial during the Thursday hearing.

Authorities say Gallego took a bus and a cab to her son's home in the Contra Costa County community of Knightsen last month and took his 4-month-old daughter, Ramy Amadea Gallego. They say she apparently told friends she was pregnant and had held a baby shower.

Gallego was later arrested in her home in El Monte, where she had taken the baby.

She is due in court again on June 28.

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Information from: Contra Costa Times, http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/us_baby_far_from_home/41812266/SIG=111sktnr8/*http://www.contracostatimes.com

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Younger Fla. imam pleads not guilty in terror case (AP)

MIAMI – A Muslim cleric in Florida has pleaded not guilty to charges of supporting the Pakistani Taliban terrorist group.

The plea was entered Friday in federal court in Miami by 24-year-old Izhar Khan, imam of a mosque in suburban Margate.

Khan's 76-year-old father, Hafiz Muhammad Sher Ali Khan, previously pleaded not guilty. Another of his sons, 37-year-old Irfan Khan, is expected in Miami next week following his arrest in May in Los Angeles.

The Khans and three other people living in Pakistan are charged with conspiracy and providing material support to the Pakistani Taliban. Prosecutors say they provided at least $50,000 to the terror group, which has been involved in numerous violent attacks and plots.

The Khans are being held without bail. The four charges carry 15-year maximum prison terms.

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Defendant in 4 Calif killings pleads not guilty (AP)

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – A man charged with killing four Northern California women with matching first and last initials pleaded not guilty Friday to four counts of murder with special circumstances that could bring the death penalty.

Joseph Naso, 77, who is acting as his own attorney, entered the plea in a Marin County courtroom then asked for the case against him to be thrown out.

In filing the dismissal motion, Naso addressed what prosecutors have put forward as key evidence linking him to the deaths — hundreds of photographs of women in various sexual poses.

"There were no photos in the defendant's home that show women in forced posing, forced bondage or being deceased," Naso said, reading glasses perched on his nose. "All the women were posed under free will."

The four victims in the case were killed in the 1970s and 1990s. All had matching initials: Carmen Colon, Roxene Roggasch, Pamela Parsons and Tracy Tafoya.

Naso is also being investigated for possible links to New York's "Double Initial Murders" of three girls, each with matching initials, in the early 1970s.

Naso was arrested in April after a yearlong investigation spurred by the discovery by a parole officer of hundreds of photographs, some of women in bondage and other poses, and journals.

Margaret Prisco and Thaddeus Iorizzo, two former neighbors of Naso, were interviewed by detectives then told The Associated Press the journals contained torture fantasies and lists of names of women.

Naso said Friday that nowhere in the evidence were the "names, descriptions or the intended fate" of the four women that he is charged with murdering.

Shackled and wearing red-and-white jail clothes, Naso then calmly asked for his release.

Prosecutors will file a reply to Naso's request and the judge will make a ruling.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 11, when prosecutors will present the bulk of their evidence so the judge can rule if there is enough to send Naso to trial.

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