truesee's Blog

Sat Dec. 18, 2010

Lawyer convicted in marijuana-growing operation

Sam Wood

Inquirer Staff Writer

DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer Richard K. Creamer and James Alberts spent $100,000 to convert this Northern Liberties warehouse into a high-tech growing operation, Alberts said.

A Philadelphia lawyer is facing a mandatory 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of operating a sizable and sophisticated marijuana-growing operation in North Philadelphia.

Richard K. Creamer, 38, practiced real estate and corporate law in Northern Liberties. In October 2007, Creamer and James Alberts, a South Philadelphia contractor, bought a warehouse on the 2300 block of North American Street, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Labrum III.

Creamer and Alberts, 37, had worked together before, buying distressed properties and selling them for profit. But when Creamer learned that Alberts was grossing thousands of extra dollars a month with a marijuana operation at Third and Tasker Streets, the Temple University law grad wanted in.

Alberts was initially apprehensive, but relented, Labrum said.

"It was his chance to do his best-ever grow and make even more money," Labrum said. "He couldn't have done it without Creamer's contribution."

According to Alberts, who testified at Creamer's trial in federal court, they spent $100,000 to renovate the structure to create a high-tech marijuana farm on the second floor, Labrum said.

From March through June 2009, gardeners harvested 20 pounds of high-grade cannabis a month, Labrum said.

Creamer's share ranged from four to five pounds, which the gardeners would put in his office across the hall or deliver to his house, Labrum said. Creamer then handed off the weed to his brother, a New York City disc jockey, to sell, Labrum said.

Creamer and Alberts began to dream big. On July 2, 2009, the partners flew to the West Coast and signed an agreement to buy a 40-acre tract in Northern California they intended to use as an outdoor cannabis farm.

Two weeks later, DEA agents raided the Philadelphia warehouse and arrested Alberts and eight others. The agents found more than 1,600 marijuana plants growing under 1,000-watt sodium lights in three cultivation rooms.

Creamer canceled the Northern California deal, Labrum said, claiming he had just learned his business partner was involved in criminal activity.

Creamer was convicted Thursday of conspiracy to manufacture 1,000 or more marijuana plants and maintaining a place for manufacture of controlled substances. Sentencing is scheduled for May 23.

Labrum said Alberts also pleaded guilty to similar charges and was awaiting sentencing.

Attorneys for Creamer and Alberts could not be reached for comment.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20101218_Lawyer_convicted_in_marijuana-growing_operation.html#ixzz18UdssXAW
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-12-16-taximpact_N.htm?csp=hf

What worked for Clinton probably won't for Obama

Ken Bode

IndyStar

     Watching Bill Clinton in the White House pressroom this week called back memories of the former president, 16 years ago, standing in the same place. Like Obama today, Clinton had taken a shellacking from the midterm voters, losing both houses of Congress.    In the pressroom he insisted, almost mournfully, "The president is relevant.   The Constitution gives me relevance . . . And the fact that I'm willing to work with the Republicans."

http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-red-light-cam-catches-dad-on-way-to-hospital-story,0,6565489.story

But Ramon Castillo had a surprise for the gunman and two cohorts, who had announced they were robbing the business.

Castillo pulled a pistol from his waistband and shot the gunman dead. Then he grabbed a shotgun from his office and engaged in a shootout with the other two armed robbers.

When it was over, all three robbers were dead — and Castillo, though shot at least three times, was still standing, having successfully defended what was rightfully his.

It was the third time his shop, Castillo's Jewelry at 4502 Canal at Super Street, had been robbed since it opened 22 years ago, East End residents said.

Castillo, 52, apparently did not immediately realize he had been shot, officers said. He walked outside the store and looked around for more gunmen, then went back inside the business, realized he was wounded and untied his 48-year-old wife, who was unharmed, said Houston Police Department homicide investigator M.F. "Fil" Waters.

He remained in surgery at Ben Taub General Hospital late Thursday, where he was listed in critical but stable condition, with gunshot wounds to his left shoulder, left abdomen and legs, Houston police said. He is expected to survive.

Investigators said so many shots were fired inside the jewelry shop in a two- or three-minute span that they could not estimate the number of rounds. "We've got bullet fragments all over the place, casings all over the place, shotgun slugs all over the place, so it's really hard to determine at this point how many rounds were actually fired - but quite a few," Waters said.

"It is a pretty incredible story. The man was clearly defending his business, clearly defending his wife," Waters said. "It's amazing with all the bullets flying around in there that she wasn't hit."

'It's about time'

East End residents smiled proudly when they learned how Castillo had taken charge and protected his wife of 28 years. It is the first time he has turned the tables on his attackers, they said.

"It's about time he did something," said Theresa Arellano, 49, a lifelong East End resident.

Neighbors described the Castillos as a hard-working couple who labor seven days a week and take care of customers who live in the neighborhood, selling jewelry at affordable prices and allowing people to pay small amounts y toward purchases in layaway.

They said Castillo protects his store like a fortress, using an electronic door to buzz customers in and out. Customers are locked inside the store until they leave. Numerous video cameras are inside. "He's done everything he can do to secure his business," Waters said.

The dead robbers' names were not released, but police said they are not believed to be from the neighborhood.

"Somebody would have to be stupid to come rob the place because of the way it's set up," said a 30-year-old East End resident who would not give his name. "Everybody in the neighborhood knows how it is - everybody knows once you get in, he has to let you out. When you walk in, he buzzes you in, and when you walk out, he has to buzz you out."

The crime unfolded at 2:08 p.m. Thursday when two men posing as customers came into the store and asked the Castillos to show them some rings. As the husband and wife helped the two men, a third man walked into the store, pulled a pistol and announced he was robbing the business.

The two men who had posed as customers also then pulled pistols on the Castillos, police said. The Castillos were ordered to the back of the store at gunpoint, where Eva Castillo was tied up.

Castillo then pulled a pistol from his waistband, "obviously fearing for the safety of his wife and himself," said HPD spokesman Kese Smith. Castillo killed the robber who had tried to tie him up, then grabbed his shotgun from his office and killed the other two men.

Police are looking for a possible fourth suspect who may have dropped off the third robber at the jewelry shop.

That man never got out of his car. He is described as Hispanic, 20 to 25, with a short buzz haircut and a thin face. He was dressed as a construction worker. He drove away in a "boxy" brown or gold-colored vehicle that may have been an early 1990s model Nissan Sentra or Toyota.

The Castillos' shop was last robbed in 1993, according to a cursory check of HPD records, Waters said.

The Castillos also run a second business on the weekend at a flea market on Telephone Road, East End residents said.

Eva Castillo remained at the hospital with her husband Thursday night. The couple's son, who stayed at the jewelry shop talking to police, declined to speak with the media.

The Red Cross bans Christmas

STEVE DOUGHTY

Daily Mail

Christmas has been banned by the Red Cross from its 430 fund-raising shops.

Staff have been ordered to take down decorations and to remove any other signs of the Christian festival because they could offend Moslems.

The charity's politically-correct move triggered an avalanche of criticism and mockery last night - from Christians and Moslems.

Christine Banks, a volunteer at a Red Cross shop in New Romney, Kent, said: 'We put up a nativity scene in the window and were told to take it out. It seems we can't have anything that means Christmas. We're allowed to have some tinsel but that's it.

'When we send cards they have to say season's greetings or best wishes. They must not be linked directly to Christmas.

'When we asked we were told it is because we must not upset Moslems.'

Mrs Banks added: ' We have been instructed that we can't say anything about Christmas and we certainly can't have a Christmas tree.

' I think the policy is offensive to Moslems as well as to us. No reasonable person can object to Christians celebrating Christmas. But we are not supposed to show any sign of Christianity at all.'

Labour peer Lord Ahmed, one of the country's most prominent Moslem politicians, said: 'It is stupid to think Moslems would be offended.

'The Moslem community has been talking to Christians for the past 1,400 years. The teachings from Islam are that you should respect other faiths.'

He added: 'In my business all my staff celebrate Christmas and I celebrate with them. It is absolutely not the case that Christmas could damage the Red Cross reputation for neutrality - I think their people have gone a little bit over the top.'

The furore is a fresh blow to the image of what was once one of Britain's most respected charities.

The British Red Cross lost friends this year over its support for the French illegal immigrant camp at Sangatte and its insistence on concentrating large efforts on helping asylum seekers.

Yesterday officials at the charity's London HQ confirmed that Christmas is barred from the 430 shops which contributed more than £20million to its income last year.

'The Red Cross is a neutral organisation and we don't want to be aligned with any political party or particular philosophy,' a spokesman said.

'We don't want to be seen as a Christian or Islamic or Jewish organisation because that might compromise our ability to work in conflict situations around the world.'

He added: 'In shops people can put up decorations like tinsel or snow which are seasonal. But the guidance is that things representative of Christmas cannot be shown.'

Volunteers, however, said they believed the Christmas ban was a product of political correctness of the kind that led Birmingham's leaders to order their city to celebrate 'Winterval'.

Rod Thomas, a Plymouth vicar and spokesman for the Reform evangelical grouping in the Church of England, said: 'People who hold seriously to their faith are respected by people of other faiths. They should start calling themselves the Red Splodge. All their efforts will only succeed in alienating most people.'

Major Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies, said: 'There is really nothing to hurt the Red Cross in Christmas, is there? Would the Red Crescent stop its staff observing Ramadan?

'In practice, the role of the Red Cross is to run prisoner- of-war programmes and relief efforts for civilians. Those activities require the agreement of both sides in a conflict in the first place. Celebrating Christmas in a shop in England could hardly upset that.'

Major Heyman added: 'Moslems are just as sensible about these things as Christians. The Red Cross is just engaging in a bit of political correctness.'

British Red Cross leaders have, however, not extended the ban to their own profitable products. Items currently on sale include Christmas cards featuring angels and wise men and Advent calendars with nativity scenes.

The spokesman said: 'The Red Cross is trying to be inclusive and we recognise there are lots of people who want to buy Christmas cards which they know will benefit us.'

The charity's umbrella body, the Swiss-based International Red Cross, has also had politically-correct doubts about its famous symbol. But efforts to find an alternative were abandoned in the face of protest and ridicule five years ago.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-152361/The-Red-Cross-bans-Christmas.html#ixzz18O4WiNQd

House Passes Tax Deal 277-148, Sending Bill To President

First Posted: 12-17-10 12:17 AM   |   Updated: 12-17-10 01:24 AM

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7157901n

3 Broward deputies arrested in jail contraband, sex investigation

Charges range from sex with an inmate to bringing cell phones into a county jail

FORT LAUDERDALE —

Three Broward Sheriff's Office deputies are facing third-degree felony charges in an investigation of contraband and sex at a Broward County jail.

The arrested corrections deputies — Salisia Pascoe, 29; Kiara Monet Walker, 21, and Roderick Lorenzo Lopez, 29 — appeared in Broward Magistrate's Court on Thursday evening.

Pascoe is charged with two counts of using a two-way device — a cell phone — to facilitate a felony. She is also charged with one count of sexual misconduct with an inmate and one count of introduction of contraband to a detention facility.

Referring to an arrest affidavit, Judge John "Jay" Hurley said Pascoe admitted having consensual sexual intercourse with a male inmate in a jail storage room. Her bond was set at $3,500 on the first three counts and $2,500 on the fourth charge.

Pascoe joined the Sheriff's Office in August 2004.

Walker is charged with one count of introduction of contraband to a detention facility, one count of official misconduct and one count of using a cell phone to facilitate a felony. Her bond was set at $5,000 for each charge. She joined the Sheriff's Office in April 2008.

Lopez faces one count of introduction of contraband — a cell phone— to a detention facility and official misconduct. His bond was set at $1,500 on the first count and $1,000 for the second charge. He joined the agency in July 2006.

All three deputies were released from jail Thursday night. If convicted, each defendant could receive a five-year prison sentence for each charge.

"There is an ongoing investigation initiated by us and we're not releasing any information this evening," said Broward Sheriff's spokesman Mike Jachles. He declined further comment.

7:40 p.m. EST, December 16, 2010

Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY     Santa's Elf Frederica Green, right, and her workmates read the letters for Santa from kids. Each year for the past 112 years, the Santa letters come pouring in to New York City's main post office and postal workers (they calls themselves elves) field many of them as part of Operation Santa.

Santa Claus and his elves are seeing more heartbreaking letters this year as children cite their parents' economic troubles in their wish lists

U.S. Postal Service workers who handle letters addressed to Santa at the North Pole say more letters ask for basics — coats, socks and shoes — rather than Barbie dolls, video games and computers. 

At New York City's main post office, Head Elf Pete Fontana and 22 staff elves will sort 2 million letters in Operation Santa, which connects needy children with "Secret Santas" who answer their wishes.   Fontana, a customer relations coordinator for the Postal Service, has been head elf for 15 years.  "The need is greater this year than I've ever seen it," he says.   "One little girl didn't want anything for herself.   She wanted a winter coat for her mother.

"MAP: Post offices participating in Operation Santa GIFT GUIDE: Christmas books for children  ECONOMY CLUES: Watch the bras

At more than 20 post offices, workers log every letter, black out identifying information except first name and age, and ask the public to respond.   Lobby displays promote the program.   People return with gifts and letters, which carriers deliver.

Cesar, 7, wrote for himself and his baby sister.  "This year my moom don't have much money to spend on Christmas gifts so I'm writing to you," Cesar told Santa.   "It would make us very happy if you and your elves would bring us toys and clothes. 

"There are more letters from unemployed parents asking for kids' gifts they can't afford, says Darlene Reid of New York City's main post office. 

One mom sent a turn-off notice from the electric company, Fontana says.   A single mother of a girl, 8, and a boy, 2, wrote that she recently lost her job. "I am unable to buy my children toys and clothes," she said.  "Santa may you help me with my family? 

"Tough times are shrinking the number of Secret Santas, Fontana says.  Meanwhile, "the percentage of people who need help has increased," says Mark Reynolds at the Postal Service's Chicago district, and about half the letters won't get answered.

Melanney, 9, asked Santa for a coat and boots.  "I have been a very good girl this year," she wrote.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/ktvi-grinch-mom-steals-christmas-crack-121410,0,2333054.story

http://www.wreg.com/wreg-hair-raising-controversy-in-southaven-story,0,4171892.story

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/133909-obama-tells-lawmakers-not-passing-tax-deal-could-end-presidency-dem-says

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Sal-Alosi-s-devious-act-was-not-a-coincidence?urn=nfl-296526

Cedar Bluff bank robbery suspects nabbed

Lisa Rogers
Times Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 2:22 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 9:47 p.m.

Money was flying out of the window of a red car when Cherokee County Sheriff’s Deputy Tony Pettit saw it speeding on Alabama Highway 35 Tuesday morning.

“That was the first clue that this could be our bank robbers,” Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said. This was minutes after four men armed with guns went in Union State Bank on Alabama Highway 68 in Cedar Bluff and took an undisclosed amount of money.

Six men, all from the Gadsden area, are in custody and expected to be transferred to Birmingham within 72 hours to face bank robbery and other charges.

An alert about the bank robbery was issued, and several residents were able to give accurate details about the car the men were believed to be in, Shaver said.

The men had switched cars within a half-mile of the bank, dumping a gold Chevrolet Malibu that had been reported stolen.

Shaver said deputies and other law enforcement officers already were setting up a perimeter in the area.

Pettit and deputy Keith Morgan were in Pettit’s patrol car and stationed on Alabama

Highway 35 near the intersection of Alabama Highway 273 in the Blanche community. They spotted a red Nissan Maxima on Alabama Highway 35 and saw money coming from inside the car. Pettit began a pursuit and had lost sight of the car when the deputies drove upon it after it wrecked a few miles away in DeKalb County, near New Canaan Church in the Adamsburg area between Fort Payne and Little River Canyon National Preserve.

The men already had bailed from the car, and officers quickly set up a perimeter in the area.

Deputies from Cherokee, Etowah and DeKalb counties, Fort Payne police officers and FBI agents responded.

DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office tracking dog and handler Jimmie Jones were called to respond and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy Gerald “Red” Taylor went to the airport and got in the air in his own plane, DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris said.

A dog tracking team from St. Clair Correctional Facility was called, along with the state trooper helicopter.

Harris said the sheriff’s office tracking dog led officers to one of the men hiding in the cab of an apparent abandoned semi-truck.

Two others were soon found in the same area — about a half mile from where they bailed — and all three were taken to the Cherokee County jail Tuesday afternoon for questioning.

Harris said numerous officers searched for the fourth man, but someone on Dean Road — unaware the man was wanted for the bank robbery - gave him a ride to a nearby store.

The man was able to hide behind the store and call some friends from Gadsden to come pick him up.

Harris said the man and his friend spotted deputies in the area and were spooked. The man jumped out of the car on Alabama Highway 35, ran through the woods, crossed Beason Gap Road and was hiding in a garbage can when the tracking dogs found him.

“They went right up the garbage can and just stopped,” Harris said.

He and the two men still in the car were taken into custody and also transported to Cherokee County jail about 5 p.m.

“We’re just glad we caught them,” Harris said.

Rob Savage, commander of the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit, initially responded because of the request through the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force.

Savage said he is familiar with some of the men and had dealings with them in the past.

Savage said another person was taken into custody in East Gadsden and detained at the Etowah County DEU headquarters as part of the investigation, but later was released.

He said the bulk of the money and some weapons also have been recovered.

Shaver praised the efforts of all of the involved law enforcement agencies which include Cherokee and DeKalb county sheriff’s offices, Cedar Bluff, Leesburg, Centre, Gadsden and Fort Payne police departments; Cherokee County District Attorney’s office, U.S. Park Service,Police, District Attorney’s Office, US Park Service, FBI, Alabama Marine Police, Alabama State Troopers, Etowah County DEU and Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.