American artist who identifies himself as a non-binary queer indicted for trying to sexually abuse a 9 year-old boy

Photography Curator Efrem Zelony-Mindell Charged with Enticement of Minor, Possession and Distribution of Child Pornography

By Edward Era Barbacena

Writer, photography curator, and painter Efrem Zelony-Mindell was recently arrested after being charged by the U.S. District Attorney’s office for attempted enticement of a minor, as well as possession and distribution of child pornography.

“Zelony-Mindell  attempted to engage in sexual activity with a nine-year-old boy,” wrote U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in a press statement. “The protection of children from predation remains of critical importance to this Office, and we will continue to use our resources and work with our law enforcement partners to bring offenders to justice.”

The FBI alleges that, starting in April of this year, Zelony-Mindell had a series of conversations with two undercover FBI agents on the encrypted messaging platform Telegram, where Zelony-Mindell stated their desire to have anal sex with a nine-year-old child. The FBI alleges that in subsequent conversations on the encrypted messaging service, by text, and over the phone, Zelony-Mindell sent a shirtless photo of themselves and “agreed to have sex with the drugged child.”       

After arrangements were made to meet in lower Manhattan at a coffee shop between Greenwich Street and Hudson Street on December 16 before going to the apartment where the child was located, Zelony-Mindell met a third undercover FBI agent and was arrested.

According to court documents filed with the Southern District of New York, Zelony-Mindell waived their Miranda rights, agreed to talk to law enforcement, and admitted during an interview to possessing and distributing child pornography.

Zelony-Mindell did not respond to requests for comment.

A 2011 graduate of the School of Visual Arts in photography and painting, Zelony-Mindell’s curation work included “Familiar Strange,” an exhibition of new works by the MFA 2017 graduates from the International Center of Photography-Bard College; the photobooks and exhibits Witness, Primal Sight, newflesh: representing queerness beyond the body; the exhibition “Re: Art Show 21: This is Not Here” at the Pfizer Pharmaceutical Building in 2018; and the seventh issue of the photography quarterly There, There. They also served on the jury of the $10,000 signature prize for emerging or under-recognized LGBTQ+ photographers from the New York–based arts nonprofit Queer|Art and the Robert Giard Foundation.

Zelony-Mindell also wrote about art and photography for publications like HuffPost, DEAR DAVE, VICE, MOSSLESS, Posture magazine, aCurator, and L’Oeil de la Photographie; and was an MFA candidate at the University of Arkansas, set to graduate in 2025.

The charges against Zelony-Mindell carry maximum sentences of life in prison for enticement of a child to engage in illegal sexual activity and 20 years in prison each for distribution and possession of child pornography.

 

White Supremacist Larry Edward Foxworth Pleads Guilty To Federal Hate Crime For Trying To Shoot Black People At A Gas Station

By Edward Era Barbacena

A stupid white American racist pleaded guilty on Friday to a federal hate crime and a firearms violation after he shot into two separate gas station convenience stores in an attempt to kill Black or Arab people

According to the Department of Justice, on July 30, 2021, Larry Edward Foxworth, 48, of Jonesboro, fired multiple shots from a Glock pistol through a window and door of a Shell gas station convenience store in Jonesboro, GA. 

A few minutes later, Foxworth fired more rounds from the same handgun through the windows and door of a nearby BP gas station convenience store. Both stores were open and occupied when Foxworth went on his shooting spree, but thankfully no one was injured. Foxworth admitted in court that he intended to kill people inside the stores and on the premises.

“Foxworth used a firearm to commit a heinous hate crime that traumatized his victims as well as the communities who rely on these businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “The vigorous prosecution of such abhorrent acts of violence and intimidation with the assistance of our federal partners is a top priority for this office.”

Foxworth was arrested by Clayton County Police shortly after his second shooting. While detained, Foxworth explained to officers that he was targeting Black people and others whom he perceived to be Arab. 

He also told authorities he hoped that he had killed his targets and professed belief in white supremacist ideology and an allegiance to a white supremacist organization.

“No one should have to live in fear of being targeted for deadly violence because they are Black or Arab American,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This defendant, who professed support for a white supremacist organization, is being held accountable for an abhorrent act of violence motivated by race and national origin. This conviction should make clear that the Justice Department stands ready to prosecute any individual who carries out a violent hate-motivated crime in our country.”

 

Texas Cop Who Gave Homeless Man Feces Sandwich Gets Fired Again

A former San Antonio cop  Mathew Luckhurst gave a homeless man a sandwich filled with dog feces. Then, he smeared brown pudding in the women’s bathroom.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A former San Antonio cop fired for his strange obsession with shit-related misconduct while on the job somehow found another law enforcement-gig just a 40-minute drive away—at least for a couple years.

Matthew Luckhurst was fired from the San Antonio Police Department in 2020 after a series of offensive acts he considered “pranks.” First, he gave a homeless man a sandwich filled with dog feces, and later that same year, Luckhurst defecated in the toilet in the women's bathroom at the department’s Bike Patrol Office and smeared a brown, tapioca-like substance on the seat and wall. 

Luckhurst decided to commit the second act after seeing pictures of actors like Ryan Gosling and Dwayne Johnson on the bathroom walls and assumed that the images were a dig at him and his male colleagues for not being as muscular or handsome as them, according to local news outlet MySanAntonio. Both incidents took place in 2016. He didn’t deny the bathroom prank but claimed that he gave the feces sandwich to the homeless person to discard, not eat.

After four years of appealing termination, as allowed by the police union’s contract, the firing was upheld in June 2020. But within five months, Luckhurst managed to earn back the same powers and privileges he’d lost in San Antonio in the neighboring city of Floresville.

Luckhurst was hired as a Floresville Police Department reserve officer in late 2020 and managed to stay employed in the department until last week, when Floresville Mayor Cissy Gonzalez-Dippel said her office received a flood of calls, messages, and emails from local residents demanding he be fired. Luckhurst’s employment in Floresville received public attention after the San Antonio Express-News published a story highlighting it as an example of why Texas needs statewide accountability rules for the practice of hiring new police officers.

Gonzalez-Dippel said that she and the city council have no say in who the police department hires but contacted the city’s manager to discuss his future on the city’s payroll. Ultimately, the decision was made to release him altogether.

The department explained that it was not aware of the publicized incidents in San Antonio despite the years of arbitration over his firing.

“Unfortunately, the Floresville Police Department [FPD] was not fully aware of the entire incident involving the alleged incident,” Floresville Police Department said in a public statement, adding that as far as they knew, Luckhurst had been discharged from his former employer under the equivalent of an honorable discharge. “Please rest assured that the City of Floresville and FPD does not condone any of the alleged actions and will do whatever is necessary to ensure the continued safety of its citizens.”

The city of Floresville is implementing “stricter hiring policies” for all of its city employees, according to Gonzalez-Dippel.

Bad cops getting fired, then rehired at smaller law enforcement agencies is a common—and often criticized—occurrence in the profession. In July, the Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice managed to get a new job as an officer in a small Pennsylvania town before he was pressured into resigning two days later.

Some states, like California, Virginia and Massachusetts have passed laws allowing them to decertify an officer, essentially ensuring that their record of bad behavior follows them if they try to find a law enforcement job elsewhere in the country.

 

Louisiana white cop who kicked suspect in the face after he surrendered is slapped with over 6-year prison sentence

"Jared Preston Desadier, 44, was sentenced to 78 months detention by a federal judge in Shreveport. Court records show Desadier pleaded guilty in July to a single count of 'deprivation of rights under color of law.'"

By Edward Era Barbacena

A former officer with the Monroe Police Department, Jared Preston Desadier, 44, was sentenced today to 78 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, for his role in the assault of an arrestee in Ouachita Parish and his efforts to cover up that abuse.

“The defendant’s decision to callously abuse an arrestee when he thought he wasn’t being watched is an affront to the principles of honesty and integrity that our society expects from law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence makes clear that the Department of Justice will aggressively investigate and prosecute any officer who believes that the Constitution only applies when the cameras are on.”

“All Americans expect law enforcement officers to continuously abide by the law,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “The bedrock of officer and citizen engagement is for the officer to, without exception, act professionally with a goal of deescalating tense situations. Here, this defendant instead decided to criminally escalate the situation by unnecessarily battering the victim. Prosecuting offenses such as these not only benefit society, but also law enforcement because bad police officers who cast a black eye on the profession are eradicated from the law enforcement community. This office will continue to prosecute these types of crimes with a goal of increasing the public’s trust in law enforcement.”

According to the defendant’s plea agreement, on April 21, 2020, officers of the Monroe Police Department, including Desadier, conducted a field interview with the victim in this case. When the victim attempted to run away, Desadier chased after him. The victim eventually stopped running, got on his stomach, and put his hands behind his back. Desadier ran towards the victim and then asked his fellow officer whether the officer’s body-worn camera was recording, and when he was mistakenly told that the cameras were off, he continued to run towards victim and kicked him in the face.

Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Brown, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan and Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

 

American teen of Florida brutally stabbed mom, hit her with frying pan over keeping his room clean

Tobias Brewer faces multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder

By Edward Era Barbacena

A 17-year-old white boy accused of first-degree attempted murder beat his mother with a frying pan and stabbed her repeatedly with a pocket knife because she was "constantly on his case about cleaning his room," according to the probable cause affidavit.

The teen – identified as Tobias "Toby" Jacob Brewer --was arrested and booked into juvenile detention on Nov. 30 after allegedly attacking his mother and then leading authorities on a pursuit, according to the report. FOX 35 has decided to name the suspect as his case has been transferred to adult court, online court records show.

On Monday, the arrest report was released, which shared new details on the alleged attack.

According to the report, Brewer told detectives in an interview that he stabbed his mom multiple times with a pocket knife and hit her in the head with a frying pan "until the handle of the frying pan broke." He told detectives that he was "upset" because his mom was "constantly on his case about cleaning his room."

"The suspect advised that he does not like cleaning his room and was tired of the victim (his mom) constantly harping about it," the report stated. Brewer told detectives that he then took both of his mom's car keys and took money out of her purse "so that he can have money once he left the area," the report stated.

He also reportedly admitted to sending a text to his friend about the attack and asked him to bring a gun to "shoot the victim," according to the report. The friend said he would not bring a gun, but would bring a knife. The report notes that the friend has autism.

The suspect is then accused of leading authorities – with two of his friends and his girlfriend – on a pursuit through multiple counties. The pursuit ended on U.S. 1 after the vehicle crashed into a wooded area, and the people inside ran. Brewer was detained shorty after, the report said.

According to the report, the mom is listed in critical condition. When authorities found her, she took a breath and reportedly told responding deputies, "Toby did this."

 

The American From Ohio George Wagner IV Who Was Found Guilty Of Murder In The Pike County Massacre Has Been Sentenced To Life In Prison Without Parole

Last month, a jury found him guilty on 22 counts, including eight counts of aggravated murder and other charges.

By Edward Era Barbacena

George Wagner IV, a white American who was found guilty of murder last month in the massacre of a Pike County, Ohio, family in 2016, was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday.

In 2018, the 31-year-old, along with his brother, Edward "Jake" Wagner, and their parents, Angela Wagner and George "Billy" Wagner III, were arrested and indicted in connection with the 2016 massacre of the Rhoden family in Pike County.

Eight people were found dead in three mobile homes and a camper, shot in the head "execution-style" while some were still in their beds. Three babies, including a 4-day-old infant, were present during the rampage but left unharmed.

Last month, a jury found George guilty on 22 counts, including eight counts of aggravated murder and other charges, such as conspiracy, tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity in relation to the 2016 massacre.

On Monday, the judge presiding over the case ordered George to serve eight consecutive life sentences for the eight aggravated murder charges and an additional 121 years related to the other charges, according to NBC News.

“No sentence would right the wrong that has been inflicted on the victims and their families," the judge said before delivering the sentence.

After the news broke of George's sentence, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tweeted that "George Wagner IV will never live another day outside of prison," adding that this sentence is "another step toward justice for the Rhodens, Gilleys, & Manleys."

DeWine said that he spoke with family members on Monday morning and commended them for their courage and their patience as they have waited over six years for this day.

During the trial, prosecutors alleged that George and his relatives plotted to kill the Rhoden family over a custody argument between his younger brother and one of the victims — Hanna Rhoden, who had a daughter with Jake.

In addition to Hanna, the victims were her parents, Christopher Rhoden Sr. and Dana Manley Rhoden, her uncle Kenneth Rhoden, her siblings, Christopher Rhoden Jr. and Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, Frankie's fiancé Hannah Gilley, and a cousin, Gary Rhoden.

George was not accused of shooting anyone, but prosecutors said that though he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger, he was "complicit" because he "knew what was going to happen" and knew "what they were going to do," and thus he "aided and abetted them," WKBN reported.

Both Wagner brothers, George and Jake, as well as their parents, Angela and Billy, were charged in the killings. George was the first of his family to go on trial for the massacre.

Jake pleaded guilty in 2021 to shooting five of the victims, including the 19-year-old mother of his child, and he had agreed to testify against George and their parents in a deal to help the family potentially avoid death sentences.

Before George's conviction, the judge agreed to remove the possibility of the death penalty for his trial.

Their mother, Angela, also pleaded guilty in 2021 to helping plan the murders and said that it was her husband, Billy, who came up with the idea to kill the whole Rhoden family. Jake also implicated his and George's father, Billy, in the other three murders.

Billy has pleaded not guilty and will face trial next year.

Both Jake and Angela Wagner have yet to be sentenced following their guilty pleas.

 

Mass shooting at condo in Ontario leaves 5 dead

Shooter was a 73 year-old man who was killed by the responding police

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Six people are dead, including a suspected gunman, and a seventh person was severely injured in what police are calling a "horrendous" condo shooting in Ontario late Sunday.

About 7:20 p.m., police responded to a report of a gunman who had shot several people at a building in Vaughan, a city just north of Toronto, according to a York Regional Police news release.

"When police arrived, an interaction occurred between the officers and a male subject and the subject was shot," police wrote in the release.

The man was killed during an interaction with police in a hallway and the weapon was recovered, Denette told reporters. She could not say whether the gun was obtained legally.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Officers found a “horrendous scene where numerous victims were deceased,” police Chief Jim MacSween said.

Officers found five people dead and another suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The survivor was taken to a hospital in serious condition, according to police.

Officers found five people dead and another suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The survivor was taken to a hospital in serious condition, according to police.

As day broke over the condo on Jane Street north of Rutherford Road, about 15 police cars and a large forensic identification truck remained outside the high-rise. The main entrance to the building was taped off.

Residents who were evacuated from the condo were able to return to the building early this morning.

The city of Vaughan is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. The shooting happened at a condo complex not far from one of Vaughan's best-known attractions, Canada's Wonderland.