Federal judge schedules April jury trial for ex-FBI informant Smirnov
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Political news from Los Angeles
Prison inmate led scheme swindling U.S. out of $550 million in Covid tax credits, feds say
A California prison inmate locked up on a gang-related murder conviction led a scheme that defrauded the U.S. government out of more than $550 million in Covid-era federal tax credits, prosecutors said. The inmate, Kristopher Thomas, was also charged with running a drug trafficking operation from his cell at Kern Valley State Prison that shipped large amounts of methamphetamine to several states and smuggled fentanyl into that prison, court filings show. Thomas' mother, 55-year-old Kettisha Thompson-Dozier, and her spouse, Charmane Dozier, 44, who both live in Waldorf, Maryland, were charged with him in the tax credit scheme, along with Sharon Vance, 36, of Hawthorne, California, according to prosecutors. All four defendants are charged in that case with conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims. Five other people were charged
Bradley Cooper Mocks Himself Over His 'Crazy' Demands As 'Maestro' Director
Bradley Cooper is making light of his controversial preferences as a filmmaker, which recently landed him in hot water with fans of his Oscar-nominated film “Maestro.”
A Beverly Hills middle school is investigating students sharing AI-made nude photos of classmates
Students at a middle school in Beverly Hills, California, used artificial intelligence technology to create fake nude photos of their classmates, according to school administrators. Now, the community is grappling with the fallout.
Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Biden and Hunter is ordered to stay in jail ahead of trial
The former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, who has been charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden, has been ordered by a California judge to stay in jail.
Ex-FBI Informant Charged With Lying About Bidens To Remain Jailed While Awaiting Trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former FBI informant charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family must remain behind bars while he awaits trial, a judge ruled Monday, reversing an earlier order releasing the man.