A federal judge sentenced former Orange County sheriff Michael Carona to five and a half years in prison for attempting to obstruct a grand jury investigation. Carona was convicted in January for asking an assistant Sheriff to lie to a grand jury investigating Carona for using his office to attract cash and gifts for his wife and mistress. In a half-hour lecture during the sentencing, Judge Andrew Guilford told Corona that “lying will not be tolerated in this courtroom, especially by the county’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer.” Carona was once named “America’s Sheriff” by CNN’s Larry King for spearheading the investigation into the murder of a five year old girl. (LA Times)
The Pentagon inspector general will review whether a private security contractor stationed in Iraq was fired for revealing training and equipment deficiencies provided to Ugandan guards. The AP reports that Triple Canopy, the State Department’s primary contractor in Iraq, suddenly fired John Wayne Nash after he met with the Commission on Wartime Contracting, a government-run body that monitors contractors in Iraq, which has already found that U.S. officers at Base Hammer felt inadequately qualified after a 40-hour training course on security operations. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) said it would be “unacceptable” if contractors were fired for cooperating with the commission. (AP)
Five real estate executives were indicted Monday for running an alleged $70 million mortgage Ponzi scheme. According to the indictment, employees of Metro Dream Homes asked investors to make a minimum investment of $55,000 in exchange for future mortgage payments and the promise of paying off the homeowner’s mortgage within seven years. Instead, the defendants used the investments to pay off prior debts, leaving no revenue to pay the mortgages. Condemning the scheme, a top IRS criminal investigator said that these types of fraud “drive home owners into foreclosure, erode the integrity of our tax system and threaten the financial health of our communities.” (USDOJ)
A British official said Monday that the UK would consider taking Guantanamo detainees cleared of terrorism charges if asked by the United States. The official said that Britain would do its best to support President Obama’s pledge to close the detention facility within the year. As part of this effort, the administration must decide which of the 240 remaining detainees to put on trial, and which to release. Last week, the Justice Department signaled that it would release seven Chinese Muslims within the United States. (AP)
The trial of a former U.S. soldier accused of raping a 14 year-old Iraqi girl and killing her family began Monday. Prosecutors told the civilian court that after killing her family, Steven Green raped the young girl and then “picked up a gun and he shot her in the face again and again.” Skaret said that Green often spoke of wanting to kill Iraqis, but would retract the statements when pushed by other soldiers. Green’s attorney defended him as the victim of harsh wartime conditions and insufficient Army leadership. (Washington Post)
A new ethics complaint was filed Monday against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The complaint, filed by Eagle River resident Kim Chatman, targets Palin’s legal defense fund, which she set up last week to pay the $500,000 in legal bills related to a number of ethics lawsuits, including the Troopergate probe. Chatman, who voted for Palin in 2006, says in the complaint that “Gov. Palin is perched to improperly receive an enormous amount of money for herself and her family and position a pool of pre-paid defense lawyers organized to deflect consequences of wrongdoings.” (AP)
