The Skripal Files: The Life And Near Death Of A Russian Spy

Veteran journalist and author Joseph C. Goulden offers a review in the Washington Times of Mark Urban’s The Skripal Files. 

Speaking to reporters in December 2010, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that his spy agencies had assassination squads that targeted defectors. But he voiced an ominous warning. “Whatever thirty pieces of silver those people may have gotten, they will stick in their throat.”

Despite his shortcomings as a decent human, give Mr. Putin credit: He carries out his threats. Any person unfortunate enough to cross him is a step removed from the grave.

The civilized world was shocked in March when a defected Russian intelligence officer, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, were stricken with a mysterious poison in the quiet British town of Salisbury. They were in critical condition for weeks but survived. Scientific tests identified the poison involved as Novichok, developed by Russia for germ warfare. It had been smeared on the door knob of the Skripal home.

The attack matched earlier Russian murder operations, notably the poisoning death of defector Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

Mr. Skripal, a onetime Red Army airborne colonel, had shifted to the GRU, the military’s intelligence arm. Disillusioned with the Communist regime, he tried to resign, but was refused. (As Mr. Putin himself once said, “There is no such thing as an ex-KGB man.”

You can read the rest of the review via the below link:

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/21/book-review-the-skripal-files-by-mark-urban/  

Philadelphia Police Officer Says Shooter Said Nothing Before Ambushing Him

Joseph A. Slobodzian at the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the testimony of Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett (seen in the above photo), who was shot and wounded in an ambush.

Whatever motivated the gunman who seriously wounded Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett in a volley of bullets, it remains a mystery to the officer of five years.

"I didn't hear him say anything," the 33-year-old officer, speaking publicly for the first time about his ordeal, told a Philadelphia Judge Thursday at a preliminary hearing for suspect Edward Archer.

Hartnett was shot multiple times while sitting in his parked police cruiser on Jan. 7. and investigators said Archer, 31, of Yeadon, confessed doing it "in the name of Islam."

But at the hearing before Municipal Court Judge Marsha H. Neifield, no additional information about the statement or any alleged religious motivation came out.

After the hour-long hearing, Neifield ordered Archer held on all charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault, assaulting a law enforcement officer, several gun counts and receiving stolen property - the pistol prosecutors said he obtained from someone who stole it from a city police officer in September 2013.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:  

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20160311_Hearing_set_for_man_charged_with_wounding_cop.html 

FBI investigating Shooting Of Philadelphia Police Officer As Act Of Terrorism

Fox News offers a piece on the FBI investigating the attempted murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett as an act of terrorism.

The FBI is investigating the ambush shooting of a Philadelphia police officer last week as an act of terrorism, Director James Comey said Wednesday.

Comey was attending an event in Pittsburgh when he was asked to comment on the Philadelphia mayor’s indication the shooting may have just been a crime of violence. 

Comey indicated he couldn’t comment on what the mayor said, but that the agency was investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. 

He added that ISIS has been "crowd-sourcing terrorism," using social media to encourage violence and its message "tends to resonate with troubled souls."

On Sunday, police in Philadelphia said they were investigating a tip that a man charged in the ambush shooting of Officer Jesse Hartnett is connected to a radical group that may continue to pose a threat to officers.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch a news video clip via the below link:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/13/fbi-investigating-shooting-philadelphia-police-officer-as-act-terrorism.html

Video of Shooting of Philadelphia Police Officer

You can watch the video of the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer by a man who claimed to have shot the cop in the name of Islam and a report on the shooter via the below link to Fox News:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4693475155001/alleged-philadelphia-shooter-had-long-criminal-history/?#sp=show-clips

Note: The Philadelphia Police released the above photo.

South Philly Auto Body Shop Owner With Alleged Ties To Organized Crime And Allegedly Hired Two Hitmen To Kill His Daughter's Boyfriend, Prepares For Trial, May Take Stand

Veteran organized crime reporter George Anastasia offers a look a the defense of Ron Galati at Bigtrial.net.

Ron Galati has decided to roll the dice and put his future in the hands of a federal jury that will begin hearing testimony later this month in his murder-for-hire case.

What's more, the South Philadelphia auto body shop owner and wannabe wiseguy is considering taking the stand in his own defense, a move that was hinted at in a motion filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Richardson, the prosecutor in the case.

In the same motion, Richardson alleged that Galati has made frequent payments to two prominent South Philadelphia organized crime figures, mob boss Joseph Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi, but offered no explanation of what the payments were for.

Galati, 64, faces from 15 years to life if convicted. His apparent resolve to go to trial and perhaps tell his story in his own words to the jury undercuts speculation and media reports that he might cooperate with authorities.

"I don't know anything about anybody," he has reportedly told those close to him. 

Prior to the start of a pre-trial hearing this morning, Galati's defense attorney, Anthony J. Voci Jr., said no decision had been made on whether Galati would testify. Voci spent most of the hearing  attempting to block the introduction of evidence detailing Galati's alleged prior criminal activities. Voci said that evidence would be highly prejudicial and would make it impossible for his client to receive a fair trial. The prosecution says the evidence should be permitted, but has agreed not to introduce evidence alleging mob involvement. 
You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2014/09/galati-prepares-for-trial-may-take-stand.html

Major Drug Trafficker Found Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court of Two Murder-for-Hire Conspiracies, Attempted Murder, and Narcotics and Firearms Offenses

The U.S.Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, released the below information:

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Roger Key, a/k/a “Luchie,” a violent and large-scale drug trafficker who operated in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York, was found guilty yesterday in Manhattan federal court of two murder-for-hire conspiracies, attempted murder, and narcotics and firearms offenses. Key was convicted following a three-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “With this verdict, the jury has done a great service to the citizens of New York City, convicting Roger Key of numerous violent offenses, including murder-for-hire and orchestrating a sprawling drug trafficking network. I want to again thank New York County District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, and his office, who began the investigation into this alleged narcotics crew and shared the fruits of their investigation with our office, enabling us to build this case and bring this defendant to justice.”

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial:

From 2009 through September 2012, Key was one of the most significant narcotics distributors operating in New York City. KEY supplied powder cocaine and crack cocaine to various drug organizations operating in Manhattan and the Bronx. Key also used, carried, and possessed firearms during the narcotics conspiracy.

In September 2010, Key conspired to commit the murder-for-hire of Terry Harrison, who was shot and killed on September 10, 2010, at 681 Courtlandt Avenue in the Bronx. Key paid another co-conspirator for committing the murder of Harrison, who was the leader of a rival drug trafficking crew with whom Key and his co-conspirators were engaged in a violent conflict over drug trafficking territory in the Bronx.

From October 2011 through December 2011, Key conspired to commit the murder-for-hire and aided and abetted the attempted murder-for-hire of Matthew Allen on November 16, 2011, which resulted in the non-fatal shooting of another victim at 302 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.

Key was convicted of narcotics conspiracy, conspiracy to commit the murder-for-hire of Matthew Allen, the attempted murder-for-hire of Matthew Allen, conspiracy to commit the murder-for-hire of Terry Harrison, and firearms possession and use in connection with both the narcotics conspiracy and the Matthew Allen murder plot. Key was acquitted of the murder-for-hire of Terry Harrison, murder in connection with a drug crime, and a firearms possession charge in connection with that murder.

Key faces two mandatory sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus a mandatory consecutive term of 30 years in prison, and he will be sentenced by Judge Stein on August 19, 2014. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Key is the last of 18 defendants originally charged in this case to be convicted in proceedings before Judge Stein. Key is also the last of a total of four individuals who have been convicted of offenses relating to the conspiracy to commit the murder-for-hire and the attempted murder-for-hire of Matthew Allen.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of the Investigation, Westchester County Violent Crimes Task Force, and the New York City Police Department, including the 40th Precinct Detective Squad and the Manhattan North Narcotics Major Case Unit, who conducted the investigation of the case. Mr. Bharara also thanked the New York County District Attorney’s Office, who provided critical assistance in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

This case is being overseen by the Office’s Violent Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Santosh Aravind, Abigail S. Kurland, and Adam Fee are in charge of the prosecution.

Suspect Arraigned In Home Invasion, Beating of Mom Caught On Nanny Cam

The New York Daily News reports on the arraignment of the suspect in the Nanny Cam case, in which a mother was brutally beaten in front of her small child during a home invasion.

The hulking brute who was caught on a nanny-cam beating up a helpless New Jersey mom capped the brutal attack by throwing her down a flight of stairs.

“We believe it was his intent to kill the woman,” Essex County chief assistant prosecutor Tom Fennelly said Tuesday. “We believe the charges are supported by the evidence.”

Fennelly’s revelation came after 42-year-old Shawn Custis (seen in the above mugshot) pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, robbery, burglary and child endangerment at his arraignment at state Superior Court in Newark.

Dressed in a blue button-down shirt and speaking in a barely audible whisper, Custis said he was unable to post the $750,000 bail and was marched out of the court.

... Custis, who lives in the Inwood section of Manhattan, has a rap sheet going back to the 90s. He was released from a New Jersey prison in December after doing time for four burglaries.
But Custis became infamous last month when he allegedly broke into the mom’s home in well-off Millburn, N.J. and attacked the young woman while her 3-year-old daughter looked on in horror.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/suspect-arraigned-home-invasion-beating-article-1.1388065