National Constitution Center In Philadelphia Opens ‘America’s Founding’ Gallery

Philly Daily, where my Crime Beat column appears each week, reports that the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia announced the opening of its newest permanent gallery. America’s Founding.

“America’s Founding takes visitors on a journey from the colonies’ growing tensions with Great Britain through the drafting, ratification, and adoption of the Constitution and Bill of Rights,” the National Constitution Center stated.

“The gallery will bring this pivotal era to life through rare artifacts, immersive environments, and digital interactives that reveal how the founding generation defined—and debated—the principles of liberty, equality, and government by consent”. 

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

National Constitution Center Opens ‘America’s Founding’ Gallery - Philly Daily

Mexican National In Philadelphia Sentenced To 14 Months In Prison For Using A Vehicle To Assault, Resist, Oppose, Impede, Intimidate, Or Interfere With A Federal Agent

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia released the information below:

United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Cristian Geovanni Rojas Benitez, 37, a Mexican national who overstayed his visa and remained illegally in the United States, was sentenced today to 14 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer for forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with an officer of the United States, while using a deadly or dangerous weapon — specifically, a motor vehicle — while the officer was engaged in the performance of official duties.

Rojas Benitez was charged by indictment in August of last year and pleaded guilty in October. During his plea hearing, the defendant admitted that he intentionally drove his pickup truck in the direction of a federal agent.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on the morning of June 23, 2025, that Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") agent and other federal officers were attempting to locate Rojas Benitez and take him into administrative custody after he had violated conditions of his immigration release, including a 2024 conviction in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas for false identification to law enforcement, operating a vehicle without ignition interlock, knowing and intentional possession of a controlled substance, and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Based on information they had received, the federal officers surveilled a residence in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. At approximately 8:30 a.m., a man matching the description and photograph of Rojas Benitez exited the residence and got into a pickup truck. When the defendant started to drive away, the federal officers quickly conducted a vehicle stop.

Rojas Benitez did not comply with the federal officers’ commands to get out of the vehicle or roll down his window. During this encounter, the HSI agent moved to the front of the vehicle to maintain visibility of the driver. The law enforcement officers told Rojas Benitez that if he did not comply, his window would be broken, and when Rojas Benitez continued not to comply after multiple warnings, one of the federal officers broke the rear driver’s side window of the truck.

The defendant then put the vehicle in drive and drove over the sidewalk in the direction of the HSI agent, who had to push off the truck with his hand and jump out of way to avoid being struck. The defendant also narrowly avoided hitting a passing school bus.

Rojas Benitez then fled the state and was ultimately located by the U.S. Marshals Service on July 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was investigated by HSI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.                                                    

My Philly Daily Crime Beat Column: Carjacker Sentenced To Prison For Two Armed Carjackings Days Apart

Philly Daily ran my Crime Beat column on carjacking today. 

You can read the column via the link below or the following text:

Davis: Carjacker sentenced to prison for two armed carjackings days apart - Philly Daily  

 When one is young, one often sows the proverbial wild oats.  

When I was 20-years-old back in the summer of 1972, I was attending Penn State at the main campus in State College, Pennsylvania on a special program for Vietnam veterans. I was the youngest of the group of vets, having previously served as a teenager on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War. 

I had a wild time in the Navy and afterwards my time attending classes during the day and partying at night at Penn State was another adventure. 

Richard Pridgen embarked on a different kind of adventure at 20. He became an armed carjacker. 

On February 5, 2026, David Metcalf, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, announced that Richard Pridgen of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 214 months’ imprisonment, five years’ supervised release, and $11,709.82 in restitution for committing two carjackings in the city just days apart.

Pridgen pleaded guilty in October of 2025 to two counts of carjacking and two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the first carjacking was on July 3, 2023, when Pridgen carjacked a victim who had been sitting in his parked blue Jeep, at gunpoint. Pridgen had at least one co-conspirator who drove him there in a separate vehicle.

“Then, on July 6, 2023, Pridgen and two co-defendants, Raheem Bivens and Raheim Brown, used the first victim’s blue Jeep to carjack a second victim of his white Jeep. Both Pridgen and Bivens pointed firearms with extended magazines at the victim, demanding the car and keys. Pridgen and Bivens then fled in the second victim’s white Jeep, with Bivens behind the wheel,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. “Philadelphia police located both Jeeps quickly and pursued all three men. Bivens crashed the white Jeep into several other cars, and Brown, who was driving the blue Jeep, crashed into another car. All the men ran, but all were apprehended, and police recovered both guns. Pridgen had the second victim’s identification on him when he was apprehended.

“Pridgen carried out these carjackings right after his release from juvenile state custody for committing several violent gunpoint commercial robberies in 2021.”

Both Bivens and Brown pleaded guilty in 2024 to one count of carjacking and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. They were each sentenced to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release, with Bivens also ordered to pay $11,709.82 in restitution.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Shulman and Special Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Bowerman.

A while back the Philadelphia Police Department released a guide to help people avoid becoming carjacking victims. 

Below are some key tips provided by the police to enhance safety and prevent carjacking:

·         Be aware of your surroundings: Know where you are, who is near you, and who is approaching you. If you feel uncomfortable or notice an unwelcome stranger approaching your vehicle, leave the area.

·         Enter and exit your vehicle swiftly: Always enter your vehicle swiftly and without hesitation. Park your car in well-lit areas and avoid parking near walls, bushes, or dumpsters.

·         Keep your vehicle locked: Always keep your vehicle locked and windows shut. Avoid taking streets with frequent stops and intersections.

·         Use anti-theft devices: Consider using anti-theft devices like a steering wheel lock or a gearshift column lock to deter thieves.

·         Keep your valuables hidden: Use anti-theft devices like a steering wheel lock or a gearshift column lock to deter thieves.

·         Avoid being alone in high-crime neighborhoods: Don't sit in your car with the door unlocked or the windows rolled down in high-crime neighborhoods and isolated roads.

·         Know your vehicle identification (VIN) number: This will assist the police in recovering your car if it is stolen.

·         Give up your car immediately: If you are approached by a carjacker, give up your car and leave the scene. Avoid verbal or physical confrontations with the carjacker.

·         Let the carjacker know if there’s a child onboard: If there’s a child in the vehicle, make that clear to the carjacker so they don’t drive away with the child.
These tips are designed to help residents stay safe and reduce the risk of becoming a carjacking victim. 

·          

Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here each week. He is also a contributor to Broad + Liberty and Counterterrorism magazine. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.

Department Of Defense Employee Indicted For Moonlighting As A Money Mule And Laundering Millions Of Dollars For Overseas Scammers

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia released the information below:

United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Samuel D. Marcus, 33, of Oreland, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, six counts of illegal monetary transactions, and one count of money laundering – illegal concealment, arising from his alleged role as a money mule for a group of Nigerian-based scammers, in which he received, concealed, and laundered millions of dollars in fraud proceeds.

The indictment alleges that, from approximately July 2023 to December 2025, while employed as a Logistics Specialist with the Department of Defense, the defendant was in direct and regular contact with a group of Nigeria-based fraudsters, who operated under the aliases “Rachel Jude” and “Ned McMurray,” among others. These fraudsters engaged in a variety of wire fraud schemes that targeted victims based in the United States, including romance fraud, cyber fraud, tax fraud, financing fraud, and business email compromise schemes, to which victims lost millions of dollars.

The fraudsters employed a network of money mules in the United States to help launder the fraud proceeds, and instructed victims to transfer funds to financial accounts opened and operated by various money mules, including those controlled by Marcus.

The indictment alleges that, under the direction of fraudsters, the defendant and other money mules conducted a series of rapid financial transactions to convert fraud victim funds deposited into their accounts into cryptocurrency and to move those funds into foreign accounts. Marcus personally deposited and transferred millions of dollars of fraudulently obtained money into and through his personal and business accounts, while fully aware that “Rachel Jude” and “Ned McMurray” were scammers who carried out sophisticated fraud schemes. Marcus also affirmatively misled and lied to his financial institutions and law enforcement officers about the laundered funds, to include sending fraudulent invoices to make the transactions appear legitimate.

In fact, the indictment alleges that the defendant continued to work as a money mule for the fraudsters after being informed by FBI agents that the money passing through his accounts had been stolen from other people and that his monetary transfers were consistent with money laundering.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 100 years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and a $2 million fine.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samuel S. Dalke.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.                                                                                    

Musicians From Marlboro To Perform At Perelman Theater In Philadelphia

Philly Daily, where my Crime Beat column appears each week, reports that the Musicians from Marlboro will perform at the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center on Tuesday, February 19, 2026, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $30.

Musicians from Marlboro are presented annually in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

“Musicians from Marlboro, the touring extension of the renowned Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, features exceptional young musicians from the summer festival together with seasoned artists in chamber music programs of rarely heard works and masterpieces of varied instrumentation. Each year, more than 25 outstanding artists take time from their regular activities to bring Musicians from Marlboro concerts to cities around the country”

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

Musicians From Marlboro To Perform at Perelman Theater - Philly Daily 

On This Date 56 Years Ago, I Enlisted In The U.S. Navy

On this date 56 years ago, I enlisted in the United States Navy.

I was 17 years old.

On February 9, 1970, I raised my hand and swore an oath to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, PA. 

I boarded a train to Chicago and then took a bus to the Naval Recruit Training Center at Great Lakes, Illinois.

You can read a fictional account of my time in Boot Camp via the link below:

Paul Davis On Crime: Boots On The Ground

Third Coconspirator In Fatal Benghazi Attacks In U.S. Custody, Charged In Washington D.C. With Murder and Terrorism Counts

On Friday, February 6, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department announced that Zubavar Al-Balkoush was charged with multiple charges concerning the Benghazi Embassy attack in Libya in 2012:

Zubayar Al-Bakoush, an armed coconspirator in the 2012 attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was charged in an eight-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court on multiple terrorism and murder counts.

Bakoush, who is in federal custody, is expected to make his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya for the District of Columbia.

“The terrorist attack on our Benghazi Embassy was a dark and tragic day for our nation that robbed us of four American heroes,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Now, thanks to our brave federal agents, one of its alleged key participants will be prosecuted in an American courtroom on American soil. Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice will never rest in our mission to Make America Safe Again and deliver swift, severe justice to our enemies.”

"The FBI and our U.S. government partners have worked tirelessly to hold accountable those responsible for the heinous terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya that resulted in the deaths of the U.S. Ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The latest result of our efforts is bringing  Zubayar Al-Bakoush  to the U.S. to face charges for his alleged role in the attacks against our citizens and our facilities in Libya. You can be assured that no matter how long it takes, or where you are located, the FBI remains steadfast in our duty to see justice served against those who harm our citizens. I’m grateful to the men and women of the FBI for their unrelenting efforts to bring us to where we stand today – this defendant will be prosecuted on U.S. soil.”

“Today’s indictment against Zubayar Al-Bakoush is indicative of President Trump’s resolve to hold accountable anyone who harms Americans, no matter where,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Al-Bakoush is now on U.S. soil, because the FBI and Department of Justice never forgot those Americans who were seemingly forgotten in that outpost in Benghazi, Libya. President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, FBI Director Patel, and I will do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, to pursue justice for the victims and their families.”

“Over thirteen years have passed since the 2012 attack in Libya, and over eight since the last arrest in this case, but the Department of Justice’s resolve has not wavered,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “We never forgot those four Americans who were killed in service of our Nation, and we will continue to seek justice for them, their families, and for the United States.”

“In September 2012, Zubayar Al-Bakoush allegedly facilitated the terrorist attack on the United States Mission and Annex in Benghazi in which four Americans – including an ambassador – were murdered in an effort to incite additional violence against our country’s presence in Libya” said James Barnacle, Assistant Director in Charge of New York Field Office. “This bloody campaign waged unnecessary brutality against Americans and forever altered the lives of the victims’ families. May today’s significant disruption send a clear message: the FBI New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will never cease its tireless pursuit of any terrorist involved in the massacre of our nation’s citizens, regardless of when or where the onslaught occurred.”

The indictment charges Bakoush with:

• Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to Terrorists Resulting in Death
• Providing Material Support and Resources to Terrorists Resulting in Death
• Murder of an Internationally Protected Person
• Murder of a United States National Outside of the United States (Two Counts)
• Attempted Murder of a United States National Outside of the United States
• Arson and Placing Lives in Jeopardy Within the Special Maritime and Territorial

Jurisdiction of the United States and Attempting to Do the Same

• Maliciously Destroying and Injuring Property and Placing Lives in Jeopardy within the Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States and Attempting to Do the Same

The charges stem from the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and nearby CIA Annex that killed Ambassador Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty.

According to the indictment, Bakoush was a member of Ansar Al Sharia (AAS), an Islamist extremist militia in Benghazi, which had the goal of establishing Sharia law in Libya.

On the evening of Sept. 11, 2012, a group of more than 20 heavily armed men – including Bakoush assembled outside the main gate of the U.S Special Mission in Benghazi.  They were armed with assault rifles, other firearms, and explosive devices.  At about 9:45 p.m., the group of armed men violently breached the main gate of the Mission. Upon entry, the men fanned out across the Mission complex, setting fires to building within the Mission compound.

When the attackers could not gain entry to the secure area of Villa C, the Ambassador’s residence, they set fire to it.  Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith suffocated from the thick, black smoke that enveloped the residence. Diplomatic Security Services (DSS) Special Agent Scott Wickland, who had tried to guide Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith to safety, was injured and repeatedly took small arms fire while trying to rescue the two Americans.

The extremist group also attacked the Quick Reaction Force building, which was occupied by local Libyans serving as guards for the Mission.

About 10 p.m., Bakoush entered the Mission compound with other conspirators, and conducted surveillance of the Tactical Operation Center and the Villa. After Bakoush attempted to gain entry to vehicles belonging to Mission staff, he and his co-conspirators temporarily retreated to an area just outside the Mission.

About 11:15 p.m., conspirators assembled outside the southern gate and launched a second violent attack on the Mission using AK-type assault rifles, grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades. After 30 minutes, the group entered the compound and plundered the Mission’s office of documents, maps, and computers containing sensitive information about the location of the CIA Annex.

At 12:30 a.m., conspirators attacked the Annex with small arms, assault rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades.

Following the attack at the Mission, in the early hours of September 12, 2012, the violence continued at the CIA Annex, first with gunfire and then with a precision mortar attack. While defending the Annex, Mr. Woods, Mr. Doherty, DSS Special Agent David Ubben, and CIA security specialist Mark Tiegen were hit by a precision mortar attack, leading to the deaths of Mr. Woods and Mr. Doherty. Special Agent Ubben and Mr. Tiegen were seriously wounded but survived.

The Department of Justice previously charged and convicted two leaders in the Benghazi attack on federal terrorism charges and other offenses. Ahmed Abu Khatallah, aka Ahmed Mukatallah was sentenced in June 2018 to 22 years in prison and resentenced in September 2024 to 28 years in prison. Mustafa al-Imam was sentenced in January 2020 to nearly 20 years.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office with substantial assistance from the Department of War, the CIA and the Department of State. The National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section provided additional assistance.

The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.