Mississippi ‘Goon Squad’ officers jailed for torturing two black men
Two former Mississippi sheriff’s deputies who were members of a group calling itself “the Goon Squad” have been handed lengthy prison sentences for their part in torturing two black men.
Hunter Elward, 31, was jailed for 20 years, and Jeffrey Middleton, 46, was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years on Tuesday during back-to-back proceedings at a federal court in Jackson, Mississippi, according to the US Justice Department.
They were two of six officers who burst into a house in Braxton, Mississippi, without a search warrant and assaulted Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker with stun guns, a sex toy and other objects.
(From top left) Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke and Joshua Hartfield. File pic: AP
It followed a complaint to the sheriff’s office from a white neighbour that two black men were staying with a white woman at the address and that they had seen “suspicious behaviour”.
The victims were held captive and handcuffed during a two-hour ordeal which ended with Mr Jenkins being shot in the mouth. He suffered a lacerated tongue and broken jaw.
Michael Corey Jenkins outside the federal courthouse in Jackson, Mississippi. Pic: AP
He was shot in the mouth. Pic: AP
Once inside the house, they handcuffed Mr Jenkins and his friend Mr Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces. They then forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess.
They mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns.
One of the sheriff’s deputies, Christian Dedmon, assaulted them with a sex toy.
After Elward shot Mr Jenkins in the mouth in a “mock execution” that went wrong when he pulled the trigger, the officers devised a cover-up.
This included destroying surveillance video, an attempt to burn the victims’ clothes, and planting drugs and a gun.
False charges stood against the two victims for months.
Eddie Terrell Parker was one of the victims of the attack. Pic: AP
The officers warned them to “stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River”, court documents stated, referencing an area with higher concentrations of black residents.
The former officers, all of them white, referred to themselves as “the Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force, according to papers filed in the case.
In a statement on Tuesday, attorney general Merrick Garland condemned the “heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect”.
Before sentencing Elward and Middleton, US district judge Tom Lee called their actions “egregious and despicable”.
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Elward and Middleton pleaded guilty with the other four former law enforcement officers last summer to multiple felony offences, including civil rights conspiracy, deprivation of rights under colour of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice.
Daniel Opdyke, 28, and Dedmon, 29, are set to appear separately before Judge Lee on Wednesday for sentencing.
Brett McAlpin, 53, and a former Richland police officer, Joshua Hartfield, 32, are due to be sentenced on Thursday.
The guilty pleas entered in a federal court in August were part of a larger agreement which included guilty pleas to state charges. A date has not yet been set for the sentencing in the state case.
The defendants are to serve their federal and state sentences concurrently.
Police in riot gear have raided Columbia University and arrested pro-Palestinian protesters after demonstrators occupied one of its buildings.
It comes after New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that the demonstration at the Ivy League school “must end now” and claimed it had been infiltrated by “professional outside agitators”.
University bosses said they called in the New York Police Department (NYPD) after protesters “chose to escalate the situation through their actions”.
“After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” the university said in a statement.
Police enter Hamilton Hall. Pic: Reuters
Police gather around Columbia University before moving in to break-up the protest. Pic: Reuters
Police stand guard near an encampment of protesters on the grounds of Columbia University. Pic: Reuters
Arrested protesters from Columbia University are loaded onto a bus. Pic: Reuters
“The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing.
“We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.”
The protest began when students barricaded the entrance of Hamilton Hall at the Manhattan campus on Tuesday and unfurled a Palestinian flag out of a window.
Video footage showed protesters locking arms in front of the hall and carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building.
A group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) said they had renamed the building “Hind’s Hall” in honour of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl killed in a strike on Gaza in February.
Protesters unfurled a flag with the words ‘Hind’s Hall’. Pic: Reuters
Protesters hang banners on the exterior of Hamilton Hall building.
Pic: Reuters
Demonstrators said they planned to remain at the hall until the university conceded to the CUAD’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.
However, officers moved in on the campus on Tuesday night after university bosses wrote to New York City officials and the New York Police Department formally asking for assistance.
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A large group of officers dressed in riot gear entered the campus late on Tuesday evening. Officers were also seen entering the window of a university building via a police-branded cherry-picker-style vehicle.
Earlier, Mayor Adams urged demonstrators to leave the site. “Walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means,” he said.
Columbia University also threatened academic expulsions for students involved in the demonstration.
Protesters block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. Pic: AP
Demonstrators block the entrance of Hamilton Hall. Pic: AP
Protests at Columbia earlier this month kicked off demonstrations which have spread to university campuses from California to Massachusetts.
Dozens of people were arrested on Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah, Virginia, and New Jersey.
Police moved to clear an encampment at Yale University in Connecticut on Tuesday morning, but there were no immediate reports of arrests.
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Meanwhile, the president of the University of South California issued a statement on Tuesday after a swastika was drawn on the campus.
“I condemn any antisemitic symbols or any form of hate speech against anyone,” Carol Folt said.
“Clearly it was drawn there just to incite even more anger at a time that is so painful for our community. We’re going to work to get to the bottom of this immediately, and it has just been removed.”
Earlier, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said President Joe Biden believed students occupying buildings was “absolutely the wrong approach” and “not an example of peaceful protest”.
US
Changpeng Zhao: Former boss of world’s largest crypto exchange Binance jailed for allowing money laundering
The former boss of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has been jailed for four months for allowing money laundering.
The sentence was handed down to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, nicknamed CZ, after he pleaded guilty to breaching US anti-money laundering laws designed to prevent terrorist financing and funds going to sanctioned countries.
The prison term was far less than sought by US prosecutors who wanted a three-year term – twice the maximum 18 months recommended under federal sentencing guidelines – to be tough on the man once thought to be the most powerful person in the crypto world.
The defence had called for probation with no prison time for their client. A $50m (£40m) fine has already been paid by Zhao.
Despite the massive fine, he remains a billionaire and the wealthiest crypto executive, according to Forbes, with magazine putting his wealth at $33bn (£26.4bn).
Changpeng Zhao
Zhao apologised before his sentencing at a court in Seattle, saying: “I failed here. I deeply regret my failure and I am sorry.”
But district judge Richard Jones told him: “You had the wherewithal, the finance capabilities, and the people power to make sure that every single regulation had to be complied with, and so you failed at that opportunity.”
He is the second major crypto boss to go to prison. Last month, the founder of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years for stealing billions of dollars from the now-bankrupt crypto exchange.
Bankman-Fried has appealed against his conviction and his sentence.
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Sam Bankman-Fried jailed for 25 years
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A ‘wild west’ model
Zhao stepped down from his role at Binance in November after he and the company admitted evading requirements under the US Bank Secrecy Act.
The company agreed to a $4.3bn (£3.4bn) penalty as prosecutors said it used a “wild west” model that failed to report 100,000 suspicious transactions involving terrorist groups.
Prosecutors had also said Binance supported the sale of child sexual abuse material and received the proceeds of ransomware cyberattacks.
The US Justice Department brought the case as part of its clamp down on criminal activity within cryptocurrency, best known for Bitcoin.
Binance is also being investigated and sued by another US agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company had once processed about two-thirds of all cryptocurrency transactions.
A two-year-old boy has died after a bouncy castle was lifted off the ground by a strong gust of wind, US authorities have said.
The parents of the boy – named in reports as Bodhi Naaf – are “grappling with unimaginable grief” following the incident on Saturday, a Go Fund Me page said.
The “tragic accident” happened near Casa Grande, Arizona, according to a statement from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
“Several children were playing in a bounce house when a strong gust of wind sent it airborne into the neighbouring lot,” the sheriff’s office said.
“A two-year-old child was transported to the hospital where he passed away.”
A second child was taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Sky’s US partner NBC reported.
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A GoFundMe page has been set for up for Bodhi’s parents Karl and Cristy, who are expecting a child in late May.
“This devastating loss has left Karl and Cristy grappling with unimaginable grief,” it said.
“Adding to their challenges, Cristy is due to give birth to their second child on 31 May 2024. Amidst their sorrow, they face the daunting task of preparing for the arrival of their newborn.
“As a community, we want to offer our support and alleviate the financial burden that accompanies such tragedies.”
The fundraising page has received than $138,000 (£110,000).
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A spokesperson for the Phoenix Fire Department confirmed the couple has ties to the department, which is providing them with support, NBC said.
The statement said: “We are all devastated by this tremendous loss of life. The fire service prides itself on being one big family.
“Our membership and our department are doing everything we can to support Karl and Cristy during this difficult time.”
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