>>16060262

TYB

Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard Defamation Trial-Plaintiff Opening Statement-Camille Vasquez

Plaintiff Opening Statement - Benjamin Chew

Plaintiff Opening Statement - Camille Vasquez

Actor Johnny Depp is suing ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million for defamation in connection with Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed, in which she spoke out about being the victim of domestic violence. Heard’s article did not specifically name Depp as her alleged abuser, but according to Depp’s lawsuit, it relied “on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.” Amber Heard is counter-suing Depp for $100 million.

The defamation trial began Monday in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, with jury selection completing on the same day. There is a possibility of celebrity witnesses testifying, including James Franco and Elon Musk. Tune in to the Law&Crime Network for daily coverage of this high-profile trial.

https://youtu.be/4hzL1ETjrOk

New York’s Lieutenant Governor Has Been Indicted for Campaign Finance Scheme

Apr 12th, 2022, 10:37 am

New York’s Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin (D), the second-in-command to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), surrendered to federal authorities on Tuesday on a bribery conspiracy indictment accusing him of scheming to funnel money to a prior campaign.

The five-count indictment dates back to before Benjamin’s tenure as a New York state senator from 2019 until early 2021, before he became Hochul’s top lieutenant. Prosecutors say that he participated in a scheme to obtain campaign contributions from a real estate developer in return for using his senatorial position to help obtain a $50,000 for a non-profit organization controlled by that developer.

The allegedly illegal contributions were intended to benefit Benjamin’s failed campaign for comptroller in 2021, prosecutors say.

Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. She is not accused of any knowledge or wrongdoing in connection to charges.

Though the name of the alleged co-conspirator is shielded in court papers, the New York Times identified the developer as Gerald Migdol and the charity as Friends of Public School Harlem. Migdol was arrested late last year on Nov. 19, on a similar campaign finance scheme.

Benjamin engaged “in a series of lies and deceptions to cover up his scheme, including by falsifying campaign donor forms, misleading municipal regulators, and providing false information in vetting forms” while under consideration for lieutenant governor, according to his indictment.

On March 8, 2019, Benjamin allegedly informed Migdol of his plans to run for comptroller and asked him to bundle for him. When Migdol replied that his ability to bundle donations would be limited and draw from the same pool of donors for his non-profit, Benjamin replied: “Let me see what I can do,” according to the indictment.

Before that meeting, prosecutors say, Benjamin did not include Migdol’s non-profit on a list of organizations for which he requested state funds. Benjamin had, however, requested funding for another education-focused organization in Harlem that had requested funds from his office, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors say that Benjamin’s priorities quickly shifted after the meeting on March 8, 2019.

“Instead, on or about May 31, 2019, less than three months after telling CC-1, in substance and in part, ‘Let me see what I can do,’ Brian Benjamin, the defendant, called CC-1 and told CC-1 that Benjamin intended to procure a $50,000 grant for Organization-1,” the indictment states.

The state senate approved a resolution approving a grant in that amount to Friends of Public Schools Harlem on June 19, 2019, and Benjamin allegedly informed Migdol the next day in text messages.

“Do you recognize the 3rd entity on the list?” Benjamin wrote, attaching a screenshot of the resolution, according to the indictment.

Approximately two weeks later, the campaign contributions started pouring into his office at a meeting on July 8, 2019.

“During that meeting, CC-1 gave BENJAMIN: (i) a $10,000 cashier’s check in the name of one of CC-1’s relatives who did not share CC-1’s last name (‘Relative-1’); (ii) $10,000 personal check in the name of another of CC-1’s relatives who likewise did not share CC-1’s last name (‘Relative-2’); and (iii) a $5,000 check on behalf of a limited liability company controlled by CC-1 (the ‘CC-1 LLC’),” the indictment states.

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York will hold a press office at noon about the case.

A Facebook photo posted on Sept. 13, 2019 shows Benjamin holding a $50,000 check for Friends of Public Schools Harlem in a smiling photo with Migdol.

Benjamin had attended the group’s annual fundraising event a day earlier, where he presented that check. The lieutenant governor is charged with bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud, and two counts of falsification of records.

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York will hold a press office at noon about the case.

Read the indictment, below:

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21583478/us-v-brian-benjamin-indictment.pdf

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/new-yorks-lieutenant-governor-has-been-indicted-for-campaign-finance-scheme/

>>16060359

kek

You gave me an idea for an asian version of Who's on First

>>16060789

Corporate Raiders from Dimension X

The Turtles listen to April's newest broadcast, which reveals that men in business suits have kidnapped high ranking corporate executives, and the remaining execs are threatening to leave. Leonardo wonders if they should help, but Splinter, Raphael and Donatello all think that this is not their kind of crime.

However, the latest executive kidnapped works for a massive baking company that is the nation's biggest supplier of pizza crust dough, and a global pizza shortage is expected due to disruption of company operations. Taking this very personally, the Turtles decide that they're going to investigate.

They stake out another massive corporation that is due to be attacked, and see suspicious business-suited men with laser guns. Leonardo manages to get a briefcase away from them, and finds it full of stuff from the conglomerate Octopus Inc.

Unfortunately, they don't have much of a chance to infiltrate the conglomerate, given how they look. Michelangelo suggests that they get Casey Jones to infiltrate the place and find information on them. They lure Casey to the park with a fake personal ad claiming that they are going to rob a candy machine. He promptly attacks the Turtles, causing more damage to the machines than they would have. After Raphael subdues him, they explain what they want him to do.

Casey applies for a job at Octopus Inc., where his "ruthless violent attitude" and "take-charge aggressiveness" is immediately welcomed. He's brought into a new employee training program that hypnotically turns people into mindless slaves. Casey tries to escape, but is held back in his chair.

While the Turtles are anxiously waiting, more laser-toting businessmen arrive to take over a small corporation. As Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael are driven to seek cover, Donatello whips out the Retro-Catapult to fling garbage at them… but misses and hits his brothers instead. Donatello hits them with a bucket of water, which leaves the men confused and unable to remember what happened.

The Turtles infiltrate the building disguised as repairmen, and find Casey still being brainwashed. Donatello squirts Casey with water, breaking him out of it, and the human destroys the hypnotic equipment.

They accidentally overhear a board meeting where a man declares that the Octopus Stadium will be filled with all the brainwashed employees later that day, for the Grand Arising, after which they will take over the world. They keep squirting the brainwashed men, but soon discover someone has cut off the water supply to the entire building, leaving them no choice but to flee when the water runs out. With this, the Turtles realize that someone who's not brainwashed is pulling the strings.

In the office of the president of the company, they find Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop. After a massive fight, Casey and the Turtles are tied up and thrown in with an old man who has also been tied and gagged.

Leonardo manages to free himself using a hacksaw, and frees the others. They find that the old man is the president of Octopus Inc, Octavius Ogilvy; his hearing aid is broken, which made him immune to the hypnotic brainwashing. He shows them the blueprints for the Octopus Stadium, which reveals to the Turtles that the "Grand Arising" is to raise the Technodrome to the surface.

At the stadium, Donatello tinkers with the hydraulics under the stadium. But instead of the Technodrome, a vast octopus-shaped device arises from the ground and sprays the audience with water, causing all the gathered executives to wake up from their hypnotic spell.

Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady all flee the stadium, and the Turtles are congratulated by Ogilvy, who vows to make the world a better place. Raphael opines that "it may not be a realistic ending, but it is a happy one!"

https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/Corporate_Raiders_from_Dimension_X