Illinois
Chicago-area man charged with hate crimes for swastikas
WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago man has been charged with hate crimes after allegedly placing swastika stickers on a county board candidate's campaign signs, a prosecutor said Monday.
Keith Klingeman, 49, of Naperville, was charged with two counts of hate crime and one count of criminal damage to property, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said.
Between Oct. 2 and Oct. 16, Klingeman allegedly placed homemade swastika stickers on two campaign signs belonging to Patricia Gustin, a candidate for the DuPage County Board, Berlin said.
Klingeman surrendered Friday at the Naperville Police Station and was released on bond from custody, Berlin said.
"The allegations against Mr. Klingeman are simply despicable," Berlin said. "Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society. All of us deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and anyone who violates this principle based on race, religion or any other hateful prejudice will be held accountable."
It wasn't clear whether Klingeman has an attorney who might comment on the allegations against him.
The campaign sign stickers were the latest in a series of swastika incidents in the Chicago area this year. A suburban Chicago man was with spray-painting swastikas on several homes and motor vehicles in July. Another Chicago-area man was charged with hate crimes in February for vandalism and antisemitic graffiti, including swastikas, at a synagogue and affiliated Jewish school in Chicago.
Washington
Man gets 14 months in prison for his role in U.S. Capitol riot
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man was sentenced Monday to 14 months in prison on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Prosecutors said Troy Sargent, 38, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, swung his hand at a U.S. Capitol police officer, briefly making contact with him. Sargent's lawyer had said his client touched the officer's visor.
Another officer instructed Sargent and others not to attack people, prosecutors had said. Soon after that, according to the prosecutors, Sargent advanced toward the front of the crowd and swung his open hand toward the same officer. He made contact with someone else in the crowd.
Sargent was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol but did not enter the building itself during the violence, which was carried out by supporters of former President Donald Trump intent on stopping the transfer of presidential power to Democrat Joe Biden.
Sargent later posted on Facebook, "I got two hits in on the same rookie cop."
He was arrested in March 2021. In June, Sargent pleaded guilty in the nation's capital to the assault-related charge, civil disorder, and four related misdemeanor offenses.
The government requested a 27-month sentence. Sargent's attorney asked for six months, followed by two years of supervised release.
"Troy Sargent has clearly acknowledged the harm he caused, both to the Court and to his family," his lawyer said in a sentencing memorandum. "He has truly accepted responsibility by making significant changes in his behavior."
Nearly 900 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol breach.
California
Man gets 10 years for $25M cellphone scheme
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles cellphone store owner who stole some $25 million from wireless carriers by illegally unlocking phones was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison.
Argishti Khudaverdyan, 44, of Burbank, also was ordered to pay nearly $28.5 million in restitution, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office.
Khudaverdyan owned a T-Mobile retail store in the Eagle Rock neighborhood. In a years-long scheme, he unlocked hundreds of thousands of cellphones on T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and other phone networks, prosecutors said.
Unlocking phones allowed the phones to be switched to another carrier or be sold on the black market, authorities said.
Khudaverdyan also removed blocks that carriers placed in the case of lost or stolen phones, prosecutors said.
To unlock the phones, Khudaverdyan used phishing emails and other methods to trick T-Mobile employees into providing their information. He and others stole credentials from more than 50 employees nationwide, authorities said.
In August, Khudaverdyan was convicted of 14 felonies including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, conspiracy and illegally accessing a computer without authorization.
A co-defendant, Alen Gharehbagloo, 43, of La Cañada Flintridge pleaded guilty in July to wire fraud and other charges. He will be sentenced in February.
Florida
White police officer acquitted of shoving of Black woman
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida jury sided Monday with a white Florida police officer accused of shoving a kneeling Black woman to the ground during a protest more than two years ago.
Broward County jurors acquitted Fort Lauderdale officer Steven Pohorence, 31, of a battery charge, the Sun Sentinel reported. The jury was made up of three men, two of whom were Black, and three women. The misdemeanor was punishable by up to a year in jail.
Prosecutors said Pohorence shoved a then-19-year-old protester who was kneeling during one of the demonstrations that occurred across the U.S. following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Prosecutor Chris Killoran said Pohorence was frustrated during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in downtown Fort Lauderdale when he pushed the woman, which was an unnecessary and criminal overreaction.
Defense lawyer Michael Dutko said the woman's raised arms were at the level of the officer's gun, and video evidence was unclear whether the officer and the woman ever actually made contract.
Pohorence had been placed on administrative leave without pay after being charged. It was not immediately clear if or when he would return to work.
