Court Roundup

Minnesota Judge: Mental illness caused murder of grandfather ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A Ramsey County judge has decided a Stillwater man was mentally ill and didn't realize the gravity of his fatal attack on his grandfather. Thirty-year-old Timothy Novak was found not guilty of second-degree murder by reason of mental illness Monday. Novak was accused of choking and stabbing 83-year-old Eugene Novak at the grandfather's condominium in Roseville last August. Novak had been hospitalized for schizophrenia and was out on a one day pass from a transitional living center when he drove to his grandfather's place. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Judge Dale Lindman ordered Novak be committed to Regions Hospital's psychiatric ward pending a referral of his case to probate court. A probate judge will determine whether Novak should be committed indefinitely. Maine Lewiston woman sentenced for sham marriage scheme BANGOR, Maine (AP) -- A 32-year-old Lewiston woman has been sentenced to 6 months in prison for setting up fraudulent marriages between Maine residents and immigrants who were seeking to become legal residents of the United States. Torri Roy Patterson was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor. The Bangor Daily News reported that Patterson was the first of several Mainers expected to be sentenced for their roles in setting up sham marriages. According to court documents, she married a Kenyan man in 2003 and later recruited others to participate in the scheme. Judge John Woodcock said he reduced Patterson's sentence because she cooperated with federal prosecutors and testified last month in Portland against ringleader Rashid Kakande of Woburn, Mass., who was convicted by a jury and is awaiting sentencing. Texas 2nd man gets life term for killing taxi driver DENTON, Texas (AP) -- A second man has been sentenced to life in prison over the 2009 killing of a North Texas taxi driver during a robbery. Jurors in Denton on Monday convicted 24-year-old William Kirk "Billy" Stephens of capital murder. Stephens received an automatic life prison sentenced because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty over the slaying of 56-year-old Hooshang Vatanpour. Noah Whitehead, who in November was convicted and sentenced to life behind bars, testified against Stephens. The Denton Record-Chronicle reports both defendants claimed the other killed the cabbie, who picked up the pair near a Dallas bus station after they said they wanted to go to Wichita Falls. Vatanpour's stabbed and burned body was discovered in rural Denton County. California Prosecutors won't retry wrongly convicted man COMPTON, Calif. (AP) -- Prosecutors have decided not to retry a wrongly convicted California man who was freed three weeks ago after spending more than 20 years in prison. A Los Angeles judge on Monday dismissed murder charges against 37-year-old Francisco "Franky" Carrillo, who was convicted of the Jan, 18, 1991, killing of 41-year-old Donald Sarpy in a drive-by shooting on a Lynwood street. He was freed March 16, days after most of the witnesses at his trial recanted testimony. The judge did not rule on Carrillo's innocence or guilt but said the changed evidence cast doubt on the verdict. The district attorney's office on Monday asked the judge to dismiss the charges. New York Judge OKs LI housing bias case FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- A federal judge has ruled that a housing bias lawsuit against a Long Island village can go to trial. The suit accuses Farmingdale officials of trying to force Latinos out of the village's "Little Latin America" neighborhood. The suit was filed by nine Latinos and over a 54-unit apartment building. It used to house some 150 Latino residents in the predominantly white village. It was sold in 2006 and turned into luxury apartments. Their attorney, Stefan Krieger, claims the village helped oust the Latino tenants by not forcing the former owner to make needed repairs. Village lawyer Kevin Walsh tells Newsday that Farmingdale has never taken steps to limit the right of anyone to live there. Louisiana Tioga man's sex crimes trial postponed Alexandria, La. (AP) -- The trial of a Tioga man on 473 charges of sexual crimes against a juvenile relative has been postponed until June 13. The Town Talk reports 64-year-old Holland Farrell McMorris was scheduled to stand trial this week on charges including committing incest involving a female relative over more than three years when the girl was between 11 and 14 years old. The crimes allegedly occurred between May 1, 2006 and Aug. 31, 2009. One of the attorneys involved in the case had a scheduling conflict. McMorris is being held on $1 million bond for each charge. He was indicted in August. McMorris is being held on 157 counts of aggravated incest, 157 counts of sexual battery, 157 counts of molestation of a juvenile and two counts of attempted aggravated rape. Rhode Island UAE officer accused of human trafficking in RI PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- A United Arab Emirates military officer who was attending the U.S. Naval War College has been charged in Rhode Island with human trafficking. Arif Al Ali was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Providence. He pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. Prosecutors say he brought a "servant" with him when he began attending the college, which serves both the U.S. military and international military services. They say the woman is from the Philippines and that he took away her passport and did not allow her to leave his home without an escort. Prosecutors told the judge she escaped and is now in hiding. Texas Texas woman pleads to mortgage scheme LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) -- A Humble, Texas, woman pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to two counts of wire fraud in a mortgage lending scheme. Mary L. Francois, 49, the owner of America's Best Mortgage and Creative Solutions in St. Martinville, was accused of submitting false loan applications on behalf of clients to mortgage lenders. Francois also falsified documents to make it appear borrowers were purchasing homes for significantly higher amounts than the actual purchase price. Francois worked out agreements with sellers that allowed her to pocket the difference as part of her "payment for obtaining the loan," according to the stipulated factual basis for her guilty plea. The scheme began in September 2005 and continued through February 2008, resulting in about $2.3 million in mortgages for people who did not have the income or credit rating necessary to obtain loans, records show. A federal grand jury in September indicted Francois on 32 counts of wire fraud. Francois faces a possible maximum 20-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the two counts. She remains out on bail and will be sentenced later. Published: Wed, Apr 6, 2011