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Dereck Hounakey, 32, a West African immigrant from Togo, plead guilty to charges of human trafficking in a sex worker operation out of New Jersey. Hounakey has been in custody since he was arrested in 2007 along with his mother, Akouavi Kpade Afolabi, and Lassissi Afolabi, who authorities say may be her husband. A fourth person, Geoffry Kouevi, was charged later.

Hounakey admitted to having sex with some of the girls, ranging in age from 10 to 17. Hounakey faces up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Jose Linares scheduled sentencing for June 22.

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Marc Bruce, president and owner of the former MDB1 Inc. in Lincoln Park, is heading to court with four counts of tax evasion and one of corrupt or forcible interference with internal revenue laws. The IRS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit say Marc Bruce failed to pay $244,000 on a cumulative income of $890,000 from 2001 to 2004. Federal officials contend Bruce willfully avoided tax payments and tried to conceal his income, and that he impeded the IRS by not paying taxes that were due when he transferred business operations to another company. Included with all these charges, he is being accused of using a business-cash concealment scheme by transferring assets to other parties.

Tax evasion is a serious matter and one that will catch with you in the long run. Do not fall behind on your tax payments or try to get some change through the cracks of your business or corporation.

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With the ever-growing realm of internet crimes, federal prosecutors are upgrading into the times with thoughts of new sentencing guidelines. Michael Dubose at the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property has warned “cyber-criminals are increasingly using sophisticated technological tools like ‘proxies’ to evade detection and prosecution.” These proxies might be considered as “sophisticated means” in the near future, upping the sentencing on criminals who use them, directly or indirectly.

If you’re not aware of it right now, you might be using a “sophisticated mean” to just view this blog! Many corporations and universities across the country use special network routers and server or proxy protocols to transfer their pipeline internet connections to users in their networks. Someone who downloads an illegal mp3 might get tagged with an extra “sophisticated mean” to their sentence just because it was on a proxied-up internet connection.

Internet crime is on the rise in detection and prosecution, so be careful what and where you download or do on your computer. The eye in the sky, or rather the internet, could be watching you.

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Carl Johnson, an offensive lineman at UF, will only face a temporary injunction placed on him by an ex-girlfriend. Johnson will not be charged with rape and will not be charged for violating the injunction last month, Johnson’s lawyer said Monday. “There will be no charges filed against him, period, by the state of Florida,” said his attorney. “There will be no charges pressed against him for any sort of date rape. There will be no charges pressed against him for violating the restraining order.”
Johnson, who started eight games on Florida’s offensive line in 2008, including the BCS Championship game, had an injunction for protection against sexual violence placed on him on February 9th.

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Artis Leon Ivey, 45, also known by his rapper name Coolio, has been charged with cocaine possession in Los Angeles, CA. He was also charged in the same incident with battery. Authorities say he grabbed a screener’s arm to prevent a luggage search that turned up the drugs. Ivey was charged with one felony count of possession and one misdemeanor count each of battery and possession of paraphernalia. He was released on $10,000 bail and is scheduled for arraignment April 3.

Coolio is soon to be living in his very own Gangster’s Paradise in the pen. Cocaine charges are not a joke and I’m sure he won’t be Smilin’ any time in the near future. It’s interesting when celebrities get caught and noticing how authorities and prosecution deal with them, usually leniently. We’ll see how he ‘Slide, slide, slippity slides’ out of this Fantastic Voyage.

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Alphonso Tyrone Pitts, 24, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with a Florida City shooting that left one person dead and another wounded. Pitts allegedly targeted Tyrone Louis, 31, and Charlie Brown, 32, in the 1200 block of Northwest Eighth Court. Louis died immediately and Brown was airlifted to the local trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition as of last Wednesday. Pitts was riding in a car with a friend and his girlfriend when he saw the two men walking along the street. Police said he told his girlfriend, who was driving, to circle around them as he pulled out a rifle and shot them.

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Jamar Hornsby, Ole Miss football signee, is already in trouble in Mississippi, after being arrested and charged with aggravated assault in Starkville on March 2nd for allegedly using brass knuckles on a man resulting in his severe injury. Hornsby was arrested in May 2008 while a member of the Florida football team and eventually convicted of four misdemeanor counts of credit card fraud in Alachua County, FL. He used a friend’s credit card following her death in 2007, buying almost $3,000 worth of gas. After his arrest, Hornsby was kicked off the Florida team. As part of his punishment, he was sentenced to a year of probation in December.

Theft and violation of probation (VOP) are criminal matters dealt with by local authorities and prosecutors with zeal and veracity. Do not let them throw the book at you; you need to fight back with an experience and ready lawyer.

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Gunfire erupted between two high schoolers at a Jacksonville high school recently. Police say no injuries occurred when gun shots rang out between two school buildings in the morning of a normal school day last Tuesday. Six students have been detained for further questioning in result of the discharge of weapons in relation to a fight between two groups of students. FCAT testing was going on the day of the incident and has been postponed. One student was found to be in possession of one of the guns; the other firearm was located in a trash can.

Despite Florida Law, and many laws across all the states, the school’s designation of being a “Gun-Free Zone” had no bearing on the criminals. Potential lives could have been lost in the crossfire and police could only arrive on the scene after the fact. Florida Statute 790.115 states:

A person shall not possess any firearm, electric weapon or device, destructive device, or other weapon as defined in s. 790.001(13), including a razor blade or box cutter, except as authorized in support of school-sanctioned activities, at a school-sponsored event or on the property of any school, school bus, or school bus stop

This means people can not possess firearms, regardless of licensing, on any school property. In this incident, obviously the age of the minors in question makes it an automatic offense ANYWHERE for possession of a handgun.

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Ruth Madoff is under heat in regards to whether she can continue to stay at her living quarters or if she has to let the government seize them. Lawyers of Bernie Madoff are claiming that millions in assets of Bernie are in the escrow of Mrs. Madoff and thus untouchable or not relevant in a court of law.

The article, from the New York Times, goes on to say that to argue that the assets in Ms. Madoff’s name are in fact separate, it will be necessary for her to show they were acquired by untainted money. That may be difficult to prove because the records from Mr. Madoff’s investment advisory business do not appear to be very clear. If the government is able to show the brokerage operation was supported by the Ponzi scheme, then money taken from that business may not be immune to forfeiture.

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