79-year-old suffers broken ribs in CA immigration raid, lawyer says, & more cases
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
Thousands of legal cases reach U.S. courts every year. From accusations of mistreatment in prisons to fraud to sexual abuse and beyond, here are some of the latest from across the country.
Man forced migrants to work on farms, raped teen in NY, feds say. He gets prison
In New York, Augusto Mateo Francisco was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after federal prosecutors said he was convicted of forcing Guatemalan migrants to work on farms and kidnapping a 16-year-old girl, whom he is accused of repeatedly raping. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York says Francisco controlled the migrants’ wages and threatened their families in Guatemala. The sentencing includes a lifetime of supervised release and registration as a sex offender. | Published Sept. 22 | Read More
Postal carrier getting $260K in disability was lifting, carrying tables, feds say
In North Carolina, Sandra “Sandy” Cannon Throneburg pleaded guilty to fraudulently collecting over $539,000 in workers’ compensation benefits while secretly working at an accounting firm, federal prosecutors say. Throneburg, a former postal carrier, falsely claimed she was unable to work due to an injury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. She faces up to five years in federal prison. | Published Sept. 23 | Read More
Inmate demanding snacks made bombs in Georgia prison, mailed them to DOJ, feds say
In Georgia, Lena Noel Summerlin, formerly known as David Cassady, was sentenced to 80 years in prison after being accused of mailing homemade bombs to the Justice Department and a courthouse in Alaska, federal prosecutors say. Summerlin, who now identifies as a transgender woman, according to her attorney, sent the bombs and demanded various grocery items and time with her partner, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced the sentencing. | Published Sept. 23 | Read More
Firefighter arrested while battling fire is released by ICE in WA, lawyers say
In Washington, Rigoberto Hernandez Hernandez, a wildland firefighter, was arrested while fighting a fire, then detained by ICE for weeks, according to his attorneys. The Innovation Law Lab and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project sued the federal government, arguing his arrest was unlawful and based on his Latino heritage. Hernandez has since been released, according to his attorneys. | Published Sept. 25 | Read More
79-year-old suffers broken ribs, brain injury in CA immigration raid, lawyer says
In California, Rafie Ollah Shouhed, the owner of a Los Angeles car wash, filed a federal civil rights claim after his lawyer says he was injured during an immigration raid at his business. Shouhed, 79, was slammed to the ground by federal agents, resulting in broken ribs and a brain injury, according to his attorney. | Published Sept. 26 | Read More
Army civilian employee sexually abused 2 children for years in Japan, feds say
Thelmo Meneses Santos Jr., a former U.S. Army civilian employee, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two children over nearly a decade while stationed in Japan, according to federal prosecutors. Santos, 60, faces up to 15 years in federal prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. He is set to be sentenced on Feb. 10 and must register as a sex offender, prosecutors say. | Published Sept. 26 | Read More
McClatchy News continues to follow lawsuits and legal cases from around the country. Check back for more legal stories.