Authorities are expanding their investigation of clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans to include church leaders suspected of shielding predatory priests and failing to report crimes to law enforcement. Louisiana State Police last week carried out a sweeping search warrant at the Archdiocese of New Orleans targeting a long-secreted cache of church records and communications between church leaders and the Vatican about the handling of clergy sexual abuse claims. The warrant revealed new details about the sex-trafficking investigation. Church officials in New Orleans and the Vatican did not respond to requests for comment.
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Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has been sentenced to four months in prison for allowing rampant money laundering on the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Tuesday's sentence came after Zhao pleaded guilty in November to one count of failing to take required anti-money-laundering measures. He also stepped down as Binance agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle related allegations. U.S. officials said Zhao deliberately looked the other way as people conducted transactions that supported child sex abuse, the illegal drug trade and terrorism.
AP
FILE - From left, brothers Filip Ingebrigtsen, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Henrik Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, react after competing in the men's 5000 meter final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 30, 2019. Father of Ingebrigtsen brothers is charged with abuse of “one of his minor children,” lawyer says. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick, File)
A tipline set up 26 years ago to combat online child exploitation is “enormously valuable” but hasn't lived up to its potential. That’s what a new report from the Stanford Internet Observatory released on Monday has found. The report says CyberTipline needs technological and other improvements to help law enforcement go after abusers and rescue victims. The sheer amount of tips are overwhelming law enforcement, but the report's authors say the core problems are more than just volume. For instance, many of the reports tech companies send in are “low quality” and don’t have enough details, according to the report. That makes it hard for law enforcement to know which reports to prioritize.
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife LaQuetta have been charged with endangering and abusing their teenage daughter. Charges filed Monday by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office allege the mayor repeatedly hit his daughter in the head with a broom, knocking her out. He and his wife are also accused of repeatedly punching her. Small declined comment, referring inquiries to his lawyer, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Small previously said he, his wife and daughter were dealing with a private family matter that did not constitute a crime. LaQuetta Small is superintendent of Atlantic City schools.
The Portuguese Catholic Church says it will pay some form of compensation to victims of sex abuse by clergy. The country's Bishops Conference said Thursday the church will set up a fund with contributions from all dioceses to meet the eventual payments. A 2023 report said more than 4,800 people may have been victims of child sex abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church. More than 500 alleged victims have come forward with their stories. Victims will have to submit their requests between June and December. An evaluation commission will then decide how much money the victims will receive.
A woman who worked at New Hampshire’s youth detention center three decades ago says supervisors and staff were dismissive at best and menacing at worst when she reported suspected abuse. Karen Lemoine was the first witness in the first trial seeking to hold the state accountable for the abuse of children at the Sununu Youth Services Center, a Manchester facility once called the Youth Development Center. Since the state launched an investigation in 2019, more than 1,100 residents have filed lawsuits alleging six decades of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and 11 former state workers have been arrested.
The mother of an autistic boy shown being hit and punched by a school bus aide released a copy of bus surveillance video. Jessica Vestal says she suspects the kind of abuse that went undetected against her son is also happening to other children who, like him, can't speak and report what happened to them. Court records show the aide has been charged with one count of third-degree assault on an at risk person. She was released from jail shortly after her arrest but didn't return a telephone call seeking comment. Lawyers from the public defender’s office represent her and do not comment to the media on their cases.
The Office of the State’s Attorney for Talbot County has announced the conviction of a man charged with abusing a 1-year-old boy and assaulting a 13-year-old girl.
The Office of the State’s Attorney for Wicomico County has announced the sentencing of a man convicted of assault and child abuse stemming from an altercation last year.
