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Dillon Jordan, a producer on projects including Netflix movie The Kindergarten Teacher and A24 film Skin, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to operate an international prostitution ring. He used his production company, PaperChase Films, as a front for the operation, said federal prosecutors in an announcement.
Jordan, 50, of Arrowhead Lake, California, on Thursday in New York federal court pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to violate the Mann Act, a federal law prohibiting transportation of people across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity. Under the plea agreement, three lesser charges of enticement, use of interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity and money laundering were dismissed. He faces up to five years in prison. He will also forfeit 1.4 million in ill-gotten gains.
In June 2021, federal prosecutors indicted Jordan in connection with overseeing a prostitution ring, which allegedly had a roster of...
Dillon Jordan, a producer on projects including Netflix movie The Kindergarten Teacher and A24 film Skin, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to operate an international prostitution ring. He used his production company, PaperChase Films, as a front for the operation, said federal prosecutors in an announcement.
Jordan, 50, of Arrowhead Lake, California, on Thursday in New York federal court pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to violate the Mann Act, a federal law prohibiting transportation of people across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity. Under the plea agreement, three lesser charges of enticement, use of interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity and money laundering were dismissed. He faces up to five years in prison. He will also forfeit 1.4 million in ill-gotten gains.
In June 2021, federal prosecutors indicted Jordan in connection with overseeing a prostitution ring, which allegedly had a roster of...
- 9/1/2022
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Previously on July 11, 2022: Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah has reversed course, now pleading guilty to running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme.
In an agreement with federal prosecutors, Shah pleaded guilty Monday to a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the Department of Justice news release. She originally pleaded not guilty in April 2021 to charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud.
“Jennifer Shah was a key participant in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims,” said Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in a statement. “These victims were sold false promises of financial security but instead Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it. This Office is committed to rooting out these schemes whatever form they take.”
Shah faces up to 14 years...
In an agreement with federal prosecutors, Shah pleaded guilty Monday to a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the Department of Justice news release. She originally pleaded not guilty in April 2021 to charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud.
“Jennifer Shah was a key participant in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims,” said Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in a statement. “These victims were sold false promises of financial security but instead Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it. This Office is committed to rooting out these schemes whatever form they take.”
Shah faces up to 14 years...
- 7/11/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Jen Shah, the controversial star of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, has changed her plea in a telemarketing scheme scandal.
The reality TV star appeared in a New York court on Monday and switched her original plea of not guilty to guilty of fraud and money laundering charges.
According to a Twitter thread from Inner City Press' Matthew Russell Lee, Shah told Judge Sidney H. Stein she had committed "Wire fraud, offering services with little to no value."
"We used interstate telephones and emails. I knew many of the purchasers were over the age of 55. I am so sorry," the 48-year-old reportedly said.
The judge is said to have questioned things being purchased. Shah allegedly explained that she had offered "misrepresentations, regarding the value of the product or service, of which it had little to none."
"Did you know it was wrong and illegal?" the judge responded.
The reality TV star appeared in a New York court on Monday and switched her original plea of not guilty to guilty of fraud and money laundering charges.
According to a Twitter thread from Inner City Press' Matthew Russell Lee, Shah told Judge Sidney H. Stein she had committed "Wire fraud, offering services with little to no value."
"We used interstate telephones and emails. I knew many of the purchasers were over the age of 55. I am so sorry," the 48-year-old reportedly said.
The judge is said to have questioned things being purchased. Shah allegedly explained that she had offered "misrepresentations, regarding the value of the product or service, of which it had little to none."
"Did you know it was wrong and illegal?" the judge responded.
- 7/11/2022
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Film producer Dillon Jordan was arrested today by federal agents and charged with running what was described as “an extensive and far-reaching” prostitution ring.
Arrested in San Bernadino County, Jordan was charged with enticement, use of interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity, and money laundering.
Jordan, the backer of the 2018 Maggie Gyllenhaal drama The Kindergarten Teacher (which won a directing award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival), allegedly ran the ring with the help of a British madam. His activities spanned 2010 to 2017, according to an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York.
He founded PaperChase Films in 2013. His films include 2019’s The Kid with Ethan Hawke.
The 49-year-old Jordan allegedly used his movie production company and a California-based event-planning firm to launder the money from the prostitution activities, the court papers allege.
“As alleged, for years, Dillon Jordan operated an extensive and far-reaching prostitution business, using a purported event...
Arrested in San Bernadino County, Jordan was charged with enticement, use of interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity, and money laundering.
Jordan, the backer of the 2018 Maggie Gyllenhaal drama The Kindergarten Teacher (which won a directing award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival), allegedly ran the ring with the help of a British madam. His activities spanned 2010 to 2017, according to an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York.
He founded PaperChase Films in 2013. His films include 2019’s The Kid with Ethan Hawke.
The 49-year-old Jordan allegedly used his movie production company and a California-based event-planning firm to launder the money from the prostitution activities, the court papers allege.
“As alleged, for years, Dillon Jordan operated an extensive and far-reaching prostitution business, using a purported event...
- 7/16/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Jujamcyn Theaters will increase wheelchair accessibility and make other improvements at its five Broadway venues as part of a lawsuit settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan.
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced both the filing and settlement of the lawsuit yesterday. The agreement, she said, covers five of Broadway’s “most historic theaters”: the Al Hirschfeld, the August Wilson, the Eugene O’Neill and the St. James.
With the Jujamcyn settlement, all three of the major Broadway theater owners “have committed to making their venues significantly more accessible to people with disabilities,” Strauss said in a statement. Similar suits were filed and settled with the Shubert and Nederlander organizations in 2003 and 2014, respectively.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jujamcyn has agreed to provide a total of 44 wheelchair accessible seating locations, and direct its ticket vendors...
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced both the filing and settlement of the lawsuit yesterday. The agreement, she said, covers five of Broadway’s “most historic theaters”: the Al Hirschfeld, the August Wilson, the Eugene O’Neill and the St. James.
With the Jujamcyn settlement, all three of the major Broadway theater owners “have committed to making their venues significantly more accessible to people with disabilities,” Strauss said in a statement. Similar suits were filed and settled with the Shubert and Nederlander organizations in 2003 and 2014, respectively.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jujamcyn has agreed to provide a total of 44 wheelchair accessible seating locations, and direct its ticket vendors...
- 7/14/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Authorities in New York City have arrested 49-year-old Angel Pereda of Mexico for trying to sell forged art that he claimed had been created by famous artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, for millions of dollars, according to the United States attorney for the Southern District.
The alleged crimes occurred in 2020 and 2021, with Pereda approaching auction houses in New York to sell artworks he claimed to be created by Basquiat and Haring, among others.
“If real, such works would be worth millions,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said...
The alleged crimes occurred in 2020 and 2021, with Pereda approaching auction houses in New York to sell artworks he claimed to be created by Basquiat and Haring, among others.
“If real, such works would be worth millions,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said...
- 7/12/2021
- by Andrea Marks
- Rollingstone.com
If there's one thing Bravo stars are going to do, it's bring the drama. However, no one could've predicted that Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Jen Shah, 47, would be taken into police custody for allegedly running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. On Tuesday, March 30, law enforcement arrested the reality TV personality and her assistant, Stuart Smith, 43. Per the U.S. Attorney Office for the Southern District of New York, they are both facing two charges each—conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In a press release, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss claimed the...
- 3/31/2021
- E! Online
Jen Shah from Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” has been indicted and arrested for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges, brought about from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, were announced on Tuesday. Shah was arrested along with her assistant, Stuart Smith, who has also been featured on the show, as one of her many assistants.
The charges allege that from 2012 until today, Shah, Smith and others ran a telemarketing scheme that defrauded older people by selling “lead lists” for nonexistent business opportunities.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on ‘reality’ television, and Stuart Smith, who is portrayed as Shah’s ‘first assistant,’ allegedly generated and sold ‘lead lists’ of...
The charges allege that from 2012 until today, Shah, Smith and others ran a telemarketing scheme that defrauded older people by selling “lead lists” for nonexistent business opportunities.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Jennifer Shah, who portrays herself as a wealthy and successful businessperson on ‘reality’ television, and Stuart Smith, who is portrayed as Shah’s ‘first assistant,’ allegedly generated and sold ‘lead lists’ of...
- 3/30/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
San Francisco, March 6 (Ians) Prominent tech figure John McAfee, who founded the leading antivirus software provider McAfee, has been charged with securities fraud in the US over a cryptocurrency scheme that he ran on Twitter.
According to federal prosecutors, McAfee and his executive advisor-cum-bodyguard Jimmy Gale Watson Jr, earned nearly $2 million by requesting Twitter followers to invest in cryptocurrencies like Reddcoin and Dogecoin.
They later sold off their own holdings as the price of these cryptocurrencies went up, reports The Verge.
"McAfee and Watson exploited a widely used social media platform and enthusiasm among investors in the emerging cryptocurrency market to make millions through lies and deception," US Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement on Friday.
"The defendants allegedly used McAfee's Twitter account to publish messages to hundreds of thousands of his Twitter followers touting various cryptocurrencies through false and misleading statements to conceal their true, self-interested motives."
A computer programmer and businessman,...
According to federal prosecutors, McAfee and his executive advisor-cum-bodyguard Jimmy Gale Watson Jr, earned nearly $2 million by requesting Twitter followers to invest in cryptocurrencies like Reddcoin and Dogecoin.
They later sold off their own holdings as the price of these cryptocurrencies went up, reports The Verge.
"McAfee and Watson exploited a widely used social media platform and enthusiasm among investors in the emerging cryptocurrency market to make millions through lies and deception," US Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement on Friday.
"The defendants allegedly used McAfee's Twitter account to publish messages to hundreds of thousands of his Twitter followers touting various cryptocurrencies through false and misleading statements to conceal their true, self-interested motives."
A computer programmer and businessman,...
- 3/6/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Federal prosecutors charged three men for their alleged involvement in an international piracy operation.
In a release that includes the Manhattan federal court filing, Jonatan Correa, Umar Ahmad and George Bridi were indicted on charges of copyright infringement conspiracy, with Bridi also being charged for wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate. The three men were charged in connection with their involvement in the Sparks Group, which pirates and distributes films and TV shows online.
The extent of the allegations is wide-reaching: the report suggests that almost every major film in recent years could have been pirated by the group. But as of Wednesday, dozens of Sparks Group servers have been shut down throughout the globe.
“The group allegedly circumvented copyright protections on nearly every movie released by major production studios, as well as television shows, and distributed them by way of a worldwide network of servers,...
In a release that includes the Manhattan federal court filing, Jonatan Correa, Umar Ahmad and George Bridi were indicted on charges of copyright infringement conspiracy, with Bridi also being charged for wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate. The three men were charged in connection with their involvement in the Sparks Group, which pirates and distributes films and TV shows online.
The extent of the allegations is wide-reaching: the report suggests that almost every major film in recent years could have been pirated by the group. But as of Wednesday, dozens of Sparks Group servers have been shut down throughout the globe.
“The group allegedly circumvented copyright protections on nearly every movie released by major production studios, as well as television shows, and distributed them by way of a worldwide network of servers,...
- 8/27/2020
- by Eli Countryman
- Variety Film + TV
Update: Former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon is free on a $5 million bond, secured by $1.75 million in assets, on charges of fraud and money laundering.
A smiling Bannon left federal court in Manhattan with a smile, claiming his indictment was a “fiasco.” Bannon said that “This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall.”
Bannon has pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges in an alleged scheme to steal cash donated to a “We Build the Wall” online fundraiser.
The charges were brought by Southern District of New York prosecutors who work for the federal Department of Justice.
Earlier: Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to Donald Trump, has been indicted by federal prosecutors in an alleged scheme along with others to funnel money from a We Build the Wall crowdfunding campaign for their own personal benefit.
Bannon was named along with three other defendants,...
A smiling Bannon left federal court in Manhattan with a smile, claiming his indictment was a “fiasco.” Bannon said that “This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall.”
Bannon has pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges in an alleged scheme to steal cash donated to a “We Build the Wall” online fundraiser.
The charges were brought by Southern District of New York prosecutors who work for the federal Department of Justice.
Earlier: Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to Donald Trump, has been indicted by federal prosecutors in an alleged scheme along with others to funnel money from a We Build the Wall crowdfunding campaign for their own personal benefit.
Bannon was named along with three other defendants,...
- 8/21/2020
- by Ted Johnson and Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
R. Kelly’s manager Donnell Russell has been charged in New York with threatening to shoot up a Manhattan screening room that was showing the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly in 2018.
The charges were announced today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI. Russell was one of three Kelly associates arrested earlier this week for setting fire to a parked car in an attempt to intimidate a witness who was planning to testify in the federal sexual abuse case against Kelly.
The singer has been in custody at a Chicago jail since last summer, when he was arrested on charges related to the sexual abuse of minors in Chicago and Brooklyn.
In the latest charges, Russell faces two counts of threatening physical harm by interstate communication and conspiracy to do the same for placing a threatening phone call on December...
The charges were announced today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI. Russell was one of three Kelly associates arrested earlier this week for setting fire to a parked car in an attempt to intimidate a witness who was planning to testify in the federal sexual abuse case against Kelly.
The singer has been in custody at a Chicago jail since last summer, when he was arrested on charges related to the sexual abuse of minors in Chicago and Brooklyn.
In the latest charges, Russell faces two counts of threatening physical harm by interstate communication and conspiracy to do the same for placing a threatening phone call on December...
- 8/14/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Days after three men associated with R. Kelly were arrested on allegations they bribed and intimidated witnesses, one of those men — Kelly’s former advisor Donnell Russell — was given an additional charge stemming from a gun threat that forced the evacuation of a Surviving R. Kelly screening in December 2018.
Russell was charged with two counts of threatening physical harm by interstate communication and conspiracy to do the same after allegedly placing the threatening phone call to New York’s NeueHouse moments before the theater premiered portions of the Lifetime documentary.
Russell was charged with two counts of threatening physical harm by interstate communication and conspiracy to do the same after allegedly placing the threatening phone call to New York’s NeueHouse moments before the theater premiered portions of the Lifetime documentary.
- 8/14/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
R. Kelly manager Donnell Russell was charged with two criminal counts connected to a threatening phone call made in 2018 to “shoot up” a New York City theater scheduled to play the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary about the embattled singer.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Russell faces two criminal charges: threatening physical harm by interstate communication and conspiracy to do the same.
He is accused of placing a threatening phone call to a movie theater in Manhattan to prevent a December 2018 screening of a docuseries exploring allegations of R. Kelly’s sexual abuse. The screening, which was set to be attended by some accusers, was canceled. Russell was in Chicago at the time he allegedly contacted a NeueHouse Theater employee directly via a number associated with his home and threatened that there was someone prepared to shoot up the screening,...
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Russell faces two criminal charges: threatening physical harm by interstate communication and conspiracy to do the same.
He is accused of placing a threatening phone call to a movie theater in Manhattan to prevent a December 2018 screening of a docuseries exploring allegations of R. Kelly’s sexual abuse. The screening, which was set to be attended by some accusers, was canceled. Russell was in Chicago at the time he allegedly contacted a NeueHouse Theater employee directly via a number associated with his home and threatened that there was someone prepared to shoot up the screening,...
- 8/14/2020
- by Lindsey Ellefson
- The Wrap
Acting United States attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss and assistant FBI director Bill Sweeney led a press conference Thursday to outline the charges against Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who Sweeney says “slithered off” to New Hampshire recently.
Strauss confirmed Maxwell was arrested Thursday in New Hampshire and the charges focus on her actions from 1994 to 1997. She called Maxwell’s charges “the prequel” to the charges filed against Epstein in July 2019, as they focused on his actions from 2002 to 2005.
The acting Us attorney described how Maxwell’s charges came as a result of the investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center last August.
Also Read: Read the Indictment Against Jeffrey Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell
“Maxwell was among Epstein’s closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old.
Strauss confirmed Maxwell was arrested Thursday in New Hampshire and the charges focus on her actions from 1994 to 1997. She called Maxwell’s charges “the prequel” to the charges filed against Epstein in July 2019, as they focused on his actions from 2002 to 2005.
The acting Us attorney described how Maxwell’s charges came as a result of the investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center last August.
Also Read: Read the Indictment Against Jeffrey Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell
“Maxwell was among Epstein’s closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old.
- 7/2/2020
- by Lindsey Ellefson
- The Wrap
A U.S. Army private is accused of planning a violent attack on his own unit with the Order of the Nine Angles — a neo-Nazi satanic group based in the U.K., sometimes called the O9A or Ona — according to a grand-jury indictment unsealed Monday.
Ethan Melzer, a 22-year-old soldier from Louisville, Kentucky, is charged with conspiring and attempting to murder U.S. nationals, conspiring and attempting to murder military service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiring to murder and maim in a foreign country,...
Ethan Melzer, a 22-year-old soldier from Louisville, Kentucky, is charged with conspiring and attempting to murder U.S. nationals, conspiring and attempting to murder military service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiring to murder and maim in a foreign country,...
- 6/23/2020
- by EJ Dickson
- Rollingstone.com
Update:
Attorney General Bill Barr released a statement on Saturday saying that because federal prosecutor Geoffrey Berman will not voluntarily step down, he has been fired.
According to the New York Times, the statement says that Berman had “chosen public spectacle over public service.”
Barr’s statement continued, “Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so.”
The Ag also said that Berman’s top deputy, Audrey Strauss, would become the acting United States Attorney.
Attorney General Bill Barr released a statement on Saturday saying that because federal prosecutor Geoffrey Berman will not voluntarily step down, he has been fired.
According to the New York Times, the statement says that Berman had “chosen public spectacle over public service.”
Barr’s statement continued, “Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so.”
The Ag also said that Berman’s top deputy, Audrey Strauss, would become the acting United States Attorney.
- 6/20/2020
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
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