A recent news report says Mexican drug cartels are recruiting from the military ranks. An article on FOXNews.com is sounding the alarm on drug cartels recruiting hit men from the Army. The article makes its case on the apprehension of three former Army soldiers in the last several years. FOXNews.com mentions the recent sentencing of Michael Apodaca, a private first class who was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. He did a hit for a drug cartel and was sentenced to life in prison July 25. Apodaca was first arrested for the contract killing in 2009. The article also mentions a…
Browsing: Crime
June 3 marked day one of Pfc. Bradley Manning’s long-awaited court martial for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified government documents to WikiLeaks. Manning has already agreed to plead guilty to several charges on his sheet — just not aiding the enemy. The others carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, while treason could land him in prison for life. In order for prosecutors to make a case that Manning aided the enemy, they have to prove that he knew the documents he leaked might end up in al-Qaida’s hands. In the first three days of testimony this week,…
Almost eight years ago, Capt. Phillip Esposito and 1st Lt. Louis Allen, from the New York National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division, were killed when an anti-personnel mine detonated in a window of their room at their headquarters in Tikrit, Iraq. One of their soldiers, Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez, was charged and tried on murder charges. He was acquitted in December 2008 in the two officers’ June 7, 2005, deaths. Since then, Barbara Allen, Louis Allen’s wife, has fought, unsuccessfully, for her husband’s death certificate to be changed to reflect a hostile death, which would qualify him for a Purple Heart.…
Many veterans are reluctant to accept a hug for their service. But then there’s former Chicago Police commander Jon Burge, who was convicted last year of lying about the torture of murder suspects. He contends his Army duty in Korea and Vietnam should soften his penalty. Burge, a Bronze Star medal recipient, was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice because of how he answered questions during a lawsuit. His attorneys argue he should be sentenced to less than the 15- to 21-month range advised by the probation department. The sentencing ceiling is about 30 years, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.
