Los Angeles Woman Admits Faking Her Own ‘Kidnapping’ by Immigration Agents in 2025
Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderón claimed agents snatched her near a Jack in the Box. She was hiding in Bakersfield while organizers demanded her release.
Crime & Courts Reporter
Alex
Alex covers breaking crime, courts and capital cases for Max Crime. Every story is built from at least two independent news reports or an official record, and each claim is attributed to its source.
Stories by Alex
Florida Woman Admits $9.1 Million Scheme Selling Fake Nail Technician Licenses Through West Virginia
Hang Kim Thi Ngo used fake Florida beauty school records to get West Virginia licenses for unqualified workers, then bought homes and a $3.2 million building.
Quincy Man Charged With Mailing ‘HA HA’ Powder Letters to Congress Offices Under His Own Name
An FBI affidavit says Matthew Unglesbee used his real name and address as the return address and told agents the white powder was salt.
Jury Convicts Man Who Robbed a Newport News Delivery Driver of His Food, Shoes and Car
Jayveon McCloud and a co-defendant made the driver remove his shoes at gunpoint on Oct. 22, 2025. McCloud crashed the stolen car during a police chase.
Harlingen Couple Sentenced for Billing Medicare $14 Million in Wheelchair Repairs for 37 Patients
Jeremiah and Maria Luisa Yzaguirre got 110 and 80 months. They admitted billing $736,072 for one patient’s wheelchair parts that were never replaced.
Anaheim Couple Who Moved Money for Rhino Horn and Tiger Pelt Deals Get Probation
Linh Luu and Kevin Le processed $51,100 for a Vietnam-based wildlife trafficker and took $12,000 in cash from an undercover agent at a Target parking lot.
Florida Woman Convicted of Taking $152,000 in Social Security Paid to Her Dead Great-Aunt
Asha Anderson made hundreds of ATM withdrawals over nearly six years from her late great-aunt’s account, which kept receiving Social Security deposits.
Federal Prison Officer at Coleman Charged With Taking Bribes to Smuggle Drugs and Tobacco
Weston Burney is accused of accepting money in 2025 to bring tobacco and a Schedule I drug to an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida.
Two D.C. Felons Sentenced After Guns in YouTube and Instagram Videos Drew Police Attention
Investigators began watching music videos and livestreams in 2023 and later seized guns, including pistols converted to machine guns, prosecutors said.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Painting Swastikas on 12 Headstones at Jewish Cemetery
George Horn admitted targeting a Dundalk Jewish cemetery in 2023. A video on his phone showed him spray-painting two gravestones, prosecutors said.
Former MBTA Inspector Admits Faking Red Line Track Inspections and Overtime
Andy Vicente pleaded guilty to conspiracies to falsify Red Line inspection reports and collect overtime he did not work while fixing cars at Cabot Yard.
Man Convicted of Living More Than 40 Years in the U.S. Under the Identity of a Baby Who Died
A federal jury found Vidal Blanco-Blas used a dead U.S.-citizen infant’s name to get a Social Security number, a Texas license and a passport.
N.J. Man Charged Over ‘No-Show’ Hudson County Parks Job; Phone Data Put Him Elsewhere, FBI Says
An FBI complaint says Alfonso Zamarra was paid about $45,000 for a parks job he never did, citing phone data, airline records and mismatched signatures.
Atlanta Instagram Personality ‘Shawty Dred’ Indicted in $4 Million SNAP Fraud Case
Prosecutors say Mercedes Reshard New controlled more than 350 fake SNAP accounts built on stolen identities and siphoned about $4 million in food aid.
Man Who Escaped a Deputy at a Shreveport Hospital Is Indicted for a Violent Carjacking
Prosecutors say Tre'veon Jackson beat a man outside a Bossier City hotel and took his car after escaping custody on Sept. 14, 2026.
Philadelphia Postal Clerks Sentenced for Stealing Treasury Checks That Were Resold on Telegram
Two mail clerks took Treasury checks from sorting machines and two men resold them on Telegram, prosecutors said; buyers cashed about $11 million.
Milwaukee Man Gets 38 Years for Killing Letter Carrier Over a Missing Drug Package
Kevin McCaa and another man targeted Aundre Cross on his route in 2022 because they thought he had stolen their drug package, prosecutors said.
Missouri Man Admits Forging Deeds to Take at Least 14 Properties
James L. Townes Jr. used notary seals to make forged owners’ signatures look real, and at least three of the owners were already dead, prosecutors say.
St. Petersburg Man Charged With Robbing Two Banks in an ‘Old Man’ Mask
David Sartin Jr., 40, was on supervised release for a string of Texas bank robberies in the same disguise, according to an FBI affidavit.
Man Accused of Posing as a 49ers Player Is Indicted; Trial Set for December
A Portland grand jury indicted Daejon Love in a romance and investment scheme. The indictment lists five aliases and what the money allegedly paid for.
Former National Guard Drug Task Force Member Sentenced Over Machine Gun After Losing Second Amendment Challenge
Ruby Celly Uribe got two years and five months in prison after a judge rejected her claim that short-barreled rifles are protected by the Second Amendment.
Last Two Vendors Plead Guilty in Evanston/Skokie District 65 Kickback Case, Leaving No One to Try
Antonio Ross and Alfonzo Lewis pleaded guilty to paying cash kickbacks to former District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton, days before trial was set to begin.
Three Charged in Tampa With Trying to Steal More Than $2 Million in Treasury Checks Taken From the Mail
Two Brooklyn residents and a Tampa woman are indicted on charges they took Treasury checks from the mail and cashed them with fake driver’s licenses.
Chicago Man Indicted on Federal Charge of Aiming a Laser Pointer at a Police Helicopter
Ignacin Ramos, 36, pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of aiming a laser pointer at a Chicago Police Department helicopter on Aug. 11, 2026.
Kirkland Pastor Charged With Using His Church to Raise $13 Million for a Company Prosecutors Call a Sham
Cristian Popescu, a Kirkland, Washington, pastor, pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges over his company, Followone.
Tijeras Man Charged With Trying to Cast His Late Wife’s Ballot in 2024 Election: What the Court Record Shows
Patrick Perea, 62, of Tijeras, New Mexico, is charged with fraudulent voting over a ballot in his late wife’s name submitted in October 2024.
Christa Pike Is Back in Prison After Surviving Tennessee’s Lethal Injection Attempt
Christa Pike, who survived Tennessee’s Sept. 30, 2026, execution attempt, has left the hospital and is back at the women’s prison, her lawyers said.
A Discarded Water Bottle Led to a Murder Charge in a 1985 Newport Killing, Prosecutors Say
William Morton, 61, is charged with murder in the 1985 killing of Hillary Hellewell in Newport, Rhode Island, after DNA from a water bottle matched evidence.
Two Men Accused of Stabbing Off-Duty NYPD Detective in Bronx Robbery Are Arrested in Massachusetts
Two men accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes seven times in an Oct. 2, 2026, Bronx robbery were arrested in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Man Accused of Stabbing a 2-Year-Old and Her Mother at a Providence Bus Stop Was Found Unfit for Trial in Past Cases
Nelson Blanco, 46, is charged with stabbing a 2-year-old girl and her mother at a Providence bus stop on Oct. 7, 2026. The girl was in critical condition.
Man on Electronic Monitoring Charged With Murdering CTA Janitor at Damen Green Line Station
Chevazz Campbell, 37, is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 8, 2026, stabbing of CTA janitor Julian Mobley at the Damen Green Line station in Chicago.
Philadelphia Police Officer Shane Seiber Killed, Partner Wounded; Man Charged With Murder
Officer Shane Seiber, 40, was killed and his partner wounded on Oct. 10, 2026, in West Philadelphia. Eric Lewis, 35, is charged with murder, prosecutors said.
Retired San Francisco Police Sergeant Killed His Wife, a Former Deputy Chief, and Their Daughter, Sheriff Says
Ann Mannix, 65, her daughter Katherine, 24, and husband Kevin Mannix, 68, were found dead Oct. 11, 2026, near Mill Valley in a suspected murder-suicide.
Federal Agents Search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington Home in Criminal Investigation
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home on Oct. 12, 2026. Omar called it political intimidation.
Tucson Man Charged After Email Threatened ‘Mass Bombings’ at the White House, Prosecutors Say
Jacob Aaron Hicks, 46, of Tucson is charged with an interstate threat after an email to a TV station warned of White House bombings, prosecutors said.
Plan to Livestream Fort Hood Shooter’s Firing-Squad Execution Draws Pushback, Including From Republicans
Nidal Hasan is set to be executed by firing squad Dec. 3, 2026. A Pentagon plan to livestream it has drawn objections from Republicans and an archbishop.
‘Louder Than the Noise’: Trial Opens 14 Years After UNC Student Faith Hedgepeth Was Killed
Opening statements began Oct. 7, 2026, in the trial of Miguel Salguero Olivares, accused of killing UNC student Faith Hedgepeth in 2012.
‘Where Am I?’: Christa Pike Wakes Up After Failed Execution as Judge Orders Tennessee to Preserve Evidence
Christa Pike woke up days after Tennessee's failed attempt to execute her. On Oct. 7, 2026, a judge ordered the state to preserve evidence from it.
Traffic Stop In Clifton Park Leads To Over 400-Pound Cannabis Seizure
Saratoga County deputies seized 489 pounds of cannabis in a Clifton Park traffic stop on I-87. Two Franklin County men face first-degree felony charges.
Guns Recovered From Schools In Queens And Staten Island
Loaded firearms were recovered from high schools in Queens and Staten Island, while a separate stabbing outside a Bronx school left a teen wounded.
Suspect Arrested in South Carolina After Fatal Uptown Charlotte Shooting, Police Say
Tyrell Deshawn Valentine, 36, faces a murder charge in the Sept. 6, 2026, shooting death of Manuel De Jesus Martinez in uptown Charlotte, police said.
Fresno Backyard Shooting Leaves Three Shot, Including a 2-Year-Old Boy
A 2-year-old boy and two adults were injured in a Fresno backyard shooting Saturday night on East Washington Avenue. Police have detained a suspect.
Man Pleads Guilty in Bradford Walking Trail Sword Attack
Adrian Washington pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the Bradford sword attack case. Sentencing is scheduled for October 16.
Dover Police Identify Teen Killed in Dover CAVA Shooting, Seek Witnesses
Dover police have identified an 18-year-old Dover man as the victim of a fatal shooting outside a CAVA restaurant, and investigators are asking anyone.
Fight Over a Basketball May Have Sparked Deadly Shooting at Downtown San Antonio Park, Records Say
Records say a basketball dispute preceded the Aug. 30, 2026, fatal shooting at Hemisfair in San Antonio. A 23-year-old man was charged with murder.