A Mesa police officer was indicted for eight felonies counts on Wednesday.
According to Attorney General Terry Goddard, Department of Public Safety Director Roger Vanderpool, and Mesa Police Chief George Gascón, 37-year-old Daniel Albert Coronado of Gilbert was indicted on four counts of computer tampering and four counts of unauthorized access to criminal history, all Class 6 felonies.
Coronado is suspected of using police computer terminals to access the Arizona criminal justice information system and/or computerized criminal history records for purposes other than his official law enforcement duties between January 2005 and June 2008.
Coronado illegally logged on to the computer terminals 149 times and accessed the criminal records of nearly 10 individuals, according to the indictment.
An internal investigation was conducted by the Mesa Police Department, which was later turned over to the Department of Public Safety.
Coronado has been suspended from the Mesa Police Department pending the outcome of this case, according to authorities.
Source
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Officer suspended after computer-tampering indictments
A Mesa police officer was suspended after he was indicted on charges of computer tampering and unauthorized access to criminal history records.
The indictment accuses Officer Daniel Albert Coronado, 37, of Gilbert, of illegally logging on to computer terminals 149 times and accessing the criminal records of about 10 people, according to a Mesa police press release.
Coronado is charged with illegally tapping into the records between January 2005 and July 2008, the release said.
There was no mention of his motive or his intended purpose in accessing the information.
Sgt. Ed Wessing, a Mesa police spokesman, said detectives came across the suspected illegal activity as part of another investigation. The case was turned over to the state Department of Public Safety to avoid the appearance of impropriety or preferential treatment.
“It's disappointing,'' Wessing said, adding he is not aware of a similar case in Mesa.
Coronado had been working as a detective in the Superstition district, he said. Coronado is an 11-year veteran. He joined Mesa police in January 1997.
The indictment was returned Tuesday by a state grand jury and the case is being prosecuted by Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard's office.
Anne Hilby, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office, said Coronado either knew the people whose records he accessed or knew them through another person.
“It was not at random. It was targeted,'' Hilby said, but she would not disclose a motive.
Coronado was indicted on four counts of computer tampering and four counts of unauthorized access to criminal history, all Class 6 felonies.
He is suspended with pay pending the outcome of the case.
Source
The indictment accuses Officer Daniel Albert Coronado, 37, of Gilbert, of illegally logging on to computer terminals 149 times and accessing the criminal records of about 10 people, according to a Mesa police press release.
Coronado is charged with illegally tapping into the records between January 2005 and July 2008, the release said.
There was no mention of his motive or his intended purpose in accessing the information.
Sgt. Ed Wessing, a Mesa police spokesman, said detectives came across the suspected illegal activity as part of another investigation. The case was turned over to the state Department of Public Safety to avoid the appearance of impropriety or preferential treatment.
“It's disappointing,'' Wessing said, adding he is not aware of a similar case in Mesa.
Coronado had been working as a detective in the Superstition district, he said. Coronado is an 11-year veteran. He joined Mesa police in January 1997.
The indictment was returned Tuesday by a state grand jury and the case is being prosecuted by Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard's office.
Anne Hilby, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office, said Coronado either knew the people whose records he accessed or knew them through another person.
“It was not at random. It was targeted,'' Hilby said, but she would not disclose a motive.
Coronado was indicted on four counts of computer tampering and four counts of unauthorized access to criminal history, all Class 6 felonies.
He is suspended with pay pending the outcome of the case.
Source
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
MS-13 Gang Member Arrested in Arizona Charged With California Murder
Nelson Antonio Garcia, 35, of El Salvador, charged in Arizona in August 2008 with the federal crime of Reentry after Removal has been recently charged in Superior Court of the State of California (in the City and County of San Francisco) for the 1998 murder of Daniel Solorzano. He is reported to be a member of the gang known as MS-13.
Garcia, aka Jesus Verona, Maurisio Antonio Lopez-Lopez, Marco Galindo Aria, Nelson Antonio Lopez-Garcia and Marco Arias, was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol, Yuma Sector, on August 18, 2008. Border Patrol officials informed authorities in San Francisco of his arrest and on August 27, 2008, a warrant was issued by San Francisco authorities for Garcia’s arrest based upon a prior felony complaint. On September 3, 2008, a felony complaint was filed on the above-referenced murder charges as well as charges relating to the attempted murder of another man.
Criminal complaints are simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raise no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation in the federal case was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol, Yuma Sector. The federal prosecution is being handled by Bret Alexander, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Yuma. The investigation in the California case is being handled by the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Detail and is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney George Butterworth of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
Source
Garcia, aka Jesus Verona, Maurisio Antonio Lopez-Lopez, Marco Galindo Aria, Nelson Antonio Lopez-Garcia and Marco Arias, was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol, Yuma Sector, on August 18, 2008. Border Patrol officials informed authorities in San Francisco of his arrest and on August 27, 2008, a warrant was issued by San Francisco authorities for Garcia’s arrest based upon a prior felony complaint. On September 3, 2008, a felony complaint was filed on the above-referenced murder charges as well as charges relating to the attempted murder of another man.
Criminal complaints are simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raise no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation in the federal case was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol, Yuma Sector. The federal prosecution is being handled by Bret Alexander, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Yuma. The investigation in the California case is being handled by the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Detail and is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney George Butterworth of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
Source
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Terrorism Financing Case Back in Court
The government's largest terrorism financing case returned to a courtroom in Dallas this week as prosecutors once again try to secure criminal convictions against five men for allegedly raising more than $12 million in what investigators call "blood money" to support overseas suicide bombings.
The case against former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, a Texas charity that authorities shuttered seven years ago because of its alleged links to the militant Palestinian group Hamas, comes nearly a year after a previous trial ended in disappointment for the government. Jurors acquitted one man outright on 31 charges and deadlocked on charges against the others. Senior U.S. District Judge A. Joe Fish declared a mistrial.
The turbulent jury deliberations ignited debate about the strength of the government's evidence and its pursuit of financiers who back terrorist groups. In the years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, authorities increasingly have accused suspects of providing "material support" to hostile groups, but the Justice Department's trial record in such cases has been mixed.
Federal prosecutors last month moved to streamline the case, dismissing 29 charges apiece against two key defendants and training their fire on counts of conspiracy to fund terrorism and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Opening arguments begin tomorrow.
Source
The case against former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, a Texas charity that authorities shuttered seven years ago because of its alleged links to the militant Palestinian group Hamas, comes nearly a year after a previous trial ended in disappointment for the government. Jurors acquitted one man outright on 31 charges and deadlocked on charges against the others. Senior U.S. District Judge A. Joe Fish declared a mistrial.
The turbulent jury deliberations ignited debate about the strength of the government's evidence and its pursuit of financiers who back terrorist groups. In the years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, authorities increasingly have accused suspects of providing "material support" to hostile groups, but the Justice Department's trial record in such cases has been mixed.
Federal prosecutors last month moved to streamline the case, dismissing 29 charges apiece against two key defendants and training their fire on counts of conspiracy to fund terrorism and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Opening arguments begin tomorrow.
Source
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
DUI Lawyers - How to become one of the good ones
DUI law is getting tougher each year. It is a political hot issue that is always at the forefront, especially in election years. With the growing publicity and penalties, more lawyers are trying to break into the practice of DUI defense.
While there is always room for more good DUI Defense Lawyers, the glut of attorneys advertising that they do DUI defense work makes it difficult for the average consumer to sort out the experienced from the neophyte.
If you need a DUI defense lawyer, don't assume that just because a lawyer has been in practice for a long time that he or she is qualified to handle drunk driving cases with the skill necessary to get a great result. DWI defense is now a highly specialized field. It takes dedication and a near exclusive focus to be near the top of the field. This is because there is a vast amount of DUI law and science to master. There is also the art of negotiation and the theater of trial. These skills can not be learned overnight.
Source
While there is always room for more good DUI Defense Lawyers, the glut of attorneys advertising that they do DUI defense work makes it difficult for the average consumer to sort out the experienced from the neophyte.
If you need a DUI defense lawyer, don't assume that just because a lawyer has been in practice for a long time that he or she is qualified to handle drunk driving cases with the skill necessary to get a great result. DWI defense is now a highly specialized field. It takes dedication and a near exclusive focus to be near the top of the field. This is because there is a vast amount of DUI law and science to master. There is also the art of negotiation and the theater of trial. These skills can not be learned overnight.
Source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)