Guard in fatal $2M heist claims self-defense
Published April 26, 2012Associated Press
PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh’s chief prosecutor says the armored car guard who spent nearly two months on the run after stealing more than $2 million from his truck admitted killing a fellow guard but claimed he fired in self-defense.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Ken Konias Jr. claimed his partner tried to stop him from pulling off the heist.
Konias was arrested Wednesday in Pompano Beach, Fla., eight weeks after he allegedly shot fellow Garda Cash Logistics guard Michael Haines in the back of the head before swiping an estimated $2.3 million and leaving their truck parked under a Pittsburgh bridge.
Pittsburgh police say Konias’ run came to an end after he confided his crimes to a prostitute.
See the full article from “Fox News”
April 26, 2012
estimates there are at least 15 of these in Pittsburgh, set up as Asian massage parlors. There are at least 7 other brothels in the remainder of Allegheny County. Not all Asian massage parlors are fronts; some are legitimate businesses, some may simply be fronts for prostitution, with women working voluntarily, and some are suspected to be part of larger human trafficking operations.
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Orsini is also a member of the Southwest Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition. It’s a group of law enforcement officials, religious groups, non-profits and citizens who work to combat sex trafficking. For law enforcement, it’s not an easy job. Often, when a so-called illicit massage parlor is taken down, or prostitution arrests are made, it’s not recognized for what it really is.
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A Pittsburgh city ordinance that would have cracked down on illicit massage parlors died last year when it was never voted on in committee. The main sponsor of the bill has left office. Recent efforts to get state laws passed to crack down or strengthen penalties have not fared much better. They have all been tabled or killed. But it’s an issue that everyone should be aware of.
See the full article from “Essential Public Radio”
April 26, 2012
April 26, 2012 12:09 am
By Steve Levin and Moriah Balingit / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — No matter where Kenneth Konias Jr.’s peripatetic journeys took him during his two months in Florida on the run from the law, once he took a room at 603 SW Eighth St., he had found a home.
It was just a 100-square-foot room inside a dingy four-bedroom house in this city’s tough Cypress neighborhood, with kitchen privileges, a shared bathroom and cable TV. He carried few clothes, his possessions apparently limited to the black duffel bag he jealously guarded.
What made it home for the 22-year-old Dravosburg man were the women who lived there with him: two prostitutes named Emily and Summer. A fourth roommate, 27-year-old Leon Flowers, lived there, and, occasionally, Mr. Flowers’ mother, Shewona.
See the full article from “Pittsburgh Post Gazette”
April 26, 2012
Accused murderer Kenneth J. Konias Jr.’s life on the run came to an end because of his need to talk about his crimes. And with it went any romantic notion that he’d been living an exotic life of extravagance with the $2.3 million that went missing after his co-worker, Michael Haines, was executed and abandoned in the cargo hold of their employer’s armored truck.
No, the 22-year-old from Dravosburg had been holed up in a tiny, dumpy room in a seedy part of Pompano Beach, Fla., subsisting on take-out food, cheap booze and illegal drugs, complaining that he thought a prostitute had stolen “his” money. A lowlife existence.
Fortunately for investigators, there still is honor among those who are, if not thieves, engaged in less than stand-up professions. The prostitute told her boyfriend about statements that the former courier for Garda Cash Logistics had made about his actions in Pittsburgh. The boyfriend called Pittsburgh police.
See the full article from “Pittsburgh Post Gazette”
April 26, 2012
Misconduct in Colombia Varied, an Inquiry Finds
April 25, 2012 1:00 pm
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and ERIC SCHMITT / The New York Times
WASHINGTON — After the Secret Service scandal erupted nearly two weeks ago, the accusations of egregious behavior by the men entrusted with protecting President Obama seemed clear-cut. Members of Congress and tabloids depicted a dozen agency employees meeting prostitutes in their hotel rooms and drunken revels at brothels or strip clubs involving up to 20 women.
But now, as the Secret Service pursues an inquiry involving interviews with hotel maids, the women involved and the roughly 200 agents and officers assigned to Mr. Obama’s trip to Colombia, the investigators have pieced together a more nuanced story, complicating how the senior agency managers addressed the fates of their employees, according to two officials briefed on the findings.
See the full article from “Pittsburgh Post Gazette”
April 25, 2012
Mr. Konias remained in custody in the Broward County jail Tuesday night, not far from the ramshackle house where investigators said he spent time with a prostitute whose boyfriend called Pittsburgh homicide detectives Monday night to reveal where he was staying.
See the full article from “Pittsburgh Post Gazette”
April 25, 2012
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two more Secret Service members have resigned over a Colombia prostitution scandal, congressional sources familiar with the investigation said Tuesday, while another member is being forced out and two more were cleared of serious misconduct.
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Three Marines and a State Department employee were involved in an altercation over payment with dancers and prostitutes from a Brazilian club. One woman allegedly started a fight inside a Marine’s vehicle and was injured when she was kicked out of the vehicle and tried to get back in.
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While soliciting prostitution is in most cases legal for adults in Colombia, military law bars service members from patronizing prostitutes, engaging in conduct unbecoming an officer or, for enlisted personnel, conduct “prejudicial to good order and discipline.” It is also considered a breach of the Secret Service’s conduct code, government sources said.
See the full article from “WTAE Pittsburgh”
April 25, 2012
NJ top cop disturbed by sports-car caravan reportsNJ top cop disturbed by sports-car caravan reportsThe leader of New Jersey’s police force lamented Tuesday that a veteran trooper’s distinguished career will likely be defined by the probe into allegations that he escorted – without official authorization – a group…
APNewsBreak: 7.5 pct of deportations may get heldAPNewsBreak: 7.5 pct of deportations may get heldImmigration officials have offered to shelve 7.5 percent of deportation cases under a massive review of the backlogged U.S. immigration court system aimed at focusing on deporting more criminals.
3 more Secret Service employees ousted in scandal3 more Secret Service employees ousted in scandalThree more Secret Service employees have been forced out of the government, bringing to nine the number of people who have lost their jobs in the prostitution scandal roiling the agency. President Barack Obama said the…
See the full article from “Valley News Live”
April 24, 2012
Business can’t and won’t take care of America’s 50 million uninsured, but for the majority with coverage, here’s what experts say to expect:
– Workers will bear more of their own medical costs as job coverage shifts to plans with higher deductibles, the amount you pay out of pocket each year before insurance kicks in. Traditional workplace insurance will lose ground to high-deductible plans with tax-free accounts for routine medical expenses, to which employers can contribute.
– Increasingly, smokers will face financial penalties if they don’t at least seriously try to quit. Employees with a weight problem and high cholesterol are next. They may get tagged as health risks and nudged into diet programs.
Official Washington treads delicately around Secret Service prostitution scandal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The widening Secret Service prostitution scandal has touched off a delicate dance in Washington.
See the full article from “Press News”
April 24, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service prostitution scandal grew Monday to include a 12th member of the U.S. military as the Pentagon suspended the security clearances of all the military personnel who have been implicated. The Secret Service has also taken action against 12 of its employees.
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Meanwhile, the White House still faced fire Monday because of the prostitution scandal. It moved anew to keep itself at arm’s length in two ways. Led by its top lawyer, the White House internally investigated and then ruled out misconduct by the White House staff members who helped arrange the president’s trip ahead of his arrival in Colombia. Obama’s chief spokesman, Jay Carney, sought to make clear that the “White House Communications Agency,” which has now been implicated by the widening scandal, is a military unit and not a White House one.
See the full article from “WPXI Pittsburgh”
April 24, 2012
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