
Freepoint Commodities Ex-Analyst Claims Illegal Retaliation
A former senior analyst with Freepoint Commodities LLC claims he was fired from the energy-trading firm for resisting pressure to cooperate with executives in illegal insider trading, market manipulation and trade-theft schemes.
The analyst, Andrew Martin, sued May 14 in Manhattan federal court claiming wrongful termination and retaliation by Freepoint, where he had worked for a decade. Martin claimed he was fired to prevent him from reporting alleged violations during a planned visit by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Freepoint's Stamford, Connecticut, headquarters.
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Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Deadly lawmaker ambush in Minnesota raises fears about fake police officers knocking on doors
Vance Boelter left the state of Minnesota in fear after he allegedly posed as a police officer and carried out the shootings of two state lawmakers, killing one and her husband, at their homes last week. But what can you do to verify that the person who knocks on your door or pulls you over while you're in your vehicle is a law enforcement officer? Mark Bruley, chief of police in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, where Boelter allegedly shot and killed Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, told reporters at a press conference earlier this week that there's one thing you can do that's "never wrong." "You always can call 911 and verify if the person at your door is a police officer," Bruley said. "If they are working police officer, they will be connected to a dispatch center that can validate that. So the first thing I would do is, if you're concerned about it, is call 911. Obviously, there's a lot of different uniforms, and it's never wrong to do that." What Motivated Suspect In Minnesota Lawmaker Shooting Is Unclear, So Are His Politics Police officers typically wear a visible badge with their identification number and name on their uniform. They often also carry agency-issued photo identification that can include their name, rank and agency information. Read On The Fox News App Fox News Digital spoke with Brian Higgins, founder of Group 77 and former Chief of Police of Bergen County, N.J., to learn more about what citizens can do in cases where they feel the need to verify that who they're speaking to is a law enforcement officer. Higgins said that most verification measures, such as requesting the officer's photo identification, require the citizen to open the door, at which point it would be too late if the individual is an impersonator. "If you're not sure, don't open the door," Higgins said, adding that citizens can stand to the side of their door and speak to officers through the door while calling 911 or the local police department to confirm that an officer was sent to their home. Higgins said that knowing what police uniforms look like and, if you live in a town with a smaller police force, being familiar with its members helps with verifying. "If you see an officer not in uniform, not someone you recognize," Higgins said, "it's prudent to call police and ask if this person is a police officer." Not all situations, however, are the same. "It's more difficult when on the road and a police officer pulls you over," Higgins said of verification during traffic stops. In these situations, Higgins said it's important to know what law enforcement vehicles look like, adding that sometimes real law enforcement cars can be unmarked. Minnesota Police Praised For Foiling Lawmaker Shooting Suspect's Plan Higgins said officers usually call in traffic violations to dispatch, so drivers can still call 911 or the local police to verify that an officer performing their duties initiated the stop. Higgins advised citizens to always be aware of their surroundings and to pull over in public places, if possible. If unable to immediately pull over in a public place, Higgins said drivers can lower their window just enough, keep their car in drive and ask the officer if it's possible to drive to another place that is safer or more public. Higgins said that police officers understand that citizens may be uncertain or nervous and ask for verification. "If their answer is anything other than professional, it should raise a concern," Higgins said. In the case in Minnesota, Boelter allegedly impersonated a police officer, wearing a flesh-colored mask, a black tactical vest and carrying a flashlight before shooting and killing state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their respective homes. Boelter also drove a black SUV equipped with police-style lights and a fake license plate that said "POLICE," according to a court affidavit. Video footage from Hoffman's home shows a masked Boelter at the front door wearing the black tactical vest and holding a flashlight, according to the affidavit. Boelter then allegedly knocked on their door and shouted repeatedly, "This is the police. Open the door." The Hoffmans answered the door but, since Boelter was shining the flashlight in their eyes, realized too late that Boelter was not a real police officer, the affidavit article source: Deadly lawmaker ambush in Minnesota raises fears about fake police officers knocking on doors
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
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Vance refers to Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla as ‘José' while defending Trump's use of National Guard in LA
Vice President JD Vance referred to Sen. Alex Padilla as 'José Padilla' during a Friday visit to Los Angeles where he criticized California's Democratic leaders and defended the Trump administration's controversial use of the state's National Guard in the city. 'I was hoping José Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately, guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't the theater, and that's all it is,' Vance told reporters, speaking from an FBI mobile command center that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is currently using in Los Angeles. Vance dismissed Padilla's appearance last week at a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as 'pure political theater.' Padilla was forcefully removed, ordered to the ground by law enforcement and placed in handcuffs after attempting to ask Noem a question. Padilla, California's first Latino elected to the US Senate, had interrupted Noem as she was giving remarks in the Los Angeles FBI headquarters on the Trump administration's response to protests in that city against Noem's department and its immigration-enforcement efforts. When asked about the vice president calling the Democratic senator by the wrong first name, Vance's spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk brushed it off. 'He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law,' Van Kirk told CNN without specifying the other person. In 2007, former Chicago gang member Jose Padilla was found guilty of supporting Islamic terrorism overseas. It's not clear who Vance intended to reference. Padilla's spokesperson said that Vance, who served in the Senate with Padilla, 'knows better.' 'As a former colleague of Senator Padilla, the Vice President knows better. He should be more focused on demilitarizing our city than taking cheap shots. Another unserious comment from an unserious administration,' spokesperson Tess Oswald said in a statement. The vice president's comments sparked immediate condemnation from some of the same California Democrats Vance lashed out at in his Friday remarks. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom also called Vance out on X, saying his misnaming of Padilla was 'not an accident.' Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass responded to Vance at a press conference later Friday. 'Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our Senator,' Bass said, adding, 'I guess he just looked like anybody to you. Well, he's not just anybody to us.' On Friday, Vance also reacted to a federal appeals court allowing President Donald Trump to maintain control over thousands of California National Guardsmen. 'That determination was legitimate, and the president's going to do it again if he has to, but hopefully it won't be necessary,' Vance said. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals late Thursday granted a request from Trump to lift, for now, a lower-court ruling that had required the president to relinquish control of roughly 4,000 guardsmen from the Golden State that he had federalized to beef up security in Los Angeles amid unrest over immigration enforcement. 'And I think what the Ninth Circuit said very clearly is when the president makes a determination, you've got to send in certain federal officials to protect people,' Vance said, while lashing out at California's Democratic leadership for their handling of the unrest. The vice president also defended the administration's immigration policy, saying Trump wants to prioritize deportations of violent offenders or 'really bad guys,' but that no one who's undocumented should feel immune from enforcement. When asked whether the administration's deportation tactics had gone too far, Vance argued that he didn't think 'we've been too aggressive.' 'Anytime we make a mistake we correct that very quickly,' Vance said. This story has been updated with additional details. CNN's Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.


New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
Nearly $400,000 in donations pour in for accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter's victims: ‘Helping us pick up the broken pieces of our lives'
One week after accused political assassin Vance Luther Boelter's vicious attacks on Minnesota lawmakers, online fundraisers for the victims and their families have racked up nearly $400,000. On Monday – two days after Boelter, 57, allegedly shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their Champlin home – the Fernbrook Elementary School PTO launched a 'Help the Hoffmans' GoFundMe page, which had raised $184,974 of its $210,000 goal by Friday. The proceeds will contribute to medical expenses and rehabilitation costs, lost income, home security enhancements and necessary living expenses, according to the fundraiser page. Advertisement 3 Yvette Hoffman was released from the hospital Thursday, while Sen. John Hoffman remained in critical but stable condition, a hospital spokesperson told Minnesota news outlets. Gofundme 'We hope by launching this campaign we can alleviate the burden of costs during this challenging time,' it reads. Yvette, who was shot eight times during the early-morning ambush, was released from the hospital Thursday, while the senator, who was shot nine times, remained in critical but stable condition, a hospital spokesperson told Minnesota news outlets. Advertisement In their first words Thursday, the Hoffmans thanked the GoFundMe donors for 'helping us pick up the broken pieces of our lives.' They were 'heartbroken' that Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in the attacks, and noted that their daughter, Hope, once went to school with the Hortmans' daughter, Sophie. 3 The Hortmans' adult children, Sophie and Colin, are 'devastated and heartbroken' by their parents' murders, they said in a statement released this week. Gofundme 'We know that they – along with Colin Hortman – will have each other's support as we all work through the devastating consequences of that horrific night,' the Hoffmans wrote. Advertisement A GoFundMe for the adult Hortman children – which was created Sunday by Melissa's brother, Patrick Haluptzok – had raised $195,137 of its $200,000 goal as of Friday. 'I greatly miss my sister Melissa and brother-in-law Mark and want to help my niece and nephew through this difficult time,' Haluptzok wrote in the fundraiser's description. Sophie and Colin are 'devastated and heartbroken' by their parents' murders, they said in a statement released this week. Advertisement 3 Vance Luther Boelter, 57, faces federal stalking and murder charges for allegedly hunting down the lawmakers and their spouses in the North Star State. FBI 'They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much,' they wrote. Boelter faces federal stalking and murder charges for allegedly hunting down the lawmakers and their spouses in the North Star State. He has not entered a plea in the case. Cops said he had a cache of automatic weapons in his car and a hit list of 45 elected officials and abortion providers in the state.