Latest news with #Defendant
Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Fat Joe sued in bombshell lawsuit by ex employee. Here are the shocking allegations
Diddy isn't the only rapper making headlines for the wrong reasons these days. Fat Joe is being sued for by former employee Terrance 'T.A.' Dixon, who accuses the hip hop legend of 'coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion,' Variety reports. The legal move comes just a few weeks after the 54-year-old Bronx native sued Dixon for slandering him on a social media post where he claimed the rap icon flew a 16-year-old girl across state lines for sex. That suit also named Dixon's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn. In legal documents filed filed in U.S. District Court Southern District of New York Thursday, Dixon claims the music star forced him into 'humiliating situations, including sex acts performed under duress and surveillance, accompanied by threats of abandonment in foreign countries if [he] refused compliance.' In total, Dixon, who worked as a hype man to energize crowds at Joe's shows for 16 years, said he was subjected to more than 4,000 such scenarios throughout his tenure. Even more shocking, Dixon accuses his former boss of engaging in sexual relations with at least three underage girls (referred to as 'Minor Does'), including a 'Caucasian' non U.S. citizen. The latter alleged relationship began when the girl was 15 after one of the hitmaker's concerts abroad, the federal suit says. 'Defendant flew Minor Doe 2 to New York City and Miami, Florida, on multiple occasions,' reads the suit. 'Due to Minor Doe 2's body being adolescent and not fully formed, Defendant paid for her to get a Brazilian Butt Lift. Minor Doe 2 eventually left Defendant and is now married to a professional athlete.' The relationship with Minor 3 was apparently more serious, with Dixon saying Joe (real name real name Joseph Cartagena) was 'in love' with her and even contemplated getting a divorce to be with her, Dixon says. 'The Defendant paid all Minor Doe 3's bills and even took her overseas to his tour stops. He brought her to Florida and would put her up in a condo he rented a few blocks from his house with his wife,' the lawsuit states. Dixon, also a 'contributor' on such classics as 'Congratulations,' 'Ice Cream,' and 'Money Over B---hes,' is seeking up to $20 million in damages. Through his lawyer Joe Tacopina, the Grammy nominee said the suit was full of 'manufactured' allegations and was filed in retaliation for his original civil suit as an extortion attempt. 'Law enforcement is aware of the extortionate demand at the heart of this scheme,' the statement partially read. 'The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are complete fabrications — lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure. Mr. Cartagena will not be intimidated. We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable.' READ MORE: Fat Joe says he bailed Justin Bieber out of jail
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-Michigan assistant coach Matt Weiss finally responds to allegations with court filing
Former Michigan football assistant coach Matt Weiss is challenging civil claims related to the U-M data hacking scandal, according to a court filing released on Thursday, June 12. His challenge relates to a plaintiff request filed on Tuesday, June 3, to find Weiss in default for not responding to a service request delivered to an address in Madison, Connecticut. In the filing, however, Weiss says he never received the service request, and the signature used to verify delivery of the mailed request doesn't match his own. "The United States Postal Service — the very entity relied upon to confirm delivery — has formally disavowed the original delivery confirmation, returned the service materials unopened, and expressly stated that Defendant never received them. Furthermore, the signature on the certified mail that the plaintiff submitted to the Court does not match the name of the Defendant. And, the Defendant has not entered the state where the plaintiff attempted service at any time this year," Weiss' filing reads. MORE: Data firm at center of Matt Weiss U-M hacking scandal denies misconduct Included in the filing is a scanned letter from the U.S. Postal Service stating that the service request was "incorrectly scanned delivered" to the Madison address on April 28. Weiss was living in an Ann Arbor home when police initially investigated the issue in January 2023. Weiss is a native of Connecticut. The FBI indicted Weiss on March 20, accusing him of hacking into the computers of over 100 universities and spying on the data of more than 3,000 student athletes, mostly women. The indictment lists 24 total counts—14 related to unauthorized access and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. Two former student athletes sued Weiss a day later, claiming he hacked into their accounts and downloaded private photos for his own use. Seventy-four women have joined the class-action lawsuit since then, which also names the University of Michigan, its Board of Regents and Keffer Development Services, a software and data-housing company, as defendants. Weiss has not addressed the accusations made in the federal case or the civil case, but he did allege in the most recent filing that the plaintiff's request to find him in default was made to add public pressure against his case: "A new series of media reports was initiated shortly after the default was entered. This sequence suggests that the default was used not to advance the merits of the case, but as a strategic tool to create pressure, public visibility, and procedural leverage. There may also be other tactical advantages gained via this strategy that the pro se defendant does not fully understand but that the Court may recognize," the filing reads. A judge has not yet ruled on whether Weiss should be found in default. Should a judge declare Weiss in default, however, it would essentially hand a victory to the plaintiffs in their case against Weiss. The most recent filing appears to come from Weiss himself, as he has no listed legal representation for the civil case. He does have representation in the federal case, however, with Ann Arbor attorney Douglass R. Mullkoff listed as his legal representation. You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Matt Weiss, ex-U-M assistant, responds in court to hacking allegations
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. man who supplied gang with ‘particularly dangerous' drugs began drinking, smoking at 13
At just 13, a Massachusetts boy turned to alcohol and marijuana. By 15, he was hooked on heroin. Now, three decades later, the scars of that addiction run deep — and at 39, he's been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a Massachusetts-based drug ring. Brian Gingras, also known as 'Cheech,' was sentenced June 4 to nine years in prison. Gringas pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. Gingras' 'first encounter with the criminal justice system was in 2003, when he was 17 years old. The next 20 years of Defendant's life would be an uninterrupted parade of arrests and criminal court cases,' court documents state. 'Most of these cases did not result in convictions, but the records illustrate in stark relief Defendant's unwillingness or inability to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.' Read more: How one machine supercharged illicit drug manufacturing in Mass. In 2019, Gingras' parents bought him a home. Three years later, investigators searched that home 'finding substantial evidence of Defendant's crimes.' Investigators also said the 'unkempt home' was 'in disarray.' 'Drugs were found in nearly every room of the house, some of which were clearly being used,' court documents state. 'Defendant himself appeared to be in distress, and he was removed from the scene in an ambulance.' Thousands of 'particularly dangerous imitations' of Adderall pills that were supplied by a Massachusetts gang looked like the real pills but were filled with a compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. The pills had become increasingly popular and prevalent in Lowell. They were similar in shape, size, and appearance to genuine Adderall but were typically pressed with methamphetamine by local drug traffickers using pill presses, court documents state. Gingras was the source of the pills and other drugs, such as cocaine and counterfeit 'Xanax bars,' to the Asian Boyz gang, according to court documents. He was distributing wholesale quantities of cocaine and various illicit pills. He had all the equipment necessary to produce the pills himself, including an industrial pill press, which is legal in the U.S. The machines are largely unregulated and available for purchase online. In the garage, officials found a broken pill press covered in drug residue. Historically, pill presses were used in the pharmaceutical profession and by people who make their own dietary supplements, such as bodybuilders or naturopaths. Read more: A Mass. man bought an illegal depressant online and took his life. The seller will go to prison Gingras also maintained a large quantity of the drugs at a commercial storage facility, court documents state. Inside the storage unit, officials found 250 grams of methamphetamine pills, over 1 kilogram of etizolam pills, bags of suspected marijuana, boxes of THC extract and edible products and over 30 kilograms of caffeine pills that looked identical to the counterfeit 'Adderall' pills made with methamphetamine. Bill Phim, also known as 'Bonez,' of the Asian Boyz gang, told an undercover officer that he coordinated the supply of methamphetamine pills with other Asian Boyz gang members and associates, including Gingras. Between May 2022 and September 2022, officials said Gingras met with Phim prior to planned deals to personally deliver pills. In total, Gingras supplied Phim with about 5,200 pills during this time period, consisting of over 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of methamphetamine, court documents read. Gingras sold the pills for about $1 per pill. 'Phim, in turn, re-sold the pills to the undercover officer for a significant profit, at the price of $3.50 per pill,' court documents read. Phim, 37, of Lowell, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will then be on five years of supervised release. Read more: Will Mass. lawmakers take action on illicit drug-making machines? Public comment sought. Between February 2022 and April 2022, Erickson Dao, also known as 'Silent,' 32, of Lowell, delivered the counterfeit pills to Phim at least five times. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000. On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit 'Adderall' pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. When investigators searched Dao's residence, they discovered thousands more counterfeit 'Adderall' pills and large quantities of cocaine. Gingras was seen making 'brief visits' to the back door of Dao's house, 'where Dao routinely engaged in drug transactions,' court documents state. Dao was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He will then be on four years of supervised release. Read more: We bought a machine that makes fentanyl pills. It wasn't hard Gingras said he was not part of the Asian Boyz gang. However, court documents state he was highly associated with them, including knowing one of the leaders. After the seizure of the drugs, investigators suspected that they had completely disrupted Gingras drug operation. Over Facebook Messenger, another suspected Asian Boyz gang member Samnang Son, or 'Smiley,' told Gingras that he was 'poor.' Gingras responded, 'Me too. I went from balling to crawling.' 'Defendant's response was revealing, capturing his state of mind in the immediate aftermath of the demise of his own illicit drug operation,' court documents read. When officials went to arrest Gingras the next day, they found him at a location in Lowell that is 'frequented by drug addicts and known as a place to obtain and use illicit drugs.' Read more: Hidden in plain sight: Where pill presses have been uncovered in Mass. Court documents state his addiction and mental health issues were considered when deciding his sentence. However, court documents state, 'this case suggests that Defendant even embraced a life of crime.' Officials hopes the nine years in prison gives Gingras 'significant opportunity to participate in the programming available,' including Bureau of Prison's Residential Drug Abuse Program. Netflix movie with well-known comedians needs paid background actors How pink heart shaped fentanyl led to Mass. father's 18-year prison sentence Botulism cases linked to Botox injections under investigation in Massachusetts ICE deportation blocked by Boston judge: Migrants now in shipping container in Djibouti Mass. State Lottery winner: Father will take children to Disney with $100K prize Read the original article on MassLive.
Miami Herald
03-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Chips Ahoy, Oreo maker sues grocery chain over ‘copycat' packaging
June 3 (UPI) -- The maker of Chips Ahoy cookies is suing a discount grocery store chain, claiming it "blatantly" copied its chocolate chip cookie and other snack packaging to "deceive and confuse" customers. Mondelez, which also makes Oreos and Wheat Thins, filed the federal lawsuit May 27 against German grocer Aldi, seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Aldi from selling the products. Aldi has more than 2,400 locations in the United States. The suit claims the supermarket chain, which has its U.S. headquarters in Illinois, also copied the snack company's packaging for its Teddy Grahams, Belvita biscuits, Nutter Butters and Ritz crackers. "Defendant is in the business of selling private label cookie and cracker snacks and has a pattern and practice of selling products in packaging that are unacceptable copies of Mondelez's trade dress," the lawsuit states. "Because of this misconduct, Mondelez has a history of enforcing its intellectual property rights against Defendant," the filing continues. "Indeed, Mondelez has contacted Defendant on numerous occasions objecting to Defendant's use of confusingly similar packaging and demanding that Defendant cease and desist its unlawful infringement." In the lawsuit, Mondelez displays side-by-side photos of Chips Ahoy cookies in blue and red packaging and Aldi's Chocolate Chip cookies in a similar blue or red. Nutter Butters in their red packaging are shown next to Aldi's Peanut Butter Creme-filled cookies also in red, and the yellow Wheat Thins box with small square crackers is shown next to Aldi's Thin Wheat crackers box, also in yellow with a picture of small square crackers. "Defendant's actions are likely to deceive and confuse consumers and dilute the distinctive quality of Mondelez's unique product packaging," according to the lawsuit, "and if not stopped, threaten to irreparably harm Mondelez and its valuable brands." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
03-06-2025
- Business
- UPI
Chips Ahoy, Oreo maker sues grocery chain over 'copycat' packaging
The maker of Chips Ahoy cookies is suing a discount grocery store chain, claiming it 'blatantly' copied its chocolate chip cookie and other snack packaging to 'deceive and confuse' customers. Mondelez has filed a federal lawsuit against German grocer Aldi, seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Aldi from selling the products. Photo by FDA June 3 (UPI) -- The maker of Chips Ahoy cookies is suing a discount grocery store chain, claiming it "blatantly" copied its chocolate chip cookie and other snack packaging to "deceive and confuse" customers. Mondelez, which also makes Oreos and Wheat Thins, filed the federal lawsuit May 27 against German grocer Aldi, seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Aldi from selling the products. Aldi has more than 2,400 locations in the United States. The suit claims the supermarket chain, which has its U.S. headquarters in Illinois, also copied the snack company's packaging for its Teddy Grahams, Belvita biscuits, Nutter Butters and Ritz crackers. "Defendant is in the business of selling private label cookie and cracker snacks and has a pattern and practice of selling products in packaging that are unacceptable copies of Mondelez's trade dress," the lawsuit states. "Because of this misconduct, Mondelez has a history of enforcing its intellectual property rights against Defendant," the filing continues. "Indeed, Mondelez has contacted Defendant on numerous occasions objecting to Defendant's use of confusingly similar packaging and demanding that Defendant cease and desist its unlawful infringement." In the lawsuit, Mondelez displays side-by-side photos of Chips Ahoy cookies in blue and red packaging and Aldi's Chocolate Chip cookies in a similar blue or red. Nutter Butters in their red packaging are shown next to Aldi's Peanut Butter Creme-filled cookies also in red, and the yellow Wheat Thins box with small square crackers is shown next to Aldi's Thin Wheat crackers box, also in yellow with a picture of small square crackers. "Defendant's actions are likely to deceive and confuse consumers and dilute the distinctive quality of Mondelez's unique product packaging," according to the lawsuit, "and if not stopped, threaten to irreparably harm Mondelez and its valuable brands."
