Co-Defendant Of Ex-NFL Receiver Pleads Guilty To Drug Charge

Chicago Bears' Sam Hurd waits for a pass before an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills in Chicago on Aug. 13, 2011.

DALLAS -- A Dallas man charged along with former NFL player Sam Hurd pleaded guilty Friday to attempting to buy several kilograms of cocaine with Hurd's money in hopes of establishing a large-scale drug distribution network.

Toby Lujan pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. His plea deal calls for a prison sentence of 5 to 40 years. It also requires him to testify if asked by prosecutors.

Lujan signed court documents saying he told a law enforcement informant in December about a potential drug buyer named "Sam" who played for the Chicago Bears. Lujan gave the informant Hurd's phone number so the two could discuss prices and quantities of cocaine.

One week later, Hurd was arrested after an alleged meeting at a Chicago area steakhouse with an undercover officer posing as a drug trafficker. According to court documents, Hurd accepted a package of what he thought was cocaine and told the officer he wanted to buy five to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week to distribute in the Chicago area.

Hurd has pleaded not guilty.

Lujan's attorney, Andrew Garcia Jr., declined to comment Friday on why Lujan decided to plead guilty. Hurd's attorneys did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Trial for Hurd and a third defendant, his cousin Jesse Tyrone Chavful, is scheduled for October 9.

Lujan was pulled over in July 2011 in a Cadillac Escalade belonging to Hurd, prosecutors said. He was carrying $88,000 in a canvas bag stained with marijuana residue. That same day, Lujan tried to purchase several kilograms of cocaine for Hurd, according to prosecutors.

"Lujan knew that Hurd wanted to acquire cocaine to sell to others, and Lujan agreed to help Hurd with this illicit venture," said a court filing signed by both Lujan and prosecutors.

Lujan allegedly told an informant that he could conduct drug deals after hours at a car-care shop where he worked in suburban Dallas.

The Bears would eventually cut Hurd, a San Antonio native who also played for the Dallas Cowboys. He was out on $100,000 bond, but was arrested earlier this month after failing two drug tests. Hurd admitted to using marijuana, according to prosecutors.

He is scheduled to appear before a Dallas magistrate judge Tuesday.

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This Woman Is Guilty Of Punching A 70-year-old Walmart Cashier

Jacquetta Simmons has been convicted of punching a 70-year-old Walmart cashier during a dispute over a receipt on Christmas Eve.

BATAVIA, N.Y. -- A western New York woman has been convicted of punching a 70-year-old Walmart cashier during a dispute over a receipt on Christmas Eve.

Jacquetta Simmons was found guilty of felony assault by a Genesee (jehn-eh-SEE') County Court jury Friday.

The 27-year-old faces from 2 1/3 to seven years in prison under New York's Granny Law, which makes it a felony to intentionally injure someone 65 or older if the defendant is at least 10 years younger than the victim.

Prosecutors say Simmons knocked Grace Suozzi down with a blow to the face while Suozzi was checking her receipt. Simmons' lawyer argued she swung her arm but didn't intend to hit Suozzi.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 14 in Batavia.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says employee safety is a "top priority" and its focus is on supporting Suozzi.

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Former Border Patrol Agents Found Guilty In High-Profile Smuggling Case

A Border Patrol agent drives his white and green vehicle in front of the fence separating Tijuana, Mexico, behind, and San Diego, Friday, June 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SAN DIEGO — Two former Border Patrol agents were found guilty Friday of smuggling hundreds of people into the U.S. in Border Patrol vehicles.

Raul and Fidel Villarreal were convicted of charges that they brought illegal immigrants into the U.S. for money and received bribes by public officials, and counts of conspiracy to launder money. Prosecutors said Raul Villarreal started a ring that smuggled in Mexicans and Brazilians and made Fidel Villarreal, his older brother and a fellow agent, one of his first recruits.

Both brothers pleaded not guilty in one of the highest-profile corruption cases to sting the Border Patrol since it went on a hiring spree during the last decade. Raul Villarreal had been a public face of the patrol, frequently appearing on television as an agency spokesman.

The federal probe began in May 2005 with an informant's tip to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Investigators installed cameras on poles in areas where migrants were dropped off, planted undercover recording devices, put tracking instruments on Border Patrol vehicles and followed a smuggling load by airplane.

The prosecution also relied on accounts of alleged accomplices and migrants who entered the country illegally, including some who identified Fidel Villarreal in photographs. One 24-year-old Brazilian woman said she paid $12,000 to be taken across the border in "a police car."

Prosecutors said the brothers were tipped off about the investigation in June 2006, prompting them to flee to Mexico.

Shortly after they settled in Tijuana, a district police commander in the Mexican border city who allegedly shuttled Villarreals' customers in squad cars was killed in a hail of about 200 bullets. The brothers were arrested in October 2008 – more than two years after abruptly quitting the Border Patrol – and extradited to the U.S. to face federal charges of human smuggling, witness tampering and bribery.

David Nick, Raul Villarreal's attorney, had argued the prosecution relied on witnesses who had a strong motive to lie and surveillance yielded no evidence of wrongdoing by his client.

Nick said he couldn't comment on the verdict because of a gag order. A message for Fidel Villarreal's attorney was not immediately returned.

The brothers were scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16. They face a maximum of 50 years in prison and at least $1.25 million in penalties.

Other defendants in the case include Armando Garcia, who was also found guilty Friday of charges of smuggling illegal immigrants for money, bringing illegal immigrants into the U.S. and conspiracy to launder money. Another, Claudia Gonzalez, pleaded guilty in Dec. 2009 and was due for sentencing Sept. 10.

U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy praised the agencies involved in prosecution, saying in a statement that stopping "corruption and maintaining the integrity of our federal border enforcement personnel is critical to U.S. border security."

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Gabby Giffords Shooter To Plead Guilty

Jared Lee Loughner will plead guilty to the 2011 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that killed six and injured 13, the LA Times reports.

The victims of the Jan. 8 shooting included then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was speaking to constituents at public event. Loughner had previously pleaded not guilty.

According to the Associated Press, a court-appointed psychiatrist will testify on Tuesday that Loughner is fit to stand trial. Loughner's guilty plea would result in a sentence of life in prison, a source told the AP.

The Wall Street Journal and Fox News also reported that Loughner will plead guilty.

Loughner has been charged with 49 counts, including murder and attempted assassination of a member of Congress. Among those killed was a federal judge, an aide to Giffords and 9-year-old girl.

Giffords suffered severe brain injuries that damaged her abilities to speak and move. After months of rehabilitation, she returned to Congress in August 2011 to vote on the debt ceiling bill. In January 2012, she announced her resignation.

The shooting has sparked a debate about gun laws in Arizona and across the nation. Critics say that Loughner, who had two previous offenses and a history of unusual behavior, should never have been able to purchase a gun. One survivor called the incident an "extremely tragic example of what is at stake each and every time a gun falls — or is placed — in the wrong hands."

Loughner is currently receiving treatment for mental illnesses at a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, where he will remain until a judge decides he is fit to stand trial. He is expected to enter his plea on Tuesday.

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Billionaire Pleads Guilty To Preventing Wife's Burial

LONDON — For more than two months, Hans Kristian Rausing went about his business while the corpse of his wife Eva decomposed in their luxury home in central London. And when friends or family asked about Eva, the billionaire's son would give vague replies, never suggesting anything was awry.

But the macabre pretense was dropped on July 9 when London police stopped Hans Kristian for driving erratically and, after finding drugs, searched his home. They found Eva's body in a fly-filled room under a pile of clothing and garbage bags that had been taped together. Her husband had used deodorizing power to try to minimize the smell.

The bizarre case of two extremely wealthy, drug-addicted souls who had contributed millions to anti-drug charities reached its climax in court Wednesday when Hans Kristian pleaded guilty to preventing the proper burial of his wife.

He was sentenced to a 10-month suspended jail sentence that will require him to receive extensive treatment at a drug rehabilitation center, plus a two-month suspended sentence for driving under the influence of drugs.

Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson said Wednesday that Hans Kristian, 49, did not do anything to contribute to his wife's death, which the judge said was probably caused by heart failure coupled with drug abuse.

In a statement read in court, Hans Kristian said he believes he suffered a breakdown after Eva died because he could not face losing her.

"I did not feel able to confront the reality of her death," Hans Kristian said in the statement, adding that he "batted away" any inquiries about his wife.

"I do not feel, with the benefit of hindsight, that following her death I acted rationally," he said, adding that he had been "very traumatized" by the situation. He sat silently in court during the proceeding, wearing a blue suit and red tie.

The details revealed Wednesday established that investigators believe Eva died on May 7, with drugs including cocaine in her system, and that her husband admitted that he kept her in their home rather than report her death to authorities.

But Hans Kristian, whose father made billions selling his stake in the Tetra Pak drinks-carton empire, denied any role in her demise and said he did not provide her with drugs.

"I do not have a very coherent recollection of the events leading up to and since Eva's death," his statement read. "Safe to assure you that I have never wished her or done her any harm."

The judge said the Rausings' case illustrates how drug abuse could destroy even a wealthy family that had "every material advantage imaginable." He said the couple lived in "utter squalor" despite their riches.

McGregor-Johnson said he accepted that Hans Kristian had suffered a type of mental breakdown but that that did not completely absolve him from responsibility for failing to deal with his wife's death.

"You acted with deceit and deliberation, equipping yourself with items you used to try to prolong the act of concealment," the judge said, adding that this caused great pain to Eva's parents, "who were in the room when their daughter's body was discovered."

The judge said Hans Kristian must get treated for drug use as a resident of the Capio Nightingale Hospital and warned that he would be imprisoned if he commits any more drug offenses.

Eva Rausing came from an affluent American family, and Hans Kristian is a scion of one of Europe's richest families – his father has a net worth estimated at 4.3 billion pounds ($6.7 billion) from the sale of his stake in the Tetra Pak milk-carton packaging company.

But their wealth was no shield from the addictive power of drugs, despite repeated attempts at rehab.

Their drug problems, long an open secret among family and friends, first came to public attention in 2008 after Eva Rausing was caught trying to bring heroin and crack cocaine into the heavily-guarded U.S. Embassy in London. A subsequent search of the couple's home turned up a large quantity of cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.

Their four children are being raised by one of Hans Kristian's sisters.

Hans Kristian's parents, Hans and Marit Rausing, released a statement several weeks ago characterizing Eva's death and its aftermath as "a reminder of the distorted reality of drug addiction." They said they hoped their "dear son Hans" could find the strength for the "long and hard" journey of rehabilitation.

Eva's parents also released a supportive statement shortly after her death. They emphasized the positive nature of the Rausings' marriage, saying they had been a "devoted and loving" couple for 21 years.

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Antiques Dealer Pleads Guilty In Rhino Horn Caper

This photo provided by the United States Attorney's Office, on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, shows mounted rhinoceros heads seized in a crackdown on black market rhino horns. David Hausman, a New York City antiques dealer, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges he double-crossed wildlife protection authorities by first offering to help fight illegal sales of rhinoceros horns, then buying some himself. (AP Photo/United States Attorney's Office)

NEW YORK -- A New York City antiques dealer pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges he double-crossed wildlife protection authorities by first offering to help fight illegal sales of rhinoceros horns, then buying some himself.

David Hausman admitted in federal court in Manhattan that he knew at the time he was breaking laws intended to protect endangered black rhinos.

"I failed society, my family, my friends ... and the conservation and animal rights community," David Hausman told the judge. "I blame no one but myself."

The case stems from an ongoing crackdown on a black market in rhino horns led by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Persistent demand for rhino horn carvings – considered good luck charms or health enhancers in some cultures – has devastated the world's rhino population, authorities say.

Hausman "pretended he was helping law enforcement protect a species from being wiped out, but instead was contributing to the very problem," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement on Tuesday.

The 67-year-old Hausman, while purporting to be a legitimate tipster, alerted authorities in 2010 to an illegal rhino horn sale in Pennsylvania, court papers said.

When the sale fell through, he recruited a straw buyer in early 2011 to secretly purchase the horns himself, the papers said. He then sought to cover his tracks by making fake horns to replace real ones removed from a mounted rhino head, the papers added.

Other charges stemmed from a sting last year in which an undercover agent offered to sell Hausman another mounted rhino head. The defendant admitted buying the horns even though the undercover told him the head was only 20 to 30 years old, and knowing that it needed to be over 100 years old to be legal.

After the transaction was completed at a truck stop in Princeton, Ill., agents following Hausman to a motel parking lot where he was seen sawing horns off the rhino head.

As part of a plea agreement, Hausman agreed to give up several horns and carvings found in his apartment during a search in February.

He faces up to two years in prison at sentencing on Dec. 5.

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