Georgia bill to require bail for more crimes fails to pass
March 30, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers won't require cash bail for more crimes after all, failing to pass a bill that would have imposed bail for offenses including misdemeanor marijuana possession.
The Georgia House voted 95-81 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 63, which would have required cash or property bail for 31 additional crimes, including some misdemeanors.
Another effort to make NC sheriffs aid ICE approved by House
March 29, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's sheriffs would be required to help federal agents who are interested in picking up jail inmates they believe are in the country illegally in legislation approved by the state House on Tuesday.
Judge orders Phoenix to clean up large homeless encampment
March 29, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — A judge has ordered Phoenix to clean up a homeless encampment that spans nearly 10 blocks in the city’s downtown area.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled Monday that Phoenix is maintaining a “public nuisance” and city officials must show evidence at a July 10 hearing that they’re cleaning the area.
US, UK sanction 6 Syria-linked amphetamine traffickers
March 28, 2023 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. and U.K. on Tuesday slapped sanctions on four Syrians and two Lebanese involved in manufacturing and trafficking the amphetamine drug Captagon, the two governments said. The six include cousins of Syrian President Bashar Assad and notorious Lebanese drug lynchpins.
Georgia bill is latest GOP effort targeting prosecutors
March 28, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — A new Georgia commission to discipline and remove wayward prosecutors would be the latest move nationwide to ratchet up oversight on what Republicans see as “woke prosecutors” who aren't doing enough to fight crime.
Biden’s Justice Dept. keeps hard line in death row cases
March 26, 2023 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — Rejon Taylor hoped the election of Joe Biden, the first U.S. president to campaign on a pledge to end the death penalty, would mean a more sympathetic look at his claims that racial bias and other trial errors landed him on federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Mexican president pushes back on US criticism on violence
March 24, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Friday angrily rejected comments by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Mexican government has lost control over parts of the country.
However, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged that Mexican cartels had placed people inside Mexico's drug regulatory agency to approve imports of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China.
SW Indiana coroner faces official misconduct, drug charges
March 23, 2023 GMTVINCENNES, Ind. (AP) — A southwestern Indiana coroner is facing official misconduct and drug charges following a nearly yearlong investigation, state police said Thursday.
Knox County Coroner Karen Donovan, 40, was arrested Wednesday night at her Vincennes home after detectives serving a search warrant found methamphetamine and fentanyl, Indiana State Police said in a news release.
Deputies: Alabama player drove 141 mph to evade traffic stop
March 22, 2023 GMTBONIFAY, Fla. (AP) — Suspended Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell drove over 141 mph (227 kph) while trying to evade deputies before his arrest on drug charges in the Florida Panhandle last week, authorities said.
Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest
March 21, 2023 GMTTUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is."
With overdoses up, states look at harsher fentanyl penalties
March 20, 2023 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — State lawmakers nationwide are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S.
DA leading Trump case says rhetoric won’t intimidate office
March 19, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is standing firm against Donald Trump’s increasingly hostile rhetoric, telling his staff that the office won’t be intimidated or deterred as it nears a decision on charging the former president.
Quadruple murder trial begins for former NY police officer
March 17, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A federal jury in New York began hearing testimony in the murder trial of a former New York police officer accused of masterminding the killing of four people — one strangled to death with a zip tie and three others shot execution-style — over money in a drug operation.
Appeals court upholds federal conviction of pardoned man
March 17, 2023 GMTLONDON, Ky. (AP) — An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a man pardoned by Kentucky’s former governor on state charges for a 2014 drug robbery killing but was later convicted for the same slaying in federal court.
Italian court deliberates appeal of 2 US men in cop killing
March 15, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Italy’s highest court started deliberations Wednesday in what should be the final appeal of two U.S. citizens convicted in the stabbing death of a police officer during a plainclothes operation in Rome in the summer of 2019.
Indonesia arrests 4 foreigners for alleged drug smuggling
March 15, 2023 GMTJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities said Wednesday they have arrested four foreigners for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into the country, including a Nigerian man who had swallowed dozens of capsules filled with more than a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of methamphetamine.
NC Senate approves increased drug distribution penalties
March 14, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's Senate unanimously passed legislation on Tuesday to increase criminal penalties for drug dealers whose distribution of fentanyl and other controlled substances causes an overdose death.
FBI: Florida deputy, trooper with DEA ties involved in drugs
March 14, 2023 GMTJACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The FBI has arrested two Florida law enforcement officers on charges of involvement with illegal drugs after both had worked together on a Drug Enforcement Administration task force.
Sister grieves for American killed in Mexico kidnapping
March 13, 2023 GMTLAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — Prepping for his first trip out of the country, 28-year-old Zindell Brown of Lake City, South Carolina, had something more than nerves.
Americans’ fun road trip to Mexico became days of horror
March 11, 2023 GMTLAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — It was supposed to be a fun road trip to Mexico, a post-pandemic adventure for a group of childhood friends.
One was treating herself to cosmetic surgery after having six children.
Kenya jails 7 foreigners for life over drug trafficking
March 10, 2023 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Six Pakistanis and one Iranian national who were found guilty of trafficking heroin via the Indian Ocean to Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa have been sentenced to life in prison.
Police officer hurt, 4 Betis fans arrested after disorder
March 10, 2023 GMTMANCHESTER, England (AP) — A police officer was injured and four Real Betis fans were arrested following crowd unrest during the Spanish team’s match against Manchester United in the Europa League, police said Friday.
Texas executes inmate for killing 4 during drug robbery
March 10, 2023 GMTHUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Texas has executed an inmate convicted of the drug-related killings of four people more than 30 years ago, including a woman who was 9-months pregnant.
Arthur Brown Jr., 52, insisted he was innocent before receiving a lethal injection Thursday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
Griner’s return to WNBA tips off ESPN coverage
March 9, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA will tip off ESPN's coverage of the league's 27th season when the Phoenix Mercury visit the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19 — opening night.
Griner missed all of last season after being arrested at an airport just outside of Moscow on drug possession charges in February 2022.
2 brothers face charges in decade-old slaying in Kokomo
March 8, 2023 GMTKOKOMO, Ind. (AP) — Two brothers have been arrested in a decade-old slaying in north central Indiana.
Kokomo Police Department officers and U.S. Marshals arrested 32-year-old Joey McCartney in Graham, Kentucky, and 36-year-old Jesse McCartney in Kokomo in connection with the killing of Destiny Pittman, 21.
Families shaken awaiting word on Americans taken in Mexico
March 7, 2023 GMTLAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — The violent kidnapping of four Americans in a Mexican border city shook families across the Carolinas as they agonized for days while waiting to learn whether their loved ones survived a cosmetic surgery road trip that turned deadly.
NC Senate considers stiffer penalties for drug distribution
March 7, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — As fentanyl overdoses continue to plague communities across North Carolina, the state Senate is considering legislation to increase punishments for drug dealers whose distribution of the synthetic opioid results in an overdose death.
Pot vote has Oklahoma hungry to rake in green from Texas
March 4, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Tens of thousands of Texans from the bustling Dallas-Fort Worth area routinely drive across the Red River to gamble in glitzy, Las Vegas-style tribal casinos or to relax at cabins or swim and ski in lakes that dot southern Oklahoma.
UN report: Modern weapons being smuggled to Haiti from US
March 4, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Increasingly sophisticated weapons are being trafficked into Haiti mainly from the United States and especially from Florida amid worsening lawlessness in the impoverished Caribbean nation, according to a U.N.
Accusations against relatives a blow to Colombian president
March 4, 2023 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has asked prosecutors to investigate accusations against his brother and one of his sons that could deal a blow to his presidency and undermine his plans for peace and to fight corruption.
Body found in home where 3 Kansas City officers were shot
March 2, 2023 GMTKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Three Kansas City police officers were shot and wounded while searching a suspected drug house, prompting a standoff that ended about 18 hours later with the discovery of a body, authorities said Wednesday.
Chasing Horse pleads not guilty in Nevada sex abuse case
March 1, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — A former “Dances With Wolves" actor pleaded not guilty Wednesday to state charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls for a decade in Nevada.
Rapper Kodak Black ordered into drug rehab by judge
February 28, 2023 GMTA Florida judge ordered rapper Kodak Black to drug rehab for 30 days on Tuesday after he allegedly tested positive for fentanyl while awaiting trial on a drug trafficking charge.
Man killed near casino was father of teen injured by police
February 27, 2023 GMTSPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A man fatally shot by police during an exchange of gunfire near a Massachusetts casino had called for more police transparency after his own teenage son was shot and wounded by Connecticut officers in 2017.
Indiana state trooper shoots man during probe of guns, drugs
February 27, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana State Police trooper shot and wounded a man Monday in Indianapolis after he fled from troopers tracking him as part of a guns and drugs investigation, state police said.
Al Sharpton’s half-brother pleads guilty to federal charges
February 25, 2023 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama pastor and voting rights activist, who is the half-brother of the Rev. Al Sharpton, pleaded guilty Friday to federal tax evasion, mail fraud, and drug conspiracy charges.
Justice Department indicts 13 alleged leaders of MS-13 gang
February 24, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced charges against more than a dozen alleged high-ranking leaders of the international gang MS-13, accusing them of directing criminal activities including murder in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico and other countries over the past two decades.
‘Dances With Wolves’ actor indicted in Nevada sex abuse case
February 23, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — Charges are mounting against a “Dances With Wolves” actor who is accused of sexually abusing and trafficking Indigenous women and girls in the U.S.
North Carolina lawmakers try again to make sheriffs help ICE
February 22, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly began a repeat effort Wednesday to require all sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration agents who are interested in picking up certain jail inmates.
Opponents describe hideous conditions in Nicaraguan prisons
February 22, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — Constant fear. Screams and the sounds of torture. Darkness in a small cell with just a hole in the floor for a toilet.
Opposition prisoners from Nicaragua are recounting the months — and sometimes years — they spent in the notorious prisons run by the regime of President Daniel Ortega.
Policeman, musician indicted in Puerto Rico drug case
February 21, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A police officer and a reggaeton singer are among 24 people accused of running a suspected drug-trafficking ring in Puerto Rico, officials announced Tuesday.
The group is accused of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine across the U.S.
Shooting, standoff ends with arrest of Nevada brothel worker
February 21, 2023 GMTYERINGTON, Nev. (AP) — A worker at a legal brothel in Northern Nevada was arrested early Tuesday after a shooting and hours-long standoff with sheriff's deputies, authorities said.
No one was injured, and Lyon County Sheriff Brad Pope said there was no threat to the public following the arrest of 28-year-old Moonlite Bunny Ranch worker Savannah Henderson, of Dayton, by sheriff's SWAT officers and first-responders from several other agencies.
Indonesian police to deport mafia fugitive back to Italy
February 19, 2023 GMTDENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police said Sunday they will escort back to Italy an Italian-Australian fugitive who was arrested on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali after seven years on the run in connection with drug trafficking and organized crime.
Michigan woman charged in girl’s death loses nursing license
February 17, 2023 GMTLANSING, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan woman who was allegedly under the influence of methamphetamines when a 3-year-old girl died while under her care has lost her nursing license, state officials said.
Agent: Alex Murdaugh wanted to die after wife, son killed
February 17, 2023 GMTAlex Murdaugh and a friend spent just minutes planning a failed attempt to fatally shoot the lawyer on a lonely South Carolina roadside so his son could collect a multimillion-dollar life insurance policy, months after his wife and other son were shot to death, according to testimony Thursday in his double murder trial.
Figure in NJ murder mystery sentenced for Conn. robberies
February 16, 2023 GMTNEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Right before he was sentenced to a decade in prison for a pair of Connecticut bank robberies, Bomani Africa told a judge Thursday that, at age 62, he's too old and ill to keep living a life of violence.
Feds open civil rights probe after deputies shoot Black man
February 16, 2023 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday it is investigating possible civil rights violations by a Mississippi sheriff’s department after a drug raid last month left a Black man with a bullet wound to the face.
Key witness testifies about bribing ex-Mexico security chief
February 14, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A key prosecution witness testified Monday that he delivered millions of dollars in payoffs destined for former Mexican public safety chief Genaro García Luna but that the two didn't directly discuss what the money was allegedly buying: impunity for the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Georgia Senate backs Kemp’s push for tougher gang penalties
February 13, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia senators are backing Gov. Brian Kemp's push for long prison sentences for gang members and even longer sentences for anyone convicted of recruiting minors into a gang.
The Senate voted 31-22 for Senate Bill 44 on Monday, mostly along party lines.
Panel quashes bill allowing murder charges for drug dealers
February 13, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Senate Democrats on Monday defeated legislation for a second time this session that would have allowed prosecutors to charge drug dealers with second-degree murder if a user dies of an overdose.
Mallorca’s Hells Angels trial awaits a verdict in Spain
February 11, 2023 GMTMADRID (AP) — The trial of 49 alleged members of the Hells Angels bikers gang in the Spanish holiday island of Mallorca, most of them charged with offenses linked to organized crime, has been adjourned to await a verdict, after three weeks of sessions in Madrid's High Court.
‘Everybody’s tired’: South Dakota tribe sues US over crime
February 10, 2023 GMTHolly Wilson had just left to pick up soda for a steak dinner for her nine grandchildren last May, when a barrage of bullets was fired into her home on the largest Native American reservation in South Dakota.
Corruption endangers world’s shrinking fisheries
February 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — As Indonesia’s fisheries minister, Edhy Prabowo was tasked with protecting one of his country’s most precious resources: baby lobsters so tiny one can fit on the tip of a finger.
The waters off the nation’s many islands and archipelagos had once teemed with lobster.
Revived Trump probe puts Manhattan DA back in spotlight
February 10, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — When Alvin Bragg became Manhattan's first Black district attorney last year, one of his first big decisions was to tap the brakes on an investigation that had been speeding toward a likely criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
Attorney: I trusted Alex Murdaugh despite odd fee payments
February 9, 2023 GMTA lawyer testifying in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial in South Carolina said he trusted Murdaugh even though the disgraced lawyer suggested an unusual way to split fees from a case the two had worked on together.
Ukrainian driver acquitted in crash ordered to be deported
February 9, 2023 GMTCONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A judge has ordered the deportation of a commercial truck driver from Ukraine who was taken into custody by immigration authorities last year shortly after he was acquitted of causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire.
Georgia lawmakers seek to toughen penalties for dogfighting
February 8, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia could convict more people of dogfighting-related crimes and send them to prison for longer stretches under a bill advancing in the state Senate.
The Senate Public Safety Committee voted 6-3 Wednesday to approve Senate Bill 68, which would apply Georgia's racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations law to dogfighting.
MS-13 gang members in Central America sanctioned by US
February 8, 2023 GMTThe United States Treasury Department sanctioned two members of the powerful Mara Salvatrucha on Wednesday, part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. to crack down on the gang commonly known as MS-13. One of the men is still at large.
Indonesian police in Bali detain Australian wanted by Italy
February 8, 2023 GMTDENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Police on the Indonesian resort island of Bali have detained an Australian who is wanted by Italy since 2016 on drug trafficking charges.
Antonio Strangio, who holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship, was detained at Bali International Airport after arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last Thursday, said Antonius Parlindungan, an immigration official.
New Zealand police find 3.5 tons of cocaine in Pacific Ocean
February 8, 2023 GMTWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand police said Wednesday they found more than 3 tons of cocaine floating in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean after it was dropped there by an international drug-smuggling syndicate.
Proposed bill would pay incarcerated workers minimum wage
February 7, 2023 GMTOLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state lawmaker who has spent time in prison wants the state to pay incarcerated workers minimum wage for doing their jobs.
48 arrested in Europe over encrypted app used in drug trade
February 6, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — European investigators have shut down an encrypted communication service that was used as a secure channel for organized crime, particularly in the drug trade, and arrested 48 people, German authorities said Monday.
Route to Super Bowl dangerous for Mexico’s avocado haulers
February 6, 2023 GMTSANTA ANA ZIROSTO, Mexico (AP) — It is a long and sometimes dangerous journey for truckers transporting the avocados destined for guacamole on tables and tailgates in the United States during the Super Bowl.
Man held for California school fight, gun threat to students
February 4, 2023 GMTCORONA, Calif. (AP) — A man who allegedly punched three players during a girls' high school basketball game in Corona, California, and then pulled a gun on other students has been arrested, police said.
Maid’s son tells judge Alex Murdaugh took $4M for her death
February 3, 2023 GMTFor much of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial, witnesses have talked about a generous and loving man — but prosecutors want jurors to know that same man stole over $4 million from his housekeeper’s relatives after she died at work, and killed his wife and son to cover up his crimes.
National bike gang leader in N. Carolina sentenced to prison
February 3, 2023 GMTWILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina-based national motorcycle gang leader who authorities say often used violence was sentenced to 75 years in prison for drug trafficking, money laundering and other crimes.
Defense decries publicity in trial over deadly Houston raid
February 2, 2023 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — Attorneys for a former Houston police officer charged with murder in connection with a deadly drug raid decried the publicity the case has generated and suggested Wednesday that newly discovered evidence could undermine prosecutors' claims that the couple who lived at the home were unfairly targeted.
Smuggler tells US jury he paid off ex-Mexico security chief
January 30, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Describing meetings at a car wash and a smuggler's country house, a onetime drug trafficker testified Monday that he paid a former cabinet-level Mexican security official millions of dollars for help that included U.S.
NTSB posts its file on North Las Vegas crash that killed 9
January 27, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal crash investigators have released reports and investigative material about a multi-vehicle wreck a year ago in North Las Vegas that killed a driver and his passenger in a speeding sports car and seven members of a family in a minivan.
How Alex Murdaugh came to face trial for murder of wife, son
January 26, 2023 GMTAlex Murdaugh is standing trial for the killings of his wife and son at their hunting estate in June 2021 — charges that have led to the unraveling of a prominent South Carolina attorney known for multimillion-dollar judgments and whose family dominated the legal scene in a small county for decades.
Text of SC Gov. Henry McMaster’s State of the State speech
January 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s State of the State remarks as prepared for delivery on Wednesday:
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen of the General Assembly, my fellow South Carolinians.
Prosecutors to Congress: Let state prisons jam cellphones
January 25, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Top state prosecutors from across the country are again urging Congress to pass legislation allowing state prisons to jam the signals of cellphones smuggled to inmates, devices the attorneys argue allow prisoners to plot violence and carry out crimes.
Colombia’s once most-wanted drug lord pleads guilty in US
January 25, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A Colombian man who was once one of the world's most-wanted drug lords pleaded guilty Wednesday to U.S. smuggling charges, admitting that he led a cartel and paramilitary group that trafficked in cocaine and deadly violence.
New marijuana legalization bill gets New Hampshire hearing
January 25, 2023 GMTCONCORD, N.h. (AP) — The New Hampshire Legislature is once again debating recreational use of marijuana but efforts to legalize it still face significant hurdles.
In the decade since the state legalized medical marijuana, the House has passed recreational marijuana bills several times only to see them get killed in the Senate.
KBI: Man shot by deputies was suspect in Arizona killings
January 25, 2023 GMTA man who died in a shootout that injured four Kansas law enforcement officers was a suspect in a double homicide in Phoenix, Arizona, police said Tuesday.
Leroy D. Malone, 39, of Phoenix, was killed Monday after he was shot several times by law enforcement officers in Dodge City, Kansas, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said.
Nevada governor touts education investment, suspends gas tax
January 24, 2023 GMTCARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said Monday he wants to cut business taxes, suspend the state gasoline tax for a year, make the single biggest investment in education in Nevada history and use the budget surplus to proposal fiscal savings.
S. Dakota bill would require reporting of student crimes
January 24, 2023 GMTPIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota Senate committee advanced a proposal Tuesday that requires law enforcement to tell schools when students threaten violence and violate drug and alcohol policies. The bill, which came about after a period of research into school safety last summer, next faces a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Mexico’s former safety chief goes on trial in US drug case
January 23, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Shielded by anonymity and extra security, jurors got their first look Monday at a rare U.S. trial of a former cabinet-level Mexican official charged with taking bribes to aid drug traffickers he was supposed to be neutralizing.
Alex Murdaugh goes on trial in 2021 killings of wife, son
January 23, 2023 GMTWALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) — As his life unraveled over the past two years, disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh didn't fight giving up his law license and admitted plenty of mistakes tied to missing client money and a financial mess that led to 100 criminal charges.
US court gives $153 million to Miami man jailed in Venezuela
January 23, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — A federal judge in Miami has awarded $153 million in damages to the family of an exiled Venezuelan lawyer lured back home by his father’s kidnapping only to end up imprisoned for two years on trumped up charges of working as a “financial terrorist” undermining President Nicolás Maduro's rule.