Crime News
The Daily Signal reports on crime news with analysis and commentary on policies, crime rates, and policing debates.
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- Opinion
College Admissions Scandal Ensnares 52nd Defendant and Counting
Fifty-two defendants and counting. That’s how many people have been indicted or otherwise charged in the college admissions and testing-bribery scandal. When the story first broke last spring, we wrote that the first round of indictments had to be the tip of the iceberg, because over time, those in the government crosshairs would sing like…Cully Stimson -
- Opinion
DC Is Poised to Triple Down on Early Release of Violent Criminals
One defendant killed an innocent 7-year-old child. Another shot a 24-year-old mother in the back. Others kidnapped a woman, held her in the back of a stolen van, and repeatedly gang-raped her. These and about 583 other violent offenders—including murderers, rapists, and child molesters—could soon be let out of prison if Charles Allen, a D.C. Council member,…Cully Stimson -
- News
Union Scandal Coincides With GM Auto Workers Strike
Resolving the strike against General Motors that began Monday may be harder because of an internal corruption scandal inside the United Auto Workers. The strike officially began at midnight, when tens of thousands of workers walked off the factory floors of the multinational automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit. Vance Pearson, 58, the UAW’s Region…Kevin Mooney -
- Opinion
Justice Demands Former FBI Official McCabe Should Be Prosecuted
Former FBI Deputy Director and Acting Director Andrew McCabe deserves to be prosecuted on charges of lying to investigators. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen has rejected a request by McCabe to block such a prosecution, Fox News reported Thursday after U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu recommended prosecuting McCabe. This is the right decision by Rosen…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
North Carolina Is Tackling Crimes Run Amok. Congress Should Take Notes.
North Carolina is taking its overcriminalization problem seriously. With overwhelming bipartisan support, the state last month enacted Senate Bill 584, which allows the legislature to rein in runaway regulatory crimes. Like the federal government, North Carolina’s regulatory agencies are overzealously creating regulatory crimes. These are crimes defined by executive branch agencies pursuant to authority delegated…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- News
Jay-Z’s Un-PC Remarks on Broken Homes, Crime Belatedly Trigger Tweetstorm
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z is drawing belated condemnation on Twitter for attributing “adverse feeling for authority” to fatherless households during a panel discussion on social justice earlier this year. Videos of the rapper—whose given name is Shawn—discussing single-parent households on a race-relations panel recently surfaced and went viral. In the clip from the January discussion, Jay-Z,…Joshua Q. Nelson -
- News
Media Hyped ‘Wrong’ Study Linking Trump Rallies To Hate Crimes, Then Ignored Second Study Debunking It
Establishment media outlets like The Washington Post hyped a now-disputed study that linked President Donald Trump’s campaign rallies to a spike in hate crimes, but they’ve yet to cover a second study that debunked the first one. The first study, which three Texas university professors conducted, said counties that hosted Trump rallies in 2016 saw…Peter Hasson -
- News
Nearly 500 Illegal Aliens Released From North Carolina Jails Despite ICE Detainers
Detention centers across North Carolina have released hundreds of illegal aliens in their custody, defying detainer requests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local authorities in North Carolina released about 500 undocumented immigrants in the past 10 months. A total of 489 detainers were ignored by state law enforcement officials, according to data…Jason Hopkins -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Pompeo Affirms US Still Rejects Russia’s Seizure of Crimea
KYIV, Ukraine—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed the Trump administration’s rejection of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine and seizure of Crimea, telling The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview that last year’s U.S. rebuke of Russia’s actions stands. “We made very clear our position with respect to the Russian role there in Ukraine,” Pompeo said…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
Crimes by Illegal Immigrants Widespread Across US
The decision by a California appeals court Friday overturning the conviction of an illegal immigrant who shot and killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco in 2015 once again put the national spotlight on the serious problem of crimes committed by people in the U.S. illegally. The appeals court in San Francisco overturned the conviction of Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate on…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Lindsey Graham Urges Attorney General to Declassify 9 Categories of Information From FISA Abuse Probe
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham is calling on Attorney General William Barr to declassify and publicize nine categories of information from the inspector general’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuse investigation. The documents, if released, would shed light on the FBI’s assessment of the Steele dossier, as well as information related to confidential human…Chuck Ross -
- Opinion
The Justice Department’s IG Delivers a Scathing Rebuke of Ex-FBI Director Comey
The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General on Thursday released its long-awaited “Report of Investigation of Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey’s Disclosure of Sensitive Investigative Information and Handling of Certain Memoranda.” Between Jan. 6, 2017, and April 11 of that same year, then-FBI Director James Comey memorialized seven one-on-one conversations he…John G. Malcolm -
- News
DOJ Watchdog Says James Comey Violated FBI Policy in Handling Sensitive Memos
The Justice Department’s inspector general sharply criticized James Comey on Thursday, saying in a report that the former FBI director violated bureau policy in the handling of memos that he wrote after conversations with President Donald Trump. The report details how Comey handled seven memos he wrote between Jan. 6, 2017, and April 11, 2017, following interactions…Chuck Ross -
- News
ICE Spotlights Releases of Criminal Aliens as Governor Defends Sanctuary Policies
An illegal immigrant from Honduras returned to the U.S. sometime after being deported in 2006. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina arrested the man in June on a charge of first-degree rape and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. One day after the arrest of Oscar Pacheco-Leonardo, 33, U.S. Immigration and…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
How the Innocent Can Become Collateral Damage From ‘Crime-Free Housing’ Laws
Jessica Barron and Kenny Wylie, a couple renting their single-family home in Granite City, Illinois, know all too well that no good deed goes unpunished. For two years, the parents of three children worked to make their modest home comfortable, not only for their family, but also for friends of their children who needed care,…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- News
North Carolina Governor Vetoes Anti-Sanctuary Bill After Illegal Alien Charged With Rape
Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that would have mandated local law enforcement officials in the state to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Cooper on Wednesday vetoed House Bill 370, titled “An Act to Require Compliance with Immigration Detainers and Administrative Warrants.” If the legislation had been signed into law, sheriffs and other…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
American Bar Association Postpones Sexual Assault Resolution That Would Criminalize Normal Behavior
What do Prince Charming, quarterback Brett Favre, and an awkward teenager angling for a first kiss all have in common? They could all be criminals under the American Bar Association’s proposed new sexual assault law. The American Bar Association is considering whether to push states to amend their criminal codes to define consent in sexual…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- News
Top FBI Veteran Andrew McCabe Sues Over His Firing
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe sued the Justice Department and FBI on Thursday for his firing last year, which he says was politically-motivated retribution for failing to support President Donald Trump. In the complaint, McCabe accuses the Justice Department and FBI of “unlawful retaliation for his refusal to pledge allegiance to a single man,”…Chuck Ross -
- News
FBI Fires 4 for Leaks, Investigates 10 Other Employees Since 2016
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has investigated at least 14 employees since 2016 for unauthorized disclosures of bureau information and fired at least four, documents show. Several of the FBI employees were recommended for termination, but received lighter punishments, such as suspension without pay. The documents, six pages of summaries of 14 internal investigations released…Chuck Ross -
- News
Disgraced Agent Sues DOJ, FBI Over Firing Based on Anti-Trump Texts
Peter Strzok, the former FBI agent fired over anti-Trump text messages, sued the Justice Department and the FBI Tuesday, claiming that he was fired due to political pressure from President Donald Trump. In the lawsuit, filed against Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray, Strzok also alleged that his First Amendment rights were…Chuck Ross