WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
The so-called “Bling Pastor” who was infamously robbed by crooks during a service is once again saying his prayers – that his cell isn’t next to theirs.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict against Lamor Whitehead on two counts of wire fraud, one count of attempted wire fraud, one count of attempted extortion, and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement agents. U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield presided over the two-week trial.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As a unanimous jury found, Lamor Whitehead abused the trust placed in him by a parishioner, tried to obtain a fraudulent loan using fake bank records, bullied a businessman for $5,000, tried to defraud him out of far more than that, and lied to federal agents. Whitehead’s reprehensible lies and criminal conduct have caught up with him, as he now stands convicted of five federal crimes and faces time in prison.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence at trial: Lamor Whitehead, who leads a church in Brooklyn, New York, stole from his own parishioners, sought to defraud and extort a businessman, and committed loan fraud.
First, Whitehead induced one of his parishioners to invest approximately $90,000 of her retirement savings with him by promising to use the money to help her buy a home. He then spent the money on luxury goods and other personal expenses and, when she demanded to be paid back, he continued to lie to avoid returning the money.
Second, Whitehead extorted a businessman for $5,000, then attempted to convince the same businessman to lend him $500,000 and give him a stake in certain real estate transactions in return for favorable actions from the Mayor of New York City, even though Whitehead knew he could not obtain the favors he promised.
Third, Whitehead submitted a fraudulent application for a $250,000 business loan, including doctored bank statements that falsely claimed Whitehead had millions of dollars in the bank and hundreds of thousands of dollars in monthly revenue.
Finally, when speaking with Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) agents who were executing a search warrant outside Whitehead’s mansion in New Jersey, Whitehead falsely claimed that he had no cellphones other than the phone he was carrying when, in fact, Whitehead had and regularly used a second cellphone, which was inside his house at the time.
Whitehead, 45, of Paramus, New Jersey, was convicted of two counts of wire fraud, one count of attempted wire fraud, and one count of attempted extortion, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Greenwood, Jane Kim, and Derek Wikstrom, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Christopher De Grandpre, are in charge of the prosecution.
MENENDEZ FACING MORE CHARGES
After co-defendant Jose Uribe pled guilty to charges with sentencing consideration contingent upon cooperation, New Jersey’s senior Senator is now in more hot water.
Sen. Bob Menendez, his wife Nadine, and two more co-defendants pled not guilty to new charges in a superseding indictment handed up by the Southern District of New York.
The quartet now face new obstruction charges and trying to make bribes look like loan payments. Thanks to the new indictment, the Senator now faces 18 counts overall.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 3-12-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2024)
- Total Mass Shootings: 93
- Total Dead: 156
- Total Wounded: 323
- Shootings Per Day: 1.29
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of March 12: 72
AFRICA
A COMMITMENT TO ENDING MALARIA
On March 6, Ministers of Health from African countries with the highest burden of malaria committed to accelerated action to end deaths from the disease. They pledged to sustainably and equitably address the threat of malaria in the African region, which accounts for 95% of malaria deaths globally.
The Ministers, gathering in Yaoundé, Cameroon, signed a declaration committing to provide stronger leadership and increased domestic funding for malaria control programs; to ensure further investment in data technology; to apply the latest technical guidance in malaria control and elimination; and to enhance malaria control efforts at the national and sub-national levels.
They further pledged to increase health sector investments to bolster infrastructure, personnel and program implementation; to enhance multi-sectoral collaboration; and to build partnerships for funding, research and innovation. In signing the declaration, they expressed their “unwavering commitment to the accelerated reduction of malaria mortality” and “to hold each other and our countries accountable for the commitments outlined in this declaration.”
The Yaoundé conference, co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Cameroon, gathered Ministers of Health, global malaria partners, funding agencies, scientists, civil society organizations and other principal malaria stakeholders.
The ministerial conference has four key aims: review progress and challenges in achieving the targets of the WHO global malaria strategy; discuss mitigation strategies and funding for malaria; agree on effective strategies and responses for accelerated malaria mortality reduction in Africa; and establish a roadmap for increased political commitment and societal engagement in malaria control, with a clear accountability mechanism.
“This declaration reflects our shared commitment as nations and partners to protect our people from the devastating consequences of malaria. We will work together to ensure that this commitment is translated into action and impact,” said Hon Manaouda Malachie, Minister for Health of Cameroon.
The African region is home to 11 countries that carry approximately 70% of the global burden of malaria: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. Progress against malaria has stalled in these high-burden African countries since 2017 due to factors including humanitarian crises, low access to and insufficient quality of health services, climate change, gender-related barriers, biological threats such as insecticide and drug resistance and global economic crises. Fragile health systems and critical gaps in data and surveillance have compounded the challenge.
Funding for malaria control globally is also inadequate. In 2022, US$ 4.1 billion – just over half of the needed budget – was available for malaria response.
Globally the number of cases in 2022 was significantly higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to 249 million from 233 million in 2019. In the same period, the African region saw an increase in cases from 218 million to 233 million. The region continues to shoulder the heaviest malaria burden, representing 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of global deaths, an estimated 580 000 deaths in 2022.
To help accelerate efforts to reduce the malaria burden, WHO and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria launched the “High burden to high impact” approach in 2018, a targeted effort to accelerate progress in countries hardest hit by malaria.
The declaration signed at the March 6 conference is aligned with the “High burden to high impact” approach, which is founded on four pillars: political will to reduce malaria deaths; strategic information to drive impact; better guidance, policies and strategies; and a coordinated national malaria response.
To put malaria progress back on track, WHO recommends robust commitment to malaria responses at all levels, particularly in high-burden countries; greater domestic and international funding; science and data-driven malaria responses; urgent action on the health impacts of climate change; harnessing research and innovation; as well as strong partnerships for coordinated responses. WHO is also calling attention to the need to address delays in malaria program implementation.
UNITED KINGDOM
ENDING GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
New figures on the UK’s support to end Gender-Based Violence (GBV) show how this funding has transformed the lives of over 4 million of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Gender-based violence is a systematic, pervasive, human rights abuse. It threatens the lives and wellbeing of women and girls, and prevents them from accessing opportunities for education, employment and healthcare. However, it is preventable.
Between April 2021 and March 2023, the UK has provided 4.2 million people across the globe with gender-based violence prevention or response services.
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said: “The UK is determined to work with our partners to resist the rollback of rights we are seeing around the world.
“Gender-based violence is holding back women and girls, but things can and must change. The UK’s approaches have shown reductions in violence of up to 50% in some countries.
“By investing in sexual and reproductive health services, and reaching millions of girls with services to end devastating practices like Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage, we are proud to help women and girls to reach their full potential.”
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for MENA, AfPak, India, the UN, Commonwealth and the PM’s Special Representative for PSVI said: “I’m honored to be at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, joining the global conversation on reforming the humanitarian system to protect women and girls against gender-based violence. This is a critical issue that affects millions – a violation of human rights that demands a united front.
“I am proud that the UK has reached over 4 million people, including survivors, with vital support, but our work doesn’t stop here. We are committed to this collective effort for a future free from gender-based violence.”
