After 43 days, the government shutdown has ended. President Trump signed the spending bill late Wednesday night, funding the federal government through January 2026. Along with resuming funding for food stamps and federal worker salaries, the bill includes provisions allowing senators to sue the Justice Department as well as broader criminalization of hemp derived products. Retroactive to January of 2022, senators who have had phone records obtained without notification by the Justice Department would be permitted to sue for up to $500,000. While it does not mention special counsel Jack Smith’s probe of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the provision would apply to eight senators who had their phone records obtained as part of the probe in 2023. The spending bill also changes the lawful THC content threshold for hemp derived products from 0.3% Delta 9 THC to 0.4mg of any variant of THC. Farmers and legislators from around the country have voiced concern that this could effectively eliminate over 95% of products currently sold lawfully. Read on for more criminal law news.
Charlotte named in U.S. Border Patrol operation expansion. The New York Times reported this week that, according to a government document and a federal official with knowledge of the plan, the next expansion of immigration agents into domestic cities includes Charlotte and New Orleans. In response to questions on Tuesday, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, said she could not discuss “future or potential operations.” McLaughlin added, “Every day, D.H.S. enforces the laws of the nation across the country.” Local officials have responded, stating they have not been contacted about any plans, but that they are aware of the reports and are urging residents to stay calm. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said “It is important that we keep to the facts that we know, as there are many rumors in the community that as far as we know are not verified and we do not want to cause additional alarm in an uncertain environment.” In a joint statement, other elected officials responded to the report, committing to ensuring accurate information is shared and “doing everything within our authority to protect the safety and dignity of all residents.” Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden issued a statement late Thursday that federal officials informed him agents would be arriving as early as Saturday.
Mother of missing 9-year-old charged with unrelated felony. Ashlee Buzzard, 40, is currently facing a felony false imprisonment charge unrelated to the disappearance of her 9-year-old daughter, Melodee Buzzard. Melodee was last seen with her mother while the pair were on a cross-country road trip in early October. Surveillance footage at a rental car agency shows them in disguise, wearing wigs. Tyler Brewer, an acquaintance of Ashlee, reportedly went to her house to help with the search for Melodee in early November. Once there, Brewer said Ashlee “became visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing” and threatened him with a box-cutter, keeping him from leaving the residence. Authorities note that Ashlee has been largely uncooperative in the missing-person investigation, and that the FBI and local law enforcement remain actively involved. Ashlee pleaded not guilty to the felony false imprisonment charge this week and was released from custody on GPS-monitoring.
Kansas county agrees to pay $3 million after illegal raid. In August of 2023, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office along with local police officers raided the office of the Marion County Record, a newspaper, and the homes of the editor and the city’s former vice mayor. The search warrants, which were later found to be unsubstantiated, were in response to an investigation into a local restaurant owner’s attempts to restore their driver’s license. Notably, law enforcement spent more than two hours searching the editor’s home while the editor’s 98-year-old mother (and newspaper co-owner) was the only person present. She passed away the next day. The settlement agreement includes an apology from the Sheriff’s Office and is divided among the editor, former vice-mayor, the company that publishes the Marion County Record, and two reporters and another member of the paper’s staff. The settlement does not include city officials or the Police Department, both of which are still in active litigation with the paper and the aggrieved parties.
Major league pitchers indicted in betting scheme. Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz were indicted this week in the Eastern District of New York on charges alleging organized gambling misconduct. They have also been charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. The pair allegedly made over $450,000 from betting platforms by throwing specific types of pitches and speeds of pitches, and coordinating with co-conspirators to use that inside information to place bets. Major League Baseball has since announced safeguards with their approved gaming operators to restrict the amount wagered on individual pitches and eliminate the inclusion of individual pitches in parlays (a type of wager that combines two or more individual bets into a single, larger wager).
The scouring of the shire. A raid on a long-time cannabis grower in New Zealand has ignited a debate in the country. New Zealand legalized medical cannabis in 2020, but well before then, underground growers and refiners were extracting oil from cannabis plants for medicinal use. Known as “green fairies,” these producers provided products to cancer patients, amputees, children with epileptic seizures, and people suffering from arthritis, Parkinson’s, gout, sciatica, and herniated discs. Since legalization, the expense and effort of obtaining a prescription and finding an authorized dealer have caused many people to return to green fairies for help. Earlier this year, more than a dozen armed officers raided the farm of 66-year-old Paul Smith, known to many in New Zealand’s Northland region as “Gandalf.” They took axes to greenhouses, uprooted plants, and either seized or destroyed much of his farm equipment. Supporters have staged rallies at court hearings, denounced his prosecution, and raised funds for his defense. They recount instances where Smith has helped victims of a fire and significantly discounted his products for struggling customers. “There’s a lot of people out there that need help, and the health system is failing them, big time,” Smith said. The New Zealand police declined to comment specifically on Mr. Smith’s case.
Hot and ready, set, go. A Florida woman was pulled over for speeding last week around 11:52 p.m. by a Pinellas County officer on a routine patrol. The officer estimated her speed at over 100 miles per hour, and recorded her speed via radar at 107 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone. After pulling Yazmin Erazo, 21, over in her Kia Forte, the officer asked why she was speeding. According to the affidavit, she admitted there was no emergency or other justification for the speed and that she was trying to make it to Little Ceasars before they closed at midnight. She was arrested without incident on allegations of dangerous excessive speeding and booked into the Pinellas County Jail, likely without a pit stop for pizza along the way. She has since been released on bond.