Year: 2022

CA: Amazon sued over refusal to hire California sex offenders

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Source: reuters.com 9/23/22 Sept 23 (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc is facing a proposed class action claiming it illegally used a California sex offender website to conduct background checks on job applicants. Miguel Lerma, who was convicted of rape nearly a decade ago, filed a complaint in Los Angeles federal court on Thursday claiming Amazon and a background check provider, Accurate Background Inc, violated state and federal laws by using the website and considering older convictions for sex offenses in screening applicants. Lerma says he was offered a job at an…

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CA: Lakeside school leaders call for sex offender safety plan

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Source: cbs8.com 9/26/22 AN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — There’s a new call for safety from Lakeside school leaders after a series of proposals to place sex offenders in an East County neighborhood. Frustration and worry have grown in Lakeside over a home that is housing a group of registered sex offenders in a family neighborhood. Neighbors say they checked the California Megan’s Law website, and were surprised to learn five sex offenders were living in the home. Last week, neighbors held signs near the home on Sesi Lane. The home…

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Federal Court Denies Injunction, Allows Amended Complaint and New Motion

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Source: ACSOL A federal court today denied a motion requesting a preliminary injunction in a case challenging the SORNA regulations.  The court’s decision was based upon a determination that the sole individual plaintiff, John Doe, lacks legal standing because he has already registered for the time period required by his SORNA tier.  The judge then provided plaintiffs with an opportunity to file an amended complaint within 14 days as well as to file a subsequent motion for preliminary injunction. During today’s hearing, the parties discussed whether SORNA regulations apply to…

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MI: Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate calls for tougher sentences for convicted sex offenders

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Source: michiganradio.org 9/16/22 Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon says if she’s elected governor in November she’ll push for stronger penalties for convicted sex offenders. Dixon is spending this week outlining her public safety plan. In a Thursday speech, Dixon laid out a plan that would, among other things, create mandatory minimum sentences for sex crimes, though the state does already have mandatory minimums for some sexual offenses. “Make no mistake sexual predators are going to prison and we aren’t going to think twice about that,” Dixon told supporters in Pontiac.…

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ACSOL Conference This Saturday (10/1) Offers Tips for Success for Registrants, Families

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NOTE: If you have problems or questions regarding the conference registration or other issues, or if you have not received your private Zoom link, email conference@all4consolaws.org   The annual ACSOL conference will offer tips for success for both registrants and their families in presentations by successful registrants, psychologists and others.  The presentations include a panel of four successful registrants led by Roger Hunnicutt starting at 1:40 p.m. followed by a solo presentation regarding how to survive the containment model by psychologist JoEllen Wiggington at 2:40 p.m.   The conference will also feature…

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PA: Judge grants work release for ex-guard who sexually assaulted Northampton County inmate

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Source: lehighvalleylive.com 9/22/22 A Northampton County judge sentenced a former county prison guard to jail Wednesday for sexually assaulting a female inmate, but also granted the man immediate work release. Kelvin Myers, 41, of Forks Township, previously pleaded guilty to institutional sexual assault and was in court Wednesday for his sentencing in the case. Judge Murray sentenced Myers to four months to 18 months in county prison. Under the institutional sexual assault charge, Myers must register as a sex offender for 15 years under Pennsylvania’s version of Megan’s Law. “This…

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WV: West Virginia Man Charged with Federal Civil Rights Offenses for Sexual Assault of Two Victims

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Source: justice.gov 9/22/22 A former parole officer with the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation was arrested today after being charged in federal court with civil rights violations, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators. Anthony _____, 44, was charged in a seven-count indictment unsealed today, with five counts of acting under color of law to deprive individuals of their civil rights, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of false statements to federal investigators. The indictment alleges that, while _____ was acting in…

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SORNA Regulations Preliminary Injunction Hearing to Be Conducted on Monday Sept 26

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Source: ACSOL In another surprising ruling, the federal district court judge has decided to conduct a hearing on the pending preliminary injunction motion in the SORNA regulations case.  The judge made this decision earlier today despite the fact that both parties had agreed to waive oral argument. The hearing will be held on Monday, September 26 starting at 9 a.m. View the hearing online by clicking on this Zoom Webinar link Although the public is allowed to appear in the courtroom for this hearing, it is not recommended that you come…

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VA: Victory in Supreme Court of Virginia against out-of-control prosecution

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Source: ajustfuture.org 9/20/22 Justices declare effort targeting leading advocate illegal, ending 5-year court battle On Thursday, the highest court in Virginia ended the Commonwealth’s 13-year campaign to indefinitely detain a prominent advocate on criminal justice matters, Galen Baughman. In a victory for justice the Supreme Court ruled that the petition filed against Baughman in 2017 was illegal. A Short History of Baughman’s Fight Baughman has been targeted by the Virginia attorney general’s office under the state’s civil confinement scheme since 2009 when prosecutors filed a petition to send him to…

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AZ: U.S. Marshals target sex offenders in Northern Arizona operation

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Source: kyma.com 9/20/22 YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The combined efforts of the United States Marshals Service, Navajo County Sheriff’s Office and state police departments led to hundreds of sex offender compliance checks. In a press release, only one arrest was made in a compliance operation across Northern Arizona. “The Marshals Service is committed to assisting our partner agencies with sex offender compliance checks. By determining if offenders are complying with court ordered requirements, especially in rural communities, we help protect those most vulnerable to sex offenders,” said District of…

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FL: He Served 18 Months for a Sex Offense. He’s Re-Imprisoned Anyway, Possibly for Life.

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Source: flaglerlive.com 9/21/22 Under Florida law, imprisonment does not depend only on proven guilt of a crime. It can also result from the possibility of a future crime. The imprisonment can be up to life. The offender has few avenues of appeal. The case is not even public. The documents on which it is based are sealed from public view. It is a little known but disquieting side of Florida law, permissible under the so-called Jimmy Ryce Act, which allows the “involuntary civil commitment” of sexually violent and dangerous predators…

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TX: Llano County man sentenced to 50 years for violating sex offender registration requirements

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Source: kvue.com 9/21/22 BURNET, Texas — John Benedict “J.B.” _____ pleaded guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to 50 years in prison for violating his sex offender registration requirements. _____ was required to register as a sex offender after multiple 1997 Williamson County convictions for victimizing two young girls over a four-year period, according to a release from the 33rd/424th District Attorney’s office in Burnet.  Years after he was paroled from prison, _____ used an unreported Facebook account to attempt to contact one of his victims, which is in violation of…

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FL: What do you think about Jacksonville not enforcing the sign requirement for sex offenders on Halloween?

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Source: news4jax.com 9/22/22  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two registered sex offenders filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Jacksonville because they want to decorate for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays. Thursday, the offenders asked the judge to pause the city sign requirement outside their home because they believe it’s unconstitutional. Sex offenders in Jacksonville are required to have signs posted outside their home that read “no candy or treats here” so that children don’t trick-or-treat at their homes on Halloween. Because of the lawsuit, the city of Jacksonville has…

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NY: Catalfamo: End in-person college instruction for sex offenders

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Source: poststar.com 9/20/22 Dave Catalfamo, Republican candidate for state Assembly District 113, pledged on Tuesday that he would introduce legislation that would bar registered sex offenders from taking classes on college campuses. The pledge is inspired by a SUNY Adirondack student, Destiny Rose, who began a petition to remove a registered sex offender, Timothy ___, 50, of Glens Falls, from campus, and switch him to virtual learning. Catalfamo said a story in Tuesday’s Post-Star is what prompted his pledge. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had 1,001 signatures. ___ was…

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Child Sex-Abuse Cases No Longer ‘Priority’ for FBI amid January 6 Investigation, Whistleblower Claims

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Source: yahoo.com 9/20/22 The FBI is sidelining investigations into child sexual abuse in order to pursue January 6 probes and is inflating the number of “domestic extremism” cases across the country, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee claimed in a letter Monday, citing whistleblowers. The committee’s letter was spearheaded by ranking member Jim Jordan, and was addressed to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. It comes on the heels of another committee letter that cited whistleblowers claiming the FBI was “pressuring agents” to label cases as “domestic violent extremism” even when they didn’t…

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Sociologist, Author Emily Horowitz to Join ACSOL Virtual Conference on October 1

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Sociologist, professor and author Emily Horowitz will join the ACSOL Zoom conference on Saturday, October 1, 2022 both as a plenary speaker and a panelist.  She will share with all conference attendees the results of her recent research regarding the daily challenges faced by registrants in the presentation, “I’m Free, But Not Free.  Alive But Not Alive: Life on the Registry.”  She will also join ACSOL President Chance Oberstein on a panel regarding “How to Succeed in an Adverse Social Environment.” The conference will also include presentations by civil rights…

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ACSOL October 15, 2022 Meeting

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Please join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci as well as ACSOL President and criminal defense attorney Chance Oberstein for our next meeting.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, October 15, online on Zoom beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 PM Eastern, and will last at least two hours. You can use the Zoom app or call in using a Zoom phone number. There is no registration needed for this meeting. You can use the Zoom app to see Janice and Chance and choose to…

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Former Law Enforcement Launch Raven to Combat Child Exploitation

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Source: prnewswire.com 9/19/22 Raven, the first effort of its kind, will fight to increase resources and funding to law enforcement to help save children from exploitation  WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As cases of child exploitation are rapidly increasing, some of the world’s most respected retired child exploitation investigators, retired ICAC Commanders, sex offender treatment providers, technology innovators and policy experts in the United States announced the formation of Raven. The 501(c)4 organization is dedicated to protecting children from victimization by raising awareness of the threat of online child…

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