Year: 2023

Warner Music bashed for signing record deal with ‘creepy’ AI pop star with the body of a ‘12 year old’

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Source: nypost.com 9/8/23 Warner Music faced backlash over sexualizing its newest artist — a “creepy” artificial intelligence-generated pop star named Noonoouri who wants “to make a 12 year old look sexy.” The record label made history by signing the first AI musician and released a debuting single, “Dominoes,” on Sept. 1 — accompanied by a nearly 3-minute music video of the blue-haired Noonoouri prancing in a bikini from Kim Kardashians Skims collection. The virtual influencer was created in 2018 by 43-year-old German graphic designer Joerg Zuber, who conceived Noonoouri as…

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ID: State ordered to pay more than $319,000 to wrongfully incarcerated Idaho man forced to register

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Source: idahocapitalsun.com 9/8/23 The state of Idaho must pay more than $319,000 to an innocent man who was wrongfully incarcerated for five years and nine months. The funding is made possible through the Wrongful Conviction Act, which the Legislature passed in 2021. Compensation only goes to people who were incarcerated and later are found factually innocent. Joseph LaCroix was wrongfully convicted on Oct. 3, 2017, in Bonneville County of failing to register as a sex offender, a felony crime. On March 8, the District Court found that LaCroix was innocent,…

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CA: Still no housing option for convicted sex offender Michael Cheek following state committee meeting

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Source: lookout.co 9/8/23 Michael Cheek’s release remains in limbo as a state-mandate committee did not identify any viable housing options for him at its Thursday meeting. Cheek is due back in court Tuesday, when Liberty Healthcare Corporation — the state contractor trying to find him a home — is expected to bring more options. A state-mandated committee tasked with consulting on where convicted sex offender Michael Cheek should live in Santa Cruz County did not identify any viable housing options at its meeting on Thursday, prolonging a process that has…

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CA: Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison

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Source: nbcnews.com 9/7/23 [ACSOL note: This case is significant due to lengthy sentence.] LOS ANGELES — “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson was sentenced Thursday to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women more than two decades ago at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson, 47, displayed no visible emotion after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo threw the book at him. “Mr. Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that…

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TX: Judicial Clemency Does Not Forgive Sex Offender Registration

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Source: thecrimereport.org 9/7/23 In a 6-3 decision Ex parte Danny Richard Lane, the state’s highest criminal appeals court ruled that Texas’ historical doctrine of “judicial clemency” does not forgive sex offender registration.  The Texas Legislature in 1965 created this doctrine which gives a trial court the authority to, after a defendant has successfully completed the terms of probation, “set aside the verdict or permit the defendant to withdraw his plea, and shall dismiss the accusation, complaint, information or indictment against such defendant, who shall thereafter be released from all penalties…

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VT: Remorseless murderer killed former registrant and mom as a jail retirement plan

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Source: berkshireeagle.com 9/7/23 BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — A man accused of killing a 79-year-old Whitingham, Vt., woman and her 52-year-old son by shooting them in their home on Route 8A is being held without bail. Christopher D. Ellis, 54, pleaded not guilty through his attorney Wednesday to two counts of first-degree murder and an additional charge of operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. He was arraigned in Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division. Judge John Treadwell ordered Ellis held without bail. Treadwell said the court would not schedule a weight of…

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IL: ‘I Call It Pretend Freedom’: Older Adults Coming Out of Illinois Prisons Face Steep Roadblocks in Their Reentry Journey

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Source: goodmenproject.com 9/7/23 At least 17,000 adults age 50 and older have been released from Illinois prisons since 2014, and thousands more are in line to come out soon. Older adults are less likely to reoffend than their younger counterparts but face more hurdles to successful reentry. Before he was released from prison, Bob Covelli told everyone he knew the three things he wanted most once he got out: a job, an apartment, and a kitten. “I’m less anxious, and I’m less angry when I hear a cat purring,” he…

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Sex Offender Registry Reform Is a Harm Reduction Issue

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Source: filtermag.org 9/7/23 In the United States, anyone convicted of a sex offense is punished with two criminal sentences. The first is the one they serve in prison. The second begins when the first ends, and they are forced to enroll in a Sex Offender Registry (SOR). SOR restrictions aren’t one-size-fits-all, because there isn’t just one registry—there are many. They exist at federal, state and municipal levels, creating a nightmarish tangle of legal requirements under which people can be prosecuted for violating SOR restrictions that don’t even exist in the…

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VA: Wrongfully convicted man says “Being on the registry itself has been a death sentence” and wants more restitution money

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Source: wsls.com 9/6/23 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – David Kingrea lives in rural Montgomery County with his wife, Michelle, and their son, Dylan. David’s life hasn’t always been that simple. In 2011, his life was flipped upside down when his ex-girlfriend’s son accused David of sexually abusing him. “We had a very bad relationship to say, but nevertheless I never would have thought that this would even never come up,” said David. From the day David was arrested for the alleged crimes, he maintained his innocence. “It was their word versus…

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CA: Elk Grove will (of course) exclude people who have committed sex offenses from their homeless shelter

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Source: msn.com 9/6/23 Elk Grove plans to open a temporary winter shelter for the city’s unhoused, starting later this year and lasting for five months. Officials on Tuesday announced the plan for the vacant Rite Aid drug store at Elk Grove Boulevard and Waterman Road. The city-owned site would open Nov. 1 through March 31, officials said. Dubbed an “Enhanced Winter Sanctuary,” the site will be able to house up to 30 people and will provide opportunities for people to access social services, resources and housing, said Elk Grove housing…

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ACSOL Demands Removal of Registrants from CA Megan’s Law Website

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ACSOL demanded today that the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) remove from the state’s Megan’s Law website the profiles of every individual that lack two important pieces of information — year of conviction and year of release. The demand was sent to Attorney General Rob Bonta, who leads that agency, by email and U.S. mail. “We believe that the California Megan’s Law website is in violation of state law which requires that profiles on that website include the year in which a person was convicted as well as the…

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AZ: Calls for vice mayor’s resignation for allowing a registered sex offender to stay at her house

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Source: azcentral.com 9/5/23 A crowded and contentious meeting is expected at Peoria City Hall Tuesday night as residents plan to weigh in on Mayor Jason Beck and the City Council’s request for Vice Mayor Denette Dunn to resign. Dunn was asked to resign after the Peoria Police Department released a report last week that showed a longtime friend of hers, who is a registered sex offender, had intermittently stayed at her house the past year, potentially in violation of state law. The police alleged the man should have registered Dunn’s…

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Thailand: U.S. teacher and TikTok star arrested in Thailand after having sex with a teenager

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Source: nbcnews.com 9/5/23 ACSOL note; Although we don’t normally post information about arrests, this is shocking and could serve as a warning to those who read our website and live overseas. BANGKOK, Thailand — An American teacher and TikTok star has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met online, authorities said. Luke ____ was arrested on Saturday in the Thai capital, Bangkok, according to police. He appeared in court on Monday night and was released on bail. The girl’s family said he passed…

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Supreme Court asked to decide the limits of violations of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on “unreasonable searches”

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Source: usatoday.com 9/5/23 The problem for Nero the police dog began when he put his paws on the door of a car that had been pulled over after the driver swerved across three lanes.  By all accounts, the Belgian Malinois did his job, sniffing out a pill bottle and a plastic bag that contained meth residue – evidence that ultimately allowed police in Idaho to get a warrant and charge the driver, Kirby Dorff, with felony drug possession. But the paws Nero placed on the driver side door as he…

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U.S. Spy Agency Dreams of All-Seeing “SMART ePANTS”

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Source: theintercept.com 9/2/23 The future of wearable technology, beyond now-standard accessories like smartwatches and fitness tracking rings, is ePANTS, according to the intelligence community.  The federal government has shelled out at least $22 million in an effort to develop “smart” clothing that spies on the wearer and its surroundings. Similar to previous moonshot projects funded by military and intelligence agencies, the inspiration may have come from science fiction and superpowers, but the basic applications are on brand for the government: surveillance and data collection. Billed as the “largest single investment…

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TX: Court Blocks Texas Law Aimed at Protecting Children From Online Porn

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Source: theepochtimes.com 9/3/23 A federal judge in Texas has blocked a state law seeking to impose age requirements on adult websites, claiming the bill violates the First Amendment and is a threat to privacy. Texas’ HB 1181 (pdf) requires adult sites to verify the age of visitors to ensure they are 18 years of age or older. It was signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott on June 12 and was set to come into effect on Sept. 1. On Aug. 4, a lawsuit (pdf) was filed against the legislation, arguing that…

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NC: Nash County father goes to police for help, then they charged his 10-year-old daughter for having nude photos of herself on phone

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Source: wral.com 9/2/23 A Rocky Mount man told WRAL News his 10-year-old daughter was charged with a felony for having nude pictures of herself on her cellphone. The county’s district attorney said it’s a charge he’s never seen brought against a child before. The father said he now has concerns about how the charge will impact his daughter’s future. The father said his now 11-year-old daughter is a normal kid who likes basketball, drawing and spending time with family. Read the full article  

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ACSOL Protests County’s Attempt to Block Release of Registrant

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ACSOL today protested the attempts of Placer County to block release of registrant William Stephenson, who has been designated a sexually violent predator (SVP) in that county.  The protest took place outside Placer County Superior Court about an hour before a hearing was held regarding the registrant’s release.  ACSOL leaders Sherri Harlow and Janice Bellucci were interviewed by local media including KCRA3, CBS13 and Fox News.  Roger Hunnicutt, a member of the Family Safety Foundation board of directors, also joined the protest.   “We showed up, stood up and spoke…

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