Midlothian Daily News » Richmond News

Richmond Police Investigate Homicide on 18th and Everett

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:54:59 +0000

The Richmond Police Department is investigating an assault that resulted in the death of a man in the Blackwell neighborhood this evening.

Officers responding to a report of an assault around 7:52 p.m. Thursday, May 26, found the victim, a male who appeared to be in his 50s, at the intersection of East 18th and Everett streets. The victim was taken to VCU Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

The preliminary investigation classifies this death as a homicide, pending final determination of the Medical Examiner’s Office. The victim’s identification has not been verified

Richmond Police detectives are working to develop suspect information and following leads provided by tips from Blackwell residents. The assault appears to be an isolated incident.

Anyone with information to assist in this homicide investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the key word “ITip” followed by your tip. Both methods are anonymous.

Investigators Release More Information on Brown Homicide Update

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:29:42 +0000

Richmond Police investigators are again asking for the public’s help to identify the man who shot Michael K. Brown Jr. to death last month.

Investigators are releasing the below updated photos because the suspect who had an altercation with the victim that night was last seen wearing the same style shirt.

There is still a $6,000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction in this case. Anyone with any information about this person or this incident is asked to call Detective Richard Edwards at (804) 646-3914, the Richmond the Department’s Tipline at (804) 514-TIPS or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

Citizens can also text Crime Stoppers at 274637 first using the word “ITip” followed by your tip. Both Crime Stoppers methods are anonymous.

At approximately 12:51 a.m. on March 13, Brown Jr., 20, of Glen Allen, was found suffering from a gunshot wound at 4th and East Main streets. He later died at the hospital.

The motive for this crime appears to have stemmed from an argument inside nearby Club Aurora earlier that evening.

The suspect is described as a black male with a light complexion who is approximately 5’10” to 6’01” tall. He has a slim to medium build; is 19 -25 years old and has very distinctive large spaces between his teeth. Witnesses also described him as having wavy hair kept in a short, close-cut style.

The suspect was patronizing Club Aurora at 401 E. Grace St. with several other individuals and was last seen a white t-shirt with the word “LEVI” on the front of it (like the photos below), dark pants and a black skull cap. Later in the night, he was also seen wearing a black hooded jacket.

He was also seen in a white-colored sedan.

Police Seek Suspect in an Abduction Attempt

admin — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:38:20 +0000

The Richmond Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance to identify a suspect in an abduction attempt early this morning.

A 14-year-old female reported a man tried to abduct her in the 100 block of East 34th Street around 6:45 a.m. A passerby scared the man away. The teenager escaped unharmed.

Detectives have created a composite drawing of the suspect. He is a black male, 35 to 45 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a slim build. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black cargo pants, black sneakers and latex gloves.

Anyone with information about the suspect wanted in this abduction attempt is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the key word “ITip” followed by your tip. Both methods to provide tips are anonymous.

Six Arrested Following VCU Basketball Game

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:43:57 +0000

Six individuals were arrested for disorderly conduct Saturday night by Richmond Police officers following the VCU basketball game. They are:

James Maitland IV, 19, 2600 block of Trimmer Drive, Richmond, VA
Lauren Richeson, 24, 100 block of W. Clay St., Richmond, VA
Joel Torreyson, 21, 5200 block of Clinton Rd. Alexandria, VA
Thomas Paxman, 21, 6700 block of Anders Ter., Springfield, VA
Andrew Kotsch, 22, 1200 block of S. Meadow St. Richmond, VA
Dylan Dawson, 19, 300 block of W. Broad St. Richmond, VA

Assisting the Richmond Police Department that night were the Virginia State Police, the VCU Police Department, the Capitol Police Department, the Richmond Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Fire Department, the Richmond Ambulance Authority, the Richmond Office of Emergency Management and other city departments.

“Together we created and executed a crowd-control plan that resulted in minor property damage and a few minor injuries,” said Richmond Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood.

“Considering the nature of the celebration, I commend all the officers and others involved that night for their restraint and their professionalism. I would also like to compliment the vast majority of VCU basketball fans who celebrated responsibly after each game during the team’s remarkable run to the Final Four.”

No mugshots were taken of the six people arrested. The Richmond Police Department does not identify whether those arrested were VCU students per Department policy.

Richmond Man Charged With Running Methamphetamine Stash House

admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:54:21 +0000

Stephen D. Hahne, Jr., 44, of Richmond, Va., was arrested today for allegedly allowing his house in Richmond’s Fan District to be used as a base of operations for an interstate methamphetamine trafficking business.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Ava Cooper-Davis, Special Agent in Charge for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s Washington Division, made the announcement.

According to an indictment unsealed today after his arrest, Hahne allegedly allowed dealers to operate their interstate methamphetamine distribution businesses out of his residence at 2240 Park Avenue, in the Fan District of Richmond, Va., where they received, stored, distributed and used methamphetamine. In return, the dealers allegedly provided Hahne with methamphetamine at reduced rates, thus enabling him to obtain and use methamphetamine without having to leave his residence and look for it on the street.

Because Hahne allegedly used his residence to facilitate the drug operation, the United States is seeking to forfeit the 2240 Park Avenue residence.

The indictment is part of Operation Endgame, a major Organized Crime Drug Task Force investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in central Virginia and other places. The investigation is continuing.

The case was investigated by DEA’s Richmond Division. Assistant United States Attorney David T. Maguire is prosecuting the case for the United States.

A&O Entities Founder Convicted of $100 Million Fraud Scheme

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:06:24 +0000

Christian M. Allmendinger, 39, of Houston, was convicted by a federal jury today for his role in a $100 million fraud scheme with more than 800 victims across the United States and Canada.

The conviction was announced today by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.

“Christian Allmendinger stole millions from elderly retirees to buy flashy cars and a multi-million-dollar home,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “This was a national fraud case brought by the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force that has real implications to dozens of investors in Richmond, who gave most of their life savings and have seen it all disappear. Mr. Allmendinger has now been held accountable for his crimes, and we will continue to pursue other financial fraudsters who prey on those in Virginia and throughout the country.”

“Christian Allmendinger operated a business that relied on deceit, and he used the profits of his fraudulent scheme to spend lavishly on himself,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Today a federal jury held him to account. Other would-be criminals should take note.”

On Sept. 7, 2010, a federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment against Allmendinger and two other principals of A&O Resource Management Ltd. and various related entities that acquired and marketed life settlements to investors. Today, Allmendinger was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, two counts of money laundering, and one count of securities fraud. At sentencing on Aug. 12, 2011, Allmendinger faces up to 20 years in prison on each count except the securities fraud count, on which he faces up to 5 years in prison.

Allmendinger’s co-defendant, Adley H. Abdulwahab, 35, is scheduled for a jury trial beginning July 5, 2011. Evidence at Allmendinger’s trial established that during his involvement with the company, A&O obtained approximately $80 million from approximately 500 investors. The indictment alleges that the A&O fraud scheme as a whole exceeds $100 million and affected more than 800 investors, many of whom were elderly.

According to court records and evidence at trial, Allmendinger was a co-founder and vice president of A&O and was active in the day-to-day management of the companies, as well as in the marketing of A&O life settlement investment products to investors. He and others engaged in a scheme to defraud investors by making misrepresentations about such things as A&O’s prior success, its size and office locations, its number of employees, the risks of its investment offerings, and its safekeeping and use of investor funds. Evidence at trial showed that Allmendinger routinely used investor funds for personal enrichment, including a $2 million home, a Lamborghini Spyder, and a 15-carat diamond ring, among other property.

When state regulators began to scrutinize A&O’s investment products, Allmendinger and his co-conspirators decided to sell A&O in August 2007, which ended Allmendinger’s association with the fraud scheme. The indictment alleges that, through a series of sham sales, co-conspirators, including Abdulwahab and David White, continued the fraud scheme through September 2009.

Five individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with the A&O fraud scheme: White, the former President of A&O; Brent Oncale, former vice president of A&O; Russell E. Mackert, an attorney for A&O; Eric M. Kurz, a wholesaler of A&O investment products; and Tomme Bromseth, an A&O sales agent in the Richmond area.

This continuing investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, and FBI, with significant assistance from the Texas State Securities Board. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael S. Dry and Jessica Aber Brumberg from the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Albert B. Stieglitz Jr., of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

The investigation has been coordinated by the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force, an unprecedented partnership between criminal investigators and civil regulators to investigate and prosecute complex financial fraud cases in the nation and in Virginia. The task force is an investigative arm of the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, an interagency national task force.

Two Richmond Carjacking Plead Guilty

admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:20:58 +0000

Kshawn Hill, 19, and Larry Burleigh, 24, both of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty today to Carjacking and two counts of Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. The two face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when they are sentenced by United States District Judge Henry Hudson on June 20, 2011.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian R. Swann, Resident Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Richmond Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by Judge Hudson.

In a statement of facts filed with their plea agreements, Hill and Burleigh admitted to using a short-barreled shotgun to carjack a victim in the early morning hours of December 3, 2010 in Richmond. The two further admitted to driving the victim to four ATM’s around Richmond, and forcing the victim at gunpoint to withdraw and attempt to withdraw U.S. currency from his bank account. Hill and Burleigh eventually let the victim out of his vehicle. Following a pursuit by Richmond Police Department, Hill and Burleigh abandoned the vehicle and were apprehended.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie Mickelson and Roderick Young are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Suspect Arrested in 21st Street Homicide

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:52:13 +0000

The Fugitive Task Force has arrested a man wanted for an October homicide in Richmond.

Joel M. Hicklin, 18, of the 1600 block of North 21st Street, was arrested Friday night and charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the homicide of Tyler A. Franks.Franks, 45, of the 3600 block of Chamberlayne Avenue, was found suffering from a gunshot wound in the 3600 block of Chamberlayne Avenue around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, 2010. He later died of his injuries.

Suspect Sought in 1st Street Shooting in Richmond

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:37:31 +0000

Richmond Police investigators need the public’s help to identify and find the person responsible for shooting a man on North 1st Street this afternoon.

At approximately 12:46 p.m., officers received a call for a person shot in the 1200 block of North 1st Street. When they arrived, they found a male who had been shot multiple times.

He has been taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The suspect(s) were last seen fleeing the area northbound in a blue car.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Richmond Police Department’s Tipline at 514-TIPS (8477) or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000. Citizens can also text Crime Stoppers at 274637 first using the word “ITip” followed by your tip. Both Crime Stoppers methods are anonymous.

Quick Arrest in Brady Street Shooting

admin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:19:20 +0000

Richmond Police made an arrest today in connection with a shooting last night on Brady Street.

Alphonso Saladin Jones, 43, of the 6900 block of Starview Court is charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and shooting into an occupied dwelling.

Around 11:15 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, Richmond Police officers were called to the 2400 block of Brady Street for a report of a person shot. The victim was wounded following an argument with the shooting suspect. He was taken to VCU Medical Center with injuries that are not life-threatening.