Two mentally disabled Mexican immigrants, facing deportation for criminal assault convictions for which they have already served their time, continue to be held in detention facilities in violation of their constitutional rights, according to separate lawsuits filed in federal court. Jose Franco-Gonzalez, 29, of Costa Mesa and Guillermo Gomez-Sanchez, 48, of San Bernardino have languished […]
Criminal Justice
Crime and punishment, from the street to the courtroom and prisons
Posted inCriminal Justice
Going Undercover with a Confidential Informant
Retired narcotics agent Tom Padukiewicz worked undercover with confidential informant Ernesto Gamboa for thirteen years—busting drug dealers across Washington State. In separate interviews with the Center for Investigative Reporting, the two describe a meth deal that almost went wrong. Informant by CIR
Posted inCriminal Justice
Grand jury votes to indict bakery leader in slaying of Oakland journalist
Antoine Mackey, Yusuf Bey IV, and Devaughndre Broussard. OAKLAND – A grand jury today voted to indict Yusuf Ali Bey IV, the scion of the defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery, for ordering the killings of journalist Chauncey Bailey and two other men in 2007, authorities familiar with the situation said. Prosecutors are likely to bring […]
Don't miss a story. Get our investigations and reporters’ insights delivered to your inbox.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Broussard’s statement may help police clear two more killings
OAKLAND — On the order of Yusuf Bey IV, Devaughndre Broussard and Antoine Mackey in July 2007 lured a homeless man to a dark corner where he was shot dead after raising his hands over his head, according to a statement Broussard gave prosecutors last month. Broussard also said Mackey admitted to killing another man […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Immigration
Many Immigrants Deported for Nonviolent Crimes
Federal authorities have repeatedly said their priority is to find and remove illegal immigrants with violent criminal histories, but the U.S. government’s stepped up enforcement in recent years has led to the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants convicted of nonviolent crimes, according to a new study. Nearly three-quarters of the roughly 897,000 immigrants […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Additional murder charges imminent in journalist Chauncey Bailey’s killing
Murder charges are imminent against former Your Black Muslim Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV in the August 2007 killing of journalist Chauncey Bailey.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Immigration
U.S. Citizens Caught Up in Immigration Sweeps
Frank Ponce de Leon, a native of Mexico who lives in La Puente, Calif., spent almost three months in immigration custody — all the while insisting he was a U.S. citizen. Photo: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times Rennison Vern Castillo thought his legal troubles were nearly over at the end of a jail stay […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bakery Leader Bragged He Ordered Killing of Oakland Journalist
Former Your Black Muslim Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV bragged in jail about ordering the killing of journalist Chauncey Bailey in 2007 because Bailey had financial information that Bey IV “didn’t want to get out,” according to a statement taken by investigators late last year. Bey IV said he had to “sacrifice a soldier” to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Law Enforcement
FBI Investigating Oakland Police Department
SPECIAL FEATURES • FBI Investigating Oakland Police Department • Documents say Oakland police beat suspect who died • Video: John Sasaki reports on FBI investigation into Oakland police misconduct OAKLAND – The FBI is investigating allegations that the head of the Oakland Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division nearly nine years ago beat a drug suspect […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Katrina’s Hidden Race War
White vigilante justice tore through New Orleans in the wake of the storm. No official investigation has ever examined the crimes. A.C. Thompson’s reporting on New Orleans was directed and underwritten by the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. CIR, ProPublica, and New America Media provided additional support. >> Read the complete story that ran […]