Several new details have been revealed in the case of a North Texas man who was recently arrested for allegedly threatening government agents with violence on social media.

Robert King, 35, stands accused of one count of transmitting threats to injure in interstate commerce, according to a criminal complaint and arrest warrant filed in federal court earlier this month.

As Law&Crime previously reported, the defendant was arrested last week on one count of making terroristic threats causing the impairment or interruption of public services, a Lone Star State violation, according to the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office.

In that state law case, King was only accused of using exceedingly violent language against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and threatening to shoot Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Now, authorities say the defendant’s violent language has also targeted other officials, including Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott and President Donald Trump.

A 23-year-old man in Maryland has been arrested for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend, fatally stabbing her at a residence in Baltimore over the weekend just a day after she texted friends that he left her in fear for her life.

Rashard Mack was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the slaying of 22-year-old Taejhiana Walker, authorities announced. According to a news release from the Baltimore Police Department, officers at about 1 p.m. on Saturday responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at a residence located in the 8300 block on Nunley Drive regarding a reported domestic disturbance.

After arriving at the scene, first responders said they entered the residence and located two adults — one of whom was later identified as Walker — suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds. Walker was pronounced dead at the scene while the other victim — who police identified as Mack — was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Upon Mack’s release from the hospital, detectives placed him under arrest and charged him with Walker’s murder.

Court documents obtained by Baltimore NBC affiliate WBAL provided additional details about the circumstances of Walker’s death.

According to the report, when police first reached the residence, Mack was found “seated in the living room of the apartment in a metal folding chair. A broken knife blade with blood on it was observed on the floor next to him.”

1. Home
2. Daily News
3. Judge accused of using ‘game or jail’ tactic,…

Judiciary

Judge accused of using ‘game or jail’ tactic, asserting abuse victims get ‘Super Bowl’ neurochemicals

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 27, 2025, 3:15 pm CDT

An Indiana judge has been accused in an ethics complaint of failing to recognize “appropriate ethical boundaries” and making “injudicious statements” to litigants and defendants.

Judge Matthew J. Elkin of Howard County, Indiana, allegedly singled out some participants for special treatment in the problem-solving courts over which he presided and made discourteous remarks to other participants and litigants, according to a March 26 statement of charges. A March 26 press release summarized the allegations.

WISH, WTHR, the Kokomo Tribune and the Indiana Lawyer have coverage.

The problem-solving courts included drug court, which addressed substance-abuse issues of criminal defendants, and the reentry court, which focused on reintegrating people into the community after incarceration.

In one instance in March 2023, Elkin allegedly told a reentry participant who had been a domestic violence victim why he thinks that such victims stay in relationships.

He began by talking about the kind of elation quarterback Tom Brady must feel when winning the Super Bowl. After the win, Brady’s brain “is filled with all kinds of neurochemicals,” he said.

“If I smack the sh-t out of you right now, what chemicals get dumped in your brain?” Elkin allegedly said. “The exact same chemicals he experiences when he wins the Super Bowl. Did you know that? So the whole thing is every time I beat you up or you beat me up, we won the Super Bowl. … So if I smack you in the head and you feel the exact same way so you can enjoy the relationship. That’s what happens. … That’s the truth. That’s why women don’t leave.”

In another instance in October 2023, Elkin is accused of using a “game or jail” tactic after learning that a re-entry court participant referred to as R.P. was accused of rule violations. Elkin ordered the handcuffing of the person seated next to R.P. and told them the handcuffed person would be sent to jail if R.P. lied to him.

His aim, Elkin later said, was to prevent R.P. from rationalizing or downplaying his behavior and would reward him for telling the truth.

The complaint also alleges that Elkin:

  • Remarked on a criminal defendant’s lengthy record, saying, “You have more convictions than the average child molester in this country. You are the one-third of the one percent of the worst people in the planet.”

  • Displayed a sign to a problem-solving court participant that said, “Watching you dumb a- -.”

  • Failed to disqualify himself in some cases in which he previously represented the defendant as a criminal defense attorney or appointed public defender.

  • Followed problem-solving court participants outside the courtroom to check up on them.

  • Told some staff members he has followed them or had them followed outside the courtroom and twice accused them of being “moles.”

  • Gave special treatment to some problem-solving court participants but not to others. In one case, he allowed a drug-court participant to live at his wife’s rental property, initially charging only for utilities. In other instances, he allowed participants to store personal belongings at his or his wife’s properties, rented a car for one participant applying for a job, offered household and personal belongings to participants, and walked one person to a medical appointment before incarceration.

A lawyer for Elkin, Jennifer Lukemeyer, did not immediately reply to an ABA Journal request for comment.

Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.

A 33-year-old Florida man accused of killing a woman and severely injuring her boyfriend by drunkenly ramming their car off the road because he mistakenly believed his ex-girlfriend was in the vehicle told a judge on Thursday that he didn’t remember “anything” about the incident.

The apparent case of amnesia came up during Kyle Hill’s first virtual appearance in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court on Thursday.

Hill told Circuit Judge Philip Federico that he no memory of allegedly sending 35-year-old Norbelis Figueredo-Campos, and his girlfriend, 28-year-old Arislenni Blanco-Medina, off the road and right into a concrete pole. The pole then fell atop the couple’s car, killing Blanco-Medina and seriously injuring Figueredo-Campos.

During the hearing, Hill claimed he was unable to answer questions from the court, according to courtroom footage obtained by Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA.

“Apparently, your car is not in good shape after the accident situation, was that paid off?” Federico asked, referring to Hill’s pickup truck that was upside-down following the crash.

“I don’t remember anything, sir,” Hill responded.

As previously reported by Law&Crime, police say that after Hill and his ex-girlfriend had an argument Sunday night, she hopped in a car and left with a friend.

Hill then allegedly jumped in his own vehicle and drove south on 34th Street near 30th Avenue North in St. Petersburg in search of her. Hill then spotted a Honda which he thought she was riding in and allegedly proceeded to “aggressively” chase and harass the Honda for several blocks, police said.

An Alabama couple lost custody of their two children for over nine months after they were accused of driving while intoxicated — but there was no evidence that the one behind the wheel was ever intoxicated.

In a lawsuit filed on Feb. 25, Nicholas and Elizabeth Frye stated that they took a vacation with their two small children in Tennessee in February 2024. While at the resort where they were staying, Elizabeth Frye slipped and sustained a minor injury, and Nicholas Frye took the family to a nearby Walmart store for medical supplies. Upon completing their Walmart run and driving back, Nicholas Frye was pulled over by an officer “without reasonable suspicion or probable cause” and accused of DUI. Elizabeth Frye was also arrested, and both were charged with “DUI, public intoxication, child abuse and neglect, and aggravated child abuse and neglect.”

But there was no immediate evidence that either parent was under the influence — and Nicholas Frye’s blood tests later showed an “absence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the arrest.”

A Florida man who was charged with the murder of his childhood friend and boss, allegedly after a fight about politics, was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Court records obtained by local CBS affiliate WKMG stated that Mason Trever Toney, 34, was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Feb. 7, five years after he was accused of stabbing William Steven Knight, 28, with a trowel off the Florida Turnpike. Knight died of his injuries at the scene on Jan. 20, 2020, and Toney was arrested the same day. Knight was not only Toney’s boss, but the two men had also been friends for decades.

According to court documents, witnesses stated at the time that the two men had reportedly argued about politics, including Knight’s support for President Donald Trump.

1. Home
2. Daily News
3. Florida lawyer accused of hitting man on…

Criminal Justice

Florida lawyer accused of hitting man on head with dinner plate after wedding buffet butt-in

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 13, 2025, 1:57 pm CST

Updated: A 52-year-old Florida lawyer has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for allegedly hitting a wedding guest over the head with a dinner plate—an accusation that he denies.

Mark Stuart Roher of Florida was arrested Jan. 18 after police were called to the Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, report the New York Post (via Above the Law), Newsweek, the Miami New Times, WPEC, Law & Crime (here and here) and BocaNewsNow.com.

Roher was later released on a $1,000 bond.

Roher told police that he was upset because people ahead of him had cut in a buffet line, identified as a prime rib carving station by BocaNewsNow.com. Roher admitted that he got in an argument with the victim and shoved him, but Roher denied hitting him on the head with a plate, according to a police report cited by Law & Crime.

The victim told police that he let his niece get in line ahead of him and then agreed to let two other girls join her, police said in a probable cause affidavit. One of the girls was identified as the victim’s daughter. After the argument began, the victim alleged, he was hit over the head with a plate and then shoved and grabbed by the collar by Roher, who was holding a plate over his head.

The victim said the person who hit him with a plate was a woman in a black dress. A worker, however, said the person who hit the victim with a plate was Roher.

A “melee” followed, according to a police report cited by several publications. Roher told police that “numerous people” beat him up, Law & Crime reports.

Roher is represented by Michelle Suskauer and Tyler DiMaio of Dimond Kaplan & Rothstein in West Palm Beach, Florida. Suskauer gave this statement to the ABA Journal:

“Mr. Roher is a well-respected and experienced attorney who assists individuals and businesses through the complicated bankruptcy process. He flatly denies the allegations and has entered a plea of not guilty.”

Story updated Feb. 14 at 10:48 a.m. to add Suskauer’s statement.

Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.

1. Home
2. Daily News
3. Lawyer accused of helping client defraud…

Criminal Justice

Lawyer accused of helping client defraud creditors is acquitted a second time

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 19, 2025, 8:52 am CST

A former Freeborn & Peters lawyer in Illinois has been acquitted of wire fraud a second time in a case stemming from his representation of a neighbor, the owner of a Chicago business that eventually filed for bankruptcy.

Federal jurors acquitted lawyer Edward Lee Filer in a retrial after deliberating a little more than one hour, Law360 reports.

Filer’s lawyer, Ronald Safer, told Law360 that the verdict “is a hard-fought testament to the integrity of Mr. Filer, who was unjustly accused in a case that should never have been brought against him.”

Prosecutors had alleged that Filer schemed to defraud creditors of the business, the Barsanti Woodwork Corp., in two ways, according to an appellate ruling in the case and a Jan. 14 pretrial ruling by a federal judge overseeing the retrial.

First, Filer was accused of helping the Barsanti Woodwork Corp.’s owner obtain control of the company’s secured bank debt at a discount through a nominal purchaser. Second, Filer was accused of engaging in transactions that transferred the Barsanti Woodwork Corp.’s assets to a new company secretly controlled by the company’s owner. The Barsanti Woodwork Corp. then filed for bankruptcy.

In Filer’s first trial, jurors convicted Filer of wire fraud but now-deceased U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber of the Northern District of Illinois granted a judgment of acquittal or, in the alternative, a new trial.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago reversed that first acquittal in December 2022. The appeals court held that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence to support a wire fraud conviction, even though Filer did not profit, and some of his actions were inconsistent with an intent to defraud.

The 7th Circuit said the case should be reassigned to a new judge on remand.

Before the retrial, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger of the Northern District of Illinois found that the government violated Filer’s attorney-client privilege when it obtained information about Filer’s confidential communications with the former general counsel at Freeborn & Peters. The government obtained the information while prepping the former general counsel for testimony, according to a Jan. 31 docket entry.

As a sanction, Seeger barred the former general counsel from testifying and barred evidence about documents withheld from the bankruptcy trustee, according to a Feb. 7 docket entry.

Freeborn & Peters merged with Smith, Gambrell & Russell in 2023. The merged law firm kept the Smith Gambrell name.

Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.

1. Home
2. Daily News
3. Florida lawyer accused of stalking another…

Criminal Justice

Florida lawyer accused of stalking another attorney, texting rap songs with threatening lyrics

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 10, 2025, 11:45 am CST

A lawyer in Coral Gables, Florida, was charged with aggravating stalking Thursday for allegedly harassing another attorney who was so concerned that he sent his employees home from his law office.

Florida lawyer Carlos L. Santi, 43, was arrested while holding pizza boxes carrying the name of the lawyer he allegedly targeted and the name of the lawyer’s wife, report Law.com, the Miami Herald and WPLG.

Santi is a lawyer with the Property & Casualty Law Group in Florida. The alleged victim, who is also a Coral Gables attorney, contacted police Feb. 4 about the alleged harassment.

The victim told police that Santi had shown up uninvited to his law office, had passed by his house while texting that he was there, had texted rap songs with threatening lyrics, and had mentioned the targeted attorney’s children, according to allegations in an arrest report and an affidavit cited by the news articles.

Video surveillance showed Santi walking past the other lawyer’s residence while staring at his home, according to the police report.

On Friday, Judge Mindy S. Glazer of the Miami-Dade circuit court issued a stay-away order to protect the allegedly targeted attorney and his family, the articles reported.

Santi was recently sanctioned in a civil case before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nicholas P. Mizell of the Middle District of Florida. Mizell chastised Santi in a condo association case for failing to file a disclosure and lead counsel designation, despite reminders.

In a Jan. 7 order, Mizell referred Santi to the court’s grievance committee to provide Santi counseling on improving his practices or to recommend appropriate remedial action. The judge also ordered Santi to pay $200 to the Southwest Florida Federal Court Bar Association to be used in “ongoing efforts to elevate the practice of law.”

Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.

1. Home
2. Daily News
3. SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein accused…

Criminal Justice

SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein accused of transferring millions in cryptocurrency after tax indictment

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 11, 2025, 9:55 am CST

A federal magistrate judge has concluded that SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein violated his conditions of release on tax fraud charges by failing to disclose the existence of two cryptocurrency wallets through which he allegedly received and sent millions of dollars in the currency.

Goldstein, a former U.S. Supreme Court litigator and a high-stakes poker player, was arrested again Monday, report Law360, Bloomberg Law and Reuters.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan of the District of Maryland ordered Goldstein’s detention the same day, finding that prosecutors had produced clear and convincing evidence of the pretrial release violation.

Goldstein received more than $8 million in cryptocurrency and sent more than $6 million over the last five days, according to a prosecution motion unsealed Monday. The motion sought an arrest warrant and a revocation of the order authorizing Goldstein’s pretrial release.

Goldstein “presents an urgent risk of flight,” the motion said.

Prosecutors also alleged in a separate legal filing that Goldstein has instructed third parties, including potential witnesses, to destroy evidence that is relevant to the charges.

Goldstein said at a hearing Monday the cryptocurrency wallets did not belong to him, according to Law360.

“These are not my accounts,” he said after asked to be placed under oath. “I didn’t engage in these transfers.”

Goldstein was charged in a Jan. 16 indictment with understating gambling winnings on tax returns earned in “ultrahigh-stakes” poker matches while using his boutique law firm to pay debts and to pay women with whom he was involved or pursuing. He was also accused of failing to report money owed in debts and taxes when he applied for a mortgage.

The indictment includes allegations that Goldstein concealed cryptocurrency transactions on his tax returns.

One of the witnesses in the case is a California-based actor who hired Goldstein to collect a poker debt, prosecutors said. The government thinks that the actor will testify that Goldstein told him to pay his fee directly to a businessman to whom Goldstein owed money, which meant that the income was not captured in his firm banking records or reported on his tax returns.

At the same time that he most recently moved cryptocurrency, Goldstein claimed to be “destitute,” prosecutors said. Goldstein made the claim in a bid to substitute properties owned by relatives for the Washington, D.C., home that he owned with his wife, SCOTUSblog co-founder and reporter Amy Howe, as collateral to assure his future court appearances.

Goldstein had referenced a pretrial services report that said he had a negative net worth of more than $3.3 million in a motion that he filed under his signature Feb. 5. Goldstein said he wanted to use the equity in his home to pay for his lawyers.

Yet one of Goldstein’s bank accounts has a balance of $250,000, and he has been spending $20,000 per month for an apartment in Dallas, $5,000 per month for a housekeeper, and $8,000 per month on a personal assistant, prosecutors said.

The wallets said to have been recently used by Goldstein were “unhosted,” meaning that no cryptocurrency exchange, bank or financial institution controls access to the wallets, and there is no institution that can be subpoenaed for the owner’s identity, the government said.

But Goldstein allegedly revealed existence of the wallets to others.

Goldstein had identified one of the wallets to the CEO of a luxury travel company, and he had used it to send more than $73 million in cryptocurrency and receive more than $75 million in the currency since it was opened, according to prosecutors. There were no assets in the wallet at the time of Goldstein’s indictment.

Goldstein had used the second wallet to collect a poker debt of more than $242,000, prosecutors said.

Goldstein continues to maintain that he can’t afford the lawyers who had been representing him as “limited appearance” counsel, Sullivan said. Goldstein will be representing himself in the future, Sullivan said, after he was advised that “any type of hybrid representation (where he acts has his own attorney for some matters but has a lawyer act on his behalf for other matters) will not be permitted.”

See also:

Indicted SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein can’t switch collateral, magistrate judge rules

Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.