U.S. judge refuses to dismiss some charges against Sen. Oaks
A federal judge rejected on Tuesday a request by state Sen. Nathaniel Oaks to dismiss several of the fraud and bribery charges the Baltimore lawmaker is scheduled to face in a trial in U.S. District Court next month. The Baltimore Democrat’s lawyers argued that an allegation that Oaks had state legislation drafted in exchange for a payment from an FBI informant posing as a businessman was not the kind of “official act” that violates federal corruption laws. Judge Richard D. Bennett rejected that position, calling the argument “without merit.” “Drafting legislation lies at the very heart of a legislator’s official purpose,” Bennett wrote. Oaks faces multiple fraud charges in connection with his alleged scheming with the FBI informant, who was posing as a developer pursing projects in Baltimore. Federal prosecutors say Oaks accepted $15,300 in bribes in exchange for helping the informant. Oaks has pleaded not guilty to all charges, continues to serve in the General Assembly and has filed for re-election. attorney’s office in Maryland, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Prince George’s County Police Department. Johnson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, with a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. Court records show Johnson was charged with attempted murder in Baltimore County in 2014. He pleaded guilty to armed robbery and received an eight-year suspended sentence. In that case, Johnson was one of three men charged with shooting someone in a robbery in Woodlawn, with one of the attackers firing a single shot.
Odenton couple’s deaths called a murder-suicide
Anne Arundel County police say a woman shot and killed her husband in Odenton last month before turning the gun on herself. Originally, police were investigating the deaths of Charles James Edward Jackson, 55, and his wife, Veronique Crystal Jackson, 47, after they were found dead on Feb. 25 from apparent gunshot wounds in a home in the 200 block of Brigadier Blvd. While examining the deaths, police said a preliminary investigation found the two were “targeted” and that it was “not a random act of violence.” “The evidence identified Veronique as having shot and killed Charles, her husband, before turning the weapon on herself,” police said in a statement Tuesday. It was the second such case in the county in the past month. Police said FBI Special Agent David Raynor, 54, stabbed his estranged wife, Donna Fisher, 52, to death at the woman’s home in Crownsville before ending his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While police have made a determination in the investigation, they are asking anyone with more information regarding the Jacksons’ deaths to call 410222-4731 or leave a tip anonymously at 410-2224700.