2014 news

Thursday, 28 August 2014

Cops: Tsarnaev kin made bomb threat

Ailina Tsarnaev was charged after another woman received a bomb threat by phone

She is the sister of Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev

They were sought after he 2013 Boston Marathon bombing

Tamerlan died in a police shootout, Tamerlan was captured and awaits trial

New York (CNN) -- The sister of the Boston marathon bombing suspect was arrested in New York City Wednesday for allegedly making a bomb threat, police said.

Ailina Tsarnaev, 24, sister of Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was charged with aggravated harassment after a bomb threat was made by phone to another woman on Monday.

People pause Tuesday, April 15, as the American flag is raised at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where two homemade bombs went off one year ago. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11.

A wreath was laid at one of the bomb sites, under a steady rain on Boston's Boylston Street.

Sharon Neary, of Rochester, New York, cries while watching Tuesday's ceremony in Boston.

The family of Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy killed in the attack, meet with Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley during the wreath-laying ceremony. Martin was one of three people killed in the bombings. At least 264 people were injured.

From left, former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick lower their heads for a moment of silence during the tribute. "America will never, ever, ever stand down," Biden said during the ceremony. "We are Boston. We are America. We respond, we endure, we overcome and we own the finish line."

Olivia Savarino, facing the camera, hugs Christelle Pierre-Louis during the ceremonies on Boylston Street. Savarino was working at the Forum restaurant when a bomb went off in front of the building on April 15, 2013.

Flowers lie on the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The annual race will take place next Monday, April 21.

Members of the Boston Police Department, the Boston Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Police march prior to Tuesday's wreath-laying ceremony.

A Boston police officer waves traffic across the finish line.

Running shoes are laid out in a display at the Boston Public Library. It's called "Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial."

Boston Marathon bombing anniversary

Photos: Boston Marathon bombing anniversary

Dias Kadyrbayev, left, with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsamaev in a picture taken from the social media site VK.com. Kadyrbayev is expected to plead guilty August 21 to charges in connection with removing a backpack and computer from Tsamaev's dorm room after the April 2013 bombing, according to a defense lawyer.

Bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during the shootout with police in Watertown, Massachusetts, on April 19, 2013. He is pictured here at the 2010 New England Golden Gloves.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured in a Boston suburb on April 19, 2013, after a manhunt that shut down the city. In July, he pleaded not guilty to killing four people and wounding more than 200.

From left, Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev went with Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to Times Square in this photo taken from the social media site VK.com. A federal grand jury charged Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev with obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice relating to the removal of a backpack from Tsarnaev's dorm room after the bombings. Tazhayakov was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction charges in July 2014. He faces up to 25 years in prison at his sentencing in October. He has filed an appeal.

Robel Phillipos, a U.S. citizen, was also arrested on May 1, 2013. He was charged with lying to federal agents about the bombing, according to court papers.

Phillipos, Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev are accused of removing items from Tsarnaev's dorm room after the bombings on April 15, 2013. The items they took included a backpack containing fireworks that had been "opened and emptied of powder," according to the affidavit.

The FBI released photos and video on April 18, 2013, of two men identified as Suspect 1 and Suspect 2 in the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon. They were later identified as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26.

Boston Police released surveillance images of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at a convenience store on April 19, 2013.

The FBI tweeted this photo on April 19, 2013, and urged Watertown residents to stay indoors as they searched for the second suspect.

The FBI released photos and video on April 18, 2013, of two men it called suspects in the deadly bombings and pleaded for public help in identifying them. The men were photographed walking together near the finish line.

A man identified as Suspect 2 appeared in this photograph by bystander David Green, who took the photo after completing the Boston Marathon. Green submitted the photo to the FBI, he told Piers Morgan in an interview.

The man identified as Suspect 2 appears in a tighter crop of David Green's photo.

Authorities later identified Suspect 1 as Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Suspect 2 was identified as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Suspect 1 walks through the crowd.

Both suspects are seen walking through the crowd.

Suspect 2 walks through the crowd.

A photo released by the FBI highlights Suspect 2.

Suspect 2 walks through the crowd. See all photography related to the Boston bombings.

Suspects tied to Boston bombings

Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings

The recipient -- whose name was not released -- notified police of the threat, according to NYPD Lt. John Grimpel.

Ailina Tsarnaev, a resident of North Bergen, New Jersey, turned herself in to authorities on Wednesday.

Her boyfriend shares a child with the woman who was threatened, Grimpel said.

Alina Tsarnaev is no longer in custody and is expected to report to Manhattan criminal court on September 30, according to Grimpel.

Calls to her attorney were not immediately returned to CNN.

Her brothers were accused of planting pressure-cooker bombs at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured more than 260. They also wer\

accused of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Techology police officer.

Older brother Tamerlan was killed in a police shootout and Dzhokhar was captured in the days after the bombing. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is awaiting trial in November on terrorism charges.

Miley's 'homeless' date faces arrest

Miley Cyrus was excited about Jesse Helt escorting her to the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. She posted their picture on social media with the caption "My date :) #jesse #myfriendsplace #mtvVMAs2014."

The pair joined rapper Snoop Lion's daughter Cori Broadus and Snoop on the red carpet before the awards show began at the Forum on August 24, 2014, in Inglewood, California.

No one is quite sure what Cyrus is up to as she marches Helt up to the stage after she was named the winner of the Video of the Year for her single "Wrecking Ball."

Helt accepts the Video of the Year award on behalf of Cyrus from late night host Jimmy Fallon.

Helt reads a speech about the issue of youth homelessness as he accepts Cyrus' award. He is<a href='http://ift.tt/1pYhXgd' target='_blank'> reportedly a representative of My Friend's Place</a>, an organization that aids homeless youth and it is there that he and the singer met.

Helt reads a speech about the issue of youth homelessness as he accepts Cyrus' award. He is reportedly a representative of My Friend's Place, an organization that aids homeless youth and it is there that he and the singer met.

Cyrus cries during Helt's speech and hugs him as they leave the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards stage.

Cyrus and Helt embrace following his acceptance speech given on behalf of the singer who won Video of the Year for "Wrecking Ball" during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

An arrest warrant was issued for Jesse Helt in 2011, a corrections official says

Helt stopped checking in with probation officer after criminal trespass conviction, he says

Cyrus: "You've chosen to go after Jesse instead of covering" the youth homelessness issue

Helt could spend a year in jail for his probation violation, the official says

(CNN) -- The young man Miley Cyrus chose to represent homeless youths at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday faces arrest in Oregon, a corrections official said.

An arrest warrant was issued for Jesse Helt, 22, when he stopped checking in with his probation officer for a criminal trespass conviction in November 2011, said Polk County, Oregon, Community Corrections Director Martin Silbernagel.

"Reportedly, he has returned to the Polk County area," Silbernagel said. "We will be attempting to serve him his warrant, at which time he will be taken into custody."

Polk County sheriff's deputies are not actively searching for Helt because of a staff shortage, but they would arrest him if they encounter him, spokesman Dean Bender said Wednesday.

Miley Cyrus' date to VMAs wanted by cops

Helt took center stage at Sunday's VMA broadcast to accept the best video of 2014 award "on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youths in the United States who are starving, lost and scared for their lives right now."

Cyrus, whose "Wrecking Ball" video was being honored, appeared to be near tears as she watched Helt, who said he was homeless, read the acceptance speech calling attention to the large population of homeless young people in Los Angeles.

"I've survived in shelters all over this city," he said. "I've cleaned your hotel rooms. I've been an extra in your movies. I've been an extra in your life. Though I may have been invisible to you on the streets, I have a lot of the same dreams that brought many of you here tonight."

Along with raising awareness of the problem of young people living on the streets of Los Angeles, Helt's story caught the attention of corrections officials in northwest Oregon, where he grew up and where his mother lives.

If police find Helt, who some media reports said returned to Salem, Oregon, to visit his mother, he will be taken before a judge to decide whether he will spend up to a year in jail or be allowed to resume his probation, Silbernagel said.

Helt was initially arrested in October 2010 on burglary, criminal mischief and criminal trespass charges. The burglary count was dismissed, but he was convicted of the mischief and trespass counts, Bender said.

The media never fails to disappoint. You've chosen to go after Jesse instead of covering the issue of youth homelessness :(

— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) August 26, 2014

"The media never fails to disappoint. You've chosen to go after Jesse instead of covering the issue of youth homelessness :(" Cyrus said on Twitter after online reports of his arrest warrant were first published Tuesday.

"While the media obsesses over one homeless mans legal issue, let's help the other 1.6 million homeless youth http://ift.tt/1vFN0hC," Cyrus said in an Instagram posting.

In a video posted on her Facebook page, she instructs fans to donate through a Prizeo fundraising site to My Friend's Place, a Los Angeles-area charity that provides support for homeless people ages 12 to 25.

2014 MTV VMA highlights: Blue Ivy takes the stage, Miley Cyrus grows up

CNN's Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

Vanessa Williams hit with tax lien

Vanessa Williams may soon be writing a very big check. The IRS has filed a tax lien against the actress, saying that she owes $369,249 to the federal government for her earnings in 2011. At the time, Williams was working on the ABC primetime soap, "Desperate Housewives."

Actor Mekhi Phifer has filed for bankruptcy, according to court papers obtained by CNN. The "Divergent" star is <a href='http://ift.tt/1kKPtQn' target='_blank'>reportedly</a> $1.3 million in debt, with $1.2 million of that being in back taxes.

Actor Mekhi Phifer has filed for bankruptcy, according to court papers obtained by CNN. The "Divergent" star is reportedly $1.3 million in debt, with $1.2 million of that being in back taxes.

Actress Teri Polo, from "Meet the Parents" and ABC Family's "The Fosters," filed for bankruptcy in April. <a href='http://ift.tt/1rk7mZU' target='_blank'>According to TMZ</a>, Polo owes about $772,000 in back taxes and more than $36,000 in credit card debt.

Actress Teri Polo, from "Meet the Parents" and ABC Family's "The Fosters," filed for bankruptcy in April. According to TMZ, Polo owes about $772,000 in back taxes and more than $36,000 in credit card debt.

<a href='http://ift.tt/1hXMUc6'>Singer Aaron Carter filed a bankruptcy petition</a> to shed more than $2 million in debt, mostly taxes owed from his days as a teen sensation, his publicist told CNN in November.

Singer Aaron Carter filed a bankruptcy petition to shed more than $2 million in debt, mostly taxes owed from his days as a teen sensation, his publicist told CNN in November.

<a href='http://ift.tt/1lAbfKJ'>Singer Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months</a> in prison in May 2013. She told a judge she intended to pay taxes but it was just a question of when.

Singer Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison in May 2013. She told a judge she intended to pay taxes but it was just a question of when.

Judy Garland's tax debt forced her to do something she vowed she would never do: host a television show. To pay the IRS for delinquent taxes dating back a decade, the singer/actress signed a $24 million deal with CBS for "The Judy Garland Show" in 1962.

Willie Nelson cleared his $32 million tax debt by selling assets and an album titled "The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?" Nelson discovered in 1990 that his accountants had not fully paid his taxes -- a find made tougher by investment losses in the 1980s.

In 1990, baseball legend Pete Rose spent five months in prison for tax evasion convictions stemming from money made selling autographs and memorabilia. The tax man returned to his door in 2004 with a $1 million lien for back taxes.

Lil' Kim blamed her accountant when her tax troubles arose in 2005. Seven years later, the rapper still had to pay more than $1 million to the government.

While O.J. Simpson has known bigger legal problems, delinquent taxes are on the list. The former football star, who's serving a long prison sentence in Nevada, owed the IRS and the state of California hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to court documents.

Comedian Sinbad racked up a large unpaid tax bill, owing $8 million to the IRS for income from 1998 to 2006, according to an IRS court filing in 2012. California officials also reported that he owed the state $2 million. After filing for bankruptcy and selling his home, Sinbad used the tax troubles as material for a reality show.

Actor Nicolas Cage revealed in 2010 that he owed $14 million in back taxes, which he has been working to pay off since. A federal tax lien said he owed $6.2 million from income in 2007.

Wesley Snipes walked out of a federal prison in April 2013 after serving a tax evasion sentence that began in December 2010. The actor claimed that he was not legally obligated to pay federal taxes, an argument a jury did not buy.

Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, were hit with a federal tax lien in April 2011 on one of their Los Angeles homes. The couple owed $1.7 million in back taxes from 2008 and 2009. Sharon Osbourne initially blamed an accountant but later took personal responsibility.

Rapper Jeffrey Atkins, also known as Ja Rule, was sentenced to 28 months in prison in July 2011 for failing to file tax returns with the IRS. Atkins admitted that he did not file his taxes for five years.

Actress Pamela Anderson was hit by a big back-tax bill in December 2012, totaling about $370,000.

Dionne Warwick filed for bankruptcy in March, citing more than $10 million in tax debt dating to 1991. Her publicist blamed "negligent and gross financial mismanagement."

In 1997, "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss was sentenced to 30 months in a federal prison for convictions on conspiracy, tax evasion and money laundering relating to a high-priced prostitution ring. She served 20 months.