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Obama paying electric bills under a new bailout program sounds too good to be true. It sounds like the perfect scam; something people want to believe. Oh wait, it is a scam. Using the bad economy and Obama’s bailout as a ruse, scam artists are convincing people to give up personal financial information. In exchange the alleged criminals promise that federal funds will cover one month of utility costs. Most scams move through digital channels so criminals can hide their identities....

Tucson resident Frank Tanori Gonzalez has admitted to being the Super Bowl porn hacker, according to prosecutors in Pima County, Ariz. Gonzalez interrupted the 2009 Super Bowl broadcast with a 37-second clip of the porn film Wild Cherries 5. Thousands of Comcast viewers witnessed the x-rated video footage, which aired with just 3 minutes left on the clock. The 39-year-old Cox Communications employee pleaded guilty to 2 counts of computer tampering....

A Brooklyn teacher’s aide faces more federal charges in connection with a growing child-pornography scandal. Taleek Brooks made child-porn videos with students, possibly at Public School 243 where he worked, prosecutors allege. Brooks, 40, was charged last month with possession and distribution of child pornography, The New York Times reports. He was arrested again Monday after investigators found some allegedly abusive videos at his home. The videos show Brooks touching a young boy’s genitals and spanking a naked child at P....

As part of its Resale Roundup campaign, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has released a list of the top 10 recalled children’s products. The Resale Roundup campaign is an effort to get resale shops to avoid selling recalled goods. As the CPSC points out, reselling recalled goods not only violates the law, but also puts consumers in danger. In addition to monitoring online retailers and auction sites for recalled goods, the CPSC has partnered with the Salvation Army and the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops to get the word out to resale and thrift shops about recalled products....

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan may land in jail if in fact she has violated the terms of her probation. As a part of her probation for driving while intoxicated, a judge ordered Lindsay Lohan to attend alcohol education classes every 7 days, however she may not have fulfilled that requirement, the New York Daily News reports. Although it looks like Lohan may have found a small loophole, she may still be bound for jail for violating terms of probation....

GM has issued yet another recall, this time for power steering problems in 1.5 million older vehicles. Drivers will know right away if their power steering system fails because there will a chime and dashboard message. Although the car can be steered without power assist, it’ll be much more difficult and could make the car more susceptible to a crash, GM warns. So is your car part of the recall?...

Employees at the insurance brokerage Zenefits must not be feeling very Zen as the startup’s shooting star comes crashing down like a house of cards. The company is under investigation in California and Washington and regulators warn that criminal charges could be filed against those who sold health insurance without proper licensing. Zenefits’ new CEO, David Sacks – who replaced the company founder Parker Conrad just last week – has already stated that the company skirted compliance requirements in order for workers to sell insurance....

Anthony Carleo, also known as the “Bellagio Bandit,” was ordered to serve 3 to 11 years in jail on Tuesday for armed robbery charges stemming from a December heist during which he stole $1.5 million in chips from the casino. Later this week, Carleo will be sentenced for another set of armed robbery and aggravated assault charges related to an earlier heist he conducted at Las Vegas’ Suncoast casino. That sentence may or may not elongate his stay to beyond 11 years....

The Innocence of Muslims director, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, faces up to three years in prison after being arrested for alleged probation violations. Judge Suzanne Segal ordered Nakoula detained citing a “lengthy pattern of deception,” reports the Los Angeles Times. Nakoula had been in hiding before his arrest, due to death threats related to his anti-Muslim movie. The director was convicted of bank fraud in 2010 and was on supervised release. He is now charged with eight counts of probation violation including making false statements to authorities about his role in making the controversial movie and unapproved use of aliases, reports the Times....

The government’s “no-fly list” rules were ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in Oregon on Tuesday, who held the government must change its procedures. U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown issued a ruling criticizing the lack of notice and respect for citizens’ due-process rights in flagging passengers for the no-fly list. The Los Angeles Times reports that this ruling is the first of its kind, and recognizes that “international travel is a necessary aspect of liberties sacred to members of a free society....

A woman who won fabulous prizes on “The Price Is Right” has a warning for contestants: When you “come on down” to pick up your winnings, be prepared to pay your taxes. Andrea Schwartz won $33,000 worth of prizes on the TV game show in March 2012, including a pool table, a shuffleboard table, and even “a new car!” – a shiny red Mazda 2. But what came with all those goodies was an unexpected tax bill....

During the holidays, it’s not uncommon for cities across the country to see upticks in crime rates. Typical holiday crimes tend to involve either theft or poor decisions. While you may not be able to safeguard yourself from everything, knowing about the common holiday crimes might be enough to prevent becoming a victim. Below, you’ll find 5 common holiday crimes that everyone should know about. When the masses are out shopping, businesses and customers need to remain vigilant as crowded retail establishments are a boon for shoplifters and pickpockets alike....

When a jury or judge reaches a verdict after a trial, they have two choices – guilty or not guilty. Innocence doesn’t really come up too much in the criminal justice system, which may seem strange to some. Actual innocence is different from being found not guilty after trial. But to understand what actual innocence is, and why a new program focusing on that is important, we have to understand the prosecution process a little bit....

You’ve heard the rumors. You know, the ones about celebrities who insure body parts for millions of dollars. Some deny it (JLo), while others, like Girl Next Door Holly Madison, embrace the publicity it brings. No matter how the celebrity handled the gossip, you were probably laughing and rolling your eyes. But you know you have questions. To begin, body part insurance does exist. It’s been around since the 1920’s when silent movie stars began insuring their defining assets....

A burglar in San Francisco has just been sentenced to 327 years to life for a string of home invasion robberies against local senior citizens. The convicted burglar, 60 year old German Woods, targeted vulnerable seniors, many of whom didn’t speak English, or did so poorly. Woods’ modus operandi included lying in wait for seniors that lived alone to return home, then as they were entering their homes, he would attack, forcing them into and ransacking their homes....

This case is one of those interactions between something very ordinary and something most of us have never heard of. No, it’s not Balloon Boy again. Have you ever wondered what happens to the balances on those pre-paid phone cards that just never get used? The D.C. Attorney General has evidently spent a little time thinking about it and now is going to spend a little more time in court about it....

A Connecticut kindergarten teacher has been arrested after she allegedly gave an unusual “lesson” to a student. Last Thursday, 67-year-old Anne O’Donnell, a teacher at Park City Magnet School, supposedly made a 5-year-old student eat some food he threw away in a garbage can. She was arrested on Tuesday and now faces a charge of risk of injury to a minor. The AP reported on officials’ description of the incident as follows:...

The sole defendant convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Lockerbie bombing terrorist attack was released by Scotland’s Secretary of Justice and sent home to Libya today, a free man. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was convicted for his role in the December 21, 1988 bombing of a packed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 passengers and crew. A three-judge panel from Scotland’s High Court of Justiciary convicted al-Megrahi on January 31, 2001, just 7½ before the Sept....

Robert O. Young, the creator of the pH Miracle Diet, which was praised by Kate Hudson, was arrested in 2014 and convicted in 2016 of practicing medicine without a license. He is still out on bail as he awaits a retrial on several charges that a jury could not reach a decision on. However, based on the three charges he has been found guilty of, he is looking at about three years in jail....

The Supreme Court recently struck down life without parole for juveniles convicted of non-homicide crimes. The decision, which found that such sentences constitute cruel and unusual punishment, may be part of a trend of reducing sentences for minors. Courts have found that minors are less able to control their impulses and more likely to be capable of being rehabilitated. Since the decision, state courts in some jurisdictions have been reducing sentences....