Criminal Justice - Frank Report

Criminal Justice·Department of Justice·Featured·Investigations

The Oakland Bribery Case, Part 1: A Case Built on One Witness

December 20, 2025

OAKLAND, Calif. — On Jan. 17, 2025, federal prosecutors unsealed their indictment. The indictment charged the former mayor, Sheng Thao, her boyfriend, Andre Jones and recycling executives David and Andy Duong. There were eight counts. They included conspiracy, bribery, and fraud. Prosecutors…

General·Wrongful Convictions

Former DA John Flynn Accused of Child Sexual Abuse by Cousin; He Prosecuted Pigeon on Similar, Uncorroborated Charges

by Frank Parlato

December 15, 2025

THE FLYNN DOCTRINE — AND THE MAN NOW CAUGHT IN IT By Frank Parlato Two cases center on former Erie County District Attorney John Flynn. In one, Flynn brought the accusation. In the other, he is the accused. He set the rule.…

Criminal Justice·Department of Justice·General

Coal, Corruption, and a Cooperating Witness: The Real Story Behind Oakland’s Bribery Case”

by Frank Parlato

November 22, 2025

OAKLAND, Calif. — On the final full day of the Biden administration, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and recycling executives David and Andy Duong with bribery and conspiracy. A former Democratic donor, David Duong, supported President Barack…

Criminal Justice·Department of Justice·Legal Issues·Wrongful Convictions

Weinstein, Alexander Brothers, OneTaste: When Legal Reality Diverges from Media Narrative

by Juda Engelmayer

November 12, 2025

By Juda Englemayer HARVEY WEINSTEIN Manhattan prosecutors today urged the court to reject Harvey Weinstein’s motion to vacate his conviction, dismissing juror-misconduct claims that two jurors themselves have now sworn under oath. The same office that once argued for his retrial now…

Legal Issues

When Insurance Becomes Betrayal: How NIAC Failed D.E.L.T.A. Rescue

by Frank Parlato

October 6, 2025

Part I: The Sanctuary and the Suit D.E.L.T.A. Rescue sits in the high desert above Los Angeles. Fifteen hundred dogs, cats, and horses live there. For forty-five years, Leo Grillo, now seventy-five, has kept his promise: no animal rescued will ever be…

Criminal Justice·General

How a Anti-Scientology Blogger ‘Alanzo’s’ Death Threats Case Could Become Federal

by Frank Parlato

August 21, 2025

What started as ugly YouTube drama may now be a federal criminal case. A blogger gets death threats. He posts proof. The person who made the threats tries to erase the evidence by calling it “copyrighted.” Then she calls his webhost to…

Criminal Justice

McMahon Double Dipping: Leaked NYPD tape and $600K pension scheme fuel claims that DA and Judge weaponize justice on Staten Island.

The $676,000 Couple: How Staten Island’s McMahons Perfected Public Service as a Family Business

by Frank Parlato

August 20, 2025

A Staten Island couple — both lifelong Democrats — have achieved the pinnacle of public service: They run the Republican-leaning Richmond County. Michael McMahon serves as district attorney, while his wife, Judith McMahon, is a state Supreme Court judge. Though technically “retired,”…

Criminal Justice·Department of Justice·Law enforcement·Legal Issues·Wrongful Convictions

Where is the Fingerprint Card? Richard Luthmann says missing records void his 2020 plea. Now he’s demanding answers—and calling in the feds.

Staten Island DA McMahon Accused of Justice Cover-Up in Vanished Docket Case

by Frank Parlato

August 7, 2025

Former Staten Island attorney Richard Luthmann says the missing fingerprint card from his 2020 Supplemental Criminal Information (SCI) proves his plea deal was never legal. Luthmann was never booked or fingerprinted—he was in federal prison at the time. Now he’s asking a…

Criminal Justice·Law enforcement·Wrongful Convictions

Emailgate: Staten Island DA McMahon Suffers Selective Amnesia, Forgets Decade-Long Feud with Luthmann

by Frank Parlato

August 2, 2025

Former Staten Island attorney and now Florida-based investigative journalist Richard Luthmann is due in court on August 1, 2025. But this isn’t a typical hearing—it’s set against the backdrop of politically-charged claims driven by DA Michael McMahon, who says Luthmann’s Substack newsletter…

Criminal Justice·Department of Justice·Law enforcement·Legal Issues

BREAKING: NYPD Detective Wilkinson Caught on Tape Admitting to Obstruction of Justice: “I Get Whatever I Want” From Judges Because of DA McMahon

by Frank Parlato

July 30, 2025

On July 21, 2025, NYPD Detective John Wilkinson revealed on a recorded call that he gets “whatever [he] want[s]” when Staten Island DA Michael McMahon is the victim. The tape, obtained by journalist Richard Luthmann, exposes a rigged warrant scheme: Wilkinson confirms…

Criminal Justice·General

How David Duong Was Indicted for Donating to Trump – on the Last Day of the Biden Administration

by Frank Parlato

July 28, 2025

Arraignment Timed With Trump Inauguration On January 17, 2025, on the last day of the Biden administration, the Biden-appointed US Attorney for the Northern District of California unsealed the indictment against David Duong, the recycling king of the Bay Area, his son…

Criminal Justice·Department of Justice·Featured·Investigations

What If Everything You’ve Been Told About the Alexander Brothers Case Is Wrong? And Other Matters

by Juda Engelmayer

July 26, 2025

Frank Parlato’s latest exposé may be the most important read of the summer for anyone alarmed by the way media narratives are driving criminal prosecutions. His new piece – “The Lawsuit That Sparked a Federal Sex Trafficking Case Against the Alexander Brothers”—offers a critical…

Criminal Justice·General

Staten Island DA Says He Fears for His Safety/Life—Because of Email Sent on Substack

by Frank Parlato

July 25, 2025

Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, 67, stated in a sworn complaint filed with the NYPD that he was “afraid for his safety/life” after receiving a Substack email at his official government address. In the complaint’s “Victim’s Emotional Impact” section, McMahon answered…

Criminal Justice·General

Kate Whiteman’s Lawsuit Sparked Federal Sex Trafficking Case Against Alexander Brothers—’Deleted’ Texts Reveal She May Be the Real Criminal

by Frank Parlato

July 24, 2025

Federal prosecutors have charged Alon, Oren, and Tal Alexander with sex trafficking, alleging that the brothers trafficked women through social media and social events. According to the indictment, some encounters allegedly involved drug-facilitated sexual activity. The Alexanders, known for luxury real estate investments,…

Criminal Justice·Department of Justice

How Federal Courtrooms Quietly Favor Prosecutors

by Frank Parlato

July 21, 2025

In Federal Trials, Certain Advantages Favor the Prosecution Two Bites at the Apple Prosecutors deliver both the opening and the final closing arguments, thereby securing the benefit of primacy and recency—psychological effects where people tend to remember best what they hear first…

Criminal Justice·Family Court·Featured

Elizabeth Harding Weinstein, at Center of Contentious Divorce and Mental Health Dispute, Dies at 53

by Frank Parlato

July 16, 2025

Someone sent this: “Lizzie Harding Weinstein was just found dead in a hotel room. Now there’s an investigation. It’s suspicious. The courts took her kids, her freedom, her driving license. All her money. She was wealthy and they put her under guardianship….”…

Criminal Justice

Weaponized Justice: Inside the Stunt Raid That Took Down Oakland’s Mayor

by Frank Parlato

July 14, 2025

OAKLAND, Calif. — On January 17, federal prosecutors unsealed an eight-count indictment charging former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her partner Andre Jones, and recycling executives David Duong and Andy Duong with conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud. All four defendants pleaded not guilty.…

Criminal Justice·Featured·Investigations·Politics

Oakland Mayor Indicted—But DOJ’s Star Witness Bounced the Bribe Check

by Frank Parlato

July 12, 2025

OAKLAND, Calif. — Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was charged January 17 with bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud, and aiding and abetting in a sweeping federal indictment. The date coincided with the last day of the Biden administration. Prosecutors say Thao conspired with…