Member of white supremacy group indicted for allegedly threatening federal officials: DOJ
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(WASHINGTON) — A member of a white supremacist online terror group has been indicted for allegedly conspiring to develop a hit list of “high value targets” for assassination — including federal officials, according to the Justice Department.
Federal prosecutors allege that 24-year-old Noah Lamb was part of a broader group called “The Terrorism Collective,” which is a group that communicates on the site Telegram, an encrypted messaging server.
The group promotes “white supremacist accelerationism: an ideology centered around the belief that the white race is superior; that society is irreparably corrupt and cannot be saved by political action,” according to federal prosecutors.
The indictment further states that the group advocates that “violence and terrorism is necessary to ignite a race war and ‘accelerate’ the collapse of the government and the rise of the white ethnostate.”
The group allegedly had a hit list of targets, which included a U.S. senator, federal judges, a former U.S attorney and state and local officials.
They allegedly described it as “a kill list in book form” and had a card for each target, including “a kill book complete with full doxes and images,” according to the indictment.
Lamb and the other members of the group allegedly targeted the members based on their race.
“Each List card includes reasons why Terrorgram considered the target an enemy of the cause of white supremacist accelerationism,” according to the indictment.
“For example, the List describes Federal-official 1 as an ‘Anti-White, Anti-gun, Jewish Senator,’ The List calls Federal Official 2 ‘an invader’ from a foreign country and highlighted the judge’s ruling on an immigration issue,” according to the indictment.
Lamb’s primary role, according to the DOJ, was to find their home addresses and include their personal information.
“The defendant collaborated with members of the online Terrorgram Collective to create a list of targets for assassination,” acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California said in a press release.
“Individuals on the list were targeted because of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity, including federal officials,” Beckwith said.
The identities of the officials included in the alleged hit list were not named.
Stock image of police lights. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Ismael Mario Zambada García, the former drug lord and top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel known as El Mayo, will plead guilty to federal drug charges brought by the United States Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, according to an entry on the court docket.
El Mayo is due in court next week for a conference that, according to the docket, is now a “change of plea” hearing.
Federal prosecutors said earlier this month they would not seek the death penalty for Zambada, who helped build the Sinaloa Cartel from a regional group to a major smuggler of cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs into U.S., authorities have said.
He was charged with 17 counts related to drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering. It was not immediately clear to what charge or charges he would plead guilty.
Zambada was arrested in Texas last summer after arriving in a private plane with one of Joaquin Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán López.
Another of El Chapo’s sons, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise last month, according to the Justice Department. As part of the plea, he is also set to forfeit $80 million.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez admitted, through the plea, that he and his three brothers took over control of the Sinaloa Cartel after the dramatic arrest of their father, El Chapo, in 2016. He was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. later that year.
El Chapo’s other two sons — Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar — have been charged in the U.S. but are not in custody. There are $10 million awards from the U.S. government for each man’s arrest and conviction.
Violence has surged in Sinaloa since the arrest of Zambada last year. There were about four times as many murders in the first half of 2025 as there were in the first six months of 2024, Reuters reported last month.
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A hotel security guard on Tuesday told the jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking and racketeering trial that the rap mogul paid him $100,000 in an attempt to secure his silence and bury a video that is now the central piece of evidence in the criminal case that threatens to send him to prison for life.
In the video captured in 2016 by security cameras at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles — and shown to the jury during the testimony of three different witnesses — Combs is seen kicking and dragging his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Ventura, a musician who testified as the government’s star witness, said she was trying to escape Combs and one of his drug-fueled orgies, called “freak-offs.”
“When I chose to leave, I grabbed what I could and I got out,” Ventura testified during the second week of the trial. “Sean followed me into the hallway before the elevators and grabbed me up, threw me on the ground, kicked me, [and] tried to drag me back to the room.”
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case. His lawyers have said that Combs takes “full responsibility” for the domestic violence captured in the video but argue that the rap mogul has not committed the sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution alleged by federal prosecutors.
Hotel security guard Eddy Garcia testified Tuesday that Combs frantically worked to make sure the CCTV video never saw the light of day, paying $100,000 to obtain what Combs thought was the only copy of the recording.
“He was concerned this video would get out and it would ruin his career,” Garcia testified. According to Garcia, Combs promised “he would take care of me” and ended up paying $100,000 in cash to the man he later referred to as “Eddy my angel.”
When the video was obtained by CNN last year, the condemnation was swift and led to Combs offering a public apology, saying he was “truly sorry” for his conduct and that he “sought professional help” after the incident.
Prosecutors have argued that Combs’ $100,000 payment to Garcia was a bribe and one of the underlying crimes at the heart of their allegation that the hip-hop superstar is guilty of racketeering conspiracy. They allege that Combs realized the episode could reveal years of criminal conduct and might pull back the curtain on how the mogul used his business empire to coerce women into sex, threaten them into silence, and protect his public reputation.
The trial is set to resume Wednesday when three more witnesses are expected to take the stand.
Frank Piazza, a video expert, is expected to be the first witness followed by Bryana Bongolan, who has alleged Combs threatened to kill her by dangling her over a balcony in the presence of Ventura. Bongolan made similar allegations in a civil case, which Combs has denied.
A woman being called “Jane” is expected to take the stand on Wednesday afternoon and to testify for as long as five days, according to prosecutors. Jane is expected to be the third and final alleged victim to testify against Combs.
Security guard testifies about Combs’ alleged effort to bury assault video
Garcia testified Tuesday that he heard about the assault shortly after he clocked in for his shift at the InterContinental Hotel on March 5, 2016. Garcia told the jury he understood law enforcement was not contacted at the time because Ventura did not request medical or police attention.
About an hour into his shift, Garcia explained to jurors that he got an unexpected call on his work phone from Combs’ assistant Kristina Khorram, who requested a copy of the security video. Despite telling her she would need to contact hotel management or get a subpoena to view the footage, Garcia testified Khorram arrived in the hotel lobby an hour later to watch the recording.
“She was asking about the video and if there was any way she could see it,” he said. “She wanted to know what they were dealing with.”
Garcia said he apologized and said he could not show it to her, though he testified he warned her, “Off the record: it’s bad.”
That evening, Garcia testified he once again received a call on his personal cell from Khorram. He told the jury within seconds, a noticeably “nervous” Combs came on the other end of the line, trying to explain his actions.
“He asked me if I knew who he was. I said yes,” Garcia said. “Mr. Combs sounded very nervous. Just was talking really fast. Was just saying that he had a little too much to drink and that I knew how things was with women when one thing led to another.”
Garcia testified, “He stated that I sounded like a good guy, that I sounded like I wanted to help, that something like this could ruin him. He was concerned this video would get out and it would ruin his career.”
He said he also remembered Combs telling him, “he would take care of me.” After Garcia informed Combs that he would accept $100,000 in exchange for the video, Garcia testified that Combs “sounded excited” and “referred to me as ‘Eddy my angel.'”
“He wanted the video as soon as possible,” Garcia told the court. He explained he was then given an address about a 20-minute drive from the InterContinental Hotel, where he was to make the trade.
Security guard recounts getting $100,000 in cash from Combs
Once he got to the designated location with a thumb drive containing what he said was the only copy of the video, Garcia told the court that someone who introduced himself as Combs’ bodyguard brought him up to an apartment. He testified he recalled seeing Combs “smiling, excited” and looking happy.
“Eddy my angel, he was smiling. He said ‘come in,’ making me feel comfortable,” Garcia testified Combs told him, adding that Combs instructed Khorram to make him a cup of tea.
After Garcia assured Combs the drive had the only copy of the video, the rap mogul allegedly contacted Ventura on FaceTime so she could communicate that she, too, wanted the video to go away.
She was wearing a hoodie, and the lighting wasn’t that great,” Garcia said of Ventura. “Before he passed the phone over to me he said, ‘Let him know that you want this to go away too.'”
“And how did Cassie respond?” prosecutor Mitzi Steiner asked.
“When I got passed the phone, I said, ‘Hi’, she said ‘Hi’ and she said she had a movie coming out and it wasn’t a good time for this to come out and she wanted it to go away,” Garcia responded.
Garcia told jurors that Combs demanded he sign a nondisclosure agreement, agree to a certification that there was only one copy of the video, and hand over his ID as well as the identifications of his supervisor and coworker. Garcia then testified Combs left the room and returned with a brown bag and a money counter, which Combs fed “stacks of $10,000 at a time.”
“In total, at the end it was $100,000,” he testified.
Garcia testified Combs and a bodyguard then accompanied him out of the suite and walked him to the valet where his car was parked.
“He asked me how I would spend the money, and I said I didn’t know,” Garcia testified. “He said not to make any big purchases.”
A few weeks later, Garcia testified he received a message from Combs. “Happy Easter, Eddy my angel. God is good,” Garcia remembered the message, saying Combs “proceeded to ask if anyone had asked about the video.” He said he had heard nothing.
Jury sees alleged paper trail of 2011 extortion payment
Following Garcia’s testimony about accepting a $100,000 payment from Combs, prosecutors called Combs’ longtime employee Derek Ferguson to drill down into the financial structure of Combs’ business empire. Prosecutors have argued that Combs’ companies doubled as a criminal enterprise that allowed the rap mogul to commit crimes for years with few repercussions.
Ferguson, who worked as the chief financial officer for Bad Boy Entertainment for 12 years, walked the jury through Combs’ bank accounts, financial arrangements, how the businesses managed cash and how employees were reimbursed for expenses charged to their corporate cards. Several of Combs’ personal assistants testified about being tasked with purchasing supplies for freak-offs, including gallons of baby oil, sexual lubricant, drugs and alcohol.
Jurors also saw documents showing a series of wire transfers in 2011 to and from Cassie Ventura’s mother. While Ferguson said he did not know the reason for the $20,000 payment, jurors last month heard directly from Regina Ventura, who testified that she and her husband took out a home equity loan to fund the payment. She testified Combs demanded to “recoup” money he had spent on Cassie Ventura “because he was angry that she had a relationship with Scott Mescudi.” Mescudi is also a well-known rapper, performing under the name Kid Cudi.
The jury saw a Dec. 14 transfer from an account set up to manage Combs’ home in Alpine, New Jersey, to Cassie Ventura for $20,000. On Dec. 23, the same account took in $20,000 from Ventura’s father. Four days later, on Dec. 27, the account transferred $20,000 for “return of funds.”
Regina Ventura testified that she decided to send the money because she feared for her daughter’s safety after Combs threatened to release explicit videos of her. Combs ultimately returned the money, she said.
During his cross examination, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo tried to use Ferguson’s 19 years of experience working with Combs to cast doubt on the way the prosecutors have described Combs’ business empire. .
“Did you see anyone help Sean Combs commit crimes?” Agnifilo asked.
“No,” Ferguson answered.
“Did you see anyone help Sean Combs commit acts of violence?” Agnifilo asked.
“No,” Ferguson replied
“Did you see anyone make the company stronger through threats of violence?”
(BOISE, Idaho) — The world came to know the feisty older sister of University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves after she gave a ferocious victim impact statement at Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing last week. She said she memorized her speech so she wouldn’t break eye contact with him in the courtroom.
Alivea Goncalves said to Kohberger, “You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else. … You aren’t special or deep, not mysterious or exceptional. … No one thinks you are important.”
“I was fueled by seeing the rage on his face,” she told ABC News. “Man … was he mad. That was obviously a big point of why I did what I did — to make him feel small.”
Alivea Goncalves also asked pointed questions like, “What was second weapon you used on Kaylee?” A hypothetical question in the moment, but one that investigators have yet to figure out. Kaylee Goncalves had unique injuries described as a horizontal pattern, and it’s not clear what caused them, police confirmed to ABC News.
“I had one shot at it and I was gonna make the most of it,” Alivea Goncalves said.
Alivea Goncalves said she did eliminate a few thoughts from her statement after realizing Kohberger’s mom and sister were in the courtroom.
“I didn’t anticipate his mother and sister being there,” she said. “And I had specific lines that were directed towards his relationship with his mother and directed towards the shame that he has caused his family, and how the ultimate move of a coward is for him to sit behind bars while the rest of his family has to bear the real weight, the shame of what he’s done.”
She concluded her statement with memorable words to Kohberger, saying that if he hadn’t attacked the students in their sleep, “Kaylee would’ve kicked your f—— ass.”
“I got up there knowing that my speech wasn’t to Kaylee and Maddie — it was for them. … I just wanted to reclaim their power,” she said.
Kaylee, Kaylee’s lifelong best friend Maddie Mogen, their roommate Xana Kernodle and Xana’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death at the girls’ off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. On Wednesday, their killer was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count after pleading guilty to all charges.
Kaylee Goncalves was stabbed more than 30 times and had defensive wounds, according to a police report released for the first time last week. The 21-year-old was described as “unrecognizable as her facial structure was extremely damaged,” the report said.
“It’s gruesome and it’s graphic,” Alivea Goncalves acknowledged, but she said it’s information she wanted because she knows “Kaylee absolutely fought for her life.”
In November 2022, when news of the deaths at 1122 King Road reached Alivea Goncalves, she said she started going through her sister’s phone records to see if she had made any calls, convincing herself Kaylee wasn’t picking up her phone because she was at the police station answering questions. But Alivea Goncalves would never speak to her sister again.
Their last conversation was a six-hour FaceTime during which Alivea Goncalves guided her sister through buying her Range Rover, which the 21-year-old proudly drove to Moscow to show her friends on her last trip to their college house. Their dad drives the car now. Alivea Goncalves said many of Kaylee’s other belongings were picked up by their parents, covered in blood and in hazmat bags.
Alivea Goncalves made Kaylee Goncalves an aunt twice over before she died, and twice more after. She was pregnant with a girl when Kaylee Goncalves was murdered, and she named that baby Theo MaddieKay. Alivea Goncalves calls Kaylee and Maddie soulmates, and she describes their namesake as the perfect mixture of Kaylee and Maddie.
