Tag: courts

Names linked to Jeffrey Epstein set to be made public: All you need to know | Courts News

A list of names connected to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is set to be released to the public, bringing renewed attention to a sex-trafficking operation that has captured international headlines for years.

A United States judge authorised the unsealing of court documents last month, as part of a 2015 defamation lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell of trafficking her as a minor.

The documents are set to reveal more than 150 names of people linked to Epstein, who died by suicide in a US prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and other charges.

They include individuals accused of wrongdoing, as well as those who worked for or had only tangential ties to Epstein. Among the names are also alleged sex-trafficking victims and witnesses to crimes, US media outlets have reported.

Here’s all you need to know about the list of names — and what its implications are.

Where do the names come from?

The names appear in court documents from the 2015 defamation lawsuit Giuffre filed against Maxwell, a British socialite who was later sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges related to sex trafficking.

Giuffre had accused Maxwell of facilitating her sexual abuse at the hands of Epstein and other powerful men. When Maxwell called those accusations “obvious lies”, Giuffre responded with the defamation suit.

The case was ultimately settled in 2017. As part of the court’s findings, a judge wrote that Giuffre “was a victim of sustained underage sexual abuse between 1999 and 2002”.

But the documents used in the case continued to provoke interest, well after the suit ended.

In 2018, the Miami Herald started legal proceedings to get access to the documents. “Thousands of pages have been released” on a “rolling basis” since then, according to the Herald, as part of a process to determine which files could be made public.

Many of the names in the documents had been redacted, though. But on December 18, the US District Court judge overseeing the case, Loretta Preska, decided some of the names could be unsealed as well.

She gave anyone affected until midnight on January 1 to file an objection, which means the files could be released as early as Tuesday.

How did the judge decide which names could be made public?

Preska argued in her decision that many of the names had already been revealed through court testimony or depositions, as well as in media reports. Up to the present, certain individuals had been referred to as John or Jane Doe in court documents.

Some names will remain sealed, however, because the individuals were minors when the alleged sexual abuse occurred and they have not spoken publicly. “The public interest does not outweigh the privacy interests of the alleged minor victim,” Preska wrote.

But concerns remain over how the public may react to any newly released names. The documents themselves “may not make clear why a certain individual became associated with Giuffre’s lawsuit”, ABC News reported.

That said, the new revelations will likely help illustrate the scale of Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring and his influence among powerful members of society.

Epstein died by suicide before he could face sex-trafficking charges in court.

Will prominent names be included?

The United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew is expected to be named in the documents. Giuffre accused the British royal of forcing her to have sex with him two decades ago when she was 17, an allegation Prince Andrew has vehemently denied. The case was settled in 2022.

According to ABC News, the unsealed court documents are expected to contain details from a witness — identified as Jane Doe 162 — “who testified she was with Prince Andrew, Maxwell and Giuffre, then 17, at Epstein’s New York mansion”.

“Giuffre has alleged that gathering, in 2001, was one of the occasions she was directed to have sex with Andrew,” the news outlet reported.

Former US President Bill Clinton is also expected to be named in the released documents, though he was not accused of any wrongdoing by Giuffre. She had said she met Clinton on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, US media outlets have reported.

When US prosecutors filed sex trafficking and conspiracy charges against Epstein in 2019, the ex-president’s spokesman, Angel Urena, said Clinton “knows nothing about the terrible crimes” the disgraced financier had been accused of.

“In 2002 and 2003, President Clinton took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein’s airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation,” Urena said.

“He’s not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade and has never been to Little St. James Island, Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida.”

ABC News reported that Clinton’s name appears more than 50 times in the court filings, but mentions of the former president are often related to efforts to subpoena him “for deposition testimony about his relationship with Epstein”.

How important is the release?

Rikki Klieman, a legal analyst with CBS News, said this week that “it’s highly significant for documents to be unsealed so that the complete story of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell can be made public”.

“We need to know as members of the public who have an interest in keeping women and young girls, children, safe from predators,” Klieman said.

Giuffre also commented on the release last month over social media, describing Judge Preska as “honourable” for her decision to make the names public and ensure transparency.

She added there were “going to be a lot of nervous [people] over Christmas and New Years”.



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Epstein assistant Sarah Kellen ‘quietly waiting’ for court document dump

Jeffrey Epstein’s former assistant is “quietly waiting” for the other shoe to drop as the court documents exposing more than 170 people with ties to the pedophile’s sex trafficking ring are set to be released Tuesday.

Sarah Kellen, 44 — who allegedly scheduled the “massages” in which Epstein sexually abused his victims — is waiting to see if her name will be a part of the bombshell document dump, but could use her mountain of insider secrets to weasel her way out of trouble, according to a report.

Kellen has reportedly held her cards close to her chest over the last few years in anticipation of such an unveiling that could out her as an integral partner to the perverted operation.

“She had a front-row seat to the debauchery. What she knows would shock the world,” a source close to Kellen and her husband, former NASCAR driver Brian Vickers, told The Messenger.

“She has so much to say, to plead her case.”

It is not clear if Kellen will appear as one of the names — known only as John and Jane Does previously — expected to be revealed in the documents after Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska recently ruled they would be unsealed in the new year.

Former President Bill Clinton and disgraced Prince Andrew are expected to be among the highly prominent names featured in the damning unveiling.

Kellen worked for Epstein for several years starting in the early 2000s and has been called a “knowing participant” in his sickening scheme involving underage girls.

But she has largely avoided the public eye after her former boss committed suicide in 2019 and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted two years later for sex trafficking young girls.

Sarah Kellen worked for Jeffrey Epstein for several years starting in the 2010s, as seen in images included in the lawsuit criminal complaint. MEGA

She and Vickers live in a luxury Miami Beach “fortress” outfitted with private entrances that ensure she can’t be surprised with subpoenas, according to the source.

“They have enjoyed basic anonymity and privacy and freedom for many years,” the insider told the outlet.

“They don’t want any changes. So the pattern for which they live, which by the way is very careful — almost to the point of paranoia, is not without purpose.”

Kellen worked closely with Ghislaine Maxwell, as seen in images included in lawsuit documents. DOJ
Kellen has remained out of the spotlight since Epstein committed suicide in 2019. MEGA

The source said Kellen — who previously claimed she was regularly sexually abused by Epstein — could write a tell-all book detailing all she knows about her boss and Maxwell, but has remained quiet in order to keep the information as a “get out of jail free card.”

“It’s more valuable for her to hold onto the information should she need it to stay free,” the source said. 

Although Kellen has not been charged with a crime, she has already been named in documents filed in a since-settled 2015 defamation lawsuit Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre brought against Maxwell.

Kellen was also repeatedly mentioned at Maxwell’s federal criminal trial in Manhattan, with one victim claiming the assistant arranged “massage” appointments where Epstein would abuse her and take nude photographs of her.

Kellen allegedly scheduled “massages” in which Epstein sexually abused his victims. This image was included in lawsuit court documents. DOJ

During Maxwell’s sentencing in 2022, Judge Alison Nathan pointedly called Kellen a “knowing participant in the criminal conspiracy.”

Kellen did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Several people identified in the documents have already had their association with Epstein or his vile sex-trafficking ring exposed.

Many accusers and alleged victims are expected to be named, along with people who worked for Epstein over the years, were a part of his inner circle, or allegedly participated in his crimes.

The release of the trove of court documents is expected to take place on Jan. 2.

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Nepal court finds former cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of rape | Cricket News

Court in Nepal finds Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman at a Kathmandu hotel in 2022.

A court in Nepal has found the country’s highest profile cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman and has fixed January 10 for his sentencing.

The judgement was announced after a repeatedly delayed trial that had left him free to continue his sporting career.

The 23-year-old has been the face of cricket in Nepal and was the only player from the country to take part in prominent Twenty20 leagues across the world.

He was suspended as Nepal’s captain last year and taken into custody after police issued an arrest warrant for him over the assault in 2022. He was later released on bail.

Lamichhane could face up to 10 years in jail. His lawyers said he would appeal the verdict to a higher court.

“We did not expect this judgement … we are frustrated,” lawyer Sabita Bhandari Baral told the Reuters news agency about Friday’s verdict by the Kathmandu District Court.

“We’ll definitely appeal,” she said.

District Court official Ramu Sharma confirmed the verdict to the AFP news agency.

“The event was not consensual,” he said.

The former captain’s on-field success has boosted the sport’s profile in the Himalayan nation over the past few years.

When authorities issued an arrest warrant, Lamichhane initially failed to return from Jamaica, where he was playing in the Caribbean Premier League.

He was dismissed as national captain and arrested last year, but Nepal lifted his playing ban after he was freed on bail.

This allowed him to remain in the national team, including for the World Cup qualifiers and September’s Asia Cup.

Lamichhane has consistently denied the charge against him and enjoyed strong public support despite the accusations.

Hundreds of cheering cricket fans welcomed him when he returned to the field in February.

But his continued playing career has also sparked anger and caused numerous Nepalis to disavow the team.

Scotland’s cricketers refused to shake hands with him after their matches during an international tournament in Dubai.

The case took more than a year to conclude after repeated delays on procedural grounds.

Cricket has been growing in popularity in Nepal and the country was given one-day international status by the world governing body in 2018.

Lamichhane has been a major part of this rise as the most sought-after Nepali cricketer in lucrative leagues around the world.

The leg spinner’s big break came when he was snapped up for the lucrative Indian Premier League, the world’s richest cricket tournament, in 2018.

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US prosecutors opt out of second trial for crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried | Crypto News

Prosecutors cite ‘strong public interest’ for resolving major case against disgraced crypto exchange founder.

United States prosecutors have chosen not to pursue a second trial for FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who has already been found guilty of fraud and money laundering, and proceed instead to sentencing.

Prosecutors said in a letter filed in a New York court on Friday that pursuing a second trial for the disgraced tycoon would only serve to delay the case against him, which is already strong enough.

“Given that practical reality, and the strong public interest in a prompt resolution of this matter, the Government intends to proceed to sentencing on the counts for which the defendant was convicted at trial,” prosecutors said in the letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over Bankman-Fried’s first criminal trial last year.

In November, a jury found Bankman-Fried guilty of seven counts of fraud, embezzlement and criminal conspiracy, among other charges.

The 31-year-old was accused of using billions of dollars from customer deposits on FTX to cover losses at his hedge fund, pay off loans and buy luxury real estate, among other large personal expenses.

At the trial, he had admitted to making “mistakes” that ended up hurting people, but pleaded not guilty to the charges as he claimed he never meant to steal.

Billions of dollars were lost after Bankman-Fried’s crimes came to light in 2022, something that also contributed to deepening a crypto market downturn that had started earlier that year.

Federal prosecutors have previously described the case as “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history”.

Bankman-Fried is slated to be sentenced on March 28, when he could face up to 110 years in prison.

Prosecutors argued that much of the evidence that could be offered at a second trial was already presented at the first trial, and that a second trial would not affect how much time he could face in prison.

They also said victims would not benefit from forfeiture or restitution orders if sentencing is delayed.

Bankman-Fried is expected to file an appeal against his conviction.

He was previously extradited from the Bahamas, where his companies were based.

The US and the Bahamas have since been clashing over which country’s prosecutors have the legal jurisdiction and right to prosecute him. US prosecutors on Friday wrote that the US government “does not have a timeline for when the Bahamas may respond to its request”.

Bankman-Fried, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has been in jail since August, and had his bail revoked after a judge concluded that he had likely tampered with prospective trial witnesses.

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‘Almost naked’ celebrity party triggers backlash in wartime Russia | Politics News

Rapper jailed and other partygoers under investigation amid conservative outrage over party at Moscow’s Mutabor nightclub.

A rapper who partied at a Moscow nightclub wearing nothing but a strategically-placed sock has been jailed for 15 days, and several other Russian stars have issued public apologies after a celebrity party with the dress code “almost naked” triggered a storm of criticism and a slew of investigations.

The crackdown came after pictures from the party, which took place on the night of December 20 and was organised by TV presenter and actress Anastasia Ivleeva, began circulating on social media.

Amid the scantily-clad celebrities at the Mutabor nightclub was Vacio, the rapper, while Ivleeva was pictured flaunting an emerald-studded chain around her backside worth 23 million roubles ($251,000) at a time when some Russians are struggling to get by.

Conservative legislators, bloggers and others were fiercely critical, contending the images were unseemly, even unpatriotic, for the country, which launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. The issue has dominated the headlines for days, pushing out stories about rising egg prices and other concerns.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the event had “stained” those who took part, but that they now had a chance to work on themselves, the Ura.ru news outlet reported.

Vacio, whose legal name is Nikolai Vasilyev, was jailed by a Moscow court for 15 days and fined 200,000 roubles ($2,182) under the LGBTQ “propaganda” law, which was toughened last year and bans positive information on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people.

Pictures of the party were widely shared on social media [Ostorozhno Novosti via Reuters]

Ivleeva issued two public apology videos following the event, including one on Wednesday, where she said she regretted her actions and deserved everything she got but hoped she could be given “a second chance”.

Her name has since disappeared as one of the public faces of major Russian mobile phone operator MTS, the tax authorities have opened an investigation that carries a potential five-year jail term, and a Moscow court has accepted a lawsuit from a group of more than 20 people demanding she pay out one billion roubles ($10.9m) for “moral suffering”.

If successful, they want the money to go to a state fund that supports Russian veterans from the war in Ukraine.

Russia’s flamboyant pop king Filipp Kirkorov also asked for forgiveness after footage circulated of him wearing a sparkling lace outfit with futuristic sunglasses.

“In today’s difficult and heroic times, an artist of my calibre … cannot and should not be so irresponsible when participating in various events,” he said.

Other partygoers have also recorded apologies, including journalist Ksenia Sobchak whose late father Anatoly was once a friend and boss of President Vladimir Putin.

“To hold such events at a time when our guys are dying in the [Ukrainian] special military operation and many children are losing their fathers is cynical,” said Yekaterina Mizulina, director of Russia’s League for a Safe Internet, a body founded with the authorities’ support. Russia calls its invasion a “special military operation“.

“Our soldiers on the front line are definitely not fighting for this.”

The scandal comes when Putin, who is expected to comfortably win another six-year term in elections in March, has doubled down on social conservatism, repeatedly condemning Western countries for supposedly undermining “traditional values“.

In November, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the “LGBT movement” should be designated as “extremists.”

Standing outside the Bolshoi Theatre on Thursday, Nadezhda, one Moscow resident, told the Reuters news agency she was outraged and thought those who went to the party should be punished.

“If you’re partying, at least don’t film it,” she said. “At such a difficult time [for Russia], they should at least be ashamed. Aren’t they ashamed before those who are fighting for us?”

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‘Don’t worry about me. I’m fine’: Kremlin critic Navalny from Arctic jail | Prison News

Russian opposition leader says he has seen his lawyer after 20 days travelling to penal colony above the Arctic Circle.

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny has confirmed he is being held in a remote Arctic prison and has seen his lawyer after his spokespeople said they had lost touch with him for more than two weeks.

Navalny on Tuesday said he was in good spirits after a “pretty exhausting” 20-day transfer from a prison in the Vladimir region, in a post on X, his account routinely updated via his allies.

“I now live above the Arctic Circle. In the village of Kharp on Yamal. The nearest town has the beautiful name of Labytnangi,” he wrote, after announcing: “I am your new Santa Claus” and noting that he had grown a beard during the “20 days of my transportation”.

His spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, on Monday said Navalny had been tracked down and was in the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.

The Kremlin critic’s whereabouts had not been known since December 6, triggering concern from his allies, rights groups and Western governments.

“The 20 days of my transportation were pretty exhausting, but I’m still in a good mood,” Navalny said.

“They brought me here on Saturday night. And I was transported with such precaution and on such a strange route (Vladimir – Moscow – Chelyabinsk – Ekaterinburg – Kirov – Vorkuta – Kharp) that I didn’t expect anyone to find me here before mid-January.

“That’s why I was very surprised when the cell door was opened yesterday with the words: ‘A lawyer is here to see you.’”

Addressing his supporters, Navalny thanked them for being concerned about his wellbeing, adding: “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m totally relieved that I’ve finally made it.”

While his whereabouts were unknown, there was speculation that he was undergoing a prison transfer, which can take weeks in Russia because prisoners are slowly moved by rail between far-flung facilities.

Navalny’s lawyers and supporters had been preparing for his expected transfer to a “special regime” colony, the harshest grade in Russia’s prison system.

His new home, known as the “Polar Wolf” colony, is considered one of the toughest prisons in Russia. Its inmates are convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh there with temperatures due to drop to about minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next week.

Navalny has been behind bars since January 2021 when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Before his arrest, he campaigned against corruption and organised major anti-Kremlin protests. He has since received three prison terms and spent months in isolation in Penal Colony Number 6 for alleged minor infractions.

A court extended Navalny’s sentence to 19 years on extremism charges and ruled that he be moved to a more secure, harsher prison.

He has rejected all charges against him as politically motivated.

“Since I’m Santa Claus, you’re probably wondering about the presents,” Navalny said on X. “But I am a special-regime Santa Claus, so only those who have behaved very badly get presents.”



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US Supreme Court declines to speed up ruling on Trump immunity claim | Donald Trump News

Decision by the nation’s top court turns down a request by prosecutor Jack Smith to expedite review of immunity plea.

The top court in the United States has declined to rule on whether former President Donald Trump can claim immunity for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, rejecting efforts by prosecutors to expedite review of the question.

The Supreme Court rebuffed the request from US Special Counsel Jack Smith on Friday, kicking it back to a lower court for continued review.

The decision came as Trump faces a slew of legal troubles, some of them related to his efforts to seize office after the 2020 election despite his loss to current President Joe Biden.

Earlier this week, a top court in the state of Colorado ruled that Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol by his supporters, in an effort to halt the certification of his election loss, disqualified him from appearing on the state’s ballot in the 2024 election.

Trump has said that he should be immune from charges relating to efforts to overturn the 2020 election on the grounds that former presidents cannot face charges for actions related to their official responsibilities.

Prosecutor Jack Smith has alleged that Trump worked to obstruct Congress and defraud the US government through a wide-ranging effort to reject the will of the voters.

A Congressional panel investigating the January 6 riot concluded that Trump knew that his persistent claims that the election had been stolen through massive fraud were devoid of evidence, but pushed to nullify the election results anyway.

Those findings have done little to change Trump’s popularity within the Republican Party, and he remains the conservative party’s clear frontrunner to challenge Biden in the 2024 presidential election.

On December 1, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that Trump was not immune from prosecution relating to his efforts to overturn the election. Trump quickly appealed that decision, and his trial is paused until the appeal is sorted out.

Special Counselor Smith then petitioned the Supreme Court on December 11 to review the case, asking the highest court to leapfrog the lower court in order to speed up the trial, currently scheduled to begin in March.

The court declined that request on Friday, sending it back to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which has signalled that it will move quickly to resolve the matter.

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Pakistan’s Imran Khan gets bail in state secrets case ahead of key election | Imran Khan News

The ex-PM is granted bail in the cypher case, but no clarity on his release as the country prepares for February 8 polls.

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been granted bail in a case alleging he leaked state secrets, but he remains in jail on other charges ahead of the general election due in February.

The Supreme Court on Friday granted Khan bail in the case, but it was not clear how he could be released while serving a three-year sentence for corruption and facing other charges.

Khan – detained since August – alleges the powerful military is colluding with dynastic parties that have long dominated Pakistan to crush his political party and prevent him from standing for office.

The 71-year-old has been pummelled by a barrage of legal cases since being removed from office in April 2022 after falling out with the top brass, and has twice been jailed.

“The case has completely collapsed, and Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi have finally been granted bail,” lawyer Salman Safdar told reporters outside court, referring to Khan’s former foreign minister who is being held in the same case.

Prosecutors allege the two leaders mishandled a diplomatic cable, known as cypher, sent by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States.

Both have repeatedly denied the charge, saying the cable was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and the US government to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Washington and Pakistan’s military have denied the accusations.

A private trial in the cypher case took place inside jail until a legal challenge forced the court to restart open proceedings, with observers and media present.

On Friday, the Supreme Court in its short order said “there are not reasonable grounds for believing” that an offence under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a possible 14-year prison term or death sentence, was committed by Khan.

“There are sufficient grounds for further inquiry into their guilt of said offence, which is to be finally decided by the learned trial court,” the top court said.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said he remains incarcerated over numerous separate corruption cases, with scant chance he will leave prison to contest elections due February 8.

“The prospect of him obtaining relief in the near future appears to be very slim,” party lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudry told AFP news agency.

The fate of politicians in Pakistan has historically ridden on their relationship to the military establishment, which has directly ruled the country on several occasions.

Pakistan is scheduled to hold its general election on February 8, 2024.

Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in August for five years following his conviction in a case related to illegal purchase and sale of foreign gifts he received as prime minister.

Khan approached the Islamabad High Court to set aside his disqualification. However, on Thursday, the high court rejected his plea, blocking his way to contest the upcoming election.

The former cricket star-turned-politician’s legal team is now expected to file an appeal in the Supreme Court to allow Khan to contest the election.

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Trump ally Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy following defamation case | Courts News

Giuliani was ordered to pay a $148m penalty for falsely accusing two 2020 election workers of facilitating fraud.

Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, just days after he was ordered to pay $148m to two former Georgia election workers he falsely accused of fraud as he worked to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential election loss.

The former mayor of New York, in a bankruptcy petition seeking protection from his creditors on Thursday, listed assets of between $1m and $10m and liabilities of up to $500m.

The largest of his debts is the $148 million a federal jury in Washington, DC ordered him to pay on December 15 to Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss for repeatedly making false claims that they engaged in 2020 election fraud.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition filed with a New York bankruptcy court also listed debts ranging from the hundreds of thousands to the millions of dollars to the Internal Revenue Service, New York tax authorities and his former lawyers and accountants.

“Unknown” amounts were also recorded as being owed to Hunter Biden, former president Joe Biden’s son, and the voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic.

Hunter Biden, Dominion and Smartmatic have all filed lawsuits against Giuliani. They are ongoing.

A spokesperson for Giuliani said the bankruptcy filing will give him time to appeal the $148m penalty and ensure that other creditors are treated fairly.

“No person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Rudy Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount,” spokesperson Ted Goodman said.

The 79-year-old Giuliani was found liable in August by US District Judge Beryl Howell of defaming Freeman and Moss, both Fulton County poll workers, with his 2020 election lies on behalf of Trump.

An eight-person federal jury awarded Freeman and Moss more than $16m each for defamation, $20m each for emotional distress and $75m in punitive damages.

Giuliani, who led Trump’s legal efforts to overturn the results of the election, posted a video of the pair that falsely accused them of engaging in fraud during ballot counting and made numerous other baseless claims about them.

Freeman and Moss, who are Black, told the jury during the four-day trial that Giuliani’s false accusations upended their lives and made them the target of racist threats.

“The flame that Giuliani lit with those lies and passed to so many others to keep that flame blazing changed every aspect of our lives, our homes, our family, our work, our sense of safety, our mental health,” Moss said.

The defamation case is just one of a number of legal challenges facing Giuliani, who has been indicted on racketeering charges in Georgia along with Trump and others for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state.

Giuliani was New York mayor from 1994 to 2001, guiding the city through the shock of the September 11, 2001 attacks and becoming known as “America’s Mayor” – before signing up as Trump’s personal lawyer while he was in the White House.

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US charges alleged Hezbollah member over 1994 Buenos Aires bombing | Hezbollah News

The bombing of a Jewish community centre killed 85 people, and Hezbollah has been accused of other attacks in Argentina.

The United States has charged an alleged Hezbollah member, Samuel Salman El Reda, with giving material support to a “terrorist group”, accusing him of providing assistance for a 1994 bombing in Argentina.

Federal prosecutors announced charges against the 58-year-old on Wednesday, linking El Reda to the truck bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people.

“This indictment serves as a message to those who engage in acts of terror: that the Justice Department’s memory is long, and we will not relent in our efforts to bring them to justice,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the US Department of Justice’s National Security Division said in a press release.

Rescue workers search for survivors and victims in the rubble left when a car bomb destroyed the Buenos Aires headquarters of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) on July 18, 1994 [File: Enrique Marcarian/Reuters]

The US has long characterised the 1994 bombing as an example of the far reach of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which at the time of the bombing was locked in a deadly battle with Israeli forces occupying southern Lebanon.

Iran and Hezbollah denied responsibility for the attack, which sent shockwaves through the city’s Jewish community. Small commemorative tiles with the names of those killed can still be seen on sidewalks around Buenos Aires.

US authorities said El Reda, a dual Lebanese-Colombian citizen, has helped coordinate the activities of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization in South America, Asia and Lebanon since at least 1993.

The statement from the Justice Department said El Reda is based in Lebanon and “remains at large”. The US Department of State sanctioned him in 2019 and offered $7m for information regarding his whereabouts.

The bombing remains a source of controversy in Argentina, where former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been accused of working to shield the perpetrators of the attack through a joint investigation with Iran, which helped found and nurture Hezbollah.

Argentina has also accused Hezbollah of carrying out a 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 29 people. The country froze Hezbollah’s assets and branded it a “terrorist organisation” in 2019.

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