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Romance Scammers Sentenced to Federal Prison

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Four Nigerians were sentenced here to years in federal prison  recently for their parts in a years-long, international romance scam.

Reagan Fondren, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentences Tuesday. The group was indicted with conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering in June 2023. 

Those indicted were: 

• Patrick Edah, 40, a Nigerian citizen residing in the Toronto, Canada area

• Efe Egbowawa, 41, a Nigerian citizen residing in the Atlanta area

• Igocha Mac-Okor, 40, a Nigerian citizen residing in the Atlanta area

• Kay Ozegbe, 44, a naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Atlanta

The group operated the conspiracy from 2017 to 2021. They assumed false identities on social media, gaming applications, dating websites, and other internet-based platforms to trick victims into entering friendships and romantic relationships. They then played various roles in exploiting those connections to convince individuals to send them money via wire, check, U.S. mail, and package delivery services.

Dozens of victims lost amounts ranging from several thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars. One victim in West Tennessee lost more than $400,000 to this scheme over the course of several months.

In the conspiracy, romance scammers or “handlers” posed as potential friends or romantic partners and entered online relationships with unwitting victims. The relationships usually developed quickly through social media contact, text messages, email, and phone calls. 

Once the victim was clearly engaged in the scam, the scammer would begin to ask for emergency financial assistance. If the victim sent money, the scammer would ask for increasingly larger amounts of financial assistance.

Edah, Egbowawa, Mac-Okor, and Ozegbe functioned as “money mules” in the conspiracy. They worked in conjunction with other members of the conspiracy to move the financial proceeds of the scams through several layers of bank accounts and shell companies to hide the sources of the money and made it difficult to trace.

For their roles, Egbowawa was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison, Ozegbe was sentenced to 36 months, Edah and Mac-Okor were sentenced to 30 months and 50 months, respectively.

“These individuals used deception and fraud to prey on the vulnerable causing unmeasurable emotional damage and significant financial losses,” said Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office, Memphis Resident Agency.

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CannaBeat: Buds & Brews Sets Open Date for Broad Location

Credit: Buds & Brews

Buds & Brews, Tennessee’s first cannabis bar and restaurant concept, will open in Memphis next month. 

The restaurant was created and is owned by Nashville-based Craft Cannabis, a Tennessee seed-to-shelf cannabis company. The company’s new Memphis location is slated to open on Friday, Dec. 13th, in the former Bounty on Broad space in the Broad Avenue Arts District. 

“We are excited to bring the Buds & Brews experience to this dynamic arts community,” said Michael Solomon, owner and president of Craft Cannabis. “Along with a curated list of craft cocktails and beers on tap, we’re excited to offer our very own brand of THC-infused beverages and New Highs cannabis cocktails. 

“We’ve partnered with a brewery in Chattanooga to create these top-shelf quality cannabis beverages and have collaborated with some of the very best in the food and beverage industry in Memphis to bring a truly unique culinary adventure to this community.”

Credit: Buds & Brews
Credit: Buds & Brews

The first Buds & Brews opened in Nashville in 2022. It offers patrons the opportunity to “enjoy cannabis in a safe, legal, and fun environment” with upscale bar food like burgers, wings, and “Wake & Bake Brunch.” Diners can choose their favorite condiment sauces infused with Tennessee grown and extracted hemp-derived THC. The menu also features dessert edibles. 

For more information, click here. 

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Memphis Crime Rate Falls In First Three Quarters of 2024

Photo by Martin Podsiad on Unsplash

The Memphis crime rate showed a “very significant drop” from January to September of 2024, according to new data from the Crime Commission and the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute. 

Credit: Crime Commission and the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute

The major property crime rate fell more than 20 percent in the first nine months of 2024, compared to the same period last year. These crimes are burglaries, vehicle thefts, and other felony thefts (like thefts from vehicles). The biggest drop came in the vehicle theft rate, down more than 35 percent. Burglaries were down nearly 20 percent. Other felony thefts were down nearly 13 percent. 

The major violent crime rate fell, too, in the first nine months of the year. Though, they did not fall as dramatically as property crimes. 

Crime Commission and the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute

The murder rate fell by more than 11 percent. Rapes were down nearly 9 percent. Robberies were down by more than 22 percent. However, aggravated assaults rose more than 2 percent. 

Crime Commission president Bill Gibbons said there were nearly 10,000 victims of aggravated assault in the first nine months of the year, making up over 80 percent of all reported violent crimes. 

“Until we reduce significantly the number of aggravated assaults, we will not be able to have a significant reduction in the overall violent crime rate,” Gibbs said in a statement. “And, of course, an aggravated assault can become a murder in a split second. All it takes is the offender being a good aim.”

Crime Commission and the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute

The overall crime rate in Memphis dropped more than 10 percent in Memphis from January to September. 

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Film Features Film/TV

Memphis Flyer Podcast: Oct. 24, 2024

On the latest Memphis Flyer Podcast, Toby Sells and Chris McCoy talk about our cover story on the heated debate over cannabis laws in Tennessee. Every week, you can watch and listen to our writers discuss what’s in the latest issue of the Flyer our YouTube channel. One thing’s for sure: We have a good time doing it!

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How You Can Help with Hurricane Helene Relief 

IMC Logistics plans to fill a 20-foot container with donated supplies to bring to Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo: Courtesy IMC)

As Florida braces for the Category 4 Hurricane Milton to make landfall tonight, thousands are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, whose storm path brought destruction across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, East Tennessee, and Virginia. It has killed more than 200 people, and hundreds are still missing. 

In the wake of such devastation, Memphians have come together to offer their support. “Asheville you have loved me, clothed me, danced with me, painted me, fed me, and lifted me up,” musician Louise Page writes on her Instagram. “Now let’s lift you up in return. … Asheville is home to my brother, my sister, my cousins, and so many amazing artists, musicians, and humans who have treated me like a sister without a second thought. It is a beautiful community of beautiful people, and right now they need our support.”

On Sunday, October 13th, Page, along with several local musicians, are raising funds to support those affected by Hurricane Helene in a benefit concert organized by Graham Winchester. Proceeds go to Rafi’s Farmers Relief, Arts AVL (Asheville Area Arts Council), and IamAvl (Independent Arts & Music Asheville). Performing and donating their time are Oakwalker (1-1:40 p.m.), Turnstyles (2-2:40 p.m.), Hope Clayburn (3-3:40 p.m.), Lina Beach and Uriah Mitchell of Royal Studios (4-4:40 p.m.), Louise Page (5-5:40 p.m.) as mentioned earlier, Laundry Bats (6-6:35 p.m.), Rachel Maxann (6:50-7:25), Found Harmonium (7:30-8:05), and Jack Oblivian (8:15-8:45 p.m.). The concert will be hosted at Railgarten. 

Meanwhile, Memphis Made Brewing is hosting a donation drive for Eastern Tennessee through Saturday, October 12th, with guidance from the Appalachian Voices, an environmental conservation organization. They are asking for cold weather items, PPE, medicines, and personal hygiene items (full list here). The drive also coincides with the brewery’s first Oktoberfest, so you can drop off donations and enjoy the festivities on Saturday starting at noon. The day includes the new Gebirge Bier (German for “the mountains”), a benefit beer for hurricane relief, and a pumpkin toss, with the $25 participation fee going to Asheville. Other drop-off times for donations are Wednesday to Friday, 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Over in Collierville, IMC Logistics has partnered with Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief (NTDR) to fill a shipping container with supplies. Once the container is full, an IMC driver will be taking it to the NTDR Distribution Center in Bristol, Tennessee, for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Supplies needed include generators, charcoal grills and charcoal, flashlights and batteries, battery-powered lanterns, blankets, propane grills, propane heaters, baby formula, diapers, tarps, empty (new) gas cans, tents, sleeping bags, solar charging stations, and HotHands packets. Drop off donations at IMC’s office, 1305 Schilling Blvd. West, through the end of the business day on Friday. (Details here.)

Area law-enforcement agencies are also asking for donations for East Tennesseans. They are asking for flashlights, batteries, water, empty gas cans, baby items, hygiene products (shampoo, soap, feminine products, etc.), and medical supplies. All items must be new and unopened. No clothing is being accepted at this time. Drop-off sites are Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Substation, 11670 Memphis-Arlington Road, Arlington; Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy, 993 Dovecrest Road, Memphis; and Bartlett Police Department, 3730 Appling Road, Bartlett. Donations can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, October 11th. 

Through Friday, October 11th, City & State is donating 5 percent of net sales (both in-store and online) to the Equal Plates Project, which is providing meal aid at their two Asheville kitchens through partnerships with local initiatives. You can also make donations directly at checkout. City & State’s goal is to raise $1,000 by the end of the week.

If you have a donation drive or other hurricane relief effort that you would like added to this list, please email abigail@memphisflyer.com and/or add it to our calendar at events.memphisflyer.com.

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Mempho, Bass Fish, and Why Trump?

Posted to Facebook by Mempho Music Festival

Memphis on the internet.

Mempho

Mempho Music Festival brought an act for every taste to the Radians Amphitheater last weekend. But the MEMernet raved over Jack White’s performance. As our own Chris McCoy said, White was “simply operating on another level than everyone else.” 

Bass fish

Posted to Nextdoor by Yimy Perez

The MEMernet can be every bit as tough and gritty as our city. But sometimes you slow your scroll for a bit of pure, simple delight. That’s the case for Parkway Village North neighbor Yimy Perez who posed with a great catch over the weekend and the title, simply “bass fish.” 

Why Trump? 

Posted to YouTube by World Overcomers Church

Alton R. Williams just came right out with it — and clearly broke federal law — last week in a sermon titled “Why Trump?” Again, the Johnson Amendment says churches could lose their tax-exempt status if they preach politics from the pulpit.  

“The Democrat party, I’m gonna say it tonight so you won’t be confused, is the anti-Christ party,” Williams said. “It is anti-family. And I’m going to say this — and you ain’t gonna believe it — but it is anti-Black folk. You’re only needed for votes. You’re only loved when it comes time to vote.” 

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Sentences Come for Shoplifting Ring, Machine Gun Possession, and 2002 Cooper-Young Shooting

Photo: Max Fleischmann on Unsplash

The new acting U.S. attorney here announced new sentences recently for the crimes of running an organized retail theft ring, shooting a machine gun at the cops (on a warning about putting down a cell phone while driving), and a resentencing for the 2002 shooting of a pizza delivery person in Cooper-Young.

Shoplifting conspiracy

Four Memphians were sentenced in the last two months for an organized retail theft conspiracy worth millions. 

Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren’s office said the scheme stretched three years from April 2018 to May 2020. In it, three people — Latasha Brooks, 42; Coyoti Carter, 47; and Tarnisha Woods, 49 — would go to stores and shoplift “large quantities of health and beauty products including memory supplements, hair regrowth treatments, weight loss aids, and allergy medicines.” 

Afterward, Keith Guy, 38, would pay Brooks for the stolen goods. Brooks would then pay Carter and Woods for their work. Guy then sold the stolen goods to resellers on the internet. He used the U.S. Postal Service to ship hundreds of parcels to locations across the country. 

Investigation officials estimated the total retail value of the products stolen in the scheme at over $4 million. 

The four were indicted by a grand jury in December. They all pleaded guilty. Earlier this month, Guy was sentenced to 34 months in prison. In August, Brooks was sentenced to 34 months, Carter was sentenced to one year and one day, and Woods was sentenced to 15 months in prison.     

Cell phone warning turns to machine gun sentence 

On February 1, 2022, a Shelby County Sheriff’s deputy saw Jaquan Bridges, 22, driving slowly near I-240 and Walnut Grove while looking at his cell phone. The deputy activated emergency equipment to alert Bridges (either flashed the car’s lights, wooped the siren, or both) to put the phone down. 

“Bridges rolled down his passenger-side window and fired gunshots at the deputy’s vehicle, striking it several times,” reads a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office. “Bridges then fled, leading deputies on a high-speed pursuit for 10 miles, before Bridges hit at least three other vehicles and crashed into a concrete barrier.  

“When Bridges was taken into custody, deputies recovered a Glock .40 caliber pistol with an attached machine gun conversion device (known as a ‘switch’) and extended magazine.” 

Two years later, Bridges pleaded guilty to the charges. Earlier this month, he was sentenced to nine years for possessing a machine gun. 

Resentencing in 2002 Cooper-Young shooting

The original sentence for Louie Holloway, 43, of Memphis, was vacated in 2022 after changes in gun laws in Tennessee. (It’s unclear which law change brought the decision to vacate: constitutional carry or allowing short-barreled rifles and shotguns).  

Holloway was serving life in prison for the 2002 murder and attempted robbery of John Stambaugh, a University of Memphis student who was delivering pizza in Cooper-Young. 

(Read Bruce VanWyngarden’s great column on the ordeal from the time here.)

After his sentence was vacated, however, the district court immediately scheduled a resentencing hearing. In that one, Holloway was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. 

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Memphis Police Respond to School Threats on Social Media

Photo Credit: MSCS via Facebook

The Memphis Police Department (MPD) is aware of threats circulating on social media targeted towards schools in the area. While officers and Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) are investigating threats, the schools have been placed on soft lockdown per MPD.

Officer Christopher Williams of MPD said no injuries have been reported at this time and instructed media to reach out to MSCS for additional information.

Memphis Shelby County Schools posted a statement to their social media pages that they were aware of these threats. 

“As a precautionary measure, please do not go to your child’s school as law enforcement is actively investigating,” the statement said. MSCS said they will provide updates as necessary.

A Facebook user by the name of Joseph Braxton posted photos of screenshots from Instagram stories from a user by the name of @austinsmith9624. These screenshots tagged Southwind High School with the user threatening to “take out 30 people or more with a sk and a ar15 [sic].”

The user also posted they will be delivering their message at lunch time and that people will regret bullying them.

“Anyone in my way may be dealt with outside or inside,” the user said in another post. 

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Best of Memphis Special Sections

Best of Memphis 2024

Julian Harper | Memphis Tourism

The Memphis Flyer’s annual Best of Memphis readers’ poll is back, back again! You nominated, you voted, and we spit those answers back out in these pages here. And now it’s time to announce the winners you chose. That’s right: The winners you chose — not us, your fearless (sometimes fearful) writers, not even our advertisers, who help keep this paper a free publication for you. 

From margaritas to antique stores to family outings — and everything in between — y’all chose your favorites. Ties have been noted, and no favoritism shown, except in our staff picks because we can.

Best of Memphis 2024 was written by Shara Clark, Michael Donahue, Alex Greene, Michael Finger, Kailynn Johnson, Chris McCoy, Abigail Morici, Toby Sells, Jon W. Sparks, and Bruce VanWyngarden. It was designed by Carrie Beasley. 

Thank you to our readers, advertisers, and Memphis, and congratulations to our winners! 

Follow this link to find out Memphis’ favorites:
bom24.memphisflyer.com

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Camel Bite Leads to Drug Bust for TV Reality Star in Crockett County

Credit: Crockett County Sheriff's Office

Bond has been set for a TV reality personality and a friend after a camel bite turned into a drug bust at a drive-through zoo.

Crockett County General Sessions Judge Paul Conley set the bond at $10,000 apiece for Brian Scott Lovvorn and “1,000-Lb. Sisters” star Amy Slaton Halterman. 

Lovvorn (Credit: Crockett County Sheriff’s Office)

“It was no ordinary Labor Day in Crockett County,” wrote the Crockett County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook Monday.

Deputies responded to Safari Park Monday near Alamo, Tennessee, just northwest of Jackson. A guest was allegedly bitten by a camel. 

“Upon arrival, deputies were immediately overtaken by suspicious odors coming from the guest’s vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said. “Amy Slaton Halterman, ’1,000-Lb. Sisters’ reality TV star, was arrested on illegal possession of Schedule I, illegal possession of Schedule VI, and two counts of child endangerment.”

Lovvorn was arrested on the same charges. 

Both were then booked into the Crockett County Jail.