Seeker of dirt on Biden pleads guilty
NEW YORK -- A Florida businessman who helped Rudy Giuliani seek damaging information on Joe Biden in Ukraine pleaded guilty Friday to facilitating illegal foreign campaign contributions in an effort to build a marijuana business in the U.S.
Igor Fruman, 56, entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan after reaching a deal with prosecutors. Fruman's plea agreement does not require him to cooperate in other cases, U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken said.
Initially charged in a wide-ranging indictment, Fruman pleaded guilty to a single count of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national. The plea resolves the case against him.
Federal sentencing guidelines call for a punishment of 37 to 46 months in prison, though Fruman could get up to five years, the judge said. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21.
The plea leaves two men -- Lev Parnas, another Soviet-born Florida businessman and Giuliani associate, and Ukraine-born investor Andrey Kukushkin -- to face trial next month.
Fruman was also charged with, but did not plead guilty to, arranging hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal donations to Republicans and political action committees while trying to get Americans interested in investigating Biden's son in Ukraine during the Democrat's successful run for president.
Giuliani, 77, has said he had no knowledge of illegal campaign contributions. Giuliani has insisted his Ukrainian activities were conducted on behalf of former President Donald Trump.
Florida building tenants told to vacate
MIAMI -- A Miami Beach apartment building owned by the mayor of the Florida town where a condominium collapsed in June has given his tenants 45 days to vacate the building so extensive repairs can be completed.
The lease termination letter from Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said they've been waiting for the city of Miami Beach to issue permits to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017. He said he hopes the final permit will be issued imminently so work can be completed on the front of the building as well as the elevator.
In addition, he said the Lois Apartments will undergo its required 40-year inspection early because of the Champlain Towers South collapse on June 24 that killed 98 people. That building was in the midst of repairs found during a 40-year inspection when it collapsed in the middle of the night, drawing new scrutiny of the structural integrity of buildings throughout the region.
Burkett informed tenants that they will need to leave by Oct. 24. But they can return to the building once the renovations are completed in several months.
Button blamed in NYC subway glitch
NEW YORK -- A power outage that disrupted half of New York City's subway system for several hours and stranded hundreds of passengers was likely caused by someone accidentally pressing an "Emergency Power Off" button, according to investigations released Friday.
Outside investigators looking into the disruption on the night of Aug. 29 said there was a "strong possibility" that the button was accidentally pressed since the plastic guard designed to prevent accidental activation was missing, according to a pair of reports released by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The unprecedented breakdown affected more than 80 trains. Officials have said restoration of service was delayed because passengers on two of the stuck trains walked out onto the tracks by themselves rather than waiting for rescuers.
Officials blamed the loss of power on human error and the failure to restore power for 84 minutes on inadequate organizational structure and a lack of guidelines.
Judge frees 2014 stabber of classmate
MADISON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin woman who admitted to helping stab a classmate to please the online horror character Slender Man will be freed Monday from a mental health institution under strict conditions, a judge ruled Friday.
Anissa Weier, 19, will be released after spending almost four years at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh. A conditional release plan calls for her to live with her father, submit to around-the-clock GPS monitoring and receive psychiatric treatment, among other things. She won't be allowed to use the internet except at home, and the state Department of Corrections will monitor her online activity.
Weier and friend Morgan Geyser both were committed to Winnebago after pleading guilty to attacking Payton Leutner when they were all 12 years old. Geyser stabbed Leutner multiple times as Weier urged her on. Leutner suffered 19 stab wounds -- including one that narrowly missed her heart. She barely survived.
Weier's attorney, Maura McMahon, told Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren that her client "looks forward to moving on into a productive life."
Leutner's family declined to speak during the hearing. Leutner declined to comment when reached by phone later Friday.