Also seized were 387 snake, lizard and crocodile skin handbags taken from passengers arriving from Nigeria at the airport, officials stated.

On May 10, the prohibited, dead (Macaque) primate that was declared as a gift from Indonesia and addressed to North Port, Florida was seized, according to authorities.

On May 9, the elephant meat, an endangered Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species or CITES protected wildlife species from Thailand and destined to Fresno, California was seized.

On May 6, authorities stated that the declared purses, made of prohibited reptile and CITES protected animal skins including 98 of African rock pythons, 19 of monitor lizards, 85 of dwarf crocodiles as well as 179 of cobras and 6 of puff adder snakes, were found during a baggage inspection of a 31-year-old male passenger.

All seized items were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For more information on Endangered Species:

  http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/what.php.

The state puts information through the Texas Department of Corrections' web site about inmates its executed. There are 498 names listed since 1982.

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/dr_executed_offenders.html

The web site also has other death row information including scheduled executions and women on death row.

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/index.html

I recall that Texas also had information on the web site about last-meal requests by death row inmates.

But the state did away with special last-meal requests in September 2011 after condemned prisoner Lawrence Russell Brewer requested a huge last meal and did not eat any of it, saying that he wasn't hungry, according to published reports.

The 44-year-old Brewer ordered two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions, a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapenos.

Also a bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecued meat with half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas, a meat-lover's pizza (topped with pepperoni, ham, beef, bacon and sausage); one pint of Blue Bell Ice Cream; a slab of peanut-butter fudge with crushed peanuts and three root beers, according to published reports.

The tradition of customized meals began in Texas in 1924.

Brewer wasn't hungry and apparently didn't have much to say minutes before he was executed, according to state officials.

"No, I have no final statement," Brewer told the warden.

Brewer, a racist, was convicted in the murder of a 49-year-old handicapped black man in Jasper County.  Brewer and two other racist co-defendants tortured the victim before he was killed.

 "Mr. Brooks exploited two charitable organizations for his own personal financial gain which came at the expense of the intended beneficiaries of the charitable donations. IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to investigating individuals who use charitable organizations for their personal gain," said Veronica Hyman-Pillot, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. "Mr. Brooks defrauded not only the donors but also the American taxpayer by evading his tax obligations. Tax compliance should and must be equally shared among all Americans."

Federal Officials said Brooks, 67, of Atlanta, Georgia, was charged by a federal grand jury in a 30-count indictment that includes charges of mail, wire, and tax fraud.

The indictment charges that, from the mid-1990s through 2012, Brooks solicited contributions from individuals and corporate donors to combat illiteracy and fund other charitable causes, but then used the money to pay personal expenses for himself and his family.

The documentary, Café Chavalos, is about poor street kids who are involved  with gangs and drugs and how a restaurant in Granada, Nicaragua changes their lives.

It is a story about hope.

The panel consisted of Justin Brooks, director of the California Innocence Project in San Diego and a law professor at the California Western School of Law; Michael Schwartz, a Ventura County special assistant district attorney; Mike Bowers, a Ventura dentist, Innocence Project member and bite mark expert; and Supriya Bhat, a lawyer with the Ventura County Public Defender's Office.

The discussion was an hour and a half long and The Star published the story Thursday.

For the next few days, I am going to publish more in my blog about the comments, exchanges of Mr. Schwartz, Ms. Bhat, Mr. Bowers and Mr. Brooks that weren't published in the newspaper.

This the second blog entry on the round table discussion:

Schwartz told the audience that prosecutors must keep an open mind that people who are innocent can be convicted.

"It would be naïve to say that an innocent person could not be convicted.  Our job is to do the right thing. Get the right person. That is what we are trying to do."

Brooks said it is easier to deal with people like Schwartz who is the deputy of the District Attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit that reviews claims of wrongful convictions than individual prosecutors.

The Conviction Integrity Unit was set up voluntarily by the district attorney in October and is one of a very few of these DA units throughout the state.

Brooks said lawyers have big egos, including prosecutors and defense attorneys, who don't want to think about the possibility that a wrongful conviction might have occurred.

"I have the same problem on the defense side. When you say to a defense attorney you screwed up. You got it wrong. It's just as difficult when you go to prosecutors, and say, 'you got it wrong.'"

"And I've sat in these uncomfortable meetings when I am with the county district attorney and she calls in the assistant DA who handled the case, and I say, 'we think you got this wrong.' So people are very vest in their work. Lawyers are no different than anybody else."

"You spend time getting a conviction when it's a murder case, a big case, a big time investment, a big commitment."

 Adding, "That's the problem I find around the state is that we are usually having to go back up against these original trial attorneys who are usually vested in the conviction and who are going to fight it out or get their friends who are now assigned to the case to fight it out for them."

Schwartz said part of the problem is that prosecutors are constantly dealing with accusations of irregularities and misconduct that leads to an adversarial posture.

"It's like the boy who cried wolf."

Adding, "you just hear it over and over again. And when someone says, 'no, my guy really didn't do it.' It's like I heard this five more times today."

"It's an attitude shift for us to have an open mind and say, 'some of these people (defendants) may actually" be right, he said.

Brooks said the California Innocence Project reviews thousands of claims of wrongful convictions and files on a very small handful of cases in court.

He said this gives the Innocence Project credibility in courtrooms.

"I always tell people who are starting these projects that if you start running into court and file on all your cases, you won't have credibility."

The panel consisted of Justin Brooks, director of the California Innocence Project in San Diego and a law professor at the California Western School of Law; Michael Schwartz, a Ventura County special assistant district attorney; Mike Bowers, a Ventura dentist, Innocence Project member and bite mark expert; and Supriya Bhat, a lawyer with the Ventura County Public Defender's Office.

The discussion was an hour and a half long and The Star published the story today.

But my job as a reporter is often difficult because of space limitations that come with publishing a daily newspaper.

I can best describe it this way: It is like trying to put an elephant inside a breadbox.

So, I am fortunate that my blog -- The Court Reporter -- allows me to publish the notes and quotes that didn't make it in the newspaper.

For the next few days, I am going to publish more in my blog about the comments, exchanges of Mr. Schwartz, Ms. Bhat, Mr. Bowers and Mr. Brooks that weren't published in the newspaper.

This is Mr. Brooks comments and observations about false confessions:

"Our criminal justice system has become more civilized in the last 50 years. There is not so much as the baton and light  techniques going on.   In my experience, it hasn't actually been people broken down giving confessions that are false."

"Usually, they sign confessions when they are angry and want to get out of there. It's more, give me that paper I'll sign it. I don't care. I didn't do it. What difference does it make?  I sign it. You're not going to convict me."

What would induce someone to sign a false confession?  Attorney Bill Haney who was the moderator asked Mr. Brooks.

"Twelve hours or four fours, depending on what the level of patience is. Ultimately, he just says, 'I've got to get out of here. Okay, I did it. That's what you guys want to hear."

"Most of the time, when people confess, they did commit the crime. That's the reality. But the training that officers receive isn't to find out the truth. It's to confirm what a police officer's questioning them about."

Mr. Brooks maintains that police aren't trained to seek the truth.

"They train them into people that get you to talk. And usually, they turn out the right result. They get a guilty person to confess to something they did."

"Every once in awhile, you get a person that says, 'just give me the paper. I've got to get the hell out of here."

Adding, "Now, maybe you get a jailhouse snitch to confirm it. Maybe, you get a bad ID to confirm it and you get a wrongful conviction."

The joint investigation called Operation Sudden Impact resulted in 38 gang members and their associates charged with federal and state laws, authorities stated.

Authorities said the two-year investigation stems from a string of "cold case" murders that led law enforcement to the Southside Montebello criminal street gang and their local rivals.

Ultimately, officials said the investigation resulted in six state murder cases, including one charging a gang member who is accused of fatally shooting a man and his 12-year-old son in June 2008, and attempting to murder two other people, who were attending a party where a fight broke out between members of his gang and Southside Montebello.

As part of this investigation, officials said undercover law enforcement officers and confidential informants infiltrated the Southside Montebello gang and obtained evidence of the gang's alleged crimes, including murders and methamphetamine distribution.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers observed approximately 20 controlled purchases of methamphetamine, drug deals that form the basis of the federal RICO case.

These transactions led to law enforcement seizing nearly one pound of methamphetamine.

Additionally, last November, two Southside Montebello gang members sold drugs and fully automatic firearms to an undercover operative in a transaction that also resulted in the seizure of a non-operational, rocket-propelled grenade launcher, according to authorities.

U.S.  Attorney André Birotte Jr. stated: "As alleged in the RICO indictment, members of Southside Montebello gang established what they called a 'Killer Squad' unit within the gang to challenge their rivals. The federal racketeering indictment describes how the gang maintained an arsenal of weapons, engaged in violent acts, and operated a robust drug trade that frightened and intimidated the people of Montebello."

Dakota James Calderhead, 20, and Kristian Chancellor Mathis, 19, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deprive a person of his civil rights, authorities stated.

Calderhead admitted that he fashioned a noose that Mathis hung from a tree outside the residence, federal officials stated. Calderhead also admitted to handing a second noose from the driver's side rear view mirror of the school bus located in front of another African American family's residence, officials stated.

"These innocent families were targeted and subjected to acts of harassment and intimidation for no other reason than their race," said David Rivera, acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. "Conduct which seeks to deprive any person of their civil rights will always receive the full attention of this office."

The defendants are each facing 10 years in prison, authorities stated.Te

The arrests come as part of a nationwide crackdown by Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in eight cities that lead to charges against 89 people, authorities stated.

Those charged collectively submitted about $233 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, according to officials.

All of those 12 defendants from Los Angeles are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in federal court. A thirteenth defendant is a fugitive.

Dr. Houshang Pavehzadeh, of the Sylmar Physician Medical Group, allegedly billed Medicare more than $1.7 million for chiropractic treatments he never performed. 

During the scheme, which ran from 2005 through 2012, Dr. Pavehzadeh, 40, of Agoura Hills, became the second-largest Medicare billing group in California for chiropractic services - even though he was not in the United States when some of the alleged services were performed.

In addition to being charged with health care fraud, Pavehzadeh is charged with aggravated identity theft related to Medicare beneficiaries whose information he used to bill Medicare as a part of the scheme.

When investigators tried to conduct an audit of Pavehzadeh's claims, he falsely reported to the Los Angeles Police Department that he had been carjacked and that patient files requested by the auditors had been stolen from his car.

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations are part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), a joint initiative announced in May 2009 between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.

The celebration will be held at Safire Restaurant at 4850 Santa Rosa Road in Camarillo.

The Alliance will honor Ventura County's new judge Gilbert Romero.

Tickets are 25 per person and all proceeds will benefit the Volunteer Lawyers Services Program.

The County Bar Alliance, a nonprofit group, is composed of members from the Ventura County Mexican American Bar Association; the Ventura County Asian American Bar Association, the Women Lawyers of Ventura County; the Ventura County Black Attorneys Association and the Ventura County Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Bar Association.

For more information call (805)650-7599.

This is 25 fewer than the 73 officers who died in 2011.

By region, the FBI stated that 22 officers were killed as a result of criminal acts that occurred in the South, eight officers in the West, six officers in the Northeast, five officers died due to incidents in the Midwest, and six officers were killed in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

By circumstance, 12 officers died from injuries inflicted while investigating suspicious persons or circumstances, eight who died were conducting traffic pursuits or stops, five were engaged in tactical situations, and five officers were killed as a result of ambushes (four due to entrapment/premeditated situations and one during an unprovoked attack), according to the FBI.

Here is what the FBI report stated:

Four officers' deaths occurred as a result of answering disturbance calls (two of which were domestic disturbance calls) and three officers were transporting, handling, or maintaining custody of prisoners.

Two of the fallen officers sustained fatal injuries during drug-related matters, two were attempting to make other arrests, and two were performing investigative activities.

Two officers were responding to robberies in progress, one was responding to a burglary in progress, and one officer was killed as a result of handling a person with a mental illness.

Offenders used firearms in 43 of the 47 felonious deaths. These included 30 incidents with handguns, seven incidents with rifles, and three incidents with shotguns. The type of firearm was not reported in three of the incidents.

 Two victim officers were killed with vehicles used as weapons; one was killed with a knife; and one officer died from injuries inflicted with personal weapons, such as hands, fists, or feet.

Twenty of the slain officers were wearing body armor at the times of the incidents. Six of the officers fired their own weapons and two officers attempted to fire their service weapons.

Three victim officers had their weapons stolen; however, none of the officers were killed with their own weapons.

An additional 45 officers were accidentally killed in the line of duty in 2012.

 This total represents eight fewer officers who died in accidents when compared with the 53 officers who were accidentally killed during the same time period in 2011.

This is 25 fewer than the 73 officers who died in 2011.

By region, the FBI stated that 22 officers were killed as a result of criminal acts that occurred in the South, eight officers in the West, six officers in the Northeast, five officers died due to incidents in the Midwest, and six officers were killed in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

By circumstance, 12 officers died from injuries inflicted while investigating suspicious persons or circumstances, eight who died were conducting traffic pursuits or stops, five were engaged in tactical situations, and five officers were killed as a result of ambushes (four due to entrapment/premeditated situations and one during an unprovoked attack), according to the FBI.

Here is what the FBI report stated:

Four officers' deaths occurred as a result of answering disturbance calls (two of which were domestic disturbance calls) and three officers were transporting, handling, or maintaining custody of prisoners.

Two of the fallen officers sustained fatal injuries during drug-related matters, two were attempting to make other arrests, and two were performing investigative activities.

Two officers were responding to robberies in progress, one was responding to a burglary in progress, and one officer was killed as a result of handling a person with a mental illness.

Offenders used firearms in 43 of the 47 felonious deaths. These included 30 incidents with handguns, seven incidents with rifles, and three incidents with shotguns. The type of firearm was not reported in three of the incidents.

 Two victim officers were killed with vehicles used as weapons; one was killed with a knife; and one officer died from injuries inflicted with personal weapons, such as hands, fists, or feet.

Twenty of the slain officers were wearing body armor at the times of the incidents. Six of the officers fired their own weapons and two officers attempted to fire their service weapons.

Three victim officers had their weapons stolen; however, none of the officers were killed with their own weapons.

An additional 45 officers were accidentally killed in the line of duty in 2012.

 This total represents eight fewer officers who died in accidents when compared with the 53 officers who were accidentally killed during the same time period in 2011.