Stupid people of the week

Off-Duty Toms River Police Officer Smashed Glass Door, Assaulted Pair In Home: Prosecutor

A Toms River police officer is accused of assaulting two people and threatening them after breaking into a Berkeley Township home on Friday night, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday.

Rebecca A. Sayegh, 32, has been charged with home invasion burglary, two counts of assault, two counts of criminal mischief, terroristic threats and resisting arrest in connection with what authorities say was a domestic incident.

Sayegh was off-duty at the time of the incident that was reported about 11:20 p.m. Friday, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Authorities say she went to a home on Evernhan Avenue and smashed the front glass door and went in, then assaulted and threatened two victims inside the home. She also damaged the hood of a vehicle belonging to one of the victims that was parked in the driveway, authorities said.

Sayegh was arrested at the scene — after having resisted efforts to peacefully place her under arrest, Billhimer said.

She was originally served with the charges via summons pending an upcoming first appearance in Ocean County Superior Court but because of the serious nature of the charges, was re-charged by way of a warrant on Monday, he said.

Sayegh was arrested at her home by Berkeley Township police and is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Toms River Police Chief Peter Sundack did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sayegh has worked for the Toms River Police Department since 2016.

Source; Patch.com

Former school athletic director gets 4 months in jail in racist AI deepfake case

A former high school athletics director accused of using artificial intelligence to create a racist and antisemitic deepfake of a Maryland principal has been sentenced to four months in jail as part of a plea deal for disrupting school operations.

Dazhon Darien, 32, accepted the deal Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, records show. He entered an Alford plea to the single misdemeanor charge, which means he acknowledged the evidence against him without directly admitting guilt. His original charges included theft, stalking and retaliating against a witness.

According to police and prosecutors, Darien used AI software to generate a fake recording of former Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert’s voice expressing frustration with Black students and their test-taking abilities. The recording, which was disseminated throughout the school community and shared widely on social media last January, also purported to capture the principal disparaging Jewish people, authorities said.

Not long before the recording surfaced, Eiswert had informed Darien that his contract wouldn’t be renewed the following semester because of concerns over poor job performance, according to court documents. The concerns included allegations that Darien paid his roommate $1,900 in school funds under the pretense of coaching the girls’ soccer team, police said.

Experts who analyzed the recording concluded it was AI-generated.

Despite receiving a relatively short sentence, Darien could remain incarcerated longer as he faces a separate federal case in which he’s accused of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child sexual abuse material. Authorities said they discovered evidence of those crimes while searching Darien’s phone and other devices.

While fake recordings of political figures and celebrities have surfaced in recent years as the technology becomes more widespread, officials have said the case is among the first examples of AI being used to embarrass someone for personal gain.

The subset of artificial intelligence known as generative AI can create hyperrealistic images, videos and audio clips. As it becomes cheaper and easier to use, anyone with an internet connection can access its capabilities. Even a short recording of someone’s voice allows users to generate cloned speech from a script.

Other examples of AI-generated audio include robocalls impersonating former President Joe Biden that tried to dissuade Democrats from voting in last year’s New Hampshire primary election. People have also cloned the voices of purportedly kidnapped children over the phone to get ransom money from parents, experts say.

In response, many states have enacted laws in recent years targeting the use of AI, especially targeting media intended to influence election results and digitally created or altered child sexual abuse imagery.

During this year’s legislative session, Maryland lawmakers considered a bill that would have prohibited the use of AI to falsely impersonate people. Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger advocated in favor of the law change, but it ultimately didn’t pass.

Darien’s bogus audio sent shockwaves through the suburban Pikesville community as angry phone calls inundated the school and hate-filled messages accumulated on social media. Authorities said police were sent to patrol Eiswert’s home in response to threats.

Eiswert, who is now principal of another Baltimore County school, said from the beginning that he believed the recording was fake. He has since filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging Darien never should have been hired in the first place.

Darien joined the district in spring 2023, when he started teaching social studies at a different high school, according to the lawsuit. He was later promoted to Pikesville athletic director.

Eiswert’s complaint cites reporting from The Baltimore Banner that revealed a host of false claims on Darien’s job application, including multiple degrees he hadn’t obtained. Florida education officials also denied Darien a teaching certificate in 2016 based on “test of document fraud” and flagged his name in a national database, the Banner found. Eiswert argues Baltimore County school officials failed to properly vet his application materials and investigate his background.

Source; AP

Screaming US tourist impaled on Rome’s Colosseum fence while possibly seeking selfie in horrifying scene

An American tourist in Rome impaled himself on a metal fence at the Colosseum while possibly trying to take a selfie — screaming in pain as he was left helplessly dangling for more than 20 minutes.

The unidentified visitor, a 47-year-old US man based in Taiwan, pierced his spine and needed 80 stitches after the Friday afternoon horror at the Piazza del Colosseo, according to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

It took paramedics more than 20 minutes to remove the man from the metal railing. He screamed till he lost consciousness and then hung lifelessly from the fence in horrifying scenes witnessed by crowds of tourists, according to reports.

The man is believed to have climbed the railing, which lines the arches of the Roman monument, in an attempt to get a better view or take a selfie, the outlet said.

Stunned visitors quickly called paramedics.

The man was rushed to nearby San Giovanni hospital in “code red” condition after the terrifying incident around 5 p.m.

He was provided oxygen, stitched up and listed in serious but stable condition.

The tourist — who is believed to have been in Rome with family and friends for several days before the accident — faced questioning by the Carabinieri police Sunday.

His friends have already been quizzed but did not provide an explanation for why he tried to climb the railings, Il Messaggero reported.

In 2021, two US tourists were fined the equivalent of $900 for illegally entering the Colosseum at night to drink beer inside the ancient stadium.

Source; NY Post

Kentucky man arrested in Florida days after winning $167M Powerball jackpot

Sometimes your luck can change just like that.

A Kentucky man who won a record-setting $167 million Powerball jackpot was arrested in Florida days later for allegedly kicking a deputy in the face.

James Farthing, 50, was arrested Wednesday on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, battery, and resisting an officer without violence, Pinellas County jail records showed.

Farthing had been at the Island Grand at Tradewinds at St. Pete Beach when he got into a fight with another patron, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate WFLA.

Pinellas County deputies tried to break it up but Farthing ended up kicking one in the face, the affidavit said.

Farthing attempted to flee but was taken into custody and later booked into jail, authorities said.

Farthing, of Georgetown, Kentucky, had just claimed the $167.3 million ticket on Monday, the Kentucky Lottery said.

He and his mother are splitting the winnings after he bought a $2 ticket. Officials said it set the record for a Kentucky Powerball prize.

Source; NBC Miami

‘This is unnecessary’: Two Boston city officials arrested after fight at apartment, police say

Two members of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration are now on unpaid leave after their arrest early Thursday morning.

Marwa Khudaynazar, 27, is charged with assault and battery on police officer and assault and battery on a household member.

She is the chief of staff at the city’s office of police accountability.

Chulan Huang, 26, is charged with assault and battery on a household member.

He is the Neighborhood Business Manager for the City of Boston’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion.

According to charging documents, Boston Police officers responded to a call for a fight between the duo at an apartment on Hudson Street in Chinatown around 2 a.m.

“She went on a date with my boss,” he reportedly told responding officers. “And then they booked a hotel room and she came here to rub it in my face.”

According to the incident report, he took her phone and went out the back door to read her messages.

“She started punching me and then she starts biting me,” he reportedly stated.

Police separated the pair and reportedly saw multiple bite marks on Huang’s chest and arms.

The police report describes Khudaynazar having a change of heart when Huang was being placed under arrest.

“I don’t want that, I was lying, I was lying, I swear to god I was lying, I bit him, he has bite marks on him,” she reportedly told police.

Police said she called 911 again and then verbally and physically attacked an officer who was trying to leave the apartment.

She is accused of pushing, swearing and hitting one of the officers during the incident.

According to the police report, when Khudaynazar was arrested and placed in the back of the cruiser, she told officers, “we both work for the city, this is unnecessary.”

Both of their bios have since been taken down from the city’s website.

“When the City learned of the incident, both employees were placed on unpaid leave effective immediately while the City continues to investigate,” a city spokesperson said. “The City takes these allegations very seriously and holds all public servants to the highest standard.”

Both City Hall staffers pleaded not guilty at their arraignments on Thursday.

Source; Boston 25 News

Category: Crime, Police, Stupid Criminals