Notorious Kelowna criminal John Michael Aronson, 37, was handed a 17-month sentence for two firearms offences in July 2023. With credit for time he spent in custody since his arrest in July 2022 he was released. The prolific criminal has racked up 46 convictions over 17 years. The judge noted Aronson was Metis. Aronson, in a statement to the court, vowed once again to be a changed man.
Aronson was previously arrested on charges of robbery and firearms. His criminal record stretches on long before those charges, with many incidents being high-profile and high-risk. He gained attention in 2018 after he was shot during an arrest at Orchard Park Mall. “Almost dying was an eye-opener for me,” Aronson said in court Sept. 23, 2019. "You won't see me here again'. Later the same day he raced down Highway 97 high on drugs.
Cops busted him after he crashed his car, shutting down the road for hours. He suffered a fractured skull and broke his arm, shoulder, femur, pelvis, knee and ankle. He was seriously injured and spent two months in hospital before being confined to a wheelchair for months. Aronson already had more than 30 prior convictions for crimes including driving while suspended as well as multiple assault and resisting arrest charges. Aronson had been on the run for 3 days after cutting off his monitoring device while under court order to live at a halfway house in Surrey.
Johnny Blaze couldn't stay clean for 60 days. He was busted again in September for breach of probation and driving while disqualified. Local Conservative MP Tracy Gray raised Aronson in the House of Commons to criticize what she called Canada’s “catch and release” bail system.
Colombian cops captured John Fredy Zapata Garzón in 2021. Zapata Garzón shared routes for drug trafficking to Europe and the US with the Clan del Golfo through shell companies, investments, and real estate.
In Dec 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department fingered Zapata Garzón “for materially assisting the international narcotics trafficking activities of the Clan del Golfo.” Zapata Garzón pleaded not guilty in Miami. He's looking at life without parole.
Lets put em together for mystery man CEO of the badly functioning website Atlas One Digital Securities Inc. Joining him are Ambreen Hamza. COO. The gruesome twosome are refugees of Standard Chartered Bank. They appear UK based. Dean Sutton and Darah Powers (paralegal) are directors. What do these folks 'do' from their dank office on Granville Island? "Atlas One is a Canadian-based digital securities firm. We enable access to private capital markets through blockchain technology, tokenizing some of Canada’s most interesting opportunities and making them easily available to investors." Established in 2021 and these 'crowdfunding' reprobates are beyond the pale. https://invest.atlasone.ca/offers
We say this group stinks to Ponzi high heaven. First there is nothing related to real estate at all. Users of the 'platform' are lending their money 100% unsecured. In return they get subordinated, non-voting partnership units. There is a $25 reward per referral. Now dum dums may make another fortune, but there's a catch. You may never retrieve a penny. These idjets don't tell the too eager 20 somethings about WITHDRAWING their money. That is strictly verbotten and requires approval at the highest, Georgie Peorgie levels. Apparentlynever has a single cent been retrieved from the 'platform'.
At the retail end we have 'Addy Invest' led by gay men. A body can't make this up.
"Our addys sell out quickly! Connect your bank account and fund your wallet so that you're ready for when a property drops." "addy makes real estate investment accessible to everyone, through crowdfunding properties and letting anyone invest." 100% of your investment goes into the property you invest in with addy; there are no transaction fees or commissions.
Among the latest 'drops' is a dodgy renovation project in Toronto from investment fund Alliance REIT. One of the requirements under the 45-101 'crowdfunding' exemption is that the issuer NOT be an investment fund. If this opportunity of many lifetimes doesn't appeal another 'drop' for your money is happening in Oklahoma. One left a comment ... "This is just a fancy mortgage syndication, preying on people who know nothing about commercial real estate investment." We say this is a Ponzi scam.
Genovese capo Anthony 'Rom' Romanello, 86, is accused of popping a Manhattan steakhouse owner as part of an extortion plot. Not so says his lawyer. The fracas wasn't over a gambling debt, it was because the victim called Romanello a “washed-up Italian” with “no balls.” Surveillance footage captured Romanello's attempt to collect a $86k gambling debt from Shuqeri 'Bruno' Selimaj. Romanello's lawyer said prosecutors tried to portray Romanello delivering a blow like Rocky Marciano.
"People who have viewed the video will say my client punches "like a girl."
Gangsters Marckens Vilme, Brandon Reyes and Joseph Pallotta were found guilty of the first-degree murder of Niagara HA Michael Deabaitua-Schulde March 11, 2019. A fourth man, Marc Issa El Khoury, was found not guilty. El-Khoury, 30, was found dead in a commercial building in the Duvernay neighbourhood in Laval. He had been shot multiple times in a targeted hit.
The murder of Deabaitua-Schulde was seen as an internal HAMC matter.
Former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic made a court appearance related to a drug trafficking operation that led to the seizure of more than $1 billion worth of cocaine.
Gogic, 44, was brought into U.S. District Court in Brooklyn to hear his case was being pushed back to Dec. 20. A plea deal is possible. Gogic was charged by the U.S. with trafficking in 22 tons of cocaine worth over $1 billion, most of which was part of the largest cocaine seizure in American history.
Gogic was arrested while trying to board a flight to Zurich from Miami. Charges stem from the seizures of 19,930 kg (22 tons) of cocaine from three commercial cargo ships, including 17,956 kilograms (19.8 tons) from the MSC Gayane while it was docked at Philadelphia's Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.
Traffickers transported cocaine to Europe from Colombia through American ports. They used cranes and nets at night to hoist drugs onto cargo ships from speedboats along the ships' routes. Gogic oversaw the logistics of the scheme, coordinating with crew members, Colombian smugglers and European ports to benefit Balkan cartels. Two other seizures netted 1,437 kilos from the MSC Carlotta at the Port of New York and New Jersey on Feb. 27, 2019, and 537 kilos from the MSC Desiree at the Port of Philadelphia on March 18, 2019. Gogic embarked on a new career as a narcotics trafficker after racking up a record of 24-4-2 as a pro boxer.
He had multiple outstanding warrants. The ERT tactical unit arrived and did their job, arresting him.
Christine Allison is demanding compensation from taxpayers. She said her home is unliveable after cops broke windows, tore off the front door, distributed tear gas and damaged walls. RCMP were responding to reports of a man on drugs shooting a .22 rifle outside a home near Hedley and shut down Highway 3 as a result. Shane Allison, 30, barricaded himself inside the home.
If Christine Allison was a better parent, cops wouldn't need to bust down her door to lasso her grown man criminal offspring. Shane Allison was sentenced to two years in federal prison in 2017 after pleading guilty to an armed home invasion. He was busted for firing a shotgun at a car the same year. He was said to be 'extremely intoxicated". The Allisons are members of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band.
Project E-Precedent in November of 2017 targeted the Red Scorpion Gang, and the distribution and sale of drugs in Kelowna. It involved 15 search warrants executed on homes and an office building. Searches lead to the seizure of 5.5 kg of fentanyl and carfentanil, 3 kg of meth, 1.5 kg of cocaine, as well as GHB, ecstasy, and other pharmaceuticals. Firearms included Mac-10 sub-machine gun, 2 semi-automatic 9mm handguns, .45 and .38 caliber handguns, and many semi-automatic rifles. $130k cash was seized. 5 men faced charges; Travis Cumming, 28, Jason Keehn, 35, Jonathan Sierra 30, Nikolas Parisee, 27 and Benjamin Bridger 28. Jason Keehn didn't show up for his first appearance and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was caged thereafter.
Keehn faced the most charges – two counts of trafficking, four counts of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, five counts of incorrect storage of firearms and five counts of possessing firearms without a licence. His total sentence is six years in prison, minus 485 days enhanced credit for time served.
Imperiale bought the island, named Taiwan, while in hiding. Its value is estimated at €60m-€80m. It is part of an artificial archipelago off the coast of the United Arab Emirates called “The World”. Imperiale faces 15 years in jail and has been demonstrating his willingness to cooperate in the hope of receiving a reduced sentence.
Raffaele Imperiale, a member of the Neapolitan Camorra, is telling cops all he knows. Imperiale’s decision to rat took place in October. He has made statements against at least two, one of them being mob boss Daniel Kinahan, who has any number of investigations, including being the target of a DEA and US Treasury Department investigation for which there is a $5M reward. Imperiale attended Kinahan’s wedding at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai in 2017. He is one of the leaders of a ‘super cartel’.
Also turning rat is Bruno Carbone, 45, who was busted with Imperiale in Dubai.
Italian Justice Minister Marta Cartabia went to Dubai to request, for the third time, the extradition of Camorra drug trafficker Raffaele Imperiale, number two on Italy’s most wanted list. She was successful and Imperiale was flown to Rome. Imperiale was arrested last summer in Dubai at Italy’s request. In January, the United Arab Emirates rejected Italy’s second request for his extradition.
Imperiale was wanted for years by Italian cops. He is a member of the Amato-Pagano clan and is one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world. He is closely linked to Daniel Kinahan. The extradition application for the mobster stated that he was a member of a 'Super Cartel' along with Kinahan, Balkan mob boss Edin Gacanin and the caged Ridouan Taghi.
Top Camorra narco Raffaele Imperiale, 46, was arrested in Dubai on August 4 2022.
Imperiali has been on the run since 2016, living a hugely lavish life in the UAE. The DEA exposed a global drug cartel headed by Imperiale, Ridouan Taghi, Daniel Kinahan and Edin Gačanin. The group was observed by the DEA having meetings in the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, it's base of operations.
In 2016, two Van Gogh paintings stolen in 2002 from an Amsterdam museum were found stashed in a farmhouse on property owned by Imperiale near Naples.
Melbourne bikie boss and national president Luke Moloney, 42, has quit the club according to court documents. Moloney was elevated to national president in July 2021. The bikie is fighting multiple charges. He claimed recently his ADHD medication is why he tested positive to meth, scuttling his bail.
Moloney and two of his goons severely beat a former member trying to leave the club.
The scandal has torpedoed Bonse's political career.
Nigerian politician Wilfred Bonse has been arrested for the theft and conversion of cryptocurrency wallets. Bonse assisted hackers in laundering 50 million naira. ($61,538)
The Patricia Technologies case includes criminal conspiracy, the unauthorized alteration of computer systems and network data, and the illicit diversion of funds exceeding 200 million naira. ($246,153)
Patricia Technologies faced scrutiny after the hacking incident in May resulted in a loss of customer funds. Bonse benefited from a cyber fraud scheme executed by a group of hackers identified as The Syndicate. They intended to bankrupt Patricia Technologies.
Macau is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
Saipan based Imperial Pacific International (IPI) owner, Ji Xiaobo, was identified as a mafia kingpin by the Chinese court as his entourage were handed long prison sentences.
Ji entered the Macau gaming industry with a Chinese junket in 2011, opening his first VIP room. In two years business expanded to seven VIP rooms in most major casinos in Macau, offering 86 tables. IPI opened a casino under a temporary casino license in 2014. It operated 48 gaming tables and 141 slot machines. IPI Casino officially opened in July 2017, and the casino’s capacity increased to 77 tables and 243 machines. In its 2017 financial report, IPI reported a 75% increase in revenue to HK$13.2 billion ($1.7 billion), of which 96.7% came from the VIP segment.
All was not as it appeared. The operation was laundering huge sums of dirty money. IPI was investigated by the DoJ for money laundering in 2017. Hong Kong listed IPI shares were suspended from trading. The Chinese began investigating Ji Xiaobo in 2020. He hasn’t been seen in public for more than two years, and is allegedly hiding in Tokyo. Chinese authorities are said to be on the hunt for him.
Cops are on the hunt for perps who stole a dozen French bulldogs valued at $100k from a southern California pet store. One of the 12 dogs the men pilferred was a show dog named 'Roll X.' Gardena cops are investigating and posts of the hot dogs have been distributed across social media.
Hakan Ayik was arrested in Turkey with 36 others 3 weeks ago. Ayik is known as the 'Facebook gangster' due to his love for self-promotion.
In August 2017 plans were made for dinner in Dubai for the two younger brothers of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim and three major players of Sydney's underworld. Australian cops had been waiting for more than two years and after dinner Dubai police's anti-narcotics unit swooped in, arresting five huge players in Australia's drug trade.
The Ibrahim brothers
The Dubai arrests, which also included Sydney underworld figures Steven Fawaz Elmir, Hakan Arif and Mustapha Dib, triggered raids by more than 500 cops at 30 properties across Sydney. The investigation, known as Operation Veyda, resulted in the seizure of 1.8 tonnes of MDMA, 136 kg of cocaine, 15 kg of meth and $5.5m in cash. The drugs, from the Netherlands, were meant to make their way into Australia via corrupt border officials.
Comanchero and drug lord Hakan Ayik fled to his native Istanbul. Oz press tracked Ayik down easily and found him owning the Kings Cross Hotel in Istanbul and living in high-end properties. He had changed his name to Hakan Reis and disguised his appearance with plastic surgery. He subsequently popped up in tapped calls with drug suppliers in Australia discussing overseas importation. Ayik founded a massive drug importation business by the age of 32 by forging alliances with the Chinese triads, Indian chemical suppliers and Comanchero bikers. He has been a fugitive since 2010.
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