Often cited as one of the best TV productions of all time, drama series "The Sopranos" has yet to be released in its entirety in HD. This omission will soon be corrected with the release of a Blu-ray box set with the complete series on the mob boss Tony Soprano.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the six seasons of "The Sopranos" will be available in a single Blu-ray box set from November 4. Previously, only the first and sixth seasons had been released in HD.
The 86 episodes will come with over five hours of bonus content, all on 28 high-definition Blu-ray discs. Fans of the mafia drama can enjoy cut scenes, audio commentary tracks and roundtable discussions with the cast and crew.
The box set also includes "Defining a Television Landmark," a previously unreleased documentary with a run time of 45 minutes. Among those interviewed for the documentary are series creator David Chase, its star James Gandolfini, who died in June 2013, and Steve Buscemi, who contributed to the show's success on screen as well as from the director's chair. Steven Soderbergh and Jeff Daniels also contributed their commentary.
A touchstone of American TV culture, "The Sopranos" aired on HBO from 1999 to 2007. The series received around 60 awards in total, including 21 Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes, and is widely considered as one of if not the best series in the history of television.
Regardless of where they place "The Sopranos" in their ranking of the best shows of all time, critics agree that the show revolutionized the mafia drama genre with its portrayal of Tony Soprano, the New Jersey mob boss who is forced by his panic attacks to see a shrink on the sly. The character experiences a long and difficult battle to reconcile the interests of his family with those of his organized crime network.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Gun Store Ordinance Far Stricter Than What Public Wants
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to keep gun stores out of most of Chicago is far more restrictive than what the public supports, a gun industry lobbyist said Monday.
Whitney O’Daniel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation pointed to an April survey — which the foundation commissioned — of registered Chicago voters that showed 69 percent supported regulating gun stores under the same zoning laws that cover other age-regulated businesses like liquor stores.
The McKeon & Associates
poll had an error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
“Let the market decide how many gun stores people will support in the city,” said O’Daniel, who is also the executive director of the Illinois Association of Firearm Retailers.
Emanuel’s proposed ordinance would keep gun stores at least 500 feet away from parks and schools, barring them from 99.5 percent of the city, according to city officials.
In January, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang overturned Chicago’s ban on gun stores in a lawsuit brought by the Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers and three Chicago gun owners. Chang gave the city until mid-July to impose regulations on gun stores.
Last week, the Emanuel administration proposed a far-reaching ordinance that would require gun stores to videotape purchases to deter customers from buying guns for crooks. Stores would have to maintain a log of gun sales in which a firearm was later recovered in a crime. That would help employees identify potential gun traffickers, according to city officials.
O’Daniel said the groups he represents aren’t opposed to stores introducing “best practices” like videotaping sales.
He said the National Shooting Sports Foundation spent $800,000 this year on Chicago billboards with the message, “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy,” referring to “straw purchasers” who legally buy guns they give to criminals. “We don’t want anyone to have illegal firearms or participate in the sale of illegal firearms,” O’Daniel said. But safeguards like videotaping gun sales should be voluntary, not mandatory, he said.
O’Daniel also said some parts of the proposed ordinance appear unworkable. For example, the government can’t provide stores with the names of people who buy guns later used in crimes, he said. “It’s a little premature to say we will go back and challenge this in court,” O’Daniel said of the proposed ordinance. “But we will certainly look at this closely. We are willing to work with the aldermen on this.”
South Side Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) has already warned that the ordinance invites another potentially costly court battle.
The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the city include gun owners Michael Hall, Kathryn Tyler and her husband Kenneth Pacholski. None has expressed an interest in selling guns, but they have said the Chicago ban on gun stores was unreasonable.
In 2010, Hall was a telecommunications consultant and part-time high school basketball referee who owned a shotgun, a rifle and a 9mm pistol he bought for protection after his Morgan Park home was burglarized, according to a deposition he gave to the city.
Pacholski owned 18 guns, including 13 rifles, three shotguns, a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol, according to his deposition. He said he carried a gun from his bedroom to his basement for protection in their West Rogers Park home.
Tyler, a veterinarian, owned a 9mm handgun, according to her deposition. A city attorney asked her whether the ban on gun stores prevented her from buying firearms, and she answered no. But “if guns are legal, then we should be able to buy guns wherever we want to buy guns and people should be able to sell them wherever they want to sell them,” Tyler said.
Emanuel administration officials say tough regulations are needed to help stores identify straw purchasers and prevent thieves from stealing guns from stores.
Chicago’s proposed ordinance would require the stores to submit a safety plan outlining exterior lighting, surveillance cameras and alarm systems, as well as storage of guns and ammunition. Employees would have to undergo fingerprinting, background checks and training on identifying potential gun traffickers.
Emanuel is also proposing that Chicago gun stores could sell only one handgun a month to a buyer. If the city revoked a store’s business license for violating the ordinance, it could not reopen at the same location for three years.
Thanks to Frank Main.
Whitney O’Daniel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation pointed to an April survey — which the foundation commissioned — of registered Chicago voters that showed 69 percent supported regulating gun stores under the same zoning laws that cover other age-regulated businesses like liquor stores.
The McKeon & Associates
poll had an error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points.“Let the market decide how many gun stores people will support in the city,” said O’Daniel, who is also the executive director of the Illinois Association of Firearm Retailers.
Emanuel’s proposed ordinance would keep gun stores at least 500 feet away from parks and schools, barring them from 99.5 percent of the city, according to city officials.
In January, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang overturned Chicago’s ban on gun stores in a lawsuit brought by the Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers and three Chicago gun owners. Chang gave the city until mid-July to impose regulations on gun stores.
Last week, the Emanuel administration proposed a far-reaching ordinance that would require gun stores to videotape purchases to deter customers from buying guns for crooks. Stores would have to maintain a log of gun sales in which a firearm was later recovered in a crime. That would help employees identify potential gun traffickers, according to city officials.
O’Daniel said the groups he represents aren’t opposed to stores introducing “best practices” like videotaping sales.
He said the National Shooting Sports Foundation spent $800,000 this year on Chicago billboards with the message, “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy,” referring to “straw purchasers” who legally buy guns they give to criminals. “We don’t want anyone to have illegal firearms or participate in the sale of illegal firearms,” O’Daniel said. But safeguards like videotaping gun sales should be voluntary, not mandatory, he said.
O’Daniel also said some parts of the proposed ordinance appear unworkable. For example, the government can’t provide stores with the names of people who buy guns later used in crimes, he said. “It’s a little premature to say we will go back and challenge this in court,” O’Daniel said of the proposed ordinance. “But we will certainly look at this closely. We are willing to work with the aldermen on this.”
South Side Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) has already warned that the ordinance invites another potentially costly court battle.
The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the city include gun owners Michael Hall, Kathryn Tyler and her husband Kenneth Pacholski. None has expressed an interest in selling guns, but they have said the Chicago ban on gun stores was unreasonable.
In 2010, Hall was a telecommunications consultant and part-time high school basketball referee who owned a shotgun, a rifle and a 9mm pistol he bought for protection after his Morgan Park home was burglarized, according to a deposition he gave to the city.
Pacholski owned 18 guns, including 13 rifles, three shotguns, a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol, according to his deposition. He said he carried a gun from his bedroom to his basement for protection in their West Rogers Park home.
Tyler, a veterinarian, owned a 9mm handgun, according to her deposition. A city attorney asked her whether the ban on gun stores prevented her from buying firearms, and she answered no. But “if guns are legal, then we should be able to buy guns wherever we want to buy guns and people should be able to sell them wherever they want to sell them,” Tyler said.
Emanuel administration officials say tough regulations are needed to help stores identify straw purchasers and prevent thieves from stealing guns from stores.
Chicago’s proposed ordinance would require the stores to submit a safety plan outlining exterior lighting, surveillance cameras and alarm systems, as well as storage of guns and ammunition. Employees would have to undergo fingerprinting, background checks and training on identifying potential gun traffickers.
Emanuel is also proposing that Chicago gun stores could sell only one handgun a month to a buyer. If the city revoked a store’s business license for violating the ordinance, it could not reopen at the same location for three years.
Thanks to Frank Main.
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Khairullozhon Matanov Charged with Obstructing Marathon Bombing Investigation
A Quincy man has been charged with obstructing the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Khairullozhon Matanov, 23, of Quincy, is charged in an indictment that was unsealed with one count of destroying, altering, and falsifying records, documents, and tangible objects in a federal investigation, specifically, information on his computer; and three counts of making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements in a federal terrorism investigation.
It is alleged that, after the release of the photos of the suspected bombers in the late afternoon of Thursday, April 18, 2013, and again early in the morning of Friday, April 19, 2013, Matanov realized that the FBI would likely want to talk with him because of his ties to the bombers, especially in the week following the bombings. Matanov allegedly then took a series of steps to impede the FBI’s investigation into the extent of his friendship, contact, and communication with the suspected bombers and the fact that he shared the suspected bombers’ philosophical justification for violence. In addition to deleting information from his computer, Matanov made a number of false statements to federal investigators. The indictment does not charge Matanov with participating in the Marathon bombings or knowing about them ahead of time.
The maximum sentence for the count of destruction of evidence is 20 years in prison and eight years for each false statement count. All four counts also carry a maximum of three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Khairullozhon Matanov, 23, of Quincy, is charged in an indictment that was unsealed with one count of destroying, altering, and falsifying records, documents, and tangible objects in a federal investigation, specifically, information on his computer; and three counts of making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements in a federal terrorism investigation.
It is alleged that, after the release of the photos of the suspected bombers in the late afternoon of Thursday, April 18, 2013, and again early in the morning of Friday, April 19, 2013, Matanov realized that the FBI would likely want to talk with him because of his ties to the bombers, especially in the week following the bombings. Matanov allegedly then took a series of steps to impede the FBI’s investigation into the extent of his friendship, contact, and communication with the suspected bombers and the fact that he shared the suspected bombers’ philosophical justification for violence. In addition to deleting information from his computer, Matanov made a number of false statements to federal investigators. The indictment does not charge Matanov with participating in the Marathon bombings or knowing about them ahead of time.
The maximum sentence for the count of destruction of evidence is 20 years in prison and eight years for each false statement count. All four counts also carry a maximum of three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Freddie Howard Pleads Guilty in IRS Fraudulent Tax Refund Scam Involving $22 Million in Claims
Freddie Howard, 56, of Davie, pled guilty to his role in a large-dollar tax refund fraud scam. Sentencing for Howard is scheduled for August 29, 2014 at 10:15 a.m.
Howard pled guilty to one count of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. At sentencing, the defendant faces a maximum term of 22 years in prison.
According to the plea documents, Howard operated a tax preparation business called QTS1, Inc. (Quality Tax Service) in Broward County. Howard prepared false and fraudulent tax returns using the identity information of willing participants, as well as, stolen identity information. Howard used false and fictitious income and withholding tax information on the returns submitted to the IRS to justify fraudulent large-dollar refund requests. The requested refund amounts generally ranged from $60,000 to $1,400,000, and Howard typically requested payment of these refunds via U.S. Treasury tax refund check. To conceal his identity, Howard submitted the tax returns to the IRS by mail and did not include preparer information. Howard also blocked out the tax preparer software information, and used other people to contact the IRS to inquire about the status of the fraudulent returns.
According to the plea documents, Freddie Howard submitted over $22 million in false and fraudulent large-dollar refund claims to the IRS that resulted in a payout of approximately $4.5 million on these large-dollar refund requests. As part of the scam, Howard caused a false and fraudulent tax return in the name of “J.E.” to be submitted to the IRS that resulted in a U.S. Treasury tax refund check sent to “J.E.” in Coral Springs for $398,502.52.
Howard pled guilty to one count of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. At sentencing, the defendant faces a maximum term of 22 years in prison.
According to the plea documents, Howard operated a tax preparation business called QTS1, Inc. (Quality Tax Service) in Broward County. Howard prepared false and fraudulent tax returns using the identity information of willing participants, as well as, stolen identity information. Howard used false and fictitious income and withholding tax information on the returns submitted to the IRS to justify fraudulent large-dollar refund requests. The requested refund amounts generally ranged from $60,000 to $1,400,000, and Howard typically requested payment of these refunds via U.S. Treasury tax refund check. To conceal his identity, Howard submitted the tax returns to the IRS by mail and did not include preparer information. Howard also blocked out the tax preparer software information, and used other people to contact the IRS to inquire about the status of the fraudulent returns.
According to the plea documents, Freddie Howard submitted over $22 million in false and fraudulent large-dollar refund claims to the IRS that resulted in a payout of approximately $4.5 million on these large-dollar refund requests. As part of the scam, Howard caused a false and fraudulent tax return in the name of “J.E.” to be submitted to the IRS that resulted in a U.S. Treasury tax refund check sent to “J.E.” in Coral Springs for $398,502.52.
Wesley Paul Coonce Jr. and Charles Michael Hall Sentenced to Death for Murder of Another Inmate
Two inmates of the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, who were convicted by a federal jury for murdering another inmate at the facility were sentenced to death late yesterday.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney Tammy Dickinson of the Western District of Missouri made the announcement.
“Two federal inmates senselessly killed another inmate, and today, they have been brought to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all Bureau of Prisons employees and inmates.”
“Achieving justice sometimes requires us to ask our citizens to make the most difficult sentencing decisions,” said U.S. Attorney Dickinson. “We appreciate their patience and commitment throughout trial. The defendants’ conduct strikes at the heart of our justice system, which depends upon the safety and security of our penal institutions. Mr. Castro was targeted for murder, in part, because he intervened to help a Bureau of Prisons employee as he was being attacked by another inmate.”
Wesley Paul Coonce Jr., 34, and Charles Michael Hall, 43, who are both inmates at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, were found guilty on May 7, 2014, of one count of murder in the first degree. Coonce was also found guilty of one count of murder by an inmate serving a life sentence. The trial began on April 28, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner of the Western District of Missouri.
The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that another inmate at the prison medical center, Victor Castro-Rodriguez, 51, was found dead on the floor of his cell on Jan. 26, 2010, and had been murdered by Coonce and Hall. At the time of the murder, Coonce was serving a life sentence for a kidnapping and carjacking that involved the brutal rape of a young woman, and Hall was serving a combined 194-month sentence from the District of Maine for making threatening communications against a federal judge and a federal prosecutor.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney Tammy Dickinson of the Western District of Missouri made the announcement.
“Two federal inmates senselessly killed another inmate, and today, they have been brought to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all Bureau of Prisons employees and inmates.”
“Achieving justice sometimes requires us to ask our citizens to make the most difficult sentencing decisions,” said U.S. Attorney Dickinson. “We appreciate their patience and commitment throughout trial. The defendants’ conduct strikes at the heart of our justice system, which depends upon the safety and security of our penal institutions. Mr. Castro was targeted for murder, in part, because he intervened to help a Bureau of Prisons employee as he was being attacked by another inmate.”
Wesley Paul Coonce Jr., 34, and Charles Michael Hall, 43, who are both inmates at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, were found guilty on May 7, 2014, of one count of murder in the first degree. Coonce was also found guilty of one count of murder by an inmate serving a life sentence. The trial began on April 28, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner of the Western District of Missouri.
The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that another inmate at the prison medical center, Victor Castro-Rodriguez, 51, was found dead on the floor of his cell on Jan. 26, 2010, and had been murdered by Coonce and Hall. At the time of the murder, Coonce was serving a life sentence for a kidnapping and carjacking that involved the brutal rape of a young woman, and Hall was serving a combined 194-month sentence from the District of Maine for making threatening communications against a federal judge and a federal prosecutor.
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