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Senate Has Found No Direct Evidence of Trump-Russia Conspiracy

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The Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into the 2016 election has uncovered no direct evidence of the Trump campaign conspiring with Russia, Democrats and Republicans on the committee told NBC News.

But different parties' investigators in the probe, which is winding down, disagree over the implications of a pattern of contacts between Trump associates and Russians.

Last week, Sen. Richard Burr, the panel's Republican chairman, told CBS News that, while more facts may be uncovered, "If we write a report based upon the facts that we have, then we don't have anything that would suggest there was collusion by the Trump campaign and Russia."

Democratic Senate investigators told NBC News on condition of anonymity that Burr's characterizations, while accurate, lacked context. One aide said, "We were never going find a contract signed in blood saying, 'Hey Vlad, we're going to collude.'"



Photo Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images, File

Governor Proposes ‘Debt Diet’ for Connecticut

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Governor Ned Lamont will be proposing a “Debt Diet” for the state that would include cutting the state’s borrowing by hundreds of millions of dollars each year. 

The governor will present his budget proposal to the General Assembly on Feb. 20 and gave a glimpse Tuesday morning of what that could entail. 

During a meeting with business leaders at the Waterbury Regional Chamber Tuesday morning, Lamont announced a proposal to shrink the state’s borrowing by 39 percent. 

This comes the day after he wrote an open letter about plans for the state's budget and economic future. See the full letter here.

In a statement from his office, he referred to his plan as a self-imposed “Debt Diet” and said he wants to reduce long-term debt service payments and potentially save the state as much as $2 billion over the next decade. 

Lamont’s plan would “adjust and reprioritize the capital budget,” which his office says typically includes large-scale projects such as school construction and other major infrastructure upgrades. 

Projects that are underway would not be affected, according to the governor, who said he will continue to make investments in transportation infrastructure by matching the authorization levels over the last eight years. 

He also plans to ask for new authorizations for municipal projects focused on information technology. 

Lamont’s plan includes reducing bond authorizations per year from an average of $1.59 billion, seen between 2012 and 2019, to annual bond authorizations of $960 million. 

“The state has had a problem putting costs on Connecticut’s credit card that it simply can’t afford to pay. As we get ready to release a budget that will reshape and stabilize Connecticut’s financial future, it is essential we look at our state’s borrowing and how the size of those future debt service costs will pile onto existing obligations – impacting our future, and our children’s. To trim costs down the road, we have to reduce our bloated capital spending starting right now,” Lamont said in a statement. 

Lamont has also canceled the January and February Bond Commission meetings and said the state should limit its bonding agenda to “critical needs only and at levels that are within the state’s financial ability to pay.”  



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Snow Leads to More Flight Cancellations at Bradley Airport

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Tuesday's storm is affecting some flights at Bradley International Airport.

The airport is open and the majority of morning flights were on schedule, according to an airport spokesperson. 

Some airlines began adjusting schedules for afternoon flights as the snow moved in, leading to the cancellation of some flights, the spokesperson said.

As of 1:45 p.m., about 20 percent of flights in and out of Bradley were canceled.

Anyone who is scheduled to fly out of Bradley Airport Tuesday is asked to contact their airline for updates on their flight status.

Click here for a real-time flight status updates.

Police Search For Vandals in Ansonia

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Police are searching for whoever was involved in vandalism at the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.

The incident occurred Monday night at the soccer field.

It appears that skid marks have been left across the field and a goal post has been flipped over.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ansonia Police Department.

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Photo Credit: Ansonia Police
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States Pass Gun Control Laws in Wake of #NeverAgain Activism

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After a gunman killed 17 students and adults last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, young survivors declared #NeverAgain and demanded action on gun control legislation.

With support the of their peers, parents, advocates and celebrities, they rallied at statehouses across the country, called out lawmakers by name and marched for their lives, applying unwavering pressure on elected leaders to enact stronger gun control laws.

In the months following the Valentine’s Day massacre in Parkland, lawmakers at the state level passed a slew of gun control measures ranging from increasing criminal penalties for gun-related crimes to banning lethal accessories like bump stocks, according to the gun control advocacy group co-founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona Democrat who survived a 2011 shooting. 

An examination by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence found that of the dozens of gun safety bills passed in 2018, 67 measures enacted in 26 states and Washington, D.C., would have an impact on gun-related deaths and injuries. Among those are raising the minimum age to buy guns, keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, expanding background checks and "red flag" laws allowing law enforcement to take away guns from people deemed at-risk.

Many of these passed in states dominated by Republicans. The GOP-controlled legislature in Florida passed a gun safety reform package with the support of its Republican governor that expanded background checks and added a waiting period for firearm purchases, among other changes. The move was atypical for a state with a history of "recklessly weak gun laws," the Giffords Center noted.

Still, gun advocates made gains in weakening or expanding laws in some states.  Idaho and Wyoming passed Stand Your Ground legislation, the controversial law removing the duty to retreat from a conflict before using deadly force. South Dakota and Wyoming approved bills allowing firearms in houses of worship, while West Virginia passed a law that forces private business owners to allow guns in their parking lots. Other enacted measures ranged from lowering the age for a concealed carry permit to allowing firearms on the grounds of private schools and expanding the ability of a person to subjecting all gun laws to the strictest form of judicial review, as was done in Iowa.



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Firefighters Rescue Deer Stranded on Ice in Woodbridge

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Firefighters rescued a deer that was stranded on ice in Woodbridge on Tuesday morning.

Crews from Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department were called to the Regional Water Authority to rescue a deer that was stranded on the ice.

Firefighters helped bring the deer to safety.

Regional Water Authority officials report that the deer was up walking around before she headed into the woods.



Photo Credit: Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department

Slippery Conditions Close Route 34 in Oxford

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The snow has closed Route 34 in Oxford.

State police report slippery conditions and vehicles sliding off the road. They tweeted that drivers should expect delays.

Snow is continuing to cause driving conditions to deteriorate around the state.

It is not clear when the road will reopen.

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Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
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Investigation Into Danbury Teen’s Death to Include Social Media: Police

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The special victims unit is investigating the death of a Danbury High School student who died of an apparent suicide at a mall over the weekend and Danbury Police said the investigation will include a possible social media influence. 

Hailey Nailor, 16, died after falling from the top of the parking garage at Danbury Fair Mall Saturday afternoon, according to police, and they said it appeared to be intentional. 

Officers responded to the mall after receiving reports of a teenage girl threatening suicide and Nailor had fallen to her death, police said. 

“As reflected in the multiple responses to The Danbury Police Department’s previous post regarding the tragic death of Hailey Nailor, we would like to inform the public that all aspects of her death are being investigated by our Special Victims Unit, including a possible social media influence. Should our investigation reveal a criminal aspect, we will inform the public at an appropriate time,” a Facebook from Danbury Police says.

 Camrie Mancuso, a friend and neighbor, said Nailor was like a little sister to her. 

"She’s always been bubbly, not afraid to say what she had to say," Mancuso said. 

Mancuso said she was heartbroken to see Nailor had recorded some of her final moments and shared them on Snapchat. 

"It's just like what I mean sad and disturbing not in a rudeful (sic) way but disturbing that someone could feel so lonesome and feel like they're not worth anything," Mancuso added. 

In Facebook posts, Danbury Superintendent Sal Pascarella wrote, “We are aware that an individual posted inappropriate information regarding the deceased online, and Mr. Donovan, DHS principal, is working with authorities to have it removed. We strongly recommend that if your child has viewed the posting(s) to have a discussion with them,” the post said. “This is a difficult time for everyone involved. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.” 

A statement posted on the school department’s website Monday also addressed “hurtful comments” on “social media.

“We are mindful of hurtful comments that continue to circulate on social media that are directed at our schools and other members of our community, and we continue to cooperate with administrators and local authorities to investigate all of the surrounding circumstances. The Board of Education remains deeply concerned, and will continue its work with our Superintendent and his team to review the policies and procedures that protect all students in our schools and to insure their effectiveness. Please know that this District remains committed to fostering a positive school environment for all of our students and families,” the post on the Danbury school department’s website says.

It went on to offer resources, including:

Tips for parents and educators from the National Association of School Psychologists’ website

Tips for parents from the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide 

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for young people and many prevention efforts are based on detecting warning signs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those signs include talking about or threatening suicide, withdrawing from people and feelings of hopelessness. 

SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are in crisis, you can also text 'Home' to 741741. Click here for more information.



Photo Credit: Family Photo and NBC Connecticut
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Suspect Charged in Connection With Case of Woman Found Dead in Suitcase Was Ex: Family

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Police have arrested a man in Queens, New York who is accused of using the ATM card belonging to a woman who was found dead, bound in a suitcase, along a road in Greenwich last week. 

Law enforcement identified the suspect as Javier DeSilva, of Queens, New York. He was arrested in Queens. The victim's mother told NBC New York that he was her daughter's ex-boyfriend.

Valerie Reyes, 24, had been missing from New Rochelle, New York since January and Greenwich police said in a news release Tuesday morning that they believe the person who has been arrested was involved in her death.

Greenwich highway workers discovered Reyes’ body along Glenville Road, just north of Stillman Lane, around 8:15 a.m. last Tuesday, according to police.

A Greenwich Department of Public Works employee has been placed on leave after photos were taken of a murder victim found in Greenwich, according to a statement from the office of the First Selectman. 

Police said they have examined several crime scenes and hundreds of hours of surveillance footage and interviewed several potential witnesses. They have also analyzed social media footprints and records.

Norma Sanchez, Reyes' mother, said her daughter was a vibrant, friendly person who struggled with mental illness, including anxiety and depression. Just days ago, Val told her mom she was panicking, fearful someone was going to hurt her and went to the city. This had happened before and Val’s family was hopeful she was seeking psychological help.

“Val was pretty much looking for help. To help herself. Valerie, it would have been an easy way out for her to just do something to harm herself but she was strong enough to just leave and seek help in the city. We were hoping. We were hoping she was seeking therapy," Sanchez said.

Sanchez said that her daughter took bed sheets and towels from her New Rochelle apartment and went into the city. Her family believes she probably used the linens to stay at a hotel.

A large sum of money was withdrawn from a bank near Radio City and another large amount was withdrawn a few days later.

Police said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon that there was fraudulent use of the ATM card after police believe Reyes was already dead.

Sanchez said her daughter adored her family and did not have a history of running away and getting in trouble.

"A loving family that’s what I want people to understand. We are not a troubled family," Sanchez said.

Police continue to investigate. Information may be left at the Greenwich Police Tip Line at (203) 622-3333 and email at Tips@greenwichct.org.



Photo Credit: Greenwich Police
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Rollover Crash Closed Gaylord Mountain Road in Hamden

Resort Employee Used Secret Cam to Film Women Showering: PD

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A Cape Cod resort employee has been arrested for secretly videotaping women in the resort shower.

Twenty-five-year-old Anthony Mendes was arrested Saturday for electronic surveillance of partial nudity and misleading to obstruct justice by tampering with evidence.

Yarmouth police began investigating the crime Friday when the camera was discovered at an undisclosed South Shore Drive resort.

A woman staying at the resort noticed a small hole in one of the drop ceiling tiles above the shower she was using. Upon further inspection, the woman saw a blue blinking light coming from the hole. When she removed the tile, a camera fell out, according to police.

The woman then took the camera to the front desk and asked that the resort contact police. Mendes, who was working the front desk at the time, allegedly took the camera from the victim and waited at the front desk with her and her partner for the police to arrive.

A Yarmouth detective reviewed footage from a hotel security camera mounted outside the women's locker room. The footage allegedly showed Mendes going into the women's locker room, closing the door, reappearing 20 minutes later to look around and then going back into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar.

Police caught the West Yarmouth native after he failed to show up for his shift at the resort on Saturday. After having waited for him at the resort, police began to check associated residences.

Detectives found Mendes in the passenger seat of his girlfriend's car driving north on Forest Road. They conducted a traffic stop on Old Townhouse Road at 5:30 p.m. that day and arrested Mendes.

Despite being read his Miranda rights, Mendes waived them and admitted his involvement in the crime. Mendes was arraigned in the Barnstable District Court on Monday and was released on $1,000 bail. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

Mendes, a felon with 27 prior convictions, was fired by the resort.



Photo Credit: Yarmouth Police Department

'Romance Scams' Cost Online Daters $143M in 2018

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More scammers than ever are taking advantage of people looking for love on dating apps and social media, NBC News reported.

Consumers last year reported $143 million in losses from "emotional romance scams," more than any other category fraud, according to Monica Vaca of the Federal Trade Commission.

The agency warns that anyone requesting money or gift cards over online dating sites should be a red flag. Scammers offer up tales of misfortune or emergencies and ask for money, yet never meet in person.

People aged 40 to 69 are most often the victims of such scams, according to federal data.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/Science Photo Library, File

Warren Attends Luncheon Honoring Native American Women

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., made a surprise appearance at a luncheon honoring Native American women leaders on Tuesday amid ongoing controversy over her past claims of Native heritage.

The 2020 contender made brief remarks at the National Indian Women Honor Luncheon in Washington, where she introduced and honored Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, the chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts.

Warren's campaign confirmed the appearance on Tuesday. It was first reported by HuffPost. 

The lunch occurred during a four-day policy summit of tribal leaders put on by the National Congress of American Indians, the event where Warren addressed questions about her ancestry in 2018, though it is not hosted by the NCAI, according to the agenda.

Warren's appearance at the luncheon comes as she continues to encounter backlash to her claims of Native heritage and her decision to take a DNA test to prove them. She apologized to the Cherokee Nation for taking the DNA test, and publicly apologized again last week for any "harm caused" after The Washington Post found a form she filled out in 1986 to become a member of the Texas Bar Association in which, in her own handwriting, she listed her ethnicity as "American Indian."



Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

'We're Talking Inches': Parkland Student Narrowly Survived Shooting

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The Grady family is proof that life, like any sport you choose, is a game of inches.

"I am definitely blessed, as I would say. I mean, just where I was in the classroom, where everything was pertaining to me, I shouldn't really be here, sitting and talking," said Samantha Grady, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Grady recalled being in her Holocaust history class when the shooting began. Unfamiliar with the sound of gunfire, Grady told NBC 6 she remained seated while trying to process what she was hearing.

"Movies don't really depict how scary and horrifying that sound truly is," Grady explained.

The terror was approaching. When the bullets started flying into her classroom, Grady and her classmates scrambled for cover.

She was hit twice: one bullet ricocheted off her chest and another grazed the right side of her torso, a wound that required 14 staples. 

Grady said classmate Nick Dworet died a few feet away and her best friend, Helena Ramsey, died next to her. 

"I was completely in denial [about Helena's death]," Grady said. "At one point I just looked, like 'Oh, you're playing a joke on me, that's good, playing dead, that's a great thing, you play dead and afterwards we'll just get out and laugh about this.' I was just completely in denial," Grady said.

The truth was and always will be overwhelming for the teen survivor: Her closest confidante is gone and Grady narrowly escaped death.

"What bothers me to this day, what if, what if, we're talking inches, she was only about four or five inches away from her best friend who was killed," said Grady's father, Jim Grady.

Her mother, Sally Grady, said she breaks down crying whenever she thinks of her daughter's late friend and her grieving mother. "If I can feel like this, I can just imagine how her mother feels right now," she added.

"It makes me think how fortunate I am to be here, but at the same time how horrible of an act this really, truly was, and how kind of angry I am that they're not here anymore," Grady said.

Grady still carries bullet fragments in her chest, and survivor's guilt in her heart.

"I do feel the question of why am I still here. But, because I know that I have some kind of purpose, that kind of keeps me going," Grady said.

That purpose, she said, is to help people. Grady said she wants to study medicine in college, to be a healer, even as her own emotional healing will always be a work in progress.

"It was just very surreal and it's hard to process sometimes," Grady said. "Even after a year."



Photo Credit: NBC 6
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Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley Demand Action on TPS for Immigrants

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Perla Canales, born in Honduras, has been living and working in the U.S. for 26 years under a federal program that temporarily protects her immigration status, but she is worried how long that will last.

Canales, 54, who works as a cleaner at a mall in Staten Island, New York, was one of thousands who went to Washington on Tuesday to call on Congress to enact permanent protections for those in the TPS program.

Approximately 325,000 people have Temporary Protected Status, which is granted to immigrants from certain countries fleeing natural disasters and civil wars, and allows them to live and work in the United States.

Though previous administrations have always renewed TPS protections, the Trump administration has tried to end the program for most of its recipients, including 200,000 Salvadorans, nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, 57,000 Hondurans, 46,000 Haitians and nearly 10,000 from Nepal and Sudan.

Two House Democrats, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, joined the crowd of demonstrators Tuesday in front of the White House.

“From Nepal to Honduras, we made a promise that we were going to be a safe haven,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We need to make sure that, as a nation, we honor our promises.”



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Texas Sheriff: Malnourished Children Found in Dog Kennel

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North Texas deputies discovered four young children in a "state of neglect," apparently malnourished and covered in feces and urine, living in an outbuilding in rural Wise County Tuesday. Two of the children, deputies say, were being held inside a small locked dog kennel. Their mother and the father to one of the four children, now face child endangerment charges.

Wise County Sheriff's deputies were called to a domestic incident at a residence described by sheriff's deputies as a barn house, or a metal, shop-type outbuilding near County Road 4930 at about 7:15 a.m.

Deputies arrived to find a man, identified by police as 24-year-old Andrew Joseph Fabila, with a number of scratches on his face. While talking with Fabilia and his partner, 24-year-old Paige Harkings, deputies reported hearing the voices of children coming from a makeshift living space inside the outbuilding.

Craig Johnson, Chief Deputy of the Wise County Sheriff's Office, said deputies then found four children, ages 5, 4, 3 and 1, inside what deputies described as "filthy" and "cluttered" living conditions.

Investigators said the children all share the same mother and that Fabila is the father to only one of them.

The older two were found locked in a single, wired, 3-by-3 foot dog kennel, one on a blanket and another on a small toddler bed; the other two were only partially clothed and all of the children were unkempt and in a "state of neglect."

"Locking a child, any time, in a dog crate is unacceptable. When you find them in the state they were found today, covered in fecal material, no food readily available to them, didn't appear to have been cared for. It's unacceptable. It's bad," Johnson said.

Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said when deputies found them, all of the children were hungry and thirsty and that "there was plenty of food inside the barn but the refrigerator and the cabinets had been locked so the kids could not get in to get food."

"There was a refrigerator in the residence, but it had three straps on it that served as locking devices to keep people out. In dealing with children ... they were positioned in a manner where those small children would not have access," Johnson said.

Deputies gave food and water to all of the children, all of whom were believed to be small for their ages and malnourished. They were then taken to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth for examinations.

Fabila was treated at the Wise Regional Hospital in Decatur and then joined Harkings at the Wise County Jail where they were each booked on four counts of child endangerment. Harkings was also charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury for the lacerations on Fabila's face. A bond amount has not been set and it's not clear if either Fabila or Harkings have obtained an attorney.

Neighbors told NBC 5 that they didn't know any children were living in the space and that the man and woman had only begun using the space a couple of weeks ago.

Deepak Andhikari works at a convenience store in Newark. He says Fabila bought gas from him around 9 p.m. last night.

"He had all the wounds in his face. That's why I recognize his face," Andhikari said.

Child Protective Services confirmed to NBC 5 they have had previous contact with the parents at a different address and that they're investigating this latest incident. CPS said Tuesday afternoon that the children were being released from the hospital and will be placed into foster care.

Johnson said he had no immediate knowledge of his department having previous contact with the family.

NBC 5's Seth Voorhees, Maria Guerrero, Frank Heinz, Meredith Yeomans, Allie Spillyards, Scott Gordon and Eline De Bruijn contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News
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2 Hackers Charged With Making False Bomb Threats to Schools

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Two computer hackers have been charged with sending false bomb and mass shooting threats to hundreds of schools in Britain and the U.S., including dozens in southern California, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.

The defendants, according to an NBC News report, are members of the Apophis Squad, a worldwide collective of computer hackers intent on using the internet to sow chaos, the indictment says.

Timothy Dalton Vaughn, 20, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was arrested Tuesday by FBI agents. The second defendant named in the indictment, George Duke-Cohan, 19, of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, is serving a prison sentence in Britain for making a hoax threat targeting an airliner.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

I-91S in Wethersfield Reopens After Tractor-Trailer Rollover

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Interstate 91 southbound in Wethersfield has reopened after a tractor-trailer rollover on Tuesday night.

Police said the southbound side of the road was closed between exits 26 and 25S. The left lane of the northbound side was also closed. 

The Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department said the driver was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

The highway has since reopened.



Photo Credit: Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department

Phone Scam Artist Picked Wrong Target — Former FBI Director

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A telephone scam artist picked the wrong target — former FBI chief and CIA boss William Webster. 

Keniel Thomas, 29, from Jamaica, pleaded guilty in October to interstate communication with the intent to extort, federal authorities said.

He was sentenced to 71 months in prison last week by U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell in Washington, D.C., and will be deported after he has served his term, officials said.

Thomas made his first call to Webster on June 9, 2014, identifying himself as David Morgan. He said that he was the head of the Mega Millions lottery and that Webster was the winner of $15.5 million and a 2014 Mercedes Benz, according to court documents.

Little did Thomas know that he was targeting the man who had served as director of the FBI and then the CIA under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.



Photo Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Hartford Girl Paralyzed by Virus Wants to Inspire Others

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If a positive attitude had a name and face, you're about to meet her. She's an 11-year-old girl from Hartford with a rare disease and an even rarer form of courage and grit.

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