Connect with us

Star Tribune

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty opens application process for incarcerated people to apply for reduced sentence

Avatar

Published

on


Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Wednesday that her office is opening an application process to more than 2,000 currently incarcerated people to request a reduced sentence.

The Minnesota Legislature in 2023 signed off on Prosecutor-Initiated Sentence Adjustment, a law which allows prosecutors to ask a judge to adjust the sentences of past criminal prosecutions. It’s the discretion of each county attorney’s office to decide whether it will utilize the new law. But ultimately it’s up to a judge to readjust a sentence if they find substantial and compelling reasons.

In a press release, Moriarty said an original sentence may not serve the interest of justice or public safety.

“It’s our responsibility as prosecutors to seek justice,” she continued. “Protecting public safety does not end at sentencing. More people are serving time in prison for Hennepin County convictions than any other county. This new process will help us consider individual cases in a fair, transparent way.”

Moriarty’s office will partner with lawyers at the University of St. Thomas School of Law to review and process applications. It intends to prioritize applicants with no other pending cases who have served more than three years and not scheduled for release until at least 2027.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, who advocated for the new law, has said his office is in the process of reviewing all cases and pre-screening cases for priority consideration. Choi states on his website that he supports the ability to adjust sentences because it may no longer serve interests of justice, protect the public or be a good use of resources.

Some of the state’s largest victim-survivor coalitions, Violence Free Minnesota and the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, supported the new law. Victims or their family have the right to provide input and make a statement to the court about a possible sentence adjustment.

More about Moriarty’s new initiative and applications are available on her website.

The change is one of many the DFL-controlled Legislature and Gov. Tim Walz made to the prison system in the recent session. Inmates can now make free phone calls to friends and family and work toward earlier release through the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act, which pushes them toward therapy and education.

Star Tribune staff writer Rochelle Olson contributed to this report.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

Former Medtronic consultant gets 18 months federal prison for insider trading

Avatar

Published

on


A former Medtronic consultant received an 18-month prison sentence this week for his role in a scheme linked to the $1.6 billion acquisition of an Israeli medical device company in 2018.

A federal jury in February convicted Doron “Ron” Tavlin, 69, of Minneapolis, of one count of conspiracy to engage in insider trading and 10 additional counts related to securities fraud. That same jury found David Jay Gantman, 58, of Mendota Heights, not guilty of all charges against him. A third defendant — Afshin “Alex” Farahan, 57, of Los Angeles — pleaded guilty in 2022 and has yet to be sentenced.

“His crime was cynical and brazen. It was also reckless,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Ebert wrote in a memo calling for a 3-year prison term. “Tavlin’s conduct had the potential to blow up a deal that a team of executives and financial advisers had been diligently negotiating for months.”

Tavlin is now scheduled to self-surrender Jan. 5 to begin his prison term, which will be followed by 320 hours of community service.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Tavlin learned about a secret, pending acquisition by Medtronic of Mazor Robotics, where he worked as vice president of business development, in 2018. Tavlin also previously worked as a consultant to the Ireland-based Medtronic, which also has a headquarters in Fridley.

Tavlin illegally tipped off Farahan, his friend, about news of the imminent acquisition and told him to keep the news secret. Farahan knew the deal would likely result in a boost to Mazor’s stock price and quickly bought more than $1 million of the company’s stock throughout August and September 2018. Medtronic announced plans to acquire Mazor, which specialized in robotics for spinal procedures, in September 2018 and the deal closed three months later.

Prosecutors said Farahan netted more than $245,000, and Gantman made $255,000 in profit by selling the securities quickly after the deal was publicized. Farahan paid Tavlin for the secret information about the pending deal — including a $25,000 kickback about a year later —according to prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank, who sentenced Tavlin Monday, also ordered Tavlin to pay a special assessment fee of $1,100 – or $100 per each count. Frank did not impose a fine.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

Charges detail assault in Minneapolis that led to shooting rampage, killing one in Kandiyohi County

Avatar

Published

on


Another friend of the ex-girlfriend arrived to help. He pulled up in a car as the group exited the apartment and Matariyeh immediately pointed a gun at him before pounding on the windshield with the gun. Everyone fled as Matariyeh ran back inside the apartment.

The two men met in a parking lot before attempting to return to the apartment. That’s when they looked up and saw Matariyeh on the balcony. Matariyeh immediately began firing multiple shots at them as they took cover behind parked cars.

It was around this time that Minneapolis police officers arrived and made contact with Matariyeh’s ex-girlfriend. She believed he was still inside the apartment, but officers later learned that he had fled. They reached him on the phone. He told officers he was going to kill innocent people if he couldn’t speak with his ex-girlfriend or see his daughter, who was at daycare at the time. He later told police negotiators that “he wanted to go out by ‘suicide by cop.’”

All the while, Matariyeh was speeding westbound.

Police officers pursued him near Cosmos in Meeker County after being alerted that Matariyeh might have stolen another vehicle at gunpoint in Carver County.

Around 2 p.m. he pulled into the rural driveway of Peter Mayerchak in Lake Lillian. Mayerchak, who was in his yard placing hay over his septic mound, went and greeted Matariyeh, who shot him in the chest.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

DFL’s last-minute push to keep their trifecta

Avatar

Published

on


Mixing progressive dreams with dire warnings, a group of DFL leaders riled up a group of volunteers in St. Paul on Thursday morning, urging them to push on through the day’s freezing rain and fatigue in the remaining days before the election.

Several elected officials including Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar told the group of about 150 campaign staffers, volunteers and union members about how meaningful their work is to keeping DFL control of the Legislature, as the electeds start a statewide bus tour to turn out votes.

“We are here to keep our trifecta here in Minnesota,” U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar told volunteers on Thursday. “We’ve got five days, people!”

On the Republican side, House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said earlier this month that the House Republican Campaign Committee had raised a record $2.7 million ahead of the election and she said Republicans have also set records in volunteering and door-knocking as they work to break DFL control.

Minnesota Democrats hold a rally before starting a bus tour around the state to get voters excited, including Rep Ilhan Omar, Sen Amy Klobuchar, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, Rep Betty McCollum and Sen Tina Smith on Thursday. (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

“Republicans have the momentum and resources heading into the final stretch to win the majority and restore balance to Minnesota,” Demuth said in a statement. “Minnesotans are ready to move on from the expensive two years of Democrat one-party rule.”

House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said she thought voters preferred action to the gridlock of divided government. “They’re looking for people who can get things done,” she said.

These last-minute get-out-the-vote efforts come as Democrats around the country push to keep control of state legislative chambers and try to flip a few statehouses that Republicans hold by just a few seats.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the arm of the national Democratic party that works on statehouse races across the country, has spent $500,000 on Minnesota races this year, including House races and the state Senate contest.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024 Breaking MN

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.