(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State for communications and records regarding the eligibility of citizens of Hungary to participate in a visa waiver program (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:23-cv-02964)).
The lawsuit was filed after the Department of State failed to respond to an August 8, 2023, FOIA request sent to its Office of the Information Programs and Services for:
All records related to the modifications to the eligibility of citizens of Hungary to participate in the visa waiver program which went into effect on August 1, 2023 ( This request includes, but is not limited to, all records reviewed, referenced, or relied upon in making the determination to implement the modifications, as well as all related records of communication between any official or employee of the Department of State and any other individual or entity.
On August 1, 2023, Reuters reported, “The United States imposed restrictions for Hungarian passport holders under its Visa Waiver Program on Tuesday … Relations between the two governments have been burdened recently with Budapest’s delay of a parliament vote on Sweden’s NATO accession and curbs on LGBTQ rights by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s nationalist government.”
Citing “vulnerabilities” because Hungary granted citizenship to “nearly one million people” over the nine-year period of 2011 to 2020, the State Department announced on its website:
Today, we notified the Government of Hungary that the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) validity period for travel by Hungarian passport holders is reduced from two years to one year. Additionally, the validity of an ESTA for Hungarian passport holders will be limited to a single use.
“The Leftists running the Biden administration want to punish Hungary because they hate Viktor Oban, Hungary’s conservative prime minister,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “And, as they try to bully Hungary over immigration, the Biden administration continues to allow millions of illegal aliens to come unhindered into the U.S.”
For those entering their first year of strolling around campus holding a contract textbook and interjecting legal trivia and random 18th century cases into every conversation (no matter how irrelevant, and in spite of your friends constantly rolling their eyes), welcome!
And for those of you who have already converted your personality into “law student”, and have been dishing out impromptu and unwanted legal advice and knowledge for a while, greetings again.
Whoever you are, whatever stage you may be at, the following 10 TikToks will be relatable to you now, or failing that, five minutes after you’re given some equity & trusts reading.
And so it begins…
@legalcheek I can feel the stress in the air #CapCut #lawyer #lawschool #lawstudent #lawyersoftiktok #fyp ♬ original sound – legalcheek
@legalcheek Extra points if you read their own textbooks #lawyer #uni #survival #lawschool #lawstudent #fyp #trending ♬ original sound – legalcheek
But that’s why we signed up in the first place? *cries again*
@legalcheek Isn’t that what law school’s all about??! #law #lawyer #lawstudent #lawschool #lawyersoftiktok #fyp #pedropascal ♬ original sound – legalcheek
Does anyone have any questions?
@legalcheek At least I turned up, I guess #CapCut #lawyer #lawstudent #lawschool #lawyersoftiktok #fyp ♬ original sound – legalcheek
And if you do make it…
@legalcheek Tough love #corporatelaw #lawyer #jokes #fyp #trending #fypage ♬ original sound – legalcheek
The Federal Ministry of Education in 2021, budgeted a total of N475,725,591 million for the Construction of Classrooms and Supplies of Educational Learning Material in Katsina North Senatorial District with no specific locations. Elijah Akoji in this investigation for SOLACEBASE, uncovered how officials of the ministry and contractors allegedly pocketed project funds.
This investigation has tracked the benefiting schools across three LGAs in the senatorial districts Daura, Sandamu, and Mani.
The search began from the record of payments made in the whole of 2021 by the Federal Ministry of Education as obtained from Govspend.ng, the benefiting schools were properly captured and identified in the record.
They include Kagare Day Secondary School in Kagare; Sadamu lga, Tsaurara Primary School, in Tsaurara Mani lga, and Mazoji Primary School in Daura, Daura lga. The projects were aimed at promoting quality education across Katsina state considering the increasing number of out-of-school children in the state, according to the report.
According to the Katsina State Annual School Census Report released by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and UNICEF, in 2022, Katsina State has 775,000 out-of-school children across the 34 local government areas of the state. It also identified banditry as the primary cause of this rising figure.
Records revealed over N40 million have been tracked to have been paid to three different contractors with no company websites or social media account handles for verification of their operational authenticity. One of the contractors, according to the record, was registered as a borehole drilling company, yet it was awarded the contract for the construction of classrooms.
Ruk-Mina Associate Limited, a company with an unspecified business description, located in Kaduna, was awarded the contract for the construction and equipment of One Block of 2 classrooms with furniture at Kagare Day Secondary School in Kagare community in Sandamu LGA.
On the 10th of February 2021, a record of financial transactions from Govspend. ng shows that Ruk-Mina Associate Limited received N10,362,584 million with payment No: 1000775728-6 and payment code: 517001001, for the contract.
But a visit to the location of the project in Sandamu LGA only revealed that the project was built in 2020 by Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita, while other projects identified were executed in different years by UBEC, SUBEB, and AGILE, with no trace of any project executed by the Federal Ministry of Education in the school.
AGILE project in Kagare Day Sec Sch, Sandamu LGA
Dahiru Isah, the principal of Kagare Day Secondary School gave an account of all the projects and the year they were constructed, but could not provide any evidence or record of a 2021 project by the Federal Ministry of Education.
Dahiru Isa Principal Kagare Sec Sch, Sandamu LGA
Isah said, “Here in the school, we have taken delivery of several projects, classrooms, solar-powered borehole, and even the supply of furniture between 2020 to 2023, we don’t have any particular project by the Federal Ministry of Education as you have asked, each building has written on it the year the project was executed and the agency.
“We have the one constructed by Senator Babba Kaita in 2020, and also the one constructed by the state Universal Basic Education Board, Universal Basic Education Board, and AGILE, but for the Federal Ministry of Education, we can’t provide any record for that.”
Carryover Project in Mazoji
At Mazoji Primary School in Daura, a school in an open field with perimeter fencing, you could see the blocks of classrooms from afar. While one of the blocks is still looking new, one might be convinced to say the 2021 Federal Ministry of Education project has been executed and already adding value to education in the state.
But on approach, the building turned out to be a 2020 project tagged (FGN/FME/2020) ‘Constituency Projects’ sponsored by Sen Ahmad Babba Kaita.
This clearly showed that the project is one of the 2020 constituency school projects executed by the Ministry of Education under its 2020 budget, the same year the Ministry of Education earmarked over N1 billion for the construction of classrooms across Katsina state.
It was a fruitless walk around Mazoji Primary School with just two blocks of two classrooms each as the only structure in the school.
The record revealed that Assurur Integrated Services Ltd was awarded the contract for the execution of the project at Mazoji Primary School. The contractor, on the 3rd of February 2021, was paid N22,582,019.38 million for the construction and equipping of two (2) Blocks of 2 classrooms at the school. The payment code was 1000759662-67.
In an interview with Sani Muhazu, the headmaster of the school, he described the mystery behind the project, explaining that the chairs were all supplied in 2021 and executed by former Senator Kaita and that they are projects carried over from 2020 to 2021.
Sani Muhazu, Headmaster Mazoji Primary School, Daura showing the reporter inside view of the 2020 project
“The building was constructed in 2021 but backdated to 2020, it was the period the desks were also supplied but only to one classroom. We realized it carries 2020, so when we asked we were told it’s a 2020 project so it has to be backdated regardless of when it was constructed, this is the only information I have as the headmaster of the school,” Muhazu said, adding that “But it is important to note that the project was facilitated by Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita.”
While it is written on the desk in the classroom “Sen Ahmed Babba Kaita, Constituency Pro ECT 2020,” it remains unclear the particular agency that executed the project.
Mazoji Primary School ECT 2020 Constituency Project
Drilling Company Awarded a School Project That Was Never Executed
B-K Drillers Water & Eng Service Limited, a company registered as a borehole drilling company in Kaduna, on the 19th January 2021 received N10,121,594.17 million payment for the construction of a Block of two classrooms and supply of furniture to Tsaurara Primary School in Mani LGA.
Just like Mazoji, Tsaurara Primary School is one of those schools without a perimeter fencing or gate to protect students and properties.
While this reporter walked around the premises of the exposed school which has only two structures, one of the buildings carries a prominent inscription of the agency that executed the project–a block of two classrooms identified as a 2021 UBEC project (FGN/UBEC/ZIP/2021) furnished with desks.
The old two-classroom block looks like the only structure in the school before the 2021 UBEC project since the establishment of the school. The building wears the same painting pattern as the Katsina State Universal Basic Education– a clear indication that the classroom was constructed by SUBEB.
Mazoji Primary School ECT 2020 Constituency Project
Ahmadu Ibrahim Mani, the headmaster of Tsaurara Primary School, while explaining the year each of the projects was executed, confirmed that a block of two classrooms was constructed in 2021 by Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita, but it’s a UBEC-funded project. He said there was no project by the Federal Ministry of Education.
Ahmed Ibrahim, Headmaster Tsaurara Pri Sch, Mani LGA
“The UBEC Classroom was just constructed last year, 2022, but you will notice they wrote (FGN/UBEC/ZIP/2021), this is because it is a 2021 project executed in 2022. We only have two structures in this school, one was constructed by Babba Kaita which is the UBEC project while the other was constructed by SUBEB,” Mani added.
Mazoji Primary School Daura 2020 FME Constituency Project.
When Ben Goong, the spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Education was contacted to comment and provide some insight into the projects, he gave the reporter time to call him on phone. But he never responded to the call when the reporter reached out as requested.
“Please call me at 8:00 pm” his message read. But the reporter called him several times for two days and he never responded.
Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita could not be reached via all his personal contact phone numbers. He also did not reply to text messages sent to him.
Aminu Badaru, Spokesperson of the Katsina State Universal Basic Education when asked to respond to questions as regards the project, declined and said, “I am not permitted to speak to the press on any issue regarding the board, that’s the rule, only the chairman of the board can instruct me to give any information as regard any project. Meanwhile, this is a federal government project, I doubt if we have much information to give about that, I can direct you to meet the chairman of the board, he will give you useful information”, Badaru said in a telephone conversation.
Contractors Records Incomplete At CAC.
To validate the whole claim, the reporter sought to speak with the directors of the companies, data obtained from company records with the CAC for B-K Drillers Water & Eng Service Limited and Assurur Integrated Services Ltd could not provide the names of the directors, contact information either email or phone number, the result it provides shows ‘No Director Exists for this company’ while the record of Ruk Mina Associate LTD only provides the names of the directors, with no contact information either phone number or email address.
This report was published with support from Civic Media Lab.
Don’t be surprised if the winter transfer window sees Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney make a surprise, and dramatic, move from footy to fresher.
In a new Disney+ documentary following Coleen Rooney’s high profile libel trial, it was revealed how the former England star was mulling a move into law after becoming captivated by the way the barristers when about their business.
The High Court case, dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’, came after Coleen accused fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy of leaking her private Instagram posts to the press. A lengthy two-year legal battled ensued, with Coleen eventually coming out on top.
During this battle, however, it’s said that spouse Wayne became increasingly impressed by the lawyers involved in the case.
Addressing his new found love for the law in the documentary, the former footballer explains “it was interesting because I do like crime documentaries, and in particular the different techniques the two barristers used.”
This is hardly a surprising comment to make, considering that Rooney recruited media powerhouse David Sherborne of 5RB, with Vardy opting for seasoned counsel Hugh Tomlinson KC of Matrix Chambers.
It appears that this was more than a mere curiosity, however, Coleen noting how Wayne “was then going to apply for law school and he had all these plans.”
Brabners‘ partner Paul Lunt, Coleen’s solicitor, added his professional view that, “I’m not saying he’s a modern day Columbo, but certainly if we’d given him a gown and a wig he was bang up for asking a few questions.”
This was backed up by colleague Jamie Hurworth, who noted that: “once the day was finished, we would have a little debrief with Wayne and Coleen. I’d not dealt with Wayne that much before the trial but he was just fascinated by the whole thing. [He] started suggesting legal argument that we should start running.”
You can watch a short trailer for the documentary below:
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (TCD) — Natalee Holloway’s case came to a close Wednesday when Joran van der Sloot confessed to killing the teen in 2005 and pleaded guilty to extorting her mother.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama announced van der Sloot entered the plea for one count of extortion and one count of wire fraud, and was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison. According to The Associated Press, he is currently serving prison time in Peru for killing a woman in 2010, so the sentence will run concurrently with that.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said van der Sloot contacted Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, in 2010 and asked for money “on promises he would reveal the location of her daughter’s remains in Aruba and the circumstances of her 2005 death.” Beth Holloway ultimately paid him $25,100, but she later said the information was “worthless.”
Van der Sloot was indicted in 2010, but he was extradited to the United States from Peru in June.
Judge Anna Manasco reportedly told van der Sloot in court, “You have brutally murdered, in separate instances years apart, two young women who refused your sexual advances.”
AL.com reports van der Sloot said in court, “I would like to take this chance to apologize to the Holloway family, to apologize to my own family, to say I hope the statement I provided brings some kind of closure to everyone involved.”
Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway, told him, “You have finally admitted that, in fact, you murdered her.”
She went on, “You terminated her dreams, her potential, her possibilities, when you bludgeoned her to death in 2005.”
At a press conference following the court appearance, U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona said, “Today marks the end of 18 years of wondering what happened to Natallee Holloway. Now, Beth and Dave can rest and Natalee can rest knowing that justice was served.”
Beth Holloway also spoke after the sentencing and said, “Today, I can tell you with certainty that after 18 years, Natalee’s case is solved. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over. Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect. He is the killer.”
Beth Holloway said van der Sloot revealed the “brutal” confession and the details into how he killed Natalee on the beach in Aruba, then got rid of her body in the water.
According to the FBI, Natalee Holloway went on a trip to Aruba with her senior class from Mountain Brook High School and was last seen May 30, 2005. On May 29, she and some friends went to a nightclub. She was last seen with van der Sloot and two other men at approximately 1:30 a.m. Holloway failed to return to her hotel room and did not show up when the group was preparing to head back to Alabama.
The sentencing occurred on what would have been Natalee Holloway’s 36th birthday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (TCD) — A 25-year-old man allegedly drove more than 90 mph and crashed into another vehicle, killing his girlfriend and 2-year-old daughter over the weekend.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday, Oct. 18, that Derrius Tolson faces two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deadly crash.
According to a probable cause statement, on Saturday, Oct. 14, Tolson was ejected from his Jeep after driving through a red light at the exit ramp for southbound I-435 and crashing into a Honda Accord. A Kansas City Police officer patrolling the area had spotted the Jeep and another vehicle speeding past, and he observed that they seemed to be “chasing or racing each other.”
Tolson was allegedly driving 92 to 94 mph in a 40 mph zone before the vehicle collided with the Honda and rolled over multiple times.
Tolson was transported to a local hospital to treat his minor wounds, while the driver of the Honda didn’t sustain any apparent injuries, according to the probable cause statement.
Authorities removed Tolson’s girlfriend, identified as Deja Perkins by KCTV-TV, from the Jeep, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Perkins’ and Tolson’s 2-year-old daughter was reportedly ejected from the vehicle. Officials found her north of the Jeep in the grass and also pronounced her dead at the scene, the probable cause statement said.
The driver of the Honda reportedly stated that she was driving home when she went through the intersection. She told officials she heard a loud “boom” and “saw a vehicle overturning to her right” before she was hit.
According to the probable cause statement, another witness at the scene was behind the wheel of a Penske Ford 350 van when the blue Dodge Challenger collided with it. The witness said the Dodge Challenger seemed to be racing with the Jeep.
Tolson reportedly informed detectives that he had been driving his girlfriend, daughter, and stepdaughter to spend time pumpkin picking. Approximately one hour before the accident, he dropped his stepdaughter off at her father’s home.
Tolson, his girlfriend, and daughter then allegedly came across a Chrysler 300 with tinted windows and no license plate in the area of Blue Ridge Boulevard and Bannister Road.
Tolson said the driver of the Chrysler “revved” the engine at an intersection. When the light turned green, Tolson allegedly “felt the Chrysler was pacing him and sitting too close to him.”
Tolson reportedly accelerated to around 60 or 65 mph in an attempt to flee the Chrysler. He was uncertain whether the Chrysler had collided with his Jeep. Then, Tolson recalled the Jeep suddenly flipping over, the probable cause statement said.
Tolson reportedly admitted to authorities that he did drive through a red light before the fatal crash. He added that he believed everyone was properly secured, but his daughter “tends to undo” her seatbelt at times, according to the probable cause statement.
Officials found a loaded firearm and a backpack with marijuana and scales in a field near the Jeep. Tolson admitted they were his and that he smoked marijuana recreationally.
Tolson remains held on $500,000 bond. The investigation is ongoing, and other charges are possible.
CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas (TCD) — Two men, including the father of the victim, are in custody after officials discovered a body near an interstate last week.
According to a news release from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, Oct. 13, at around 9 a.m., detectives were called to the 807 mile marker westbound on Interstate 10 and found a male victim’s body. Investigators suspected foul play.
The Sheriff’s Office positively identified the victim as 29-year-old Romeo Jimerson on Monday, Oct. 16. That night, detectives pursued potential leads and interviewed individuals who had recently interacted with Jimerson.
The next day, detectives with the Sheriff’s Office presented evidence to the Chambers County District Attorney, pointing to two primary suspects: Cobin Rocio, the father of the victim, and Melvin Carraway, an acquaintance of the victim and father.
The District Attorney’s Office charged Carraway and Rocio with tampering with evidence –– human corpse.
Officials apprehended Rocio and Carraway without incident and booked them into the Chambers County Jail on bonds of $750,000 each.
The investigation is ongoing, and upgraded charges are expected.
CHINA GROVE, N.C. (TCD) — A 34-year-old man was found dead at a vacant property after a groundskeeper reportedly mowed the lawn around his body because he allegedly assumed the victim was a Halloween decoration.
According to WBTV-TV, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, China Grove Police Department officers went to a home on Shue Road after receiving a call about the discovery of a body. China Grove Police Chief Andrew Deal reportedly said in a statement, “At this time, there is no sign of foul play, but the case is being investigated as suspicious.”
NBC News reports police positively identified the man as Robert Paul Owens. Police said a groundskeeper was mowing the lawn near an abandoned cabin Monday, Oct. 9, and saw the body. The groundskeeper reportedly mowed around Owens because he allegedly thought Owens’ corpse was “a fake dummy used for training” by law enforcement officials who used the property.
Then, the next day, a construction worker reportedly discovered Owens’ remains and contacted police.
Owens’ sister, Haley Shue, told NBC News the construction worker found him “face down in his underwear and socks with one arm under him, one arm out.”
The construction worker reportedly told Shue the groundskeeper thought Owens “was Halloween décor or a mannequin and I guess he took it upon himself to assume that and not verify and mowed the entire property.”
Owens reportedly last made contact with his family Oct. 8. He spent time with a friend and then reportedly got a ride back to his grandmother’s house on Shue Road. He left later to see another friend but never returned.
According to NBC News, China Grove Police informed Owens’ family he did not die from a gunshot wound, though they did not elaborate on his cause of death or where on the property his body was found.
Shue told NBC News, “That’s something we have to live with, knowing no family ever identified him. No family got to say any final goodbyes to him.”
She shared with WJZY-TV that her kids “love him” and that he recently purchased a jacket for her son.
“He didn’t even have a chance to give it to him,” Shue said. “We want answers.”
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (TCD) — A 26-year-old man allegedly killed his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend at a truck stop in Illinois, fled to Iowa, and then took his own life.
According to a news release from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, Gina Bryant was reported missing after she didn’t show up to work following her lunch break. Co-workers grew concerned and started receiving unusual text messages from her phone.
The Sheriff’s Office suspected Bryant was with her ex-boyfriend, Justin Wendling of Holly, Michigan.
Wendling was allegedly waiting at Bryant’s home when she came back for lunch. A neighbor’s surveillance video reportedly captured him guiding her to his car at approximately 1:42 p.m. on Oct. 12.
Wendling allegedly called his parents the next day and said he had killed his ex-girlfriend and was planning to take his own life. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the parents alerted law enforcement of Wendling’s location in LaSalle, Illinois.
Surveillance video and witnesses from a truck stop in LaSalle revealed that Wendling allegedly fatally shot his ex-girlfriend at around midnight on Oct. 13.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the suspect fled to Bettendorf, Iowa. Local officers reportedly approached his vehicle and he fatally shot himself.
According to the Detroit News, Wendling and Bryant had been dating for a little less than a year and lived together. Her sister and mother reportedly made her leave the apartment they shared because Wendling abused her.
WNEM-TV reports that Bryant was a nursing student at the University of Michigan-Flint.
In a letter obtained by WNEM, Cynthia McCurren, the dean of University of Michigan-Flint’s School of Nursing, said, “There are truly no words to fully capture the anguish that losses like this cause our community. Gina was an extraordinary young woman with much ahead of her.”
KENT COUNTY, Del. (TCD) — A couple pleaded guilty to the “serial abuse and torture of their children” that occurred over the course of nearly two years.
According to an Oct. 18 news release from the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, over a span of 20 months, 46-year-old Mary Vinson and 37-year-old Charles Vinson subjected their children to a series of abusive acts. They reportedly forced them to stand for extended periods of time, deprived them of food, forcibly fed them, and repeatedly inflicted violent physical assaults.
Both children, who have since been placed under the care of the Division of Family Services, were hospitalized multiple times due to the abuse. The Attorney General’s Office said the abuse was documented on video because Charles and Mary Vinson installed cameras in the children’s room.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, one of the victims was 10 years old at the time, while the other child was abused from age 11 to 13.
The couple was initially indicted on 646 charges in September 2022.
On Sept. 26, Mary Vinson pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree child abuse, seven counts of attempted first-degree child abuse, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, three counts of attempted second-degree assault, four counts of strangulation, three counts of first-degree reckless endangering, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of second-degree conspiracy, and one count of false statement to police.
Charles Vinson pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree child abuse, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of second-degree assault, two counts of act of intimidation, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of second-degree conspiracy, and one count of third-degree child abuse.
In a statement, Attorney General Jennings said, “These are the cases that keep us up at night. The pain that these children endured — and that it was inflicted by people who should have been their protectors — is unthinkable.”
The Vinsons are scheduled to be sentenced in January. Mary Vinson faces a minimum of 30 years and up to 444 years in prison. Charles Vinson faces a minimum of 10 years and up to 158 years in prison.
