Southeast
Florida fraternity brother with brain damage from hazing sends lifesaving warning to future Greeks
A Florida judge last week sentenced a former Florida college student to 30 days in prison and a year of probation after he punched his peer during a fraternity hazing incident in 2018.
Oliver Walker, 26, was charged with culpable negligence inflicting harm after he sucker punched fraternity pledge Nicholas Mauricio during a tradition called “Scumbag of the Week” organized by members of FSU’s since-dissolved Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter, according to a lawsuit previously filed against the fraternity.
“Not only am I lucky to be alive, but I’m lucky to … be in a good condition upstairs,” Mauricio told Fox News Digital. “It’s taken a lot of hard work and a lot of struggling and a lot of low points.”
He said the “hardest part about” his brain injury “is that it’s not a visible injury like a broken arm or a torn ACL that takes physical rehab.” It can be difficult for his friends and family to understand that he was severely injured and has been fighting every day since the “Scumbag of the Week” incident.
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Oliver Walker, 26, was charged with culpable negligence inflicting harm after he sucker punched fellow student Nicholas Mauricio during a fraternity tradition called “Scumbag of the Week” organized by members of FSU’s since-dissolved Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Mauricio, who was 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds at the time of the punch, fell and hit his head after Walker’s punch and has spent the last six years recovering from a debilitating brain injury that included two different hematomas and frontal lobe damage.
The incident came just months after FSU student Andrew Coffey died of alcohol poisoning after his fraternity brothers did not immediately call for help.
The longstanding “Scumbag of the Week” tradition required members to select a pledge to be punched in the face in front of the entire fraternity, according to the lawsuit.
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Nicholas Mauricio poses with his fraternity “big brother” and “grand big brother” during a pledge night in 2018. (Nicholas Mauricio)
“It’s affecting my whole family,” Mauricio said, adding that they “like the word survivor because it’s an extension of being a victim, but you were able to persevere.”
His mother, Michelle Mauricio, told Fox News Digital waiting six years to get justice has been “atrocious.”
“I’m still so emotionally exhausted. … I’m just tired of fighting a battle we’re never going to win.”
“The stories keep going out, and every year another student is injured or dies,” Michelle said. “This is friends hurting friends.”
Nicholas Mauricio (center) poses with his two fraternity pledge brothers in 2018. (Nicholas Mauricio )
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David Bianchi, a renowned hazing attorney who represented Mauricio in both cases, told Fox News Digital he is glad the Mauricio family is finally seeing a resolution to the criminal case.
“Most people would be amazed at the number of fraternity hazing incidents that happen every year in the United States, and that’s despite the fact that almost every state has an anti-hazing law, every major university has an anti-hazing policy and every major fraternity and sorority has an anti-hazing policy,” Bianchi said.
“These incidents are happening all the time throughout the United States, and the message isn’t getting through to the guys that do these things.”
Nicholas Mauricio’s mother told Fox News Digital waiting six years to get justice has been “atrocious.” (Nicholas Mauricio)
Bianchi added that “perhaps jail time” will show fraternity members that if they put pledges or existing members into situations where they can be seriously injured or die, suspension, expulsion and even jail time are plausible consequences.
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Mauricio wants other college-aged men who are considering joining a fraternity to speak up if they are exposed to any kind of physical harm or alcohol if they are underage.
“You can tell them no, and you should tell them no.”
“At the end of the day, even though it may seem like they have all the power, you have more power than them. You can tell them no, and you should tell them no,” Mauricio said. “We should all be leaders more than we should be followers. You’ll be able to prevent something bad from happening to you and keep your dignity intact.”
Nicholas Mauricio received a football scholarship in high school. (Nicholas Mauricio)
Mauricio added that universities also have “a lot of skin in this game,” rather than just Greek organizations and their members. He and his mother are hoping their story educates other college students and fraternity members about the potential dangers of hazing.
Mauricio hopes to be an advocate for college hazing and others who suffer from brain damage.
Attorney Gannon Coens of Bodiford Law, which represented Walker, declined to comment at the time of publication.
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Southeast
Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work
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FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant who reported to a U.S. Border Patrol site in Florida to perform some Information technology contractual work was arrested when authorities were made aware of his citizenship status, officials said.
Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, reported to a USBP center in Dania Beach, Florida, Jan. 6 to do some IT work when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials began vetting him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital.
During its investigation, it was revealed Camacho was in violation of U.S. immigration laws, authorities said.
Angel Camacho reported to a Florida U.S. Border Patrol center to perform contractual work when he was arrested, a Department of Homeland Security official said. (Getty Images )
“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”
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This photo shows a U.S. Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 15, 2019. (Suzanne CordeiroAFP via Getty Images)
Camacho was arrested and transferred to ICE custody, Bis said.
His criminal history includes theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said. Federal authorities have nabbed several illegal immigrants in the process of trying to obtain employment in law enforcement and education.
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One Sierra Leone citizen was recently arrested as he was training to become a Pennsylvania corrections officer.
Another illegal immigrant, Ian Roberts, served as the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest district, Des Moines Public Schools, before he was arrested by ICE.
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A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.
GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.
A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)
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Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.
This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.
The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.
Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms
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A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.
The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.
The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.
A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)
In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”
“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”
Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”
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A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.
The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.
“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”
“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.
“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”
Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.
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A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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