Connecticut
EX-CT man gets federal prison in sex crime case. He has to pay the victim $100K.
A former Connecticut man and “American Ninja Warrior” champion was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for receiving child pornography and enticement to travel for illicit sexual conduct, according to federal authorities.
Andrew Drechsel, 35, now of Saint Cloud, Florida, pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023, before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée M. Bumb in New Jersey to an information charging him with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing a minor to travel interstate to engage in sexual activity for which the defendant can be charged with a crime, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Bumb imposed the sentence in Camden federal court, according to authorities. Bumb also sentenced Drechsel to 15 years of supervised release to pay $100,000 in restitution to the victim.
Authorities, citing documents in the case and statements made in court, said Drechsel lived in Hamden from 2014 to Nov. 8, 2019. The victim lived in New Jersey.
Law enforcement agents in 2019 searched one of Drechsel’s phones and “found images of child sexual abuse, including photos and videos of the victim when the victim was 14 and 15 years old,” authorities said in a statement. “Drechsel admitted that he originally met the victim in 2014 through his activities in the parkour community as an ‘American Ninja Warrior.’”
Authorities also said Drechsel “admitted texting the victim and discussing his plans to engage in sexual activity with the victim.” Further, “at Drechsel’s urging, the victim traveled across state lines in July 2015 so that Drechsel could have sexual relations with the victim.”
Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI South Jersey Resident Agency, under direction of Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. Sellinger also thanked the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office; the Cherry Hill Police Department; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut; special agents of the FBI New Haven Resident Agency; the Connecticut State’s Attorney’s Office, Hartford Judicial District; the Connecticut State’s Attorney’s Office, New Haven Judicial District; the Windsor Police Department; the Hamden Police Department; and special agents of the FBI Tampa Resident Agency.
Connecticut
Police investigating double homicide in Hartford
Police are investigating a double homicide in the Frog Hollow section of Hartford, officials said.
According to officials, police were notified by citizens of a large fight that happened on Madison Street near Zion Cemetery just after 7 p.m. When officers got to the scene, they found a man in his 30s unresponsive and suffering from a stab wound.
The man was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
While at the scene, investigators learned that two others were taken to an area hospital via private car.
One of them was another man in his 30s suffering from a gunshot wound and was in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead. A 17-year-old was the second one taken to the hospital via private car, but his injuries were non-life-threatening, officials said.
According to officials at the scene, investigators do not believe the public is in danger and are reviewing surveillance footage in the area as part of the investigation.
Neither man has been identified by officials at this time.
No arrests have been made at this time, police said.
Connecticut
Immigrant advocates urge Connecticut to prepare after Supreme Court TPS ruling
Immigrant advocates in Connecticut are calling on state leaders to prepare for the possible loss of legal protections for thousands of people after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians and Syrians.
TPS is a federal program that allows people from countries facing war, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the United States. The Trump administration has argued that conditions in some countries have improved enough that the protections are no longer necessary.
For organizations that work with immigrants, however, the ruling has triggered fear and uncertainty.
“The Haitian community, in particular, is reeling,” said Maggie Mitchell-Salem, executive director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, commonly known as IRIS.
Mitchell-Salem said the number of Syrians affected by the decision is much smaller than the number of Haitians nationwide, but she argued that the impact goes beyond statistics. Her organization has led resettlement efforts for Syrian refugees in Connecticut since the federal government offered TPS status amid the Syrian civil war in 2012.
“Numbers don’t matter,” she said. “A single person being impacted by inhumane racist immigration policies is a person who’s impacted, and we should care.”
A community preparing for uncertainty
Mitchell-Salem said immigrant advocacy groups and local officials are already discussing how to help families who could face difficult decisions if the Trump administration decides to end TPS protections.
Among the biggest concerns are families that could be separated if parents lose their legal status or face deportation.
“We’re working with municipalities, with any community leaders that we can, who are coming up with plans on what to do to help individuals here,” she said.
She urged families whose immigration status may be at risk to create preparedness plans and designate trusted relatives or friends who could care for children if necessary.
“The state of Connecticut has one on their website,” she said. “We urge everyone who has a family situation that is no longer stable to fill that out.”
Looking to Massachusetts as a model
Mitchell-Salem said Connecticut should consider following the example set by Massachusetts leaders, who responded to the Supreme Court ruling by holding a press conference, reassuring TPS holders of their rights, announcing legal clinics and creating an emergency response fund.
“What I think is beautiful about what Massachusetts did is that it signaled you are valued, you are part of our community, and we care about you,” she said. “For that, I would love to see Connecticut do something similar.”
At the same time, she cautioned that there are limits to what states can do if federal protections ultimately end.
“I think the state of Connecticut is right to really think about what remedies are truly possible,” Mitchell-Salem said.
Warning against scams
Mitchell-Salem said one of her organization’s biggest concerns is that desperate immigrants could become targets for fraud.
“What we’re most concerned about is that because people will be so desperate that there are those that will take advantage of them,” she said.
IRIS has been posting information in English, Haitian Creole and Arabic warning immigrants that there are “no magic solutions” and encouraging them to seek advice only from trusted legal organizations and immigration attorneys.
A call to action
Mitchell-Salem said the Supreme Court’s decision should prompt action not only from government officials but also from the public.
“Flood congressional phone banks, call Congress every single day, tell them what you think,” she said. “Get your friends in states that are less blue than Connecticut to do the same.”
She said public pressure has altered the course of other administration policies and could again influence federal immigration decisions.
“This isn’t an issue that’s just a blip that’s going to go away,” Mitchell-Salem said.
Connecticut
Lamont signs law in Norwich to stop pay to contractors violating wages
Connecticut is taking a step to make sure workers are paid fairly.
On June 30, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed Public Act 26-17, which enables the State Comptroller to issue a stop work order and withhold state funds to contractors that are not properly paying their employees.
The bill was signed on the construction site for Greeneville Elementary School, which is one of the four new elementary schools being built in Norwich. The State of Connecticut is reimbursing the city for 80% of the project, and the law applies to “any place where the state is making a payment,” Lamont said.
Wage theft can take many forms
It matters because wage theft can take many forms, from money taken from base pay, to money not given in benefits, Kimberly Glassman, director of compliance and government affairs for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478, said.
Local 478 also has a presence in the Norwich school building project, with 10 to 20 union members working at each site daily, Glassman said.
What do state leaders think of the Greeneville site’s progress?
Lamont is impressed with how quickly the work is going.
“They told me that the walls went up in the last two weeks, so a lot of progress is happening,” he said.
During the bill signing, Norwich Mayor Swarnjit Singh touted the importance of using union labor and the value of project labor agreements.
“We are on time and on budget,” he said.
After the bill signing, Singh said its possible the Greeneville School building could be complete as soon as the first quarter of 2027, he said.
“They’re not wasting any time,” Singh said.
State Rep. Derrel Wilson attended the original Greeneville School as a kid, and still lives in Greeneville. He was credited as being one of the driving forces for getting the workers bill passed.
“It’s exciting seeing this revitalization for our neighborhood, seeing active construction and watching individuals rebuild our community,” Wilson said.
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