New Jersey youth wrestling coach – NCAA's first openly gay wrestler – sentenced to prison for distributing child porn



A New Jersey youth wrestling coach has been sentenced to serve over seven years in federal prison for reportedly disturbing child pornography.

Alec Donovan, of Brick, New Jersey, was sentenced on Thursday to serve 87 months in federal prison after being found guilty of distributing child porn. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi also sentenced Donovan to 30 years of supervised release.

Donovan, 26, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.

Court documents stated:

From January 2021 through March 2021, Donovan used an internet-based application to exchange multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse, including depictions involving pre-pubescent children. Donovan also used the web-based messaging application to solicit and engage in conversations with minors, including requesting nude photographs from the minors and sending nude photographs to them.

Donovan grabbed headlines in 2015 for becoming the "NCAA's first openly gay wrestler," according to the Associated Press.

The outlet added, "A 2017 story in the NCAA-published Champion magazine detailed Donovan's struggles with depression in high school and his efforts to counsel other gay wrestlers."

Donovan had been a youth wrestling coach and referee in New Jersey before being arrested.

The Asbury Park Press reported, "Donovan was also the NJSIAA seventh-place finisher at 145 pounds in 2014, a three-time state qualifier, the NJSIAA Region VI champion in 2015 and a four-time NJSIAA District 23 champion during his scholastic career from 2011 to 2015."

The investigation into the purported pedophile was launched by the Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark.

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California first-grade teacher charged with sexually assaulting 6 girls in the classroom



A California first-grade teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting six female students, according to authorities.

Martin Reyes Jr., 29, was arrested by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Juvenile Division on Monday. Reyes, a teacher at Sunrise Elementary School in East Los Angeles, has been charged with 10 counts of lewd act on a child under the age of 14, according to the Los Angeles district attorney’s office. Reyes had his bail set at $1 million and is reportedly still in jail.

The family of a female student reportedly notified law enforcement on May 22 that their daughter had been sexually abused by a teacher at the Sunrise Elementary School in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Following an investigation, police allegedly identified five more girls with similar allegations of child sex abuse.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Unified School District said in a statement, "In late May, the school community shared their concerns about this employee with the school. Upon receiving these concerns, we immediately contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and removed the employee off-campus pending the results of an investigation."

Reyes sexually abused six of his female students during a recess inside the classroom, according to the district attorney's office.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said, "Our educators are entrusted with creating a safe and nurturing environment where students can learn and grow without the fear of abuse or exploitation. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that schools are places where all students can thrive, free from the threat of sexual violence. I encourage any victim of childhood sexual assault to contact our Bureau of Victim Services to receive trauma-informed care."

Reyes is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing setting on Sept. 27 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case to proceed to trial.

The case is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD is reportedly investigating whether there were other victims.

The school district added, "The students and the greater school community are always encouraged to share any and all concerns with their school or with local authorities."

The employment status with the school was not immediately clear.

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Afghanistan evacuee accused of sexually assaulting 12-year-old New Mexico boy, punching child in the face: Officials



An Afghanistan national who escaped the Middle Eastern country during the Biden administration's tumultuous evacuation has been charged with a child sex crime and violent assault of a 12-year-old boy in New Mexico.

On Sept. 21, Shah Mahmood Selab, 35, was charged in federal court with coercion and enticement of a minor. Selab faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison if he is convicted.

On Aug. 12, Selab allegedly approached a 12-year-old boy at Youngs Park in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Selab reportedly conversed with the boy who was sitting on a bench at the park – located near a middle school.

"Selab began asking the victim personal questions, and then invited the victim to sit with him on another bench in the shade," the Department of Justice news release stated. "After moving to the other bench, Selab allegedly used his cellphone to show the victim photos and videos that were sexual in nature. Selab allegedly touched the victim inappropriately."

The boy attempted to walk away, but Selab followed him and "punched him in the face multiple times," according to the DOJ. The Afghan evacuee reportedly asked the boy to get into his vehicle and offered him $20 to allow Selab to touch him.

"The victim attempted to call 911 and retreated to the restrooms where he closed himself in a stall," the DOJ said. "The complaint alleges that Selab followed the victim into the restrooms and pulled him from the stall. Selab allegedly locked the restroom door to prevent the victim from leaving, began kissing the victim’s face, and put a $20 bill in the victim’s hand. Selab also allegedly attempted to force the victim to touch Selab."

Someone purportedly walked into the restroom and knocked on the door of the stall, which allowed the victim to escape Selab.

Fox News reported on Friday that Selab was an Afghanistan national – a detail that was not noted in the Department of Justice release. The outlet said, "Selab was paroled into the United States in November 2021."

The office of Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) confirmed with law enforcement that Selab was an Afghan national who was paroled into the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome – the Biden administration's effort to resettle Afghanistan nationals into the United States. An estimated 88,500 Afghanistan nationals were relocated to the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome after the botched Afghanistan evacuation.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Selab was paroled into the U.S. on Nov. 18, 2021, at Philadelphia International Airport.

The National Immigration Forum defines parole as: "An available tool under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that allows certain individuals to enter the U.S. and temporarily stay without an immigrant or non-immigrant visa."

Upon hearing of the accused crime, ICE lodged a detainer on Selab, who the agency confirmed was a 35-year-old Afghan national, after his arrest.

ICE lodges detainers on "individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable non-citizens."

ICE said in a statement, "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is committed to safe and effective enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws and continues to focus its limited resources on the cases of greatest importance to national interest and public safety."

Herrell told Fox News, "This is a terrible crime, enabled by the complete lack of vetting and transparency in the wake of Joe Biden’s Afghanistan retreat. Our government should be protecting the families of New Mexico, not importing twisted individuals who prey on children. That is why last year I pushed for thorough vetting of migrants that the Biden administration has brought to our communities, and why I continue to fight for accountability."

Earlier this month, the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the department granted parole to Afghan evacuees who "were not fully vetted" following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect the evacuees," read the report by DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari. "We determined some information used to vet evacuees through U.S. Government databases, such as name, date of birth, identification number, and travel document data, was inaccurate, incomplete, or missing."

The investigation found that because of the lack of vetting, "DHS may have admitted or paroled individuals into the United States who pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities."

Registered sex offender attempted to sexually assault child in girls' restroom at California school: police



A registered sex offender was arrested for attempting to sexually assault a child in a girls' restroom at a California school, police say.

Logan Nighswonger, 32, was arrested on Friday afternoon by officers with the Riverside Police Department. He was charged with attempted sex acts with a child under the age of 10 and being a registered sex offender on school grounds. He is being held without bail.

Police said in a statement that Nighswonger jumped the fence surrounding the McAuliffe Elementary School in Riverside. A campus supervisor allegedly heard a girl crying inside a school bathroom and observed the man come out of the restroom.

The school supervisor reportedly followed Nighswonger as he exited the school, jumped the fence, and entered his vehicle at a parking lot. The school supervisor provided police with a description of the vehicle and the car's license plate.

Police did not reveal how Nighswonger was able to enter the school building.

Law enforcement tracked Nighswonger to a business in the city of Placentia – roughly 30 miles from Riverside. His vehicle was registered in Placentia.

Police arrested Nighswonger, transported him back to Riverside, and booked him into jail.

An investigation into the sexual assault of the child was launched by Riverside Police School Resource Officers assigned to the Alvord Unified School District. Assisting in the investigation were detectives with the Riverside Police Department's Sexual Assault Child Abuse Unit and specialists from the Forensics Unit.

Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said, "The safety of our students and staff at school will always remain amongst our top priorities. When that safety is put at risk, we will do everything within the law to quickly find and arrest the person responsible as we did yesterday."

Alvord Unified School District Superintendent Allan Mucerino said in a statement, "Children should never experience a situation such as this and it deeply saddens me that this incident occurred. It gives us pause and reinforces our commitment to school safety in recognition that even when we follow safety best practices and do everything in our power to secure our campuses there continues to be threats, which we will continue to work tirelessly to mitigate."

"We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their swift action in apprehending and removing this threat to our society," Mucerino added.

Anyone with additional information regarding the sexual assault is asked to contact Riverside Police's Sexual Assault's Child Abuse Unit at 951-353-7121.

A court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Law & Crime reported that Nighswonger "landed on the California sex offender registry because of a 2016 conviction for annoying or molesting a child under 18 years of age, online records show."

Man suspected of raping an 8-year-old girl released with help of bail fund supported by Kamala Harris



The Minnesota Freedom Fund, a bail fund that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) continues to fundraise for, contributed to the release of a man who is accused of raping an 8-year-old girl, the Daily Caller reported.

Harris began promoting the fund, which has existed since 2016, during the unrest in Minneapolis following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25. Harris tweeted that she wanted people to donate in order to help bail out people arrested during the protests.

If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnes… https://t.co/Ni0yMyjD0F
— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris)1591043641.0

The fund, which was promoted by other public figures, raised more than $35 million in the aftermath of Floyd's death, but has used only a small percentage of that money. A Sept. 4 statement on the MFF website said the group has spent about $3.4 million bailing people out, with only $210,000 of that being related to protests.

The Daily Caller found that some of those who have benefitted from the bail fund are accused of horrifying violent crimes and could present a threat to public safety.

Timothy Wayne Columbus is a 36-year-old man who was bailed out of Minneapolis jail in July. He is accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 2015 and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Court records show he signed a document saying that any refunded bail money should be returned to the MFF.

Court records reviewed by the Daily Caller reveal the appalling details of the accusation:

"Victim stated 'Tim' laid her on the couch and held her down as he unbuckled his pants and pulled down her pants. Victim stated he then 'put his thing inside me,'" the statement of probable cause read.

"Victim stated 'Tim' told her not to tell anyone and continued to penetrate her," the statement added.

Columbus was considered a friend of the victim's family but had abruptly stopped visiting the family around the time of the alleged assault, the statement said. The girl did not tell anyone about what happened until years later, according to the statement.

Columbus was already a registered sex offender for a separate incident before he was arrested for allegedly assaulting the 8-year-old.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund says they "do not make determinations of bail support based on the crimes that individuals are alleged to have committed."

"We are, however, taking steps to strengthen our internal procedures for ensuring that those we bail out receive support, especially if they are in need of housing or medical treatment," an MFF statement reads. "Those processes involve renewing our commitment to listen to the communities directly impacted by our efforts, and ensuring those we bail out have the necessary support to safely return to their families and their community."