Already-injured Denver Broncos receiver shot twice after leaving strip club



Denver Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds survived two gunshot wounds last Friday after he was followed by several vehicles on Interstate 25 in Colorado.

Reynolds — who's on the injured-reserve list with a broken finger — is not expected to miss any extra time despite a graze wound to the back of his head and another wound in his arm.

Broncos officials sent a statement to KUSA saying Reynolds was a victim of a shooting.

After leaving the strip club around 3 a.m. Oct. 18, the receiver reportedly was followed by two drivers when shots were fired. Reynolds and two other victims told police soon four vehicles were following Reynolds' blue Ford Bronco on the highway.

The victims said the Ford soon broke down, causing Reynolds, along with the passengers, to flee on foot.

Police later found the victims and separately located the vehicle southbound on I-25 with multiple bullet defects in the back and front windshields. Two fired cartridges were reportedly found behind the vehicle.

Aside from Reynolds, a second victim reportedly was shot in the back while a third victim was injured by broken glass.

Team sources said Reynolds was treated and released from a Denver-area hospital hours after the shooting, ESPN reported.

Despite his wounds, KUSA-TV reported that Reynolds isn't expected to miss any extra playing time and actually was at the Broncos' facility last Friday, the day of the shooting, presumably after his hospital visit. KUSA added that he's been "watching practices on the field all week."

Denver Police later announced the arrest of two men, Burr Charlesworth and Luis Mendoza, KUSA added. ESPN said they were "being held for investigation of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault." Court documents state that video from the strip club shows Mendoza at the club, but he was not causing any problems. However, it was noted that the suspect was keeping his eyes on the victims before following them out.

Several other vehicles were reportedly seen pulling into the parking lot and apparently waiting for Reynolds to leave, with three vehicles eventually following him.

Broncos officials sent a statement to KUSA saying Reynolds was a victim of a shooting and that he "received treatment for minor injuries"; the team declined further comment.

Reynolds, 29, is in his eighth NFL season and recently signed a two-year, $9 million contract with Denver.

He played five games in 2024 before his recent injury and has gained over 3,000 receiving yards with 20 touchdowns in his career.

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DEA agent accused of taking $250K in mafia bribes, covering for sex-trafficking strip club, helping HS teacher with marijuana side hustle



A former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent is accused of taking $250,000 in bribes from the mafia, covering for a strip club allegedly involved in sex trafficking, and helping a high school English teacher with his marijuana side hustle.

The federal trial in upstate New York has begun for Joseph Bongiovanni – the former DEA agent accused of providing the Buffalo Mafia with an "umbrella of protection" in exchange for massive bribes.

The Associated Press reported, "Bongiovanni was raised in a tight-knit Italian American community in North Buffalo and known as a 'door kicker' in the DEA, defense attorney Parker MacKay said, 'not the type to sit in front of a computer.'"

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi told the jurors on Thursday that Bongiovanni turned to help the mafia after he encountered financial issues stemming from a costly divorce and his fondness for luxury trips.

Tripi claimed Bongiovanni had an admiration for those associated with "Italian organized crime."

Bongiovanni, 59, is accused of being a "double agent" who betrayed his badge to take $250,000 in bribes from the mafia to help the organized crime syndicate from getting caught by the feds.

The former DEA agent allegedly would tip off the mafia as to when they were "all clear" and law enforcement was not hot on their tail. Bongiovanni is said to have leaked intelligence to the mafia and opened fictitious cases to make it appear that he was investigating certain mafia members or to claim them as informants. Since Bongiovanni pretended to investigate the Buffalo Mafia, he would receive notice of any time another agency began investigating the criminal organization.

Bongiovanni allegedly encouraged his law enforcement colleagues to spend less time investigating Italians and focus on blacks and Hispanics, "n****** and s****" he purportedly said.

According to the AP, "Bongiovanni also is accused of vouching for criminals, filing bogus reports and swiping a sensitive DEA case file on organized crime that he stored in his basement after his abrupt retirement."

Prosecutors allege Bongiovanni went out of his way to protect the Pharoah's Gentlemen’s Club – a strip club in Cheektowaga that reportedly featured illegal drug use and sex trafficking.

The strip club's owner, Peter Gerace Jr, was childhood friends with Bongiovanni and is the grandson of Joseph Todaro – the "reputed leader of the Buffalo Mafia."

Tripi accused Gerace of providing "cocaine and women to high-end clientele."

Prosecutors said Gerace sought Bongiovanni's assistance in covering up the overdose of a stripper.

Gerace reportedly was heard on voicemail asking the former DEA agent about tracing a drug dealer's cellphone, "Is there a way to ping it like police do? I just want to know if you could do that or not."

Gerace's attorney, Mark Foti, said his client "denies all charges and looks forward to confronting the government’s evidence at his trial."

Prosecutors expect to call a public high school English teacher to the stand, who admitted to running a marijuana-growing operation while receiving confidential information from Bongiovanni.

Tripi said of Bongiovanni, "He did just enough legitimate work to avoid detection. He almost got away with it."

Tripi told jurors, "Sometimes the DEA doesn’t get it right. He was able to manipulate everyone because, in law enforcement, there’s a certain amount of trust that’s inherent. He did it under the watch of supervisors who under-supervised him.”

Bongiovanni has denied the counts of bribery, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice that could put him in federal prison for the rest of his life.

Bongiovanni's attorneys argue that he never took any bribes and that the government's case against him is built on the questionable testimony from individuals holding grudges against him and others who are seeking sweet deals from the Department of Justice for their testimony against him.

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Bikini-clad woman in stilettos exits fire truck in front of Pink Poodle strip club in San Jose; mayor says 'heads must roll' if it's 'as bad as it looks'



A woman apparently wearing only a bikini and stiletto high heels was seen in a cellphone video exiting a fire truck in front of a San Jose strip club called the Pink Poodle — and the mayor says "heads must roll" if it's "as bad as it looks."

Image source: KTVU-TV video screenshot

What are the details?

The San Jose Fire Department has launched an investigation into the video posted to the San Jose Foos Instagram account Thursday night, KTVU-TV reported.

In the video, the fire truck is stopped on a street and its lights are flashing as the woman exits a door on the right-hand side. The woman then walks toward the strip club, the station said.

The fire department said it is aware of the "concerning" video, KTVU reported.

"If findings of an internal investigation reveal inappropriate behavior of any department members, appropriate steps will be taken to address the matter," Chief Robert Sapien Jr. said in a statement, according to the station. "The City of San Jose Code of Ethics policy guides the conduct of all city employees. All City of San Jose employees are expected to adhere to the Code of Ethics Policy they have agreed to as a condition of their employment."

What did the mayor have to say?

Mayor Sam Liccardo warned of consequences if the investigation reveals inappropriate behavior, KTVU said.

"If the investigation concludes that this video is as bad as it looks, then heads must roll," Liccardo told the station in an emailed statement. "We cannot have a life-critical emergency rescue apparatus relegated to a frat party bus, nor tolerate any conduct that so demeans the heroic work of the rest of our SJFD team."

'Is this what our tax dollars are for?'

Vince Grimaldi, owner of a business next door to the Pink Poodle, told KTVU the club has always been a good neighbor — but the video surprised him.

"What do you say? I mean, my mouth dropped. And she had no clothes on. And what is she doing inside the fire truck? And who is running the fire truck, and who is in charge, and why did they allow this?" Grimaldi asked. "Somebody is in trouble."

Vince GrimaldiImage source: KTVU-TV video screenshot

Grimaldi added to the station that taxpayers like him deserve answers.

"Why was she in there? Somebody needs to answer that," he also told KTVU. "You see that, and you say, ’Is this what our tax dollars are for?'"

Anything else?

The station added that it's not known if the fire truck was on an official call for service at the time the video was recorded. KTVU in its video report said it reached out to the Pink Poodle and the San Jose firefighters' union for comment, but the station said neither responded.

Democratic state lawmaker spent campaign money at strip club: 'We have [to] meet people where they're at some times...#HOLLA'



A Democratic Michigan lawmaker reported spending $221 of his campaign money at a strip club for a "constituent meeting" to discuss "potential economic projects," the Detroit News reported.

What are the details?

The paper said state Rep. Jewell Jones turned in his new fundraising disclosure report Sunday, and added that Jones in a phone interview described the Pantheion Club — the Dearborn spot where the March 8 meeting took place — as a "lounge."

The News reported that Jones said he wasn't sure if it was a strip club before the phone call became disconnected.

But the paper said a Twitter account using the name Pantheion Club describes it as "the oldest and most established gentlemens [sic] club in Michigan."

The third-term lawmaker noted to the News in a text message after the interview, "We have [to] meet people where they're at some times...#HOLLA" and added that the Pantheion Club had "great lamb chops."

What else do we know about Jones' spending?

Jones' campaign finance disclosure shows more than $6,400 spent at restaurants or lounges for "meetings" from Jan. 1 through July 20, the News said. Those expenditures included $696 at Ferraro's Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar in Las Vegas on March 22 for what Jones said was a "dinner meeting with other legislators" and $514 at Jon's Goodtime Bar & Grill in Inkster a week later for a "meeting with community stakeholders on potential projects."

The paper said it's "not rare for a Michigan lawmaker to use campaign funds to purchase dinners related to their official duties. However, the level and type of spending described in his new report is unusual."

Simon Schuster, executive director of the nonprofit Michigan Campaign Finance Network, added to the News that "the venue Rep. Jones chose truly pushes the limit of credulity."

More problems

The paper said Jones made headlines recently on the heels of his April 6 arrest when — according to a Michigan State Police report — his black Chevy Tahoe drifted in and out of lanes on Interstate 96 and then careened into a ditch.

The News said Jones was accused of struggling with troopers after the crash and allegedly told officers he'd call the governor and had oversight of the state police budget. Jones' blood alcohol content was 0.19, the paper said, citing the police report, adding that the legal driving limit is 0.08.

The paper said Jones was "bound over to Livingston County Circuit Court June 30 on drunken driving charges and his next hearing in the case is scheduled for August."

More from the News:

Last week, he was fined $1,000 for a bond violation in which he failed to pay the fee to keep his alcohol monitor tethering on. The violation was his second.

In June, Jones was accused of misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding military orders that prevented him from getting his court-ordered drug and alcohol testing.

Jones had been allowed to suspend pretrial drug and alcohol testing for June 12-26 training with the Michigan National Guard at Camp Grayling, according to court records. But prosecutors argued Jones during that time frame tagged himself on Facebook as being at Planet Fitness in Wayne and legislative records indicate he was in Lansing for committee meetings, according to court records.

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