Seoul mayor found dead in apparent suicide
after secretary accused him of sexual harassment
By Thomas Maresca
SEOUL, July 9 (UPI) -- Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead Thursday in an area of northern Seoul following a massive search operation involving 700 police.
South Korean news agency Yonhap reported around midnight, local time, Park's body was found in an area near Mount Bugak. Police began scouring the area, following tips the mayor had been seen in the vicinity. Park's body was found near Sukjeongmun, one of the traditional gates surrounding the city.
The search began after Park's daughter filed a police report shortly after 5:15 p.m., saying he had left home four to five hours earlier and had left "words like a will" behind, Yonhap reported. She said that his phone was off and she had been unable to reach him. Police conducted a search using drones and police dogs.
Park did not show up for work on Thursday, a City Hall official confirmed to UPI, but the office has not issued an official statement.
South Korean broadcaster SBS reported that one of Park's secretaries filed a criminal complaint against him for sexual harassment on Wednesday evening, alleging that he had harassed her repeatedly after she started working for him in 2017. Another network, MBC, reported that police confirmed the secretary had filed the complaint.
Park, 64, was elected mayor in 2011 and was serving his third and final term in office. He was a human rights lawyer and had founded an influential civil rights group before his election.
The mayor of a city of 10 million residents, Park was one of the most powerful elected officials in the country and was widely considered a potential presidential candidate for the ruling Democratic Party in 2022.
This is the second Mayor of a major South Korean city to fall as a consequence of sexual harassment. The Mayor of Busan stepped down at the beginning of May after being accused by another staff member. He was also a member of the Democratic Party.
International footballer 'faces a YEAR in jail after being arrested for public masturbation for second time this year' in France
Algeria forward Farid El-Melali, 23, who already faced a court case after apologizing earlier this year for allegedly being caught masturbating in front of a woman (7th story on link), has reportedly been arrested again for a similar offense.
A 25-year-old woman told police that she had caught Angers hotshot El-Melali touching himself in front of her apartment in the French city on two consecutive days in April, according to Ouest-France.
The striker, who expressed his regret for a similar incident in a courtyard at his home in May, is said to have been taken into police custody and acknowledged his act of depravity.
He now faces another prosecution for sexual exhibition in addition to his court date for his original offense, running the risk of up to a year in jail and a fine of around $17,000, according to the report.
The female complainant involved in El-Melali's original arrest alleged that she had seen a figure engaging in "deviant acts" outside her apartment a few weeks beforehand but had been unable to identify the individual at the time.
In a now-deleted Instagram post responding to his first trip to custody, El-Melali told his following of more than 141,000 that he had experienced a "very hard and stressful period."
"I've been criticized and toughly judged," he rued. "I understand how hard it was for the people who have received the news because no-one can forgive this kind of behavior.
"I would like to apologize to my family and friends and all advocates of my beloved club and people of Algeria.
"I reflected on everything that happened...it made me stronger and more aware of the values and principles that I should stick to."
He claimed that he had not been aware he was visible to others, while his lawyer, Sandra Chirac-Kollarik, admitted he had "difficulty controlling his urges."
Obviously, it was a sexual emergency and there were no women or children around take advantage of.
After his latest arrest, Chirac-Kollarik said her client had offered his "sincerest apologies" for any "inappropriate" behavior.
His previous apology sounded pretty sincere, so what?
The Ligue 1 club, which handed El-Melali a new contract until 2023 in May, said that they would be making no comment and were awaiting the court decision.
Simple Plan bassist among Quebec entertainers
named in wave of sexual misconduct allegations
Bassist David Desrosiers resigns from group amid allegations,
apologizes for 'harm'
The Canadian Press 
Quebec's arts scene is being rocked by a wave of sexual assault and harassment allegations against well-known figures in the province's entertainment industry.
Mostly anonymous allegations are being posted to an Instagram page that has garnered more than 46,000 followers and is targeting prominent Quebecers, including musicians, concert promoters and comedians.
David Desrosiers, bassist of the band Simple Plan, resigned from the group Thursday after he was accused on the social network of predatory behaviour against his female fans.
He posted an apology on Instagram Thursday for the "harm" he has caused women. The allegations "have led me to acknowledge that some of the interactions I have had with women have caused them harm," he said, adding that he would seek "professional help to educate myself and act appropriately in the future."
In a statement, Simple Plan also apologized to the women affected, and to fans who are disappointed by the "regretful situation."
Meanwhile, TV personality Maripier Morin apologized publicly after singer Safia Nolin posted earlier this week that she had sexually harassed her and made racist comments when they were having drinks together in 2018.
Quebec singer-songwriter Bernard Adamus was dropped from his label following an anonymous post to the Instagram page accusing him of improprieties.
Maripier Morin, left, has apologized after singer Safia Nolin posted about a 2018 incident. Nolin alleged that Morin sexually harassed her and made racist comments when they were having drinks together one evening. (Radio-Canada)
Adamus posted Thursday on his Instagram account that he had been vulgar, arrogant and drunk too many times in his life, and he apologized to all the women he's hurt.
Amid the wave of allegations, Montreal legal clinic Juripop told CBC News it received a surge in calls and has opened close to 100 new files. The clinic started a free service for sexual assault survivors last month and has been tagged in many social media posts.
"It really started on Monday morning and specifically on Instagram," Sophie Gagnon, executive director of Juripop, told CBC Montreal's Daybreak on Thursday.
"Contrary to #MeToo, more and more people are identifying by name the person who assaulted or offended them," she added. "So that obviously creates a higher risk of libel."
Michael Jackson suspected of running a child sex trafficking racket, new reports claim
Details of the high-level investigations on Michael Jackson's alleged interest in young boys are revealed in a new biography by author Dylan Howard
By Mark Jefferies Showbiz Editor & Nick Harding, The Mirror
According to files uncovered in a new book, the singer told anyone who asked about the identity of the 12-year-old boy that he was a cousin.
West coast cops asked the FBI to join forces and the Feds began to probe other allegations.
One line of inquiry led them to the UK and allegations that Jackson had instigated phone sex with a 13-year-old British boy in 1979.
Terry George, a DJ, claimed that he met the singer in Leeds when he was a fan and the two kept in touch.
George, 28 and a DJ at the time made the allegations, claimed the singer called him, described graphic sexual practices and encouraged him to do the same.
Details of the high-level investigations are revealed in a new biography by author Dylan Howard.
In his investigation into the singer, Howard uncovered Federal files which show that LAPD suspected Jackson had violated the Slave Traffic Act, designed to stop the transportation of adults or kids for ‘prostitution, debauchery, or any other immoral purpose’.
As he delved deeper, Howard discovered the hefty accusations were not entirely unwarranted as, according to more secret FBI files, a year before the Chandler allegations a Canadian couple told authorities they suspected the singer had smuggled a child abuse victim across America by train. The couple both worked in child services.
They told investigators that Jackson was ‘very possessive of the boy at night’ and that they heard ‘questionable noises’ during the journey.
When they asked, they were told the boy was cousin. “Incredibly, the situation was never fully investigated,” says Howard.
Jackson’s MO of identifying young child companions as relatives rings true. Several years later in 1996, on his honeymoon with Debbie Rowe, he spent lots of time with a ‘new special friend’.
The eight-year-old was called Anthony and Michael claimed he was a nephew if anyone asked.
Revelations uncovered in Bad raise fresh questions about the singer and his relationship with the many young children he travelled with. Chillingly, Howard uncovers rumours of historic patterns of abuse going back decades.
One insider told the author: “He started far earlier than people think. His abuses go back more than 30 years and may involve thousands of victims.”
The claims have been mirrored by Vince Finaldi, attorney for Finding Neverland victim Wade Robson. The lawyer accuses Jackson of operating ‘the most sophisticated child sexual abuse procurement and facilitation operation the world has ever known.”
And, Howard reveals that there may be even darker secrets to be exposed.
Michael Jackson's crumbling Neverland ranch was left to rot after he moved out
Jackson’s long-time associate, jailbird private eye Anthony Pellicano, who worked for The Star until the mid-2000s, recently made a confession. In an interview he revealed: “I quit because I found out some truths. He (Jackson) did something far worse to young boys than molest them.”
But the PI has refused to go into further detail, so we may never know the truth about the depravity of the star.
Neverland Ranch, Ca
Ghislaine Maxwell admits she is married, and was refused bail in a Manhattan court
Prosecutors say Maxwell, who has pleaded not guilty to involvement in Jeffrey Epstein crimes, has declined to identify spouse to officials
An artist’s impression of Ghislaine Maxwell appearing via video link during her arraignment hearing in court in Manhattan on Tuesday. Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
Victoria Bekiempis in New York
The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who faces federal charges in Manhattan for allegedly enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking of minor girls, is married, prosecutors said during a court proceeding.
Prosecutors made the revelation on Tuesday when arguing that Maxwell should be detained pending trial.
Maxwell, who had asked for release on a $5m bond co-signed by six people, was ultimately denied bail. Maxwell pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They also said Maxwell had “declined” to identify her spouse to court officials.
“In addition to failing to describe in any way the absence of proposed co-signers of a bond, the defendant also makes no mention whatsoever about the financial circumstances or assets of her spouse whose … identity she declined to provide to pretrial services,” assistant US attorney Alison Moe told Judge Alison Nathan.
“There is no information about who will be co-signing this bond or their assets and no details whatsoever.”
News of Maxwell’s purported marriage surfaced in earnest on Wednesday morning. Maxwell’s arraignment and bail proceeding was conducted via video, and audio repeatedly cut out for those observing from the courthouse; transcripts that became available late last night filled in some of these gaps.
However, many details of Maxwell’s secretive personal life were audible – including information on how she wound up living on the 156-acre Bradford, New Hampshire, estate where she was arrested on 2 July.
A real estate agent involved with the property’s sale told an FBI agent that the buyers introduced themselves as “Scott and Janet Marshall, who both have British accents”.
“Scott Marshall told her that the … that he was retired from the British military and he was currently working on writing a book. Janet Marshall described herself as a journalist who wants privacy. They told the agent they wanted to purchase the property quickly through a wire and that they were setting up an LLC,” Moe said, noting that this conversation took place in November 2019.
“Following [Maxwell’s] arrest, the real estate agent saw a photograph of [Maxwell] in the media and realized that the person who had introduced herself as Janet Marshall … was the defendant, Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Due to unclear audio, authorities clarified shortly after the proceeding that Maxwell’s alleged pseudonym was “Jen Marshall,” not “Janet Marshall”.
Moe also claimed in court that Maxwell was being evasive in discussing her finances with pre-trial services, claiming that she earns a “monthly income of nothing, zero dollars per month of income”. Maxwell also allegedly claimed that she “does not know the name of the corporation” that bought the sprawling property, “but … was just permitted to stay in the house”.
Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, is charged in a 17-page indictment with conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and perjury.
Epstein was arrested last July, and killed himself in federal jail last August.
Or, more accurately, was suicided!
Maxwell’s trial date was set for 12 July 2021, and is expected to take approximately two weeks. The 58-year-old faces up to 35 years in federal prison if convicted of all six counts.
Maxwell has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Her lawyers have said she “vigorously denies the charges” and is “entitled to the presumption of innocence”.
Federal Judge Rejects $46.8 Million Settlement Of Harvey Weinstein Sexual Abuse Claims
Elana Lyn GrossForbes Staff
U.S. District Court Judge on Tuesday rejected a $46.8 million settlement of civil suits against Harvey Weinstein accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in February 2020. AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The settlement would have used insurance company funds to pay off the remaining claims in the Weinstein Company bankruptcy, with $18.9 million going to class-action claimants and their attorneys, $5.4 million to individual plaintiffs and additional money to trade creditors, defense attorneys working for Weinstein and the other Weinstein Company officers and directors.
At the preliminary approval hearing Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which lasted only 20 minutes, Hellerstein said that the case is not suitable for class action, that the agreement would treat all victims the same and that “women who have been raped are entitled to a much greater recovery than those who just met him.”
Hellerstein also objected to a plan to set aside money to help Weinstein and the former board of the Weinstein Company pay defense costs, saying, “the idea that Harvey Weinstein could get a defense fund ahead of the plaintiffs is obnoxious.”
According to the agreement, a “special master” would evaluate each woman’s claim and assign a monetary value, which Hellerstein objected to, saying that it should be up to a judge to decide and was an “abdication of the court’s responsibility.”
Lawyers for the victims applauded Hellerstein’s decision: “We have been saying for over a year-and-a-half that the settlement terms and conditions were unfair and should never be imposed on sexual assault survivors,” Douglas Wigdor, Kevin Mintzer and Bryan Arbeit said in a joint statement, calling it a “one-sided proposal.”
Weinstein's civil attorney, Imran Ansari, said earlier this month that Weinstein "remains intently focused in defending himself on all remaining legal matters, including the appeal of his criminal conviction, civil lawsuits and the charges filed against him in LA."
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