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NYT: Judge orders deportation of Oak Ridge man who served as Nazi camp guard

Posted at 11:52 am March 6, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The New York Times reported Thursday that a federal immigration judge in Memphis has ordered the deportation of an Oak Ridge man who served at a Nazi concentration camp in Germany during World War II.

Friedrich Karl Berger, 94, was an armed guard in a sub camp of the Neuengamme concentration camp, where prisoners were held during the winter of 1945 and forced to work outdoors “to the point of exhaustion and death,” the newspaper said.

The Times said Berger is a citizen of Germany, where he will be deported, and has continued to receive a pension based on his employment, “including his wartime service.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories, United States Tagged With: deportation, Friedrich Karl Berger, immigration judge, Nazi camp guard, New York Times, Rebecca L. Holt, Washington Post

For members: Mason found guilty of federal gun, drug charges

Posted at 5:36 pm January 20, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019
An Anderson County man who has been convicted of two homicides and has been charged in state court with the attempted murder of a deputy was found guilty in federal court on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, of gun and drug crimes that have potential sentences of life in prison. Charles Edward Mason, 52, is pictured above during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019, when one count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges were sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has been convicted of two homicides and has been charged in state court with the attempted murder of a deputy was found guilty in federal court on Friday of gun and drug crimes that have potential sentences of life in prison.

A 12-person jury deliberated for about two hours Friday morning before reaching a unanimous verdict on the four federal charges:

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has been convicted of two homicides and has been charged in state court with the attempted murder of a deputy was found guilty in federal court on Friday of gun and drug crimes that have potential sentences of life in prison.

A 12-person jury deliberated for about two hours Friday morning before reaching a unanimous verdict on the four federal charges.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: ACSD, Alan Randa, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, ATF, attempted first-degree murder, attempted murder, Brent N. Jones, Charles Edward Mason, Chris Conner, Dennis Pemberton, felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, Gabriel Collins, homicide, Jake Stone, Josh Hedrick, LaToyia Carpenter, Marion West, Matt McGhee, Nina Osia, ossessing and brandishing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Pamela L. Reeves, Randy Seay, trial, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, U.S. District Court, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

For members: Man charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, meth

Posted at 11:41 am January 12, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Joshua Andrew Koch

A 42-year-old Anderson County man is facing federal charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine after a search of a home in Claxton in July allegedly found about 230 grams of a white, crystal-like substance thought to be methamphetamine and roughly 69.5 grams of a brown powder substance suspected to be heroin, according to state and federal court records.

The defendant, Joshua Andrew Koch, has also been charged with federal financial and firearms crimes, and he has seven co-defendants in the case, although the charges vary by defendant. A seven-count federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville in November alleged a two-year conspiracy.

 

Joshua Andrew Koch

 

A 42-year-old Anderson County man is facing federal charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine after a search of a home in Claxton in July allegedly found about 230 grams of a white, crystal-like substance thought to be methamphetamine and roughly 69.5 grams of a brown powder substance suspected to be heroin, according to state and federal court records.

The defendant has also been charged with federal financial and firearms crimes, and he has seven co-defendants in the case, although the charges vary by defendant.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Tennessee, Top Stories, U.S., United States Tagged With: Anderson County General Sessions Court, Brianna J. Espinoza, cocaine, conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute, controlled substance, drug trafficking, firearm, grand jury, heroin, indictment, Jose O. Carrillo-Monterrosas, Joshua Andrew Koch, Kevin D. Green, Kristi M. Dixon, Maria L. Hightower, methamphetamine, money laundering, Neal Baldwin, Ricky D. Stinnett, Shannon R. Sisk, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, U.S. District Court

For members: Man sentenced to more than 12 years on federal meth conspiracy charge

Posted at 4:33 am January 6, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Samuel McCoy Wade

An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Samuel Wade agreed to plead guilty in April, and he was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Knoxville in August.

 

Samuel McCoy Wade

 

An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Top Stories, United States Tagged With: Anderson County General Sessions Court, Anderson County grand jury, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, Dan Freytag, methamphetamine, Oak Ridge Police Department, Pamela L. Reeves, Samuel Wade, Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force Oak Ridge Police Department, U.S. District Court

For members: AC man accused of trying to kill deputy also faces federal charges

Posted at 12:25 pm October 17, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019
One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, 52, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has two previous homicide convictions and has been accused in state court of trying to kill a deputy this year now faces federal gun and drug charges that could result, depending upon the circumstances, in a lifelong prison sentence.

Charles Edward Mason, 52, was charged last month with three federal felonies: felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; possession of, with intent to distribute, methamphetamine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The federal charges were filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on September 17.

 
Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, 52, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has two previous homicide convictions and has been accused in state court of trying to kill a deputy this year now faces federal drug and gun charges that could result, depending upon the circumstances, in a lifelong prison sentence.

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Filed Under: Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, United States Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, attempted murder, Benjamin G. Sharp, Bruce Guyton, Charles Edward Mason, drug trafficking, federal charges, felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, LaToyia Carpenter, methamphetamine, Pamela L. Reeves, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. District Court

Judge voids UPF decision, requires more seismic hazard analysis

Posted at 10:10 pm September 24, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Uranium Processing Facility
Structural steel installation is under way on the eastern half of the Main Process Building of the Uranium Processing Facility, the Y-12 National Security Complex said Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (Photo courtesy CNS Y-12)

Note This story was last updated at 9:38 a.m. Sept. 25.

A federal judge in Knoxville on Tuesday said a critical decision made in 2016 for enriched uranium operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex, including for the $6.5 billion Uranium Processing Facility, violated a national environmental law, and she ordered the decision vacated, or set aside.

The UPF is already under construction, and Wedenesday morning, the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees work at Y-12, said construction will continue.

The 104-page opinion and order was filed in U.S. District Court on Tuesday by Chief U.S. District Judge Pamela L. Reeves.

One of the plaintiffs said the decision to vacate the amended record of decision published in the Federal Register in 2016 means the NNSA no longer has the legal authority to continue construction work at UPF.

But the NNSA said it was pleased that the court’s memorandum opinion rejected almost all of the plaintiff’s claims regarding National Environmental Policy Act violations related to UPF construction.

“However, with the court agreeing that there was inadequate consideration of new information concerning seismic hazards at Y-12, NNSA will review the seismic analysis while conferring with the Department of Justice on the possibility of appeal,” the NNSA said. “In the meantime, construction of UPF will proceed.”

Besides the amended record of decision, Reeves said supplement analyses prepared in 2016 and 2018 also violated the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, and she said they were to be set aside as well.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, United States, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: environmental impact statement, lawsuit, National Environmental Policy Act, National Nuclear Security Administration, NEPA, NNSA, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Pamela L. Reeves, Ralph Hutchison, record of decision, seismic hazard, supplement analysis, U.S. Department of Energy, UPF, UPF construction, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

For members: Company ordered to pay $500,000 fine after improperly shipping radioactive materials

Posted at 11:15 pm May 31, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Federal Agents at Berthold Technologies
An Oak Ridge company has been ordered to pay a $500,000 federal fine about two years after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to the improper shipping of radioactive materials in devices used in the oil and gas “fracking” industry. Federal agents search the business, Berthold Technologies USA LLC on Midway Road, on Thursday, Jan. 22. 2015. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

KNOXVILLE—An Oak Ridge company has been ordered to pay a $500,000 federal fine about two years after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to the improper shipping of radioactive materials in devices used in the oil and gas “fracking” industry.

The devices, used to measure the density of fluids in natural gas fracking operations, were shipped from Oak Ridge to Texas and Oklahoma in March and October 2014, according to the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Federal Agents at Berthold Technologies

KNOXVILLE—An Oak Ridge company has been ordered to pay a $500,000 federal fine about two years after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to the improper shipping of radioactive materials in devices used in the oil and gas “fracking” industry.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today.  Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here. Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here: Basic

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If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to: Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Business, Courts, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Top Stories, United States Tagged With: Berthold Technologies, Berthold Technologies USA LLC, Berthold USA, cesium-137, Eastern District of Tennessee, fracking, hazardous materials, LB8010, Matthew T. Morris, radioactive materials, Tena Campbell, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. District Court, United States Attorney's Office, Wade Davies

Friday: NBC’s ‘Dateline’ to focus on bank heists by Benanti, Witham

Posted at 1:13 pm May 3, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Matthew Yussman (Photo courtesy Dateline NBC)

A new two-hour “Dateline” on Friday will focus on the bank heists by Michael Benanti and Brian Witham, two men who pleaded guilty to or were convicted of their roles in a violent bank extortion and robbery spree in four states and several cities, including Oak Ridge and Knoxville, NBC News said this week.

Oak Ridge Today covered the case, and the Knoxville News Sentinel had extensive coverage.

Here is the official listing and preview link:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, United States Tagged With: bank extortion, bank heist, Brian Witham, carjacking, Dateline, extortion, kidnapping, Michael Benanti, NBC, robbery, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Exclusive: Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against CNS

Posted at 11:35 am September 13, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that was filed three years ago after Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC began managing and operating the Y-12 National Security Complex and made changes to health care benefits.

The changes in benefits led to protests, mostly by retirees, near Y-12 and the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office just before they took effect January 1, 2015.

Y-12 retirees Betty Hatmaker and Charlene Edwards, who had been among the protesters, filed the lawsuit that summer. The 31-page civil complaint was filed August 12, 2015, in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Hatmaker and Edwards sought to make their lawsuit a class action complaint, meaning they could have represented other plaintiffs, possibly including several thousand former Y-12 workers who retired between 1975 and 2015.

A trial had been scheduled for June 25, but the case was dismissed by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan on May 30.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today. 

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Filed Under: Courts, Front Page News, Health, National Nuclear Security Administration, Premium Content, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, United States, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Betty Hatmaker, Charlene Edwards, Charles E. Young Jr., CNS, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, Employee Retirement Income Security Act, fiduciary duties, Greg Coleman Law PC, Gregory F. Coleman, health care benefits, John C. Burgin Jr., John E. Winters, Kramer Rayson LLP, Kristi McKinney Stogsdill, lawsuit, Mark E. Silvey, National Nuclear Security Administration, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. District Court, Y-12 National Security Complex

UPF lawsuit: NNSA considering new, supplemental environmental impact statement for Y-12

Posted at 1:35 pm May 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

With a lawsuit pending, federal officials are considering whether a new or supplemental environmental impact statement is needed for the Y-12 National Security Complex after design plans changed for the Uranium Processing Facility, the largest federal construction project in Tennessee since World War II.

As part of the process, the National Nuclear Security Administration is preparing what is known as a supplement analysis, or SA. A draft of the new SA has been issued, and you can read it on the Y-12 website.

Comments on the draft supplement analysis can be submitted through June 20.

The final new supplement analysis and a record of decision could be issued by July 27, although the schedule is subject to change, according to a joint status report filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on May 11. The record of decision is expected to say whether a new or supplemental environmental impact statement is required for Y-12.

There was a site-wide environmental impact statement, or EIS, prepared for Y-12 in 2011. About five years later, in 2016, there was a supplement analysis prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act. It was connected to the decision by the NNSA and U.S. Department of Energy to not prepare a new or supplemental environmental impact statement after the NNSA decided on a new multi-building design for the UPF, rather than a single-building design, as part of an effort to keep project costs down, among other considerations. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Federal, Front Page News, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, United States, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Administrative Procedure Act, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DOE, Ed Sullivan, environmental impact statement, Frank G. Klotz, Jack Carl Hoefer, James Richard “Rick” Perry, James Richard “Rick” Perry and Frank G. Klotz, Linda Ewald, Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, National Environmental Policy Act, National Nuclear Security Administration, Natural Resources Defense Council, NNSA, Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Pamela L. Reeves, Ralph Hutchison, record of decision, site-wide environmental impact statement, summary judgement, supplement analysis, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. District Court, U.S. Geological Survey, UPF, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

UPF lawsuit moved from DC to Knoxville

Posted at 8:13 am April 5, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A rendering of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image from May 2017 courtesy of NNSA)

A rendering of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image from May 2017 courtesy of NNSA)

 

The federal lawsuit that asks for an environmental review of the new multi-building design for the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex has been transferred from Washington, D.C., to Knoxville.

The transfer of the civil complaint had been requested in September by the defendants, U.S. Energy Secretary James Richard “Rick” Perry and Frank G. Klotz, former administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. The NNSA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy that manages nuclear weapons programs and facilities, including Y-12, among other activities.

United States District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, who was assigned the case in December, granted the motion to transfer the lawsuit from the District of Columbia to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, which includes the Knoxville division, on March 23.

The 44-page federal lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on July 20, argues that a new environmental impact statement should be prepared for the new design for the UPF, the largest federal construction project in Tennessee since World War II. The plaintiffs allege that the NNSA’s decision to use several new buildings for the UPF, rather than just one, and continue to use some old buildings at Y-12 for some nuclear weapons work is risky because the old buildings could collapse during a major earthquake, possibly leading to a nuclear accident that could release radiological materials.

Federal officials denied that allegation and others in a 29-page response filed September 29. They’ve called some allegations vague, ambiguous, or speculative, and they have said that safety and technical analyses are under way at Y-12. Some buildings may require seismic upgrades, depending upon evaluation results, and an Extended Life Program is meant to ensure that two buildings—Building 9215 and Building 9204-2E—will safely support future operations, federal officials said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Courts, Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, United States, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Administrative Procedure Act, Amended Record of Decision, Dabney L. Friedrich, District of Columbia, Eastern District of Tennessee, Ed Sullivan, environmental impact statement, federal lawsuit, Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement, Frank G. Klotz, highly enriched uranium, Jack Carl Hoefer, James Richard “Rick” Perry, Linda Ewald, National Environmental Policy Act, National Nuclear Security Administration, Natural Resources Defense Council, NEPA, NNSA, Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons work, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Ralph Hutchison, record of decision, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. District Court, UPF, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

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