Jennifer Arbittier: Latest News

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for blowing up an ATM during the civil unrest in spring 2020. According to United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams, 26-year-old David Elmakayes was given the sentence and three years of supervised release for "using an explosive device to damage an ATM machine and for illegally possessing a firearm." Elmakayes was charged with malicious damage of property with an explosive device, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and related charges on June 18, 2020. Officials say on the night of June 3, 2020, he used an explosive device to damage an ATM on the 200 block of East Westmoreland Street in North Philadelphia. FOX 29's Dave Schratwieser reports.According to authorities, at the time of his arrest, Elmakayes also had three more explosive devices in his possession along with a .32 caliber pistol. MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"This defendant took advantage of a volatile situation on the streets of Philadelphia to commit a dangerous act that could have injured many people," Williams said. "Damaging property with an explosive device and illegally carrying a firearm are federal crimes which our Office will aggressively prosecute.

David Elmakayes, 26, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for blowing up an ATM in North Philadelphia during civil unrest in 2020.  PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for blowing up an ATM during the civil unrest in spring 2020. According to United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams, 26-year-old David Elmakayes was given the sentence and three years of supervised release for "using an explosive device to damage an ATM machine and for illegally possessing a firearm." Elmakayes was charged with malicious damage of property with an explosive device, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and related charges on June 18, 2020. Officials say on the night of June 3, 2020, he used an explosive device to damage an ATM on the 200 block of East Westmoreland Street in North Philadelphia. FOX 29's Dave Schratwieser reports.According to authorities, at the time of his arrest, Elmakayes also had three more explosive devices in his possession along with a .32 caliber pistol. MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"This defendant took advantage of a volatile situation on the streets of Philadelphia to commit a dangerous act that could have injured many people," Williams said. "Damaging property with an explosive device and illegally carrying a firearm are federal crimes which our Office will aggressively prosecute.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man was among two people charged for allegedly trafficking nearly 60 guns into Philadelphia from South Carolina, according to federal authorities.United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced charges Friday against Terrance Darby, 41, and Ontavious Plumer, 32.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man is facing federal charges for allegedly shooting a SWAT officer who was executing an arrest warrant at a Fairhill apartment building last February. United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams on Wednesday said 35-year-old Kristian Reyes was wanted by authorities for state probation and parole violations. Members of the Philadelphia Police Department's SWAT team went to arrest Reyes at a property on the 100 block of West Lehigh Avenue on Feb. 11, but they did not receive a response after announcing their presence, according to investigators. Officers breached the door and headed up a narrow stairwell to a third-floor apartment and knocked where they again announced their presence but received no response. A Philadelphia police SWAT officer was treated and released at a local hospital after police say he was shot in his bulletproof vest in North Philadelphia while serving a warrant.While waiting for equipment to gain access to the apartment, investigators say the leader of the SWAT team heard multiple popping sounds and realized he was shot in the vest. The officer was rushed to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced Wednesday that two Philadelphia men are facing charges related to multiple carjackings across Philadelphia and Delaware counties. In early April, U.S. Attorney Williams announced that a federal grand jury formally charged the suspects.

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced on Tuesday that a 55-year-old Philadelphia man was sentenced to almost 22 years in prison for multiple attacks against US postal workers.  September 2021, authorities say James Chandler pleaded guilty in to charges in connection with two incidents that occurred on January 11 and February 4, 2021.

PHILADELPHIA - A new poll from the Pew Research Center found that Philadelphia residents are the most pessimistic they have been in over a decade. Researchers found that 63% of people polled believe that Philadelphia is on the wrong track, with gun violence receiving the lion's share of the blame. According to the latest data from the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 127 homicides in the city this year which outpaces a historically bloody 2021. "A lot of evidence that crime has gone up, and it makes people very frustrated, very scared, and very at a loss of what to do about it," Attorney and CEO of Advocate To Win Heather Hansen said.U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams stopped by Good Day Philadelphia to discuss the ‘All Hands on Deck’ initiative that focused local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts on stopping gun violence.She believes that the COVID-19 pandemic secluded people from societal norms of behaving with courtesy, as evident by a violence spike in hospitals and airplanes. "It’s in large part because we’ve forgotten how to be patient, how to wait, how to interact in public," Hansen said.Philadelphians exhausted and frightened by the constant threat of violence, drugs and other street crimes would like to see more police, according to the poll. "I’m just concerned," said Jeff Benson, who has a daughter that lives in Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man was sentenced Thursday to one year in prison for shining a laser pointer at an airborne Philadelphia police helicopter last December. Raji Yusuf, 36, will also serve three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $1,000 fine, according to United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams.Prosecutors said a Philadelphia police helicopter with two aboard was on routine night patrol near the Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 10 p.m. when the aircraft was struck multiple times by a "high intensity green laser."The laser illuminated the cockpit and temporarily distorted the officers vision, according to investigators.

FILE - Police lights are shown in a close up image. (Credit: FOX TV Stations) BETHLEHEM, Pa. - A Pennsylvania father and son were arrested after law enforcement agents uncovered a stockpile of unregistered fully automatic firearms during a search of the family's home. U.S.

PHILADELPHIA - A 78-year-old Montgomery County man has been sentenced in the theft and sale of a rare antique rifle, dating to 1775.United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams made the announcement Tuesday, stating 78-year-old Thomas Gavin, of Pottstown, pleaded guilty in July of disposal of an object of cultural heritage stolen from a museum.As part of the plea, Williams explained, Gavin admitted to stealing the Christian Oerter rifle from the Valley Forge State Park Museum in 1971.

PHILADELPHIA - Eight civilian employees of the Philadelphia Police Department have been indicted on federal charges after authorities say they fraudulently obtained emergency unemployment benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic. United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced Tuesday that the eight defendants were charged with one count of mail or wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds for allegedly obtaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) while working for the department. The employees facing charges have been identified by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as: Seven of the eight who were charged are employed as radio dispatchers for the department.

PHILADELPHIA - A former United States Golf Association employee has been charged in a scheme to embezzle funds from the unauthorized sale of U.S. Open Championship tickets, Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced Tuesday.According to a statement released by Williams, Robert Fryer, 39, of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, faces conspiracy, wire fraud, and mail fraud charges.Fryer allegedly used his position ahead of the 2013 U.S.