News Briefs
July 8, 1996
Web posted at: 11:00 p.m. EDT'Russian godfather' found guilty
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two guilty verdicts were returned Monday in the federal case against the man known as the "Russian godfather." Vyacheslav Ivankov, 55, was found guilty of attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion.
The government portrayed Ivankov as the creator of an international underworld organization that committed murders, trafficked in drugs, smuggled arms and specialized in extortion from Russian immigrants in the United States.
His attorney, Barry Slotnik, says Ivankov is an innocent immigrant businessman, framed by the Soviet regime for his anti-Communist beliefs.
Related story:
- Russian mob grows in Brooklyn - May 23, 1996
Five die in Ohio helicopter crash
SALEM, Ohio (CNN) -- A helicopter crashed Monday morning in a Salem field, killing all five people aboard, the Ohio Highway Patrol said Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash to determine its cause.
The helicopter was a 1975 JetRanger made by Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. Some 8,000 Model 206B JetRangers have been built for military use, as corporate aircraft and for use by law enforcement and emergency medical agencies, among many other uses.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related sites:
Cruise canceled after engine-room fire
SEATTLE (CNN) -- A cruise ship engine-room fire forced the cancellation of a 10-day trip from San Francisco to Alaska's Inside Passage. The Princess Cruises' Golden Princess, carrying 839 passengers and 420 crew members, was disabled by the fire Saturday and had to be towed to the Canadian port of Victoria, British Columbia. No one was hurt.
Passengers were to be bused to Seattle Monday to make return flights home, said a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-based cruise line. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two wrong-way traffic accidents kill nine people
(CNN) -- Two separate traffic accidents involving wrong-way drivers killed nine people in Texas and Arizona Sunday. In the Texas wreck, a truck going the wrong way on a one-way road slammed into an oncoming car, killing five men. The crash happened near Sweeny, a small town about 40 miles south of Houston.
In Apache Junction, Arizona, four people died when a car traveling the wrong way on U.S. 60 slammed into an approaching car. In both accidents, the wrong-way drivers were among those killed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related sites:
Yesterday's Briefs
FeedbackSend us your comments.Selected responses are posted daily. |
|
![[Imagemap]](/US/images/9601/navbar.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
