Federal prison

Twin brothers Se Youn "Steve" Kim and Hee Young "Ted" Kim, 42-year-old MRI technicians, have pleaded guilty to federal tax charges after running a scheme that reserved thousands of tee times at public golf courses in Los Angeles and Orange counties and resold them to golfers for a fee. Prosecutors say the pair deposited proceeds into personal accounts even after forming a corporate entity, and deliberately failed to report more than $1.3 million in combined income to the IRS. Steve Kim alone received roughly $810,000 between 2021 and 2023. Both admitted using company funds for personal expenses and cash withdrawals. Sentencing is set for January 12, 2027, with Steve Kim facing up to three years and Ted Kim up to five years in federal prison.

The case highlights broader frustration over tee-time brokering and surge pricing at public courses, which spurred California's new "PAR Act," recently signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, banning unauthorized resale of public tee-time reservations.

A federal judge in Wyoming has sentenced Nicole Rae Phipps, 42, of Colorado, to 133 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for her role as a distributor in a multistate drug trafficking operation. Phipps pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Investigators with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, DEA and Homeland Security Investigations began tracking Phipps and co-defendant Denny Jason Shrove in August 2025, uncovering weekly supply runs between Colorado and Wyoming to obtain methamphetamine and fentanyl. Wiretaps identified at least five smuggling trips in October 2025 alone, and authorities estimate Phipps was responsible for trafficking between 22 and 44 pounds of methamphetamine. A federal complaint filed in January named Phipps and six co-defendants, with dozens more facing state charges.

U.S. Attorney Darin Smith said the case reflects an aggressive push by federal, state, and local agencies to dismantle regional drug distribution networks operating across the two states.

Donald Ray McCray, 67, of Dallas has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of mailing threatening communications and a hoax weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors said McCray sent threatening letters to U.S. district court judges in the Northern District of Texas and the Eastern District of New York, and mailed envelopes containing white powder to the federal courthouse in Fort Worth and to the court clerk in Amarillo while he was incarcerated in a Texas state prison in March 2025.

Officials said the letters threatened to kill state and federal government employees, including judges, and that McCray made further threats at a court hearing after being indicted in June 2025. He will be returned to state custody to face a separate charge of attempted murder of a prison guard. Authorities described the case as an attack on the integrity of the federal judiciary.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman is launching a podcast to tell his side of the story behind his 2006 bribery conviction and six years in federal prison. Co-hosted with Nick Collado, the podcast will cover the 2002 election he narrowly lost, his subsequent prosecution, and the trial that ended his political career. It will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Siegelman, a Democrat, served one term as governor from 1999 to 2003 and is the only person in Alabama history to hold the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, lieutenant governor, and governor. He conceded the 2002 race to Republican Bob Riley amid disputed ballots in Baldwin County. In 2006, he and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy were convicted on bribery charges tied to a $500,000 campaign contribution allegedly exchanged for a health board appointment. Siegelman was sentenced to 78 months and released on house arrest in 2017. He has consistently maintained his innocence and regained his law license in 2021.