CLEVELAND (AP) — A U.S. man has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding fellow Amish in 29 states out of nearly $17 million. The attorney for 77-year-old Monroe Beachy filed a notice informing federal court of Beachy’s “intention to plead guilty as charged.” Beachy declined to comment Tuesday. The case has shaken the deeply traditional Amish religious community across the U.S. According to the indictment, nearly 2,700 people and entities, including an Amish community loan fund, lost about $16.8 million... Read more

CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio man will plead guilty in federal court to defrauding fellow Amish in 29 states out of nearly $17 million as part of a case the man’s church had hoped to shield from publicity and outside involvement, the government said Tuesday. The attorney for Monroe L. Beachy, 77, owner of A&M Investments in Sugarcreek, filed a recent notice informing federal court of his “intention to plead guilty as charged.” U.S. attorney’s spokesman Mike Tobin confirmed the... Read more

CLEVELAND (AP) — A man has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding his fellow Amish in 29 states out of nearly $17 million, the government said Tuesday. The attorney for Monroe L. Beachy, 77, owner of A&M Investments, notified a federal court of Beachy’s “intention to plead guilty as charged” and spokesman Mike Tobin with the U.S. attorney’s office confirmed the pending guilty plea. Ohio’s Amish communities, concentrated in rural counties south and east of Cleveland, have a modest lifestyle,... Read more

CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio man has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding fellow Amish in 29 states out of nearly $17 million The attorney for 77-year-old Monroe Beachy, owner of A&M Investments in Sugarcreek, filed a notice informing federal court of Beachy’s “intention to plead guilty as charged.” The judge changed Thursday’s pretrial hearing in Youngstown to a change of plea hearing. Beachy declined to comment Tuesday on whether he had struck a plea bargain or why he was... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for an Algerian native accused of planning to blow up synagogues said Tuesday that her client was a mentally unstable man targeted by the New York Police Department as part of its “unconstitutional and illegal” surveillance of Muslims. “They find this man who is mentally ill, who has a criminal record, who has a drug problem and they target him,” said Elizabeth Fink, one of the attorneys representing Ahmed Ferhani. “What’s happening in the... Read more

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former financial executive of the Philadelphia archdiocese has been charged with stealing over $900,000 from the church. City prosecutors say 42-year-old Anita Guzzardi surrendered Tuesday. She was fired in July, weeks after becoming chief financial officer. Prosecutors say Guzzardi used hundreds of church checks to pay personal credit card bills from 2005 to 2011. The investigation began when American Express contacted authorities. Guzzardi’s lawyer did not immediately return a message Tuesday. The woman had worked for... Read more

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former financial executive of the Philadelphia archdiocese has been charged with stealing over $900,000 from the church. City prosecutors say 42-year-old Anita Guzzardi surrendered Tuesday. She was fired in July, weeks after becoming chief financial officer. Prosecutors say Guzzardi used hundreds of church checks to pay personal credit card bills from 2005 to 2011. The investigation began when American Express contacted authorities. Guzzardi’s lawyer did not immediately return a message Tuesday. The Haddon Heights, N.J., woman... Read more

HAVANA (AP) — Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana has delivered a rare televised speech about Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to Cuba. Ortega says Benedict is coming as a pilgrim to honor the 400th anniversary of the appearance of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, the patron of Cuba. He adds that the pontiff is interesting in reviving the faith in countries that were Christianized long ago but “need a new evangelization.” Fewer than 10 percent of Cubans... Read more

HAVANA (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church says Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega will give a televised speech about Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit. Church spokesman Orlando Marquez says Ortega’s speech is to air Tuesday evening on state-run channel Cubavision. A similar address will be given next week by the archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, another planned stop on Benedict’s March 26-28 tour. The Cuban government controls all TV and radio broadcasting. The church has had occasional access to the airwaves... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Two polls of New Yorkers offered conflicting views Tuesday about the police department’s gathering of intelligence on Muslims as it guards the city against another terrorist attack. A survey by Quinnipiac University showed most voters in the city believe police have acted appropriately toward Muslims, while another, broader poll by Baruch College found New Yorkers evenly divided over whether the department should be focusing on Muslims. Polling experts attributed the divergent findings to differences in wording... Read more