News of the Day From Across the Nation, Aug. 11
1 Vegas plot: A man who authorities say worked as a security guard has been arrested and accused of plotting to firebomb a Las Vegas synagogue or a bar catering to LGTBQ customers. Conor Climo, 23, was arrested by an FBI-led anti-terrorism task force, said U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich. U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Koppe on Friday ordered Climo to remain in federal custody pending an Aug. 23 court appearance on a federal firearms charge. Climo’s lawyer didn’t respond to messages. Court documents say Climo communicated by encrypted internet chat with people identified as white supremacists and told an FBI informant in recent weeks that he was scouting places to attack.
2 Corruption probe: Scott Maddox, a suspended commissioner in Tallahassee who once ran the Florida Democratic Party, has been removed from office. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday removing Maddox from his commission seat. Maddox pleaded guilty last week to wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud. Maddox and his associate Paige Carter-Smith admitted they accepted $30,000 from Uber in exchange for his influence on the commission. They also admitted they accepted $30,000 from undercover FBI agents posing as developers.
3 Sex crime plea: The founder of a company in Austin, Texas, that sells plans for making untraceable 3-D printed guns has pleaded guilty to having sex with a girl. Cody Wilson pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of injury to a child under a plea deal with prosecutors. Wilson initially faced sexual assault charges. The recommended sentence would keep Wilson out of prison while requiring him to register as a sex offender for seven years. Wilson was arrested in Taiwan last year, where police say he flew after learning he was being investigated over the...