DOJ secures manslaughter conviction for Bear drug dealer who sold fentanyl that caused fatal overdose
Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Thursday, February 6, 2025
A Bear man has been convicted in Delaware’s first successful use of a homicide charge against a fentanyl dealer for causing a fatal overdose. On January 23, James Watson, 41, pleaded guilty to charges of Manslaughter and Drug Dealing in New Castle County Superior Court. As a part of the plea colloquy, Watson admitted […]
DOJ secures life sentence in Cynthia Amalfitano killing
Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
A Wilmington man has been sentenced in the 2023 murder of Cynthia Amalfitano. On January 31, Stephen Heck, 67, was sentenced to life in prison for Murder 1st Degree by a New Castle County Superior Court Judge. Heck was convicted at trial in October of 2024 following an investigation into the disappearance and death of […]
AG Jennings and multistate coalition block Trump Administration from freezing federal funds
Department of Justice | Department of Justice Office of Impact Litigation | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Friday, January 31, 2025
Attorney General Kathy Jennings today released the following statement after a federal court granted a motion filed by her office and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general to halt the implementation of a new Trump administration policy that would block federal agency grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs: “These are not just federal dollars: they are health […]
School administrator arrested on child pornography charges
Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Friday, January 31, 2025
A Middletown Head of School has been arrested and charged with 25 felony counts of Dealing in Child Pornography, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Friday. Justin Smith, 43, was arrested following an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) investigation led by the Delaware Department of Justice and Delaware State Police. ICAC’s investigation was spurred […]
DOJ announces 25th illicit massage establishment shut down in wake of successful campaign against sex buyerss
Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Thursday, January 30, 2025
Closing out Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Delaware Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Unit (HTU) today announced the shutdown of the 25th Illicit Massage Establishment (IME) since the Unit’s inception in 2022. This announcement comes in the wake of a successful campaign targeting prostitution and patronization issues across the state. The HTU focuses on a holistic approach that emphasizes collaboration with public […]
