Jul 16, 2004   | COMMENTS     

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced on July 8 to five years in federal prison for plotting to fire bomb abortion clinics, churches and gay bars. Stephen John Jordi, 36, pleaded guilty in February to a single charge of attempted arson of an abortion clinic. Judge James Cohn declined to sentence Jordi under a federal terrorism law, which could have resulted in a longer sentence. Cohn explained that federal sentencing rules require plots to have an international component in order to be considered terrorism. “This crime was strictly domestic and in no way transcended national boundaries,” Cohn said. Jordi’s attorney, Anne Lyons, told the Associated Press that her client was the victim of an “aggressive confidential informant.” Jordi has his own Web page, which is linked to the Army of God Web site (www.armyofgod.com/stephenjordi). On his Web site, Jordi claims he was entrapped by a federal informant and accuses his own brother of “ratting” on him.

N.Y. appeals court closes Wall Street-area gay sauna
NEW YORK — A New York court has closed a popular downtown sex club, citing a threat to the city’s health. Wall Street Sauna had been an attraction for businessmen looking for a midday rendezvous, among other things. New York City Department of Health undercover officials had witnessed dozens of high-risk sex acts on premises when they sought, and received, a partial closing of the establishment in February. Management promised to curtail the high-risk behavior, but the Health Department said officials continued to witness those sex acts. “High-risk conduct was so pervasive at this establishment that the new management’s promises cannot be deemed a sufficient safeguard against their continuation,” the decision of the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, read. The court went on to say that the partial closing was not sufficient in curtailing the behavior because closing “only a portion of the premises would probably cause the high-risk conduct to migrate to the portion of the premises permitted to remain open.”

Seattle gay activists rally after assault on gay man
SEATTLE — In a city known as being accepting of gay people, an attack last month against a gay man has unified residents, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported. Three men beat Micah Painter and used a broken vodka bottle to slash him, leaving him seriously injured in an attack outside a gay bar, the newspaper reported. Since the incident, gay activists have come together, and planned a rally late last week, the Post-Intelligencer reported. “This type of viciousness is not something the community has seen,” Meighan Doherty, a gay activist, told the newspaper. “It’s really hit home for a lot of people.” Seattle police are still investigating the attack, while gay rights advocates work to raise awareness of such crimes, the Post-Intelligencer reported. Police said they have promising leads in the case, but have not given further details, the Post-Intelligencer reported. The attack has been classified a hate crime, police told the newspaper.

Gay man’s disappearance probed by Ft. Lauderdale homicide unit
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Police are seeking tips in the case of a man who disappeared June 26 from his home at Drake Tower Condominium in Fort Lauderdale. Mark Douglas Jackson, 35, was last seen at his condo at about 5 a.m. on June 26, police said. Earlier, during the evening of June 25, Jackson went to the Coliseum, a local gay club, with a friend who was visiting from out of town, police said. Police declined to identify the friend. Jackson and the friend left the Coliseum together and returned to Jackson’s condo, police said. A surveillance camera captured Jackson and his friend entering Jackson’s condo building in the early morning hours of June 26. When he awoke the next morning, the friend said, Jackson was gone, said Det. Mark Breen of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. The friend said Jackson left behind a note. The friend, who was visiting for the weekend, is not a suspect, Breen said.

Alleged sexual predator arrested in Houston
HOUSTON — An avalanche of charges are expected in the coming weeks against a 50-year-old accountant who has confessed to being the man homeless youth in the city call “Spanky.” Police said James Michael Broomas, was arrested July 6 and accused of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy in 1999. Houston police investigator Matt Dexter said more charges are likely as additional victims are located. Broomas came under investigation about two months ago after police received an anonymous letter sent to a state legislator detailing the suspect’s activities and indicating that his treatment of victims may have bordered on sadistic. Dexter said Broomas told investigators he has been preying on teens for about 20 years.