An Ephrata lawyer charged with threatening to kill government officials in Washington, D.C. has been disbarred.
The state Supreme Court s order on Wednesday prevents Kenelm Shirk III from practicing law. Though effective June 11, the Supreme Court noted Shirk has resigned.
Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler announced in February a single charge of threatening to murder Democratic U.S. senators against Shirk, 71. A grand jury indicted Shirk on Feb. 3.
Shirk has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled for trial Aug. 2 and has been in federal detention since since shortly after his arrest. Shirk s firm, Shirk Law Associates in Ephrata, had been the longtime solicitor for Akron Borough, but Akron dropped him after his arrest.
York man gets 33 years in federal prison for running prostitution ring
Updated Apr 12, 2021;
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A York man has been sentenced to 33 years in federal prison for running a brutal prostitution ring in which, according to federal prosecutors, he used violence and access to drugs to force his victims to work for him according to his rules.
Robert Lee Johnson, 55, of York, Pennsylvania, received his sentence in federal court after pleading guilty to “sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion” last June.
Johnson was charged in November 2018 with recruiting multiple victims to perform sex acts for pay at local hotels between November 2015 and August 2016, after an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. At the time of his arrest, Johnson was serving a state prison sentence for a dealing drugs out of York County.
Editor s note: This story has been updated to add comment from Shirk s attorney, who did respond earlier Wednesday to a reporter s message seeking comment, though the message was not immediately seen.
Federal prosecutors have taken over the case of an Ephrata lawyer accused of threatening to kill government officials in the Washington, D.C., and have specified he planned to killed Democratic senators, though they did not identify his targets by name.
Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler announced the single charge of threatening to murder Democratic U.S. senators against Kenelm Shirk III, 71, on Wednesday. A grand jury indicted Shirk on Feb. 3; the case had been sealed until now.
Editor s note: This story has been updated to add comment from Shirk s attorney, who did respond earlier Wednesday to a reporter s message seeking comment, though the message was not immediately
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U.S. Attorney s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania issued the following announcement on Jan. 21.
Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler announced that his office has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Special Inspector General Brian D. Miller of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR), regarding the investigation and prosecution of fraud relating to CARES Act funding.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler stated: “This partnership is part of our on-going efforts to investigate and prosecute the fraudsters who have stolen millions of dollars from government backed relief programs during the pandemic. This is a high-priority area for our office and we look forward to working with SIGPR to hold accountable anyone who illegally profited at the expense of the American taxpayer.”