Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

This Fake Doctor/Con Man Must Be Stopped…Stat

Nope, it’s not Martin Shkreli! Malachi Love-Johnson is back in the news. Love-Johnson gained national attention in February after he was charged with practicing medicine without a license.

This past weekend Malachi was arrested at a luxury car dealership for attempting to buy a Jaguar for $35,000 using his godmother’s credit. Thing is, Love-Johnson’s godmother did not know that the teenager was using her name to co-sign a Jaguar and had done so TWICE before in the same week.

Love-Johnson had also conned his way into buying two iPads and a cellphone using his godmother’s credit card. Man, this poor, oblivious woman.

Fla. teen ‘Dr. Love’ arrested at Va. car dealership; ‘He fooled me at first,’ employee says https://t.co/jpy9wlZPy8 pic.twitter.com/GRQESodWm7

— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) September 11, 2016

Love-Robinson is being held on charges of Identity Fraud, False Statements to Obtain Credit, and Obtaining Money by False Pretenses.

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The post RantCrush Top 5: September 13, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Jessica Alba Thinks Honest Company Lawsuits are NBD

Jessica Alba’s Honest Company, which produces home and personal care items like detergent and soap has been under fire for…well, for being not that honest. But during an interview with the “Today” show yesterday, Alba explained she’s not too worried about the suits, saying:

If an organization wants to bring awareness to their cause, I’m an easy target and our brand is an easy target obviously, because I get a different kind of attention than other brands would. We stand by our ingredients, the effectiveness of the products and we’re pretty optimistic that we’re going to win every case.

via GIPHY

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: August 26, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

What’s With Those Harambe Memes?

Ever since the tragic death of the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla, Harambe, the ape has become an internet sensation in the worst way possible. Harambe died and was reborn a meme. If you are so blessed as to have never seen these memes, today is your last day in the dark…sorry.

“Harambe was just a regular gorilla” pic.twitter.com/pJGqXi0pLS

— nate (@nateidk) July 28, 2016

That’s not even the worst of it. We’re keeping it PG today. 

Harambe is now known as a god, a prophet, and a saint of the internet. It’s actually getting pretty out of hand. It’s taking over people’s lives. 

always great to see people supporting the greatest gorilla to ever live ✊ pic.twitter.com/RA1QtFxXiy

— Harambe (@itsHarambae) July 10, 2016

So much so that the Cincinnati Zoo has asked people stop making the memes. The zoo director, Thayne Maynard, said in a statement to AP: “We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe. Our zoo family is still healing, and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us. We are honoring Harambe by redoubling our gorilla conservation efforts and encouraging others to join us.”

Things have only gotten worse.

cincinnati zoo: please stop making harambe memes

me: pic.twitter.com/5F0t8rejnX

— MATT KING (@MattrKing) August 22, 2016

The Cincinnati Zoo has since deleted its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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The post RantCrush Top 5: August 23, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Swimwear brand Speedo decided to drop its sponsorship of U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte after the scandal surrounding his robbery claim in Rio came to light. The company said that it can’t condone behavior that contradicts its values.

Last week, Lochte and three teammates claimed they were robbed at gunpoint at a gas station after a night out in Rio. But when police followed up with the swimmers, their statements differed from each other and Lochte’s nonchalant reaction to being threatened with a gun to his head, to which he responded by saying, “whatever,” also called his account into question.

By Thursday, it became clear that their reports of a robbery were embellished and possibly fictitious. Rio police said Lochte and friends had vandalized the gas station by tearing off the bathroom door and urinating on a wall. They then got out of the situation by paying the gas station owner for the damage. While questions about the Rio police’s handling of the incident came to light after USA Today reconstructed the events, it is clear that significant aspects of the original robbery story were fabricated.

On Friday, Lochte released a statement with an apology, saying he regretted not being more careful and candid in his description of the events. But for people in Rio, the damage to their city’s image is not yet fixed.

Speedo tweeted its formal statement on Monday:

The official response regarding our sponsorship of Ryan Lochte. pic.twitter.com/0DdP2RyceD

— Speedo USA (@SpeedoUSA) August 22, 2016

Other brands that have sponsorship deals with Lochte include Ralph Lauren and Japanese mattress company Airweave. Ralph Lauren said that it will not be renewing its contract with Lochte while Airweave told Bloomberg that it intends to maintain its partnership with the swimmer.

The spokesperson of the International Olympic Committee, Mario Andrada, made headlines when he defended the swimmers’ behavior on Thursday saying, “Let’s give these kids a break. Sometimes you take actions that you later regret. They are magnificent athletes.”

Considering Lochte is 32, that defense seems out of place, especially after social media users bullied U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas, who is only 20, for being “unpatriotic” during the Olympics.

The bizarre situation led to many reactions on social media, a pattern that continued in light of Speedo’s decision to drop its sponsorship on Monday:

Speedo publicly drops Ryan Lochte. I always assumed it would be the other way around.

— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) August 22, 2016

Hard to believe a guy with bleached hair in 2016 would turn out to be a total douche. #LochteMessMonster

— KevinDillon (@Dillonopolous) August 18, 2016

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Speedo Drops Sponsorship of Ryan Lochte After Robbery Scandal appeared first on Law Street.

At this point your guess is probably better than mine when it comes to answering the question “was Ryan Lochte lying about being robbed in Rio?” Not only has the silver-haired swimmer changed his story several times, but contradictory video footage from a security checkpoint and gas station seem to back up Brazilian authorities’ theory that the whole thing was an elaborate drunken coverup. In other words, things aren’t looking too good for the 12-time Olympic medalist.

While it might be a while before we finally learn the truth, Lochte is lucky he gets to safely sit this one out back in the U.S. The internet, however, wasted no time dubbing the swimmer guilty before ferociously mocking the scandal online. Since we can’t help but laugh (even though we kinda feel bad) at some of the memes, here are some of the funniest Twitter responses to #LochteGate and #LochMess:

Ryan Lochte lied about a night on the town to his mom and started an international incident. I’m dead.

— Ashley Weatherford (@sincerelyash) August 18, 2016

Confession: I robbed Ryan Lochte. I used my Lackawanna County Sheriff’s badge a squirt gun & a bad Brazilian accent. Sorry.

— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) August 18, 2016

Exclusive footage of the U.S. swim team’s gas station fight https://t.co/ImltY6Ikzo

— MTV News (@MTVNews) August 18, 2016

Lochte’s fastest time was getting out of Brazil

— Vann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) August 18, 2016

Synchronized swimmers would keep their story straight.

— Steve Rushin (@SteveRushin) August 18, 2016

Sketch of the guy who held up Lochte pic.twitter.com/sPLUvWz5dC

— Vann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) August 18, 2016

There is no justice where there is Comic Sans: this is the Brazilian judge’s order in the Ryan Lotche controversy. pic.twitter.com/ZqWblg7YLS

— Dr. Anthony M. Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) August 18, 2016

If it includes the letters “LOCH” then chances are it’s a hoax. #LochteGate pic.twitter.com/3gzHltXkER

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) August 18, 2016

#LochteGate pic.twitter.com/ADDAEiqCfS

— Brendan Mackey (@Bmackey34) August 18, 2016

#LochteGate pic.twitter.com/v4jMReZ2ws

— Dominique Ringle (@dringle427) August 18, 2016

Brazilian Authorities: Mr. Lochte, you story doesn’t add up.

Ryan Lochte:

#LochteGate pic.twitter.com/W1ol0S9zcR

— KristinDeLuciaMorgan (@kmorgan76) August 18, 2016

Brazilian Police: “And you made the whole story up, didn’t you?”

Lochte: pic.twitter.com/O2YKasN62s

— Chief (@BarstoolChief) August 18, 2016

Honestly, now would be the perfect time to actually rob Lochte

— Myles Brown (@mdotbrown) August 18, 2016

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Hilarious Online Responses to Ryan Lochte’s #LochteGate and #LochMess appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Brazil Crowds Disappoint Olympics

The Rio Olympics have seen some of the greatest performances in history, yet their image in the public mind has been tainted. Allegations of corruption have mired the games since they were announced. Rio’s facilities have been found wanting and many have expressed very real concerns about the health and safety of the World’s greatest athletes.

Yet, aside from an incident in Judo and the potential embarrassment of Ryan Lochte, these Olympics have seen stellar sportsmanships and camaraderie.

Until Monday evening. In the high jump, Frenchmen and favorite, Renaud Lavillenie lost to the Brazilian native Thiago Braz Da Silva. While his defeat was certainly a disappointment, to be awarded a Silver medal at the Olympic games is a high honor indeed. It was at the medal ceremony, however, that the people of Rio disappointed the globe. Rather than applaud the skills of all, Lavillenie was booed to the point of breaking into tears.

Yesterday IOC President Thomas Bach came out publicly, stating simply that such behavior was unacceptable. We agree and hope that the rest of the games can proceed in the proper spirit of sportsmanship and love that they deserve.

At least Braz had some class.

Pole-vaulter Renaud Lavillenie consoled by Thiago Braz and Sergei Bubka after he was booed at medal ceremony pic.twitter.com/BrMoF3KGA0

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) August 17, 2016

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UPDATE: Ryan Lochte has since issued an apology for his behavior:

https://t.co/n82dZH2gfl pic.twitter.com/rGp1nmA94G

— Ryan Lochte (@RyanLochte) August 19, 2016

---

A bizarre story just got a whole lot messier. Earlier this week, it was reported that Ryan Lochte, along with three other U.S. swimmers, were robbed at gunpoint while returning home from a party in Rio. The news seemed to affirm worries that the country was not in great shape to hold the 2016 Games, which so far had seemed to be incident-free, and the robbery of a high-profile athlete such as Lochte didn’t bode well for the country’s image. However, Brazilian police are now alleging that the swimmers’ accounts of the robbery are not adding up, and a judge has ordered that the passports of Lochte and swimmer Jimmy Feigen be seized so that they can conduct an investigation into the claims. Last night, officials pulled Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, the other two swimmers involved, off their plane back to the U.S. and detained them.

Lochte has reportedly already left Rio, while Feigen’s location hasn’t been disclosed. Since the news broke, there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the details of what occurred late Saturday night. While the International Olympic Committee originally vehemently denied that the robbery took place, it quickly doubled back and confirmed the claims. On Tuesday, Lochte told USA Today that the incident was not originally reported because “we were afraid to get in trouble.”

Now, recent video footage has shed light on inconsistencies in the athletes’ accounts of that night. Footage released by The Daily Mail allegedly shows the athletes returning to the Olympic Village early Sunday morning and going through the x-ray machines with items they claimed were stolen in the incident. The actual timing of the return did not match up with the time that the swimmers claimed to have returned. Additionally, the owner of the gas station where the robbery was said to have occurred also told the Daily Mail that, in the surveillance video he turned over to the police, there was proof that the athletes were never there that night.

It is this video in particular that allegedly prompted the judge to order the passport seizure. Filing a false police report is a punishable offense in Brazil that can lead to jail time.

Fortunately for Lochte, he is back home safe and sound: if he was still hanging around Rio, the judge’s order would prohibit him from leaving the country while the incident was being investigated. His lawyer told CNN that even if an arrest warrant was issued by Brazilian authorities, Lochte would not be turning himself in.

Lochte, the 11-time Olympic medalist, responded to the accusations in a conversation with Matt Lauer. He reportedly told Lauer that Brazilian authorities had not asked him to stay in the country, which is why he left on schedule. He also claimed that he  “wouldn’t make this up,” although there were slight inconsistencies with the account he told Lauer from what he originally told the Today Show’s Billy Bush.

Lochte and the other swimmers better get ready: until and unless their claims are corroborated, they will definitely face anger from the Brazilian people for maligning their country. While there’s a lot of speculation surrounding what exactly happened, one thing’s for certain: an already-unpredictable Olympic Games just got weirder.

Mariam Jaffery

Mariam was an Executive Assistant at Law Street Media and a native of Northern Virginia. She has a B.A. in International Affairs with a minor in Business Administration from George Washington University. Contact Mariam at mjaffery@lawstreetmedia.com.

The post Was Ryan Lochte Lying About the Rio Robbery? Brazilian Investigation Gets Messy appeared first on Law Street.

Concerns about violence in Rio in the weeks and months leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games were certainly present–and they seem to have been at least somewhat founded, given that there have already been quite a few incidents. But one of the most well known American stars of the Games, swimmer Ryan Lochte, was robbed at gunpoint last night (along with three other American swimmers), in what may end up being one of the more high profile crime stories of the Rio Olympics.

Lochte was with other Team USA swimmers Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen. They all left a party together at “Club France,” hosted by the French Hospitality Club, around 3 AM and got in a cab. Lochte described the mugging to NBCNews, saying:

We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground.

And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down,’ and I put my hands up, I was like ‘whatever.’ He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.

The incident was confirmed by the U.S. Olympic Committee, but a spokesperson also said that they athletes “are safe and cooperating with authorities.”

Bentz, one of the swimmers who was mugged, also tweeted:

@TheGunnyBunny P.s. the gold medal is safe

— Gunnar Bentz (@TheGunnyBunny) August 14, 2016

With all the safety concerns associated with the Rio Games, a high profile incident like this seemed almost inevitable. While thankfully only possessions were lost, it’s expected that security could continue to be ramped up as the Games continue this week.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Ryan Lochte, Other Team USA Swimmers, Victims of Armed Robbery in Rio appeared first on Law Street.