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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Planned Parenthood will retrain staff after videos

NEW YORK – Health care provider Planned Parenthood will retrain employees who deal with patients in how to report potential risks to minors, following the release of secretly recorded videotapes by an anti-abortion group that alleges they show clinic staff counseling a man posing as a pimp for underage prostitutes.

Planned Parenthood, which has more than 800 health clinics and 11,000 employees nationwide, announced the retraining effort Monday. It also said it was changing its disciplinary policy to termination in all proved cases in which there has been a failure to report. The policy previously included punishments such as leave without pay and retraining.

Anti-abortion group Live Action last week released videotapes it said showed footage of staff at Planned Parenthood clinics in New Jersey and Virginia talking about services with a man who claimed to be a sex trafficker of minors.

The New Jersey attorney general’s office said it was looking into the allegations. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said he found a clip from a video of a Richmond clinic to be “very disturbing.”

Live Action, based in San Jose, Calif., claims the videos are proof that Planned Parenthood employees break laws to abet sexual trafficking and the exploitation of underage prostitutes.

Tipster says casino suspect discussed holdup plans

LAS VEGAS – A tipster told police the suspect in a $1.5 million heist of a Bellagio craps table had mused about pulling off the dramatic stickup and said he would get away with it by selling some chips and slowly gambling away the others, according to a police report.

The police document says the tipster tried to provide a reality check to robbery suspect Anthony Michael Carleo by telling him, “Dude, you watch Ocean’s Eleven too much. This is real life and that doesn’t happen.”

Instead of listening, Carleo, the son of a judge, went ahead with the holdup then quickly gambled and talked his way into jail, the report states.

Carleo, 29, made his first court appearance Monday since being taken into custody. He spoke only twice and was not asked to enter pleas on six charges, including armed robbery, assault, burglary and carrying a concealed weapon.