Saturday News: Trump’s coup plans, Care Center charged with human trafficking, Pipeline Co. found guilty

From:  Trump Administration Discussed Coup Plans With Rebel Venezuelan Officers

The Trump administration held secret meetings with rebellious military officers from Venezuela over the last year to discuss their plans to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, according to American officials and a former Venezuelan military commander who participated in the talks.

Establishing a clandestine channel with coup plotters in Venezuela was a big gamble for Washington, given its long history of covert intervention across Latin America. Many in the region still deeply resent the United States for backing previous rebellions, coups and plots in countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil and Chile, and for turning a blind eye to the abuses military regimes committed during the Cold War.

From:  Bay Area care centers owners charged with human trafficking, theft

The owners of six Bay Area residential care homes were arrested and charged with human trafficking and grand theft in a sweeping probe by state law enforcement officials who uncovered a trove of illegal weapons in recent raids, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Friday.

Surrounded by 14 seized assault weapons, including three untraceable “ghost guns,” Becerra outlined 59 charges against four members of the Gamos family: Joshua Gamos, 42; Gerlen Gamos, 38; Noel Gamos, 40; and 67-year-old Carlina Gamos.

From:  Pipeline company found guilty in 2015 California oil spill

LOS ANGELES — A California jury has found a pipeline company guilty of nine criminal charges for causing a 2015 oil spill that was the state’s worst coastal spill in 25 years.

The jury in Santa Barbara County reached its verdict against Plains All American Pipeline of Houston on Friday following a four-month trial.