A northern Illinois man is accused of gouging his uncle’s eyes out during a fight over a remote control. The attacker, Exulam I. Holman, 32, is said to be a career criminal, according to police.

Will County Sheriff’s police were called shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, New Year’s Eve, to a residence in the 1100 block of McKay Street in Joliet Township where a 62-year-old man reported he’d been attacked. A deputy found the 62-year-old victim with blood streaming from his eyes.

The victim, whose name was not released, had “blood streaming from both eyeballs, covering his face below his eyes. Both of his eyeballs were swollen, dislocated and were protruding approximately a quarter-inch from the eye sockets,” police said.

The victim told deputies his nephew tried to pry his eyes out with his thumbs. The man told police he and his nephew had been arguing over the TV’s remote control. Holman broke the remote on the ground, pushed his uncle to the kitchen floor and straddled him. Holman is 5′ 7″ tall and weighs 280 pounds. His uncle is five inches shorter and weighs 140 pounds less.

The victim said that Holman, “inserted his thumbs into his eyes … and attempted to pry the eyeballs out of the sockets.”

Holman then allegedly pushed his uncle down the basement stairs. Despite being in “excruciating” pain and losing consciousness, he was able to call 911.

Sources reported he is now blind in his left eye and will require additional surgery for the limited vision in his right eye.

Police report Holman has been arrested 25 times since 1999 for aggravated assault, aggravated battery, domestic battery, violating orders of protection, resisting arrest, and numerous driving violations after previous convictions on weapons and narcotics charges.

In 1999, then-Joliet Officer Bernard Mooney allegedly beat Holman while breaking up a dice game in the Forest Park neighborhood. Holman received a $100,000 settlement after threatening to file a lawsuit over his broken nose, and Mooney was fired from the department.

The following summer, another officer allegedly found Holman passed out behind the wheel of a car running in the 1300 block of Woodruff Road. When Holman woke up and was told he’d be arrested for driving under the influence, he put the car in gear and struck the police officer, causing minor injuries.

Let’s hope this dangerous man will not be allowed back on the streets.

The victim’s nephew was arrested on a charge of aggravated domestic battery. A judge ordered him held on $1 million bond Tuesday.

Sources: MSNBC and The Herald News

Anna Chapman, who obtained British citizenship via marriage, was recently ejected from the United States with 10 other spies and sent packing back to the motherland.  Her interview on Russia’s “Let Them Speak” was the first time Chapman spoke publicly anywhere since being stripped of her British citizenship and sent packing from the United States.

On her TV debut in Russia, the host referred to her as  ”woman of the year,” and although  Chapman probably has a lot to talk about, she kept the subject away from the investigation into her spying activity, steering toward more mundane topics. Chapman wants to be an actress, enjoys spy movies (really…) and likes Angelina Jolie. More than anything else, however, she wants a lion cub.

Although she didn’t talk about spying, she promised that all would soon revealed, as long as the Russian people stayed tuned to their television sets.  According to the NY Daily News, Chapman said; “Next year I will reveal all my secrets.

Seems that at least the Russians will stay tuned-in as their newest “star” of reality TV meets real-life espionage. The “hero” of the story, who’s pictures appear in the January 2011 Playboy, wants to be an actress; she’s been booted from two democratic countries, but has aspirations to be Russia’s version of Angelina Jolie. Following a criminal investigation, Chapman was busted in–of all places–a Barnes & Noble by American intelligence agents, all she wants is to cuddle with her baby lion cub…

It doesn’t get any better than this.

The increasing Chinese population in Los Angeles has had an impact on the nation’s second largest city; about 500,000 Chinese-speaking people live near LA, and this population explosion has created a demand for both business and service lines that cater to this growing demographic.

The demand is being felt by private investigators and detectives in Los Angeles, who are increasingly sought after for their services. Although the city has large PI firms, there are few that have staff members who speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

The increasing need is both on the personal and corporate level; some seek family members or loved ones who have returned to the motherland and disappeared while others seek information regarding Chinese-owned companies operating in the United States.

“We are desperately looking for Chinese speaking private investigators or detectives in Los Angeles whom we can refer them more businesses. However, we have yet to find any.” Says Anna Hou, a manager at Abacus Chinese Translation Services. “If you speak Chinese and you are a licensed private investigator in Los Angeles, please contact us.”

Thousands of miles away and in an unrelated story, Louisville’s WAVE reports that the private investigation field is a lucrative career choice; the hours aren’t great starting out, but salaries can range between $50,000 and  $60,000 a year. New, or “green” investigators won’t see these salaries right off, but the field is built for entrepreneurs who can obtain a license while working for an investigation firm and then “graduate” to owning their own business. The median salary, according to the article, is $50,600 per year.

One investigator opened his own service after spending a few years learning the trade at another agency. He spends his days performing the duties of the trade–following leads and conducting surveillance from various locations. Surveillance requirements range from monitoring subjects personally–using a notepad and binoculars–to employing cameras and video monitors.

The trade requires patience because investigators are “at the mercy of the person [they're] watching.”  Also, each state has different requirements to become a licensed private investigator; much like the medical field, there are exams and hours of investigation that need to be logged prior to applying for a license.

The Secret Service and police in St. Charles and Chicago are investigating fraud cases perpetrated at Illinois-based Aldi stores. There are over 40 reports of debit card deductions using information obtained in Illinois and used at California ATMs. Area Sheriff’s departments say that there were also 4 reports in Elburn, IL.

The fraud, according to police, entails instances where thieves took PINs and magnetic strip data from the cards.

Yesterday, ABC 7 in Chicago reported that  Illinois isn’t the only state affected, claiming that there have been reports in at least 11 states thus far.

Reports of  fraud are surfacing Indiana and other outlying Chicago-area suburbs, including Wheeling (160 reports) and Buffalo Grove (50 reports).

Aldi declined to make comments as to any security improvements to protect consumer data, but claimed to remove payment terminals that  were in question. The budget-shopping chain did not say how the machines were compromised. The Chicago office of the Secret Service also declined to provide information regarding dollar amounts lost, how the crime was perpetrated, and actual number of victims.

According to the the Daily Herald story, Aldi stores accept PIN-based debit-card transactions, including debit cards from banks and government food-benefits programs such as the Illinois LINK card. Aldi does not accept credit cards.