His voice shaking, O.J. Simpson apologized in court for his role in an armed confrontation over sports memorabilia and insisted he was merely trying to recover property that had been stolen from his family.

"I stand here today sorry, somewhat confused. I feel apologetic to people of state of Nevada," Simpson began. At times, he appeared to be fighting tears as he spoke.
Simpson, who wore blue jail scrubs to court for Friday's sentencing, did not testify during his trial. He was convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping and assault on October 3 -- 13 years to the day after his acquittal in the killings of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Lyle Goldman.
Simpson's tone became more impassioned as he insisted he never intended to intimidate people or steal property.
"I didn't want to steal anything from anybody," Simpson said, adding that among the items he sought to recover were a wedding ring for his daughter and family photos for his son.
"I just wanted my personal things. I was stupid. I'm sorry. I didn't know I was doing anything illegal. I thought I was confronting friends. I thought I was retrieving my things. I didn't mean to hurt anybody and I didn't mean to steal anything," Simpson said.
Simpson and co-defendant C.J. Stewart face sentences of up to life in prison for their roles in a 2007 confrontation at a Las Vegas hotel.
Attorneys for the 61-year-old former running back are asking for a sentence of no more than six years. But a pre-sentencing report recommended an 18-year term, and District Judge Jackie Glass -- who cut Simpson little slack during the trial -- has wide leeway in passing sentence.
Prosecutor David Rogers told Glass that Simpson was "the ringleader, so to speak, in this case ... he chose to use force and violence to take this property."
"This case could have turned out a lot worse," Rogers added. "Who knows what might have happened, and it's all because of Mr. Simpson."
Defense attorneys, meanwhile, asked Glass for leniency.
"This isn't one of those kidnappings where you have people egregiously detained, tied up, pushed into a safe," Gabe Grasso said.
In court papers filed this week, Grasso wrote that O.J. Simpson was "clearly ... not using good judgment" when he led a group of men into a room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino to take sports memorabilia from dealers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley. But Simpson deserves a lighter sentence as a first-time offender who showed no criminal intent, Grasso wrote.

Rogue FBI agent breaks silence at sentencing

Former FBI agent John Connolly, whose fall from celebrated mob-buster to paid gangland flunky played out in a South Florida courtroom, broke his long silence Thursday in a packed courtroom.
Connolly, 68, denied having any role in a 1982 mob hit, telling the family of slain businessman John Callahan: "It's heart breaking to hear what happened to your father, and to your husband ... My heart is broken when I hear what you say."
He then denied having anything to do with the slaying.
Connolly is in court in Miami for sentencing. He was convicted last month of second-degree murder in the 1982 slaying of Callahan, an executive with World Jai-Alai. Callahan's bullet-pocked body was found in the trunk of a Cadillac parked at Miami International Airport.
Connolly's testimony followed that of several other witnesses, including members of Callahan's family, as well as a former FBI agent who testified on behalf of his former colleague.
Callahan's son, Patrick, read letters that he, his sister, and his mother wrote. He said that his mother considered his father "the love of my life" for 23 years.
Former FBI agent Billy Reagan told the court: "John had nothing to do with these murders, your honor.".
During the two-month trial, jurors heard that Connolly had told his mob connections that Callahan, 45, was a potential witness against them, setting him up for the gangland-style execution.
Connolly has continued to deny playing any role in the Callahan hit, most recently in a jailhouse interview published Thursday in The Boston Globe. He faces 30 years to life at his sentencing.
"I did not commit these crimes I was charged with," Connolly told the newspaper. "I never sold my badge. I never took anybody's money. I never caused anybody to be hurt, at least not knowingly, and I never would."
According to testimony at his trial, Connolly was co-opted by the very gangsters he was supposed to be pursuing -- members of South Boston's notorious Winter Hill gang. His story is said to be the inspiration for the character played by Matt Damon in the 2006 Martin Scorsese movie, "The Departed."
Connolly's sordid tale has been closely followed in New England, where he grew up in Boston's "Southie" neighborhood, the same area long dominated by the Winter Hill gang and its notorious leader, James" Whitey" Bulger. Sought in 19 slayings, Bulger is the FBI's second most-wanted fugitive.
During the first two decades of his FBI career, Connolly won kudos in the bureau's Boston office, cultivating informants against New England mobsters. Prosecutors said Connolly was corrupted by his two highest-ranking snitches: Bulger and Stephen ''The Rifleman'' Flemmi.
Connolly retired from the FBI in 1990 and later was indicted on federal racketeering and other charges stemming from his long relationship with Bulger and Flemmi. He was convicted of racketeering in 2002 and was serving a 10-year federal prison sentence when he was indicted in 2005 in the Callahan slaying.
During testimony, jurors heard that Connolly was on the mob payroll, collecting $235,000 from Bulger and Flemmi while shielding his mob pals from prosecution and leaking the identities of informants.
The prosecution's star witnesses at the Miami trial were Flemmi, who is now in prison, and mob hit man John Martorano, who has admitted to 20 murders, served 12 years in prison and is now free.
Callahan, who often socialized with gangsters, had asked the gang to execute Oklahoma businessman Roger Wheeler over a business dispute, according to testimony. Martorano killed Wheeler in 1981 on a golf course, shooting him once between the eyes, prosecutors said.
After Connolly told Bulger and Flemmi that Callahan was going to implicate them in the slaying, Martorano was sent to do away with Callahan, prosecutors said.
But one star witness did not testify -- the former FBI agent who inspired the 1997 film "Donnie Brasco." He refused to take the stand after the judge denied his request to testify anonymously.

Nanny credited with tot's daring rescue

A 2-year-old survived an attack that took the lives of his parents, thanks to a quick-thinking nanny who grabbed the boy and dashed past gunmen to safety.
It could be called one of the miracles of last week's tragedy in Mumbai, India. Two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg and nanny Sandra Samuel were the only ones to make it out of the Chabad House alive after gunmen stormed the house, killing Chabad House directors Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, and four others.
Rivka Holtzberg, who arrived in Mumbai with her husband five years ago to serve the city's small Jewish community, was pregnant, her father said at her funeral Tuesday, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
Those at the Chabad House were among 179 people killed last week when gunmen targeted several sites across Mumbai, including two luxury hotels, a train station and a hospital.
As the siege at the Chabad House began, Samuel heard the commotion, locked the doors and hid in a room.

Obama pledges to work with governors on economy

Plagued by rising unemployment, falling tax revenue and increased demand for state services, the nation's governors met with President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday to press for federal money to ease their fiscal strain.
Obama and Biden told those at the National Governors Association meeting that the federal government needs to build a deeper relationship with the governors in order to put America on the path to long-term prosperity.
"Change is not going to come from Washington alone," Obama said.
"It's going to come from all of you. It will come from a White House and statehouses all across the country that are working together, and that's the kind of partnership I that I intend to forge as president of the United States," Obama said at the conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "I hope that this is the beginning of laying that foundation."
Obama said he wants the governors to help draft his economic plan instead of just helping to implement it.
"If we're listening to the governors, then the money that we spend is going to be well spent, and it means that it's going to get working faster and the people in your states are going to experience prosperity sooner," Obama said.
The national governors' meeting comes a day after the National Bureau of Economic Research officially declared the United States' economy to be in a recession.
The governors are asking the president-elect for federal money to help them get their states back on track.
Obama and congressional Democrats have pledged to pass an economic stimulus package when Obama takes office in January. House Democrats said Monday that they will push for an economic recovery package of up to $500 billion.

Obama rolls out national security team

President-elect Barack Obama on Monday announced Sen. Hillary Clinton as his pick for secretary of state, calling her an "American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence."
"Hillary's appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances," Obama said at a news conference in Chicago, Illinois. "I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton is the right person to lead our State Department and to work with me in tackling this ambitious foreign policy agenda."
Obama also confirmed that he is keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his current post.
Rounding out his Monday announcements, Obama named retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones as his national security adviser, Eric Holder as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations.
"I am confident that this team is what we need to make a new beginning for American national security," Obama said.