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Miami social media influencer sentenced to five years for $1 million pandemic relief fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

BOSTON (WSVN) – A federal court in Boston sentenced a Miami woman to five years in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1 million in pandemic-related loans using stolen identities from more than 10 individuals. According to the Department of Justice, Danielle Miller, 32, had used the funds for personal luxuries, including chartering a private jet and renting a luxury apartment.Miller was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release. The exact amount of restitution she must pay will be determined at a later date. In March, Miller had pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.“Ms. Miller isn’t an influencer, she is a convicted felon. She stole the identities of innocent people to steal over $1.2 million in pandemic-relief loans that should have gone to people in need. In a quest for fleeting social media stardom, Ms. Miller relied on fraud to fund a lavish lifestyle of private jets, luxury apartments, and other a...

Buildings in Miami-Dade lit green in celebration for The Children’s Trust 20th anniversary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

As the 20th anniversary for The Children’s Trust organization approaches, several South Florida landmarks were lit up as a tribute.On Thursday, several buildings throughout Miami-Dade County were lit up in the organization’s vibrant green-pantone hue. The grand finale took place at the heart of Miami’s downtown skyline. The buildings that participated in the tribute included the following:Stephen P. Clark CenterMiami-Dade County CourthousePortMiami Entrance feature (Globe)PortMiami Terminal A (Royal Caribbean Group)PortMiami Terminal B (Norwegian Cruise Line)Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of SciencePerez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)Freedom TowerParamount Miami World CenterHard Rock StadiumKaseya CenterCredit: The Children’s TrustCredit: The Children’s TrustCredit: The Children’s TrustCredit: The Children’s TrustCredit: The Children’s TrustCredit: The Children’s TrustCredit: The Children’s TrustThe organization was created aft...

18 dirt bikes, ATVs seized, 7 people arrested in Lawrence during off-road vehicle crackdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

A multi-agency operation in Lawrence led to seven arrests and multiple off-road vehicles being taken off the streets in Lawrence, according to Massachusetts State Police.Authorities said at least ten other people were facing criminal charges as a result of state troopers and local police targeting individuals operating dirt bikes and ATVs in the city on Thursday.“The operation of off-road vehicles on city streets, often driven recklessly, causes a significant safety threat to motorists and pedestrians,” MSP officials stated in a news release. “Complaints of dirt bike and ATV operation on Lawrence streets have increased in recent years. Operating an off-road vehicle on a public way is a violation of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90B, Section 25.”With assistance from the MSP Air Wing, authorities spent part of the day spotting off-road vehicles being “operated unlawfully on city streets,” with officers on the ground tracking and confrontin...

Pennsylvania prison fires tower guard on duty when killer escaped as hundreds of officers scramble to find missing inmate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

(CNN) — The Pennsylvania prison tower guard who did not see or report the escape of convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante nine days ago has been fired, a source with knowledge of the decision tells CNN.A massive manhunt involving hundreds of officers is underway for Cavalcante, who is still on the run despite a growing number of reported sightings.“We can confirm that the corrections officer on duty when Danelo Cavalcante escaped was terminated yesterday afternoon,” the source told CNN. “He was an 18-year veteran of the prison.”Cavalcante broke out of the Chester County Prison on August 31 by “crab walking” between two walls, scaling a fence and traversing across razor wire.“We pulled more people in through the night last night, some additional help from other agencies, from our own agency,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters Friday.“We have got somewhere north of 350, close to 400 people working on this today as we speak.”The fugitive’s...

These small cookiecutter sharks sank an inflatable catamaran and sparked a dramatic rescue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

(CNN) — The dramatic ocean saga that led to three men being rescued this week from a sinking inflatable catamaran off the Australian coast has been pinned on an unusual culprit: a small, cigar-shaped shark that leaves such perfectly round wounds it’s called the cookiecutter.The sailors, two Russians and one French national, were pulled from the sea on Wednesday on their way to the northeastern Australian city of Cairns from the remote Pacific nation Vanuatu, authorities said.In an Instagram post after the rescue, the group said the attacks were by cookiecutter sharks, which damaged the rear left balloon of the boat on Monday and left it “completely submerged underwater.” The group lasted another day – until the cookiecutters attacked again late Tuesday, this time biting through the right balloon.The attacks left their inflatable boat partly sunken – prompting them to issue a distress call to nearby vessels in the early hours of Wednesday. The crew and their belon...

Back with the Bruins, Milan Lucic feels right at home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

In some ways, Milan Lucic seemed like he never left here.Meeting with Boston reporters after Friday captain’s practice for the first time since re-signing with the Bruins in July, Lucic was as gregarious as ever, his distinctive voice resonating throughout the Warrior Ice Arena locker room as he spoke about how happy he was to be back in Boston.But in reality, it’s a much different Milan Lucic from the teenager who arrived here in the late summer of 2007. Back then, he was just a teenager who was hoping to have a decent training camp before being sent back to his Vancouver Giants junior team. But he never got that dreaded knock on the hotel room door, and he stayed with the Bruins for the next eight years, winning a Stanley Cup along the way while helping rebuild a winning tradition.This time – after stops in Los Angeles, Edmonton and Calgary – he returns as a 35-year-old veteran of 1,173 NHL games. He may not be the same player who once rode shotgun with David Krejci on...

8 new paperbacks perfect for curling up with in the fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

By Moira Macdonald, The Seattle TimesSeptember is here, which means Outdoor Activities Season is slipping away, to be replaced by Cozy Afternoons Reading On the Couch Season. Should you, like me, be thrilled by this state of affairs, here’s a roundup of shiny-new paperbacks this month to join you on the couch.“Marple: Twelve New Mysteries” by various authors (HarperCollins, $18.99)If you like your mysteries short and (relatively) cozy, here’s a treat: A dozen contemporary crime fiction authors take on Agatha Christie’s formidable detective Jane Marple, in stories that take her from her home in the very murder-plagued hamlet of St. Mary Mead to far-flung settings like New York’s Broadway, a cruise to Hong Kong, and an Italian holiday. The authors are a true murderer’s row — including Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Val McDermid, Ruth Ware and more — and I devoured this book like popcorn when it came out last year.“How Not to Dr...

Philadelphia police officer surrenders on murder charges weeks after fatal shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver turned himself in Friday and was charged with murder in the man’s death as prosecutors released graphic bodycam footage of the fatal confrontation.Officer Mark Dial surrendered on a criminal warrant and was arraigned Friday on charges of murder, voluntary manslaughter, official oppression and four other counts. Dial did not comment as he walked past reporters after the arraignment. His lawyer insisted the shooting was justified, saying Dial thought 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry had a gun.Police bodycam footage of the fatal shooting shows Dial firing his weapon at close range through the rolled-up driver’s side window of Irizarry’s sedan during a vehicle stop on Aug. 14. Dial shot Irizarry about seven seconds after getting out of a police SUV and striding over to Irizarry’s car, according to the video. He fired a total of six rounds.The videos, pulled from Dial’s body-worn camera and the ca...

What’s streaming now: Olivia Rodrigo, LaKeith Stanfield, NBA 2K24 and ‘The Little Mermaid’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

Olivia Rodrigo’s much-anticipated sophomore album and LaKeith Stanfield starring in the eight-part horror fantasy series “The Changeling” are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near youAmong the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey, the video game NBA 2K24 pays tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and the popular comfort show “Virgin River” returns for its fifth season on Netflix.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— The latest Disney live-action remake, “The Little Mermaid,” landed on Disney+ on Wednesday. Not everyone has been a fan of the studio’s regular retreads of animation classics. But they’ve been dependable box-office successes; earlier this year, “The Little Mermaid” grossed $568.6 million worldwide. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called this “Mermaid” “a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of b...

Authorities identify remains of 2 victims killed in 9/11 attack on World Trade Center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The remains of two people who died in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center have been identified, the latest positive identification in the decadeslong effort to return victims to their families.Authorities confirmed the identification of the remains of a man and woman days ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the hijacked-plane attack that killed nearly 3,000 people in Lower Manhattan. Their names were withheld by city officials at the request of their families.New York City’s medical examiner has now been able to link remains to 1,649 World Trade Center victims, a painstaking process that relies on leading-edge DNA sequencing techniques to test body fragments recovered in the rubble. Advancements in the sequencing technology, including increased test sensitivity and faster turnaround times, have allowed officials to identify remains that had tested negative for identifiable DNA for decades, officials said.Similar efforts are used by the U.S. military to identify mi...