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San Jose man who helped security firm launder millions in payroll pleads no contest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

A San Jose man pleaded no contest Monday to charges that he laundered millions of dollars in payroll for two security companies, one of them run by an ex-SJPD officer currently in jail for exploiting his employees and hiding money from state authorities.Nam Le, 52, laundered millions of dollars in payroll for San Jose-based security firms Atlas Private Security and VP Security as part of a fraud and tax evasion scheme, the Santa Clara County DA’s office said in an announcement Monday.Authorities said Le got paid 50 cents on the dollar for every hour of payroll he helped hide as part of the fraud ring, which was run in part by Atlas owner Robert Foster, a former officer who was sentenced to three years in Santa Clara County jail last year after pleading no contest to insurance fraud, money laundering and worker exploitation.Le will be sentenced next year. Prosecutors said that he was also ordered to pay some $109,000 in restitution, including $60,000 to the state Department of ...

Heather Locklear’s sobriety derailed by tequila and Ozempic: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

After several years of hard-won sobriety and reported stability, long-troubled TV star Heather Locklear is drinking again, acting erratically and using Ozempic to rapidly lose weight, leaving her family “very worried” and feeling “helpless,” the Daily Mail is reporting.Sources close to Locklear’s family are expressing these concerns after the Daily Mail published photos of her last week, which showed her looking haggard and as if she’s in a world of her own. The photos show the once luminous “Melrose Place” star outside a Malibu office building, balancing on a ledge, sprinting across the street and talking to herself.Heather Locklear appears distressed, bizarrely walks on ledge of office building https://t.co/MapBso8XSY pic.twitter.com/xLhbDx1eqE— Page Six (@PageSix) July 4, 2023“Heather is drinking,” a source told the Daily Mail. “The family is very worried. Everyone feels helpless.” Those feeling helples...

With Elon Musk, there was no ‘moment of passion’ and no affair, Sergey Brin’s ex-wife says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

Nicole Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is doubling down on her denial that she and Elon Musk had an affair that led to the 2021 break-up of her marriage.Instead, Shanahan said in a lengthy interview with People that her relationship with the Tesla billionaire was “collegial” in a way that’s typical among their social circle of Silicon Valley “thinkers, dreamers and doers.” She said she mainly sought parental advice from Musk, who has Asperger’s syndrome, after her daughter Echo, 4, was diagnosed with autism. She hoped Musk would have insights on the best treatment for autism.“Did Elon and I have sex, like it was a moment of passion, and then it was over? No,” Shanahan, 37, told People. “Did we have a romantic relationship? No. We didn’t have an affair.”FILE – Twitter, now X. Corp, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk poses before his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, May 15, 2023, at the Elys...

Bay Area arts: 8 amazing live shows to see this weekend and beyond

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

There are a lot of great shows to see this weekend and beyond in the Bay Area, from rumbling dinosaurs to a revival of “A Chorus Line.” Here is a partial roundup.Dinos ready to roam in San JoseDinosaurs never seem to go out of of style, which after some 230 million years, is really saying something. But they are really having their moment in the Bay Area.The popular exhibit of beautiful behemoths, “The World’s Largest Dinosaurs,” is on display at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco through January (www.calacademy.org). And this weekend, the family-friendly “Jurassic World Live Tour” rumbles into San Jose’s SAP Center for several shows.Based on the popular film series, “Jurassic World Live Tour” transforms the SAP Center into Isla Nublar, where Gyrospheres roll through the grounds while some two dozen dinosaurs roam about, including the beloved Velociraptor Blue and a 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex. Even Bump...

Levi’s Stadium soccer match stabbing suspect arrested on suspicion of attempted murder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

SANTA CLARA — A man was arrested Tuesday in connection to a stabbing at a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match over the weekend at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, according to authorities.Alejandro Garcia-Villanueva, 29, was arrested at his Sacramento home on suspicion of attempted murder for his role in the stabbing, Santa Clara police said in a press release. Garcia-Villanueva was identified within 24 hours of the incident using “advanced video technology” at the stadium and community input, according to authorities.Police also identified a person of interest, but said Wednesday that she was released from custody at the scene.Garcia-Villanueva is suspected of stabbing a man near the upper collarbone during a fight in the stands at Sunday’s match between Mexico and Qatar. A graphic video posted on social media showed the suspect holding the knife while participating in a brawl.Mexican fan gets stabbed during a brawl inside Levis stadium #SeleccionMexicana #eltri #m...

USWNT’s former Stanford stars cherish return to The Farm for World Cup training

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

STANFORD — For five members of the United States women’s national team, this week of training in the Bay Area represents more than preparation for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup later this month.Former Stanford stars Naomi Girma, Alana Cook, Kelly O’Hara, Sophia Smith and Andi Sullivan are all returning to their college home of Cagan Stadium to practice ahead of Sunday’s tune-up friendly against Wales.“It’s been such a joy,” Sullivan said on Wednesday. “I haven’t been back in many years. It’s beautiful, it really boosts my mood. Hopefully it’s boosting my teammates’ moods as well. But it’s been really nice.”Girma, who attended Pioneer High School in San Jose before coming north to Palo Alto, added, “There’s nothing like Stanford, and it’s so nice being so close to San Jose, too. I’ve loved our time in the Bay so far.”“I’m home!” Stanford’s own @sophsssmith pic.twitter.com/PaJwylwAfS— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 3, 2023The team’s been training at ...

First 'zombie drug' tranq death reported in Santa Cruz

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) -- A woman in Santa Cruz died from overdosing on a newly-emerging street drug known as the "zombie drug," according to health officials. The County of Santa Cruz Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed the county's first overdose death from xylazine, also called "tranq," on Wednesday. The victim, a 35-year-old woman, was found unresponsive in Santa Cruz and died in early June.She later tested positive for drugs including xylazine and fentanyl through a postmortem toxicology examination. County health officials did not release the woman's name. Xylazine is a veterinary tranquilizer that is not approved by the FDA for humans. It was originally developed to be used for tranquilizing large livestock animals, such as cattle, according to the DEA.The "zombie drug" has been increasingly detected in drug supplies across the San Francisco Bay Area, leading to deadly overdoses and serious wounds. Xylazine can cause wounds and infections that lead to amputations.Xylazine ...

LA County sheriff’s department calls video of deputy tackling woman ‘disturbing,’ opens inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says a bystander’s cellphone footage showing a deputy violently tackling a woman while she filmed her husband being handcuffed and then pepper-spraying her in the face is “ disturbing,” and community groups on Wednesday called for the department’s new sheriff to hold his agency accountable.The June 24 incident in the city of Lancaster follows several cases that have drawn scrutiny to the department amid allegations of excessive use of force by its deputies. It’s also testing the reform efforts of the new sheriff, Robert Luna, a former Long Beach police chief who has vowed to overhaul the nation’s largest sheriff’s department since taking it over in December after defeating incumbent Alex Villanueva.Both officers were pulled off field duty, the sheriff’s department said in a statement late Monday after the bystander footage spread on social media. The Associated Press’ efforts to reach the by...

Blinken says a multinational force is needed to help Haiti’s National Police restore order

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a multinational force is needed to help Haiti’s National Police restore order, echoing recent appeals made by U.N. officials who warn that the country’s insecurity is worsening.Blinken briefly spoke about Haiti and other issues during a one-day trip to Trinidad and Tobago, which hosted a three-day conference held by the 15-member Caribbean trade bloc known as Caricom. Caribbean leaders have been meeting regularly about the situation in Haiti. Caricom Chairman and Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit noted that the group supports Haitian-led solutions but he also called on the U.S. for help.“It’s no secret, Mr. Secretary, that the United States will have to play a very crucial role,” he said as he introduced Blinken on the conference’s final day.Blinken spoke one day before the U.N. Security Council was scheduled to meet and talk about Haiti amid mounting pressure on the international community ...

Man gets life sentence for raping 9-year-old Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for legal abortion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A man who confessed to raping and impregnating a 9-year-old Ohio girl has been sentenced to life in prison in a case that became a national flashpoint on abortion rights because the girl had to travel out of state to end the pregnancy.Gerson Fuentes, 28, was sentenced to life in prison, but his plea deal stipulates that he can seek parole after serving 25 to 30 years. He would then have to register as a sex offender. Common Pleas Court Judge Julie Lynch, who was not required to approve the plea agreement, said the girl’s family “begged” the judge to back it. Lynch called the deal a “very hard pill for this court to swallow.”“Anyone who’s ever been in this courtroom for the last 20 years knows how this court feels about these babies, young people, being violated,” Lynch said. “However, today, by the request of the family, this court will be sentencing without comment.”The maximum sentence would have been life without parole. Settling the case before trial ...