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Westwood man stole over $5 million through bond scams

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

A Westwood man was sentenced to prison for stealing over $5 million from victims in a surety bond scam, officials announced Friday.Tommy Lester Watts, 64, was sentenced to 110 months in prison for stealing over $5 million from victims by “purporting to sell bonds for large-scale construction and other projects, and for evading the payment of more than $1.2 million in taxes.”He also was ordered to pay $8,995,879 in restitution.Watts pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 to one count of transactional money laundering and one count of tax evasion, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Watts also went by the names “Michael Nesbeth,” “Michael Kent,” and “Alex Mason.”From Sept. 2016 to Sept. 2019, officials said Watts falsely claimed to be experienced in providing surety bonds and other financial guarantees for large-scale projects. He told victims he would assist them in obtaining financing for their projects through his various companies, including the Sherman Oaks-based Source One Surety LLC.&n...

Warriors win thriller against Thunder on controversial last-second call

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY — An overturned call that turned Draymond Green’s called basket interference into a make in the game’s final second secured the Warriors’ dramatic 141-139 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3) in the first In-Season Tournament game on Friday night at Paycom Center. The Warriors move to 5-1.Green had been arguing with referees all game over calls, but got the call in his favor at a crucial time. After 23 lead changes, Steph Curry had the ball in his hands at half court to try for one final lead. Curry waited the clock out and drove to the basket to bank a shot in with Green’s hand up near the rim for a perceived interference. A long review went in the Warriors’ favor.Curry finished with a game-high 30 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3 and 9-of-15 from the field. Green had 15 points, five rebounds and five fouls. Chris Paul had 13 assists as he and Dario Saric led the second unit to keep pace with a Thunder team that couldn’t ...

‘I hate Black people’: San Jose officer in controversial police shooting resigns over racist texts

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

SAN JOSE — A San Jose officer involved in a controversial police shooting at a downtown taqueria last year — in which the wounded man broke up a fight and had disarmed a gunman before he was shot — has resigned over the discovery of racist text messages he wrote, including some making light of the shooting and one that said “I hate Black people.”Mark McNamara, who joined the San Jose Police Department in 2017, resigned earlier this week in after being notified of a probe into his offensive messages, Police Chief Anthony Mata told this news organization Friday.Mata said McNamara was being investigated by the department’s internal affairs unit for an unrelated criminal matter, which led to the revelation that the now-former officer “had sent disgusting text messages that demonstrated racial bias.”“I don’t stand for this. It’s disgusting and horrible that we have an officer that thinks that way,” Mata said. “...

Turner, Haliburton help Pacers beat Cavaliers 121-116 in In-Season Tournament opener

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner scored 27 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 18 points and 13 assists and the Indiana Pacers held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-116 on Friday night to open the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.Donavan Mitchell had 38 points, nine assists and five rebounds for Cleveland. The Cavaliers overcame an 18-point deficit to lead by four in the fourth quarter.Each team shot 52% from the field, but Indiana went 15 of 31 on 3-pointers while limiting the Cavs to 8 of 28. Former Pacer Caris LeVert, who had 13 points, missed a 3 from the left wing that would have tied it with 10 seconds left.Mitchell made two free throws to bring the Cavs to 119-116 with 2.6 seconds to go, but Haliburton sealed the win with two of his own. Indiana snapped a two-game skid that followed a 2-0 start.Bruce Brown added 19 points and seven rebounds for Indiana. Evan Mobley had 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks for Cleveland.The Pacers battered Cleveland from beyond th...

Olympic medalist hurdler Levy fails doping test

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Olympic bronze medalist hurdler Ronald Levy has received notifcation from the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission that he failed an out-of competition test early last month. Levy, who finished third in the 110m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, said on Instagram that he was ‘surprised’ by the adverse finding and was awaiting the results of his B-sample test.“I am stunned at the turn of events because I have always conducted myself with the highest level of integrity in the sport, which I love dearly and would never seek to gain an unfair advantage,” Levy said.“I intend to defend my integrity during this process because I am certain I did not knowingly breach the rules.”___AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-gamesSource

Camilo Villegas finishes strong to take 36-hole lead in Mexico

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — Camilo Villegas birdied his last three holes Friday and an 8-under 64 that allowed him to emerge from the pack on another low day of scoring and build a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the World Wide Technology Championship.Villegas was among a half-dozen players battling for the top at wind-free, vulnerable El Cardonal at Diamante, the first Tiger Woods course design that has been missing the typical blustery conditions at the tip of Baja California.The 41-year-old Colombian, fighting to gain his full PGA Tour card, caught Matt Kuchar with a birdie on the 16th hole, then closed with two more birdies to reach 16-under 128.Kuchar, who won this tournament five years ago when it was at Mayakoba, had a second consecutive 65.Erik van Rooyen, who came into the week at No. 125 in the FedEx Cup, was tied for the lead with Kuchar and poised to move past him until an errant tee shot into the native area on the par-5 closing hole. He had to take a penalty drop,...

Chile forced to play striker in goal, drops 1-0 game to Mexico in Pan American gold medal match

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile’s women’s soccer team had a shot at its biggest achievement in history on Friday in the Pan American Games’ gold medal game, but was forced to put a player who usually plays striker in net for the entire match and lost 1-0 to Mexico.The hosts embarrassingly lost both their goalkeepers to European clubs ahead of the match. Chilean players sat on the pitch to protest the disorganization that led to 29-year-old Maria José Urrutia playing the position in their absence, and earned enthusiastic applause from their fans. Rebeca Bernal scored the only goal for Mexico in the 29th minute at the Elias Figueroa Stadium in the city of Valparaiso, outside Santiago.The story of the match could have been different if Chile’s starting goalkeeper Christiane Endler and her backup Antonia Canales did not have to return to their clubs.Endler had promised her club Olympique Lyonnais to return to France this week for training. Canales returned to her cl...

Migrants in Denver could be legally jobless for months, immigration attorney warns

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Since May, more than 6,000 migrants have been bused to Denver from Texas, according to numbers from Gov. Greg Abbott.Many of those migrants are winding up in encampments and searching for work. Some of these people could be unhoused and without "legal" work for many months, according to Belen Albuja, an immigration attorney in Denver. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston talks city’s response to migrants, homelessness That could lead to some finding work off the books, which could lead to outright violations of labor laws by employers, Albuja said."I live between the two worlds as an immigrant and as an attorney," Albuja said.Migrants have the task of getting a work permitAlbuja has been an immigration attorney for 12 years. She is also a native of Ecuador."Put together some forms, translate birth certificates," Albuja said, "evidence to confirm that they belong to this group."That's the start of the process for migrants, like those arriving in Denver daily, to get a work pe...

'It felt like an earthquake': SUV slams into liquor store with employees inside

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — FOX31 learned more details Friday afternoon after an SUV slammed into a liquor store, leaving a hole in the side of the building.It happened around 2 p.m. at Mississippi Avenue and Quebec Street. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt, but the people inside were shaken up.FOX31 learned the owner of the business sprang into action to help the driver. “I mean, we ran out of the door," Caroline Nichols said. Student stabbed at George Washington High School Nichols, her boss and her coworkers were inside Green Remedy Dispensary next door to Quebec Liquors when she heard a loud noise.“We all feel the vibration of the building," Nichols said.“It felt like an earthquake hit," said Van Storz, a budtender at Green Remedy. "All the lights went out and the building kind of shook."When they went outside, they saw an SUV inside the corner of the liquor store. Someone was trapped inside.“One of our guys was in the military, so he went full military mode. As soon as the lights went o...

Cherry Creek student helping others after overcoming video game addiction 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:31:48 GMT

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — Inside Michael Zhang's Englewood bedroom, his fingers dance across a computer keyboard with ease.Within just a few minutes, the 14-year-old is moving on to the next level of the video game he's playing. ‘It felt like an earthquake’: SUV slams into liquor store with employees inside But Zhang doesn't spend much time in front of the computer these days, as he works to overcome an addiction that's becoming more prevalent in American youth: an addiction to video games.“I thought it was just normal, and it had become sort of a routine for me,” Zhang said.Michael Zhang (KDVR)Video game addiction takes hold in classIt all started during the pandemic, when Zhang found himself bored and unchallenged by remote learning. He started playing video games during class once he had finished his assignment, and it quickly spiraled out of control.“I was playing most of the time, but sometimes I would listen to the teacher for a little bit to determine if I had to pay attent...