Federal authorities said they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and bank accounts while investigating immigration violations at Chinese restaurants in Vinton and Toledo.
Now they are seeking forfeiture of the money, which comes to $759,485, as well as two vehicles and 61 pieces of jewelry from Chan Duong and his wife, who operated the Peony Restaurants.
No criminal charges have been filed against Duong, but an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent said in court records there isprobable cause to believe the couple harbored illegal aliens.
The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Northern Iowa filed an action in connection with the funds Thursday at the federal courthouse Cedar Rapids.
The largest chunk of the claim is $309,100 in cash that was discovered in a safety-deposit box at U.S. Bank in Vinton. The box was in Duong's name, records state.
Another $88,728 in cash was found when ICE agents executed a search warrant at Duong's Vinton home.
According to court records, some of the money was hidden in the basement, and Duong told agents the money was from "tips" he and his wife earned from the restaurants over the past 12 years.
Other caches of money include:
$2,139 from the Peony Chinese Restaurant in Toledo
$35,733 from a bank account
$12,163 from two bank accounts
$10,000 from a safety-deposit box
$22,350 from a safety-deposit box
$135,200 from a safety-deposit box
$5,813 from Duong's wife's purse
$24,053 from a bank account
$61,309 from a bank account
$52,898 from a bank account
Also sought in the claim is a 2009 Toyota Camry, a 2001 Tundra pickup truck, five pieces of jewelry from their home and 51 pieces of jewelry from two safety-deposit boxes.
The government already has filed court actions against the couple's house in Vinton as well as homes in Plainfield, Ill., and Orlando, Fla.
Immigration agents raided the restaurants in Vinton and Toledo and detained four workers from Mexico and China on immigration violations.
Records said the restaurants used an employment agency in Chicago to find workers, and agency fees were paid with their first wages.
Some workers were paid in cash and lived in an apartment above the Vinton restaurant, records allege.
Two workers told investigator they were hired without presenting any identification or immigration documents, records state.
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Monday, March 16, 2009
Man gets arrested for TV thefts
A Waterloo man accused of stealing flat-screen televisions by hoisting them over a 10-foot-chain-link fence at a Des Moines Wal-Mart has been charged with second-degree theft.Willie Ford was arrested this week in Marshalltown on a warrant.
Police say that the 41-year-old on two occasions took carts full of flat-screen televison out through the store's garden section. They say he scaled the fence, TV in hand, and put them down to the ground one at a time.
Police say Ford got six TVs out of the store on his first try, and four more on second try. The value of the television sets was $3,468.
Authorities believe his plan was to drive around the building and pick up the TVs. However, on both occasions, security discovered the items before Ford could make it back, and they got his license plate number leading to the warrant.
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Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know you Needed
Pothead in pokey, for placing potted pot on porch
The Tangipahoa Sheriff's office reports that a Kentwood man "growing his own" could have done a slightly better job at concealing his marijuana-growing operation. Police say an anonymous tip to narcotics agents led them to a home on Highway 1054 in Kentwood.
The tipster had advised that someone was growing marijuana at the address. Narcotic Agents say they didn't have to search very hard, finding nine potted marijuana plants on the home's front steps.
Their report shows that the homeowner gave consent to search the residence, where police say they also found several homemade marijuana smoking apparatuses and a glass container containing several marijuana seeds that appeared to in the germination stage on a bedroom window sill. Police arrested and charged Carlos " Trey" Ray Hoskins III with cultivation of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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Suspect: I found 13.5 pounds of pot along U.S. 1
Jeffery Dean, 50, who runs the Dean-Lopez Funeral Home branch on Big Pine Key, was arrested at his house on Olivia Street in Key West. City police say they found 13.5 pounds of pot there -- and that Dean says he found it on the 18-Mile Stretch in Key Largo.
Police say they obtained a warrant to search the house based on a neighbor's complaint about "an increasing amount of short-stay and come-and-go traffic at all hours of the night." In addition to the pot, they reportedly found a digital scale.
Dean didn't oppose the search, and in fact told officers where the pot was, in two large plastic storage bins, an arrest affidavit says.
"When Jeffrey was asked about the marijuana, he said he found it on the side of the road. Jeffrey was asked which road and he said it was [U.S. 1], 18-Mile Stretch," the affidavit says.
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Drunken friend drives to HQ to help DWI suspect
The Rockland County Sheriff's Department today arrested a man on a drunken driving charge after he came to headquarters to assist a friend who had been pinched on the same charge.
Sergei Marincenko, 22, of Fairview Avenue in Spring Valley, was arrested at 5:10 a.m. today and charged with operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent and driving while intoxicated, both misdemeanors, the Sheriff's Department said.
Marincenko went to the Sheriff's Department to visit a friend who was under arrest for an unrelated DWI charge. Marincenko was seen driving his vehicle in a restricted area, was stopped and was found to be intoxicated, police said.
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Man arrested after putting bite on elevator
A 24-year-old man who said he was high on cocaine was found biting an elevator door at the Westin Hotel at Town Center and then fought a police officer who tried to arrest him, according to court records.
William Catoe, of the 4000 block of Marlboro Drive in Virginia Beach, was "out of control" early Tuesday when the officer found him locking his teeth on the elevator door on the hotel's 11th floor, according to jail and court records.
Officer Brandon Foss tried to arrest Catoe for public intoxication but instead became Catoe's next target, and a fight ensued, a Circuit Court affidavit says.
Foss subdued Catoe and took him to a local hospital, where Catoe reportedly admitted injecting cocaine that was "crazy and bad." Officers searched his room and found syringes and a glass container with suspected cocaine, the affidavit says.
Catoe has been charged with malicious wounding, assaulting a police officer, attempting to disarm a police officer, disorderly conduct, drug possession and destruction of property.
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Eleven-year-old girl charged with rape
Authorities seeing increase in juvenile sex offenders
Local law enforcement deals with sex offenders almost daily, but in the past couple of months, Zanesville police have dealt with one of the youngest cases officers can remember - an 11-year-old girl charged with three counts of rape.
Detective Randy Ritchason said the girl had some type of sexual contact with three other children - two boys and a girl -all under the age of 10. She was charged in Muskingum County Juvenile Court.
"I believe it's the youngest perpetrator we've had," Ritchason said. "We've had young teens before, but she is about the youngest I've ever dealt with."
Rhonda Hinkle, a supervisor with Muskingum County Children's Services, said the girl is a very rare case, but her office is continually seeing more and more children who are committing sex crimes, not just being victims.
"I think a lot of it has to do with society today," Hinkle said. "We have so many blended families today, we have all the technology that children at young ages are allowed access to and we have entirely different sets of values and issues then ever before."
Hinkle said her office investigates about 10 to 15 cases a month where a young person is the perpetrator of a sex abuse.
The crimes range from rape, gross sexual imposition, sexual imposition, pornography and even "sexting" - forwarding lewd images on cell phones.
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Man Kills Girlfriend Over Beer, Then Has Sex With Her Corpse
Floridian Robert Conde, 41, told police he and Ruth Ann Trueblood were drinking together outdoors when she told him he couldn’t have more beer. He got so upset, he threw the defenseless 46-year-old woman on her back and punched her face until he knew she was dead. Conde then took off her pants and had sex with the body before covering it up and lying next to it. His girlfriend's body was later was found dumped behind a law office in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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The Tangipahoa Sheriff's office reports that a Kentwood man "growing his own" could have done a slightly better job at concealing his marijuana-growing operation. Police say an anonymous tip to narcotics agents led them to a home on Highway 1054 in Kentwood.
The tipster had advised that someone was growing marijuana at the address. Narcotic Agents say they didn't have to search very hard, finding nine potted marijuana plants on the home's front steps.
Their report shows that the homeowner gave consent to search the residence, where police say they also found several homemade marijuana smoking apparatuses and a glass container containing several marijuana seeds that appeared to in the germination stage on a bedroom window sill. Police arrested and charged Carlos " Trey" Ray Hoskins III with cultivation of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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Suspect: I found 13.5 pounds of pot along U.S. 1
Jeffery Dean, 50, who runs the Dean-Lopez Funeral Home branch on Big Pine Key, was arrested at his house on Olivia Street in Key West. City police say they found 13.5 pounds of pot there -- and that Dean says he found it on the 18-Mile Stretch in Key Largo.
Police say they obtained a warrant to search the house based on a neighbor's complaint about "an increasing amount of short-stay and come-and-go traffic at all hours of the night." In addition to the pot, they reportedly found a digital scale.
Dean didn't oppose the search, and in fact told officers where the pot was, in two large plastic storage bins, an arrest affidavit says.
"When Jeffrey was asked about the marijuana, he said he found it on the side of the road. Jeffrey was asked which road and he said it was [U.S. 1], 18-Mile Stretch," the affidavit says.
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Drunken friend drives to HQ to help DWI suspect
The Rockland County Sheriff's Department today arrested a man on a drunken driving charge after he came to headquarters to assist a friend who had been pinched on the same charge.
Sergei Marincenko, 22, of Fairview Avenue in Spring Valley, was arrested at 5:10 a.m. today and charged with operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent and driving while intoxicated, both misdemeanors, the Sheriff's Department said.
Marincenko went to the Sheriff's Department to visit a friend who was under arrest for an unrelated DWI charge. Marincenko was seen driving his vehicle in a restricted area, was stopped and was found to be intoxicated, police said.
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Man arrested after putting bite on elevator
A 24-year-old man who said he was high on cocaine was found biting an elevator door at the Westin Hotel at Town Center and then fought a police officer who tried to arrest him, according to court records.
William Catoe, of the 4000 block of Marlboro Drive in Virginia Beach, was "out of control" early Tuesday when the officer found him locking his teeth on the elevator door on the hotel's 11th floor, according to jail and court records.
Officer Brandon Foss tried to arrest Catoe for public intoxication but instead became Catoe's next target, and a fight ensued, a Circuit Court affidavit says.
Foss subdued Catoe and took him to a local hospital, where Catoe reportedly admitted injecting cocaine that was "crazy and bad." Officers searched his room and found syringes and a glass container with suspected cocaine, the affidavit says.
Catoe has been charged with malicious wounding, assaulting a police officer, attempting to disarm a police officer, disorderly conduct, drug possession and destruction of property.
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Eleven-year-old girl charged with rape
Authorities seeing increase in juvenile sex offenders
Local law enforcement deals with sex offenders almost daily, but in the past couple of months, Zanesville police have dealt with one of the youngest cases officers can remember - an 11-year-old girl charged with three counts of rape.
Detective Randy Ritchason said the girl had some type of sexual contact with three other children - two boys and a girl -all under the age of 10. She was charged in Muskingum County Juvenile Court.
"I believe it's the youngest perpetrator we've had," Ritchason said. "We've had young teens before, but she is about the youngest I've ever dealt with."
Rhonda Hinkle, a supervisor with Muskingum County Children's Services, said the girl is a very rare case, but her office is continually seeing more and more children who are committing sex crimes, not just being victims.
"I think a lot of it has to do with society today," Hinkle said. "We have so many blended families today, we have all the technology that children at young ages are allowed access to and we have entirely different sets of values and issues then ever before."
Hinkle said her office investigates about 10 to 15 cases a month where a young person is the perpetrator of a sex abuse.
The crimes range from rape, gross sexual imposition, sexual imposition, pornography and even "sexting" - forwarding lewd images on cell phones.
.
Man Kills Girlfriend Over Beer, Then Has Sex With Her Corpse
Floridian Robert Conde, 41, told police he and Ruth Ann Trueblood were drinking together outdoors when she told him he couldn’t have more beer. He got so upset, he threw the defenseless 46-year-old woman on her back and punched her face until he knew she was dead. Conde then took off her pants and had sex with the body before covering it up and lying next to it. His girlfriend's body was later was found dumped behind a law office in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Bizarre Phobias
From Wikipedia: "A phobia is an irrational, persistent fear of certain situations, objects, activities, or persons. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one’s control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made."
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Here are the top 10 Bizarre phobias!
1. Ithyphallophobia - Fear of Erections
2. Ephebophobia - Fear of Youths
3. Coulrophobia - Fear of Clowns
4. Ergasiophobia - Fear of Work
5. Gymnophobia - Fear of Nudity
6. Neophobia - Fear of Newness
7. Paraskavedekatriaphobia - Fear of Friday the 13th
8. Panphobia - Fear of Everything
9. Taphophobia - Fear of being Buried Alive
10. Pteronophobia - Fear of being Tickled by Feathers
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Here are the top 10 Bizarre phobias!
1. Ithyphallophobia - Fear of Erections
2. Ephebophobia - Fear of Youths
3. Coulrophobia - Fear of Clowns
4. Ergasiophobia - Fear of Work
5. Gymnophobia - Fear of Nudity
6. Neophobia - Fear of Newness
7. Paraskavedekatriaphobia - Fear of Friday the 13th
8. Panphobia - Fear of Everything
9. Taphophobia - Fear of being Buried Alive
10. Pteronophobia - Fear of being Tickled by Feathers
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Teen's acne spells 'ARSE'
Surely they wouldn't publish stories that aren't true?
Sam Cummings has been nicknamed Craphead because his acne spells out the word A-R-S-E.The unfortunate 16-year-old, from Berkshire, says he has suffered from the spotty skin condition for years and has always had to put up with remarks about his blemishes from
cruel classmates.
But things took a turn for the worse when he woke up one morning this week and found his out of control zits had merged - and formed the word arse.
He said: "I’ve always had bad skin and didn’t think things could get any worse, but obviously I was wrong.
He added: "The kids at school have been ripping the piss out of me. It’s been hell and I can’t do anything about it.
"The keep calling me ‘Craphead Slaphead’ and shouting things when they see me in the corridor.
"The other day some of the bigger lads dragged me into the toilet and tried to flush my head down the shitter because they said that’s where an arse belongs.
"It’s really crap - and the fact that I’ll just have to wait for them to heal is a real bum deal."
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'Scared' Fritzl Pleads Guilty to Incest at Trial
Fritzl hides his face in shame as he admits: 'I did rape my daughter but I didn't murder her child.'
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TACO TOWN
Another Gross Combination of Food
Saturday Night Live does a fake commercial, with Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader in a brilliant swipe at Taco Bell called "Taco Town".
.It contains 15 cuisine delights all stuffed into a single taco -- OR, a taco in a taco in a gordita in a pizza in a blueberry pancake in batter, deep fried.
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