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Cops: Woman claiming she needed 'spinal transplant' scams $1.2 million from man, 86 Candy Ely, 35, lured an 86-year-old Chicago man into a romantic relationship and stole more than $1.2 million in cash and items from him, including a car, police said. (Cook County Sheriff's Office) By Liam Ford Chicago Tribune contact the reporter Crime Theft A 35-year-old woman is accused of luring an 86-year-old man into a romantic relationship and then stealing more than $1.2 million in cash after claiming she had cancer and needed a "spinal transplant," police said. Candy Ely “baited” the man “into a false relationship...

HOUSTON - Houston police and U.S. Postal Inspectors worked together on a case involving numerous luxury cars being purchased with stolen identities. Police said the case began with a tip about a single car purchase that seemed "irregular." Police said five men used other people's identities to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in car purchases. Police said the men bought Porsches, Audis, Land Rovers, BMWs and a Chevy Camaro. "Most of the dealerships didn't know they had been a victim yet, before we were calling them saying, 'Hey, there's a problem with this deal, you might want to...

Are you stealing cars without knowing it? 10/08/14 - Here's another reason to protect your identity -- car thieves are stealing personal information to buy new vehicles directly from dealerships, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The bureau says crooks have been frustrated by late-model cars with advanced safeguards that make hot-wiring difficult. But resourceful thieves are now using stolen IDs and fake driver's licenses to purchase or lease vehicles, which they then sell after changing vehicle identification numbers (VINs). "It's comparable to a hacker stealing IDs," explains Joe Wehrle, the NICB president and CEO, in a written...

Thieves in NC are Targeting Cars With Gun Related Stickers and Cars Parked near Gun Free Zones May 19 2014 by Dan Cannon Share This Post looks like gun thieves in North Carolina are getting smart in their search to illegally acquire guns. According to a local report today, police have managed to bust several thieves they say are targeting cars that have gun related stickers on the bumper or windows. They are also targeting cars that are parked near gun free zones. These areas force law abiding concealed carriers to leave their firearms in their vehicles where they are...

13 assault rifles stolen from Chicago rail yard Posted: May 09, 2014 4:16 PM CST Updated: May 10, 2014 3:09 AM CST CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Authorities are investigating the theft of 13 semi-automatic assault rifles from a freight train container at a South Side rail yard, the Sun-Times is reporting. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was notified about the theft of Smith & Wesson AR-15 Sport rifles in the early morning hours of May 4th, said ATF Special Agent Thomas Ahern on Friday. Thieves had broken into a freight train car operated by Norfolk...

Airbags, Tailgates Are Targets Du Jour for Thieves Targets of car-component thieves can be as fleeting as Ed Hardy T-shirts and lower-back tattoos; they shift with cultural fixations and advancing technology. So, what car parts are trending for car thieves now? Of course, there are the classics, like hubcaps and car stereos. A few years back, high intensity discharge headlights enjoyed their day in the sun among street-car enthusiasts and, more recently, marijuana growers. Lately, Honda Fit wheels have become a popular target, as one of Cars.com's own senior editors learned. Airbags and pickup trucks' tailgates are currently making headlines...

Think twice before you check your luggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Cash, jewelry, electronics and other valuables are being stolen from passengers’ baggage at a staggering rate. It’s happening as a result of inside jobs that aren’t being stopped, CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer reports exclusively

Senior Hamas Official Arrested on Terrorism Charges http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151933#.TxtKKqUjHrQ Islamic Jihad's Jenin Commander Arrested http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151917#.TxtK76UjHrQ IDF Base: 1,500 Tank Shells Stolen http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151922#.TxtLRqUjHrQ

Ferry Building merchants and managers are fed up with the mayhem that has come with the nearby Occupy SF encampment. A spike in shoplifting, break-ins and reports of abandoned human waste — and a reported drop in foot traffic — has management fuming about the Justin Herman Plaza encampment. There even are reports of occupiers using the building’s restrooms as washrooms — with folks taking sponge baths from toilets. And last Monday, eight men were allegedly escorted out of the building after they attempted to use the bathrooms wearing nothing but their boxer shorts. Property manager Jane Connors has written...

Copper wire continues to be snatched from the East Bay city of Antioch this year, and that’s translating into a big problem for Pacific Gas and Electric – considering how much the utility relies on the material. Since the first of the year, 300 power poles have been knocked down in Antioch. The wiring contained on and within the poles was subsequently ripped off. Stealing copper wire is nothing new, but Antioch police describe the recent spate of incidents unusual. PG&E, meanwhile, maintains it takes $500 to repair a pole containing just dollars worth of copper. Copper went for $1.25/lb...

. . . left my chainsaw in the driveway to use the restroom inside the house. Someone driving buy saw it. He slammed on the brakes, stole it, and drove off. Neat, quick, easy. Mind you there was only a 5-minute hiatus in between my cutting. And the driver was a random passer-by. That suggests to me that a high number of rural Fresno County motorists can prove to be opportunistic thieves at any given moment. The saw was new; I liked it — an off-the-shelf $400 Echo that ran well. I assume it will be sold off at a...

From FOX: DEVELOPING: Loud explosions and gunfire were heard in the Egyptian capital of Cairo Friday, as protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak defied a curfew, Al Jazeera reported. Egyptian television reports the ruling party headquarters in Cairo are on fire. From TWITTER: WashingtonPost: Clinton: We urge #Egypt authorities to allow peaceful protest, reverse unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communications less than 20 seconds ago

The recordings of the TSA Assaults on this video are shocking. One woman had her arm broken and was knocked unconscious by TSA Agents.

He admits ripping off Hispanic motoristsA former Slidell police officer was put on probation for five years after pleading guilty to pulling over Hispanic motorists and stealing money from them while on duty. Jonathan Lutman, 26, of Slidell, admitted to 12 counts of malfeasance in office in state court in Covington, the district attorney's office reported Wednesday. Lutman became the target of an investigation last summer after a pair of men came forward with allegations that he had stolen cash from them during traffic stops. He was arrested by members of his own department July 11 after an internal investigation...

Firefighters weren't sure what was causing the smoke rising from a former discount store in this Baltimore suburb. The place had been abandoned for years, the interior stripped to the walls. When they got inside July 2, they found only one thing burning: a 41-year-old man who became engulfed in flames and died after cutting through a high-voltage line. Sean Phelps became another ghastly casualty of what authorities say is a deadly national trend: copper wiring thefts. High copper prices in recent years have thieves breaking into power plants and abandoned factories to rip out the wiring. Vandals are even...

Bush adviser charged with thefts Claude Allen was considered a rising Republican star US President George W Bush's former political adviser has been charged with stealing more than $5,000 (£2,900) from department stores. The president said he was "shocked" and "sad" on hearing the news about Claude Allen, who resigned abruptly as his domestic policy adviser last month. Mr Allen, 45, has denied at least 25 thefts from Target and Hecht's stores. The scam allegedly involved Mr Allen claiming refunds for merchandise that he did not buy. Mr Allen was arrested on Thursday by police in Montgomery County, Maryland, following...

On February 3, 2006, it was reported that 15 of Belgium's Pandur armored personnel carriers were stolen, together with radio equipment and field kitchens. The equipment was meant for a Beninese battalion that is part of the UN force in the Congo.Thanks to some help from DID's Benelux reader David Vandenberghe, DID can bring you the details. In December a ship under the flag of Saint Kitts & Nevis (VRT's report was incorrect) left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge for Congo, chartered by Geodis under the auspices of the UN. The cargo ship never made it to its destination. Four...

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona's biggest metro areas continue to be among the nation's hottest spots for auto theft, an insurance industry report says. The National Insurance Crime Bureau's annual list, released Tuesday, found that Phoenix-Mesa ranked fourth, while Tucson ranked 12th for auto thefts per 100,000 residents. Police say drug and immigrant smuggling are main factors in the high auto theft rate in Arizona. Tucson police say improved communication with tribal and federal officials near the Mexican border, where many stolen cars are taken, is aiding efforts to curb thefts, said Lt. John Stamatopoulos, commander of the department's economic...

The former head of a suburban Chicago school system stole thousands of dollars _ including milk money and library fees _ from one of the poorest districts in the state so he and his family could live the high life, prosecutors said Tuesday. Police raided Thomas Ryan's house last week and seized $730,000 in cash from a basement safe and envelopes scattered throughout the home, prosecutor Richard Devine said. Officers had to use laundry baskets to cart out the wads of cash. Ryan spent about $70,000 in stolen money to pay for three daughters' college tuition, prosecutors said. He also...

If you think you face difficult times, imagine you're a car thief. The LoJack security system has hurt the business model of auto theft, forcing thieves to go into new lines of work - and that should inspire us to think more creatively and systematically about how to reduce crime. Sold for $695, the LoJack is a radio transmitter that is hidden on a vehicle and then activated if the car is stolen. The transmitter then silently summons the police - and it is ruining the economics of auto theft. Car theft, it turns out, is a volume business. And...