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East Bay man allegedly orchestrated $39 million Ponzi scheme

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal grand jury has indicted an Alamo man in a $39 million Ponzi scheme that involved more than 100 victims, authorities said.The indictment alleges that Derek Chu, 41, used several companies to raise the money by fraudulently soliciting investments in the purchase and resale of pro basketball tickets and luxury suites, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey of the Northern District of California. The tickets and suites were to the Oracle Arena in Oakland, the Chase Center in San Francisco and Staples Center in Los Angeles.Chu is charged with eight counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, Ramsey said. Authorities arrested him Tuesday. He is next scheduled to be in court on May 10.Chu got investors to hand over their money by making numerous false statements to them, including how their investment funds would be used, how investors would be repaid and whether the investments were secured by collateral, Ramsey said.Relate...

Los Gatos man killed in ATV rollover in Santa Cruz Mountains

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

A Los Gatos man was killed Monday evening when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving flipped over at a Santa Cruz Mountains property.The California Highway Patrol identified the crash victim as James Richard Jatho, 34. Police were called around 6 p.m. Monday to a residence on Mar Vista Court, near Highland Way in the Loma Prieta area. Jatho had been driving a Honda side-by-side ATV when it reversed for an unknown reason and crashed into a retaining wall, then tipped onto its side, according to the CHP.Jatho suffered major injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.The CHP continued to investigate the cause of the crash Tuesday. Officials said it was unknown if alcohol or drugs were factors in this crash.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Fremont driver killed in three-vehicle collision Crashes and Disasters | Bride leaving reception in golf cart is killed by alleged reckless driver Crashes and Disasters | Los Banos woman killed in ...

Gwyneth Paltrow compares Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck’s bedroom skills

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

In reflecting on her life and career, Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t stick to the “don’t kiss and tell” rule when it came to talking about two of her most high-profile romantic partners, Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck.In a conversation Wednesday with “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alexandra Cooper, the Academy Award-winning actor and Goop lifestyle entrepreneur not-so-reluctantly offered a comparison of the two men’s lovemaking skills.Paltrow, 50, started off by stating that both of the men were “good kissers” when she dated them in the 1990s. When Cooper pressed on which of the handsome leading man was better in bed, Paltrow admitted, “That is really hard, because Brad was like the sort of major chemistry, love of your life, kind (of hookup).”Paltrow said, “Ben was, like, technically excellent.” She quickly added: “I can’t believe my daughter, (Apple), is listening to this!”When Paltrow was starting her career in...

Preview: With ‘Street Fighter 6,’ Capcom could have another landmark fighting game

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

“Street Fighter 6” is the most important fighting game to come out in more than a decade. It’s not just another chapter in the genre’s most venerable franchise. It’s the fact that Capcom is going all out to reimagine the scope of the series. From top to bottom, the game takes a broad look at fighting games and tries to upend expectations while also keeping to its roots.I had a chance to play about three hours of “Street Fighter 6” at Capcom’s U.S. headquarters. I dabbled in the Fighting Grounds, which is where players will find traditional modes. Players have an Arcade mode where players choose a fighter and take them through a short story told over 5 or 12 battles with bonus stages in between.EXTREME BATTLES AND VERSUS MODEIt includes Extreme Battles, which is a party mode. Players can mix six different rule sets with six different gimmicks to create twists on traditional fights. They’ll be hits if you have people of similar ski...

Alamo man allegedly ran $39M Ponzi scheme involving over 100 victims

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

(KRON) -- An Alamo man was indicted for allegedly running a $39 million Ponzi scheme involving over 100 victims, officials announced. The suspect, Derek Vincent Chu, 41, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 28. and charged with eight counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, officials said.Officials said between 2013 and 2020, Chu raised $39 million using several companies by soliciting investments for the purchase and resale of basketball tickets and luxury suites at Oracle Arena in Oakland, the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the Chase Center in San Francisco. Chu allegedly gave investors false information on how investor funds would be used, how investors would be repaid and whether investments were backed by collateral. Man sentenced after ‘brutal’ beating at Vallejo Hell’s Angels clubhouse Officials allege that Chu mixed investor funds with his personal and business accounts and used it to pay investors back. The indictment also alleged that Chu us...

Man sentenced after 'brutal' beating at Vallejo Hell's Angels clubhouse

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

(KRON) -- A Solano County Hell's Angels member was sentence Tuesday on weapons charges following an investigation into a "brutal" beating at the Hell's Angels Vallejo chapter clubhouse, officials announced. In October 2021, court documents said Michael Mahoney, 30, of Fairfield, with other Hell's Angels members, was involved in a beating of two members of a different motorcycle club—considered a subordinate club of the Hell's Angels—for apparently breaking some Hell's Angels rules. Family offers $10K reward for information on missing person During the investigation, officers executed a search warrant of Mahoney's home and said they found several firearms including a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver with a serial number that had been scratched off and a Sears & Roebuck 12-gauge shotgun with a barrel that had been sawn off to approximately 12.75 inches in length. The shotgun had not been registered properly, officials said.Mahoney was sentenced to three years and one mont...

Kudermetova defeats Pegula to reach Madrid Open semifinals

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Veronika Kudermetova reached the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time by upsetting third-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.The 12th-seeded Kudermetova sealed her victory with an ace on her second match point to set up a semifinal match against either No. 1 Iga Swiatek or Petra Martic, who will play later Wednesday.Pegula was trying to reach her second consecutive final in Madrid. She was runner-up to Ons Jabeur at the clay-court tournament last year.It was the fourth consecutive three-set win for Kudermetova.“I feel so happy and proud of myself, because every match I played three sets,” the fifth-ranked Kudermetova said. “Before this match, every match was almost three hours. Today, only two hours, I feel fresh.”She had reached three quarterfinals at WTA 1000 level or above, all in 2022, including at Roland Garros for her best run at a Grand Slam. The 26-year-old Kudermetova had reached two other semifinals thi...

US military says it targeted senior al-Qaida leader in Syria

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S.-led coalition carried out a drone strike Wednesday in northwestern Syria targeting a senior al-Qaida leader, the U.S. military said.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the strike hit a chicken farm near the town of Harem, killing one person. It said the dead man has not been identified yet. The strike was the latest of a series of similar attacks over the past years that have killed senior members of the Islamic State group or al-Qaida. The U.S. Central Command said that shortly before noon, U.S. forces conducted “a unilateral strike” in northwestern Syria, targeting a senior al-Qaida leader. It added that more information would be provided “as operational details become available.”U.S. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East said the strike on Wednesday “reaffirms CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to the region and the enduring defeat” of IS and al-Qaida.Most of those targeted over the past ye...

Voters oust Michigan clerk who doubts election results

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

ADAMS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Voters in one of Michigan’s most conservative counties have ousted a small-town clerk accused of improperly handling voting equipment after casting doubt on President Joe Biden’s election victory.Stephanie Scott lost Tuesday’s recall election in Hillsdale County’s Adams Township to Suzy Roberts, who got 406 votes to Scott’s 214, according to unofficial results reported by the county clerk’s office.Roberts, a Republican who identifies as an independent, filed as non-party-affiliated in the recall election because Michigan law does not allow for challengers to file under the same political party, the Hillsdale Daily News reported previously.Scott had run unopposed as a first-time Republican candidate when she was chosen in the November 2020 election to handle the voting in Adams Township, a reliably Republican community where the ticket of Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received nearly 76% of the vote that year.But she joined ...

Eli Lilly says experimental drug slows Alzheimer’s worsening

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:02:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eli Lilly and Co. said Wednesday its experimental Alzheimer’s drug appeared to slow worsening of the mind-robbing disease in a large study.In the 18-month trial, people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s who received infusions of donanemab showed 35% less decline in thinking skills compared to those given a dummy drug, Lilly announced in a press release. The drug is designed to target and clear away a sticky protein called beta-amyloid that builds up into brain-clogging plaques that are one hallmark of Alzheimer’s. A similar amyloid-targeting drug, Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi, recently hit the market with similar evidence that it could modestly slow Alzheimer’s — and also some safety concerns, brain swelling or small brain bleeds.Donanemab also comes with that risk. Lilly said in its study, the brain side effects caused the deaths of two participants and a third also died after a serious case.The preliminary study results haven’t been vetted by outside experts. Indi...