Chicago man accused of stealing $400K of fitness equipment, other goods
CHICAGO — A Chicago man was arrested last week for allegedly selling $400,000 worth of stolen fitness equipment and other goods.
Isadore House, 57, is facing a Class 1 felony count of theft after he was taken into custody Friday.
The investigation into House began in April after the Cook County Sheriff's Office learned of fitness equipment stolen in a cargo theft.
The merchandise was allegedly being sold by House on Facebook Marketplace.
Undercover officers then purchased multiple pieces of fitness equipment from him over the course of several weeks at a storefront in the 1800 block of West 87th Street in Chicago and at a storage unit in the 0-100 block of West 85th Street.
String of armed robberies in Lakeview, Lincoln Park conducted by same group
Officers conducted a search warrant at the locations of and approximately $400,000 in fitness equipment and other goods.
House was arrested on Friday, according to police. He was released pending his next court date.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Michigan lawmakers: Extortionists using AI to create deepfake pornography must be stopped
Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) speaks in support of legislation to ban nonconsensual 'deepfake' pornography before a vote in the Michigan state House on April 24, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Legislation to ban non-consensual hyper-realistic 'deepfake' pornography stalled out in the Michigan Legislature last year, but that hasn't slowed the production of those materials and lawmakers say that needs to change. Bills to outlaw those materials were back again before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Thursday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Testifying before the committee was bill sponsor and state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing). Tsernoglou said that each time she gets the opportunity to tell her fellow lawmakers there's a need for more regulation in artificial intelligence, the issue becomes worse because In Michigan, and across other states, there are bad actors who use artificial intelligence to create non-consensual fake pornographic media. 'As the percentage of the population that uses artificial intelligence technology, either knowingly or unknowingly, continues to grow exponentially, we must stay hyper-vigilant in our efforts to regulate the technology and to ensure that our most vulnerable community members are not exploited or harmed,' Tsernoglou told the committee on Thursday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security both are reaching out to the American public about the rising issue of sexual exploitation taking place online, cautioning that children particularly are often being targeted. Both agencies cited a study from Sensity AI, a research company tracking deepfake media, which found that between 90% and 95% of deepfake videos online since 2018 are nonconsensual pornography and about 90% of those nonconsensual videos are of nonconsensual porn are of women. As the Michigan Senate considers House Bills 4047 and 4048, introduced by Tsernoglou and Rep. Matt Bierlein (R-Vassar) to ban nonconsensual deepfake pornography and place criminal penalties on their production, lawmakers in the committee meeting Thursday shared how the issue has impacted people they know. State Sen. Paul Wojno (D-Warren) said he appreciates that the bills address the nefarious nature of the materials, especially when it comes to extortion. He shared that a friend of his daughter had been extorted by someone using a fake image. '[A] deep fake was created and they sent it to her and threatened that if she didn't pay a certain amount of money, it would be posted on social media,' Wojno said. These extortionists don't even necessarily know their victims, said Zoey Brewer, policy and grassroots coordinator with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. But by using technology that is becoming more realistic and more accessible to the public, Brewer said criminals are extorting money from victims or creating such intense anxiety in their victims that they can't attend school or work and, in some cases, they resort to suicide. The bills have bipartisan support, and cleared the state House with a nearly unanimous vote in April, just as they did last session. But the bills failed to clear the state Senate last year during a turbulent lame duck session. State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), the committee's chair, said the Senate had 'every intention' of taking up the bills, but she's glad lawmakers are pressing the issue again this session. Deepfakes don't just impact celebrities and they aren't harmless jokes, Bierlein said. Michigan's laws have left families and law enforcement without proper recourse to go after extortionists making fake sexual materials, he added. Among the groups who submitted support for the bills was the Michigan Sheriff's Association. The legislation being considered by the committee would send a strong message that Michigan will not tolerate digital abuse and would not only criminalize nonconsensual deepfake pornography, but also allow victims to sue the individuals who create it, Bierlein said. 'They're deeply invasive, traumatic violations that can ruin lives,' Bierlein said of deepfake pornographic media. 'Reputations, careers and mental health have all been damaged or destroyed by the weaponization of someone's likeness, often targeting women, minors and vulnerable individuals. This is not a hypothetical issue, in my own district I have heard from families and young people who have been directly affected by these people.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rockford teen accused of torturing animals to death in two separate incidents
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Police arrested Landon Mikaelson, 19, for allegedly torturing dogs and cats to death. Officers took Mikaelson into custody on June 11, after reports from a man who claimed the suspect strangled his cat and dog. The owner of the animals told officials, Mikaeson had killed a cat and a dog in the past. Mikaelson strangled a cat on May 29 and May 30, the owner reported. The man told officials that the suspect also strangled a dog to death on May 2. A witness from the May 30 confirmed the incident happened and that he pulled the cat away from Mikaelson. On Dec. 23, 2024, a woman reported to authorities that he had called her on Instagram to show her a cat he had killed. The suspect told her he killed the cat by strangling, kicking and punching it because it was meowing too much, according to court records. Mikaelson denied torturing any of the animals when interviewed by officers. He is charged with cruelty to animals and animal torture for the most recent incident and animal torture for the incident in 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘They were trying to kill my family': Body camera footage released of teen accused of shooting Cal City officer
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The call came in around 4 p.m. A woman, speaking rapidly, reported a girl walking in California City fired a shot at a white van. 'She just shot a gun,' the caller says in a video released on YouTube Thursday by sheriff's investigators. 'She just put it in her pocket.' Minutes later, an officer found the girl walking on Hickory Avenue. The encounter left both suffering from gunshot wounds. As other officers took her into custody, the girl, Annette Garcia, said she and her family were in danger. 'I was just trying to help my family,' she says. 'They were trying to kill my family.' Garcia, 17 at the time of the April 21 shooting, recovered from her injuries and has undergone a mental competency examination. She's due in juvenile court next week for a hearing at which the results will be discussed. She's charged with two counts of attempted murder, assault with a gun on a peace officer, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, attempted murder of a public official, carrying a loaded gun, possession of live ammunition by a minor, carrying a dirk or dagger and resisting arrest. A prosecutor has said Garcia had access to unsecured guns in her mother's home. The wounded officer, Michael Kelakios, had a bullet removed from his leg, sheriff's officials said. He fired at Garcia after she turned and shot him the moment he got out of his patrol vehicle, according to police. An incident review board on June 5 found he acted within department policy. The video released Thursday contains audio of a 911 call, body camera video of the wounded officer and Garcia's arrest, and photos of the damaged van and the weapons — a handgun and knife — officials said Garcia was carrying. The round fired at the van passed through what appears to be its left side and hit a package inside. That shooting occurred in the area of Corwin Street and Lime Avenue. No one was injured, although the woman on the 911 call was obviously shaken up. 'Let's get in the house before she shoots again,' the woman says to someone, possibly her son, whom she later mentions. 'Dude, I don't want to die.' About nine minutes later, Kelakios confronted Garcia. Body camera video shows another officer arrive after the shooting and apply a tourniquet to Kelakios' leg. While receiving treatment, Kelakios says, 'Hey, watch yourself. She just pulled it out and shot right at me, bro.' He adds, 'I returned fire, but I don't know how I missed.' He hadn't. Garcia had been hit twice, officials said. She was found nearby and held at gunpoint as she dropped her gun. She was then placed in handcuffs. She apologized while being arrested, and kept saying she tried to help her family. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
