logo
Crop Bistro owner Marcelo Fadul Neves indicted in $846K theft of COVID relief funding

Crop Bistro owner Marcelo Fadul Neves indicted in $846K theft of COVID relief funding

Yahoo12-03-2025

[In the player above, watch FOX 8 News coverage on the Restaurant Revitalization Fund from 2021.]
CLEVELAND (WJW) — The owner of a shuttered Ohio City restaurant spent more than $800,000 in pandemic business relief funds from the federal government on his personal expenses and debts, according to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor.
A county grand jury handed up an indictment charging the owner of Crop Bistro & Bar, Marcelo Fadul Neves, 59, of Westlake, with 15 felony counts, including aggravated theft, telecommunications fraud, tampering with records, grand theft and passing bad checks, according to a Wednesday news release.
Watch: New video of protesters blocking Hopkins Airport
Neves in 2021 applied for relief through the Restaurant Revitalization funding, administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration to help struggling restaurants keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic, and received $846,720 for his business.
But Crop Bistro, along Lorain Avenue in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, had already closed, according to prosecutors.
In the restaurant's last Facebook post in December 2020, operators said it would be closing for two weeks 'due to unforeseeable circumstances.'
Neves instead used the funding for personal expenses, to pay off debts and to buy another restaurant in Olmsted Falls, called Bistro on the Falls, which was also later closed, according to prosecutors.
Separate from the federal funding theft, he also allegedly wrote bad checks to multiple people, including employees, totaling more than $140,000. Several of the bounced checks, totaling $105,000, were made out to DeWitt's Jewelry, according to his indictment.
Dept. of Education laying off more than 1,300 employees, terminating leases in Cleveland, other cities
Neves was arrested Tuesday, March 11, by agents with the U.S. Secret Service Money Laundering Task Force, with help from Westlake police, according to the release.
He is set for arraignment on Thursday, March 13, court records show.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How Bryan Kohberger's notoriously mum defense attorney is using the media to her advantage
How Bryan Kohberger's notoriously mum defense attorney is using the media to her advantage

Fox News

time26 minutes ago

  • Fox News

How Bryan Kohberger's notoriously mum defense attorney is using the media to her advantage

Bryan Kohberger's lead defense attorney Anne Taylor may be avoiding news cameras, but she has shown she is able to use widespread attention to the case to her advantage in her courtroom maneuvering. Even before Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued the first gag order in the case, Taylor declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. Since then, she has declined to respond to additional requests for comment. "It is unusual for defense counsel to avoid trying to grab the spotlight and possibly influence public opinion via press conferences, but there's more than one way to skin a cat," said Royal Oakes, a Los Angeles-based litigator and media analyst. In Kohberger's case, convincing evidence has already been made public — including the allegation that police found his DNA on a Ka-Bar knife sheath under 21-year-old Madison Mogen, one of the four victims, and surveillance video of a suspected vehicle coming and going at the crime scene. "You've got the car circling the victim's house," Oakes told Fox News Digital. "You've got the DNA. You've got the cell phone records. The strategy instead is to go kind of a technical route and question the science of the DNA and also to argue autism by the criminal defendant. That's a key factor, and that's not the kind of thing you necessarily go public with." Taylor used unflattering depictions of her client to have news cameras thrown out of the courtroom and to secure a change of venue, which moved Kohberger's upcoming trial out of Latah County, where the students were killed, to Boise. Defense filings have highlighted widespread news coverage, as well as social media discussions involving thousands of web sleuths and true crime followers. More recently, Taylor is arguing that two major media projects — a "Dateline" episode and a forthcoming book from bestselling crime author James Patterson and crime reporter Vicky Ward — should justify another postponement of her client's trial in the deaths of four University of Idaho students. In particular, she claims the May 9 "Dateline" episode contains damning material that could put Kohberger's right to a fair trial at risk. "The program includes details and materials, including video footage, cellphone records, and photographs of documents, that are not publicly available through official channels," she wrote in a motion to continue filed on May 20. "The show repeatedly emphasizes the non-public nature of this information, stating it was obtained from unnamed sources who are close to the investigation, and that the materials were obtained exclusively by 'Dateline.'" Some of it will be inadmissible at trial, she added. Furthermore, she asserted that "the leaked materials appear carefully curated to promote a narrative of guilt." "The defense strategy of delay and moving the trial is working beautifully," Oakes said. "She was able to change the venue. She gets some postponements, and now she wants further postponement." If she gets it, there are two key factors that would benefit the defense, he added. "No. 1, give her time to come up with something to overcome this amazingly strong physical evidence against him, and also maybe diminish the public anger," he said. "As the months and the years go by, people will forget how horrific the crime was, and maybe give her a better chance to get a good result at trial." "They are trying to keep it out of the court of public opinion," said David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defense attorney and former prosecutor who is following the case. "How do you do that? Stay away from media." GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB However, that is tough in a case where many updates receive international attention. Kohberger is accused of killing Mogen, two roommates and another friend in a 4 a.m. home-invasion stabbing spree. There is no publicly known motive, but a concerning detail is that he was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at the time of the murders. The other victims were Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts judge and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Criminology and Justice studies, said Taylor could consider trying to "humanize" her client — but anything else could be dangerous for the defense. "That case sends a chill down the spine of every professor in a school of criminology in the United States," he told Fox News Digital.

How to Acquire Customers with Instagram Ads in 2025
How to Acquire Customers with Instagram Ads in 2025

Business of Fashion

time2 hours ago

  • Business of Fashion

How to Acquire Customers with Instagram Ads in 2025

Advertisers are starting to get a little more bang for their buck on Instagram. In the years after Apple made it harder to track iPhone users' online activities in 2021, the metrics on social marketing mostly headed in one direction: more expensive, less effective. But recently, the data has started looking better. The number of customers who click on Facebook and Instagram ads grew 14 percent year-over-year in the first five months of 2025, while the cost for each of those clicks dropped 10 percent during the same period, according to marketing agency Belardi Wong. There's no one reason online marketing has suddenly opened up again. In the last year, Meta added more AI tools through a platform called Advantage+, which it launched in 2022, that makes it easier for brands to target the right audiences with specific types of ads they're most likely to engage with. A study the company conducted last year found that brands using Advantage+ have seen a 22 percent higher return on ad spend on average, according to Jackie Pimentel, global lead of ads product marketing for Meta. (The company is reportedly planning to fully automate ad creation and targeting in 2026.) (BoF Team) As ads get cheaper, and more effective, it's creating an opening for a new generation of fashion start-ups. Many new brands have leaned towards building a following through their own social media content because paid ads were too expensive, especially when customers who click on them often fail to return. Now, performance marketing is a bigger part of the mix again. What those ads look like has changed since 2021, however. AI may enhance targeting capabilities, but consumers often recoil if the ad itself looks like it was generated by a machine. Potential customers still want to see great storytelling, whether it's glossy still images or pithy reels that show off a brand's personality. Womenswear brand Damson Madder, for example, 'takes a really bespoke approach to what creative we are servicing at every stage in [the] customer journey,' said Emma Shepherd, the brand's head of marketing. Damson Madder uses more polished campaigns to draw in new customers and product-specific imagery to retarget existing customers. Repurposed user-generated content helps fill in storytelling gaps. In two recent videos repackaged as ads, creators Polly Sayer and Poppy Almond show off different outfits they wore during Copenhagen Fashion Week, providing a deeper look at how specific pieces and looks can be styled for everything from café hopping to meetings. 'If you looked at Instagram a few years ago and just Meta ads in general, it used to be like, how do you figure out your targeting to make sure that you target the right audience,' said Emanuel Cinca, founder and chief executive of the Stacked Marketer newsletter. 'It's changed in the past year or so, where almost 80/20 percent of the performance is given by how good your creatives are.' Polished Campaigns A top-performing Instagram ad from With Nothing Underneath's summer 2025 campaign. (With Nothing Underneath) A still from Damson Madder's top-performing January 2025 campaign. (Damson Madder) A still from Set Active's spring 2025 "Coastal Countryside" campaign. (Set Active) When advertising on Instagram, the biggest challenge is getting people to notice an ad when they're quickly scrolling. Brands need to ensure their personality shines through so audiences can quickly get to know their brand identity and also remember them more easily. With these campaigns, consistency in aesthetic and tone of voice goes a long way. Women's shirting brand With Nothing Underneath produces all of its imagery in the brand's signature film camera style, which can have a soft, diffused look that appears more organic than digital photos. It also helps keep costs down; images from a summer 2025 campaign shoot in the South of France were used for both paid ads and posts on its page. One of those ads, which featured a photo of a woman sunning herself overlaid with with the quote 'To be worn effortlessly, without thought or anything underneath,' had 28 percent lower cost per acquisition than its average ad. 'When they get hit with an ad, it would be so weird for them to be hit with something that was not from the same shoot, with a different tone of voice and super corporate copy when they're used to our tone of voice,' said Pip Durell, With Nothing Underneath's founder. 'Our tone of voice is very British … It's a little tongue in cheek. It's not that serious.' Damson Madder uses campaign imagery that tells a story and leans into its playful, quirky style to draw new shoppers in. In January, for instance, it released one of its top-performing campaign carousel ads of 2025 featuring models faced with the slightly surreal chaos of returning to the office after the holiday season. 'Stuff that has some storytelling and intrigue, but is also really beautiful, slick, inspirational fashion campaign imagery and video … is what really draws customers in at the top of the funnel,' said Shepherd. User-Generated Content A UGC video posted during Copenhagen Fashion Week, which Damson Madder repurposed as an ad. (Damson Madder) One of Lisa Says Gah's UGC-style ads produced in-house. (Lisa Says Gah) A college ambassador video Set Active repurposed as an ad. (Set Active) Many brands have turned to repurposing user-generated content to create ads that feel less pushy. The original videos are mostly non-sponsored posts made by influencers walking viewers through a product's functionality or offering styling tips, although some brands are creating in-house versions starring team members. To grow that strategy, brands are getting more strategic about how they work with creators to re-use product content they post. Instead of overloading on gifting, as consumers get better at sniffing out inauthentic sponsored posts, brands are developing longer-lasting partnerships with creators who can choose to post about a product if they wish, and repurposing styling or educational videos that emphasise a product's utility. 'We've done that in the past … where 1,000 people would post the same thing on the same day,' said Vicky Boudreau, founder of micro-influencer platform Heylist. 'Now if you do a campaign asking everybody to post the same messaging within the same format, it looks super staged.' Set Active sees user-generated videos working 'because consumers can see how it moves, how it flows, how it fits into a daily life,' said Johnson, and the brand has recently scaled this content to make up 25 percent of its ads, up from 15 percent. The brand directly collects videos created by its community, and then requests usage rights. Some brands have even taken to producing content in-house that mimics what users might create. One of Lisa Says Gah's top five performing campaigns in the past year, for example, featured the brand's creative producer modelling the Jenny dress, and generated a $6 return — while its typical return on ad spend has been $5 for the year thus far. Product-Focused Imagery A Damson Madder ad highlighting some of its accessories. (Damson Madder) A Lisa Says Gah ad highlighting pieces from its summer collection. A Set Active video ad featuring pieces from the brand's core collection. (Set Active) Brands are learning when to push product-specific imagery — whether flat-lay product images or e-commerce product shots — which were once known to clog users' feeds but can be effective at converting shoppers who are already familiar with a brand. While Spanish womenswear brand Hand Over primarily focuses on campaigns and creator content, it uses product shots 'when we feel people need to just add it to the cart, maybe on Black Friday or a day after a drop,' said Lucia Mac Lean, the brand's creative lead. Product-focused visuals can be similarly effective in a video format. One of Set Active's top-performing ads is an 11-second video overlaid with the caption 'pov: your summer 2025 capsule wardrobe has arrived,' which showcases how a variety of pieces from their most recent collection can be styled. Whether a brand is producing polished campaigns, repurposing user content or drilling down to product-specific imagery, it needs to ensure its ads are reaching consumers at the right point in their shopping journey. New AI tools are helping brands quickly put an ad in front of a group of customers and see how they respond to it before pushing the ad out to a larger pool of users, said Cinca from Stacked Marketer. 'The biggest benefit is just the ease of testing,' he added. The tools are also helping brands reach larger audiences on Instagram, Meta's Pimentel said. 'Instead of like 100 people, where we look to see who among these 100 people are right for your ad, for your business? Who might convert? We actually can do that at a much larger scale,' she said. While many brands are still figuring out how much AI targeting they want to use, especially around tools that tailor the content of ads to specific customers, it's important to continue prioritising the quality of their content. 'It's reached a point where, really, the creatives are what matter the most,' said Cinca.

Road rule warning to Aussies after driver cops $1,775 fine, 22 demerit points in one go
Road rule warning to Aussies after driver cops $1,775 fine, 22 demerit points in one go

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Road rule warning to Aussies after driver cops $1,775 fine, 22 demerit points in one go

Drivers are being reminded of their responsibility to follow the myriad rules of the road after one L-plater copped $1,775 in fines and a whopping 22 demerit points in one hit this past weekend. NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol are holding the driver of a silver Saab convertible up as an example of what not to do after the male, who held a NSW Learner's class C licence, was caught doing 129km/h on the Hume Highway on Sunday. It was the car's speed in the 110km/h zone near Penrose which initially alerted officers in Mittagong Highway Patrol to the driver's wrongdoing, but the offences didn't stop there. The learner licence holder, who was not displaying yellow L plates on the front or the rear of the car, can only do a maximum speed of 90km/h, making his speed actually 39km over the limit. After being stopped at 4.15 pm, officers then spotted a mobile phone positioned near the steering wheel playing a music video on YouTube. "When questioned about this, the male swiped the screen to a map app and replied 'no, I'm not using it, just looking at the map'," officers said of the interaction. It is illegal for learner and provisional licence holders in NSW to use a phone for "any purpose", even for directions. 😳 Alarming breach of well-known road rule as 8,500 Aussies cop $395 fine 🐉 New Aussie road markings aimed at giving drivers a 'sense of warning' 🛴 Aussies warned over $1,161 fine after parents' shocking e-scooter act on city road When police questioned the female passenger about her role as a supervisor, she replied, "I was asleep," officers said. The offences resulted in numerous fines and demerit points. They included: Exceeding speed over 30km/h, $1045 fine and five demerit points Learner using a mobile phone, $410 fine and five demerit points Not displaying L plates, $320 fine and two demerit points. Because it was a long weekend and double demerit points were in place, the male driver accumulated a whopping 22 demerit points. Because learner drivers can only accumulate a maximum of four demerit points, he was automatically suspended from driving with a pending extension from NSW Transport. The female passenger also copped a penalty infringement for failing to supervise. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store