Latest news with #Bonti
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Their Love ‘Moved the Earth'
When Alex Patrick Randall and Gregg Kittredge Bonti signed and submitted papers to become registered domestic partners at Brooklyn Borough Hall on April 5, 2024, the ground beneath them shook. An earthquake had rattled New York City. 'We like to joke that our love moved the Earth,' Mr. Randall said. The couple met in October 2021. When Mr. Randall first came across Mr. Bonti's profile on Hinge, he liked that Mr. Bonti was a special-education teacher. 'I could tell from that he would be patient and kind and caring,' Mr. Randall, 31, said. For their first date, which was on a weekday after a long day of teaching, Mr. Bonti, 30, chose Walter's, a restaurant down the block from his Fort Greene, Brooklyn, apartment. (Walter's would become a recurring location in their love story.) The pair sat in the outdoor dining booth and took their time with their meal as they opened up to each other about their upbringings, ambitions and even plans of having a dog one day. 'Previously, I remember I would sit down at a date and know kind of in the first 10 minutes, that wasn't my person,' Mr. Bonti said. But on this first date, within the first 10 minutes, he was deeply enamored, Mr. Bonti said. After dinner he showed Mr. Randall around his neighborhood, dropped him off at the Nevins Street subway station and kissed him goodbye. Mr. Bonti then called his best friend, Sami Schwaeber, and told her, 'I'm going to marry this man or he's going to ruin my life.' For their next date, Mr. Bonti came up to Mr. Randall's side of town on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and they sat on a large boulder in Central Park near 72nd Street, where they got to know each other better. And in the months that followed, Mr. Randall was charmed by Mr. Bonti's daily good morning and good night texts. In December 2021, Mr. Randall referred to Mr. Bonti as his boyfriend when he bumped into a former work colleague while dining at Walter's. 'I was like, 'You just called me your boyfriend,'' Mr. Bonti recalled. Mr. Randall responded: 'Yeah, we are.' In August 2022, they moved into an apartment in Fort Greene. In February 2023, Mr. Bonti was hospitalized from Covid-19, which had him thinking about hospital visitation rights as a same-sex couple. They decided to register for domestic partnership, which grants couples who live together legal benefits like health insurance and visitation rights. The following month, during Memorial Day weekend, the couple proposed to each other at their apartment and then picked up dinner from Walter's. Mr. Bonti is a head teacher at an independent school for children with learning disabilities in Brooklyn. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor's degree in early childhood special education and received a master's degree in childhood special education from Pace University. Mr. Randall graduated from Columbia with a bachelor's degree in political science and received a master of philosophy in history from the University of Cambridge. [Click here to binge read this week's featured couples.] On April 5, a year from the day they became registered as domestic partners, the couple, who changed their names to Alex Randall Kittredge and Gregg Randall Kittredge, were married at the Ace Hotel New York in Midtown. Aramael Peña-Alcántara, Mr. Randall's best friend who received a one-day New York State marriage officiant license, officiated before 120 guests. The wedding date was 131 years after Mr. Randall's great-great-grandparents, Gustav Hanson, who had immigrated from Sweden, and Ella Lydecker, born in New York and of Dutch ancestry, were married in Brooklyn on April 3, 1894. Growing up, Mr. Randall heard stories about his family from his grandfather. His grandfather hung their original marriage certificate in his home, which the couple displayed on a remembrance table at the entrance of their wedding ceremony. At the ceremony at Ace Hotel, Mr. Bonti teared up even before he started reading his vows, grabbing tissues from his front pocket as he spoke. 'With you, I feel protected and cared for in a way I never knew I needed,' he said. 'In my life and in my work, I'm so used to looking out for others. But with you, I get to let my guard down.' There were many tears, but there was also joy. Their guests erupted in laughter throughout the ceremony, including when Dr. Peña-Alcántara recounted Mr. Bonti's confession after the first date that Mr. Randall would either be his husband or 'ruin his life.' After Dr. Peña-Alcántara pronounced them husband and husband, the couple walked out holding hands to a banjo, trumpet and bass rendition of Stevie Wonder's 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours),' stopping for a few kisses before exiting through the door.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Hillsborough man arrested in ‘title-washing scheme' facing more charges
The Brief A Hillsborough County man is facing more charges related to a "title-washing scheme." He was previously arrested in January on 12 separate charges, also related to vehicle fraud. While investigators say Njie's case is unique, they urge anyone buying a used car to do their due diligence, because stolen cars are often resold. TAMPA, Fla. - A Hillsborough County man is facing more charges related to a "title-washing scheme." On Tuesday, Ahmed Njie, 40, was arrested and is facing 21 charges, including selling or possessing a vehicle with altered numbers, forged motor vehicle title and grand theft of a motor vehicle. Three weeks ago, FOX 13 reported his January arrest on 12 charges. READ: Hillsborough car salesman accused of running 'title washing scheme' The backstory "We believe this is a pretty large enterprise essentially," Kathryn Bonti, lead trial attorney for the Hillsborough State Attorney's office economic crimes unit, said. According to court documents, Njie is accused of changing the VIN numbers on vehicles and then re-titling them in different states. A new title erases the vehicle's history, which opens the door for resale. This is known as "title-washing," experts say. "In some of the other cases, we see that he is actually defrauding victims in purchasing these vehicles. So what we think – which we can't say for sure because we're not clear exactly – but the game is to return a large profit from these potentially stolen vehicles," Bonti said. Dig deeper Court documents accuse Njie of getting a fake title for a Range Rover that was reported stolen out of Lake City back in 2022. READ: Florida man arrested after topping 130 mph on Suncoast Parkway: HCSO "We're seeing that he has moved close to 10 to 20 vehicles, some of them being $85,000 to $100,000 for an individual vehicle," Bonti added. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Auto Theft Unit started investigating Njie and his associates last March when they tried to re-title a Mercedes-Benz with a lien in Plant City. A new title means there's no lien, so no outstanding payments are owed. "This case is unique -- the fact that this suspect did this type of activity so many times," Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Carolina Montelongo said. Big picture view The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office is currently investigating other title-washing cases in the Bay Area. READ: Testimony continues in trial of man accused of decapitating newly adopted dog They encourage anyone buying a used car to double-check the car's original VIN number, which can be permanently etched in places scammers might overlook. "They could be hidden in the trunk. They could be hidden underneath the carrier of the vehicle itself. I know that may be difficult to do when you're at, maybe, a public area, but those are the things you just want to be careful with when you're purchasing these vehicles," Bonti told FOX 13. "Because, down the road, you could find out that this car was stolen." What's next After his latest arrest, Njie appeared in court on Wednesday, where his public defender didn't say anything except to answer one yes/no question from the judge. The 40-year-old is being held without bond. At Njie's court appearance three weeks ago in January, his attorney told the court that he is employed as a "car salesman and a business owner." The Source FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia collected the information in this story. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
