Latest news with #Hoovers
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Reputed Hoovers gang members charged by feds with sex trafficking in L.A.
Six reputed members and associates of the Hoover Criminal Gang were arrested Wednesday in what authorities called the first major takedown of a sex trafficking operation in the Figueroa Corridor of South Los Angeles. The Hoovers largely controlled sex trafficking and prostitution along a 3.5-mile stretch of Figueroa Street between approximately Slauson Avenue and Century Boulevard from February 2021 to August 2025, according to a 155-page federal indictment charging 11 people. Gang members and associates allegedly recruited vulnerable minors and young women — including runaways and children from the foster care system — through social media and branded them with tattoos, prosecutors charged. Victims were recruited through false promises of a luxurious lifestyle, intimidation, and actual or threatened violence and were plied with drugs ranging from the synthetic painkiller oxycodone to amphetamines, according to the indictment. Federal authorities allege Amaya Armstead, 25, a.k.a. 'Lady Duck,' of South Los Angeles, was the de facto leader of the 112 set of the Hoover Criminal Gang and sex trafficked a 14-year-old girl. Armstead has been charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Armstead's attorney declined to comment. Indicted alongside Armstead were Kenyondre Young, 22; Naziz Harris, 19; Derail Robinson, 22; Jalon Phillips, 22; Bryan Isrel, 31, Tejohn Gray, 25, Tommy Crockham, 30, — all from South L.A. Also charged were Avery Amoako, 27, of Long Beach; Jared Evans, 29, of the Mid-City area of L.A. and Mathew Brooks, 22, of Riverside. Along with the RICO charge, the defendants are facing various other charges, including sex trafficking of minors, sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion; transportation of a minor for sex trafficking; sexual exploitation of a child; drug trafficking conspiracy; money laundering to promote specified unlawful activity; and conspiracy to straw purchase firearms. Local and federal authorities arrested Amoako, Evans, Brooks, Phillips and Crockham Wednesday morning. Armstead was transferred from state custody to federal custody and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon. Authorities are still looking for Isrel. Three defendants are in state custody in California and Harris in Nebraska. Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in L.A., called the operation 'the first step in returning the Figueroa Corridor — long known as prostitution haven — back to its residents who have suffered for too long while criminals were allowed to run amok.' 'There are no meaningful consequences for their conduct under state law, so the federal government – aided by its local law enforcement partners – will step in to make sure these criminals face lengthy prison sentences,' Essayli said in a news release. Nicknamed 'The Blade,' the Figueroa Corridor is by far the most notorious sex trade hub or 'track' in the city. Police officials and advocates for trafficking victims say that the Hoovers gang has long held a stranglehold on the area. According to the indictment, the Hoovers formed in the late 1970s and later aligned themselves with the Gangster Crips. The Hoovers' territory largely encompassed the Figueroa Corridor. Gang members and associates allegedly acted as pimps 'by managing and monitoring their victims, pooling resources to rent several motel rooms for commercial sex dates … and sending each other money via Cash App and Apple Pay,' according to the U.S. Attorney's news release. Victims were allegedly forced to turn over proceeds from commercial sex dates to the pimp. If a victim refused or otherwise disobeyed a pimp, they allegedly faced discipline, including assaults, berating and public humiliation, withholding of affection, drugs, or food, draconian 'overtime' hours, or firing, according to the indictment. In exchange, according to the indictment, pimps were expected to provide protection, clothing, housing, food and beauty services. Prosecutors said sex workers were required to have their hair and nails done at all times 'because their grooming was a status symbol that reflected on her pimp.' Victims were also branded with tattoos of a defendant's moniker, according to the indictment. The gang members and associates allegedly focused on recruiting vulnerable minor girls and young women, 'particularly those with financial or emotional struggles or who had run away from home,' according to the news release from federal prosecutors. In one case in April 2022, Gray and two accomplices drove to an area of San Bernardino notorious for prostitution activities and allegedly attempted to force two women into their car. Both victims broke free, according to the news release. In April 2024, according to the indictment, Armstead and Evans allegedly rented rooms at the Stadium Inn, a South Los Angeles motel, including one in which a 14-year-old girl was sex trafficked for at least three consecutive days. According to the news release, some members of the Hoovers criminal enterprise produced rap music and videos, which often glorified the gang, sex trafficking, drug sales and firearms possession. Gang members also allegedly posted videos and photographs of their assaults on others to social media, 'in order to intimidate their victims and ensure their compliance in performing commercial sex work for the enrichment of their pimps and the Hoover gang itself.' If convicted, some defendants would face a minimum of 15 years and potentially up to life in federal prison. Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.
Buzz Feed
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
37 Times Actors Snuck In Hilarious Little Moments And Lines And The Directors Actually Decided To Keep Them In
1. In Little Miss Sunshine, there's a hilarious scene where a cop pulls over the Hoovers and finds porn magazines Edwin bought earlier in the film, leading Richard to awkwardly act like they belong to him. In a funny little moment, he murmurs " while the cop looks through the magazine. This was an ad-lib that the director liked and kept in. 2. This funny scene from Dead To Me Season 1 where Judy and Jen talk about Steve's penis was improvised. "I feel like in one take they didn't quite get a line right, but then they ended up starting to talk about his penis. It was so funny and not something I would ever have written, you know?" Series creator Liz Feldman said. "They just riffed on his penis and it was so funny because it felt so real. It felt like two friends. I feel like that was the first time that it really landed." It actually prompted them to add more improv into the show. 3. Captain Holt's "Hot damn!" from Brooklyn Nine-Nine — after he correctly guesses why Amy is late — was unscripted. It was such a different moment from the usually calm, cool, and collected character that it quickly became beloved. 4. According to Miffy Englefield, who played Sophie in The Holiday, the Mr. Nakin-Head scene was mostly improvised. Jude Law, in particular, improvised the part where Graham pretends to have a bad reaction to smoking, then tells his daughters that smoking is bad. 5. The funny, tiny moment when Tom Hanks accidentally closed the door on his balloons (while also carrying a bag of fish that narrowly avoids meeting the same fate) in You've Got Mail wasn't scripted – it happened completely by accident. Running with it, Hanks opened the door and exclaimed, "Good thing it wasn't the fish!" 6. Lamorne Morris's Theodore K Mullins monologue on New Girl was improvised. In this case, the writers actually came to Morris and asked if he had any voices. "I don't know why, I started just thinking over-the-top, dramatic—like if Tyler Perry were to shoot a movie before he was 'Tyler Perry,' what those scenes would be." During the "Secrets" episode, director David Wain told him to improvise, and Morris ran with the voice. It ended up being one of Winston's most memorable early scenes. 7. This is a much smaller moment, but Jake Johnson added to the classic "gave you cookie, got me cookie" scene from New Girl. The original script said, "You gave me a cookie, so I got you a cookie! Gave-me-cookie, got-you-cookie! Okay? We're even!" Johnson kept repeating the words and getting more and more upset, making it even more memorable, and many people's favorite Nick and Schmidt scene. 8. Much of the hilarious and adorable Crazy Stupid Love scene where Hannah sleeps over at Jacob's — without the two actually sleeping together — was improvised. Writer Dan Fogelman called it his favorite scene, though at the time, he was pissed they were adding things in. "I thought everyone had lost their minds and that none of it would be in the movie — I left set early, irritated." However, he later changed his tune. "I'm a dope." 9. In Abbott Elementary, Sheryl Lee Ralph improvised the line "sweet baby Jesus and the grown one, too!" It's actually something she says with a friend of hers. "Norman and I will be up there working on something, and I'll say, 'Oh. Sweet Baby Jesus,' and he says, 'And the grown one too.' It's just something we always say, and when I was given the opportunity, I just said it," Ralph said. 10. Janelle James also improvised her hilarious zombie line in the show. "I couldn't believe they kept it. And they did. And it was hilarious, so I'm so happy," she told EW. 11. Robin Williams improvised the line "Carpe Dentum! Seize the teeth!" when Mrs. Doubtfire's teeth fall into her wine and she tries to fish them out with a fork in Mrs. Doubtfire. 12. In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, many of Andie's idiosyncrasies in the poker scene were just done in the moment by Kate Hudson. "She could have played that rather seriously, but she just went to town with it," said director Donald Petrie. "It's subtle stuff, but you see it all." This includes Andie making Ben blow his nose in front of everyone... 13. ...Andie crying over the "love fern" dying... 14. ...And Andie throwing the vegetables on the veggie plate. 15. In Don't Look Up, Ariana Grande improvised many of her lines. Director Adam McKay said she added this line in the concert scene with Kid Cudi. "That was her riffing on the first scratch track of the melody, and the second I heard it, I was like, 'Oh, that's going in the movie.'" It actually became one of his favorite scenes. "You have pretty much the biggest pop star in the world singing beautifully, 'we're all gonna die.' Every time I see it, it's just this hilarious cognitive dissonance." 17. Dave Bautista improvised the hilarious "why is Gamora" line in Avengers: Infinity War, in the memorable scene where the Guardians meet Tony, Peter, and Dr. Strange. Marvel / Via 18. In The Avengers, the reason Tony Stark offers Bruce Banner a blueberry is that Robert Downey Jr. kept randomly bringing snacks to set and eating them during scenes. He just improvised offering Steve one. Marvel / Via 19. Billy Crystal improvised the oft-quoted part in When Harry Met Sally when he talks about pecan pie in a silly voice. Meg Ryan went with it — but not before laughing and looking off-camera, which you can see in the final scene. Columbia Pictures / Via 20. Cary Elwes wrote in his book that Billy Crystal improvised a ton in The Princess Bride. This includes one of his most famous lines about the "MLT." Act III Communications / Via Facebook: watch 21. In The Gray Man, Suzanne replying "I will gladly punch you in the dick" to Lloyd was improvised by Jessica Henwick. 'I got a couple of zingers in there," Henwick said. Netflix 22. In Season 3 of Stranger Things, Joseph Quinn improvised Eddie's line to Steve, "Don't ya, big boy." Netflix / Via 23. This is a tiny Stranger Things moment, but I find it hilarious. In the second season, Murray dropping his eggs and looking at Jonathan to say "oops" actually happened in the moment — it wasn't in the script, and actor Brett Gelman just went with it. If you watch the clip, you can actually see Natalia Dyer trying not to laugh. Netflix / Via 24. In The Adam Project, Ryan Reynolds improvised many of the film's funny lines when his character Adam meets his younger self. Like this one about his younger self having trouble understanding what "classified" means... Netflix / Via 25. ...and his wound "farting" when he coughs. Netlflix / Via 26. Taika Waititi improvised a ton of his lines in Free Guy, and many didn't make it in. One that did was his line about "Albuquerque Boiled Turkey." Screenwriter Matt Lieberman said, "There are 80 percent of his lines that are on a cutting room floor somewhere." 20th Century Studios / Via 27. John Cena improvised Peacemaker's rant about who Economos could've framed instead of his dad in Peacemaker. Steve Agee, who plays John Economos, said the original script mentioned Ariana Grande and maybe one other person, but that the director, James Gunn, told Cena to just start listing off people. There are outtakes where Cena lists even more people, if you're interested. HBO Max / Via 28. Catherine O'Hara improvised pronouncing "baby" in the strange way she did on Schitt's Creek, which became a running gag on the show. "I said 'bebe' as a joke or a mistake the first time," she told Vulture. "Once I hit on 'bebe' and got a laugh from the crew, that was it." Pop!TV / Via 29. In Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, when Han Solo and Luke break in to save Leia and Han is pretending to be a stormtrooper, Harrison Ford improvised the awkward "how are you" moment — and it's one of the funniest moments in the film. Lucasfilm / Via 30. While Oliver and Charles are following Mabel in Only Murders in the Building, they start making jokes about getting STIs in Long Island. Oliver then launches into a song about it — this was improvised by Martin Short. Hulu 31. Many of Faye's one-liners in Euphoria were improvised by Chloe Cherry, including "you're probably fucking eating that ginger's ass"... HBO / Via 32. ...And when she asks Cal if he and Nate "fuck people together." HBO / Via 33. Andrew Garfield improvised the hilariously awkward "I love you guys" line that he tells the other two Spider-Men in No Way Home. Sony Pictures Releasing / Via 34. In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Nicolas Cage improvised screaming, "Nic fuckiiiiiiiiing-ow-wow Cage!" Writer-director Tom Gormican recalled, "We call action on this thing, and we're watching the scene go down. I have no idea what's going to happen. He just does it. We call cut and take off the headphones, and Nic gets up, walks over to the monitors where we're sitting, 20 feet away, and he looks at us, and goes, 'I wanted it to be transcendent!'" Lionsgate / Via 35. In Loki, Tom Hiddleston improvised the moment when he threw down his drink and yelled "another!" as a funny nod to a similar improvised moment in Thor. Marvel/Disney+ / Via 36. One last Marvel one — in Black Panther,"Hey, Auntie" was an improvised line from Michael B. Jordan. Marvel / Via 37. And finally, one of my favorite TV lines of all time is improvised — it's Chris Pratt's line about "network connectivity problems" in Parks and Recreation. NBC / Via What's your favorite improvised line or line that an actor suggested be added to a script? Let us know in the comments!
