Latest news with #LVMPD
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Police Say Las Vegas Couple Defrauded Investors of Over $57 Million in Exotic Car Sales Scheme
A Las Vegas couple has been accused of defrauding investors of more than $57 million in an elaborate exotic car scam. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), the couple persuaded people to invest in extremely high-end exotic cars and boats that would be sold overseas for massive profits. However, an investigation found that these overseas buyers apparently didn't exist — and now the couple is facing 75 fraud-related charges. According to police, Jong Rhee, 45, and Neelufar Rhee, 34 ran their scam through their two businesses, Twisted Twins Motorsports, LLC and Lusso Auto Spa. And some of the cars involved are far more exotic than Porsche 911s or Chevrolet Corvettes: LVMPD posted a video of some of the recovered cars involved, with highlights including a Bugatti Divo and a Chiron, a Pagani Huayra, and a one-of-10 Apollo Intensa Emozione. Just these four cars alone are worth eight figures. However, the couple allegedly promised 10-figure returns. Las Vegas-based news outlet KLAS reports that the suspects told the victims that wealthy clients in Singapore were lined up to buy these high-end vehicles for approximately $2.5 billion. The couple claimed that they could sell a $526,000 Rolls Royce Spectre for $7.5 million, and that a $3.9 million boat would bring $13.5 million in Singapore — but the overseas buyers didn't exist, according to police. The Vegas couple is accused of taking the funds that were supposed to be used for these overseas transactions and instead used them for personal gain. Last summer, the Rhees reportedly spent $60,000 chartering a private plane to Missouri for a boating trip; that same boat was allegedly also one of the assets that was supposed to be sold overseas. KLAS reports that money woes could have been the motivation behind the scam. The couple's financial situation was reportedly bleak as of last year: Jong Rhee allegedly decided to use their last $10,000 to buy into a World Series of Poker event. When the gamble didn't pay off, the police claim that's when they turned to fraud. Jong Rhee and Neelufar Rhee each face 75 counts of fraud related charges such as racketeering, forgery, theft, and money laundering. Police believe that there may be additional victims of this scheme that have not been identified. They are asking for anyone that has done business with this couple to contact them by email at criminalintel@ You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police investigate drug link to gym shooting
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Metro police are investigating whether the synthetic drug Spice contributed to a gunman shooting and killing a gym employee last month. Metro police suspect Daniel Ortega, 34, intended to carry out a mass shooting at the Las Vegas Athletic Club on Rainbow Boulevard near Vegas Drive before his gun jammed. On Friday, May 16, Ortega killed Edgar Quinonez, 31. Metro police shot and killed Ortega as he ran out of the front of the business. Three other people were injured in the shooting. 'We don't have a definitive answer on it,' LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during an exclusive interview Wednesday with the 8 News Now Investigators. 'I can tell you there was a long history of abuse of the drug Spice. That certainly could have contributed to that strange behavior.' Spice, also referred to as K2, is a synthetic cannabinoid that mimics THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 'These products are being abused for their psychoactive properties and are packaged without information as to their health and safety risks,' the DEA warned. Ortega's history with Spice dates back a decade, McMahill said. In 2013, North Las Vegas police arrested Ortega on a drug-trafficking charge, records said. A judge ordered him to pay a fine, attend drug counseling, and perform community service. Ortega was a member of the gym and worked out at that location, but there was no connection known between him and Quinonez, police said three days after the shooting. Detectives were awaiting toxicology results as part of their investigation, McMahill said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police to rejoin ICE program to hold undocumented immigrants already in jail: ‘I don't want them in my community anymore'
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Metro police will soon hold undocumented immigrants already in their custody and who have committed crimes for an additional 48 hours as part of an agreement with federal officials. The 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) allows Metro officers to serve a federal warrant on an inmate and keep that person in the Clark County Detention Center for no more than two additional days. 'I don't want them in my community anymore,' LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said about undocumented criminals already in his jail during an exclusive interview Wednesday with the 8 News Now Investigators. 'We had child pornographers being released; folks that had shot people being released,' McMahill said. 'Yesterday we had a guy that shot at a bunch of people get released — assault with a deadly weapon — and that was also a part of the catalyst to do this that these are people that have committed very serious offenses and were in the country illegally and because of manpower issues and the timing we couldn't turn them over to ICE.' Metro applied to the program last week, McMahill said. He believed the approval was imminent. Metro alerts ICE during booking and release for violent felonies and crimes that fall in line with the Laken Riley Act, which includes theft and shoplifting. However, ICE must obtain a warrant and pick up the inmate. The program essentially means ICE will have two additional days to pick up the inmate. As of Tuesday, 350 inmates were ICE-notification eligible, McMahill said. In an interview earlier this year, McMahill said ICE routinely picks up about 40% of the inmates whom Metro has notified them about. He added Wednesday that ICE makes daily pickups at the jail. 'These individuals that have criminal complaints and conduct and have been convicted and/or charged, and they're being released from our jail, we're making notifications, and we're going to continue to do that,' McMahill said. Metro will not partake in mass deportation 'roundups,' McMahill said earlier this year. The immigration issue is personal to McMahill. A previously deported undocumented immigrant driving drunk killed LVMPD Officer Colton Pulsipher last December. Metro police previously took part in 287(g) until 2019, when a federal court ruling ended the partnership. Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security listed Las Vegas as a 'sanctuary jurisdiction,' though there is no city or Metro policy on the matter, and both the sheriff and Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley have publicly said otherwise. The department later removed the entire list. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police seek shooter who robbed man at ATM: ‘He shot me for $40'
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Metro police need help finding the young man who robbed and shot a man at an ATM earlier this year, leaving him for dead for $40. The shooting happened on March 10 at an ATM on North Las Vegas Boulevard near Cheyenne Avenue. Bryson Chen, 22, was driving home from work when he decided to stop and take out $40 in cash for gas. 'In the corner of my eye, I see the person walking up behind me, and that's when he pulled out the gun,' Chen said. Chen threw his wallet at the thief, who also took the $40 Chen withdrew. The young man then shot Chen once in the abdomen. The bullet entered and exited Chen's body, requiring two surgeries, Chen said. 'I pulled $40 for gas, and he basically took my wallet and $40,' Chen said. 'He shot me for $40.' The case is one of just a handful of unsolved shooting cases under the purview of Metro's new Violent Gun Crime Unit. The department launched the unit last fall to solve shooting cases where a victim survives. 'He's a good person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time,' Capt. Michelle Tavarez, who oversees the unit, said. 'We're hoping by getting the word out there, somebody will see this picture and recognize who this subject is. And we'll be able to get him off the streets and hopefully get the justice for our victim that he deserves.' Metro provided photos of the shooting suspect, who they described as a young Black man with dreadlocks and glasses. 'Live your best life, I guess, because you never know when you're going to die,' Chen said. Anyone with information was asked to call LVMPD at 702-828-3111. Anonymous tips can always be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling 702-385-5555 or by visiting Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police urge scam victims to ‘come forward right away' after 12 arrests made in $3M courier scheme
Las Vegas police have arrested 12 people in connection with a crime wave swindling dozens of victims out of their life savings — not at the casino but on their computers. As Las Vegas CBS affiliate 8 News Now reports, 24 victims who lost a total $3 million have come forward to date, launching the investigations that led to the arrests. Capt. Noel Roberts of the LVMPD's Theft Crime Bureau believes more victims may be involved. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) 'Don't be embarrassed,' he said. 'Come forward right away. Let us know, and that way, the sooner our detectives can start this investigation, we have a better chance of solving the case, arresting the suspects, and ultimately getting the money back.' In every one of these cases, victims have received an electronic alert, like a pop-up on their laptop, a spoofed email or text message designed to mimic banks or tech giants. Capt. Roberts says the scam plays on people's fears. Victims are led to believe that their financial accounts or their computers have been compromised. That's when the problems begin. The fraudsters convince victims to hand over large sums of cash to fake 'security couriers' for safekeeping while they resolve the problem — whether the victim is convinced their financial accounts or computers have been hacked. One shocking case took place last August, after a Las Vegas woman's computer flashed a warning that her personal information was compromised. Thinking she was calling a tech support line, she was instructed to make two $35,000 cash drops to strangers at separate locations. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it After she reported the loss of $70,000 to police, investigators traced surveillance footage to a vehicle with California plates. The vehicle was linked to Guo Zhongquin, 43, and Lin Lin, 45. Zhongquin and Lin were charged and accepted plea deals for possession of stolen property. 'I just want to apologize to all the victims,' Zhongqui said via translator during sentencing. Lin echoed the apology. Judge Tara Clark Newberry sentenced both men to 19 to 48 months in prison and ordered restitution. Prosecutors agreed not to argue for more time as part of the plea bargain. If you're a victim of fraud, it's critical to take steps right away to get back on the path of recovery. The FBI recommends the following steps: File a report. Report the scam to local law enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI. This could help get some of the funds back, but it also helps to prevent future scams. Freeze your credit. Get in touch with the major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to freeze your credit so identity thieves can't open accounts under your name. Update passwords and monitor accounts. Change your passwords for all accounts and enable two-factor authentication where possible. Monitor your accounts for unauthorized activity. Watch out for "get-rich-quick" schemes. After losing money in a scam, you might be tempted to try to make it back quickly. But high-risk investments can lead to more financial strain. Pause before rushing into any major financial decisions. Put together a recovery budget. Start by setting aside a small amount each month, like $50, into a high-yield savings account. This is also a good way to build up an emergency fund in the event you are compromised in the future.. Get some professional advice. Consult with a financial advisor who can guide you in rebuilding your credit and savings. It can be a long road to recovery after being scammed, but with the right steps and some professional guidance, you can regain control of your financial future. Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
