Latest news with #Lansky
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Suspected vandalism at Tesla dealerships has spanned at least a dozen states
Mesa Police in Arizona were investigating arson at a Tesla dealership on Monday morning. It's the latest in a series of incidents that took place after Elon Musk became involved with DOGE. Reports of arson, graffiti, and Molotov cocktails span at least a dozen states. Tesla vandalism hasn't run its course quite yet, despite Elon Musk's announcement that he'll be stepping back from DOGE starting next month. The Mesa Police Department in Arizona told Business Insider it's working with federal partners to investigate a fire at a Tesla Service center Monday morning. Mesa Police later identified the suspect and arrested 35-year-old Ian Moses, "booking him into jail for arson of a structure and property," police said in a statement. The report adds Arizona to a growing list of states that have seen vandalism incidents aimed at the automaker since Musk became involved with the Trump Administration. Incidents of reported vandalism at Tesla locations date back to January and gained momentum through February and March when Tesla boycott movements sprang into action. Here's a running list of states affected by attacks at Tesla locations. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Police officers responded to a report of Molotov cocktails being thrown at a dealership in Salem on January 20. They returned to the location after bullets seemed to be fired into a building and a vehicle at the dealership. Adam Matthew Lansky pleaded not guilty to charges related to throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla location in Salem. Lansky was charged with attempted arson and possession of Molotov cocktails, the Statesman Journal reported. Lansky's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tigard Police wrote in a statement last month that officers were investigating two incidents that occurred in March involving gunfire. Police said on March 13, more than a dozen shots were fired at a Tesla dealership around 4:15 a.m. The gunfire caused "extensive damage to cars and showroom windows." A similar incident occurred on the morning of March 6. Police said in a press release that at least seven shots were fired. The gunfire damaged at least three cars and also shattered windows. One bullet went through a building wall and into a computer monitor, the press release said. Police in Loveland, Colorado, said in a statement that an ignited incendiary device was thrown at a Tesla dealership on March 7, and it landed between two vehicles. "Several people inside, who were cleaning the building, were put at risk; however, our responding officer quickly extinguished the fire, preventing further harm," The Loveland Police Department said in a statement. "The building and several vehicles were also damaged by rocks during this same time." Police arrested Cooper Jo Frederick, a 24-year-old Fort Collins resident, on March 13 on felony charges related to explosives and arson. Frederick's attorney did not respond to a request for comment. In addition to facing five state charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the Department of Justice will seek a 20-year prison sentence for his attack on Tesla. The statement said the arrest was made following "repeated criminal acts at the Loveland Tesla." Lucy Grace Nelson was also arrested in February on state and federal charges related to throwing Molotov cocktails at the location. Nelson pleaded not guilty to federal charges on March 11, according to court documents. The federal trial is set for August 4. Dedham Police Department said it was notified on March 11 that three Tesla vehicles were vandalized overnight at a Tesla service center, according to a statement posted on X. Dedham Police Department said in a press release that the incident involved spray-painted graffiti on two Tesla Cybertrucks. The statement said both of the truck's tires were damaged, as well as the tires on a Tesla Model S. Dedham Police said in the statement that the graffiti on the vehicles matched the spray paint also found on the building door on February 26. Also last month, seven Tesla Superchargers caught on fire in Littleton, a small Massachusetts town. Littleton Police Deputy Chief Jeff Patterson told BI at the time that the charging stations were the only ones in town, and none were usable after the vandalism. Tesla's charging account on X responded to a post about the incident and said the charging posts and wiring would be replaced in under 48 hours. Washington has seen a number of incidents involving Tesla locations, including at dealerships, charging centers, and on the street. Last month, four Cybertrucks in a Seattle Tesla lot were damaged by fire, Seattle Police Department told BI at the time. Six vehicles were spray-painted with swastikas and profane messages directed at Musk at a dealership in Lynwood, the local Police Department confirmed with BI. Police told BI the FBI has taken over the investigation, and it is ongoing. FBI Seattle also said in a press release that someone started a fire at a Tesla Supercharger station in Lacey on April 8 at about 1:30 a.m. The fire resulted in significant damage to the station and the surrounding area, the FBI said in a press release. At around 11:16 p.m. on March 17, a Kansas City police officer observed smoke coming from a Cybertruck parked in the local Tesla Center parking lot, the DOJ said in a statement. The officer also observed a Molotov cocktail "near the burning Cybertruck," according to the statement. The fire spread to a second Cybertruck in the lot, and the Kansas City Fire Department extinguished the fire, the statement said. The Cybertrucks had sale prices of $105,485 and $107,485, the statement said. Two charging stations, each worth about $550, were also damaged by the fire, the statement said. Kansas City resident Owen McIntire, 19, was charged with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of malicious damage by fire of property used in interstate commerce. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment. In early morning on March 17, deputies from the North Coastal Sheriff's Station were on patrol when they observed vandalism at the Tesla dealership on Encinitas Boulevard, the San Diego County sheriff's office said in a statement. Law enforcement found multiple cars and windows of the building spray-painted with swastikas and "profanity," the statement said. The sheriff's office told BI that no suspects have been identified. On April 2, 16 Cybertrucks were vandalized overnight at a Tesla dealership, the Meridian Police Department said in a statement shared with BI. The unknown person also damaged the building with red spraypaint of the word "Nazi," the statement said. The police Department said the estimated damage is around $114,000. The Meridian Police Department said in the statement that the FBI was notified, and the investigation is ongoing. Officials told BI that there is no update on the incident. Austin Police Department told BI that "incendiary" devices were found at a Tesla dealership in Austin on March 24. The Austin Police Department previously said that officers responded to a call about suspicious devices around 8:04 a.m. After arriving at the scene and locating the devices, the department's bomb squad was called to investigate further. "The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident," the APD told BI. On April 22, New York Police Department officers responded to a demonstration around noon at Tesla's location on 860 Washington Street, police told BI. Tesla's dealership in the Meatpacking district of Manhattan was spray painted with profane messages about DOGE and the words "We do not consent" written across the store's windows, AMNY reported. The demonstration ended at about 12:30 p.m., and two individuals were taken into custody with multiple charges, including graffiti, the NYPD told BI. On March 18, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department found five Teslas damaged and the word "resist" spray-painted across the storefront of a Tesla dealership. Police said the suspect was seen on camera shooting the vehicles and placing a Molotov cocktail inside them to start a fire. The LVMPD arrested 36-year-old suspect Paul Hyon Kim on March 26 on suspicion of being involved in a Tesla vandalism incident on March 18. LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said "a preliminary assessment" of Kim's social media "indicates some very loose but self-proclaimed ties" to some communist and pro-Palestine groups. Kim's attorney told BI he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and plea hearing on April 15. His trial is set for June 17. The Justice Department wrote in a statement that the North Charleston Police Department and Fire Department responded to arson reports at a Tesla charging station on March 7. Witnesses reported that a man spray-painted "Long Live Ukraine" along with profane messages about Trump at a parking spot, the statement said. The suspect also threw five incendiary explosive devices at the Tesla chargers, the statement said. Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, was identified as a suspect and arrested on March 13. He was arraigned in federal court a day later, the statement said. Clarke-Pounder entered a not-guilty plea on April 23, ABC 13 reported. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment. Have you been targeted by Tesla vandalism or harassment? We want to hear from you. Reach out to the reporter via email at aaltchek@ or secure messaging platform Signal at aalt.19. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Suspected vandalism at Tesla dealerships has spanned at least a dozen states
Tesla vandalism hasn't run its course quite yet, despite Elon Musk's announcement that he'll be stepping back from DOGE starting next month. The Mesa Police Department in Arizona told Business Insider it's working with federal partners to investigate a fire at a Tesla Service center Monday morning. Mesa Police later identified the suspect and arrested 35-year-old Ian Moses, "booking him into jail for arson of a structure and property," police said in a statement. The report adds Arizona to a growing list of states that have seen vandalism incidents aimed at the automaker since Musk became involved with the Trump Administration. Incidents of reported vandalism at Tesla locations date back to January and gained momentum through February and March when Tesla boycott movements sprang into action. Here's a running list of states affected by attacks at Tesla locations. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Oregon Police officers responded to a report of Molotov cocktails being thrown at a dealership in Salem on January 20. They returned to the location after bullets seemed to be fired into a building and a vehicle at the dealership. Adam Matthew Lansky pleaded not guilty to charges related to throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla location in Salem. Lansky was charged with attempted arson and possession of Molotov cocktails, the Statesman Journal reported. Lansky's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tigard Police wrote in a statement last month that officers were investigating two incidents that occurred in March involving gunfire. Police said on March 13, more than a dozen shots were fired at a Tesla dealership around 4:15 a.m. The gunfire caused "extensive damage to cars and showroom windows." A similar incident occurred on the morning of March 6. Police said in a press release that at least seven shots were fired. The gunfire damaged at least three cars and also shattered windows. One bullet went through a building wall and into a computer monitor, the press release said. Colorado Police in Loveland, Colorado, said in a statement that an ignited incendiary device was thrown at a Tesla dealership on March 7, and it landed between two vehicles. "Several people inside, who were cleaning the building, were put at risk; however, our responding officer quickly extinguished the fire, preventing further harm," The Loveland Police Department said in a statement. "The building and several vehicles were also damaged by rocks during this same time." Police arrested Cooper Jo Frederick, a 24-year-old Fort Collins resident, on March 13 on felony charges related to explosives and arson. Frederick's attorney did not respond to a request for comment. In addition to facing five state charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the Department of Justice will seek a 20-year prison sentence for his attack on Tesla. The statement said the arrest was made following "repeated criminal acts at the Loveland Tesla." Lucy Grace Nelson was also arrested in February on state and federal charges related to throwing Molotov cocktails at the location. Nelson pleaded not guilty to federal charges on March 11, according to court documents. The federal trial is set for August 4. Massachusetts Dedham Police Department said it was notified on March 11 that three Tesla vehicles were vandalized overnight at a Tesla service center, according to a statement posted on X. Dedham Police Department said in a press release that the incident involved spray-painted graffiti on two Tesla Cybertrucks. The statement said both of the truck's tires were damaged, as well as the tires on a Tesla Model S. Dedham Police said in the statement that the graffiti on the vehicles matched the spray paint also found on the building door on February 26. Also last month, seven Tesla Superchargers caught on fire in Littleton, a small Massachusetts town. Littleton Police Deputy Chief Jeff Patterson told BI at the time that the charging stations were the only ones in town, and none were usable after the vandalism. Tesla's charging account on X responded to a post about the incident and said the charging posts and wiring would be replaced in under 48 hours. Washington Washington has seen a number of incidents involving Tesla locations, including at dealerships, charging centers, and on the street. Last month, four Cybertrucks in a Seattle Tesla lot were damaged by fire, Seattle Police Department told BI at the time. Six vehicles were spray-painted with swastikas and profane messages directed at Musk at a dealership in Lynwood, the local Police Department confirmed with BI. Police told BI the FBI has taken over the investigation, and it is ongoing. FBI Seattle also said in a press release that someone started a fire at a Tesla Supercharger station in Lacey on April 8 at about 1:30 a.m. The fire resulted in significant damage to the station and the surrounding area, the FBI said in a press release. Missouri At around 11:16 p.m. on March 17, a Kansas City police officer observed smoke coming from a Cybertruck parked in the local Tesla Center parking lot, the DOJ said in a statement. The officer also observed a Molotov cocktail "near the burning Cybertruck," according to the statement. The fire spread to a second Cybertruck in the lot, and the Kansas City Fire Department extinguished the fire, the statement said. The Cybertrucks had sale prices of $105,485 and $107,485, the statement said. Two charging stations, each worth about $550, were also damaged by the fire, the statement said. Kansas City resident Owen McIntire, 19, was charged with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of malicious damage by fire of property used in interstate commerce. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment. California In early morning on March 17, deputies from the North Coastal Sheriff's Station were on patrol when they observed vandalism at the Tesla dealership on Encinitas Boulevard, the San Diego County sheriff's office said in a statement. Law enforcement found multiple cars and windows of the building spray-painted with swastikas and "profanity," the statement said. The sheriff's office told BI that no suspects have been identified. Idaho On April 2, 16 Cybertrucks were vandalized overnight at a Tesla dealership, the Meridian Police Department said in a statement shared with BI. The unknown person also damaged the building with red spraypaint of the word "Nazi," the statement said. The police Department said the estimated damage is around $114,000. The Meridian Police Department said in the statement that the FBI was notified, and the investigation is ongoing. Officials told BI that there is no update on the incident. Texas Austin Police Department told BI that "incendiary" devices were found at a Tesla dealership in Austin on March 24. The Austin Police Department previously said that officers responded to a call about suspicious devices around 8:04 a.m. After arriving at the scene and locating the devices, the department's bomb squad was called to investigate further. "The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident," the APD told BI. New York On April 22, New York Police Department officers responded to a demonstration around noon at Tesla's location on 860 Washington Street, police told BI. Tesla's dealership in the Meatpacking district of Manhattan was spray painted with profane messages about DOGE and the words "We do not consent" written across the store's windows, AMNY reported. The demonstration ended at about 12:30 p.m., and two individuals were taken into custody with multiple charges, including graffiti, the NYPD told BI. Nevada On March 18, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department found five Teslas damaged and the word "resist" spray-painted across the storefront of a Tesla dealership. Police said the suspect was seen on camera shooting the vehicles and placing a Molotov cocktail inside them to start a fire. The LVMPD arrested 36-year-old suspect Paul Hyon Kim on March 26 on suspicion of being involved in a Tesla vandalism incident on March 18. LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said "a preliminary assessment" of Kim's social media "indicates some very loose but self-proclaimed ties" to some communist and pro-Palestine groups. Kim's attorney told BI he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and plea hearing on April 15. His trial is set for June 17. South Carolina The Justice Department wrote in a statement that the North Charleston Police Department and Fire Department responded to arson reports at a Tesla charging station on March 7. Witnesses reported that a man spray-painted "Long Live Ukraine" along with profane messages about Trump at a parking spot, the statement said. The suspect also threw five incendiary explosive devices at the Tesla chargers, the statement said. Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, was identified as a suspect and arrested on March 13. He was arraigned in federal court a day later, the statement said. Clarke-Pounder entered a not-guilty plea on April 23, ABC 13 reported. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment. Have you been targeted by Tesla vandalism or harassment? We want to hear from you. Reach out to the reporter via email at aaltchek@ or secure messaging platform Signal at aalt.19.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Trial set for Salem man accused of Tesla dealership attacks
PORTLAND, Ore. () — The federal trial of an Oregon man accused of vandalizing a Tesla dealership in Salem twice is set for May. Adam Lansky, 41, is among a handful of people for targeting Tesla properties, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on March 20. An attorney representing Lansky said he waived his client's updated arraignment, originally scheduled for April 3. A court clerk told KOIN 6 News a 'not guilty' plea was entered on Lansky's behalf for the charges against him. 'Dire situation': City Council to study social housing On March 4, Lansky was arrested after authorities linked him to reports of someone and shooting at a Tesla dealership in Salem on two separate occasions. According to a federal indictment, Lansky faces two counts of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device for the alleged attacks. Investigators say security footage captured a figure in black igniting and throwing a firebomb at the dealership in the early hours of Inauguration day. Still images taken after the incident show vehicles torched and windows shattered. One month later, on February 19th, investigators claim Lansky used an AR-15 style rifle with a suppressor to , resulting in $500,000 in damage. According to a criminal complaint, FBI lab results linked four fingerprints on glass bottles and duct tape, found at the scene of the first attack, back to Lansky. Investigators also claim Lansky's Volkswagen Jetta was spotted parked near the Tesla dealership during the second attack in February. UO student's visa terminated by Homeland Security Following Lansky's arrest, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Lansky and others accused of targeting Tesla could face serious penalties for the charges, which would carry a five-year minimum sentence and a maximum of 20 years in prison. 'I have made clear that if you take part in the wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, we will find you, arrest you and put you behind bars,' Bondi doubled down in a video posted to Instagram on March 31. 'All of these cases are a serious threat to public safety. Therefore, there will be no negotiating. We are seeking 20 years in prison,' Bondi added. The case garnered national attention as anti-Tesla protests continue in Oregon and other parts of the country. A three-day trial for Lansky is scheduled for May 20. KOIN 6 News will continue to follow the case as it develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
03-04-2025
- Miami Herald
A mafia boss spent his final years in Miami Beach. See what his life was like
Meyer Lansky, gray eminence of organized crime, died of lung cancer at Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, in 1983. By popular belief, never proved legally, Lansky taught the Mafia's crude leadership of the 1920s and 1930s, showing them the subtleties of financial manipulation, concealment and investment of the proceeds of bootlegging and gambling. Publicly, Lansky ridiculed such notions. He was a small, thin, bowlegged, mild-mannered, grandfatherly man who looked like anyone else his age, playing out life's closing years in Miami Beach. He was spotted walking the streets of South Beach and having a corned beef sandwich at Wolfie's deli. Let's take a look at Lansky through the words and pictures from the Miami Herald archives: The faces of mob boss Meyer Lanksy Obituary: Meyer Lansky dies, eluding law a final time Published Jan. 16, 1983 By Miami Herald staff writer Arnold Markowitz Meyer Lansky, gray eminence of organized crime, died of lung cancer at 6 a.m. Saturday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach. He was 80 years old, a legend who laughed off a near- lifetime of determined but futile investigations. Lansky, attended around the clock by private nurses, died in his sleep. Funeral and burial arrangements were described only as private. A hospital spokeswoman said the staff was under strict orders to reveal no other details. In Lansky's Jewish faith, it is customary to bury the dead as quickly as possible. For years, he and his wife Thelma have had gravesites reserved in Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem, where Lansky's Russian parents lie. What FBI, police, state and congressional investigators consistently failed to accomplish, the ailments of old age achieved. Lansky endured several hospital confinements in recent years, all at Mount Sinai. A tumor was removed from his left lung in February 1980. Last November, he returned for treatment of a stomach ailment. On New Year's Eve he was admitted again, for dehydration. By popular belief, never proved legally, Lansky sophisticated the Mafia's crude leadership of the 1920s and 1930s -- showing them the subtleties of financial manipulation, concealment and investment of the proceeds of bootlegging and gambling. Lansky, whose Russian-Jewish heritage disqualified him for official membership in the Mafia, was its leading nonmember associate. Most investigators were convinced that he was more influential than any family boss. As he grew old and his health deteriorated, he is believed to have assumed the role of an elder statesman-consultant on gambling and finance. Publicly, Lansky ridiculed such notions. He was a small, thin, bowlegged, mild-mannered, grandfatherly man who looked like anyone else his age, playing out life's closing years in Miami Beach. In his old age, he acquired a light-hearted manner and sense of humor that further belied his gory legend, full of tales of ancient gangland rivalries settled in bullets, blood, garrotes and cement galoshes. How much of the legend is true and whether it truly disturbed Lansky seem unlikely ever to be known publicly. Lansky married Anna Citron in 1929. They had three children, Paul, Bernard and Sandra, before Lansky divorced Anna and married Thelma Schwartz in 1948. Lansky and 'Teddy' were together until he died. They lived unobtrusively among other retired condominium dwellers in Imperial House at 5255 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. For years they dined out frequently. More recently, they employed a live-in chef, neighbors said Saturday. Federal law enforcement agencies made extraordinary efforts to convict him. Once in 1973 they succeeded -- for contempt of court for ignoring a grand jury summons. A judge sentenced him to a year and a day. While Lanksy remained free on a $200,000 bond, an appeals court studied the record. Then it overturned the verdict, ruling that the timing of the summons had made it virtually impossible for Lansky to appear. In 1972, they got him deported from Israel, where he had lived for two years and had hoped to finish his life. Once the U.S. Justice Department created an organized crime strike force with a single mission: Get Lansky. The project flopped. In June 1980, the Israeli government agreed, after numerous refusals, to grant Lansky a tourist visa. When Israeli legislators complained that Lansky probably planned to consort with the local underworld, the government changed its mind and rejected his application. 'I'm not a threat to Jews or society,' Lansky complained when Israel's Interior Ministry called him one of the most dangerous men in the world. 'I'm a Jew, and I want to go to Israel just as any other Jew would.' His medical records, often presented in courts as proof that Lansky could not possibly endure legal proceedings, read like coroners' reports, not descriptions of a living man. According to the doctors' documents, Lansky suffered from heart attacks, stroke, coronary artery thrombosis, angina pectoris, duodenal ulcers, osteoarthritis, vertigo, chronic bronchitis, percarditis, lipoma, bursitis and cerebral and vascular diseases. Death, for years a faint-hearted adversary, threatened more aggressively in February 1980. Lansky went to Mount Sinai with a tumor on his left lung and was in critical condition after surgeons removed the growth. He bounced back, as he had after open heart surgery in 1973. He seemed a man of endless durability. Despite the succession of diseases, he eventually would turn up in public chipper, full of wisecracks. 'Thanks, you look well yourself,' he would say. 'Gained some weight, did you?' Most of those public appearances were before grand juries. Lansky was a popular guest even though it was a waste of time to send him a summons. Once, a state prosecutor who questioned him at a grand jury session said afterward that Lansky had been 'generally affable.' Had the witness been evasive? The prosecutor admitted he wasn't sure. 'There's no such thing as organized crime,' Lansky said with a straight face during a 1978 interview. 'Instead of constantly talking about organized crime, why don't the authorities do something about all the crime in the streets?' Lansky was born in 1902 in Grodno, Russia. The exact date is unknown, but when he and his parents arrived in the United States on April 4, 1911, immigration officers assigned him July 4 as a birthday. Meyer Sucholjansky, his true name, ended his formal education in 1917 when he graduated from the eighth grade at New York Public School 34. He was trained as a tool and die maker. In spite of his reputation as an important figure in organized crime, he was rarely arrested and spent less than three months of his life in jails. His first arrest, Oct. 24, 1918, was for felonious assault. The charge was reduced to disorderly conduct. Lansky paid a $2 fine. In 1921, he is believed to have joined forces with Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel to form the Bugs and Meyer Mob. The gang specialized in hijacking cars and guarding bootleg liquor shipments for other hoodlums during the Prohibition era. In 1928, the year he became a U.S. citizen, Lansky was charged with attempted homicide in the shooting of a gangster, John Barrett, in New York. Barrett recovered and refused to testify against Lansky. During the same year, Lansky joined Mafia hoodlum Joe Adonis in the operation of a major bootleg liquor operation in New York, apparently his first close association with the Mafia. Intermittent power struggles occupied the Mafia in the 1930s and 1940s. In September 1931, gunmen supposedly working for Lansky killed Salvatore Maranzano, then the Mafia 'boss of all bosses.' In 1932 Chicago police raided an apparent summit meeting of gangsters, and arrested Lansky and five others on vagrancy charges. In a police photograph, Lansky stood next to racketeer Charles (Lucky) Luciano. When Lansky asked for citizenship 40 years later, Israel used the same picture as evidence that he was a gangster and a threat to the state. Citizenship was denied. Although Lansky usually diverted questions about his career with a joke and a warning against tobacco, he made a rare confession in Lansky, Mogul of the Mob, a book written by three Israeli journalists to whom he granted limited cooperation. 'I admit quite frankly that I made a fortune from bootlegging,' he said. Lansky is believed to have moved into the lucrative gambling field during 1934-40, setting up and operating illegal gambling casinos in South Florida, New Orleans, Havana and Saratoga, N.Y. During World War II, Lansky worked with the U.S. Navy in secret wartime projects, bargaining for Luciano's release from prison in exchange for organized crime's help in protecting the New York waterfront from saboteurs. Some stories say Sicilian- born Mafiosi provided information used in planning the invasion of Sicily. After the war, Lansky expanded his casino network. His partner Siegel extended operations to California and then Las Vegas. With mob money he built the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, harbinger of a new age of gambling opulence. After a disagreement with Luciano over the operation of the casino, Siegel was shot to death in 1947. Lansky left Havana, site of one of his gambling operations, during the Fidel Castro takeover in 1959. Lansky's influence apparently was at its height during the 1950s and early 1960s. Testimony before U.S. Sen. Estes Kefauver's committee investigating organized crime indicated tht Lansky was adept at combining gambling with corruption so his casinos could operate at high profits in Florida, Cuba, Las Vegas, the Caribbean, London and Europe. Gambling produced Lansky's only Florida conviction. He and his brother Jake pleaded guilty in Broward County to keeping a gambling house and were fined $2,000 each. In 1953, Meyer pleaded guilty to five charges of illegal gambling in the racetrack town of Saratoga, N.Y. He served 2 1/2 months of a three-month sentence. In 1970 he was arrested as he returned to Miami from a secret meeting in Acapulco. The charge was having no prescription for the indigestion pills he carried. The verdict: not guilty. In March 1971, a U.S. grand jury in Miami ordered Lansky to testify about 'skimming,' or removing profits of the Flamingo Casino for distribution without payment of taxes. When he failed to respond, he was indicted in Miami and New York on tax evasion charges. Others indicted were gambler Dino Cellini and Miami Beach hotelmen Morris Lansburgh and Sam Cohen. Legal maneuvers, centered on Lansky's medical condition, won him postponement after postponement. In the fall of 1976 in Nevada, U.S. District Judge Roger D. Foley dismissed the final federal charge against Lansky. Foley ruled, after hearing uncontested medical evidence, that Lansky would never be well enough to stand trial. He lived another six years. Lansky fought attempts by the Israeli Interior Ministry to oust him from the country as an undesirable. The case dragged on until September 1972, when the Israeli high court denied him citizenship. His tourist visa had expired and the United States Embassy had revoked his passport. He left Israel that November and spent two days flying more than 13,000 miles in search of asylum. He visited Switzerland, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru, but none would accept him. Lansky was arrested when the long flight ended at Miami International Airport. Kenneth Whitaker, then agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office, boarded the airplane, at about 5:30 a.m. Only one passenger was asleep. Whitaker woke him up. 'Meyer?' the agent said. 'Ken Whitaker, FBI.' 'I guess I'm home,' Lansky said, dryly. A corps of FBI agents escorted Lansky through the Customs and Immigration routines. In Customs, he took a container of pills for his heart condition from a pocket and bent over a water fountain. A uniformed policeman grabbed and stopped him. Whitaker stopped the officer. Whitaker, realizing what the medication was for, told the officer to let him 'go ahead and take the pill.' 'You're a smart one, Whitaker,' Lansky said. Whitaker recalls another encounter with Lansky, about 18 months after the airport arrest. Whitaker was walking through a hotel lobby after making a speech to a Kiwanis Club when he saw Lansky sitting in a chair. Lansky nodded, and Whitaker began walking toward him when he found his path blocked by a large, tough-looking man. 'Oh, no. No, no,' Lansky told the human barricade. 'Let Mr. Whitaker say hello. I'm not on an airplane.' The Miami and New York income tax evasion charges were consolidated, and Lansky was tried in Miami in July 1973. He and associate Dino Cellini, who could not be found to be tried, were accused of conspiring with New England Mafia leaders to hide income they received from The Colony Club in London, fronted by former actor George Raft, during 1967 and 1968. Lansky was accused of setting up the casino and collecting large payments from its profits without reporting the income on his tax returns. He was acquitted after a week-long trial. The jury believed his wife's testimony that he was with her when the major prosecution witness, confessed Mafioso Vincent (Big Vinnie) Teresa, said Lansky was accepting payments. The Lansky legend, more by speculation than by proof, linked him indirectly to many a mob killing. Indeed, he was involved in dangerously competitive illegal activities and associated with men known for violent business methods. Most of the time, though, the gory environment missed Lansky directly. Once, in 1977, it came very close. Lansky's stepson Richard Schwartz, one of Thelma Lansky's children by a prior marriage, was in a fancy Miami Beach restaurant, The Forge. On the next barstool sat Craig Teriaca, a younger man with strong family connections of his own. Each man took the affirmative in a debate over ownership of a $10 bill on the bar between them. Schwartz won by shooting Teriaca dead. On a Wednesday morning 3 1/2 months later, as Schwartz was about to open the restaurant he ran, a shotgun stopped him. There was no sign of robbery. Motive revenge, the police deduced. Some speculated that it meant the start of mob war. No war materialized, so there was more speculation: No gangster would have dared to kill Lansky's stepson, the speculators said. Not without the old man's consent.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The epicenter of Tesla vandalism and attacks: Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. (NewsNation) — Portland and Salem, Oregon, have become ground zero for a series of attacks targeting Tesla vehicles and dealerships, with local activists and residents deeply divided over the escalating violence. Tesla owners now report feeling unsafe on local roads. The atmosphere is so volatile that drivers and dealership employees feel constantly on edge. The CEO of the company, Elon Musk, is facing mounting backlash over his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, which is driving mass layoffs at federal agencies, slashing government programs and obtaining access to sensitive personal information. At a recent protest outside a local Tesla dealership, tensions were palpable. While some organizers insisted their demonstrations were peaceful, others expressed a more confrontational view. Leland Vittert's War Notes: Deeply Embarrassing One protester argued that 'destruction of property is a perfectly viable source of protest,' saying that 'these are just things, these are just cars.' The most extreme local incident involved Adam Lansky, a 41-year-old transgender activist arrested for attacking a Salem Tesla dealership. Neighbors described Lansky as someone who was involved in firearms training. Lansky was giving out stickers of a gun surrounded by cartoon animals. that said, 'together, we can do powerful things.' Online sites including Philly Anti-Capitalist provide specific instructions and guidelines for safely burning Teslas. Local groups such as 'Troublemakers' have organized protests, though they claim to discourage violence. 'We are not associated with anyone who is doing any kind of violence. They are not welcome here. That is not our mission,' one protester said. Bill O'Reilly: Atlantic editor in group chat was 'colossal' mistake However, witnesses reported seeing protesters positioned in trees during demonstrations, suggesting a level of strategic planning. 'Destruction of property is a perfectly viable source of protest. No harming humans. Obviously, human life is sacred, no matter whose it is, but property, these are just things. These are just cars,' another protester said. Many Tesla owners in Portland and Salem are liberal-leaning individuals who may not support Elon Musk personally but appreciate the car's American-made status and its employment of thousands of U.S. workers. The FBI confirmed Monday that it has established a task force to investigate the wave of vandalism and arson incidents targeting Tesla. The task force, consisting of 10 people, was launched as a joint effort between the FBI's counterterrorism division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The FBI so far this month has received reports of 48 incidents involving Tesla, including at least seven it is investigating with local law enforcement. NewsNation partner The Hill contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
