Moving Forward: Youturn

When it comes to gang and gun violence, or any type of violence, a local nonprofit says prevention is key. Members of Youturn put themselves in situations that have or could take a dark turn fast.

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  • Three Brooklyn Men Used Spy Cams for $30M Safety Deposit Box Heists: DOJ

    Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Three New York City men allegedly stole more than $30 million in cash and other valuables as part of an elaborate money-laundering scheme that involved using spy cameras to break into safe deposit boxes around the world.The Department of Justice on Tuesday charged Val Cooper, 56, Alex Levin, 52, and Gari Smith, 49, with money laundering and conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to violate the Travel Act after they allegedly stole the massive sum from banks’ safe deposit boxes between March 2015 and October 2019. Some of the banks were in Ukraine, Russia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Latvia, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan—businesses that “appeared to lack security features, including video surveillance cameras in certain areas,” prosecutors said.The feds allege Cooper was the ringleader of the criminal enterprise, while Levin used his bank accounts in the United States to buy the sophisticated camera equipment used during the heists—and later launder the proceeds. All three Brooklyn men were arrested on Tuesday morning.“The crimes we allege in this indictment read like something straight out of Hollywood fiction,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney said in a statement. “The thieves used sophisticated tools to thwart security systems at foreign banks and tried to cover their tracks by laundering money through U.S. banks. However, thanks to the outstanding work of our FBI Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force and our international partners, these criminals now face real federal charges and the possibility of real-time in federal prison.”According to court documents, the group sought out banks with weak security systems, and then would pose as a customer, renting a safe deposit box in order to gain entry into the room they would eventually hit. Once inside, the group would use a series of “sophisticated camera equipment (often a borescope typically used in medical procedures)” to “take photographs of the inside of safe deposit box locks,” prosecutors said in court documents.“Another co-conspirator used these photographs to create duplicate keys, and then other co-conspirators used the duplicate keys to open the victim safe deposit boxes in order to steal the contents, including currency, gold bars, jewelry, and other property,” a DOJ press release said. After the heist was complete, the trio would leave the country.Prosecutors say the scheme went on for years—with Cooper and another co-conspirator even bribing local law enforcement officials in the various countries they hit for information to ensure they could evade prosecution. Finally, New York authorities caught up to them, and on Tuesday, agents executed a search warrant at Cooper’s house. There, they found safe deposit box keys without any identification numbers, cash, jewelry, and several high-end bags. In Cooper’s storage unit in Brooklyn, investigators also found a borescope and safe deposit box lock.Authorities noted that Cooper and Levin have criminal histories. Levin was convicted in April 2000 after pleading guilty to securities fraud for his role in a $100 million stock scheme operated by members and associates of La Cosa Nostra and a Russian organized crime group. Cooper was convicted in the former Soviet Union of theft in 1986 and was cited in another criminal office against the USSR in 2001—but did not face criminal charges before he evaded prosecution.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Fox News host Greg Gutfeld says he was 'glad' about the Derek Chauvin verdict 'even if he might not be guilty of all charges' because 'my neighborhood was looted'

    "No, at least I'm being honest - my neighborhood was looted. I don't ever want to go through that again," Fox News co-host Greg Gutfeld said.

  • Apple's new iPad Pro is the best explanation for why we'll never see a touchscreen MacBook

    The MacBook Pro and Air aren't Apple's biggest rivals to Windows laptops. The new iPad Pro, which is now powered by the company's M1 chip, is.

  • Derek Chauvin found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd

    Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all counts against him in the killing of George Floyd. The jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.

  • Celebrities, activists, and politicians respond to Derek Chauvin guilty verdict in George Floyd case

    It didn't take long for public figures to take to Twitter to share their reactions to Chavin's guilty verdict.

  • After nuclear talks, Iran's president says deal could be reached soon

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday, after another round of nuclear talks in Vienna, that an agreement can be reached in a short time if the U.S. acts with "honesty."Why it matters: Rouhani’s optimism comes as representatives of Iran and other world powers, including the U.S., are about to start drafting a plan to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free."The talks in Vienna have progressed about 60, 70% and if the Americans act within the framework of honesty, we will achieve results in a short time."Hassan Rouhani in a meeting with political activists in TehranDriving the news: Senior diplomats from Iran, the EU, France, Germany, the U.K., Russia and China met today in Vienna to review the progress made by two expert working groups. The groups have focused on the steps required from the U.S. on sanctions relief and from Iran on its nuclear program. The EU announced that a third group would now be formed to focus on the sequencing of those potential measures from the U.S. and Iran.U.S. envoy Rob Malley and his team didn’t attend the plenary meeting but held indirect talks with the Iranians through EU representatives. They also met with members of the other delegations in Vienna.State Department spokesman Ned Price said the talks in Vienna this week were businesslike and positive, but “there is still a long road ahead of us. Most of the road is still ahead of us.”Price said the U.S. and Iran have a common goal of restoring the deal, but the U.S. will not make concessions without being certain that Iran will return to full compliance.What’s next: The members of the various delegations are expected to go back to their capitals for consultations and then return to Vienna for another round of talks next week, the EU said in a statement.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • How one Chinatown curbs anti-Asian violence and unites a city

    Multiethnic teams of volunteers patrolling Chinatown in Oakland, California, are awaking and uniting the city.

  • Greece signs deal to provide Saudi Arabia with Patriot air defence system

    Greece and Saudi Arabia have signed a deal to lend a Patriot air defence system to the Arab country to protect critical energy facilities, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday. Dendias and Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos met earlier on Tuesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhain in Riyadh. "We signed an agreement to move a Patriot battery here in Saudi Arabia," Dendias said in a press release, adding that he also signed a cooperation agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

  • How to manage your coronavirus vaccine side effects - including tips for avoiding painkillers

    Minimize discomfort by moving your arm or taking hot showers. Use cold washcloths or ice instead of Advil.

  • Zion Williamson now has a signature shoe. Here’s when you can get a pair of Zion 1s.

    “It’s like looking at a famous painting. No one’s really arguing about how special it is.”

  • A mom was found dead in a car, next to her sleeping toddler, at a South Florida hotel

    A 32-year-old mother was found dead early Tuesday, next to her sleeping child, inside a car in the parking lot of a Boynton Beach hotel.

  • Bernie Sanders says the Chauvin verdict is 'accountability' but not justice, calling for the US to 'root out the cancer of systemic racism'

    "Real justice for him ... can only happen when we build a nation that fundamentally respects the human dignity of every person," Sanders said.

  • Malaysian opposition urges king to end coronavirus emergency

    Malaysian opposition lawmakers led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad submitted a petition to the country's king on Tuesday seeking an end to a coronavirus emergency so Parliament can resume. The king approved Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's plan for an emergency in early January to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but critics said it was a political ruse to help the embattled leader stay in power amid challenges to his leadership. Muhyiddin's government remains in control and has extraordinary powers to introduce laws without parliamentary approval.

  • Russia seems to be preparing to invade Ukraine but it's not clear whether Putin will go through with it

    It looks as if he is planning to invade. Or at least that is what he wants everyone to think.

  • Georgia Gov. Kemp throws support behind Home Depot as the chain faces calls for a boycott over its silence on restrictive voting laws

    The left "went after baseball, and now they're going after American jobs," Kemp said in a Tuesday tweet.

  • Republicans scramble to distance themselves from Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'America First' caucus

    The congresswoman blames rogue staff for the platform document and said she never planned to launch anything

  • Philippine hospitals struggle to cope as more severe COVID-19 wave hits

    Nick Yañez, a 28-year-old ambulance nurse in a satellite city of Manila, says she sometimes spends six to seven hours in her emergency vehicle caring for a COVID-19 patient before a bed can be found in a hospital. Already facing one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia, the Philippines has seen a second wave of infections that is stretching health care workers in the capital like never before. A two-week lockdown of the capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities that is home to at least 13 million people, appears to have done little to ease the strain on the medical system.

  • She Claimed Her 8-Year-Old Granddaughter Ran Away. Then Cops Found a Body in Her Car.

    Gem County Sheriff's Office/Ada County Sheriff's OfficeConnie Ann Smith, of Emmett, Idaho, reported her 8-year-old granddaughter missing on April 12, telling police she’d run away.Three days later, little Taryn Summers was found—stuffed inside a garbage bag in the backseat of the grandma’s black Lexus, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday.Authorities have now charged Smith with failing to notify law enforcement of death and destruction of evidence. During her Monday afternoon arraignment, Gem County Prosecuting Attorney Erik Thompson called the case “egregious” and said additional charges could be filed soon.“This is a huge devastation and loss to my sister, my family, and I and we are completely heartbroken to lose a family member at such a young age and in such a tragic way. Taryn had a personality twice her size and was a very funny and smart little girl who could always make everyone laugh,” Jennifer Sexton, Summers’ aunt, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. “Taryn is so loved and was a bright light taken in such an evil way from this world way too soon, and she will be greatly missed.”Did Bigfoot Murder Three People in the Woods of California?While authorities have only identified the child found inside Smith’s car as “TS,” family members have confirmed her identity. Last week, the Gem County Sheriff’s Office announced it had discovered a body believed to be Taryn’s, with details matching those in the affidavit. The affidavit also lists Smith as the grandmother and custodian of “TS,” and says Smith has a son whose last name is Summers. The 54-year-old is the owner of the property where the little girl was reportedly last seen.Authorities say that when officers arrived at Smith’s house after she’d reported Summers missing, they discovered a piece of the carpet had been cut out. Smith allegedly told police she’d removed the carpet and burned it after the had child “defecated” on it.The affidavit states that police ultimately learned that earlier in the day, Smith had been seen driving from a preschool with Summers sleeping in the backseat. Smith admitted the girl was still asleep when they arrived home and that she carried her into a bedroom.On April 14, police and Idaho state forensics investigators returned to search the home again—and found a “small brown spot” on the bedroom wall they believed to be blood.After several searches around Smith’s property, investigators gained access to Smith’s Lexus—after she initially told police she “did not know where the key (was) for the vehicle.”Inside, they found Summers’ body in a black trash bag on the floor. Investigators said the little girl had vomit on her shirt and in her hair. Smith was then arrested on April 15, according to online court records.“In reviewing the probable cause affidavit, the alleged conduct is disturbing,” Judge Tyler Smith said during Smith’s hearing on Monday, before ordering an $800,000 bond. “Report that the child was missing. Ultimately the discovery of the deceased child on the property, I believe two days later. The potential penalty, depending on the conclusion of the investigation, could be severe.”Smith’s attorney did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.Authorities also noted that Summer was not the only relative connected to Smith who’s gone missing. The Gem County Sheriff’s Office said that 16-year-old Tristan Conner Sexton went missing in September 2020 and 14-year-old Taylor Summers disappeared in October. Both teens have since been located and were not in danger.All three children lived in Smith’s house after being moved from their mother’s house in 2019 after testing positive for hard drugs, according to EastIdahoNews. “Law enforcement has been in contact with Taylor and does not believe her to be in danger at this time. Family has been in contact with Tristan Sexton and law enforcement does not believe him to be in danger at this time,” Gem County Sheriff Donnie Wunder said on Thursday. “I want to thank everyone for their concern and support during the last few days.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • What we know: Ex-officer Kim Potter released on $100,000 bond, faces second-degree manslaughter charge in Daunte Wright's death

    Kim Potter was a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department before she resigned Tuesday.

  • 'Clean up your mess, Kevin': Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries responds to Maxine Waters censure effort by telling GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to 'sit this one out'

    "Lauren Boebert is a mess. Matt Gaetz is a mess. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a mess," Jeffries said. "Clean up your mess, Kevin. Sit this one out."