Stolen shoe mystery solved at Japanese kindergarten when security camera catches weasel in the act

TOKYO (AP) — Police thought a shoe thief was on the loose at a kindergarten in southwestern Japan, until a security camera caught the furry culprit in action. A weasel with a tiny shoe in its mouth was spotted on the video footage after police installed three cameras in the school...

County official in Arizona pleads guilty to embezzling over $38M in public funds

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — An elected official for an Arizona county has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $38 million in public funds that she used to renovate her luxurious Southwestern ranch home, maintain the family cattle business and buy at least 20 vehicles, including an Airstream camper...

Dominican Republic says colonel and officers stole police weapons and ammunition to sell to Haitians

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested a colonel and nine officers accused of stealing weapons and ammunition from the police department’s armory and illegally selling them to people including criminals in neighboring Haiti, where violence...

New York building superintendent is charged with stealing $350,000 from 100-year-old man

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City building superintendent who was praised as a devoted caregiver in a New York Times profile was charged Thursday with stealing more than $350,000 from a 100-year-old resident of the building where she worked, prosecutors announced. Rosalind Hernandez,...

SpaceX launches Starship rocket, but skips trying to catch booster

Man pleads guilty to stealing millions from major Detroit nonprofit

DETROIT (AP) — A man accused of stealing $44 million from a Detroit nonprofit group pleaded guilty Friday to financial crimes that stunned the organization and forced some delays in a major riverfront project. For years, William Smith controlled the money at the Detroit Riverfront...

Man who stole and laundered roughly $1B in bitcoin is sentenced to 5 years in prison

WASHINGTON (AP) — A computer expert who stole bitcoin worth billions of dollars at current prices — and then spent years laundering some of the hacked cryptocurrency with help from his wife — was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison. Ilya Lichtenstein masterminded one...

Conviction and 7-year sentence for Alex Murdaugh's banker overturned in appeal of juror's dismissal

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The banker who prosecutors said helped Alex Murdaugh move millions of dollars around to avoid detection of his thefts in exchange for a share of the money had his conviction and seven-year prison sentence overturned on appeal Thursday. Three judges from the...

Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing social security benefits intended for two older people totaling $25,364, federal prosecutors said. Taruars Santae Grace, 46, of Meridian, admitted that she stole Social Security Administration retirement...

French prosecutors seek a 2-year prison sentence and ineligibility period against Marine Le Pen

PARIS (AP) — Paris prosecutors on Wednesday requested a 2-year prison sentence for far-right leader Marine Le Pen and an additional 5-year period of ineligibility to run for office, in a trial over the suspected embezzlement of European Parliament funds where her ability to participate in the...