(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI are investigating a multi-million dollar theft on Easter Sunday, sources told ABC News.
The money went missing Sunday from a money storage facility in Sylmar, in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, law enforcement sources said. The company that owns the building noticed the money had been stolen on Monday morning.
The thieves managed to break into the facility undetected, sources said.
They went through the roof and into the area where the money is kept, which may have been a vault, according to officials briefed on the investigation. Sources said the sophistication level of the operation indicates a crew of some kind is responsible.
There are no suspects at this point.
The LAPD and FBI are working together on the case.
Sources said the exact amount that was stolen is not known, but it is believed to be in the tens of millions.
The LA Times was first to report news of the heist.
(NEW YORK) — The calendar says it’s spring, but winter storm warnings are in effect in the Midwest and the Northeast as snowstorms slam both regions.
In the Northeast, heavy snow will blanket the mountains and ski resorts of upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.
Some of the higher elevations in New England could see more than 2 feet of snow.
The snow will pick up in intensity late Wednesday night and continue through Thursday.
In Maine, low visibility is expected and travel is discouraged, Gov. Janet Mills said.
“Folks need to be prepared at home for the possibility of an extended power outage with emergency supplies, alternate power sources, and should charge their mobile devices in advance,” Pete Rogers, director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement.
In the Midwest, Wisconsin is buried under more than 1 foot of snow and facing winds up to 35 mph.
A blizzard warning was issued for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where gusty winds combined with snow could cause very low visibility.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is not immune from prosecution in his New York hush money case, in part because he failed to invoke the defense in a timely fashion, the judge in the case ruled Wednesday.
Trump was “well aware” he could try to claim presidential immunity after he was indicted one year ago on charges of falsifying business records related to a hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, Judge Juan Merchan ruled. “Nonetheless, defendant chose not to raise the defense of presidential immunity until well past the 45-day period provided by statute,” Merchan said.
Merchan avoided ruling on the merits of Trump’s immunity claim, instead choosing to focus on the timing, which he said tested “this court’s credulity.”
“This Court finds that Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024,” Merchan wrote.
The judge did draw a distinction between Trump’s claim of presidential immunity in the New York case and in the federal election interference case, where Trump has argued he cannot be prosecuted for conduct that occurred while he was in office.
The U.S. Supreme Court takes up that argument at the end of the month.
In the hush money case, Merchan noted that Trump did not try to claim the alleged falsification of business records constituted an official act.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election.
Jury selection for the trial is scheduled to get underway April 15 in New York City. The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
(WASHINGTON) — A Washington state man who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 was sentenced Wednesday to seven years and three months in prison.
Taylor James Johnatakis was convicted in November on seven charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting police officers.
Johnatakis led rioters in attacking the police line outside the Capitol, according to federal prosecutors.
“Specifically, using his megaphone, Johnatakis directed rioters to move up to the police line and yelled at the rioters to ‘pack it in! pack it in!'” a press release states. “Johnatakis then instructed the crowd through the megaphone that they were going to push the bike racks ‘one foot’ at a time and counted, ‘one, two, three, GO!!'”
At least one officer was injured in the fray, prosecutors said.
During his trial, Johnatakis represented himself, frustrating Judge Royce Lamberth with his erratic behavior. He argued his case by claiming to be a “sovereign citizen,” The Associated Press reported, which the judge called “gobbledygook.”
Johnatakis also asked the judge questions during his sentencing, including “Does the record reflect that I repent in my sins?” — to which Lamberth replied he was not taking questions, the AP reported.
In a letter after Wednesday’s hearing, Lamberth said every decision on how to sentence Jan. 6 rioters “aims to discourage these defendants from future violence, dissuade others from taking inspiration from the Capitol riot, and express the community’s moral disapproval of this conduct.”
He hit back at the idea that Johnatakis was simply exercising his freedom of speech, saying his actions were “neither First Amendment-protected activity nor civil disobedience.”
“A society in which everyone does what is right by his own lights, where adherence to the law is optional, would be a society of vigilantism, lawlessness, and anarchy,” he wrote.
Lamberth said Johnatakis’ remarks throughout the course of the trial made clear he “does not accept responsibility for his actions and does not show true remorse.”
“In any angry mob, there are leaders and there are followers,” he wrote. “Mr. Johnatakis was a leader. He knew what he was doing that day.”
Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Two brothers who helped fund former President Donald Trump’s now-public social media company pleaded guilty Wednesday to insider trading.
Michael Shvartsman and Gerald Shvartsman made millions by trading in shares of Digital World Acquisition Corporation before it merged with Trump Media, according to federal prosecutors in New York.
Michael Shvartsman, 52, of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, and Gerald Shvartsman, 45, of Aventura, Florida, were arrested on securities fraud charges last July.
They each pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of securities fraud.
Each of them faces up to 20 years in prison when they’re sentenced in July, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of about three years.
“Michael and Gerald Shvartsman admitted in court that they received confidential, inside information about an upcoming merger between DWAC and Trump Media, and used that information to make profitable, but illegal, open-market trades,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “Insider trading is cheating, plain and simple.”
Prosecutors said the brothers placed an associate on DWAC’s board of directors, who funneled them valuable information about the merger plan with Trump Media that the brothers then used to trade. Together, they made $22 million in illegal profits, prosecutors said.
There was no evidence that former President Trump was aware of the brothers’ conduct, and he was not part of the case.
Trump Media went public last month and is now trading on the Nasdaq exchange.
(CINCINNATI) — Dangerous tornadoes tore through the central U.S. Tuesday night, including Kentucky, where one person was killed, according to the governor.
Over the last two days, more than 20 tornadoes were reported across states including Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Missouri.
In Kentucky, where wind gusts topped 100 mph, the reported twisters flattened buildings, ripped off roofs and littered streets with debris.
In Campbell County, Kentucky, just outside of Cincinnati, a young man died in a car accident during the strong storms, Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference Wednesday.
No major injuries have been reported, Beshear said.
Jordan Yuodis, spokesperson for Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS in Kentucky, told ABC News, “Within a matter of what seemed like minutes, [the weather] went from about 70-75 degrees and sunny to suddenly pitch black and debris flying.”
Shortly after 5:15 p.m., officials activated the outdoor warning sirens, Yuodis said. “Within minutes, we started receiving 911 calls of homes damaged, people trapped in their homes, roads being shut down,” he said.
“We responded to multiple homes where the roofs had been completely taken off,” Yuodis said. “The roof from one house went across the street and ended up into another home.”
“Thanks to the timely forecasts and warnings provided by the National Weather Service, people were able to seek shelter, which, to our knowledge, has been effective,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Tuesday night. “I’m pleased to report that as of now, there are no reported injuries or fatalities. … There is definitely roof damage, significant damage to homes.”
A state of emergency is in effect in Kentucky.
On Wednesday afternoon and evening, scattered, severe thunderstorms are possible all along the East Coast.
Two separate tornado watches are in effect: one in North Florida and Central Florida and another in the Mid-Atlantic.
(LUSAKA, Zambia) — An elderly American tourist was killed after an “aggressive” bull elephant attacked a vehicle during a game drive in Zambia, the safari operator said.
The incident took place Saturday morning at Kafue National Park in Zambia, a Lusaka police spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
“An aggressive bull elephant charged the vehicle carrying six guests and a guide who were on a game drive from Lufupa Camp,” Wilderness, the company operating the safari, said in a statement to ABC News Wednesday.
The 80-year-old woman was injured during the “unexpected” incident and transferred to a hospital in South Africa, where she later died, according to Wilderness. Four other people received treatment for minor injuries after the incident, the company said.
“The six guests were on the game drive when the vehicle was unexpectedly charged by the bull elephant,” Keith Vincent, Wilderness’ chief executive officer, said in the statement, adding, that the safari guide’s vehicle was “blocked” by the terrain at the time of the attack.
“Our guides are all extremely well trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” Vincent said.
Following the attack, Kafue National Park management was immediately called to assist and a helicopter was dispatched to the scene, according to Vincent. Local police, Zambia’s Department of National Parks & Wildlife and other authorities are involved in the investigation, he said.
Wilderness is cooperating with the investigation, Vincent said.
“This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died,” he said in the statement. “We are also, naturally, supporting those guests and the guide involved in this distressing incident.”
The elderly woman’s remains will be repatriated to her family in the U.S. with support from local Zambian authorities and the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, according to the statement.
Last month, a similar bull elephant attack took place in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa.
Videos of the March 18 incident show a bull elephant lifting a 22-seat safari truck up several times with his trunk before letting it drop. There were no deaths reported in that incident.
Hendry Blom, a bystander who caught the incident on camera, told ABC News: “We were definitely scared, especially for the people in the truck because we thought they might die.”
ABC News’ Victoria Beaule contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Wednesday urged a judge to reject an attempt by former President Donald Trump to delay his criminal hush money trial, scheduled to begin in less than two weeks, due to the large amount of pretrial publicity.
Prosecutors argued that much of the publicity Trump’s attorneys complained about is of his own making.
“[D]efendant’s own incessant rhetoric is generating significant publicity, and it would be perverse to reward defendant with an adjournment based on media attention he is actively seeking,” assistant district attorney Matthew Colangelo wrote in response to Trump’s motion.
Trump’s attorneys argued that “potential jurors in Manhattan have been exposed to huge amounts of biased and unfair media coverage relating to this case” — but prosecutors said a thorough jury selection process can yield an impartial jury.
“Defendant thus fails to demonstrate that the publicity surrounding this case is prejudicial at all, much less so inflammatory as to jeopardize the fundamental fairness of the trial,” Colangelo said.
This is Trump’s eighth attempt to delay the start of the trial, which is set to begin April 15 with jury selection.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors say the former president was trying to hide long-denied allegations of an affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels from voters ahead of the 2016 election.
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot in Wednesday night’s drawing is one of the largest in the game’s history.
The jackpot is an estimated $1.09 billion — which would make it the fourth-largest in Powerball history and the ninth-largest lotto jackpot ever when factoring in Mega Millions grand prizes.
Wednesday night’s Powerball jackpot has an estimated cash value of $527.3 million.
Wednesday’s drawing comes after a Mega Millions player won the eighth-largest jackpot ever last week. A ticket in New Jersey claimed the $1.128 billion Mega Millions prize.
If a player wins, they can choose between a lump-sum, pre-tax payment of $527.3 million or annual payouts of $1.09 billion, also pre-tax — starting with one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
The Powerball jackpot crossed the billion-dollar threshold last week. There have been 39 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The last winner was on Jan. 1, when a ticket in Michigan won $842.4 million, according to the lottery.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.
Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The drawing will be held Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
(NEW YORK) — A hiker who was stranded on the side of a cliff in the San Francisco Bay Area is speaking out exclusively to ABC News for the first time since being rescued.
Cody Cretini said he had been on a beach walk with his girlfriend on Easter when he decided to take a shortcut up a hill.
“I decided to climb the cliff, you know, be brave, be adventurous,” Cretini said. “And so I started climbing and about 40 or 50 feet up, I get to a spot where all the rocks start crumbling and like, every rock that I grab just gets removed from the cliff.”
Cretini’s girlfriend rushed to get help as the 22-year-old became trapped, dangling more than 50 feet above the Pacific Ocean.
“When help arrived, I knew that I only had to hold on a little bit longer and that it was almost over,” Cretini said.
But the rescue mission would last for almost an hour and Cretini said he started to get tired. At one point, Cretini said he was holding on by just one hand and his feet that didn’t fully fit on a rock.
“My muscles were tired. I was cramping and I knew if I fell … it wasn’t going to be good,” Cretini said.
The helicopter teams said they feared Cretini could slip at any moment.
“My fear is he was going to let go,” Larry Matelli, a deputy sheriff and tactical flight officer for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office, told ABC News. “And I realized as soon as he did, he was going to start sliding. So I was giving him clear instructions. ‘Do not let go. Do not let go.’ And I was able to feed the rescue device around him.”
Rescuers had to use night vision to find Cretini, who was barely visible as he hung above crashing waves.
“This one had a very technical nature to it in that the victim, you know, was ‘Spider-Manned’ onto the cliff. He didn’t have a ledge to get any pitches on,” Nigel Cooper, a pilot for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office, told ABC News.
Cretini emerged from the harrowing experience with just a few scrapes and bruises and said he’s grateful to the rescue teams.
“The helicopter and the person who, like, grabbed me and saved me, don’t know where I’d be without them,” Cretini said. “Like, I definitely needed them there. They really helped a lot.”
