alleged

The Fair Political Practices Commission is suing California’s largest poker casino, the Commerce Club, over political contributions the club allegedly made last year to defeat a ballot measure that would have established a rival casino just a few miles away in Pico Rivera.

The lawsuit alleges that the club failed to report “independent expenditures” on a campaign and that it was late in disclosing other contributions to two committees.

Southern California’s card clubs have dabbled in local and state politics for years, typically with campaign contributions to an array of candidates involved with regulation of the gambling industry.

But rarely have the clubs faced such a dangerous political climate as they did last year. Five Southern California cities considered ballot measures that would have established competing card parlors–and a possible loss of market share for the dominant clubs, the Commerce Club in Commerce and the Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens.

The two southeast Los Angeles card casinos poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into efforts to defeat the measures. After a series of bitter campaigns, the only measure to win approval was in Hawaiian Gardens. The Pico Rivera measure was defeated by 267 votes out of 8,475 cast.

State officials and attorneys for the Commerce Club are in settlement talks, according to the commission. Club President George Tumanjan did not return repeated phone calls, but club attorney Andy Schneiderman said: “We deny that we violated [the Political Reform Act]. We’re trying to resolve this with the FPPC.” He would not discuss the specific allegations in the state’s complaint.

The Commerce Club’s local political campaign last was spearheaded by its own committee, the Southern California Voter Education Project, run by Don Wilcox, the club president’s son-in-law. Campaign documents filed last year showed the committee spent $296,000 to battle ballot measures in Azusa, Irwindale and Hawaiian Gardens.

But in documents filed months after the elections–and, the commission alleges, in apparent violation of its filing deadlines–that the Commerce Club disclosed that it made $39,120 in “nonmonetary” contributions to a Pico Rivera committee run by Richard Ochoa, a local pastor who scorned the supporters of a new club as “up to their necks in deception.” Nonmonetary contributions can include a range of materials and services, such as printed signs or legal work.

The committee, Just Say No to Casinos, organized citizens to staff a phone bank and handed out literature (“Don’t let the casino promoters deceive us any more,” one flier read).

But the committee did not report any contributions from the club, and its founder denies any affiliation with the casino.

“Just to set the record straight, I have never had any dealings with the Commerce Club or any other card club,” Ochoa said in an interview. “For me to receive contributions would be hypocritical.”

The lawsuit also alleges that the Commerce Club did not disclose that it contributed to another Pico Rivera committee, Save Our City, which sent mailers warning of the “wicked web” of narcotics traffic and loan-sharking that would ensnare the city if a casino was approved. Commerce Club documents don’t show any contributions were made to the committee, and Save Our City’s documents don’t show that any money was received from the club.

However, Hal Mintz, who has worked as a consultant for the Commerce casino, contributed $3,000 to Save Our City. After inquiries from The Times, the committee filed an amended statement showing that Mintz’s firm, Stateside Communications, actually contributed a total of $19,360 to the campaign, most of it in nonmonetary forms.

Mintz, citing advice from his attorney, declined to comment on the case. Save Our City officials were not available.

Supporters of the Pico Rivera casino measure have said they were puzzled by the fact that the Commerce Club reported spending so little to defeat the initiative, while the Bicycle Club of nearby Bell Gardens spent more than $97,000 through two committees.

Real estate developer Michael E. Macke, who planned to develop a Pico Rivera casino, has sued the Bicycle Club over alleged unfair political practices in the campaign. Because the commission has filed suit against the Commerce Club, Macke is precluded from suing it for campaign-reporting violations.

The club paid tens of thousands of dollars to organizations that warned voters that gambling was a sin. Records show the club spent $43,202 on legal services for Bell United to Regulate Card Clubs, a committee that fought unsuccessfully to pass a city ordinance that would limit the number of casinos allowed in Bell. The Rev. Martin Garcia, who ran the committee, said he did not know his lawyer was paid by the Commerce Club, and wouldn’t have accepted legal assistance had he known.

The club also paid $20,000 to the Rex Company, a political consulting firm that helped defeat a casino ballot measure in Irwindale. The Rex Company is owned by Stephen R. Sheldon, the son of the Rev. Lou Sheldon of the Anaheim-based Traditional Values Coalition.

The Commerce casino was first thrust into controversy in 1984, just one year after it opened. Four officials from the city of Commerce pleaded guilty to charges that they granted the license to open the club to a Las Vegas executive who had bribed them with secret shares of the business.

In 1993, an internal audit by the club found that board members received kickbacks, and employees said they had been reimbursed by the casino for contributions they had made to the campaigns of Gov. Pete Wilson and Lt. Gov. Gray Davis.

Today, with a Sacramento lobbyist on its payroll and tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to candidates from San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to county Supervisor-elect Don L. Knabe, the Commerce Club has built a name as a powerhouse in casino politics.

In Sacramento, its focus has been on issues such as which card games should be allowed and whether to fund a state gambling commission.

MIAMI — Dodgers owner Mark Walter and multiple insurance companies he owns have been sued, alleging they failed to disclose an ongoing federal probe to customers while directing policyholders’ money into Walter’s other companies.

The lawsuit lists Walter, Delaware Life Insurance Co., Clear Spring Life and Annuity, TWG Global Holdings and Walter’s Guggenheim Partners investment firm as defendants.

Ira Rosner, a 67-year-old Florida man, brought the class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Miami on Wednesday. He purchased a policy from Delaware Life in April and he had until late May to withdraw his money without penalty. However, the company did not disclose the investigation to him until June,

Rosner is seeking a jury trial in the lawsuit that seeks damages for negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract and aiding and abetting fraud.

TWG Global didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

Walter has been under investigation since last year by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission following a whistleblower complaint regarding alleged misrepresented loans made between companies within his business portfolio.

TWG Global Holdings is the holding company through which Walter controls Delaware Life, Clear Spring Life and Annuity Co. and his stake in Guggenheim Partners. TWG Global denied any wrongdoing involving the probe in a statement last month.

Walter and co-owner Todd Boehly sold their stakes in English Premier League club Chelsea this week. Last month, Walter agreed to sell the Lakers in a surprise move less than a year after buying the NBA franchise from the Buss family. The deal is under review by the league.

The Dodgers have been adamant that Walter has no plans to sell the baseball team.

Derbyshire Police said they were investigating an alleged assault but have now decided no further action will be taken.

England fast bowler Brydon Carse will face no charges after an investigation into an alleged assault was closed by Derbyshire Police, the force has said.

But the 31-year-old remains subject to a separate probe by the Cricket Regulator, the disciplinary arm of the English game, who will assess if he has a case to answer under their regulations.

Carse was handcuffed by officers after a celebratory night out with Durham teammates on August 23 in Derby, central England, and it was later confirmed he had been arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, before being “de-arrested” after agreeing to depart.

Derbyshire Police said they were investigating an alleged assault in connection with the incident but have now decided no further action will be taken.

In a statement on Friday, the force said: “An investigation into reports of an assault in Derby city centre has been closed.

“Officers attended Molly Malones in the Wardwick, Derby, in the early hours of Sunday 23 August. A man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and was then de-arrested after his details were taken by officers.”

Subsequent enquiries were made pursuing the allegations of an assault but, after the alleged victim was identified and spoken to, no further action was taken, police said.

Videos of Carse’s arrest were released on social media, with Carse seen talking to Durham teammate Matthew Potts, while former England captain Ben Stokes – who also plays for northeast county Durham – was pictured in the background.

Carse, who has taken 58 wickets in 14 Tests at a shade more than 30 apiece, has continued playing for Durham since the episode took place, helping the side win the Second Division title in the first-class County Championship.

But he has been overlooked by England.

Carse was immediately removed from the squad before the second Test against Pakistan, then left out of the final match too, having not been selected on cricketing grounds for the opening encounter of a series where England whitewashed the tourists 3-0.

While officially available for selection for the ongoing white-ball series against Sri Lanka, he was again omitted.

England’s limited-overs head coach Brendon McCullum, speaking earlier this week, reminded his side of their off-field responsibilities, adding: “I’ve spoken to Carsey a lot and it’s the same message – you need to make good decisions off the field that allow you to be able to be the best version of yourself.

“As far as Carsey is concerned, it’s a good chance for him now to get his house in order and then push for selection for the next opportunity that arises.”

Carse’s arrest was the latest in a series of alcohol-fuelled controversies that have dogged England since their disastrous tour of New Zealand and Australia at the end of last year.

Test captain Joe Root, speaking before the Lord’s Test, said he was “hacked off” by the growing list of drink-related incidents involving England cricketers.

Turning to Carse, he said, “I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn in saying he’s very upset, very apologetic and understands his actions. I’m sure when he gets his chance, he will say that himself.”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The Trump administration has announced that it will impose travel bans on officials it claims are responsible for discrimination against whites and other minority groups in South Africa.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday he would revoke U.S. visas or reject visa applications from foreign nationals found to be responsible for, or complicit in, enacting or enforcing laws and policies that allow for uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination and the incitement of violence against minority ethnic and racial groups in South Africa.

“The United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked,” Rubio said in a statement. “These actions directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law, and they are incompatible with the pillars of America’s foreign policy.”

The South African government has strongly rejected U.S. allegations of discrimination against whites, calling the claims made by the administration since President Trump returned to office last year baseless and a result of misinformation.

It’s the latest U.S. move to sanction South Africa

Rubio did not identify any officials who would be targeted with the travel restrictions, though a lobby group for minority whites in South Africa has previously called for the U.S. to sanction officials of the African National Congress party, the party of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the largest in South Africa’s Parliament.

It’s the latest move by the Trump administration to sanction South Africa over its claims that whites, and especially the Afrikaner group, are being discriminated against by their Black-led government. Afrikaners are descended from mainly Dutch and French colonial settlers who first came to South Africa in the 17th century. They were at the heart of South Africa’s previous apartheid system of racial segregation.

There are approximately 4.5 million white people in South Africa’s population of 62 million, which also includes whites with British or other heritage.

The Trump administration casts South Africa as anti-white

The U.S. has cited a contentious South African law that allows for the expropriation of unused private land without compensation in some circumstances, affirmative action policies that advance opportunities for Blacks and others, and a small number of violent crimes against white farmers as evidence of a larger anti-white stance in South Africa.

The Trump administration has also strongly criticized South Africa’s move to accuse U.S. ally Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a highly emotive case at the United Nations’ top court. Israel vehemently denies that allegation.

South Africa asks the U.S. to respect its sovereignty

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Wednesday that some of the domestic policies that the U.S. had branded as discriminatory were designed to address the injustices of apartheid and hundreds of years of colonial rule before that, when Black people were stripped of their rights.

“South Africa respects that the United States may hold differing views on certain policy measures and their implementation. … The people of South Africa likewise respect the right of the American people to develop legislation that addresses their own circumstances,” Lamola said in a statement. “We expect that the same respect will be accorded to the people of South Africa, as the principle of sovereignty requires.”

The U.S. says more sanctions will follow

The U.S. has enforced a series of other sanctions against South Africa during Trump’s second term for purported anti-white and anti-American policies. They include barring South African officials from meetings of the Group of 20 economic bloc this year in the U.S., and phasing out aid for South Africa’s HIV treatment program.

The U.S. has also launched a refugee program for Afrikaners and other whites, claiming baselessly that they are victims of a humanitarian emergency in South Africa.

The U.S. says the sanctions are because South Africa has not changed its policies, and warned of more to follow.

“This visa restriction policy is only the first step in a series of escalatory measures that will show America’s firm resolve in this matter,” the official U.S. Ambassador to South Africa account posted on X, referring to Rubio’s visa announcement.

Imray writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Prosecutors said that the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks and murders around the world.

Five people have been charged over alleged Russian intelligence-linked plots involving surveillance, recruitment and planned killings, according to an indictment unsealed by the United States Department of Justice.

Prosecutors said on Tuesday that the group worked on behalf of Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks and murders internationally, including within the US, and that all five remain at large.

The defendants were identified as Russian national Yuri Khrameev, 63, his son Kirill Khrameev, 27, Cubans Oemis Romagoza Durruthy and Yaidel Delgado Suarez, both 35, and 22-year-old Venezuelan Angel Eduardo Castro.

All five were charged with conspiring to finance terrorism, while Khrameev, Suarez and Castro face additional charges of conspiring to commit murder for hire.

At a news conference, Attorney General Todd Blanche said the plots included attempts to kill a Russian dissident believed to be living in the Washington, DC area.

Justice Department officials said the network had recruited several people in the US to carry out surveillance on Russian dissidents, targeting individuals both domestically and in Lithuania.

In one instance, a recruit was reportedly promised $40,000 to make a US-based target “disappear”. A separate recruit was allegedly offered $25,000 the previous year to kill someone in Lithuania.

Russia’s embassy in the US has not commented on the case. Moscow has consistently rejected accusations that it has orchestrated assassination operations on foreign soil, including in the US.

Prosecutors have requested a 45-year jail sentence for Thaci and three wartime commanders accused of war crimes.

The Kosovo war crimes tribunal will on Wednesday deliver its verdicts in the case of former President Hashim Thaci and several wartime commanders accused of murder and torture during the self-declared republic’s break from Serbia.

Thaci, 58, is facing several counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and persecution, along with three former commanders from the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a separatist militia that fought Serbian troops.

Thaci and the other former high-ranking commanders, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli, deny the charges.

Prosecutors have requested 45-year prison sentences for each of the men.

The case is extremely contentious within Kosovo, where Thaci remains a revered figure for many Kosovan Albanians due to his role in the 1998-99 independence war.

On Saturday, tens of thousands gathered in the capital, Pristina, to call for their acquittal in the latest of several rallies since the trial began. Portraits of the four former KLA fighters have been plastered across the city along with a huge digital clock counting down to the verdicts.

“In the name of the people, declare them innocent,” one banner read.

According to prosecutors, the men targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the KLA.

Thaci’s lawyers argued in February there is no evidence that directly links him to any of the crimes.

“There are no orders in the record from Thaci to perpetrators of crimes. There are no reports from perpetrators of crimes to Thaci,” lawyer Luka Misetic told judges at the Kosovo tribunal in February.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of NATO air attacks against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, a move that Belgrade refuses to recognise. Ties between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense, despite years of negotiations mediated by the European Union.

HAYDEN Panettiere took a pill that was allegedly laced with fentanyl on the day of her death.

The beloved actress died aged 36 of a suspected overdose at a luxury Airbnb in South Carolina last month.

Cops are said to be “zeroing in” on her alleged long-term drug dealer in Los Angeles, who she met before travelling to Greenville.

The Heroes and Nashville star is said to have bought several black-market prescription drugs from the dealer.

Days before her 37th birthday, Hayden allegedly took an oxycodone laced with fentanyl, sources told TMZ.

The mum-of-one had been in South Carolina with her on-off ex Brian Hickerson, who was arrested yesterday after an alleged incident at a bar.

IN CUFFS

Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend ‘screams about her death as he’s cuffed by cops’

DAD’S PAIN

Hayden Panettiere planned to visit daughter after revealing ‘incredible bond’

According to sources, the 37-year-old actor started yelling at officers about her death while cuffed and sitting on the pavement.

Hickerson has already met with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials as they continue to investigate Hayden’s cause of death.

He previously told officers that Hayden had a “bag of medication” with her.

The drugs she was reportedly taken was redacted in the police report, although nine different types were listed.

Hayden has been open about her struggles with substance abuse, once revealing how her liver “gave out” due to a secret opioid addiction.

The actress told PEOPLE how her addiction issues severely worsened after the birth of her child in 2014.

To help cope with the postnatal depression, Hayden admitted she turned to alcohol.

Hayden ended up having to go to the hospital after her liver “gave out”.

A year after giving birth, she underwent her first stint in rehab while still filming for the hit show Nashville.

Years later, Hayden admitted she couldn’t stop drinking as she returned for treatment in 2021, enrolling in a 12-month program.

It took eight months of “intensive therapy” to help her move on past her addiction.

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Tehran: Iranian authorities have arrested a number of people accused of appearing in a rare video waving the flag of an outlawed opposition group, state television said Sunday.

Videos circulating online in recent days showed individuals riding motorbikes on empty streets in Iran while waving the white-and-red banner of the banned People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK).

On Sunday, state television said authorities had identified and arrested “all the individuals who appeared in this clip” and that they were “associated” with MEK, without specifying how many.

It said the motorcade had been travelling near the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, but it was not clear when the footage was recorded.

Founded in the 1960s in opposition to Iran’s then Western-backed shah, the MEK was outlawed after the 1979 Islamic revolution and later fought alongside Saddam Hussein’s forces during the Iran-Iraq war.

The group has for decades advocated regime change in Iran from abroad, while Tehran has accused its members of cooperating with its arch-enemy, Israel.

Iran has been at war with the United States since February 28, when US-Israeli strikes killed the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with senior military officials.

Iran retaliated with attacks across the region as the conflict spread.