AG, travel center and truckers team up against human trafficking
WEST LAKE, Ohio (WKBN) – Ohio Attorney General David Yost announced Tuesday that his office is teaming up with Ohio-based Travel America (TA) and Truckers Against Human Trafficking (TAT) to support his Human Trafficking Initiative (HTI).
TAT is distributing bumper stickers for truckers to place in their rigs that feature the hotline 844-END-OHHT. The hotline will also be displayed on screens inside TA stores throughout Ohio.
'If you see something, say something – under this new partnership, truck drivers and other motorists will be educated and reminded to report human trafficking to law enforcement,' Yost said. 'Their awareness on the road can save a life.'
Human trafficking awareness training is available to transportation industry groups and communities through both Truckers Against Trafficking and Yost's Human Trafficking Initiative.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
How a street peddler fooled some of Manhattan's biggest art collectors — and killed off the city's oldest art gallery
Nestled within the mood light of the Jean-Georges restaurant at the Mark, or seated straight-back against a Turkish pillow in the Gallery at the Carlyle, the denizens of the Upper East Side float in a fish-bowl world. Scandals, like personalities, are magnified. Collisions are inevitable. Yet even today, more than 15 years after her resignation from Manhattan's eminent Knoedler gallery and the circus trial that followed, society swims away from Ann Freedman. 'She did turn heads when she walked in,' said documentary filmmaker Barry Avrich of his first encounter with Freedman over 'a few bottles of expensive Montrachet Chardonnay' at the Mark, followed by dinner at Sant Ambroeus on Madison Avenue. 'And people would talk. Nobody was rushing like the old days to see her. Obviously, that had to hurt. She was a pariah.' 12 Math teacher turned master forger, Pei Shen Qian has been accused of forging the names of abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell and Willem de Kooning on at least 70 paintings. In 2016, what had been elite gossip exploded into the art fraud trial of the century. Freedman, the former president of Knoedler & Co. — Manhattan's then-oldest art gallery, founded in 1846 — was accused of facilitating the sale of $80 million in fake art. The plot, involving a pair of Long Island-based con artists and a math teacher turned master forger named Pei-Shen Qian, was audacious in ambition: Allegedly forging the names of abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell and Willem de Kooning on at least 70 paintings. Everyone from museum experts and art scholars to the relatives of the artists themselves fell for it. But the case was settled before Freedman took the stand. She walked. Was she an avaricious conspirator — or merely another victim of the con, as she maintains? The mystery of her guilt will now never be settled. 12 A few of Pei Shen Qian's faked Rothkos. 12 And a real work by abstract expressionist Mark Rothko. Alamy Stock Photo But for an insular and supercilious cadre of blue-chip collectors, there is no question that Freedman is to blame for their embarrassment. Perhaps flamboyant financier Pierre Lagrange spoke for the entire neighborhood when, over drinks at the Carlyle, he allegedly screamed at Freedman: 'I will set your hair on fire!' He was displeased at discovering that the paint on the $17 million Pollock he bought from her wasn't invented until 1957 — the year after Pollock died. Avrich has now written the definitive account of Freedman's fall, and her ambiguous role in the high-culture hustle to trump them all, in 'The Devil Wears Rothko,' out Tuesday. The title references what Avrich calls Freedman's 'very steely, Anna Wintour'-like personality — belied by her rimless glasses, curly gray hair and cashmere wardrobe. 12 Ann Freedman was the director of Knoedler when the fakes came through the gallery, but has insisted she, too, was duped. AP The book is a follow-up to the author's juicy 2020 documentary 'Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art,' streaming on Netflix. ''The Devil Wears Rothko' charts the explosive demise of New York's oldest and most prestigious art gallery with detailed and salacious insight into one of the world's largest art frauds, involving an '$80 million deception that duped high-profile experts, famous collectors and museums,' Avrich writes. As The Post wrote in 2016, the fraud began in the early 1990s, when a former waiter from Spain, Jose Carlos Bergantiños Diaz, came upon a Chinese artist peddling art on a Manhattan sidewalk. Bergantiños offered to pay the man, Pei-Shen Qian, $500 per painting. 'Bergantiños would make the paintings look older with tea and dirt,' lawyer Luke Nikas, who represented Freedman, said at the time. 'Finally, he would give the art to Glafira Rosales' — his wife, who was a small-time art dealer on Long Island. 12 Before it closed in 2011, following the scandal, Knoedler was New York City's longest standing art gallery. Robert Miller But in 2003, a Pollock that originated with Rosales was deemed a fake by the nonprofit International Foundation for Art Research, leading to a $2 million refund from Knoedler to the buyer. Still, Freedman continued doing business with Rosales. In 2011, Pierre Lagrange sued the gallery over the fake Pollock after Christie's and Sotheby's turned it down for auction. A day later, Knoedler closed its doors. Rosales eventually admitted to moving more than 60 'lost' works by Rothko and others — really painted by Qian — to Knoedler and downtown art dealer Julian Weissman. In 2016, Freedman's attorney told The Post that she too was duped. 12 Domenico De Sole, seen here with wife Eleanor, was one of the high-flying Knoedler clients scammed. Getty Images 12 De Sole is the chairman of Tom Ford's brand. Getty Images But Gregory A. Clarick, a lawyer for De Sole, had doubts. 'The biggest [problem] is that . . . Rosales kept walking in [to Knoedler] with unknown works that had no documentation. This should have signaled that the works were fake,' he told The Post at the time. Avrich's book also serves as a behind-the-scenes making of his film about the case, while diving broadly into the opaque milieu of fine art dealing, the history of forgery and the increasingly high-tech fakes flooding the market. If there's a punchline to the whole affair it's that, while the seething ultra-rich collectors — like Tom Ford chairman Domenico De Sole, private-equity powerhouse John Howard, former US ambassador Nicholas Taubman, casino CEO Frank Fertitta and Lagrange — took hits to their wallets and reputations, the criminally culpable con men mostly got away with it. 12 Hedge funder Pierre Lagrange (center left) sued the gallery over a fake Jackson Pollock after Christie's and Sotheby's turned it down for auction. Greg Kahn Rosales, who peddled the fakes to Freedman, only did three months in the slammer. Bergantiños, fled to Spain, where extradition was denied. Qian fled to China. The playboy Michael Hammer — father of actor Armie Hammer — who owned Knoedler and made a fortune from the fraud, died in 2022 . 'I believe that everybody in this story was guilty of something,' Avrich told the Post. 'The art was hot, and everyone was trading on that.' Following Qian to his apartment in Shanghai, Avrich discovered a room filled with 'hundreds of paintings' leaned against the walls. 12 Glafira Rosales, a small-time Long Island dealer, pleaded guilty to selling the forged artwork. Gabriella Bass 'He claims he's only doing them for himself, he isn't selling them, but who knows,' the author said. Several galleries in China have exhibited Qian's works and, in a surprise turn, he has become a sought after artist. 'I've had dozens of people reach out to me to try and find Qian's paintings to broker them,' said Avrich. 'They say, 'I'll pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars.'' But the majority of the fake art is still with the collectors who bought it and are too humiliated to let it see the light of day. 12 'The Devil Wears Rothko' is on sale Tuesday. 'Some were seized by the FBI and marked as fakes, some were destroyed, but the rest, collectors kept,' Avrich said. 'I asked Domenico de Sole where the Rothko was, and he said, 'It's hanging on my daughter's wall.'' Rosales has had less luck trading on her ill-fame. Ordered to pay $81 million to victims of the fraud, she has seen authorities seize multiple properties, $33 million and more than 200 works of art, including authentic paintings by Sean Scully, Jules Olitski, Ellsworth Kelly and Andy Warhol. She served nine months of house arrest and three years' probation. Rosales was last seen 'working as a bus girl in a restaurant, living in a rented room, struggling to live on a minimal salary,' according to her attorney. 12 'I've had dozens of people reach out to me to try and find Qian's paintings to broker them,' said book author Barry Avrich of the alleged faker (picured). Bloomberg via Getty Images Bergantiños — who according to Avrich, got his start dealing fake beluga caviar (even selling it to auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's) — has fared better. Safe from the FBI's Art Crime Team, he agreed to meet with Avrich in his home town in Lugo, Spain, where he 'showed no remorse and blamed Rosales.' 'Before trying to sell me a harmonica that he claimed was once owned by Bob Dylan, he offered me advice on buying art: 'I would buy two or three upcoming artists and then sit on the paintings and the value will go up,'' Avrich recounted. 'He added: 'I entered the art world where many are called, but few are chosen.'' As for Freedman, she's still dealing art from a space at 25 East 73rd Street, steps from her old throne at Knoedler. 12 Rosales, who peddled the fakes to Freedman, only did three months in the slammer. REUTERS 'She's been selling art with some fervor for the last decade,' said Avrich. 'But the gallery walls are mostly covered with emerging artists and the odd secondary market blue-chip art that she is selling on behalf of someone's estate.' Although she's still a regular sight on Madison Ave., Freedman keeps a low profile. Her website is out of date, her Instagram is dead and her Facebook hasn't been updated since 2023. Still, the cracks keep on coming. 'Wonderful gallery!' begins one sarcastic Google review. 'They are all so nice! On the way out, a thin, curly, gray haired lady whispered that she could get me a Picasso for $500. I talked her down to $325! Paint was barely dry! It looks great, hanging over the cat litter box!' Nevertheless, Avrich says he's taken flak for not going even harder on Freedman. 'I screened the film for Alec Baldwin,' said Avrich of the actor who, in 2010, bought a $190,000 phony painting by Ross Bleckner from a different unscrupulous dealer. 'He yelled at me as only Alec Baldwin does, saying, 'You treat her like a schoolgirl that did something wrong during recess. You have to be tougher on her,'' Avrich recalled. 'But that wasn't my role. I wasn't making a '60 Minutes' episode, or being Michael Moore. I let her tell her story. The world can decide where things shake out. Where she sits in this is a debate that rages on.'
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Russian attacks on Ukraine kill at least 10 and injure dozens
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones and missiles killed at least 10 civilians in Ukraine in nighttime attacks, local officials said Monday, with seven deaths reported in the capital, Kyiv, where emergency crews raced to find people believed trapped under the rubble of a partially collapsed apartment building. Russia fired 352 drones and decoys overnight, as well as 11 ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles, Ukraine's air force said. Air defenses intercepted or jammed 339 drones and 15 missiles before they could reach their targets, a statement said. The strikes came nearly a week after a combined Russian attack on Ukraine last Tuesday killed 28 people in Kyiv, 23 of them in a residential building that collapsed after sustaining a direct hit by a missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called that attack one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year . Russian forces have for several months been trying to drive deeper into Ukraine as part of a renewed summer push along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, though the Institute for the Study of War said their progress has been limited. 'Russian forces have failed to make significant gains during this period of intensified offensive operations, however due in part to the fact that Russian forces are largely relying on poorly trained infantry to make gains in the face of Ukraine's drone-based defense,' the Washington-based think tank said late Sunday. At the same time, Russia has pounded civilian areas with long-range strikes in an apparent attempt to weaken public morale. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said preliminary data indicated that Russian forces used North Korean missiles in the Kyiv strike. He called Russia, North Korea and Iran, which has provided drones to Russia, a 'coalition of murderers' and warned of a potential spread of the 'terror' if their alliance continues. Zelenskyy said Ukraine's defense and new ways to pressure Russia will be the two main topics in his visit to the United Kingdom on Monday. Drones and missiles hit residential areas, hospitals and sports infrastructure in numerous districts across Kyiv in the early hours of Monday, emergency services said. The most severe damage was in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where a section of a five-story apartment building collapsed. Six people were killed in that district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Ten others, including a pregnant woman, were rescued from a nearby high-rise that also sustained heavy damage in the blast. More than two dozen people were injured in the Kyiv attack, including four children, according to the city military administration head Tymur Tkachenko. Dozens of vehicles, some burned out and others mangled by flying debris from the blast, formed a snarl in the courtyard in front of the partly demolished building, which had collapsed down to the second floor. Onlookers, some wrapped in blankets, watched tearfully as the cleanup operation took place. Dozens of volunteers worked to remove broken glass, downed tree branches and other debris. Oleksii Pozychaniuk, 29, who lives in the building next to the one struck in the attack, said he heard the whistle of the rocket approaching from inside his apartment and 'froze in terror' before feeling the impact. 'Windows burst out, glass was flying everywhere,' he said. 'We barely made it downstairs with my child, everything here was on fire. We didn't see the neighboring building yet because everything was covered in smoke, the cars were smoldering, tires were bursting from the high temperature which was also scary.' Klitschko told reporters that rescue workers were still searching the collapsed building for survivors. Elsewhere in Ukraine, a Russian short-range drone attack killed two people and wounded 10 more in the Chernihiv region late Sunday night, authorities said. Three children were among the wounded, according to the regional administration head, Viacheslav Chaus. Another person was killed and eight wounded overnight in the city of Bila Tserkva, around 85 kilometers (53 miles) southwest of the capital. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 23 Ukrainian drones overnight into Monday. ___ Oleksandr Babenko contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Ohio State football star Kirk Barton facing charge in deadly car crash
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Ohio State football player Kirk Barton wearing jersey #74, Image 2 shows Mugshot of Kirk Barton An ex-Ohio State lineman was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide following a fatal car crash on Saturday. Kirk Barton was driving a Ford F150 Raptor at what local authorities deemed as a 'high rate of speed' when it struck a Lexus in Dublin, Ohio, at roughly 2:56 a.m. ET, according to a press release from the city. Advertisement Ethan Wence Perry, 24, was the driver of the Lexus and died at the scene, per the city. Police stated that Barton apparently had 'glassy, bloodshot eyes and a blank stare,' per Fox 28 Columbus. Kirk Barton pictured in a mugshot on June 21, 2025. Delaware County Sheriffs Office Barton, who 'sustained non-life-threatening injuries,' was released from Riverside Methodist Hospital and was taken into Dublin Police Department custody before being transported to Franklin County Jail. According to court documents viewed by The Post, local authorities plan to charge Barton with one count of aggravated vehicular homicide. Records indicate that Barton is expected to appear in court on Monday. Offensive tackle Kirk Barton of Ohio State prepares prior to action between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois on November 4, 2006. WireImage Barton was previously charged with felony assault of a deputy in 2018. Advertisement Court records also show that Barton has had a history of traffic offenses, per The Columbus Dispatch. The 40-year-old worked for Buckeye Scoop, a media outlet covering Ohio State athletics, which released a statement on X on Saturday. Kirk Barton of the Chicago Bears poses for his 2008 NFL headshot at photo day in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images 'We just learned of the devastating news regarding Kirk's involvement in a fatal incident,' the statement read. 'We are heartbroken for the victim and their loved ones. This is a tragedy. At this time, we are gathering information and will have more to say when appropriate.' Barton started at right tackle for Ohio State from 2003-07, and was team captain during his senior season, when he earned first-team All-American honors. The Bears drafted Barton in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, but released him after he appeared in just one game that season.
