Latest news with #Nguyen
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Man impersonating Washington state agency stole $90K in fraud scheme, charges say
A fraudulent letter sent to a business owner. (Courtesy of attorney general office) Last fall, thousands of businesses and charities received bills that appeared to be from the state of Washington. Many recipients obliged, sending payments totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in response to the state's 'Corporations & Charities Division.' While that agency exists within the secretary of state's office, the letters were part of a fraud and money laundering scheme carried out by a former postal worker arrested this week, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Johnny Nguyen faces 11 counts of mail fraud and money laundering. The San Jose, California, man was arrested Tuesday in northern California. Nguyen, 49, sent the letters with billing statements on fake Washington state government letterhead, according to the indictment. The notices said payment was required for business and nonprofit filing fees. One example tells a business it owes $230, well beyond what the state charges. The official-looking letters directed victims to send checks payable to 'Business Entities' to post office boxes he'd rented, including in Olympia. Months earlier, Nguyen formed a company in California under that name, according to the charges. On top of 350 checks worth $82,000 from Washington, the defendant deposited another 60 from California totaling $8,600, prosecutors allege. The indictment calls for Nguyen to forfeit the more than $90,000 he is accused of receiving. Investigators reportedly seized another 1,700 checks worth $395,000 before Nguyen could deposit them. After receiving the money, Nguyen would make transactions trying to conceal its source, according to court documents. After numerous complaints last year, the Washington secretary of state and attorney general's offices warned businesses of the fraudulent letters. 'Washington businesses are a foundational aspect of our state and critical to our economy's health,' Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said at the time. 'Business owners deserve to feel protected and equipped with information to deny malicious attempts on their franchise.' Then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson identified a couple clues indicating this was a scam last year. One of the letters listed a Sacramento address on the letterhead. A QR code on the document also went to a .org website instead of a .gov address. Businesses can verify their filing status on the secretary of state's Corporations and Charities Filing System. The secretary of state also lists tips on its website to help businesses identify fraudulent solicitations. The U.S. attorney's office in Seattle suggests calling the agency that sent the communication using a phone number on its website to verify its legitimacy. Nguyen is scheduled to appear in court July 1.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
What to wear this summer and the best L.A. vintage finds, according to stylist Bin X. Nguyen
Bin X. Nguyen came of age in the mid-2000s at the height of celebrity paparazzi culture, watching MTV, poring over Teen Vogue, and following icons like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie from his bedroom in the suburbs of San Jose. 'Escaping the mundane life of suburbia was really what influenced my childhood,' Nguyen says. 'When I was 8 or 9, watching 'America's Next Top Model' with the icon that is Tyra Banks and watching 'Project Runway,' I was really inspired by fashion. You saw how glamorous and unglamorous fashion is, and somehow this world was so enticing to me.' 'The Devil Wears Prada' came out when Nguyen was a teen, which he describes as the 'catalyst' for his time as a fashion and culture writer at his college newspaper, and later, Santa Barbara Magazine. While he was there, he met stylists on the cover shoots. Between witnessing their creativity in real time and consuming media like 'The Rachel Zoe Project,' Nguyen decided to move to Los Angeles and begin his career as a professional wardrobe stylist. These days, Nguyen is known for styling everyone's favorite musicians, from Katseye to Role Model to Phoebe Bridgers, with plenty of actors in between — think Lana Condor, Jonathan Davis, Laysla De Oliveira and Alexandra Shipp. He stresses the importance of cultivating a sense of identity through style: 'I just want to create beautiful work that inspires people. At the end of the day, I want to make lasting images that people will reference.' He often pulls from his Vietnamese heritage, drawing from the layering of an áo dài while working. 'Referencing old Vietnamese photos of the '70s and '60s is really important to bring my culture to the forefront of fashion,' Nguyen says. 'Having little touches that speak to you, whether it be your jewelry or your hat or your scarves, all these things are important to you as a special, dynamic being.' Nguyen jokes that his personal style doesn't always give L.A. 'It's L.A., we live in athleisure. Don't get me wrong, when I do returns, I'm in athleisure. But when I go out, it's important to serve a look,' Nguyen says. 'You want to serve, as the girls say, c—. That's a part of L.A. that's very niche. L.A. people will go out in like jeans and a T-shirt, whereas I'm in vintage designer clothes and a 4-inch heel, you know?' My most memorable shoot was with an NBA player named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. We shot in a hotel room super quick. I love a pop girl and an athlete — I think my dream clients are both. I just want to show off body and skin, and I want them to look ultra-cool. One shoot I'm most proud of is with Katseye for the cover of Teen Vogue. It's so special to work with a group of diverse girls, and they're so unique and talented. The aesthetic was the early 2000s, beachy, young, fresh, like Abercrombie. That's something that I grew up seeing all the time, like the models on the Abercrombie bags and going to Hollister and seeing their design. So they wanted to build that into this 2025 version of it, but diverse and cool. I think we definitely accomplished that. It was also a full circle moment for me because when I was 15 and 16, Teen Vogue was the magazine that I subscribed to. I would collect the copies every month and there's still a stack of them in my closet, so it's very exciting to have that moment now. A moment where I felt like I made it was getting to go to Pharrell's first runway show for Louis Vuitton. There was a choir that came out and sang this amazing song and Rihanna and ASAP Rocky were sitting across from me. Tears just started falling from my eyes, and I was like, this is part of the dream that I had of being a part of this life. Just to be welcomed into this space feels so crazy to me. Some of my dream people to work with are photographers like Steven Meisel and Inez & Vinoodh. I would love to make beautiful images with Nick Knight. In terms of celebrities, Zoë Kravitz, Bella Hadid, Nicole Kidman — but at the same time, I want to work with new talent like Tyla and Chappell Roan. They all have a sense of identity. I think it's so important to have your own style and your own personal creative ideas of what you want to look like. Those girls have really honed in and cultivated their identity. And when you look at something, especially if you look at a dress or a piece of art, and you associate that art or that garment with that girl. I want to create that with my own client one day. Three words to describe my own day-to-day style are sensuality, preppy and edgy. I love American sportswear. Ralph Lauren's a huge influence of mine, but there's always an edge to it. There's like a little secret that's elevated, and you are only going to know when they want to tell you. There's a mystery. An ideal day in L.A. is taking an hour to do a yoga class or go walk in the park. I hike once a week for two hours. I love my job, but it's also very important to take care of your mental health and be in nature and find gratitude. There's one called the Vermont Canyon Tennis Courts hike and you go all the way to Dante's Peak. As an Aries, my personal style is ever-changing because my personality is so spontaneous. You just want to do things all the time. You never stop. If you meet an Aries, they're like, 'Let's go here, let's do this, let's go there.' I think that plays into a lot of my work and my clothes. I'm always thinking, what can be different in terms of this image? My emotional support clothing item is a 4-inch boot. I'm not the tallest person — and when I wear my boots I'm still not the tallest person — but it brings in a feeling of confidence where I can stomp somewhere. Sometimes that's all you need, and it changes your posture, and you just feel like you can take anything down. If I was a cocktail, I would be a St. Germain Spritz. It's called a Hugo Spritz, but the core of it is St. Germain, Prosecco and club soda, and on a summer day with mint and lemon … It's so yummy. I wish I had some in my fridge. It is the most refreshing drink. And I'm anti-Aperol. It's all about Hugo, like you have to experience the Hugo Spritz. Your life will change. This summer, everyone will be wearing longer-length shorts. More people are wearing board shorts now, it's not above the knee anymore. And baby tees and Havaianas flip-flops. If last summer was brat summer, this summer is where I'm going to be really stupid for the last time. It's from personal experience. This is the last summer of my 20s. I just feel like I can get away with certain things in my 20s before I turn 30, so this summer is going to be crazy and stupid for me. When I turn 30 in April, it's going to be smart spring, like business savvy, strategically everything. But this summer is going to give, let's puke. Let's drink a s— ton of alcohol and puke, because I have one summer left to do that. The best vintage finds are at the Long Beach Antique Market. On the third Sunday of the month, there's this lady named Veronica. You will find the most incredible vintage. The look that I wore to the Vuitton show was from her vintage stall. And I love the Goodwill on San Fernando in Atwater Village where you buy by the pound. You literally have to come in with gloves and your headphones because it's such an intense experience, but it's so cheap and I have found gems from that Goodwill. It's so unserious for people to be like, 'Fashion is everything, fashion is my life.' Fashion is a major cause of global warming, and it can create a lot of damage in the world. It's not brain surgery, but you'll meet people that make it feel like brain surgery and that's when it's not fun anymore. I just want to have fun and create beautiful images. Something I wish people knew about the fashion and styling industry is that 75% is hard work and schlepping, you're carrying things all day, every day. It's a lot of logistics. But 25% is glamorous. There are moments where you're like, 'Wow, these spaces that I'm in are actually insane, and I'm so grateful to be here.' But the 75% is not fun or pretty. A lot of people don't know that when they get in, and they run from it really quickly. I do it because I love it and I'm inspired by it. It's something I've wanted to do my entire life, and I can attest to it with the amount of Teen Vogues in my closet in my childhood bedroom.
Time Magazine
3 days ago
- Health
- Time Magazine
The Surprising Health Benefits of Spicy Food
Many years ago, I became a Phaal Curry Monster, meaning I was brave (and dumb) enough to accept a restaurant's challenge to eat a plate of chicken drenched in curry made of the spiciest peppers on Earth. Each swallow felt like shards of glass scraping my throat. After finishing, I celebrated my achievement by throwing up in a bush across the street. The health benefits of spicy food could not have been further from my mind. [time-brightcove not-tgx='true'] But emerging research links chili peppers—if consumed more reasonably than I did at that restaurant—to better health. Data 'suggest spicy food can help metabolism, enhancing feelings of fullness and weight control,' says Dr. Long Nguyen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Here's why chili peppers may be good for you and how to heat up your diet for both taste and health. The benefits of spicy food Several studies find that people who regularly eat spicy food have better overall health and fewer diseases. Increasingly, scientists are understanding how these foods help the body, though more research is needed, Nguyen says. In 2020, an extensive research review found that a diet rich in spicy peppers was associated with less obesity, heart disease, and diabetes risk. People who had lots of spicy peppers were 25% less likely to die sooner than expected, compared to those who rarely or never ate them. The review's senior author, cardiologist Dr. Bo Xu at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, believes these differences are due to capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers so hot. Capsaicin switches on receptors in nerve cells called TRPV1. These receptors, in turn, seem to trigger adrenaline, which burns fat and helps control blood sugar. Read More: The 9 Most Underrated Healthy Foods Some research shows that TRPV1 receptors also help control overactive immune cells to reduce inflammation, a driver of chronic illnesses such as heart disease. Medicines with capsaicin are sometimes applied to the skin for nerve pain and arthritis partly because the compound fights inflammation, and 'capsaicin potentially has some of those same effects inside the body when it's eaten,' Nguyen says. An Italian study found that people who ate chili peppers had broader heart health benefits than those who favored sweet peppers, which contain much less capsaicin. Spicy food may support a healthier microbiome, too. Though data are limited, 'spicy foods appear to increase the microbiome's diversity,' Nguyen says. This is advantageous because each type of bacteria performs different jobs, like breaking down food, strengthening the gut lining, and fighting harmful germs. Capsaicin's effects on the microbiome have been studied mostly in animals, says Emma Laing, clinical professor of dietetics at the University of Georgia. 'However, studies in humans also suggest capsaicin's gut-friendly properties could improve metabolism, inflammation, and control of blood glucose and cholesterol,' Laing says. Ease into the fire People new to spicy food should start with mild chili peppers like poblanos. Dietitian Kiran Campbell says she recommends spicy food to patients looking to lose weight, while telling them to 'start low and go slow' with the heat. Having food with capsaicin increases tolerance, so people can gradually work up to spicier peppers—which may provide more benefits. 'There is certainly some early data suggesting a relationship between how much capsaicin you're eating, and some of these anti-inflammatory effects,' Nguyen says. This is partly because the spiciest peppers, in addition to having more capsaicin, tend to pack more beneficial compounds like antioxidants and phenols. According to a 2023 study, many hot peppers are high in antioxidants. However, less fiery options provide some of these compounds, too. According to the same study, jalapeno peppers have 'solid antioxidant activity' at a more tolerable heat level. Read More: Should You Take a Fiber Supplement? Aim for spicy meals 2-4 times per week, Campbell recommends. At least one study, meanwhile, reports benefits to eating peppers 6-7 days per week, compared to less than one serving. (Exact amounts per day aren't well defined, Xu says.) With frequent intake, the tongue's pain receptors become less sensitive to capsaicin in about a week's time, enabling hotter peppers for greater health. 'There's debate' on this point, though, Nguyen says. Research published last month suggests that spicy food's benefits come simply from feeling your mouth burning, no matter how much capsaicin you're taking in. John Hayes, professor of food science at Penn State, found that when people experience food as spicy, their behavior changes: they chew more slowly. This lets them brace for the spice, recover from it, or avoid swallowing a big spicy piece. Slowing down results in eating less and may lead to healthier weight, digestion, and glucose levels. In other words, the behavior change could account for many benefits sometimes attributed to capsaicin. 'Researchers are split between the physical and behavioral explanations,' Hayes says. Don't go all out If you go overboard, your body—like mine—will rebel. 'High consumption can really worsen symptoms of acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome, especially if you've had rather drastic dietary changes,' says Nguyen, who is also an expert of the American Gastroenterological Association. Nguyen rarely has a chance to talk with his patients about spicy food potentially boosting their health; it comes up mostly as a cause of their gastrointestinal symptoms. 'If it's a known trigger, then moderation or avoidance is prudent,' he says, adding that people can track symptoms to learn what spice level, if any, is tolerable. Your doctor or dietitian should guide this process, Laing adds. Experts can also identify other ingredients that might explain digestive pain. 'It's possible the spices are not the culprit,' she says. How to prepare your peppers Fresh peppers are likely healthier than processed ones. Research shows that people who regularly have chopped-up fresh peppers, instead of dried or ground versions, enjoyed lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Another study found that, for most kinds of red peppers—which are riper than green peppers and usually have more capsaicin—eating them raw or lightly cooked is best for preserving their capsaicin, antioxidants, and vitamin C. If you roast them, though, other beneficial compounds—polyphenols and flavonoids—may increase. Read More: The Worst Thing to Say to Someone Who's Depressed These tradeoffs underscore the wisdom of traditional cuisines that involve many ways of preparing peppers, adding up to more benefits. Nguyen, who is Vietnamese, notes that 'the spicy food in our cuisine takes all forms: you cook the peppers, top the food with a homemade hot sauce, and garnish with chili oil.' Balance heat with flavor If you don't like spicy food, you'll probably avoid it, no matter how beneficial. One way to make spicy peppers more enjoyable—and less painful—is to balance the heat with salt, sweetness, and other flavors. Mark Sanchez, president of the Chile Guy, a San Francisco-based company selling chili peppers online, thinks the reverse is also true: bland foods, like plain beans, call for a more flavorful pepper. He recommends the New Mexico chili pepper and chipotle as two types that are 'really flavorful and have a good heat component.' High heat doesn't preclude tastiness, though; Sanchez appreciates the 'unique flavor' of spicier habanero peppers. Try discarding the seeds, Sanchez suggests. They add no flavor and few nutrients while being hotter than other parts; they're near the pepper's placenta, where capsaicin is concentrated. Cool the burn Another strategy for handling more spice: pair it with a healthy fat, which absorbs capsaicin, Hayes says. The best-known example is whole milk. Hayes's research has confirmed its effect as an oral firehose. But his team also found that skim milk works about as well, probably because fat is just one element in food that dials down the heat. Protein and cold temperature help, too. To combine these factors, try cold guacamole, or a plant protein shake mixed with flaxseed oil. Nguyen notes that 'spice can be muted with several dairy products' besides milk, like spicy cheese. Campbell recommends putting sliced chili peppers in olive oil (another source of healthy fat). Refrigerate for a few days to create a spicy cooking oil or salad drizzle. Xu likes Thai chili peppers—'tiny but powerful,' he says—and minces them into a dipping sauce a few times per week. Some pairings may offer synergistic benefits, Laing says: 'When capsaicin is paired with foods like fiber-rich vegetables or probiotics, gut health benefits can be enhanced through improved digestion and nutrient absorption, and a more diverse microbiota.' She recommends pepper-spiced vegetables with Greek yogurt, kefir, or sauerkraut. Spiciness doesn't magically transform fried foods or ultra-processed sauces into superfoods. Overall nutrition matters most. Laing notes that Mediterranean cuisine supports longevity because its components work so well together, not just because it includes chili peppers or any other single ingredient. 'Spicy food can fit perfectly into an otherwise healthy diet.'
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Exec steals $9M from CA company, buys 300 luxury bags and visits Paris, feds say
A former executive of a San Francisco seafood company was found guilty of stealing more than $9 million from the Bay Area wholesaler, according to federal prosecutors, who said she used business funds to live lavishly, vacation and pay college tuition fees. Antonietta Nguyen, 57, defrauded ABS Seafood and her business partners for more than six years, from January 2014 to about May 2020, as the company's chief financial officer, prosecutors said. Now the Brisbane resident faces decades in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a June 13 news release. Brisbane is about a 10-mile drive south from San Francisco. In a statement to McClatchy News on June 16, Nguyen's criminal defense attorney Christopher F. Morales said they 'are very disappointed in the verdict and will appeal.' Morales wrote via email that Nguyen 'has repaid the money already' and that they 'are hoping for a fair sentence.' In court filings, prosecutors wrote Nguyen's alleged deceit unraveled during the early COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when one of her partners took a closer look at ABS Seafood's finances and hired a forensic accountant who 'uncovered Nguyen's embezzlement through credit cards.' In a six-year span, Nguyen spent more than $2.7 million using an ABS Seafood credit card, splurging on luxury designer handbags, vacations and paying her property taxes and private college tuition for her children, according to a trial memorandum, which says authorities 'seized over 300 designer purses from (her) primary residence' in connection with the fraud. To pay for a trip to Paris and purchases at Hermes and Louis Vuitton stores, Nguyen charged about $150,000 on the card, prosecutors wrote in the memo. Nguyen also paid off more than $2.6 million in expenses made on her personal credit cards from ABS Seafood's checking account, according to prosecutors. Separate from Nguyen's credit card scheme, prosecutors said she defrauded ABS Seafood further in a $4.8 million 'invoice inflation scheme' involving a major company vendor owned by her brother and sister-in-law. On June 12, Nguyen was convicted of several counts of wire fraud; aiding and abetting wire fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to transport monetary instruments for the purpose of laundering; and tax evasion 'in connection with a scheme to embezzle millions of dollars,' according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Jurors returned the guilty verdicts at the end of a two-week trial, prosecutors said. Nguyen held a 'minority' stake in ABS Seafood, according to prosecutors. The company did not immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment. U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian said in a statement that Nguyen 'devised multiple ways to defraud her business partners of several millions of dollars and got away with it for over six years.' 'She exploited her position of trust in order to fund a lavish lifestyle for herself and her family members,' Missakian added. ABS pays 'double' for imported tuna In Nguyen's invoice scheme, her brother's Philippine-based tuna company, Pescaderia Pacifico International, submitted inflated invoices that Nguyen 'clandestinely paid' between January 2016 and March 2020, prosecutors wrote in court documents. At the time, prosecutors said the tuna vendor was the 'main source for tuna imported into the United States.' Nguyen's scheme resulted in ABS Seafood paying more than 'double' what the imported tuna purchased from her brother's business was worth, defrauding the company of $4.8 million, according to prosecutors. She 'hid' the inflated invoices from her business partners at ABS Seafood and 'split' the millions in 'proceeds, with some of the money being wired back to bank accounts in the United States in the names of Nguyen's husband and daughters,' prosecutors said. During the government's investigation, federal authorities also learned Nguyen and her spouse avoided paying income taxes for 2018 and 2019, according to prosecutors. Nguyen is facing up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for every wire fraud charge as well as the wire fraud conspiracy charge, up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for the count of conspiracy to transport monetary instruments for the purpose of laundering, and five years in prison and $100,000 on the tax evasion charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Nguyen is out on bond and is due in court for sentencing, which is set for Oct. 10, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
1News
4 days ago
- 1News
Sydney university dropout stabs brother, mum after graduation lie
Dropping out of an advanced computing degree, a Sydney man maintained a lie that he would graduate until he tried to kill his brother with a small fruit knife. Jacky Dang, 24, had been enrolled at the University of Sydney until he failed a single subject in early 2023 and did not enrol in any more. Claiming that he was still studying, he told his family his graduation ceremony was on May 24, 2024. The day before, he launched an unprovoked attack on his older brother Jackys who was playing computer games in their shared bedroom at their Marrickville home in Sydney's inner west. "The victim ... suddenly felt a hot sensation in the back of his neck," documents filed with the NSW District Court say. ADVERTISEMENT "He turned and saw the offender holding a knife by the handle in one of his hands. It was a small fruit knife." The victim had studied a biomedical science degree at the Australian Catholic University and had also dropped out while telling his parents he had graduated. "What are you doing? Is this about the graduation thing?" the older brother asked. "I turned out fine, you can stop this." The 24-year-old did not respond but rather launched into a ferocious attack, stabbing his brother in the face, upper-left arm and back. "I am going to die," his brother managed to type in a Discord chat that was open on his computer. Hearing yells, their 56-year-old mother ran into the bedroom and tried to intervene. ADVERTISEMENT Instead, Thri Truc Mai Nguyen was grabbed by her son who stabbed her in the throat. After Nguyen took the knife and emergency services were called, the younger Dang sat silently on a dining room chair. He presented his wrists to be handcuffed when police arrived. During a recorded interview while in custody, Dang told officers he had homicidal and suicidal thoughts for a number of years. "(He) had given up on life and had thought to kill his family and then himself," the agreed facts sheet filed in court say. Where to get help. (Source: 1News) Dang intended to kill his brother and had hit his mother in the neck to get her to "back off". ADVERTISEMENT "He further explained that he waited for police to arrive, acknowledging his plan had failed and it would be best to hand himself in," court documents say. Without trauma-centre level emergency management, his brother would have died as a result of his nine stab wounds. He spent 13 days in hospital, five days of which were under sedation and intubation to aid his recovery. Nguyen had one stab wound and spent four days in hospital. Dang later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He will be sentenced at Downing Centre District Court on August 14.
