Gas station trip earns Florida woman $5M lottery jackpot
Lottery officials said Nubia Fagot, 62, made a stop at the Beacon Service Station on Northwest 12th Street in Doral and selected a $5,000,000 Crossword Cash scratch-off ticket.
The $20 ticket turned out to be a $5 million top prize winner.
Lottery officials said Fagot chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $3,262,138.
The gas station was awarded a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
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UPI
4 hours ago
- UPI
Arizona woman imprisoned for $17M North Korean remote workers scheme
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced an Arizona woman to 102 months in prison for operating a laptop farm that helped North Korean operatives fraudulently get remote work at U.S. companies. File Photo (2018) by Andrew Wong/UPI | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- Arizona resident Christina Chapman must serve 102 months in prison for her role in a $17 million scheme to help North Koreans obtain remote positions with U.S. tech firms. U.S District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Randolph Moss on Thursday sentenced Chapman, 50, after she entered a guilty plea in February to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments on behalf of the government of North Korea. Chapman participated in a "fraudulent scheme that assisted North Korean workers -- posing as U.S. citizens and residents -- in obtaining and working in remote [Internet technology] positions at more than 300 U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti announced in a news release. "North Korea is not just a threat to the homeland from afar," Pirro said. "It is perpetrating fraud on American citizens, American companies and American banks." She said it's important for U.S. corporations and businesses to verify the identities of remote workers to thwart such fraud. "If this happened to these big banks, to these Fortune 500, brand-name, quintessential American companies, it can or is happening to your company," Pirro added. In addition to the prison term, Moss also ordered Chapman to forfeit $284,555.92 that was intended for North Koreans and to pay a $176,850 fine. She also must serve three years of supervised release after completing her prison term. Chapman was part of what the Justice Department says is one of the largest North Korean IT worker fraud schemes. It involved the theft of identities from 68 U.S. citizens and residents and affected 309 U.S. businesses and two international businesses. Chapman is a U.S. citizen and participated in the scheme from October 2020 to October 2023 by using stolen and purchased identities of U.S. nationals to help North Korean operatives to obtain remote work as U.S. firms, including many Fortune 500 companies. The DOJ says Chapman operated a "laptop farm" at her home, where she received and operated at least 90 laptops to fool U.S. employers into thinking the North Korean operatives were located in the United States. She also shipped 49 laptops and other devices that U.S. employers provided and that she shipped overseas. Chapman sent several to a city in China that is located along the border with North Korea. The companies affected include a top-five television network, a Silicon Valley tech company, an aerospace manufacturer, a U.S. carmaker, a luxury retail store and a U.S. media and entertainment company. The North Korean operatives also tried to gain remote employment with two U.S. government agencies. Court documents indicate North Korea has deployed thousands of highly skilled IT workers around the world to use false, stolen or borrowed identities of people in the United States and elsewhere to obtain remote positions. The scheme relies on the assistance of U.S. citizens and legal residents when tried in the United States and enables North Korea to defraud respective employers of millions of dollars, the DOJ says. The illicit funds often are used to help fund North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The Department of State in July sanctioned North Korean hacker Song Kum Hyok for similar alleged criminal activities The DOJ in August also accused Matthew Isaac Knoot, 39, of Nashville, of allegedly operating a laptop farm to benefit North Korea's nuclear arms program.
UPI
8 hours ago
- UPI
Former Bolivian President Mesa: Regime change needed to boost economy
Former Bolivian President Carlos Mesa warned that the country needs a 'radical change' in its economic and institutional model, and said the Aug. 17 election will be critical to avoiding a political collapse. File Photo by Mar Puig/UPI July 24 (UPI) -- Less than a month before Bolivia's presidential election, the country is facing one of its worst economic crises in decades -- marked by a critical fuel shortage, a collapsed currency market and a population placing its last hope in the polls. The country's foreign currency reserves have dried up, dollars are scarce in both formal and informal markets -- where the exchange rate has more than doubled -- and widespread shortages of diesel and gasoline have crippled key sectors, including public transportation and industry. In this context, former President Carlos Mesa, who held that office from 2003 to 2005, warned that Bolivia needs a "radical change" in its economic and institutional model, and said the Aug. 17 election will be critical to avoiding a political collapse. "The last hope in this terrible tunnel Bolivia is living through is the election -- a regime change, a president and a government capable of taking control of the situation and restoring the government's credibility," Mesa said. Bolivia's economy grew just 1.4% in 2024, down from 3.1% the year before. The International Monetary Fund projects even slower real growth in 2025 -- around 1.1% -- signaling a prolonged slowdown amid financial constraints, low gas prices and mounting macroeconomic pressure. Those figures fall below the regional average, where growth typically hovers around 3% a year. Mesa blamed the crisis on "20 years of bad governance," which he says began under former President Evo Morales and continued under current President Luis Arce, whom he accuses of "failing to confront the crisis with the seriousness it demanded." Mesa said the state squandered more than $15 billion in reserves since 2015, and that state-run companies are operating with structural deficits. He added that rising inflation is hitting the most vulnerable sectors hardest. "We went from being hydrocarbon exporters to net importers, with no clear plan for exploration or investment," he said. Despite the tense political climate, Mesa said the electoral process is not at risk and ruleed out any possibility of the vote being suspended. He warned, however, that Evo Morales -- sidelined from the race after failing to meet legal requirements -- could try to disrupt voting in specific regions, such as El Chapare. "The country understands that this election is the last hope for change. There is no other viable institutional path," he said. Recent polls place two opposition candidates -- Samuel Doria Medina and Luis "Tuto" Quiroga -- at the top, followed by leftist candidate Andrónico Rodríguez in third. None has surpassed 25% support, and with 10% to 15% of voters still undecided, a runoff appears likely Oct. 20. Beyond the electoral cycle, Mesa offered a scathing assessment of Bolivia's state apparatus. He denounced a collapsed institutional framework, a judiciary he says is "controlled by members of the ruling party" and a political system dominated by the Movement for Socialismfor nearly two decades. To reverse that trend, he proposed restoring a pluralist party system, reforming the judicial selection process and partially amending the Constitution in key areas such as justice and the economy. On economic policy, Mesa said he believes Bolivia will need between $10 billion and $12 billion in liquidity, support from multilateral institutions and tough decisions on subsidies and investment. Despite the grim outlook, Mesa remains optimistic about the public's willingness to participate in the process. "Voting is mandatory, but even if it weren't, Bolivian society would still go to the polls because it knows this election is the only way out of this catastrophe," he said. For Mesa, Aug. 17 is not just about choosing a president -- it's about deciding whether to begin rebuilding a country battered by institutional decay, authoritarianism and economic collapse.
Miami Herald
9 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Argentina makes economic recovery, but opposition to Milei grows
July 24 (UPI) -- A report from J.P. Morgan points to a "deep and surprising" recovery in Argentina's economy under President Javier Milei, but warns that the future of his economic plan will depend on the outcome of the October legislative elections. Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has implemented sweeping measures to shrink the state, cut spending and liberalize the economy. According to the investment banking and research arm of the U.S. financial giant, Argentina has managed in just a few months to lower inflation, reach fiscal balance and strengthen its foreign reserves -- after years of stagnation, crisis and heavy dependence on public spending. "The country is undergoing a structural transformation with extraordinary potential, though not without significant risks," economists Diego Pereira and Lucila Barbeito wrote in the report. Monthly inflation fell to 1.6% in June, down from more than 25% in December. The government has posted a primary surplus equal to 1.1% of GDP so far this year, and the Central Bank's reserves are beginning to recover. Moody's upgraded Argentina's credit rating for the second time in 2025, and J.P. Morgan projected 2025 GDP growth at 5.5%. The economic adjustment, however, has come at a significant social cost. The government has laid off public employees, cut subsidies and suspended state infrastructure projects. Despite improvements in macroeconomic indicators, social conditions remain fragile. A recent poll by Zuban Córdoba found that 52.8% of voters plan to punish the government in October's elections, while 38.3% intend to reward it. The survey also showed that 57.5% of Argentines hold a negative view of Milei. According to polling firm Analogías, favorable opinions of the government declined by 2 to 3 percentage points in July. Milei's approval rating dropped 4 points to 44%, while his disapproval rose to 50%, creating a net negative gap of 5.5 points, Perfil reported Wednesday. Respondents were critical of Milei's tone and communication style: 73% said they disagreed with it and 66% described it as "violent." Analysts and banks agree that without political support in Congress, the government's economic course could weaken. Economist Milagros Gismondi wrote on X that many companies are beginning to focus on boosting productivity, which she sees as a positive shift. "Banks are back to being banks, and car dealers are thinking about how to produce more efficiently. That didn't happen before, because everyone was worried about whether they could import, whether there would be energy or whether the dollar would spike," she said. Still, Gismondi noted that the private sector remains cautious. "They're also waiting for the elections to see whether deeper reforms -- such as labor or tax changes -- move forward. If stabilization holds, next year we should finally start talking seriously about how to improve Argentina's productivity," she said. If Milei fails to perform well in October's elections, he could face difficulties passing key legislation, including political reforms, privatizations or potential constitutional changes. The president currently governs with a fragmented Congress, and the legislative vote could either reinforce that dynamic or further weaken his bloc if his party, La Libertad Avanza, fails to retain or expand its seats. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
