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Description- Theft of personal property

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Officer Gilbert Brillon, an investigator with the Houston police, said bands of "Gypsy" fortune tellers sometimes approached people at an expensive Houston mall, saying: "I can see you're troubled. I can help you out with this."

Officer Brillon said in an interview that Ms. Miller eventually persuaded a Houston woman to divorce her husband and turn over money from the settlement to be cleansed.

"Once that happened, she disappeared and was never seen again," Officer Brillon said. "I was trying to figure out how I was going to find her, and the district attorney in New York called saying they had arrested a Janet Miller."

He said Ms. Miller could face up to 99 years in prison in Texas if convicted.

Her New York lawyer, Georges G. Lederman, said plea negotiations were under way with Texas authorities. A spokeswoman for the Harris County district attorney's office declined to comment.

Ms. Miller appeared in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Friday. She said nothing except to answer the judge's questions with a "yes" or "no" and to say that she was a citizen.

Outside the courtroom, a man who declined to give his name but who said he was Ms. Miller's husband said the woman had benefited from his wife's help for more than a year before she was asked for money.

"She is a victim of prejudice," the man said of Ms. Miller. "My wife brought her to Jesus and changed this woman's life. Her father was cured of cancer."

The authorities in New York did not identify the New York victim, other than to say that she was a business owner. They said she had been approached by a woman, Sara, outside a bank at 57th Street and Park Avenue. Sara took her to meet Ms. Miller at an apartment on East 41st Street.

She told the victim that people were stealing money from her, and that she could see the victim's dead grandmother crying. Ms. Miller first requested $900 to buy goods to block the devil, the authorities said.

Ms. Miller, according to court records, convinced the victim, who hoped to start fresh in Paris, that her money had to be cleansed for the move to be successful.

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Woman Pleads Guilty to Larceny in Fortunetelling Case

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Officer Gilbert Brillon, an investigator with the Houston police, said bands of "Gypsy" fortune tellers sometimes approached people at an expensive Houston mall, saying: "I can see you're troubled. I can help you out with this." Officer Brillon said in an interview that Ms. Miller eventually persuaded a Houston woman to divorce her husband and turn over money from the settlement to be cleansed.

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Description- T he action of forging or producing a copy of a document, signature, banknote, or work of art.

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A man and woman are charged with producing a counterfeit court order containing the forged signature of a judge in Michigan City to gain custody of another woman's unborn baby.

Detectives are not discussing the case because of the ongoing investigation, but the police report lists the offense as an attempted kidnapping.

LaPorte County Deputy Prosecutor Michael Bergerson said the couple's alleged intentions are not clear yet, but the fake court order presented to hospital staff granted the father of the baby custody after birth.

"It's bizarre and we'll get to the bottom of it," Bergerson said.

Sarah Freese, 36, and Michael Shore, 25, of New Carlisle, were arrested on warrants Tuesday at the courthouse in Michigan City.

They are expected to be arraigned Thursday on Class C felony forgery.

According to police, Freese visited the office of LaPorte Superior Court 2 Judge Richard Stalbrink Jr. on March 4 and filed paperwork for an unspecified reason over her husband's unborn child with the expecting mother.

The judge set a hearing for March 18 to hear both parties.

On March 11, though, Shore was at Franciscan St. Anthony Health stating he was the father of the child the woman's unborn child and presented documents suggesting after birth he was to have full custody after the baby's release from the hospital, police said.

The documents contained what appeared to be Stalbrink's signature.

Police were called when medical staff members contacted the judge and learned the documents were not legitimate. The mother was still in the hospital maternity ward at the time.

Prosecutors were not sure how the counterfeit court order with the forged signature was made, but believe the judge's signature from another court documents was somehow cut and pasted to the fake custody order.

LaPorte County Prosecutor Bob Szilagyi said state law mandates custody awarded immediately to the mother in births to parents who are not married.

To try and gain custody, Szilagyi said the father from an unwed couple must file a petition for the court to decide.

The court likely wouldn't hear arguments from both parties, though, unless there were allegations the mother was posing a danger to the child, Szilagyi said.

According to courtroom officials, the request in the motion filed by Freese over the baby her husband fathered cannot be revealed publicly because information in paternity cases must be kept confidential except for the parties involved in the case.

LaPorte County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Rob Neary said more charges could be forthcoming.

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Couple charged with forgery in baby custody case

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A man and woman are charged with producing a counterfeit court order containing the forged signature of a judge in Michigan City to gain custody of another woman's unborn baby. Detectives are not discussing the case because of the ongoing investigation, but the police report lists the offense as an attempted kidnapping.

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Description- The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.

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Description- The act of robbing a person or place.

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Pastor Riemus, the Cuban, who was arrested last Tuesday on a charge of having robbed his late employers, Messrs. Carbajose, Ybaraybal & Co., merchants at Havana, of $20,000, was yesterday taken before Justice WELSH for examination. The agent of the firm, by whom the accused was pursued to this City, was unable to swear to the identity of any of the money which has been rescued, and the prisoner was discharged from custody. A short time afterwards, however, Riemus was rearrested in a civil suit commenced against him, and his bail in the case was fixed at $20,000. Not being able to give a surety for that amount he was placed in the Eldridge-street prison. Officer Niven has succeeded in recovering within a fraction of the entire amount alleged to have been stolen.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY AND BRUTAL ASSAULT.

Four ruffians made an attack, at a late hour on Tuesday night, upon Mr. James McCurdy, of Williamsburgh, as he was passing the corner of Chatham and Roosevelt streets, for the purpose of robbing him. Finding that he had no money, they beat him and kicked him until he became insensible, and then ran off. The unfortunate man was subsequently found by a Fourth Precinct policeman and conveyed to the Station-house, where, after the lapse of an hour or two, he revived sufficiently to leave for his home. So far his assailants have escaped arrest.

-- It is said that Mrs. Dan. Rice has brought a suit for divorce against her husband. The wrongs of which she complains are not stated.

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Police Reports.; THE HAVANA ROBBERY CASE.

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Pastor Riemus, the Cuban, who was arrested last Tuesday on a charge of having robbed his late employers, Messrs. Carbajose, Ybaraybal & Co., merchants at Havana, of $20,000, was yesterday taken before Justice WELSH for examination.

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Description- entry into a building illegally with intent to commit a crime, especially theft.

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Description- The criminal act of deliberatly setting fire to something .

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A California man was arrested Monday on arson charges for allegedly sparking a wildfire that exploded over the weekend, destroying more than 175 homes, businesses and other structures in a small town, authorities said.

Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said Damin Anthony Pashilk, 40, of Clearlake was arrested Monday on 17 counts of arson and is in jail. He is suspected in numerous fires in Lake County over the past year.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott said the blaze in the town of Lower Lake has caused over $10 million in damages and left dozens of families homeless.

"Mr. Pashilk committed a horrific crime and we will seek prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. My thoughts continue to be with the people of Lake County during this difficult time," Pimlott said.

The inferno has spread more than six square miles in the Lower Lake area about 90 miles north of San Francisco. As of late Monday, the fire was only 5 percent contained. But fire officials insisted that no other structures were under direct threat from the out-of-control flames.

Firefighters aren't getting any help in trying to tame the blaze. The weather forecast called for temperatures to reach the upper 90s in the days to come, with no rain in sight. A heave wave and gusty winds also put Southern California on high fire alert.

Lower Lake barely missed wildfires that plagued towns east and south last year. However, the residents were forced to face a new reality when wind-driven flames fed by pines in the mountains and oaks that cluster on the rolling hills close to town wiped out whole blocks, authorities said. Thousands of people fled the area - some after ensuring their goats and chickens were safe.

Lower Lake is home to about 1,300 mostly working class people and retirees who are drawn to its rustic charm and housing prices that are significantly lower than the San Francisco Bay Area. Firefighters couldn't protect all of historic Main Street and flames burned a winery, an antiques store, old firehouse and the Habitat for Humanity office.

The organization was raising money to help rebuild homes in nearby communities torched last year. Between them, the four blazes have destroyed more than 1,400 of the 36,000 housing units in all Lake County.

The blaze decimated that town, reducing businesses to little more than charred foundations that were still smoldering on Monday. All that remained of many homes was burnt patio furniture and appliances, and burned out cars in the driveways.

No injuries have been reported in the wildfires.

Last September, one of California's most destructive wildfires ravaged a series of small towns just a half-hour from Lower Lake, whose residents were forced to evacuate. It killed four people, left a fifth missing and destroyed more than 1,300 homes in nearby communities.

Despite getting some rain last winter and spring, Lake County is tinder dry. Lawns in front of Lower Lake's modest, one-story homes are brown, matching the wildland grasses on the mountains outside town.

Other than a pair of large blazes in the 1960s, which destroyed far fewer homes in a county that had just one-quarter its current 64,000 residents, lifelong resident and county supervisor Jim Comstock can't remember anything approaching the past year.

Residents have a new view of the wild beauty they've always admired. Comstock said when his wife sees tall grass, she wonders aloud when the property owner will cut it. After 1,500 acres burned last year on the 1,700-acre ranch where Comstock grew up and still lives, he has cleared out brush to make fire breaks - a ritual familiar to other Californians who live in areas traditionally associated with wildfires.

"Everybody is just on edge," he said. "The trees are beautiful, but when they catch fire, they carry fire."

Retirees Denis and Carolyn Quinn evacuated once last year and again this weekend, when they grabbed family photos and fled the house they share just off Main Street with their adult daughter and granddaughter.

Last time, their property was spared. On Sunday, they were let back in briefly to see that only their home and the one next door still stood among the 15 or so homes on the block.

For Denis Quinn, it was a sign from God that the couple should not succumb to thoughts of leaving due to the wildfire threat.

"It's a poor community," he said at a high school opened to evacuees about 20 miles from town. "There are a lot of people who are down here, down on their luck. I really feel for people and think that we can stay and help them."

In central California, a wildfire near Lake Nacimiento, about 180 miles northwest of Los Angeles, grew to nearly 7 square miles and forced authorities to evacuate some residents by boat when it shifted toward the lake Sunday. It was partially contained.

A wildfire in Nevada turned deadly when U.S. Forest Service firefighter Justin Beebe, 26, of Vermont, was hit by a tree Saturday, authorities say.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Man charged with 17 counts of arson as wildfire decimates Northern California town

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A California man was arrested Monday on arson charges for allegedly sparking a wildfire that exploded over the weekend, destroying more than 175 homes, businesses and other structures in a small town, authorities said. Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said Damin Anthony Pashilk, 40, of Clearlake was arrested Monday on 17 counts of arson and is in jail.

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Description-  Theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust or belonging to one's employer.

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The Top 5 Embezzlement Cases In U.S. History - Calcagni Law

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These are some of the top embezzlement cases in U.S. history. If you have been falsely accused of embezzlement, contact Calcagni Law today.

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Shutterstock

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Two teens accused of breaking into Sage Hills Elementary School and vandalizing it three different times in January have been arrested.

The boys, ages 14 and 15, are accused of breaking into the school at night, stealing Kindles, overturning desks and bookcases and creating a scare among many parents by posting graffiti that seemed to indicate some type of countdown.

Some parents were reportedly ready to keep their kids home from the Saratoga Springs school, 3033 Swainson Ave., on Monday fearing possible violence, said city spokesman Owen Jackson.

But with the arrests of the two teens believed to have committed the crimes, Jackson said police interviewed the boys and have told Alpine School District administrators that they do not believe there was any kind of plot.

"The school did send out a message that it wasn't a threat," Jackson said.

The vandalism began sometime during the night of Jan. 5 through the early morning hours of Jan. 6. The teens allegedly used an object, possibly a pole, to force either a window or door open, Jackson said. Police say they then overturned desks and bookcases and vandalized rooms in the school but did not take anything.

On the night of Jan. 25, police believe the teens returned to the school and broke into a portable classroom. During that incident, the boys took Kindles in addition to vandalizing the room. They also scratched a message into the door that stated, "7 days down," Jackson said.

The following night, the boys broke into another portable classroom, he said. Again, they intruders ransacked the room and scratched a message into the door that stated, "6 days down."

"At that point there was concern among some of the parents and the staff that there might be a threat or a countdown on the school," Jackson said.

Police have since learned that the boys left the messages as "their marker or signature."

The school district began installing video surveillance cameras on Monday, Jackson said. He did not know if they played a role in leading police to the boys or if it was more because of other anonymous people stepping forward.

When investigators interviewed the boys on Saturday, they discovered video and other evidence of the crimes on their cellphones, he said. There was also evidence that the missing Kindle tablets had been destroyed.

"The tablets, there is evidence that they were actually destroyed using a bow and arrow by the individuals," Jackson said.

The damage caused by the teens totaled approximately $4,200, he said.

It was unknown Sunday why the boys targeted Sage Hills or whether they are former students. Police were also continuing to investigate whether there were any others involved.

The boys were booked into juvenile detention for investigation of vandalism and trespassing.

Email: preavy@deseretnews.com, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam

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2 teens arrested in 3 vandalism cases at Saratoga Springs school

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Shutterstock SARATOGA SPRINGS - Two teens accused of breaking into Sage Hills Elementary School and vandalizing it three different times in January have been arrested. The boys, ages 14 and 15, are accused of breaking into the school at night, stealing Kindles, overturning desks and bookcases and creating a scare among many parents by posting graffiti that seemed to indicate some type of countdown.

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Description- Action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.