A 1-year-old boy died on Thursday at a hospital and family members were being questioned about the incident.

NBC 6 video showed a man in handcuffs at Kendall Regional Hospital, but his relationship to the child wasn't immediately known.

The Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Bureau was investigating the matter.

Police said the child, who was unresponsive, had been transferred Kendall Regional Hospital from a house at 1071 SW 151 Place in west Miami-Dade County. Police were at the address Thursday night.

No further information was immediately released. 

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A once mighty South Florida mayor is set to turn himself in to face federal charges on Friday.

Former Hialeah Mayor and Julio Robaina and his wife, Raiza, are accused of conspiring to evade their taxes, and failing to report their true income to the IRS. Part of their alleged scheme also includes a something known as "shadow banking."

Just a few years ago, then-Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and wife, Raiza, were on the campaign trail, hoping to lock in Robaina as the new Miami-Dade Mayor over then-opponent, Carlos Gimenez.

The IRS and Homeland Security Investigations now allege the Robainas were fudging their federal income taxes. The loan company-owning couple is accused of conspiring to evade their taxes, creating false returns, and making false statements to federal agents.

For example, their 10-page indictment reports the couple making six-figure transactions from 20-05 to 20-07, but noting meager, five-figure loses. Over those two years, officials allege the Robainas' taxable personal income was falsely understated, while Mr. Robaina's business tax forms showed inflated losses. The charges sparked outrage in Hialeah.

"I hope a lot of people learn from this, but they're not going to learn from this," said Svetlana Valdes, a Hialeah resident.

"If you do wrong, turn yourself in," said Ervin Garcia, another Hialeah resident.

That is what the Robainas are set to do Friday.

The allegations were uncovered after convicted Ponzi-schemer and Robaina acquaintance, Luis Felipe Perez, helped investigators _ his attorney said in a statement to NBC 6 _ the information linking Robaina to a loan operation, that paid him off with interest in cash.

"[Perez] turned over records showing payments to Mayor Robaina as well as others at very high interest rates. The records reflected monthly payments of the interest, half by check and half by cash. Additionally, [Perez] provided testimony and witnesses who would make the cash payments..." said Alvin Entin, Perez's attorney.

Through their attorney, the Robainas are denying the allegations.

"Both Mr. and Mrs. Robaina are disappointed by the turn of events. But, at the same time, they are very confident and look forward to their day in court," said David Garvin, the couple's attorney.
 

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Powerball players in South Florida are giddy with the possibility of fattening their bank accounts, as the jackpot continues to grow ahead of Saturday's drawing.

"I'm feeling lucky," said Andrea Moffitt, who purchased a ticket at a Chevron gas station in Miramar.

The chances of winning the estimated $600 million prize: 1 in 175 million. It's the largest jackpot in Powerball history.

That hasn't deterred people across South Florida from lining up at gas stations and grocery stores Saturday. The potential payout has many people fantasizing about what they would do with their newfound wealth.

"I will pay for my son's college," said Powerball player Ernst Eloi.

Powerball: 12 Ways to Spend Your Winnings

Tiffany Satchell knows exactly what she'd do if she win.

"Pay off all my bills," she said. "I really want a Range Rover."

Mega Millions Tickets Go on Sale in Florida

Saturday's monster jackpot is pushing the largest in lottery history, which tells a cautionary tale about that so-called lottery curse.

"What I would not do with it is go on a shopping spree and buying things that I don't need," Eloi added.

If no one ends up holding the magic numbers Saturday night, an even bigger prize will be waiting Wednesday.

All eyes will be on Orb Saturday afternoon when the Kentucky Derby champion takes his post at the Preakness Stakes, aiming to win the second leg of the elusive Triple Crown.

The colt's resounding victory at the Derby, marked by a surge of power in the final stretch, has fueled hopes for the first Triple Crown triumph since 1978, when Affirmed won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Orb, a resounding 4-5 favorite at Pimlico, will either dash those hopes or move one step closer to the coveted crown.

Watch live on NBCSports.com.

"I'm thrilled and excited to be in this position," Shug McGaughey, Orb's trainer, said Saturday morning. "I am also a bit nervous."

For fans hoping to see the first Triple Crown in decades, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. In the Derby, on May 4, Orb handily beat five of the eight horses he will take on in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes. Since then, his performance in training has earned stellar reviews.

Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey called Orb's workout at Belmont earlier this week "breathtaking," "spectacular" and even better than his performance leading up to the Derby, according to the Associated Press. The colt ran four furlongs in 47.18 seconds and five furlongs in 59.54.

But the widespread optimism was dampened just days later when Orb drew the rail, or No. 1 post—a position that has launched only two Preakness victors since 1950. Running from that position, other horses could crowd Orb against the rail, making it difficult for Orb to find room to maneuver to the head of the pack.

"Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn't have picked the 1," McGaughey told the AP when the positions were drawn. "But with only nine horse in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he's going to figure out what to do. He'll have him in the right spot."

The shorter race could also favor some of the horses that faded at the end of the mile-and-a-quarter Derby. Goldencents—partially owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino— was one of the favorites heading into the Kentucky Derby, but finished 17th in a field of 19 horses. That performance hasn't deterred bettors from putting their money on the colt in the Preakness. Heading into the race he's among the four favorites, with 9-1 morning line odds.

Goldencents will be ridden by jockey Kevin Krigger, who is trying to become the first African American jockey to win the Preakness since 1898.

Mylute, who has 10-1 odds after placing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, is another Preakness favorite. The horse will be ridden by rising star Rosie Napravnik, who will be the third female jockey ever to compete in the Preakness Stakes and is trying to become the first to win it. She heads into the weekend with more wins than any other jockey posting for the race, besides Joel Rosario, who will be riding Orb.

"I'm not doing this because I'm a girl," Napravnik told USA Today. "I'm not trying to win the race because I'm a female jockey. I just want to win the race."

Departing, who skipped the Derby, could also pose a threat to the favorite. The horse arrives at Pimlico with four wins this year, including a big victory two weeks ago at the Illinois Derby, where he managed to pull ahead of the pack and finish by 3 1/4 lengths. He's a 10-1 underdog.

Govenor Charlie, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and Titletown Five, co-owned by Packers Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Willie Davis, will also make their Triple Crown debuts in the second leg of the contest.

Govenor Charlie, who descends from the 1998 Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, has 9-1 odds, while Titletown Five is a much longer shot. Despite his 19-1 odds, Titletown Five's trainer D. Wayne Lukas still has a decent chance to taste victory. The Hall of Fame trainer has two other horses in the race— Oxbow and Will Take Charge.

The $1 million race begins at 6:20 p.m. and will be streamed live on NBC Live Extra beginning at 4:30 p.m.

If Orb wins, he'll race for the Triple Crown at Belmont on June 8. Twenty-two horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but only 11 have won all three. 

A private charter bus fatally struck a pedestrian at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Saturday, authorities said.

The woman was struck in front of Terminal 4, spokesman Greg Meyer said. She was pronounced dead on the scene by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue after the crash on the lower level, the Broward Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

None of the approximately 10 people who were on the bus were injured, the BSO said.

Traffic homicide detectives are investigating on the scene.

Deputies have closed the lower level for arrivals for the investigation, and traffic for all terminals is being rerouted to the upper level, the BSO said.

Stay with NBC6.com and NBC 6 South Florida for updates.

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Two people were fatally shot in the head and another shot dead in the chest in weekend violence that wounded at least nine others across Chicago, according to police.

Last night’s first fatality took place at 7:24 p.m. Friday in the 7800 block of South Langely Avenue when a 17-year-old man was shot in the chest, according to Chicago police news affairs officer Jose Estrada.

The man, identified as Clifton Barney, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Barney was reportedly on the street when an offender shot him once in the chest and jumped into a light-colored vehicle, Estrada said. No one was in custody as of Saturday morning.

Less than an hour later, a 40-year-old man was shot in the head in the 200 block of North Mayfield Avenue, police said.

The shooter ran up to the man firing several times before hitting him in the back of the head and fleeing on foot, Estrada said.

The man, Ramar Bonner, was taken to Loyola University Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner's office.

The third fatality of the night took place around 3:50 a.m. Saturday in the 4800 block of West Iowa Street where a man was found dead with a gunshot wound.

The 27-year-old man was reportedly involved in a verbal altercation with an unknown offender prior to the shooting, Estrada said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier, a 16-year-old was shot in the leg around 9:58 p.m. Friday in the 5400 block of West Wrightwood Avenue, according to police.

The teen was walking with several others when the group was approached by a male who began firing shots. The teen was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the right leg in stable condition. No others were injured in the shooting.

The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. Friday near the 4800 block of Golf Road in Skokie, where officers discovered a male juvenile shot in the abdomen, according to police.

The victim was taken to an area hospital where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Shortly after, two 18-year-old men were shot around 10:20 p.m. in the 5800 block of South Laflin Street, Estrada said.

The two teens were in separate groups when a verbal altercation erupted and shots were fired, police said. One teen was shot in the left calf and the other was shot in the hip. Both men were taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital in stable condition.

Around 10:50 p.m., a 34-year-old man was shot in the back and abdomen during a drive-by shooting in the 120 block of South Perry Avenue, Estrada said.

The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition.

Three others were shot in the Lawndale neighborhood around 11:25 p.m. on the 1200 block of South Kolin Avenue, police said.

The victims were in a group with several others when unknown offenders approached on foot and fired shots from a nearby alley, Estrada said.

A 38-year-old man was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the back. A 38-year-old woman was shot in the arm and taken in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital. The third victim, a 27-year-old woman was shot in the neck and was reported to be in “grave” condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to police.

Police recovered three guns from the alley and discovered the shooters’ emptied vehicle in the 1200 block of South Kostner Avenue.

Around 3:35 a.m. Saturday, a 20-year-old man walked into Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, police said.

The man claimed to be riding in a vehicle when another car pulled up with occupants flashing gang signs and shouting gang slogans before firing at the victim.

No shots were reported in the area, however, and the shooting is still under investigation.

The weekend's most recent shooting according around 3 p.m. Saturday when a 12-year-old boy was shot multiple times in the 2800 block of West 23rd Street, according to a tweet from Chicago Fire Media. 

The boy was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound in his arm in stable condition, according to police news affairs. 
 

A former Philadelphia police officer once hailed as a hero and given a seat next to the first lady at a speech by President Obama has been arrested and charged with raping two women and other crimes.

A source tells NBC10 former officer Richard DeCoatsworth, 27, met one of the women two weeks ago and forced her into prostitution at a local hotel. Between Thursday and Friday, DeCoatsworth went to the woman’s home in the Fishtown-Kensington area where there was a party, according to the source. Once they arrived, police say DeCoatsworth forced that woman and a second woman, both in their 20s, to use drugs and perform oral sex on him, according to the source.

Police raided DeCoatsworth’s house on the 2700 block of Salmon Street in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. He was arrested and charged with rape, sexual assault, terroristic threats and related offenses. Police also confiscated drugs and guns from the home, according to a source. No word yet on what kind of drugs were removed from the home.

DeCoatsworth was shot in the face back in 2007 when he was a rookie officer. After being shot, he managed to chase down the suspect for several blocks before collapsing. He called in enough information by radio that police were able to track down and arrest the suspect later the same day.

His heroism earned him an invitation from Vice President Joe Biden to attend President Obama’s first congressional address at the U.S. capital in February of 2009. The officer sat with First Lady Michelle Obama during the address. He was also honored by his peers as a 2008 Top Cop.
He was involved in two more dramatic incidents soon after.

In April of 2009, police say DeCoatsworth was jumped and attacked by a man when he tried to disperse a crowd at the Logan section of the city. During the struggle, sources say DeCoatsworth’s gun went off and hit the suspect who took off running. Another officer responding to the scene shot the suspect dead, according to sources.

In September of 2009, police said DeCoatsworth and another officer stopped a man on a motorcycle in the Kensington section of the city. While they were questioning him, a second man allegedly jumped on the motorcycle and drove at the officers. Police say DeCoatsworth shot at the suspect, who sped off. The suspect was found later at the hospital where his mother had taken him to be treated for a shotgun wound.

During the incident, local witnesses claimed the two suspects did nothing wrong and that DeCoatsworth and the other officer acted recklessly, shooting while children were nearby.

In November of 2011, Internal Affairs investigated an alleged scuffle between DeCoatsworth and another officer, according to Philly.com. The Daily News also reports he amassed nine citizen complaints, accusing him of assault, abuse and misconduct.

DeCoatsworth retired from the police force on disability back in December, 2011.

In February of 2012, an arrest warrant was issued for DeCoatsworth after he allegedly threatened a woman in Port Richmond.

Stay with NBC10.com for further details on this developing story.

The humidity is back in South Florida on Saturday.

Temperatures are already in the low 80s, and will top out in the upper 80s Saturday afternoon. A spotty shower or storm is possible in the afternoon.

Sunday will be a repeat of Saturday, with highs in the upper 80s.

Rain chances will increase heading into next week, with showers likely beginning Monday.

Complete Weather Coverage

Pictures of Connie Rose as a teenager in the 1970s should bring her a smile.

The statuesque brunette looks like a model in the photos, but  Rose, a 56-year-old Tampa resident, says the suggestive poses of that teenage girl hide a horrifying tale of abuse.

“I am a survivor of almost 14 years of incest, about three, almost four years, of sex trafficking and I’m also the daughter of a sex offender and my pimp was my dad,” Rose said.

Rose says her father Zenon Anastassiou began sexually molesting her when she was a toddler. She says he told her it was a cultural thing and it gradually escalated into rape by the time she was 13. Anastassiou pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with another child and assault against that child in 1987. Though Rose never brought charges against her father, she says her childhood was plagued by abuse and emotional extortion.

She says his message was clear:  “You want to live in this house? You like the clothes that you get to wear? … Well, if you tell or you stop having sex with me that’s all just going to go away.”

Just short of 16, Rose says she mustered up the courage to hold a knife to her father and tell him to stop.

“He laughed. He literally laughed in my face and he said I’ve been waiting for this day.”

That’s when he allegedly began selling her to other men, using provocative and naked pictures he took of her. The torture allegedly lasted until she was 19 when she got married. Decades later, stories like hers continue to repeat themselves in Florida, a state that’s become a hub for child sex trafficking.

Noel Thomas, the anti-human trafficking coordinator for the Department of Children and Families, says:  “Florida is number three in the United States based on call volume for human trafficking.”

Thomas says children fall into sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion.

That was the alleged case of a Miami-Dade teenager that NBC 6 interviewed last year. Her identity was not revealed because she is a minor. That teenager showed NBC 6 hotels where she had sold her body.

Police say Eugene Sneed and an accomplice befriended her in the least likely of places.

In a Miami-Dade courtroom a prosecutor said Sneed “… coerced a child of 13 years of age who they met in middle school and then put her on Biscayne Boulevard to prostitute herself to men.” Sneed pleaded not guilty to the sex trafficking charge.

Experts say children are also targeted at malls where they hang out with friends and on social media. Pimps profile kids and after learning what makes them tick, they swoop in using fake identities online or good-looking teens, known as runners, as bait.

Thomas says: “So when they actually get a connection and have someone meet them in person they oftentimes rape and abuse them and victimize them, all with photographs and video, using it as blackmail which just further pushes them into the life of human trafficking."

Rose described an approach human traffickers take this way: “…if you don’t want your parents to see what you did and you don’t want everybody at school to see what you did, you need to meet me next weekend at this place and then before you know it, this girl is then going to be sold."

Jorge Veitia runs SolMedia, an organization that tries to combat human trafficking by educating South Florida businesses.

Veitia showed NBC 6 spots in Miami Beach where sex traffickers target children, such as bus stops.

“This is an area where a guy will pull in, pick up a girl and go," he said of one.

With the help of volunteers, Veitia shows pictures of missing children who may have become sex trafficking victims after being kidnapped or running away from home or foster care.

“Statistics are showing that one in three of these kids end up being exploited within 48 hours," Veitia says.

He explains that once pimps have their victims, they market them using tools like online classified sites.

“Somehow like any good predator, pimps know where to find these children and present them with an opportunity to get a dinner or a safe place to sleep or to actually become their boyfriend," Veitia says.

Kim Butler is one of the volunteers that hit the streets of South Beach looking for missing children in hotels and other businesses.

Butler, who is also the pastor at Miami Dream Center and Miami Beach House of Prayer, said, “We started in January and every month we have had someone identified as being seen … sometimes they’re a little bit nervous so they’ll just point to the picture.”

Volunteers then report those sightings to the police but rescuing them is not easy because many times the victims develop love bonds with the trafficker.

Thomas said, “… So when they’re removed from that environment, they’ll oftentimes, without a chance to be deprogrammed and given rehabilitation, they’ll run right back to the traffickers."

To aid in the recovery, Florida recently approved the Safe Harbor Law that allows minors rescued from prostitution to receive help instead of being sent to jail. But advocates say that’s not enough, and that people need to be on the lookout for signs of child abuse and exploitation.

Butler said, “Somebody has to look for these girls and I feel like that’s the attitude we need to take. If we were all too afraid to go out, then what about the girls that are missing?

Currently there are more than 50 South Florida children missing – girls and boys who could be in danger of falling into the hands of traffickers who are behind this “modern day slavery.”

A deaf 11-year-old mini Yorkie was snatched from a yard in Hollywood and his dognappers are demanding $1,000 from his owners, who are pleading with the public to help bring their dog home.

“I’m scared for him because he’s used to being inside and cozy and cuddled with,” owner Tricia O’Kelley said, her voice quavering. “He slept with me every night for the last 11 years.”

Walter, who weighs about 5 pounds, was last seen Thursday afternoon in the family’s fenced-in backyard.

A blocked number called O’Kelley’s cellphone, which is listed on Walter’s tags, about 10:15 p.m. Thursday.

“From the second I answered the call, I knew this guy was bad news,” she said.

The man on the other end of the line told O’Kelley he wants $1,000 for the dog’s safe return. O’Kelley said she heard another man laughing in the background.

Her husband took over negotiations. The dognapper said he’d call back and hung up.

Within minutes, the blocked number called back and this time, O’Kelley’s husband, Adam Rosenblatt, put the call on speaker so the police on a second phone could hear.

The dognapper laid out his demands.

He wanted the family to create phony fliers offering a $1,000 reward for Walter’s return and listed streets on which he wanted them posted. Then, he would bring one of those posters to a Chevron station where he would exchange the dog for the cash.

Police suggested they make the fliers and meet the men at the gas station with a plain-clothed officer.

O’Kelley’s husband was in the process of hanging up the fliers when the man called back, saying he’d been lied to and that police were at the gas station.

“He said, ‘Don’t lie to me. I’m keeping your dog,’” O’Kelley said.

That last phone call at 11:15 p.m. Thursday came from a 7-Eleven payphone in North Hollywood, O’Kelley said. And that was the last time she heard from whoever has Walter.

Walter has a condition that causes his trachea to collapse, which is common for his breed.

“He’s not just some puppy,” O’Kelley said. “He needs special care.”

The family’s two young daughters – ages 2 and 4 – ate breakfast outside Friday morning in the hopes that Walter would smell the food and come home, O’Kelley said.

“It’s unbearably terrifying and heartbreaking,” she said. “The whole thing about pets and kids, they trust you to take care of them and keep them safe.”

Walter is outfitted with tags and a microchip. O’Kelley said she’s willing to pay the extortion if the men would return her dog, which she’s had since he was a puppy.

NBC4 obtained an incident report number in the case. Calls to LAPD to confirm the report had not been returned as of 8 p.m.

Anyone with information is asked to call the LAPD Hollywood Division, which is handling the case.

A 1-year-old child died after being left alone in a vehicle in an elementary school parking lot, Dallas police say.

The child's mother, Vibha Marks, has been arrested on a charge of abandoning a child with serious bodily injury.

Police said someone spotted the child unattended in a car parked in the faculty parking lot at Frank Guzick Elementary School at 5000 Berridge Lane at about 1:20 p.m.

The passer-by broke the window on the vehicle, removed the child and began performing CPR, police said.

Dallas Fire-Rescue confirmed that it was called to the school at about 1:30 p.m. When responders arrived, the child was unresponsive. Emergency workers continued CPR and transported the child to Baylor Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Marks, a teacher at the elementary school, was interviewed by the Dallas Police Department on Friday afternoon.

Officials with the Dallas Independent School District said Marks has been placed on administrative leave and that a letter was sent home to parents about the police presence at the school.

At 1 p.m., the temperature at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was 84 degrees. Studies of temperatures in enclosed cars shows that temperatures can rise by as much as 43 degrees in a one-hour period.

Wrestling a Burmese python wasn't exactly what 23-year-old Jason Leon planned when he visited the Everglades with his buddies last week. He was riding ATVs near Florida City when they saw a sight they'll never forget.

"We were riding and I saw something poking out on the side of the road. At first I didn't know what it was," said Veronica Larios, who accompanied Leon to the Everglades.

"I've hunted and fished all over and seen plenty of reptiles and alligators. I've never seen something that big," said Blake Jordan, who went along for the ride.

In the video, recorded by Jordan, you can see Leon handling the snake, grabbing it by it's neck. Larios, a woman with a petite frame jumps in, handing Leon a knife and helping him move the snake's body as it tried to coil around her friend.

"For about 10 minutes, he was wrapping around my legs, around my arms. I was switching arms, and finally. We finally pulled him apart, stretched him out, and took a knife and cut his head."

Leon has handled snakes before. He owned two as pets. Though he's tried, he's never hunted the invasive species successfully.

"I knew that it was a big snake and I've never seen it in the wild. I knew it didn't belong there. I knew they had to be removed so I grabbed it."

He never imagined his catch would be record-breaking big. After contacting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee, Leon says wildlife authorities confirmed the snake he caught is the largest on record. He received an email congratulating him on his catch. Leon says the snake is 18 feet by 8 inches long. That's more than three times his height. The previous record-holder is a snake that measured in at 17 feet and 7 inches.

He will get to keep the snake skin and skull, trophies of his hunt. He also gets bragging rights. Leon says he's particularly proud of Larios.

"Like 90 percent of my guy friends would have stood back and said, 'Nuh-uh! Not doing it,'" Leon says.

Python hunting should be left to the pros. Leon himself says the lieutenant with Miami Fire Rescue's Venom One told him what he did was risky.

"Not a really smart idea at all to do it. The snake being so big, he said I should have had at least 4 or 5 other males there, because the strength of the snake," Leon says.

No one was injured. Leon says the snake is currently at the University of Florida. A necropsy will be performed so that researchers can learn more about the invasive species.
 

Surveillance video shows thieves racking up thousands of dollars on credit cards that belong to Joyce Landry.

"How on earth can somebody spend $9,000 in a Target store in 10 minutes," she said.

The store manager told Landry there is only one way that could happen, buying $1000 gift cards right at the checkout counter.

Landry works in a office in Coral Gables near the University of Miami.

Somebody snuck in and stole her wallet while she was in the bathroom.

The crooks used three of her credit cards about an hour later at the target store in dadeland station.

The timestamp on the store's surveillance video shows how quickly the crime happened.

On April 2 At 6:56 p.m. a man makes his first fraudulent purchase of a gift card at the register. At 6:57 the video shows him back at the same register buying another card.

At 7:02 two other suspects purchase a card at a different register.

One minute later, 7:03, the first suspect is back at the same register, spending Landry's money again.

"I knew they were in Target, I went online... I could see my cards were being used," said Landry.

She says the store manager told her there was nothing they could do because the cashiers don't check identifications when somebody uses a credit card.

NBC 6 contacted Target corporate headquarters for a comment but they never responded.
 

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade granted a South Florida teen's wish and showed up at her senior prom on Friday.

Nicole Muxo said that she was called up to the dance floor, where she was told that Wade was on the phone.

“So I talked to him on the phone, and as I was talking to him the doors opened and he walked out and I was completely shocked, I had no idea that he was going to even call," said Muxo, who attends Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in West Kendall. "So I was super-excited, everyone else was super-excited in there.”

Photos show Wade taking pics with the teen and others before the prom at the La Jolla Ballroom in Coral Gables. He also was snapped at the dance.

Muxo said Wade brought her flowers and then they danced.

Wade tweeted about the prom and shared photos on Twitter.

"I had a blast at Prom w @nicole_muxo... Never be 2 scared to ask.. They might just say… " Wade Tweeted.

Muxo thanked the NBA player for coming by.

"It meant a lot to me. It made my dreams come true," she said.

Initially Wade had said he wasn't aware of the YouTube video, in which Muxo makes her pitch to the NBA superstar while wearing a No 3. Wade jersey. Kanye West's "The Glory" plays in the background.

WATCH the YouTube video here.

"My senior prom is coming up, and I have everything set for a perfect night except for one thing: a perfect date," she says.

In the video she called Wade her favorite basketball player and used signs and "Prom?" written on basketballs to ask Wade to the big event.

Muxo had told NBC 6 South Florida she asked out Wade because he's her favorite player and because he's a positive role model for a lot of people.

It wasn't the first time she asked him out.

"Back when I met him last year, I asked him to Homecoming, but the season was about to start, and he had practice, so he couldn’t make it, so I thought, why not take another shot and ask him to prom?” she said.

A veteran Miramar Police captain was found guilty one count of lewd and lascivious conduct and not guilty on another one stemming from his arrest for allegedly making a teen get naked to prove that she was not having sex in the back seat of a parked car.

Capt. Juan de los Rios faced two charges of lewd and lascivious behavior. He was found guilty of one count for allegedly forcing the victim to expose her genitals, and not guilty of making her remove her shirt.

He found a 15-year-old girl talking with a 19-year-old boy in the rear seat of a car in a Miramar industrial park on the afternoon of Jan. 18, according to his arrest affidavit.

De los Rios, 46, asked the girl if they had had sex in the car, authorities said. She told investigators that she said no, they were just talking, the office of Broward State Attorney Michael Satz said Friday.

But de los Rios, who has been on the Miramar Police force for 28 years, told her that she needed to remove her pants and underwear so if he could see if she’d had sex, authorities said. The fearful girl complied, and the police officer went on to “inspect” her with light from his flashlight and told her to pull down her blouse so he could check for “bruising,” the girl told police.

The officer then let them drive off, authorities said.

De los Rios turned himself in at the Broward County Main Jail on two counts of lewd or lascivious conduct.

“Captain De Los Rios’ conduct that led to his arrest and conviction is abhorrent and certainly not representative of the dedicated men and women of the Miramar Police Department. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the victim and those who were affected by this unfortunate incident," Chief Ray Black said in an email statement on Friday. "No member of the department is above the law and any report of such officer abuse of authority will be thoroughly investigated and if wrongdoing is found, appropriate measures will be taken.”

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Authorities are searching for a couple caught on surveillance camera stealing a dog from a Miami animal shelter.

The couple stole 1-year-old Django, an intact Belgian Malinois male, from the Miami-Dade Animal Services Shelter on May 14. On Friday, authorities released images of the coupld stealing the dog. 

Surveillance cameras caught them as they left through a restricted access exit.

“The Department is extremely concerned for the welfare of the dog. We are diligently working to ensure his safe recovery,” said Alex Muñoz, the head of the county animal services department.

Anyone with information about the identity of these two people or the location of the dog is asked to Animal Services Investigations Unit at 305-418-7172.
 

Puppy Recovering After Latest Surgery To Repair Gaping Hole in Mouth\

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A man and his teenage son were rescued after being stranded in the Everglades when their airboat sank in west Broward on Friday.

Authorities got the call around 4 p.m. and 20 minutes later they were spotted.

Will Cazanas and his 13-year-old son William, from Palm Beach, were on their airboat about 12 miles west of the Loxahatchee Boat Ramp and about three miles east of U.S. 27. That's where their boat got stuck and then sank.

The pair were brought to the boat ramp.

No one was injured.

Man Talks About Being Stranded in Everglades

Senator Bill Nelson Goes on Python Hunting Expedition Into Everglades

With tears in her eyes, Ivanna Villanueva accepted a plea deal in Miami-Dade Criminal Court Friday in lieu of a trial and a potential 20-year prison sentence.

She is set to serve three years in prison, and 15 years probation with community service.

Villanueva was charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in an October 2011 wreck that left 68-year-old grandmother Eyder Ayala dead. Miami-Dade Police said Ayala was heading home from her job at McDonald's when Villanueva struck her vehicle.

Ayala was pronounced dead on the scene near Lejuene Road and Majorca Avenue. Toxicology reports found Villanueva, then only 19, had a blood alcohol levels almost three times the state legal limit of .08.

As part of her plea deal, Villanueva will donate to the anti-DUI foundation Mothers Against Drunk Driving, give to a scholarship in Ayala's name, and speak to young people several times a year about the perils of driving under the influence.

After court proceedings, the Ayala family announced plans to press charges against Miami Beach night clubs LIV and Arkadia for serving the underaged Villanueva the night of the accident.

According to arrest records, Villanueva will turn 21 next weekend.
 

The FBI has ruled out foul play in the investigation behind the cause of Friday night's rush hour train crash in Connecticut that injured 72 people.

National Transportation Safety Board officials are looking into a fractured part of the rail that underwent repairs last month, but have not determined whether it was a pre-existing fracture or if it occurred as a result of the accident, according to NTSB spokesperson Earl Weener, who provided an update at a news conference on Saturday afternoon.

One man with serious head injuries is awake and talking, said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who spoke to patients at St. Vincent Hospital. The train conductor, who helped several riders off the train before being transported, remains hospitalized with a lower back injury.

NTSB officials arrived on the scene on Saturday morning to begin investigating the cause of  train crash.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and other officials spoke at a news conference on Saturday morning where they described a grisly scene after a commuter train derailed and was hit by an oncoming train.

"The damage is absolutely staggering," Sen. Blumenthal said on Saturday morning. "Ribbons on the sides of cars are torn away like ribbons of clothes."

The NTSB arrived in Connecticut at 9:00 a.m. to start looking into the cause of the accident, injuries sustained by the commuters and operator performance. The investigation could take seven to 10 days but that does not mean that service shutdown will take that long, according to Earl Weener, spokesperson for the board.

The eastbound Metro-North train derailed just after 6:00 p.m. and was hit by a westbound train between the Bridgeport and Fairfield stations, officials said.

"We came to a sudden halt. We were jerked. There was smoke," Alex Cohen, a Canadian passenger on the westbound train en route to New York, told NBC Connecticut.

"People were screaming; people were really nervous. We were pretty shaken up. They had to smash a window to get us out," he said.

St. Vincent Hospital in Bridgeport, Conn. said on Saturday that it saw a total of 46 patients, six of whom were admitted for treatment. All patients remained in the hospital and were reportedly in stable condition.

Bridgeport Hospital saw a 26 patients and admitted three. Two of those patients were in critical condition a day after the accident, and one was in stable condition, according to The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the derailment.

"I have no reason to believe this is anything other than an accident," Gov. Malloy said Friday night.

The NTSB will lead an investigation to find out the cause of the incident, NBC News reported.

Chaos Along the New Haven Line

Malloy warned Friday that the crash had caused extensive track damage along one of the nation's busiest corridors, and commuters throughout the Northeast could face difficult travel in the days ahead.

Eastbound Metro-North service is disrupted at South Norwalk, while westbound service is suspended past Bridgeport.

On Friday, the collision roiled the weekend commute for a wave of workers heading home from New York — not just the hundreds of passengers on each of the trains that collided, but hundreds more on the trains behind them.

The small South Norwalk station was a chaotic scene in the minutes just after the crash, as hundreds of passengers scrambled — many of them in vain — to hail cabs to complete their trips home.

Service Disruptions Could Last Days

Amtrak service between New York and New Haven will be suspended through Sunday, according to a press release, and there is no estimate on what time service will be restored. There is limited Northeast Regional service available between Boston and New Haven.

That was largely, officials said, because two of the four tracks in the segment of the rail line were already out of service for long-term improvement projects.

Normal service was not expected to resume until a full investigation was made, the track fully assessed and repairs made. That could take some time, since the train cars can't be removed until after an investigation, and since they must be removed by crane, the MTA said in a statement.

Stay with NBC Connecticut for more updates on this developing story.

Police are saying they've arrested a group that had a well-planned operation to steal the Jet Skis from  homes along Biscayne Bay.

Surveillance video showed the alleged thieves in action. The video was captured from a camera at a residence near Pine Tree Drive on Miami Beach.

Police say the two men were wearing water gear and black ski masks in an effort to prevent getting caught are seen opening the hood of the jet skis. They got the engines up and running and then backed out of the dock and headed into the darkness.

3 Arrested After Stolen Boat Runs Aground on California Coast

Police say Yadiel Valera and Sergio Aguirre were the men who were taking the Jet Skis from behind this gated home. No one was at the home this afternoon to speak about the alleged theft , but police say the pair  took two jet skis valued at $36,000.

Officers also say Danitza Ruiz, 24, was the lookout for the men, waiting at Watson Island for them. Police say she would send out text messages telling the men on the stolen Jet Skis if police are anyone else was around.

Truck Used To Steal $14,000 Jet Ski Was Itself Stolen, Homestead Victims Say

The other man arrested was Gerardo Govea, 22. Police say the plan was to use his pickup truck to transport the Jet Skis. The three men and the woman have all been charged with theft and burglary.

The four charged have either entered not guilty pleas are presumed not guilty, and they'll be back in court in the coming weeks.
 

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A Philadelphia mom was arrested inside her daughter's school after police say she assaulted an 11-year-old student.

Attifa Brown says she was upset her daughter was being bullied at school, but denies ever hitting the child.

"I don't beat my own child, let alone somebody else's," said Brown.

Police say there is a videotape of the incident that happened yesterday around 10:00 a.m. inside A.B. Anderson Elementary School in Cobbs Creek.

"The problem here is that we have a 26-year-old mother who has no reason to approach an 11-year-old child, so her credibility as far as I'm concerned is shot," said Lt. John Walker, Philadelphia Police.

Investigators say Brown went to the school with her daughter to confront the 11-year-old girl, accused of bullying her child.

"The tape showed this lady over my daughter for minutes, poking her in the face, pulling her hair and beating her," said Bobby Webster, mother of the 11-year-old victim.

Webster says her daughter is not a bully.

"I thought I taught her to actually defend herself and take care of herself," said Brown, who added that at the end of the day, "I'm human."

School officials are investigating how Brown was able to walk into the school without signing in or without being questioned.

Brown is facing a long list of charges, including terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and defiant trespass.

Six years after Danny Burroughs went missing from his New Jersey home, investigators say they have found his body parts in the home of his ex-wife, Loretta Burroughs.

The remains were found in two containers in Loretta's home in Ventnor, N.J., according to a source close to the investigation who did not want to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

Loretta Burroughs, 61, wept quietly this afternoon as she was formally charged with Danny's murder.

Burroughs went missing on August 14, 2007, from the couple's home on Leipzig Avenue in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, N.J. He was last seen on his riding lawnmower.

Loretta divorced Danny shortly after he disappeared. She then sold the couple's home.

Loretta moved, more than once, according to the Burroughs family, and was living at the home on Hampshire Drive in Ventnor where the body parts were found.

Crime scene investigators, acting on new information, went to the home this morning around 6 or 7 a.m., according to neighbors. The remains were discovered inside a closet and positively identified as Daniel Burroughs.

Investigators are not clear if they were put into containers due to decomposition, or if the body was mutilated. They do believe that the body was moved several times. And detectives say Loretta Burroughs was in the process of selling her Ventnor home and relocating to another home in Villas, Cape May County.

Loretta Burroughs was arrested this morning. Investigators say she stabbed her husband to death in 2007. Autopsy results are pending.

Danny Burroughs' family convinced investigators to re-open the case in February, after the county put together a Cold Case Unit. The family launched a Find Danny Burroughs Facebook page in 2010, and used the page to raise questions about Danny's disappearance. In the "about" section of the page, his brother wrote:

Out of nowhere his (now) x-wife told everybody he "ran off with another woman", he left without ANY of his belongings-NOTHING! I say BS to her story and MANY-MANY lies! She, never even called to tell me (my brother) Dan supposedly "up and left." I found out several days later when I called my brothers home to see how he was feeling >for me, this is when the nightmare began.

"We knew for years that she knew something and we just couldn't get the help from anybody to find him," said Robert Valiante, Jr., a family friend.

Burroughs' family kept pushing police to go past Loretta Burrough's claim that Dan had run off to Florida with another woman.

"That's why they could never question her or prosecute her because there was no body," Valiante said. "There was no remains. Well, I guess not because she had 'em! Without a body he would have been lost forever."

No one has won the Powerball jackpot since March and the estimated jackpot has grown to a staggering $600 million, making it the largest jackpot in Powerball history and the second largest lottery jackpot overall.

Since Wednesday, the prize amount has jumped from $360 million. Between Thursday and Friday alone, it went from $550 million to the current $600.

On Wednesday the winning numbers were 2-11-26-34-41 and Powerball 32.

Powerball is quickly approaching the largest lottery jackpot. On March 30, 2012, Mega Millions hit $656 million and three winning tickets were sold. 

If you are the lucky Powerball winner, the estimated cash value is $376.9 million. 

While no one has won the big jackpot, you still should check your tickets.

Click here for the Florida Lottery web site.

Powerball Fact

• The largest Powerball jackpot until now was $587,500,000, according to the Powerball Web site. There were two winning tickets. One was sold in Arizona. The other was sold in Missouri.
• The last time there was a Florida Powerball Jackpot was on Dec. 26, 2012 when a St. Petersberg man won $50 million. Get more information on past winners here.

When you spend $2 on a ticket, the overall odds of winning a Powerball prize are 1 in 31.8, but the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 175,223,510 million.

How much would the total be after taxes? There are online lottery calculators to help you figure it out.

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All eyes will be on Orb Saturday afternoon when the Kentucky Derby champion takes his post at the Preakness Stakes, aiming to win the second leg of the elusive Triple Crown.

The colt's resounding victory at the Derby, marked by a surge of power in the final stretch, has fueled hopes for the first Triple Crown triumph since 1978, when Affirmed won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Orb, the even-money favorite at Pimlico, will either dash those hopes or move one step closer to the coveted crown.

For fans hoping to see the first Triple Crown in decades, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. In the Derby, on May 4, Orb handily beat five of the eight horses he will take on in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes. Since then, his performance in training has earned stellar reviews.

Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey called Orb's workout at Belmont earlier this week "breathtaking," "spectacular" and even better than his performance leading up to the Derby, according to the Associated Press. The colt ran four furlongs in 47.18 seconds and five furlongs in 59.54.

But the widespread optimism was dampened just days later when Orb drew the rail, or No. 1 post—a position that has launched only two Preakness victors since 1950. Running from that position, other horses could crowd Orb against the rail, making it difficult for Orb to find room to maneuver to the head of the pack.

"Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn't have picked the 1," McGaughey told the AP when the positions were drawn. "But with only nine horse in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he's going to figure out what to do. He'll have him in the right spot."

The shorter race could also favor some of the horses that faded at the end of the mile-and-a-quarter Derby. Goldencents—partially owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino— was one of the favorites heading into the Kentucky Derby, but finished 17th in a field of 19 horses. That performance hasn't deterred bettors from putting their money on the colt in the Preakness. Heading into the race he's among the four favorites, with 8-1 morning line odds.

Mylute, who has 5-1 odds after placing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, is another Preakness favorite. The horse will be ridden by rising star Rosie Napravnik, who will be the third female jockey ever to compete in the Preakness Stakes. She heads into the weekend with more wins than any other jockey posting for the race, besides Joel Rosario, who will be riding Orb.

Departing, who skipped the Derby, could also pose a threat to the even-money favorite. The horse arrives at Pimlico with four wins this year, including a big victory two weeks ago at the Illinois Derby, where he managed to pull ahead of the pack and finish by 3 1/4 lengths.

Govenor Charlie, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and Titletown Five, co-owned by Packers Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Willie Davis, will also make their Triple Crown debuts in the second leg of the contest.

Govenor Charlie, who descends from the 1998 Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, has 12-1 odds, while Titletown Five is a much longer shot. Despite his 30-1 odds, Titletown Five's trainer D. Wayne Lukas still has a decent chance to taste victory. The Hall of Fame trainer has two other horses in the race— Oxbow and Will Take Charge.

The $1 million race begins at 6:20 p.m. and will be streamed live on NBC Live Extra beginning at 4:30 p.m.

If Orb wins, he'll race for the Triple Crown at Belmont on June 8. Twenty-two horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but only 11 have won all three. 

Pat Robertson is at it again. This time, the televangelist dished out marriage advice to a woman who wrote his show asking for guidance on how to forgive her cheating husband.

The one-time Republican presidential candidate -- who once condoned divorcing an Alzheimer-inflicted spouse --  told the woman that men have "the tendency to wander a little bit."

"Stop talking about the cheating," he said on The 700 Club. "He cheated on you. Well, he's a man."

He urged the woman to focus on the good qualities about their marriage. "Does he provide a home for you? Does he provide food for you to eat? Does he provide clothes for you to wear?" he asked, adding that the onus is on the woman to keep the "home so wonderful that he doesn't want to wander."

Robertson has a knack for giving out controversial marriage advice. In January, Robertson said on his show that "awful-looking" women are to blame for a loveless marriage. And days after appearing at a campaign rally with Mitt Romney last year, he joked about wife-beating as a way to discipline a "rebellious" wife.

Check out the full clip below:

The Hollywood Police Department is asking the public to help identify a suspect who may been involved in a lewd and lascivious act in April with a 14-year-old girl.

Samuel Semper, 32, from Dania Beach, was already arrested in connection for having sex with an underage girl in a Hollywood motel, authorities said.

Semper faces two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between 12 and 16 years old.

A woman told police that she went to the Hill Motel at 418 S. Federal Highway on Sunday morning to find her boyfriend, Semper, and saw him having sex with the 14-year-old girl through a window. Another man in the room was receiving oral sex from the girl, police said in an arrest report.

The girlfriend said that when she knocked on the door Semper answered the door nude, and she left on her bike, very upset, the report said.

The victim told detectives that after she met with the two men on Saturday night, they got a room at the motel and started to smoke crack, which Semper gave to her, according to the report.

The two men left to sell crack in another part of Hollywood, then returned to the room, where they all smoked crack and started to engage in sexual acts, the report said.

Semper told detectives that he did meet the girl, but denied having any sexual contact with her, according to the report.

Semper has numerous other offenses on his record, prosecutors have said.

The Hollywood Police Department is asking anyone who has any information to contact them at 954-967-HELP.

Authorities are looking for a pair of armed robbers who ripped off a group of domino players who were robbed twice within two months at a North Lauderdale business.

The first robbery happened on Jan. 12 at DN Consultants at 6041 Kimberly Boulevard, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. The second robbery took place on Feb. 28.

In the second robbery, one of the suspects tapped on the door of the business with a gun and was buzzed in by the game organizer, who didn't realize he was a crook, the BSO said. At one point, the first suspect lets an accomplice into the business.

When the domino players realize they're being robbed, they packed into a small back room to get away from the suspects. Surveillance footage showed the suspects searching for the victims room to room.

Before they could be found by the suspects, the victims were able to unlock a bay door and escape. The robbers took a cell phone and left through the front door, the BSO said.

The BSO identified the suspects as black males in their late teens to mid 20s. One suspect was about 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds with a short afro. His accomplice was 5-foot-7, 150 pounds with a thin build. Both wore hooded sweatshirts and pants and were possibly traveling in a black vehicle, the BSO said.

Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and are asking anyone with info to call Broward CrimeStoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

Authorities say the internet celebrity known as "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker" was turned in to Philadelphia police by a coffee barista who recognized him as being a man wanted for murder in New Jersey.

Union County Prosecutor Ted Romankow told NBC 4 New York on Friday that Caleb Lawrence McGillvary was buying coffee in a Philadelphia Starbucks Thursday evening when a worker recognized him and notified her supervisor.

The supervisor called police, and officers arrived and found McGillvary, who is accused of killing Joseph Galfy, a lawyer from Clark, N.J. 

"He wasn't lying low," said Romankow. "He was out there."

Galfy was found in his home on Monday, dead of blunt force trauma. Prosecutors say Galfy met McGillvary in Times Square Saturday night, and brought him back to his house to spend the night.

They say they believe the two men had a sexual encounter.

Authorities said McGillvary, who has appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," pondered on his Facebook page Tuesday the idea of waking up in a stranger's house with a groggy head and injuries, and the realization of being drugged and raped. "What would you do?" he wrote, according to officials.

McGillvary gained internet notoriety earlier this year when he was hitchhiking with a man who allegedly attempted to run over a utility worker in California.

According to the Fresno Bee, McGillvary pulled a hatchet out of his backpack and struck the driver in the head after the dispute, and others held the man until police arrived. Video from a profanity-laced interview McGillvary gave to a local TV station recounting his role went viral.

Authorities said he will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days.

--Pat Battle contributed to this report

A North Miami family is asking for help to find two attackers who police say tried to kill an ATM repair man outside his home.

"It's devastating," said Alfredo Arrieta, brother of 27-year-old Juan Carlos Canales.

Investigators say about twenty minutes after midnight on May 5th, two people held up Canales at gunpoint outside his home at 13390 Northeast 7th Avenue. Canales had just come home from work.

Officers say they're not sure whether Canales was followed home. They pointed out he wasn't carrying a lot of money, and did not handle cash for ATMs. He just repaired them.

North Miami Police spokesman Maj. Neal Cuevas said at least two people beat Canales, and stuffed him in the trunk of his company car, a gray Ford Fiesta. Somehow, Canales managed to get out of the trunk, but his attackers caught him, beat him again, then shot him, police said.

North Miami police chief Marc Elias called the attack a "senseless shooting" of a "hard-working son."

Investigators later found Canales' car dumped at 170 Northeast 6th Avenue.

"It's difficult," said his mother, speaking of seeing her son still in the hospital. Relatives say he suffered a spinal injury from the gunshot wound. His sister-in-law, Oneida Arrieta, said doctors told the family Canales may never walk again.

"To see him now," she said," it's really changed all of our lives."

Oneida Arrieta said Canales was not involved in gangs or criminal activity, his priorities were family, work and school. He shares a condominium with his mother and stepfather, whom he helps support. He studied electrical engineering at DeVry University, and was scheduled to graduate in September.

Police are offering a $6,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Canales's company contributed $5,000 to that amount.

"If you know something, please just come forward and help us find those guys," said Alfredo Arrieta. The anonymous number for Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers is 305-471-TIPS.

Former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and his wife Raiza made their first appearance in court Friday after turning themselves in to federal custody to face tax fraud charges.

During the afternoon hearing at the federal courthouse in Miami, a judge set Julio Robaina's bond at $250,000. Raiza Robaina's bond was set at $100,000. Both will have to surrender their passports and will be arraigned next Friday, the judge ruled.

"Obviously, yesterday was not what we expected. We did not expect the IRS to move forward on this case that  soon we will prove has no merits," Robaina said outside the federal courthouse in Miami with his wife by his side. "We're hoping and we will have our day in court soon, and we will prove our innocence."

He added: "Today is not a day to talk about the merits of the case, but there will be a day very soon where we will prove there are no merits to the IRS' case."

He gave this thanks to the supporters and friends who have emailed, called and sent text messages.

The Robainas are accused of conspiring to evade their taxes, creating false returns, making false statements to federal agents and failing to report their true income to the IRS.

A 10-page indictment released Thursday claims the couple, who own a loan company, made six-figure transactions between 2005-2007 but reported small five-figure losses. Over those two years, officials allege the Robainas' taxable personal income was falsely understated, while Mr. Robaina's business tax forms showed inflated losses.

The allegations were uncovered after convicted Ponzi-schemer and Robaina acquaintance, Luis Felipe Perez, helped investigators, his attorney said in a statement to NBC 6. The information provided by Perez linked Robaina to a loan operation that paid him off with interest in cash, the attorney said.

"[Perez] turned over records showing payments to Mayor Robaina as well as others at very high interest rates. The records reflected monthly payments of the interest, half by check and half by cash. Additionally, [Perez] provided testimony and witnesses who would make the cash payments..." said Alvin Entin, Perez's attorney.

Through their attorney, the Robainas have denied the allegations.

"Both Mr. and Mrs. Robaina are disappointed by the turn of events. But, at the same time, they are very confident and look forward to their day in court," said David Garvin, the couple's attorney.

Robaina, 48, served as Hialeah's mayor from 2005-2011 before resigning to run for Mayor of Miami-Dade, an election he lost to Carlos Gimenez.

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The attorney who represented OJ Simpson in a trial stemming from a bizarre 2007 Las Vegas hotel room raid testified Friday that he advised Simpson to call police after the former NFL Hall of Fame player mentioned plans to retrieve sports memorabilia.

Attorney Yale Galanter added that Simpson confided to him that he knew two individuals in the group involved in the raid -- intended to retrieve sports memorabilia from a dealer -- had guns.

Galanter's advice to Simpson -- who was sentenced to prison after the 2008 trial -- and the steakhouse meeting before the raid have been key parts of this week's hearing in Las Vegas. The ex-USC Trojan wants a judge to throw out the robbery-kidnapping convictions on the claim that Galanter failed to disclose that he knew about the hotel room raid in advance, told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial.

Galanter, who previously won an acquittal in a Simpson road rage case, was asked Friday by attorneys for the state about a steakhouse dinner with Simpson the night before the raid. Simpson was in Las Vegas for a wedding, Galanter was working on a case, so the two decided to meet, Galanter said.

"In the middle of him explaining the rehearsal dinner, he said that he and some of his boys may be doing a sting in the morning," said Galanter. "When he first mentioned it, it went over my head. It was social, and about a minute later I leaned over and said, 'What are you talking about? What sting? What are you doing?'"

Simpson told him "some of his boys had an opportunity to get some of his property back," Galanter testified.

"He said he finally had a lead on some personal items of his that had been stolen from his house in California," Galanter added. "He wanted to know what I thought about it. I told him to call the police."

In testimony that contradicts Simpson's repeated assertion that he was not aware two members of the group involved in the confrontation were carrying guns, Galanter claimed Simpson told him he asked his companions to bring guns.

Simpson testified Wednesday that guns were "never a subject" in conversations leading up to the hotel raid.

Galanter's testimony is an opportunity to defend his role in the case Friday during what is expected to be the final day of testimony. It is not clear when the judge will issue a ruling, but the outcome is part of a process that will determine whether the 65-year-old Simpson spends the rest of his life in prison.

He has already served four years in prison, but must serve nine of the maximum 33-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

During Thursday's proceedings, prosecutors told the judge they want to call a surprise witness. Simpsons' attorneys objected, claiming it was too late to add a witness.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Leon Simon told the Simpson attorneys a woman contacted the DA's office after Simpson testified Wednesday, according to Simpson's defense.  Outside the courtroom, Simon had no comment.

The judge is expected to rule Friday on the prosecution's request.

Simpson did not testify during the criminal trial -- a decision a member of his trial legal team said was a mistake during testimony earlier this week -- but he was on the stand for about six hours Wednesday. Simpson provided his version of events leading up to a confrontation at the Palace Station hotel during which the former Heisman trophy winner and an impromptu posse retrieved sports memorabilia and other items.

Simpson said the items disappeared after his 1995 "trial of the century" acquittal in the slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

After going over witness statements, Galanter said he decided against putting Simpson on the stand.

"It was my opinion that him taking the witness stand would be problematic," said Galanter. "I just seriously thought we'd get crucified. I felt the evidence was overwhelming. I just thought it would be suicide."

Simpson testified he did not want anyone in his group to bring guns. One of the dealers, Bruce Fromong, testified during the original trial that a gun was pointed at him and he was told he would be shot if he did not cooperate.

It's not clear what facets of Simpson's testimony the potential witness would contradict. Simon was to meet with her late Thursday.

On Thursday, Simpson's position was bolstered by Malcolm LaVergne, who joined Simpson's legal team after the conviction to work on the appeal.  LaVergne suggested it might have been appropriate for Galanter to testify for Simpson, describing the advice he gave, rather than representing him.

LaVergne was asked if, in his opinion, Galanter's decisions were affected by a conflict of interest.

"From what I now know, absolutely," LaVergne testified.

As for the items Simpson wanted, a judge eventually ruled that the items should be delivered to Simpson's civil case attorney.

A man was in fair and stable condition after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street in West Park early Friday, authorities said.

The 52-year-old Walter James was trying to cross the northbound lanes of State Road 7 at Southwest 26th Street when he was struck by a vehicle around 5 a.m., according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

The victim wasn't in the crosswalk when he was struck by the car, believed to be a silver Honda that is missing the cover for the driver's side mirror, the BSO said.

Broward Sheriff's Fire Rescue took the man to Memorial Regional Hospital for treatment. The crash caused the northbound lanes of State Road 7 at Hallandale Beach Boulevard to be closed early Friday.

"Oftentimes, it's nothing more than an accident, but by leaving the scene, now you're potentially facing criminal charges for not rendering aid to someone who is hurt," said Keyla Concepcion, sheriff's office spokeswoman.

Authorities are investigating the crash and are asking anyone with information to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

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Eagles starting offensive lineman Evan Mathis has never strayed far from controversy even calling fans "idiots" for wanting former Eagles coach Andy Reid fired.

This time Mathis’ anger was geared towards the Internal Revenue Service.

Per Pro Football Talk:

Like most if not all Americans, Eagles offensive lineman Evan Mathis doesn’t like it.  Unlike most if not all Americans, Mathis has opted to make his views known, in an entertaining way.

“Audit This,” tweeted Mathis as he posted an Instagram photo making it look as if he's urinating on the sign for the IRS’ offices.

In the midst of a federal scandal involving the IRS’ treatment of Tea party and other right-wing non-profit groups Mathis’ photo created plenty of chatter online even getting its own Mashable writeup along with plenty of comments and retweets.

The most interesting aspect of the photo however could be the boot on Mathis’ left leg confirming an earlier CSNPhilly.com report that Mathis would miss the Eagles recent OTAs after ankle surgery.