Miami, FL
FBI Miami investigates remote freelance IT workers using laptop farms
MIAMI – The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating a case related to a network of remote freelance IT workers who are defying U.S. sanctions.
According to Bryan Vorndran, the assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, North Korean agents are pretending to be based in the U.S. “to generate revenue.”
According to Devin DeBacker, a supervisory official of the Justice Department’s national security division, the revenue funds even “weapons programs.”
Federal prosecutors released statements by Vorndran and DeBacker with a 27-page indictment Thursday accusing five of participating in the scheme.
Two of the five are from North Korea, one is from Mexico, and two are from the United States. According to prosecutors, at least 64 U.S. companies, including a Miami-based cruise line and a staffing agency in Fort Lauderdale, fell for their scheme.
The two defendants from North Korea, Jin Sung-Il and Pak Jin-Song, allegedly used fake identifications and laundered the earnings through a Chinese bank account.
The two from the U.S., Erick Ntekereze and Emanuel Ashtor, allegedly received laptops from U.S. employers and installed remote access software on them.
The FBI raided Ashtor’s North Carolina home and accused him of operating a “laptop farm” that hosted victim company-provided laptops, according to the indictment.
Ashtor, formerly of New York, also co-owned Vali Tech, a staffing agency registered in Florida. Ntekereze, of New York, owned Taggcar, a staffing agency registered in Delaware.
Pedro Ernesto Alonso De Los Reyes, the Mexican defendant, allegedly allowed the North Koreans to use his identity. He was living in Sweden and was arrested on Jan. 10 in the Netherlands.
The two North Koreans, Alonso, Ntekereze, and Ashtor are facing charges of conspiracy to cause damage to a protected computer, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to transfer false identification documents.
The two North Koreans living in China are also facing charges of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The U.S. Treasury warned about the fraudulent scheme in 2022 reporting that it involved forced labor and human trafficking.
To submit a tip about this or other similar schemes, visit this page and submit a form.
Two North Korean nationals, Jin Sung-Il and Pak Jin-Song, were indicted for illegally obtaining remote information technology work with U.S. companies. With co-conspirators, they generated over $860,000 in illegal revenue for the North Korean government: https://t.co/PEzFOf1wTR pic.twitter.com/Uqj5nsQRcN
— FBI (@FBI) January 23, 2025
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
Miami, FL
Jeff Hafley suggests Miami Dolphins entertain Malik Willis Tush Push
Jeff Hafley: Miami Dolphins players, coaches must lead in 2026 season
Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley speaks to the media on May 27, 2026, during team OTAs.
MIAMI GARDENS ― The Miami Dolphins held a third and final mandatory minicamp practice on Thursday, June 4, at the Baptist Health Training Complex.
The Dolphins plan a practice open to media next Tuesday, June 9 and soon after the entire NFL will shut down for summer break for about five to six weeks.
Get ready to enjoy the World Cup.
Here is some of what we saw at mandatory minicamp practice three:
*Coach Jeff Hafley said offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and wide receiver Caleb Douglas escaped serious injury at a recent practice.
*Hafley said he believes in the value of immediate correction on the field. Some coaches want to just keep moving practice along and wait for film review.
*Hafley suggested Dolphins might need to look into value of Tush Push and Malik Willis.
^Malik Willis completed passes underneath to Greg Dulcich and Malik Washington, a consistent theme.
*Ben Sims could not complete the catch on a pass from Quinn Ewers into the end zone.
*Cam Miller overthrew a potential touchdown near a front pylon of an end zone.
*Malik Willis ripped the throw on a touchdown over the middle to Theo Wease.
*Kevin Coleman looked slippery after a short completion from Quinn Ewers.
*Terrace Marshall skied high to catch a touchdown from Quinn Ewers.
*Miami focused heavily on red zone work and the offense performed quite well.
*Safety Louis Moore had a pass breakup in the red zone.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
Miami, FL
Patients left scrambling for care after Miami-Dade woman accused of operating an unlicensed surgery recovery center
A 38-year-old woman is behind bars after authorities say she operated an unlicensed plastic surgery recovery center out of an Airbnb in southwest Miami-Dade County, leaving several patients scrambling for care after her arrest.
Kerri Smith faces charges of operating an assisted living facility without a license and an organized scheme to defraud. Investigators say she collected more than $200,000 from clients seeking post-surgical care. Her arrest disrupted the recoveries of at least six women who were staying at the home after undergoing cosmetic procedures.
“I’m really disappointed. Extremely disappointed,” said Janell Dunn, one of the patients who traveled from Orlando for surgery and aftercare.
Dunn said that during her five-day stay, she saw about 12 women cycle through the property. She described chaos unfolding when deputies arrived to arrest a caretaker. “We were all looking at each other like, ‘What are we going to do now?’” Dunn said.
Authorities allege the operation was unsafe and poorly managed. In court, a prosecutor cited complaints of overcrowding, bug infestations, rodents, and improper handling of medical waste.
Despite those allegations, Smith told a judge she had been working to bring the business into compliance, stating, “I got educated. Hired a consultant.”
Patients, however, say they were left with little warning to find new accommodations after paying thousands of dollars for post-operative care. Dunn said she struggled physically in the aftermath, forced to move and lift items despite being in the early stages of recovery.
“I’ve been pushing, pulling, tugging, doing things I shouldn’t be doing at this point,” she said.
Some women booked hotel rooms after being forced out. Tonita Caban, a woman with experience caring for post-surgery patients, took in Dunn. Caban said she couldn’t turn Dunn away after hearing her story through a social media group for post-op patients. She calls Dunn an “angel”.
“And you’re here with me, and you’ll always be my little sister,” Caban told her. “Someone you can count on.” Caban said she is not charging Dunn for her stay, acknowledging the money she already lost to Smith’s now-shuttered operation.
Smith remained in custody at TGK on Wednesday evening.
Miami, FL
This new Italian restaurant in Brickell only has 10 items on the menu
In a city where menus can read like novellas and cocktails arrive with enough smoke, sparks and theatrics to qualify as performance art, a new Brickell restaurant is taking the opposite approach and betting that fewer choices might actually make dinner better.
At Allegro Ma Non Troppo, a new 38-seat Italian restaurant that recently opened at 1000 South Miami Avenue, you’ll find exactly 10 food items on the menu. Not 10 sections. Not 10 pages. Just 10 dishes, period.
The concept comes from a group of longtime restaurant industry colleagues who wanted to create something that feels more like an Italian grandmother’s dining room than a typical Miami restaurant. There are no reservations, no phone number and no sprawling menu. Instead, guests simply show up, grab a table and eat what the kitchen does best.
The menu follows a simple formula: four appetizers, three mains, two sides and one dessert. Among the highlights are a Caesar salad made using Caesar Cardini’s original 1924 dressing recipe from Tijuana, a Wagyu bolognese “lazy lasagna” layered with Italian sausage and slow-cooked ragù, a free-range chicken cotoletta alla Milanese and a whole branzino prepared with little more than olive oil, lemon and rosemary. And then, of course, there’s the shareable dessert course. Every main course is cooked in the restaurant’s single oven and there are no fryers anywhere in sight.
What makes Allegro Ma Non Troppo particularly personal is the story behind it. The restaurant serves as a tribute to co-owner Carlos Galan’s mother, who died earlier this year at age 102. Many of her belongings now decorate the space, helping the restaurant feel more like a family home than a polished dining concept.
“The goal was never to create a perfect luxury restaurant,” Galan said. “It was to create a place where people feel genuinely welcomed, nourished, and emotionally connected the moment they walk through the door.”
Co-owner Vanessa Velez says the team hopes diners remember more than just what was on their plates. “We always want to touch the customer emotionally, because when you touch someone’s emotions, you leave a mark,” she said. “Our goal is to leave a lasting imprint on our guests’ hearts.”
Whether the 10-item menu becomes Miami’s next dining obsession remains to be seen. But in a neighborhood packed with restaurants competing to do more, Allegro Ma Non Troppo is making a compelling case for doing less.
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