Washington
Suspect arrested in $400K gold bar scam
Police arrested a man suspected of taking a Bethesda, Maryland, couple for $400,000 in a gold bar scam.
A text message reading “Contact us about an unauthorized charge on your Apple account” led the couple down a scam rabbit hole, police said. They were led to believe they were talking by phone to real Apple employees and eventually, according to police, they spoke with 23-year-old Yongxian Huang, who allegedly pretended to be an employee of the Federal Trade Commission.
The couple was told their money had been compromised by criminals and needed to be converted to gold and put into government safekeeping to keep it from being used to make child pornography and purchase missiles for Russia, police said.
They were convinced to give two purchases of gold bars worth more than $367,000, as well as a wire transfer of more than $41,000, investigators said.
“If you get these messages, you are not required to answer the phone,” Montgomery County Police Detective Sean Petty said. “You aren’t required to click that message and give your information away.”
With the victims’ help, detectives coordinated a final drop of $81,000 in gold bars on Nov. 14. Huang accepted the package from a detective pretending to be the female victim, police said.
Investigators followed him up Interstate 95 to his home in Brooklyn, New York, where New York Police Department detectives arrested him.
He awaits extradition to Maryland, as does 26-year-old Yash Shah, arrested this week in Baldwin, New York.
Shah’s accused of scamming an 88-year-old Montgomery County woman and her 61-year-old daughter out of $2.3 million in a similar scheme in 2023.
Recovery is almost impossible.
The fact this keeps happening despite extensive news coverage means families should consider it a table topic when they get together for the holidays, Petty said.
“This can easily be a 5, 10-minute conversation just checking in with your loved ones, your aging individuals, making sure that they’re not getting these phone calls, these text messages, and responding positively to them,” he said.
Montgomery County police worked with the Baltimore Field Office of the FBI on this case.
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Washington
The American story projected on the Washington Monument came from North Texas
Steve Deitz walks with the energy of a coach; however, he does not hide that he and his team are digital nerds and storytellers who specialize in large-scale visual content and software development. More specifically, the 48-year-old makes a living creating the wow factor at his agency, “900lbs.”
“We started the company working for the Dallas Mavericks, telling large-scale visual content on the Jumbotron, and next thing you know, Activision, Blizzard calls,” he said. “We get to work in the Perot Museum on the biggest exhibit in the museum, and then fast-forward another 12 years, and here we are now.”
His current project is wrapping up in the nation’s capital — sorta. Since Dec.31, projections of America’s story have been given to his agency.
“We’re telling the story of the 250-year birthday of America in the biggest way possible on the facade of the Washington Monument on all four sides,” Deitz said.
He said they started testing out the results a couple of nights before New Year’s Eve. Scenes from Thomas Edison’s light bulb, the Empire State Building, the Model T Ford, and the Industrial Revolution, to name a few, are projected onto the Washington Monument.
Deitz gives his team a ton of credit from the moment he received the call about the project. He also thinks back to the times when he was an athlete who loved to draw in Merkel, Texas. The kid who dared to dream beyond the city limits and outside of the box. The CEO is giving advice to that child who may need a little inspiration.
“Hard work, perseverance, dedication, surround yourself with a team of brilliant people that are way smarter than you, and do the best you possibly can,” he said.
Deitz said there is a likelihood his team’s creations will return to the nation’s capital this year.
Washington
Tracking crime in the DMV: Some areas see drop in violent crime, homicide
It is not the way any homicide squad wants to start an already busy new year.
Prince George’s County police Sunday were trying to figure out who was found dead in a car behind a strip center overnight and why. Police, who responded after a call about gun shots, told News4 they’re still searching for the most basic details.
It comes just a day after three people were shot and killed at a Temple Hills banquet hall early Saturday morning. Police told News4 that investigation is active and showing signs of promise.
But the busy start somewhat hides the bigger picture about crime in the area.
Despite the tough start to 2026, homicide in Prince George’s County was down 40% in 2025 percent compared to 2024, and violent crime on a whole was down 19%, both through mid-December according to Prince George’s County police.
In D.C. is a similar story.
“Now we have no crime in Washington, DC. We have no killing,” said President Donald Trump Saturday during a news conference about action in Venezuela.
While the crime rate is not nearly as good as Trump has repeatedly said, the District recorded five homicides in December and 126 in all of 2025. That’s down 32% over 2024. Violent crime is down 29%, according to D.C .police crime statistics.
In Fairfax, homicide is down 14% — but the county only had 12 total — and violent crime dropped 4%, according to the county’s online reporting.
Washington
Commanders vs. Eagles | How to watch, listen and live stream
Mariota, who is dealing with a cut on his throwing hand and a quad injury, was considered doubtful to play in Week 18, Quinn said earlier in the week, and has not practiced since sustaining his injuries. Josh Johnson is set to make his second start to close out the Commanders’ season.
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