Washington

Suspect arrested in $400K gold bar scam

Published

2 years ago

November 23, 2024

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

Washington Lottery Mega Millions, Cash Pop results for May 29, 2026

Published

12 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at May 29, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 29 drawing

19-24-47-59-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 29 drawing

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 29 drawing

5-3-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 4 numbers from May 29 drawing

01-20-21-24

Check Match 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Hit 5 numbers from May 29 drawing

09-27-28-29-30

Check Hit 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Keno numbers from May 29 drawing

01-04-08-10-13-18-21-28-30-37-39-41-42-45-50-54-55-75-76-78

Check Keno payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.

To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:

Washington Lottery Headquarters

PO Box 43050

Olympia, WA 98504-3050

For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).

Olympia Headquarters

Everett Regional Office

Federal Way Office

Spokane Department of Imagination

Vancouver Office

Tri-Cities Regional Office

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Washington

As an AI tech-hub, Washington must lead with conscience

Published

22 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

As an AI tech-hub, Washington must lead with conscience

COMMENTARY | From Seattle to Spokane, the state of Washington has been a leader in cutting-edge technology. Today, technological advances focus on artificial intelligence.As president of Gonzaga University, I see firsthand how profoundly AI is reshaping higher education. Students are already using generative AI in classrooms. Faculty are rethinking assessment. Entire industries are recalibrating workforce expectations. The disruption is not theoretical. It is here.

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