Morning Updates: Gloucester’s Opiate Crisis, ‘inside Job’ Art Theft, And What Bin Laden Read

A Golden man was sentenced to five years in federal prison this month for masterminding a $300 million, nationwide telemarketing scheme peddling fake magazine subscriptions. Henry Aragon, 54, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and tax evasion in July 2022 in connection with the scam that targeted more than 150,000 people, including older adults and others vulnerable to fraud, according to federal prosecutors and court records. Aragon and co-defendants operated dozens of fraudulent magazine sales companies across the United States and Canada that duped victims into making large and ongoing payments for magazines, prosecutors said in a news release. While claiming to offer customers a discount on their subscriptions, the companies had no relationship with the magazines. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Denver couple sentenced to prison, $20 million in fines for wire fraud Crime and Public Safety | UCHealth to pay $23 million to settle federal lawsuit over billing fraud allegations Crime and Public Safety | Denver police officer arrested on suspicion of attempting to influence a public servant, insurance fraud Crime and Public Safety | Potential voter, ballot fraud under investigation in Denver, Adams County Crime and Public Safety | Denver judge weighs fallout of passwords leak as Secretary of State Jena Griswold promises investigation That didn’t stop Aragon and others from collecting more than $19 million from thousands of victims, some of whom were burdened with several phony subscriptions at once. Aragon also avoided paying taxes on his earnings from the scheme. “By evading his tax liability, Aragon unfairly shifted the tax burden to honest American taxpayers to fund vital services such as education and infrastructure,” Tom Demeo of the IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office said in the release. In addition to his federal prison term, Aragon will serve two years of supervised release and will be required to pay $19,051,667 in restitution to his victims and $1,490,011 to the IRS. Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

By PHILIP MARCELO NEW YORK — New York City politicians are calling on Whoopi Goldberg to apologize for suggesting on air that a local bakery had declined to make “The View” co-host a batch of desserts for her birthday because of her political beliefs. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella was among the local leaders and supporters who joined Holtermann’s Bakery owner Jill Holtermann at a news conference Friday in front of the 145-year-old institution in the city borough of Staten Island. The Republican said the actor and comedian had “besmirched and defamed” the bakery by “making stuff up to suit their needs.” “Not everybody wakes up everyday thinking about politics,” he said.

NEW ORLEANS — The first two weeks of Dario Saric’s new chapter didn’t go the way he or the Nuggets envisioned. But Michael Malone wanted him to know the book wasn’t closed. “We’re playing really well right now,” Denver’s 10th-year coach told his new backup center in one of their recent conversations while Saric was out of the rotation.

A drunken driver who careened into a mother and her teenage son outside of Broomfield High School last year, killing both, has pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide. Jose Menjivar, 38, faced charges four times for alcohol-related driving offenses in Boulder County prior to the December 2023 crash, in which he struck the vehicle of Melissa and Riordan Powell.

A motorcyclist died early Saturday morning after crashing near the ramp in south Denver connecting southbound Interstate 225 to southbound Interstate 25. Related Articles Crashes and Disasters | Man pleads guilty in DUI crash that killed two near Broomfield school Crashes and Disasters | Colorado School of Mines professor charged with homicide, assault in crash that killed Golden police officer Crashes and Disasters | Colorado State Patrol trooper struck, injured by suspected drunken driver in El Paso County Crashes and Disasters | Judge dismisses fatal I-70 crash case over Jeffco DA’s discovery violations Crashes and Disasters | Memorial service announced for Golden police officer killed in suspected DUI crash Denver police announced the crash on social media at 2:54 a.m., saying the motorcyclist was seriously injured and warning drivers in the area to expect delays. Four and a half hours later, police reported that the motorcyclist had been pronounced dead at the scene. I-25 and I-225 were open at the junction as of 9:45 a.m., according to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s statewide road conditions map. Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

By BILL BARROW and JOEY CAPPELLETTI ATLANTA — Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party’s prodigious fundraising operation raised more than $1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump, but the vice president is still pushing donors for more money after the election. Democrats are sending persistent appeals to Harris supporters without expressly asking them to cover any potential debts, enticing would-be donors instead with other matters: the Republican president-elect’s picks for his upcoming administration and a handful of pending congressional contests where ballots are still being tallied. “The Harris campaign certainly spent more than they raised and is now busy trying to fundraise,” said Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist from Michigan.