Agents find $1.1m in safe of Lionel Richies Wife

Agents find $1.1m in Richie safe
Posted Fri, 19 Nov 2004

Agents probing Lionel Richie's wife for allegedly turning her bathroom into an illegal cosmetic surgery found syringes and $1.1-million in cash in her safe deposit box, a court heard on Thursday.

The money was found on Wednesday along with jewels and syringes filled with a transparent substance that is believed to be an anti-wrinkle drug, during a search of a box on which Diane Richie was the primary signatory.

The estranged wife of the Grammy-winning singer was arrested on Monday and accused of aiding and abetting her boyfriend Daniel Tomas Fuente by allowing him to inject patients with anti-wrinkle drugs in the bathroom of her home.

Prosecutor Joseph Johns told US Magistrate Judge Rosalyn Chapman both Richie, who is free on $25 000 bail, and Serrano, who is behind bars, had access to the deposit box in which the haul was found.

Agents found another $100 000 in cash in a separate deposit box that belonged only to Serrano, while a search of his car turned up two red appointment books and several used and unused syringes, the prosecutor said.

The findings emerged at a court hearing in Los Angeles at which Judge Chapman denied Argentine doctor Serrano bail and ordered him held in custody on the grounds he may flee the United States if freed on bond.

Playing doctor-doctor

Authorities allege that Serrano, who went by the name of Dr. Daniel, charged thousands of dollars to inject clients with anti-ageing solutions even though he was not licensed to practise medicine in California.

In addition, Serrano — who is qualified as a doctor in his native country — administered patients an anti-wrinkle drug that was not approved by US drug regulators, prosecutors claim.

He allegedly used either Artecoll, a collagen solution distributed by a Dutch company, or Metacrill, a similar but cheaper substance made by a Brazilian company, court papers said.

Among Serrano's celebrity patients was Lionel Richie, who told investigators he paid between $600 and $700 to be treated, and Shawn King, the wife of US talk show host Larry King.

Both Lionel Richie and King told investigators they were unaware Serrano was not a licensed doctor in California.

In court papers, King claimed to have developed complications from the injections, including a lump that appeared on her lip that makes it difficult for her to drink or pronounce words.

Fellow Beverly Hills resident Ellen Levinthal developed "holes" in her face after receiving injections, according to an affidavit.

If I was Buck I woulda stabbed yo dumb ass too.

Police Seeking G-Unit Rapper Young Buck: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - Only in the rap game could an artist win an award and get accused of a felony on the same night.

The top-selling rapper Young Buck was being sought by police Tuesday for allegedly stabbing a man who punched hip-hop legend Dr. Dre at the Vibe awards. Buck is signed to Dr. Dre's record label as part of the G-Unit clique, which was named best group by the music magazine.

Buck fled the Santa Monica airport hangar where the awards show was being taped Monday night, police Lt. Frank Fabrega said in a statement. A warrant was being prepared alleging assault with a deadly weapon.

The incident was sparked as Snoop Dogg and Vibe founder Quincy Jones were about to give Dre a lifetime achievement award. A man later identified as Jimmy James Johnson approached Dre, who was seated at a table in front of the stage, and appeared to ask for an autograph before punching the veteran hitmaker, police said.

People began shoving, chairs were thrown, punches flew, people got chased. Some in the audience of about 1,000 scurried for the exits. Alicia Keys, the night's top winner with awards for artist of the year and best R&B song, was among those who fled.

Johnson was dragged away by security staff, but then suffered a serious stab wound when he was attacked by a number of people, including Buck, whose real name is David Darnell Brown, according to police.

'Brown is clearly depicted (on videotape) as holding a knife after the assault and is one of a number of fight participants that was pepper-sprayed by officers in their attempt to stop this fight,' Police Chief James Butts told a news conference. 'We're asking Mr. David Darnell Brown to surrender himself to police.'

Johnson, 26, was in stable condition at a hospital.

'It is unfortunate that an event so many people worked very hard to create has been tainted by the actions of a few individuals,' Kenard Gibbs, president of Vibe, said in a statement."

Why Companies Split Stock

Ameritrade eNews: Why Companies Split Stock
By Motley Fool Staff

Stock splits get many investors all excited, but in many ways they're really non-events. One reason companies split shares is so that the price will remain psychologically appealing. Reducing a stock's price makes some investors think (incorrectly) that it's a better value.

Sometimes, not splitting would mean that few people could afford even a single share. If, in its 80-odd-year history as a public company, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) had never once split its stock, one share would be priced at well more than $200,000 today. Not too many people could afford even a single share. In fact, Coke has split so many times in its history that if you had bought just one share when it went public in 1919, you'd have more than 4,600 shares today.

Some companies split their stock fairly frequently, while it's a rare event for others. It largely depends on how rapidly the stock price is rising. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) has never split its stock. Accordingly, an original share of Berkshire stock was trading for around $93,000 at the time of this writing. (Buffett did spin off a lower-priced class of shares at one point, though -- called Class B shares and sporting the ticker symbol BRK.B -- to help investors of more modest means buy in.)

With stocks, just as with any purchase, examine what you're getting for the price. Study the company and compare the stock price to other numbers, such as earnings or better yet, cash flow. A low price might be inviting, but a $200 stock can be a better bargain than a $20 stock -- and can be an even better buy than a $2 stock. Remember -- a $200 stock can become a $400 stock, while a $2 stock isn't so unlikely to fall to $0.02 per share. If your funds are limited, you can just buy fewer shares of the company.

It's always fun to suddenly own more shares, but splits are like getting four quarters for a dollar. They're not cause for celebration."

History Repeats itself all the time.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An error with an electronic voting system gave President Bush (news - web sites) 3,893 extra votes in suburban Columbus, elections officials said. Franklin County's unofficial results had Bush receiving 4,258 votes to Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites)'s 260 votes in a precinct in Gahanna. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct. Bush's total should have been recorded as 365.

Should we be surprised? Not untill the media starts jumping on it.

Big UP To John Kerry

Well what can I say. It was a very good fight but Kerry has lost the
election.. People turned out in droves to vote and Bush still came out
on top.. I guess I shouldnt be surprised with all the Bush dick riders
out there. I just dont think people wanted to give Kerry a chance.. I
did vote for Kerry because I just dont like Bush I didnt vote him in
and I wanted my chance to vote him out.. While there was some good
measures on the ballot like Stem Cell research and 3 strikes law, I
think it was more then just voting for Pres.
So while we prepare for another 4 years of Bush-ism I am already
prepared for the next election..

Hillary Clinton for President in 2008

HOW TO UNLOCK YOUR CAR BY PHONE

HOW TO UNLOCK YOUR CAR BY PHONE This only applies to cars that can be
unlocked by that remote button on your key ring. Should you lock your keys
in the car and the spare keys are home, and you don't have "OnStar,"
here's your answer to the problem! If someone has access to the spare
remote key at your home, call them on your cell phone (or borrow one from
someone if the cell phone is locked in the car too!) Hold your (or
anyone's) cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the other
person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the phone.
Your car will unlock...and it works. Saves someone from having to drive
your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles
away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your
car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk, or have the "horn" signal go
off, or whatever!)