How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threatMan wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE What changes if Big Cypress National Preserve becomes a Wilderness Area? America’s first nationally designated preserve is in Southwest Florida’s backyard, and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Method to treat IBD being used for other health issues Trying to get treatments for the brain when fighting neurological diseases like epilepsy and ALS is a challenge.
MGN MIAMI (AP) – A former executive at TD Bank pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal conspiracy charge for providing false assurances to investors who put their money in ex-lawyer Scott Rothstein’s $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme. Frank Spinosa, a former bank regional vice president, pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to wire fraud conspiracy after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. Spinosa, 54, faces a maximum of five years in prison and $250,000 fine when he is sentenced Dec. 18. Spinosa is the last of more than two dozen people who have been charged and convicted so far in the Rothstein scam, which collapsed five years ago. In addition, TD Bank earlier this year paid a $67 million civil judgment to a group of Texas investors who sued the bank. Prosecutor Lawrence LaVecchio said Rothstein had 38 accounts at TD Bank that he used in the fraud scheme, which lured investors with promises of fat profits from supposedly confidential legal settlements. Investors were told the plaintiffs were willing to accept a lower lump sum in return for signing over the larger settlements that would be paid in installments to investors. In reality, there were no plaintiffs and no settlements. Spinosa’s role in the scheme was to sign so-called “lock letters” assuring investors that their money was safe in TD Bank accounts and that no one else could have access to the cash. In fact, LaVecchio said, Rothstein was using the money to pay previous investors in classic Ponzi scheme fashion or to finance his lavish lifestyle. “The defendant knew the unlawful purpose of the plan and willfully joined in,” LaVecchio told U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom. “Spinosa was aware that this letter contained false and fraudulent representations.” Defense attorney Sam Rabin said Spinosa was unaware Rothstein was running a Ponzi scheme but did know the lock letter that led to his guilty plea was false. Rothstein later forged Spinosa’s signature on other letters without his knowledge, Rabin said. According to court documents, Spinosa did not have authority on his own to issue such letters and knew TD Bank had a more elaborate approval policy. “Mr. Spinosa does accept responsibility for issuing the letter he did and not placing sufficient controls on the account,” Rabin said. Spinosa’s guilty plea came less than two weeks before his scheduled trial, in which he would have faced six fraud charges and potentially a much longer prison sentence. The remaining five charges will be dismissed as part of the plea deal. It’s unclear whether anyone else will be charged in the Rothstein case, which also led to the collapse of the once high-flying Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm in Fort Lauderdale. Rothstein is serving a 50-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to several charges.