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tv   FOX5 News at 530pm  FOX  February 18, 2016 5:30pm-6:00pm PST

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raided accounting office-- but fox5's les krifaton tells us the connection between the raids... and what may have spurred the investigation. this is the home where the fbi conducted one of three raids this morning that the review journal relates to a financial audit of the hoover dam. this home belongs to frederick leavitt one of the people who oversaw the audit. it relates to the end of the current power contract with southern california which september 2017 and the start of the new 50 year contract that begins in october 17. leavitt is the management bureau of reclamation but also holds titles as the accountant the interior and is a director of vestin fund. fbi agents and the hours here from the home. while that was going on raids were taking accounting
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as you can see right now the leavitt house looks quiet. the fbi and other agencies involved in the raid are gone we're learning more tonight about the accounting firm in southwest las vegas that was also buzzing with federal agents today. ll bradford was fined more than 12-thosand dollars last year for repeatedly violating rules, auditing and quality control standards. fox5's ophelia young picks up that part of the story near sunset and durango-- with how the office is linked to the reason for the raid. frederick leavitts residence - the bureau of reclamation - the third place the fbi raided this accounting firm behind me called ll bradford cpa. all day we've asked what connects the three. just a couple
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power authority called me back confirming - ll bradford - where frederick leavitt is a director - was money to conduct hoover dam- which bureau. this morning and afternoon there were a few cop cars parked outside of ll bradford. some fbi agents and police officers brought backpacks to the their offices are. through fox 5's investigation, we've found out frederick, or rick zaffarese leavitt whose home was raided this morning is one of the directors of ll bradford. leavitt is an accountant with the us department of interior. he is also the director of vestin realty mortgage company. that company is located on the second floor of the same building. "do you know if the companies on the second and 3rd floor are connected i believe its goign on on the 3rd floor i dont know what the relation would be to anything on the second floor so you
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floor all the commotion is on the 3rd. as far as i know yes." fox 5 also walked into vestin's office on the 2nd floor - the receptionist had no knowledge of a raid as of early afternoon. though in phone calls to vestin - another employee said they had no comment. so there still questions remaining of whether vestin may be involved in these raids. but what we can confirm so far - one of ll bradford's director is frederick leavitt - and they were given money to audit the hoover dam - the hoover dam is over seen by the bureau of reclamation. what went wrong to spark the raid. - still the biggest question yet. the firm was paid perform the which was to find multi-city completed on time. the audit subcommittee, which leavitt was a part of, included four other people. an investigation is underway after a fire broke out at the same east valley home - not once - but twice within just a few months. .
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theodros joins us live in the news room - with what neighbors had to say about the family that used to live there. one of the victims of november's fire died today. and while we were out in the neighborhood a friend of hers stopped by to visit the home. she told me that the family was quiet and kept to themselves. that description was consistent with what other neighbors were saying: that the family didn't socialize much. back in november this family was pushed to the forefront when their house was intentionally set on fire. also during that incident - two women were burned and bound and a child was left alone. fast forward to february and fire officals are investigating a second fire at the home. they're still in the early phases but say the weather likely played a factor in the extensive damage. tim szymanski: "it was very windy last night so the wind helped to intensify the fire but its still under invstigation. we werent able to determine the exact cause of the fire." people in the area said they've seen lots of cars near that home and multiple neighbors are
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impression that the family was linked to the mexican drug cartel. while metro police would not confirm that information - they told us they have made significant progress in their investigation. we'll be sure to follow up with them as more information becomes available. reporting live in the news room abby theodros fox5 news local las vegas. president obama... is planning a trip to cuba next month. will the visit include a meeting... with fidel castro? this is fox5 news at 5:30, your only choice for live
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people can visit for her "experience, leadership, tenacity," the las vegas sun endorses hillary clinton. just like planned parenthood action fund endorses clinton for her fortitude keeping government out of women's personal healthcare decisions. and the league of conservation voters action fund... for her bold plan to attack climate change. human rights campaign... because hillary believes only love should decide which two people can marry. not just a progressive. a progressive who gets results. i'm hillary clinton,
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weeds. nature's boomerang. at roundup , we know they keep coming back. you never invited this stubborn little rascal to your patio. so, draw the line. one spray of roundup max control 365 kills to the root and keeps weeds away for up to 12 months. because patios should be for cooking out and kicking back. roundup max control 365. draw the line. prevent weeds from coming back for up to one year. february is huge for us. all our handcrafted classic footlongs are just $6 each.
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"sub-mageddon" with an incredible amount of accumulation inside... that now seems... enjoy all our classic footlongs for just $6 each. now at 5:30... culinary union protestors are outside sunrise hospital... calling attention to their healthcare coverage. this is a live look on maryland parkway near desert inn... with crowds of protestors are picketing hospital corporation of america's or hca negotiations... which the union accuses them of using stall tactics. culinary union and bartender union members receive their health insurance
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health fund, which is in a coalition with 13 other trust funds that combined provide for 275,000 members, including firefighters, police, workers, and hotel workers. when president barack obama travels to cuba next month... he'll meet with president raul castro - but not his brother - fidel castro. the president said he would only travel to cuba if he could speak to all kinds of groups - including those that oppose the castro government. despite opening relations in recent months - the white house says the u.s. still has "serious differences" with castro's government. the president will arrive in cuba on march 21-st. las vegas is more than a place to live... it's a brand. coming up... we'll meet the people responsible to
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to the rest of the world. your fox5 weather 24/7 forecast is
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a record 42 million people visited las vegas last year and they don't get here by accident there's a group of people whose sole mission is to find them. fox5's dave hall gives us an inside look at who they are what they do and why they may have the most important job in all of las vegas. music track sin city." a lot of people are city behind these doors are the offices of the las vegas convention and visitor's authority they're in the business of selling business is booming. "it's exciting to be excited brand...
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the world." over 42 million people came to las vegas last year they came here (casino) here (nightclub) here (pool party) and even here (golf course) nice shot! people are flocking to our city in record breaking numbers. "vegas baby vegas!!" "vegas baby." "vegas!!" the numbers are astounding 42 million visitors filling up 150,000 hotel rooms pumping 50 billion dollars into our economy all while supporting over 360,000 local jobs. "it only works cause we all work together... heads in beds that's our #1 priority." rossi ralenkotter is
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he leads a small army of people who plaster the planet with imprints of las vegas tv print digital you name it. their mission is to find 'em get 'em here and keep 'em coming back. they also work hand in hand with the casinos to deliver those "only in vegas" experiences. everything from volcanoes to fountains nightclubs to dayclubs j-lo to the jabbawockeez. "there's no other city in the world who has entertainment like las vegas or the variety... we have more special events in one month than most cities do in a year." chuck bowling is the president and coo of mandalay bay at mgm resorts international he also serves on the 14 member board of the lvcva. in an industry full of billionaires and big egos you better believe the occasional turf war can break out. "do we agree all the time? absolutely not. do we agree mof otime? yes. high tide lifts all boats and that's where we've done a last couple years." one looming fight is over the proposed 1.2 billion dollar stadium on the unlv campus a preliminary plan would seek 780 million in public money to help pay money would be raised thru tourist taxes on hotel rooms car rides. here's where a high stakes "tug of war" could come in some of those taxes are also earmarked
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the current plan money funneled to a new stadium is money taken away from the lvcva and their 2.3 billion dollar plan of expanding and refurbishing the aging las vegas convention center. ralenkotter says he'd love to see a new stadium built but not at the expense of the lvcva. "we need to have the revenue streams that we currently have as well as into the future... so we can continue to do what we were designed to do and that's to fill rooms in the destination." bowling agrees especially at a time when other cities like seattle and chicago are pouring billions into their convention business. "they have one goal and that goal is to steal share from las vegas. we need to take that threat seriously." however this tax dollar "tug of war" plays out the lvcva is bullish on the future of las vegas. diversity is the key it's not just about blackjack and slot machines anymore las vegas is growing into a big boy city. "we're hosting the
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the last debate before the election. it's 7th game of the world series... it says that business does get done in our city." and if all goes according to plan a lot more people conducting a lot more business. chuck bowling sees a day when las vegas hits a new record 50 million visitors. "our biggest opportunity for growth is midweek... we have a lot of events on the weekends. the key piece for the community to know is growing mid week convention business. it's the fastest way to 50 million people." the stadium funding issue is expected to be brought up at next month's southern nevada tourism infrastructure committee meeting... the committee is expected to file its recommendations to governor 31st. 24/7, with chief meterologist ted pretty gusts drop down to around the 20 mph range with clearing skies as we head
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we'll see afternoon southwest breezes again on friday, but just to around 10-20 mph for a few hours. we'll see a high of 70 degrees on friday. for the weekend we'll see sunny skies with highs at 72 on saturday, then 76 on sunday. into next week we continue to see sunny skies with warmer highs into the upper-70s. average high for next week is 65 degrees. gusts drop down to around the 20 mph skies as we head into the overnight. we'll see afternoon
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mph for a few hours. we'll see a high of 70 degrees on friday. for the weekend we'll see sunny skies with highs at 72 on saturday, then 76 on week we continue to see sunny skies with warmer highs into the upper-70s. average high for next week is 65 degrees. closed captioning will resume shortly a metro k-9....
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road to recovery. we'll catch up with police dog degrees.
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a metro k-9.... continues on his road to recovery. we'll catch up with police dog named "nicky"... who paid a visit to fox five today... after being hurt on the job. and - they fought for our rights, now its time to fight for theirs. tomorrow on fox5 news this morning, we'll tell you about a v-a benefit that many senior veterans and their families may not know they qualify for and how they can get
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(scal): good day, m'lady! i am sir-can-a-lot, here to save you from another breakfast bore. wake up those eggs with glorious spam!
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veated as the house across the street has sat empty for over six years. i've watched good friends have their homes foreclosed on. people are still really suffering, and they're looking for somebody that is going to create bold change. wall street gave bad advice and bad loans over and over agn,d nothing happened. people are so excited about bernie sanders because they know that he's not beholden to wall street. we need someone like bernie sanders that's going to fight for the middle class. we have to fix things now. sanders: i'm bernie sanders,
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here's a look at some of the 'all new' stories we are working for fox5 news at six. las vegas sands c-e-o sheldon adelson is being called back into court.. why a judge said today he has to face hours of questioning. and caught on camera.. a tour chopper in hawaii loses lift .. and crashes into the ocean. details on the life saving efforts of shocked tourists. and we get our first look inside the new ikea being built in the southwest valley. a metro k-9 who was attacked with a machete one week ago... pa "i haven't seen a change at all in him. if anything he's just wound up, want to burn off some energy and get back to work. " the k-9... named nicky was trying to take a suspect into custody...
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attacked the k-9 with a machete. the dog was rushed into surgery - with at least five major wounds - and is recovering quickly "he's a great police dog. he does an exceptional job for us. he finds a lot of suspects that we're looking for and he's protected me on numerous occasions so he's a great police dog. " metro says it's the worst injury that one of their k-9's has encountered while on the job... but officers expect nicky to return to work - as soon as he is cleared by his doctor. nicky and sgt. kerns appeared on fox five's behind the badge this morning. you can watch the segment online at fox five vegas dot com. thanks for joining us..
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they're one of the wall street banks that triggered the financial meltdown -- goldman sachs. just settled with authorities for their part in the crisis that put seven million out of work and millions out of their homes. how does wall street get away with it? millions in campaign contributions and speaking fees. our economy works for wall street because it's rigged by w wl street. and that's the problem. as long as washington is bought and paid for, we can't build an economy that works for people.
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live in las vegas fox5 news at 6 starts now. three locations .. three fbi raids .. all at the same time. what the feds might be connecting between a local office building.. a home .. and a government office. three months after a fire at this home killed a man .. a woman also injured in that fire dies shortly before the home goes up in flames .. again. why frightened neighbors say it's all connected by crime. terrified people on shore watch as a helicopter full of tourists falls form the sky! what those people did next that saved lives. this is fox5 news at 6. local. las vegas more than a decade ago, you operation g-sting was the talk of our town.. and tonight, all of boulder city is talking about a
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also involved locations in las vegas and henderson. i'm john huck. i'm christine maddela. this morning, the fbi's public corruption squad, the irs and the department of interior's office of inspector general's office simultaneously converged on three local targets. an office building on sunset near durango.... a home in henderson off college and us- 95... and the department of interior's bureau of reclamation office in boulder city. we have team coverage with fox5's les krifaton and ophelia young... to explain the connection between the three locations-- and the reason why investigators were there. we begin with les in henderson. this is the home of the financial management director of the bureau of reclamation. law enforcement including the fbi and the internal revenue service raided this home looking for evidence into what may relate to an audit involving the

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