Cash

NEW YORK - A gang of cyber-criminals stole $45 million in a matter of hours by hacking their way into a database of prepaid debit cards and then fanning out around the globe to drain cash machines, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch called it "a massive 21st-century bank heist" and compared its size to the Lufthansa heist in the late 1970s immortalized in the film Goodfellas . Lynch said the fraudsters had moved with astounding speed to loot financial institutions around the world.

Powerball's latest jackpot is worth $320 million, big enough to make the list of the 15 biggest annuity prizes ever in the United States. The cash jackpot of $198.3 million even makes the Top 10. For the numbers drawn Wednesday night and more, see " Powerball jackpot 4th biggest ever . " 2012 was the most jackpot-crazy year ever, producing the biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever, the biggest Powerball jackpot ever, and two more Powerball...

What's more unfashionable than paying in cash? Not much. But the advantages in many situations outweigh the hassle of counting your change. Not for convenience. In an age when some banks let you pick your own photo or logo to put on your credit card, some people see using cash as a throwback, says this article at Investopedia.com. Indeed, it says, the convenience of plastic is not what you're after when you choose to use green-backs. Still, if overspending is your problem, paying cash is one of the few ways to to finish a month without having increased your debt load.

The cash was bundled in rubber bands and stuffed in two plastic bags found in the backpack of a 75-year-old man who dropped dead after stepping off a train in Manhattan's busy Pennsylvania Station one day last summer. Ten months later, authorities are still trying to unravel the mystery of the money - $179,980 - and the hapless courier, one William "Billy" Coyman, a retired Teamster with a checkered criminal past that included ties to the mob and the drug underworld. Federal authorities, who have seized the cash, are not saying much about the case.

BOGOTA, Colombia - Forget bulk cash. Heavy and hard to hide, it's not the most convenient cross-border conveyance for a 21st-century money launderer. An increasingly attractive alternative for today's criminal is electronic cash loaded on what are called stored-value or prepaid cards. Getting them doesn't require a bank account, and many types can be used anonymously. U.S. crimefighters consider the cards a burgeoning threat that regulators haven't adequately addressed. In the past year, said John Tobon, a senior U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, the cards have become the preferred means of paying couriers who transport illicit drugs across the U.S. No one knows how big a role the cards play in moving the more than $20 billion in drug earnings that U.S. authorities estimate crosses from the U.S. to Mexico annually.

Gunmen broke into a home in the Northeast section on Sunday and fled on foot with an amount of money that may have been close to $30,000, according to initial reports from Philadelphia Police radio. Details were scant as police began an investigation. Also taken from the house was a handgun, according to reports. On entering the house, one of the suspects was armed with a handgun. The invaders fled on foot and headed into an alley behind the home. Police were looking for five males, 18 to 20 years old, in connection with the home invasion.

Powerball's already giant jackpot just got richer, enough to leapfrog the old cash record, just set in this year. The new fortune up for grabs on Wednesday night: $320 million for the annuity (up $15 million from Monday), $213.3 for the cash (up $10 million). Not because of a drawing. Because of soaring sales. It also helps that the competition, Mega Millions, is offering a relatively puny $36 million, $27 million cash, for tonight's drawing. The only larger Powerball annuity in the last six years was $336.4 million in February.

The biggest cash prize in U.S. lottery history was awarded today to Louisa White, 81, of Newport, R.I. The advertised annuity - $336.4 million - was staggering, but not a record-setter. Five annuities were bigger, including two in Powerball. But the $210 million cash prize beats all the competition, topping a record set in March 2011 by a New York winner in Mega Millions. Mega Millions has produced two bigger cash jackpots, but each was split. The corresponding cash has been higher in recent years because of low interest rates.

Powerball's already giant jackpot just got richer, enough to leapfrog the old cash record, set this year. The new fortune up for grabs Wednesday: $320 million for the annuity (up $15 million from Monday), $213.3 for the cash (up $10 million). The only larger Powerball annuity in the last six years was $336.4 million in February. A Rhode Island woman who had the single winning ticket instead took the game's new record for cash: $210 million. Less taxes, of course. If this one rolls over, expect a new Powerball record, possibly shattering the $365 million annuity hit by eight Nebraska food-plant workers in February 2006.

Police are investigating a home invasion robbery in Mayfair today during which the thieves made off with cash, a diamond tennis bracelet and a pistol. Police said a 31-year-old man opened the door to his home about 10:20 a.m. to find an acquaintance who apparently had been beaten accompanied by three other men who were masked and armed. The homeowner's 4-year-old daughter and 11-month-old son also were in the house on the 3400 block of Friendship Street in Mayfair, police said.

WASHINGTON - How do you raise $1.9 million in three months? If you're Newark Mayor Cory Booker, you tap into a network of admirers that includes some of Hollywood's biggest producers, media moguls, and name-brand developers. Then you bring in Wolfgang Puck to cook. Ron Howard gave $5,000 to the Democrat's burgeoning 2014 Senate campaign. So did Rob Reiner. Executives from Disney and Warner Brothers donated. Ivanka Trump and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg contributed $5,200 apiece.

NEW YORK - A gang of cyber-criminals stole $45 million in a matter of hours by hacking their way into a database of prepaid debit cards and then fanning out around the globe to drain cash machines, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch called it "a massive 21st-century bank heist" and compared its size to the Lufthansa heist in the late 1970s immortalized in the film Goodfellas . Lynch said the fraudsters had moved with astounding speed to loot financial institutions around the world.

On Monday, the New York Times revealed that the CIA has been funneling tens of millions of dollars to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The monthly cash payments were meant to buy the mercurial leader's loyalty. But, according to the Times, the Langley-approved gravy train did more to fuel corruption in Afghanistan than anything else - the very corruption the U.S. government has been crusading against. None of this should be surprising. The CIA has a long history of showering cash on friendly heads of state.

KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai said Monday that his national security team has been receiving payments from the U.S. government for 10 years. Karzai confirmed the payments when he was asked about an article published in the New York Times saying the CIA had given the Afghan National Security Council tens of millions of dollars in monthly payments delivered in suitcases, backpacks, and plastic shopping bags. During a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, where he was on an official visit, Karzai said the welcome monthly payments were not a "big amount" but were a "small amount," although he did not disclose the sums.

Citing a $304 million shortfall, the Philadelphia School District announced Thursday that it would recommend against expanding any charter schools in 2013-14. "Given our dire financial prospects, we must ask for shared sacrifices from our partners," Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said in a statement Thursday evening. "It would be irresponsible for the district to endorse charter expansion while asking our principals to do the impossible with school budgets. " Twenty-one of the district's 84 charter schools requested expansions in the next academic year that would have added a total of 15,000 seats.

The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots were missed over the weekend, but a Montgomery County ticket snagged a Cash 5 jackpot worth $325,000. The ticket, which matched all the numbers (4, 5, 9, 12 and 23) for the April 20 drawing, was sold at the Acme Market at 320 W. Dekalb Pike in King of Prussia. Mega Millions. Tuesday's drawing will be worth $92 million for the annuity, $69 million for the cash, because no one matched all the numbers drawn Friday night: 6, 8, 12, 22 and 43, with a Mega Ball of 28. Matching five and winning at least $250,000 were two tickets sold in New York, one each in Virginia, South Carolina, Michigan and Missouri.

Met-Pro Corp., the Harleysville company that makes pumps, filters and water-treatment equipment, has been acquired by CECO Environmental Corp. for $202.1 million in cash and stock.   The deal calls for Cincinnati-based CECO, which makes air pollution control and industrial ventilation systems, to pay $7.25 in cash and $6.50 in stock for each Met-Pro share. Met-Pro shareholders can choose to receive either $13.75 in cash or an equivalent value of CECO shares.   Based on Met-Pro's 14.7 million outstanding shares, the deal is worth $202.1 million.

Cash payments for genoa salami, capicola ham, and provolone led to a guilty plea for tax evasion for Nicholas Papanier, 57, who has been working to turn the Primo Hoagies chain into a successful franchise business. Papanier, who owns Primo Hoagies Franchising as well as Nellie's Provisions in Gloucester City, often received cash payments from Primo franchisees when they bought deli products from him, according to documents filed in federal court in Camden on Friday. Papanier diverted $556,664 in cash to his bank accounts during 2006, 2007 and 2008, in the amounts of, in order, $56,395, $349,264, and $151,005.

Powerball's latest jackpot is worth $320 million, big enough to make the list of the 15 biggest annuity prizes ever in the United States. The cash jackpot of $198.3 million even makes the Top 10. For the numbers drawn Wednesday night and more, see " Powerball jackpot 4th biggest ever . " 2012 was the most jackpot-crazy year ever, producing the biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever, the biggest Powerball jackpot ever, and two more Powerball...

Question: My daughter was supposed to get married soon but, upon finding out about several affairs, she has canceled the wedding. She is devastated but has an excellent support system. However, we have an issue with her ex-fiancé's family. My family put down nonrefundable deposits on numerous services like the venue, florist, photographer, etc. I think, given the circumstances of the split, her ex-fiance should reimburse us for the deposits. He caused this wedding to be canceled, and now he is just walking away, leaving thousands of lost dollars in his wake.