You have to give them points for creativity. A mother and son duo were arrested in Florida after allegedly making off with more than $2 million in goodies from the chain Toys R Us.
Michael Pollara and his mother Margaret had a pretty solid system in place; emptying the contents of inexpensive boxes and filling them with more expensive items, like Leapster Pads retailing at $99 each, electronic toothbrushes or Lego sets worth up to $150. According to CBS Miami, the pair visited a total of 139 stores in 27 states (clocking some 8,000 miles) before they were caught.
While 70-year-old Margaret served as a lookout, her 46-year-old son Michael did the swift switcheroo before checking out. Although they paid around $7,000 for their purchases, they made an estimated $2 million when reselling the big-ticket items on eBay. That's a hell of a lot of Lego.
An employee in South Florida noticed some Lego boxes go missing during a shift. The surveillance video showed Michael moving boxes from the shelf. Authorities then tailed the pair from store to store via the Toys “R” Us rewards card.
The mother and son who steal together, stay together. In jail, one hopes.
Health Canada has recalled the Monarch Specialities bunk bed with model number I5033 and UPC 021032203566. The wooden side rail which supports the mattress may split, posing a fall hazard to children.
Health Canada has received one report in which the side rail cracked, leading to a child suffering minor bruises and abrasions.
Customers are advised to stop using the bunk bed and return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
For further information, customers may contact Monarch Specialities Inc. at 1-888-511-0784.
From November 2009 to July 2011, approximately 425 of the recalled bunk beds were sold in Canada.
She was only trying to help. When New Jersey mom shot a video for Parents TV demonstrating breastfeeding techniques, she had no idea the footage would later wind up on porn sites!
MaryAnn Sahoury was filmed nursing her month-old daughter back in 2010. She'd had trouble breastfeeding and agreed to make the video for free as a means to instruct other struggling mothers.
In a distracted moment after filming, 35-year-old Sahoury then signed a waiver without reading the fine print. Something we all do in a pinch.
Fast-forward a few months. Sahoury hadn't seen the video so she Googled herself. Imagine her horror when not only did her full name call up numerous porn sites and videos, but her daughter's name also returned similar links.
After toiling to report the various sites, she is now suing the Iowa-based video production company that negligently allowed the footage to fall into the hands of a third party (eg. YouTube). Sahoury also believed the deal was restricted to first-name basis, but the waiver she signed clearly allowed full access.
“Sometimes I want to crawl into bed and say, ‘God I wish it wasn’t me,’ but it was me for a reason,” Sahoury said. “I need to be as strong as I was when I made the video and say, look, I’m still supporting mothers everywhere, our rights to breastfeed wherever and whenever we want and not be exploited by major corporations or any kind of perverts.”
Printer-friendly version