Tag: bel air

BEL AIR—The home of celebrity stylist, Rachel Zoe was burglarized on Sunday, March 8. Zoe is also a star of the Bravo reality series, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” TMZ was first to report the news of Zoe’s Bel Air home being burglarized.

Zoe was not home at the time of the incident. She was in Las Vegas at the time of the incident. TMZ reported authorities were alerted after the security system at the home was activated prompting the alarm company to contact authorities. According to reports, two males were spotted leaving the property.

No details have been revealed on rather anyone was home at the time of the incident, or details on any items taken from the property. Zoe is the latest start of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” to have her home targeted in recent months. TMZ reported one of the suspects leaving the property was taken into custody.

In November 2025, the homes of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” stars Kathy Hilton and Sutton Stracke had their homes burglarized in Bel Air over the weekend.

Both ladies were in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of the cable network, Bravo, which celebrated BravoCon when their properties were targeted. Both ladies were part of the celebration in Las Vegas that had a ton of celebrities from Bravo meeting with fans and chatting on panels about their series with Bravo figurehead, Andy Cohen.

TMZ reported that Kathy’s husband, Rick Hilton was inside their home at the time of the break-in and was not harmed. Authorities received a call at Stracke’s home on November 15, 2025, after her dog walker noticed a broken kitchen window. No details on if any items were stolen have been reported.

It was reported that Kathy’s husband contacted 911 after realizing three burglars were inside the home. By the time cops arrived on the scene, the burglars were gone. Stracke has been a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” since season 10.

Kathy Hilton has appeared as a friend on the series, as well as made countless appearances with her sisters Kim Richards and Kyle Richards on the show. Kathy’s daughters are Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton.

Kim was a series regular from season one through season five and has made appearances since leaving as a full-time housewife. Kyle Richards has been a series regular on the series since it debuted in 2010.

 

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—Southern California was besieged by torrential rain during the Christmas week holiday.  A sheriff’s deputy was killed in a crash on a road near Sacramento, and a man was killed by a falling tree in San Diego. The total amount of rainfall has broken records as the wettest in California in decades.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service, the storm brought continuous rainfall for hours.

So far this season, Downtown Los Angeles received 10.83 inches of rain.  Last session, the area received 0.16 inches, and during a regular season, the area received 3.99 inches.

During the storm, 3.56 inches of rain have fallen in Downtown Los Angeles. In addition, Beverly Hills over the last few days received 3.90 inches of rain, Bel Air has received 4.36 inches, Eagle Rock Reservoir received 5.82 and the Eaton Fire received 9.66.

By Daniel Diquinzio

BEL AIR—TMZ first reported on Monday, November 17 that the homes of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” stars Kathy Hilton and Sutton Stracke had their homes burglarized in Bel Air over the weekend.

Both ladies were recently in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of the cable network, Bravo, which celebrated BravoCon over the weekend. Both ladies were part of the celebration in Las Vegas that had a ton of celebrities from Bravo meeting with fans and chatting on panels about their series with Bravo figurehead, Andy Cohen.

TMZ reported that Kathy’s husband, Rick Hilton was inside their home at the time of the break-in and was not harmed. Authorities received a call at Stracke’s home on Saturday, November 15 after her dog walker noticed a broken kitchen window. No details on if any items were stolen have been reported.

It was reported that Kathy’s husband contacted 911 after realizing three burglars were inside the home. By the time cops arrived on the scene, the burglars were gone. Sutton Stracke has been a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” since season 10.

Kathy Hilton has appeared as a friend on the series, as well as made countless appearances with her sisters Kim Richards and Kyle Richards on the show. Kathy’s daughters are Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton.

Kim was a series regular from season one through season five and has made appearances since leaving as a full-time housewife. Kyle Richards has been a series regular on the series since it debuted in 2010.

The new season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” premieres December 3 on Bravo.

 

By Danny Jones

BEL AIR—On Thursday, October 2, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported a traffic collision that transpired in Bel Air on school property.

The incident was reported at 5:04 p.m. at 15500 N Stephen S Wise Drive. The collision involved one automobile into a short wall (not a building) on school property.

No patients were trapped; but crews with the LAFD remained on scene for an extended period of time to extract the automobile.

A total of six patients were identified — four, a 30-year-old female, a 17-year-old male, a 14-year-old female and 11-year-old male: all in fair condition.

They refused transport, and two others, a 90-year-old male in serious condition, and an 80-year-old female in fair condition were transported to a local hospital. There are no additional details on the cause of the crash that have been disclosed to the public.

 

By Danny Jones

BEL AIR—The chef Gordon Ramsey is known not just for his cooking or owning a chain of restaurants, but also for being one of the judges on the competition show MasterChef and for hosting the television shows Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. Now he is also known for having his home in Bel Air swatted by the Los Angeles Police Department. Around 8 p.m. on Monday, September 22, the Los Angeles Police Department received a phone call claiming that Gordon Ramsey had been killed, and this caller also claimed to be the one responsible. Officers were dispatched to the celebrity chef’s home in Bel Air. Upon arriving at their destination, the officers were informed by a member of Gordon Ramsey’s staff that he was alive and that he was out of the country. Afterwards, the officers reported this incident as being a swatting. Although an investigation into this matter is ongoing, no arrests have been made yet.   By Daniel Diquinzio

BEL AIR—The chef Gordon Ramsey is known not just for his cooking or owning a chain of restaurants, but also for being one of the judges on the competition show MasterChef and for hosting the television shows Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. Now he is also known for having his home in Bel Air swatted by the Los Angeles Police Department. Around 8 p.m. on Monday, September 22, the Los Angeles Police Department received a phone call claiming that Gordon Ramsey had been killed, and this caller also claimed to be the one responsible. Officers were dispatched to the celebrity chef’s home in Bel Air. Upon arriving at their destination, the officers were informed by a member of Gordon Ramsey’s staff that he was alive and that he was out of the country. Afterwards, the officers reported this incident as being a swatting. Although an investigation into this matter is ongoing, no arrests have been made yet.   By Daniel Diquinzio

BEL AIR/BENEDICT CANYON—The Los Angeles Fire Department received an alert about a brush fire in Beverly Crest at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9.

The fire was reported at 1600 N. San Ysidro Dr. LAFD ground and air response with automatic aid from the neighboring Beverly Hills Fire Department to a slow moving one-quarter (0.25) acre wildfire involving light grass in steep terrain in a hillside residential neighborhood. There was no imminent threat to homes in the area and no evacuation. This incident is known as the “Spur Fire”

Officials worked stopping forward progress of the fire via a well-coordinated direct attack on flames that consumed less than one (1) acre of light-to-medium grass and brush in steep terrain between homes on San Ysidro Drive and Ferrari Drive. No structure damage was reported.

By 3 p.m. the brush fire was reported contained by the LAFD. An LAFD UAS (drone) unit will provide aerial reconnaissance and command support with thermal imagery, as ground crews continue to mop up hot spots this afternoon.

San Ysidro Road will remain closed to through traffic in both directions between Summitridge Drive and Tower Road until LAFD operations are complete.

Though landscapers were reportedly working in the neighborhood when the fire erupted, the fire’s cause remains categorized as “under investigation,” with the specific cause and origin of the fire yet to be determined.

By Danny Jones

BEL AIR—A man was detained after he crashed his vehicle through the gate of actress Jennifer Aniston’s Bel Air home on Monday, May 5. The Los Angeles Police Department received a call at 12:20 p.m. about an elderly man who collided his vehicle into the actresses’ gate gaining access to the property, TMZ first reported.

The outlet reported the actress was home when Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, 48, from New Albany, Mississippi gained access onto the property. Her private security detained him, until authorities arrived on the scene.

According to reports, the suspect was booked for felony vandalism for damage done to the property. No additional details about the incident have been disclosed to the public.

Aniston, 56, is widely known for her role as Rachel Green on the popular NBC series “Friends” that ran for a total of ten seasons. She co-starred alongside David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow. Aniston won a primetime Emmy for her work on the series in 2002 for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

She has since starred on the hit Apple TV+ series “The Morning Show” where she has been nominated several times for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She co-stars on the series alongside Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell.

She was previously married to actor Brad Pitt in July 2000 before they divorced in 2005. She was later married to actor Justin Theroux in 2015 before separating in 2017. She has starred in the films “Leprechaun,” “Office Space,” “Rock Star,” “Marley & Me,” “He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Cake,” and “Mother’s Day.”

On Wednesday, May 7, Carwyle was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with one count each of felony stalking and felony vandalism in case 25ARCF00790.

He faces an aggravating circumstance of the threat of great bodily harm. His arraignment is set for May 8 in Dept. 30 of the Airport Courthouse. Prosecutors intend to request the Court set statutory bail at $150,000.

Between March 1, 2023, and May 5, 2025, Carwyle is accused of repeatedly harassing the victim, Jennifer A., sending her unwanted social media, voicemail, and email messages.

If convicted as charged, Carwyle faces three years in state prison.

By Danny Jones

BEL AIR—The home of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey, 58, was the victim of a swatting incident in Bel Air on April 22, TMZ first reported. The incident was reported by the Los Angeles Police Department after 8 p.m. after they received a call of an individual opening fire at the property. According to reports, Ramsey was not home at the time of the incident.

Officers arrived on the scene and found no such incident and spoke to neighbors who confirmed no shots had been fired. A swatting incident is when someone calls authorities to report a fake crime that results in a response from the police department to investigate.

In the past celebrities like, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and Rihanna have been targeted. Singer Rihanna had her Pacific Palisades home the target of a swatting incident in 2013, after authorities received a call about two armed men shotting someone inside the Fenty Beauty’s creator’s property.

Gordon Ramsey is a prominent British chef who grew to fame in America with his reality competition series, “Hell’s Kitchen.” The series has spawned spin-offs, “Kitchen Nightmares,” “MasterChef,” “MasterChef Junior,” and “Next Level Chef.” He has earned three Michelin stars for his culinary work. He is married to Tana Hutcheson, whom he shares 6 children with.

Some of his famed restaurants include: “Hell’s Kitchen” which was launched in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bread Street Kitchen & Bar in London, England, The Fat Cow in Los Angeles, California, Savoy Gril in London, as well as Union Street Cafe.

By Danny Jones

BEL AIR—On Wednesday, December 11, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that at 8:30 p.m. that battled a brush fire located at 820 N Sepulveda Blvd. Officials initially received the call as an auto fire response, it was upgraded to a brush fire response due to fire extension into the vegetation. Estimated at 1/4 of medium brush on the side of the SB 405 Freeway.

By 9:10 p.m., officials reported that the blaze was extinguished. Firefighters worked quickly to get lines in place on the flanks of the fire while additional crews handled the hybrid auto which ignited the brush fire.

No structures were damaged and no injuries reported. Firefighters will continue to address hot spots which may impact the southbound 405 Freeway. No further details about the incident have been disclosed to the public.

By Trevor

BEL AIR—Music producer Quincy Jones, known for producing the number one selling album of all-time, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has died at the age of 91. Jones died at his home in Bel Air, surrounded by family and friends. His publicist, Arnold Robinson announced the passing of the musician Sunday night.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know thee will never be another like him.”

Jones worked in the music industry for more than 7 decades and earned a total of 28 Grammy Awards during his career. He is known for his impact on the genre of jazz in the music industry. He is responsible for the score for the TV series “Roots” and the critically acclaimed 1985 film “The Color Purple” directed by Steven Spielberg. In 1968 he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “The Eyes of Love” from the movie “Banning.” He was also nominated for Best Original Score for “In Cold Blood.”

Jones was a frequent collaborator with musician Michael Jackson with the albums, “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad.” He also produced and conducted the 1985 song, “We Are the World” which won the Grammy Award for Record and Song of the Year and consisted of a slew of musician including Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, James Ingram, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Kim Carnes and Bob Dylan to name a few.

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and was named by Time magazine as the most influential jazz musician of the 20^th century. Other notable musicians that Jones worked with include Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Marvin Gaye.

Jones was born in Chicago in March 1933. The family moved to Washington in 1943, and he studied music at Seattle University. He served as producer on “The Color Purple” (1985) which earned 11 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, but didn’t win a single award at the ceremony. He suffered two brain aneurysms in 1974.

His frequent collaboration with Jackson helped the youngest Jackson’s first solo album “Off the Wall” to sell 20 million copies. Their collaboration on “Thriller” in 1982 led to more than 65 million albums being sold and earned a record 8 Grammy Awards in 1984 including Album of the Year.

The musician was married 3 times during his career and has seven children, Kenya, Rashida, Kidada, Martina, Quincy, Jolie and Rachel. Jones released a total of 16 studio albums during his career, not including his work on 24 soundtrack albums including “The Wiz” and “The Color Purple.” He won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for “Back on the Block” at the 1991 Grammy Awards. An exact cause of death for Jones has not yet been disclosed to the public.

By Trevor

BEL AIR—On August 27, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported an industrial fatality that occurred in Bel Air. The incident was reported at 10:10 a.m. at 10663 W. Chalon Rd.

One adult male worker (unconfirmed age / affiliation / circumstances) was gravely injured while working in the vicinity of heavy equipment (an auger and a skip loader possibly). The incident transpired at a hillside residential construction site. There was a quick response from LAFD crews, but the victim’s injuries proved fatal and he remained at the scene as officials completed their investigation.

There were no other injuries reported. Anyone with media inquiries should contact the Los Angeles Police Department West Los Angeles (Incident #1862), Cal-OSHA and Medical Examiner. No further details about the incident have been disclosed to the public.

By Trevor

BEL AIR—On Sunday, August 25, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that a four vehicle collision occurred in Bel Air.

The LAFD reported at 09:30 p.m. on the Southbound 405 freeway. There was a four-vehicle collision with a total of four patients. Adult female and adult male were transported by a paramedic ambulance and one adult female transported with non-life-threatening injuries.

A male child is being signed out on scene and will not be transported for additional treatment. No further details about the incident have been disclosed to the public, like a cause of the crash.

By Trevor

BEL AIR—On Tuesday, July 30, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported at 1:55 p.m. they were battling a brush fire at 1:55 p.m. on the southbound 405 freeway.

The initial report of approximately 1/8 acre burning on the west side of the freeway at a moderate rate of speed under light wind conditions. There were no structures threatened during the incident. The LAFD reported at 2:37 p.m. over 60 firefighters conducted a coordinated ground and aerial attack and extinguished the fire in 42 minutes with no injuries reported.

Crews will continue to mop up any remaining hot spots and the duration of impact on the 405 Freeway is unknown at this time. Drivers are advised to check https://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx Incident # 1361 for updates. No further details about the incident have been disclosed to the public.

By Trevor

BEL AIR—On Sunday, June 2, the Los Angeles Fire Department disclosed that street flooding transpired at 841 N. Beverly Glen Blvd. The LAFD was alerted of the issue at 11:54 a.m.

The apparent rupture of an underground water pipeline caused localized street flooding and soil disruption in the region. The water threatened to enter one or more residential structures on the street. There were no injuries reported and no road closures as a result of the excessive water.

By Trevor

BEL AIR—On Monday, April 15, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported an industrial accident transpired at 1 p.m. on 970 N. Moraga Drive. Officials arrived on scene to find one adult male trapped under a forklift.

There was a quick response from LAFD Crews including individuals specially trained, certified and equipped for Urban Search & Rescue operations. An adult male worker who was trapped beneath a toppled forklift that had been carrying steel rebar at a construction site, proved beyond medical help and he died at the scene.

LAFD personnel secured and stabilized the scene, as they prepared to assist the Medical Examiner with the discreet and dignified recovery of the victim’s remains. Details regarding the age and name of the victim has not been disclosed to the public. No other injuries were reported during the incident.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—The City of Santa Monica is seeking volunteers for the 2024 homeless count to be held on January 24, from 8:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. The effort will be overseen by the Los Angeles Homeless Authority (LAHSA) in an effort to address and strengthen the lives of those living in homelessness.

According to the City of Santa Monica’s webpage, volunteers may register to help with the homeless count at TheyWillCountYou.org. For more information, please contact LAHSA at homelesscount@lahsa.org or call (213)683-3333.

Reports indicate that the homeless count rose by nine percent between 2022 and 2023 in Los Angeles and by 45 percent in Santa Monica. This is an increase from 4,604 in 2022 up to 6,669 people living in homelessness in Santa Monica in 2023.

Los Angeles County is divided into eight service planning areas. Santa Monica is included in SPA 5 along with many of the other cities in our coverage area including, Bel Air, Beverly Hills Brentwood, Laurel Canyon, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and Westwood.

The cities in SPA 5 outside or on the outskirts of the Canyon News coverage area are Beverly Crest, Century City, Culver City, Holmby Hills, Mar Vista Marina Del Rey, Manchester, Palms, Rancho Park, South Robertson, Venice, and Westchester.

By Sharon

BEL AIR—Actress, singer and dancer Jennifer Lopez has sold her Bel Air property for more than $34 million, TMZ first reported on Monday, October 23. The actress first listed the property in February 2023 for over $42.5 million.  Lopez purchased the property back in 2016 for $28 million.

The home has a total of 9 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a guest house, a gym, an infinity pool, an amphitheater that seats over 100 people and a screening room that seats 30 people.

The agent with the listing on Lopez’s Bel Air property was Brett Lawyer from Carolwood Estates. Jennifer Lopez recently purchased a home in Beverly Hills for $60 million with husband, actor Ben Affleck. The couple married back in the summer of 2022.

The actress got her start as a ‘Fly Girl’ dancer on the sketch comedy series “In Living Color” in 1991. She has starred in the films “Selena,” “Anaconda,” “The Cell,” “Hustlers” and recently the Netflix action-thriller, “The Mother.”

She has released a total of 8 solo albums during her music career including the singles, “If You Had My Love,” “Waiting for Tonight,” “I’m Real,” “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” “Jenny from the Block” and “All I Have.” She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

By Trevor

BEL AIR—On Friday, May 12, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that three suspects involved in a triple homicide back in January 2023, have been identified. Dejean Thompkins, 28, Dontae Williams, 23 and Daries Stanford, 28 – all residents of Chicago, Illinois – have all been arrested and are awaiting extradition back to Los Angeles to face charges.

On January 28, at around 2:30 a.m., LAPD West Los Angeles officers responded to 911 calls about a shooting in the 2700 block of Ellison Drive. When officers arrived at the scene, they observed three victims – later identified as Iyana Hutton, 33, Nenah Davis, 29, and Destiny Sims, 26 – shot dead inside of a car outside of the residence. Four additional victims were wounded and transported to local hospitals. 

According to LAPD Robbery Homicide Division Captain, Johnathan Tippet, Hutton, Davis and Sims were life-long friends and residents of Chicago. The three victims were visiting Los Angeles in support of a Chicago rapper – whose identity was not disclosed – and were returning to their vacation rental after a night of bowling the night the incident occurred. Thompkins, Williams and Stanford – driving a blue four-door Tesla – reportedly approached the residence, and in an ambush-style attack, shot 30 rounds that killed the three victims and shot four additional victims, who all survived and whose identities are being withheld. 

Two semi-automatic weapons were believed to have been used in this incident.

The LAPD’s investigation connected Thompkins to another homicide investigation that occurred in North Hollywood, on December 16, 2022. Julian Bynum was shot multiple times on the sidewalk in front of an apartment complex on the 6800 Block of Simpson Avenue. LAPD did not disclose if Stanford and/or Williams were involved in this incident.

In both these cases the suspects used ambush style tactics on their unsuspecting victims, Tippet said. 

On April 10, Thompkins was arrested in Chicago. On April 26, Williams reportedly fled and was located in Gary, Indiana, where he was arrested. On May 10, Stanford was arrested in Manhattan, New York. 

The victims in the two homicides are not reportedly connected. All suspects and victims – both deceased and surviving – are residents of Chicago. Thompkins, Williams and Stanford are believed to be gang affiliated and reportedly live within miles from the neighborhoods in which the victims lived or are from. No further details were disclosed. 

LAPD Homicide detectives are unable to disclose the motive behind both homicides at this time, but believe that Hutton, Davis and Sims were not the intended targets. Bynum is believed to have been the suspects intended target.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Major Crimes Section, has filed four counts of murder against Thompkins and three counts of murder against both Williams and Stanford. All three suspects are also being charged with six counts of attempted murder and six counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. 

Additionally, the LA District Attorney’s Office approved filing enhancements against the suspects involved in this case. The investigation remains ongoing. 

BEL AIR—A home invasion in Bel Air that occurred on Friday, April 28, left an elderly couple injured. 

Just before 1 a.m. that day three to four masked suspects entered the residence located on the 1300 block of Casiano Road. The couple was watching TV when the suspects ransacked the home and tied the couple up. The victims are said to be a woman in her 60’s and a man in 70’s. They were both found with bruises. According to reports the male victim was struck several times in the head during the invasion which lasted more than an hour.

The couple’s son later arrived at the scene and discovered his parents. Both police and paramedics were on their way to the scene. They sustained non-life threatening injuries and were not required to be transported for medical attention. 

According to investigators the suspects got away with a large amount of cash but did not disclose the exact amount that was taken. 

The suspects have not been found and police are currently investigating the case. They are looking through the neighborhood to see if anyone has surveillance video of the attackers.

The suspects have been described as all male but other information that could help identify them has not been released. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247.

BEL AIR—A Bel Air billionaire, gas station tycoon and an alleged former leader of the Armenian mafia – Lev Aslan Dermen, 56, also known as Levon “The Lion” Termendzhyan  – has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for conspiring with members of a Utah-based polygamist sect known as the Kingston Group, in a $1 billion renewable fuel tax credit fraud scheme, the U.S. Department of Justice released in a statement. After a seven-week trial, Dermen, Jacob Kingston, 46, Isaiah Kingston, 42, Rachel Kingston, 67, and Sally Kingston, 45, were sentenced by a federal jury in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday, April 7. 

The Internal Revenue Service administers refundable tax credits in an attempt to promote and increase the amount of renewable fuel produced and used in the United States. 

From 2010-2018, Dermen – the owner and operator of Noil Energy Group, a California-based fuel company; SBK Holdings USA, a Beverly Hills real estate investment company; and Viscon International, a Nevada fuel additive corporation – co-conspired with Jacob and Isaiah Kingston – owners and operators of Washakie Renewable Energy – to ship millions of gallons of biodiesel fuel within the U.S. and from the U.S. to foreign countries and back to make it appear that qualifying renewable fuel was being produced and sold. Dermen and the Kingston’s created fraudulent production and transportation records and cycled over $3 billion through multiple bank accounts in order to legitimize their fraudulent tax claims. 

Rachel (Isaiah’s mother) and Sally Kingson took part in the scheme by backdating documents and creating fake invoices. As a result, the IRS ultimately paid out over $511 million in renewable tax credits to Washakie, which the Kingston’s distributed amongst their family, and to Dermen and foreign associates in Turkey. Dermen and the Kingston’s used the fraudulent proceeds to buy mansions in Huntington Beach, California and Utah, a yacht in Turkey, land for a planned casino in Belize, a 2010 Bugatti Veyron, a chrome Lamborghini and a gold Ferrari.

Lev Aslan Dermen (left) with Jacob Kingston (right).

Throughout the scheme, Dermen assured the Kingstons that they were protected by his “umbrella” of corrupt law enforcement and were immune from criminal prosecution. In exchange, the Kingstons transferred over $134 million to laundering companies in Turkey and Luxembourg.

Dermen was found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. In addition to his prison sentence, Dermen is ordered to pay $442,615,520 in restitution to the IRS, and a money judgment of more than $181 million.    

Jacob Kingston, the CEO of Washakie, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, filing false claims with the IRS, money laundering and conspiracy to commit the same, obstruction by concealing and destroying records and conspiracy to commit the same and witness tampering, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison and ordered to pay $511 million in restitution to the IRS.

Jacob (left) and Isaiah Kingston, provided by Weber County Sheriff’s Department.

Isaiah Kingston, the CFO of Washakie, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, aiding and assisting in the filing of false partnership tax returns, money laundering and conspiracy to commit the same and obstruction by concealing and destroying records and conspiracy to commit the same, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and also ordered to pay $511 million in restitution. 

Rachel Kingston pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit the same and obstruction by concealing and destroying records, and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Sally Kingston pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering and was sentenced to six years. 

The U.S Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s Tax Division will seize all assets acquired in what is described as “one of the most egregious examples of tax fraud in U.S. history.” 

This is not the first time the Kingston Group, also referred to as “The Order,” have found themselves in legal peril. Last year, there was a lawsuit against
the Group alleging unpaid labor, sexual violence and
human trafficking.
By Lacy