Beyond MoCo

Father and Son Convicted of Theft for Operation of Ponzi Scheme Involving Family and Friends in Baltimore

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland Office of the Attorney General: Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced the convictions of Eugene Fusting, 79, and Christopher Ian Fusting, 52, of Baltimore relating to their operation of a Ponzi-like investment scheme between 2012 and 2019. Eugene and Christopher Fusting were found guilty of Theft Scheme Over $100,000 and Conspiracy to Commit Theft Scheme Over $100,000 after pleading guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Judge Melissa Phinn sentenced both Eugene and Christopher Fusting to 30 years in prison, all of which were suspended. Eugene will serve 18-months of home detention and Christopher will serve 12-months of home detention. Judge Phinn also ordered the Fustings to serve 5 years of supervised probation and pay restitution in the amount of $808,745.00.

Both Eugene and Christopher Fusting held brokerage accounts in their individual names at an online securities and brokerage firm where they would, on occasion, wire a portion of the funds they received. However, instead of utilizing these accounts to invest the funds, the brokerage accounts served as a conduit for investor funds, where investors’ money sat until the balances on the Fustings’ individual bank accounts waned, at which time funds were wired out of the brokerage accounts back to the personal accounts and spent on personal expenses. Neither Fusting had any additional source of income and relied on the stolen funds to support their lifestyles.

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Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks Seeks Suggestions From the Public for Nature Center Programming

By MCS Staff

The public is encouraged to submit ideas via the nature center community input survey.

Montgomery Parks is seeking input from community members about facility hours and the types of programs they would like to see at Montgomery Parks nature centers. The department has launched a nature center community input survey for people to provide feedback. The survey can be accessed online at https://mocoparks.org/NatureInput through the end of January 2023. 

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Bethesda

Police Investigating Theft of Electric Wheelchair in Bethesda; Video of Suspect Released

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police –2nd District Patrol Investigations Unit are investigating the theft of an electric wheelchair that occurred on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, in the 4900 block of Hampden Lane in Bethesda. Detectives have released video of the male suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.

The investigation by detectives has revealed that the suspect entered the apartment building, stole a person’s electric wheelchair that was in the parking garage and left the scene.  Detectives reviewed the surveillance cameras of the apartment building and obtained video of the suspect.

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MoCoSnow

“Enhanced Risk” of Day 3 and Day 4 Winter Storm Threat, Per National Weather Service

By MCS Staff

There is now an “enhanced risk” for a Day 3 (Wednesday into Thursday) and Day 4 (Thursday into Friday) winter storm threat, according to the National Weather Service. Per the images seen below, the enhanced threat covers half of Montgomery County while the other half is under a “slight risk”.

MoCoSnow report from Monday morning: We’ve been watching the possibility of winter weather early on Thursday morning and there’s currently a possibility for a little ice in the early to mid-morning. Things have gone from possible snow to all rain to some ice, so there’s still a little time for this to get figured out before there’s any certainty behind what kind of event this will be.

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MDLottery

Maryland Lottery Switching to Digital Drawings, Replacing Numbered Lottery Balls and Mechanical Drawing Machines

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland Lottery: As the Maryland Lottery prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023, it is embracing the future with the launch of digital drawings for Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5, as well as Bonus Match 5 and Multi-Match. Beginning December 19, the drawings for all five games will be conducted using a computer system called a random number generator (RNG), which will replace the numbered Lottery balls and mechanical drawing machines.

“Lottery balls and machines have been part of the Maryland Lottery’s history, but it’s important for us to modernize as we look forward to the next 50 years and beyond,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin. “More than 30 other lotteries in the U.S. and Canada have shifted to RNG systems because they are efficient, cost-effective — and most importantly they are extremely secure.”

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MCPS

The MoCoShow High School Top 10 (Final Rankings for MCPS Schools)

By MCS Staff

1. Quince Orchard 14-0: The Cougars defeated Flowers from PG county, in the 4A State title game, 32-7.  RB Iverson Howard had 195 yards rushing and 2 TDs and DE Jaylen Harvey 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble & a blocked punt, in the win.  QO won their 5th overall State Championship and their 3rd in 5 years. With the victory Head Coach John Kelley earned his 100th victory.  

2. Damascus 13-1: The Swarmin’ Hornets beat Oakdale from Frederick county, in the 3A State title game  21-14. RB Dillion Dunathan had 228 yards rushing and 2 TDs and DT Will Terry had 6 tackles and 1 sack in the win. Damascus won their 12th State championship, tying Seneca Valley & Dunbar for the most all time in Maryland.      

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MCDOT

Department of Transportation to Host Virtual Public Forum on the Proposed Ride On Bus Route 51 Extension to Olney’s ICC Park and Ride Lot on Thursday, Jan. 5

By Patrick Herron

Per MCDOT: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will hold a virtual public forum on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, starting at 6:30 p.m., to discuss the proposed extension of the current bus route 51 to provide service to the ICC Park and Ride lot in Olney. The new proposed extended bus route 51 will operate between ICC Park and Ride lot and Glenmont Metrorail Station with no additional changes to current stops.

A virtual public forum is being conducted on the proposed new route to gather public feedback regarding the proposed service expansion. Attendees will have an opportunity to provide comments and ask questions. Community members can join the virtual public forum in two ways:

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: D.C. Ranked in Top Ten of ‘2022’s Best Cities For New Year’s’ List

By MCS Staff

With New Year’s around the corner and 70% of Americans spending at least $50 on food and drinks for the occasion, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Best Cities for New Year’s and D.C. has made the top ten, coming in at #7.

To determine which cities are the best for safely ringing in the new year without breaking the bank, WalletHub compared the 100 biggest cities across 29 key metrics. The data set ranges from safety and vaccination rates to quality food options and costs.

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Celebrities

Former MoCo Resident and NFL Hall of Famer Tom Mack Honored by the LA Rams

By Damon Anderson

Former Darnestown resident, Tom Mack, was honored by the Los Angeles Rams last week during their game vs the Las Vegas Raiders. Mack was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the second pick in the 1966 NFL Draft and played left guard for the Rams for 13 seasons from 1966 to 1978, appearing in 11 Pro Bowls. During his NFL career, he appeared in 184 consecutive games, 176 as a starter. He was a starter on the 1964 Michigan team that won the Big Ten Conference championship and defeated Oregon State in the 1965 Rose Bowl. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player in 1965 and was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 2006. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

After retiring from football, Mack worked as an engineer, using the engineering degree he received at the University of Michigan. He eventually became a lobbyist for Bechtel Group, Inc., whose headquarters are located in nearby Reston, VA. Tom and his family lived in Darnestown from 1987-1993. His daughters, Katy and Cari, graduated from Seneca Valley & Quince Orchard respectively.

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MoCoSnow

Winter Weather Possible Later This Week

By MCS Staff

We’ve been watching the possibility of winter weather early on Thursday morning and there’s currently a possibility for a little ice in the early to mid-morning. Things have gone from possible snow to all rain to some ice, so there’s still a little time for this to get figured out before there’s any certainty behind what kind of event this will be.

This morning the GFS (American model) shows the surface low a little further east than it was last night, which means we could see a period of ice or snow early on Thursday before everything switches over to rain. If the low stays closer to the coast, as it looked like it would until this morning, then it would likely be too warm for us to see much/any winter precipitation.

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Silver Spring

Two Suspects in Custody After Crashing Stolen Vehicle

By Patrick Herron

Two suspects us are in custody after an incident early Sunday morning in Silver Spring. According to Montgomery County Police, officers responded to Three Oaks Dr around 12:20am on Sunday morning. When police arrived, they observed a vehicle fleeing the scene. After a short pursuit, the suspects crashed and abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. They’ve were taken into custody near Flower Ave in Takoma Park.

It was determined that the vehicle the suspects were driving was stolen and a handgun was recovered at the scene. Police initially responded to the area for reports of shots fired, but there are no indication shots occurred and it was likely the sound of the suspects breaking into the vehicle. We will post an update when additional information is available.

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