Crime

Montgomery County Dentist Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Federal Prison for Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Medicaid Funds by Recruiting Medicaid Beneficiaries Through the Payment of Kickbacks and Bribes

By MCS Staff

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced Edward T. Buford III, age 70, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and healthcare fraud.  Judge Chuang also ordered Buford to pay $1,267,630 in restitution.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division; and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

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Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg Explosion Believed to Have Been Caused by Person Who Died by Suicide

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones and Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein held a press conference on Friday to give an update on the Quince Orchard Blvd condo fire and explosion that occurred on Wednesday, November 16.  It was announced that the body of the deceased recovered from the wreckage on Thursday had been positively identified as 36-year-old Juan Pablo Marshall Quizon. The manner of death is being ruled a suicide and the cause of death was smoke inhalation and burns.

A suicide note was found was found at the scene and it is known for a fact that Quizon had recently made statements that were indicative of suicide. Authorities said they had no information to believe that Quizon intended for others to be injured or harmed in the incident and if he were still alive, he would have been found culpable.  Quizon had purchased Unit 102 at 826 Quince Orchard Blvd in August of this year. Specific details on how exactly the fire/explosion started have not yet been released.

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Bethesda

New York’s Chip City is Opening its First Maryland Location in MoCo

By MCS Staff

Five years ago, cookies were a side hustle for Theodore Gailas and Peter Phillips. Since then, they’ve opened over a dozen Chip City cookie shops in and around New York with its first Maryland location opening at the Shoppes of Bethesda, replacing Fancy Cakes By Leslie at 4939 Elm St. Fancy Cakes by Leslie closed in October and the space has since been cleared out.

The new cookie shop rotates through 18 flavors, allowing customers to choose from those that make it on to the weekly menu. The weekly roster can include “core cookies” like chocolate chip or dairy free chocolate chip, other flavors like blueberry cheesecake, peanut butter and jelly, Nutella sea salt, and more. Currently, location are offering seasonal Thanksgiving cookies with flavors like Pecan Pie, Sweet Potato S’mores, Pumpkin Spice Latte, and White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal.

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Education

MCPS: A Letter from the School System Medical Officer with Important Information for Thanksgiving Break

By Patrick Herron

I would also like to share these health news items before the break:

The pandemic has shown us the importance of cherishing time together with friends and family, and our shared responsibility in health and safety.  Once again, I thank everyone for their commitment to the health of our school community, and for supporting each other with respect and kindness.

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Event

Closing Reception at “Inspired!” Art Show & Sales

BlackRock Center for the Arts

12901 Town Commons Drive

Germantown, Maryland 20874

Website Contact Social

Beautiful venue; great art, gifts and hand-crafted items; refreshments; and meet the award-winning painters, photographers, mixed media artists, ceramicists, fiber artists, and more – some 40 artists in all. It’s an extraordinary array of framed wall works, 3-d media including sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and fiber pieces, and unframed prints.

Among them, you’ll see:

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MDLottery

$50,000 Winning Scratch-Off Purchased at MoCo 7-Eleven

By Patrick Herron

“I thought it was a mistake,” he said. However, it was the real thing: a top-prize win on the $5 Power Spot Multiplier game. His previous personal-best Lottery scores were in the $250 to $1,000 range. The Montgomery County man plans to share his winnings with his wife and adult children, coordinate a celebration dinner and pay some bills with his prize. After that, he plans to keep playing Lottery games, focusing, as always, on scratch-offs. He says they have “more luck.”

Sharing in the winner’s scratch-off fun is 7-Eleven #22921 at 8101 Fenton Street in Silver Spring. The Montgomery County store management earns a bonus of $500, equal to 1% of the prize, from the Lottery for selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off.

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Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg High School Varsity Football Coach Tyler Bierly Steps Down From His Position

By MCS Staff

Gaithersburg Varsity Head Football Coach Tyler Bierly has stepped down from his position with the football program. He was hired by the school in April 2019. His full statement, originally posted on social media, can be seen below:

Featured photo courtesy of @GHS_CoachBierly on Twitter

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Gaithersburg

Sam’s Club Lowers Price of Hot Dog and Soda Combo to $1.38

By Patrick Herron

In a direct shot at rival Costco, Sam’s Club has lowered the price of its hot dog & drink combo to $1.38. Walmart/Sam’s CEO Doug McMillon made the announcement earlier this week during a third-quarter earnings call with investors. Previously, the combo was priced at $1.50, to match Costco’s famous pricing. According to the Wall Street Journal, “the move was part of the company’s strategy to cut prices on some products even as many everyday items remained higher than usual.” Sam’s Club has one Montgomery County location at 610 N. Frederick Ave. in Gaithersburg.

Costco has been selling its combo for $1.50 since 1985. When asked in September if the price of the hot dog and drink would ever be raised, Costco CFO Richard Galanti said the deal would be $1.50 “forever.” Costco has Montgomery County locations at 880 Russell Ave in Gaithersburg and 11160 Veirs Mill Rd in Wheaton.

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MoCo Government

Asian American Health Initiative’s Healthy Communities Fund Awards $830,000 to Programs for the Asian American Community

By Patrick Herron

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County’s Asian American Health Initiative(AAHI), one of the three minority health initiatives that are part of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded 10 local organizations a total of $830,000 from their Healthy Communities Fund. The funding will be used to develop new and sustain existing culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and services in behavioral health, senior wellness and health and social support services for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

 AAPI communities are very diverse and have unique challenges collectively and individually. With 15 different Asian American subgroups in the community, and unique needs in each subgroup, programing must be tailored for each subgroup with consideration to the language and culture of the population being served.

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MoCo Government

Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office Warns of Holiday Scams

By Patrick Herron

Per the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office: For most of us, the holidays are full of giving, getting and goodwill. But some bad actors use the holidays to take advantage of people’s generous spirits. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are quickly approaching and they are prime time for crooks looking to scam you out of money or personal financial information.

Holiday Shopping Scams

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Bethesda

Detectives Investigating TD Bank Robbery in Bethesda; Surveillance Photos of Suspect Released

By Patrick Herron

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are investigating a bank robbery that occurred on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at the TD Bank in the 8100 block of Wisconsin Ave., in Bethesda. Detectives have released surveillance photos of the male suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.

At approximately 10:32 a.m., 2nd District officers responded to the location for the report of a bank robbery that just occurred.  The investigation by detectives revealed that the suspect entered the bank and approached an employee who was working behind the teller counter. The suspect then implied that he had a weapon and demanded money. The employee complied and handed the suspect a teller drawer, containing an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect took the money and left the scene.

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Traffic

Governor Hogan Statement on Progress of Traffic Relief Plan for Capital Beltway and American Legion Bridge

By Patrick Herron

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Larry Hogan today issued the following statement after the Maryland Department of Transportation announced the next steps for the State of Maryland’s Traffic Relief Plan: “Now that we have secured final federal approval, the most important transportation project for the National Capital Region in the last 50 years is well-positioned to move forward—and we are confident it will move forward. No project is more critical for improving the quality of life and stimulating the economic growth of the region.

While this extension is necessary due to the months-long delay of the record of decision at the federal level—along with years of moving the goalposts at the local level—we have advanced this project to the point that it can move forward quickly barring further needless delay.

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