Bank robberies influenced by Hollywood movie

Two geared up burglars dressed as nuns skipped a teller countertop in an Ill. bank last Sunday. The bandits made off with an undisclosed quantity of cash. The thievery was shockingly reminiscent of last year’s critically commended Ben Affleck film, “The Town.”

Firing shots not shown in escape

The TCF financial institution in Palos Heights, Ill., was probably the most recent “The Town” burglary. The two burglars, one male and one female, wore rubber masks and traditional nuns’ habits. They were both armed. They had handguns to them. They stuffed a duffel bag with cash while at the bank and before leaving. There was a Chevrolet with tinted windows that they left in. Nobody got hurt since no shots were terminated.

Looks like Ben Affleck’s film

In Affleck’s “The Town,” a male comes from a neighborhood in Boston where a lot of armed burglars come from. The male, played by Affleck, follows in their footsteps but is conflicted over it. Nun masks and habits just like in Illinois are used in the burglary in the movie. Although no confirmation exists, it is apparent the thieves may have been prompted by the movie.

'The Town’ influenced robberies before

The Affleck movie has inspired even more. Another robbery seemed similar to it. 28 year old Kay Faughin, Eddie Solomon, 27, and 29 year old Lee Lubin all worked together on January 4 to rob Financial institution of America. They were wearing Halloween masks into the Delray Beach, Fla., branch. The bank customers were ordered to lie on the floor at gunpoint as the thieves stole $67,000 in cash. They had a Cadillac waiting to get away. Police and news helicopters followed them. Local Television stations followed and covered them really well. All three men were apprehended within a few hours.

The three men did the thievery after “The Town” inspired them. Lubin said this in court.

Citations

Pop Eater

popeater.com/2011/06/02/ben-affleck-the-town-chicago-bank-robbery/

Mail OnlineM

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344758/Three-men-dress-Halloween-masks-rob-bank-Florida-inspired-Ben-Affleck-film-The-Town.html

WPBF

wpbf.com/news/26381238/detail.html

‘The Town’ trailer

youtube.com/watch?v=QQ7wcayQQLQ

California woman imprisoned with can with body parts

A California female was detained Sunday for supposedly moving a giant trash can with dismembered human limbs down a residential road. Law enforcement booked her on suspicion of murder and say she remains uncooperative.

She was not even hiding

Carmen Montenegro, 51, of San Bernardino, Calif., was discovered pushing the wheeled container at about 2:30 in the afternoon. The police got tips from residents around there. They either smelt or saw the trash and its content.

Reporters spoke with Ontario Police Detective Jeff Crittendon who said “Officers stopped her leaving the location and in the trash can we found human remains.”

Possible single victim found

Police believe the parts of the body are the partial remains of one male, though the reason for death has not yet been determined. According to Crittendon, “I can’t comment on the condition of the body because I am not sure of the exact extent of the injuries. I do know that it was dismembered. It appears to be a homicide.” Evidently they “had evidence on her that seemed to be consistent that she was involved with disposal of the body.” This is what Crittendon also said.

Hole in the lawn dug

The detective also said that they believe Montenegro disinterred the remains from her previous residence. The arrest was close to her home. It was only about 200 yards away. Law enforcement found a hole dug in the yard after checking out the property.

The way the suspect lived in the home

Local residents report that the home was owned by either Montenegro’s cousin or her mother, and that Montenegro herself had lived in the home on and off for the past 15 years.

Still investigating what happened

The police try to figure out who the victim is. They are working on it. Investigators excavated the property around the home Monday and discovered what they say may be bodily fluids.

Right now, Montenegro is still not cooperating with law enforcement and investigators while staying in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Information from

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43223519/ns/us_news-weird_news/

NY Daily News

nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/05/31/2011-05-31_california_woman_spotted_pushing_trashcan_of_human_body_parts_down_the_street_ar.html

Huffington Post

weirdnews.aol.com/2011/05/31/carmen-montenegro-dismemb_n_869203.html#s284153&title=Dumb_Crime_Masterminds

House prices drop as foreclosure rates go up

The price of homes continues to fall in the U.S. as foreclosure rates grow. This is awesome news for home buyers looking for a deal. Sellers, however, would be advised to give it more time.

FHFA report shows distinct decline

According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, there was a huge decline in the home-price index this quarter. It fell faster than any time since 2008 falls. Prices have fallen 2.5 percent in the last quarter, which is a decline of 5.5 percent from last year. Only homes covered by Fannie Mae or Freddie Macwere in the report. Cash only sales are also not in the list.

Problems brought on by foreclosures

Edward DeMarco is the FHFA director right now. He said, “In many local real estate markets, particularly those hit hard by this cycle, foreclosures and other distressed properties are still a key factor in recorded and anticipated future sales and may be delaying price stability or recovery.” There has been a decrease in the price people are willing to pay for foreclosures. It has been going down substantially, RealtyTrac explained. During the first quarter, the average sale price was $168,321 which dropped 1.46 percent from a year ago and 1.89 percent from the quarter before. And because foreclosures lower the value of other homes in their neighborhood, they affect the rest of the index also.

3rd parties not as involved in foreclosure process

“While foreclosure sales continue to account for an unusually high percentage of all residential home sales, sales volume is well off the peak we saw in the first quarter of 2009, when nearly 350,000 foreclosure properties were sold to third parties,” reported James Saccacio, the CEO of RealtyTrac. There was a 16 percent decline from the last quarter and 36 percent decline from a year ago in the number of homes sold to third parties which was at 158,434 in the first quarter.

Foreclosures in states are different from one another

Foreclosure rates depend on the state. Some have more while others have less. Both Ohio and Illinois had the same. It was 41 percent for both. California and Arizona had foreclosure rates of 45 percent. About 53 percent of the industry was foreclosures in Nevada.

Worry about frauds in the foreclosure business

A lot more foreclosure scams have come about. They are sometimes hard to see. Some businesses promise to protect from foreclosure for an upfront fee. The homeowners end up with nothing. Mortgage reduction plan negotiations can’t have upfront fees anymore with a requirement made in February with the Federal Trade Commission.

Articles cited

Wall Street Journal

blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/05/25/home-prices-fall-at-fastest-pace-since-late-2008/?mod=google_news_blog

DS News

dsnews.com/articles/home-prices-post-biggest-drop-in-two-years-as-foreclosures-depress-market-2011-05-26

DS News

dsnews.com/articles/home-prices-post-biggest-drop-in-two-years-as-foreclosures-depress-market-2011-05-26

Daily Finance

dailyfinance.com/2011/05/27/foreclosure-prices-fall-again-how-your-state-stacks-up/