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Another Southern California commercial real estate veteran, Greg May, has stepped into the void.
The executive vice president for Newmark in charge of 12 company offices, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix, was let go by the company, Connect CRE and the Commercial Observer reported.
The western region leader will be replaced by Newmark’s L.A. Market Leader Nick DiPaolo, who has been with the New York-based firm since 2021. Neither May, DiPaolo, nor a representative from Newmark could be reached for comment.
May, based in Irvine, had been with Newmark since 2005 but has worked in the commercial real estate industry since the late 1980s, with other leadership roles at CBRE, USAA Real Estate and Transwestern.
He is credited with expanding the SoCal professional brokerage personnel by 250 percent over five years, according to Connect CRE. Among his recruits to Newmark were Kevin Shannon and his capital markets staff, Jay Nugent and Matt Berres.
He has mentored dozens of brokers while with Newmark, and oversaw more than 300 commercial real estate brokers, according to his LinkedIn page.
His exit is the latest executive shake-up to roil commercial real estate.
This month, office dealmaker Tony Morales stepped down or was pushed out of his job as senior managing director of JLL’s Los Angeles office.
It was a position Morales commanded for 16 years as a broker of real estate leases and a tenant representative for such companies as DirectTV, Disney, William Morris Endeavor, Herbalife, Spotify and Cartoon Network.
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New York City dealmaker Bob Knakal was abruptly let go of JLL earlier this month after six years at the firm. The highly recognized broker had done $22 billion in deals during his career.
Unidentified sources told the Observer that JLL had bounced Knakal to shift its brokerage strategy away from individual star power toward a more cohesive investment banking approach.
Also, Carl Muhlstein, who had led JLL’s international sales since 2012, slipped out of its Los Angeles office in December to start his own firm. Last month, longtime New York broker Darcy Stacom also left CBRE to launch her own firm.
Providence took on Crescenta Valley in a nonleague game and lost 15-1. (Photo by Rick Assad)
By Rick Assad
What was a close game for three innings was turned into a rout after the Providence High baseball team surrendered a 10-run fourth inning versus Crescenta Valley on Monday night.
Riding that colossal frame, the Falcons waltzed to a 15-1 victory over the Pioneers in a nonleague game at Stengel Field.
Providence pitchers issued fifteen walks and gave up eight hits and committed two errors.
All of this combined was a recipe for a setback, but it didn’t take away from Providence’s willingness to play a top-notch Pacific League and CIF Southern Section powerhouse, who now have won seven straight games.
Adrian Contreras pitched commendably for three frames as the junior allowed three hits, struck out three, walked three and gave up three runs.
When Contreras departed, the Pioneers (2-9) trailed 3-1 and were still in the game.
After the fourth inning, the Falcons (9-4) pulled ahead 13-1, having sent 14 batters to the plate.
Six Falcons walked and four reached base via a hit and they included senior Brandon Kwon’s two-run single to right field, senior Jacob Deno’s three-run double to right center, freshman Gunner Herman’s run-scoring double to right and senior Jake Rendo’s two-run infield single.
Added to the mix was sophomore Brock Robeson’s sacrifice fly to left field that plated a runner.
With the exception of the fourth inning, Providence’s pitchers did a decent job against Crescenta Valley. (Photo by Rick Assad)
“That inning got away from us. We had to “wear it” from a good team,” Providence coach Mando Contreras said. “They did a great job being patient at the plate and capitalizing on the walks. We know we can’t do that versus a team like that.”
Thomas Keller, an assistant coach who played for Burbank High, said that the Providence pitchers allowed an awful lot of base on balls.
“Too many walks in the fourth inning and the game got away from us fast,” he said. “I thought we got a good start from Adrian, our starting pitcher, and he gave us a chance to stay in the game.”
Providence was limited to two hits, and they came off the bat of junior Eric Chuchvara, who had a one-out, run-scoring single to right field and a leadoff double to left field by Contreras in the seventh inning.
There was also a base running gaffe in the third inning that hurt the Pioneers as two runners were out on the same play.
“That showed our youth in big game situations,” Contreras admitted. “Us getting doubled up really stopped a rally we had going. But experiences are what we want out of these nonleague games. We need pace and fundamental practices. It’s good for my guys this year.”
Each team was retired in order during the first inning and the Pioneers were retired 1-2-3 in the second inning.
In the bottom of the second, Contreras retired Deno on a liner to right field but saw Herman single up the middle.
Junior Jacob Mucic singled sharply to right, but the ball eluded the outfielder as Herman scored on the two-base miscue. The second run was plated on a wild pitch.
“Adrian, our starter, did a great job and did his part giving us a chance to win during his outing,” Contreras said of his young pitcher.
Longtime Falcons coach Phil Torres agreed with his counterpart’s assessment.
“Their first pitcher did a really nice job,” he offered of the right-hander.
The Falcons added a solo tally to make it 3-1 in the third inning as junior Dashiell Schultz cracked a two-out double to left center. Schultz took third base on a passed ball and came around to score on a wild pitch.
The Falcons tacked on solo runs in the fifth and sixth frames as Robeson’s walk with the bases loaded made it 14-1 and freshman Mike Herman’s walk with the bases filled in the next inning extended the cushion to 15-1.
“We expect to win every game and my team buys into that. It’s tough to give a game away with walks. I know our pitcher got a bit tired, but he had to get his work in,” Contreras noted. “We care about making the playoffs this year. So let him work through it in a tough environment. He’ll be better because of it. We’re having fun playing the game together and I’m confident we’ll find success this season.”
Mucic went four effective innings, striking out five and walking one with one hit allowed.
No one is immune from investing mistakes, as there isn’t much we can do to control the environment in which we invest. But there is plenty we can control by focusing on specific goals, identifying what it will take to meet them and forming and following a plan.
Below, we outline a few common mistakes we see investors making today.
Cashing out when markets get volatile
Volatility is a feature of investing, not a bug. The advice to “stay invested” when the going gets tough might be considered a reductive cliché, but it’s not. Diversifying your portfolio with the addition of core bonds could help cushion against equity-market volatility and smooth out the ride.
Trying to time the market
In a perfect world, investors would always buy at the low and sell at the high, consistently maximizing returns and minimizing their regrets. Maybe you think you can time the market better than the average investor, and maybe you’re right. But consider the risks.
Chasing headlines instead of sticking to the plan
Barragan
In 2021, “meme stock” madness minted millionaires seemingly overnight. Fear of missing out drove troves of investors into stocks as they rocketed higher, and many of them took losses when the stocks crashed in the subsequent weeks. More recently, many investors feared a recession in 2023 and hid out in the safety of cash. Those who did missed out on broad global equity gains. Humans have a knack for fixating on near-term dynamics that might prompt emotional decisions that ultimately derail their longer-term goals. Recognizing our tendency to chase headlines is the first step in avoiding that mistake.
Taking risks that don’t suit their goals
When it comes to your money, what does “risk” mean to you?
It might bring to mind geopolitical conflicts, bankruptcies, supply chain snarls or asset bubbles, and the market selloffs they can cause. But do you also think of risks such as outliving your money, losing purchasing power to inflation or not having enough liquidity on hand to address an unforeseen circumstance? By engaging in a comprehensive planning process – dividing your wealth into sleeves with specific purposes, from day-to-day spending to leaving a long-term legacy, you can make better choices about the risk tradeoffs you are willing to take to achieve your financial goals.
Rick Barragan is the Managing Director, Los Angeles Market Manager, for J.P. Morgan Private Bank. [email protected] | (310) 860-3658 privatebank.jpmorgan.com/los-angeles
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., February 7, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
The forces that consumed three regional lenders in March 2023 have left hundreds of smaller banks wounded, as merger activity — a key potential lifeline — has slowed to a trickle.
As the memory of last year’s regional banking crisis begins to fade, it’s easy to believe the industry is in the clear. But the high interest rates that caused the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and its peers in 2023 are still at play.
After hiking rates 11 times through July, the Federal Reserve has yet to start cutting its benchmark. As a result, hundreds of billions of dollars of unrealized losses on low-interest bonds and loans remain buried on banks’ balance sheets. That, combined with potential losses on commercial real estate, leaves swaths of the industry vulnerable.
Of about 4,000 U.S. banks analyzed by consulting firm Klaros Group, 282 institutions have both high levels of commercial real estate exposure and large unrealized losses from the rate surge — a potentially toxic combo that may force these lenders to raise fresh capital or engage in mergers.
The study, based on regulatory filings known as call reports, screened for two factors: Banks where commercial real estate loans made up over 300% of capital, and firms where unrealized losses on bonds and loans pushed capital levels below 4%.
Klaros declined to name the institutions in its analysis out of fear of inciting deposit runs.
But there’s only one company with more than $100 billion in assets found in this analysis, and, given the factors of the study, it’s not hard to determine: New York Community Bank, the real estate lender that avoided disaster earlier this month with a $1.1 billion capital injection from private equity investors led by ex-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Most of the banks deemed to be potentially challenged are community lenders with less than $10 billion in assets. Just 16 companies are in the next size bracket that includes regional banks — between $10 billion and $100 billion in assets — though they collectively hold more assets than the 265 community banks combined.
Behind the scenes, regulators have been prodding banks with confidential orders to improve capital levels and staffing, according to Klaros co-founder Brian Graham.
“If there were just 10 banks that were in trouble, they would have all been taken down and dealt with,” Graham said. “When you’ve got hundreds of banks facing these challenges, the regulators have to walk a bit of a tightrope.”
These banks need to either raise capital, likely from private equity sources as NYCB did, or merge with stronger banks, Graham said. That’s what PacWest resorted to last year; the California lender was acquired by a smaller rival after it lost deposits in the March tumult.
Banks can also choose to wait as bonds mature and roll off their balance sheets, but doing so means years of underearning rivals, essentially operating as “zombie banks” that don’t support economic growth in their communities, Graham said. That strategy also puts them at risk of being swamped by rising loan losses.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged this month that commercial real estate losses are likely to capsize some small and medium-sized banks.
“This is a problem we’ll be working on for years more, I’m sure. There will be bank failures,” Powell told lawmakers. “We’re working with them … I think it’s manageable, is the word I would use.”
There are other signs of mounting stress among smaller banks. In 2023, 67 lenders had low levels of liquidity — meaning the cash or securities that can be quickly sold when needed — up from nine institutions in 2021, Fitch analysts said in a recent report. They ranged in size from $90 billion in assets to under $1 billion, according to Fitch.
And regulators have added more companies to their “Problem Bank List” of companies with the worst financial or operational ratings in the past year. There are 52 lenders with a combined $66.3 billion in assets on that list, 13 more than a year earlier, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
“The bad news is, the problems faced by the banking system haven’t magically gone away,” Graham said. “The good news is that, compared to other banking crises I’ve worked through, this isn’t a scenario where hundreds of banks are insolvent.”
After the implosion of SVB last March, the second-largest U.S. bank failure at the time, followed by Signature’s failure days later and that of First Republic in May, many in the industry predicted a wave of consolidation that could help banks deal with higher funding and compliance costs.
But deals have been few and far between. There were fewer than 100 bank acquisitions announced last year, according to advisory firm Mercer Capital. The total deal value of $4.6 billion was the lowest since 1990, it found.
One big hang-up: Bank executives are uncertain that their deals will pass regulatory muster. Timelines for approval have lengthened, especially for larger banks, and regulators have killed recent deals, such as the $13.4 billion acquisition of First Horizon by Toronto-Dominion Bank.
“Banks are in this pressure cooker,” said Chris Caulfield, senior partner at consulting firm West Monroe. “Regulators are playing a bigger role in what M&A can occur, but at the same time, they’re making it much harder for banks, especially smaller ones, to be able to turn a profit.”
Despite the slow environment for deals, leaders of banks all along the size spectrum recognize the need to consider mergers, according to an investment banker at a top-three global advisory firm.
Discussion levels with bank CEOs are now the highest in his 23-year career, said the banker, who requested anonymity to speak about clients.
“Everyone’s talking, and there’s acknowledgment consolidation has to happen,” said the banker. “The industry has structurally changed from a profitability standpoint, because of regulation and with deposits now being something that won’t ever cost zero again.”
Another reason to expect heightened merger activity is the age of bank leaders. A third of regional bank CEOs are older than 65, beyond the group’s average retirement age, according to 2023 data from executive search firm Spencer Stuart. That could lead to a wave of departures in coming years, the firm said.
“You’ve got a lot of folks who are tired,” said Frank Sorrentino, an investment banker at boutique advisory Stephens. “It’s been a tough industry, and there are a lot of willing sellers who want to transact, whether that’s an outright sale or a merger.”
Sorrentino was involved in the January merger between FirstSun and HomeStreet, a Seattle-based bank whose shares plunged last year after a funding squeeze. He predicts a surge in merger activity from lenders between $3 billion and $20 billion in assets as smaller firms look to scale up.
One deterrent to mergers is that bond and loan markdowns have been too deep, which would erode capital for the combined entity in a deal because losses on some portfolios have to be realized in a transaction. That has eased since late last year as bond yields dipped from 16-year highs.
That, along with recovering bank stocks, will lead to more activity this year, Sorrentino said. Other bankers said that larger deals are more likely to be announced after the U.S. presidential election, which could usher in a new set of leaders in key regulatory roles.
Easing the path for a wave of U.S. bank mergers would strengthen the system and create challengers to the megabanks, according to Mike Mayo, the veteran bank analyst and former Fed employee.
“It should be game-on for bank mergers, especially the strong buying the weak,” Mayo said. “The merger restrictions on the industry have been the equivalent of the Jamie Dimon Protection Act.”
VAN NUYS — Prosecutors filed court papers Monday asking a judge to revoke Rebecca Grossman’s privilege to make telephone calls while in jail, contending that she has used the calls to “engage in wholly improper conduct or potentially illegal conduct” after being convicted of second-degree murder and other charges involving a crash that killed two young boys in Westlake Village.
A hearing is set Friday in a Van Nuys courtroom involving the prosecution’s request involving Grossman, a co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation.
In a 16-page filing first reported by the Los Angeles Times, Deputy District Attorneys Ryan Gould and Jamie Castro wrote that Grossman’s recorded phone calls include “admissions to violating the court protective order regarding the disclosure of evidence on the internet and to the press” and also “document numerous potential criminal conspiracies such as requests to disclose more protected discovery, discussion of various attempts to interfere with witnesses and their testimony and attempts to influence (the judge) in regards to sentencing and motions for a new trial.”
Grossman, 60, was taken into custody Feb. 23, within minutes of a jury finding her guilty of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run resulting in death involving the Sept. 29, 2020, crash that left 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother, Jacob, dead.
The prosecutors cited a series of phone calls in which Grossman spoke to her husband, Peter, and her daughter, Alexis, between Feb. 23 and Feb. 25. Those included a Feb. 23 call in which she told her daughter that she wanted her to “unblock the videos” and “put everything out” and another the following day in which asked her husband if a person she identified as “Tom” could call the judge and “ask him to please let us have a new trial,” according to the prosecution’s filing.
In a call the day after the verdict, Grossman told her daughter, “These were the worst jurors. I knew they were bad jurors … Every single one of them, I could just tell. They weren’t on my side from the beginning. I just knew it,” according to the court papers.
The prosecution is requesting the judge grant a proposed court order that Grossman be housed in a portion of the jail where she has no access to a telephone and is not eligible for calls or visits other than with her attorneys, and that all of her incoming and outgoing mail be screened prior to distribution. The prosecutors contend that the same types of conversations can be conducted through those methods.
“While in custody the defendant immediately began using her phone privileges to engage in wholly improper conduct or potentially illegal conduct,” Gould and Castro wrote.
“In-custody phone privileges are just that, a privilege, and the defendant is using this privilege to make phone calls in an attempt to commit crimes and unduly influence witnesses and this court. Therefore, this court should revoke this privilege.”
The prosecution also alleges that “the defense is actively attempting to engage in jury tampering,” writing that it is “clear” that a private investigator working for the defense showed up at three of the jurors’ homes and was “not properly identifying himself as working for the defendant, Rebecca Grossman, which can only mean he is intentionally trying to mislead the jurors that he has contacted.”
The deputy district attorneys contend that the court should immediately require Grossman’s defense team to turn over all personal identifying information of jurors, noting that their names, addresses and telephone numbers were “sealed by operation of law upon recording the jury’s verdict in a criminal case.”
Grossman — who has remained jailed without bail since being taken into custody last month — could face up to 34 years to life in state prison. Sentencing is set April 10.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Grossman and her then-boyfriend, former Dodger pitcher Scott Erickson, had been out for drinks earlier that evening and were speeding toward her nearby home in separate vehicles when Grossman’s white Mercedes-Benz SUV struck the boys while they were crossing Triunfo Canyon Road with their parents in a marked crosswalk.
Prosecutors said Grossman continued driving after striking the boys, eventually stopping about a quarter-mile away from the scene when her car engine stopped running.
Grossman’s lead attorney, Tony Buzbee, contended that it was Erickson who struck the boys first with his black Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Erickson was never called to testify in the case.
The prosecution alleged that Grossman was speeding at 81 mph in a 45-mph zone just seconds before impact, and that data from the vehicle’s so-called black box showing that she was driving 73 mph at the time of the crash was reliable.
In her closing argument, Castro told the jury that Grossman “continued driving as far as her car would let her” before the vehicle’s engine cut off about one-third of a mile away.
But Grossman’s lead attorney had told jurors in his closing argument that Grossman was traveling at 54 mph “at best” and that she didn’t know why her airbags had deployed. He said the vehicle rolled to a stop after the collision, and disputed the prosecution’s contention that she was impaired and fled the scene.
Buzbee alleged that authorities failed to properly investigate the crash and determine who actually hit the boys.
He called the case a “rush to judgment,” saying they “put their blinders on” and didn’t consider that anyone else might be responsible for the crash.
Again referring to Erickson, the defense attorney noted that “You couldn’t keep me away from this courthouse” to clear his own name if someone were accusing him.
In a recorded phone call two days after the verdict, Grossman told her husband, “You should call Scott Erickson and tell him to get on a video and that he needs to confess … I have a family,” according to the prosecution’s filing.
The deputy district attorneys wrote that Peter Grossman told his wife, “I know he needs to confess, but right now, I can’t even talk about the case, but that guy needs to … you’re in jail for him, and it drives me crazy,” and warned her that they “have to stop talking about the case on the recorded line” from county jail.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A West Hills woman who authorities say acted “greedy and grotesque” was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for a bizarre crime that involved identity theft, forgery, and disposing the body of a man and making it look like he was still alive.
The video featured in the media player above is the ABC7 Los Angeles 24/7 streaming channel
According to the Justice Department, Caroline Joanne Herrling, 44, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining ownership of real estate and money through identity theft and forged power-of-attorney forms.
Authorities said it was a nearly $3.9 million scheme.
“This defendant’s misconduct was both greedy and grotesque, causing profound pain to the victims and their loved ones,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “There must be serious consequences for those who prey on vulnerable communities, such as older adults, and my office will remain steadfast in bringing these offenders to justice.”
Preying on vulnerable homeowners
According to court documents, Herrling, who also went by Carrie Phenix, would look for properties in affluent neighborhoods that appeared “unkempt.”
She and her co-conspirators would visit nicer neighborhoods to search for things like algae-filled pools or homes with overgrown shrubs to ultimately track down people “who were unable to care for their properties.”
In 2020, they found a home in Sherman Oaks.
“After finding such a home … Herrling and her co-conspirators broke into the residence, where an elderly victim resided,” said the Justice Department in a statement.
Sometime in September 2020, that man, identified as Charles Wilding, died.
Investigators aren’t sure how he died but believe Herrling and others “took over the property while his body decomposed in his home.”
“Rather than reporting his death, Herrling and others in the conspiracy left his body in his house while they looted his assets,” said the Justice Department.
Authorities said Herrling used a forged power-of-attorney form so she could pretend to act on Wilding’s behalf while stealing his real estate and financial accounts.
Police begin missing person investigation
In October 2021, law enforcement launched an investigation when neighbors reported Wilding missing.
According to court documents, Herrling identified herself to police as a “close friend” of Wilding and his family. She was also listed as the trustee of his family trust, which, according to the DOJ, purportedly had been created by the victim’s mother, who died in June 2017.
However, that was actually forged. She told police Wilding had moved to Carpinteria.
“She stated that Wilding was not home and was staying with friends in the City of Carpinteria, while she was working to get the house back in order, as it was in disarray and contained black mold,” read the complaint obtained by ABC7.
Herrling obtains new phone, paid man to pretend he was Wilding
According to authorities, after Herrling found out about the police investigation into Wilding’s whereabouts, she “executed an elaborate scheme” to ensure his body would never be found and his death would remain unreported.
According to the complaint, Herrling got a new phone and paid a man to use it so that he could pretend to be Wilding.
“This to support the idea that the victim agreed to distribute his assets to Herrling and her co-conspirators,” said authorities.
Body moved across California
The DOJ said Herrling and her co-conspirators moved Wilding’s body to her apartment in West Los Angeles, where they tried to dissolve it in a “concoction of chemicals.”
When that didn’t work, authorities said they dismembered the body, placed the pieces in vacuum-sealed bags and moved it all to the Bay Area.
“Another member of the conspiracy who owned a sailboat assisted in disposing of the mutilated remains of the deceased victim into San Francisco Bay, the investigation revealed.” Investigators said Wilding’s remains were never found.
During Friday’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong said Wilding was “a man and a human being,” but Herrling “did not see that” and instead treated him “like a cash register.”
More forged documents
Wilding was the listed executor and beneficiary to the will of another victim, but that document was another forgery that Herrling claimed to have “discovered” in a safe deposit box rented by the deceased victim’s mother, court papers state.
“Based on this forged will, the missing victim was to inherit an estate worth more than $1.7 million – assets that ultimately fell under Herrling’s control as the trustee for his estate,” said the Justice Department.
Third victim had home sold without his consent
Authorities said Herrling also defrauded a third victim and sold his home without his consent by “using a conspirator with fake identity documents” to pose as the victim.
Herrling set up accounts to get the money from the sale, which was approximately $1.5 million.
According to court documents, this third victim, who was already suffering from mental health issues, took his own life after losing his home. Herrling later used that money to buy a house in West Hills.
The DOJ said the total loss amount in the cases was $3,887,051.
Herrling pleads guilty
Herrling pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The 44-year-old has been in federal custody since January 2023.
One of Herrling’s accomplices, identified as 50-year-old Matthew Jason Kroth of Tarzana, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud, and up to 40 years for meth trafficking when he’s sentenced in June.
Mike Amash has distinguished himself as a trusted advisor among his clients and a respected leader behind the scenes. He has also played an important role in facilitating Westmount’s transformation from a small independent advisor managing $250 million in assets to one of Los Angeles’ pre-eminent advisory firms overseeing over $5 billion by the end of 2023.
Amash’s career parallels the evolution of the broader financial industry. He started as a commission-based securities broker when the industry was on the cusp of shifting toward a fee-based model. He joined Westmount in 2002 as a senior portfolio advisor. Amash quickly emerged as a rising leader and was named one of Westmount’s first equity partners and senior vice president in 2010. As further recognition of his many contributions over the years, he was named president in 2022, cementing his status as a next-generation leader of the firm.
ZACHARY BAINTER Managing Partner Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management
Zach Bainter is a managing partner and founding member of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, overseeing $200 Million as of January, 2023. His career in wealth management began while he was completing dual undergraduate degrees at UCLA in 2009. Hired before graduation, he started studying for his series of license tests so he could begin his career immediately after graduating Magna Cum Laude.
At the age of 23, he was quickly promoted to management. Helping start a wealth management firm taught him to be adaptable and dependable. By 28 he was promoted to managing partner, the youngest at the time. One of the things that makes Bainter unique is when he is all-in, he works tirelessly to do an exceptional job for his clients. His incredible attention to detail and ability to listen helped lead to his success.
RICK BARRAGAN Managing Director, Head of Los Angeles J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Rick Barragan is head of Greater Los Angeles for J.P. Morgan Private Bank in which he oversees a team of nearly 120 bankers, wealth advisors and support staff across five offices including Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Barbara, South Bay and Westlake Village, who deliver differentiated strategies that care for the unique requirements of significant wealth.
In his 30+ year career with J.P. Morgan, Barragan has amassed a strong track record in various senior leadership and mentorship positions, including serving as the founder and co-chairman of the Corporate Investment Banking Black Leadership Forum, an internal organization that promotes the recruitment, development and retention of Black leadership; and co-sponsor of The Fellowship Initiative. He has played a direct role in increasing the total headcount of bankers across the Greater Los Angeles business significantly over the last three years.
Supriya Batra, partner at Bel Air Investment Advisors since 2015, has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to client service in the wealth management field. Her journey in wealth management spans over two decades, serving previous roles at institutions like J.P. Morgan, Sterling Stamos and Goldman Sachs, before joining Bel Air. At Bel Air, Batra has made a profound impact advising high-net-worth individuals, families and foundations. Her experience in portfolio management, financial modeling and navigating tax and estate issues is particularly noteworthy.
Batra has excelled in the preservation of financial capital across generations while unlocking new avenues for growth and investment. Her consistent performance, especially in navigating volatile financial markets and challenging economic cycles, highlights her long-term strategic thinking and resilience. Batra has been an integral part of Bel Air’s growth over the past decade, culminating in the milestone of $10 billion in total firm AUM surpassed in 2023.
The mother of a 5-year-old boy, who was found dead in a suitcase nearly two years ago in Indiana, was arrested in Arcadia in connection with his murder, according to authorities.
Dejaune L. Anderson was arrested Thursday by the U.S. Marshals Service on allegations of murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice, Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls told The Times.
Authorities were tipped off by a “concerned citizen,” and Anderson was detained while attempting to board a train, Huls said. He declined to specify further how authorities were tipped off.
On April 16, 2022, a man hunting for mushrooms in a wooded, rural area of Washington County, Indiana, found the body of a 5-year-old boy in a brightly colored suitcase, officials said. The boy was identified six months later as Cairo Jordan, an Atlanta resident.
Dejaune Ludie Anderson in a Georgia DMV photo.
(Indiana State Police / AP)
An arrest warrant was issued for Anderson in October 2022, but the boy’s mother had been on the run ever since.
Investigators from Sellersburg, Ind., were in Southern California over the weekend to try to speak to Anderson and to continue their investigation, according to Huls. Anderson has a court hearing Monday; the extradition process will depend on how she pleads. If she doesn’t fight the extradition, officials from Indiana could pick her up in the next week or two.
“If she fights extradition, then it’ll be at the mercy of California courts for it to play out,” Huls said. “A governor’s warrant would probably be requested and court system will have to work that out. It’ll be at least a month until that process will get started.”
Anderson is originally from the Atlanta area and is not a resident of Indiana, Huls said. She has no known connection to Southern California.
Anderson’s friend Dawn Elaine Coleman, 41, of Shreveport, La., was sentenced to 30 years in prison with five years suspended to probation in connection with Cairo’s death after reaching a deal with prosecutors in November.
Coleman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, aiding, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice, according to authorities.
Coleman and Anderson had known each other for about a year and traveled together with Cairo; they had been staying in a residence in Louisville at the time of the boy’s death, according to police.
Coleman told police that she saw Anderson smothering Cairo by sitting on top of him when he was face-down on a bed, according to court records. Coleman said “it was already done” by the time she walked into the room and that Anderson asked her to help put Cairo inside a trash bag and then a suitcase. They drove Cairo’s body to Washington County and left him there in the suitcase, she said.
Both Coleman’s and Anderson’s fingerprints were found on the plastic bags that contained Cairo’s body inside the suitcase, investigators said.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Indiana State Police for Anderson’s arrest, Anderson allegedly made references to exorcism and demonic possession regarding her 5-year-old son in Facebook posts in March 2022.
“Can’t wait to tell my story: I had to raise my frequency, heal myself and past lives, heal my ancestors, heal s— in the universe, heal Gaia to exorcism a very powerful demonic force from within my son,” she wrote, according to the affidavit.
Coleman posted similar messages on Facebook in April 2022, according to the affidavit:
“Just because the avatar is of what we call a child does not mean that it is actually a child there are beings that are here that are not supposed to be here that pick avatars to hide behind to play roles to steal energy and to ruin lives you better check to see if the children that you think are children actually have souls or if they’re not melevolent [sic] beings with a soul and in a child Avatar.”
The boy died from an electrolyte imbalance most likely due to gastroenteritis, or vomiting and diarrhea that led to dehydration, according to Indiana State Police, citing autopsy results. The boy had died a week before his body was found.
Investors Mark Cirlin and Man Li-Yeh have parted with a Malibu estate for $38.45 million, marking the priciest home sale in Los Angeles County so far this year.
The property, at 33740 Pacific Coast Highway, is a Cape Cod-style house that has spent time on and off the market since 2017. It was originally listed for $57.5 million, according to Zillow. The oceanfront Malibu site once contained the home of Marta Kauffman, co-creator of TV show “Friends,” and her husband, composer Michael Skloff.
Steven Schaefer and Jay Luchs of Newmark Residential and Gabi Sharron of Compass represented the buyer, while Chris Cortazzo of Compass represented the seller.
Cirlin and Man bought the property for $10.7 million in 2007 and tore down Kauffman and Skloff’s home.
What came out of the rebuilding process was a 4,400-square-foot estate designed by architect Doug Burdge. The property sits on 1.7 acres of “resort-style grounds” that contains an open-air pavilion with a fireplace, an al fresco kitchen with a pizza oven and a sunken lounge area.
Between the two-story main house and a guesthouse, the property has a total of six bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms, according to a previous report from the L.A. Times. Last year, the home was offered for rent at $275,000 per month, according to Zillow.
The deal ranks as the most expensive home sale in Los Angeles County so far this year, according to property records and Zillow. The Malibu sale displaces two $36 million transactions from the top of the rankings. Last month, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, the daughter of former Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, and her husband Timur Tillyaev sold Le Palais, a Mohamed Hadid-developed Beverly Hills mansion.
The other $36 million transaction involved the estate of screenwriter Rudolph Borchert, who wrote for TV shows such as “Rockford Files” and “CHiPs.” The property in that deal was 28856 Cliffside Drive, a 3,300-square-foot mansion in Malibu.
Long Beach food truck owner Bryan Tecun is recovering from multiple stab wounds after he chased down a man for robbing and attacking an elderly woman.
Tecun had just wrapped up for the night and was driving home when he saw the attack, so he pulled over to help near Ocean Blvd and Pine Avenue in Long Beach on March 10 just before 5 a.m.
“I asked if she was ok and what happened and she said her belongings were stolen by a gentleman running down the street,” said Tecun, who owns Bryan’s Birrieria Food Truck.
Tecun jumped back in his truck and confronted the thief a few blocks down near Pacific and Ocean Blvds. The two got into an argument and a physical fight, and Tecun managed to get the woman’s cell phone back.
During the scuffle, Tecun thought he dislocated his shoulder and when police arrived he didn’t think he needed medical attention. However, as he drove home he started to feel sick, so he called 911.
Tecun was taken to the hospital where he found out he was stabbed in the upper torso and rib cage, and ended up with a punctured lung and internal bleeding. Since Tecun has been unable to work while he recovers from his injuries, the community has come together to help him financially.
“The community has been really backed us up showed a lot of love and support and reached out definitely means a lot to us, want to say thank you to everybody for keeping us in mind and giving us the support I need at this time,” said Tecun.
Long Beach Police arrested the person who allegedly stabbed Tecun and robbed the elderly woman. Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Alexander Pierson from Los Angeles, who was arrested for robbery and bail set at $75,000.
MICHAEL WAXBERG Private Wealth Advisor Northwestern Mutual – Fortify Capital
Mike Waxberg is the founder and private wealth advisor of Fortify Capital, which is a member firm of the Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group. Waxberg is a certified financial planner and has spent over two and half decades building a nationally recognized investment and financial planning practice. He is deeply rooted in the legal, entertainment and business communities, advising on comprehensive retirement, investment and estate planning strategies. He has in-depth knowledge of tax and business planning, working with both individuals and businesses, helping to navigate the ever-changing financial landscape.
Waxberg and the Fortify Capital team lead with integrity, focusing on client needs, always seeking to provide transparency and education. Clients can expect timely and responsive communication, thoughtful care, and agile planning. Waxberg and the Fortify Capital team are committed to bringing simplicity and clarity to those individuals and businesses whose finances can be complex and multi-layered.
Burroughs senior Emerson Coblentz will be one key if the Bears win a CIF Southern Section title. (Photo by Rick Assad)
By Rick Assad
Between Burroughs High, Burbank and Providence, when it comes to softball, these teams are loaded with pitchers, hitters and defensive wizards.
All three squads should be in the race for its respective league banners, the Pacific League for the Bears and Bulldogs, and the Prep League for the Pioneers.
Pitching being so important, the trio are well represented with skilled and effective hurlers.
Senior pitcher Emerson Coblentz will be critical if the Bears are to have an extended playoff season and freshman hurler Valentina Reyes will also be asked to carry a large chunk of the duty.
With Doug Nicol coaching the team, Burroughs carved out a 24-5 record and went 9-1 in the league for first place a season ago.
The Bears reached the CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals by shutting out Buena 6-0 in the opening round, routing Chino 10-2 in the second round, beating El Dorado 6-5 in the quarterfinals before losing to Fullerton 8-1.
Nicol said the aim is always the same.
“Our goal is always to win a league title, and that hasn’t changed,” he said. “We have a unique opportunity to win back-to-back Pacific League titles and that is what we are focused on. After that, we hope to set ourselves up to make a run in the CIF playoffs, which we have been fortunate to do the last couple of years.”
Nicol believes this edition can go far.
Burbank junior Maddison Kellogg should pitch many innings for the Bulldogs this season. (Photo by Austin Gebhardt)
“I think we have as good a chance as anyone to win the Pacific League this year,” he said. “However, our league is very strong at the top with some very successful programs in Crescenta Valley, Arcadia and Burbank. It is never easy and it is a grind once you get into the league season. However, our team has put in so much hard work in the weight room, and on the field since September, so we are ready for it.”
Burroughs has fifteen players, and they are senior heavy with seven and they include outfielder/pitcher Coblentz, hard-hitting third baseman/catcher Phoebe Spangler, shortstop/third baseman Gizelle Rangsiyawong, shortstop/outfielder Alyssa Rosales, first baseman/outfielder Eliza Torres, second baseman Skylar Vanole and outfielder Lily Essakhanian.
Two juniors are on the squad and are all-league first-team slugger, first baseman/third baseman Chloe Centeno and shortstop/outfielder Alyssa Morales.
There are a pair of sophomores, and they include outfielder Karlee Earl and second baseman/shortstop Karisma Mendez.
Four freshmen are on the squad, and they are first baseman/pitcher Reyes, outfielder Chloe Zavala, catcher/outfielder Alissa Cortez and second baseman/shortstop Sophie Rangsiyawong, Gizelle’s younger sister.
“I absolutely love this team and the work ethic and positivity they bring each day,” Nicol noted. “We work very hard to build our culture and this team embodies that culture. They work extremely hard, they are committed to each other and to the team and they respect the game.”
Nicol added: “This team is very talented, both offensively and defensively. I would say what I like most about this team is the fun and love they have for the game that they bring to the field everyday,” he pointed out. “They are such a fun group to be around and they inspire me each and every day with the way they approach the game.”
Burbank went 14-12 and 4-5 for fourth in the league and lost 6-3 to Fillmore in the first round of the Division IV playoffs.
Melissa Sanchez is the coach and is also confident her squad will be ready and able.
Providence is a balanced team with pitching, hitting, defense and speed. (Photo by Austin Gebhardt)
“I think we will compete with every team in our league,” she said. “The girls have worked hard to prepare for a tough season. We know what we need to do to put us in position to win.”
In the circle, the Bulldogs will have junior ace Maddison Kellogg to lead the team.
Burbank has fourteen players on its team and six are seniors and they are outfielder Kara Valencia, shortstop/outfielder Belinda Lujano, catcher Eliza Bowren, outfielder Abigail Kimmer, infielder Breana Tapia and outfielder Braelyn Keegan.
Four juniors are on the team and include Kellogg, second baseman/shortstop Samantha Cafferty, first baseman Charley Barnett and first baseman/third baseman Olivia Orozco.
“Maddison will always put us in a position to win,” Sanchez said. “Our seniors this year are strong offensively and defensively. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
One sophomore is on the squad, and she is first baseman/third baseman Kayla Orozco while there are three freshmen and they are outfielder/pitcher Kaiya Mendoza, catcher/outfielder Kassandra Davila and outfielder Chloe Updike.
Providence went 21-6 and 12-0 in league play for first place and reached the Division V second round after blasting Westminster 11-3 in the opening round and then losing to Santa Paula 5-2 in the next round under Manny Travieso, the coach.
“We’re excited about going for another league championship this year, wanting to prove we’ve got what it takes to win back-to-back,” Travieso said. “Our Prep League keeps getting tougher, so we’re stepping up our game by taking on some really strong nonleague teams this season. Playing against top-notch opponents is going to push us to improve our skills, teamwork, and mental toughness, getting us ready for a shot at CIF.”
Two gifted seniors will be in the circle for the Pioneers, Grace Workman and Olyvia Rutter, and much of Providence’s success will be in their hands.
Travieso said because there are so many seniors, it will be their final opportunity to win a championship ring.
“Looking back at how close we were to the CIF championship game a few years ago, it lit a fire in us to make it there this year,” he pointed out. “For most of our players, this is their last shot at high school softball, so we’re all in to make this season special for them.”
Travieso added: “With our experienced squad, we know how important this season is, and we’re all in to give it everything we’ve got on the field, aiming to reach our dream of making it to the CIF championship game,” he said.
There are fourteen players on the Providence team and eight are seniors.
They are first baseman/pitcher Workman, first baseman/pitcher Rutter, shortstop/outfielder Breanna Palaez, utilityman Malia Rode, outfielder Isabella Barton, second baseman/catcher/outfielder Rachel Handy, shortstop/third baseman/catcher Belen Benito and second baseman/outfielder Kayla Archuleta.
Three are three juniors and they include second baseman/outfielder Mia Allinson, catcher/outfielder Delailah Lopez and second baseman/shortstop Gloria Galindo.
One sophomore is on the roster, and is first baseman Ariana Benito and two freshmen, and they include outfielder Siena Hartman and outfielder Siany Cruz.
High-rise residential and commercial buildings are being constructed near Dongyu Road, Qiantan, in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China, on March 15, 2024.
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
BEIJING — China’s economic data for the first two months of the year beat analysts’ expectations across the board on Monday.
Retail sales rose 5.5%, better than the 5.2% increase forecast in a Reuters poll, while industrial production climbed 7%, compared with estimates of 5% growth.
Fixed asset investment rose by 4.2%, more than the 3.2% estimated by analysts.
The unemployment rate in February for cities came in at 5.3%.
Online retail sales of physical goods rose 14.4% from a year earlier during the first two months of the year.
Investment into real estate fell 9% in the first two months of the year from a year ago. Investment in infrastructure rose by 6.3% while those in manufacturing increased by 9.4% during that time.
“We believe China’s sequential growth momentum remained solid in Q1 despite notable divergence across sectors,” Goldman Sachs analysts said in a report Monday following the data release.
“However, to secure the ambitious “around 5%” growth target this year, more policy easing is still necessary, especially on the demand-side (e.g., fiscal, housing and consumption).”
Despite the upbeat results, National Bureau of Statistics Spokesperson Liu Aihua cautioned that domestic demand remains insufficient.
She told reporters that real estate remains in a period of “adjustment,” and that the overall economy is “in a critical period of recovery, transformation and upgrading,” according to a CNBC translation of her comments in Mandarin.
When asked about the unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24, Liu said the figures would be released a few days after the monthly press conference on economic data.
Economic figures for January and February are typically combined in China to smooth out variations from the Lunar New Year, which can fall in either month depending on the calendar year. It is the country’s biggest national holiday, in which factories and businesses remain closed for at least a week.
This year, the number of domestic tourist trips and revenue during the holiday grew compared with last year as well as pre-pandemic figures from 2019. But Nomura’s Chief China Economist Ting Lu pointed out that “average tourism spending per trip was still 9.5% below pre-pandemic levels in 2019.”
Retail sales did not rebound from the pandemic as strongly as many had expected as consumers have grown uncertain about their future income.
“Consumers were buoyed temporarily by festivities-related spending at this start of the year. In the absence of decisive consumption-related stimulus this year, we think it would be difficult to sustain a robust consumer spending pace this year,” Oxford Economics’ Chief Economist Louise Loo said in a report on Monday.
New loans in February missed expectations and fell from the prior month, “even after adjusting for seasonality,” Goldman Sachs analysts said in a report on Friday.
“The persistent weakness in property transactions and low consumer sentiment may continue to weigh on household borrowing,” the analysts said. “More monetary policy easing is needed.”
Goldman expects 25 basis point cuts to that ratio in the second quarter of this year, as well as in the fourth quarter.
Real estate, which accounts for a significant part of household assets, has slumped over the last few years after Beijing’s crackdown on developers’ high reliance on debt for growth.
The average property price for 70 major Chinese cities fell by 4.5% in February from January on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, according to Goldman Sachs’ analysis using a weighted average of official figures.
That’s steeper than the 3.5% month-on-month drop in property prices in January, Goldman Sachs said.
“Our high frequency tracker suggests that 30-city new home transaction volume declined by 53.2% [year-on-year] in early March after adjusting to the lunar calendar basis,” the analysts said in a report.
Chinese authorities did not reveal significant new support for the massive real estate sector during an annual parliamentary meeting that ended last week.
When asked Monday about overcapacity concerns, Liu said that China’s manufacturing capacity utilization rate was 76% in the fourth quarter, a 0.2 percentage point increase from a year earlier.
She described efforts to increase the level of high-end manufacturing a “strategic decision for achieving high-quality development,” while noting that efforts are needed to prevent inefficient and ineffective investments in the sector.
Data earlier this month showed China’s exports for January and February rose by 7.1% in U.S. dollar terms, beating expectations for a 1.9% increase.
Imports climbed by 3.5% during that time, also topping Reuters’ forecast for growth of 1.5%.
SEOUL, South Korea — Six months after his second elbow surgery, Shohei Ohtani has been cleared to start a throwing program.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Monday that Ohtani will start a throwing program later this week.
“I know once we get back to the States, he is going to start his throwing program, which he hasn’t started yet,” Roberts said. “We’ll see how that progression goes.”
In a recent interview, Dr. Neal ElAttrache (who performed Ohtani’s surgery last Sept. 19) said if Ohtani “goes along with the throwing program as we have it scheduled,” he could begin throwing to hitters in late September.
Asked about that, Roberts said he hadn’t heard about that timeline.
“I think with Shohei anything is possible,” Roberts said. “But if that’s what Dr. Neal said, then he’s the expert.”
Roberts reiterated that the Dodgers do not expect Ohtani to pitch until 2025. But he did acknowledge the possibility that the Dodgers could consider playing Ohtani in the field later this season if his arm has recovered enough.
“If his arm is healthy enough, we’ll have that conversation,” Roberts said. “I do know he’s not gonna pitch this year. But right now, our only focus is him being a designated hitter.”
Ohtani played a total of 8⅓ innings in the outfield during his six seasons with the Angels (all in 2021).
LONG DAY’S WORK
Because of the limited number of position players, a number of the Dodgers’ position players had to play the full game in one or the other exhibition game this week. First baseman Freddie Freeman got the full workload in Sunday’s game (Saturday night PT) against the Kiwoom Heroes – a 14-run, 17-hit rout that had Freeman going to the plate seven times.
“I did not expect that to happen,” Freeman said before Monday’s game against the Korean national team. “When I walked on deck (for the seventh time), I saw (Dodgers GM) Brandon Gomes in the stands. I gave him (a wave), ‘I’m done. I’m tapped out.’
“Seven is a lot. The last time I did that was 2020, COVID camp. I only had five days to get ready (after recovering from COVID). So I was doing that. That was a lot.”
But Freeman admitted “more at-bats is always better” – especially when he has yet to be happy with his swing this spring.
“Everyone else will say I’m hitting .300 (in spring games),” Freeman said. “But for me, I’m real hard on myself and I expect a lot of myself. So, personally, I haven’t liked the way I’ve felt but I’m sure everyone would wave me off.
“For me, there’s just a few things that I’m waiting for and that’s to let a ball travel a little longer, stay with my right side and hit a ball to left field. Not a fly out to left. Just where I can back the ball up and line it there.”
Freeman was out of Tuesday’s game against Team Korea after two plate appearances (a pop out and a walk) in 4 1/2 innings.
ALSO
The Dodgers officially added veteran reliever Daniel Hudson to the 40-man roster. Hudson signed a minor-league contract during the offseason. To clear a roster spot, they designated infielder Andre Lipcius for assignment. Lipcius was acquired for cash considerations from the Detroit Tigers two weeks ago after they had DFA’d him.
EAST LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Deputies fatally shot a man who was allegedly armed with a replica firearm outside an East Los Angeles business, authorities said Sunday.
The chain of events started at 9:20 p.m. Saturday when deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were summoned to the area of Gage and Eastman avenues and Pomeroy Street, where a man was reportedly harassing customers with a metal stick, Deputy Tracy Koerner told City News Service.
The deputies made contact with the suspect and shot him at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Koerner said.
The man died at the scene, and a replica firearm was recovered there as well, Koerner said.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting were under investigation.
“Investigators from the California Department of Justice responded to the scene and will be handling the investigation regarding the deputy- involved shooting,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement Sunday. “The California Department of Justice will provide any further updates regarding this incident.”
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or tips may be sent to lacrimesstoppers.org.
Construction delays led to bumper-to-bumper traffic at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday morning, with some travelers claiming it took them nearly an hour to get through the congestion.
LAX announced lane closures for construction work on Century Boulevard on Saturday night, but delays kept the lanes closed through Sunday morning.
The construction was to facilitate work for the Automated People Mover, a driver-less transit system designed to alleviate traffic around the airport in preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
Around 11 a.m., LAX posted on X (formerly Twitter), “We are anticipating increased traffic congestion at LAX. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, pre-book parking and use Cell Phone Waiting Lots to help with vehicle traffic.”
The account added that the traffic may affect flight times.
At 1 p.m., the X account @FlyLAXstats posted that it was taking drivers roughly 52 minutes to get through the airport’s upper level and 20 minutes to get through the lower level. Earlier in the day, the upper level took as long as 91 minutes to get through.
One X user said people were abandoning their Ubers and walking to the airport. Some travelers posted about the “nightmare” situation on social media.
When asked about his thoughts on the recent rumors about Middleton, Spencer told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, in an interview released March 17, “I do worry about what happened to the truth.”
Diana, mother of Middleton’s husband Prince William and Prince Harry, ex-wife of King Charles III and one of the most beloved philanthropists in the world, died at age 36 in a car crash in Paris. Just before the accident, the princess’ vehicle was pursued by paparazzi.
“I think it was more dangerous back in the day,” Spencer said, speaking about the media scrutiny of his sister. “If I look back to ’97 and Diana’s death, I think that was so shocking, the circumstance of her death was so shocking, that it did make the industry that supports the paparazzi really consider more carefully what it could and couldn’t do. Not because they had a moral judgment, but because it was unacceptable to the public.”
While Middleton is no stranger to media attention, conspiracy theories—and jokes—about her and her absence have been fueled even further in recent days after major photo and news agencies removed from their databases an edited pic of her posing with her and William’s three children—Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, Prince Louis, 5— that Kensington Palace had released March 10. The companies had said the image, the first official photo of the princess since her surgery was announced, did not meet their editorial standards.
Prince William brought up his wife Kate Middleton while out at a royal engagement on Thursday. The Prince of Wales made a visit to WEST, a new youth zone by the charity OnSide. Will got a chance to decorate some cookies with the kids, and when someone complimented his work, he turned the praise to Kate, saying she’s the one with the skills. “It’s really not my impressive work. My wife is the arty one. And my children are more arty than I am, I’ll tell you that,” he said. William’s remark about Kate comes as she’s been a major topic of interest amid her absence from public duties.
The Palace later released a statement from Middleton, which read, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
While Middleton’s immediate family members have not commented on the photo controversy, her maternal uncle Gary Goldsmith, who recently appeared on “Celebrity Big Brother UK,” shared his thoughts about it last week.
“When it came out I said there’s not a chance in hell that Catherine would have photoshopped that herself,” he said on GB News’ “Talking Pints with Nigel Farage” March 14. “And then she says she did. My inside track absolutely went sideways there.”
Kensington Palace had said in their announcement about Middleton’s surgery that she was not expected to return to public duties until after the March 31 Easter holiday, which her rep reiterated Feb. 29. In his interview, Goldsmith defended the Palace, adding they have been “very clear and transparent” about the timeline of his niece’s return. He also reiterated his past comments about her support system.
“I think she’s got the best support infrastructure on the planet,” he added, “and she’s got the best people looking after her.”
