Mario Lopez was out of jail for almost a year. A former Miami resident who has served prison terms for grand theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, Lopez, 45, was arrested again today, accused of swindling more than $2,100 and two passports from people who thought they were paying for a trip to Ecuador, Pasco County Sheriff's Office records said. Florida Department of Corrections records show that Lopez, of 7111 Heibner Ave., Hudson, was released from the Hernando County Jail on March 31, 2008, where he was sentenced to 1 year, 10 months for fraudulent use of a credit card. ...more

March 24, 2009

Using phony documents and the identities of a dead man and a 5-year-old boy, a government investigator obtained U.S. passports in a test of post-9/11 security. ...more

March 13, 2009

Late last month, the United Arab Emirates denied a visa to the Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer to play in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. Then, just days later and after harsh criticism by the tennis world, the Emirates turned around and issued a visa for another Israeli tennis player, Andy Ram, to play the next week. ...more

March 8, 2009

Sarasota hedge fund manager Arthur Nadel has entered into an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission consenting to the freezing of his assets. ...more

February 3, 2009

Sarasota hedge fund manager Arthur Nadel, arrested last week on fraud charges, has entered into an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission consenting to the freezing of his assets. ...more

February 2, 2009

TAMPA The morning after the finale of "The Amazing Race 13," winners Nick and Starr Spangler told the CBS "Early Show" that the right balance of "luck, strength and skill" helped them win. The brother-sister team took home the $1 million prize in the race, which was run over the summer. Teams traveled nearly 40,000 miles in 23 days. ...more

December 8, 2008

Tampa businesswoman Tina Greene and her estranged husband Ken managed to survive another leg of CBS's "The Amazing Race" Sunday night and will be among the final three teams going for the $1 million prize on Sunday. ...more

December 1, 2008

Many boys see professional sports and entertainment as their passports to fame and fortune. Such dreams are particularly strong in small towns. ...more

November 13, 2008

A cross-border raid by U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida-linked head of a Syrian network that smuggled fighters, weapons and cash into Iraq, an American counterterrorism official said Monday. ...more

October 28, 2008

It can be difficult to get a passport in Hernando County. If someone lives and works in Spring Hill, he or she must carve out enough time during the work week and travel across the county to the Brooksville courthouse to apply for one. ...more

September 22, 2008