Exactly how far do you have to go before tons of money can’t even save your tail? Billionaire Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III pushed his luck to the point of no return when he was indicted on June 5 for being nothing short of a giant scumbag, the likes of which we haven’t seen in a fairly young, wealthy dude since that scandal with the Max Factor heir.

Nicholas, 48 and worth about $2 billion, was not only picked up for trafficking in coke, Ecstasy, and meth, but he also allegedly roofied business associates and employees, pulled Spitzers, and maintained a number of drug dens, including one below his Los Angeles home. (Someone clearly didn’t follow Biggie’s fifth rule of the Ten Crack Commandments: “Never sell no crack where you rest at.”).

He did try paying his way out, though, but the feds weren’t having it. When he was charged with securities fraud earlier on, Nicholas allegedly “used threats of physical violence and death and payments of money to attempt to conceal his unlawful conduct,” according to his indictment noted on thesmokinggun.com. It appears as though one of his employees found out about his shady activities and agreed on a $1 million settlement with Nicholas and his crew to keep his mouth shut (but if you ask me, he probably could have gotten more out of the deal). Unfortunately, Nicholas’ cockiness eventually got ahead of him and he stopped being stealthy about his drug pushing, lamely concealing his packaging with clients and dealing/smoking tons of pot on private plane flights, then eventually getting picked up.

Like Steven Seagal said..."No one is above the law"!

A PimpWiz Exclusive

Labels: News

Heath Ledger passed away on Tuesday Morning 3:26 p.m.

The New York Fire Department received a call today responding to a "cardiac arrest call" in New York. At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, police said.

The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious.

They found an unresponsive male dead at the scene.

Details are currently very hazy but it is believed he died of a drug overdose.

His body was found at an apartment on Broome Street in Manhattan.Police said they found pills near the body.

Shout out to Johnny for giving us the heads up.

A PimpWiz Exclusive

Labels: News

The FBI is kicking off the new year by starting an ambitious project to create the world's largest database of biometric information on people both in this country and abroad. According to the Washington Post the federal agency will award a 10 year contract next month that will significantly expand the amount and kinds of information they receive about an individual's physical characteristics. While the FBI claims this new information is necessary for modern law enforcement, there is something extremely unsettling about the feds expanding from storing digital images of fingerprints and palm patterns to keeping tabs on iris patterns, face-shape data and perhaps even records of the way people walk and talk.

One of the concerns raised in the Post's article is whether the FBI would be able to fully ensure that the data will be secure. If you thought having your driver's license stolen was annoying, wait until a criminal steals your iris image. "Unlike say, a credit card number, biometric data is forever," Silicon Valley insider Paul Saffo told the paper. "If someone steals and spoofs your iris image, you can't just get a new eyeball." The leadership at the FBI promises that the data will be safe, but there need to be specific safeguards put in place before this system goes into widespread use.

If you're a traveler you've probably seen the use of biometric data in action. Recently the Department of Homeland Security has worked with private vendors to establish a registered traveler program which allows frequent travelers to speed through airport security after verifying a fingerprint or iris image.

The FBI's proposed program comes at a cost to taxpayers of over 1 billion dollars, and was quickly approved by Congress with little fanfare. If everything works out the way the government hopes eventually a police officer making a traffic stop will be able to run a 10-fingerprint check on a suspect and quickly find out if that suspect is on a list of the most wanted criminals and terrorists. Or perhaps a detective can compare palm prints from a crime scene to those in the massive database. Clearly many people will have access to extremely sensitive information, and it remains to be seen whether the government can keep this data out of the hands of the criminals.

Keep your eyes on this story as we move into 2008, it will be interesting to see what how the average American feels about this groundbreaking program now that the details have been made public. Biometrics may be the future, but right now they offer more questions than answers.

A PimpWiz Exclusive

Labels: News, Scott Bernstein, tech news

As tough as the guys who practice martial arts are, they aren't exactly invincible. Mixed martial artist Sam Vasquez unfortunately passed away last Friday after injuries he sustained in a fight. He was in the hospital for five weeks after suffering brain injuries and a stroke. During the fight against Vince Libardi, Vasquez was dropped twice and was knocked unconscious the second time. He suffered a seizure and later a stroke after he as admitted to the hospital.

This is actually the first death in a sanctioned mixed martial arts fight. More details about his death were made available on the Houston Chronicle website, "Vasquez had been hospitalized for more than five weeks after being knocked out in the third round of an Oct. 20 fight against Vince Libardi on the Renegades Extreme Fighting show at Toyota Center. He lost consciousness and suffered a seizure immediately following the knockout and had been in intensive care at St. Joseph Medical Center in downtown Houston. After being hospitalized, Vasquez suffered a massive stroke and had been in critical condition."

Sam Vasquez was only 35 years old, he was a husband and also a father. Our thoughts go out to his family. And no doubt this guy was a fighter until the end.

"Between Good and Evil Stands a Warrior..."


A PimpWiz Exclusive by K. Lawson

Labels: News

Russian billionaire, Roustam Tariko has launched his 'Russian standard' vodka brand in France. He said in a press interview that he intends to become the market's leading player in the vodka business as quickly as possible.

Speaking on the margins of the launch at the George V hotel in Paris, Tariko said he was prepared to invest 4 million euros

($5.6 million) by the end of the year to get the brand known.

"We will definitely be spending much more than our competitors," he told Reuters.

Russian Standard launched also in Britain this week, taking its challenge directly to the world's Number 1 and 2 spirits groups, Britain's Diageo (DGE.L: Quote, Profile, Research), owner of Smirnoff vodka, and France's Pernod Ricard (PERP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), owner outside Russia of Stolichnaya.

Seems like everyday someone else is launching a new vodka. First it was Dame Dash, then Diddy now our boy Tariko. What's next? Sopranos Vodka, the tagline could be "Vodka to Die For.." We are all for expanding your empire but nothing compares to letting the goose loose.

Read More...

Labels: News

According To Bloomberg.com:
A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to an Army base in Texas, U.S. officials said.

The company also billed and was paid $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Habbaniyah, Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Pentagon records show.

The owners of C&D Distributors in Lexington, South Carolina -- twin sisters -- exploited a flaw in an automated Defense Department purchasing system: bills for shipping to combat areas or U.S. bases that were labeled ``priority'' were usually paid automatically, said Cynthia Stroot, a Pentagon investigator.

Read More..

Labels: News

According to The Smoking Gun :

Lara Madden is a 25-year-old porn movie actress who uses the stage name Syvette Wimberly when starring in films..." While Madden's professional alias is catchy and distinctive, the name is identical to that of a former Texas high school pal of the X-rated performer. As a result, Kristen Syvette Wimberly, 25, has filed a lawsuit against Madden and the porn distributor Vivid Entertainment for the misappropriation of her name. In a June 26 complaint filed in Harris County District Court, Wimberly notes that she and Madden became friends after meeting at the beginning of ninth grade in Kingwood, Texas. That friendship, however, "ended due to conflict," according to the lawsuit, a copy of which you'll find below. The complaint adds that Madden (who is pictured at right) married while in high school and did not graduate with Wimberly, who lost contact with her former friend. Until recently, that is, when Wimberly discovered that, "there was a woman appearing in multiple explicit pornographic videos" using her name. Wimberly soon learned, the lawsuit reports, that the porn actress who boosted her name "was her former high school friend Lara Madden."

More on this story at : TheSmokeingGun.com

Labels: News

Here is a breakdown of the secret underground lifestyle myth known as the “mole people“.

Supposedly there are openings all over the city - one of the main ones being along one of the tunnels that runs underneath Riverside Park. Apparently, the latest homeless census reports that approximately 500,000 homeless people are thought to live underground in the abandoned subway tracks and tunnels, but the myths take on a much more complex theory. Some people, including journalist Jennifer Toth of “The Mole People: Life In The Tunnels Beneath New York City” fame, believe that the mole people have developed an underground society of sorts. These communities are thought to have hierarchies, cultural traits, and even illegal electricity and hot water hookups. However, there is a huge lack of concrete evidence to support this since some of these so-called communities are buried deep within the undergrounds of the city and are not easily accessible.

Do any of you have a “mole people” story or your own opinions about what sort of life goes on in the tunnels underneath our city?

Do you think there is a King of the Mole people?

Source

Labels: News, NYC

Sign up now FREE for your all access pass to the #1 SOURCE for high-end pop culture entertainment and news.

Check your inbox weekly for the hottest features, women, gadgets, place to be scene, and more!

By join the PimpWiz newsletter you will also be included on the VIP List to the most exclusive events, get invited to the sexiest parties, and win access to contests and giveaways.

All you have to do is sign up, and the world will be waiting for you in your inbox.

Sign Up Now!

Labels: News, PimpWiz

"Internet pornography is corrupting children and hooking adults into an addiction that threatens their jobs and families. Brownback, a father of five, said when he was a boy, the typical kid's exposure was limited to occasional peeks at dirty magazines illicitly obtained by a buddy. " [Via sfgate.com]

The Pimpwiz.com Spin: You gotta be pretty pissed if you are a father and you see how easy it is to get porn now. Just to imagine that the old way was to stand behind the dumpster of your local quicky-mart and wait for last month's issues to be tossed...Sitting knee high in wasted milk and wilted hot dog chunks. It's not the "care of our children" that is the source of the internet porn censorship...it's the jealousy.

Labels: News

"Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page each saw his net worth jump $875 million yesterday — to a whopping $6.5 billion apiece — after Google, the most popular online search engine, reported blowout results.

Google's already skyrocketing share price surged another 15 percent yesterday to close at $172.43 in Nasdaq trading. Earlier in the day, the stock jumped as much as 21 percent.

The stock has more than doubled since August, when the company first sold shares at $85 through an unusual auction-style IPO.

In just three short months, Page and Brin, who each own about 38 million shares, have seen the value of their individual stakes rise by about $3 billion, to more than $6.5 billion." [Via newyorkpost.com]

The PimpWiz.com Spin: Damn...

Labels: Google, News