ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Mom who hosted $25k prom send-off accused of fraud

PHILADELPHIA

A Philadelphia woman who made headlines for an elaborate prom send-off has been charged with Social Security benefits fraud.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Philadelphia announced charges of wire fraud, theft of government funds and Social Security fraud Tuesday against 44-year-old Saudia Shuler.

Prosecutors say that Shuler applied for benefits, describing herself as disabled and unable to work, but continued working – including operating a restaurant – costing the government more than $36,000.

Shuler threw a $25,000 Dubai-themed prom party for her son last year. This year, she threw a “Black Panther”-themed prom send-off with an actual panther for neighborhood kids. She said the party cost was in the six figures.

Defense attorney Tariq el Shabazz told WPVI-TV Shuler suffered a stroke, was in rehab and couldn’t do anything for two-plus years.

Restaurant busted over protected tarantula tacos

MEXICO CITY

Fancy a tarantula taco for a cool $27? Not so fast, Mexican authorities say. A Mexico City market restaurant recently put the arachnids on its menu and posted a video on Facebook showing a chef torching one until blackened.

The only problem: The Mexican red rump tarantula is a protected species. The federal environmental protection agency said Aug. 14 it was alerted to the situation via social media and seized four tarantula corpses that were ready to be served up on tortillas.

The tarantula tacos were apparently on offer for 500 pesos, or 50 times the price of a basic street taco.

The restaurant’s menu also features other creepy-crawlies such as grasshoppers, worms and ant eggs, which have a long tradition in Mexican cuisine, and scorpions, which are less common.

Bear makes an unlikely stop in a liquor store

BRISTOL, Conn.

A bear took a stroll into an unlikely snack venue – a Connecticut liquor store.

The midsized creature lumbered across a parking lot in Bristol on Aug. 13, getting close enough to the entrance of Crazy Bruce’s Liquors to trigger a sensor that automatically opened an outer door.

The Hartford Courant reports video from inside shows the bear walking around the foyer while an employee locks an inner door. One unassuming customer also walked into the lobby as an employee unlocked the door and ushered him in.

The bear eventually figured out how to leave, and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was notified.

Associated Press