Thousands of people were allegedly charged for visas by a Woodbury couple who didn’t provide the documents and instead spent the money on luxury cars, designer handbags and cosmetic surgeries, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Monday.

Ellison sued Christian Palacios and Juan Diego Guevara Sanchez and the companies they own, alleging that the two  falsely advertised their non-immigrant tourist visa services. Ellison’s lawsuit says Palacios and Guevara Sanchez are married.

Ellison’s office said the investigation into the company stemmed from more than 100 consumer complaints.

“No one should be taken advantage of because they miss their family,” Ellison said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “But that’s what defendants did. They aggressively targeted people who had not seen their parents or siblings for years, offering to obtain tourist visas for people by submitting visa applications on their family members’ behalf. I filed this lawsuit so no one else is harmed or defrauded into giving up their savings, because someone saw people’s love of their families as a way to scam hard-working Minnesotans.”

In the lawsuit, Ellison asserts that the Woodbury couple and their Bloomington-based businesses — Nueva Vision Latinoamerica (also known as Nueva Vision), Nueva Vision Multiservicios LLC, and Multinacional Express LLC — defrauded thousands of customers by advertising that they would obtain tourist visas for their family members who live abroad.

Ellison said the couple charged customers several hundred to several thousand dollars each for a “family reunification” program, then often failed to submit visa applications as promised and failed to make consular appointments as promised.

The couple allegedly asked customers’ family members to send original passports to them and then frequently refused to return the passports unless customers paid hundreds of dollars more, effectively extorting them, Ellison’s office said.

In his complaint, Ellison said the couple allegedly used the money they made fraudulently to support a lavish lifestyle that included buying a BMW, a $183,000 Bentley, Versace handbags and cosmetic surgery.

A call to the Nueva Vision office late Monday afternoon was not immediately returned.

Ellison said anyone who has been victimized by the couple or their businesses can file a complaint by going to ag.state.mn.us and clicking on “File a complaint” (then select the Consumer Assistance Request Form).

His office can be reached by calling 651-296-3353 or 800-657-3787.

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By SAFIYAH RIDDLE

Vince Zampella, one of the creators behind such best-selling video games as “Call of Duty,” has died. He was 55.

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Video game company Electronic Arts said Zampella died Sunday. The company did not disclose a cause of death.

In 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and he also was the former chief executive of video game developer Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful “Call of Duty” franchise.

A spokesperson for Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday that Zampella’s influence on the video game industry was “profound and far-reaching.”

“A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come,” a company spokesperson wrote.

One of Zampella’s crowning achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than half a billion games worldwide.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 04: Copies of “Call of Duty: Ghosts” are displayed during a launch event for the highly anticipated video game at a GameStop Corp. store on November 4, 2013 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Video game publisher Activision released the 10th installment in the “Call of Duty” franchise at midnight on November 5. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The first person shooter game debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation and has sold over 500 million copies globally. Subsequent versions have delved into modern warfare and there is a live-action movie based on the game in production with Paramount Pictures.

In recent years, Zampella has been at the helm of the creation of the action adventure video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

By JEFFREY COLLINS

Bourbon maker Jim Beam is halting production at one of its distilleries in Kentucky for at least a year as the whiskey industry navigates tariffs from the Trump administration and slumping demand for a product that needs years of aging before it is ready.

Jim Beam said the decision to pause bourbon making at its Clermont location in 2026 will give the company time to invest in improvements at the distillery. The bottling and warehouse at the site will remain open, along with the James B. Beam Distilling Co. visitors center and restaurant.

FILE – Jim Beam visitors center at its central distillery in Clermont, Ky. on Oct. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner, File)

The company’s larger distillery in Boston, Kentucky, will continue to operate, the company said.

“We are always assessing production levels to best meet consumer demand,” the company said in a statement.

Employees at the distillery are being reassigned within the company and right now Jim Beam plans no layoffs, according to the local United Food and Commercial Workers International Union chapter that represents the workers.

Bourbon makers have to gamble well into the future. Jim Beam’s flagship bourbon requires at least four years of aging in barrels before being bottled.

Whiskey makers are dealing with back-and-forth arguments over tariffs in Europe and in Canada, where a boycott started after the Trump administration suggested annexing the country into the U.S.

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Overall exports of American spirits fell 9% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to a year ago, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. The most dramatic decrease came in U.S. spirits exports to Canada, which fell 85% in the April-through-June quarter

Bourbon production has grown significantly in recent years. As of January, there were about 16 million barrels of bourbon aging in Kentucky warehouses — more than triple the amount held 15 years ago, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

But sales figures and polling show Americans are drinking less than they have in decades.

About 95% of all bourbon made in the U.S. comes from Kentucky. The trade group estimated the industry brings more than 23,000 jobs and $2.2 billion to the state.

Trailing by two in the final minute of Minnesota’s dramatic win over the Thunder on Friday, Rudy Gobert tapped a rebound off a missed Julius Randle free throw out toward Donte DiVincenzo to give Minnesota another look at the bucket.

The ensuing shot was Anthony Edwards’ go-ahead, stepback triple that gave the Wolves the lead for good against the NBA’s best team.

That rebound put Gobert at 15 for the night.

Asked about the play after the game, Gobert turned the question onto the media. “So, when you tap it out, it’s a rebound, huh?” he said.

“Some games they put it as a rebound, some games they don’t,” Gobert said. “I really wanted to know the rule, right? You tap it out and your teammates get it intentionally, so it’s a rebound. I just wanted to know.”

The intent of his comment was obvious. Gobert is a tap-out king, yet frequently doesn’t get the statistical credit for the extra possessions. Sure enough, within an hour of the game’s conclusion, that massive rebound was stat corrected to a board for DiVincenzo. How many rebounds does Gobert think have been taken from him via subjective evaluation of which tap-outs are intentionally directed to teammates and which are not?

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t really pay attention.”

What is known is the count of rebounds for which Gobert has been given credit in his NBA career: 10,016. Eighteen of those came in Sunday’s win over Milwaukee, including rebound No. 10,000.

“Not a lot of people do that,” Wolves guard Mike Conley noted. “He’s gonna be in the Hall of Fame someday. He knows it, and he’s been just a guy that continues to challenge himself every year, and all the hard work is paying off.”

While round numbers are somewhat arbitrary in terms of their significance, Gobert said such a plateau provided a good time to “pause and reflect a little bit on the journey.” But only for a moment.

There are many more rebounds to grab. Gobert noted he’s still in his prime, even at 33 years old.

“I’m feeling great. I feel like I’m still getting better, still learning every day, still figuring things out every day,” he said. “There’s always ways to improve. It’s fun. It’s fun to have that drive to always get better. It’s not just about basketball. It’s so much deeper than that: get better as a leader and as a person, as a dad, as a leader in my community, leader in everything I do.

“(There is) always room to learn and room to grow, and I’m always hungry for that, hungry for knowledge and enjoying the moment at the same time.”

Gobert’s play suggests improvement. His performance Sunday marked his fifth-straight game with 12-plus rebounds, including a dominant performance against Oklahoma City. Minnesota coach Chris Finch said opponents are still trying to hold Gobert from a face-to-face position on the interior when shots go up. But rather than wrestling, Finch said Gobert is shedding his opponents so he can go grab the ball in the air.

The key to that improvement, per Gobert: Jiu jitsu.

“I try to pressure them as much as I can. They get away with being very physical with me, so I realize that I have to be even more physical with them and use momentum and strength and everything I know and have to our advantage,” he said. “ It’s been good. … Even when I don’t get the rebound, I think it takes a lot for them to just fight me. It takes a lot of energy and it carries over over the course of the game. Keep applying the pressure; that’s the mindset.”

Gobert is fifth in rebounds among active NBA players, trailing only Andre Drummond, LeBron James, Nikola Vucevic and DeAndre Jordan.

While Gobert noted his evolution as a rebounder as the game has changed over the years, he still insists rebounding is “99 percent” effort and desire.

“There’s other guys that are big, too. I think it starts there,” he said. “Then just being able to just try to feel the game … and just compete, compete for the ball.”

Briefly

Jaden McDaniels is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Knicks with a left oblique contusion. The Knicks will be shorthanded at Target Center, with star guard Jalen Brunson already listed as out along with starting wing O.G. Anunoby.

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