By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX –
For more than two decades, Maria Refugia Camarillo played matchmaker for her family members - many times over.
Camarillo, known as Cuca, found spouses for her children, her nieces, a nephew and even her three teenage grandchildren. Prosecutors say some were married as many as two dozen times each.
The marriages were not only arranged, they were also lucrative. Authorities say some 170 foreigners were willing to pay up to $12,000 in cash to marry Americans and get green cards.
Prosecutors estimate the scheme garnered more than $1 million, making it one of the largest in the country. The 72-year-old Camarillo is serving a sentence of three years and eight months at a federal prison in Fort Worth.
Dallas County guard resigns after inmate lap dance
A Dallas County jail guard has resigned amid allegations that she allowed a male inmate to perform a "lap dance" to music for her. Witnesses also say Kytrina Lewis gave the inmate her personal cell phone, which contained photos of her.
The incident happened in the county's new direct supervision jail, where guards are stationed in each housing pod and inmates are not separated into individual cells.
The Dallas Morning News reports Lewis resigned Dec. 9. In a statement, Lewis said she knew Gregory Miller from school and asked him if he could still dance like he did then.
Miller said he didn't know Lewis and that she asked him to dance for her. He is awaiting trial on charges of aggravated robbery and engaging in organized criminal activity.
Warhol exhibit Headed to Fort Worth
The Andy Warhol exhibit has turned out to be one of the more popular exhibits at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The museum curated "Andy Warhol: The Last Decade," which features nearly 50 paintings from Warhol's last years. It's the first U.S. museum exhibit to examine this period.
Museum spokeswoman Vicki Scharfberg says attendance is up 51 percent compared to last year's exhibit at this time, "Act/React: Interactive Installation Art."
She says the Warhol exhibit ranks number nine in most popular exhibits. But she says it's hard to directly compare since each exhibit runs for different lengths of time and this one falls under a new fee structure.
The exhibit goes to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth on Feb. 14.