feng shui

Alleged Swindler Scammed Out of $800,000 by New York City Limo Driver

Filed under: Wealth, Celebrity Design, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Tony Chan Chun Chuen is allegedly swindled by New York Limo driver.

A New York City limo driver allegedly stole the credit card information belonging to a Hong Kong-based near billionaire and racked up nearly $800,000 in fraudulent charges, according to court documents filed in a Federal Court in Brooklyn.

Astonishingly, the victim is so wealthy, he wasn't even aware he had been defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars until it was brought to his attention by the company that had issued the charge card.

It all started when celebrity feng shui adviser, Chan Chun Chuen, also known as "Tony Chan" (seen above), traveled by private jet in July 2008 arriving at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport before being transported to Manhattan by Queens, N.Y.-based driver, Peter S. Rahhaoui. According to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, Rahhaoui later used Chan's American Express card to "receive payment and other things of value". The fraudulent activity allegedly occurred between August 2008 and November 2009 .

U.S. Secret Service Agent Kwame Davis testified that he had been contacted by a fraud investigator working on behalf of American Express who was investigating a pattern of fraudulent activity for a card issued to Chan Chun Chuen. According to Kwame's testimony, a large number of charges were posted on a monthly basis by A&S Limousine Service, for amounts ranging between $4,300 and $19,242. According to court documents, the total amount of these charges was $794,986.

But in a strange twist of events, the victim's own alleged misdoings are now being used as a defense by Rahhaouhi.

Tags: American Express, billionaire, Can Chun Chuen, court, feng shui, fraud, fraud investigation, Hong Kong, legal action, Nina Wang, Tony Chan

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Crystal Cruises: Culture, Feng Shui and Elegance on the Caribbean

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

With ships that accommodate some 1,000 guests, Crystal Cruises' vessels are a bit larger than those of its competitors. But style isn't sacrificed aboard Crystal Symphony or Crystal Serenity; rather, it's abundant, earning Crystal a nomination for a Luxist award in the Best Caribbean Cruises category.

Founded in 1988, Crystal is known not only for the elegance of its ships but for the rich cultural activities available to passengers. The company's Wine & Food Festival at Sea debuted in 1996, allowing guests to mingle with celebrity chefs such as Suzanne Goin, Danny Meyer and André Soltner as well as wine experts from across the world. In the wake of the festival's success, Crystal built a Vintage room in each of its ships; here, dinners pair rare wines with complementary cuisine. In 2009, the company debuted a series of themed cruises, each with a focus on a topic such as photography, jazz, golf and ballroom dance.

Owned by Japanese firm Nippon Uesen Kaisha, Crystal's spacious cabins all have design features based on feng shui, the Eastern art of interior design to create positive energy. Caribbean itineraries for two of its ships, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, offer ports of call including Turks & Caicos, Antigua, Curacao, St. Lucia and St. Maarten; trips range from 7-14 days and originate in Miami, New York and Costa Rica.

Caribbean trips start below $3,000 for a weeklong round-trip Miami cruise but can easily stretch into the five-figure range for longer journeys and larger rooms.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from Crystal Cruises

Tags: awards-main, Caribbean cruises, CaribbeanCruises, crystal cruises, CrystalCruises, feng shui, FengShui, luxist-awards, winter-travel-awards, winter-travel-main

Droolworthy Mirrors from Horchow

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

I love mirrors. In the practice of Feng Shui, they recommend placing a mirror across from a room's entrance. I like that, because it makes the room appear larger and lets me know right away if I need to fix something about my appearance -- and more importantly, if I don't need to fix anything. It relaxes me.

Mirrors are excellent for distributing light in any space, and a beautiful, well-kept (dusted and clear) mirror is a gorgeous addition to any room.

For awhile, my roommate and I were looking for a large mirror for above our couch. When we couldn't find one we liked (they all had such wretched frames), we decided to instead make a collage of smaller mirrors, each with their own unique frames. The effect is very elegant.

Here are some droolworthy mirrors from Horchow. If these are out of your price range, I recommend checking the local thrift store for interesting mirrors!

Gallery: Beautiful and Unusual Horchow Mirrors